Left Behind

"Left Behind"
Season	3
Episode	15
Airdate	April 4, 2007
Flashback	Kate
Days	82-83
Writer	Damon Lindelof Elizabeth Sarnoff
Director	Karen Gaviola
Guests	Kim Dickens - Cassidy Beth Broderick - Diane Fredric Lehne - The Marshal Andrew Meader - Johnny Bill Ogilvie - Man Shawn Lathrop - Federal agent

"Left Behind" is the 15th episode of Season 3, and was first broadcast on April 4, 2007. After the events at the Barracks reach a climax, Kate finds herself forced to team up with one of the enemy. Meanwhile, Sawyer is worried to learn that the other survivors may be planning to ostracize him.

Synopsis

Flashbacks

File:Leftbehind-katecassidy.jpg

Kate helps Cassidy out of a failed con.

Kate is stranded in Iowa with a bad fan belt in her car. She introduces herself to tow truck driver, Johnny as "Lucy" as he takes her to town. At the repair station she sees Cassidy trying to pull the jewelry con that Sawyer taught her. When her mark threatens to call the cops, Kate intervenes, fearing that she may be caught her, and pretends to be an expert on jewelry, buying one of the fake necklaces. After the man leaves, Cassidy thanks Kate for her help, and is intrigued as to why she would go to such trouble to avoid police attention. She notes that Kate is clearly stranded, and offers her a ride into town and a drink.

At a bar, Kate and Cassidy discuss conning. Kate says she uses the name of Lucy because she was a saint. She admits to killing her stepfather and escaping from the Marshal. She is in Iowa because she wants to talk to her mother. Cassidy offers to help her get to her mother since she fell in love with the wrong guy and gave him her life savings. She says "he was a bad guy" and that one of them deserves something good.

"Kate" approaches her mother's house and knocks on the door. Diane answers and Edward Mars and his men jump out with guns pointed, addressing her as "Austen". The woman is actually Cassidy who is in disguise and "just selling bibles". Kate watches through binoculars from a car down the street and Mars stands disgruntled.

Later, Cassidy comes to talk to Kate in a motel room. She tells Kate that she can tell she must have done something to that Marshal to make him so obsessed about catching her. Kate tells Cassidy how she killed Wayne and says she wants to know why Diane betrayed her when she had done everything to help her.

Cassidy is at Keith's Diner, ordering from Diane. She intentionally spills soup on Diane who remains polite but goes to the bathroom to clean up her clothes. Kate is waiting there and asks why she told them what she did to Wayne. Diane says that, despite Wayne being abusive, one cannot help who they love. Kate says she killed him for Diane, but Diane retorts that Kate did it for herself. Diane bluntly tells her daughter that she won't give her up to the men outside who follow Diane everywhere, but orders her not to come back, and if she ever sees Kate again, she'll yell for help.

Cassidy drives Kate back to her car. Kate thanks Cassidy and asks about the guy who ripped Cassidy off, with the intention of returning Cassidy's kindness by helping her get revenge. Cassidy admits she is pregnant with this man's child, but Kate still advises her to call the cops and get him locked up. Cassidy asks if Kate would ever forgive her own mother for calling the cops on her, and Kate admits that she never will. She leaves the car, and as Cassidy thanks "Lucy", Kate reveals her real name.

Realtime events (Jungle / Barracks)

Kate is in the game room at the Barracks, handcuffed and nervous. She sees someone coming and hides with a pool cue behind the door, preparing to hit them. It is Juliet, who ducks and easily overpowers Kate. She says that she was just bringing her some food, and walks out with a sandwich splattered on the floor.

Locke tells Kate he's leaving her behind.

Later, Kate is playing backgammon when Locke enters to say goodbye. He is leaving with the Others, much to Kate's disbelief. Locke tells her Jack is going to have to "stay behind" like her. He tried to convince them to take Kate, but they knew what she had done in her past, and "forgiveness isn't one of their strong suits." Kate asks about Jack, Sayid, and Rousseau, but he won't help her. She demands to know what they did to make him join them, but Locke refuses to even speak to her about it, and leaves.

In the game room, Kate wakes up and starts to eat the food off the floor. She hears a commotion outside and looks out to see the Others packing bags and putting on gas masks. They throw in a gas canister and she is unable to escape. She collapses.

Kate wakes up in the jungle, and realizes that she is handcuffed to Juliet, who is still unconscious. She spots a knife in Juliet's pocket and tries to steal it, but Juliet wakes and grabs her hand. Juliet seems as surprised as Kate to find herself there, and agrees to let go of her wrist. The knife is too big to open the handcuff, meaning the two women are stood together. Kate wants to go back to the village to get her friends, whilst Juliet is too busy wondering why the Others would just leave her.

