Lost (2004–2010): Season 5, Episode 14 - The Variable - full transcript

Previously on "Lost":

Woah, woah.
Woah, woah.

Desmond.

I need you to go

back to
Oxford University.

Go back to where
we met...

I need you to go there
and find my mother.

Her name is--

So what happens if I can't
get them all to come back?

Then God help us all.

I'm going back
to the island today...



Just as soon
as I do one thing--

- Kill your daughter.
- What are you doing here?

Desmond?!

He's coding!

Gunshot wound.
He's crashing.

Bay 7. Now!

- Is he gonna be okay?
- You're gonna have to wait here, ma'am.

Where are you--
Where are you taking him?

What's happening?

Please, ma'am,
wait here.

We'll let you know as
soon as we know anything.

Well, what's happening?
Is he gonna be okay?

We're going to do
everything we can.

Please just wait.



Daddy!

He's gonna be okay.
He's gonna be okay.

How old is your son?

He's two.

He has
his father's hair.

I'm sorry.
Do I know you?

Uh, no,
but your husband does.

I'm Eloise Hawking,

and I believe
it's my son's fault

that
Desmond has been shot.

Your son is
Benjamin Linus?

Good Lord, no.

My son is
Daniel Faraday.

Hey, can I get a hand
with this?

Yeah, yeah.

Dan.

Hey, Miles.

Long time no see.

All right,
ladies and gentlemen,

you know why you're here.
I wish you could all get

a good night's sleep,
but, uh...

What the hell
are you

doing back here,
Dan?

Once you left for Ann Arbor,
I figured you'd gotten rich,

invented the DVD
or something.

The shuttle
will pick you up

at the motor pool...

This is what

I'm doing back here.

Let's go...

When did they get here?

A few days ago.
It's weird, huh?

- LaFleur managed to--
- We don't have time.

I need you

to take me to Jack's
right now, okay?

- Jack. How did you get back here?
- Faraday? What the--

- How did you do it?
- Whoa.

How did you
get back to the island?

Where have you been?

I was--I was just at
Dharma Headquarters in Ann Arbor.

I was doing
some research.

What's more important
right now...

How did you get back here
to 1977?

What's going on?

Don't look at me.
I just carried his luggage.

Jack, how?

Uh... we were on a plane,
and then there was--

Who told you
to get on a plane?

As a matter of fact, Dan,
it was your mother.

And how did she
convince you, Jack?

Did she tell you
it was your destiny?

Yeah.
That's exactly what she said.

Well, I got some bad news
for you, Jack.

You don't belong here
at all.

She was wrong.

S05E14:
The Variable

What's wrong, Mom?
Didn't you like it?

I loved it.

It was beautiful,
Daniel.

Daniel...

Do you know
what destiny means?

No.

Destiny means that,

if one has
a special gift,

then it
must be nurtured.

How many beats
has that metronome counted

since you started
playing?

864.

Your gift, Daniel,
is your mind--

a mind that is meant
for science, mathematics.

And it's my... job

to keep you
on your path.

So...
unfortunately,

there's no more time...
for distractions.

But I want to
keep playing the piano.

I can do both.

I can make time.

If only you could.

Miles, I need you to bring me
to the Orchid.

Can you drive me right now?
Please?

- Yeah, yeah, sure. I guess.
- Thanks.

Come on.

Faraday!

Miles, come.

Wait up!

Jack,
we'll be right back.

What did you mean,
you mother was wrong?

Daniel!

I just--
I just have an errand to run.

Be right back!

- Yeah?
- Faraday's back.

What do you mean
Faraday's back?

Why?

I have no idea.

He came in on the sub,
and he woke me up.

He--he started talking
nonsense,

and then he took off
to the Orchid.

I'd love to trade theories
about this,

but I'm a little busy
right now.

What are you busy with
at 6:00 in the morning?

James, tell him.

Get in here.

Phil...
One of my security guys...

got himself a videotape
of me and Kate

taking the kid
out to the hostiles.

And where's the tape?

With Phil.

And where is Phil?

Phil, Jack.
Jack... Phil.

Are we...

waiting for something?

Right on time.

I'll be back
in ten minutes.

So what do you
want me to do?

You're gonna do nothing.

If you drill
even 1 centimeter further,

you risk
releasing that energy.

