Lost: Confirmed Dead

“Confirmed Dead” is the second episode of Season 4 of Lost, originally broadcast on February 7, 2008. The survivors begin to question the intentions of their supposed rescuers when four strangers arrive on the Island.

Character Introductions/Flashbacks

The episode begins with two ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles) probing the floor of an ocean. The vantage point first is of “ROV 01″ and switches to that of “ROV 02,” with a dialogue between two scientists, one named Ron and the other unnamed, happening via some sort of com device over the images. The ROV display does not specify the boat or research team it is operated by, just the depth, signal strength, gauges for the battery, fuel, and resolution.

Flight 815 wreck seen by ROV 02 camera

They claim that the sonar is picking up something and the operator of ROV 02 says he is heading on a bearing of “about 137, from the coordinates we pulled off of our guy’s map.” He also goes on to say that his magnometer is picking up a lot of anomalies and suggests he needs to re-calibrate. The ROV suddenly comes across the wreckage of an Oceanic plane and the operator declares it is Flight 815. The wreckage viewed by the ROV shows the entire plane, broken into three (connected) pieces.We cut to a news report showing footage of the submerged plane, explaining that the remains of Flight 815 have been found by the Christiane I in the Sunda Trench, which is located off of the coast of Bali. The reporter says “Oceanic Flight 815 did, in fact, crash at sea,” but says the discovery does not offer any sense of closure. All of the passengers are “confirmed dead.” The screen pans out to the first character flashback, of Daniel.

The news report

Daniel

In Essex, Massachusetts, Daniel Faraday weeps as he watches a news report about the discovery on television. A woman (his wife, as indicated by her ring) asks why he is crying. He replies that he does not know.

Miles

Miles, invoking the spirit of Mrs. Gardner’s grandson

In Inglewood, California, a man drives up to a house while listening to the radio. A reporter on the radio says that it was the “worst case scenario” and a rescue mission is unlikely because of how deep it is. The various pictures they have of the wreckage prove that “all 324 passengers are confirmed dead.” The man gets a briefcase out of his trunk and goes to the door. When Mrs. Gardner opens the door he announces himself as Miles Straume, saying that they spoke earlier, and she lets him in. “Which room is it?” Miles asks. She points upstairs. He opens a briefcase and assembles a strange device from pieces within, and says “no matter what happens or what you hear, don’t come upstairs.” He then says he’s charging $200 instead of the original $100, explaining the increase is because he found out that her grandson was murdered. She reluctantly agrees.

He goes upstairs to her grandson’s room. He sets his machine on the table and turns it on. Sitting on the bed, he begins to speak to the empty room. He tells whomever he believes is there that he isn’t doing his grandma any good by staying; he is causing her pain. Miles adds that he wants to tell Mrs. Gardener that the listener has left but that he can only do so if told where “it” is. Suddenly a noise attracts his attention to the bookcase. Moving it he discovers a bundle of cash and small bag of yellow powder concealed in an air vent. Miles keeps the cash, but replaces the powder in the vent, then tells the listener he can leave. He goes downstairs and tells Mrs. Gardner it worked and that “he’s at peace now.” After refunding some of Mrs. Gardener’s fee, saying that “it wasn’t as tricky as I thought,” he departs.

The Hydra Collar is found

Charlotte

In Medenine, Tunisia, a blonde woman picks up a French newspaper that says that Flight 815 has been recovered. Her friend asks, “How many different languages do you have to read it in to believe it?” She quips, “How many different languages are there?” They bribe their way into an excavation site in the middle of the desert where they find the bones of a polar bear. Her associate wonders if it is some kind of dinosaur, but Charlotte says the bones are a few million years newer than that. Her associate then questions its authenticity, claiming that it must be a joke. Charlotte, instead of studying the polar bear goes digging around it and quickly finds a collar that has a Hydra sign on it, associating the dead bear with the DHARMA Initiative. She smiles looking at it.

