This week's episode of television's equivalent of crystal meth was a throw-back to the good ol' days of season one, where character development fueled the plot and daddy issues were the forefront of every conflict.
It also showcased everyone's favorite Iraqi torturer as we followed him through his international quest for blood. To weed out the time paradoxes theories and the potential cat-fight between Juliet and Kate, I've brought in some reinforcements in my big brother Mike.
Wilson: Let me start out by saying how much I enjoyed the structure of "He's Our You." It was a flashback episode. Not a time jump flashback, or a flashforward/flashback, just a good old fashioned flashback. We got to see Sayid's dirty deeds have been done dirt cheap since childhood, snapping chicken's necks for the acceptance of his father.
Mike: Oh I agree about the structure. As awesome as season 5 has been, it's nice to have a "classic" character driven episode to remind us why we all watch Lost. Yeah, the mythology of the show is great and the story itself is compelling, but to paraphrase a famous political quote regarding the economy, "it's the characters, dummy." as for young Sayid snappin' a chicken McNeck, what else can be said than it's his nature...
Wilson: "Nature vs. nurture, Scott, nature vs. nurture." We can all agree that while it was shocking to see Sayid buck heat into a kid (even if it is a sadistic sociopath kid), everyone wants the maniacal Iraqi on their side. In other words, while his nature is to bring pain to fools who don't know what time it is, we all like him. But let's begin with the flashback of Sayid emptying his clip into Widmore's Russian contact and the conversation with Ben. While it was no surprise that we would see this, I was shocked to see that Ben was channeling his inner Major Arnold Toht:
Mike: It's uncanny. I expected Ben to ask Sayid to help him find the Headpiece of Ra so they could locate the Ark before the Americans, but instead he dumped him, kicked him to the curb, or in Ben's twisted mind, set him free. This, of course, crushed Sayid. After losing Nadia, all Sayid had to live for was revenge and killing those that, according to Ben at least, worked for Widmore and posed a threat to the few people alive that mean anything to him, the Oceanic 6.
Wilson: Now cut three years into the future and thirty years into the past, and Sayid has yet again been stepped on. His first reunion with a fellow Oceanic member was Jin (who I might add has better english than me) and he gets a rifle pulled on him. Next thing he knows he's in the clink with Lil' Ben bringing him chicken sandwiches. This dude was already lost, and now he is truly flying solo. Used, abused, and now getting shit talked to him by Uncle Rico. Life is rough for our assassin with passion.
On the other hand, our boy Sawyer is living the highlife. He's shacked up with Juliet, who has got progressively hotter as the show has progressed. He strikes fear into all that work for him (I think Phil needed a change of undies when 'LaFleur' told him to take a lunch), and he still spits out one-liner's like sunflower seeds ("Three years no burnin' buses and your back one day").
Mike: Well Sawyer's living the high life in Dharma land because he's had three years to build it up. the reunion between Sawyer and the time crew and the Oceanic 6 reminded me a lot of having an old friend, someone you haven't seen for, oh, three years, visit you. They get there, you high five, grab some brews, then your long lost friend starts acting like you guys did 7 years and a college degree ago. We saw it last week with the Jack visit. Jack wanted action, action, action, while Sawyer has moved on to more thinking, thinking, thinking. And speaking of Juliet, I'm glad that the show is trying to hammer home that Juliet and Sawyer are 1. in love with each other and 2. happy together.
One thing that puzzled me though, was what Sayid expecting to do if Sawyer let him go? Not stay in Dharmaville, and I can't see him joining up with Alpert (and presumably Rose and Bernard and everyone's third favorite yellow lab Vincent).
Wilson: Yeah, Sayid has always been a lone-wolf, but he's in 1974 and doesn't want to live on the beach by himself. Regarding Suliet (yeah, I went there), I am really rooting for them. When Juliet expressed her worries of their 'playing house' was over, I wanted to put on Wham!'s "Careless Whisper" on and cry myself to sleep. But I digress.
In regards to the Hurley, Jack and Kate, they seemed resigned to taking orders. Which is a new dynamic the show has brought in. Hurley's loving it. Kate seems what I can only describes as applicable, and Jack, well, what do you make of Jack?
Mike: I like this new roll-with-the-punches Jack. I like that he's willing to give Sawyer the benefit of the doubt and let him do his thing. It's actually showing, dare I say it, growth of Dr. Shepard.
Wilson: True that. But I doubt it will last. He's got to have growing pains adjusting to his new role, but I think next week we'll see him stepping up to the plate assisting in the saving a Ben "Donnie Darko" Linus.