If that were to happen...

then God help us all.

Hey!
You need a hard hat down here.

Watch yourself!

Sorry, sir.
Won't happen again.

Come on.

I'll grab
the rest of his stuff.

Let's go.

Did you hear that?

Time travel. How stupid
does that guy think we are?

Dr. Chang?

Dr. Chang?

Do you have
a second, sir?

I just came in on the sub
with the Swan team.

We actually met three years ago,
I'm Daniel Faraday.

Yes. Yes.
Uh, you arrived with LaFleur.

- I remember.
- Right.

What can I do for you?

I need you to order
the evacuation

of every man, woman and child
on this island.

And why would I do that?

Because that man
is on a stretcher

as a consequence
of the electromagnetic activity

that your drilling
unleashed down here.

Which is now contained.

It's contained down here.

But in about six hours,

the same thing
is gonna happen

at the site
for the Swan Station,

only the energy there...

is about 30,000 times
more powerful, sir.

And the accident...

It's gonna be
catastrophic.

That is utterly absurd.

What could possibly
qualify you

to make
that kind of prediction?

Hmm?

I'm from the future.

Dr. Chang, wait!

Will you wait
one second, please?

- Yes, yes.
- Wait one--one second.

You're
from the future.

You heard me talking
about time travel.

Now you've had your fun.

- Good for you.
- No, no.

Please, Dr. Chang.

Just look at my journal, please.
Look at these equations.

Some of them won't be discovered
for another 20 years.

- Hey! Hey!
- Dr. Chang--

Hey! Hey! Hey, Dan!
Leave the man alone.

Sorry, Dr. Chang. I think he had
too many drugs on the sub--

Dr. Chang...

Miles is your son.

- Excuse me?
- Think about it.

A Chinese man named Miles;
the same name as your baby--

shows up with me
from the future.

You--you really think
this is all... coincidence?

Is this true?

No.

Please...

Stay away from me.

Dr. Chang...

Dr. Chang!

- Hey. Hey.
- If you--

Are you
out of your mind?

- What are you doing?
- I'm just making sure

that your father does
what he's supposed to do.

And what's that?

You'll see.

Hi, Mom.

I want you
to meet Theresa.

Dan's told me
so much about--

Pleased to meet you.

Well done, Daniel.

Ah...

You much be
so proud of him.

Daniel, I thought we could
celebrate your accomplishment

with lunch.

There's a
nice restaurant nearby.

I reserved us a table.

We would love to.

Actually, I was hoping
it would be just the two of us.

You do understand,
don't you?

It's just that I don't get
to see my son very often.

- Mother...
- I understand.

It's okay, Dan.
Really.

Is there something
bothering you, Daniel?

You were so rude
to Theresa.

Was I?

- Theresa is my girlfriend.
- She is your research assistant.

We should be focusing
your energies on your work.

On my work.

Yes.
That is what is important.

Yes. You've made it
abundantly clear.

Why would I waste
my gift on a woman--

I'm sorry to tell you,
Daniel,

but you're not going to
have time for relationships.

The women in your life
will only be terribly hurt.

What does that mean?

It means that your work
will always comes first,

that's all.

Only because that's what
you always push me to do.

You pushed and you pushed
and you pushed.

And when will it be enough,
Mother? When?

I'm the
youngest doctorate ever

to ever graduate
from Oxford.

I just got a new

1.5 million pound
research grant.

- What else do I have to do?
- A grant?

That's wonderful!
From whom?

I don't know.
Um...

Some industrialist.

Widmore, I think.

Charles Widmore.

I don't want to
fight with you, Daniel.

That's not why
I came.

Why did you come?

To congratulate you.

Good luck, Daniel.

And I do hope you know
that I mean that.

All right, people.

Party's over.

I know y'all
just showed up.

The rest of us have been here
for the past three years.

This is our home.

The last thing I wanna do
is leave.

But we ain't
got no choice.

Well, that dude in the closet--
I thought he worked for you.

Can't you convince him
that it was all, like,

a misunderstanding?

I punched the man
in the damn face, Hugo.

What am I supposed to say--
"My fist slipped"?

How much time
do we have

before someone realizes
he's gone?

Not enough.

So where do we go?

We only got
two options.

We can either
commandeer the sub,

get the hell off this island
before anyone knows we're gone...

