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313 redirects here. For Jacob's candidate with that corresponding number see Littleton

"The Man from Tallahassee" is the thirteenth episode of Season 3 and the sixty-second produced hour of the series as a whole. It was originally broadcast on March 21, 2007. As Kate and Sayid focus on rescuing a strangely placid Jack, Locke reveals his own agenda for finding the Barracks.

Synopsis[]

Previously on Lost[]

  • Locke wakes up on the beach. ("Walkabout")
  • Locke and Anthony are in the operating room. ("Deus Ex Machina")
  • Locke talks to Anthony Cooper inside his car about Cooper conning him for his kidney. ("Lockdown")
  • Kate says that they have to get Jack back, because she owes him that. ("Tricia Tanaka Is Dead")
  • Mikhail says the Others have a submarine. ("Par Avion")
  • Locke reveals he had C4 with him. ("Par Avion")
  • The A-Team reaches the Barracks and finds Jack playing football with Tom. ("Par Avion")

Flashback[]

3x13 TMFT locke govtworker talk

Locke meets with the government worker.

Locke is being interviewed by a government worker about his disability payments. She asks whether he has tried to find his biological father and why he has stopped submitting his therapy bills. He says he stopped therapy because it was a "waste of time," so she suspends the payments, saying the suspension is temporary and he can apply again as soon as he starts his therapy for depression again.

At his apartment, Locke eats a TV dinner while watching an episode of Exposé. There is a knock at his door. A young man introduces himself as Peter Talbot and asks Locke if he knows "Adam Seward," who claims to be a retired computer entrepreneur from Ontario and who has asked Peter's mother to marry him. Talbot says Seward used to be known as Anthony Cooper and he was able to trace Locke as the donor of a kidney to Seward. Peter has an uneasy feeling about Seward and wants to find out if he is a good man. Locke claims it was an anonymous kidney donation and that he cannot help him. Locke confronts his father at a flower shop preparing for the wedding. He demands that Cooper call off the wedding and leave the state. He tells Cooper that Peter is on to the con and threatens to tell Mrs. Talbot the truth. Cooper tells Locke that he will leave and call off the wedding.

One day as he arrives home, Locke is met by Detective Mason and Detective Reed, who ask if he knows Peter Talbot. They tell Locke they know he came to Locke's apartment. When Locke claims Peter was just trying to sell him something, the detectives tell him the Talbots are worth $200 million, and that Peter Talbot is now dead.

3x13 TMFT locke falls

Locke falls 8 storeys.

Locke goes to Cooper's high rise suite and demands to know if he killed Peter Talbot. Cooper claims Mrs. Talbot called off the wedding due to the boy's death, leaving him with no angle to make any profit. Cooper pours two glasses of MacCutcheon Scotch whisky, sipping from one. Locke refuses the whisky. Cooper says he's a con man and not a murderer, and Locke can call Mrs. Talbot and ask her. As Locke reaches for the phone, Cooper lunges and pushes him through the window. He plummets eight stories and lands on his back.

Locke is badly injured and hospitalized. The detectives visit him and tell him that Cooper fled to Mexico and disappeared. When they leave, Locke's therapist tries to bring a positive attitude to the deeply depressed Locke. He brings in a wheelchair and carries a resistant and unsettled Locke to it. Locke claims he can't do it, but the therapist responds, "John, you fell eight stories out of a window and survived. I don't want to hear about what you can't do." Locke stares at his immobile toes and cries.

On the Island[]

3X12ateam

The A-Team watches Jack.

Locke, Sayid, Kate and Rousseau watch Jack and Tom throw a football. Juliet joins them and they happily speak. They go to a house and Juliet wheels Ben out in a wheelchair. They talk and Ben shakes hands with Jack.

The trio of Kate, Sayid and Locke are confused by Jack's behavior. Locke guesses that Jack must have a good reason for it and suggests waiting until dark before talking to Jack and attempting a rescue. Sayid notices that Rousseau has left them.

That night the rescue party splits up to guard Jack's bungalow as Kate sneaks in. She finds Jack playing the piano , and when he notices her, he is surprised and angry and tells her to leave immediately because he is being watched by cameras. Guards burst in, and Kate is captured and Sayid is dragged in also. When Kate is interrogated by the guards, she lies and does not mention that Locke or Rousseau had accompanied them to the Barracks.

3X13Bensrecuperation

Ben's recuperation is interrupted by John Locke.

