"All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues" | |
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Lost episode | |
Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan) hanging from a tree by his neck. Monaghan had to be harnessed to a cable for up to five hours during the shoot. Jack's later attempts to revive Charlie was commended by critics. | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 11 |
Directed by | Stephen Williams |
Written by | Javier Grillo-Marxuach |
Production code | 109 |
Original air date | December 8, 2004 |
Running time | 42 minutes [1] |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues" is the eleventh episode of the American drama series first season of Lost . The episode was directed by Stephen Williams and written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach. It first aired on December 8, 2004, on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). In the episode, flashbacks reveal Jack Shephard being responsible for his father's dismissal from a hospital after performing surgery while drunk. In the present, Jack and a team go searching for two fellow plane crash survivors after they are kidnapped by somebody who was not listed in the passenger manifest.
The flashbacks were inspired by Grillo-Marxuach's background as the son of a doctor, and the episode in general went through several changes in the writing stage, one of them being the creation of two new characters who help look for the missing survivors, who were then scrapped in favor of including regular character Boone Carlyle. "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues" was watched by 18.88 million Americans and was met with positive reviews from critics, with several reviewers commending the scene in which Jack saves Charlie Pace.
Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) operates on a woman who flatlines, and despite his attempts to revive her, his father Christian Shephard (John Terry) forces him to stop and call the time of death. It is later revealed that it was actually Christian's operation; Jack was called in by a nurse after it becomes apparent that his father was performing the surgery under the influence of alcohol. Christian attempts to cover this up by making Jack sign a form detailing the surgery, albeit with his inebriation omitted from the report, stating that the hospital will revoke his medical license if alcohol is mentioned.
However, sometime later Jack learns the patient's husband is suing the hospital. Jack and Christian then attend a board meeting discussing what went wrong during the operation. The board reveals that the deceased woman was pregnant, which was unknown by Jack. Horrified, he confesses to the board that Christian was operating under the influence during the surgery, which impaired his judgment that led to the chain of events causing the woman's death.
On Day 16, October 7, 2004, back at the caves, the camp has learned from Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia) that one survivor, Ethan Rom (William Mapother), is not listed in the passenger manifest. Furthermore, Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan) and Claire Littleton (Emilie de Ravin) are missing. Jack and John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) run through the jungle to find three distinct footprints, indicating that Ethan took Charlie and Claire. Locke decides to go back to gather a hunting party, but Jack continues alone. Locke returns with Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly) and Boone Carlyle (Ian Somerhalder) and finds Jack. After they find a knuckle bandage left by Charlie as a clue, the party find two separate trails. Locke takes Boone in one direction, while Jack and Kate take the other.
It soon turns out that Jack and Kate are following the correct trail when they find more of Charlie's knuckle bandages. When it starts raining, Jack believes he hears Claire screaming. Jack tumbles down an embankment to find Ethan, who warns Jack he will kill one of his captives if he does not stop following Ethan. A fistfight ensues, but Ethan gains the upper hand and subdues Jack. When he regains consciousness, Jack continues on, eventually finding Charlie, who has been hanged by Ethan. Kate cuts him down, and Jack furiously performs CPR —despite Kate's pleas that he is dead. Jack does not give up and brings Charlie back to life.
Back at the caves at nightfall, Jack learns from Charlie that "they" only wanted Claire all along. In the meantime, Boone and Locke are still looking through the jungle. Boone decides to go back to the caves. As Locke throws him a flashlight, Boone drops it, and it lands on a metal surface embedded in the ground. Curious, the two proceed to remove the mud over it to find out what it is.
