Episode Title: "Orientation"

Episode Number: 27

Production Number: 203

Air Date: 10/5/05

Synopsis: In the hatch, Kate overpowers Desmond and we learn that he became stranded on the island long ago when his sailboat ran adrift. During the struggle, the computer is damaged and Desmond flees, but not before telling the survivors to watch a film called Orientation that will explain more about the purpose of the hatch and the computer. It appears as if the hatch and its contents come courtesy of the ubiquitous but mysterious organization known as the Dharma Initiative.

On the other side of the island, Sawyer, Michael, and Jin are captured and caged by people they still believe to be the Others. Joining them in their cell is a familiar woman they recognize from the airport.

Flashback: It's Locke-time, as we explore his feelings of resentment at his father for stealing his kidney. In a support group he meets Helen, and their relationship develops. She cannot come to terms with how obsessed he is with speaking to his father again, and finally gives him a kind of ultimatum.

OMG Moment: The thrilling OMG moment was the introduction of more mysterious people on the island, and the creepy OMG moment was Desmond's description of his bizarro and perplexing job in the hatch.

Questions and clues: Evidence in the hatch and the instructional film allude to an organization called the Dharma Initiative. But what is it, and why did they set up an outpost on the island? And where the heck did Desmond run off to? There’s also a strange magnetic field around the hatch -- what is its significance?