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Hero of the episode: Hurley, Amira Zero of the episode: Mikhail
Quote(s) of the episode: “I know I’ve been gone awhile and y’all thought the general store was having a going out of business sale.” –Sawyer | “Why are we continuing to play this little game when we all know it has moved to the next stage?”—Mikhail to Sayid
Music vibes: curious and threatening at times
Little things: New nicknames from Sawyer: “Zorro” for Paulo, “Avalanche” and “Grimace” for Hurley; survivors make a ping-pong table; Sawyer asks Nikki “Who the hell are you?”
Episode notebook:
Sayid tries to get Locke to understand the absurdity of following the note on Eko’s walking stick as a means to find Jack.
Sawyer has a ball for the ping-pong table. But won’t give it up without something in return.
Sayid finds a farmhouse, with a satellite dish. He’s certain it’s another Dharma station.
Sayid is met with gunshots, but his friends get the upper hand.
Sayid used to live under another name. A woman, Amira, from his past will force Sayid to confront his past as a torturer in the Iraqi army.
The man who shot Sayid is the same man they saw on the screen at the Pearl station.
This station is called the Flame. It’s a communications station.
Locke tries to beat the computer at chess. What happens if he does beat the computer?
Sayid and Kate are certain Mikhail is lying.
Amira knows Sayid is the soldier who tortured her.
The return of Miss Klugh from the Season 2 episode “Three Minutes.”
Locke beats the computer. But did he really listen to the message that followed?
Episode recap: The island is a sprawling enigma, a place where every discovery uncovers more mysteries than answers. The discovery of yet another Dharma station, the Flame, isn’t so much about peeling back another layer of a secretive organization but a lesson in mercy. Showing us how both friends and foes can extend kindness in unexpected moments.
Sawyer’s return to the beach hasn’t been a comforting homecoming. Kate is off searching for Jack, his stash has been raided, and seeing others use his belongings is a bitter pill to swallow. His fellow survivors have found a way to have a little fun by making a ping-pong table, but they need a ball before they can actually play a game. Sawyer could give up the ball he has, but that’s not in his character. Instead, he’ll play a game against the best player, Hurley, and if he wins, he gets his stash back. But if he loses, Sawyer will have to pay a steep price—for him. No nicknames or name-calling for an entire week. That’s a king’s ransom to a man who thrives on mockery, but one Sawyer must pay when he loses to Hurley. Rather than mock Sawyer in kind, Hurley returns a few items from his pilfered stash. A small act of mercy, but still a gesture of kindness that Hurley didn’t have to show Sawyer.
On the other side of the island, Sayid will have to make an even bigger gesture. In the quest to find Jack, Sayid stumbles upon a farmhouse. Rather than stay outside and spy, Sayid proposes a bolder approach. Walking right up to the door and asking for answers—with Locke and Kate as backup. Danielle opts to wait this one out, she’s survived on the island by avoiding confrontation with the enemy.
Even with his hands raised in surrender, Sayid is met by an armed man, Mikhail, and soon after, a bullet to his arm. Kate and Sawyer overpower Mikhail, who claims to be the last survivor of the Dharma Initiative. While attending to Sayid’s wound, Mikhail recounts his eleven years on the island. Locke is more intrigued by a computer chess game, which seems harmless but nothing on this island is ever what it seems. Mikhail’s story flows too quickly and freely, it can’t be that easy which Sayid and Kate pick up on. When Mikhail is done with the charade, he fights back but is violently subdued by Sayid.
Shades of Sayid’s past as a soldier/torturer are never far from the surface. Off the island, Sayid often denied any connection to the person he used to be. He once lived under the name Najeev, working as a chef. But a chance encounter brings his past front and center. Lured by the promise of a better job, Sayid meets with restauranteur Sami and his wife, Amira—a woman who bears the physical scars of a painful past in Iraq. Amira was held captive and tortured for three months by the Republican Guard, forced to admit to something she didn’t do. In the years since she left Iraq, Amira has struggled to feel safe. A fleeting glance through a window was all she needed to know that Sayid was the man who tortured her into submission.
Now, Sami will give Sayid a taste of his own medicine, chaining and torturing him until he admits what he did. Sayid’s denials only further enrage Sami, beating his prisoner as Amira watches. Alone with him, Amira tells Sayid she will not succumb further to the pain of the past that now haunts Sayid. What she seeks is not revenge but respect—an acknowledgment that Sayid remembers what he did. He remembers all too well and has done his best to forget. Sayid finally acknowledges who he used to be and shows genuine remorse—enough for Amira to tell her husband she was mistaken. She didn’t have to show Sayid any mercy, but Amira would rather do that than become what she hates—a torturer.
Does Sayid have it in him to show that kind of mercy to Mikhail? After another violent confrontation with Mikhail, Sayid has the opportunity to kill him but refuses—much to the chagrin of Danielle. What would be gained by killing him? Even if he won’t talk, Mikhail could have another use. His knowledge of the island could come in handy. Could they trade Mikhail for Jack, probably not. The Others have shown they are willing to sacrifice certain people. Any way you slice it nothing can be gained from getting rid of Mikhail—not yet! Besides Sayid has another ace up his sleeve. The farmhouse yielded some answers, a map showing the electrical wiring on the whole island, and now Sayid has a new way to find Jack. Please keep reading my recap for episode twelve is posted.
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