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"Abandoned" is the sixth episode of Season 2 of Lost and the thirty-first episode of the series as a whole. When Shannon sees Walt in her tent, she becomes convinced that he needs her help. Meanwhile, Sawyer's bullet wound starts to become infected, prompting the tail-section group to pick up the pace, and risk cutting across the jungle where the Others attacked them from.
Synopsis
Previously on Lost
- Boone searches the beechcraft while Locke waits down below. Boone throws down a Virgin Mary statue full of bags of heroin. Soon after, the plane comes crashing down with Boone still inside. ("Deus Ex Machina")
- The survivors hold a funeral for Boone. Shannon is devastated. ("The Greater Good")
- Ana Lucia tells Sawyer, Michael, and Jin that they are setting out for the beach camp. They gather food and water for the hike. ("...And Found")
- Michael goes off on his own into the jungle in search of Walt; Jin and Eko go after him. During their search, they are nearly spotted by what appear to be the Others: a dirty line of barefoot natives, one of whom drags a mud-stained teddy bear. ("...And Found")
Flashback
An eighteen-year-old Shannon works as a ballet instructor and dreams of landing an internship with a prestigious dance company in New York. During a dance class, her friend Nora tells her about a man named Philippe who asked her to be an au pair. ♪ After her class has ended, Shannon receives a phone call from her step mother, who informs her that her father has been in a car accident. The two rush to St. Sebastian Hospital, where a doctor tells them Adam suffered massive internal injuries, and he stopped breathing at the scene of the crash. He says they were unable to resuscitate him.
At her father's funeral, a man arrives behind Shannon, saying, "Death sucks, doesn't it?" The man is revealed to be Boone, and Shannon is very glad to see him. ♪ Boone gives her alcohol, claiming that there is always booze at wakes. At first Shannon protests, saying, "Your mom's going to freak," but she gives in, taking some alcohol. Boone asks Shannon to come and visit him in New York, but she says she is planning to move there if she gets the internship at the Martha Graham Dance Company. Although Shannon says it is a 1 in 3000 chance, she remains optimistic that she will get the internship. Boone asks if she has spoken to his mom. Shannon says, "She's going through her thing and I'm going through mine." Shannon says Sabrina has hated her from the moment she met her.
Shannon eventually gets the internship at the dance company, but finds out her rent check has bounced. She asks for help from Sabrina, or at least her part of her father's will. Sabrina says there was no will because Sabrina and Adam had a living trust, and everything passed to her. She tells Shannon that she has to work for her money, and refuses to lend her money for her trip to New York. Sabrina says that from now on, Shannon is on her own.
Shannon gets kicked out of her own house, and as she's packing her things, Boone comes in. Shannon had apparently asked him to ask his mom for some money, but he comes back empty-handed, saying Sabrina knew why he asked for the money. Shannon asks if she can move to his place in New York, but he informs her that he is leaving New York, since his mom offered him a job and he accepted. He offers Shannon some of his own money, but she rejects it, asking him whether or not he believes she can make it on her own. When he doesn't answer, she rejects his money again, saying she does not need his help.
On the Island
As Shannon gives Vincent water outside her tent, Sayid comes along and tells her to pack her things. He takes her for a walk and presents her with a brand new shelter, saying that it is all hers. Shannon invites Sayid into the tent for the night, and the two share a kiss. When Sayid pulls a gun out of his waistband, Shannon asks him if he carries it around all the time. Sayid says he only carries it because he has someone to protect. ♪
Halfway across the Island, Cindy tells Ana Lucia they should get moving again. Ana Lucia says she wants to let her group rest a little longer, and Sawyer points out that she is lost. Ana Lucia blames Sawyer's friend for running off, otherwise Eko would still be with them. When Eko and Michael finally return, Ana Lucia asks Eko if he's okay and he says yes, but that he saw the Others and they have to leave. Cindy asks how many there were, but Eko won't say. Ana Lucia agrees to let the group keep moving.
Back at Shannon's tent, Sayid and Shannon make love, and Shannon asks if they are serious now. Sayid playfully says that he does this "for all the girls I meet on deserted islands." Afterward, Shannon wants to leave to get a drink of water, but Sayid leaves instead to get it for her. While he is gone, an apparition of Walt appears in the tent, dripping wet and speaking backwards. He says what appears to be, "They're coming and they're close."
