LOST- Episode 39: Maternity Leave

Original airdate: 3/1/06

  Would you believe I almost FORGOT to record this episode?  If you really need to know what previously happened on LOST, please consult the archives.  If I remember correctly, they gave us the history of Ethan.

  The first thing I have is Claire walking away from Locke in the middle of the night, upset that the baby is crying.  She wants to go see Jack over in Station Three, but Locke stops her and offers to go for her.

  So Locke teleports over there and wakes the doctor up with news of the baby's fever.  When Locke mentions that Claire had been on her way there, they both glance at the armory door- the captive Henry Gale being the real reason Locke didn't want Claire there.

  Back at the beach, Claire is trying frantically to stop Aaron's crying.  She thinks she hears Jack coming, but when she turns around she sees Danielle Rousseau instead.  Claire warns her to stay away, but Rousseau continues to creep forward, asking if the baby is infected.  Claire is puzzled by her questions and Rousseau realizes that she does not remember her abduction.

  Or does she?  Rousseau's words trigger a lightning quick flash of images in Claire's brain.  A needle is injected into her stomach as an unseen voice tells her that they do not want the baby to get sick.  Then the images become more vivid.  They are of Claire scratching and clawing to get away from Rousseau.

  The commotion has stirred Kate out of bed.  She comes running and demands that Rousseau leave their camp.  Rousseau wordlessly obeys.  Kate asks Claire what happened and in near tears, she replies that something is wrong with the baby.  This cues the creepy LOST title screen.

  Later, Claire expresses her fears to Jack that the fever and rash could be a sign of something worse.  Jack thinks that it is more likely a run of the mill illness.  When Jack wonders where Claire got the notion of an infection, Kate tells him about Rousseau.  He assures Claire that Rousseau is crazy and that the best action is to just let the baby's fever run its course.

  The next morning, Claire and Kate approach Libby and ask for her help.  Claire explains what happened with Ethan and about her amnesia.  Libby thinks that as a pyschologist, she can help Claire regain the two weeks of her abduction that are missing from her memory.  Claire doesn't have amnesia- she has a mental block.

  Over in Station Three of the Dharma Initiative, Jack brings Henry Gale some food and Locke brings him a book to read- something by Dostoevsky.  Henry jokes that he would prefer Stephen King.  Outside the armory, Jack asks Locke about giving Henry the book and Locke answers that it's just something to pass the time.  He then launches into how Hemingway was always jealous of Dostoevsky for being a better writer.  He eventually moves on and asks what the long term plan for Henry is.  Jack tells him there is no plan, but he's open to suggestions.  From the other room, Henry suggests letting him go.

  In a peaceful beach spot far from the noise of the camp, Libby begins breathing exercises to help Claire get more relaxed and open-minded.  As Claire concentrates, her quick flashes of memory begin again, but this time they eventually settle into a standard LOST flashback.  She is pregnant and getting a check-up.  The doctor explains that she is mildly sedated, then opens a locked fridge and prepares to give her an injection.  The camera in Claire's brain pans up to reveal that the presiding doctor is one Ethan Rom.  Upon injection into her stomach, the alarming memory flashes resume and Claire is brought back to the present screaming, thrashing and freaking Libby out.

  Kate, Aaron, Libby and Claire are all upset not, but Claire insists that they must "do it again."  Libby thinks that Claire has experienced a merging of several memories, but Claire is convinced that what she saw was real.  There was medicine in the place where she was taken and she has to go there.

  Back in Station Three, Jack hears Mr. Eko coming and ducks into the bathroom.  He closes the door and hushes a shaving Henry.  Eko finds Locke changing a light bulb and asks him if he can borrow a saw.  As he walks by, Eko notices the armory and the unmade cot inside and makes a mental note of it.

  On the beach, Kate asks Sawyer for a gun and insists that he doesn't get to ask why.  Since he has all the leverage, he insists that he does get to ask.  So Kate tells him that they are going after Rousseau because she might know where Claire was taken.  Sawyer asks her what kind of gun she wants.

  Elsewhere, Sun is very upset that Claire is leaving her baby behind.  She asks if she really wants to go through with it.  These words cause Claire to pause for a moment and begin to remember again...

  Ethan is giving her another injection and apologizes that it hurts.  She is currently too drugged to care.  She reacts with childlike wonder when Ethan offers to show her a surprise.  He leads her down a long, dank corridor (they pass a Dharma logo on the way).  Ethan opens a door and shows her what will be the baby's nursery.  As Claire studies the room, she asks what happened to Charlie and Ethan lies that when they got far enough away, he was let go.  Doped up Claire seems satisfied with this answer.  She then notices a mobile hanging over the crib- the same airplane mobile that was in her nightmare just prior to her abduction.  As she turns it on and listens to the music, Ethan is called away by a guy that sounds a lot like "Zeke", only he doesn't have a beard.  It seems Ethan is in a bit of trouble for not making "the list" before taking Claire.  Ethan insists that this was not his fault because they knew he wasn't on the plane.  "Zeke" is pretty upset and wonders what "he" will do when "he" finds out about this.  He then notices Claire watching and shuts the door, effectively ending the memory.  Claire snaps out of her trance just in time to leave with Kate into the jungle.

  As they walk, Claire asks about Rousseau so Kate fills her in on what she knows.  When Claire asks why Rousseau would kill her crew, Rousseau herself shows up to answer, "Because they were infected."  Claire gets suddenly aggressive and demands that Rousseau take her to the place where she scratched her.  Rousseau says that it is not far and they begin to walk again.

