We have another wonderful episode. This is the kind of episode I want to see. I was asking for Lost mythology and we got some great stuff. We met the French woman called Danielle Rousseau who was holding Sayid captive. She claims that there were other people on the Island when she got there. She calls them “The Others.” Our Losties also had some form of fun as Hurley built a golf course on the island.

          I personally like Sayid’s back-story. Even though we knew a lot about Sayid, his flashbacks were beautifully done. Sayid specialized in interrogation and his superiors often relied on his torture abilities. That sure does take a toll on someone’s conscience. Imagine being tortured the way the Republican Guard tortured its prisoners. The actress who played Nadia was wonderful in the part. Sayid knew the prisoner Nadia from his childhood days. She used to push him around in Elementary school. Since then, Nadia has always felt attached to him. For Sayid, those were not cherished memories. When Nadia had refused to give him any information, he began starving her. After a while, he couldn’t keep doing it. He would slip food into her cell and keep her safe. A month later, Sayid’s superior, Omar, became fed up with Sayid’s unproductiveness and ordered her death. Sayid saved her and killed Omar. He had really fallen for her and forever after that, he kept a picture of her with him. I loved watching Rousseau asking him about this mysterious woman. Sayid said Nadia was dead. Did he mean she was dead to him, or is she really dead? I didn’t catch that part. Naveen Andrews was excellent and his scenes with Rousseau were great. Andrews beautifully depicted the life of an officer in the Republican Guard. It’s a life of pain, having to witness horror and human suffering. Every day, they are reminded of what they are fighting for and yet, not one knows the truth. They have to stay loyal, for the sake of their families. It’s a hard life.

          Danielle Rousseau was a great addition to the show. One can really feel the loneliness she has felt during the past sixteen years. She had to kill the members of her team as well as her husband. They all fell victim to a disease. Why didn’t she get sick? Then she informed Sayid that “The Others” took over the place where the transmission is being sent out from. She says she has never seen “The Others”, but she hears them whispering. Did the Others take Alex away from her?  When Sayid was walking back, he also heard the whispering. She wasn’t insane. She has stayed alive all these years. When she saw Sayid, she grew so attached to him that she wasn’t able to let him go. Like she said, all she wanted was someone to talk to, someone to touch. Imagine being alone for sixteen years. I would want someone to talk to too. Kudos to her for staying alive for so long.

          I loved how we had a lighter side to the episode as well. Hurley was sick and tired of watching his fellow survivors all moppy and angry. He wanted them to smile and have some fun. He created a golf course. And for awhile, people were smiling and laughing. Hurley was absolutely hysterical when he started dancing, in an attempt to jinx Jack. That was some great stuff. I also liked how Sawyer tried participating in the betting. That was a great moment. I think we should have more of these things on Lost. We sometimes need a breather from the show’s serious side. I loved this.

Spotlight on…Sayid

-          Sayid is torturing a man. His superior Omar tells him he will soon be transferred to the intelligence division. He has impressed him.

-          A woman from his childhood is somehow connected to a bombing in Iraq. Her name is Nadia.

-          Nadia is being help in complete darkness. The military is starving her. Sayid sneaks in every day and brings her food. He asks her to confess, but she says she won’t.

-          Omar asks Sayid to kill Nadia. He is unimpressed with Sayid’s unproductiveness.

-          Sayid helps Nadia escape. He kills Omar while attempting to get Nadia out of the compound.

Tales from the Island

Sayid: I found the French woman. The French woman from the transmission. I found her. She was part of a research team. It got stranded on the island. I found her. She kept asking about Alex. That’s her child. She says the Others took her away from her. She says she hears them whispering in the forest. When I left her bunker, I thought I heard them too. They were whispering. I don’t know what to believe. What are these Others? How has Rousseau been able to survive all this time? She doesn’t want to come back with me. She wants to stay alone. You had to see her. When she saw me, she lit up. She has been alone for too long. She isn’t crazy, merely lonely.

Quotable Quotes

-          Hurley: “Welcome to the first, and hopefully last, Island Open.”

-          Sawyer: “A doctor playin’ golf? Now I’ve heard everything. What’s next? A cop eatin’ a doughnut?”

-          Sayid: “‘You’ll find me in the next life, if not this one.’”

Danielle: “What?”

Sayid: “The writing on the back of Nadia’s photograph.”

-          Danielle: “Sixteen years. Has it really been that long?”

-          Hurley: “Dudes…listen. Our lives suck! Everybody’s nerves are stretched to the max! We’re lost on an island, running from boars and monsters…freakin’ polar bears.”

-          Nadia: “And your mother would tell my mother, ‘Why must she pick on Little Sayid?’ And I’d answer, ‘Because he ignores me.’”

-          Nadia: “Come with me.”

Sayid: “I can’t. Desertion. They would kill my family. I don’t have your courage.”

Nadia: “You have more than you know.”

-          Jack: “My conscience is fine thanks.”

Sawyer: “Of course, what do you have to feel guilty about? I mean you just let that damn Arab torture me, stood by and watched. Now, you figure you’ll patch me up and buy a ticket into Heaven.”

-          Jack: “Hurley, you built a golf course?”

Hurley: “Rich idiots fly to tropical islands all the time to whack balls around.”

-          Boone: “You’re never going to believe this.”

Shannon: “You finally learned how to tie your shoes?”

-          Rousseau: “You think I’m insane?”

Sayid: “I think you’ve been alone for too long.”

Some Final Notes

-          Michael completely blew off Walt when he ran to the golf course.

-          I hate how there’s so much bad communication between the survivors. Michael didn’t know anything about the polar bears. They need to start sharing all these things.

-          I like how Jack made sure to change Sawyer’s bandages. Of course, Sawyer didn’t appreciate this and triggered Jack’s anger.

-          I liked how people were placing bets against Jack.

-          I liked how Kate tried to involve Sawyer in the betting game. He was about to walk away, but she made sure he stayed. I like Kate.

-          Shannon is always tanning. I always see her with a bikini. Not too bad on the eyes though.

-          Walt tried talking to Locke. Locke, in turn, showed him how to throw a knife. Michel is really going to be pissed.

Another great episode. 4 stars

-          Next episode

-          Lost season 1

-          Lost main