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"Eggtown" is the fourth episode of Season 4 of Lost, and the seventy-sixth produced hour of the series as a whole. It was originally broadcast on February 21, 2008. Kate's need to get information from the hostage may jeopardize her standing with Locke—as well as with Sawyer.

Synopsis[]

On the Island[]

At the Barracks[]

4x04 Ben's breakfast

Locke brings Ben breakfast.

Locke wakes up in a house in the Barracks. He goes into the kitchen, fries a couple of eggs, and slices a melon. After choosing the novel VALIS from a bookshelf, he takes the breakfast downstairs to Ben, who is locked in the basement, in the same room in which Locke's father was previously constrained. Locke comments that those are the last two eggs in Ben's house. Ben belittles John for being so desperate and unable to figure out what he should do next. He cites Locke's recent failure to find Jacob's cabin as evidence and tells Locke he is now "more lost than [he] ever [was]" as he is now even asking for Ben's help. Locke tells Ben he knows what he is trying to do, and leaves, taking the breakfast with him. Outside, John throws the tray of food at the wall. Ben hears John's frustration and smiles.

4x04 KCA porch

Aaron, Claire, and Kate on the porch.

Meanwhile Kate is sitting on a porch drinking coffee with Claire when Sawyer comes over to them. Claire leaves to make Sawyer coffee and Sawyer offers Kate a room in his house. Kate tells him she is not moving in with him and at the mention of possible pregnancy, she tells him to leave.

Kate goes to Locke's house and asks to speak to Miles. Locke declines and warns Kate that while she may think that it is a democracy because of the way Jack ran things, but it is not. Kate seems surprised by Locke's attitude and calls it a dictatorship, to which Locke tells her that if it were a dictatorship he would have shot her and gone on with his day. He then tells Kate when dinner will be ready and ends the conversation.

Kate approaches Hurley and tricks him into telling her that Miles was moved from the rec room to the boathouse. She promises not to let Miles go, and heads to confront Miles. Inside the boathouse she finds Miles bound to a chair and she demands to know if Miles knows who she is. Miles won't answer her until she does a favor for him. Kate replies that she cannot free him but Miles says that he is exactly where he wants to be. The favor he is referring to is to have just one minute with Ben.

Claire and Kate hang up the laundry. When Aaron starts to cry Claire asks Kate if she can get him for her. Kate, embarrassed, says she is not very good with babies and she doesn't want to upset Aaron. Claire giggles and picks up Aaron. Kate tells her that she is so good with "him." Claire laughs and says motherhood is the last thing she ever thought she would be good at and that Kate should try it sometime.

4x04 KBM

Miles blackmails Ben for $3.2 million.

Kate appears at Sawyer and Hurley's house, where Sawyer is reading Adolfo Bioy Casares's novel The Invention of Morel. Sawyer and Kate talk in the kitchen over DHARMA wine. Sawyer notes that Kate has been spending a lot of time with Claire and Aaron. He also notes she is not here to spend time with him and if she wants to use him, she should ask. Kate asks Sawyer if he'll help her break out Ben. Sawyer goes to Locke's house and asks him if he is interested in a game of backgammon, but then he informs Locke, after first having Locke give his word he won't hurt Kate, that she wants to break Ben out so he can talk to Miles. Together they go to the boathouse, but find it empty.

Miles and Kate are meanwhile breaking into the basement of the house, and Miles goes to talk to Ben. Miles asks Ben if he knows who he is, and does he know who Miles works for. Ben replies yes to both. Miles tells Ben that he wants 3.2 million dollars and he will tell his boss that Ben is dead and that he can "take care" of Charlotte, the only other one who knows Ben is alive. Ben wonders why the amount is so precise. When Ben feigns his inability to get the money, Miles yells at him to not treat Miles like he's one of the Losties since he knows who Ben is and how powerful he is. Miles first gives Ben two days to come up with the money in cash, but as Ben is a prisoner, he gives him one week. Kate then pins Miles against the wall and demands he tell her what he knows about her. He admits he knows all about her, claiming the freighter crew have detailed information about everyone on the Flight 815 manifest. He then goes on by saying her full name, why she was on the plane, and then lists the various crimes she has committed. They attempt to leave but Locke and Sawyer appear at the top of the stairway. Locke reclaims Miles, and demands that Kate return to her house.

