This Place Is Death

"This Place Is Death"
Season	5
Episode number	5
Airdate(s)	11 February 2009
Centric	[Various]
Writer	Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz
Director	Paul Edwards
Guests	Guillaume Dabinpons - Robert Melissa Farman - Danielle Rousseau Fionnula Flanagan - Eloise Hawking June Kyoko Lu - Mrs. Paik Marc Menard - Montand John Terry - Christian Shephard
Co-stars	William Blanchette - Aaron Bruno Bruni - Brennan Jaymie Kim - Ji Yeon
Uncredited	Alexandra Tobas - Nadine
Transcript	This Place is Death transcript

"This Place Is Death" is the fifth episode of Season 5 of Lost, originally broadcast on February 11, 2009. Locke takes on the burden to stop the island's increasingly violent shifts through time. Meanwhile, Ben hits a roadblock in his attempt to reunite the Oceanic 6 and bring them back to the island.

Synopsis

On the Island

18 November 1988

The Monster looms over Montand.

Jin, confused, asks Danielle her name again and where she came from. Jin then asks Danielle when she sailed from Tahiti and she responds 15 November 1988. He and the members of the science expedition argue about what to do. Jin wants to go and find his camp, while Robert and the others want to find the radio tower which is the source of the transmission. Eventually the Frenchmen convince Jin to accompany them to the radio tower, since he doesn't know the way from the beach to his camp.

An old wall is found by Jin.

Danielle stops to rest as they trek into the jungle, and flirts with Robert about the gender and name of her baby. When Robert offers her water, they notice that Nadine, who had been carrying their canteen, is missing. They call out for her, with Robert taking charge and quickly forming search parties.

The Outer Wall's Hieroglyphs

They hear a noise, which Jin identifies as the Monster. A few moments later, a tree is torn up and Nadine's dead body lands near them. Jin yells at the group to run as the smoke monster makes its way through the trees. The monster catches Montand and drags him through the jungle to a cerberus vent near some old ruins.

The group chases him and manages to grab his arm just before the monster can pull him down the hole. As they struggle with the monster, a tentacle of smoke wraps itself around Montand's arm, slicing it off. Horrified, the group discards the severed arm. They then hear Montand calling from the hole, saying that he has been wounded and needs help. The members of the science expedition decide to enter the hole, despite Jin's warning not to. Lacombe, Brennan, and Robert enter the hole, but Jin manages to convince Danielle to remain behind for the sake of her baby. As they wait, Jin experiences a time flash.

January 1989 or later

Jin finds Montand's decayed arm

Finding himself a short time later, Jin sees Montand's decayed arm on the ground next to ruins covered with hieroglyphs. Trumping through the jungle, he sees a pillar of smoke. Returning to the beach, he finds a makeshift camp, including the (still playing) music box which Robert had given Danielle. Nearby he finds the dead bodies of Lacombe and Brennan. They appeared to have been shot in the chest. Moving closer, he hears voices in an argument. Approaching, he sees Danielle and Robert. Both are armed with rifles.

Danielle holds her lover at gunpoint

Danielle is accusing Robert of not being her husband, asserting that he has become infected by the monster. Robert tries to reassure her that he still loves her and has not changed. He insists that the smoke monster is not a "monster" but merely a security system for the temple that they discovered. Robert asks her to put down her gun. When she lowers her weapon Robert raises his towards her and pulls the trigger, but Danielle had already removed the firing pin and the gun fails to fire. Horrified, Danielle shoots Robert in the head. When Jin cries out in alarm she turns towards him, recognizing him from his disappearance. Insisting that he too is infected, and that he was "the carrier", she begins firing at him. Jin rushes into the jungle to hide and experiences another time flash.

