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"Raised by Another" is the tenth episode of Season 1 of Lost. After experiencing terrifying nightmares two nights in a row, Claire begins to think that someone is trying to hurt her baby. In response, Hurley decides to start a census of all of the survivors, revealing something shocking. Flashbacks in this episode focus on Claire's struggle with accepting the fact that she has to raise her unborn child herself.

Synopsis[]

Previously on Lost[]

  • The survivors use a transceiver from the plane's cockpit to receive a distress signal from a French woman that has been playing on a loop for 16 years. ("Pilot, Part 2")
  • After torturing Sawyer for Shannon's asthma medication, Sayid tells Kate he is leaving the camp, traveling on his own to map the Island. ("Confidence Man")

Flashback[]

1x10 claire

Claire realizes that she is pregnant.

Claire leaves the bathroom and her boyfriend, Thomas, asks her what the result is. She has just taken a pregnancy test and the two panic about the result. Time elapses, and Claire realizes that she is indeed with child. The thought petrifies her, but Thomas reassures her. He says that he loves her, and that a baby might be “the best thing ever.”

Later, Claire discusses the situation with her friend Rachel, telling Rachel how excited she was. They arrive at the home of a psychic, Richard Malkin, whom Rachel has convinced her friend to see. Inside, the psychic reads Claire’s palm and immediately congratulates her on her pregnancy. He remarks that things are a bit blurry and asks if she's sure she wants to go on and she says yes. His face then tightens, as though he has seen something frightening. He swiftly returns Claire’s money and refuses to continue the reading, ushering the two women out.

1x10 thomas

Thomas tells Claire that he is leaving her.

Back at her apartment, Claire is busy childproofing and redecorating the place. However, Thomas quickly causes her mood to change, saying that he cannot do this anymore. The reality of having a child has given Thomas cold feet, and he mentions Claire’s “daddy abandonment issues” in an attempt to lay the blame on her for his pulling away in the relationship. The two begin to argue and Thomas continues with his cold comments, saying that Claire was supposed to be taking the contraception pill and insinuating that she intentionally got pregnant.

1x10 malkin

Malkin performs a second reading.

The psychic opens his door to find Claire there, requesting a second reading. She jokes as he counts her cash, and the psychic notes that Claire has been dumped. He asks if she wishes to continue after what he saw last time, and she agrees. He says it is crucial that Claire raises the child herself, and her goodness must influence her baby’s development. Claire says she will put the baby up for adoption unless Thomas returns, but Malkin insists that she must listen. As he continues to shout, Claire runs away in fear.

At night, Claire wakes up as her phone rings. On the other end is Malkin, who has apparently been calling Claire for months now. He again insists she keeps the baby, and he says he has a plan. Claire, however, does not listen and hangs up on him.

1x10 claire 2

Claire faces the decision of whether to give away her child.

Now at a solicitor's office, Claire is finalizing details of adoption to Arlene and Joseph Stewart. They agree that Claire will have no legitimate rights to the child, and that she will be paid upon the child’s birth. Before she signs the document, she requests that the Stewarts sing the song “Catch a Falling Star” to the baby, as her father sang it to her as a child. She tries to sign, but the pen is not working. The lawyer passes her another, but again ink does not come out. As a third is passed to her, Claire begins to have second thoughts, and she runs away.

Malkin once more opens his door to find Claire, who tells him she is ready to listen to his plan. Inside, Claire is told that a couple in Los Angeles are “good people,” and that they will take good care of the child. He gives her tickets for Oceanic Flight 815, but Claire is put off by the fact that the flight is only a day away. Malkin firmly says it cannot be any other flight and the couple is waiting to meet her in America.

On the Island[]

Day 15

Lockeyeblackwhite

Locke's eyes in Claire's dream.

Claire wakes up in the night. She hears a baby's cry. Claire sits up with a confused and concerned expression on her face; she looks down and feels her stomach, noticing that she is not pregnant. She hears the cry again and starts off into the jungle in a daze, looking for the source of the crying. Claire sees a light in the jungle and walks toward it, where she encounters Locke sitting at the table at which she received her psychic reading; the psychic's electric lamp is also present. As she approaches, Locke is drawing tarot cards from a deck one by one as he stares down at the table. The first card makes the sound of a metal against metal, like a knife being unsheathed. They exchange a few brief words:

CLAIRE: What's happening?
LOCKE: You know what's happening.
CLAIRE: But I don't understand. Why --?
LOCKE: He was your responsibility but you gave him away, Claire. Everyone pays the price now.
1x10 locke

Locke in Claire's dream.

