Natural Born Killer

Well let's just blow off the first 55 minutes of this episode (counting commercials), and get right to the ending.

Sayid. Killed. Ben.

What? How's this possible? What's this mean for our islanders? All of their lives have just been changed...no purge, no exiled Widmore, maybe no crash of Flight 815...which means no Losties, no Oceanic 6...which means, everything we've seen over the last four and half seasons (discounting the flashbacks prior to the 815 crash) never happened!

How is this possible? How, I ask you?

Easy: it's not possible. And that's why Ben isn't dead. He can't be.

And no, I'm not saying that just because it would change this history of our beloved show. I'm saying Ben can't be dead because it would violate the laws of time travel. Or at least, the laws of time travel to which LOST has thus far subscribed. Namely, the self-consistency principle—known in LOST lingo as "course-correction."

The self-consistency principle says that the past can't be changed, and if you try to change it, you'll be unsuccessful. According to this principle, if one could travel back in time, the time-traveler could affect the past, but they couldn't change it. For example, when Sawyer and Juliet gunned down two Hostiles. The self-consistency principle suggests that, if Sawyer and Juliet hadn't done the deed, then those two Hostiles were going to die some other way. Paul would have still died and Amy would have still lived (and given birth to Ethan). And since the self-consistency priniple suggests there's one unalterable time-line, it means that we're just seeing our characters doing the things they originally did on this timeline.

Which means that the Ben Linus we've come to know must have lived his entire life knowing that Sayid Jarrah tried to kill him when he was twelve years old. Which leads to him being nursed back to health in the DI (being "patient"—and, perhaps, being a patient), because he's still part of the DI when The Purge takes place 15 years later.

But wait, you're saying. How do we know the self-consistency principle applies? How do we know they can't change things? Or maybe you're thinking, "if they can't change things, then won't that make for a lame ending to this series?" Doesn't that mean there's no point? Who wants to watch a show where the characters are all powerless, living out a script without any power to change things?

Well, we don't know that the self-consistency principle applies. But they've given us a lot of hints to suggest this, such as Mrs. Hawking's "course-correcting" speech and Charlie Pace's inevitable death, to name a couple. Also, I think the writers need this self-consistency principle. Otherwise, things get too messy. For example, if Ben dies...we're left with too many questions for them to ever answer. And they don't want to give their audience the impression that everything we've watched for the last few seasons is now moot.

That being said, even if the self-consistency principle applies, I think there will be a wild card or two. I think they'll figure out a way to change the past; But letting all the characters alter the past...that's not going to happen. I think it's more likely that Desmond will be the wild card. Or maybe Christian Shephard, Sun, Lapidus, Locke, or even Ben (middle-aged Ben, that is).

Now, could this have been the moment when the past was changed? Could Sayid have somehow changed the past, and by doing so, removed Benjamin Linus from the future? I suppose. But I really doubt it.

Sayid should have checked that kid's pulse before running off into the jungle, because I'd put a lot of money down saying that Sayid Jarrah, our natural born killer, failed in his assassination attempt.

But if you want a more thorough explanation of the self-consistency principle as seen on LOST, check out this blog post.

Now let's get on with the recap, finally:

Season 5—Episode 10: “He's Our You”

First of all, kudos to Karen (yes, "Karen," because I don't want to get accused of nepotism) for her attempts to answer my question from last week regarding who the "he," "our," and "you" would be in this week's episode. I didn't know it when I asked, but apparently it was an unfair question since we hadn't met Oldham, Dharma's version of Sayid yet.

So, how do we feel about Sayid now? How do we feel about Ben? I'll come back to that later, I think.

Here's some off-island information about Sayid:

—When he was a kid in Iraq, his father asked his brother (presumably an older brother) to kill a chicken. Sayid's father gave the boy a knife, but when it was clear that the older brother couldn't do it, Sayid did it for him. But he didn't use the knife. No, he used chicken feed to get close to the bird, and then he snapped its neck (which was brutal and ominous, if you ask me).

After leaving the island as a member of the Oceanic 6:

—In Moscow, Sayid kills the final man on Ben's list. Ben is outside waiting on Sayid to come out. Then Ben tells Sayid that he's finished—he's killed all the men who were a threat to his friends. And he encourages Sayid to get on with his life.