Kate insists on going back to the village in the night, even though Juliet says it is going to rain. As a thunderstorm starts, she tells Kate not to go back for Jack and they start fighting. During the struggle, Kate accidentally dislocates Juliet's arm, causing her to screech with pain. Just then, Kate hears the sounds of the monster and Juliet asks "what the hell was that?" They hide in some trees and are terrified by the sounds of trees ripping and mechanical grinding. As it comes above them, flashing bright lights shine on the pair, causing them to shield their eyes, before the creature moves away. Juliet asks "are we safe?" and Kate replies "you tell me."

Kate later apologises for Juliet's injury, and the former Other admits it has been dislocated four times before, so Kate isn't entirely to blame. As they talk, Juliet tells Kate about the cameras at the Hydra station, and about how Jack saw her and Sawyer together. She says Jack didn't want her to come back because she broke his heart.

The next morning, the girls head out again. Kate asks if Jack actually said she broke his heart and that Juliet doesn't know anything about him. Juliet says she knows many things, revealing many personal facts about Jack, and then asking what Kate knows. Before they can continue their verbal exchange, the sounds of the monster can be heard once again, and they run to the sonic barrier. Juliet says it is turned off, though Kate does not trust her. Having forced her hand, Juliet pulls out the key to the handcuffs, runs through the barrier, and opens an access panel. She convinces Kate to trust her, and after she reluctantly dives across the line, they activate the barrier just as the monster comes.

File:Monster sonic barrier.jpg

Monster appears to Juliet and Kate on the other side of sonic fence

As Juliet stands and faces it, the monster crashes into the sonic barrier as though it were a physical wall, and moments later it leaves defeated. Juliet admits she lied about being aware of the creature, saying "We don't know what it is, but we know that it doesn't like our fence." She says she wanted Kate to think they were "in it together" so she wouldn't be left behind again, hence why she conned her with the cuffs. Kate stomps off.

They arrive back at the Barracks to see the whole place deserted. Juliet goes to find Sayid and Kate searches for Jack. He is unconscious in his house, which has been trashed. She wakes him and tells him "they all left." She realizes that because she came after him, Jack won't be able to leave, and cries saying how sorry she is. Jack asks about Juliet, and Kate admits they left her too. He decides that they should head back to the beach.

Outside, Jack meets Juliet, and Sayid says he checked all the houses and everyone is gone as though 50 people simply vanished. He remarks about Juliet not coming with them, but Jack disagrees. "They left her behind, too."

Realtime events (Beach)

At the beach, Hurley tells Sawyer that there will be a vote on whether to banish him from the camp tomorrow. He suggests that Sawyer make amends to continue being part of the society, but Sawyer rebukes him.

At the beach, Sawyer is trying to catch a fish. He does, but is unable to properly gut it. Realizing that he would have great difficulty surviving on his own, he approaches Hurley to find out how to make amends and change the vote. Hurley asks how he hasn't learned to gut a fish since they've been on the Island for so long, and demands an apology for the various names Sawyer has called him. Sawyer agrees, and they begin work.

On the beach at night, Hurley suggests Sawyer try to be nice to Claire, complimenting Aaron and bringing a blanket for him. He does as requested (though very awkwardly) and Claire is amused and puzzled, but also appreciative.

The next morning, Sawyer and Desmond are hunting for a boar. When Desmond asks why Sawyer is suddenly his best friend, he tells him that he has "hearts and minds to change" and wants to give the people something they will like. Desmond responds by shooting a boar for him.

At the beach, Sawyer is helping to cook the boar as part of a feast for the survivors. He admits to Charlie that he knows about the vote, but Charlie knows nothing of it. Sawyer realizes that Hurley conned him into being "decent." On confrontation,Hurley says that with Jack, Kate, Locke, and Sayid all gone, people have looked to Sawyer for leadership, and that Sawyer needs to relate to them better if he's going to be their "temporary leader." Sawyer says that he doesn't want to be a leader, but Hurley points out that Jack didn't seem to want the role either. Sawyer seems to accept it, bringing food to Claire, who allows him to hold Aaron. However, when Sawyer looks round and smiles to Sun, he receivs nothing but an angry glare.

Trivia

• Kate is seen wearing a "Cowboy Up" cap in her opening flashback [1]
• Claire is seen reading a book called Rick Romer's Vision of Astrology. Rick Romer is the set-decorator of Lost.
• The smoke grenade used against Kate is a "ALSG272 Continuous Discharge, Smoke Grenade, CS" [2]
• The knife from Juliet's pocket is a Kershaw Chive [3]
• All main cast members were in this episode except Ben.
• When the monster attacks Juliet the second time, three separate puffs of smoke converge before slamming into the sonic barrier. This supports common fan speculation about the monster being called Cerberus, which in mythology had three heads.

