From Lostpedia

"Deus Ex Machina"

Season

Episode

1

19

Airdate

30 March 2005

Running time

42:48

Production code

{{{pc}}}

Flashback

Locke

Flashforward

{{{flashforward}}}

Flashsideways

{{{flashsideways}}}

Centric character(s)

{{{centric}}}

Day(s)

39-41

Written by

Carlton Cuse
& Damon Lindelof

Directed by

Robert Mandel

Special guest star(s)

{{{specialguests}}}

Guest starring

Swoosie Kurtz - Emily Locke
Kevin Tighe - Anthony Cooper

Co-starring

Lawrence A. Mandley - Frainey
George O'Hanlon - Eddie
Julie Ow - Nurse
Tyler Burns Laudowicz - Kid

Uncredited

{{{uncredited}}}

Episode transcript
[[{{{transcript2}}}|Part Two]]

[[{{{audiotranscript}}}|Commentary transcript]]

Episode images

"Deus Ex Machina" is the nineteenth episode of Season 1 of Lost. After a mysterious dream, Locke sets out with Boone to find a crashed Beechcraft, in the hope it will lead him further on his quest to open the hatch. Meanwhile, at the beach, Sawyer begins to suffer from severe headaches. Flashbacks in this episode concentrate on Locke's first meeting with his biological mother and father.

Synopsis

Previously on Lost

• In Australia, Locke is turned down for the walkabout he signed up for, after he failed to inform the company that he was a paraplegic. ("Walkabout")
• Upon Flight 815's crash, Locke is amazed to find that he has the ability to use his legs again. ("Pilot, Part 1")
• Locke muses with Boone about how to open the Hatch, which has no handle and no obvious way of opening it from above. ("Hearts and Minds")

Flashbacks

Locke's mother admits that he was "immaculately conceived".

About ten years before the crash, a younger Locke works in a discount superstore. He demonstrates the children's game Mouse Trap to a boy, saying it was his favorite game and that he used to play it with his "brother." A mysterious older woman appears to be watching him in the store. When Locke approaches her, she asks him where the footballs are.

Later Locke sees her in the parking lot. He starts to chase her and is knocked over by a car. Locke gets back up, catches her, and confronts her. She reveals that she is his birth mother, Emily Annabeth Locke. John inquires about his natural father, but she tells him that he has no father, and that he was "immaculately conceived" (a common misuse of the term).

Locke introduces himself to his father.

Locke hires a private investigator, Frainey, to find information on his father and mother. The investigators tell him that his mother has been committed in the past because she had schizophrenia. She was admitted several times to the Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute. When Locke asks about his father, Frainey is hesitant. He says these things are not meant to be and gives Locke a choice to find his father or not. Locke says he wants to meet his father, and the private investigator gives him the address of his father, Anthony Cooper. Locke goes to his father's affluent home, where he is admitted and welcomed. Cooper claims that he did not know he had a son because Emily told him she was not going to have a baby. Cooper claims he found out about Locke a year later, when Emily asked him for more money.

Locke is left lonely and heart-broken after the surgery.

Cooper appears to take Locke under his wing, taking him hunting several times. Arriving early one day, Locke sees that his father is on dialysis. Cooper mentions that he will need a kidney transplant, but is pessimistic about his chances on the waiting list. Locke volunteers to give his father one of his kidneys. Just before the kidney transplant, Locke says that "this was meant to be", and Cooper tells his son that he will see him after the operation.

After the transplant, Locke wakes up in the hospital to find that his father has gone home for private care. His mother appears and reveals that his father concocted a scheme to convince Locke to give up his kidney. Locke pulls himself out of the hospital bed, and drives to his father's home, where the once-friendly guard is not allowed to let him inside. Locke drives away at the guard's pained insistence, and screams at the betrayal.

On the Island

At the beach

Sawyer is suffering as the pain grows worse.

Meanwhile, Sawyer is having increasingly painful headaches, which are not helped by Sun's herbal remedies. He refuses to tell Kate of his problem, so Sun tells Kate Sawyer's problem. Kate goes to Jack to ask for his advice, but once learning he has to help Sawyer, he claims he will get nothing out of it, except for a snappy line and maybe even a nickname. Kate convinces Sawyer to accept Jack's medical assistance. Although hesitant at first, Kate convinces Jack to try and get Sawyer a cure for his headaches.