—Then when he was building houses in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Ben shows up to talk to him. Ben tells him Locke is dead and suggests that someone killed him. Ben then implies that it was done as an act of retribution since Ben and Sayid had killed all the people from the list. Ben goes on to suggest that one of those men is spying on Hurley, and thinks Sayid might just want to go take that guy out, too.

—After storming out on Ben and the others on the wharf (earlier this season) we see Sayid drinking (MacCutcheon, what else?) alone at a bar. And who saddles up to the bar next to him? Ilana. After some flirting, they end up back in his or her room, and just when Sayid thought he was about to unzip her boot...Whap!...he gets straight kicked in the face. And then she's pointing a gun at him.(I'm thinking Sayid might need to stop hooking up with women. Didn't this same thing happen to him in "The Economist"? Only that time, he got shot. This time, not.) And Ilana tells him she's working for the family of Peter Avellino, the man Sayid killed on a golf course. And she's been hired to bring him back to Guam, where he'll "pay for what he's done."

—At the airport boarding Ajira Flight 316, Sayid realizes, as Frank Lapidus would later say, they aren't going to Guam. And he asks if they can take the next flight, but Ilana says no.

And that brings us to the 1977, on-island, and imprisoned Sayid:

Everything on island was pretty predictable: Horace and Sawyer both try to get Sayid to talk, but he won't. Sawyer throws in an arbitrary headbutt (which I think might have been included solely for the trailers leading up to this week, to give us the impression Sawyer was going to completely abandon Sayid).

Then, an unexpected element: taking Sayid to Dharma's version of him: Oldham—a man Sawyer refers to as a "psychopath."

We don't know Oldham's first name yet, and until we learn it (and maybe even after) I'm going to call him Hippie Oldham. After all, he lives in a tent, he's blaring music, and he's creating his own LSD-like substance. Now if only he had Sawyer's hair...

So Oldham drips some of his LSD-looking substance on a sugar cube, and they force Sayid to swallow it.

(Note: In the 60's, the U.S. government experimented with the use of LSD for interrogations, believing it would function as a truth-telling serum. It didn't really work, but maybe Oldham perfected the recipe.)

He says Sayid will tell him the truth, and he's right. Only, they don't believe it, because the truth includes this exchange:

Sayid: You’re all going to die, you know.
Sayid: You’re going to be killed.
Horace: How exactly would you know this, Sayid?
Sayid: Because I’m from the future.

So, the Dharma-folk have a meeting to discuss Sayid. They decide (thanks to some concerns from Horace, whining from Radzinsky, and pleading from new-mommy Amy) to kill Sayid. And when Horace says he would like to be able to say the vote was unamimous, Sawyer raises his hand. (Which, to be honest, prompted me to call Sawyer a pansy as the show cut to commercial break.)

After the break, though, Sawyer gives Sayid a chance to punch him, take his keys, disarm the dimwitted Phil, and escape, adding, "just promise me you won't shoot anybody."

But Sayid turns down the offer saying he now knows why he's here. And with that, let's segue to just about the only non-Sayid element of the episode: the Kate/Juliet/Sawyer love triangle (for those of you who, like me, expected a Season 5 love rhombus, I guess we'll have to keep waiting for Jack to get his groove back).

Sawyer goes to Kate to ask her why they came back. She says she's can't speak for the others, but she knows why she came back. (Um, could it be...for Sawyer? I think that's what that moment was supposed to suggest. And I guess I'm gullible enough to believe it...for now.) But before Kate can elaborate, a flaming Dharma van comes speeding into New Otherton.

But before I wrap this thing up, there are two other short Kate scenes worth sharing.

Scene 1: Hurley is serving waffles to Jack and Kate, and Hurley spills the beans about Juliet and Sawyer being together. I couldn't keep up with his rambling about how he saw it coming and he figured everyone did...but Hurley was going on about it long enough that Jack needed to cut him short, for Kate's sake.

Scene 2: Juliet and Kate are talking when Juliet asks if Jack told Kate about Juliet and Sawyer being bunkmates. Kate says no, but Hurley told her. And then Juliet said this:

"That’s quite a relief. I wasn’t sure how to do it without it sounding like I was telling you to stay away."

