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222 redirects here. For Jacob's candidate with that corresponding number see O'Toole

"Three Minutes" is the 22nd episode of Season 2 of Lost and the 47th produced hour of the series as a whole. As the survivors mourn the losses of Ana Lucia and Libby, Michael continues to mount pressure on his peers to join him in a mission to rescue Walt from the Others.

Synopsis[]

Previously on Lost[]

Flashback[]

2X22-MichaelWaltComputer

Michael and Walt's conversation.

13 Days Ago[]

Michael approaches Locke in the gun vault, asking to borrow a gun for more target practice. When he asks for some bullets, he knocks a box of them off the shelf. Locke stoops to pick them up, and Michael hits him with the butt of his rifle, leaving him unconscious. Michael heads to the computer, and types on the keyboard to Walt. Walt tells his father that he is being held near an unusual rock formation with a large hole in the center. Michael types that he's leaving "NOW." Jack wakes up in the next room, calls for Locke, and finds him unconscious in the vault. Michael corners him threateningly, telling Jack he's leaving to find Walt and that it's "his right" to go after Walt. He then locks both of them in.

Running across the Island, Michael encounters Danny Pickett, back toward Michael, apparently urinating. Michael draws the rifle on him. He distracts Michael by asking if he's "Walt's old man", while the man from the boat sneaks up from behind and disarms Michael of his rifle. Running away, Michael draws his pistol. Shots are fired back and forth, but the bearded man stops the Others from shooting because they "need him." Michael runs but is brought down by the man's bolas. The bearded man tells them to "bag him quickly because his friends are right behind" them.

2X22-Alex

Alex, one of the Others.

Michael is dragged into a campsite where Alex is waiting for them. The bearded man takes off Michael's bag, prompting him to spit in the Other's face. The Other brings out a bagged Kate, who was caught by the Others when she tried to catch up with Jack's group. Michael is warned that if he speaks up he'll never see Walt again. The bearded man leaves to talk with "her people."

He appears to Jack, Locke, and Sawyer, and uses Kate as leverage to make them surrender and leave. Michael is gagged nearby, following the man's order to stay quiet. When the Other shouts for Alex to bring Kate out, she pleads for the male Other to take her instead. He obliges, and in the moment of privacy Alex quickly asks Michael how Claire is doing, and whether or not she's had her baby. Michael simply stands, stunned.

With the main survivors unarmed, they retreat with Kate, as the bearded man steals their weapons. Returning to Michael, he glances at Alex, who apologizes before knocking Michael unconscious.

Thedoor

Michael sees two Others guarding an apparent hatch.

11 Days Ago[]

The Others' team hikes across a hillside and Michael is struggling because he's been marching without rest. The boat captain announces that they're at their destination. Michael notes a stone formation on the top of the hill, recognizing it as the one Walt mentioned in his message. The group approaches a set of huts and tents, and they walk past a set of doors with a DHARMA logo, guarded by two men with rifles, and a group of three people making a fishnet.

The bearded man orders Alex to "tell her we're here", and the male Other approaches Michael, taking a blood sample. A woman approaches, and Michael demands information about Walt from her. She introduces herself as Ms. Klugh, and asks Michael questions about Walt which he can't answer, such as has he ever appeared in a place he wasn't supposed to be? She adds that "you say he was half-way around the world, but... did you see him?", and states that for someone who wants to see Walt so badly, Michael doesn't seem to know much about him -- notably the same words said by lawyers during Michael's custody battle.

MichaelsPaper

Michael's list.

3 Days Ago[]

Michael is kept tied up in a hut. Ms. Klugh brings him dinner. He asks her when she's going to kill him, as he has been kept for a week now without anything happening. He even comments that Walt probably isn't even alive, but Ms. Klugh tells him that Walt is standing right outside. She explains that one of their people has been captured and that if Michael brings him back to the Others, Walt will be returned to him. Michael insists on seeing Walt, and Ms. Klugh calls for "Pickett" to bring him in. Pickett is revealed to be the male Other Michael encountered on his journey across the Island.

Waltin3min

Walt in the Others' camp.

He brings Walt in, and the father and son are finally reunited. Ms. Klugh informs Michael he has three minutes to talk with his son. Walt tells Michael that they have been forcing him to take tests and that the Others are "not who they say they are... they're pretending." Ms. Klugh threatens that she will put Walt in "the room" again if he doesn't stop talking about that, which causes Walt to freeze. Cutting the reunion short, Walt is removed, but not before he manages to break free and hug his father.

Michael sobs as he is torn from Walt again and Ms. Klugh takes advantage of this by requesting something else. She gives Michael a list with four names on, telling him that he must also bring them all these four people, otherwise he'll never see Walt again. Michael agrees, looking at the list, which has the names of Jack, Kate, Hurley, and "James Ford." A confused Michael says he doesn't know a James Ford, and Ms. Klugh explains that Michael knows him as Sawyer. However, Michael has his own demand, saying that if he does all this for them, he also wants their boat.

