S.O.S.
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| #02 | "Adrift" | (Michael) | #10 | "The 23rd Psalm" | (Eko) | #19 | "S.O.S." | (Rose & Bernard) |
| #03 | "Orientation" | (Locke) | #11 | "The Hunting Party" | (Jack) | --- | "Lost: Reckoning" | (recap) |
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| #08 | "Collision" | (Ana Lucia) | #16 | "The Whole Truth" | (Sun) | |||
Episode transcript
[[{{{transcript2}}}|Part Two]]
S.O.S. directs here, the name of the episode. For the sign that Bernard built in this episode, please see SOS sign.
"S.O.S." is the nineteenth episode of Season 2 of Lost. As Bernard attempts to spur the survivors into trying to get themselves rescued, Rose believes that he is merely giving them false hope. At the Swan, Jack decides to head to the line and offer the Others a trade: Henry Gale for Walt.
Contents |
Synopsis
Flashback
On a cold winter night, Rose revs her car to try to drive it out of the snow. Knocking on her window, a man named Bernard offers her some advice. Rose disregards his tips, telling him that she’s driven in snow her whole life. After a few failed attempts, however, she reluctantly lets Bernard help her. As the car manages to pull out, Bernard falls flat on his face in the snow. As the two joke, they introduce themselves to one another, before beginning to go their separate ways. Both seem interested in getting to know one another further, however, and Rose decides to live in the moment, plucking up the courage to shout "Can I buy you a cup of coffee?"
Five months later, the couple sits in a posh restaurant, nestled over picturesque views of Niagara Falls. As Rose stares out in awe, Bernard seems on edge, and she questions what he’s doing. At that moment, two violinists approach their table and as they play, Bernard asks Rose to marry him. After a pause, Rose replies "Bernard, I’m dying." A shaken Bernard excuses the duo as Rose begins to explain that she is terminally ill with cancer, having about a year left to live. Bernard’s response, however, is that Rose hasn’t even answered his question. Asking if he’s sure, and fully aware of what will happen, Rose agrees to the proposal.
"We’re lost" says Rose, as she and Bernard drive across the outback of Australia. The two are now on their honeymoon, and Rose comments that she would have preferred a beach to driving in the middle of nowhere. However, they soon find civilization, but Bernard surprises Rose in telling her that this is where he had been heading all along. He brought her here to see Isaac, a faith healer who is said to have helped hundreds of ill people. In disgust at the idea, Rose gets out of the car, as Bernard chases after her, telling her how he had heard that Isaac could deal with Rose’s "situation". As Bernard continues to mumble about the lengths he has gone to in order to secure an appointment, Rose abruptly shouts that she didn’t ask for this, leading to an awkward silence. Composing herself, Rose explains that she has made her peace with what is fated for her, but Bernard retorts that he has not, and asks that she will try to be healed for his sake.
Inside Isaac’s clinic, Rose waits to see him. She wanders his office, looking at the hundreds of thank you cards he has received from healed individuals. Isaac soon enters, and the two sit as Rose jokes about the procedures, highlighting her skepticism. Isaac, however, seems unabashed, and proceeds to detail about certain areas in the world that have different energies. It is through channeling this energy, he believes, that he can help people with their sicknesses. He begins to read Rose’s aura or essence, but suddenly stops, admitting that he cannot help her. Rose replies that she never expected him to, but Isaac says that it isn’t that she cannot be healed, it is that this place is not the right one for her. Isaac apologizes by offering to return the donation Bernard gave to his group, but Rose tells him to keep it. She is going to tell Bernard that the healing worked, and that she is fully cured. She realizes that Bernard will never accept what is happening to her, and seemingly wants him to enjoy the time he has left with her, rather than spend it vainly trying to evade the inevitable.
At the Sydney Airport, a smiling Bernard leaves Rose for a moment in the terminal. As he leaves sight, she removes medication from her bag, but accidentally drops a bottle. As it rolls along the airport floor, it is stopped by an arm that picks it up, passing it back to her. As Rose thanks the man, John Locke gestures curtly and moves away in his wheelchair.
On the Island
At the beach, Rose and Bernard place food on the shelves of the make-shift kitchen. Bernard asks Rose whether all this bothers her: the food with strange labels which fell from the sky. Rose tells him to count his blessings, but Bernard cannot accept that the group is sitting idly when people should be questioning things. He says that everyone has "given up" on being rescued, and his long-lasting defiance and non-acceptance of things seems to anger Rose.