As Locke finishes saying this, he looks up at her with a creepy expression on his face; he has one black eye and one white eye. Claire hears a baby's cry and runs into the jungle. She finds a crib with a plane mobile and pulls the blankets back, finding a thick dark pool of blood. She wakes up from this nightmare and she begins screaming. Claire stands in the caves screaming hysterically; Charlie grabs her to stop her screams and fighting as she wakes up. She eventually calms down; Charlie notices her bloody hands and asks what happened.

1x10 claire 3

Claire tells Jack about what happened during the night.

In the morning, Jack sees to her hands, commenting that she must have had “one hell of a nightmare” to have "dug their nails 1/4 of an inch into their palms". Claire implies that perhaps it was not a nightmare, but Jack shrugs the event off as sleepwalking and stress.He begins to ask questions about Claire's pregnancy.

(Flashback#1)

At the beach, Jack finds Kate watching the ocean. The two begin to flirt as Kate explains that she is sinking in the sand due to the effect of the waves. She remarks that Sayid has been gone for almost a week, but Jack says, "Something tells me he'll be okay." Then, with a concerned look on his face, he tells Kate that Claire will have the baby soon.

Charlie and Claire sit in the jungle having a quiet moment with a cup of tea. They talk about her nightmare, and Charlie says that if she ever needs anything, he is there for her. She seems touched, but does not reply, and Charlie interprets that as a hint that he should go.

1x10 charlie

Charlie promises to protect Claire.

Once again at night, Claire sees a man covering her mouth and stabbing her stomach with a needle. She wakes, screaming loudly just like the night before. She says that someone attacked her, and Charlie and Hurley go to scout the area. Jack and Michael try to comfort her, but Claire is adamant that what she saw was real and that someone truly was trying to hurt her baby. The event leads Hurley to realize that none of the survivors has any idea of who their fellow survivors on the Island really are. He wants to start a census of who everyone is, where they live (in the caves or on the beach), and other information about them. Meanwhile, Charlie reassures Claire that he will watch over her all night.

Day 16

1x10 jack

Jack doesn't believe Claire's claims.

The next day, Hurley asks Locke questions about his background and his reason for traveling to Australia. John answers the questions, saying he came to Sydney “looking for something” and he has lived most of his life in Tustin, California. Further down the coast, Jack tells Charlie and Kate that he thinks Claire is merely dreaming. Charlie cannot believe he is suggesting that Claire is lying, but Jack attributes it to the stress and emotional imbalance of her pregnancy on the Island.

In the jungle, Hurley questions Ethan Rom. Ethan answers the questions, saying he is from Ontario. He asks what the census is for, and Hurley says he simply "thought it would be a good idea." At the caves, Jack tries to tactfully tell Claire he thinks she should take some sedatives. Claire realizes Jack thinks she is making everything up. Packing her things, she decides to go back to the beach, which she thinks is safer than the caves. Charlie catches up with her, and escorts her for her protection, despite her telling him to leave her alone.

1x10 shannon

Shannon mocks Hurley's attempts to make a census of the survivors.

At the beach, Hurley has begun questioning Shannon, who is preparing to move to the caves. She answers his questions: her name is Shannon Rutherford, she is 20, and her address is "Craphole Island". She and Boone ask Hurley why he is making the list, and he tells them what may have happened to Claire. Shannon suddenly drops her bags, telling Boone they are now definitely not moving to “the rape caves." Boone shrugs off Shannon’s words and tells Hurley about the flight manifest. He says the names of the dead have been crossed off, so it should be a full roster of who is left on the Island. Hurley asks who has it, and Boone replies, “Who do you think?” Immediately realizing who he means, Hurley heads to Sawyer's tent. Rather than demand the manifest, Hurley uses the calm approach of analyzing the con man, pointing out he could use the points amongst the Islanders. The tactic is successful; Sawyer gives Hurley the manifest.

1x10 ethan charlie

Charlie tells Ethan to get Jack at once, as he thinks Claire is about to have the baby.

As Claire and Charlie continue heading to the beach, Claire begins to feel contractions. Charlie offers to deliver the baby himself, but in his nervousness he reveals that he is a recovering drug addict. Claire flatly tells him to get Jack at once. Charlie finds Ethan and tells him to find Jack immediately. Charlie returns to Claire and helps her calm down. She tells him about the psychic she once visited, and while she thinks he was wrong, Charlie says perhaps he knew of their fate. Claire becomes convinced Malkin put her on the flight knowing what would happen. She starts to feel better, and Charlie remembers that Jack told him about stress causing a false labor. The relationship between the two is now completely mended, and they decide to head back to the caves.