Frank, on the phone with the hotline

Frank

In Eleuthera, Bahamas, Frank Lapidus is watching television coverage of the discovery of Flight 815, which shows bodies in the undersea wreckage. When one body is identified as Seth Norris, the pilot of the flight, Frank calls the Oceanic hotline that has been set up for families of the victims and demands to speak to a supervisor. He asserts that the man shown cannot be Seth Norris, because Seth Norris always wore his wedding ring, and the corpse had no ring. When the man on the other end of the phone argues with him, Frank insists that he knew Seth well, and the body was not his. He then reveals that he was originally supposed to be the pilot of Flight 815.

Naomi with Matthew Abaddon

Naomi

The final flashback is of Naomi talking to Matthew Abaddon regarding their mission. The location for this flashback is not given. She emphasizes the level of danger in the Island Operation. She thinks Abaddon has not chosen the right people for this mission as they lack military or field experience. She says it would be a disaster without protection. “You are their protection,” Abaddon says. Naomi replies that it’s a “high risk, covert operation in unstable territory, especially with four untrained operatives.” She then describes the team one by one, calling Daniel a head case, Miles a ghost buster, Charlotte an anthropologist and Frank a drunk. Abaddon assures her that Frank is a competent pilot and that all of the team members were chosen for specific reasons. Naomi questions what to do if she finds survivors of Flight 815 but Abaddon is adamant that there were no survivors.

On Island

Daniel during the helicopter turbulence

Daniel Faraday and three other people are on a helicopter which is struggling to stay in the air. Miles Straume pushes a scared Faraday out of the chopper. When Faraday lands, he is still scared and disoriented. He hears people approaching. Dan quickly readies a handgun which he hides in his back just as Jack and Kate arrive. They meet and Dan asks for the phone. Daniel calls George, who asks what happened because the chopper’s communications went dead. Daniel says he doesn’t know; in the electrical storm everything went dead and he jumped out. He then says he’s speaking with some of the survivors. After George asks if he’s on speaker, Daniel excuses himself. Kate tells Jack not to worry. “Are you sure?” Jack says, nodding his head toward the gun that is exposed. Daniel returns, telling them that the ship has no communication with anyone else. He doesn’t know where the rest of his team is but they all have GPS units which allow their sat-phones to track them. His sat-phone is in his pack, which he lost. Jack hands him Naomi’s.

Miles, threatening to shoot Jack

Over at the beach, Sayid is staring at the ocean. Juliet approaches him. Sayid asks her why Ben would say the people coming were going to kill them. Juliet says because he’s a liar, or because they’re trying to kill them. She then asks how many guns he has left.

Miles, chanting over Naomi’s body

Soon Naomi’s phone begins picking up Miles’ location. Daniel, Jack and Kate head towards the signal. They find a metal box. Kate asks if that’s from his chopper. Daniel stutters about them dropping it to reduce weight. Jack finds gas masks and red bags with biohazard symbols in the box. When asking Daniel what the masks are for, Daniel looks nervously around and says he wasn’t the one in charge of packing. Jack confronts him on why he has a gun and Daniel reveals that saving them is not their primary objective. They ultimately find Miles, apparently unconscious on a rocky outcropping by the shore. Jack approaches and removes Miles helmet in order to examine him. When he does so, Miles pulls a gun on Jack. He asks Kate where Naomi is “the woman she killed!” Miles then informs them that Naomi asking after her sister was a distress code to indicate when someone in their group was under duress. Kate informs Miles that Naomi was killed by Locke, a rogue member of their group. Miles insists that they take him to Naomi’s body, asserting that he’ll know whether they’re telling the truth.

Charlotte hanging over a river

When they take Miles to Naomi’s body, he chants quietly over her. He informs Faraday that Jack and Kate are telling the truth. Just then they receive a signal from Charlotte’s GPS. Miles orders everyone to follow him. Jack insists that Miles and Faraday put away their guns. When Miles resists, Jack says that his own people are waiting in the jungle with rifles trained at their heads. Miles doubts this, and two shots ring out as Juliet and Sayid come into the clearing, pointing guns at Faraday and Miles. Jack collects their guns and they head off to find Charlotte.