Down in the Hatch, Locke sits as the counter alarm beeps, trying to remember the markings he saw on the blast door map. Scribbling out his work, he is interrupted by Jack, who reminds him that the button needs to be pushed. John enters the Numbers, but rather unenthusiastically. Jack goes to the prisoner's cell, and he and Ana Lucia enter to ask Henry about Walt. "Henry" soon guesses their motives, and ominously states that they will never return Walt to them.
As Hurley talks to Rose about his new diet, Bernard interrupts their conversation, asking Hurley to round up some of the survivors. Rose asks him what he’s doing, but he remains secretive.
Jack prepares to leave the Hatch and find the Others, despite Ana Lucia’s warnings. She gives Jack her gun, telling him that he needs it more than she, and advises him to take someone with him. Jack decides to approach Kate, as she and Sawyer sit on the beach picking sea urchin. Much to Sawyer’s annoyance, Kate agrees, leaving him alone at the shore.
Meanwhile, Bernard is busy rallying troops for his cause. He intends to build a huge S.O.S. sign along the beach so that passing planes or monitoring satellites will see that they are there. Rose comments that they should perhaps tell Jack about this idea, and when Bernard says that he is merely the doctor, Rose retorts that "you’re a dentist", immediately knocking her husband off his pedestal. Bernard takes her aside, and Rose argues that he’s giving the survivors false hope. Angered by this, Bernard excuses himself.
After more able bodies, Bernard moves on to Eko and Charlie, who reveal that they are in fact building a church. Bernard cannot believe that they are building things instead of trying to get rescued, but the two men refuse to stop building their church.
Back in the Hatch, John is becoming increasingly frustrated, and tells Ana that he wants to speak to the prisoner. She says that while Jack has the gun, the door stays shut, but suggests he shout to him if he really needs to speak with the prisoner. Though it would appear the frustration is due to remembering the map he saw, it becomes apparent that John’s anger runs deeper, as he shouts to "Henry" through the gun vault door, demanding to know whether he pushed the button or not when Locke was trapped the day before. "Henry" simply sits in silence, as a sinister smile begins to form.
Bernard’s authoritarian stance on leadership appears to be an inappropriate trait, as he returns to the beach to find that the majority of his workforce have quit. Bernard seems to pay little notice to this, however, and continues to issue orders to the team, giving himself the easy role of carving the letters while everyone else drags heavy rocks to the shore.
Once again, Bernard tries to enlist more help for his operation, visiting Sawyer at his tent while Rose watches from afar. Like Eko and Charlie, Sawyer declines, and Bernard heads over to Rose by the water trough. Bernard accuses her of attacking him, turning his workforce against him, but Rose says that perhaps it is more due to his managerial skills than a lack of support from herself. As the two bicker, Bernard argues that if he didn’t always try to do something, Rose would not even be alive. The tactless remark causes Rose to this time abruptly end the conversation, and Bernard seems to realize that he was out of line.
Trekking through the jungle, Kate jokes about Jack asking her over Sawyer to accompany him. Jack, however, puts a downer on the mild flirting, stating that he chose Kate merely because the Others do not want her, considering they previously had an opportunity to kidnap her but didn’t. Kate then sees a doll on the ground, and before Jack can stop her, she touches it, causing the release of a trap. Both are pulled from the ground in a net, and struggle to move as they are positioned so close to one another. Kate manages to retrieve Jack’s gun, and attempts to shoot the rope holding the net up. She misses, and as Jack takes over, manages to free them both in one shot, despite Kate saying that she is by far the better shot. The two fall, landing right on top of each other.
As Jin positions the rocks on the beach, Bernard once more slips into his rude leadership style, telling Jin that his method is all wrong. After being heavily patronized, Jin leaves Bernard, who realizes that his entire team has now left him.
Meanwhile, Rose approaches John, and the two discuss Bernard’s efforts. John comments about being "done with the Hatch", but Rose seems to restore his faith in the Island, saying that they both know John’s injury will heal faster than Jack predicts (Rose is one of very few people to know of John's previous paralysis). The two share a brief moment, and John remembers how the Island has healed him in the past.
As the rain pours down, Kate tells Jack what she found at the Staff, including the fake beard. Kate and Jack find that they have reached the line where they last met the Others. Though Kate tries to discourage him, Jack begins to shout as loud as he can for the Others to reveal themselves.
Alone, Bernard defiantly continues with his sign. Rose arrives, and apologizes. Bernard asks what for, and Rose admits that she lied to him in Australia, and that Isaac never truly healed her. Rose explains that a person can feel when there is something inside them that doesn’t belong, and that after the crash, she stopped feeling her cancer. She believes that it is the Island that has healed her, and that she had to lie to stop Bernard trying to spend what little time they had left trying to constantly "do something." At last, Bernard finally relinquishes his stubbornness, guessing that if Rose left the Island the cancer might return. Telling her that they’ll never leave, and giving up on his attitude of always trying to change things, the two embrace lovingly.
