"Left Behind"

April 4, 2007
Running time
Production code
Flash sideways
Centric character(s)
Directed by

Episode transcript


"Left Behind" is the fifteenth episode of Season 3 and the sixty-fourth produced hour of the series as a whole. It was first broadcast on April 4, 2007. After the events at the Barracks reach a climax, Kate finds herself forced to team up with one of the enemy. Meanwhile, Sawyer is worried to learn from Hurley that the other survivors may be planning to banish him.


Previously on Lost


3X15 KateCassFlashback
Kate helps Cassidy out of a failed con.

Kate is stranded in Iowa with a broken fan belt. She introduces herself as "Lucy" to tow truck driver Johnny as he takes her car to town. At the repair station, she sees Cassidy trying to pull the jewelry con that Sawyer taught her. When Cassidy's mark threatens to call the cops, Kate intervenes and covers for Cassidy. After the man leaves, Cassidy thanks Kate for her help. Cassidy says that she'd like to know why Kate would go to such trouble to avoid police attention. Noting that Kate is clearly stranded, she offers her a ride into town for a drink.

At a bar, Kate and Cassidy discuss conning. Kate says she uses Lucy because it was the name of a saint. She admits to killing her stepfather Wayne because he was "a bad guy" who beat her mother, and says she has escaped from the Marshal after being initially caught. She tells Cassidy she's in Iowa because she wants to talk to her mother. Cassidy offers to help her get to her mother because she knows what it's like to be betrayed--she fell in love with "the wrong guy" and gave him her life savings. She says "he was a bad guy" and that at least "one of us deserves something good."

Kate watches from afar as Mars assaults Cassidy, believing she is Kate.

"Kate" approaches her mother's house and knocks on the door. Diane answers and Edward Mars and his men jump out with guns pointed, addressing her as "Austen." The woman is actually Cassidy who is in disguise and "just selling Bibles." Kate watches through binoculars from a car down the street.

Later, Cassidy joins Kate in a motel room after having been questioned for half an hour. She tells Kate that she can tell she must have done something bad to that Marshal to make him so obsessed about catching her. Cassidy says that, if she's going to lie to the FBI, she wants to know more about what Kate did. Kate confesses that she killed Wayne by blowing up his house, but took out an insurance policy on it beforehand, which financially would have set up her mother for life. Kate says she wants to know why her mother turned her in after Kate had tried to protect and help her.

3X15 KateDianeMirror
Kate visits her mother at her diner's washroom.

Cassidy orders a meal at Keith's Diner from Kate's mother Diane. She intentionally spills her soup on Diane, who remains polite and goes to the bathroom to clean her clothes. Kate arrives and gets a very cool reception from her mother. She asks why Diane turned her in. Diane explains that despite Wayne's abuse, "you can't help who you love." Kate says she did it for Diane, but Diane says that Kate really did it for herself. Diane says she thought Kate might be there to apologize, but Kate states that she's not sorry. Diane bluntly tells her daughter that she won't turn her in right now, but will if she ever sees again. She leaves Kate crying in the bathroom.

3X15 KateCassCar
Kate learns that Cassidy is pregnant.

Cassidy drives Kate back to her car. Kate thanks her and asks for the name of the guy who ripped Cassidy off so she can help Cassidy get her revenge. Cassidy tells Kate she is pregnant with his child, but Kate still advises her to call the cops and get him locked up. Cassidy asks if Kate would ever forgive her own mother for calling the cops on her, and Kate admits that she won't. The two women thank each other, and just before parting, Kate reveals her real name.

On the Island

At the Barracks

Locke tells Kate he's leaving her behind.

Kate is still a captive in the game room at the Barracks, handcuffed and nervous. She sees someone coming and hides with a pool cue behind the door, preparing to hit them. Juliet comes in and ducks the attack and flips Kate onto the floor. She explains that she was just bringing some food and walks out, leaving the sandwich splattered on the floor.

Later, Kate is distractedly playing with backgammon chips when Locke enters the room to say goodbye. His right hand is bandaged and his face is bruised. He says he's leaving with the Others and Kate can hardly believe it. She tells Locke that whatever the Others told him about taking him home they are lying and asks if they're brainwashing him. Locke explains that he doesn't want to go home and tells her Jack is going to have to stay behind as well.

