"Maternity Leave" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Roseola

The episode opens at night, with the restless fussing of the ill-stricken baby Aaron. Claire awakens Locke in desperation, explaining Aaron's fever and spotty rash. (Looking closely, blotchy patches can be seen on the baby's arms and front.)
Even more frightened following Danielle's unexpected reappearance to the camp, Claire expresses her fears about the dreaded "infection" of which much had been spoken by Danielle and Desmond. Jack assures Claire that the sickness is only a common childhood illness called Roseola. Furthermore, Jack indicates that the notorious "infection" does not exist, adding that the group had survived on the island for two entire months without a sign of sickness. (Recall that two months is the precise amount of time Danielle claimed to have resided on the island before her team got sick.)
Roseola is indeed a common viral infection of young children, with symptoms including a high fever and rash (usually after the fever breaks). Croup is an illness which causes a distinctive cough characterized by a "barking" sound. A common type of Seborrheic Dermatitis is better known as "cradle cap" and affects young infants, consisting of patching or scaling on the infant's head. Rotovirus is another common viral infection.
Unfortunately, Jack's steady prognosis does not relieve Claire's worries of Aaron having a more serious infection. She begins to question the events which occurred during the time she spent away from the camp after being kidnapped, of which she had no former recollection.

Answer: Danielle

The morning after Aaron's rash and fever came, Claire turns to Libby-- the island's clinical psychologist-- for help. Claire explains how, during the second week following the crash on the island, Claire's false alert with the pregnancy led her and Charlie to confront Ethan-- the infiltrated "Other"-- in the jungle. Claire believes she suffered amnesia following the week she was missing, while Libby was convinced that the memories were not gone but simply being blocked away.
Using techniques of relaxation and therapy, Libby is able to "unblock" Claire's long-lost memories and bring forth the full flashbacks of the missing days.
However, note that it is not Libby but Rousseau who draws out the very first memories Claire has. Upon being asked, "You don't remember, do you?" Claire had a sequence of rapid flashes-- a crib, a vial, a young girl, etc. These flashes occur before most flashbacks, including those later induced by Libby, and began to clarify as the memories progress.
In her first flashback, Claire recalls being in a hospital gown in an examination room and speaking with a doctor as though she had not yet departed for Los Angeles on the flight. The doctor with whom she speaks is revealed to be Ethan, preparing to calmly give her a shot he refers to as a sedative.
Claire comes to reality in a panic and is convinced that the memory was very real. However, Libby explains that Claire may be combining true memories with those which occurred prior to the plane crash. Evidence throughout Claire's flashbacks suggests that, in part, this is likely true. For instance, Claire's physical appearance in the first flashback is far more neat and orderly than when she vanished from the jungle. Also, the fact that the conversation is held in the context of happening prior to the flight further supports that it may be only partially recalled in the way it actually occurred.
Nonetheless, the first glimpse into the mysterious events which occurred during the forgotten time both open more questions and reveal a tremendous amount of clues about the organization of the "Others". (For instance, the facility equipment and examination room in which Claire was seen with Ethan is both in far better condition and much more updated than the 1980-fashioned Swan station.)

Answer: 30 days

To place the island time in perspective:
Claire and Charlie were taken by Ethan on the day 17 on the island. Following his survivor census, Hurley discovered that Ethan Rom was absent from the plane manifest and a search was underway. Charlie was found, strung by his neck in a tree, but Claire was presumed missing for good while she was in the medical facility.
Ten days later, on post-crash day 27, Claire is found disoriented in the jungle by Locke and Boone. After collapsing, she had no memory of the previous 27 days since the crash. Thus, Claire escaped under uncertain circumstances after spending ten full days in captivity.
The next day, day 28, Ethan threatened Charlie and demanded Claire's return. As warned, a survivor is murdered when his request is unanswered.
On Day 29, Claire was set as bait to lure Ethan back. Ethan arrives and chases Claire, apparently no longer the calm individual with her best interest in mind (as seen in the flashbacks). Charlie shoots and kills him before any questions can be asked.
Claire celebrates her birthday on day 35, for which Locke builds Aaron's baby cradle.
Aaron is born on day 41, when the island takes Boone's life in exchange.
Three days later, on day 44, Danielle reappears to warn the impending arrival of the "Others". Instead she kidnaps Aaron and attempts to trade him to the "Others" for her long-lost Alex.
Claire finds the messages from the doomed raft on day 47, and on day 48 Cindy vanishes and Shannon is killed.
On day 51 the "hunting party" meets the bearded kidnapper of Walt, we hear the name Alex, and the trio is surrounded by torch-bearing "Others" who claim the island as their own.
Both Aaron and Claire are baptized by Mr. Eko, to ensure their eternal reunion should anything bad happen.
Finally on day 57, a full thirty days later, Danielle returns again, Claire remembers, and the three trek back towards the mysterious medical facility.