Or we can head back
in the jungle,

start from square one.

I'm not getting
on that sub

if there's a chance that my wife
is still on this island.

Yeah, me neither.

After all we did
to get back here?

And now we're just gonna
run off again?

It'd be kinda
wishy-washy.

Right.
That's two votes for square one.

Anybody else wanna--

Hold your horses!
Be right there.

Hey, James.

Welcome to the meeting,
Twitchy.

Good to
see you again.

Pound cake's in the kitchen.
Help yourself to the punch.

Is he still crazy?

It's on a
whole new level, man.

Great.

Jack...
I'm sorry I was rude before,

but what I came to do

is of critical importance
to everyone in this room.

Does anyone know
where I can find the hostiles?

Why do you need
to know that, Daniel?

Because one of them
is my mother.

And she is the only person
on this island

who can get us back
to where we belong.

This haunting footage
comes to us from

the "Christiane I," a salvage
vehicle in the Indian Ocean.

- in the Indian Ocean.
- How do you want your eggs, Dan?

For more than two months,

it's been
scouring the depths of

- Sunda trench off Bali...
- So what happened?

They found that missing plane?

In search of the long-missing
Oceanic Flight 815.

- Dan?
- Late last night,

the "Christiane" deployed
two remotely operated vehicles,

- or R.O.V.S...
- Dan. Why are you so upset?

That verified that

the National Transportation
Safety Board had long feared...

- I don't know.
- That the commercial aircraft...

You have a visitor, Dan.

Would you like some tea?

That would be lovely.

Hello, Daniel.

I'm sorry, sir.
I don't...

D-Did Caline tell you
I have a condition

that affects my memory?
Just...

Don't be embarrassed.
We've never met.

My name is
Charles Widmore.

Charles...

Charles Widmore from...

My research grant?

It's very nice to meet you, sir.
Please.

Please sit down.

Mm, a bit of a mess.

I meant to
thank you

before I...

Before I left Oxford.

You mean,
before you were dismissed.

I tested it...

I tested it out
on myself first.

- It's all right, Daniel.
- I would never hurt Theresa.

Please.
It's all right.

That's not why
I'm here.

I came to offer you
a new opportunity.

N-no, I...

I'm sorry. I-I can't.
I don't think I-I can...

Did I say something
to upset you?

It's this plane crash.

I don't know why
it's bothering me so much.

It's just so sad.

They're dead.

Daniel,
what if I told you...

they're not dead?

What if I told you...

the plane was a fake?

An elaborate...

Expensive fake.

How would you
know that?

Because I put it there.

Well...

Why would you
tell me at?

Because come tomorrow,
you won't remember I did.

Daniel...

The real Oceanic Flight 815
crashed on an island--

A special island...

with unique
scientific properties.

I want to send you
to the island.

It will further
your research,

show you things...

you'd never dream of.

But more importantly...

It will heal you, Daniel--

Your mind...

Your memory.

H-heal me?

W-why are you doing
all this for me?

Because you're a man
of tremendous gifts,

and it would be a shame
to see them go to waste.

You sound
like my mother.

That's because
we're old friends.

Your mother
is an Other?

You met her,
actually,

when the island was skipping,
back in 1954.

They were
calling her "Ellie."

You guys
were in 1954?

Like...
Fonzie times?

You still haven't told us
why you need to find her.

I just need to
talk to her.

I thought you said
we were supposed to lay low.

"Whatever happened,
happened"?

Just tell me where they are,
and I'll go--

I'm not
telling you anything,

and you ain't going
anywhere

unless you wanna
share with us

what the hell
it is you're doing.

Sawyer, he said he can get us back
to where we belonged.

Whether we go on the sub
or we head back into the jungle...

We don't belong here.

Well, I belonged here just fine
till you came back, Doc.

You know
where the hostiles are.

What?

You and Sawyer
took Ben out to them.

Can you get us
back out there?

Whoa, hold on a second.
Don't say a word, Kate.

She can say
what she wants to say.

Kate...

You made me promise

to never ask
what happened to Aaron,

or why you came
back here.

But I know that reason isn't...
It isn't here.

It's not now.

Whatever her reason is,

helping H.G. Wells here
talk to his mommy

ain't got nothing
to do with it.

Come with us,
Freckles.

