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5x14 The Variable: Recap
On last night’s Lost:
Flashback of Faraday’s life:
Faraday the child is playing the piano. Eloise comes over and ominously tells him he has no time (she makes this lack of time quite clear) for such things because his mind is meant for science and mathematics. Faraday protests but Eloise closes the piano cover. Years later, on Faraday’s graduation day (phD is implied), he happily greets his mother and introduces her to his girlfriend, Theresa. Eloise rudely asks to have celebratory dinner with only Faraday and Theresa leaves. Later, at dinner, she admonishes Faraday for dating his lab assistant and reminds him that he has no time for distractions. Faraday tells her about a grant he received.. from Charles Widmore. They end up arguing and Eloise leaves after giving Faraday a present: the journal he later writes all of his theories in. On the first page she writes a small note saying, “No matter what, remember, I will always love you.”
Years later Faraday has been asked to leave Oxford, where his research on time travel left his assistant, Theresa, with time sickness. He has since developed a disorder that causes him to be extraordinarily forgetful. He is watching the news coverage of the (fake) debris of Oceanic Flight 815 and is crying for reasons he cannot understand. He is visited by Charles Widmore, whom he claims to have never met before. He is guilt-ridden over what happened to Theresa and tells Widmore how he tried it on himself first. Widmore asks him to go to the island, where he needs someone with his talents. He says the island will cure his forgetful disorder. Later, Faraday is attempting to play what he remembers on the piano, when Eloise visits. With a pained look on her face, she encourages Faraday to go to the island. He asks if it will make her proud of him, and after she says yes he agrees to go.
2007, on mainland:
Penny, carrying young Charlie, is following close behind Desmond, who is being wheeled into the ER, in unstable condition. While the doctors work on Desmond, she sits in the waiting room with Charlie. Eloise enters, asking Charlie’s age, and noting how he has his father’s hair. Eloise claims her son may be responsible for Desmond’s condition, Penny mistakenly believes this to be Benjamin Linus but is corrected. Since Eloise claims to know so much of what will happen, Penny asks if Desmond will be okay. Eloise, seemingly surprised and fearful of what has transpired, admits that for the first time in a long time, she does not know. Almost immediately thereafter a nurse comes in to say Desmond is okay, and Penny goes to sit with him. He reminds her of his promise he would never leave her.
Eloise finds Widmore waiting outside the hospital, asking if Desmond is okay. Eloise tells him that he is and comments on how his daughter is inside. Widmore tells her how he’s had to sacrifice his relationship with his daughter and Eloise, angry, reminds him of her sacrifice in sending her son back to the island, knowing she would.. Widmore interrupts to remind her Faraday is his son too, which buys him a quick slap in the face before Eloise leaves in a cab.
1977, on the island:
Faraday just arrived on the sub with the black swans. He and Miles wake up Jack to ask how he got to the island and why he came back. Jack tells Faraday how they spoke to Eloise and how she said it was their destiny. Faraday is convinced they should not have come back, that they have actually gone against their destiny. He quickly takes off to go to the Orchid, where all of the strange incidents involving electromagnetic energy have been occurring. Faraday sees Chang show up (“on time”) and follows him into the mine, where Chang tells the workers to stop drilling because they will unleash all the energy stored there. Faraday stops Chang and tells him about the incident that will occur on the Swan in 6 hours. He explains that he knows this because he is from the future, and shows him the journal with equations that have not been discovered yet. Back at the car, Faraday tells Chang Miles is his son, noting the coincidences in name and background. Chang asks Miles if this is true and when Miles says no, Chang dismisses the whole thing. After Change leaves, Faraday explains he is only ensuring Chang does what he’s supposed to do.
Back at Sawyer and Juliet’s house, Phil is still tied up in the closet, banging to get out. First Jack shows up, then Kate and Hurley, and finally Miles and Faraday. Sawyer is reverts to his pattern of calling people by nicknames. After some discussion about how they’ve blown their island cover, they weigh their options and decide to go back and try their hand at living on the beach. Faraday, however, needs to find the hostiles, to find his mother. Sawyer and Juliet refuse to help him find them, but Jack remembers Kate had also seen the hostiles, and asks for her help. Sawyer quickly interjects, asking “freckles” not to say anything. Juliet, a bit put off by the mention of “freckles” gives Kate the code to the fence. Jack, Kate, and Faraday leave the house, and Sawyer instructs the rest of the crew to pack. While packing together, Sawyer asks Juliet if she still has his back. Juliet responds by asking if he has her back.
While Jack and Kate go to stock up on guns, Faraday takes a minute to stop over and talk to young Charolette. He says he was going to try not saying “this” but went ahead anyway. We don’t actually hear what he said, he may or may not have told Charolette never to come back to the island. When he rejoins Kate and Jack, he asks for a “beginner” gun. Radzinsky pulls up just as they are getting the guns, and asks what they are doing. Faraday tries unsuccessfully to convince Radzinsky he was working on a project for Chang (Change was at home with his family) and then Radzinsky sees the gun Faraday is holding. A firefight ensues, and they all make it to the Jeep (Faraday is grazed but otherwise unharmed). Angry, Radzinsky instructs the others to sound the alarm. Radzinsky heads to Sawyer’s, where he discovers a tied up Phil, and his henchmen hold guns on the Losties.
