Two for the Road (Lost)

Infobox Television episode | Title = Two for the Road
Series = Lost (TV series)


Caption = Ana Lucia discusses her problem with Michael
Season = 2
Episode = 20
Airdate = May 3, 2006
Production = 220
Writer = Elizabeth Sarnoff
Christina M. Kim
Director = Paul Edwards
Guests = John Terry
Rachel Ticotin
Gabrielle Fitzpatrick
Michael Emerson
Episode list = "Lost" (season 2)
List of "Lost" episodes
Prev = S.O.S.
Next = ?"Two for the Road" is the twentieth episode of the second season of the American drama television series "Lost", and the show's forty-fourth episode overall. The episode was written by Elizabeth Sarnoff and Christina M. Kim, and directed by Paul Edwards. It first aired in the United States on May 3, 2006 on the American Broadcasting Company. In the episode, flashbacks reveal more about Ana Lucia's past, while in present time, Ana Lucia tries to get a gun to kill Henry, and Michael returns to the rest of the survivors. At the end of the episode, Michael kills both Ana Lucia and Libby without warning.

"Two for the Road" was generally well-received by critics who were shocked that Ana Lucia and Libby were killed off. Many people, however, anticipated the two deaths as actresses Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros had widely publicized DUIs several months prior to the airing of the episode. The producers later claimed in several interviews that the deaths had been planned for over a year. The episode was watched by 15.03 million American viewers, which represented a decrease compared to the previous year's rating.cite web |url=http://ncjl.wordpress.com/lost-ratings/ |title=Lost Ratings |accessdate=2008-08-08 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date= |work= |publisher=Not Confused Just Lost]

Plot

Flashbacks begin directly after Ana Lucia Cortez (Michelle Rodriguez) shooting Jason (Aaron Gold) in "Collision". Upon arriving at the police station the following day, Ana Lucia's mother Teresa Cortez (Rachel Ticotin) is suspicious of her daughter and questions her, causing Ana Lucia to quit the police department. While working at an airport, she meets Christian Shephard (John Terry) who hires her as a bodyguard for his trip to Australia. One night, Ana Lucia and a drunk Christian go to a home, where Christian demands to see his daughter from a blonde woman (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick). After seeing that the argument is getting out of control, Ana intervenes and pulls Christian back into the car. Ana Lucia eventually gets tired of Christian's antics and leaves him at a bar. Ana goes to the airport and calls her mother, apologizing and telling her that she wishes to make things right. Teresa says she will be waiting for Ana Lucia in Los Angeles.

In the present, Ana Lucia starts questioning Henry Gale in the hatch, but suddenly he attacks her, and is only stopped when John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) knocks him unconscious. Although Libby (Cynthia Watros) advises Ana Lucia not to try to get revenge on Henry, she is determined and asks James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway) for a gun, but is rejected. Ana Lucia returns and after Sawyer still refuses to give her a gun, she has sex with him, and is able to distract him long enough to steal the gun. Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) and Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly) return with Michael Dawson (Harold Perrineau). Michael wakes up and tells everyone in the hatch that he tracked the Others down and found out that they are living worse off then the survivors. He also says that once he is healthy, he will organize a rescue mission to reclaim his son Walt Lloyd (Malcolm David Kelley). After Locke and Jack begin to plan a rescue mission for Walt, they realize that they need more guns, and go to Sawyer, who realizes that Ana Lucia stole his. Meanwhile, Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia) has planned a romantic picnic with Libby, but he realizes that he forgot to pack a blanket and Libby offers to go back to the hatch to retrieve one. Michael asks Ana Lucia what is going on and she tells him that although she was about to kill Henry, she was not able to pull the trigger. Michael offers to do it, but after she hands him the gun, he turns around and shoots her. Libby walks in with the blankets and a startled Michael shoots her, too. He then walks into the armory where Henry is being held and shoots himself in the shoulder, letting Henry go.

Production

"Two for the Road" was the second episode of the series directed by Paul Edwards. Edwards had previously directed the episode "What Kate Did". The episode was written by Elizabeth Sarnoff and Christina M. Kim, the third episode that the two had written together.