Unknown time periods (rapid series of time flashes)

Charlotte warns Jin of the Island's deathly attributes

Before Jin can react, he hears a gun being cocked and someone ordering him to turn around. Turning around he discovers that it is Sawyer, accompanied by Daniel, Charlotte, Miles, Locke, and Juliet. Sawyer and Jin happily embrace each other, but Jin is dismayed when he doesn't see Sun and asks about her. With Charlotte's help translating Korean, they communicate the situation to him. They resume traveling towards the Orchid Station. On the way Charlotte collapses and begins to speak incoherently, partly in Korean. She experiences several mental time slips and warns Jin not to bring "her back", either referring to his wife or his daughter, because "this place is death". Dan asks for help carrying Charlotte to the Orchid, but Locke refuses, asserting that she will only slow them down. Despite Charlotte's insistence that Dan leave her, he refuses to do so. Sawyer asks Locke what he wants to do if the Orchid Station isn't around anymore. Charlotte tells them they have to "look for the well - you'll find it at the well". Accordingly the rest of the group leaves them and continues on to the Orchid.

The well that leads to the wheel

The group arrives at the Orchid. Since they had speculated that the station might not even be there when they arrived, they are pleased to find it not only existing but in much the same condition as they expected it to be. However, right after they arrive they experience another time flash and the Orchid disappears. Something catches Locke's eye and he heads through the jungle directly to a stone well (just like Charlotte had said) with a rope leading into it. Locke attempts to climb down the rope, but Jin stops him, threatening to cut the rope unless Locke promises to not bring Sun back. Jin tells Locke to tell Sun that he has died to prevent her from returning to the island. Locke is to tell Sun that he buried Jin's body after it washed up on shore. When Locke is unsure how he will convince her of this, Jin gives Locke his wedding ring. After promising not to try to bring Sun, Locke says goodbye to them all and Sawyer helps him down the well. As Locke is descending the shaft, there is a light at the bottom of the well and a time flash, and he falls. Sawyer discovers the rope he is holding leads to solid dirt. The well is gone.

Charlotte dies, mourned by Faraday

Meanwhile, Daniel tries to comfort Charlotte. Still suffering the effects of time flashes she tells Dan that she grew up on the Island and she mentions the DHARMA Initiative. She left with her mother who tried to convince her that she had made up the Island. Despite this, Charlotte continued to search for the Island all her life because she had never seen her father again since she left. She also confides in Dan that she remembers a "crazy" man from her childhood who scared her. This man had told her that she must never come back to the Island or she would die. She tells Dan that she now realizes that he is that man. Moments later, she dies.

Locke fulfills his destiny and turns the frozen wheel.

Locke has fallen into a cavern below the well and has suffered a severe compound fracture of his shin. Christian Shephard appears and scolds Locke for having Ben turn the wheel, when Christian told Locke to. He instructs Locke to fix the Wheel, which in this time is not frozen, saying it's off its axis, and tells him that dying is part of sacrifice. Locke struggles into the donkey wheel room, where the wheel is emitting flashes of green light and appears to be stuck. Locke turns the wheel as Christian says to say "hello" to his son. Locke asks who his son is as the room is engulfed by light.

Off-Island

2008

Kate confronts Ben as Jack looks on

Sun talks on the phone with Ji-Yeon who is back in Korea, she tells her that she misses her and that she met a new friend back in America: Aaron. After she finishes her conversation, she pulls out her gun and goes to threaten Ben. Ben tells Sun that Jin is alive, and he can prove it. Sun yells at Ben that she has spent the last 3 years believing Jin was dead. Kate takes Aaron back, putting him in her car.

Ben explains that someone in Los Angeles has proof, he’ll take her and show her the truth, which is the same person that will show them how to get back to the Island.

Desmond reunites with the others

Kate begins to argue with Jack, accusing him of pretending to care about Aaron and her just to get them to go back. Jack says he was never pretending, but Kate leaves with Aaron in her car. Sayid isn't bothering with it either, and leaves as well after warning Jack that he doesn't want to see him or Ben again. Ben, Sun, and Jack remain, and Sun tells Ben to take her to where he can find proof.

Ben drives the Canton-Rainier van to the church where Eloise Hawking is known to reside. Jack apologizes to Sun for leaving Jin behind, and that he should have waited for him. Sun asks why he’s telling her this now, if it’s because he wants to stop her from killing Ben. Jack says after what he just did to Kate “if you don’t do it Sun, I will.” Ben pulls the car over and yells at them in frustration, claiming he's been trying to keep them safe. After arriving at the church, Ben pulls out Jin’s wedding ring, which he gives to Sun, saying he was sorry he had to hold it until now, and that it was given to him by Locke. Jack brings up that Ben said Locke never went to see him, and Ben says no, he went to see Locke. Ben tells Jack and Sun that they need to help all those left on the island, and says the woman in the church can help them get back, and that time is running out. Sun looks at the ring in her hand, and agrees.