"All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues" was written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach. Throughout the writing process, the episode went through several changes. The working title for the episode was "What It Takes"; however, the writers deemed the title "lame." In writing Jack's flashback scenes, Grillo-Marxuach drew his inspiration on his own background as the son of a doctor. Two new minor characters, named Arthur and Sullivan, were originally created to accompany Locke. The idea was later scrapped in favor of including series regular Boone Carlyle.]]". [2] The idea behind the metal surface, which would be known as the hatch for the rest of the season, came when the producers were storyboarding the season. [3] The hatch's discovery was to be introduced earlier into the episode, but was moved to the end to give the episode a cliffhanger. [2]
With Jack and Kate's journey, in the original outline they were to come under a dart attack by the Others, the island's native inhabitants, however it was cut because executive producer Damon Lindelof deemed the attack too "cheesy." Grillo-Marxuach described the "hysterical CPR" as "the biggest cliché in the book," but added "the nine people who were writing for the show decided, maybe we earned that. It gave us the emotional payoff for the episode." [2]
The fight scene between Jack and Ethan was performed by the actors themselves. The two were given the freedom to set up how their characters would fight each other. However, stunt coordinator Michael Vendrell wanted Ethan to be "as feral as possible; no school of combat, karate, kung-fu." Before filming the scene where Jack finds Charlie, episode director Stephen Williams scouted for a suitable location and found "what looked like a cathedral," because of the layout of trees behind where Charlie was hung. Monaghan had to be harnessed to a cable for roughly four to five hours. The actor described the scene; "they put me in the tree and I just hung there. I just hung limp. I tried to fall asleep, I tried to relax. When everything was going on, when they cut me down from the tree, when [Matthew Fox] was trying to revive me, when [Evangeline Lilly] was crying, I really didn't hear any of it. I just was in a semi-meditative state; however close that I could get with someone smacking me in the chest. [4]
"All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues" received a 6.8 in the ages 18–49 demographic in the Nielsen ratings. The episode was watched by 18.88 million viewers, the sixth largest audience in American television the week it aired. [5] It was also an improvement of over 1.7 million over the previous episode, "Raised by Another". [6] In the United Kingdom, the episode was seen by 3.76 million viewers. It was the second highest-rated series to air on Channel 4 for the week. [7]
Critical reactions of the episode were positive. Chris Carabott of IGN rated the episode 9 out of 10, calling it "a swift return to form" with "plenty of striking and emotional moments" that made it one of the better episodes of the first season. Carabott commented on the flashbacks; "We don't necessarily learn anything new about Jack from a personality standpoint," but Fox did "an exceptional job of conveying Jack's heartbreak as he reveals that his father operated on a woman while under the influence of alcohol." He enjoyed Jack and Ethan's encounter, calling it "chilling." Carabott also praised the scene where Jack tries to save Charlie; "I remember believing that they had killed off Charlie on my initial viewing and even though I knew the outcome this time, it was still a hard scene to watch," adding "after Jack finally manages to resuscitate him, you have to feel for Charlie because you know that he's disappointed in himself for letting Claire down." [8] Another IGN article ranked "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues" the 33rd best Lost episode. [9]
Emily VanDerWerff of the Los Angeles Times rated the episode the 79th of all Lost episodes (apart from the series finale), described the episode as "thrilling," but opined that the show since "has done similar things much better." [10] Whitney Pastorek of Entertainment Weekly did not care for Jack's flashbacks, but commended the scene in which Jack saved Charlie, stating "even though I knew he was going to go back to the CPR and save Charlie's life, I started crying. This is how you identify good TV: When you know what's going to happen and you still get swept up in it all." [11]
Charlie Pace is a fictional character on ABC's Lost, a television series chronicling the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island. Played by Dominic Monaghan, Charlie was a regular character in the first three seasons, and continued to make occasional appearances until the final season.
Claire Littleton is a fictional character played by Emilie de Ravin on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the South Pacific. Claire is introduced in the pilot episode as a pregnant crash survivor. She is a series regular until her disappearance in the fourth season finale. The character returned as a regular in the sixth season.
Shannon Rutherford is a fictional character played by Maggie Grace on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicled the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the South Pacific. Shannon was introduced in the pilot episode as the stepsister of fellow crash survivor Boone Carlyle. She was a series regular until her funeral in "What Kate Did". For most of her time on the Island, she was unhelpful and spent much of her time sunbathing. She formed a relationship with another survivor from the plane crash, Sayid Jarrah. Shannon was accidentally shot and killed by Ana Lucia Cortez, who mistakes her for an Other.
Boone Carlyle is a fictional character who was played by Ian Somerhalder on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the south Pacific. Boone is introduced in the pilot episode as the stepbrother of fellow crash survivor Shannon Rutherford. He tries to contribute as much as he can to the safety of the castaways and eventually becomes John Locke's protégé.
John Locke is a fictional character played by Terry O'Quinn on the ABC television series Lost. He is named after the English philosopher of the same name. In 2007, O'Quinn won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Locke.
"White Rabbit" is the fifth episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Kevin Hooks and written by Christian Taylor. It first aired on October 20, 2004, on ABC.
"House of the Rising Sun" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American television series Lost. It centers on Jin-Soo Kwon, who brutally attacks Michael Dawson ; the survivors do not know why since Jin and his wife Sun-Hwa Kwon only speak Korean. Meanwhile, Jack Shephard proposes that the survivors move to the caves from the beach. The episode was the first to feature the backstory of Sun and Jin, and the former is shown in the episode's flashbacks. It was directed by Michael Zinberg and written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach.
