This article is about the episode. For the event that occurred during this episode, see Lockdown incident.
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"Lockdown" is the seventeenth episode of Season 2 of Lost and the 42nd produced hour of the series as a whole. Locke finds himself trapped in the Swan station during a resupply lockdown, forcing him to rely on Henry Gale for help. Out in the jungle, Ana Lucia, Sayid, and Charlie search for the balloon, which would prove Henry's alibi.
Synopsis
Previously on Lost
- Locke recounts his dealings with his father. Helen confronts him about his obsession. Cooper mocks Locke's resentment. Helen convinces Locke to move on. ♪ ("Orientation")
- Sayid sees Ben in Danielle's trap. ("One of Them")
- Ana tells Henry to draw her a map. Ana, Sayid, and Charlie follow it. Henry muses about a possible ambush ("The Whole Truth")
Flashback
Locke and Helen now live together, and Locke prepares for a special picnic, during which he is going to propose to Helen. While reading the newspaper, Helen sees the obits, and finds out that Locke's father has died.
At his father's funeral service, which Father Chuck delivers, Locke says to his father's coffin that he forgives him. Two men are watching the funeral from a distance; Locke notices a white car nearby that leaves as the funeral ends. ♪
At this time, Locke has opened his own business, called "Welcome Home", where he works as a house inspector. He checks the house of a young woman and tells her that her husband will be happy. She corrects him and says she does not have a husband. As he is about to get into his car, the white car from the funeral stops beside him. Inside is Anthony Cooper. Cooper reveals to Locke that he faked his own death to hide from a couple of men he stole $700,000 from in a retirement con. He tells Locke that he's setting up a new identity, but that he's afraid he's being watched. He offers Locke a cut of the money if he withdraws it from a safety deposit box in the bank for him. ♪
Jimmy Bane visits Locke and Helen.
Though Locke refuses to be conned again, he is still swayed by a desire to win his father's love, so he goes through with it. He withdraws the money from the safety deposit box #1516. When he gets home, he finds out that Helen let in the two men he saw during Cooper's funeral -- his father's pursuers. One of them, Jimmy Bane, asks Locke if he has seen his dad since his "death." When Locke lies and says he did not, Bane asks Locke's permission to check his bag. The only thing he finds is Locke's paperwork. Helen asks if John lied to these men, and Locke says he did not. ♪
Locke brings the money to his father who waits at a local motel. Cooper offers Locke his part of the money, but Locke refuses. Cooper is leaving but suddenly Helen stands in the door way. She asks "Are you him?", and slaps him. Locke follows her outside and apologizes, but Helen does not forgive him. She refuses his proposal and leaves. His dad also leaves with his cab, and Locke is left shattered and alone, right when an Oceanic airplane flies over. ♪
On the Island
Sayid, Ana Lucia and Charlie looking up at the hanging balloon.
After Henry's speech about what he would do if he was an Other, Jack commands Locke to put him back in the armory. Henry makes a comment about Jack’s behavior towards Locke -- "Why do you let him talk to you like that?" -- which makes Locke angrier than before. He throws Henry back to the armory, and orders him to shut up. ♪
In the jungle, the search party consisting of Ana Lucia, Charlie, and Sayid cannot find Henry’s balloon. Sayid confronts Ana and tells her that by believing Henry's claims she gave him two more days to plot his escape. Suddenly, Charlie calls out to them, and shows them Jennifer's grave. Ana wonders why it isn't raining in this area, and as they look up, they see Henry's balloon, just like he described.
At camp, Jack asks Hurley where Ana Lucia is. He says she left a day ago, but does not know where. Claire comes to Jack worried about Aaron, while Libby is worried about a sea urchin sting. She points out the poker game between Sawyer, Kate, and Hurley when he tells her to put Neosporin on it.
Locke successfully prevents the blast door from shutting completely.
Back at the Hatch, while working out, Locke starts to hear distorted noises from the speakers. Both Locke and Henry are intrigued by this noise, which turns out to be a countdown. As the woman's voice reaches zero, a lockdown process occurs in the Hatch, causing the blast doors to drop, locking Locke inside the living area. Locke manages to put a large pry bar under the final blast door just before it comes down. ♪ He decides to enlist Henry's help to get out of there, so that he can enter the Numbers and push the button on time. He makes a deal with him that he won't let anyone hurt him.
Locke instructs Henry on how to push the button.
Meanwhile at camp, Sawyer, Hurley, and Kate are still playing Texas Hold 'em for fun. Jack arrives, and displays a great knowledge of poker. Sawyer invites Jack to "put your mangos where your mouth is", and Jack agrees to play.
In the Hatch, the lights start to flicker. With great effort, Locke and Henry use the bar from the barbell set to raise the blast door, and once they've raised it about a foot, they prop it open with a metal toolbox. Locke tries to slide under the door, but the toolbox gives way, and Locke's legs are crushed underneath the door. Henry puts several weights from the barbell set under the blast door to stop it from further crushing John's legs. Locke then tells Henry that he has to crawl through the vents to get to the computer room, and then enter the numbers. Henry tries to climb the metal shelving to reach the vent but falls, knocking himself unconscious. The alarm starts beeping. ♪
Jack assures a defeated Sawyer that he will get the guns eventually.
