Lost Episode 5.14 The Variable

CHAOS. BAM. Hospital doors fly open as paramedics roll in Desmond on a gurney. Penny follows holding young Charlie, and the doctor tells her she'll have to wait. Later, a woman walks into the waiting area and says that young Charlie has his father's hair. Penny looks over to see Eloise Hawking. She introduces herself, and says that she believes it's her son's fault that Desmond was shot. Penny asks if her son is Benjamin Linus, and Hawking says no. It's Daniel Faraday.

We WHOOSH back to the island as Faraday gets off the submarine. He shows Miles the new recruits photo with Jack, Kate and Hurley in it and says that's why he's back. He needs to see Jack now. At Jack's house, Faraday explains he's been at the Dharma headquarters in Ann Arbor doing research. He asks how Jack, Kate and Hurley got back to 1977. Jack says they were on a plane that his mother told them to get on. Faraday asks if she convinced them to do it by saying it was their destiny. Jack says yes. Faraday tells him that she was wrong.

WHOOSH to a ten year-old Daniel Faraday practicing the piano. He's good, but his mother, Eloise Hawking, comes up besides him and stops him. She seems genuinely sad when she asks him if he understands what destiny means. Young Daniel says no, and she explains that if one has a special gift then he needs to nurture it. Daniel has a special gift, and it's his mind. He is meant for science and mathematics, and it's her job to keep him on his path. He can't be distracted by playing the piano any longer. Young Daniel says he can make time for both, and Eloise says she wishes he could.

WHOOSH to Jack's house on the island as Faraday leaves. He's going out to the Orchid station with Miles. Jack goes to Sawyer's house and tells him Faraday is back. Sawyer is busy trying to deal with his new problem -- Phil saw the videotape of him and Kate taking Ben to the Others, and now Sawyer has Phil tied up in the closet.

At the Orchid station, Faraday waits for a second van to pull up with Dr. Pierre Chang in it. Faraday flips through his journal and says right on time. Faraday runs inside -- and we see the opening scene from the fifth season premiere episode, "Because You Left," but we now see it from Faraday's point of view. He watches as the construction foreman shows Chang the man who was hurt from drilling into the wall. As Chang leaves, Faraday tells Chang that he needs to order the evacuation of everyone from the island. Chang asks why, and Faraday explains that like the accident here, there is going to be an accident at the Swan station site. Only the energy there won't be contained like it was here at the Orchid. The energy released there will be 30,000 times more powerful, and the accident will be catastrophic. Chang scoffs. How can Faraday make that kind of prediction, and Faraday says because he's from the future.

Chang thinks Faraday is making fun of him, but Faraday tries to prove he's from the future by showing Chang his journal. Chang wants nothing to do with Faraday. Miles runs over and tries to make Faraday leave Chang alone. Desperate, Faraday realizes Miles can prove they're from the future and says that Miles is Chang's son. Faraday quickly points out that a Chinese man named Miles, that same name as Chang's son, shows up with him -- it can't be a coincidence. Chang asks Miles if it's true. Miles says no, and Chang tells Faraday to stay away from him. Chang gets in the van, and the driver pulls away. Miles asks Faraday what he's doing, and Faraday says making sure Chang does what he's supposed to do.

WHOOSH to Faraday's graduation ceremony from Oxford. Eloise meets Faraday's girlfriend, Theresa, but is cold to her. Eloise asks if she and Daniel can have lunch together. Alone. At the restaurant, Faraday chastises her for being rude to his girlfriend. Eloise says Theresa is his research assistant, and he should be focusing on his work. He isn't going to have time for relationships. The women in his life will only be terribly hurt. His work will always come first. Faraday asks when it'll be enough? He's the youngest doctorate ever to graduate from Oxford, and he just got a £1.5 million research grant. That gets Eloise's attention, and she asks who it's from. Faraday says an industrialist named Charles Widmore. Eloise congratulates him and hands him a gift. It's a blank journal, and we realize that it's the same journal Faraday carries on the island in which he copied notes from his research. But for now it's empty, except for the inscription Eloise has written on the first page: "Daniel, no matter what, remember, I will always love you. Mother."

WHOOSH to Sawyer's house as Sawyer explains the situation to Jack, Kate, Hurley, Jin and Juliet. This has been their home for the last three years, and the last thing they want to do is leave it. But that's exactly what they're going to have to do. They have two options: commandeer the sub and get off the island, or head into the jungle and start from square one. Jin says he's not leaving if there's a chance Sun is still on the island. Hurley agrees. After everything they did to get back, he's not running off again. Suddenly, Faraday bursts in and asks if any of them know where the hostiles are. Juliet asks why, and Faraday says because one of them is his mother, and only she can get them back to where they belong.

WHOOSH to Faraday watching the news report about the finding of the wreckage of Oceanic 815. Faraday is upset by it but he doesn't know why. A man rings the bell and comes in. It's Charles Widmore! Faraday apologizes and says that he has a condition that affects his memory. He doesn't know if they know each other. Widmore introduces himself, and it takes Faraday a moment to remember this is the man who funded his research. He meant to thank Widmore before he left Oxford -- and Widmore interrupts him to say before Faraday was dismissed. Flustered, Faraday says it was an accident and that it never should've happened. He tested it on himself first. He would never hurt Theresa. Widmore says that's not why he's there, and asks what if he told Faraday that all the people from the plane crash weren't dead. What if he said that the plane was a fake. Faraday asks how Widmore would know, and Widmore says because he put it there. He tells Faraday that the real Oceanic 815 crashed on an island -- a very special island with unique scientific properties -- and he wants to send Faraday to this island. It will further his research, show Faraday things he'd never dream of... and, most importantly, it will heal him. Faraday asks why Widmore is doing everything for him? Widmore says because Faraday is a man of tremendous gifts. It'd be a shame to see them wasted. Faraday says Widmore sounds like his mother. Widmore smiles and says that's because they're old friends.

