(S05E10) "A twelve-year-old Ben Linus brought me a chicken salad sandwich. How do you think I'm doing?" - Sayid
Hands down, no doubt about it - best episode of the season. "He's Our You" was much more of a traditional Lost episode, in the sense that we had regular ol' flashbacks. There's been a lot of questions about Sayid (we haven't seen too much of him this season), and this was probably the most sensible way to do it - lay out his current predicament while flashing to all the moments that got him there. Who likes sandwiches?
For the most part, all of Sayid's flashbacks were fairly straightforward. No punches pulled. Everything made sense and filled in the holes that I think, for the most part, most fans had sort of filled in on their own anyway. Seeing young Sayid kill a chicken without flinching came as no shock, but it did add fuel to the overarching theme - Sayid is a killer. Period.
I was slightly disappointed with the way things ended between Ben and Sayid circa 2007. Ben really was just using Sayid to pick off Widmore's men one by one (big surprise, I know), and his nonchalant "You're done" was classic Linus. What was surprising? Sayid didn't see it coming. He looked as if he were going to cry when he asked "What do I do now?" But when he added up all of Ben's past actions - the purge, his resulting tenure as leader, enlisting Sayid as a hitman - it all became much clearer. Sayid's atonement as a Habitat for Humanity gopher suddenly made much more sense. Too bad Ben showed up and pulled the wool over Sayid's eyes again. Locke was murdered! Hurley's in trouble! It got Sayid back to LA, though, and that was the goal all along.
The burning question - why was Sayid on flight 316 - was a bit of a letdown, too. But again, it made perfect sense, and for that, I'm satisfied. Ilana was nothing more that a bounty hunter, sent to track down Sayid by the family of the guy (Peter Avellino) Sayid killed on the golf course in "The Economist." Obviously, Ben set it all up. Sayid is a pro. There's no way he would have left a clue that could link him to the murder. Ben was the only one who knew. Plus, Ben made sure Ilana took him on flight 316, too. More lies, more deception. Once he saw everyone, Sayid's favor (can we take the next plane?) was hilarious, though.
On the island, things got very interesting. I've been wondering all along if a unifying reason for the O6 returning would ever be revealed, and it's looking more and more like they're all going to have individual paths to follow. We now know Sayid's. Meeting young Ben Linus. Deceiving young Ben Linus. Shooting young Ben Linus.
Apparently, Mr. Jarrah missed Professor Faraday's Island 101 lesson.
OK, so obviously young Ben will not die. But Sayid did shoot him and since "whatever happened, happened," that was the exact moment that Ben learned Sayid was, in fact, a killer. It lends a lot more weight to Ben's future actions in orchestrating Nadia's death (you know he did). Not only was he doing it to recruit a man who eats, sleeps, and breathes murder, but on some level it had to be revenge, as well. You shot me, so I killed your wife.
What's going to be interesting is to see how this affects young Ben's view of the hostiles. As far as he knows, Sayid is one of Richard's men. Obviously, the purge is still years away and there's time for Ben's views to change again, but I wonder if we may be seeing a pro-DHARMA Ben Linus for at least a little while anyway.
A few more thoughts...
-
Is Kate really so dense that she didn't realize Sawyer and Juliet were an item? I'm guessing that whatever Sawyer whispered in Kate's ear has something to do with that. Kate didn't come right out and say it, but it seems clear that she came back for James and whatever he told her three years ago is still giving her hope.
-
William Sanderson was Oldham! He'll always be E.B. Farnum to me. Anyway, Oldham's drugs were pretty effective, huh? Sayid's whole "I'm from the future" rant was arguably one of the best scenes in the series to date. The looks on Radzinsky and Horace's faces were sheer terror as Sayid started prattling on about things they hadn't even finished yet (like the Swan).
-
Anyone else notice that Sayid was drinking McCutcheon scotch? A favorite of Desmond, Charlie, and Charles Widmore. $120 for a glass though? Damn.
-
If you're curious, the book Ben gave to Sayid was A Separate Reality by Carlos Casteneda. According to Wikipedia, it's "an allegedly non-fictional book written by anthropologist/author Carlos Castaneda in 1971 concerning the events that took place during an apprenticeship he claimed to have served with a self-proclaimed Yaqui Indian Sorcerer, Don Juan Matus, between 1968 and 1971." Hmm. Sounds sort of similar to Ben's future and the "relationship" he has with Jacob.
-
I can't wait to see Juliet go bonkers when Kate inevitably makes a play for Sawyer. Those two have fought before don't forget.
Here's the official description for next week's installment:
"Whatever Happened, Happened" - Kate goes to extreme measures to save Ben's life when Jack refuses to help. Meanwhile, Kate begins to tell the truth about the lie in order to protect Aaron, on "Lost," WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1 (9:00-10:02 p.m., ET) on ABC.
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
3-26-2009 @ 7:51AM
bruce said...
Very good episode, but I figured they'd flesh out the reason why Sayid went from working for Ben to hating him and wanting him dead. I'm sorry but "you've killed all the people you set out to kill, congrats you're done - go live your life" is not a valid reason to hate Ben. Sayid had no evidence that Ben had tricked him or lied to him, and there was no great revelation of such evidence. Maybe we'll see it in a future episode but it seems as though this was the episode that was supposed to explain Sayid's mysterious animosity towards Ben Linus.
