Lost/Confirmed Dead

Confirmed Dead
Season 4, Episode 2
Airdate	February 7, 2008
Production Number	402
Written by	Drew Goddard & Brian K. Vaughan
Directed by	Stephen Williams
← 4x01 The Beginning of the End	4x03 → The Economist
Lost — Season Four

Confirmed Dead is the second episode of the fourth season of Lost, and the seventy-fourth episode overall.

The survivors begin to question the intentions of their supposed rescuers when four strangers arrive on the island.

Starring: Naveen Andrews (Sayid), Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond), Jeremy Davies (Daniel), Emilie de Ravin (Claire), Michael Emerson (Ben), Matthew Fox (Jack), Jorge Garcia (Hurley), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Daniel Dae Kim (Jin), Yunjin Kim (Sun), Ken Leung (Miles), Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Rebecca Mader (Charlotte), Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet), Terry O'Quinn (Locke), Harold Perrineau (Michael).

Guest Starring: Zoë Bell (Regina, voice only), Blake Bashoff (Karl), Jeff Fahey (Frank Lapidus), Mira Furlan (Danielle Rousseau), Tania Raymonde (Alex), Lance Reddick (Matthew Abaddon), Fisher Stevens (George Minkowski, voice only), Marsha Thomason (Naomi).

Co-Starring: Kanayo Chiemelu (African Man), Jill Kuramoto (Female Anchor), Azure McCall (Ms. Gardner), Necar Zadegan (Translator).

Plot Overview

The Island

• At the beach camp, Sayid and Juliet wait for some sign of the impending rescue while Jack is still missing. Since she's lived amongst the Others, Sayid asks Juliet why Ben would tell them the people on the freighter intend to do them harm. Juliet tells him it's because either Ben is a liar or the people coming are in fact intending to them harm. Juliet asks Sayid for the number of guns left.
• Jack and Kate meet Daniel Faraday, one of the people on the off-shore freighter. Daniel informs them there are three additional members of his team when the helicopter was going down. Using Naomi's satellite phone, Daniel contacts Minkowski to tell him an electrical storm knocked out the helicopter's navigation systems, but he's made contact with some of the survivors. Minkowski has Daniel switch off the speaker phone functionality in order to talk to Daniel privately. Kate assures Jack that Naomi covered for them, but Jack motions to a handgun sticking out of Daniel's pants. Daniel informs the two that the freighter hasn't made contact with the other members of his team, but they'll be able to track them through their GPS transponders which will show up on the satellite phone.

  As they try to pick up a transponder signal, Kate discovers a container from Daniel's chopper. Opening it up, Jack discovers gas masks and red bags bearing the biohazard symbol. Daniel can't tell him what it's for, claiming he wasn't responsible for packing, which in turn causes Jack to press him for further information regarding his gun. Daniel tells him it's a precaution as rescuing them isn't really their primary objective. Jack asks him what that objective would be, but Miles Straume's transponder is located and they rush off to the location along the coast. Jack spots Miles' body, but discovers it's an ambush when Miles pulls a gun on him. Miles demands to know where Naomi, the woman they killed, is. Daniel tries to calm him down, but Miles replies that Naomi doesn't have a sister as it was a code phrase in the event they had a gun to their head. Kate tells him that Locke killed Naomi, but Miles vehemently insists he be taken to Naomi's body.

  The group eventually backtracks to Naomi's body and Miles kneels over her body, alone. Daniel is with Jack and Kate, but he seems more concerned with the light and how it doesn't seem to scatter properly. Kate tries to sweet talk Daniel into putting his gun away, but Daniel declines as Miles would kill him. Jack tells her to let things play out, giving her a wink. Miles returns to the group and confirms Kate's story. They then pick up Charlotte Lewis' transponder only 3km away. Miles wants to go, but Jack tells him to put their guns down as his friends are out in the jungle with their guns aimed at them. Miles thinks Jack is bluffing, but several gunshots confirm Jack's warning as Sayid and Juliet emerge from the jungle.

  The group trek through the jungle with Sayid leading Daniel and Miles at gunpoint. Sayid questions them, finding Daniel more than compliant while Miles tries to get Daniel to keep quiet. Daniel tells Sayid he's a physicist before Miles tells him to shut up. They discover Charlotte's transponder on the satellite phone and notice she appears to be running from something. They rush to the location only to find the transponder tied to Vincent — Locke has her.

