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"Man of Science, Man of Faith" is the first episode of the second season of Lost and the twenty-sixth episode overall. 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 (Matthew Fox) is featured in the episode's flashback.

[edit] Plot

[edit] Introduction

A man (Henry Ian Cusick) 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 Shephard (Matthew Fox) and John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) standing around the now-open Hatch.

[edit] Flashbacks

In the flashback sequences, Jack encounters his future wife, Sarah (Julie Bowen), who has arrived in his emergency room after a horrific car crash. 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 (John Terry) 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.

[edit] On the Island

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 Austen (Evangeline Lilly) points out that the back of the Hatch door reads 'Quarantine.'

At the same time, at the caves, Shannon Rutherford (Maggie Grace) and Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews) search the jungle for Walt Lloyd's (Malcolm David Kelley) 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. When Sayid returns, he finds Shannon lying on the ground. Shannon looks back to try and see Walt, but he is gone.

During the walk back from the hatch, Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia) 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 disbelief.

Upon reaching the caves, Jack explains the situation to the other survivors, promising them they will all be all right as long as they stay together. No sooner has he finished saying this than 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. 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 Dr. Arzt (Daniel Roebuck) 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 ("Make Your Own Kind of Music"), he enters what appears to be an underground geodesic dome that 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 Kate is. 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.

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] Production

This episode marks the first appearance of Desmond Hume, played by Henry Ian Cusick. Cusick would become a starring cast member in the following seasons. Michelle Rodriguez (as Ana Lucia Cortez) is now credited with the starring cast, while Ian Somerhalder (Boone Carlyle) is no longer credited with the starring cast.

Like the other four season premieres, this episode was written by Damon Lindelof, although this is the only one he wrote alone.

This is the first episode to feature the song "Make Your Own Kind of Music" by Mama Cass, which is heard in many later episodes.

Audio commentary for the episode explains that the hatch shaft was completely computer generated with shots filmed using a greenscreen and that the hatch mural was painted by Jack Bender.

[edit] Reception

The season premiere hit a ratings high for the series, with 23.47 million American viewers.^[1]

The episode was nominated for an Emmy Award in Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series.

[edit] References