Answer: 9mm

After retrieving the memories, Claire becomes determined to return to the medical facility seen in her flashbacks and find medicine for her ill child. It seemed frighteningly plausible that his illness had been somehow created intentionally before birth, by the Others. Claire asks Kate to accompany her on the trek, and Kate turns to Sawyer for a gun. (Although Kate is not heard telling Sawyer that she wants the 9mm, she is later seen bringing out the weapon to threaten Danielle and carry during the facility exploration.) Kate mentions to Sawyer that Aaron could be "quarantine sick", referring to the "quarantine" warning on the sealed steel door of the hatch. (Unknown to her, it was also seen on the door of the arrow-logo bunker found by the tail section explorers. The warning is not, however, seen on the medical facility.)
Meanwhile Claire hands Aaron over to Sun, who is reluctant and protests that a mother should not leave her child. Claire is determined, however, but suddenly stops when Sun asks, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
After another series of rapid flashes, Claire again remembers the examination room with Ethan. He removes a vial from a refrigerated vault and holds a syringe. (Note: The cursed number sequence is printed on the top of the bottle label. This supposed "vaccine" is identical to that which Desmond was seen injecting into his arm, and he took a supply with him before deserting the hatch.) Ethan insists on injecting the vaccine via very large needle into Claire's belly, in order to "help the baby".
One must wonder if the opposite effect may have occurred instead.

Answer: Rousseau's path from the beach

After setting out into the jungle, Claire and Kate pursue the trail of Rousseau in order to locate the facility (as they believe she has knowledge of its location). Kate reassures Claire that they had started at the exact point from which Danielle had departed from the beach the night before. Claire questions Kate about Danielle's explanation of her science research team crashing, and the journey taken to the Black Rock. Rousseau appears in time to explain that her team had been infected and so she had killed them, implying no other solution to a serious illness. Claire demands that Rousseau take her back to where Claire had scratched her arm-- as she had recalled a struggle between them and remembered Danielle's scratches. (Danielle had explained the deep scratches to Locke as a "bush".) Equipped with her own agenda, and hopes of finding something at the location she believed Claire to remember, Danielle agreed to lead the way.

However, upon arrival, both women were disappointed and infuriated that neither knew the final destination.

Answer: Polar bear

After being injected with the syringe, Ethan offers to take Claire to a "surprise". Drugged by the "sedative" and visibly loopy, Claire stumbles alongside down an immaculate corridor stamped with Dharma logos. She notices a ramp to the side, apparently an exit, but is steered away by Ethan to her ultimate astonishment: a fully decorated, almost picturesque baby nursery. The details viewed in the nursery are perhaps as relevant as the events which take place within. For instance, notice the blue walls and many automobile toys-- it seems there was a predetermination that the child was a boy.

The sky blue walls are ornamented with a line of colorful zoo animals, including a hippo, lion, zebra, monkey and even a palm tree. A gray model plane roughly resembling a beech craft is hanging from the ceiling, as well as several other toy airplanes and trucks coinciding with the room's theme. Several stuffed toys, including a teddy bear, are in the background. Especially amusing and clever is the miniature white Dharma gown, resembling Ethan's, seen hanging beside the entry.