Sawyer wearing his new glasses

Before seeing Sawyer, Jack talks to Michael, who says that the burning of the raft was not a total loss, because it saved him from trial and error. Michael then tries to communicate with Jin who is also working on the raft. Michael appears to be unsuccessful at this.

After a brief examination, Jack asks Sawyer a series of embarrassing questions regarding his sexual past, such as his experiences with prostitutes, if he has ever contracted an STD and when was his last outbreak. Jack then reveals that Sawyer is just suffering from farsightedness and Sayid melts together the halves of two pairs of glasses for him to wear.

In the jungle

Locke's trebuchet fails to open the Hatch's door.

Locke and Boone continue working on opening the Hatch. Boone at first claims to know nothing of the self-built trebuchet they have, and that they have been going to the Hatch for two weeks, and Locke never talks about himself. Locke replies that his past would bore Boone. They attempt to break the glass on the metal door, but the attempt fails. Locke, angry it didn't work, is unaware that a broken shard has lodged itself in one of his legs, until Boone tells him; he later discovers he has no feeling in his feet or legs. Locke claims the trebuchet was not strong enough to break open the Hatch. When asked about how they will open the Hatch, he tells Boone that the Island will send them a sign.

A bloody Boone in Locke's vision.

Boone starts to complain about Locke's obsessiveness on getting in the hatch, saying they can't do it, leading Locke to claim that Boone cannot tell him what he can or cannot do. Boone repeats Locke's previous claims about their destiny, on how they were supposed to find and open the hatch, and says if they are supposed to, how come it is not open. Locke says the Island will give them a sign, and when Boone questions his statement, they both see a small aircraft crashing into the jungle. Locke sees an image of his mother pointing in that direction, and finds himself in a wheelchair again. It turns out to be a dream, which concludes with Boone, covered in blood, repeating the phrase "Theresa falls up the stairs; Theresa falls down the stairs." Locke wakes up, waking Boone up too, saying they have to go.

Locke and Boone discover a dead body.

Later that day, Locke describes the vision he had, claiming it felt real. He claims he knows where to go now, and that what they'll find will open the hatch. Boone suspects Locke has used the creme he gave Boone, but Locke asks Boone who is Theresa, and Boone doesn't understand how Locke knows about her. Locke says he himself doesn't know, and urges him to keep going. Boone says he probably mentioned Theresa before, to which Locke disagrees. Locke suddenly falls, alarming Boone. Locke keeps saying he is fine, and suddenly finds a rosary on the ground. Boone theorizes someone from camp hiked all the way to where they are, but Locke debunks his theory, pulls a vine which causes a dead body to fall from a tree.

Locke loses the ability to walk, yet rejects Boone's offer to help.

Locke insists that they have to locate the plane, which is eventually found hanging in the trees. Boone and Locke investigate the corpse, and discover it's from Nigeria, wearing a priest's clothes, with a large amount of money and a golden tooth. Locke says it's probably been on the Island for two to ten years. Boone wonders why a Nigerian priest would be on an Island in the South Pacific, when Locke finds a gun on him, coming to the realization he wasn't a priest.

While trekking, Boone notices that John's left leg, the one that wasn't hurt, can barely walk. Suddenly Locke completely falls, and refuses to go to Jack, claiming Jack wouldn't know what happened. Boone asks Locke if he's crazy, driving Locke to tell Boone he was in a wheelchair for 4 years before the crash. When asked about how he got into a wheelchair, Locke says it doesn't matter anymore, as the Island healed him, but now it's trying to take it back, and it wants Locke to follow what he saw. He explains that he believes that whatever is in the plane will help them get into the hatch. Boone understands, and Locke asks him to help him up.

Boone makes contact with a person.

While resting, Boone explains to Locke that Theresa was his nanny, who he kept calling up to his room, which was on top of a high flight of stairs. He used to call her up and down for no reason, until one day she fell down and broke her neck, when Boone was six. Locke starts to laugh, much to Boone's anger, but it is soon discovered that Locke sees the plane he saw in his dream, stuck in a tree. Locke tells Boone to go up there, and find out what's inside the plane.

