Episode 4.03 - The Economist - Deleted Scene

Thanks to Docarzt for the video.



Source: Docarzt

S4Ep3 - "The Economist": Not Just a Magazine for Snobs, by Erika

Here is this week's recap from Erika Olson (aka "e") from LongLiveLocke.com .

We have been delivered yet another hour of Lost that contained a Hillbilly Boat-load of information, on top of a "That. Just. Happened." twist at the very end. I'm pretty sure I heard the Lost writers yelling "BOOYA!" in the background when Ben was revealed as Sayid's boss-man in the final moments of "The Economist."

But let's not skip to the end just yet. I'm going to cover Island events first, and then move on to Sayid's flash-forwards. And I don't need to remind you to roll over the pictures to see my captions anymore, do I?

EYES WIDE SHUT

I immediately sensed that this episode was going to be weird when it kicked off with Sayid kneeling in meditative prayer, staring at Dead Naomi, and then going over to her body to shut her eyes. Up until that point, Sayid had close to no contact with Naomi... he wasn't with the original group that found her in the jungle when she crash-landed, he had only been shown talking to her for a matter of moments after she was brought back to the beach, yet now he was the one not only closing her eyes and inspecting her bracelet, but also suggesting that they use the extra room in the helicopter to return her body to the freighter. It seemed like Sayid had some sort of connection to Naomi that even he wasn't fully conscious of, just like how Daniel was crying about the Flight 815 wreckage and didn't know why. Later in the episode we see Sayid do the "close the eyes" move once again with Elsa, and discover that she had a similar-looking bracelet to Naomi's. To me, all of this is more evidence for the Time Loop Theory. What at first seems to be a connection between Sayid and Naomi might actually be Sayid's subconscious drawing him to Naomi because she "reminds" him of a similar situation that will unfold in the future with Elsa.

Naomi's bracelet read, "N, I'll always be with you. R.G." Some people think it's "R.C." (like the cola), but I think it's clearly "R.G." and I'm sticking to it. I read a post from some type-setter/ font expert who swore up and down that it was a G. I, too, consider myself somewhat of an authority on fonts after watching the documentary Helvetica. So G it is.



Unfortunately, though, I have no guesses (nor have I seen any that make sense) for who "R.G." could be at this time. But if it ends up being Ryan Gosling, Richard Gere or Robert Goulet (may he rest in peace), I'm going to owe a lot of people money on the message boards.

Regarding the bracelets overall, the two main theories are:
1) Both Naomi and Elsa were working for "the Economist," whose initials are R.G. This guy gives all the chicks who work for him the same bracelet (but hopefully with different inscriptions). I am on board with this theory.
2) Others think that Sayid ends up taking the bracelet from Naomi and giving it to Elsa in the future. That seems kind of tacky, no? Plus, wouldn't Elsa wonder who "N" and "R.G." are?

On a related note, some fans on the message boards believe that the inscription wasn't meant to be a sentimental note, but rather more of a menacing statement, kind of like, "I will always be watching you, so don't even try to pull anything over on me."

Finally, there are a few who wondered if "N" could also stand for "Nadia" (Sayid's long-lost love from Iraq, believed now to be in the United States), and if Naomi somehow got her bracelet. That makes no sense to me because, if that were the case: 1) Wouldn't Sayid have had a much bigger reaction to seeing the bracelet? 2) Who would R.G. be (and no, "Republican Guard" does NOT make any sense, either)? 3) Why would Elsa have a similar bracelet to one Nadia originally had?


ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

When it becomes clear that no one knows what in the hell is going on anymore, Sayid decides to take matters into his own hands: "You people are idiots. I will go get CharLOTTE." Next, he breaks it down to The Mad Doctor something like this: "You are the worst leader I have ever seen, and trust me my friend, I have seen some horrible leaders in my day. Please stay out of the way now, you have done enough. If you screw up my plan, I will finish you. Make no mistake, I will finish you."

Jack tries to play it cool and shuffles off with Kate, who he then encourages to tag along with Sayid (after they joke about her always wanting to tag along, how meta).

In these early scenes, we also learned that Juliet never knew of Ben having contacts off of the Island, that Miles was simply hired to find Ben and doesn't know anything else about him except his name (destroying my theory that he had a personal vendetta against Ben), that Miles met Charlotte on the freighter, and that Frank considered Naomi "senior management." At this point in the show, I was just happy that He of the Black Tank Top was finally getting some much-deserved air time and that the flashes revolved around him (being spoiler-free rocks).


SEARCHING FOR HIS LOST SHAKER OF SALT

Once Operation: Retrieve CharLOTTE commenced, Jack and Frank were left to bond over sports talk as they looked for the margarita mix and blender Frank could've sworn he stashed in the back of the helicopter. Two things struck me about their short exchange:
1) Jack said, "I can't believe it's been 100 days since I saw a game." That was not supposed to be a throwaway line, in my humble opinion. I think it was meant to tie in with the time difference Daniel's experiment uncovered, which I'll get to in a bit.
2) When Jack told Frank where Sayid is from, I couldn't help but think that "Iraq" connoted something different to Frank than it did to Jack. But I fully admit I may have just been searching for clues... the "100 days" comment seemed more suspect than Frank's reaction to Sayid's home country.


TIME AFTER TIME

My new crush Daniel was in his glory when he decided to run a nerdalicious experiment involving Regina shooting a canister (containing a small digital clock) from the freighter onto the Island. THE ABSOLUTE BEST part about this entire scene was when Jack got a "Oh, crap!" look on his face and started ducking when Regina indicated that "the payload" was supposed to hit Daniel's marker. Forget Smokey, forget Zombie Dad, forget Juliet's awful grilled cheese sandwiches, forget everything else he's witnessed on the Island... we now know what scares the hell out of The Mad Doctor: geeks running experiments.

If you didn't guess that the payload was going to show up much later than expected, then I really think you need to stop watching this show. It's only going to get more complicated from here on out, and you just do not have the mental ability necessary to keep up. I'm sorry. Don't shoot the messenger--I've been trying to tell you for years now that something strange is going on with time!

In this case, the strange thing going on with time was a 31-minute difference between the clock Daniel had on the Island and the one Regina sent from the freighter. The main theory I've read about this result is that it proves that time moves more slowly on the Island--duh. I was surprised to see only a 31-minute delay, to be honest (and apparently in the original script it was only 31 seconds). I've read a half-baked theory about how the farther a location is from the Island, the bigger the time differential between the two becomes. I completely do not understand this idea, so I can't explain it any further.