WHOOSH to Sawyer's house as Faraday explains that they met his mother in 1954. It was Ellie, the young blonde woman. Sawyer asks what Faraday needs to talk to her about, but Faraday won't say. Sawyer then says he ain't showing Faraday anything until he shares what he's doing. Jack points out that they don't belong there, and Faraday can get them back where they belong. They argue about what to do, and finally Juliet gives Kate the sonic fence code. She says Kate and Jack should take Faraday to the hostiles. It's all over for them now anyway. Faraday promises he knows what he's doing.

Kate and Jack lead Faraday to the motor pool to get a van, but Faraday sees a young redheaded girl on the swings. He approaches her and says hello. The girl is eating a chocolate bar, and when she sees Faraday she looks caught. She says he's not allowed to have chocolate before dinner. And yes, she speaks with a British accent. It's young Charlotte, and Faraday smiles. He asks if she knows Dr. Chang, and Charlotte nods. Faraday says that soon Dr. Chang is going to ask people to get on the sub and leave the island, and when he does, Charlotte and her mommy have to go. Faraday says it's important they go, and she has to never, ever come back. Charlotte is scared of him. He says he tried to avoid telling her but she has to leave.

Faraday joins Jack and Kate at the motor pool as Radzinsky pulls up in a van with some guards. They're armed. Radzinsky sees them and is instantly suspicious. Faraday is supposed to be at the Swan site. Faraday says there was an accident at the Orchid that Dr. Chang asked him to help with. Radzinsky says he just left Chang at his house -- Faraday is lying! Radzinsky sees that they're armed, and it instantly becomes a stand-off. Faraday says they are leaving, but BANG! Radzinsky fires! Faraday fires back and hits Radzinsky in the hand. A firefight breaks out, Faraday is hit, but they are able to jump in a van and speed away.

WHOOSH to Faraday's house when he gets a new visitor. It's his mom, Eloise. She hears that he's been offered a new job, and she wants him to know that it's very important he takes it. Faraday says he can't. Widmore needs someone to calculate complicated calibrations and bearings, and he doesn't know how to do it anymore. Eloise tells him the island could make him better, and if it does, he could continue his work. He asks if he goes would it make her proud of him? Eloise says yes, it will. Faraday says then he'll go.

WHOOSH to Sawyer's house as Juliet and Sawyer pack to leave. They hear the alarms go off, and Radzinsky and his guards burst in to tell LaFleur about the gun fight. They hear a banging coming from inside the closet. Radzinsky opens it and finds Phil tied up. Radzinsky immediately takes Sawyer and Juliet prisoner.

Kate, Jack and Faraday drive up to the pylons. Jack cleans Faraday's wound as Faraday explains that even though it's 1977, it's their present. He warns Jack not to be naïve enough to think that nothing can happen to them there. Any one of them could die. Kate turns the fence off, and they continue on. At a creek, they rest as Faraday explains that he spent years studying relativistic physics and learned that no matter what you couldn't change the past. But then he realized he'd spent so much time in his research focused on the constants that he forgot about the variables. And in these equations, the variables are them. People. They make choices. They have free will.

Kate asks what Faraday is talking about. He says that soon, while drilling at the Swan station site, they are going to accidentally tap into a massive pocket of energy. If that energy is released, it would be catastrophic. In order to contain it, they are going to cement the entire area in, like Chernobyl. And these people will spend years keeping that energy at bay by pushing a button. A button that one day Desmond is not going to push, and that will cause their flight, Oceanic 815, to crash. And because their plane crashed, a freighter is going to be sent to the island. A freighter that he was on.

Faraday thinks he can negate that energy and destroy it. And if he can, then that means the hatch will never be built and their plane would never crash. It'll land in Los Angeles like it was supposed to. Kate asks how he's going to do that, and Faraday says he's going to detonate a hydrogen bomb.

WHOOSH to the hospital E.R. as Hawking finishes her story to Penny. She's there to apologize to Penny. Desmond has become a casualty in a conflict much bigger than him. Much bigger than any of them. Hawking leaves the E.R. and outside a voice stops her, asking if Desmond is okay. Hawking turns to see Charles Widmore standing there. Yes, she says, Desmond is fine. Then she tells him his daughter, Penny, is in there. He should go in and say hello. Widmore says his relationship with Penny was one of the things he had to sacrifice. Hawking becomes angry and tells him not to talk about sacrifice to her. Widmore says that Faraday was his son, too. Hawking slaps him and gets in a cab.

WHOOSH to the island as Jack, Kate and Faraday reach the area where the Others live. Faraday walks into their camp and fires a few warning shots. He demands to talk to Eloise. Richard Alpert comes out and says Eloise isn't there right now. Faraday asks where the bomb is. Alpert tells him to lower his gun and they'll talk, but Faraday tells Alpert he has three seconds -- when BLAM! A gun shot rings out. Faraday looks down and sees that he has been shot, and he collapses to the ground. Behind him stands his mother, Eloise Hawking, holding the gun. Faraday was killed by his own mother! Alpert asks why she did that, and Eloise says that Faraday had a gun on him. Faraday looks up at her and says she knew... she always knew this would happen... and she sent him to the island anyway. Eloise asks who he is, and Faraday says her son.

BOOM.