Boone climbs into the plane, and discovers the plane contains Virgin Mary statues filled with heroin, flown by drug smugglers under the guise of Nigerian missionaries. He throws one of the statues down to Locke, proving him the plane meant nothing. Boone sees a radio, which surprisingly still works, and subsequently makes contact with another person. Boone says that they are the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. After a brief pause, the other person responds, saying "We're survivors of flight 815." Just then, the plane falls out of the tree and crashes to the ground with Boone inside. Locke hoists a badly injured Boone on his shoulders, and returns to the camp.

Locke banging on the door of the Hatch when the light comes on.

Locke makes his way back to the caves with Boone, saying that he fell from a cliff while they were hunting. Jack springs into action, but Locke disappears into the jungle, returning to the Hatch. He yells and screams in anguish, asking the Island what else does he have to do. As he bangs his hands on the door, a light comes on inside the structure, and then turns off.

Trivia

General

• The events of this episode (excluding flashbacks) begin on Day 39 of being on the island. This would be Halloween, 2004, to the Losties.
• The Nurse who checked up on Locke after his operation is the same one who speaks to Jack in "A Tale of Two Cities".
• Sawyer's farsightedness is revealed in this episode, however in the "I Do" audio commentary Carlton Cuse states that this is evident from the start of the series. In "Pilot, Part 2", Sawyer successfully kills a polar bear with his gun, but in "Tabula Rasa" he missed Edward Mars' chest, even though he was stationary and very close.
• Anthony Cooper's license plate reads 4TRIO19, the same as the license plate on the hearse in Terminator 3 in which John Connor, Kate, and the Terminator escape Greenlawn Cemetery.
• Locke says "Normally clothing would completely decompose within 2 years, but this is high quality polyester. Could be 2 years, could be 10". However in "House of the Rising Sun", Jack says "It takes 40 or 50 years for clothing to degrade like this" when talking of Adam and Eve.
• The events of this episode are revisited from other perspectives in the episodes "The Other 48 Days", "Live Together, Die Alone" and "The Little Prince".

Production notes

• Charlie, Claire, Shannon, and Walt do not appear in this episode.
  • The first episode in which Charlie does not appear.
  • Sayid appears in a short montage but has no lines.
  • This is the first time Emile de Ravin is credited on a episode she did not appear in.
• This is the first episode co-written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. The two will eventually end up writing almost every season premiere and every finale, and co-hosting the Official Lost Podcast.
• This episode features a different tone of voice in the Previously on Lost part.
• The voice heard on the radio transmission that Boone picks up, which is revealed to have been Bernard in season 2, is clearly not that of actor Sam Anderson. This is most likely due to the part having not been cast yet.
  • This is similar to how Danielle was played by a different voice actress in the pilot long before she first appeared in "Solitary".
• This episode marks the first appearances of Anthony Cooper and Emily Locke.

Bloopers and continuity errors

• The mousetrap sound loops over Locke's and Emily's conversation more than once. It takes about 10 seconds from when the bucket is kicked to the mouse being trapped. Their conversation lasted about 25 seconds, meaning the sound was looped about 2 ½ times.
• Emily's driver's license says "Expires on birthday" and also says "Expires: 03-20-94". However according to the same card, her DOB is 10-15-40.
• In the scene on the beach in which Jack talks to Sawyer about his headaches, Matthew Fox wears two different rucksacks. In some shots he is wearing his usual pack, which has broad shoulder straps with a narrow, diagonal white stripe on each, and in others he is wearing a totally different, leather pack, with much narrower shoulder straps.

Recurring themes

• Locke demonstrates Mouse Trap for a young boy, and calls it "his favorite game". (Games)
• The footballs are placed in aisle 8 for regulation, aisle 15 for NERF. (The Numbers)
• This episode introduces Emily Annabeth Locke and Anthony Cooper, and Locke's major issues with them. (Parent issues)
• Locke's mother says he was "immaculately conceived". (Pregnancies)
• After being asked by Boone what his story is, Locke tells him that "it would bore you." (Secrets)
• Emily tells Locke that he is "special", and that their meeting "is a sign of great things to come". (Fate versus free will)
• John tells Boone that they were meant to find it. (Fate versus free will)
• Locke has a vision of the crashing Beechcraft, his mother, and Boone. (Dreams and visions)
• The private investigator tells Locke that "this stuff isn't meant to be," referring to seeking out Cooper. (Fate versus free will)
• Jack tricks Sawyer into revealing his sexual past. (Deceptions and cons)
• Locke tells Cooper that their being together was "meant to be". (Fate versus free will)
• Cooper cons Locke out of a kidney. (Deceptions and cons)
• Sawyer is revealed to be farsighted and gets glasses. (Eyes)
• Boone made Theresa run up stairs constantly, until she fell and broke her neck. Locke told Boone to climb up the cliff to the beechcraft, leading to him falling and being horribly wounded. (Coincidence)
• Locke is knocked over by a car in the parking lot. (Car accidents)
• Locke donates, or sacrifices, his kidney to Cooper. (Missing body parts)  (Sacrifice)
• Despite his vision of a bloody Boone, Locke puts him in danger by asking him to climb to the Beechcraft, which falls, mortally wounding Boone and ultimately making him a sacrifice to Locke's vision. (Sacrifice)
• Locke foresees the falling Beechcraft and a bloody Boone speaking of Theresa. (Premonitions)