Shannon screams at the top of her lungs, but Walt has disappeared by the time Sayid gets to her. Half the beach, awakened by the screams, rush over. Sayid tells her (and everyone listening) it was only a dream and everything is fine. Sayid publicly refuting her story leaves Shannon feeling angry and hurt.
When Claire, who heard Shannon's screams, arrives with Aaron, Charlie acts very paternal and scolds her for waking the baby up. A bewildered Claire ends up apologizing to Charlie.
The next day, as Locke helps Claire get the baby to sleep, she complains to him about Charlie, saying that he acts like the baby's father, but she knows very little about him; he could be a "religious freak" for all she knows. Why else would he carry a statue of the Virgin Mary around with him?
Halfway across the Island, Ana Lucia and Mr. Eko are leading their party on a trek to join the middle section survivors and unite the two groups. Ana Lucia asks Eko how much further it is to the other camp. Eko says maybe a day or two. Sawyer stumbles at the back of the group. Libby checks his wounds and he asks if she's a doctor. She tells him she's a clinical psychologist. Libby says it's bad, but not "real bad," and he'll be okay.
While traveling through the jungle, Michael asks why the Tailies are in so much fear. Ana Lucia says her group was kidnapped one by one by the Others, and he should think again about who these people are. Sawyer is now so ill from his bullet wound that they are carrying him on a makeshift stretcher. ♪ The group manages to get the stretcher up a steep hill ♪, only to find that while they were doing so, another of their group, Cindy, disappeared. Eko and the others then hear whispers. They run in fear.
Hurley helps Rose with the laundry, asking her why they are hanging it to dry when there is a dryer in the hatch. He wonders if it's because she's afraid of the button. She laughs and says they wouldn't want to spoil themselves now. Shannon approaches Rose and Hurley, asking about Walt and Michael's luggage. Rose mentions to Hurley about how terrible it must be to "lose the one person you love on the Island," implying again that her husband is not dead. Shannon has resorted to using Vincent to try and track Walt. She has Vincent sniff Walt's clothing and tells the dog to find Walt. Vincent leads her directly to Boone's grave, where Sayid finds her and assumes she's there to mourn her dead step-brother. Feeling misunderstood and marginalized, she takes off again. ♪
When Sayid finally catches up to Shannon in the jungle, she tells him she knows Walt is not on the raft because they found the message bottle from the raft. After running further into the jungle, Shannon trips. As Sayid tries to help her up, she angrily asks him why he doesn't believe her and says she knows he will leave her as soon as they are rescued. But Sayid tells her he believes her; he promises her that he will never leave her and tells her he loves her. ♪
As they fall into an embrace, Sayid and Shannon hear whispers and look up to see Walt, again dripping wet and this time putting his finger to his lips and saying, "Shh." Shannon runs after him into the jungle and it takes a moment for Sayid to jar himself into action. He is running after her when a gun fires and Shannon stumbles out of the jungle with a bullet hole in her stomach. The Tailies stand, shocked, behind Ana Lucia, who is holding a smoking gun. Shannon dies in Sayid's arms.
Trivia
- At 35:10 into the episode, Michael whispers "F**k Me!" as they carry Sawyer up the hill.
- Jack is seen walking past Shannon and Sabrina at the hospital when they are informed of Adam Rutherford's death, which is seen from Jack's perspective in "Man of Science, Man of Faith".
Production notes
- This is the final episode of the series to be written by only one person.
- Yunjin Kim (Sun) and Evangeline Lilly (Kate) do not appear in this episode.
- Matthew Fox (Jack) appears without speaking lines.
- This was the last time Malcolm David Kelly (Walt) was seen and credited until "Three Minutes".
- This episode has the distinction of being the only Season 2 episode to credit every Season 2 cast member, including Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Maggie Grace, Malcolm David Kelley and Cynthia Watros.
- William Blanchette played the role of baby Aaron in this episode when he was six months old. He would later play Aaron as a small child off the Island from "Eggtown" onwards.
- This is the only Shannon-centric episode.
