"Namaste" is the ninth television episode of the fifth season of

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

's '' Lost''. The 95th episode of the show overall, "Namaste" aired on March 18, 2009, on ABC in the United States, being

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...

on A in Canada. The episode was written by supervising producer

Paul Zbyszewski Paul Zbyszewski is an American television writer and producer. He has worked in both capacities on the series '' Lost'' and '' Day Break'', and he is the creator of ''Day Break''. He also wrote the feature film '' After the Sunset''. Career Zbys ...

and producer Brian K. Vaughan and directed by executive producer

Jack Bender Jack Bender (born September 25, 1949) is an American television and film director, television producer and actor best known for his work as a director on '' Lost'', ''The Sopranos'', ''Game of Thrones'', and '' From''. Biography Bender grew up ...

. In 1977, when

Jack Shephard Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ABC television series '' Lost'', played by Matthew Fox. ''Lost'' follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to sur ...

(

Matthew Fox Matthew Chandler Fox (born July 14, 1966) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Charlie Salinger on '' Party of Five'' (1994–2000) and Jack Shephard on the drama series '' Lost'' (2004–2010), the latter of which earned him G ...

Kate Austen Katherine Anne Austen is a fictional character on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'', played by Canadians, Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly. Character biography Prior to the crash Born in 19 ...

(

Evangeline Lilly Nicole Evangeline Lilly (born August 3, 1979) is a Canadian former actress and author. She gained popularity for her first leading role as Kate Austen in the ABC drama series '' Lost'' (2004–2010), which garnered her six nominations for the ...

) and

Hugo "Hurley" Reyes Hugo "Hurley" Reyes is a fictional character on the ABC television series '' Lost'', played by Jorge Garcia. For most of the show's run, Hurley served as the show's comic relief, but occasionally, and most notably in the final season, he was shown ...

(

Jorge Garcia Jorge Garcia (born April 28, 1973) is an American actor and comedian. He first came to public attention with his performance as Hector Lopez on the television show '' Becker'', but subsequently became best known for his portrayal of Hugo "Hurl ...

) return to the past unannounced,

James "Sawyer" Ford James Ford, better known by the alias "Sawyer" () and later as "Jim LaFleur", is a fictional character on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'', portrayed by Josh Holloway. Created by Jeffrey Li ...

(

Josh Holloway Joshua Lee Holloway (born July 20, 1969) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as James "Sawyer" Ford on the ABC television show '' Lost'' (2004–2010) as Will Bowman on the USA Network science fiction drama ''Colony'' (2016� ...

) further perpetuates his lie to continue to hide their true identities. All that suddenly changes when

Sayid Jarrah Sayid Hassan Jarrah (, ''Sa‘īd Ḥassān Jarrāḥ'') is a fictional character from the ABC show '' Lost'' portrayed by Naveen Andrews. Appearances Prior to the crash Sayid originally served as a communications officer in Iraq's Special Re ...

(

Naveen Andrews Naveen William Sidney Andrews (born 17 January 1969) is a British-American actor. He is best known for his role as Sayid Jarrah in the television series '' Lost'' (2004–2010), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primet ...

) is found as well, but is forcefully captured by

Jin-Soo Kwon Jin-Soo Kwon, better known as "Jin," is a fictional character on the ABC television series '' Lost'' played by Daniel Dae Kim. Character biography Prior to the crash Jin-Soo Kwon was born on 27 November 1974 in Namhae, South Korea, to ...

(

Daniel Dae Kim Daniel Dae Kim (born August 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his many roles in network television and theater. In 2025, ''Time'' magazine listed him as one of the world's 100 most influential people. On television, he portray ...

) in order to hide the lie. In 2007,

Sun-Hwa Kwon Sun-Hwa Kwon, better known simply as "Sun", is a fictional character on the ABC television series '' Lost'' played by Yunjin Kim. Sun-Hwa Kwon is the daughter of a powerful and incredibly wealthy Korean businessman and mobster. Character biogr ...

(

Yunjin Kim Yunjin Kim (; born November 7, 1973) is a South Korean and American actress. She is best known for her role as North Korean spy Bang-Hee in the South Korean film '' Shiri'' (1999) and Sun-Hwa Kwon on the American television series '' Lost'' (200 ...

Benjamin Linus Benjamin Linus is a fictional character portrayed by Michael Emerson on the ABC television series '' Lost''. Ben was the leader of a group of Island natives called the Others and was initially known as Henry Gale to the survivors of Oceanic Flig ...

(

Michael Emerson Michael Emerson (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor who is best known for his roles as Benjamin Linus on '' Lost'' (2006–2010) and as Harold Finch in the CBS series ''Person of Interest'' (2011–2016). Other prominent roles include ...

Frank Lapidus Frank J. Lapidus is a fictional character on the ABC television series '' Lost'' played by Jeff Fahey. Frank is introduced in the second episode of season four as a pilot hired on a mission to the island where Oceanic Flight 815 crashed. He aids ...

(

Jeff Fahey Jeffrey David Fahey (, born November 29, 1952) is an American actor. His notable roles include Duane Duke in ''Psycho III'' (1986), Pete Verill in Clint Eastwood's ''White Hunter Black Heart'' (1990), Jobe Smith in ''The Lawnmower Man'' (1992), ...

) and the passengers of the Ajira Airways Flight 316 arrive on the island in the present.

