Minor motifs

Michael Giacchino's musical score for Lost makes use of numerous recurring motifs.

This article covers motifs that recur rarely, appear on no soundtrack release or lack a character or setting association. For a comprehensive list of themes and motifs, see musical themes.

Season 1 motifs[]

See Season 1 motifs

Season 2 motifs[]

Fearful Transition[]

This motif plays during several tense scenes throughout the series.

The survivors gaze into the Hatch, to Hurley's discomfort. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")
Several survivors join Locke when the camp splits. ("The Beginning of the End")
Daniel reminds Lapidus to stick to his bearing. ("The Economist")
Ben wakes up to find Locke apparently alive. ("Dead Is Dead")

Walt's Apparitions[]

This motif plays during two of Walt's appearances to Shannon.

Shannon sees the first apparition of Walt. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")
She sees him again, peering into her tent. ("Abandoned")

Station Investigation[]

This motif plays during several scenes in which characters explore a DHARMA station for the first time.

Locke begins to explore the Swan. ("Adrift")
Claire, Kate and Danielle begin to explore the Staff. ("Maternity Leave")
Michael sneaks up on Pickett. ("Three Minutes")

Sneaking Motif[]

This motif plays during a number of scenes in which characters sneak around an area.

Kate cuts herself free from Desmond's bonds. ("Adrift")
Kate sees a horse in the jungle. ("What Kate Did")
Desmond follows Kelvin across the cliffs. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 2")
Sayid, Sun and Jin see the Pala Ferry dock. ("The Glass Ballerina")
Kate scales the sonar fence using a tree. ("Par Avion")

DHARMA Patrol[]

This motif plays during two scenes in which DHARMA personnel spy on an intruder.

Desmond surveils Jack from the Swan and reacts. ("Adrift")
Radzinsky surveils Sayid from the Flame and reacts. ("Namaste")
In a Previously on Lost recap, the Man in Black attacks Richard, and tells the assembled group that he is very disappointed in all of them. ("The Substitute")

Chase Motif[]

This action motif plays during several action scenes, usually involving a chase.

Jack chases Desmond. ("Orientation")
Jack and Locke enter the Hatch to find Kate gone and the countdown timer under a minute. ("What Kate Did")
The hunting party runs towards the sounds of Michael's gunfight with the Others. ("The Hunting Party")

Standing Down[]

This sad motif plays during two scenes where characters cannot bring themselves to shoot a person they are holding at gunpoint.

Jack lowers his gun during a confrontation with Desmond. ("Orientation")
In a Previously on Lost recap, Locke tells "Henry" to push the button. He sees the blast door map. "Henry" later tells Locke that he never pushed the button. Jack and Kate find the resupply drop. ("S.O.S.")
In a Previously on Lost recap, Michael shoots Ana Lucia and Libby and frees Ben. ("?")
Locke lowers his gun during a confrontation with Jack. ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 2")

Rustling Motif[]

This tense motif plays during two scenes where characters suddenly hear movement.

A boar appears and knocks down Jin. ("...And Found")
Sawyer hears something approaching through the jungle. It turns out to be Frank. ("Something Nice Back Home")

Arming Up[]

This motif plays during a number of scenes throughout the series where characters arm up in preparation for moving to a new destination.

Jack carries injured Sawyer in the Swan. ("Collision")
In a Previously on Lost recap, Michael communicates with Walt on the Swan computer. A delirious Sawyer tells Jack that he loves Kate. ("The Hunting Party")
- Jack, Locke and Sawyer track Michael.
The beach camp survivors collect their guns. ("The Beginning of the End")
The mercenaries collect theirs before boarding the helicopter. ("Cabin Fever")
Sawyer gives instructions to Jack, Kate, and Hurley about how he can bring them in to the DHARMA Initiative. ("Namaste")
- Miles tells Sawyer that Jin found a hostile at the Flame.

Eko and Yemi[]

This sad motif plays during a few scenes relating to Eko and his troubled relationship with Yemi.

Eko and Charlie find the Beechcraft. ("The 23rd Psalm")
- He finds Yemi's body.
- A Nigerian soldier asks him if he is all right, mistaking him for a priest.
In a Previously on Lost recap, Eko finds the Beechcraft. He enters it and finds Yemi's body. ("The Cost of Living")
- Locke gives Eko his cross back.
- The Man in Black, as Yemi, refuses to accept Eko's claims that he does not need to repent for any of his actions. Eko runs after him.

Night Motif[]

This suspenseful motif plays during two night scenes where a character betrays a group.

