Now if any of you didn’t like this episode, I might lose faith in the fans. Sheer brilliance. So many of my favourite characters just kicked total butt. Can I just say how much more I liked Sayid after this episode? Why hasn’t Naveen Andrew won an Emmy yet? Why isn’t this show getting better ratings? I mean seriously.

There is just so much to talk about. Let’s get Sayid out of the way. I’m not trying to get rid of him. It’s just easier. Although I didn’t truly see the connection between the flashbacks and the island story until the end, I really enjoyed Sayid’s struggle with the past. It was a perfect idea on the writers’ part to show the immediate aftermath of Sayid’s return from Iraq. Yeah, things are going to be different. And yeah, things are going to be tough.

He never forgot Amhiro’s face though. He tried. He tried. He tried. I think there’s always one person every torturer remembers. I just fell in love with her character though. What a beautiful performance. I particularly loved the way she was able to forgive Sayid. He spilled boiling oil on her arm; she forgave him. That’s hard to do.

Then, Amhiro told Sayid about that violent story. After her arrival in Paris, she was not able to leave her apartment. One day, she saw this cat thrown into a bog with firecrackers. The cat was howling. She finally had an excuse to leave. She swore to never be like those children in that alley. She would never kill for the fun of it. That’s why she lied for Sayid. She got what she wanted. Sayid gave her the respect she deserved. Furthermore, to put all that behind her is truly remarkable.

On to island Sayid. I have to say, he was really hardcore. He was actually in command of the whole thing. He was calling the shots and proved to be a valuable asset. How cliché to find a trapdoor under a carpet? It’s ok. There were some pretty neat things down there…like explosives. Oh yeah, and the Dharma tapes. I wanted to see those. They look all beautiful and organized. I neeeed answers. So we got a detailed interior view of The Flame before it exploded. That makes two hatches that have been destroyed.

Why was Sayid going all psycho on Locke? He would have done the same thing in Locke’s position. Though I did get frustrated when Locke left Bakunin alone. I saw that coming a mile away. As long as all roads led to Ms. Klugh’s death, it was fine by me. I can’t stand her.

Who is this Bakunin guy? He was supposedly enlisted in the Soviet army during the Cold War and he claims to have been on the island for eleven years. Can we trust what he has to say? He claims there was a big “purge” (a battle) between the Hostiles (The Others) and the Dharma Initiative? It seems evident that all the members from the Dharma Initiative are dead. I don’t get the idea of the “purge” though. Why would scientists engage in combat with hostiles? I think he’s lying. Bakunin has to be.

Creepy Asian guy was back (I forget his name) and he had a lot of interesting things to tell us—how to blow up The Flame. Now Locke’s ruined everything. This could have been their only way of the island—it seems no one’s concerned with leaving the island. Everyone’s interested in some fun.

In addition to the golf course, our Losties came up with a new way to have fun. They found a ping-pong table and Hurley kicked ass. He only let Sawyer win three points. I never knew Hurley could move that fast. He said he learnt a lot at the asylum. They’ve got ping-pong tables at an asylum. At least something came out of that bad experience.

Spotlight on…Sayid

-          Sayid is furiously cutting onions. He is a cook at a restaurant. Someone asks for him. The man, Sami, offers him a job at his restaurant. He thinks his cooking is amazing. He sees through Sayid saying he knows he’s Iraqi.

-          Sayid meets Sami at his restaurant. Some thugs sitting there attack him. They work for Sami. Sayid meets Sami’s wife; she knows him.

-          Sayid is lying on the floor. Sami offers him water. He wants to know if he recognizes his wife, Amhiro. She was held for three months by the Republican Guard. Sayid doesn’t remember her and Sami wants him to confess.

-          Amhiro is brought in front of Sayid. Sami keeps beating him. He is about to kill him; Amhiro stops him.

-          Amhiro speaks to Sayid alone. After her return from Iraq, she was too scared to leave her apartment. One day, from her window, she saw kids hurting a cat by throwing firecrackers in a box. She had a reason to leave her apartment. All she wants is Sayid to show him the respect by acknowledging the truth. He agrees; he tortured her. She then lies to her husband and he is let go.

Tales from the Island

Sayid: Locke blew up the hatch. How can he blow up the hatch? That was our only way off the island…and he messed it up. This whole thing has me confused. We visited The Flame today where we met the patched-man. His name is Bakunin. He lied to us. He told us he was the last remaining Dharma member. That’s not true. He’s part of The Others. He killed Ms. Klugh. We found a map to a camp. It looks like there’s a development on the island. We’re close. We’re really close.

Quotable Quotes

-          Hurley: “I don’t ask questions. I just make a salad and move on.”

Sawyer: “I can see that.”

-          Locke: “My bearing’s the only bearing we’ve got.”

-          Sawyer: “Looks like Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon have something good.” I nearly died laughing.

-          Bakunin: “I am the last remaining member of the Dharma Initiative.” Ya right.

-          Bakunin: “They were here before we were.” That’s scary.

-          Sayid: “He is not Dharma; he is one of them.” How does he know all these things?

-          Kate: “You know how long it’s been since we’ve seen ice?” Long time.

-          Sayid: “I remember everyone’s face.”

-          Sayid: “I cannot admit to something I didn’t do.”

-          Hurley: “It’s Hurley. Hugo if you want.” Hurley was just so happy to have shut Sawyer up.

-          Danielle: “You have a map. Why keep him alive?” She’s so hardcore.

-          Sayid: “Your face has haunted me since I came back from Iraq.” That’s just tough. I’m glad Amhiro left him off the hook.

-          Sawyer (to Nikki): “Who are you?” That’s exactly what I said.

Some Final Notes

-          The ping-pong tournament was hysterical. I like how all these things happen on a remote island. That ping-pong table looked in shape after that implosion though.

-          Sun was smart forcing Sawyer to give up his nicknames. He called Paulo “Zorro.” But the best one: “Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon.”

-          I rolled my eyes when I saw the cow on the island. At least it all made sense in the end.

-          Was Paulo holding a porn magazine? I couldn’t catch that. Plus: Hurley gave Sawyer back his porn.

-          Rousseau said she has survived for sixteen years by avoiding all these hatches. Makes sense.

-          Bakunin spent time in Afghanistan. Watch Sayid and him have some kind of connection.

-          The purpose of The Flame is to communicate with the outside world. The satellite doesn’t work though.

-          That cable that Sayid held connects to an underground beacon that sends out sonar something for submarines.

-          There was a big “purge” between the scientists and the hostiles. The Others obviously won.

-          Bakunin called his cat “Nadia.” Is it me or was that cat similar to Amhiro’s?

-          Locke was obsessed with the chess game. A bit too obsessed. Now The Flame is gone.

-          All the Dharma tapes were underground. Why didn’t they take them?

-          I’m ecstatic Ms. Klugh died.

What an episode. 5 stars

-          Next episode

-          Lost season 3

-          Lost main