Later at her house, Kate listens to music as Claire arrives. Locke shows up, wanting to talk to Kate alone. After finding out from her what Ben and Miles said to each other, Locke banishes her and tells her to leave by morning. Kate then goes to Sawyer, who says that if she wants to stay he'll protect her from Locke. They become intimate.

4x04 Kate+Sawyer

Kate in bed with Sawyer.

Miles is in the Boathouse, with his wrists suspended from the rafters. Locke arrives and says he is "responsible for the well-being of the island." Instead of bringing breakfast, Locke shoves a grenade in Miles' mouth and pulls the pin, so Miles' mouth is holding down the trigger mechanism. Locke tells him that if he doesn't talk or lift his teeth from the trigger he'll be fine. Locke calmly states that this is his punishment for breaking his rules. Locke then leaves Miles alone with the grenade in his mouth.

Kate wakes up in Sawyer's bed and wakes him with kisses. He tells her that he understands that "she didn't want to go all the way last night" because "she was sad" and she again turns down his advances. He respects her wishes but becomes exasperated and grumbles that she still thinks she might be pregnant. Kate states she is certain she is not pregnant. When Sawyer seems a little too relieved at the news, she becomes upset and begins to leave. Sawyer tells her that she'll come running back once she's mad at Jack again. At that, Kate slaps Sawyer across the face, gets up, and leaves.

At the beach[]

4x04 Jack phone2

Jack tries to phone the freighter.

Jin and Sun are trying to decide where to live once they leave the Island. Jin is studying a map and, in English, mentions Albuquerque and New York. Sun says she wants to "raise [her] baby at home," in Seoul, Korea. Jin reminds Sun that the child is "our baby." Before Sun can respond, Jack, Daniel, Charlotte, and Juliet return. Jack tells them Sayid and Desmond have left on a helicopter "so they can make arrangements to get all of us off this Island." When Sun asks Jack where Kate is, he replies, "she stayed with Locke."

Daniel checks out some DHARMA boxes as Jack tries to contact the freighter. Juliet asks Jack if he should try another number on the satellite phone, like 911, as no one is answering to the number given by the freighter people. Sun then asks Jack about Sayid and if he's made it to the freighter yet. Jack says he can't get in contact with the people on the freighter. After Sun starts to wonder if Locke was right and the freighter people are here to hurt the survivors, Jack quickly replies that Locke has no idea of what he is doing. Sun retorts, "then why is Kate with him."

4x04 cards

The three DHARMA playing cards.

That night, Daniel and Charlotte are conducting a memory experiment with DHARMA playing cards. After being timed by Charlotte, Daniel can only remember two of three cards and, contrary to what Charlotte says, he feels he is making no progress. Jack appears, demanding to know why the line isn't working and no one answers the phone. Charlotte reveals that she has an emergency number, but it can only be used in extreme cases. Juliet tells her threateningly that it is an emergency and Charlotte then dials the emergency line. She says to Regina that the people want to talk to their friends, Sayid and Desmond, who left with Frank on the helicopter the night before, to make sure they are all right. Regina states that she doesn't know what Charlotte is talking about. Regina then adds that she was under the impression that the helicopter was still on the Island.

Flash-forward[]

November 2006[]

4x04 Kate enters

Kate entering the courthouse.

Kate and her lawyer arrive at a courthouse. Kate is hesitant about entering and asks if there is a back entrance. Her lawyer tells her that she will go in the front door with her head held high. Kate then puts on sunglasses, they enter through a throng of reporters and protesters, with Kate's lawyer refusing to give any comments.

