Uncharted Island

We know that their relationship is doomed to be cut tragically short when Nadia is murdered less than a year after she and Sayid find each other again, but I try not to dwell on that.

Sayid and Nadia didn’t have it easy from the beginning. It was his job to torture her when she was captured by the Iraqi Republican Guard, then to execute her. But he couldn’t pull the trigger on her. Instead, he killed his fellow soldiers and shot himself in the leg so that she could escape. She made it to the United States, where she had a brief encounter with John Locke. Sayid was on his way to see her, he believed, when Oceanic Flight 815 changed his plans by crashing on the island.

I loved the scene in “There’s No Place Like Home” where she waited for him outside the press conference. What a kiss! What a homecoming!

And even though Hurley’s parents chose an unfortunate surprise birthday party theme, Sayid and Nadia look so happy together as guests. How much longer do they have, at that time, before she gets run down by the car in Los Angeles? Never mind. I want to remember them happy:

So now is as good a time as any to apologize for using “Keamy” and “the captain” interchangeably. I didn’t realize that the guy Keamy shot was the captain. Oh, and the internet ate my first draft of this post up to the first commercial break, so I may have left some things out that I thought I said when I tried to retype it all… Rawr.

The return of the Oceanic 6 is a flash forward. Hmm. Aaron is an awfully good baby, sitting there quietly in the cargo hold of that rickety old plane.

I’m all teary-eyed. Watching them walk off the plane to their families… And no one there to greet Kate or Sayid.

So Keamy’s headed to the Orchid. I wish I’d paid more attention to that TLE orientation video for the Orchid. Daniel knows about Keamy’s secondary protocol, but Charlotte does not. And Daniel knows that they need to get off the island, or they will be torched along with everyone else. How can he torch the island from the Orchid? I have no idea, but I’m sure some of the diehard TLE people already know. But FINALLY some REAL tie-in with TLE!

Sawyer just called the barracks New Otherton. Yes!

“Hold up! You don’t get to die alone.”

Press conference. Membata, in the lesser Sunta islands. Day 108 brought them a life raft which allowed them to get to the island of Sumba. Kate’s baby, which she gave birth to on the island. Eight people left after floating on the cushions. Jin never made it off the plane. Aaron is a little over five weeks, which would’ve made her six months present at the time of the crash.

And Nadia was outside waiting for Sayid! I want the screen cap of them standing together by the police car.

Ben says that the Orchid is a greenhouse. And it’s possible to move the island from there. Moving the island is dangerous and unpredictable, a last resort.

Hurley’s happily noshing on 15 year old DHARMA Saltines. Ben’s communicating with some of the Others with a mirror.

Daniel is taking Sun, Jin, Aaron, and some Redshirts on the raft. I’m confused. I guess that’s the point. They can’t make it back to the freighter like that. But the raft can’t capsize or anything, because Sun and Aaron have to survive.

That’s an awful lot of stairs for a pregnant woman to climb at Paik Industries. Mr. Paik was berating his businessmen about a corporate takeover… and Sun was the one who bought controlling interest! Booyah! Take that, Daddy! That was awfully smart of her, using five banks to buy the shares.

Hurley’s driving his old clunker, with a bag of chicken from Mr. Cluck’s. There’s a coconut on the floor. And whispers in the mansion. It’s a surprise birthday party. Although why they thought an island theme would be appropriate, I’ll never know.

Sayid and Nadia look awfully happy together. “Interesting choice of theme.” Great minds think alike, Sayid.

Hurley’s dad fixed the car after Oceanic 815 crashed. 48151.6 on the odometer, with 234.2 on the trip odomoter. Doh.

Keamy’s team is already at the Orchid. Oh snap.

Oh this can’t be good. The raft DOES get to the freighter… which means that Jin and the Redshirts are probably going to die, along with whoever else comes back on the second raft.

Michael got the engine working. And found himself face to face with Sun and Jin. Yikes.

Frank dropped the phone so Jack could find him, but they cuffed him to the copter so he couldn’t run off the the jungle.

Jack’s finally delivering his father’s eulogy. It’s a bittersweet memorial service for his mom; her husband is still dead, but her son is not. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”

“I believe I’m the reason he was in Australia when he died.” OH MY GOD! Claire’s mom woke up out of her coma! And this is how Jack found out the truth about Claire being his half-sister. Talk about getting blindsided.

And we got a quick summary of how Michael got back to New York with Walt.

…And that’s a whole lot of C4.

Richard Alpert and his merry band of Others seem to have Kate and Sayid surrounded.

“How many times do I have to tell you, John? I always have a plan.” Plans don’t work so well when you get knocked unconscious… although I suppose Ben has a plan for that, too.

That is an evil, evil place to leave the end of the episode.

Jack still has quite a store of medication left in that suitcase! I wonder if the drugs are still as effective after sitting out in the heat and direct sunlight for so long.

Vincent and Bernard have discovered the body of… is that the doctor from the Kahana? Okay, thanks for that Dan.

“We’re all gonna die.” Thanks, Hurley. LOL! They’re playing Risk. And Hurley plays like I play… Australia is definitely the key to the whole game.