Cultural references

• Deus Ex Machina (pronounced as "Deh-oos ecks mah-kee-nah") originated as a theatrical device in ancient Greek theatre. This device consisted of a physical crane that lowered a character down onto the stage, the character representing a god. This god would help the characters with a sudden twist in plot. This term would come to mean any device within a plot that provided a sudden change, or solution, in plot.

• Deus Ex Machina literally translates into "God from the machine" in Latin.
• In script writing, the term Deus Ex Machina is often used to refer to a solution to the story, a means to an end that comes out of nowhere and has nothing to do with the story, sometimes leaving the audience feeling cheated.
• In the context of this episode, it is likely that the expression is to be taken more literally. There are two "gods" coming out of machines in this episode: first the Virgin Mary statues that Boone finds in the Beechcraft, and then the blinding beam of light that comes out of the hatch at the end.

• Harry Potter: Hurley comments on how Sawyer looks wearing his new glasses: "Dude, looks like someone steamrolled Harry Potter." (Literary works)
• Catholicism: Locke and Boone find a cross necklace and the body of a man dressed as a priest. (Religion and ideologies)

Literary techniques

• When Boone tells Locke that he should see Jack about his failing legs, Locke says that "Jack wouldn't know the first things about what's wrong with [him]". As a spinal surgeon, Jack would in fact be the most qualified person on the island to understand Locke's back injury. (Irony)
• Cooper drew Locke in so that he could steal his kidney and then dump him; Locke persuaded Boone to climb up into the Beechcraft, despite the obvious risks. (Juxtaposition)
• Locke goes to meet his father (he believes that it is his destiny), but it ends in the loss of his kidney. On the Island, Locke follows his vision (he believes it is his destiny to open the hatch), but it ends in the death of Boone. (Juxtaposition)
• At the point in his past when the flashbacks take place, Locke is robbed of all his faith by his father, and becomes an angry, obsessive man. On the Island, his anger and obsession return in trying to open the hatch, but his faith is renewed when the light comes on inside. (Juxtaposition)
• At the beginning of the first flashback, Locke explains to the boy that when you play Mouse Trap, you are slowly building the trap piece by piece, and "if you set it up just right," you capture your opponents. He then goes to speak to his mother, the first piece in an elaborate "trap" to rob him of his kidney. (Symbolism)

Storyline analysis

• Locke and Boone try to find the Beechcraft, believing it to be a sign meant to help them. (A-Missions)
• Boone berates Locke by telling him that he can't open the Hatch and Locke responds with "Don't tell me what I can't do." (Regularly spoken phrases)
• Emily tells Locke that he is "special", and that their meeting "is a sign of great things to come". (Regularly spoken phrases)
• Jack tricks Sawyer into revealing his sexual past. (Rivalries)

Unanswered Questions

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Deus Ex Machina/Theories

• Why did the Island take Locke's ability to walk temporarily?