Meanwhile, Locke surprises Ben in his room with his gun drawn. Locke asks Ben where the submarine is, and Ben claims ignorance until Locke mentions that he killed Mikhail Bakunin. Alex comes in and Locke takes her hostage. When Tom knocks on the door, Locke takes Alex into a closet while Tom and Richard Alpert enter to inform Ben that Kate and Sayid have been found in the Barracks and captured. Ben orders that they be separated. Tom goes to carry out the orders and Ben asks Alpert to bring him "the man from Tallahassee." When he leaves, Locke sends Alex to retrieve Sayid's backpack as he holds Ben hostage.

3X13didithurt

Ben to Locke: "Did it hurt".

Ben asks for help getting into his wheelchair. When Locke shows reluctance, Ben promises "no tricks" and that he just wants some dignity. He says that Locke should understand what that means. Ben asks how Locke will pilot the submarine and what is in the pack. He deduces that Locke has C-4 explosives from the communications station and that he plans to destroy the sub. "I know you, John Locke," says Ben. He outlines Locke's life, saying he knows he spent four years in a wheelchair, and that he knows how Locke ended up in it. He asks if it hurt, and a bitter Locke replies, "I felt my back break. What do you think?"

Manfrompromo06

Jack tells Kate that he is leaving. (promotional still)

Kate's hands are cuffed behind her back and she is being held in a recreation room with a pool table. She is working to free herself when Tom comes in. He is with Jack and warns him to "be careful in here," pointing to his ear and the ceiling, indicating the room is bugged. Jack tells Kate that this is where they live, and that the kidnapped people and children are safe. When Kate asks if he is with them now, Jack claims to not be with anyone. She confronts him about why he is acting this way, and he admits that they agreed to let him go home--the next morning--and that he can get help for everyone. They draw near to one another but when Jack mentions saving Sawyer's life for her, Kate asks, "What did they tell you?" Their moment is interrupted by Juliet coming to get him so they can leave on the submarine. Jack whispers in Kate's ear that he will come back for her after he escapes.

Ben says while he was imprisoned in the Hatch, he couldn't ask John how he was walking around without telling him who he really was. When he invites Ben to ask him now, John suggests that he still will not know who Ben really is. Ben seeks confirmation that John could walk immediately after the crash. Locke says that Ben is wondering why he too, is not recovering as fast as he would like. Ben suggests that Locke is afraid that if he leaves the island he will be back in the chair and that is why he wants to destroy the sub.

Locke alex

Alex takes Locke to the submarine.

Alex goes to get the pack from Ryan, who is guarding Sayid, who is handcuffed to a swing set. Sayid tells her she looks like her mother. "My mother is dead," she says, and he replies, "I'm sure that's what they told you," before being hit by Ryan and told to keep his mouth shut.

Locke asks where the electricity comes from, and Ben says sarcastically that they have two giant hamsters running in a wheel. Ben has photos of Alex throughout her childhood displayed proudly in frames on his wall. Ben tries to convince Locke to leave the submarine alone because he would have "a big problem with [his] people" if Locke were to destroy it. He says that he was born on the Island, but many of the Others weren't, and, though they love the island and would do anything to defend it, they need to know that they can leave if they want to. "The sub maintains that illusion." Ben promises to show Locke "things he wants to see very badly." He tells Locke to imagine that the Island contains a "very large box" that can manifest anything one wishes for. Locke sarcastically suggests Ben should wish for a new submarine. He says Ben is a hypocrite and a pharisee for using electricity and guns. He says that Ben has no idea what the island really is. Ben asks how Locke thinks he knows the Island better than he does, and Locke replies, "because you're in the wheelchair and I'm not."

3x13sorryJack

"Sorry Jack".

Alex returns with the bag and Locke demands that she take him to the sub. Ben pleads one more time, telling Locke about his deal with Jack. He tells Locke that the submarine will leave in an hour with Jack and that it will never come back because the magnetic anomaly disabled their communications. Outside, Alex tells Locke that Ben was manipulating him because that is what he does. She tells him he "makes you think it's your idea but really it is his" to which Locke replies that he will have to keep that in mind. She shows Locke to the dock and he apologizes for involving her. We see Rousseau longingly watching Alex from the trees. Locke enters the empty sub and looks around, turning on the lights.

Ben is visited by Jack and Juliet at his house. Jack asks for "one last favor," that his friends be released after he is gone. Ben agrees to let them go, shaking Jack's hand and giving his word to "let them go just as soon as you've left the Island." Juliet thanks him for keeping his promise.

3x13 TMFT sub explodes

The sub explodes.

Locke leaves the sub, bathed in sweat, and is confronted by Ryan and the Others with Jack and Juliet. Jack asks Locke what he is doing there. Locke apologizes to Jack just as the sub explodes.