Back in the poker game, Jack wins all of Sawyer's fruits. Sawyer says he wants his fruits back, and Jack suggests they play for the meds that Sawyer stole from the Hatch. Sawyer agrees. During the game, it is revealed that Sawyer has been to Tallahassee, and that something was burning, hence his knowledge to what certain medicine does. Finally, Sawyer loses the meds too. At the end of the game, Sawyer asks Jack why he did not ask for the guns along with the meds. Jack responds, "When I need the guns, I'll get the guns." With a strange look in his eye, Jack leaves, and Sawyer is somewhat shocked at this.
Locke is exposed to the Blast Door Map.
In the Hatch, Henry comes to and goes into the vents. ♪ Locke hears the alarm that tells him only a minute is left. As Locke shouts to Henry, the alarm suddenly stops, the lights turn off, and ultra violet lights turn on as the numbers flap back the 108:00 position. On the blast door jamming Locke's legs, a hidden map appears. Locke stares at it taking in its detail. ♪ The lights suddenly come on, and the blast doors go up. Locke barely manages to crawl into the computer room, but Henry is not here. He is behind Locke. Locke thanks him for not leaving him alone.
In the jungle, Jack heads to the Hatch and Kate catches up with him. She says she's happy he won in his poker game against Sawyer. She asks him if she can borrow some soap to take a shower, but Jack tells her a pipe is busted and that the water has been running muddy. Jack says he would like to accompany Kate back to the beach. Suddenly, they both see a light flickering beneath the trees. They discover that the source is a light beacon on a large pallet that was apparently airdropped. Inside the packaging they find a supply of food marked with DHARMA labels. Charlie, Sayid, and Ana Lucia return from their journey. Jack asks what they found, and Sayid is about to tell.
Jack and Kate discover a DHARMA supply drop.
In the Hatch, Henry takes care of Locke's wound. Locke asks what Henry did to make the doors come up. Henry tells him that he punched in the numbers and hit "execute", but nothing happened except the timer ticked back to 108. He also mentions that the Countdown timer showed red pictures that "looked like Hieroglyphics". The lights went out when Henry was in the vents already, and ten seconds later, the doors came up. He didn't do anything.
Henry realizes that his true identity was revealed.
Suddenly, Jack, Kate, and the search party enter the Hatch, and Sayid points his gun at Henry, while Jack pushes him against the wall. Henry asks if they have found his balloon and Sayid says they did, exactly as he described it but that he still did not believe Gale, so he dug up the grave. Inside he found not a woman, but a man. He shows him a driver's license of a black man -- a man named Henry Gale. ♪
Trivia
- The episode's title references both the main event that takes place and Locke, who has the flashbacks in this episode. Lockdown could mean how Locke was literally down on the floor after he was injured or symbolically because after Helen left him, he became depressed or "down".
- This is one of two episode titles that is a pun on the centric character's name, the other being "House of the Rising Sun".
- Two Oceanic Airlines Planes are seen over the motel when Locke drops off the money.
- Sawyer and Jack use DHARMA Initiative playing cards to play poker.
Production notes
- Katey Sagal (Helen Norwood) appears for the last time until the Season 6 episode "The Substitute."
Deleted Scenes
- A deleted scene from this episode shows Locke and Helen planning Anthony's funeral. When asked what Anthony's life was like by the priest, Locke admits to not knowing anything about his father.
Bloopers and continuity errors
- On Henry Gale's license[1], the license number starts with an "M" when it should start with the letter "G" to correlate with the first initial of his last name.