Team Locke continues their trek across the Island. Sawyer realizes that they aren’t moving in the direction of the Barracks. Locke explains that they have to take a detour to a cabin. Hurley then says that the cabin is in a different direction. Locke and Ben both give surprised looks on their faces, which prompts Hurley to awkwardly say he was referring to the plane’s cabin. Sawyer asks Locke who told him that the Freighter people are bad people. Locke responds that it was Walt, but he seemed taller. Sawyer asks Locke what he meant by “taller”? Locke then adds that Walt told him that he had “work to do” and that he had to “stop Naomi from bringing the rest of her people”. Sawyer asks why he didn’t ask any questions and he says because Ben shot him and Walt saved him. Sawyer is doubtful but Locke lifts his shirt to show his wound, saying the bullet went through him and he’s lucky he doesn’t have a kidney where the bullet went through or he’d be dead.

Frank, loading the flare gun

Meanwhile, Charlotte wakes up upside down hanging from her harness which is caught in a tree branch over a river. She frees herself and plunges into the water. She looks around and seems ecstatic to be on the Island. When she surfaces she sees Locke and his group watching her. When she gets out of the water she explains the situation to the group, who exhibit various levels of trepidation and hostility. She indicates that she has a GPS tracker phone which will allow the rest of her group to find her.

Vincent, with Charlotte’s GPS

As Jack and the others search for Charlotte, Sayid questions Miles about why the four of them are there. Sayid takes Miles’ sat phone and tries to use it to call the freighter but instead he sees Charlotte’s signal. It’s moving quickly towards them. The group runs toward the signal but when it comes close they find that Charlotte’s GPS has been tied around Vincent’s neck. Jack realizes that Locke has Charlotte.

Charlotte is shocked by Ben’s knowledge

Frank Lapidus pulls himself out of some bushes. He climbs up a hill and sees a cow watching him. He tries to stand up but his legs fail him. When he pulls out his sat phone he discovers that it is broken. So he takes a flare gun from a pocket and fires a flare.

Charlotte sees the flare and declares her intention to go towards it. Locke tells her that he doesn’t want her to do that, but Charlotte insists. Claire points out that the person that shot the flare might be hurt, and Locke reminds the group that Charlotte and her team didn’t come to the island rescue them. While they argue, Ben takes Karl’s gun and shoots Charlotte twice in the chest. Sawyer attacks Ben and beats him. When Locke goes to check on Charlotte he finds she is still alive. and that she had been wearing a bullet proof vest under her jacket.

Ben in Miles’ photo

Jack and the others have also seen Frank’s distress flare and are now with him. Daniel and Miles try to get his attention but he seems dazed. They ask where the helicopter has crashed. Frank informs them that the helicopter was struck by lightning, but he managed to land it. When they go and look they find the helicopter intact. Sayid inspects the helicopter. Jack asks Miles why they are really here, Miles agree to divulge this information if Jack gives him the phone; he agrees. Miles tries to call Minkowski, but is informed by a woman that he is not able to answer the phone at this time. When Dan and Kate tries to load the dead Naomi on the plane, Miles stops them, saying “that’s not Naomi, it’s just meat”. Frank promises Dan to take Naomi on the next flight, as the helicopter cannot contain more weight because it already burned most of its fuel. Meanwhile, Juliet is treating Frank for a head wound. He asks her for her name, and when she tells it to him, he recognizes her as not having been on the plane since he studied the manifest. He calls Miles over and informs him that Juliet was not on the plane, that she is a native. Miles becomes aggressive and asks Juliet where “he” is. When Jack steps between them, Miles pulls out a picture of Ben, stating that they have come to the Island to find him.

Meanwhile, Locke takes Sawyer’s gun - intending to kill Ben despite the protests of Alex and Claire. Ben pleads for his life, claiming that he has information that Locke needs. Locke demands to know what the Monster is, but Ben claims that he does not know. He then starts blurting out information about Charlotte - her full name, family and educational information, which she does not deny. He also names the other members of her team, and states that they were sent to the Island in search of him. When asked about the source of the information, Ben claims to have a man on their boat.

