All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues Episode Recap

Episode Score

Your Score

Synopsis

With the revelation that Ethan (guest-star William Mapother) was never on the plane, the survivors rush to find the missing Claire and Charlie, whom they realize have been taken. Leading the way is Jack, who feels guilty after never believing Claire's claims that she was in danger. Flashbacks in this episode concentrate on Jack's decision to stand up to his father and fight for what is right.

Full Recap

Hurley reveals to everyone that Ethan wasn't on the plane! They then rush to find Charlie and Claire. Locke finds Claire's luggage bag and footprints showing a struggle. They then find signs showing that someone was dragged off, and Locke believes that Ethan is one of "The Others" that Sayid mentioned. Locke then points Jack in the direction that Ethan went. As he runs after Ethan, he has a flashback of trying to resuscitate a patient in the OR but inevitably loses her.
As a search party is formed back at the cave, Jack has another flashback about arguing with his father, who accidentally cut the dead patient's artery during surgery because he had apparently been drinking. Locke, Kate, and Boone catch up with Jack as Michael heads south to search. As Jack tells Kate that he feels guilty for not believing Claire, Locke finds one of Charlie's finger-wrappings. The group then finds two trails and splits up, Kate with Jack and Boone with Locke. After Kate tells Jack that she got her tracking skills from tracking deer with her father, he has a flashback of reluctantly signing a document that states that the patient died of injuries from her car crash and excludes his father's error.
Elsewhere, Walt mentions to Sawyer that Sayid is back, and Sawyer confronts him. Sayid tells him that he left the camp because he was ashamed of what he did but returned after he was captured by the French woman, who mentioned "The Others". Back in the jungle, Locke, after accurately predicting rain, tells Boone to go back to camp. Boone, however, refuses. Jack then hears Claire's screams, and he and Kate climb tree roots to get to her. However, Jack slips and hits the ground hard. Ethan then appears and warns Jack that he will kill Charlie or Claire if he and Kate continue to follow him. Jack attacks him, but Ethan easily knocks him out.
After having a flashback of seeing the dead patient's husband talking to his father and threatening to sue, Jack is awakened by Kate. He chases after Ethan and has another flashback of his father lying to a committee. When he learns that the patient was pregnant, he then revises his statement, revealing the truth about what happened. As the flashback ends, Kate and Jack find Charlie was hanged! They cut him down but he is not breathing. Jack tries multiple times to resuscitate him but is unsuccessful. Not wanting the same thing to happen again, Jack tries again and Charlie starts breathing.
That night at the cave, Jack promises Charlie that they will look for Claire when the sun rises. Charlie then says that "all they wanted was Claire". Meanwhile, Boone and Locke, still looking for Ethan, find a mysterious object buried in the ground and begin to dig it up.