• In the jungle, Locke's group continue their trek. Sawyer points out that the barracks are due south, but Locke is leading them in another direction. Locke tells him there's a cabin he has to go to first, but Hurley tells him he thought the cabin was in the other direction. Hurley's words give pause to Locke and Ben, but Hurley passes off what he said as meaning the nose cabin of Oceanic 815. Further pressed by Sawyer as to why he's marching to a cabin and why he killed Naomi, Locke tells him he got his instructions from Walt. It wasn't a dream and Walt appeared taller, that Walt told him he had work to do and must stop Naomi from bringing her people to the island. Asked why he didn't ask any follow-up questions, Locke tells Sawyer he was shot by Ben and left for dead, but Walt saved his life and so he took Walt at his word. Sawyer doesn't believe Locke was shot, but Locke shows everyone the entry and exit wounds. Locke surmises he would be dead if he still had a kidney there.

  The groups stops at a stream to rest and refill their water bottles. Ben tries to talk to Alex, but Karl tells him to keep his mouth shut. Ben prods Karl, telling him he should refer to him as "Ben" when he's sleeping with his daughter. Karl pulls a gun on Ben, but Sawyer intervenes and has Karl take a walk. Turning his attention to Sawyer, Ben asks him why he left Kate behind. On the island, Sawyer is someone important, but, off the island, he's nothing but a low-life con man with no chance of competing with a first-class surgeon. He thinks Kate was really upset with Sawyer's decision, but at least she has Jack to comfort her. With those words Sawyer begins to beat Ben until Locke steps in. Locke is keeping Ben alive as he's been living on the island longer than any of them and has information they need. Sawyer believes it's only a matter of time before Ben gets them and he bets Ben has already figured out how to accomplish that.

  Continuing onward, the group come across Charlotte Lewis, one of the people from the freighter. Charlotte inquires as to how many of them they are. Hurley replies that 48 of them survived the crash, not counting the tail section, but Locke has him keep quiet. She has more questions but, showing them the transponder, tells them they can wait until her team finds her via the transponder and they're back on the freighter. Locke has them all get up, including Charlotte, and prepare to leave. He informs Charlotte that they don't want to be found.

• Elsewhere on the island, Frank Lapidus climbs a steep hill to get his bearings and comes across a cow. As his satellite phone was destroyed in the descent, Frank pulls out a flare gun and launches one into the air. The flare is spotted by Locke and his group, prompting Charlotte to tell them it's someone from her team. Hurley and Claire suggest they check it out as the person might be hurt, but Locke insists Charlotte is lying and whatever her people came for isn't them. Charlotte tries to go, but she's shot twice in the chest by Ben before he's tackled by Sawyer. Locke checks Charlotte's body, discovering she's alive as she is wearing a bullet-proof vest.

  Jack, Kate, Juliet, Sayid, Daniel and Miles find Frank. Miles asks him where the helicopter crashed, prompting Frank to ask him what kind of pilot he thinks he is. Frank put the helicopter down safely near them. Sayid looks over the helicopter and concludes the mechanical systems are intact and it'll be able to fly. Jack gives Miles the satellite phone in exchange for learning what they're doing on the island. Miles attempts to get in contact with Minkowski, but learns he's busy and can't come to the phone. Kate and Daniel return with Naomi's body, prompting Miles to ask them why they're bothering as it's only meat and not Naomi. Frank agrees with Miles' assessment as they burned up too much fuel in the storm and barely have enough to get back to the freighter; they'll take Naomi's body back on a second trip. As Juliet treats a wound on Frank's forehead, Frank asks for her name and realizes she wasn't on the flight manifest — she's a native. This revelation causes Miles to confront Juliet, demanding to know where "he" is. Miles pulls out a picture of Ben and tells the group they've come to the island for Benjamin Linus.

  Sawyer holds Ben at gunpoint for trying to shoot Charlotte. Locke apologizes to Charlotte, telling her she's no good to him dead. Turning his attention to Ben, Locke tells Sawyer that he stands corrected and will kill Ben himself. He tells Rousseau to take Alex away, and suggests anyone else should leave if they don't want to see him kill Ben. Ben tells Locke that he has information he needs; he has answers. Locke asks Ben what the black smoke monster is, but Ben doesn't know. As Locke prepares to execute Ben, Ben tells everyone the woman's name is Charlotte Staples Lewis. He provides them detailed information of her life and background, including the names of her compatriots on the island. These people are a threat and Ben warns Locke that, if he kills him, he'll never know how great a threat they were. He knows what they're doing on the island and what they want: him. Asked how he knows all that information, Ben informs them he has a man on their freighter.