The code
for the fence

is 1-4-1, 7-1-7.

You should take Daniel.

It's over here for us,
anyway.

Okay.

Let's go.

Great.

Great.
Thank you.

Hey, hey, Miles,
can you drive us?

When you realize
you've made a huge mistake...

We'll be back at the beach,
right where we started.

All right,
the rest of us--

Pack anything you can carry,
meet back here in 20 minutes.

Time to go.

These people are
not gonna be happy to see us.

It might be a good idea
to bring some guns.

Now, there's a gun safe
in the motor pool,

but it's locked.

Good thing,
I'm a janitor then.

Hey, Dan?

I'll meet you
at the motor pool.

I need just a minute.
Okay?

I'm not allowed to have
chocolate before dinner.

It's okay, sweetheart.

I won't tell.

My name's Charlotte.
What's yours?

I'm Daniel.

I'm new here.

Listen.

Do you know
Dr. Chang?

Uh-huh.

Yeah?

Hopefully really soon,

Dr. Chang is gonna ask
a bunch of people

to get on
the submarine

and leave the island.

When he does,

you and your mommy...

You're gonna have
to leave.

In case,
what I do doesn't work,

you cannot be here.

You have to leave.

I tried to avoid
telling you this.

I didn't think
I could change things.

But maybe I can.

Hey, how long will
it take us to get up there?

Uh, it depends.

We can take the road
until we hit the pylons,

but then once
we're in their territory,

- we gotta go on foot.
- Okay.

Uh, do you have
something for a beginner?

Let's go.

That's ready to go.

What's going on here?

Aren't you one of the physicists
off the sub?

Yeah, that's right. Uh...
We were just making sure that--

You're supposed to be out
at the Swan Site.

Right.
Uh, there was--

There was an accident
at the Orchid Station.

Dr. Chang
asked us to help so--

Hey, he's got a gun.

I just left
Dr. Chang.

He's at home
with his wife and baby.

You're lying.

Now drop the guns
and get down on the ground!

Hey.
Listen to me. Listen.

You really do not understand
what's happening here.

You have no idea.
We have no time.

We have to leave.

All right?
So we're just gonna leave.

Okay? Nobody's--
No..

Aah!

Are you okay?

I think we can make it
to the jeep.

All right.
I'll cover you.

Dan?
You go, too, all right?

Go, go, go!

Sound the alarm!

Hello, Daniel.

Mother.

When did you get here?

Oh, I just arrived.

I would have called you,
but...

I would have forgotten
anyway.

I hear you have been
offered a job.

How do you know that?

Well,
it's my business to know.

I came here,
Daniel...

To tell you that it is
very important

that you say yes
to Mr. Widmore...

That you accept this
opportunity.

I can't.

He needs someone
who can do

really, really complex
space-time calibrations

and calculate bearings,
and I just...

I don't know how
to do that anymore.

- Daniel...
- Mm.

This place he mentioned to you,
this island--

Did he tell you that
it could make you better?

What if it's true?

Why, then you could go on
with your work.

Just think of all
you could accomplish.

You really want me to...
to go?

Yes.

Will...

Will it make you
proud of me?

Yes, Daniel.

It will.

Then I'll do it.

- You remember the code?
- Yeah, I got it.

All right,
I'm gonna take a look at that.

Yeah, good.

- It's just a graze.
- Whew.

This is gonna sting.

Yeah.

Ah.

Yeah,
you're gonna be fine.

I guess I'm lucky.

What's luck
have to do with it?

I thought you said
whatever happened, happened.

You gotta understand, Jack,

This is our present.

When we met, did I have
a scar on my neck?

No.

'Cause I hadn't been
shot yet.

We can't be so na?ve as to think
nothing can happen to us.

Any one of us can die,
Jack.

Okay.

It's off.

Thanks.

Which way?

Just a couple miles in.

Do you think he knows
what he's doing?

I sure hope so.

There's no turning back now.

Hey, you called it the minute
those yahoos got here.

I shoulda listened
to you.

You can say
I told you so.

Maybe after
we get to the beach.

Hey.

You still got my back?

You still got mine?

That's not good, right?

LaFleur!

- Where have you been?
- Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Take it easy, Stu.

What the hell's going on?

I just got shot
by a physicist,

and the new recruits
are helping him.