1627? Is that the keycode to shut down the sonic fence?

The phone rang. Code 14J. The Others had a code for I have a gun to my head and someone’s making me turn the fence off? I guess it sounds cooler than tell my sister I love her. I guess it makes sense. After all, Ben did help orchestrate the systematic disposal of everyone in the Barracks once before.

Ben! In… the Sahara Desert. Lying on his back in a furry DHARMA jacket. Men with guns riding horses.

Wow. Ben’s a lot more badass than we thought. Concealed weapon, produced while at gunpoint, then takes out the guy on horseback with his partner’s machine gun. Just… wow.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch… Ben is chastising Locke and Sawyer for waiting to ask him about the phone.

The boat doc’s throat was slit. “When is a… relative term.” I don’t think I have that wording right. I was still typing up the bit about the phone call when Dan said it.

They’re barricading the house. Hurley has Aaron. Sawyer’s not getting in. Three Redshirts just bit the dust. Sawyer’s getting shot at while running along a white picket fence. (Don’t shoot Sawyer!)

Claire’s house just got blown up! No way… Commercial break. Claire can’t have that unceremonious of a death. Off-camera. I know something has to happen to her in order for Kate to end up raising Aaron back in the real world, but she at least deserves to die on camera.

And… here’s Ben in Tunisia. Although he’s Dean Moriarty, a preferred guest at whatever establishment this is. October 24, 2005. Is Ben like Hiro Nakamora?

Sayid was on the television. “I just want to bury my wife in peace.” So the timeline is a little less fuzzy now, but we still have more questions.

Okay, Sawyer has an injured but conscious Claire, asking for Charlie. They told Hurley not to open the door for him, so Hurley threw a chair through the window. I love the new, gutsier Hurley.

And Miles is out. With a radio. The Kahana folks want to talk. (I guess I’ll take to moment to admit it… Fine, I was wrong about Alex’s kidnapping being a Ben setup with the Others pulling the trigger. It is still possible that Ben is somehow pulling the strings to influence events, though.)

So Sayid did find Nadia, and married her, and now she’s dead. In Tikrit. On October 24, 2005. (I guess my theory about time as related to the ARG is completely whacked now, too.)

Who’s that guy that Ben’s snapping pictures of? Even as a pallbearer, Sayid knew Ben was there. Ben wants to help Sayid find the man who murdered Nadia. And he’s lying about how he got off the island, with Desmond’s boat. Desmond’s boat didn’t land him in the middle of the Sahara. And Nadia was murdered in Los Angeles.

Something Ben actually wasn’t prepared for. They have Alex as a hostage. Ben knows exactly who the captain is and what he’s capable of. Poor Alex. How in the world does Ben have this under control?

OMG, did he just kill Alex? ALEX? WHAT IS WITH ALL OF THIS DEATH?

“He changed the rules.” So Ben was pulling the strings. And now, with Alex dead because of him, he hopped into his little panic room and disappeared into some secret passageway that I can only assume is like the one from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.

Sayid got his revenge, killing that man. But was it the man who really killed Nadia? Or Ben’s little patsy? “Once you let your grief become anger, it will never go away. I speak from experience.” He makes himself sound almost human.

This is where Sayid starts working for Ben. “This is my war.” “Benjamin, who’s next?” Oh, what a creepy smile. It’s what Ben wanted all along. I wouldn’t doubt that the man was a patsy.

Smokey! Smokey with lightning! And I think that it’s… feasting on the Kahana boys.

And Alex is really dead. There’s no miraculous recovery scene here.

The scary thing? If we thought Ben was bad before… now he has nothing to lose.

Back at the beach. Dan’s tapping Morse code to the Kahana. Bernard knows Morse code. I knew someone would understand! “What are you talking about? The doctor is fine.” And they were never going to rescue the castaways. Big surprise. We can only wonder how that changes.

So Ben does control the smoke monster, and Jacob can tell Locke all about it, because Hurley knows where the cabin is.

Sawyer’s taking Claire and Aaron back to the beach, and Miles is going with them. Hurley wants to go to the beach, but Locke wants him to stay to guide them to Jacob’s cabin.

“You harm as much as just one curly hair on his head, I’ll kill you.” Aww Sawyer, we didn’t know you cared.

And… Ben knows the way anyways.

Now Ben’s in London. To see Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick in Room E. With his special secret weapon in hand.

“Wake up, Charles.”

This is the sound of jaws dropping on floors.

Ben is going after Penny. He wants to take her away from Charles Widmore the way his (stolen) daughter was taken away from him.

Charles Widmore says that the island is his, always was, and always will be. But he doesn’t know how to find it. How does that work?

I half-expected to hear them discuss how to kill Superman.

I’m agog that we actually got given so much information tonight.

“N. I’ll always be with you. R. G.” That’s the inscription on the inside of Naomi’s bracelet.

Is Sayid getting off the island now? That seems too easy.

Sayid plays golf, and is good enough to be a betting man about it. And apparently it’s not too easy. Sayid really does get off the island. And this golfing guy - whoa! Sayid just shot him! As Hurley would say…. DUDE!