Indeed it seems the creators had thought of every detail to create the real yet almost illusionary setting to keep Claire at peace before giving birth-- or so it seemed.

Answer: It is pointing downward

Perhaps the most intriguing and convincing component of the nursery is the crib and mobile, which Claire almost seems to recognize. Upon approaching and examining it, Claire finds that the mobile dangling above the crib in fact closely resembles the one from her nightmare. The mobile consists of four airplanes (yes, labeled with the "Oceanic" logo) swirling around a silver star or sun and casting eerie shadows dancing along the bottom of the crib. While three planes are set in normal, upright flying position, the fourth is noticeably pointed downward as if it were going to fall from the sky. While the striking similarity to the crib and plane mobile in Claire's nightmare (in which she found a baby doll and blood, and saw Locke with a set of black and white eyes) is a chilling reminder of the danger prophesized around Aaron, the coincidence shifts into the realm of uncertainty when Claire turns the mobile on. The music plays the melody of "Catch a Falling Star", which happens to be the lullaby Claire requested the adoptive couple sing to the baby if they were to adopt him.
In the presence of the overwhelming coincidence, one is compelled to strongly consider the blending of previous events in Claire's memories.
Nonetheless, there is little doubt that the most shocking revelation of all occurs when an eerily familiar voice calls Ethan from the room. From prior encounters, the voice is clearly recognized as that of the gruff bearded leader-- both on the speedboat and in the jungle-- named "Bluebeard". However, when Ethan excuses himself and goes to speak to the caller we do not see a scraggly bearded man but a clean-shaven, silver-haired doctor...
Thus, the most astounding of all-- Bluebeard is beardless!
"Mr. Friendly" interrogates Ethan, mentioning a "list" (referring back to Goodwin and the tail section kidnappings). When Ethan explains Mr. Friendly is distressed to say he knows what "he" will do when this is found out.

Answer: Saw; 5th

Having kept the silent prisoner claiming to be Henry Gale a secret in the hatch armory, Jack and Locke ponder a solution to the problem.
While Jack and Henry are in the bathroom, Eko approaches Locke in the hatch to request a saw (presumably for the mysterious construction project involving the marked trees). Eko notices the cot in the gun room and later uses passive coercion to convince Jack to allow him to speak with the prisoner. At this point, Eko became the fifth of the group to learn of the captive presumed "Other", following Sayid, Locke, Jack, and Charlie in succession.
When Eko is allowed into the room, Henry is visibly terrified following his incident with Sayid. Eko is cordial yet carries a shielded threat, which he expresses by pulling out a knife and slicing the two longer strands of his beard before exiting without a word. For unknown reasons, Eko told Henry of the two men he had killed the first night on the island when the group was attacked. The fact that Eko asks forgiveness of the stranger for what he had done to two individuals known to be "Others", as well as his intimidating mannerisms toward Henry, indicate that Eko may also believe that the prisoner is "one of them".

Answer: Knit hat

When Claire recognizes an oddly-shaped log, prompting another flashback, she finds herself closer than ever to the location in question. Upon brushing aside some thickly overgrown vines and vegetation the three find themselves in front of a large set of doors stamped with the unmistakable Dharma logo. This new station, bearing the third distinct Dharma symbol seen thus far by the survivors, seemed to have come directly from Claire's memory of the medical facility. Apparently, they had found the medical station of Dharma Initiative organization, and the "Others" were a part of it.
Upon entering, the three find the main corridor flickering with wires ripped from the ceiling. The facility had been abandoned, it appeared, and in a rather chaotic method. Several theories to explain the rapid desertion of the station, which had only a month earlier been full of activity, center around prior events which occurred simultaneously. It has been suggested that perhaps the near-end of the countdown timer reaching the hieroglyphics had triggered a panic alarm, sending the inhabitants out in a frenzied escape like Desmond. Or, it is possible that the station was intended to be used only temporarily for Claire's operation. It has also been suggested that the station was abandoned when Claire escaped for fear of discovery, or possibly even invaded by Desmond or even Michael in his search for Walt. Then again, Walt does have a certain power...
The former inhabitants had been thorough enough to remove most clues, stripping the rooms of everything from the vials in the cabinet to the decorations in the nursery (the outlines of the animal prints still leaving eerie shadows on the wall).
Kate did find, however, a row of Dharma-stamped lockers containing costumes-- grubby cloths, the knit hat worn by Mr. Friendly on the speedboat, and even his fake beard and theatrical glue in the trunk. For some reason, the "Others" were apparently attempting to seem as though they were long survivors of the island, when in fact they may be something members of something far more insidious.