Present-day[]

2x22 hurley

Hurley demands they bury the dead before contemplating revenge.

Michael is seen burning a small piece of paper outside the Swan. Jack calls Michael into the Hatch to talk. Michael, Kate, Hurley, Jack, and Sawyer discuss their armaments and what to do next. Jack wants to attack the Others with many people. Michael wants to leave immediately to the Others' site with just the five people present. "We're not taking a damn army across the Island!" Hurley wants to bury the dead. Jack declares that they will bury the dead first, and then "figure out what's next". Hurley will dig Libby's grave, and Kate will dig the grave for Ana Lucia.

Later, Michael is in the Hatch, cleaning the blood. Eko enters, having returned from his excursion with Locke, and helps to clean. Michael asks Eko about his belief in hell. Eko avoids answering Michael's question about his personal belief in hell and instead relays a story about a boy who has beaten his dog to death. The moral of the story was that even though the boy felt justified in killing the dog to protect his sister, his biggest concern was whether he would again meet that vengeful dog in hell.

Michael leaves the Hatch because "he had to get out of there." Jack finds Michael vomiting and reassures him that they will get Walt back. Michael still insists that Jack, he, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley must be the only ones to go, and that it's his call to make. Jack concedes.

Charlie-with-vaccine

Charlie presents the case with the vaccine to Claire.

Claire is tending to Aaron as Charlie approaches. Claire is still cold toward Charlie, and Charlie gives Claire a small case full of vaccine and a pneumatic injector which he found in the palette and saved for them. Charlie says he has read the instructions included with the kit, and that a shot of the vaccine is supposed to be administered every nine days. Claire is thankful and seems to be warming to Charlie when she sees Michael walking with Jack toward the beach, interrupting the conversation.

Sun sees Michael and Jack walking. Excitedly, Jin approaches and hugs Michael, as does Sun. Sun then notices that there are two covered bodies in the graveyard, where a new grave is being dug by Kate. She inquires "Who?" Michael tells about Ana Lucia and Libby, and says that "They were murdered."

Later, Michael is petting Vincent on the beach. Meanwhile, Sawyer and Jack are in Sawyer's tent, grabbing the weapons. Sawyer asks Jack about his relationship with Kate during the previous evening. Jack says "We got caught in a net." Sawyer responds, "That what they're callin' it these days?" They head out of the tent just as Sayid approaches. Sayid asks if it's true that "Henry" is gone, and who is going after him. Jack responds that Locke and Eko left to do this, and Sawyer notes that they haven't seen either of them since. Sayid notices the guns and asks "When do we leave?" Jack tells Sayid he's not coming. Sawyer gives Sayid a pistol and welcomes him to join in the morning.

1x22 eko

Eko enters the Numbers.

Eko is in the Hatch and notes the magnetic property near the wall just as the timer hits the four-minute mark. Eko sits at the computer and enters the Numbers, which return to 108 minutes. Charlie enters the dome and asks what Eko has been doing. Eko asks Charlie to bring his things from the beach to the Hatch because he's moving in. Charlie is concerned about the church, and Eko tells him that "I am supposed to do something different now." Charlie declines Eko's request to get his things from the beach.

Michael is sitting by the beach as Sawyer approaches and tells Michael that Sayid is joining. Michael is upset that Sayid was told, but says it's not a problem.

However, Michael's mind soon changes, and he approaches Sayid on the beach, telling him he is no longer welcome on the mission. Michael says that it's because he's planning a rescue, while Sayid is planning revenge. Sayid shakes Michael's hand and concedes, wishing him luck.

3min-cap-06

Vincent bringing Charlie a statue.

Charlie is struggling to continue putting the roof on the church, alone. Vincent approaches with a Virgin Mary statue in its mouth, dropping it at Charlie's feet. Charlie responds, "Are you kidding me? Did someone put you up to this?" Charlie takes the statue and follows Vincent to Sawyer's tent, where Charlie discovers the other Virgin Mary statues. Charlie takes them all.

Charlie is standing at the edge of the ocean, throwing a statue into the surf. He throws five more in, and contemplates the last one. He throws it into the ocean as well and then looks over his shoulder to notice that he was being watched by Locke.

Sawyer and Jack are in the Hatch. Jack asks Eko what happened in the jungle. Eko says that they were unable to find "Henry's" trail. Jack tells Eko that they're burying Ana Lucia and Libby at sunset. Eko says that he will mourn them in his own way.

3min-cap-04

Sawyer tells Jack about his encounter with Ana Lucia.

