Follow along! The episode guide for “He’s Our You” is in Finding Lost — Season 5, pp. 140-149, and a summary of Carlos Castaneda’s A Separate Reality (the book Ben passes to Sayid) is on pp. 149-160.(Apologies to everyone -- especially Marebabe! -- for this posting late; my internet conked out and we couldn't get it back up until now.) This was the first episode where I started thinking, “Oh my GOD, what if the actions of the survivors actually CAUSE the very things that hurt them later? Could they have been the masters of their own downfalls?” What if Sayid turned Ben into the person he became? Will he remember? It’s one of the big questions I’m looking forward to in Season 6.
Fun things I noticed:
• DEFLATED GHOST CHICKEN!!!!
• Seriously, Ben, I canNOT take that fedora seriously. It’s like all that’s missing is a long mustache that he could twirl around his finger, and a foreign accent.
Jarrah… SAYID Jarrah: “Do you expect me to just go on with my life?”
Benfinger: “No, Mistah Jarrah… I expect you to die!!”
• How poor was Desmond? Mr. Widmore says one glass of McCutcheon is worth more than Des makes in a year, and Ilana says here it’s $120 a glass. Wow, Des. Geez, Widdy. Exaggerate much?
• I didn’t notice this before, but when Sayid refers to the Swan, Radzinsky says, “How does he know what we’re going to name it, when we haven’t even BUILT it yet?!” It seems to me Radzinsky has already referred to the station as the Swan, am I right? Or is it possible they named it that because Sayid SAID that’s what it’s called?
• I just have to say this again: Have you seen the episode of Buffy called “Fear, Itself”? In it everyone is terrified of Gachnar, the fear demon, and at the very end the floor breaks open, he rises up… and he’s six inches tall with a tiny chipmunk voice, screaming, “Fear me!” (One of my all-time fave moments in Buffy.) Well… that’s how Oldham seems to me. As Xander says in that ep, “Big overture… Little show!”
• “Even the new mom wants you dead.” HAHA!!
38 comments:
Love, love LOVE Radzinsky in this episode! Irritable, self-important, hysterical, hyperkinetic ... in other words, he bursts fully-formed onto the show and instantly establishes a character to be reckoned with.
I fear that we will not get more explanation about the people that Benry has assigned Sayid to kill on his International Assassin of Mystery Tour. Which is ... kinda weak. The setup in Germany was super cool but the ending in Russia is rather anticlimactic.
However:
HURLEY: Fresh off the griddle. And don't forget to try the dipping sauces. They really bring out the ham.
JACK: Thanks, Hurley.
HURLEY: So... (sighs) What's going on with Sayid?
JACK: Don't know anything yet.
KATE: What do you mean, you don't know anything? I thought you were at Sawyer's last night. What did he tell you?
JACK: He told me to leave him alone and let him do his job.
HURLEY: And you're going to?
KATE: I'll talk to Juliet, see what she can tell me.
HURLEY: Well, if Sawyer didn't tell you anything, why would Juliet?
KATE: Well, why wouldn't she?
HURLEY:'Cause they're together.
KATE: What do you mean, they're together?
HURLEY: "Together" as... They live together. Like, not as roommates. You know, "together" like you guys were. I thought it was kind of obvious. I mean, who couldn't see that comin'?
JACK: Hurley.
HURLEY: Well, I guess I better... Go make some more waffles.
KATE: Did you know?
JACK: Yeah.
KATE: Hmm.
Priceless.
Marebabe, where are you? ;)
Oh, Nikki, bless your heart! When I read your apology, I was feeling pretty much equal parts amused, sheepish, and above all, forgiving! Life happens, as we all know. :) And may I say, this was one of your funnier posts. Calling Widmore Widdy? Brilliant! Great catch on the $120 price tag for a glass of MacCutcheon.
Once again, great casting! The boy they got to play Young Sayid looks a LOT like Naveen Andrews.
For the Moscow scene, Ben and Sayid were warmly dressed for winter. That must’ve been hard for the actors, seeing how they shot it in Hawaii. Heat rash, anyone? Actually, seasoned actors probably think nothing of it, because often (invariably?) summer scenes are shot in the winter, and winter scenes are shot in the summer, or the tropics. And Nikki, howls of laughter for your “Benfinger” scene!
