What They Died For 

Jacob appears to the survivors of the submarine explosion and tells them what they were chosen for, while Ben joins forces with Locke as they both have a final showdown with Charles Widmore.

Director:

Paul A. Edwards (as Paul Edwards)

Writers:

Jeffrey Lieber (created by), J.J. Abrams (created by)

Stars:

Naveen Andrews, Nestor Carbonell, Henry Ian Cusick

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Naveen Andrews	...	Sayid Jarrah
Nestor Carbonell	...	Richard Alpert
Henry Ian Cusick	...	Desmond Hume
Emilie de Ravin	...	Claire Littleton
Michael Emerson	...	Ben Linus
Jeff Fahey	...	Frank Lapidus (credit only)
Matthew Fox	...	Dr. Jack Shephard
Jorge Garcia	...	Hugo 'Hurley' Reyes
Josh Holloway	...	James 'Sawyer' Ford
Daniel Dae Kim	...	Jin-Soo Kwon (credit only)
Yunjin Kim	...	Sun-Hwa Kwon (credit only)
Ken Leung	...	Miles Straume
Evangeline Lilly	...	Kate Austen
Terry O'Quinn	...	John Locke / Man in Black
Zuleikha Robinson	...	Ilana Verdansky (credit only)

Storyline

In the island, Ben brings Miles and Richard to his secret room to get the C4 explosives to blow up the plane; however they stumble with Zoe and Widmore in his house. Widmore tells that Jacob visited him and Zoe tells that Locke is coming. Jacob sees Hurley and asks him to bring his friends. Meanwhile Richard decides to talk to Locke but the smoke monster attacks him. Ben tells Locke where Widmore and Zoe are and Locke kills Zoe; Widmore whispers to Locke why he brought Desmond to the island and Ben kills him. Jacob tells Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley that one of them should replace him to protect the island and Jack accepts the assignment. Meanwhile Locke tells to Ben that he will destroy the island. In the parallel reality, Dr. Linus sees Desmond in the parking lot and he tells that he does not want to hurt Locke. Desmond goes to LAPD and tells that he is the suspect of the hit and run, and he goes to jail where Sayid and Kate are. Alex and her mother Danielle invite Dr. Linus to ...

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Plot Keywords:

friends who live together | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

In L.A, Jack tells Locke he is mistaking coincidence for fate. This is exactly what Mr. Eko tells Locke not to do earlier in the series.

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Goofs

When Kate asks why and when her name was crossed off the list, Jacob says when she became a mother. However, Jin and Sun became parents and their name(s) weren't crossed off.

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Quotes

Miles Straume: Well, I lived in these houses 30 years before you did, otherwise known as last week.

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Connections

Spoofed in Lost: Untangled: What They Died For (2010)

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Soundtracks

End Title
(uncredited)
Written by Michael Giacchino
Performed by The Hollywood Studio Symphony

User Reviews

The beginning of the end

When 'Lost' was in its prime, it was must-watch television. Remember first watching it, found it remarkably easy to get into, was hooked from the start and was on Season 3 by the end of one week. The general consensus is that the final season is a disappointment and cannot disagree.

Not that Season 6 was a bad season. It did boast excellent episodes such as "Sundown", "Dr Linus", "Happily Ever After", "The Last Recruit", "The Candidate" and the season's high point "Ab Aeterno" too. Most episodes were actually solid to very good. Just not quite classic 'Lost' standard with the previous five seasons were a little more consistent in the high quality stakes and a higher number of great and more episodes. The season did have the largest number of disappointing episodes compared to the previous five seasons, "The Package", "Lighthouse" and "What Kate Does" could have been better than they were though they weren't misfires. That all changed with the previous episode "Across the Sea", one of my bottom 3 'Lost' episodes along with "Stranger in a Strange Land" and "Fire + Water", was mixed too on "Expose".

It was such a big relief that "What They Died For" was a big improvement on every level. Not one of the very best episodes of Season 6, though in the better half, and not amazing. It is very good though and works well as a set up for the finale.

Do think that the alternate universe storyline is a little more compelling than the island events. The island events still gripped, but there are more questions raised than answers.

Along with a few inconsistencies like the with Ben and Widmore mentioned elsewhere and parts resolved a bit too easily and generically, Widmore's defeat should have been much bigger and more tense than it was considering how interesting and repellent a character he was.

However, "What They Died For" boasts some typically beautifully stylish and atmospheric visuals with much better editing than in "Across the Sea". The music is chilling and understated, while the writing is a return to the taut and smart writing of 'Lost' on form. The same can be said for the direction, which never misses a beat and allows breathing space than needed. There is forward momentum and story progression and character development has certainly not gone backwards.

Loved the alternate storyline and Desmond plays a fascinating role, have always liked the character and his material here is some of his meatiest. All the performances are top-notch, with Henry Ian Cusick is particularly excellent. "What They Died For" has a great mix of funny moments, poignant moments, shocking moments and suspenseful moments, the tonal shifts never jarring for an episode that kept changing in tone as it progressed, while although things are still vague there is a sense that things are starting to come together.

Summarising, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 May 2010 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Hawaii, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bad Robot, ABC Signature

Technical Specs

Runtime:

43 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1