On a related note, remember that no one from the helicopter has ever commented on what year it is right now. To the Lostaways, it's almost the end of 2004, but perhaps to the helicopter team, it's 2006 or something. Maybe Daniel is beginning to piece together what's going on so that he can enlighten the rest of us. I can't even attempt to dissect any more about Daniel's experiment, because my mind will explode. Since I haven't heard that many other theories about this subject, I'm assuming other fans feel the same way.

Before leaving the experiment scene completely, there was one other part I want to mention; it made me think "What?" even more than the 31-minute delay did. It was when Frank told Daniel to hang up if Minkowski got on the phone, and Daniel acted like that was a no-brainer. In "Confirmed Dead," Miles was trying to reach Minkowski and was annoyed when Regina said that he couldn't come to the phone. But now Frank and Daniel are wanting to avoid talking to Minkowski, and felt fine carrying on the experiment with only Regina's help. What?

All I can figure is that factions developed on the freighter, and for whatever reason, Frank and Daniel don't trust Minkowski. This could give more credence to the theory that Minkowski is Ben's mole on the ship. Or it could mean that Frank and Daniel know about a part of the mission of which Minkowski and Miles are not aware. Regardless, it's very suspect.


TRUST NO ONE

When we first see Locke's group, they have just arrived at what used to be the location of Jacob's cabin (evidenced by the ashy substance in the grass). Ben can hardly conceal his glee when the cabin is nowhere to be found. Hurley once again comes close to spilling that he saw the cabin before in a different location... but instead tries to talk Locke into letting Charlotte go before they head to the barracks. He fails miserably; Locke tells everyone that it's his way or the highway, and even I thought he was sporting a little too much attitude.

The fact that his plan (to capture anyone from Jack's group who came after them) worked probably only boosted Locke's ego further. Who else was shocked to see that Hurley had been in on the scheme all along? When Hurley was found gagged and apparently left behind, I thought, "So that's why he ends up bitter at Locke in the future." But then we learn that he had willingly been a part of the trap! Obviously there's still something bad that's going to happen to cause Hurley to regret staying with Locke's group. I can't take it!

My sense of dread about what's going to go down between Hurley and Locke almost made me forget about something which is probably far more important in the whole scheme of things: it has been confirmed--Jacob's cabin MOVES. Jacob sets up shop wherever he damn well pleases. (Some people also think that Jacob doesn't like light, so his cabin will never appear during the day no matter what, even if someone is in the right spot).


NOW THAT'S A WALK-IN CLOSET!

After passing by several tribal-looking masks and statues and briefly pausing to notice the Qur'an on Ben's bookshelf, Sayid learns that those crazy freaks at California Closets will travel all the way to the Island to hook a brother up. Ben's got what appears to be a small Brooks Brothers store in this hidden room, along with--gasp!--some luggage, money in a bunch of different currencies (Japanese yen, British pounds, and Euros were the most prominently displayed), and a rainbow of passports. There's no way to deny it now... Ben has indeed been off of the Island in the recent past (and that the picture Miles is carrying of him was most likely also taken off of the Island, as many suspected last week).

One other thing to note about Ben's fabulous closet: the picture adorning one stack of money was none other than the scientist Michael Faraday (referenced in my last write-up when analyzing Daniel last name). The twenty pound note featuring Faraday was in circulation from 1991-2001, and make no mistake, it was shown prominently in Ben's drawer for a reason. And I'm sure that reason has to do with Faraday's accomplishments in electromagnetic experiments and technology.


ON THE ROAD AGAIN

The passport that Sayid picked up to inspect was from Switzerland, was issued in April of 2003, and listed Ben's name as "Dean Moriarty." Those who have read Jack Kerouac's On the Road might remember Dean as (the main character) Sal's girl-crazy sidekick. I can draw absolutely no comparisons between the characters of Dean and Ben--in fact they are almost complete opposites. However, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier (a graphic novel) speculated that Dean might be the great-grandson of Professor James Moriarty, who was not only the nemesis of Sherlock Holmes, but who is also considered to be the first "supervillain." "Supervillain" sounds a little more comparable to Benry than does "womanizing beat poet."


OUR HOUSE, IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR ISLAND

After alerting Sayid to the presence of Locke's group in Ben's house, Kate finds herself trapped by Sawyer. He appears to be unarmed, but because (I can only assume) of the possibility of a Lil' Kate/Sawyer on the way, Kate does not shoot him. Rather, she sits down for a nice leisurely chat with him on Ben's bed (gross). Did you read the news story about how millions of women across the country fainted simultaneously at approximately 9:43 EST on February 14th? Sawyer's mushy plea to Kate was the culprit:

SAWYER: Why do you want to go back, Kate? Seem to recall you being shuttled off to jail before we landed here. So if you think there’s anything waiting for you back home other than handcuffs, you really don’t know how the world works. Look around us, Freckles. We’ve got roofs over our heads. Electricity, showers, beds.
KATE: Yeah, how long, Sawyer? How long do you think we can play house?
SAWYER: (lowers voice) Why don’t we find out?



All together now: Awwwwwwww. Shout-out to Valentine's Day!


FULL CIRCLE

With Sawyer guarding Kate and Miles being held "somewhere else," Sayid is tossed into the game room with none other than Ben. It was not too long ago that Sayid was beating "Henry Gale" to a bloody pulp in the hatch, and now here they are, both being held captive by none other than Locke.

The Bald One eventually comes in, and apologizes to Sayid for all the trickery. He tells Sayid about Ben's mole on the freighter, and obviously ends up agreeing to make some sort of trade... Sayid got Charlotte and Locke got... what?

I deem the scene in the game room to be pivotal, for two major reasons:
1) Sayid yelled, "...the day I start trusting him is the day I would have sold my soul" about Ben. Ummm... considering what we know happens in the future, those are some pretty chilling words. They foreshadow something drastic occurring that completely changes Sayid's mind about Ben.
2) Locke entering the room with iced tea was just like Patchy offering Locke, Kate and Sayid iced tea when they first came upon him at The Flame. While I'm not ready to proclaim Locke an Other just yet, I will say admit that he's getting really close. And it's freaking me out!

So what in the heck did Locke gain by giving up Charlotte? It certainly wasn't keeping Kate and/or Miles. I honestly don't think Sayid, Sawyer or Locke would've forced Kate to stay against her will, and it did indeed seem like Sawyer had gotten his point across to Kate about how only handcuffs would be awaiting her back in the real world. As for Miles, well, Locke already had Miles under his control, so he couldn't have been part of the trade. Sayid must have given or promised Locke something MAJOR. Could this have been the beginning of Sayid's employment by Ben? That seems hard to believe at this stage, too, because Sayid couldn't possibly have imagined everything that would unravel once the Oceanic Six returned home. Chalk it up to yet another mystery.