"Let's get started"

Desmond approaches the group and asks what they are doing there. He says "Are you looking for Faraday's mother, too?" A stunned Ben doesn't answer him and enters the church. The rest follow shortly and they find Eloise lighting votive candles. She asks Ben why only 4 of them are here. He replies, "That is the best I could do on short notice". Mrs. Hawking replies "Well, let's get started" and smiles.

Trivia

General

• Danielle gives the date of leaving Tahiti as November 15th 1988. In "Pilot, Part 2", Sayid says the message Danielle left had been playing for 16 years and 5 months as of the day following the crash of flight 815 (September 23rd 2004). Furthermore in "Through the Looking Glass" we also find out that Danielle had left the message at the radio tower 3 days before Alex was born which would have been 2 months after Danielle first arrived on the island. Therefore the message had been playing for approximately 15 years and 7 months. However, as the calculation was hurredly worked out by Sayid using the approximate length of the message, this is understandable.
• This is the first episode of the entire series in which Ben and Desmond speak to each other. They had previously only been in one scene together, at the cockpit wreckage in "The Beginning of the End."
• Between time flashes, Charlotte says 'Turn it up! I love Geronimo Jackson!'

Production notes

• Hurley does not appear in this episode.

Bloopers and continuity errors

• Danielle shoots Robert, turns and spots Jin. Attempting to shoot Jin, she draws back the bolt of the rifle to extract the spent casing and load a fresh round. She then fired several rounds in quick succession. Much too quick to reload the bolt action weapon.
• Jin says he knows how to get to the Radio Tower, but in "Through the Looking Glass", he was one of the three people to stay in camp to ambush the Others. Furthermore, he joined the other survivors at the 815's front section and then went back to the beach camp. Jin never went to the Radio Tower. However it is plausible that he was told off screen.

Recurring themes

• Ben drives a van with the name "Canton-Rainier". This is an anagram for "re-incarnation". (Life and Death) (Rebirth)
• Ben previously told Jack the last time he saw Locke was three years ago on the Island; he has however seen him since then. (Deceptions and cons)
• Danielle tells Jin that her team departed for their expedition on 15 November 1988. (The Numbers)
• Montand's arm is ripped off. Later, Jin sees it somewhat decayed after a flash. (Missing body parts)
• Charlotte dies after suffering through the time jumps. (Life and death)
• When Charlotte dies, her eyes remain open. (Eyes)
• Charlotte lived on the Island when she was young due to her parents being members of DHARMA. After a few years, Charlotte left the Island with her mother and without her father. Charlotte's mother pretended that the Island never existed, causing Charlotte to make it her life's mission to find it again. (Secrets) (Parent Issues)
• When Charlotte was a child, Daniel told her to leave the island and never come back. (Character connections) (Fate versus free will)
• Christian Shephard tells Locke that him dying is part of "sacrifice". (Sacrifice)
• Jin gave Locke his wedding ring, and Locke gave it to Ben. (Character connections)
• Sun talks on the phone with her daughter. (Children)
• The Numbers are again being said over the walkie-talkie. (The Numbers)
• Robert and Danielle discuss their child's name. (Pregnancies) (Children)
• Sawyer refers to Charlotte as "Red". (Nicknames)

Storyline analysis

• Ben took the job that was meant for Locke. (Leadership)
• Jacob vocalized to Locke (via Christian) his displeasure with Ben's actions (Rivalries)
• Danielle ends her relationship with Robert by killing him. (Relationships)
• Daniel and Charlotte's potential relationship ended when Charlotte succumbed to the sickness. (Relationships)