I can usually tell (after the fact) when I’ve been manipulated, and the realization is closely followed by irritation. I’m with you, Nikki, the whole buildup on Oldham “seemed like a big overture for such a little tune.” There I was, getting tense for no reason, and afterwards, I was somewhat irked. It’s like when Horace came into Sayid’s cell with the rose pruners. Even my pal Michael Giacchino was in on it, with the tension-and-fear music.
Nikki, I caught it before you said it. So, I was reading along in the chapter for this episode, and suddenly there it was, near the bottom of page 148: “Did that chicken deflate?” That right there is the origin of our beloved Nik at Nite mascot!
I found it fascinating that Sayid would say, while under the influence of a truth drug, “I am a bad man.” This is an identity statement, much different than “I’ve done lots of bad things.” There are so many damaged and broken people on Lost!
It’s terrible how often my mind wandered off from the story while rewatching this episode. Too much cross-pollination of pop culture references, I guess. For example, Nikki asked in her book why Sayid didn’t make sure he killed Ben with a final head-shot? I noticed that too, and was thinking that, clearly, Sayid never saw “Zombieland”, or he wouldn’t have shot Ben only once. (Rule #1 – Cardio. Rule #2 – Double Tap.) And the fact that Sayid was given so much screen time here made me think of how much Joan and studiorose and some of the other ladies were enjoying this episode. (Am I right?) For the record, I also think he’s gorgeous!
But the funnest mental tangent for me happened when Amy made her speech in the Dharma leaders meeting, and all I could think of was Helen Lovejoy on “The Simpsons”: “Won’t someone PLEASE think of the CHILDREN!!"
I gotta agree with you about E.B., Nik. I was really looking forward to seeing how eeeeeeeeeeevil he was going to be, and what does he do? He gives Sayid some acid! Oooooh, boogedy woogedy! Although, considering how apprehensive Sayid was, I was expecting him to have a bad trip. Guess the dharma acid is very mellow. Also, after E.B. fed Sayid the sugarcube, I was totally expecting E.B. to wipe Sayid's mouth off and say 'Sorry. Damp palms run in my family.'
Also, from this point on, I think we should refer to Charles and Penny Widmore as C-Widdy and P-Widdy. Just sayin'.
@KW: Notice how I said in my opening paragraph, "Life happens"? Soon after Nikki's post showed up, my Mom called. Priorities, don'tcha know!
How poor was Desmond? Mr. Widmore says one glass of McCutcheon is worth more than Des makes in a year, and Ilana says here it’s $120 a glass. Wow, Des. Geez, Widdy. Exaggerate much?
Bwahaha! He should have said
"I make that in a week, Mr.Know-It-All!"
I geekily take notes while watching epi's and for this one I only wrote one thing.
DEFLATED GHOST CHICKEN!!
Yeah, Oldham never really went anywhere, but i thought his accent was kinda cool.
I was thinking, when we've seen the Barracks/New Otherton in the previous seasons, has one of the houses been riddled with burn marks. That would be a cool little touch, considering that Ben causes one of the houses to catch fire. Unless it just burned to the ground and the DI rebuilt it.
Where the eff is Annie?!!?
I love how quietly lost and confused Jack, Kate, & Hurley have been since arriving in 1977. They've certainly been thrown for a loop by this whole time travel business.
I've just returned from an extended Chiristmas/New Year vacation, and while I was able to read Nikki's blog and all of your extremely interesting and insightful comments, I wasn't able to watch the episodes or add to the comments. Since I received Nikki's season 5 book for Christmas (which made me very very happy!) and all of the season 5 episodes are now available on-line (yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus!), I am catching up slowly but surely. I just wanted to add my 2 cents and say how much I am loving rewatching season 5. and I also wanted to say that I am loving your season 5 book, Nikki. I think it is the best one yet! I am especially impressed with your book reviews. My husband, who is an English teacher, read some of the book and he was very impressed with it, especially with the book reviews.
Nikki, I loved how you compared the anticlimax of the Oldham scene with that scene from Buffy. I keep expecting him to say "This is my brother Daryl and this is my other brother Daryl (fans of the Bob Newhart show will understand that reference). As anticlimatic as that scene was, I found Sayid's little acid trip very funny to watch. ABC did little recaps of the episodes last season called "Lost Untangled" and the one for this episode was hilarious the way it portrayed this scene.