Plot

2007

During the flight of Ajira Airways Flight 316, a transpacific flight piloted by

(

), a big light enfolds the plane, causing

(

( Evangeline Lily),

(

) and

(

) to be transported to 1977, while the rest of the passengers remain in the current year. Lapidus, unable to control the plane, lands it on a runway that was built by the native population of the island known as the

Others Others or The Others may refer to: Fictional characters * Others (''A Song of Ice and Fire''), supernatural creatures in the fictional world of George R. R. Martin's fantasy series ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' * Others (''Lost''), mysterious inh ...

, and

and Kate, on the small island off the coast of the main island, where the

Dharma Initiative The Dharma Initiative, also written DHARMA (Department of Heuristics and Research on Material Applications), is a fictional research project and organization featured in the television series ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost''. It was introduced in ...

Hydra Station is located. The passengers begin to debate what to do next, with Caesar (

Saïd Taghmaoui Saïd Taghmaoui (; born 19 July 1973) is a French actor. One of his major screen roles was that of Saïd in the 1995 French film '' La Haine'', directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. Taghmaoui has also appeared in a number of English-language films, wi ...

) suggesting to search the buildings of the island. Former leader of the Others

Ben Linus Benjamin Linus is a fictional character portrayed by Michael Emerson on the ABC television series '' Lost''. Ben was the leader of a group of Island natives called the Others and was initially known as Henry Gale to the survivors of Oceanic Flig ...

(

) begins to travel to the main island. He is followed by survivor

(

), who believes her husband

(

) is on the main island, and later Frank. After reaching a group of canoes, Sun knocks Ben out with an oar, and travels with Frank to the abandoned barracks of the Dharma Initiative. Waiting there is

Christian Shephard Dr. Christian Shephard is a fictional character on the ABC television series '' Lost'' played by John Terry. He is the father of lead characters Jack Shephard ( Matthew Fox), who becomes the de facto leader of the survivors of Oceanic 815 aft ...

(

John Terry John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional Coach (association football), football coach and former Association football, player who played as a centre-back. He was previously captain of Chelsea F.C., Chelsea, the En ...

), who shows Sun and Frank a picture of new recruits to the Dharma Initiative from 1977, including Jack, Kate and Hurley. He also tells her that Jin is with them in 1977.

1977

Sawyer reunites with Jack, Kate, and Hurley, and explains the situation regarding Dharma and the shifts in time. Sawyer arranges for the three of them to join the Dharma Initiative as new recruits: Jack is assigned janitorial work, Hurley is a chef, and Kate works in the motor pool with help from

Juliet Burke Dr. Juliet Burke is a fictional character portrayed by Elizabeth Mitchell on the ABC television series '' Lost''. Created by J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, the character was introduced in the third season as a member of the hostile group r ...

(

Elizabeth Mitchell Elizabeth Mitchell (born Elizabeth Joanna Robertson; March 27, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for her lead role as Juliet Burke on the ABC mystery drama series '' Lost'' (2006–2010), for which she received a Primetime Emmy A ...

), who forges the necessary documentation. Juliet also learns that Amy (

Reiko Aylesworth Reiko M. Aylesworth (born December 9, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for playing Michelle Dessler in the action television series '' 24''. Early life, career start Aylesworth was born December 9, 1972, in Evanston, Illinois, and is ...

) has named her baby Ethan. Meanwhile, Jin travels to the Dharma Initiative Flame Station because he believes that its occupant Radzinsky (Eric Lange) (who has been working on the design of the Swan) will know if Flight 316 crashed on the island. There is no evidence of a plane crashing on the island as, unbeknownst to them, the plane has landed in 2007. Soon, an alarm is set off and Jin finds

(

) wandering in the jungle. After a brief moment of reunion, Jin is forced to act as if Sayid were a Hostile to placate Radzinsky, who would not understand where Sayid really came from. Sawyer is summoned to the Flame and moves Sayid to a jail cell at the Barracks while he decides what to do. Later in the evening, Jack visits Sawyer and Juliet's house to discuss the situation. James tells Jack that he is in charge and has a different approach to leadership than Jack had with the survivors of Oceanic 815: Sawyer prefers to carefully plan out his actions, as opposed to Jack's more impulsive style of command. Meanwhile, at the jail, an adolescent brings Sayid a sandwich and introduces himself as Ben (

Sterling Beaumon Sterling Beaumon is an American actor and producer. He is known for his roles as Max Doyle in the 2008 film, ''Mostly Ghostly (film), Mostly Ghostly'', and as young Benjamin Linus in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series, ' ...

Production

The episode was written by supervising producer Paul Zbyszewski and producer Brian K. Vaughan and directed by executive producer

Eric Lange Eric Lange (born February 19, 1973) is an American actor. He is known for his extensive work on television, where he has appeared in a wide variety of both supporting and leading roles. Lange played the recurring roles of Stuart Radzinsky on th ...

made his first out of seven scheduled guest appearances on the show in this episode as Stuart Radzinsky. Radzinsky had originally been mentioned once in the season 2 finale, making "Namaste" his first full appearance. Lange said that a couple days after his audition, he got a call telling him that he had gotten the role of Radzinsky. In November 2008, he traveled to the set in Hawaii. Lange had been a fan of the show since it started and had always wanted to be a part of it. He said: "To be able to work on something in a capacity like this, it's a dream job. It's one of the most exciting things I've done."

Reception

In Australia, the episode brought in 389,000 viewers, ranking 35th for the night.

Notes

References

External links

"Namaste"
at ABC * {{Lost episodes Lost season 5 episodes 2009 American television episodes Fiction set in 1977 Fiction set in 2007 Television episodes set in the 2000s Television episodes set in the 1970s