The Greater Good

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“The Greater Good”
Lost (TV series) episode
Shannon holds Locke at gunpoint
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 21
Guest stars	Ali Shaheed Amini (Yusef), Donnie Keshawarz (Essam), David Patterson (Agent Hewitt), Jenny Gago (Agent Cole), Dariush Kashani (Haddad)
Written by	Leonard Dick
Directed by	David Grossman
Production no.	119
Original airdate	May 4, 2005
Episode chronology
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"Do No Harm"	"Born to Run"
Episode chronology

"The Greater Good" is the 21st episode of Lost. It is the twenty-first episode of the show's first season. The episode was directed by David Grossman and written by Leonard Dick. It first aired on May 4, 2005 on ABC. The character of Sayid Jarrah is featured in the episode's flashback.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Plot

At the caves, Sayid observes a mourning Shannon, before asking if he can do anything for her. At the same time, Kate tracks down an exhausted and obstinate Jack. Jack blames Locke for what happened to Boone, but Kate pleads with Jack to return. At the beach, the survivors bury Boone. During the funeral, Locke arrives and attempts to explain what happened, but Jack ignores him and flies into a rage.

Afterward, Jack explains to Sayid, Sun, and Kate that Locke is lying, but they insist that Jack must rest. Locke asks Shannon’s forgiveness, to no avail; Shannon instead goes to Sayid and asks if he could do something about Locke for her.

Meanwhile, Charlie tells Claire that she needs to rest, and though reluctant at first she lets him take care of her baby. Charlie has a tough time getting the baby to stop crying, even having Hurley to sing the song "I Feel Good" to no avail, but finally manages to do so after seeing the baby's reaction to Sawyer's voice.

Kate attempts to take care of Jack, who stubbornly insists he needs to deal with Locke. Realizing he’d probably try this, Kate drugs Jack and he falls asleep, leaving Sayid free to deal with Locke. Sayid arrives at the caves and begins questioning Locke, asking Locke to show him the Beechcraft. As they walk to it, Sayid interrogates Locke, who realizes just what Sayid is doing. Upon arriving at the plane, their cat and mouse game escalates. Sayid tells Locke he knows Locke has a gun, and Locke hands it over. Locke then reveals that it was he who hit Sayid over the head when he was trying to triangulate the distress signal. This enrages Sayid, who pulls the gun on Locke and questions him about the hatch. Locke lies, saying Boone was talking about the plane’s hatches.

Sayid returns to the beach and explains to Shannon that he believes Locke did not mean to harm Boone. This prompts an angry Shannon to take matters into her own hands. Shannon steals the guncase key from a sleeping Jack, and confronts Locke in the jungle. Kate, Jack, and Sayid arrive during the confrontation, but Shannon refuses to back down. Left with no choice, Sayid tackles Shannon just as she fires the gun, the bullet grazing Locke's head.

In flashbacks, Sayid becomes an informant for the CIA, which has asked him to infiltrate a terrorist cell in which his old friend Essam is a member. Explaining that they know where Nadia is, he agrees. When Sayid discovers a plot in Sydney, he informs the CIA, who tell him to convince Essam to do it. On the day of the attack, Sayid reveals he is an informant, and a distraught Essam kills himself. After Essam's death, the CIA tells Sayid where Nadia is, and hands him a plane ticket. Sayid inquires about Essam’s body, and is told that because no one will claim it, the body will be burned. Sayid insists on claiming the body himself and tells them to change his flight.

That night, Sayid visits Locke, who thanks him for saving his life. Sayid replies that he only did it because he believes Locke to be their best chance for survival. He then tells Locke to take him to the hatch.

Lost
Production:	DVD releases \| Episode list \| Season 1 \| Season 2 \| Season 3 \| Soundtrack
Main characters:	Ana Lucia \| Ben \| Boone \| Charlie \| Claire \| Desmond \| Hurley \| Jack \| Jin \| Juliet \| Kate Libby \| Locke \| Michael \| Mr. Eko \| Nikki \| Paulo \| Sawyer \| Sayid \| Shannon \| Sun \| Walt
Supporting characters:	Alex \| Bernard \| Christian \| Cindy \| Ethan \| The Others \| Pickett \| Rose \| Rousseau \| Tom
Organizations:	DHARMA Initiative \| Hanso Foundation \| Oceanic Airlines
Elements:	Crossover list \| DHARMA Initiative stations \| Flight 815 \| Mythology \| Thematic motifs
Miscellaneous:	Gary Troup \| In popular culture \| Lost Experience \| Rachel Blake \| Video game