- This is the first episode in which the centric character is killed. Later episodes that do this are: "Two for the Road" (Ana Lucia), "The Cost of Living" (Eko), "Exposé" (Nikki and Paulo), "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" (Locke) "The Variable" (Daniel), "The Incident, Part 2" (Jacob) and "The End" (Jack). However, of these episodes, this episode, "Exposé" and "The Incident, Part 2" were the only ones that featured the centric characters first flashback.
- Shannon was the only member of the original main cast not to receive a centric episode during Season 1, although part of her back story was featured in the Boone-centric episode "Hearts and Minds" and a flashback in the multi-centric season one finale "Exodus, Part 1".
- A podcast rehash for the episode was released on November 14th, 2005. (Official Lost Podcast/November 14, 2005)
- When Eko and Ana Lucia are leading their group across the island, a large smaller island that is possibly the Hydra Island can be seen in the distant background.
- A Lost: On Location for this episode is available on the Season 2 DVD.
- This is the first episode to feature a "Special Guest Star."
- The opening credits in this episode appear before the title sequence, when they are usually after.
Deleted scenes
- A deleted scene from this episode depicts Shannon talking to Sabrina after the wake. Sabrina notes that the only thing that they have in common is their love for Adam Rutherford. Sabrina ruins this emotional moment by asking Shannon "when will you be leaving?".
- A deleted scene from this episode shows Shannon on her first night of the Au Pair job with Phillipe. Shannon meets Laurent for the first time along with Phillipe's wife Dominique. Shannon and Phillipe share intimate looks while Dominique stands oblivious.
Bloopers and continuity errors
- When Sayid runs after Shannon after they see Walt, he trips and falls over. As he gets up, his shirt is covered in mud, but in subsequent shots he is wearing a clean shirt.
- In the scene where Shannon is going through Walt's clothes, Vincent's leash is wrapped around her hand, but in the next shot it is not.
- As Shannon and Sayid are walking back to their tent, just before Claire asks "What's wrong?" the battery pack for Maggie Grace's mic under her shirt can be seen.
- As Claire hands over Aaron to Locke, you can see Aaron's eyes open when he is supposed to be asleep.
Analysis
Recurring themes
Recurring themes |
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Animals • Black and white • Character connections • Children • Coincidence • Death • Deceptions and cons • Dreams • Economics • Electromagnetism • Eyes • Fate versus free will • Games • Good and bad people • Imprisonment • Isolation • Leadership • Life and death • Literary works • Mirrors • Missing body parts • Nicknames • The Numbers • Pairings • Parapsychology • Parent issues • Pregnancies • Psychology • Rain • Redemption • Relationships • Religion • Revenge • Salvation • Secrets |
- Sawyer told Jin that his arm is about to fall off. (Missing body parts)
- Shannon had visions of Walt. Sayid told Shannon her vision of Walt was a dream. (Dreams and visions)
- Shannon instructed children in ballet. (Children)
- Jack passed Shannon in the hospital halls. (Character connections)
- Adam Rutherford died in a car accident. (Car accidents) (Life and death)
- Shannon has a troubled relationship with her stepmom. (Parent issues)
- When Shannon instructed Vincent to "find Walt", he led her to Boone's grave. (Animals) (Life and death)
- Locke swaddled Aaron, and told Claire that "babies like the feeling of being constricted. It's not until we are older that we develop the desire to be free." (Imprisonment)
- In a flashback, Boone told Shannon that "Death sucks." (Life and death)
- Before Ana Lucia shot Shannon, the whispers say "dying sucks."