Later, Locke is cuffed in an industrial room when Ben and Richard Alpert enter. Locke guesses that Ben wanted him to destroy the sub. Ben confirms that Locke "made his dream come true" by leaving Jack unable to leave the Island, but without Ben having obviously broken his own promise. Ben tells Alpert to uncuff John.

3x13 TMFT tallahassee man revealed

The Man from Tallahassee is revealed.

Locke asks sarcastically about the magic box and Ben says he will show him what came out of it. Ben tells Locke that when he asked him earlier if it hurt, he was asking not about the physical pain but what it felt like when Locke's own father tried to kill him. He guesses that Locke is afraid of Cooper, and that the Island is the one place Cooper can never find him. Locke has "some communion" with the Island and that makes him very important. Ben unlocks a door, revealing The Man from Tallahassee: Anthony Cooper, bound and beaten with a gag in his mouth. Anthony Cooper's reaction to seeing Locke is a mixture of shock and fear. John's reaction is shock and one word: "Dad?"

Trivia[]

  • Locke's form at the government office in the flashback lists his address as 168 San Juan St., Tustin, California. The floral shop is called "Tustin Ranch Florist".
  • Locke falls in a palm garden that is actually an octagon.
  • When Locke confronts his father about Peter Talbot's death, a picture with the word Apollo can be seen behind Anthony Cooper (Possibly the Apollo Theater in New York).
  • The piano Jack plays appears to be the same Kawai once owned by Charlie. ("Fire + Water")
  • This episode drops several hints about the next episode, "Exposé". Locke watches Exposé on television, and an ad for Colt.45 (featuring Billy Dee Williams) appears in the background.
  • Anthony pours two glasses and drinks MacCutcheon whisky right before pushing Locke out of the window.
  • This episode marks the first time in which Locke and Richard Alpert meet. However, it is not the first time chronologically that Locke and Richard have met. ("Cabin Fever")  ("Jughead")
  • The episode which shows how Locke survived the fall (Jacob touches him) isn't revealed until Season 5, which was 2 years after this episode aired, so until that time it was a mystery.
  • "Anthony Cooper, Adam Seward" is an anagram for "Sawyer, the con man, a poor dad."
  • This episode is rated TV-14-V.

Production notes[]

Bens-frig-locke-open

Locke opens Ben's fridge to get the chicken.

  • Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) and Michael Emerson (Ben) appear after both being missing for 3 episodes.
  • At one point this episode was titled "Last Man Standing."
  • When debating the issue of how many stories Locke could realistically fall, the people involved in the production looked at a report[1] of a man surviving a fall from a greater height. (Official Lost Podcast/March 26, 2007)
  • In several Others' houses, and even in different rooms of the same house, several paintings depicting the Island can be seen decorating the walls.
  • This episode marks the first appearance of Ryan Pryce.
  • A Lost: On Location for this episode is available on the Season 3 DVD.

Bloopers and continuity errors[]

Bens-frig-ben-open

Ben opens his fridge to put the chicken back.

  • When Ben goes to put the chicken back into his fridge, the contents inside have changed.
  • When Kate opens the side door to Jack's house, the entire door can be seen as all white. In the next shot, Kate shuts the door and a blue jacket can clearly be seen hanging from a hook.
  • At the beginning of the Season 3 premiere episode, "A Tale of Two Cities", the overhead view of the barracks shows them located in a deep valley surrounded by mountains, far from water. And in the episode "Enter 77", Sayid's map of the Island shows that the Barracks are entirely surrounded by the sonar fence. However, in this episode, Locke and Alex are able to walk quickly from the Barracks to the pier where the submarine is docked, and return to the Barracks, without passing through the fence. (Subsequent episodes would consistently depict the submarine dock as being a short walk from the Barracks.)


Music[]

This episode features two unusual musical choices. Firstly, the piece Jack plays on the piano is actually an arrangement of the theme that composer Michael Giacchino wrote for the character; normally, the themes are only heard as part of the orchestral underscore. The music was not played on the Kawai piano pictured in the episode, but rather recorded from a Nord Electro 2 keyboard. (Official Lost Podcast/March 26, 2007) The theme plays as part of the score later in the episode and appears as the track "A Touching Moment" on the Season 3 soundtrack.

Secondly, the scene inside the submarine features a theme that Giacchino originally wrote for the video game Medal of Honor. This can be heard on the game's soundtrack as "The U-Boat." The same theme was used much later for the submarine in "Follow the Leader" and "The Incident, Part 1", and it returned again in the final season.

