Theme in Black

"Theme in Black"
Album	6
Played	"LA X, Parts 1 & 2" "The Substitute" "Sundown" "Recon" "The Package" "The Candidate" "What They Died For" "The End"

The "Theme in Black" plays in many scenes featuring the Man in Black, in Locke's form, during the final season. The eight note motif is derived with melody and harmony originated from the Sarasangi scale of South Indian Classical Music. The melody notes are Eb F F Gb F A A Bb with harmony of triads consisting of Eb Gb Bb resolving to D F A in two different chord inversions.

Full list of appearances

The "Theme in Black" plays during the following scenes:

• The Man in Black cleans the knife Ben used to kill Jacob. ("LA X, Part 1")
  • Bram drags Ben back into the statue. ("LA X, Part 1")
• He clears away the bodies of the people he just killed. ("LA X, Part 2")
  • The Man in Black emerges from the statue and carries Richard into the jungle. ("LA X, Part 2")
• The Man in Black talks to Richard. ("The Substitute")
  • The Man in Black recruits Sawyer. ("The Substitute")
  • He tells Sawyer he understands pain, betrayal and loss. ("The Substitute")
  • He climbs down the ladder to the cliffside cave. ("The Substitute")
  • He enters the cave and shows Sawyer the names on the wall. ("The Substitute")
  • He explains that Sawyer has three choices: do nothing, accept the job, or leave. ("The Substitute")
• Dogen orders Sayid to kill the Man in Black. ("Sundown")
  • The Man in Black nods at his new recruits from the Temple. ("Sundown")
• The Man in Black's new recruits arrive at Claire's tent. ("Recon")
  • He tells Zack and Emma not to be scared. ("Recon")
  • The group stops for water. ("Recon")
  • He tells Sawyer to go to Hydra Island. ("Recon")
  • He talks to Kate about Claire. ("Recon")
• The Man in Black tells Jin about the cliffside cave. ("The Package")
  • He asks Sun to come with him. ("The Package")
  • The Man in Black explains how he is only three people short of getting off the island. ("The Package")
  • He confronts Widmore at the fences. ("The Package")
  • He later tells Sawyer he doesn't like secrets. ("The Package")
• Hurley carries Kate out of Widmore's sinking submarine. ("The Candidate")
• The Man in Black and Ben arrive at the well. ("What They Died For")
• Having been shot by Kate, the Man in Black is kicked off a cliff by Jack and falls to his death. ("The End")

Influences

The theme shares elements with Locke's fourth theme, which in turn builds off his second theme.

Variations

"SS Lost-tanic", "Locke v. Jack", Catch a Falling Star", "Jacob's Ladders", "The Rockets' Red Glare", "The Substitute", "Richard the Floored" and "Smokey And The Bandits" use the "Theme in Black". The piece and Locke's flash sideways theme are variations of each other.