@Batcabbage: C-Widdy and P-Widdy -- Love it!!
BTW: I hope everyone had very happy holidays and I wish all of you wonderful people happiness in the New Year.
C-Widdy and P-Widdy.
They don't drink Cristal.
They drink McCutcheon's. Because it's all about the Benjamins (no pun intended). A Benjamin to be exact. Plus an Andrew Jackson.
:)
So wasn't Des unemployed when Widmore made that comment about the cost of the whiskey? If so, then it most certainly cost more than Des was currently making ;)
Sawyer claims that he's a professional liar, but why didn't he think to claim Sayid as one of his missing crew? He could have claimed Sayid was captured by the Hostiles and was escaping when found by Jin and Radzinsky.
Pamalamb brought up Santa Claus...please please please Santa can we please get to see the scene where Radzinsky offs himself?
I love your comments about Ben's fedora, Nikki. But c'mon, you have to take him seriously -- after all, Sayid was Ben's whore for three years. Ben earned that pimp fedora! I'm just glad he had the stones to wear it proudly.
Susan, excellent point! Sawyer must have been off his game, not thinking to claim Sayid as one of his alleged "boat" crew. OTOH, it has been three years; would the "hostiles" keep a prisoner for that long? Seems like a lot of trouble, considering they have no problem just outright killing those who encroach on their territory.
Marebabe, you're right - this was another episode that elicited heavy sighs. :) Is it wrong that I got the most hot and bothered when Sayid was helpless on the floor after being tasered?
(Um...did they *have* tasers in 1977?)
@ Studiorose - Is it wrong that I got the most hot and bothered when Sayid was helpless on the floor after being tasered?
Absolutely not! I mean, I think it is the most sane thing a person can feel about having Sayid in her own personal cage. Forever...
There is just something so...competent about Sayid. You just know Daddy's going to make it all OK.
Wait, that is what we're talking about, right?
@Nikki: While reading your description of Carlos Castaneda and Don Juan's description of a warrior, I began to think back to when Hurley told Walt he was known as a warrior. In another sense hurley sees separate realities because he sees the dead (Charlie: I am dead, but I'm also here). As you point out with Horselover Fat (P. Dick), one time period superimposed on another--is that what hurley sees? Likely. On another point you note from Don Juan that a sorcerer must give up everything (family, friends, possessions)--Hurley gives up family and possessions (wealth), but so far not friends. But in the Hurley-Miles debate, Hurley is still locked into reason/logic guiding his understanding; in other words, he is not yet "seeing." As well, a warrior chooses things deliberately: Hurley chose the golf clubs, he chose the van, he did not choose the burrito. Might we also reinterpret the episode between Dave and Hurley as akin to Don Juan and Castaneda? All in all, Hugo Reyes may be the warrior Don Juan is talking about.
@Nikki/Marebabe-the first thing I thought of when I saw Oldham, after all the hype they made of him was:
"Oh, I wasn't expecting the Spanish Inquisition!"
"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"
"Confess, man, confess...CONFESS! Attack him with the soft cusions!
Confessss! No? Put him in the Comfy Chair!"dudun
"NOT the COMFY CHAIR!"
@Nikki-I think C-Widdy said more money than he could make in a month, not a year, but it's still pathetic, unless he was refering to the fact that Des was unemployed, and perhaps getting Unemployment checks? Do they do that in the UK? I dunno, I'm just a dimwit from accros the pond!
@Pamalamb-""This is my brother Daryl and this is my other brother Daryl"
And my response is, "And here's a picture of Uncle Ted in front of the house (rip), and here is Uncle Ted at the back of the house (rip) and here is Uncle Ted at the side of the house, but you can see the front of the house (rip) and her is Uncle Ted at the back of the house, but you can see the side of the house (rip), and here's a picture of the Spanish Inquisition."
"Oh, I wasn't expecting the Spanish Inquisiton!" (refer to the previous blog)
Sorry, Susan, I made my Des comment before I read yours (I'm so enthralled with it all that I've been making comments as I go along!)
@Ambivalentman-"-- after all, Sayid was Ben's whore for three years. Ben earned that pimp fedora! I'm just glad he had the stones to wear it proudly."
hahahahahahahaha-love it!
verif word-matess-rhymes with confess. Confess. CONFESSSS!
