Man of Science, Man of Faith

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“Man of Science, Man of Faith”

Lost episode

Episode no.

Season 2
Episode 1

Written by

Damon Lindelof

Directed by

Jack Bender

Guest stars

John Terry
Henry Ian Cusick
Julie Bowen
Anson Mount
Katie Doyle
David Ely
Masayo Ford
Julius Ledda
Ivana Michele Smith
Larry Wiss

Production no.

201

Original airdate

September 21, 2005

Episode chronology
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"Exodus"	"Adrift"

Lost (season 2)
List of Lost episodes

"Man of Science, Man of Faith" is the 25th episode of Lost. It is the first episode of the show's second season. The episode was directed by Jack Bender and written by Damon Lindelof. It first aired on September 21, 2005 on ABC. The character of Jack Shephard is featured in the episode's flashback. The episode was nominated for an Emmy Award in Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series.

[edit] Plot

A man wakes up from his bunk bed and immediately presses a few keys on what appears to be a late 1970s-era computer. He then gets dressed and begins his day, as the viewpoint pans about the surrounding rooms, which contain an assortment of objects from the 1960s to the present (accompanied by the song "Make Your Own Kind of Music" by Mama Cass, which is playing off of a vinyl record player). During this routine he injects something into his arm, from a vial labeled 4 8 15 16 23 42. He is interrupted by an explosion, spurring the man to arm himself with an SKS rifle from an armory, before using a telescope-and-mirror system. As his gaze reaches further and further through the complex, it continues up a shaft to the faces of Jack and Locke standing around the now-open Hatch.

At the Hatch entry, Jack says that they should wait for the sun to come up. Locke, on the other hand, feels that their entry should not be delayed, even after Kate points out that the back of the Hatch door reads 'Quarantine.' At the same time, at the caves, Shannon and Sayid search the jungle for Walt's dog, Vincent, who has run off. The pair find Vincent in a clearing, and attempt to catch him, but he continues to escape. During the search, the two are separated, and while alone, Shannon hears whispers in the jungle, and then Walt appears, dripping wet and speaking incoherently; it turns out that Walt says, backwards, "Push the button, Don't push the button. Bad." When Sayid returns, he finds Shannon lying on the ground. Shannon looks back to try and see Walt, but he is gone.

In the flashback sequences, Jack encounters his future wife, Sarah, who has arrived in his emergency room after a horrific car crash. The other victim, who dies when Jack has to choose which patient to work on first, shares Shannon's last name of Rutherford. Jack works to save Sarah, but even with surgery, is unable to restore full use of Sarah's lower body due to a spinal cord injury.

Later on, Jack is chastised by his father about his pessimistic bedside manner. While Jack is blowing off steam by running a Tour de stade he falls, and as a result meets a stranger, another runner named Desmond, who tells him that he is training for a race around the world. Jack shares with Desmond how he failed Sarah, and Desmond advises him about his need to feel and provide more hope. When Jack returns to Sarah's room, he discovers that she has experienced a miraculous recovery.

During the walk back from the hatch, Hurley shares with Jack his story about the numbers inscribed on the outside of the hatch and how they are bad luck, but he is disappointed by Jack's disbelieving response.

Upon reaching the caves, Jack explains the situation to the survivors, promising them they will all be all right, as long as they stay together. No sooner has he finished saying this, then Locke appears, carrying cable and saying he is going into the hatch. Soon after, Kate follows behind him.

At the Hatch, Locke eases Kate down the shaft, when suddenly Kate realizes that there is something in there, and in a sudden burst of light from within the hatch, Kate mysteriously disappears.

Back at the caves, after informing the survivors why they went into the jungle and that Arzt is dead, Jack changes his mind about staying together, and decides that he is going after Kate and Locke. Upon reaching the Hatch, he finds no one there, and rappels down the shaft on his own to look for them. While exploring, he comes across a colorful painted mural which features the numbers, and also discovers a wall where the key hanging around his neck is pulled by a strong magnetic force. Finally, after being surprised by a bright light and loud music (specifically the Mama Cass song that played at the start of the episode), he enters what appears to be an underground geodesic dome, which contains an array of computer equipment from various earlier decades, including the 1970s-style computer with its command prompt glowing. As Jack is about to use it, Locke appears and tells Jack not to touch it. Jack raises the gun and asks, "Where's Kate?" Locke does not answer, as it is revealed that the as-yet-unnamed resident of the Hatch has a gun pointed at the side of his head.

Back in the underground dome, Locke tells Jack to put the gun down. The gunman threatens that he will shoot Locke if Jack does not surrender. Jack refuses, instead taunting Locke about his destiny. Finally, the gunman steps out and Jack recognizes him as Desmond, the man he encountered after falling during his run.

[edit] Cast Notes

This episode marks the first appearance of Desmond played by Henry Ian Cusick.
Michelle Rodriguez (Ana Lucia) is now credited with the main cast.
Ian Somerhalder (Boone) is no longer credited with the main cast.
Malcolm David Kelley (Walt) is now only credited for the episodes in which he appears.

v • d • e Lost
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Main characters	Ana Lucia • Ben • Boone • Charlie • Charlotte • Claire • Daniel • Desmond • Hurley • Jack • Jin • Juliet Kate • Libby • Locke • Michael • Miles • Mr. Eko • Nikki • Paulo • Sawyer • Sayid • Shannon • Sun • Walt
Supporting characters	Alex • Bernard • Christian • Ethan • Rose • Rousseau • Tom
Groups	Dharma Initiative • Hanso Foundation • Oceanic Airlines • The Others
Miscellaneous	Awards • Find 815 • Lost Experience • Lost: Missing Pieces • Lost: Via Domus • Mythology