The Others don gas masks.

He says he put in a good word for her, but the Others told him what she had done back home--and "forgiveness isn't one of their strong suits." Kate asks about Jack, Sayid, and Rousseau, but Locke ignores the question and wishes her good luck. Kate asks what happened to him, but Locke leaves, telling her only "I'm sorry."

In the game room, flies buzz over the remains of the sandwich as Kate wakes. Kate grabs a piece of white bread off the floor and begins eating it. She hears a commotion outside and looks out to see the Others donning large hold-all backpacks, guns and gas masks. The door opens ajar and a gas canister is thrown into the game room. Kate can't escape and collapses unconscious.

Kate wakes in the jungle handcuffed to Juliet and steals her knife.

Kate comes to in the jungle, and realizes that she is handcuffed to Juliet, who is still unconscious. Kate spots a knife in Juliet's pocket and steals it, but Juliet wakes up and grabs her wrist when Kate flips open the knife. Juliet seems as surprised as Kate to find herself there and lets go of her grip. Kate attempts to use the knife to pick the lock of her handcuffs, but Juliet tells her that the knife is too big for that and that unfortunately they are stuck together. Kate says she wants to go back to the village to get her friends, assuming that they've also been gassed and that the Others have left. Juliet says she doesn't know why "they" would just leave her in the jungle. Kate angrilly replies, "You say 'they' like you didn't lock me in a cage and watch me break rocks all day."

The Smoke Monster flashes Juliet and Kate.

Kate leads Juliet by following the track made by whoever dumped them in the jungle. Even though night is coming on and Juliet predicts it is going to rain, Kate insists on continuing back to the village. Juliet tells her that they are handcuffed together because Ben likes to play mind games. As a thunderstorm starts, she tells Kate not to go back for Jack because Kate is the one who ruined Jack's chances of leaving the Island. Kate punches her, and the two start fighting. During the struggle, Kate dislocates Juliet's shoulder and she scream in pain. They hear the sounds of the Monster and run to hide in dense trees, as Kate has learned to do in past encounters. Juliet is shocked and says, "What the hell...?" but Kate covers her mouth. As they hide the Monster locates them and for a moment intense lights flicker from above on their faces and they hear a mechanical grinding noise. The women shield their eyes, and then the Monster seems to move away. Juliet behaves like she's never encountered it before, much to Kate's disbelief. Juliet asks, "Are we safe?" to which Kate replies, "You tell me."

Kate and Juliet run to escape the Smoke Monster.

The two women spend the night hidden in the trees. When they wake up, Kate apologizes for Juliet's injury and says she didn't mean to hurt her. Juliet tells her not to flatter herself--it's the fourth time her shoulder has been dislocated. She tells Kate to help pop her dislocated shoulder back into place. Kate hesitates, and Juliet tells her that it feels like she has glass under her skin--and that it's her fault Juliet is stranded. She also tells Kate about the cameras at the Hydra station, and how Jack saw her and Sawyer together. Kate protests, saying that Jack only told her not to return to protect her, but Juliet says that Jack really didn't want her to come back because she broke his heart. Obviously hurt by the statement, Kate grabs Juliet's arm and forcefully puts her shoulder back in place.

Juliet stands her ground with Kate as the Smoke Monster approaches the sonic fence.

The women head off again. Kate asks if Jack actually said she "broke his heart." Juliet replies, "He didn't have to." Kate angrily claims Juliet doesn't know Jack at all, but Juliet gives a long list of things she does know about him - far more than Kate does. They hear the sounds of the Monster again, and run to the sonic fence falling in a mud as they escape. Kate stops and refuses to cross, remembering what happened to Mikhail. Juliet insists that it is currently turned off, but Kate doesn't trust her and forces her back. Juliet pulls out a key to the handcuffs from her own pocket, unlocks herself from Kate, then runs through the barrier to a numbered keypad on the pylon. She enters a code that includes the Numbers 15 16 and 23 and tells Kate she'd better join her. Hearing the Monster approach, Kate dives across the line, and Juliet activates the barrier as it arrives crashing through the jungle.

3X15 MonsterJuliet
The Monster is stopped in its tracks by the sonic barrier.