Speaking of which, I would be emo too if Uncle Rico was my father and he threw me around for putting meat in between two piece of bread. Speaking of other Dharma Folk, how kickass has the casting been?
Mike: Put-me-me-in-a-coma-for-three-days-kick ass. We have Mad Men, 24, Friday Night Lights, and Deadwood represented in Dharma land.
And regarding Ben's dad, I think it's a testimate to how much Sayid truly loathes Ben that even after seeing him get roughed up by his old man, seeing Ben in a sympathetic light, he still loathes Ben enough to blow him away.
Wilson: While Sayid's hatred for Linus knows no bounds, it was truly amazing watching Oldham dose Sayid up with three hits of the finest LSD on the island. If you've dabbled in mind-bending drugs, you knew the exact moment Sayid started feeling it. The look on his face was priceless. Highs. Lows. Smiles. Frowns. It was a wacky, drug fueled emotional roller coaster that I havent seen since my last trip to Bonaroo. His laughing was hysterical and terrifying at the same time.
Mike: Right? I wouldn't mind being tortured by the Dharma Initiative. One thing that bugged me though. Horace Goodspeed is the on island leader of Dharma. Pierre Chang/Marvin Candle/Miles' dad is on the island studying the unique properties that he theorizes could make time travel possible. You have to assume that Goodspeed knows the nature of Chang's experiments, why are they so fast to reject Sayid's confession that he is from the future as drug enduced lies? And I want this on the record, it hurts me to think that Radzinksy survives the purge. If anyone deserves to be gassed then thrown in a mass grave it's that guy.
Wilson: True that. Although he weasels his way out of the purge, I take full satisfaction in knowing he puts a 12-gauge on his chin and gets hyphy.
Here's the thing regarding their disbelief in Sayid's statements. This could still be the beginning of the DI, we don't know how much they truly know about the island and it's David Blaine-ish properties. And let's not forget he was tripping his balls off. Anything I hear someone saying on acid is like backwoods half-speak. It's better to tell them "shusha naw y'hear" and let them stare at your Zeppelin poster.
Plus, at Dharma's town-hall meeting, I really got the feeling that they were on their way to icing Sayid before they even took him to Oldham.
Mike: Oh mos def. I'd like to know a few things about the relationship between Dharma and the hostiles. We know that it is contentious, but what led to the truce? Why do the "hostiles" tolerate the Dharma people living on their island? I think it goes back to why they let the Oceanic survivors stay there. Remember the scene in "The Hunting Party" (season 2), Tom (rest his gay, overweight soul) claimed the only reason they were still alive on the island was that the hostiles/others let them. I think that high up in the others' heirarchy, maybe Alpert or Jacob himself, need them there. Also what are the terms of the truce?
Wilson: These things will be weeded out by the finale (hopefully). Because Ben gets icy on Dharma, the Other's of seasons 1,2,3 and 4 are actually the hostiles, so what Tom said sticks to the truce that we will see.
Back to the episode. Somehow, someway, Sayid takes 'dimwit' Phil out and manages to ninja flip the original gangster Jin all the while tripping his balls off before doing "what he was suppose to do," which was shooting a pre-teen in the gizzard.
Mike: Which brings up an interesting moral dilemma. The Ben that Sayid shot hadn't done any of the things that Sayid hates adult Ben for so much. The purge. The manipulating. The lies. And it clearly destroyed him, shooting a child, even one that turns into a Hitler analogue in Sayid's mind. He looked so tore up, I thought for a second he was going to put the gun in his own mouth and just eat a bullet after shooting Ben, who we know isn't dead. I'd wager Jin wakes up with a quickness (it was one punch after all, and if anyone could hold their own against Sayid I'd say Jin probably has a pretty good shot) and gets young Mr. Linus to Dharma land.
Wilson: Yeah, no way Ben is donezo. But we'll find out next week. Any closing bullet points?
Mike:
- The list Ms. Clue gave Michael to bring to the others in the Season 2 episode, "Three Minutes." Kate, Jack, Hurley, and Sawyer. All members of Dharma with a young Ben.
- Kate did not come back for Sawyer, I'm sure she was about to tell him what happened to aaron that forced her to go back to the island.
- And again, for the first time in a while, I like Jack.
Wilson: Just one. I need more Desmond, Locke, and Faraday like I need more cowbell.
That's it for now kiddo's. In the meantime, throw some Geronimo Jackson on and call Rosie for those pot brownies and have yourself a hootenanny! See you next week.
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