Charlie lights a fire in the camp. ("Fire + Water")
Roger Linus notices that Ben is missing from the infirmary and leaves to get security. ("Some Like It Hoth")
Ilana's group reacts to learning that Ben killed Jacob. ("Dr. Linus")

Danielle's Motif[]

This motif plays during a few scenes involving Danielle and Alex Rousseau.

Danielle alludes to killing Aaron if he contracts the sickness. ("Maternity Leave")
Alex says goodbye to Karl. ("Not in Portland")
Kate tells Danielle that she saw Alex with the Others. ("Tricia Tanaka Is Dead")

Kwonflict Motif[]

This motif plays during two scenes of conflict between Jin and Sun.

Jin tells Sun that he wants to stop fighting with her. ("The Whole Truth")
The two argue before Jin leaves to deliver Jae Lee a message. ("The Glass Ballerina")

Worried Words[]

This sad motif plays during two scenes relating to bad news.

Kate and Sawyer tell Hurley about Libby's shooting. ("?")
Desmond dodges questions from Claire about scaring away the birds. ("Par Avion")

Vertical Eko[]

This motif plays during two scenes where Eko ascends or descends in "?".

In Locke's dream, Eko ascends a cliff toward Yemi. ("?")
- Eko and Locke descend into the Pearl.

Season 3 motifs[]

Chaos Motif[]

This motif plays during a few chaotic action scenes.

Nikki runs through the jungle and buries the diamonds she stole from Paulo. ("Exposé")
- We revisit the scene.
Jack, Kate, and Faraday exchange gunfire with DHARMA members at the motor pool. ("The Variable")

Cabin Motif[]

This motif plays during a few scenes relating to the Cabin.

Locke examines the ash circle around the cabin. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
Hurley unintentionally reveals to Locke and Ben that he has been to the cabin. ("Confirmed Dead")
Locke's group arrives at the location the cabin had been at when Ben took Locke there, only to find the cabin gone. ("The Economist")

Season 4 motifs[]

Tension Motif[]

This chilling motif plays during several tense scenes throughout the series.

Naomi contacts the Freighter. ("The Beginning of the End")
The survivors in the jungle see the light from the Hatch. ("The Little Prince")
Sun and Lapidus look on as Christian searches for the 1977 DHARMA recruitment photo. ("Namaste")
Several men grab Miles and pull him into a van. ("Some Like It Hoth")
The Man in Black returns to his camp only to find that his entire group has been knocked out and Jin is missing. ("The Package")

Ben's suspense motif[]

This motif plays during several suspenseful scenes involving Ben.

Ben tells the other survivors in his house to make a break for it on his command. They leave as the Monster attacks. ("The Shape of Things to Come")
Ben prepares to enter the frozen chamber. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 3")
In a Previously on Lost recap, Ben tells Jack that everyone who left the Island needs to go back. Kate and Sayid object to the plan. ("316")
In a Previously on Lost recap, Ben introduces himself to Sayid. He crashes a flaming DHARMA van into a building as a distraction while he frees Sayid. Sayid knocks out Jin and shoots Ben. ("Whatever Happened, Happened")
In a Previously on Lost recap, Ben kills Locke. ("Follow the Leader")
Hector questions Ben on why they have been periodically sending polar bear food to a tropical Island. ("The New Man in Charge")

Frank's instructions[]

This motif plays during two of Frank's action scenes.

Season 5 motifs[]

Dr. Chang's Motif[]

This motif plays during several scenes featuring Dr. Chang.

Dr. Chang enters the Orchid work site. ("Because You Left")
Dr. Chang threatens Hurley with shoveling polar bear feces on Hydra Island if he talks about the body he discovered. ("Some Like It Hoth")
- He orders several workers to take the body into the work site.
Daniel follows Dr. Chang into the Orchid work site. ("The Variable")
- Daniel tells Dr. Chang that Miles is his son. He asks Miles for confirmation, though he denies it.

1954 Others' Motif[]

This motif plays during several scenes featuring the Others in 1954.

Harper tells Juliet where to find Faraday and Lewis, and what they intend to do. ("The Other Woman")
Jones and his men interrogate Sawyer and Juliet. ("The Lie")
Ellie's group captures Daniel, Charlotte and Miles. ("Jughead")
- Ellie interrogates them.
- Locke, Sawyer and Juliet look out over the Others' camp.
- Daniel examines the hydrogen bomb.

Desmond's action motif[]

This motif plays during two of Desmond's action scenes.

Desmond and Efren Salonga rush to help Penny. ("Jughead")
Desmond is rushed into surgery after being shot by Ben. ("The Variable")

Sawyer's action motif[]

This motif plays during a few action scenes involving Sawyer.

