Homecoming (Lost)

Last updated
"Homecoming"
Lost episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 15
Directed by Kevin Hooks
Written by Damon Lindelof
Produced by
Cinematography byMichael Bonvillain
Editing by Mary Jo Markey
Production code113
Original air dateFebruary 9, 2005 (2005-02-09)
Running time41 minutes [1]
Guest appearances
William Mapother as Ethan Rom
Jim Piddock as Francis Heatherton
Sally Strecker as Lucy Heatherton
Darren Richardson as Tommy
Eric Griffith as Buyer
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Special"		Next →
"Outlaws"
Lost season 1
List of episodes

"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 (Emilie de Ravin), who escaped after she was kidnapped by Ethan Rom (William Mapother). [2] However, her return meant that all the survivors' lives are in danger, and the team have to figure out a way to stop Ethan. Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan) is featured in the episode's flashbacks.

Contents

"Homecoming" was seen by nineteen-and-a-half million American viewers, and received mixed to positive reviews, where Charlie's backstory received general praise. Lindelof, however, would later consider it one of his least favorite Lost episodes, as he felt exploring Charlie's drug addiction once again was a wrong move.

Plot

Flashback

The flashbacks show Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) in the height of his drug addiction. To make money for more heroin, Tommy (Darren Richardson) tells him about Lucy Heatherton (Sally Strecker), whose father is rich. He plans for Charlie to steal something of value from her, and then sell it. Once invited to her house, Charlie has an interest in stealing a cigarette case that had belonged to Winston Churchill. However, he develops feelings for Lucy, and takes a job selling photocopiers so he can become respectable, which Tommy opposes. Eventually, Charlie's withdrawal gets to him and he takes the cigarette case before taking the job. His plan to become respectable backfires as he passes out after throwing up under the lid of the photocopier he is demonstrating, and the prospective clients, who work for one of Lucy's father's companies, find the valuable antique in his jacket. When he goes to see Lucy to explain, she refuses to hear his explanation and tells Charlie that he will never take care of anyone.

On the Island

On Day 27, October 18, 2004, Locke (Terry O'Quinn) finds Claire (Emilie de Ravin), [3] but after she wakes up, she has no recollection of the crash, nor the other castaways, including Charlie himself. The next day, Ethan (William Mapother) confronts Charlie, and threatens to kill one survivor each day until Claire is brought back to him. Taking the threat seriously, several of the castaways set up security measures and traps around the settlement to avoid Ethan carrying out his threat. The next morning, on Day 29, unfortunately, Ethan manages to slip through from the ocean and kills Scott (Dustin Watchman) during the night. Although hesitant at first, Jack (Matthew Fox) plans on using the guns from the marshal's briefcase [4] to set up a trap to capture Ethan, using Claire as bait. Charlie wishes to join him, but is turned down. Sayid (Naveen Andrews), Kate (Evangeline Lilly), Sawyer (Josh Holloway), Jack and Locke await in ambush for Ethan to show himself and grab Claire. When he arrives, Jack manages to stop and eventually subdue Ethan. However, before they can interrogate him, Charlie takes Jack's gun and shoots Ethan dead. When questioned about why he killed Ethan, Charlie tells Jack that he "deserved to die". In the end, Claire remembers Charlie's imaginary peanut butter, [5] visits him and tells him that she wants to trust him.

Production

In one of the flashback scenes, Lucy tells Charlie that her father is out of town buying a paper company in Slough. This a reference to the British mockumentary television series The Office , of which Lost co-creator J. J. Abrams is a fan, and later director for the American version. [6] William Mapother said that he was frustrated upon learning of his death scene as he looked forward to being in more episodes. The actor later declared he "felt sorry" and had sympathy for Ethan, as "he was unarmed, and Charlie pulled out a gun." [7]

Reception

Monaghan's character received general praise for his flashbacks, though one review called it a distraction from the plot Dominic Monaghan 2009 cropped.jpg
Monaghan's character received general praise for his flashbacks, though one review called it a distraction from the plot

"Homecoming" received a total figure of 19.48 million viewers, and a rating of 7.0 in the United States. This placed Lost number six on the most viewed series for the week. [8] In Canada, the episode was viewed by 1.849 million people, placing Lost the ninth most viewed series in the country. [9] In the United Kingdom, the episode was viewed by 3.33 million people, placing Lost the third most viewed series on Channel 4 for the week. [10]

Reviews of the episode were generally mixed to positive. Chris Carabott of IGN rated the episode an "impressive" 8.2 out of 10. He praised the episode for Charlie's role in it, stating that the backstory was a "straightforward flashback with no hidden message or deeper meaning, it simply does a great job of contrasting the Charlie we now know on the island". Charlie's jealousy, anger and fear of feeling like he is underused in regards to helping Claire develops well into the scene where he kills Ethan. Carabott also stated Ethan's death was to be expected, but didn't want it to happen. [11] IGN ranked Ethan's death as number three in the Top 10 'Lost' deaths, stating that his death was the most frustrating on Lost because Ethan could have provided many answers to the island's mysteries. [12]

Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly was overly critical of the episode, including how the writers wrote Claire to have amnesia during the episode, stating the series could do better with writing the episode, as well as being critical of Jack's success in subduing Ethan, since he lost to fighting Ethan previously on "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues". Jenson did however, like Charlie's "little anecdote" from his past, and the scene where his plan to be respectable backfired gave Monaghan a chance to demonstrate his gift for light comedy. [13] Mac Slucom of Film Fodder dubbed the episode a "real treat", and though the Lost crew deserves praise for Ethan's capture and death, but described Charlie's flashbacks as a "big time distraction" from the developments on the island. [14]

In 2009, episode writer and show creator Damon Lindelof quoted this episode as one of his least favorite, saying that it "was flawed on almost every single level that an episode of Lost could be". [15] Lindelof would later detail that his frustration owed to the wrong decisions on expanding the Charlie character, given they were again exploring the drug addiction angle. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Pace</span> Character from the American mystery fiction television series Lost

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire Littleton</span> Fictional character of the TV series Lost

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danielle Rousseau</span> Character from the American TV show Lost

Danielle Rousseau is a fictional character on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific. Croatian actress Mira Furlan plays the scientist who shipwrecks on the island sixteen years prior to the crash of Oceanic Flight 815. After Rousseau is killed in the fourth season, the American actress Melissa Farman portrayed a younger version of the character in the fifth season. Furlan later reappears for one episode in the sixth season. Rousseau is a recurring on-island character who has appeared in nineteen episodes in seasons one through four, as well as one episode where her voice alone is heard, and her final episode in the sixth season.

The Moth (<i>Lost</i>) 7th episode of the 1st season of Lost

"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.

"Confidence Man" is the eighth episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Tucker Gates and written by Damon Lindelof. It first aired on November 10, 2004, on ABC. The character of James "Sawyer" Ford is featured in the episode's flashbacks. Sawyer is accused of stealing Shannon Rutherford's inhaler, and Sayid Jarrah tortures him in an attempt to find out where it is. In the flashbacks, Sawyer's life before the crash is revealed, showing his scams as a confidence man.

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues</span> 11th episode of the 1st season of Lost

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whatever the Case May Be</span> 12th episode of the 1st season of Lost

"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.

"The 23rd Psalm" is the tenth episode of the second season of Lost, and the 35th episode overall. The episode was directed by Matt Earl Beesley and written by Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof. It first aired on January 11, 2006, on ABC, and was watched by an average of 20.56 million American viewers. The episode is centered on the character of Mr. Eko, who in flashbacks is revealed to be a former warlord in Nigeria, and in the present-day events goes with Charlie Pace to the Nigerian airplane which had crashed on the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose and Bernard Nadler</span> Characters from the TV series "Lost"

Rose and Bernard Nadler are fictional characters on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television series Lost, played by L. Scott Caldwell and Sam Anderson respectively. Rose and Bernard visit a faith healer on their honeymoon in Australia, in the hope of healing Rose's cancer. When Bernard visits the restroom during the return flight, the plane splits in half, with each half crashing on different parts of an island in the South Pacific. The couple reunite midway through season two, and Rose reveals the Island has healed her. After time traveling in season five, they separate from the remaining survivors and build a cabin near the ocean to live in.

"A Tale of Two Cities" is the third season premiere, and 50th episode overall, of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC)'s serial drama television series Lost. The episode was written by co-creators/executive producers J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, based on a story by Lindelof and directed by executive producer Jack Bender. The episode begins with the introduction of Juliet Burke and The Barracks. The character of Jack Shephard is featured in the episode's flashbacks. This is the only episode of the series other than the pilot to have been co-written by J. J. Abrams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juliet Burke</span> Character from the American mystery fiction television series Lost

Dr. Juliet Burke is a character portrayed by Elizabeth Mitchell on the ABC television series Lost. Created by J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, the character was introduced in the third season as a member of the hostile group referred to as "the Others" by the crash survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. Flashbacks reveal Juliet's past as a research specialist recruited to solve the Island's fertility problem where pregnant women die after conception. Prevented from leaving the Island and seeing her sister again by Ben Linus until she finds a solution, she quickly betrays Ben and the Others when she is sent as a spy to the survivors' camp. Juliet initially grows close to the castaways' leader, Jack Shephard, but ultimately falls in love and forms a relationship with James "Sawyer" Ford, with whom she moves on to the afterlife in the series finale. The character has also appeared in several spin-off webisodes of Lost: Missing Pieces, with Mitchell reprising her role.

"Flashes Before Your Eyes" is the 8th episode of the third season of the American drama television series Lost, and the show's 57th episode overall. The episode was written by the series co-creator, show runner and executive producer Damon Lindelof and supervising producer Drew Goddard, and directed by Jack Bender. It first aired in the United States on February 14, 2007, on the American Broadcasting Company. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics. Lindelof and Goddard were nominated for the Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award for Best Episodic Drama at the February 2008 ceremony for writing the episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Rousseau</span> Fictional character of the TV series Lost

Alexandra Rousseau is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Tania Raymonde. She was born 16 years prior to the crash of Oceanic Flight 815, but was taken from her mother, Danielle Rousseau, by Ben Linus. She was raised among them, believing her mother to be dead. She has helped the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 on many occasions, and is reunited with her mother at the end of the third season. Not long after however, she is shot and killed by Keamy after her adoptive father, Ben, would not listen to his demands. Her death scene was received positively by critics, earning it a spot on multiple "top moments of the season" lists.