Trivia

Dirt Spigot

General

The Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 Hotline Number 1-888-548-0034 is seen on Frank’s television. Calling this number results in an automated message, not a human operator as seen on the show.
The helicopter’s marking, N842M, if interpreted as the registration number, would make it registered in the USA.
- N8 42M is a Bell UH-1 Iroquois, a.k.a Huey.
- N8 42M is owned by Garlick Helicopter Corporation in Hamilton, Montana. This helicopter is most likely on lease to the production company. (FAA Registration Information)
Daniel Faraday’s flashback takes place in Essex, MA. Ben reveals that Charlotte Lewis was born in Essex, England.
Day 94 is Christmas’ Eve 2004.
As happened in previous episodes, this one brings many prominent red objects (lights in the helicopter, transponder lights, bag in the metal chest, fence in California, item in Miles’ trunk, Rebecca’s translator’s garment, gallon in the desert, Charlotte’s parachute handle, flowers in the forest, Frank’s flare gun, a.o.).

Production notes

Desmond, Jin, and Sun do not appear.
This is the first time off island flashbacks have taken place after the crash.
This episode features the first flashback from a dead character’s perspective.
Actors from Tunisia did a looping/voice over session for this episode. DarkUFO
In his interviews prior to the season 4 premiere, Lance Reddick consistently referred to his character as “a recruiter”, as seen on this episode (but not on the first).

Bloopers and continuity errors

Daniel greets Jack and Kate with “Are you Jack?” at the end of Beginning of the End, but when he sees them in this episode, he says, “Hey there. Are you Jack?”

Recurring themes

Recurring themes in Lost
Black and white • Car accidents • Character connections • Deceptions and cons • Dreams • Eyes • Fate versus free will • Good and bad people • Isolation • Missing body parts • The Numbers • Parent issues • Life and death • Rain • Rebirth • Redemption • Sacrifice • Secrets • Time • Nicknames

Daniel calls Jack and Kate “good people”. (Good and bad people)
The room Miles “works” in has a poster with the number 15 and two ticket stubs pinned on the wall can be seen with the number 15 as well. (The Numbers)
It is revealed that the people from the freighter are not on a search and rescue mission as Naomi had originally stated. (Deceptions and cons)
There were 324 (108 x 3) passengers on flight 8 15. (The Numbers)
The team on the helicopter is comprised of 4 people. (The Numbers)
The helicopter prefix is N-8-42-M. (The Numbers)
Ben is “Yoda”, John Locke is “Johnny”. (Nicknames)
Frank sees a cow on the Island. (Animals)
Locke is enjoying the rain during a stop. (Rain)
We learn about a previous connection between Naomi and Abaddon. (Character connections)
Lapidus was supposed to be the pilot of Oceanic 815, but his fate was completely altered. (Fate versus free will)
Locke explains he hasn’t died from being shot because he doesn’t have a kidney where the bullet trespassed him. (Missing body parts)

Cultural references

Cultural references in LOST (direct references only)
Art • Books • Cars • Games • Movies and TV • Music • Philosophy • Religion and ideologies