Cultural references

• The song "Walking After Midnight," by Patsy Cline is also heard in "What Kate Did" and "Two for the Road."
• Hurley's "vote off the island" scheme and Sawyer's refusal to be made the leader are reminiscent of the popular reality television show, Survivor'.
• Kate's car's license plate is Missouri 4ON DVB
• DHARMA provisions include the real life "A-1" steak sauce brand name on their condiments.
  • Interesting that they use the trademarked name 'A-1', instead of 'Steak Sauce'.
• Cassidy's disguise as a bible saleswoman is reminiscent of the plot of the film Paper Moon (Bogdanovich, 1973) which starred Ryan and Tatum O'Neal as a father-daughter con team posing as bible salesmen.
• The title of the episode, "Left Behind," is also the title of a novel by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins giving a fictional account of what might happen after the "rapture." (The rapture is the future vanishing of Christians to meet Christ in heaven, believed in by many evangelical and fundamentalist Christians.) After Kate, Juliet, Jack, and Sayid are left behind by the Others, Sayid says regarding the Others' sudden disappearance, "It's like fifty people disappeared into thin air."
• The Feast of Saint Lucy falls on December 13, the same day that the events of Left Behind occur. The Losties have a feast on that day.

Recurring Themes

• In the flashback, Kate works unknowingly with a rival for Sawyer's affections. In realtime, she must work with a potential rival for Jack's affection. (Irony)  (Rivalries)
• Cassidy dresses as Kate to find out how many police officers are watching Kate's mother. She poses as a saleswoman selling Bibles. (Deceptions and Cons)  (Religion)  (Literary works)
• Kate meets Cassidy, the mother of Sawyer's then-unborn child, in a flashback and she helps Kate speak with her mother; this complements the moment in "The Long Con" (in which Cassidy was first introduced) when Sawyer was served by Kate's mother. (Connections)
• Cassidy is trying to sell fake jewelry at a gas station and is almost exposed. (Deceptions and Cons)
• Juliet attempts to manipulate Kate into thinking they are "in it together" by dragging her out into the jungle and handcuffing herself to her. (Deceptions and Cons)
• The conman got conned. (Deceptions and Cons)  (Irony)
• Kate can be seen playing Backgammon while captured by The Others. (Games)
  • Backgammon is a game of black vs. white pieces (Black and White)
• The barracks' rec room has a Mousetrap game, previously revealed to be Locke's favorite. (Games)
• Locke tells The Others that Kate is a good person. (Good and bad people) But Locke's opinion of Kate changes when The Others tell him about her criminal past.
• Cassidy tells Kate the man she loves is a bad person. (Good and bad cpeople)
• Sawyer is reading Watership Down again. (Literary works)
• Claire is reading Rick Romer's Vision of Astrology (Literary works)
• Juliet says it was the 4th time her shoulder had been dislocated. (The Numbers)
• The 4 digit code that Juliet types in is 1623. (The Numbers)
• Kate's mother tells Kate if she ever sees her again, she will call for help (which she does, despite her terminal condition, when Kate visits her in the hospital). Kate later says she'll never forgive her mother for calling the police. (Parent Issues)
• As Kate and Juliet's argument reaches it's climax, a heavy downpour accompanies their fight. (Rain)
• Kate's hat says "Cowboy Up." (Regularly spoken phrases)
  • This catch phrase was the rallying cry of the 2003 Boston Red Sox, an indirect connection to Jack and Christian Shephard (Games)
• When Locke talks to Kate and tells her that he's leaving with the others, he has a (bruised) black eye. This recalls the Claire's dream in Raised by Another in which Locke has one black eyeball and one white eyeball. (Black and White)

Unanswered questions

Unanswered questions
Do not answer the questions here. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer. More details...

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Left Behind/Theories

• Has Locke joined The Others? If so, does that make him a good person?
• What happened between Locke and his father after he saw him?
• How did Locke hurt his hand?
• Where have all The Others gone?
• How/why did Kate and Juliet end up handcuffed together in the jungle?
• Why couldn't The Monster move through or over the sonic barrier?
• Did the Others leave Juliet behind as a spy?
• What were the flashes as the monster approached Juliet and Kate?
• Why Juliet had a huge force to fight (like Ethan), and later, she hadn´t it?
• Where/How did Juliet learn her self-defense moves?
• What happened to Juliet to make her shoulder dislocate 4 times?
• What happened to Rousseau?
• Did Sawyer know about Kate through Cassidy before the crash?
• Did Cassidy learn she was pregnant before or after she went for drinks with Kate?
• Why was Jack still unconscious a day later, and why was his room ransacked?

External links

• ABC Medianet: Primetime grid, Press Release Bundle 03/19/07: Word Doc / Press Release Bundle 03/19/07: PDF, Official Press release