Juliet stands and faces it, smoke from the Monster advances along some of the perimeter of the barrier but stops at the sonic fence as though it were a physical wall. It soon draws back into the jungle. Juliet admits she lied about being unaware of the creature, saying "We don't know what it is, but we know that it doesn't like our fences." Kate challenges Juliet about having the key all along. Juliet admits she didn't tell her she had a key because she wanted Kate to think they were "in it together" and didn't want to be left behind again. Kate snatches the key from Juliet, removes her own cuff, and dumps it on the ground as she walks away.

They arrive at the Barracks and find the place practically deserted. Juliet says she'll get Sayid and tells Kate where to find Jack. Kate finds him unconscious in the house he's been staying in, which has been trashed. She wakes him, tells him that the Others have all left and tearfully tells him how sorry she is, since it was apparently her rescue attempt that led to the Others leaving. Jack asks if Juliet left; Kate tells him they left her behind too. They prepare to head back to the beach.

3X15 TheyWereLeftBehind
The people who were left behind heading back to camp.

Outside, Jack meets Juliet. Sayid joins them and says he checked all the houses. He tells the other three that everyone else has gone and has left no tracks; it's as though fifty people simply vanished. He questions the fact that Juliet is coming with them. Jack insists that they allow her to join them, saying "they left her behind too."

At the beach

Sawyer gives Claire and Aaron wild boar roast.

At the beach, Hurley tells Sawyer that there will be a vote on whether to banish him from the camp tomorrow. He suggests that Sawyer make amends to continue being part of the society, but Sawyer says, "I don't do amends."

Later, Sawyer successfully catches a fish but is unable to properly gut it. Realizing that he would have great difficulty surviving on his own, he approaches Hurley to find out how to make amends and change the vote. Hurley pokes fun at him for not having learned to gut a fish in all the time they've been on the island, and demands an apology for the various names Sawyer has called him. Sawyer begrudgingly agrees, and they begin work.

That night, Hurley tells Sawyer to go over to Claire and say something nice about Aaron, giving him a blanket to give to her. Sawyer does so awkwardly (making Aaron cry, even though his voice used to apparently calm Aaron) and Claire is amused and puzzled, but appreciative.

3X15 SawyerJin
Sawyer hosts a feast, after Desmond caught a boar. (promotional still)

The next morning, Sawyer and Desmond hide with guns, waiting for a boar to come by. When Desmond asks what Sawyer's "angle" is and why he's suddenly willing to be his hunting buddy. Sawyer replies that he has "hearts and minds to change" and wants to give the people something they'll like, remarking that money has no value on the Island, while meat does. A boar appears, which Desmond shoots.

Later Sawyer helps roast the boar as part of a feast for the camp. He admits to Charlie that he knows about the vote, but Charlie says he knows nothing of it. Sawyer then realizes that Hurley "conned" him into being "decent." On confrontation, Hurley says that with Jack, Kate, Locke and Sayid all gone, people need to be able to look to Sawyer for leadership, and thus, he needs to relate to them better if he's going to be their "temporary leader." Sawyer says that he doesn't want to be a leader, but Hurley points out that Jack didn't seem to want the role either. Hurley tells him that he's just done a good job making everyone in the camp happy. Sawyer seems to accept it, bringing food to Claire, who lets him hold Aaron. However, Sun still gives him an angry look and he realizes not everything has been smoothed over.


  • Hurley tells Sawyer he will be banished in a group vote. This may be a reference to the popular, debunked theory is that the survivors are on a reality TV show (e.g Survivor).
  • When Locke visits Kate in the recreation room he mysteriously has a bandage around his right hand despite not having it in his previous appearance. This is explained in his next appearance 4 episodes later in "The Brig".
  • Claire is seen reading a book called Rick Romer's Vision Of Astrology. Rick Romer was the set-decorator of ‘‘Lost’’ and this was the first episode after he left the show.
  • The smoke grenade used against Kate is a "ALSG272 Continuous Discharge, Smoke Grenade, CS" [1] However, the gas in the canister is not CS gas. CS gas causes skin irritation and eye tearing, and contrary to the gas in the canister, it has no anesthetic effect.
  • The knife from Juliet's pocket is a Kershaw Chive [2], designed by the Hawaiian based knifemaker Ken Onion who lives on Oahu.
  • Juliet's right hand is handcuffed to Kate's left, conferring Kate the advantage, as both are right-handed.
  • When the Monster attacks Juliet the second time, three separate puffs of smoke converge before slamming into the sonic fence. The producers have confirmed that one of the names for the Monster is Cerberus, which in mythology had three heads.
  • The motel bathroom is decorated with a picture framed with an octagonal shape.
  • Kate's car's license plate number is 40N-DVB Missouri (seen as Cassidy drops her off at the service station.)
  • Kate is left behind by her mother; Cassidy is left behind by Sawyer; Juliet is left behind by the Others. Jack is left behind by the others and Sawyer thinks he is going to be left out.
  • When Sawyer attempts to earn Claire's vote, Aaron cries after he says hello to him. This seems to suggest that the sound of Sawyer's voice no longer keeps Aaron calm, as it did in Season 1.
  • The song playing in the bar when Kate and Cassidy meet is a non-commercial track called "Waltz Without Whispering". A sample can be heard here.
  • This episode is rated TV-14-V.