The Flashback

• Flashback: Daniel Faraday

In Essex, Massachusetts, Daniel Faraday is watching a news report regarding the discovery of the wreckage of Oceanic Flight 815 at the bottom of the Sunda Trench, just off the coast of Bali. The news seems to upset Daniel greatly. A woman asks him why he's upset, but Daniel doesn't know why.

Over the island, the helicopter Daniel is in experiences severe problems with its electrical components. Miles shoves Daniel out of the helicopter for his own safety. With this chute deployed, Daniel lands in the jungle and is immediately found by Jack and Kate. Daniel asks, "Are you Jack?" Confirming Jack's identity, Daniel tells him his name and that he's there to rescue him.

• Flashback: Miles Straume

Miles Straume pulls up the curb outside a house in Inglewood, California. He pulls a suitcase out of the trunk of his car before speaking with the woman inside. Miles asks the woman, Mrs. Gardner, for the location of the room and tells her he's paid in advance. He doubles his fee to $200 after learning from the police that Mrs. Gardner's grandson was murdered. He begins to piece together a modified hand-held vacuum cleaner which was inside his suitcase and, after receiving his fee, warns Mrs. Gardner not to disturb him no matter what she may hear. Alone in the grandson's room, Miles turns on the equipment and sits down on a bed. Presumably speaking to the murdered grandson, Miles tells him he's not doing any good staying in the house and is causing his grandmother a lot of pain. He wants to go downstairs and tell her he's gone, but he needs to know where "it" is first. Hearing a noise behind a bookcase, Miles moves it over to discover a brown lunch bag hidden inside a vent. Inside is a large amount of money and a baggy of drugs. Miles places the drugs back in the bag, keeping the money for himself, and puts the bag back inside the vent. Turning off the equipment, Miles tells the grandson he can leave. Miles informs Mrs. Gardner that it works and her grandson is at peace now. After seeing some pictures of the grandson on her wall, Miles refunds her $100 as the job wasn't as difficult as he thought it'd be. Mrs. Gardner hugs Miles and thanks him.

• Flashback: Charlotte Lewis

Charlotte Lewis arrives at an excavation site in Medenine, Tunisia. A man asks Charlotte and her translator if they're lost. Charlotte has her translator tell the man that people in their line of work are terrible at keeping secrets and she knows about the dig. The site is closed, so Charlotte pulls out a large sum of money, giving it to the man, and continues on to the dig. Charlotte examines the skeletal remains of a polar bear. Digging deeper near the skull, she uncovers a collar for the polar bear which is stamped with the symbol of The DHARMA Initiative's Hydra station.

• Flashback: Frank Lapidus

Frank Lapidus is at Caribbean Dreams, an island travel and tour operator in Eleuthera, The Bahamas. Watching a news report on the discovery of the wreckage of Oceanic Flight 815, Frank notices they have footage of the bodies inside the cockpit and identify the pilot as Seth Norris. The remotely operated vehicle films a close up of the pilot's hands, which catch Frank's attention and he calls the National Transportation Safety Board's Oceanic 815 hotline. He demands to speak with a supervisor as he has information regarding the flight. The staff member refuses to connect him until she knows the information first. Frank tells her he's staring at footage of the pilot, but the body isn't his. After a pause, the staff member connects him to a supervisor. The man wants to know to whom he's speaking with, but Frank doesn't bother telling him and cuts to the chase. Seth Norris married his childhood sweetheart at 19 and always wore his wedding ring, yet the body on the TV doesn't have a ring. The man suggests the ring fell off in the crash, but Frank insists the body isn't Norris'. Asked how he knows Seth Norris, Frank tells the man he was supposed to pilot Oceanic Flight 815 on the day of the crash.

• Flashback: Noami Dorrit

Naomi Dorrit is inside a barren office building floor, save for a single desk. Matthew Abaddon shows Naomi pictures of Daniel Faraday, Miles Straume, Charlotte Lewis and Frank Lapidus. Naomi believes they are the wrong people for the mission as they don't have field experience or military training. They can't be dropped in unprotected as it would be a disaster. Abaddon points out they won't be unprotected as they will have her along. She replies that there is only so much she can do. This is a high-risk covert op in unstable territory and she believes it's more than enough trouble without her having to babysit a head case, a ghost buster, an anthropologist and a drunk. She asks him what will happen if they find survivors from Oceanic 815. Abaddon insists there were no survivors of Oceanic 815 and she shouldn't ask questions but do what she's paid for. Every member of the team was selected for a specific purpose and everything relies on Naomi getting them in, getting them out and preventing them from being killed. Naomi agrees that she can accomplish the mission.