1x10 claire 4

Claire stands frozen to the spot.

There, Jack and Kate are shocked to see Sayid stumble in. Sayid is severely dehydrated and delirious, speaking of the French woman. He ominously adds that “we are not alone” before fainting. Before they can properly take care of him, Hurley shows up to talk about his list. He has cross-referenced all the names he collected with those on the flight manifest, and found that one of them was not on the latter. That person was not on the plane.

As Charlie and Claire begin their trek back, they are greeted by Ethan. Beginning to feel uncomfortable, they ask where Jack is. Ethan simply stares at Claire, and a frightened look forms on her face.

Trivia[]

  • The title of this episode, "Raised by Another", is homophonous to an alternate titling - "Raised by An Other".
  • The mystery of Claire's nightmares and the injections won't be revealed until Season 2 episode "Maternity Leave". They are finally fully explained in the Season 3 episode, "One of Us".
  • This is the first episode in which the flight number of Oceanic Flight 815 is mentioned.
  • In this episode, Shannon reveals she is 20 years old. She is 21 by the time of the Season 2 episode "Abandoned", placing her off-screen birthday somewhere after Claire's abduction.
  • This is the first time we learn Hurley's real name: Hugo Reyes. Claire and Shannon's surnames are also revealed on-screen: Littleton and Rutherford.
  • For some reason, Hurley is not concerned when "Sawyer's" name doesn't appear on the manifest. However, Locke later points out that the name "Sawyer" was not on the manifest, but that "James" was, and asks Sawyer where he got his name from. ("The Hunting Party")
  • Richard Malkin would later admit to being a fraud. ("?")
  • One of Thomas' paintings in the apartment is later seen in Charles Widmore's office in "Flashes Before Your Eyes".
  • This episode is Rated TV-14.

Production notes[]

  • Daniel Dae Kim (Jin) and Yunjin Kim (Sun) appear without speaking lines.
  • This episode marks the first appearance of Nick Jameson (Richard Malkin).
  • During a Q&A session in Israel in July 2009, Executive Producer Jack Bender revealed that director Marita Grabiak pushed for the opening sequence of Claire's dream to be shot in black and white. Despite politely refusing her suggestion, she kept pushing for it and he had to overrule her. She would never work on Lost again.
  • This episode had the production number 107, while the previous episode, "Solitary" had the production number 108. It was confirmed by the producers of the show that the episodes were written in that order and the ending scenes were re-edited when it was decided to switch their order. (Official Lost Podcast/April 6, 2009)
    • In an interview, Jorge Garcia said the episodes were switched because it would be strange for the characters to start playing golf when Claire and Charlie were missing. [1]
  • Jorge Garcia confirmed on his podcast, Geronimo Jack's Beard, that at the end of the scene where Hurley interviews Locke for his census, the part where he approaches a background survivor to ask for additional information was an improvised line that Jorge added himself.

Cut material[]

Lost1x10RaisedbyAnother59

Malkin knew.

  • Claire's dream included some additional elements in the original script. Claire would have passed an unexplained pink stripe on a tree. Locke would have repeated his last line, screaming. "Catch a Falling Star" would have played as the mobile turned, gradually increasing in speed. And the bloody crib would have contained a doll, which would have cried an inhuman howl at Claire.[1]
  • Claire would have explained her reluctance at Charlie's advances as fear of his later changing his mind. Charlie would have joked about this idea.[2] Later, Claire would have brought it up again.[3]
  • Before talking to Locke, Hurley would have interviewed Scott and Steve and learned that they'd traveled in Australia together. He would have asked if they were married, and though they said they weren't, the nature of their relationship would have remained unclear.[4]
  • The script called for Malkin to wear a blazer and tie.[5] After calling Claire repeatedly, he would have convinced her to come see her again by promising her money.[6] Arlene and Joseph Stewart were envisioned as Americans living in Melbourne.[7] Malkin and Claire's final scene would have contained additional dialog - Malkin would have claimed to have known Claire's soul and seen honesty in it. The script called for an additional close-up on Malkin's face at the end of the scene, explicitly stating that he knew Oceanic 815 would crash.[8]
  • Toward to the episode's end, the camera would have cut between Sayid and Hurley, each running to Jack, on an apparent collision course.[9] Ethan's confrontation with Claire and Charlie would have run longer and included more dialog, including the episode's original closing line: Ethan saying "I'm sorry it's come to this" before a cut to black.[10]

