"LA X" comprises the 104th and 105th episodes of the American Broadcasting Company's Lost, marking the premiere of the sixth and final season.ABC Medianet (January 14, 2010), "Weekly Primetime Program Schedule Grids ". Retrieved on January 16, 2010. It was written by show runners/executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and directed by executive producer Jack Bender.ABC Medianet (January 15, 2010), "Lost: 'LA X' – Season Premiere ". Retrieved January 16, 2010. Both parts were aired on February 2, 2010, on ABC in the United States and CTV in Canada, and on February 4, 2010, on RTÉ Two in Ireland.CTV, "Canada's Online Home for Lost ". Retrieved on January 16, 2010.Walker, Tim. (January 28, 2010). "Looking forward to one last helping of Lost". Irish Independent. Retrieved on January 31, 2010.
The story deals with the aftermath of the detonation of the hydrogen bomb at the end of the previous episode, "The Incident". "LA X" introduces a new narrative device, two separate timelines, that replaces previously used devices, such as flashbacks, flash-forwards and time travel. Cuse and Lindelof have stated that the "two distinct timelines" are "equally real". Both ABC and the producers refer to these scenes as "flash sideways".
The date of first broadcast was the source of much speculation, as ABC intentionally avoided locking down a timeslot to keep options open in order to assess the threat of the upcoming Olympic Games and to better fit Lost with how other shows were performing on ABC's schedule. Scheduling was further placed in jeopardy when it was announced that the chosen night was being considered for the 2010 State of the Union Address. The season premiere was the first episode of Lost to air on a Tuesday in the United States.
Despite the fact that there is no specific character on which the premiere is centered, Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, Jack Shephard, Kate Austen, John Locke, Sun-Hwa Kwon, Sayid Jarrah, Jin-Soo Kwon and James "Sawyer" Ford each have points of view in the premiere.
Plot
After Jughead's detonation, two scenarios are shown: one in which Oceanic 815 never crashes, and one in which the timeline has not been altered at all.
2004 (flash-sideways timeline) The first timeline begins on Oceanic Flight 815, in which the survivors' attempt to change the future has apparently averted the crash. The island is now shown to be at the bottom of the ocean. Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly) is still being transported in custody of U.S. Marshal Edward Mars (Fredric Lehne); Dr. Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) is transporting his deceased father; and John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) is still paralyzed. Boone Carlyle (Ian Somerhalder) is returning to Los Angeles without his stepsister; Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia) claims to be the luckiest man alive; Locke claims to have participated in his walkabout; Desmond Hume (Henry Ian Cusick) is a passenger and Rose Henderson (L. Scott Caldwell) reassures Jack while experiencing turbulence. During the flight, Jack is called upon to save Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan), who has asphyxiated while attempting to swallow a packet of heroin. Jack, aided by Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews), resuscitates him. Jack earlier encountered Desmond; however, he is nowhere to be seen when the plane lands.
At LAX, Charlie is arrested for drug possession, and Jack learns that the airline has lost his father's coffin. Kate escapes Mars' custody. Jin-Soo Kwon (Daniel Dae Kim) is detained after failing to declare a large amount of cash on his customs form. His travel partner, Sun-Hwa Paik (Yunjin Kim), who claims she cannot speak English, does nothing to help the situation. Kate hijacks a taxicab in which Claire Littleton (Emilie de Ravin) is also a passenger. Jack speaks with Locke, who notes that his own luggage has also been misplaced. They discuss Locke's condition, which he says is irreversible. Jack responds that nothing is irreversible, reveals that he is a spinal surgeon, and offers Locke a free medical consultation.
2007 (original timeline) In the second timeline, the events directly follow those of "The Incident." Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Jin, Juliet Burke (Elizabeth Mitchell), James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway), and Miles Straume (Ken Leung) have been returned to the present at the site of the Dharma Initiative Swan station, after Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) has killed Jacob (Mark Pellegrino). Sawyer is angered by the prospect that Juliet's death was meaningless and engages in a fight with Jack. However, Juliet is alive underneath the remains of the station. The survivors free Juliet, who dies moments before she can tell Sawyer something important; Sawyer blames Jack.
Hurley tends to Sayid, who has been mortally wounded by a gunshot. Jacob appears to Hurley. Jacob explains that he has been killed and that Sayid must be taken to the Others' temple in order to be healed. Hurley must also bring the guitar case that Jacob gave him. Sawyer and Miles stay behind to bury Juliet while the rest go to the temple. Sawyer forces Miles to use his medium skills to talk to Juliet. Miles relays her message: "It worked", which leaves Sawyer confused.
At the temple, the group encounters the remaining members of the Others who have taken refuge, including Flight 815 stewardess Cindy (Kimberley Joseph) and the two abducted children, Zack and Emma, who have been missing since they were taken in by the Others. The survivors are captured and brought before two men, the Japanese man Dogen (Hiroyuki Sanada) and his translator Lennon (John Hawkes). Hurley says that Jacob sent him, and offers the guitar case as proof. Inside is a wooden ankh, which Dogen breaks open, revealing a note that tells the Others they will all be in trouble if Sayid dies. Sayid is brought to a spring, noted to have gone murky, and is held underwater until the time of an hourglass passes. Jack administers CPR, but Sayid does not respond. They believe Sayid has died. Sawyer and Miles are brought into the temple, having been captured after burying Juliet. Dogen privately questions Hurley, who reveals Jacob is dead. Shocked, the Others sound an alarm, prepare their defenses, and send fireworks into the air in preparation for an attack. Lennon insists on speaking with Jack privately. Jack refuses, leading to an altercation, when Sayid comes back to life.
Inside the pedestal of the statue, the Man in Black, who has taken the form of Locke, orders Ben to bring Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell) inside. Once Ben delivers this news, Richard refuses and shows Locke's body to Ben. Bram (Brad William Henke) and his team from Flight 316 enter the statue with Ben. The Man in Black transforms into the smoke monster. He kills Bram and his men, but spares Ben. Returning to Locke's body, the Man in Black then reveals what Locke's thoughts were as Ben strangled him to death; Locke did not understand why Ben killed him. Locke was also the only one among the initial survivors who wanted to stay and live on the island. The Man in Black's goal, on the other hand, is to return home. Outside, Richard sees the fireworks from the temple. The Man in Black confronts Richard, who realizes who the man is. The Man in Black knocks him out and, while carrying Richard into the jungle, announces his disappointment in the Others.
Production
Casting Dominic Monaghan appears as Charlie after a 30-episode absence. Ian Somerhalder also reprises his role as Boone for the first time since the episode "Exposé", while Kimberley Joseph appears as flight attendant Cindy Chandler for the first time since the episode "The Brig", both from the third season. Greg Grunberg recorded lines in Los Angeles for a voice-over reprisal of his role of Oceanic Airlines Captain Seth Norris of Flight 815 that crashed on the island in the pilot episode.Keck, William (January 7, 2010), "The End of Heroes? ", TV Guide. Retrieved on January 18, 2010. Originally, Maggie Grace was set to make an appearance as Shannon, but Grace was unable to film any scenes due to her busy schedule. Thus, the backstory was rewritten to accommodate this.
Writing