A PENNY FOR THEIR THOUGHTS

Back at the helicopter, Juliet arrives with Shirt-Unbuttoned-Down-To-Here Desmond (chest-hair-free and damn proud of it, brotha!), who beams at the sight of his ticket off the Island. But shortly thereafter, he tries to demand some answers from Daniel and Frank and shoves the infamous picture of he and Penny in Frank's face. Both men refuse to say whether or not they've ever heard of Penny. But when Des says Penny's last name-- Widmore-- did you notice their reactions? They definitely seemed to recognize that name. But they still kept mum. This scene made me even more confident that Frank and Daniel are in cahoots.

Sayid then returns to the scene with Charlotte... and no one else. Jack feels all foolish after he learns that Kate "decided to stay," and Frank seems happy that "pain in the ass" Miles won't be rejoining the group any time soon. (Although I must say that for us viewers, Miles was responsible for one important part of this episode... when he commented about the Othersville swingsets, he reminded us that Ageless Richard, Cindy, all of the kids and the rest of the Others are at the as-of-yet-unseen Temple. Don't count out Ageless Richard or his bushy eyebrows and long eyelashes!)


PARTING IS SUCH SWEET SORROW

Des and Sayid are the two lucky winners of seats with Frank in the helicopter. Sayid suggests bringing Dead Naomi with them and has another strange moment with her as he covers her body with a blanket. Charlotte declines the invitation to leave, and Daniel warns Frank that no matter what, he must keep to the same exact bearing on which they approached the Island.

And with that, the helicopter takes off and Sayid and Desmond finally leave the Island. It was hard to believe that it was actually happening, wasn't it?


Now it's time for me to confess something: I didn't like this episode. I'll explain why later on, but for now I just had to say that the part where Sayid is shown looking out over the Island as the helicopter lifts off and heads out was the only scene that I did like. In fact, I got a little choked up. I thought they handled it really well and the awesome score (as always) perfectly captured the mixed emotions of the moment. The first of our Lostaways has escaped! But unfortunately he, too, ends up pretty miserable back in the real world, so his escape is not really an occasion to celebrate, now is it?


SOMETHING'S FISHY

Miles is now being held captive by Locke's group. Charlotte was shot at, held hostage, and came face-to-face with Ben, but was then taken back to the helicopter. Yet she still doesn't want to leave because she has "work to do." Daniel also doesn't want to leave, claiming that he should probably stay with Charlotte (like he could protect her, which is doubtful). What is going on? Are Charlotte and Daniel going to try to go back to the barracks and free Miles and capture Ben (even though they have been stripped of their weapons)? Or are they actually glad that Miles is out of the way and that Ben's unreachable, so that they can each carry out their own hidden agendas? It's not adding up.

And now, it's time for the flash-forwards.


WHAT'VE CLUBS GOT TO DO, GOT TO DO WITH IT?

When we first see Future Sayid, he's living the life of a high roller, golfing at a private club in the Seychelles. A man drives up and makes a bet with Sayid about which club is better for his next swing. After this mystery man learns that Sayid is one of the Oceanic Six and is able to afford the club because of his crash settlement, he becomes all skittish and tries to bust out of there. But Sayid kills him first, and then walks off the course as sprinklers burst up out of the ground (a nice touch).

Here's what I thought was important about this first flash:
- We know the guy's name: Mr. Avellino. But since we haven't heard that name before, we don't know if it even matters.
- The ongoing black/white theme in the show was subtly played out in this scene, with Sayid sporting a white glove and Mr. A wearing a black one.
- Sayid obviously knew who Mr. A was, whereas Mr. A did not recognize Sayid. If the Oceanic Six were so famous, why wouldn't that guy have recognized Sayid? He said, "I remember reading all about" the crash, which made me assume that it was perhaps over a year after the Oceanic Six returned home, rather than right after they came back.
- If we are to assume (from the other flash-forwards in the episode) that Mr. A was one of the people Ben told Sayid to assassinate, then we can also assume that Mr. A is associated with "the bad guys" trying to find the Island. So it's doubly-confusing as to why Sayid was not recognized by this man from the beginning.
- I checked to see if the guy had a bracelet on like Naomi's and Elsa's, but from what I could tell, he didn't.
- Some people think this scene happened after all of Elsa's scenes, and that Mr. A was indeed "the Economist" who Sayid had finally tracked down. I personally don't believe that... I think Mr. A may not even be that significant in the whole scheme of things... that scene was there to help us piece together that Sayid's life off of the Island consisted of not much more than being a hitman for Benry. He was continually fed names of people to kill off, and Mr. A was just one of the people on Ben's list.


YOU KNOW IT'S HARD OUT HERE FOR A PIMP

"Play on, playah!"

That's what I kept yelling at the screen whenever Sayid rocked his long, flowing locks and seductively murmured come-ons such as, "I'll tell you exactly where you know me from, if you let me take you to dinner." There's no shame in his game! I loved it.

We witness his initial encounter with Elsa, which ends with him leaving the restaurant in Berlin, and then calling Darth Vader to report that he has "made contact." Seriously, that deep voice on the other end of the phone was RIDICULOUS, especially after we learned to whom it was supposed to belong.

In the next flash-forward, things have progressed with Sayid and Elsa, and we learn that they are able to be on their fifth date because he's stayed in Berlin longer than he originally planned (but not because of her, she whines). We also learn that her employer, "the Economist," is very old-fashioned and contacts her via an old-school pager.

Then, in their final moments together, we witness Elsa's pager finally going off, and Sayid warning Elsa to get out of Berlin because he's going to kill her employer. But alas, Sayid has been played by Elsa, because she shoots him and then calls her employer (presumably) and tells him to leave the hotel he's at and to meet her at the "safe house." She also complains that he was supposed to call her at 10:30, and that she might as well kill Sayid because she knew he wasn't going to give up his boss's name.

Sayid had no choice but to kill Elsa, and after doing so he performs his patented "close the eyes on the dead woman's body" move and glances at her bracelet.