Inside, court is called to session and the bailiff reads a list of Kate's charges which include fraud, arson, assault and murder. Kate pleads not guilty, which seems to shock the court's audience. The judge asks to hear arguments on bail, and the District Attorney requests that Kate be remanded in custody. Kate's lawyer argues that she is not a flight risk because she is one of the most recognizable people in America, but the judge agrees with the District Attorney and orders Kate to be taken into custody. Later, Kate's lawyer meets her inside a prison parlor. The lawyer wants to make the case about who she is, rather than what she has done. He suggests that they bring Kate's son to the court to create sympathy toward her, but Kate refuses to involve him in her trial under any circumstances.

4x04 Jack on the Stand

Jack on the stand.

After being damaged in the prosecution's opening statement, Kate's lawyer apologizes to Kate for what he has to do, and calls a clean-shaven Dr. Jack Shephard to the stand. Kate is surprised. After being sworn in, Jack states that he knows Kate because he was also on Oceanic Flight 815 which crashed on an island in the South Pacific. Kate's lawyer asks him if he knew of Kate's fugitive status and how. Jack replies that he never spoke with the marshal as he died during the plane crash. It was Kate who later told him of her status. Jack then adds that, due to her character, he believed it to be a mistake. He also states there were only 8 survivors of the crash, all of which Kate helped get to shore and then to safety and treated them with first-aid. According to Jack, Kate was the one who helped the survivors. Before he can continue his testimony, Kate interrupts in protest. The DA then cross-examines with a single question: "Do you love the defendant?" Jack hesitates and then answers, "No. Not anymore."

4x04 Kate mom

"I want to see my grandson".

Later, Kate's mother approaches her in a witness room. She asks why Kate didn't come see her. Kate says that the last time she contacted her, her mother shouted and then called the cops. Her mother tells Kate that the doctor told her she had "6 months to live for the past 4 years." She says she doesn't want to testify against Kate. Kate replies, "Then don't." Her mother implies that she won't testify if she could see Kate's child. Kate refuses, saying she doesn't want her anywhere near her child.

Back in court, the DA has a problem and speaks with her fellow attorneys. At the bench she informs the judge that Kate's mother cannot at present testify due to a health problem. The judge calls recess. During the recess, the DA offers Kate a deal of 4 years in prison. Kate's lawyer objects, claiming that the jury would never choose jail time for her, due to the heroic story and the fact that she was killing her father to save her mother from abuse. The DA offers a deal of time served plus 10 years of in-state probation. Kate agrees over her lawyer's objection, telling the DA to give her something to sign because she just wants the whole thing behind her. She adds that she isn't going anywhere because she has a son.

4x04 Kate Aaron

Kate with Aaron.

Kate leaves the Court from a back door and sees a taxi waiting for her. Jack calls out for her. She asks how he knew she'd be there, Jack states her lawyer "owed him one." He tells her that he didn't mean what he said in court. Kate tells him that she's heard him tell the story he told on the stand so many times that she thinks he's starting to actually believe it. Kate invites Jack back to her house to visit her and her son. He refuses, saying he has to get back to the hospital, but offers to meet for coffee instead. Kate tells him she understands why he doesn't want to see the baby, but that until he does there won't be any talks over coffee. She then adds that if he ever changes his mind, he can visit whenever he likes.

Kate arrives home and is greeted warmly by a nanny. The nanny remarks that Kate's baby missed her badly, but he is now asleep upstairs. Kate enters his bedroom to see her boy, a toddler with very blond hair. The child wakes up, hugs Kate and happily says "Hi, mommy"; she replies "Hi, Aaron."

Trivia[]