Production notes

Bloopers and continuity errors

  • When Kate and Cassidy are in the bar having a drink, Cassidy is asking Kate a question and we see Kate playing with an empty glass. We then cut to a view of Kate face on, where she holds up the glass with a dark drink in it, and drinks it in one gulp.
  • When Cassidy spills her food on Diane, the stain is clearly only on her apron. However when cleaning herself up in the toilet, a large food stain appears on her top.
  • Juliet is handcuffed to Kate by her right arm; except, when hiding from the smoke monster, the handcuff appears on her left arm.
  • When Kate and Juliet trip and fall while being chased by the Monster, they are already covered with mud, front and back, before they even hit the puddle.
  • When Kate and Juliet are hiding from the monster, the camera assumes the point of view of the monster. While ducking and weaving through the jungle, the camera points to the left, and a person in a red shirt can be seen amongst the foliage, as well as a red-hat light.
  • Although Kate and Juliet are gassed at the same time as Jack and Sayid, they wake up at least a day earlier.
  • When Kate ('Lucy') arrives in town early in the episode a Chrysler 300M drives by from left to right. Towards the end of the episode when Kate and Cassidy pull up to the same spot, the same Chrysler 300M drives past.


The Season 3 soundtrack includes the following cues from this episode:


Recurring themes

Recurring themes
3x16-Juliet Sonic Barrier
Juliet entering the code.
  • Cassidy dresses as Kate to find out how many police officers are watching Kate's mother. (Deceptions and cons)
  • Kate meets Cassidy, the mother of Sawyer's then-unborn child, in a flashback, and she helps Kate speak with her mother; this complements the moment in "The Long Con" (in which Cassidy was first introduced) when Sawyer was served by Kate's mother. (Character connections)
  • Sawyer got conned by Hurley into thinking there would be a vote to banish him from the camp. (Deceptions and cons)
  • Cassidy is trying to sell fake jewelry at a gas station and is almost exposed. (Deceptions and cons)
  • Cassidy reveals to Kate that she doesn't want a payback against Sawyer, because she's pregnant with his child. (Pregnancies)
  • Juliet attempts to manipulate Kate into thinking they are "in it together" by dragging her out into the jungle and handcuffing herself to her. (Deceptions and cons)
  • Locke tries to convince the Others that Kate is a good person. (Good and bad people)
  • "Lucy" says that she killed her stepfather "'cause he was a bad guy." (Good and bad people)
  • In retribution, Cassidy says she wants to help because the man that conned her "was a bad guy." (Good and bad people)
  • Juliet says it was the fourth time her shoulder had been dislocated. (The Numbers)
  • The six-digit code that Juliet types in is 151623 - only the final four digits are shown, but six digits can be heard being typed. (The Numbers)
  • Kate's mother tells Kate if she ever sees her again, she will call for help (which she does, despite her terminal condition, when Kate visits her in the hospital). Kate later says she'll never forgive her mother for calling the police. (Parent issues)
  • As Kate and Juliet's argument reaches its climax, a heavy downpour accompanies their fight. (Rain)
  • Kate's hat says "Cowboy Up." (Regularly spoken phrases)
  • When Locke talks to Kate and tells her that he's leaving with the Others, he has a (bruised) black eye. This recalls Claire's dream in "Raised by Another" in which Locke has one black eyeball and one white eyeball. (Black and white)
  • On the Island, Sawyer tries to look good for the other people, in order not to be (allegedly) banished. He actually finds it a good thing, even after knowing the truth. (Redemption)
  • Juliet is allegedly left behind by the Others. (Isolation)
  • The whole flashback is due to Kate's car being busted. (Car accidents)
  • The pool table in the flashback mirrors the pool table on which Kate's sitting while being held captive. Later, she observes a backgammon board to kill time. (Games)  (Black and white)
  • A game of Mousetrap can be seen in the room in which Kate is being held. (Games)
  • The Monster flashes lights four times during the night attack on Kate and Juliet. (The Numbers)
  • When Cassidy is arrested, she tells Edward Mars, "I'm just selling bibles." (Religion)
  • Kate and Juliet are handcuffed together. (Imprisonment)
  • The monster is made of black smoke, but it flashes Juliet with a white light. (Black and white)