Answer: Ethan's white medical gown

In addition to the hatch's swan (electromagnetism) and the storage/bunker arrow (and, still in question, an unconfirmed horizontal bar on the fin of the shark which attacked the raft at sea-- zoology?), the survivors are now introduced to the third confirmed Dharma station-- the medical facility. Represented by the Caduceus symbol, this station would most likely relate to the psychology or parapsychology branches of research. The existence of the station confirms the validity (partially) of previous flashbacks Claire had experienced.
The Caduceus symbol consists of two intertwining snakes surrounding a rod with wings behind. The Greek symbol is traditionally representative of medical and even astrological concepts, and is often used interchangeably with a similar figure, the "Rod of Aesculapius".
The Dharma logo is made especially prominent in this station, located in a range from the walls and doors, the vaccines and cabinets, and down to Ethan's key chain for the refrigerated vial vault.
When Ethan finally takes Claire outside the station to rest on the oddly-shaped log, the canteen of "sour" liquid he gives her to drink is also stamped with a logo that arguably contains the same symbol as that which was glimpsed on the shark. All that is currently known of the Dharma Initiative stems from the "Orientation" film, in which the six stations representing fields of research were listed.

Answer: False

With the "Others" already known for being master manipulators, Ethan's composed nature and alarmingly urbane behavior masks the dissemblance of his true personality-- and his ultimate motive. While he seems to have grown quite fond of Claire, even adding that he will miss her and wishes she "didn't have to go", his nonchalant way of explaining Charlie's disappearance (claiming the tree hanging as Charlie's being released back to camp) reveals his effortless ability to lie.
An important and rather secretive glimpse of Ethan is provided when he walks with Claire from the hatch, and they proceed to converse alone on the strange-looking log. Note carefully Ethan's words, which do indeed seem to mirror those said to Claire in situations prior to the crash, as it seems Claire is once again contemplating voluntarily relinquishing her unborn child.
Recall that when Claire was thinking of giving up her baby to the adoptive couple in Los Angeles, she also expressed concern at the meeting and wanted to be sure the family would take very good care of the baby. To Ethan, Claire expresses concern about being able to see the baby.
Ethan is of course manipulating the truth by marginal extremes when insisting that Claire has a choice in the fate of her baby, when in fact plans to extricate him from her womb are underway by the physicians.
Recall also the psychic with whom Claire had consulted, Richard Malkin, who played a vital role in the events which led to Claire being on the flight. He warned that "your goodness must be an influence in the development of this child". Otherwise, there would be no happy life for the baby.
The psychic vehemently insisted to Claire, "You mustn't allow another to raise your baby." Applied to current, subsequent circumstances perhaps it was not simply "another" but "AN OTHER" to which he was referring.
And in order to prevent such an occurrence, Claire was sent on the doomed flight to meet a couple in L.A., about whom Richard described; "They're not strangers, Claire. They're good people."
Ethan finalizes his reassurance by adding, "We're good people, Claire. We're a good family."
Claire is dazed and nods in bewildered agreement as the camera shifts and allows the present Claire to observe, in an eerie glimpse back in time to the conversation on the log.

