International Assassin

Lore & Background

The idea of sending series protagonist Kevin Garvey to the underworld emerged from an observation by religious scholar Reza Aslan, who served as a consultant on the series, that Kevin was a shaman figure capable of carrying knowledge between worlds. Lindelof and the writers subsequently decided to structure an episode around Kevin's death as an interpretation of Dante's Inferno. Lindelof and co-showrunner Tom Perrotta conceived of a hotel setting for the series' depiction of the afterlife, while Cuse introduced the premise of making Kevin an assassin. Cuse noted that many of the episode's plot details started as jokes in the writers' room, such as Patti being a senator with the Guilty Remnant as a political party. Series star Justin Theroux confirmed that Kevin was dead during the events of "International Assassin," per the script for the preceding episode, "A Most Powerful Adversary." The episode makes frequent usage of "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves" from Giuseppe Verdi's 1842 opera Nabucco as a musical cue. Lindelof took inspiration from Die Hard, whose score consists largely of Beethoven compositions, in choosing the piece as an operatic flourish for the episode. Kevin's mission to assassinate Patti closely resembles the plot of The Godfather, which is acknowledged within the episode. "International Assassin" marks the first of multiple trips Kevin makes to the afterlife in the series, including a second visit to the hotel in the season 2 finale, "I Live Here Now." The hotel scenes were filmed at the Sheraton Hotel at the Capitol in Austin, Texas.

In Their Own Story

Having ingested Virgil's poison, Kevin suddenly awakens inside a hotel bathtub. On his wardrobe, he finds a quote from Epictetus: "Know first who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly." He opens it to find four possible outfits: clerical robes, white Guilty Remnant attire, a suit, and his old Mapleton police uniform. Kevin wears the suit, and soon receives a knock on his door from a hotel employee delivering flowers from an unknown sender for a "Kevin Harvey." The employee suddenly attacks Kevin with a knife, but Kevin manages to kill him. The hotel fire alarm goes off, prompting Kevin to descend to the lobby. There, he finds Virgil working as a concierge and demands to know what is going on. Virgil signals Kevin to meet him in the hotel parking garage in five minutes. Kevin spots a young girl nearly drowning in the outdoor pool and jumps into the water to save her. An older man arrives on the scene and chastises the girl without acknowledging Kevin. Kevin then goes to the parking garage to meet Virgil, who warns him not to drink any of the water in this world. Virgil explains the details of the scenario: by choosing to wear the suit, Kevin assumed the role of an international assassin who has been tasked with killing Patti, who in this world is a senator running for President of the United States. Virgil informs Kevin that he has already made a generous donation to Patti's campaign that grants him a personal meet-and-greet, during which he will collect a gun from the bathroom to assassinate her. Should Kevin succeed in his mission, he will be returned to the real world, free of his visions of Patti. Virgil urges Kevin to be wary of Patti's deceptions, and says that he himself is at the hotel to "atone"; Kevin realizes Virgil is dead in the real world. Kevin notices the TV in his room emitting harsh static, interrupted by flickering footage of what appears to be his father. Another fire alarm goes off; downstairs, Kevin spots a man delivering balloons to Mary Jamison, who is shown to be able-bodied. On his way back to his room, Kevin is assaulted by Guilty Remnant members in an elevator. They bring him to Gladys, who administers a lie detector test to Kevin in advance of his meeting with Patti. Kevin returns to his room and finds his TV flickering again; this time, he is able to receive a clear signal from his father, who is communicating from a hotel room in Perth. Kevin Sr., under the influence of psychedelics, tells his son that he sent the flowers, and repeatedly instructs him to take Patti to "the well" before the signal cuts out. GR members escort Kevin to his meeting with Patti. He attempts to retrieve the gun from the bathroom but finds it occupied by Patti's security guard: Holy Wayne. Kevin meets Patti, and the two have a pointed conversation about the GR's philosophy. Kevin excuses himself to the bathroom, collects the pistol, and swiftly kills Gladys and Wayne; Patti begs for her life, claiming to in fact be a decoy hired to impersonate the real "Senator Levin", but Kevin, remembering Virgil's warning not to succumb to Patti's manipulations, shoots her in the head. However, he finds that he still remains in this world. Kevin returns to the lobby demanding to know from Virgil why he is still in the hotel, but Virgil does not recognize him, having drunk water since their last meeting (the water in this world is suggested to have amnesia-inducing effects). Kevin attempts to access his room but finds that his keycard no longer works. In the hallway, he meets the man he assumes to be the father of the girl from the pool, who has also been locked out of his own room. The man reveals that he is a coprophiliac, leaving Kevin to deduce that the man is actually Patti's abusive ex-husband Neil, and that the little girl with him is not his daughter but instead a young Patti. Kevin strangles Neil to death after he disparages Patti. Kevin takes the young Patti from the hotel and drives with her to Jarden, where Virgil says the nearest well is located. In the car, Patti reads from the brochure for Jarden tourists given to them by Virgil, which says that the well was constructed by the area's indigenous tribes as an axis mundi between the realms of the living and the dead. She also reveals to Kevin that she was abused by her father. While approaching the bridge into Jarden, Kevin is attacked by a man carrying a noose; after a brief struggle, the man tells Kevin he is offering him the noose to hang himself from the bridge rather than murder a child. Kevin chooses to continue onward; the man whispers an unheard message into Kevin's ear before he departs. Kevin and Patti finally arrive at the well. Despite hesitations, Kevin eventually brings himself to push her into the well. Stepping away, he soon hears Patti's adult self calling from the bottom of the well for help. Kevin falls while descending into the well to find an injured adult Patti resting at the bottom. Patti recounts being a contestant on Jeopardy! where she successfully won enough money to leave Neil, but ultimately was too scared to do so. Kevin tearfully embraces Patti before drowning her. Patti's death triggers a violent earthquake; Kevin begins climbing out of the well, but emerges in Virgil's yard back in the real world. He is found by Michael, who is shocked to see that Kevin has returned from the dead.