"The Moth" is the seventh episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Jack Bender and written by Jennifer Johnson and Paul Dini. It first aired on November 3, 2004, on ABC. The character of Charlie Pace is featured in the episode's flashbacks.
"Raised by Another" is the tenth episode of the first season of the American drama series Lost. It first aired on December 1, 2004, on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). Directed by Marita Grabiak and written by Lynne E. Litt, the episode was the first to reveal the backstory of Claire Littleton. It also represented a shift from previous Lost backstories by being one of the first to emphasise the series' mythology – a decision that made the network nervous at the time.
"Whatever the Case May Be" is the twelfth episode of the first season of Lost. It was directed by Jack Bender and written by Damon Lindelof and Jennifer Johnson. It first aired on January 5, 2005, on ABC. The character of Kate Austen is featured in the episode's flashbacks.
"Hearts and Minds" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of the American television series Lost. The episode sees Boone Carlyle experience a vision quest, believing his stepsister Shannon to be dead. Through a series of flashbacks, it is revealed that Boone is in love with Shannon, and that they slept together prior to crashing on the island. The episode was directed by Rod Holcomb and written by Carlton Cuse and Javier Grillo-Marxuach.
"Homecoming" is the 15th episode of the first season of the American drama television series Lost. It aired on ABC in the United States and on CTV in Canada on February 9, 2005. The episode was written by executive producer Damon Lindelof and directed by Kevin Hooks. The episode sees the return of Claire Littleton, who escaped after she was kidnapped by Ethan Rom. However, her return meant that all the survivors' lives are in danger, and the team has to figure out a way to stop Ethan. Charlie Pace is featured in the episode's flashbacks.
"...In Translation" is the 17th episode of the first season of the American drama television series Lost. The episode was directed by Tucker Gates and written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach and producer Leonard Dick. It first aired on ABC in the United States on February 23, 2005.
"The Greater Good" is the 21st episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by David Grossman and written by Leonard Dick. It first aired on May 4, 2005, on ABC. The character of Sayid Jarrah is featured in the episode's flashbacks.
"Exodus: Part 1" and "Exodus: Part 2" are collectively the first season finale of the American drama television series Lost, consisting of the 23rd episode and a double 24th and 25th episodes of the first season and the show overall. The episodes were directed by Jack Bender, and written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. In the United States, "Part 1" first aired on May 18, 2005, and "Part 2" on May 25, 2005, as a double-length season finale on ABC. In several countries, like the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia and Portugal, the double-length "Part 2" was split in half, resulting in the last episode being called "Exodus: Part 3".
"Maternity Leave" is the 15th episode of the second season of the American drama television series Lost, and the 40th episode overall. The episode was directed by Jack Bender, and written by Dawn Lambertsen Kelly and Matt Ragghianti. It first aired on ABC in the United States on March 1, 2006. The character of Claire Littleton is featured in the episode's flashbacks, revealing what happened when she was kidnapped by Ethan, an Other.
"Do No Harm" is the twentieth episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Stephen Williams and written by Janet Tamaro. It first aired on April 6, 2005, on ABC.
"Further Instructions" is the third episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Lost. It first aired on October 18, 2006, on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), making it the 52nd episode of the series. The episode was written by showrunner Carlton Cuse and supervising producer Elizabeth Sarnoff and was directed by Stephen Williams.
Dr. Christian Shephard is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by John Terry. He is the father of lead characters Jack Shephard, who becomes the de facto leader of the survivors of Oceanic 815 after it crashes on an island, and Claire Littleton, another of the survivors on the Island. Christian died of an alcohol-induced heart attack days before the flight, leading to much of his story being told through flashbacks. In the fourth season and fifth season he is again featured on the Island several times, seemingly acting as a messenger for the leader of the Others, Jacob. In the sixth season, the Man in Black admitted that he had "impersonated" Christian during the first week after the crash of Flight 815.
Ethan Rom is a fictional character portrayed by William Mapother on the ABC television show Lost. Introduced in the first season as the main antagonist, Ethan is the surgeon for the antagonistic and mysterious group known as the "Others". He infiltrated the fuselage survivors, posing as one of them until they discovered his true identity. He then kidnapped Charlie Pace and the pregnant Claire Littleton, attempting to dispose of the former soon after. Ethan is one of the few characters to have more episode appearances while his character was dead rather than alive. Ethan is one of few people known to have been born on the island, as seen in the ninth episode of the fifth season, "Namaste".
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