Answer: False

Locke shares this critique with Jack, not Henry, as the pair once again comes to odds over the situation. The conversation is overheard by Henry, however, which he attributes to the "thin doors". Note that when Jack responds with his less-than-enthusiastic reasoning regarding what to do with the hidden prisoner, a muffled reply is heard from the armory-- "Why don't you let me go?"
It appears much mystery and perception lurks behind the eyes and ears of the silent captive. Using artful implication and manipulation, Henry manages to reverse Locke's historical anecdote-- having perceived Locke's underlying weakness in confidence-- and create a representative analogy of his own.
Playing upon Jack's decisive leadership over Locke's judgment, Henry subtly implants the notion of inequality and receives the desired effect. Hearing Locke lose his temper and sent an array of dishes clattering to the floor, Henry's sinister smile approves the proper reaction and raises wide inquiries about his true motives.

Answer: Yes

With the unpredictable island weather delivering a sudden downpour to the expedition (as occurring in nearly every jungle exploration, especially in the imminent presence of danger) Claire uncovers the overgrown vegetation on the hatch door to reveal the symbol of the third Dharma station. Each has been distinctly different thus far, with the "arrow" station still in question of being a true station or merely a storage bunker. Only the Swan was known to have a present-day inhabitant and contain a second entrance sealed by a steel door beneath the jungle floor.
This would still leave at least three stations yet to be discovered on this unusual yet extraordinary island location.
In addition, as more is learned about the "Others" a sense of overall control is applied to those who had come before. The extent of regulation encompassed by their presence-- whether they "own" or "created" the island, oversee all survivors, or even orchestrated the numerous incidental crashes-- is brought into further questioning.
Note that Claire, Danielle and Kate enter the abandoned facility through the entry corridor which Claire had seen while passing through the hallway with Ethan.

Answer: good

While Kate finds the collection of costumes used by "Bluebeard" and the "Others" to impersonate true survivors, Claire is distraught to find the medicine which Ethan referred to as a "vaccine" was missing from its shelf. She does, however, find the small blue baby bootie she had knitted for Aaron and spirals into another surge of memories. This time, Claire recalls being awakened by a young teenage girl who insisted that she leave immediately. Still drugged and sedated, Claire witnesses without comprehension as at least six to eight uniformed medics prepare the operating table where the baby is to be fatally taken from Claire. The methodical organization and order gives a sense of professionalism to the "Others", before taken only as ruthless, wild savages and long-time residents of the island. Indeed they had appeared to be stranded, yet more likely came from the "real world" at one point or another. Perhaps, then, the crash and arrival of Oceanic Flight 815, the Black Rock, Desmond's boat, Henry's (supposed) balloon, Rousseau's science team and even Adam and Eve were not by accident by nature but by design.
Nevertheless, the facility fails to yield more than the remnants of an evacuation and the group sets back through the jungle. Before departing with a devastated Danielle, who is forced to continue a near two-decade search for her daughter, Claire reveals her encounter with the mysterious girl. She describes the blue-eyed stranger who had saved her and, looking into Danielle's blue eyes, adds that the girl was not like the Others because she was good. Thus we know Alexandra Rousseau does exist in care of the forbidden Others, apparently not the subject of mind experimentation, and had allowed Claire to escape without a moment to spare.
The final piece of the puzzle is replaced when Claire recalls scratching Danielle after a chance meeting in the jungle, after which Danielle moved Claire away from the Others and back near her camp where she was to be found by Locke and Boone, without memory due to being knocked unconscious by Rousseau's rifle.

Answer: Yes

After much consideration throughout the flashbacks, Claire awoke in the jungle after her release and began to call out for Ethan in a state of disorientation. Here, she called out her final decision: "I'm sure, I want you to take the baby!" Her sentence was interrupted by Danielle, who emerged in time to stop Claire from shouting to the torch-bearing Others by knocking her unconscious and losing all memories of the past ten days.
Having finally resolved the missing time in her life, Claire returns to the beach to find Aaron's fever had broken and his rash seemed to be dissipating-- it was not the "infection" after all. After the journey, Claire expresses sorrow and remorse for having wanted the Others-- as well as an adoptive family-- to take Aaron away, now having learned that it was fate for the two to be together. Giving Aaron the baby bootie, the connection insisted upon by the psychic was finally sealed between Claire and the baby for the two to be together forever.
Had the crash never occurred, neither would this-- or many other-- reunions.