“You Have a Choice”
Season 6, Episode 3
By Notredame4eva09 (Corey M)
{Richard Alpert Centric}
Beginning is a continuation of the scene from “In Rectus Os” with Jacob coming upon the Black Rock. RICHARD (Repeated Line) (To Jacob): “Who are you?” Jacob smiles. JACOB: “My name is Jacob. And yours?” RICHARD: “I‟m…I‟m Richard…Richard Alpert. What just happened?” JACOB: “What do you mean, friend?”
RICHARD: “We were just sailing towards an island…And then a bright light, with a loud noise…It just was all around us. The next thing I knew the ship was in the middle of a jungle and everyone but me is dead. Their dead bodies…Every single one of them has blood coming out of their nose. Why not me?” JACOB: “Because Richard…You are special. You are important. Please come down so we can talk.” Richard leaves the rail and begins to come down to Jacob. Jacob looks behind him to see Esau with an angry look on his face. Esau leaves. Richard exits the ship and comes to Jacob. RICHARD: “So, Jacob, can you tell me where I am?” JACOB: “You are on the same island you were sailing to. This is a special island, my friend. You‟ll see things here you never would have imagined.” RICHARD: “What do you mean? I just want to go home.” JACOB: “Richard, what if I told you that if you stayed here, on this island, you would be rewarded greatly?” RICHARD: “What reward would be bestowed upon me?” JACOB: “All that you need to know is that you have a choice. You have a choice to either work with me and be rewarded, or you part and we go our separate ways empty handed.” RICHARD: “What work am I to be doing on a deserted island?” Jacob smiles, and walks to Richard. He touches his outstretched palm to Richard‟s chest, and steps back. RICHARD: “What was the meaning of that?”
JACOB: “In time, you‟ll understand better, Richard. But now, it‟s time you are introduced to the island.” LOST TITLE CARD Act Two (On Island, 2007) Esau stands before the survivors. CLAIRE: “What is going on here? Who is this man?” JACOB: “Esau and I have been…quarreling, for longer than you could ever imagine. This fight will end very, very soon, with the right side winning. Esau has almost been defeated. After that, this island can do exactly what it pleases.” ESAU: “You will not win, my friend. This island has a destiny. It was meant to do so much more, but you are holding it back, Jacob. Once you are finally out of the picture, the island will be mine, and I will assure you that its destiny will be fulfilled.” JACOB: In good time, my friend, we will see which one of us is right. Jacob begins to leave. SAYID: “Where do you think you are going? I intend to speak to the one who made sure that my wife be run down by a speeding car.” JACOB: “Be calm, Sayid. It was in your best interests. Goodbye.” Jacob walks into the jungle. The noises of the smoke monster are heard. Everyone turns around to see that Esau is gone, nowhere to be found. JACK: “Well, Richard, where do we go now?” RICHARD: “Follow me.” As Richard begins leading the survivors into the jungle, a flashback begins.
(On Island, Circa. 1954) This scene takes place just after John Locke and co. flashed to ‟54 and told the Others to bury Jughead. Ellie (Eloise Hawking) approaches Richard just after the survivors disappeared. ELLIE: “Did you just see what I saw?” RICHARD: “If what you mean by this is, did I see these people disappear before my eyes, then yes, Eloise, I saw. ELLIE: “Don‟t call me Eloise, Richard. It makes me feel too old.” RICHARD: “Very well, Ellie. Be off, now.” ELLIE: “Richard, I bring instructions from the American who was with the group. The one who examined the bomb.” RICHARD: “I‟m listening.” ELLIE: “He said that we should take the bomb off of its structure, and… bury it.” RICHARD: “What kind of nonsense is this? Why would we bury an unstable nuclear missile, which as we speak is leaking radiation?” ELLIE: “Because the man who told me this said that 50 years from now, the island is safe and the bomb hasn‟t exploded.” Charles Widmore enters the discussion. CHARLES: “That is ridiculous, Ellie. Why would you even bring such news to Richard? He has more important things to do.” RICHARD: “Charles, go tell Dames to build a dolly.” CHARLES: “Why?”