I'm a dimwit that can't spell 'across'!
I'm ashamed to admit it (as she hangs her head), but I still don't have FLS5-gasp! I know, I'm a cad, 'cause I am missing SO MUCH in this rewatch. But I must say, Nikki, I am thoroughly enjoying my copy of FLS1&2, which I got for Christmas (by mistake?-I don't think that anymore).
Onward...I've never cared much for Sayid-centric stories (not to say I don't love Sayid, cause I do!), but to see Sayid this pitiful killing machine that doesn't know what to do with himself now there's noone left to kill-so so sad.
What exactally is Ben trying to do to Sayid (other than pimp him-ha!)? Does he want to make sure S. loathes him to guarantee he will want to kill him in the past? To guarantee Ben ends up with the 'others'? Sounds like Ben.
"Ask Sawyer"
"Who's Sawyer?"
"Who cares?" Whew, close one!
"Oh, we need to keep poor little innocent Ethan safe from the hostiles." Please! And someone mentioned (sorry, cant remember who) that they thought Amy and Paul were 'other' infiltrators. That would explain how he ended up with them and why he's so CREEPY!
Ilyana-"Who's Benjamin Linus?"
He's a lying lier face!
The real question everyone should be asking : If they took the chicken to the Island, would it inflate again?
I was just looking at the picture of Sayid that Nikki posted. He looks SO SAD! You just want to hug him (I know you do JC!)
I realize now why I liked this episode so much; your writers have mentioned two build-ups that didn’t happen, 1) Horace and the pruning shears, and 2) Oldham turning out to be the Newhart bumpkin. But what I found I was really expecting that didn’t happen when I saw it live was for Sayid to die in this episode. There is so much hinting that he has to one day pay for what he has become, and he seems to have accepted his fate as a bad man, we see him as a child, and we see what led him to where he is now (as a bonus, we finally see how Ilana came into the picture, and she will be one of the most important characters in Season 6). It all reminded me of the episode where Eko is killed by the smoke monster.
So I was expecting Sayid to kill himself in front of young Ben and even when he has knocked out Jin, I was expecting that, and suddenly he shoots a young kid which you never see on TV. I was completely shocked when that happened.
This reminds of one of the things Lost does so well; it doesn’t rely on a “Tune in next week to see what happens” ending. On many shows, it would have ended with Sayid pointing a gun at Ben, and we wonder what WILL happen. Instead the shooting happens, a young boy falls to the ground, then the credits roll.
On so many episodes of Lost, we aren’t left wondering if the big shock will happen or not – it happens, THEN the show ends. So instead of wondering “what’s going to happen?” like so many other serial shows, we’re left wondering “what does that MEAN?” which has us thinking about the possibilities for another week… or more, since so often the next episode turns out to involve completely different story lines and characters… that will have their own shocking ending.
So we end up having several “wow, what did that mean?” mysteries running concurrently (e.g. we were also wondering what’s up with Locke coming back to life several episodes ago?!).
Great story structure, every week with Lost.
I just got through all of your comments so far and honestly, it's all I can do not to burst into crazy laughter over here (I'm in the office surrounded by a bunch of surprisingly quiet people this morning). They're just gonna have to put up with the constant giggling and occasional snorts over here.
I'll respond soon! Now I think I need to go find a pic of the deflated ghost chicken and set him up as the mascot of the site, as per Marebabe's suggestion!
If they haven't even named the Swan yet, why is Dr. Chang wearing a Dharma jacket with the Swan logo on it in the Orientation video they watch in Namesta. Or were a few names kicking around and they hadn't decided on one yet. Maybe "The Big White Bird" or "The Ugly Duckling". If you want to keep your station names a secret Radzinsky, don't give Swan patches out ahead of time.
You all are a laugh riot.
@ambivalentman - by the end of S5, I am sure Ben would be willing to tell us how hard it is out here for a pimp. (see Oscars, circa 2006)
@crazy in lost - I mentioned on LaFleur that Paul and or Amy were others and somehow infiltrated the DI since she is aware of the need to bury the bodies, deep, and Paul had the ankh necklace. It would have been easy to make a deal with Ben et al to escape the purge, or even be part of executing it.