I agree that there's no way young Ben is dead, but why did the Island even allow Sayid's gun to fire? Moreover, Sayid doesn't seem like the type of guy to miss - he shot young Ben from about 10 feet away - that's a kill shot for Sayid the killer. I hope it doesn't turn out that Young Ben had something in his pocket - a book or a coin or something - that stopped the bullet. That's always a lame plot device.
I should add that it's not precisely clear yet in Lost how someone from the future can affect the past to change the future. Daniel Faraday did so with Desmond. I'd think as soon as young Ben first saw Sayid, old/current Ben would have an instant memory of Sayid... like a memory that's always been there but just came to the surface (like what happened to Desmond vis a vis Faraday). What if young Ben really IS dead? Maybe that means someone else carries out the Purge. Insofar as Christian speaks for Jacob, and Jacob is the Island, it's clear that the Island doesn't think very much of Ben Linus at this point.
Very good episode, I'm just disappointed that there's not one clear reason given for Sayid's sudden hatred of Ben. To go from willingly working for Ben as an assassin to hating him and wanting to protect Hurley and others from Ben requires a discrete, explicit explanation. It seems the only explanation given is general dissatisfaction based on the totality of Sayid's experience with Ben. That's not good enough.
I agree that Ben set up the death/murder of Sayid's wife - Sayid should have learned about that or otherwise figured it out due to some clear evidence, and that would be the perfect explanation for his hatred of Ben. Although, if that had been the case, then Sayid would have shot Ben right there at the marina when they were talking with Jack, Sun, Kate, etc.
Reply
3-26-2009 @ 7:52AM
Ryan said...
"I agree that there's no way young Ben is dead, but why did the Island even allow Sayid's gun to fire?"
The island allowed Ben to shoot Locke, but Locke survived.
I too was dissatisfied with Sayid's change of heart wrt/Ben. I thought he'd discover that Ben had his wife killed.
3-26-2009 @ 7:54AM
csgrimes1 said...
There's a huge motive for Sayid to change heart with regard to Ben. He suspects Ben for setting him up: golf course murder leads to the arrest shown in the episode. He also asks the bounty gal if she works for Ben. There's motive 1. Second, Sayid has some thinkin' time in jail. I bet he connected the dots while he was sitting there and pinned his wife's murder on Ben.
Besides, Sayid was not so fond of Ben before the arrest. He told Hurley to do the opposite of whatever Ben asks. This parting of ways was already well under way.
3-26-2009 @ 10:27AM
Jeremy Majors said...
Bruce, of course there is a reason for Sayid to Hate Ben - he completely screwed with Sayid's mind! Congratulations you're finished? Are you kidding me? The least he could have done was give the poor guy a pat on the back or a medal or something! How one man could be so emotioinless probably wrecked Sayid's poor brain. When he finally sees why, in the 70's, it screws with him even more! Obviously the whole trama of 5 seasons on LOST has transformed a character who was once confident and in control. If I went through all the crap that Sayid has gone through (Shannon getting killed, wife killed, hit man, Ben abuse, and so on) I think I'd be a bit messed up too. He has finally snapped, and a thought just occured to me - Ben is the person who told him "You are a killer" and made him realize he was. Instead of saying, you're a good person, you did what you had to do, and I forgive you, he totally and coldly destroyed his soul. In this way, Ben is partially responsible for getting Sayid to shoot him in the past! What is crazy is that 'If what happened, happened' really did happen, then Ben knew that Sayid was going to shoot him when he told him that he was a killer. It is completely insane!
Anyone who says this was the best episode of the season might want to go back to "The LIfe and Death of Jeremy Bentham". This one was the second best so far.
3-26-2009 @ 2:17PM
Chip Douglas said...
I have to agree that Ben has given Sayid a great reason to hate him. But his hatred is misplaced. Sayid hates himself for who he is. Ben did not force Sayid to kill all of those people. Yes, Ben tricked and manipulated him, but ultimately, these were Sayid's choices. This is who he really is, and he hates Ben for it.
3-27-2009 @ 10:33AM
katfi419 said...
If little Ben can't die, won't it raise a lot more questions when people find him alive and well with a bullet wound in his chest?
4-03-2009 @ 10:13AM
sayidisevil said...
Bruce speaking of ben murdering someone in cold blood
proves your evil
And sayid is definitely evil all that BS about not wantingto do it,if you didn't wan't to do ityou wouldn't the same way I nor anyone else would unless you anted to,He's just trying to get away with literally torturing and murdering people one very evil person even more so than ben as we haven't seen ben torture anyone,but the fact that he says he doesn't like it BS as i said you wouldn't do it then just saying what all scum say and tryin to get away with it by appealing to the evil liberals who let these people of because he happened to say I don't like doing it,Sayid should be tortured to death for his crimes
3-26-2009 @ 7:51AM
Joseph said...
Why couldn't Sayid have shot Kate?
In the head. Repeatedly.