Notes

Mysteries

• How did the polar bear get to Tunisia?
• Why do the people on the freighter want Ben?
• Who is Ben's spy on the freighter?
• Why was Daniel so affected by the news of the discovery of Oceanic 815?
• Why did Frank not pilot Oceanic 815 on the day of the crash?

Answers

• Naomi's team consists of Daniel Faraday, Charlotte Lewis, Miles Straume and Frank Lapidus. (3x18 - D.O.C.)
• Naomi doesn't have a sister. It was a duress code. (4x01 - The Beginning of the End)

The Cursed Numbers

• There are 4 people on the island from the freighter.
• A sports poster on the wall of the murdered grandson's room contained the number 15.
• The freighter helicopter's tail number contains the numbers 8 and 42.

Scrutiny

• Miles' Flashback: When Miles goes upstairs, a series of picture frames are seen on the staircase wall. The frames change when Miles goes back downstairs, but the pictures stay the same. When Miles is in the murdered grandson's room, the second hand on the desk clock doesn't move.
• Mustache: The Oceanic file photo for the Oceanic 815 pilot shows him with a mustache. The pilot did not have one when seen in "Pilot, Part 1". However this is likely due to it being an old file photo.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• The survivors encounter four people from the off-shore freighter; three are met by Jack's side and one is captured by Locke's side.

Characters

• Ben reveals that the freighter is there for him.
• Locke reveals to his group that he saw Walt.

Referbacks

• 1x19 - Deus Ex Machina: While telling Sawyer about being shot by Ben, he comments that the bullet went straight through him on the count that he only has one kidney. Locke's father was a con man who tricked him into donating a kidney before shutting him out of his life.

Locke: I'd probably be dead if I still had a kidney there.

• 3x20 - The Man Behind the Curtain: While talking to Sawyer about Walt, Locke refers back to Ben shooting him and leaving him for dead. He also mentions seeing Walt, being saved by him, and receiving orders.

Trivia

The Show

• Firsts: This is the first time on-screen locations have been given for the flashbacks.

Behind the Scenes

• Location, Location, Location: Charlotte's flashback in Tunisia was filmed at Pacific Aggregate's inactive Maili Quarry in Maili, HI.
• Helicopter: The freighter's helicopter is a UH-1B manufactured by Garlick Helicopters. It is a civilian version of the UH-1 Iroquois military helicopters.
• Oops: In Miles' picture of Ben, there's a computer monitor in the background. The monitor is not plugged into anything.
• Missing in Action: Henry Ian Cusick, Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim, Harold Perrineau, Jr. are credited but do not appear.

Allusions and References

• Colonel Kurtz: Sawyer refers to Locke as "Colonel Kurtz." Walter Kurtz is the name of a rogue U.S. Army Special Forces colonel in the movie Apocalypse Now. Set during the Vietnam War, a U.S. Army captain is sent into the jungles of Cambodia to find and assassinate Colonel Kurtz. He is told by his superiors that Kurtz, once a model officer and considered to be a future general, has gone insane and is commanding a legion of his own troops by his own volition. In season one's "Numbers," Charlie refers to Hurley as "Colonel bloody Kurtz."

• Yoda: Sawyer refers to Ben as "Yoda." Yoda is a wise and powerful Jedi master from the Star Wars universe.

• Lewis: Charlotte Staple Lewis is a reference to C. S. Lewis, an Irish writer and scholar. He is best known for his series The Chronicles of Narnia.

• Faraday: Daniel Faraday is a possible reference to Michael Faraday, an English chemist and physicist (or natural philosopher, in the terminology of that time) who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. Through his research on electromagnetism, Faraday established that magnetism could affect rays of light and that there was an underlying relationship between the two phenomena. Daniel Faraday commented on how light appeared to scatter differently on the island.

• Ghostbuster: Naomi refers to Miles as a "ghost buster." Ghostbusters (1984) is a sci-fi-horror comedy film about three parapsychologists who become ghost exterminators. In this episode Miles is seen taking a job to apparently help get rid of a ghost.

Quotes

• Ben: Alex. Alex, hey!
  Alex: What?
  Ben: There's something I need to tell you.
  Karl: Keep your mouth shut, Mr. Linus.
  Ben: Kaaarl. Now if you're going to sleep with my daughter, I insist that you call me "Ben."