Ana Lucia finds Locke in the Hatch, who now seems more rested. With his faith returned to him, he heads to the computer room, where he at last is able to accurately draw the map he saw.
As night falls, most of the survivors sit around campfires, many structuring their relationships with partners. Out at the line, Kate asks Jack how long they are going to wait out there, and says that she is sorry for kissing him. Jack replies that he isn’t, but before they can continue, the moment is shattered by the sight of a torch in the distance. As the two stand up, a figure emerges from the darkness, collapsing at their feet. Kate exclaims "Michael?", as he lies dazed in their arms.
Trivia
General
- Rose accidentally dropped her pills at the airport and Locke, still in his wheelchair, picked them up for her. She is one of only 3 (possibly 4) living crash survivors to know about Locke's paralysis. The other crash survivors who found out about it are Sawyer, as of The Brig, and Boone in Deus Ex Machina. Walt may have also found out at the beginning of the series.
- Features the "first official mention" of Neil Frogurt on the show.
- The line is near a big black rock.
Production notes
- Sayid does not appear in this episode.
- This is the first episode to have flashbacks centering around guest stars.
- Michael returns after being missing for 8 episodes.
- The events of the episode are loosely based on the life of L. Scott Caldwell (who plays Rose), whose husband, who had cancer, died a year after marrying Caldwell. (Lost: On Location (Season 2))
Recurring Themes
- In popular usage, S.O.S. means Save Our Souls (Redemption)
- Bernard hopes Isaac can heal Rose. (Miracles)
- The SOS sign being built by Bernard was made from black rocks on white sand. (Black and White)
- The food previously from the pantry has a theme on it of black and white. (Black and White)
- Locke was in a wheelchair when Rose saw him in the Sydney Airport. (Secrets)
- Bernard tells Rose he had 7 weeks of bad days on the other side of the island. (Time)
- Bernard and Rose were together for 5 months when he proposed to her. (Time)
- When Bernard finds out about Rose having cancer she says she has about 1 year to live. (Time)
- When Jack is shouting for the Others to come, it begins to rain tremendously. (Rain)
- Kate got 4 oysters. (The Numbers)
- Jack said it would take 4 weeks until Locke's leg would heal. (The Numbers) (Time)
- Jack told Kate he was inviting her with him because the Others did not want her, or him. Kate and Jack are two of the people who the Others do in fact want, and ask Michael to bring in Live Together, Die Alone. (Irony)
Cultural references
| Cultural references in Lost (direct references only) |
|---|
| Art • Books • Cars • Games • Movies and TV • Music • Philosophy • Religion and ideologies • Science |
- Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It is sacred to the Aboriginal people of the area. (Religion)
- "These Arms of Mine", a song by Otis Redding, is heard on Rose's car radio, and later on the Swan record player. (Music)
- "The Rose". After "These Arms of Mine" fades out, there is a shot of Rose and Bernard sitting together, and "These Arms of Mine" is incorporated into the score, played by strings. When the Otis Redding song is arranged instrumentally, it bears a striking resemblance to the song "The Rose", the most well-known rendition of which was performed by Bette Midler. (Music)
- The Guinness Book of Records. When Kate struggles to pry mussels loose from rocks and succeeds in removing only four in a half hour, Sawyer remarks that it’s time to call the Guinness Book. This is a reference book published annually, containing an internationally recognized collection of world records, both human achievements and the extreme of the natural world. (Literary works)
- "The Right Girl for Me", this song by Roger Edens is played by violinists when Bernard proposes. (Music)
- Dr. Giggles. Sawyer calls Jack “Dr. Giggles”, after the main character from this 1992 slasher movie. Dr. Giggles is a psychopath who escapes from a mental institution to exact revenge on the town where his mass murdering doctor father was captured. (Movies)
- Norma Rae. Sawyer calls Bernard “Norma Rae”, after the main character from this 1979 movie, who becomes involved in the labor union activities at the textile factory where she works. (Movies)
Unanswered Questions
| Unanswered questions |
|---|
|
- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: S.O.S./Theories
- How did the island heal Locke's paralysis and Rose's cancer?
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flashback episode | "S.O.S." | |||
| Flashback characters | Issac's assistant • Isaac of Uluru • John Locke | |||
| Items | SOS sign | |||
| See also: Main Characters | ||||