Jack and Sawyer are preparing firearms and discussing who is going to talk at the funeral. Sawyer learns Ana Lucia's last name is Cortez and says, "Well, there you go," and reveals to Jack that "I screwed her." Jack looks puzzled, so Sawyer says "We got caught in a net." Sawyer tells Jack that he told him because he's about the closest thing Sawyer has to a friend because she's gone.

Kate and Hurley are digging the graves as Michael approaches. Michael helps Kate with the digging and discusses the plan to attack the Others. Hurley, though sorry about Walt, refuses to go, stating that there is no reason to. Michael tries to argue that "they" killed Libby, but Kate calls him off.

Most of the survivors approach the freshly-dug graves as dusk approaches. Locke sits alone on the beach. He takes out a knife, cuts off his splint, and walks off toward the jungle with a full backpack, leaving his crutches behind.

3min-cap-05

Sayid tells Jack about his suspicions of Michael.

Sayid and Jack are walking together toward the graves, and away from everyone else. Sayid tells Jack that he believes that Michael has been compromised; his actions are not those of a man who is telling the truth, because a father will do anything for his son.

3MIN4

The funeral.

He believes Michael freed Henry, that Michael intends to lead Jack into a trap, and that Henry was an Other. Instead of talking to Michael, Sayid wants Michael to think he's in control so Jack and Sayid can create an advantage.

Jack speaks about Ana Lucia, saying few words. Hurley speaks about Libby, becoming emotional. He then turns to Michael and says, "I'm going with you." As Hurley says goodbye to Libby, Sun suddenly shouts "Boat! Boat!" and everyone turns to observe a sailboat not too far offshore.

Trivia[]

  • Ana Lucia and Libby's joint funeral, as well as the other events of this episode (excluding Michael's flashbacks) take place solely on Thanksgiving Day, 2004.
  • Coincidentally, the names of the four people on Michael's list are the four candidates who are still alive when Jacob chooses a new protector in the series penultimate episode "What They Died For". Sawyer even sarcastically refers to Kate and Hurley as "great candidates" for the mission.
  • This episode is rated TV-14-LV.

Production notes[]

  • Michelle Rodriguez (Ana Lucia) and Cynthia Watros (Libby) do not appear in this episode. Their covered bodies are portrayed by extras.
  • Malcolm David Kelly's name is restored to the main credits.
  • This is the third episode that takes place completely on the island.
  • This is the lowest rated episode of Lost's season 2 on ABC with a total of 14.67 million viewers.
  • The font on the flashback captions ("13 Days Ago", etc.) is different from the font used regularly (as seen in The Other 48 Days, etc.).
  • At 43:17, this is the longest episode of LOST that has not been extended past the 1 hour timeslot.
  • The titular promised "three minutes" is actually one minute and twelve seconds.

Bloopers and continuity errors[]

  • When Jack wakes up in "The Hunting Party", he looks at the Swan computer and seeing no one, calls for Locke. However in this episode, Michael is shown to be sitting at the computer when Jack calls out.
    • The events depicted in "The Hunting Party" showed Jack waking up directly after the sound of Locke thumping to the ground and going to the armory in approximately 15 seconds. However, Michael takes about a minute to type on the computer after knocking out Locke. It is possible that this may have been depicted differently because Jack was groggy, and so had a distorted perception of time.
  • Before this episode, Locke had kept seven of the Virgin Mary statues. Later on, Jack smashed at least one of the statues for heroin (for Libby). Thus, Charlie could not have thrown seven statues into the water.
  • When Michael closes the door to trap Locke and Jack, the hand closing the door is not his.
  • The area in which Michael has his confrontation with the Others and is taken is different from where Locke describes it to have taken place in "The Hunting Party". Here it is out in the open but the area Locke, Jack and Sawyer went to was in woodland where Locke tracked the clues of "a struggle."
  • When Sawyer invites Sayid to accompany the group to assault the Others' camp, he hands him a Sig Sauer handgun. Later, when Sayid is packing his bag, he has a Glock.
  • When Michael reads the list at the beginning of the episode, the piece of paper is pink. When Ms. Klugh gives the list to Michael the piece of paper is yellow. This may be because of difference in light.

Music[]

This episode introduces the Others' theme. It also introduces Ben's theme, which initially appears as another theme for the Others.