  • Shawn Doyle previously worked with Elizabeth Mitchell in the film Frequency. The film involved time travel where Doyle's character, a serial killer named Jack Shepard, is prevented from killing Mitchell's character.
  • Day 94 is Christmas Eve, 2004.
  • This episode is one of three episodes (the other two being "Exodus, Part 1" and "Ab Aeterno") that begins with a shot of the eye of a character who is not the centric character.
  • The bottom of the DHARMA mug Kate is drinking from has the brand name and the words "MADE IN CHINA".
  • As Kate is entering the courtroom, a bearded man yells at her. When the audio is reversed, it sounds like he says "We hate you!" [1]
  • This is the first episode in which Jin has any dialogue this season.
  • This is the first episode of season 4 which is rated TV-14, likely due to not only Locke's punishment with Miles, but also the issues between Sawyer and Kate involving pregnancy and their intimacy.
  • This is the first episode since "One of Us", not to feature Naomi.
  • Peacocks are heard as Kate approaches the boathouse where Miles is incarcerated. Peacocks have never been seen or heard during the series so far.
  • The title of this episode baffled many fans. Carlton Cuse explained: Really, we could spend a lot of time talking about the titles that don't make sense, but the title "Eggtown" referred to the fact that Locke fixed a couple of eggs for Ben at the beginning of the episode, and then there's also the episode had a lot to do with Kate's pregnancy, and pregnancy involves eggs, and so that was the other kind of, sort of metaphoric significance of the title "Eggtown." (Official Lost Audio Podcast transcript/February 28, 2008)
  • Kate is officially confirmed as a member of the Oceanic Six. Aaron will not be confirmed as a member until the season finale.
  • This episode is rated TV-14-V.

Production notes[]

  • This is the first time Aaron appears off the Island.
  • In the ABC.com clip of the scene where Hurley plays a videocassette, the audio was of "Satan's Doom," as opposed to the song "Xanadu" that plays in the actual episode.
  • The end credits credit William Blanchette not as Aaron but as "Two year old boy".
  • This is the last appearance of Diane Janssen.
  • The episode, in French, is titled Mères ennemies, which translates to "Enemy mothers".
  • The episode, in Latin America, is titled El juicio, which translates to "The Trial".
  • This episode was originally reported by DocArzt to be titled "Eggland". [2]

Bloopers and continuity errors[]

  • In Jack's testimony, he states that flight 815 crashed on an island, which is the truth, when the cover story is that the plane crashed in open water and the survivors floated to an island. No one in the scene questioned this statement.
  • Sawyer sets up the game of backgammon with Locke incorrectly. The point with three checkers should be two points away from the bar, not three.
  • Locke throws the plate of food at the concrete basement wall after leaving Ben. The wall shakes as the plate hits it.
  • When Sawyer is talking to Kate on the bed after their night together, his hair changes from being down in his face to pulled back in between shots.
  • Despite Kate's murder of Wayne Janssen having occurred in Iowa ("What Kate Did"), her case is put before a state court in California. In addition, the same court also tries her for her bank robbery ("Whatever the Case May Be"), which should actually be handled by a federal court.
  • Kate would also be charged with felony murder for the deaths during the bank robbery, even if she did not directly cause their deaths. Her mother's refusal to testify would not affect the prosecution's ability to convict on the robbery-related charges.
  • Under California Ethics Rules, Kate's lawyer may not call a witness (i.e., Jack) against her wishes. Her objection, in open court, to calling Jack would be prima facie evidence of an ethical violation and would lead to sanctions by the California State Bar Association.
  • Character evidence (like Jack's testimony) would generally only be allowed in to mitigate punishment after guilt had already been determined. Usually the only way it could be brought in before that would be if her character for peacefulness had already been attacked, but, seeing as how this trial has been reversed, this cannot have happened.
  • Kate's handgun would not have defeated the padlock [3]

Music[]

The Season 4 soundtrack includes the track "Backgammon Gambit" from this episode.

Analysis[]

Recurring themes[]