  At the beach, Eko approaches Jack and asks straight up who the stranger in "the hatch" is.  After establishing that Locke didn't tell him, Eko asks to speak to the man alone in exhange for his silence on the whole matter.

  Meanwhile, in the jungle, the girls have reached the spot where Rousseau was scratched and there is nothing of interest there.  There seems to be a misunderstanding as both Claire and Rousseau think the other should know where to go next.  Things start to get physical and Kate is forced to draw the gun on the French woman.  Rousseau moves toward the gun and begs Kate to do it.  Beforeany murders can be committed, Kate realizes that Claire has wandered off.  She's only a few yards away, however.  She sees an oddly shaped log and once again her shattered memories begin to piece themselves back together.

  Her thoughts settle on the nursery where Ethan watches her sit in the rocking chair knitting a booty.  He asks her if she wants to go for a walk.

  Outside in the jungle, Ethan tells her he couldn't bring her out more because his friends are afraid she will run away.  When she stumbles and laughs, it becomes apparent that she is in no condition to do anything on her own, let alone run away.  They sit down on the log that triggered the flashback and Ethan tells her that he is going to miss her and wishes that she didn't have to go back to her friends.  Claire actually suggests staying, but Ethan reminds her that there is not enough vaccine.  She worries about seeing the baby, but oddly, Ethan tells her that no one is going to take the baby if she doesn't wish them to.  She has a choice.

  Once she snaps back to reality, Claire begins to search the nearby brush until she finds what she is looking for.  She pulls back a tarp and reveals another hatch.  They open it and see a long corridor, lit only by a dim, flickering light.

  The three women make their way cautiously and find a supply box full of flashlights.  Kate goes off on her own to try and get the power on, while Claire follows her instincts and fuzzy memories into the room that was once a nursery.  The lights come on to reveal that the only thing left is the rocking chair.

  Elsewhere, Kate enters what appears to be a locker room and begins rummaging around.  She finds a wool hat, some dirty clothes and a trunk containing a fake grey beard and some officially licensed Dharma Initiative theatrical glue. 

  On the floor, Claire finds the single booty she completed while there, which triggers the memory of a woman telling her to wake up.  The young woman helps her up and practically shoves her out the door.  Claire looks down the hallway and sees several people in white preparing an operating room.  The girl warns her that they are going to cut the baby out and let Claire die- she has to leave- now.  Claire doesn't believe it so the girl is forced to take drastic measures and knock Claire out with a rag over her mouth.  "You'll thank me for this, one day," she tells her.

  Once again in the present, Claire is filled with a renewed sense of purpose.  She has seen the room where the medicine was and marches to the end of the hallway and into the operating room.  She calls for Kate and together they lift up the tipped over fridge.  Claire is dismayed to see that it is completely empty.  She turns her wrath on Rousseau- convinced that she must know where the vaccine is.  Looking into the confused French woman's eyes stirs up yet another forgotten memory, however.  Claire is in the jungle and Rousseau is warning her to be quiet.  Claire, sensing danger, scratches Rousseau and tries to run.  With the Others' search party drawing closer, Rousseau takes swift action, knocking Claire out with the butt of her rifle.

  Claire now realizes that Rousseau wasn't trying to bring her back to the Others.  She was trying to save her.  Rousseau admits that she carried her on her back and left her where her friends would find her.  She turns to leave and Claire asks where she is going.  "You're not the only one who didn't find what they were looking for," she answers sadly.

  As the dejected team trudges back through the jungle, Rousseau stops and says she will go no further with them.  Claire asks her about her long-lost baby girl- Alexandra.  She then tells her that there was a young girl who helped her escape and was not like the others.  She was good.  Danielle is visibly pleased by this and says she is sorry they didn't find the vaccine.  She hopes the baby is not infected, "but if it is," she warns, "I hope you know what must be done."  With that pleasant thought lingering in the air, Rousseau walks away from them.

  In Station Three, Jack tells Locke that Eko knows about Henry, so Locke opens the armory to give Eko what he requested.  Once inside, Mr. Eko confesses his sins to Henry.  He is sorry for what happened on his first night on the island and regrets killing those two men.  When Henry asks the obvious, "Why are you telling me this?", Eko answers that he needed to tell someone.  With that, he pulls out a Bowie knife and holds it to his throat.  He slices off a piece of his beard and hands it over to a bewildered Henry.

  Back at the beach, Claire is happy to hear Jack's news thatAaron has gotten all better.  After Jack leaves, Claire gives her son the one booty she knitted for him and promises that they will always be together.

  Over in the armory, Locke brings Henry some food and their conversation turns toward what Locke mentioned earlier- Hemingway vs. Dostoevsky.  Henry's point is to ask Locke why he takes orders from Jack.  "Jack and I make decisions together," Locke assures him.  Henry apologizes and begins to eat.  When Locke gets outside the door, he reveals that Henry's words have gotten to him and the throws the dishes on the floor in a mini-tantrum.  Henry hears the noise and takes note of it, but he doesn't quite smile, even if he wants to.

  Next time: Locke seeks Ana-Lucia's help in getting Henry out of "his hatch."  That sounds kind of dirty, but whatever it means, it leads A-L and Sayid on a quest to find Henry's downed hot air balloon.