Cultural references

• Star Trek: Charlotte sarcastically states that she also speaks Klingon, a reference to a fictional language in the Star Trek universe which was devised by linguist Marc Okrand.
• Carthage: Charlotte remarks that she knows more about Carthage than Hannibal. Hannibal was a war general from Carthage from around 200 BC. He is considered to be one of the greatest military commanders and tacticians through out all of history. Carthage was located in what is modern-day Tunisia, where Charlotte was doing field work before being recruited to the Kahana's mission.
• Locke's descent into the well is similar to many hero myth descents into the underworld complete with spirit guide in the form of Christian Shephard, e.g. Virgil in the Inferno or the Sybyl in the Aeneid.
• Close Encounters Of The Third Kind: Lacombe is the name of one of the French crew members that are stranded on the island with Danielle Rousseau. Lacombe is also the name of the main French investigator in Close Encounters as played by François Truffaut. That Lacombe, from Close Encounters, is based on real life UFO investigator Jacques Vallée, who has theorized that UFO encounters might be interdimensional rather than extraterrestrial.

Literary techniques

• Upon their arrival at the Orchid, Juliet states relief that they are in the same time period as the Dharma station. Immediately after she says this, time shifts and the station is gone. (Irony)
• John has repeatedly stated that Boone was "the sacrifice the island demanded", but in leaving the island and eventually dying to bring the others back John becomes a sacrifice to the island. (Irony)
• Although Locke believed that no one was supposed to leave the island, it had been his responsibility all along to turn the wheel and move the island, which means his true destiny was to leave the island. (Irony)
• Jin gives Locke his wedding ring as proof that he is dead, yet Ben gives Sun the wedding ring as proof that Jin is alive. (Irony)
• Montand, complaining in disbelief about Jin's story, says, "first a boat, then a helicopter. Next thing you know he'll be talking about a submarine," and in fact there is a submarine on the Island, in posession of the Others. (Irony)
• Locke, who was crippled until he arrived at the island, leaves the island partially returned to that condition in that he suffers a severe leg fracture. (Symbolism)
• Locke has left the island, but it is unknown where he has gone. (Cliffhanger)

Episode references

• Jin finds the music box that Robert gave Danielle. ("Solitary")
• Danielle kills the members of her crew, believing that they are "sick". She also accuses Jin of being the carrier of the sickness. ("Solitary")
• Danielle shoots Robert after removing the firing pin from his gun. ("Solitary")
• Locke is bathed in a shaft of light from deep in an underground station. ("Deus Ex Machina")
• Montand loses his arm. ("Exodus, Part 1")
• Robert tells Danielle the Monster is not a monster, but a security system. She later relays this same phrase to the party on the way to the Black Rock. ("Exodus, Part 1")
• Montand is pulled into a hole by the Monster, as it tried to do to Locke. ("Exodus, Part 2")
• Desmond and Jack unexpectedly turn up in the same place at the same time in Los Angeles. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith") ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")
• Jin tells Rousseau's team he knows where the radio tower is. ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1")
• Charlotte says she knows a lot about Carthage, located in what is now modern-Tunisia. ("Confirmed Dead")
• Daniel's lab rat Eloise was named after his mother, Eloise Hawking. ("The Constant")
• Charlotte is forced to speak Korean. ("Something Nice Back Home")
• Christian arrives with a lamp in the same way Locke entered Jacob's cabin. ("Cabin Fever")
• Christian talks to Locke about what he told him in the cabin. ("Cabin Fever")
• Upon arriving at the wheel, Locke falls and injures himself, much like Ben did. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")
• The flash of light prevents Christian telling Locke the name of his son, mirroring Daniel's conversation with Desmond about seeking out his mother. ("Because You Left")

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: This Place Is Death/Theories

• Why does the Smoke Monster attack the science team?
• Why is the French expedition so well armed?
• What happens to Robert, Brennan, Lacombe, Montand in the temple?
• How does Robert know that the Monster is "protecting the temple"?
  • Why is the Monster "protecting the temple"?
• Why does Sun blame Ben for Jin's death?
• What has Ben done to keep the Oceanic Six safe?
  • Who is he keeping them safe from?
• Who are Charlotte's parents?
  • Why doesn't she know the identity of her father?
  • Why did Charlotte's mother tell her that she had made up the Island?
• Why is Locke specifically supposed to move the Island, rather than Ben?
• What is Ben's motivation for moving the Island instead of John?
• Why is Christian Shepard unable to help Locke walk?

External links

• ABC Medianet Press Release (1/26/09): Press Release