Staples Lewis: The name Charlotte Staples Lewis is a reference to Clive Staples Lewis (commonly referred to as C.S. Lewis), author of the Chronicles of Narnia and The Great Divorce. (Books)
Faraday: Michael Faraday was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to electromagnetism as a field of study. From Wikipedia: “He established that magnetism could affect rays of light and that there was an underlying relationship between the two phenomena.” In this episode, Dan Faraday comments on abnormalities in the light rays on the Island and defines himself as a physicist.
Minkowski: The name Minkowski is a reference to Hermann Minkowski, the mathematician who pioneered the idea of 4-dimensional space-time continuum.
Lapidus: The name Lapidus may be a reference to the movie Sleeper, in which one character says “No one touches my brain - they may drop it, then I would talk like Mr. Lapidus, who got hit by lightning.(Movies and TV)
Apocalypse Now: Sawyer calls Locke “Colonel Kurtz” after Marlon Brando’s character in this movie (1979). In the movie (but not in the original book, Heart of Darkness), Colonel Kurtz is a great man who leads his followers out into the jungle where he subsequently goes insane. The reference is also to Locke’s baldness (Brando was shaved bald in the film). (Nicknames) (Movies and TV)
Star Wars: (Movies and TV)
- Sawyer calls Ben “Yoda”.
- Daniel tells Kate and Jack “I’m here to rescue you”, exactly what like Luke says to Leia in Star Wars.
- Tunisia was used by George Lucas as a location for filming the Tatooine scenes, and the musical cue when Charlotte arrives there is very similar to the “Binary Sunset” musical cue of John Williams’ score for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
- The scene where Charlotte is hanging upside down from her parachute trying to free herself is an homage to Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back where Luke attempts to free himself from the ice cave he hangs upside down from.
Battle Royale: In the room in which Miles “works” these words can be seen. This could be a reference to the Japanese novel and movie by this name, in which high school students are taken to an isolated island and forced to fight to the death as a part of what is called “The Program”. (Books)
- Battle Royale is also a chapter of Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man”
Ghostbusters: Naomi calls Miles a ghostbuster. (Movies and TV)

Literary techniques

Literary techniques
Flashbacks • Flashforwards • Irony • Juxtaposition • Archetype • Mindf*ck • Plot twist • Symbolism • Foreshadowing • Cliffhanger • Redshirt • Unseen character • Christ Figure • Regularly spoken phrases

Ben’s life was saved by Charlotte, through her acknowledgement that his information about her is correct. He was saved by the woman he tried to kill. (Irony)
Locke muses that Ben’s bullet would have killed him if he had a second kidney, because it would have pierced the kidney. That means that, in effect, his father who tried to kill him eventually saved his life. (Irony)
Naomi is instructed by Matthew Abaddon to get the team in and out safely and to make sure no one gets killed. Unfortunately, Naomi, who according to her, is the only one with training, and who doubted the abilities of the other team members, ends up dead. (Irony)
Miles states that Naomi’s words “tell my sister I love her”, was a code for danger, and uses the example holding a gun “so right now, Jack would say, tell my sister that I love her”. Jack actually does have a sister, Claire. (Irony)
We finally get to see some of the circumstances in which the passengers of Oceanic flight 815 were all confirmed dead, and how the wreckage was found in deep waters. But we also saw the plane fall on the island with many survivors. (Mindf*ck)
The miniature plane in the water tank is shown just as Frank Lapidus learns that the wreckage of Oceanic 815 was found in the Sunda Trench. (Juxtaposition)
In the beginning of the episode, Hurley warns Locke that if he stays on the rain, he could be struck by a lightning. Later on, we learn the helicopter was hit by a lightning, causing the instability and the landing. (Foreshadowing)
While a wedding ring bears its own symbolism (the union and love within a marriage), the pilot’s absence of a ring means something completely different to Frank Lapidus. (Symbolism)
In the bedroom of Miles’ client, there’s a poster with the word “resurrection” and a Christ-like figure on it. (Christ Figure)

Find 815 references

The telephone number is the same number given as a clue in Chapter 1 of the Find 815 ARG.

The Christiane I, the boat from Find 815, is briefly mentioned.

The Sunda Trench, also from Find 815, is mentioned.

One of the Find 815 clues for Season 4 was “Tunisian Newspaper”.

Daniel Faraday, Miles Straume, Charlotte Lewis, and Frank Lapidus were all clue words in Find 815.

Episode references

Charlie called Hurley “Colonel-bloody-Kurtz” in “Numbers“.
A poster for the fictional band ‘Dirt Spigot’ can be seen in the room Miles works in. In the episode “Fire + Water“, the director of the Butties Diapers commercial says that he actually wanted Dirt Spigot for the ad instead of Driveshaft.

Unanswered Questions

Unanswered questions
Do not answer the questions here. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer. More details…

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Confirmed Dead/Theories