Reader's Guide

The episode begins with Kevin having ingested Virgil's poison. He awakens in a hotel bathtub and finds a wardrobe with a quote from Epictetus and four outfits: clerical robes, white Guilty Remnant attire, a suit, and his old Mapleton police uniform. He chooses the suit, which Virgil later explains means he has assumed the role of an international assassin tasked with killing Patti, now a senator running for President. Kevin must navigate the hotel, avoid drinking the water (which causes amnesia), and follow Virgil's instructions: he has a donation that grants a meet-and-greet with Patti, where he can retrieve a gun from the bathroom. Key encounters include: a hotel employee who attacks him with a knife (Kevin kills him); a young girl drowning in the pool (Kevin saves her); Virgil as concierge; Gladys administering a lie detector test; a TV signal from his father in Perth, who tells him to take Patti to "the well"; Holy Wayne as Patti's security guard; and Patti herself, who claims to be a decoy. After killing Gladys, Wayne, and the decoy Patti, Kevin remains in the hotel. He then meets Neil, Patti's abusive ex-husband, and a young Patti. Kevin strangles Neil and drives young Patti to Jarden, where the well is located. At the well, Kevin pushes young Patti in, then descends to find adult Patti injured. After a tearful embrace, he drowns her, triggering an earthquake. Kevin climbs out of the well and emerges in Virgil's yard in the real world, where Michael finds him, shocked that Kevin has returned from the dead.

Did You Know?

• The episode was written by Damon Lindelof and Nick Cuse, the son of Lindelof's Lost co-creator Carlton Cuse.
• The idea of Kevin as a shaman figure capable of carrying knowledge between worlds came from religious scholar Reza Aslan, who served as a consultant on the series.
• The episode makes frequent usage of 'Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves' from Giuseppe Verdi's 1842 opera Nabucco as a musical cue.
• The hotel scenes were filmed at the Sheraton Hotel at the Capitol in Austin, Texas.
• Series star Justin Theroux confirmed that Kevin was dead during the events of 'International Assassin,' per the script for the preceding episode, 'A Most Powerful Adversary.'