He's Our You - Part II

So, now that we’ve finished obsessing over the state of Sayid’s soul, I think it is time to focus on the rest of the episode that we saw Wednesday night. Ironically, until the final scene, the episode seemed to be a moderate effort. Not a bad episode, but not an on-the-edge of your seat episode either. Well, the first 55 minutes or so can apparently be very misleading.

Ben and Juliet

If Sawyer is aware that Ben is on the island, surely Juliet knows too. Presumably they’ve met. Assuming that Ben survives his gunshot wound or is resurrected, we must rethink Ben and Juliet’s relationship too. In The Other Woman, we see Ben tell Juliet that “your mine.” Harper, Goodwin’s cuckolded wife (can you be a cuckold and a wife?), remarked that Ben was smitten with Juliet because she looks “just like her.” I had assumed that “her” was perhaps Annie, but perhaps “her” is Juliet herself. Some people think that Juliet might be the woman in the painting above, which can be found in the Linus home. However, I don’t think so. It was first seen in the home shared by Roger and Ben before Juliet joined the Initiative. I think it more likely a picture of Ben’s mother, Emily.

Dharma Initiative

The introduction of Oldham and his odd methods and living habits along with Chang’s experiments furthers my curiosity as to what the Dharma Initiative really is. I just don’t buy that they are a hippie, peace- and yoga-loving group organized to research for the betterment of mankind. We know through various Dharma orientation videos that the Dharma Initiative was created in 1970 by Gerald and Karen de Groot, two doctoral students at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, anyone?). We also know that Danish industrialist Alvar Hanso and his Hanso Foundation financially backed the Initiative until 1987. Allegedly, the Hanso Foundation stopped funding the Initiative alternatively because the Initiative “collapsed” or because of financial struggles. I am looking forward to learning more about this group of people.

Ilana

And now we know how Sayid ended up being on Ajira Airlines 316. She claims to have been hired by the Avellino family. Sayid suspected that she was in actuality hired by Ben, whom she denied knowing. Knowing that Peter Avellino may have been an associate of Charles Widmore’s, I think it is entirely possible that she was really hired by Widmore. Or Ben.

Jack

I guess I was wrong last week – Jack seems to be quite happy to let Sawyer lead. Is he on drugs? Does he need drugs?

Juliet

Juliet had quite a devastating line: “It’s over, isn’t it?” She has a far clearer-eyed view of what the return of the Oceanic 6 has than Sawyer does. Yes, Juliet, it probably is over, I’m sorry to say. The woman who had hoped to leave on the sub as quickly as possible has found herself enjoying domestic bliss. Although she was desparate to leave after her first three years on the island, she is genuinely sad to see her happiness end.

Kate

Not much of Kate in the episode. She somehow missed that Sawyer and Juliet were living together, and apparently knows nothing about cars. I must admit I was slightly frustrated that when Sawyer asked her why they came, instead of saying, “Locke and Jack thought you were in danger,” she starts into her own tale of woe, “Well I don’t know why they came.” However, she really came through in helping rescue people from the burning house.

MacCutcheon Scotch whisky

Don’t bother looking for this at your nearest package store; it only exists in Lost-verse. Widmore told Desmond that a swallow of this whisky is worth more than Desmond could ever make in a month. We even see that Widmore brings a bottle to bed with him at night. Anthony Cooper poured Locke a glass before pushing him out the window. And Charlie found a bottle in Sawyer’s stash, and used it to make Desmond drunk enough to share his secrets. Sawyer was very upset that it was gone.

Oldham

I really wanted to label this “Hey, where’s your brother Darryl and your other brother Darryl?” It’s just impossible not to love William Sanderson. He was quite scary in this role, but I was expecting more torture than truth-serum sugar cubes, especially since Sawyer sees Oldham as the Dharma Initiative’s Sayid. I absolutely enjoyed Sayid’s “moment of truth” under the serum. Everything Sayid said is true, but his listeners (save one) all thought he was babbling drug-induced fantasy. We also learned that Sawyer was right to adopt yet another name.

Peter Avellino

We have only seen Mr. Avellino once, when Sayid killed him after losing a bet on a golf course. Granted, Sayid killed the man not because of the lost bet, but because Ben told Sayid the man is associated with Charles Widmore. It is Avellino’s family that has allegedly hired Ilana to capture Sayid.

Radzinsky

Remains an annoying person. Perhaps it is Radzinsky’s bloodthirstiness ways that make me question the true goals of the Dharma Initiative.

Roger Linus

Roger appears to be one of those nasty drunks who thinks he’s better than anyone else, despite evidence to the contrary. Loved Sayid’s riposte. Seeing Roger shove Ben into the bars of Sayid’s cell just made me feel pity for Ben. I had hoped it would inspire pity in Sayid too. Guess not.

Sawyer

Other than Sayid, this episode was Sawyer’s. We learned that Sawyer truly has no idea for how to handle the Oceanic 6’s return other than to integrate them into the Dharma Initiative. It never seems to occur to him, until too late, that this might not be the desires of his friends. I’m not sure I can blame him, however. Is this the best life Sawyer’s ever had? After all, “These people trust me. I’ve built a life here.” Certainly, this is the most constructive and traditional life Sawyer’s ever had (though it is hard to see the Dharma Initiative as traditional). Sadly, as Juliet said, it’s all over, but Sawyer doesn’t get that. With Sayid, Sawyer clearly wants to do the right thing for his former adversary and ally, but not in a way that will risk his present station. Therefore, he tries first to get Sayid to lie when Sayid wants to run. When the Dharma leaders vote for Sayid to die (with Sawyer’s vote!), Sawyer tries to get Sayid to run, but Sayid wants to stay. Sawyer can’t see beyond his own situation. I said before that Sawyer is most likely not the Little Prince. This episode did nothing to convince me otherwise.

Sayid

Cool parallel of the night: Ben was a captive when Sayid met him; Sayid was a captive when Ben met him. Note to the producers and costume designers: I really prefer Sayid with a full beard. He looks funny without one. Please let him grow it back. And I’m also not fond of that shirt. I’m just saying.

I hope you enjoyed the photographs too. We must thank my husband, who fixed whatever was wrong with my internet connection that prevented me from attaching pictures. Let me know what you think, about the photos and the show!