The Tail Section

Homecoming
Directed by Kevin Hooks
Written by Damon Lindelof
Charlie-Centric

Synopsis:

The Caves

Charlie awakens to the sound of Locke and others looking for Jack.  He soon discovers that Locke found Claire, who had been missing for about ten days after being taken by Ethan in Raised By Another, in the jungle and she collapsed in his arms.  Jack arrives and attempts to wake her by dabbing her face with a wet cloth.  She regains consciousness and becomes very frightened.  She looks at the other survivors and screams, "Who are you!?"

Main Titles

The Caves

Jack is questioning Claire whereupon she claims that the last thing she remembers is being on a flight from Sidney to Los Angeles.  Jack tells her about the crash, that they were all on that flight, and that they’ve been on the Island for nearly a month.  She asks why they haven’t been rescued yet and is met only with silence.

Jungle

Locke and Boone are discussing Claire’s return.  Boone is worried and confused about the mysterious conditions of her arrival and the possible whereabouts of her abductor.  Locke remains calm.

The Caves

Charlie shows Claire her diary, in hopes it might return some of her lost memories.  He tells her that when Ethan took her, he took him as well.  She asks about Ethan and Charlie simply says that he’s "the bad guy."  She asks more questions about her capture, but Charlie dodges them and attempts to comfort her in this stressful time.  She asks, "We’re friends?"  Charlie answers, "Yeah, yeah, we’re friends."

Flashback-Alley/Pub

Charlie is using heroin when his friend Tommy tells him that they are almost out.  He tells they he needs to get to work.  They enter the pub and see Lucy Heatherton, the daughter of a wealthy businessmen.  Tommy gives Charlie a detailed background on Lucy which he will use, in addition to his minor celebrity as the bass player in Driveshaft, to scam her out of some money.  Tommy plays "You All Everybody" on the juke box while Charlie chats up Lucy and her friends.

The Beach

Locke, Sayid, Jack, and Charlie are discussing Claire.  Sayid points out that it’s a bit of stretch to assume that a very pregnant Claire could escape from Ethan, who is clearly intelligent and took on Claire, Charlie, and Jack with success during their last encounter.  He says that Ethan will be back suggest that Ethan might have even have released Claire himself.  Charlie is offended and Jack doubts the merit of Sayid’s theory.  Sayid counters by pointing out how rare such a selective case of amnesia, as Claire’s, is.  Jack says it is rare, but possible; Sayid is not convinced.  Charlie is still angered at their lack of action to help Claire and storms off to comfort her.

Jungle

On his way to the Caves Charlie meets up with Jin and begins talking to him even though he knows he can’t understand.  Charlie tells Jin how lucky he is that he can’t understand what the rest of the survivors are saying and how all he has to do is take care of his wife and the vast plethora of other Island-related troubles are somebody elses problem.  Jin motions for Charlie to be quiet as he hears rustling in the distance.  Jin is hit in the chest and knocked out by a small black ball.  Ethan steps out from the jungle and tells Charlie that he wants Claire back.  Charlie starts to attack him with a stick, but is defeated in less than a second as Ethan grabs Charlie’s stick-wielding arm with his left hand and Charlie’s throat with his right.  He lifts Charlie about a foot of the ground and tells him that he will kill one survivor for every day that Claire is not returned to him, and that he’ll kill Charlie last.

The Beach

Charlie, Jack, and Locke are arguing over how they should respond.  Charlie’s angry that there’s even a discussion, saying that they should be out there killing him now.  Locke tells him to calm down, but Jack agrees with him.  Jack says that they tracked him once, they can do it again.  Locke reminds him that when they did, Ethan bested Jack physically and hung Charlie from a tree.  He suggests telling a select few about the imminent attack and have them serve as look outs around the camps.  Jack doesn’t like the plan and says that if Ethan makes good on his promise than that blood is on their hands.  Locke says, "Okay, we tell everybody, but you need to start thinking about defense."  Jack plans to move everyone off the beach and into the Caves.  Locke suggests that Ethan may not be alone and that his threat may have been made so that the survivors would gather "like sheep for the slaughter."  Jack realizes that Locke must have a plan of his own and asks what it is.

The Caves

Sun is washing Jin, and helping him recover.  Jin blames his being attacked on the other survivors.

Jungle

Claire asks why the others are avoiding her and Charlie avoids the question by asking if any of her memories have come back.  She says no, but that some things are probably better forgot.  Charlie jokes that they’ve been having a wonderful time and mentions the golf course.  She asks if he’s sure that nothing is going on.  He tells her that there’s not so as not to worry her.

Flashback-Lucy’s House

Charlie’s charms have earned him an invite to Lucy’s place for "tea."  He asks where her father is and she says that he’s "buying some paper company up in Slough."  Charlie keeps asking questions not really listening to the answers.  He is mainly focused on searching the house for valuable items to steal.  Lucy says that Charlie should come ’round to meet her father and invites Charlie to have dinner tomorrow.