John Locke (X) Portrayed by Terry O'Quinn, Charles Henry Wyson and Caleb Steinmeyer Centric episodes "Walkabout" • "Deus Ex Machina" • "Exodus, Part 3" • "Orientation" • "Lockdown" • "Further Instructions" • "The Man from Tallahassee" • "The Brig" • "Cabin Fever" • "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" • "The Incident, Parts 1 & 2" • "LA X, Part 1" • "LA X, Part 2" Flashback characters Matthew Abaddon • Adam • Richard Alpert • Kate Austen • Autumn • Ayesha • Jimmy Bane • Bobby • Cindy Chandler • Father Chuck • Eddie Colburn • Construction foreman • Anthony Cooper • Crystal • Eddie • Emma • ER doctor • ER nurse • Florence • Frainey • Francine • Gellert • Government worker • Hajer • Helen • Jacob • Jan • Sayid Jarrah • Noor "Nadia" Abed Jazeem • Jeannie • Bea Jones • JD • Kid • Kim • William Kincaid • Jin-Soo Kwon • Benjamin Linus • Aaron Littleton • Lizzie • Walt Lloyd • Emily Locke • Mrs. Locke • Locke's nurse • Detective Mason • Melissa • Michelle • Mike • Moderator • Randy Nations • Helen Norwood • Nurse Margaret • Charlie Pace • Physical therapist • Detective Reed • Rick Romer • Shannon Rutherford • Security guard • Jack Shephard • Sister Consuela • Mrs. Talbot • Peter Talbot • Tom • Waiter • Warren • Charles Widmore • Sheriff Williams • Zach Items Backgammon • Coffin • Compass • Crossword puzzle • Knives • Bentham's passport • Suicide note • Trebuchet • Wheelchair • Whistle

The Star Trek Expanded Universe Database is for fanon and related content. See Memory-Alpha.org for the canon Star Trek wiki.

You may also be looking for Deux Ex Machina.

This article has a real-world perspective.

Star Trek: New Order episode
"Deus Ex Machina"
Season:	3
Episode no.	17
Prod. code:	307
Writer(s):	Cpthunt, CaptainGMAN
Original post date:	July 1, 2009
Year:	2381
episode chronology
Previous episode:	"Lost Planet of the Gods"
Next episode:	"Excalibur"
←ROMULAN INVASION ARC→

A mysterious threat has seemingly appeared out of the future and now threatens to turn the tides of the war with the Romulan Empire against the Federation. Beliskner is on the verge of sacrificing itself to stop the threat.

Synopsis

Prologue

Act One

Act Two

Act Three

Act Four

Act Five

Log entries

Memorable quotes

"Right, This one is even weirder, Now obviously this is some sort of advanced cybernetic lifeform, But on the scanner it appeared as a perfectly normal human female. It even breaths and is programmed to bleed pretty convincing blood if pricked."

"Maybe, ‘It’ would like you to stop calling ‘It’ that."

— The Daedalus' doctor and his unusual patient Cadet Percival.

"I am a woman of few words, So I’ll be brief…"

— Commander Dranzian Chavin about to give a speech.

"Very well, so this is how it ends. Computer, this is Captain Hunt, initiate autodestruct sequence Omega, authorization Hunt Alpha One-Four-Seven, set target impact detonation, enable."

— Captain Jonathan Hunt activating the auto-destruct on the USS Beliskner.

Background information

This episode was co-written with CaptainGMAN.

From Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki

This article may require cleanup to meet the quality standards of Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki. Please discuss this issue on the talk page or append this tag with a more specific message. {{{2}}}

The term deus ex machina (appropriately enough, meaning "the god from the machine" in Greek) is used to refer to a plot device in which a surprising or unexpected event occurs in a story's plot, often to resolve flaws or tie up loose ends in the narrative. In classical Greek theatre, this often involved an actor representing a god whose powers saved the day, being suspended above the stage by a crane, hence the origin of the term. However, when used in Transformers, it's mainly a new character coming out of nowhere and kicking everyones ass (often used to promote a new toy); when a dead character comes back for some reason; or gets a new body (again, to sell toys). Sometimes, however, it's just conveniently used accesories.

From Yu-Gi-Oh Card Maker Wiki

Deus Ex Machina
	English:	Deus Ex Machina
	Attribute:	LIGHT
	Types:	Machine/Fusion/Effect
	Level:	12
	ATK/DEF:	?/?
	Card Lore:	1 Machine-Type monster + any number of Machine-Type monster(s). This card's original ATK and DEF is equal to the combined Levels of the monsters used for the Fusion Summon of this card x 300.
	Sets with this Card:	Structure Deck 20: Machina Empire - (MCEM-EN01) - Ultimate Rare/Cover Card
	Card Limit:	Limited
	Other Card Information:	Gallery - Rulings Appearances Tips - Errata - Trivia Lores - Artworks - Names