Bloopers and continuity errors[]

  • After she finds out she is pregnant, Claire claims that her mother would disown her, even though it turns out that in "Par Avion" that her mother has long been in a "permanently" vegetative state. Additionally, Claire's friend Rachel says to Mr. Malkin, "She hasn't told her mum yet, we're afraid she might—" before Claire shushes her friend.
    • Thomas's reply that her mother has "basically" disowned her already has been interpreted by some fans as an insensitive reference to the coma, with Claire's words implying she hopes for her recovery. Carole Littleton does indeed recover and is seemingly fine by "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1" and later episodes.
  • The law books seen in the background of the (Australian) solicitor's office are United States case law and code books.
  • The $20,000 offered to Claire as part of giving her baby up for adoption is illegal in Australia. People may have their medical and living expenses paid by prospective adoptive parents, but any form of "profiting" from the adopting out of a baby is expressly prohibited.[source needed]
  • A light plane can be seen behind Sawyer and Hurley flying toward the beach camp.[11]
  • While Claire and Thomas are discussing whether to keep the baby, Claire references her low-paying job as "my five dollar an hour job at Fish and Fry". The minimum wage in Australia in 2003-2004 was $11 an hour. [12][13] Additionally, the minimum wage in Australia hasn't been $5 an hour since the eighties.
  • Both Claire and Thomas refer to the window furnishings as "drapes", the Australian term is "curtains" [14]

Music[]

Main article: Musical score
Main article: Musical themes

Claire's theme is introduced in the first flashback, as Claire and Thomas discuss her pregnancy. It also shows up later in scenes involving her and Charlie. None of these statements can be heard on the season 1 soundtrack, but a different statement of the theme can be heard on the track "We're Friends". The episode also introduces a motif that plays during scenes involving paranormal phenomena.


Analysis[]

Recurring themes[]


  • During Claire's dream, one of Locke's eyes is white while the other is black. (Black and white)  (Eyes)
  • The psychic in Claire's flashback also met Mr. Eko whilst he was in Australia. (Character connections)
  • Claire dreams about her baby being attacked. (Dreams and visions)
  • A close-up of Claire's right eye is shown. (Eyes)
  • After she finds out she is pregnant, Claire claims that her mother would disown her. (Parent issues)
  • Thomas, Claire's boyfriend, mentions in passing her absentee father. (Parent issues)
  • Claire at one point believes that she is about to have her baby. (Pregnancies)
  • The psychic spent 4 months telling Claire to raise the child herself. (The Numbers)
  • When Claire finds out she is pregnant, she says that her period is six weeks late. Six weeks = 42 days. (The Numbers)
  • Hurley discovers that someone is living among them who was not on the plane. (Deceptions and cons)
  • Richard Malkin tells Claires that the couple in Los Angeles are good people. (Good and bad people)


Cultural references[]


Literary techniques[]

  • Ethan Rom is revealed to be an Other. (Plot twist)  (Cliffhanger)
  • Claire's parent issues become a major plot line in "Par Avion". (Foreshadowing)
  • Charlie told Claire that he'll "never leave" her and helps her through her false labor; Thomas also said that he'd "never leave" her before he did. (Juxtaposition)
  • Claire got angry at Jack for "trying to tell her what to do"; in Australia, she allowed Richard Malkin to tell her what to do. (Juxtaposition)
  • Richard Malkin suggests to Claire that a couple in Los Angeles should raise her child. Jack and Kate later briefly act as parents to Aaron in LA. (Foreshadowing)
  • Claire tried to get rid of the responsibility of the baby after Thomas leaves; on the Island, she realized that she must take on this responsibility. (Juxtaposition)


Storyline analysis[]

  • Thomas ends his relationship with Claire after he realized he couldn't deal with the pressure of being a father. (Relationships)


Episode connections[]

Episode references[]

  • Locke tells Hurley he was in Australia "looking for something." ("Walkabout")
  • Charlie references kicking his drug habit. ("The Moth")
  • Sayid tells Jack about his encounter with Danielle Rousseau. ("Solitary")

Episode allusions[]

Unanswered questions[]

Unanswered questions
  1. Do not answer the questions here.
  2. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer.
For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Raised by Another/Theories

External links[]

References[]

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