So, what did we learn from the Elsa scenes? We learned:
- If an attractive woman is involved in any way, shape or form, Sayid shouldn't be a part of the mission.
- Elsa referred to her employer as an economist who dealt with emerging markets. She said he was old-fashioned. And in the original script, she said that he was supposed to call her at 10 instead of 10:30 (the "at 10" part was deleted from the final cut of the episode). Sayid insisted that her employer was not an economist. Many people are wondering if her employer is Jacob, since we know Jacob doesn't like technology, and if he's calling from the Island, there might be a 31-minute time differential (which would explain the way the original script read). Others think that her employer is someone who is traveling around in time, and that he therefore needs a technology that exists in all of the years in which he's traveling, hence the pager. Some think her employer is Abaddon (who was also, at least for the Island mission, Naomi's employer). That may be true, but the similar bracelets would still have to be from someone with the initials R.G.
- No matter who it is that Elsa was working for, they knew that Sayid was on to them from the very beginning, but they played along because they were desperately trying to find out who Sayid was working for. Which would lead me to believe that perhaps it is not known by the world at large that Ben also leaves the Island. But then again, Benry HAS been leaving the Island, so maybe he is continuing to go back and forth, even though we see him in some pet clinic at the end of the episode. Regardless of where Benry is permanently residing in the future, it must not be obvious to "the bad guys" that he is the one behind Sayid's assassinations.


TAKE THAT, REWIND IT BACK

So we get to the final scene of "The Economist," where Sayid has dragged himself to what appears to be a veterinarian's office or pet hospital. The Darth Vader voice is back, and as Sayid explains that he killed Elsa, he is injected with something. When I watched this episode the second time, I wondered if this injection was the same injection that we saw used a few different times on the Island? Or maybe it was just something inconsequential to help with Sayid's bullet wound.

Either way, Sayid continues his conversation with the mystery doctor:

SAYID: She tried to get information from me.
MAN: What sort of information?
SAYID: She wanted to know who I worked for. She wanted to know about you.
MAN: Of course she did.
[The MAN is revealed to be BEN.]

Cue the "Duh duh DUN!" music!

Believe it or not, I did guess that it was going to be Benry, just because the Darth Vader voice still had Ben's trademark inflections. But I wasn't happy that I was right... in fact, I was really depressed. The whole episode had been a downer for me, and then the ending was the nail in the coffin. I don't like Locke being mean to Hurley. I don't like the Lostaways split into factions. I don't like seeing everyone all miserable in the future. I don't like Miles or Charlotte. I don't like the deepening future-off-Island mystery. Locke is going to cause something bad to happen, and now my #2 and #3 most favorite characters aren't even on the Island anymore. I want Smokey and force fields and Island miracles back, dammit!

Alright, that's enough ranting for one post. And before you feel the need to yell at me about not liking the new direction of the show, rest assured that my brother already took care of that. His exact words were: "You're insane. You knew that some of them were getting off of the island. You are just like Locke - too tied to the island. I think what is going to happen is pretty clear: They (Ben/Sayid) are hunting "the bad guys" and trying to figure out how to get back (Jack, on his own). But they will hunt down the bad guys and they will get back. And it will all come to a head back on the island, with both old and new characters. It is going to be awesome."

At least he compared me to Locke.

Let's move on to the balance of the final scene, which held some interesting clues:

BEN: Why are you crying? Because it hurts? Or because you were stupid enough to care for her? These people don’t deserve our sympathies. Need I remind you the last time you thought with your heart instead of your gun?
SAYID: You used that to recruit me into killing for you.
BEN: Do you want to protect your friends or not, Sayid? I have another name for you.
SAYID: But they know I’m after them now.
BEN: Good.


MY TWO CENTS

So here's what I think is going on: the Oceanic Six, and some others like Desmond and possibly Ben, leave the Island. I'm still not so sure that the freighter is going to take them directly back home, but for now, it doesn't really matter. The Six make some sort of deal with what they may believe to be Oceanic Airlines. Or perhaps the organization they make the deal with goes by another name--either way, part of this deal is that they vow to never tell anyone about the Island or what happened there. However, eventually, this secret starts to weigh heavily on some of them. While we know that 2.5 years into the future Kate still doesn't want to return, Jack desperately does. Something has driven him mad, and the death of someone around that same point in time (which I believe even more strongly now to be Ben) leads him to almost commit suicide. Hurley is affected by the secret much earlier, receiving visits from Dead Charlie (which are perhaps forced upon him by the Island itself, as he cries to Jack that "it" wants them to return).

Sayid is a different story. He is also one of the Oceanic Six, but from what we can tell so far, he doesn't necessarily want to return to the Island, he just wants to keep others from finding it. And he must have a really good reason for doing so, or else he would never have "sold his soul" to Benry. From the last lines of the episode, my guess would be that after Sayid returns from the Island, he does finally find Nadia, but then she is murdered by The Economist's goons. He now wants to avenge her death, as well as protect his friends. But don't jump to conclusions that Ben was talking about Sayid's friends who made it off of the Island. He may very well have been talking about those who wanted to stay hidden and who never left.

Sayid comments that Ben "recruited" him... which leads me to believe that Ben contacted Sayid at some point after Sayid left the Island, and that it was probably a surprise to Sayid that Ben found him. I don't believe that the rest of The Six have been put to work by Ben, but I do believe they know that he's still around, trying to fight the good fight to save the Island.

That wraps up my analysis of this episode. And now, a much-needed break from the gloom and doom that Sayid's flash-forwards brought upon us.


SLEIGH BELLS RING, ARE YOU LISTENIN'?

The winner of The Most Creative Theory award goes to MD, MF and BB (or, "two Christians and a Semite," in their own words), who wrote me with the Holiday Theory. The gist of this theory is that a battle of sorts is underway on the Island, and it's over which religious holiday wins out--will it be Christmas? Hanukkah? Or some bizarro Scientology holiday? Here is their reasoning:

- Jacob is Santa Claus, who can only be seen by "believers." He is losing his powers because the level of cynicism in the world is rising, and people no longer believe in jolly Saint Nick.
- The Island used to be located at the North Pole (thus the appearance of polar bears), but global warming caused everything to melt. However, the magical powers of Santa and his elves can still be found in spots on the Island, which explains some of the strange happenings we've witnessed there so far.
- The Others are Santa's adult elves (which explains why they don't age). But they've lost the ability to carry their babies to term because the Island is now too warm, so they are freaking out about the fact that there are no younger elves around to help build toys. They also hate humans (who caused global warming and led to the pregnancy problem), so they will fight anyone who lands on the Island. But they agreed to bring Juliet there in order to help overcome their pregnancy issue. Further, they kidnap kids in order to convince them to believe in Santa Claus, which helps keep Santa/Jacob from completely losing his powers and disappearing for good.
- The Dharma group was made up of Jewish colonists who wanted to take advantage of Santa/Jacob's weakened state in order to change the official holiday of the Island to Hanukkah, rather than Christmas. They built the Temple, at which the rest of the Others are now hiding.
- The Numbers are the exact proportions to the Dharma ingredients in the Best. Matzo. Ever.
- Naomi and her crew are Scientologists wanting to get rid of both Christmas and Hanukkah so that their own secret winter holiday can be #1 on the Island. This holiday will be revealed at the end of Season Four.