- Shannon receives an internship for her dancing but cannot go as no one will help her stay afloat. (Fate versus free will)
- Ana Lucia referred to the Others as "animals." (Animals)
- It started to rain when Shannon was about to be killed. (Rain)
- Shannon and Sayid see Walt. (Dreams and visions)
- Shannon was shot and killed by Ana Lucia. (Life and death)
- Locke and Charlie played Backgammon on the beach. (Games)
- Ana Lucia calls Sawyer a "cowboy" and a "hick." Sawyer calls Jin "Chewie" and calls Ana Lucia "Ponce de León." (Nicknames)
- Shannon says she will be working 16 hours a day if she gets her internship. (The Numbers)
Cultural references
Cultural references (direct references only) |
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Art • Automobiles • Games • History • Literary works • Movies and TV • Music • Philosophy • Religion and ideologies • Science |
- Star Wars: In response to Jin's Korean, Sawyer once again refers to him as "Chewie," a character from the film franchise who speaks an language unintelligible to most of the other characters. (Movies and TV)
- Ponce de León: Sawyer called Ana Lucia "Ponce de León", referring to the Spanish explorer. (History)
- Thaïs: The music heard during Shannon's ballet class is "Meditation" from the Jules Massenet opera Thaïs. (Music)
- "Stay (Wasting Time)": This song by the Dave Matthews Band is heard in Shannon's apartment when Nora visits. (Music)
- Martha Graham Dance Company: Shannon tells Boone she is planning to move to New York if she gets the internship at this oldest continually performing dance company in the world. (Art)
Literary techniques
Literary techniques |
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Comparative: Irony • Juxtaposition • Foreshadowing Plotting: Cliffhanger • Plot twist Stock characters: Archetype • Redshirt • Unseen character Story: Flashbacks • Flash-forwards • Flash sideways • Framing device • Regularly spoken phrases • Symbolism • Unreliable narrator |
- Speaking of Shannon, Rose told Hurley: "Poor thing, it can't be easy losing the one person you love on the Island." She said this even though her husband was missing and Hurley presumed him to be dead. (Irony)
- The same exchange between Rose and Hurley can be seen as foreshadowing the death of Libby, the one person on the island that Hurley loves. (Foreshadowing)
- Walt appears in the jungle soaking wet and speaking backwards twice in this episode. (Plot twist)
- Cindy mysteriously disappears while the Tailies (Jin and Michael as well) are carrying Sawyer up a hill. (Plot twist)
- When Ana Lucia explains to Michael why they need to keep moving even though they are two days away from the Others, she says "And if you think that one gun and one bullet is gonna stop them, think again." A short while later, she uses that same One Gun, One Bullet to kill who she believed to be an Other, although it was Shannon. (Foreshadowing)
- Shannon rushes out of the jungle and is shot by Ana Lucia. (Plot twist) (Cliffhanger)
- Ana Lucia tells Mr. Eko that Cindy's disappearance is "on you" because he made the group travel inland rather than journey around the coast. A few minutes later, she is the one to accidentally shoot and kill Shannon. (Irony)
- Shannon, in both her past and present, is very needy, but determined to succeed on her own. While her family's lack of faith brought nothing but abandonment and more neediness to Shannon, Sayid ends up in love with her, promising never to leave her. (Juxtaposition)
- Ana Lucia tells Eko "I liked it better when you weren't talking." (Foreshadowing)
Storyline analysis
Storyline analysis |
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A-Missions • Crimes • Economics • Leadership • O-Missions • Relationships • F-Missions • Rivalries • S-Missions |
- Sayid built a hut to share with Shannon. He told her he carried a gun because "he has someone to protect", referring to her. Later in the episode, he says he "loved her", but then Shannon was shot and killed by Ana Lucia. (Relationships) (Crimes)
- Sayid and Shannon have sex. (Relationships)
- Ana Lucia chose to wait for Mr. Eko to return before they continued on their journey across the Island. (Leadership)
- Mr. Eko chose to cut through the jungle to save Sawyer. Ana Lucia was very hesitant to help who she called a "cowboy" and "hick". She was frustrated that Sawyer was slowing them down. (Rivalries)
- Locke nonchalantly accused Charlie of still being a heroin addict. (Rivalries)
- The Tailies continue their journey across the Island to the fuselage survivors, and eventually find Sayid and Shannon. (A-Missions)
Episode connections
Episode references
- Michael tells Libby that Sawyer was shot when Walt was kidnapped. ("Exodus, Part 2")
- The SUV crash involving Sarah Shephard and Adam Rutherford is shown again, this time from Shannon's point of view. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")
- Hurley wonders why Rose isn't using the dryer in the hatch, which he showed her in a previous episode. ("Everybody Hates Hugo")
Episode allusions
- Shannon's Australian boyfriend previously mentioned Boone's mother keeping her fathers money. ("Hearts and Minds")
- Claire tells Locke about the Virgin Mary statue that Charlie has. Locke realizes where he found it, and why he is carrying it. ("Deus Ex Machina") ("Exodus, Part 2") ("Adrift")
- Shannon sees another vision of Walt. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")
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