@Fred - I have been re-watching S1 and Hurley's comment about being a warrior (even though it was about backgammon, or perhaps especially because??) is like a first clue to his importance. At that point we hadn't yet had a Hurley flashback, so we didn't know much about him. Since they are saying S6 is going to be very much like S1, I am re-watching for clues, which I am sure we can discuss in depth during the incredibly long 2 weeks between the end of our re-watch and the season premiere.
Other random thoughts - Why is Juliet always burning things? She forgot the bacon, like she forgets the muffins the first time we meet her.
The buzzing lights kind of sound like Smokey.
JS I think Juliet needs to be on that new show "The Worst Cooks in America."
@Fred: Fabulous theory about Hurley being a warrior a la Carlos Castaneda. Bravo!
@crazyinlost: “The Comfy Chair!” Not the psychedelic drugs!! LOL
@Don: I loved your analysis of the unique story structure on Lost. You’re so right!
@Steven Coleman: I’ve noticed that out-of-place Swan patch on Chang’s lab coat before, and that little detail always got lost among all the other things that there were to comment on. But, YES! What’s up with that?
Funny that you mentioned Gachnar. I was just channel surfing and on some cable station called Logo they were playing that Buffy episode. Coincidence........or fate.
@Susan: He could have claimed Sayid was captured by the Hostiles and was escaping when found by Jin and Radzinsky.
My sister asked the same question, but that option was off the table as soon as Jin took him prisoner. If he had run to him and hugged him from the beginning, they could have played it off, but his hostility wouldn't have made sense toward a long lost crew member.
I found it funny that I thought Oldham was such a letdown, but my parents were like, "Oohh Creepy!"
I freakin' LOVE Ben's hat and coat. He totally looks like some comic book villain!
As I was watching this episode, all I could think was, ah... the great house debate of '09. Good times.
Ben says to Sayid, "You're capable of things most other men aren't." I know he's referring specifically to killing people, but could there be any deeper significance?
Ben says to Sayid, "You're capable of things most other men aren't." I know he's referring specifically to killing people, but could there be any deeper significance?
Yes, there is, sweet Sonshinemusic. He is referring to taming the beast that is me.
But Joan, don't forget - as the Ack Attack pointed out, sex with Sayid has a 100% mortality rate.
(I'm willing to risk it.)
Also, maybe Ben meant Sayid is capable of killing children.
Great catch on the $120 a glass of whisky - however, don't forget, Widmore was in London. So if he got the bottle in the UK, 3 years ago (ish) the Dollar was almost 2 to our Pound. That would make a glass around £240, which is a hell of a lot of money and at a guess, would equate to just about minimum wage. That's just my stab at backing up the writers as we all know they are living legends ;)
Ceaser and Illana seem to know each other quite well, especially considering that she was just with Sayid?
Isn't there some blooper out there about Sayid shooting Ben on the right, but next time we see, it's on the left?
Today one Pound equals about 1.65 $US. So $120 drink in LA woould be in exchange about 74.5 Pounds. Three years ago, when the exchange was one Pound for 2 $US, the drink would have been around 60 Pounds. But seeing its London, things are way so much more expensive. I could easily see the price doubling, especially in a fancy bar, i.e. 120 Pounds (or $240 $US at the time). No I think the writers goofed, unless they meant the 30 year old McCutcheons, and not the 10 year old Sayid was drinking.
P.S. I did have tea (just a single cup of tea) over ten years ago at the Penninsula in Hong Kong--$5.
Joan: LOLOLOLOL!!!!! Oh my god, SO funny!
Aza: Someone corrected me saying he says the glass is worth more than Des would make in a month, not a year, which makes slightly more sense, but even then, I think £240 a month that you mention would be a weekly minimum wage, not a monthly one? Even on unemployment I think that would be more of a weekly thing than monthly.
Dezzie's a po' boy. Good thing he marries rich. ;)
that option was off the table as soon as Jin took him prisoner.
Good point; too bad Jin didn't run with the whole "lost crewmen" bit, but then again, he's no con man. If Sawyer had found Sayid instead, maybe things would have played out differently.
But this is three years later, shouldn't they have worked out a plan ahead of time on what to do if they found any of their fellow timetravelers or Locke or the Oceanic 6? So much for planning ahead.
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