We've been infiltrated.

That's ridiculous.
Now just calm down for a minute.

We can talk about this.

What was that?

It sounded like
it was from outside.

Get down
on the ground now.

I said now!

Thank you.

You need a gun to go talk
to your mother, Dan?

You don't know my mother,
Jack.

You ready to tell me
why she was wrong?

Why we don't
belong here?

In about four hours,

the Dharma folks
at the Swan work site--

They're gonna--
Gonna drill into the ground

and accidentally tap into
a massive pocket of energy.

The result of the
release of this energy

would be catastrophic.

So in order to contain it,
they're gonna have to cement

the entire area in,
like Chernobyl.

And this containment,
the place they built over it--

I believe you called it
"The Hatch."

The Swan Hatch?

Because
of this one accident,

these people are gonna spend
the next 20 years

keeping that energy
at bay...

by pressing a button...

A button
that your friend Desmond

will one day
fail to push...

And that will cause
your plane--

Oceanic 815--

To crash on this island.

And because
your plane crashed,

a freighter will be sent
to this island--

A freighter I was on,

and Charlotte was on
and so forth.

This entire chain of events--

It's gonna start happening
this afternoon.

But...

We can change that.

I studied relativistic physics
my entire life.

One thing emerged
over and over--

Can't change the past.
Can't do it.

Whatever happened, happened.
All right?

But then,
I finally realized...

I had been spending
so much time

focused on the constants,

I forgot
about the variables.

Do you know what the variables
in these equations are, Jack?

No.

Us.

We're the variables.

People.

We think.
We reason.

We make choices.
We have free will.

We can change
our destiny.

I think
I can negate that energy...

under the Swan.

I think I can destroy it.

If I can, then that hatch
will never be built,

and your plane...

Your plane will land,

just like
it's supposed to,

in Los Angeles.

And just how exactly do you plan on
destroying this energy?

I'm gonna detonate
a hydrogen bomb.

Satellite pharmacy...

Daniel Faraday?

Your son is Daniel Faraday?

Yes.

That's the man who sent Desmond
to Los Angeles to find you.

That's right.

I came, Penelope,
to apologize.

Your husband
has become a casualty

in a conflict that's
bigger than him,

that's bigger than
any of us.

What do you mean?
Is Des gonna be okay?

I don't know.

For the first time
in a long time,

I don't know
what's going to happen next.

Ms. Hume?

Yes?

Your husband's
in the recovery room,

and he's asking
for you.

The recovery room?
Is he--

He's doing fine.

Come with me.

This nurse will
watch your son.

Hi.

Hi.

I thought I'd lost you.

I promised you,
Penny.

I promised you...

I'd never
leave you again.

Is he all right?

Yes, Charles.

He's fine.

Good.

Your daughter's in there.

Why don't you go in
and say hello?

Unfortunately,
Eloise...

My relationship
with Penelope

is one of the things
I had to sacrifice.

Sacrifice?

Don't you talk to me
about sacrifice, Charles.

I had to send my son
back to the island,

- knowing full well that--
- He was my son, too, Eloise.

This is a mistake.

He's talking about

erasing everything that's
ever happened to us, Jack.

It's insane.

We disappeared off a plane
in mid-air

and ended up in 1977.

I'm getting kinda used
to insane.

Well,
that should be enough.

I think
we need more water.

Wish me luck.

- Wait. Hey.
- No, let him go. Let him go.

Back up.
Step away. It's okay.

Nobody move.

I only want
to speak to Eloise.

Where is Eloise?

Come on.
Where is she?

I'm sorry,
but Elo--

She's not here
right now.

Do we know each other?

It doesn't matter.

I need you
to take me to Eloise.

I-I already told you.
She's not here.

- Let's just take it easy.
- Where's the bomb, Richard?

The hydrogen bomb
that I told you people to bury--

Where is it?

Listen to me.

Lower your gun,
and we'll talk. Okay?

Nobody has to get hurt here.
Just put the gun down.

I'm gonna give you
three seconds.

- One...
- Don't do this.

Two...

- Why did you do that?
- He had a gun on you.

He wasn't gonna shoot me,
Eloise.

Eloise.

You knew.

You always knew.

You knew
this was gonna happen.

You...
You sent me here, anyway.

Who are you?

I...

I'm your son.