Sayid’s picking up chicks in Berlin. With a disposable cell phone. My husband thinks he’s a bounty hunter.

Sawyer seems to have picked up Sayid’s penchant for torture. Blowing Ben’s toes off.

And Jacob’s cabin is gone. Perhaps Jacob no longer wants to deal with Ben or Locke. I think the cabin may actually be where Hurley last saw it… or at least somewhere where Hurley goes and is not followed by Ben or Locke. That’s my “theory.”

Miles is so classy. Naomi was hot and he liked her accent.

I do not like Sayid’s hair all long and icky.

What payload was Regina supposed to be shooting over to Dan? He didn’t seem concerned about being harmed. Whatever it was, it didn’t make it. More mysterious island properties.

“What’s with the swingset? These people have daycare?” LOL.

Poor Hurley, bound and gagged in New Otherton. Well, that would explain why he would tell Jack he was sorry he went with Locke. I’m losing hope about Sawyer making it off the island to be with Kate. (No!)

“Oh, awesome. The ship’s got its own Sawyer.” LOL, Hurley re: Miles.

Payload made it. It just… took a little longer. THAT’S IT! Time moves faster off the island than it does on the island! Sweet! Although the timing of that cut off any reply from Frank when Jack mentions he’s been on the island for 100 days.

Oh look, Ben’s got a secret passage behind his bookcase. He’s like the island’s very own Bond villain. Except he doesn’t reveal his evil plan. But look at all that foreign currency and the passports. Wait, did one of them have his last name as Moriarty? Okay, Sherlock Holmes villain. (Thanks for helping me with the reference, hon.)

Oh no. Hurley was bait. Say it ain’t so, Hurley!

And there’s Ben.

There’s Sawyer with that sexy wit of his. “So am I your prisoner?” “If that’s what turns you on.” Aww man, he doesn’t want to leave the island. Double aww… he wants to live in New Otherton with Kate.

Sayid, you dog, you. Creative bed sheet coverage there for her breasts. Sayid’s job has some perks, I guess. And Sayid has a list. And… Elsa shot him. And he killed her. Omigod. He closed her eyes the way he closed Naomi’s at the start of the episode. And it would appear that she wears the same kind of bracelet. Who is Elsa’s boss? He’s not an economist. Matthew Abaddon?

Sayid and Desmond are both getting off the island. Now. And they didn’t say goodbye to anyone. Not a single person.

OH.
MY.
FREAKING.
GOD.

Sayid works for BEN. When he went to get the bullet wound tended to, I said, “That voice sounds familiar.” And that’s why. It was husky Ben voice. That’s why Sayid has a list. Because Ben is big on lists. He’s having Sayid kill people in order to protect Sayid’s friends. Why? I have a feeling we’ll learn more about this in the eighth episode cliffhanger.

SQUEE.

Sawyer. My personal favorite.  Honestly, how many [heterosexual] women don’t love the bad boys? He’s got that slow, sexy drawl.  He always has a snappy comeback, or at least a funny nickname for people.  He’s done some really despicable things, but he has the capacity for good. He loves his daughter.  He loves Kate.  He wears dorky glasses because he loves reading. 

Desmond. He was a bit of a mystery for an entire season, until we got the biggest flashback ever.  He has a real hang-up about honor, which is what drove him to compete in the boat race around the world that ended with his shipwreck on the island instead of staying home to fight for Penny.  He’s got a gorgeous accent, brutha.  He has a stuffed bunny.  (Aww!)  He was courageous enough to risk his own life to save Locke and the others by turning the fail-safe key.  And like Wesley and Buttercup in The Princess Bride, what Desmond and Penny have is true love; the Dread Pirate Roberts couldn’t keep Wesley away forever, and this island can’t keep Desmond away forever.  I hope.

Jack. Doctors are often sought-after in the dating pool, although only Kate seemed to be remotely interested in him on the island.  A natural leader, he’s strong in body, mind, and spirit.  And check out those tattoos, if you’re into that.  He’s very adept, whether at sharpshooting or performing miraculous surgery on otherwise inoperable injuries.  I’d definitely want him nearby if I were stranded on an island; you never know when you may need some stitches or a makeshift blood transfusion or something.  If you can get past his cocky attitude, he’s generally a pretty good guy.

Sayid.  Ignoring the fact that he’s tortured a number of people, Sayid is one of the good guys, too.  And quite attractive.  Even the shallow blonde Shannon fell for him on the island, though had she reported him as a potential terrorist in Sydney.  (If she only knew!)  Sayid seems to be thinking more clearly than anyone else on the island, including the beach’s generally accepted leader Jack.  He was the one who figured out that Michael was acting shady, and it wasn’t his fault that Michael’s betrayal succeeded anyway.

Jin. Ignoring the fact that he was one of the heavies for Mr. Paik of Paik Heavy Industry, well, you also have to ignore his nature of needing to control his wife.  He does love Sun very much, and all of the terrible things he’s done have been for her.  Who cares if he’s the son of a village fisherman?  If he could get over that nasty temper of his, he’d be quite a catch.