Sawyer and Juliet aim their rifles after the group hears gunshots. ("LaFleur")
Radzinsky and Phil interrogate Sawyer and Juliet. ("Follow the Leader")
Widmore's men hold Sawyer at gunpoint. ("Recon")
Widmore's men fire warning shots at the Man in Black. ("The Package")

Ben and Widmore[]

This motif plays during a few scenes involving Benjamin Linus and Charles Widmore.

Desmond confronts Widmore at his office. ("Jughead")
Ben tells Widmore that if the Island wants Alex dead, Widmore should do it himself. ("Dead Is Dead")
- As Ben sees Widmore off, Widmore warns him that he may end up being banished himself someday.
- Ben tells Sun that "dead is dead".
Widmore visits Daniel and offers him a job opportunity. ("The Variable")
Widmore asks Richard how he recognizes Daniel. ("Follow the Leader")
Widmore's people take Sawyer through the submarine. ("Recon")
- Sawyer talks to Widmore.
Zoe questions Jin about the DHARMA Initiative's maps of electromagnetic pockets. ("The Package")

Duel motif[]

This motif plays during a few climactic action scenes, usually involving Jack or the Man in Black.

Jack swims through the tunnels. ("Follow the Leader")
Sawyer and Jack strangle each other. ("The Incident, Part 2")
- Jack prepares to enter the Swan site.
The Man in Black reveals his plan to leave the island. ("Across the Sea")
Jack and the Man in Black fight it out on the cliff. ("The End")

Season 6 motifs[]

Kate's escape[]

This action motif plays in several of Kate's action scenes in the Flashsideways world.

Kate tries to pick her handcuffs open. ("LA X, Part 2")
- She attacks the Marshal.
- She watches an airport employee enter a door's exit code.
Kate orders the taxi driver to keep driving away from LAX. ("What Kate Does")

Temple motif[]

This rhythmic motif characterizes a few of the Temple's scenes.

The survivors enter the tunnel beneath the temple wall. ("LA X, Part 2")
Kate returns to the Temple. ("Sundown")

Temple suspense[]

This motif plays during a few of the Temple scenes in "What Kate Does".

Dogen tests Sayid. ("What Kate Does")
- Jack goes past guards to confront Dogen.
In a Previously on Lost recap, Sayid is tortured by Dogen. Jack confronts Dogen about it. ("Sundown")

Dogen's theme[]

This sad motif characterizes Dogen.

Jack asks about Sayid's torture. ("What Kate Does")
- Dogen confronts Jack about not giving Sayid the pill.
- He tells him that Claire is infected.

Medical emergencies[]

This action motif concludes a few scenes.

Kate and Claire arrive at the hospital. ("What Kate Does")
- Jin sees Claire for the first time in three years.
In a flash sideways, Locke and Sun reach the hospital. ("The Last Recruit")
Kate prepares Claire for labor. ("The End")

Claire's 2nd motif[]

This plays during a few of Claire's scenes in "Lighthouse".

Claire brings Justin to her tent. ("Lighthouse")
- She interrogates him.

Man in Black's chase motif[]

This motif plays during several of the Man in Black's action scenes.

Miles runs from the approaching monster. ("Sundown")
- Ilana's group rush for the exit.
The Man in Black chases Sun. ("The Package")
Jack and the Man in Black dive for the knife during their final showdown. ("The End")

Ben's second action motif[]

This motif plays during Ben's "Dr. Linus" action scenes. A similar, but not identical motif plays when Sayid kills Dogen by drowning him in the Temple Spring.

Ben flees the Temple following the massacre. ("Dr. Linus")
- Ilana shackles Ben.
- Ben runs for the Man in Black's rifle.

Sawyer's flash sideways theme[]

This simple motif of two-note pairs that fall conversely to Sawyer's theme, offset with a four-note haunting piano lilt.

Sawyer lays in bed after an affair with a married woman. ("Recon")
- Sawyer is revealed to be a cop in the flash-sideways.
- Sawyer tells Charlotte why he became a cop.
- They have sex.
- She later rejects his flower.
- He tells Miles about Anthony Cooper.

Claudia's theme[]

This motif plays during Claudia's scenes in "Across the Sea".

Claudia walks on the Island. ("Across the Sea")
- She talks to Mother.
- Her ghost leads her son to her people.

Ford and Straume[]

This motif plays during a few of Sawyer and Miles's finale flash sideways scenes.

Miles phones Sawyer about Sayid's escape. ("The End")
- Sawyer asks a receptionist about Mrs. Paik.