Before you dismiss this theory, consider the following evidence MD, MF and BB gathered to support their ideas:
- The Find815.com game lead players around CHRISTMAS Island.
- Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) stars in the Santa Claus II, as Mrs. Claus.
- “HO HO HO” is hidden in Episode 4.01 (as discussed in my previous write-up)
- Assuming that it was after midnight when Daniel Faraday parachuted to the Island, he landed there on Christmas Eve.
- Time travel is prevalent throughout the series... and how else could Santa deliver presents to all those houses across the world?

I think it's fair to say that the Holiday Theory is just as likely to be correct as any other theory is, right? Great job, guys!


BEST LINES OF THE EPISODE

FRANK: We burned a lot of fuel coming in, it can’t carry much weight. I’ll take three of you.
MILES: In case you zoned out while you were tweezing your goatee, one of these yahoos took Charlotte prisoner.

JACK: Sayid, so how are we gonna do this?
SAYID: You’re not the best candidate for this kind of mission.
JACK: What kind of mission is that?
SAYID: I’m going to make Locke give me Charlotte. And I’m going to do it without any bloodshed.
JACK: As opposed to the way I’d do it.
SAYID: Last time you encountered him; you put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. That’s not good diplomacy.

MILES: Hey, Jarrah, you think you’re going after Charlotte without me?
SAYID: Of course not.
MILES: (surprised) Oh. Well, good.




[SAWYER shoves BEN]
SAWYER: You ready to give us the name, Gizmo?



LOCKE: He’s not going to tell you who the spy is on their boat, James.
SAWYER: Yeah, why not?
LOCKE: Because that’s the only thing keeping him alive.
SAWYER: Well here’s an idea: why don’t we take a gun, point it to his big toe and send that little piggy to the market?




KATE: Kinda sucks, huh?
JACK: What’s that?
KATE: Being told not to come along. Now you know what it feels like to be me.
JACK: Does that mean I should wait twenty minutes and go anyway?
KATE: Touché.




JACK: What’s his story?
FRANK: Daniel?
JACK: Yeah.
FRANK: Couldn’t tell ya. Half the stuff he says goes over my head, and the other half goes way, way over.


MILES: How about you stop babbling and just tell us what happened here, alright?
HURLEY: Who are you?
MILES: Where the hell did they go, Tubby?
HURLEY: Oh, awesome. The ship sent us another Sawyer.

SAYID: Where’s Locke?
HURLEY: He’s talking to that angry Chinese guy.
SAYID: I’m not going to hurt you, Hurley.
HURLEY: Yeah… I saw you snap that guy’s neck with that break-dancing thing you do with your legs. I think I’ll hang back here.

NEXT UP

...we have "Eggtown." While I unfortunately know a little bit more about this episode than I should, I still have no idea what its title means (and I want to keep it that way). I think that from the previews, it's pretty obvious that the flash-forwards are going to be about my least favorite Lostaway, Kate. I really hope The Kate Hate Train does not need to be summoned for a ride. What is strange is that the voiceover said that "another member of the Oceanic Six will be revealed." But isn't it already pretty obvious that Kate is one of The Six, especially from the preview clip they showed of her being "one of the most recognizable faces in America?" Not to mention her scenes with Jack in the Season Three finale? The bigger question now is... if she agreed to stay with Sawyer in Othersville, how did she come to leave the Island?

I just hope that they get whatever bad thing that's going to happen between Locke and Hurley over with in "Eggtown," so that I can be free of this nagging feeling of dread.

Until next week,
- e

The Lost Fantasy League: Week 3 Update

What a wild episode this was! While it didn't beat out "Confirmed Dead" in overall points, "The Economist" provided us with thrills, spills and chills. It's got action, adventure and romance- a perfect blend of elements for a successful episode of our beloved show.

Please be sure to check out the Important Points Rulings section, because there have been a few major amendments made to our rules. If you haven't checked out the rule book yet, check it out here. The new amendments don't change things too much, but they do provide clarity on some potentially sticky areas.

Also of note is that the end of the Prediction League and the Fantasy League have been established. The Prediction League will continue into Season 5 because contestants were to predict how many episodes certain things would occur or appear. Since we assumed a full 16 episode season when registering, DarkUFO will hold the end of the Prediction League over until we have had 16 episodes. The Fantasy League, however, will be concluding with the final episode of Season 4. That's just something to keep in mind if you are involved with both Leagues.

You know the drill: watch the video, read the sections and leave comments if you find yourself so inclined. If you have any really burning questions, shoot them my way at LFLquestions@gmail.com

“The Economist” (in 500 words or less)
Jack gets a taste of his own medicine by being told to stay put while everyone else goes out adventurmicating like cool A-Teamers. Meanwhile, Locke leads his band of weary travelers to where Jacob’s shack ought to be, only to find that even Jacob has been hit by the sub-prime mortgage crisis. Where his quaint little rickety cabin once stood is now an empty lot, likely to someday be the site of a methadone clinic or halfway house. Maybe even a soup kitchen.

It starts to sink in with Hurley what joining Team Locke really means as he is put in his place by the bald man giving orders. Watch yourself Johnny Boy, you’re starting to resemble a certain bug-eyed captive.

Sayid, Kate and Miles head over to the Barracks in an effort to get Charlotte back. If they can accomplish this, Frank will take Sayid to the freighter. Things go awry when they trust one of Hurley’s worst lies to date and are ambushed in a variety of ways by members of Team Locke. Rousseau has her rifle trained on Miles, Locke gets the better of Sayid (just after discovering Ben’s life savings and his secret stash of Playboys- I mean passports), and Sawyer traps Kate in a bedroom. Foreshadow much?

Back at the helicopter, Daniel plays scientist, running an experiment involving a rocket and two clocks, discovering a weird 31 minute time difference between on-Island and off-Island events. Great Scot! I know; this is heavy! Juliet brings Desmond to the chopper because Jack would like to know why the Freighter Four have a picture of him and his girl. Desmond shows up in his chest-baring glory and demands a seat on the next chopper ride.

Sayid works out a deal with Locke, promising to gather information about who is all on this freighter and what their intentions may be. They trade hostages and Sayid brings Charlotte back to the chopper. Frank approves, even though Sayid cheated, and lifts off with Desmond, Sayid and Naomi’s copse in tow. That’s right, someone actually leaves the Island. The chopper doesn’t blow up or magically not work. We actually get somewhere. It takes off and stays in the air! That’s levitation, Holmes. Of course, Daniel offers Frank the creepy advice to follow their exact approach path back out to the freighter.