Analysis
Recurring themes
| Recurring themes |
|---|
| Animals • Black and white • Character connections • Children • Coincidence • Death • Deceptions and cons • Dreams • Economics • Electromagnetism • Eyes • Fate versus free will • Games • Good and bad people • Imprisonment • Isolation • Leadership • Life and death • Literary works • Mirrors • Missing body parts • Nicknames • The Numbers • Pairings • Parapsychology • Parent issues • Pregnancies • Psychology • Rain • Redemption • Relationships • Religion • Revenge • Salvation • Secrets |
- Locke is trapped under the blast door. (Imprisonment)
- Sawyer, Kate, Hurley and Jack are playing Texas Hold ‘em poker. (Games)
- While Sawyer, Kate and Hurley are playing, five cards are seen on the table: 3, 6, 4, 8 and J. (The Numbers)
- Sawyer attempts to cheat by dealing from the bottom of the deck. (Deceptions and cons)
- After Jack wins all of Sawyer's mangoes, they raise the stakes to the medication that Sawyer stole. (Economics)
- Sawyer calls Hurley "Muttonchops" and "Mongo". He also calls Jack "Amarillo Slim" and "Cool Hand". (Nicknames)
- Anthony Cooper fakes his death to hide from the men he stole $700,000 from. (Life and death) (Deceptions and cons)
- Locke doesn't tell Helen that he met with Cooper. (Secrets)
- Anthony Cooper's safety deposit box was #1516. (The Numbers)
- Cooper suggests that the $200,000 is the "best he can do" for what he did to Locke. (Redemption) (Parent issues)
- Locke surveys a house for Sayid's former lover, Nadia. (Character connections)
- When Sayid, Ana Lucia and Charlie find Henry 's balloon, it starts to rain very heavily. (Rain)
- Henry Gale's driver license lists his address as 815 Walnut Ridge Road. (The Numbers)
- Many of the Numbers appear on the blast door map. (The Numbers)
- The blast door map is shown reflected in Locke's eyes. (Eyes)
- Henry Gale is not who he says he is. (Deceptions and cons)
Cultural references
| Cultural references (direct references only) |
|---|
| Art • Automobiles • Games • History • Literary works • Movies and TV • Music • Philosophy • Religion and ideologies • Science |
- Amarillo Slim: Sawyer nicknamed Jack after this professional gambler, famous for his poker skills and proposition bets. (Games)
- "Compared to What": This song by Les McCann & Eddie Harris is not the version from the album Swiss Movement (contrary to popular belief). In the episode the song is playing on the Swan record player while Locke exercises. (Music)
- "I'll Share My World with You". This song by George Jones is heard playing in Locke and Helen’s house. (Music)
- Blazing Saddles: Sawyer calls Hurley “Mongo”, after a strong, dumb character from this 1974 movie. (Movies)
- Cool Hand Luke: Sawyer calls Jack “Cool Hand”, after the main character in this 1967 movie, played by Paul Newman. (Movies)
- Cerberus: We learn from the map notes Locke saw on the blast door that the Monster is called Cerberus. In Greek mythology, Cerberus was the three-headed watchdog who guarded the entrance to the lower world Hades. (Religion) (History)
Literary techniques
| Literary techniques |
|---|
| Comparative: Irony • Juxtaposition • Foreshadowing Plotting: Cliffhanger • Plot twist Stock characters: Archetype • Redshirt • Unseen character Story: Flashbacks • Flash-forwards • Flash sideways • Framing device • Regularly spoken phrases • Symbolism • Unreliable narrator |
- The title of the episode could be a pun: not only did the Hatch undergo a lockdown, but the blast door held Locke down when he tried to escape, making him a "man down" (injured). (Juxtaposition)
- During the poker game, Jack tells Sawyer he learned to play poker in Phuket, Thailand. Later, in "Stranger in a Strange Land", we know more about Jack's travel to Thailand, although he's not seen playing poker at any moment. (Foreshadowing)
- Locke sees a map on one of the blast doors that shows the location of a ? and several DHARMA stations. (Plot twist)
- In "The Long Con", Sawyer explains to Cassidy that a long con works by "getting someone to ask you to do something like it's their idea, but it's not their idea, it's your idea." During the poker game, Jack uses this technique to trick Sawyer and regain possession of the camp's medicine from Sawyer's stash. In essence, Jack cons the Con Man. (Irony)
- Jack is motivated to get the medicine back from Sawyer when Libby comes to him with a cut. Later in "?" it is Libby who prompts Jack to get his hands on Sawyer's stash, by making him choose between divulging the location of the guns and letting Libby suffer without the heroin. (Foreshadowing)
- Sawyer convinces Jack to play poker rather than going to the Hatch by saying that "Hatch ain't going nowhere, Doc", when actually the Hatch will be gone after "Live Together, Die Alone, Part 2". (Irony) (Foreshadowing)
- The episode ends with Sayid confronting Henry Gale and revealing he is not telling the truth. (Plot twist) (Cliffhanger)
Storyline analysis
| Storyline analysis |
|---|
| A-Missions • Crimes • Economics • Leadership • O-Missions • Relationships • F-Missions • Rivalries • S-Missions |
- Ana Lucia, Sayid and Charlie continue to search for Henry Gale's balloon. (A-Missions)
- Locke and Henry work together to resolve the Lockdown in the hatch. (A-Missions)
- Anthony Cooper conned two men out of $700,000. (Crimes)
- Jack and Sawyer play poker for medicine. (Economics)
Episode connections
Episode references
- Locke and Anthony talk about stealing Locke's kidney. ("Deus Ex Machina")
- Jack and Sawyer play cards for the medicine Sawyer stole. ("The Long Con")
- The balloon searchers find the grave described by Henry. ("One of Them")
- The episode continues directly after Henry's tease about where his map is leading. ("The Whole Truth")
Episode allusions
- Locke and Helen are still living together. ("Orientation")
Unanswered questions
| Unanswered questions |
|---|
|
- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Lockdown/Theories
- How was the supply drop accomplished without anyone noticing it?
- What was the transmission trying to say before the countdown?
- Who buried the real Henry Gale?