  • The episode opens to Locke's eye while he is lying in bed. (Eyes)
  • Sawyer thinks Kate may be pregnant, although she reveals she is not. (Pregnancies)
  • Kate's mother wants to make peace, but Kate tells her to stay away. (Parent issues)
  • Kate's mother wants to see Kate's "son" but Kate refuses. (Children)
  • The docket number of Kate's trial was 42231815. (The Numbers)
  • Sawyer refers to Hurley as "Montezuma." (Nicknames)
  • Sawyer refers to Miles as "Bruce Lee from the freighter." (Nicknames)
  • Jack lies in court about the number of crash survivors and about events following the crash. (Deceptions and cons)  (Secrets)
  • Kate tricks Hurley into revealing Miles' location. (Deceptions and cons)
  • Kate enlists Sawyer to distract Locke while she sets up a meeting between Miles and Ben. (Deceptions and cons)
  • Kate tells Miles he has a minute to speak to Ben. She gives him 1:20 in order to know what they were talking about. (Time)
  • Sawyer tells Kate she'll be back when she gets mad at Jack again in about a week. (Relationship issues)
  • Locke has Miles imprisoned in the boathouse. (Imprisonment)
  • Locke has Ben imprisoned in his basement. (Imprisonment)
  • Kate faces preventive jail time. (Imprisonment)
  • Kate gives up the right to leave California to stay out of jail, alleging she has a son and is not going anywhere anyway. (Sacrifice)  (Fate versus free will)
  • When Sawyer and Locke are preparing the backgammon board, Sawyer picks white, Locke black. (Black and white)  (Games)
  • Aaron calls Kate "mommy" without realizing she actually isn't. (Parent issues)
  • Kate's lawyer wants her deal not to involve jail time, saying she's actually a hero for saving "five people's lives". (Redemption)
  • Jin proposes moving with Sun to Albuquerque to raise their child, which is just where Sawyer's daughter is supposedly being raised. (Coincidences)
  • At her initial hearing, pleading innocent, Kate wears white. At the trial, discredited and self-loathing, she's in black. (Black and white)


Cultural references[]

  • Scooby Doo: Hurley says "You just totally Scooby-Doo'd me". Scooby-Doo is a long-running American animated series about a group of mystery-solving teenagers, including Shaggy and his dog Scooby-Doo. When, in the course of chase hijinks, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo were cornered by an episode's "monster" (always later revealed to be a human villain in a supernatural disguise), the pair would turn the tables on their pursuer by becoming chummy with him. (Movies and TV)
  • Xanadu: Hurley begins watching this movie when Kate comes over to talk to Sawyer. (Movies and TV)
  • "She's Got You": this song by Patsy Cline is playing in Kate and Claire's room when John walks in and wants to talk to Kate. Patsy Cline was killed in a plane crash. (Music)
  • VALIS: Locke gives this novel by Philip K. Dick to Ben. The title is an acronym for Vast Active Living Intelligence System, which is the author's Gnostic vision of one aspect of God. Dick's novels often feature protagonists immersed in dissolving or fluctuating realities. (Literary works)
    • Notably, Dick throughout his life claimed to see ghosts of his twin sister who died five weeks after birth, i.e. "The Bad Twin"
    • VALIS is about the search for God, who turns out to be a organism projected into our minds by an orbiting mechanical intelligence in order to manipulate humans. The "Messiah" in VALIS is a two-year old girl named Sophia.
  • The Invention of Morel: Sawyer is reading this book by Adolfo Bioy Casares. The story is about a fugitive who hides on a deserted island somewhere in the South Pacific. Later he encounters some people that appear and disappear randomly, repeating some actions. These people don't really exist, they are merely very lifelike recordings reproduced by a machine. The people are actually dead. This is similar to one of the fan theories about what's happening in Lost, even though the creators of the show have explicitly denied this possibility. (Literary works)
  • Backgammon: Sawyer and Locke play this game at the barracks. (Games)
  • Montezuma: As Hurley flushes the toilet, Sawyer refers to him as "Montezuma", the subdued ruler of the Aztec empire at the beginning of the Spanish conquest of Mexico (1502–1520). In Mexico, traveler's diarrhea is often referred to as "Montezuma's Revenge". (History)  (Pop culture)
  • Bruce Lee: Sawyer refers to Miles as "Bruce Lee from the freighter." Bruce Lee (1940-1973) was a Chinese-American martial artist and action film actor known primarily for starring in Kung Fu movies. (Movies and TV)

Ben's bookshelf[]

Main article: Books on Ben's shelf


Literary techniques[]