In the flashforwards, Sayid plays double oh-sieben (Ja, ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch). He shoots golf lefty and shoots to kill righty. He wines and dines and sleeps with a lovely woman with an alluring accent all to get information on her boss, who he intends to kill. Too bad for Sayid, his lady friend is working him for info on his boss. She shoots him, he kills her- it all works out pretty amicably. Our wounded Iraqi assassin gets medical aide from and instructions from M, who is none other than Benjamin Linus. The master list maker and world’s creepiest veterinarian somehow escaped the Island invasion tour!

1. IMPORTANT NEW AMENDMENT TO NUMBERS POINTS:
The prevalence of the helicopter in this episode led DarkUFO and I to come up with an addition to Numbers Points rules that would prevent rampant unchecked dispersal of Numbers points that such a situation could bring about. From here on out, the rule is "League characters may receive Numbers points once per source per episode."

This means that characters can only get points once from a certain item in any given episode. Jack, Kate, Sayid, Juliet and Desmond can only get points once for being on screen with the helicopter Numbers. In future episodes, all sources of the Numbers are back in play for points.

This also means that characters can only get points once per episode by saying the Numbers. Further expounding on verbal usage is pending.


2. IMPORTANT NEW AMENDMENT TO KISSING POINTS:
Sayid did a lot of kissing during this episode, so DarkUFO and I also felt a need to make a more clear ruling on kissing points. Our new amendment is "League characters can only earn kissing points once per scene per person kissed."

It was already established that individual kisses were not credited with points, but rather kissing "sessions" were counted. Since there could be any number of kissing "sessions" in a given scene (though that wouldn't be very Lost-like) any pauses between kissing in scenes is ignored and the whole scene is credited with points. League characters can kiss the same character as often as they want throughout the episode and still get points for each scene though.


3. "The Economist" put to rest one of our questions about the events of "The Beginning of the End." Hurley was given points for discovering Jacob's shack in 4x01, but we weren't sure if it was really Jacob's shack or just an Island vision. Thanks to Locke finding an empty lot, we know that Jacob's shack is (somehow) able to move around and Hurley did in fact see the real thing.


4. Sayid and Elsa had sex. You don't have to be Fellini to figure this one out. They rather heavily implied a sexual romp had occurred in that bed, so Sayid gets the sex points.


5. Sayid's discovery of Ben's secret room encompasses everything he found inside the room. No extra points for discovering the cash and the passports. It's all considered a part of the room.


6. Alex and Penny both earned appearance points through pictures. Pictures of Alex are visible all through Ben's house and Sayid found the picture of Des and Penny.


7. Only those League characters that we actually saw at the Barracks got DHARMA location visit points. If we see the other members of Locke's group, we'll give them points accordingly.

Group 1-
BEN (+50): Attendance (+5); Visits a DHARMA Initiative Location- The Barracks (+5); Appears in Sayid's Flashforward (+25); Last Line in the Episode (+5); Last On Screen (+10)
JACK (+35): Attendance (+5); First Line (+10); Encounters the Numbers- 8 and 42 are on the helicopter (+20)
KATE (+30): Attendance (+5); Encounters the Numbers- 8 and 42 are on the helicopter (+20); Visits a DHARMA Initiative Location- The Barracks (+5)
LOCKE (+10): Attendance (+5); Visits a DHARMA Initiative Location- The Barracks (+5)
SAWYER (+10): Attendance (+5); Visits a DHARMA Initiative Location- The Barracks (+5)

Group 2-
SAYID (+120): Attendance (+5); First On Screen (+15); Episode Centricity (+25); Flashforward (+20); Uses the Numbers- Says 8-1-5 (+20); Kills Someone- Mr. Avellino (-20); Encounters the Numbers- 8 and 42 on the helicopter (+20); Visits a DHARMA Initiative Location- The Barracks (+5); Discovers a New Place- Ben's Secret Room (+20); Kisses Elsa twice during episode (2 x 20 = +40); Gets Hurt- Shot by Elsa (-10); Kills Someone- Elsa (-20)
DESMOND (+25): Attendance (+5); Encounters the Numbers- 8 and 42 are on the helicopter (+20)
JULIET (+25): Attendance (+5); Encounters the Numbers- 8 and 42 on the helicopter (+20)
HURLEY (+10): Attendance (+5); Visits a DHARMA Initiative Location (+5)
MICHAEL (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)

Group 3-
ROUSSEAU (+10): Attendance (+5); Visits a DHARMA Initiative Location (+5)
CLAIRE (+5): Attendance (+5)
JACOB (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)
JIN (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)
SUN (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)

Group 4-
ALEX (+5): Attendance (+5)
BERNARD (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)
KARL (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)
ROSE (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)
WALT (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)

Group 5-
AARON (+5): Attendance (+5)
PENNY (+5): Attendance (+5)
CINDY (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)
MARVIN CANDLE (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)
RICHARD (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)

Group 6-
ETHAN (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)
LIBBY (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)
MS. HAWKING (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)
RACHEL (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)
WIDMORE (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)

Group 7-
CHRISTIAN (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)
KELVIN (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)
KEVIN CALISS (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)
MR. PAIK (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)
NADIA (-5): Absent from Episode (-5)

There were five Fantasy Geniuses of the Week this week, all of them earning a whopping 180 points for the episode. Here they are and the Fantasy rosters that got them to the status of Geniuses of the Week:

Heatherbear: Ben, Sayid, Rousseau, Alex, Aaron, Ethan, Nadia

LadyoftheLost: Ben, Sayid, Rousseau, Alex, Aaron, Ethan, Nadia

Lostieforever de RaftReload-Media&News: Ben, Sayid, Rousseau, Alex, Penny, Libby, Christian

Rekhoon: Ben, Sayid, Rousseau, Alex, Penny, Libby, Christian

JoanB: Ben, Sayid, Rousseau, Alex, Penny, Ethan, Kevin Callis

Coming soon

Table Toppers


Celebrities


Character Groups


Scoring Chart


Full Table
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pXy_MMpweXkBNivLDIj4-YQ

Full Excel Spreadsheet
Download

Week 4 is looming and it marks the halfway point in Season 4's first run of episodes. It is titled "Eggtown."

I ran a Google search on Eggtown to see if was some kind of literary reference or just a reference in general to anything out there in the world. Evidently Eggtown is not a reference to anything well known culturally or literature-wise, because virtually every page the search results listed were referring to previews or spoilers for this episode. Go figure!