Flashback of Faraday’s life:
Faraday the child is playing the piano. Eloise comes over and ominously tells him he has no time (she makes this lack of time quite clear) for such things because his mind is meant for science and mathematics. Faraday protests but Eloise closes the piano cover. Years later, on Faraday’s graduation day (phD is implied), he happily greets his mother and introduces her to his girlfriend, Theresa. Eloise rudely asks to have celebratory dinner with only Faraday and Theresa leaves. Later, at dinner, she admonishes Faraday for dating his lab assistant and reminds him that he has no time for distractions. Faraday tells her about a grant he received.. from Charles Widmore. They end up arguing and Eloise leaves after giving Faraday a present: the journal he later writes all of his theories in. On the first page she writes a small note saying, “No matter what, remember, I will always love you.”
Years later Faraday has been asked to leave Oxford, where his research on time travel left his assistant, Theresa, with time sickness. He has since developed a disorder that causes him to be extraordinarily forgetful. He is watching the news coverage of the (fake) debris of Oceanic Flight 815 and is crying for reasons he cannot understand. He is visited by Charles Widmore, whom he claims to have never met before. He is guilt-ridden over what happened to Theresa and tells Widmore how he tried it on himself first. Widmore asks him to go to the island, where he needs someone with his talents. He says the island will cure his forgetful disorder. Later, Faraday is attempting to play what he remembers on the piano, when Eloise visits. With a pained look on her face, she encourages Faraday to go to the island. He asks if it will make her proud of him, and after she says yes he agrees to go.
2007, on mainland:
Penny, carrying young Charlie, is following close behind Desmond, who is being wheeled into the ER, in unstable condition. While the doctors work on Desmond, she sits in the waiting room with Charlie. Eloise enters, asking Charlie’s age, and noting how he has his father’s hair. Eloise claims her son may be responsible for Desmond’s condition, Penny mistakenly believes this to be Benjamin Linus but is corrected. Since Eloise claims to know so much of what will happen, Penny asks if Desmond will be okay. Eloise, seemingly surprised and fearful of what has transpired, admits that for the first time in a long time, she does not know. Almost immediately thereafter a nurse comes in to say Desmond is okay, and Penny goes to sit with him. He reminds her of his promise he would never leave her.
Eloise finds Widmore waiting outside the hospital, asking if Desmond is okay. Eloise tells him that he is and comments on how his daughter is inside. Widmore tells her how he’s had to sacrifice his relationship with his daughter and Eloise, angry, reminds him of her sacrifice in sending her son back to the island, knowing she would.. Widmore interrupts to remind her Faraday is his son too, which buys him a quick slap in the face before Eloise leaves in a cab.
1977, on the island:
Faraday just arrived on the sub with the black swans. He and Miles wake up Jack to ask how he got to the island and why he came back. Jack tells Faraday how they spoke to Eloise and how she said it was their destiny. Faraday is convinced they should not have come back, that they have actually gone against their destiny. He quickly takes off to go to the Orchid, where all of the strange incidents involving electromagnetic energy have been occurring. Faraday sees Chang show up (“on time”) and follows him into the mine, where Chang tells the workers to stop drilling because they will unleash all the energy stored there. Faraday stops Chang and tells him about the incident that will occur on the Swan in 6 hours. He explains that he knows this because he is from the future, and shows him the journal with equations that have not been discovered yet. Back at the car, Faraday tells Chang Miles is his son, noting the coincidences in name and background. Chang asks Miles if this is true and when Miles says no, Chang dismisses the whole thing. After Change leaves, Faraday explains he is only ensuring Chang does what he’s supposed to do.
Back at Sawyer and Juliet’s house, Phil is still tied up in the closet, banging to get out. First Jack shows up, then Kate and Hurley, and finally Miles and Faraday. Sawyer is reverts to his pattern of calling people by nicknames. After some discussion about how they’ve blown their island cover, they weigh their options and decide to go back and try their hand at living on the beach. Faraday, however, needs to find the hostiles, to find his mother. Sawyer and Juliet refuse to help him find them, but Jack remembers Kate had also seen the hostiles, and asks for her help. Sawyer quickly interjects, asking “freckles” not to say anything. Juliet, a bit put off by the mention of “freckles” gives Kate the code to the fence. Jack, Kate, and Faraday leave the house, and Sawyer instructs the rest of the crew to pack. While packing together, Sawyer asks Juliet if she still has his back. Juliet responds by asking if he has her back.
While Jack and Kate go to stock up on guns, Faraday takes a minute to stop over and talk to young Charolette. He says he was going to try not saying “this” but went ahead anyway. We don’t actually hear what he said, he may or may not have told Charolette never to come back to the island. When he rejoins Kate and Jack, he asks for a “beginner” gun. Radzinsky pulls up just as they are getting the guns, and asks what they are doing. Faraday tries unsuccessfully to convince Radzinsky he was working on a project for Chang (Change was at home with his family) and then Radzinsky sees the gun Faraday is holding. A firefight ensues, and they all make it to the Jeep (Faraday is grazed but otherwise unharmed). Angry, Radzinsky instructs the others to sound the alarm. Radzinsky heads to Sawyer’s, where he discovers a tied up Phil, and his henchmen hold guns on the Losties.
Kate leads Jack and Faraday to the Hostiles’ camp, where Faraday heads right in, waving his gun pretty freely. Kate and Jack hold back. When a hostile reaches for his rifle, Faraday shoots warning shots into the ground. When Richard Alpert comes out, Faraday holds the gun on him, demanding to see Eloise Hawking. Richard keeps insisting Eloise is not there, and then Faraday is shot in the back by Eloise. Richard keeps asking why she shot him, he wasn’t going to shoot. Faraday realizes who shot him, and that his own mother had sent him to the island so she could shoot him in the past. At Eloise’s prompting, he tells her he is her son, and dies.
Written by Susan :)
Written by Susan :)
