Swallowed by Darkness

"Swallowed by Darkness" is the first episode and season premiere of the third season of ABC's Lost. The episode aired on October 16, 2018 and was viewed live by 14.36 million U.S. citizens. The episode is also the twenty-seventh overall.

Synopsis
Martin attempts to convince the nine survivors on Mortem to join ADA, though Tim dissuades his allies from joining, even if it is seemingly the only way to survive. Meanwhile, on the original island, the survivors at the jungle camp discover a monster is terrorizing their camp.

On the Island
Ryan Hughes, Terry Peterson, and Jackson Bennett come running from the jungle, startling the survivors at the camp. They ask where Zach is, and Terry reveals that he died. Grace is worried about what happened and asks Jackson what happened. The three men reveal that when they came to the source of the sound, they found a tree and when Zach touched it, "darkness" came up and swallowed him. Gloria is shocked that this happened, while Julia says the three of them should get some water and rest, as they were awake through the whole night. Later on, Charlie asks Julia when his grandfather and the rescue group will come back. Julia tells him soon. Gloria overhears this and talks to Julia one-on-one, saying they shouldn't be certain that Ethan will come back alive, especially around Charlie. Julia tells her that for the time being he needs to think his grandfather will be coming back alive. Gloria accepts it and leaves her with Charlie. Sam and Khloe's make-out session is interrupted when Terry comes in and asks for their help. The two ask for what. Ryan and Jackson prepare to leave again to investigate the source of the sound, with caution this time, when Gloira asks to join. Ryan tells her she should wait with the group, but she refuses and tags along. Terry reveals to Sam and Khloe that he and Grace were planning on trying to get a signal up in the sky to confirm if the rescue group is coming back or not, and they need their help, Sam specifically, as they need to ask a question only Tim will know the answer to, and Sam is the only person that can do that.

On Mortem Island
Tim, Sarah, Kenneth, Monica, Taylor, Sharon, Evan, Mark, and Zoe await in their separate cells. Martin walks in and asks if anyone would like to join ADA willingly right where they are. When no one says yes, Martin offers anyone who does, a house, stocked food, and a respected position. When Mark hesitates about saying yes or no, Sharon tells him no, so Martin has her electrocuted by the floor. Martin asks if anyone else would like to object, to which no one responds. Mark denies the offer. Later on, Martin splits the nine into different cell blocks, so that no one can communicate with each other. However, Tim finds Monica's cell is on the other side of the wall from his and the two begin to communicate in morse code. After a short conversation, Tim smiles and begins to stand up. Martin goes to each cell and reveals that he is forcing them to work in the prison section, where they will be forced to shovel dirt and sort through rocks all day. However, when he gets to Monica's cell, he cannot find her in there. He electrocutes the floor which causes the lights to go off. Martin demands over a walkie-talkie that the lights be turned back on, but Monica sneaks up on him and strangles him with a cord. After making sure he is unconscious, he gets Tim out of his cell and the two escape. The next day, Martin has the remaining survivors work in the labor section. However, Mark is missing. When Sarah asks where Tim, Monica, and Mark are, Martin reveals that the former two escaped. Sarah is shocked but attacks Martin. Kenneth manages to unlock the door and the survivors escape. However, Dylan arrives and begins shooting at the survivors. However, Kenneth has already disappeared into the jungle with Sarah. Evan, Zoe, Taylor, and Sharon are caught, with Sharon having a gunshot wound due to Dylan's shooting. Martin orders Sharon be taken to the medical room, while Evan, Zoe, and Taylor continue their work. Martin tells someone on a walkie-talkie to look out for Sarah and Kenneth while searching for Tim and Monica.

Flashbacks
In 2007, Martin has worked his way up from a janitor to a mechanic. However, after he slips while working on something, Dr. Dylan Evans helps him recover from his concussion. Dylan works with Martin in physical therapy as they continue to get closer. When Dylan brings up a past boyfriend, Martin realizes he is gay as well and kisses him. Dylan kisses back. Three years later, Martin gives the eulogy at his father's funeral. At the dinner afterward, Dylan proposes to him in private and Martin gleefully accepts. After his father's death, Martin is made the leader of ADA. Martin appoints Dylan head doctor. Martin's mother is angry that he was made leader instead of her, which causes their relationship to be strained. After Martin's wedding, his mother attempts to poison him to become the leader, which makes Martin realize she is a greater threat than he realized and shoots her, killing his own mother. Martin does not attempt to frame anyone for her death, he accepts it, which causes ADA to slowly become more ruthless.

Main Cast

 * Tom Welling as Tim Harper
 * Evangeline Lilly as Sarah Lloyd
 * Chris Wood as Ryan Hughes
 * Maggie Geha as Gloria Cooper
 * Sean Maguire as Jackson Bennett
 * Victoria Cartagena as Grace Bennett
 * Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Zoe Vincent
 * Michael Chiklis as Terry Peterson
 * Erin Richards as Taylor Hughes
 * Joe Keery as Sam Harper
 * Natalia Dyer as Khloe Mills
 * Eric Johnson as Evan Bailey
 * Bleu Landau as Charlie Stewart
 * Mckenna Grace as Caitlin Bailey
 * Kristin Kreuk as Monica Butler
 * Nicholas Strong as Kenneth Ellis
 * Melissa Benoist as Sharon Ford
 * Colton Haynes as Mark Kuznotsov
 * Nick Zano as Dylan Evans
 * Michael Rosenbaum as Martin Fisher
 * Betty Buckley as Julia Clarke

Guest Cast

 * Cybill Shepherd as Caroline Fisher

Trivia

 * The title of the episode is a reference to the FERAL song, "Swallowed by Darkness", and it references Terry saying Zach was "swallowed by darkness". It could also reference when Martin was "swallowed by darkness" after killing his mother.
 * The episode received generally positive reviews. IGN awarded the episode a 7.4 "Good" score. Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a B-, while The A.V. Club gave it a C-. The present-day Mortem storyline was said to be the best of the three, while the flashbacks received mixed reviews, some praised the explanation for why ADA went from being a research organization, to becoming a more ruthless, offensive group, while others felt it was a disappointing flashback storyline after the second season finale set up flashforwards.
 * The episode is rated TV-DLSV.