Cultural references

Cultural references
(direct references only)
ArtAutomobilesGamesHistoryLiterary worksMovies and TVMusicPhilosophyReligion and ideologiesScience

Literary techniques

Literary techniques
ComparativeIronyJuxtapositionForeshadowing PlottingCliffhangerPlot twist Stock characters:  ArchetypeRedshirtUnseen character
Story:  FlashbacksFlash-forwardsFlash sidewaysFraming deviceRegularly spoken phrasesSymbolismUnreliable narrator 
  • Juliet handcuffs herself to Kate as a symbol that they need to work together and learn to trust each other. (Symbolism)
  • All of the Others at the Barracks are gone without explanation. (Plot twist)
  • Juliet says that "Ben has a thing for mind games." Later, it's revealed that she was playing the mind game by cuffing herself to Kate and manipulating her feelings for Jack. (Plot twist)
  • Sawyer, the con man, was conned by Hurley. (Irony)
  • Hurley tries to get Sawyer to act like a leader while the conventional leaders like Jack and Locke are gone. (Irony)

Storyline analysis

Storyline analysis
  • In the flashback, Kate works unknowingly with a rival for Sawyer's affections. In real-time, she must work with a potential rival for Jack's affection. (Rivalries)
  • Sawyer is assigned by Hurley to be a new leader on the beach camp. (Leadership)
  • Hurley tells Sawyer he doesn't think Jack wanted to be the leader either. (Leadership)
  • Juliet tells Kate that she had broken Jack's heart. (Relationships)
  • Sawyer observes that money has no value on the Island. (Economics)

Flashback timeline

  • According to Kate this flashback takes place just a few months after she killed her biological father Wayne in "What Kate Did". This places the flashbacks in Left Behind in either late 2001 or early 2002.
  • This episode's flashbacks take place before the flashbacks in "Born to Run".
  • This episode's flashbacks occur in between Sawyer's flashbacks in "The Long Con" and "Every Man for Himself".

Episode connections

Episode references

Episode allusions

  • Cassidy says if the Marshal ever gets his hands on Kate, it will be him or her [who dies]. As it turns out, it was the Marshal. ("Tabula Rasa")
  • Sawyer is reading Watership Down. ("Confidence Man")
  • Sawyer tells Desmond that he has "hearts and minds" to change. ("Hearts and Minds")
  • Kate is listening to "Walkin' After Midnight" by Patsy Cline when her car is being towed away. ("What Kate Did")
  • This episode is strongly correlated to "The Long Con" - both are centered on Sawyer, this one obliquely. The flashback follows the aftermath of Cassidy's treatment by Sawyer. On the beach, Sawyer is mostly trying to redeem himself of his conning of the other Losties, which took place in that same episode, and particularly for ordering Sun's kidnapping. ("The Long Con")
  • Kate attempts to jump Juliet when she comes to visit her in her cell, in the same manner Jack did when he was first captured. ("A Tale of Two Cities")
  • Juliet knows lots of information about Jack's life, because she read his file. ("A Tale of Two Cities")
  • Kate's hat says "cowboy up", which is the same phrase Sawyer said to Karl. ("Stranger in a Strange Land")

Unanswered questions

Unanswered questions
  1. Do not answer the questions here.
For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Left Behind/Theories
  • Why was the monster stopped by the sound barrier?

External links