RICHARD: “Because we‟re going to need one if we intend to move and then bury Jughead.” Charles is disgusted. CHARLES: “Why would you believe an old man and a freaky scientist? You can‟t be serious.” RICHARD: “Charles, do what I asked you to do. Ellie, you can go with him.” The two walk away. Cut to Richard, Ellie and Charles along with three unnamed Others inside the tunnel where Jughead was secured and left. RICHARD: “Thank you for helping me, Charles. I know that you didn‟t want to do this.” CHARLES: “It doesn‟t matter. Whatever the geek said, it must be true, if he really is from the future.” Shot of Richard‟s face, with a „WHOOSH‟ indicating the end of the flashback. (On Island, back in 2007) Richard and the Others stand outside the Temple. SAWYER: “Tell me again why we had to come to some old rundown church?” BRAM: “It‟s not a church, hillbilly. It‟s a temple. It‟s where some of our people are staying.” SAWYER: “Why are you talkin‟ like you‟re an Other? Last I heard you and your girlfriend were on that plane that landed on this rock.” RICHARD: “Stop, James. He and Ilana are with us. They were off the island on an assignment. Now everyone, follow me. We‟re going inside.” The camera pans back as the group begins to enter the temple.
Act Three (On Island, 1977) Continuation of the scene from „Dead is Dead‟ with Richard taking young Ben Linus into the temple. Richard walks through a dark, stone corridor lit by a single torch at the end of the room. Richard takes Ben down the stairs and through another long corridor, this one having many wooden doors on each side. He takes Ben down another flight of stairs and into the room where Ben was judged by the monster. He stands in front of the vent and sets Ben down. RICHARD (To the Monster): “I bring a boy, Benjamin Linus. He comes from the Dharma Initiative. Benjamin wants to join us, but he has just been shot. Can you help him?” A long pause is seen. Ben starts to be dissolved into the vent where the smoke monster comes out. Richard steps back. A bright light shoots out of each hole in the vent, and after 5 whole seconds, goes off. The smoke monster comes out of the vent, and forms back into Esau, who is holding Ben. ESAU: “He is better now.” RICHARD: “Thank you, Esau.” Richard begins to walk away. Esau stops him. ESAU: “Tell me, Richard, why three other members of the Dharma Initiative have asked to become one of you, and only he is accepted?” RICHARD: “He is being brought in because Jacob wants it to happen.” ESAU (Sarcastically): “Well then, I‟m glad to see Jacob get what he wants.”
Richard leaves the room, and the flashback ends. Act Four
(On Island, 2007) Richard leads the group down the stairs and in a door. Inside the door is a very, very large meeting room with a stone table stretching across the whole room. The room is lit by torches. Inside are the Others. There are about 15-20 of them. Harper stands up. HARPER: “Hello, Richard.” Richard waves to Harper. RICHARD(to the survivors): “Everyone, have a seat please.” No one utters a word while passing by Richard to enter the room. Everyone sits down. Richard stands behind a large, stone podium in the front of the room. RICHARD: “You are probably all wondering why you are here and I‟m going to tell you right now. All of you were brought to this island, and this island has had a special effect on all of you. The man who brought you here, Jacob, is fighting in a war that has lasted all of eternity against Esau, the man who posed as John Locke. Esau is very manipulative and wants to destroy Jacob, and there is only one way that he can do that. Jacob and Esau live under a set of…Rules. If they break these rules, there will be consequences. They cannot kill each other, or there will be consequences. This is why Esau manipulated Benjamin Linus into killing Jacob for him. As I said before, there is only one way that Esau, without the help of any others, can level the playing field with Jacob. This is by killing every single person that Jacob brought to this island, including almost every single
one of you in this room. If Esau does this, the war just starts over. The war has created a sort of…loop. Things keep happening over and over again. As soon as someone makes a move, the other one destroys it. I have brought you here today to tell you that we are going to kill Esau.” Ben speaks up from the crowd. BEN: “If Jacob came back from the dead, wouldn‟t this other man, Esau, just do the same?” RICHARD: “That is a good question, Ben. The answer is no.” SAYID: “Ben makes a good point, Richard. If this has been going in a loop, then who is to say that every time one is seemingly killed, they will just come back to life again?” RICHARD: “That is what we were led to believe. We thought exactly the same thing, Sayid. Until your plane crashed?” SAYID: “How does Oceanic 815 play into this?” RICHARD: “Oceanic 815 plays into this very well. I will explain why. Long ago, I found a riddle inscribed on an ancient monument on this island. The riddle was this: What lies in the Shadow of the Statue?” Sawyer interrupts. SAWYER: “What the hell does a damn statue have to do with any of this nonsense?” RICHARD (Ignoring Sawyer): “The answer to this riddle, my friends, is „He Who Will Save us All.‟ Many of you might think this is Jacob. But the day that your plane crashed, we discovered who it really was.” KATE: “Just tell us who it is.” RICHARD: “His name is Jack Shepherd.”
Close up shot of Jack, in shock. LOST