Analysis[]

Recurring themes[]


  • Libby and Ana Lucia are buried. (Life and death)
  • Ms. Klugh orders Michael to bring four of his friends to the Others' camp, so he could get his son back. (Deceptions and cons)
  • Ms. Klugh wrote down 4 names of Michael's friends. (Numbers)
  • Michael briefly reunites with Walt, and tells Jack he has to get his son back. (Parent issues)  (Children)
  • The instructions on the pneumatic injector say to administer the vaccine every 9 days. 9 days equals 216 hours, double 108. (The Numbers)
  • Michael fired 4 rounds when he let Henry escape (The Numbers)
  • The Others question Michael about Walt's past. (Children)
  • Michael only wants the people on "the list" accompanying him, saying it's a rescue mission, anyone else just wants revenge. (Deceptions and cons)
  • Michael becomes a prisoner of the Others for several days. (Imprisonment)
  • Walt warns Michael that the Others are "pretending" and are not who they say they are. (Deceptions and cons)
  • Michael wanted to know about Hell when talking to Mr. Eko, in other words, he wanted to know if he would be forgiven for his betrayal. (Redemption)  (Religion)
  • Sawyer refers to Hurley as "The Damn Grape Ape", Kate as "Pippy Longstocking" and Sayid "Red Beret", and "Captain A-rab". He also refers to the rescue group as "The Dirty Dozen". (Nicknames)


Cultural references[]

  • Pippi Longstocking. Sawyer refers to Kate as this main character from a series of popular children’s books by Astrid Lindgren. Pippi is a nine-year-old girl, who lives with a complete lack of adult supervision. She is very unconventional, assertive, and extraordinarily strong. (Literary works)
  • The Great Grape Ape Show. Sawyer refers to Hurley as the "Damn Grape Ape". The Great Grape Ape Show was a Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that was broadcast from 1975 to 1978. (Movies and TV)
  • Moby-Dick. Sawyer refers to Sayid as "Captain A-rab", a variation on Captain Ahab, a character in this 1851 novel by Herman Melville. Ahab is the tyrannical captain who is driven by a monomaniacal desire to kill the whale that maimed him. (Literary works)
  • Bob Dylan's 115th Dream. Sawyer referring to Sayid as "Captain A-rab" could also be a reference to this song by Bob Dylan. The song is a surrealist adventure where the narrator, who calls himself 'Captain Kidd', discovers America prior to Christopher Columbus's visit, along with his crew and 'Captain Arab', only to find out that it's not the pure, primitive place that it at first glance seemed to be. (Music)
  • Special forces. Sawyer refers to Sayid as the "Red Beret". Red Berets are worn by the Iraqi Republican Guard and the reference is made to Jack so it is variation of the Green Berets of the US. (Ideologies)  (Military)
  • The Dirty Dozen. Sawyer refers to possible members for an A-Mission as the "Dirty Dozen", after a group of unconventional and/or criminal heroes in this 1967 war film. (Movies and TV)


Literary techniques[]

  • Just after Libby is buried, the sailboat she gave Desmond and which bears her name appears off-shore. (Irony)
  • The episode ends with a sailboat approaching the Island. (Cliffhanger)  (Plot twist)
  • Flashbacks reveal Michael lied about his time away from camp, and his true intentions for returning to get Walt. (Plot twist)
  • Ms. Klugh says to Michael, "For someone who wants his son back so much, you sure don't know much about him." The same line was spoken to Michael by Lizzy (Susan Lloyd's attorney) during the custody hearings in "Adrift". (Regularly spoken phrases)


Storyline analysis[]

  • Michael decides who goes on the mission to the Others' camp. (Leadership)
  • During Libby's funeral, Hurley says she helped him. (Relationships)
  • Claire holds Charlie's hand during Ana Lucia and Libby's funeral. (Relationships)
  • The Others deliver a message to the "hunting party". (O-Missions)


Episode connections[]

Episode references[]

  • Sawyer recognises the bearded man from the raft. ("Exodus, Part 2")
  • Michael asks for the boat the Others used to kidnap Walt with. ("Exodus, Part 2")
  • Michael talks to Walt on the hatch computer. ("What Kate Did")  ("The 23rd Psalm")
  • The moment Michael locks Jack and Locke in the armory is shown from Michael's point of view. ("The Hunting Party")
  • We revisit the scene with Tom referring to crossing the line from Michael's point of view. ("The Hunting Party")
  • Ms. Klugh tells Michael that one of the Others was captured by his people. ("One of Them")
  • Sawyer asks Jack what happened in the jungle between him and Kate. ("S.O.S.")
  • Michael encounters an Other in the jungle, just like he said. ("Two for the Road")
  • Sawyer tells Jack that he had sex with Ana Lucia. ("Two for the Road")

Episode allusions[]

  • Charlie gives Claire a pneumatic injector and some vials of vaccine, similar to the ones Desmond had. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")
  • Ms. Klugh tells Michael, "For someone who wants his son back so badly, you don't seem to know much about him, Michael." This echoes Susan's lawyer's words to him when he was fighting for custody of Walt: "For someone who wants to retain his paternal rights so badly, you don't seem to know much about your son, Mr. Dawson. ("Adrift")
  • Walt says the Others are "pretending." This was previously implied when Kate found the fake beard at the Staff. ("Maternity Leave")
  • Charlie uses the same "don't call, don't write" line to Eko as Bernard did. ("S.O.S.")


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