You know the worst part about her? She acts all hurt and jealous, and if Sawyer threw himself at her, she'd totally blow him off again.
But the episode was phenomenal.
Reply
3-27-2009 @ 10:30AM
coco chanel said...
I thought I was the only one who wanted kate dead
Hopefully she will bite it before the season is over
3-27-2009 @ 10:33AM
Clint said...
Agreed. Kate sucks. Big time. I was sort of hoping the burning bus would run her over though.
3-26-2009 @ 7:52AM
SImpression said...
His name was "Oldham"? I thought it was more along the lines of "Holden" or something.
Ben's not dead though. Sayid has always shot Ben. And Ben has always survived it. I bet this is the event that turned Ben into who he is now - cold, manipulative, etc. Right now he seems innocent, and as an attempt to save himself from Ben, Sayid tried to kill him. But in trying, he ended up creating the very thing that causes his suffering. Very LOST, if you ask me.
Reply
3-26-2009 @ 7:54AM
xnifex said...
If you remember, one of the dudes kept saying "Old-ham" for the name instead of how its really pronounced. I thought that was hilarious!
3-27-2009 @ 10:30AM
Gordy said...
The guy's name is Larry. He has a brother Darryl, and another brother Darryl.
3-26-2009 @ 7:52AM
Gill said...
Can't believe how effusive the praise for this episode was. Apart from the final minute it was in my estimation the worst episode of this season. I appreciate a good character exploration, but this was not one. All this did was narrow a once expansive and great character down to one final unsympathetic trait. Nothing considerably new or interesting was revealed in the flashbacks. All this episode accomplished was to confirm that Sayid will not live to see the end of the series, his character is unredeemable and is without a true reason to survive. He will go the way of Charlie relatively soon i suspect.
Reply
3-26-2009 @ 7:52AM
Gill said...
Forgot to mention that although Naveen was fantastic in the 'truth-telling' scene, the whole thing was a rather silly and convenient way to spill exposition.
William Sanderson is such a fantastic actor, I hope they signed him up for more than episode because this appearance was lame. "He's Our You" - I'm afraid not, Sayid was never a weirdo living in a tent that plied people with silly truth serums. They should have gone all out and had Sayid tortured, atleast then they could have put Sanderson's talents to good use and juxtaposed some good old fashion Karma upon Sayid.
3-29-2009 @ 9:47AM
Tom said...
I agree with you in regards to the level of praise this episode seems to have gotten--particularly from the reviewer. This was not hands down the best episode of the season (just because it contained a big scene at the end)! Other than the ending, it was really rather ordinary. But, it does give us a lot to talk about, and in my opinion, this is an terrific ongoing season of Lost.
As for the Sayid and Kate haters out there, I don't get it. Kate is gorgeous to look at, and Sayid is one of the more complex and interesting characters, portrayed by an excellent actor. Charlie was pretty much the last cast member I really tired of and was glad they got rid of.
3-26-2009 @ 7:53AM
Hilary Quinley said...
You know the whole Ben / Sayid interation went to all new levels. I could help but recall Ben pretending to be Henry Gale and LOVING his manipulation of Sayid in the Hatch. Michael Emerson is tremendous as an actor and Naveen Andrews is right there with him. Both are really great at the slightest glance mean a million things. Great episode.
Reply
3-26-2009 @ 7:53AM
Nacho said...
I too thought that it was one of the worst episodes in a while. I don't quite understand what was so good about it. We didn't get any answers for anything. Didn't really get that many more questions though. Seems to me to be the definition of a filler episode. I guess the only good thing was Ben getting shot, but we all know how that will turn out.
Reply
3-26-2009 @ 7:53AM
bruce said...
Ben is certainly manipulative, but I'm not sure he's evil - I think that really depends on information we have yet to learn vis a vis his battle with Widmore. Ben has good reason to dislike his father and living amongst the Dharma people. Can you blame him (especially as a kid) for wanting to get away and go live with the Others? As an adult, he manipulates people but that's not immoral in and of itself - it's a means to an end, and the question is: to what end? He certainly showed emotion when his daughter was murdered, and at the same time, he has tried to kill John Lock twice in cold blood, didn't give a crap about the people who may die on the exploding freighter, and almost certainly slaughtered Penny Widmore in cold blood. Ben's a multifaceted sociopath but that doesn't necessarily mean he's an evil guy. Perhaps the bad things he does are necessarily to prevent a greater evil (Widmore?).
Here's the key question: From the first time we met Ben Linus (season 2 I believe), did he recognize the oceanic 815 survivor named Sayid as the guy who shot him when he was a young boy? Has he known Sayid shot him all this time? Or has that memory just now suddenly materialized in current Ben's mind?
Reply
3-26-2009 @ 7:52PM
Michael Moncur said...
> I bet this is the event that turned Ben into who he is now - cold, manipulative, etc. Right now he seems innocent
Baloney. "Innocent" Ben saved Sayid by setting a van on fire and plunging it into a house full of Dharma folk. And this is a kid whose father has blamed him for his mother's death since the day he was born. He's got plenty of reasons to turn out cold and manipulative without Sayid's help.
Reply