Analysis[]

Recurring themes[]


Cultural references[]

Literary techniques[]

  • At the beginning of the episode, Locke is seated and is having a discussion on receiving disability payments from the government, which the audience would most likely assume is in reference to him being paralyzed and in a wheelchair. Suddenly, Locke stands up to leave, and it is revealed that he was actually receiving disability due to depression, and this scene takes place before Locke's paralysis. (Twist)
  • In flashback, Locke is placed into a wheelchair for the first time. In the next scene, Locke is standing, and Ben is in a wheelchair. Ben responds to one of Locke's questions with "Because I'm in a wheelchair and you're not." (Juxtaposition)
  • Locke is watching a TV series. It mentions a Bolivian gold deposit being stolen at 2AM "the night before" and a character called "The Cobra," as well as Crystal and Autumn. At the time of the first viewing it wasn't known that this was Nikki's television show, Exposé. (Foreshadowing)
  • Locke declines to help Peter find out the truth about Anthony Cooper. On the island, Locke works with Kate and Sayid to help rescue Jack from the Others (Juxtaposition)
  • Locke's father is revealed to be on the Island. (Plot twist)  (Cliffhanger)
  • After disabling all known communications, and destroying the sub, which Ben implied was his people's only means off the Island, Locke should have been free from his father forever. Then Locke's father shows up on the Island. (Irony)
  • Locke falls to the ground, from the building, and ends up paralyzed. Later Locke falls to the ground, from the airplane, and is healed. (Irony)
  • When Locke gets the chicken from the refrigerator, the camera view is from the outside looking in. When Ben later puts the chicken back, the camera view is from the inside looking out. This shows each characters' perspective on the island and its mysteries. (Symbolism)
  • When Locke gets some chicken from the refrigerator, Ben says "I ate most of the dark meat." This leaves only white meat for Locke to eat, symbolising him as the good person, and Ben as the bad person. (Symbolism)

Storyline analysis[]

  • Locke is faced with his nemesis, or a man who looks like him, in a position of superiority. (Rivalries)
  • Rescuing Jack is an A-Mission. (A-Missions)
  • Anthony Cooper pushes Locke out of an 8th floor window in an attempt to kill him. (Crimes)
  • Locke blows up the submarine, stopping Jack from leaving the Island. (Rivalries)


Episode connections[]

Episode references[]

  • Locke recalls the first time he saw Jack pulling people from the wreckage of Oceanic 815. ("Pilot, Part 1")
  • Ben knows Locke worked for a box company. ("Walkabout")
  • Peter Talbot tracks down Locke because he donated one of his kidneys to Anthony Cooper. ("Deus Ex Machina")
  • Ben tells Locke it wasn't easy to live in the hatch without giving away who he was. ("Lockdown")
  • Kate tells Sayid they were drugged when they were captured. ("A Tale of Two Cities")
  • Jack trusts the Others because Kate told him to, when she asked him to save Sawyer's life. ("I Do")
  • Jack says he told Kate not to come back for him. ("Not in Portland")
  • Kate recognises Juliet as the woman who helped her escape. ("Not in Portland")
  • Locke tells Ben that he killed Mikhail. ("Par Avion")

Episode allusions[]

  • Locke's famous saying "don't tell me what I can't do" is said by another character in this episode: John's physiotherapist tells John, "You just fell eight stories and survived, I don't want to hear about what you can't do." ("Walkabout")
  • Locke saying "Dad?" and looking shocked right before the end credits parallels two other episodes.
    • Jack looked shocked and says "Dad?" after apparently seeing Christian on the Island. ("White Rabbit")
    • Michael was communicating with someone on the Swan computer and types his name, to which the response was"Dad?" ("What Kate Did")
  • The group previously argued about whether Jin burnt the raft or not. Locke appears and says, "Why would any one of us block an attempt to get off the island?" In this episode he does just that. ("...In Translation")
  • Jack is playing the piano when Kate breaks in. The other time we've seen him do this was when he was struggling with his vows for Sarah before their wedding. ("Do No Harm")
  • The shot with Locke looking down into the submarine is strikingly reminiscent of the end shot of Season 1 with Locke and Jack looking into the hatch. ("Exodus, Part 3")
  • There are a large number of uses of the color red in this episode, much like in Desmond's episode, including the bottle of MacCutcheon whisky, shirts, Locke's VW Beetle, prominent flowers, prominent lights, cushions and other things. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")
  • The first time Ben appears in a wheelchair is the same episode in which Locke first uses a wheelchair and his 5th wheelchair appearance since the start of the show. The others are "Walkabout", "Exodus, Part 1", "Exodus, Part 3", and "S.O.S.".

References[]

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