Numerous locations on Oahu were used as filming locations for the episode. The rooftop on Dole Cannery was filmed as the Los Angeles Police Department rooftop. The kitchen of Hawaii Convention Center was altered so that the "Lost" cast and crew could use it as a morgue, the Convention Center was also used for the airport scenes. The bar that Christian Shephard went to in the flashbacks is actually the Fisherman's Wharf restaurant at Kewalo Basin Harbor. The scene at Ana Lucia's hotel room was filmed at the Renaissance Ilikai Waikiki Hotel. The scenes on the beach were shot at Oahu's Papa'iloa Beach as usual.cite web |url=http://www.lostvirtualtour.com/lost/episode/2x20.html |title=Two for the Road" |accessdate=2008-07-25 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date= |work= |publisher=Lost Virtual Tour] The deaths of Ana Lucia and Libby caused speculation that they were killed off due to the DUIs that actresses Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros received within fifteen minutes of each other on December 1, 2005. Watros pleaded guilty, was fined $370, and had her license suspended for 90 days. Rodriguez initially pleaded innocent, but in April pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to five days in Oahu correctional facility, but ended up serving only 65 hours due to jail overcrowding.cite web |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,194264,00.html |title=Sex, Bloodshed and Betrayal Served Up on 'Lost' |accessdate=2008-07-27 |last=Associated Press |first= |coauthors= |date=2006-05-04 |work= |publisher="Fox News"] In February of 2006, "US Weekly" claimed that an insider told them that the "Lost" producers were frustrated with Rodriguez's behavior and were going to kill her character off.cite web |url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=84963 |title=Sexy Rodriguez told to get Lost: report |accessdate=2008-07-27 |last=Splash News/ Snapper Media |first= |coauthors= |date=2006-02-02 |work= |publisher=MSN] Soon after, "Two for the Road" aired, writers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse told "TV Guide" that when talking to Rodriguez about the part of Ana Lucia, she said that she would be interested, but only for a year. After sitting down with her, the two were very impressed with her energy, and decided to adjust their plan to make her character only last one season. Lindelof recalled that after they found out that both Rodriguez and Watros got the DUIs, he was concerned that it would look like killing Ana and Libby was the producers attempt to say "Don't drive drunk!", and even considered re-writing the script so it wouldn't seem that way, but the producers decided just to keep it like it was. Lindelof also denied rumors that Rodriguez was killed off because she was hard to deal with, saying that Michelle was "totally professional and got along well with all the other actors." According to Lindelof and Cuse, Watros was very sad about Libby being killed off, and the producers felt bad for her, so they helped her get in a pilot for a show on CBS called "My Ex-Life", although it was not picked up by the network.cite web |url=http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Did-Lost-Kill/700001362 |title=Why Did Lost Kill Ana Lucia? Lindelof/Cuse Tell All! |accessdate=2008-07-27 |last=Ausiello |first=Michael |coauthors= |date=2006-05-03 |work= |publisher="TV Guide"] UPI News Service, (April 19, 2006) " [http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/lost-actress-cynthia-watros-make-cbs-my-ex-life-sitcom-pilot-1008195.php "Lost" actress Cynthia Watros to make CBS "My Ex-Life" sitcom pilot] "Reality TV World". Retrieved on August 8, 2008.]

Reception

"Two for the Road" was watched by 15.03 million viewers, which was about 1.5 million less than the ratings of the previous year. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics. TV Squad's C. K. Sample wrote that "Two for the Road" was "a great episode that I thoroughly enjoyed", although he did feel "badly for Sawyer and Hugo". Sample also wrote that although he suspected that Ana-Lucia and Libby were going to die, he thought what "was amazing was who shot them".cite web |url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/05/03/lost-two-for-the-road/ |title=Lost: Two for the Road |accessdate=2008-07-25 |last=Sample III |first=C. K. |coauthors= |date=2006-05-03 |work= |publisher=TV Squad] Mac Slocum of Filmfodder.com wrote that the episode contained the "Biggest ... twist ... ever." Slocum went on to say that if you had not seen the episode, "whoooeee sic are you in for a treat", and called the two murders "a doozy".cite web |url=http://www.filmfodder.com/tv/lost/archives/002642.shtml |title=Key Points from "Two for the Road" |accessdate=2008-07-25 |last=Slocum |first=Mac |coauthors= |date=2006-05-04 |work= |publisher=Filmfodder.com] "TelevisionWithoutPity.com" graded the episode with a "B+". Slocum call Ana Lucia "a drama queen". He also felt that Libby's death was "one of the most tragic things we've seen", and said that it was "equivalent to a nuclear weapon wiping out all the characters in the "M*A*S*H" finale.cite web |url=http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/lost/two_for_the_road.php?page=14 |title=So Glad to Have You Back, Michael |accessdate=2008-07-22 |last= |first=Daniel |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2006-05-03 |work= |publisher="Television Without Pity"]

References