  • It is revealed that Kate is raising Aaron and calling him her son, despite the fact that Claire is his real mother. (Plot twist)
  • Kate prefers not to take Aaron in her arms, saying she would do a terrible job in raising a baby. Claire jokes that Kate should try motherhood sometime. In the future, Kate ends up raising that same child that sparked the conversation. The episode closes with her taking Aaron into her arms. (Irony)  (Juxtaposition)  (Foreshadowing)
  • Kate devises her plan in order to deceive Locke, so she can know from Miles whether it is safe for her to leave the Island or whether she should stay there. When she finds out that everyone knows she is wanted and that she shouldn't leave, Locke won't let her stay in the barracks because of her set-up. (Irony)
  • Ben finds himself being held against his will in his own basement. (Irony)
  • Jin tells Sun he is learning English for her. Sun once learned English so she could get away from Jin. (Irony)
  • Even though Locke is the self-proclaimed leader in his group, he remains in Ben's hands concerning information about the Island. (Irony)  (Juxtaposition)
  • In the beginning of the episode, Locke throws to the wall the two fried eggs -- the two last eggs in the house, like he says. During the episode's course, we get to know Kate is not having a baby (Kate's first egg lost) and, in the future, her son isn't really hers (Kate's second egg lost). (Juxtaposition)
  • Jack clearly states that the survivors were stranded in an island in the South Pacific, and people around him seem to accept that naturally. However, the whole world first learned that the wreckage of the Oceanic plane was located in a very different portion of the globe. (Plot twist)
  • Locke says the eggs are the final two. Later, he kills the chicken. (Foreshadowing)
  • Miles wanted to see Ben to strike a deal, just as Diane wanted to see Kate to strike a deal. (Juxtaposition)
  • In season one, Locke tells Jack that "A leader can't lead if he doesn't know where he's going." Now Locke is trying to be the leader of his group but he is, as Ben puts it, more lost than he has ever been. (Irony)
  • In "The Economist", Sawyer claimed if Kate expected to find anything outside the Island "other than handcuffs" she didn't understand how the world worked. (Irony)


Storyline analysis[]

  • Locke says that his group "isn't a democracy". Kate accuses him of being a dictator. (Leadership)
  • Kate and Sawyer talk about a possible pregnancy. (Relationships)
  • Kate and Sawyer set out on a mission to get Miles and Ben together. (A-Missions)
  • Locke kills a chicken and invites everyone to dinner. (Leadership)
  • Jack tells Kate he lied when he said he didn't love her. (Relationships)
  • Kate is being tried for the crimes she commited before she crashed on the Island. (Crimes)

Episode connections[]

Episode references[]

  • When speaking to her mother, Kate refers to what happened the last time they saw each other. ("Born to Run")
  • Ben mentions how his current situation is just like "old times" referring to when he was held captive at the Swan. ("One of Them")
  • Ben mentions that Locke couldn't find the cabin. ("The Economist")
  • Charlotte calls the freighter to ask about Desmond and Sayid after they left on the helicopter. ("The Economist")

Episode allusions[]

  • Locke once again plays backgammon, this time against Sawyer—only this time he's playing with the black pieces. ("Pilot, Part 2")
  • Sawyer remarks that Hurley can't keep a secret, much like Arzt did. ("Exodus, Part 1")
  • The repeated discussion about who Kate is and what she did alludes to the title of a previous episode. ("What Kate Did")
  • Ben frustrates Locke, resulting in Locke once again throwing dishes in anger. ("Maternity Leave")
  • Locke is holding Ben prisoner in the same room that Ben held Anthony Cooper. ("The Man from Tallahassee")  ("The Brig")
  • Faraday displays some form of memory loss when tested with playing cards. He paused a long time before recalling his name when he first landed on the Island. He displayed "word searching" when referring to his pack. He was chastised by Miles for not remembering that Naomi gave the distress code---"tell my sister I love her". And he didn't know why he was crying when 815 was found. ("Confirmed Dead")
  • The title of a previous episode, "Raised by Another", implied that Aaron was to be raised by an Other. We find out in this episode that Claire's baby, Aaron, is raised by another, Kate.


External links[]

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