Fortunately, the trailers here in America make it look like "Eggtown" will be a Kate episode. The declaration that another member of the Oceanic 6 would be revealed leads me to believe this will be another flashforward (keep 'em coming I say!). I guess I had assumed it was logical that, since Kate and Jack were both present in Jack's Season 3 flashforward, she was part of the Oceanic 6. Are they just making this clear, or will they actually reveal another member of The 6 via Kate's flashforwards? Or am I completely wrong yet again?

Only one way to find out! Eggtown's a comin' and I can't wait. Check back in here next week (same DarkUFO time, same DarkUFO channel) for your Week 4 LFL Fantasy Update.

Episode 4.03 - The Economist - The Lost Initiative - Sky One Podcast

Update: This has been moved to spoilers as it contained some Episode 8 spoilers from a caller on the Podcast. My apologies.

Truths and Contradictions by Luhks

LOCKE: This is going to be more complicated than we thought. (The Man From Tallahassee)


Every once in a while, a string of Lost episodes comes along that seems to indicate a pretty clear path for the show’s future. Immediately after these stretches, an episode like The Economist comes along and blows those notions to hell. The last three episodes all began to offer us a fairly coherent picture of the Oceanic Six, the Freighter crew, and the overall destiny of the crash survivors. The Economist now presents us an upside-down world in which every assumption becomes false: Sayid now works for Ben, Hurley now cons his friends, and even clocks themselves can no longer be trusted. The title of this episode could not have seemed more innocuous, but, like Sayid, we should have known that ‘Economist’ was merely a euphemism for some far more sinister line of work. Economists work to predict the behavior of large groups of people, and now almost no one in our group of characters (not even Fun-Time Hurley) remains predictable any longer.

Episode 4.03 centers around Sayid Jarrah, an immensely popular character that most viewers have grown to trust. In one of the biggest plot twists in the entire series, flash forward scenes reveal that our beloved Sayid, some time after the escape of the Oceanic Six, will eventually work off the island as an assassin for Benjamin Linus. When these two characters first crossed paths, in the Season Two classic One of Them, Sayid savagely beat Ben in an interrogation inside the Swan hatch. In the final scene of that episode, Sayid told Charlie, “I feel no guilt for what I did to him, [because] these people, these Others, are merciless”. In the final scene of The Economist, Ben uses essentially the same arguments that Sayid once spoke, but now against a different group of people: “These people don’t deserve our sympathies. […] Need I remind you what they did?”. Sayid has made a complete reversal, and he has become One of Them, a merciless Other who takes lives whenever Ben desires. This episode will no doubt frustrate viewers because it leaves little indication of what event caused this complete transformation.


Mirroring and opposites have always been a recurring theme on Lost, but the contrast between Sayid on the island and Sayid in the flash forward scenes takes this concept to a whole new level. How could a man move so quickly from one extreme position to its polar opposite, in such a short time? Everything we thought we knew about Sayid now seems questionable. When we look back at Sayid’s characterization, both in this episode and throughout the series, we find nothing but a series of opposites and contradictions. What can we say about Sayid?

“The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.” Neils Bohr



Sayid is a man of science.

While the overarching conflict between science and faith has been a recurring theme on the show, Sayid has been one of the few characters to demonstrate practical applications of scientific knowledge. Throughout the series, Sayid has shown a wide range of mechanical expertise, ranging from communications equipment to the Swan station computer to (most recently) the helicopter itself. Although the new arrival Daniel Faraday would probably give him a run for his money, it’s a safe bet that Sayid possesses more scientific knowledge than virtually anyone else on the island. Beyond these examples, though, Sayid frequently presents empirical solutions to other problems, including the central conflict of this particular episode. In The Economist, Sayid convinces both Jack and Locke to help him conduct an experiment of sorts. To answer their most pressing question, what the true intentions of this new group of people are, Sayid proposes to travel to the Freighter, in order to collect evidence and make observations about them. Like any true scientist, Sayid accepts that he does not know the answer to this question, and then sets out to answer it in a systematic fashion.


Sayid is a man of faith.

The first image of Sayid in The Economist, however, calls attention to the spiritual side of his personality rather than his scientific side. While Jack and Miles argue heatedly about the best course of action, Sayid chooses to spend his time in silent meditation. This brief introduction is a reminder that (along with Desmond and Rose) Sayid remains one of the few living characters who actively profess a particular religious faith. Previous episodes, such as Live Together Die Alone, further highlighted Sayid’s religious background, by portraying him as a man who still believes in the power of prayer. In our latest episode, Sayid even comes across an image of the central text of Islam, a copy of the Koran itself on Ben’s bookshelf. Amidst all of the politics and intrigue of the epsiode, Sayid alone showed intense concern over the treatment of Naomi’s corpse, to ensure a more proper burial. This act of spirituality, as minor as it might seem, indicates that Sayid believes in an existence outside of our physical reality.



Sayid is a leader.

Since the plane crash, Sayid Jarrah has become one of the camp’s most vocal and influential decision-makers. In the early episodes of Season One, Sayid helped the survivors organize their efforts to adapt to their new environment, while he also made several inspired attempts to find rescue. The former soldier assumed command of a series of missions to protect the camp from outsiders, including Rousseau, Ethan, Michael, and the Others. Jack remains the nominal leader of the group, but most of the details of his decisions (including the two master plans of the last two season finales) come from Sayid’s recommendations. This relationship was never more evident than in The Economist, in which Jack wisely allowed Sayid to take charge of both the negotiations with Locke and investigation of the Freighter crew. Even though a large group of people choose to follow Jack’s leadership, Jack essentially follows Sayid’s lead on the most important matters.


Sayid is a follower.

As a whole, though, The Economist served much more as a portrait of servitude than of leadership. Discussions of chain-of-command occur throughout the episode, including: Locke’s unsuccessful attempt to communicate with Jacob (“John’s looking for someone to tell him what to do.”); Hurley’s submission to Locke’s demands (“Right now, I’m making the decisions, Hugo.”); and Frank’s discussion of Naomi (“She was senior-management. We didn’t exactly sit at the same lunch table.”). The interactions between Sayid and Elsa represent the episode’s most extreme examples of such servitude. The two star-crossed lovers both tried to seduce and to kill each other but only as insignificant pawns in a larger conflict between their powerful superiors. Sayid appears genuinely resigned to the notion that “Everyone has a boss”, and that idea holds particular significance in light of his broader history. Sayid has never taken command of his own life, but has always done the bidding of a series of bosses: his Iraqi commanding officers, Kelvin Inman, the CIA, Jack, and finally Ben. Despite being an excellent decision-maker, he somehow manages to put himself in a position where he is always following someone else’s orders.