The Caves

Jack is sharpening a knife when Kate approaches.  She tells him that it’s time he uses the key to the gun case.  He says no, and that the chances of them shooting each other are much higher than shooting Ethan.

The Beach

Locke and Boone are setting up traps around the camp.  Sayid has fires prepared at twenty meter intervals and is putting sentries on rotating shifts.  Boone volunteers to take a shift.

The Caves

Charlie is very concerned for Claire and feels responsible for her original abduction.  Jack keeps insisting she’s safe.

Flashback-Lucy’s House-Dinner Table

Lucy’s father says that Charlie is the most impressive person they’ve ever shared a dinner with while Charlie is comically struggling with his cutlery.  Mr. Heatherton tells of his own experience in a rock band and says he gave it up in favor of a more practical and responsible lifestyle wherein he could provide better care for his daughter.  He asks about Driveshaft and Charlie claims that the band is in the middle of a hiatus.  Then he conceded that it is a rather long hiatus, then he finally admits that Driveshaft may be dead.  It is clear to all present that Charlie’s days as a rock-god are long behind him.

Flashback-Pub

Tommy is shocked and outraged to find that Charlie has fallen for Lucy and taken a job selling copiers.  He says that he’s been feeding Charlie’s heroin habit with his own personal stash based on speculation that Charlie would soon acquire some money and provide enough drugs for the both of them.  Charlie says the Liam isn’t coming back and that he has to think about his future.  Tommy sarcastically tells him that after a weekend without a fix, starting his job on Monday should wonderful.

The Beach

Everyone is on guard awaiting Ethan’s arrival.  It’s late and Boone is struggling to stay awake.  When he shuts his eyes we cut to him waking the next day.  He’s found by Locke and Sayid when they hear a woman scream.  They run to the source and find a dead man.  They wonder how Ethan made it past their perimeter and Locke figures he came in through the water.  Sawyer says, "Guess ol’ Steve drew the short straw," to which Hurley replies, "Dude, that was Scott."

Graveyard

Hurley gives Scott’s eulogy and apologizes for always calling him Steve.

The Caves

Claire is walking around receiving stares from everyone she passes.  She asks Shannon why everyone’s looking at her and she tells her what Charlie would not.  She finds Charlie and asks why he lied to her.  He apologizes and says he was just trying to protect her.

Flashback-Lucy’s House

Charlie is sweating profusely and preparing for his first day of work, in a suit Lucy bought for him.  Lucy leaves the room and in her absence Charlie steals a valuable cigarette case that once belonged to Winston Churchill.  When she comes back, she gives him a briefcase that she also bought for him.  He leaves to catch the bus, but she insists on driving him.

Jungle

Jack asks if Locke can track Ethan.  He says he could, but he won’t.  The situation hasn’t changed, Locke still believes tracking Ethan will lead to disaster.  Then Jack shows him the guns.  Locke smiles.

The Caves

Locke, Sayid, and Jack are trying to sell Charlie on a plan to use Claire as bait to get at Ethan.  Charlie refuses, but Claire overhears the plan and volunteers herself.  Charlie demands to come with them, but they refuse.

Flashback-Office

Charlie makes a disastrous attempt to sell a copier wherein he fails to get it to operate the simplest of tasks, then proceeds to vomit on it.

The Beach

Though Charlie’s not the man for the job, Locke says that they should have four people to operate the four guns, so Jack asks Sawyer for help.  Kate asks to come, but Jack says she can’t because they only have four guns, but then Sawyer says that he still has the gun he lifted Edward Mars which brings the total up to five.  Jack reluctantly accepts Kate as part of the mission.  Later, Charlie watches the team as they go over their plan.

Jungle

Claire wanders about, waiting for Ethan.  He shows up and is promptly tackled by Jack.  There’s a small struggle during which Jack loses his gun.  The rest of the group arrives, guns drawn, throughout the fight, which Jack eventually wins.  Through the whole thing different people are yelling at others not to shoot, that they need him alive, but Charlie arrives and shoots Ethan six times with Jack’s gun.

The Caves

Jack asks Charlie why he did it and Charlie says that Ethan deserved to die and that he wasn’t gonna let that animal anywhere near her again.

Flashback-Lucy’s House

Several days have gone by, Lucy knows what Charlie has done.  He tries to apologize with no success.  She says that she understands why he lied and stole, but she doesn’t understand why he took the job.  He says that he wanted to be respectable, he wanted her to think that he could take care of her.  She tells him that he’ll never take care of anyone and shuts the door in his face.

The Caves

Everyone is relaxing now that Ethan is dead.  Claire approaches Charlie and tells him that she remembers peanut butter.  She says that she’s scared and doesn’t know what happened to her.  She says to Charlie, "I want to trust you."  They say good night and Claire goes to bed.  He reflects on the knowledge that someone is starting to think that he can take care of her.