"One of Us" is the 16th episode of the third season of Lost. It aired on April 11, 2007, making it the 65th episode of the series. The episode was written by Carlton Cuse and Drew Goddard and directed by Jack Bender. The title of the episode is not only a reference to the season two episode titled "One of Them", it is also a major theme of the episode, as Jack tries to convince the other flight survivors that Juliet is "one of us", rather than an Other.

"Exposé" is the 14th episode of the 3rd season and 63rd episode overall of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC)'s serial drama television series Lost. It aired on ABC in the United States and on CTV in Canada on March 28, 2007. The episode was written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and directed by Stephen Williams.

Through the Looking Glass (<i>Lost</i>) 22nd and 23rd episodes of the 3rd season of Lost

"Through the Looking Glass" is the third-season finale of the ABC television series Lost, consisting of the 22nd and 23rd episodes of the third season. It is also the 71st and 72nd episodes overall. It was written by co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse, and directed by executive producer Jack Bender. When first aired on May 23, 2007, in the United States and Canada, it was watched by an average of 14 million American viewers. Like the previous two season finales, it was two hours long with advertisements, twice the length of a normal episode. It was edited into two individual episodes when released on DVD. The season finale is considered by some to be one of the best episodes of television ever broadcast. The episode garnered a number of awards and nominations, including three Primetime Emmy Awards nominations and a Directors Guild of America Award nomination.

"Greatest Hits" is the 21st episode of the third season of Lost and 70th episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and directed by supervising producer Stephen Williams. The episode first aired on May 16, 2007, on ABC in the United States and on CTV in Canada. "Greatest Hits" was viewed by 12 million Americans and was well received by critics. Lost's editors received a Golden Reel Award nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethan Rom</span> Character from the American TV show Lost

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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Friendly</span> Character from the American TV show Lost

Tom Friendly, often referred to as Tom, Mr. Friendly, or Zeke by Sawyer is a fictional character portrayed by M. C. Gainey on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television series Lost. The series follows the lives of around forty survivors from the crash of Oceanic Flight 815. The survivors find themselves on a mysterious tropical island, and interact with a group they dub the Others, who appear to have lived on the island since long before the crash. Tom is an influential member of the Others, introduced in the season one finale "Exodus: Part 2", where he kidnaps one of the survivors. The character makes another fifteen appearances before being killed in the season three finale "Through the Looking Glass". Tom appears twice in season four in the flashbacks of other characters. Gainey was initially credited as playing "bearded man" and then as "Mr. Friendly" throughout season two before the character was given a first name. In a montage of deceased characters shown at Comic-Con in 2009, the Lost producers present the character's full name as "Tom Friendly".

References

  1. ↑ "Lost - Netflix". Netflix. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  2. ↑ Marita Grabiak (director), Lynne E. Litt (writer). "Raised by Another". Lost. Season 1. Episode 10. ABC.
  3. ↑ Greg Yaitanes (director), David Fury (writer). "Special". Lost. Season 1. Episode 14. ABC.
  4. ↑ Jack Bender (director), Damon Lindelof & Jennifer Johnson (writers). "Whatever the Case May Be". Lost. Season 1. Episode 12. ABC.
  5. ↑ Tucker Gates (director), Damon Lindelof (writer). "Confidence Man". Lost. Season 1. Episode 8. ABC.
  6. ↑ "Joss Whedon and J. J. Abrams Both Directing The Office". IGN. January 11, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  7. ↑ "'Lost': The Dead Zone". Entertainment Weekly . May 7, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings" (Press release). ABC Medianet. February 15, 2005. Retrieved July 30, 2008.
  9. ↑ "Top Programs - Total Canada (English)" (PDF). (PDF) BBM Canada. February 15, 2005. Retrieved June 1, 2009.[ dead link ]
  10. ↑ "BARB's weekly top 10 programmes (Go on w/e 13 Nov, 2005, and scroll down to Channel 4)". barb.co.uk. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  11. ↑ Carabott, Chris (September 18, 2008). "Lost Flashback: "Homecoming" Review". IGN . Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  12. ↑ Carabott, Chris; Goldman, Eric; Iverson, Dan; Moriarty, Colin; Zoromski, Brian (December 6, 2006). "Top 10 Lost Deaths". IGN. Retrieved September 9, 2007.
  13. ↑ Jensen, Jeff (February 10, 2005). "Drawing a Blank". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  14. ↑ Slucom, Mac (February 11, 2005). "Key Point from "Homecoming"". Film Fodder. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  15. ↑ "A 'Lost' Q&A: Damon Lindelof answers (most of) your questions!". USA Today. October 27, 2009. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  16. ↑ VanDerWerff, Emily (February 16, 2014). "The Lost interviews: House of the Rising Sun (Episode 6)". Vox . Retrieved March 20, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.