Sayid is one of the most rational characters on Lost.

For the most part, Sayid Jarrah is able to maintain calm and collected in even the most stressful situations. As a trained soldier, Sayid has always been better prepared than any of the other crash survivors for the dangers they faced on the island. Through his dangerous dealings with Rousseau, Ben (as Henry Gale), Michael, Klugh and Mikhail, Sayid always managed to stay on top of the situation. Thanks the latest episode, Sayid can add another impressive achievement to his resume. In The Economist, Sayid plays the role of diplomat between the two hostile camps as he negotiates a peaceful settlement to the island’s hostage situation. His conversation with Jack even highlights the accurate contrast between Jack’s fiery temperament and his own composed demeanor. He manages to appeal to both Jack’s and Locke’s sense of rationality, and convinces them that his plan is in the best interests of both of them (not an easy task by any means). There can be no better candidate than Sayid for the next mission, to assess the threat posed by the Freighter crew.

(On a side note, a major piece of this negotiation story is missing. Although Sayid claims that he traded Miles for Charlotte, Locke had already captured Miles at that point. Sayid must have promised Locke something else in exchange for Charlotte. Perhaps he agreed to become Locke’s ‘man on the boat,’ and to gather intelligence on his new enemy.)



Sayid is one of the most emotional characters on Lost.

Two separate times in this episode, Ben points out the fragility of Sayid’s rationality. On the island, Ben remarks, “You were stupid enough to fall for your friend [Hurley] as bait,” and then uses the same language in the flash-forward: “You were stupid enough to care for her [Elsa].” Despite all of his cunning, Sayid frequently allows his emotions to cloud his better judgment. Every episode that centers on Sayid also highlights the emotional vulnerabilities (particularly in relation to women), and the latest flash forwards were no exception. The women that Sayid hurt or failed to protect (Nadia, Shannon, and Amira of the Enter 77 flashback) continue to haunt him far more than anything else in his past. Sayid’s latest female attachment, Elsa, exposes that vulnerability once again, so much that Sayid nearly dies as a result. His romance with Elsa seemed reminiscent of Sawyer’s experience in The Long Con flashbacks, in which the con-man falls for his victim, but here the stakes were even higher. Whatever event Ben used to recruit Sayid to his cause, Ben ultimately exploited Sayid’s feelings rather than his reason. The extent to which Sayid now follows Ben’s orders matches the intensity of Sayid’s emotional attachment for the friends he wishes to protect.



Sayid is ultimately a good man.

While many of the characters on the island operate with tremendous egos and dubious agendas, Sayid’s goals have always been pretty transparent. Stranded on an island with a group of strangers (some of whom didn’t even like him), Sayid took a fanatical interest in ensuring everyone else’s safety. In the past, Sayid committed unspeakable acts of cruelty as a torturer, but he shows genuine remorse for those deeds, most dramatically during his self-imposed exile in Solitary and his confession at the end of Enter 77. Most of his questionable moral decisions, in one way or another, stem from his desire to protect the people for which he cares. Sayid’s conversation with Ben at the very end of The Economist suggests that these sentiments also motivate his future work as an assassin. Ben only needed to say one thing to keep his new hit-man in line: “You want to protect your friends, or not, Sayid?” (Was this line a threat or just a reminder?).While his boss might have other motives, Sayid’s decision rests on a desire to protect others. Even though his methods might be ruthless, Sayid’s intentions once again seem genuinely good.


Sayid is ultimately an evil man.

Despite his good intentions, though, there is no doubt that Sayid tortured innocent subjects along with the guilty as an interrogator for the Iraqi Republican Guard (as well as on the island). When Nadia persuaded him to betray his army, Sayid shot and killed a bystander soldier in the escape attempt, in manner analogous to Michael’s infamous actions to ensure Walt’s freedom. (Juliet also made reference to some as-yet-unknown incident at Basra, an atrocity that brought him great shame.) The Economist, however, shows Sayid reaching an absolute moral low-point. Sayid now trusts Ben to make his moral decisions for him. He could not have phrased it any better than his foreshadowing remarks earlier: “The day I start trusting him is the day I will have sold my soul.” In effect, Sayid now has become no different morally from Ben’s most recent enforcer, Mikhail (who murdered Bonnie, Greta, and Charlie). Rather than use their own moral judgment, both men rely simply on Ben’s word to know when to pull the trigger. Regardless of whether you think that Ben might be serving a good cause, one cannot overlook the fact that Sayid is now murdering complete strangers without hesitation.



MILES: And what side did you land on?
SAYID: I’ll let you know when I decide.

The more we know about Sayid, and the more closely we examine him, the more confusing his character becomes. Sayid manages to embody all of these opposites simultaneously. Which Sayid is the real Sayid? I sincerely hope that Jarrah’s ultimate destiny will be as something other than as Ben’s attack dog. There are some viewers out there who seem to think that all the characters are destined to become mindless followers of Ben, or Jacob, or the Island itself. If they do, then those characters will meet the same end as Elsa, an inconsequential pawn who sacrificed her life to protect a King. In the final scene, Ben treats Sayid’s wounds in a veterinary clinic, both for practical reasons (to conceal his work), and as a metaphor for his new relationship with Sayid. Ben values Sayid’s life, like the life of any of his followers, about as much as he values any one of the caged dogs. Sayid Jarrah has always been a man of exceptional intelligence and skill, capable of some far greater accomplishment in his life. I can only hope that Sayid will one day find a mission worthy of his potential.




[On one final note that needs to be addressed, the ‘beyond weird’ results of Daniel Faraday’s experiment will no doubt remain a hot topic of conversation for Lost theorists for some time. The main image of the experiment, the two clocks showing times 31 minutes apart, seems to draw allusions to the theory of relativity. Among other things, Einstein replaced the idea of absolute time with the concept of relative time, and explained that two clocks carried by two different observers will not necessarily agree. In the theory of relativity, each individual has his own personal measure of time that depends on where he is and how he is moving in relation to the speed of light.


So, does the theory of relativity explain how it might be possible for time to move differently on the island than in the outside world? Is it possible that there is a significant difference between how much time has passed on the island and outside the island? In a word, no. Even though relativity describes the unique relationship between time and light, there is an even more basic relationship between those two elements. Our units of measurement for time are based upon a common reference point, the movement of the sun. Relativity explains how time might move differently for two different observers, but it does not explain how two different observers could miscount the number of times the sun rises and sets. One hundred days since the crash on the island still equals one hundred days off the island. Despite all of the sci-fi craziness surrounding Daniel’s experiment, remember that Jack’ discussion about baseball with Frank grounds the show’s still-seamless timeline in reality.]