Which basically means, I want to tell you to stay away, but I didn't want it to sound too confrontational...but just so you know now, I do want you to stay away.

New Character Developments:

Ilana goes from being a typical passenger on Ajira 316 to a professional bounty-hunter/assassin passenger.

Roger Linus goes from being a deadbeat dad to a child-beating dad.

Hippie Oldham is introduced as a psycopath.

Radzinsky got more annoying.

Phil, in Sawyer's words, is now a dimwit.

Summary:

I wasn't as interested in these Sayid flashbacks. The point, obviously, was to show that Sayid has always been able to kill. That's the way in which he is "special." But it was good to see more of his off-island interactions with Ben.

But overall, I was a little disappointed. I guess the flashbacks were necessary for setting up the end of the episode attempted murder. Without the flashbacks, could we have believed Sayid would have had the stones to kill the kid whose dad just beat him up because the kid made a sandwich for Sayid? Oh, not to mention the fact that the kid just sprung him from his cell and saved him from a Dharma execution. So yeah, only a natural born killer could follow through with that plan.

But as I've said above, I don't think he was successful. And I'm really curious about what Sayid will do now. Especially if he realizes he can't kill Benjmin Linus, thereby stripping him of his newfound purpose. Yet, then again, even if he is successful, his purpose will still be gone. So what's next for Sayid?

Quotes:

1) Young Ben: I’ve been patient. And if you’re patient too…I think I can help you.

2) Sayid: I killed all those people for you, and now you’re just walking away.
Ben: You didn’t kill them for me. You’re the one who asked for their names.

3) Ben: John Locke is dead. I think he was murdered.

4)Sayid: You came all this way because you want me to kill that man?
Ben: Don’t you want to?…

5) Ben: You’re capable of things that most men aren’t…it’s in your nature. It’s what you are. You’re a killer, Sayid.

6) Sayid: I’m not what you think I am. I don’t like killing.
Ben: Well, then I apologize. I was mistaken about you.

7) Ben: I hate it here. If I let you out, will you take me with you? To your people?
Sayid: Yes, Ben, I will. That’s why I’m here.

8) Sawyer: I just can’t let you go.
Sayid: Why not?
Sawyer: Because these people trust me. I’ve built a life here—a pretty good one. And I’m not gonna give that up.

9) Sawyer: Either you join the party in Dharmaville, or you’re on your own.
Sayid: Then I guess I’m on my own.

10) Jack: What happened?
Sawyer: Three years, no burning buses. Y’all back for one day! Grab that hose.

11) Kate: What did Sawyer tell you?
Jack: He told me to leave him alone and let him do his job.
Hurley: And you’re going to? (Note: I can't remember who told me that Hurley often seems to speak for the audience...Karen, did you say that? But that's definitely happening here. Hurley is asking the question we were all wondering after watching "Namaste": will Jack submit to Sawyer's leadership?)

12) Sayid: Who is that man?
Sawyer: He’s our you.

13) Hippie Oldham: There are side effects to what I’m giving you.
(Note: Significant side-effects? Side-effects we'll see? I hope not. Unless it turns Sayid into the Hulk. Or a Polar Bear. Kidding.)

13) Sawyer: How you doing?
Sayid: A twelve-year-old Ben Linus brought me a chicken-salad sandwich, how do you think I’m doing?

14) Sayid: You were right about me.
Young Ben: What?
Sayid: I am a killer.

Prevailing Questions:

1) What book did Ben give to Sayid? I couldn't tell. But I'm curious since Ben said, "I read it twice. It's good."

2) Sayid has some really, really harsh things to say about Ben being a liar, a murderer, etc., etc., on the plane to Ilana. But I still don't understand where this anger is stemming from. When Ben showed up in the Dominican Republic, Sayid ended up doing what Ben asked...he came to California to kill the man watching Hurley. And yet, right after that, he was adamant about not trusting Benjamin Linus. Why? What did he learn (and when did he learn it?) that made him realize how conniving and untrustworthy Ben is? Did Widmore or one of Widmore's men get to him? Sayid did mention something about Ben letting his daughter die, and how did he know about that? Hurley could have told them, I guess, but the others present during that encounter (Miles, Sawyer, Locke, Ben, Claire, baby Aaron) couldn't have told him. But Widmore could have... Thoughts?

3) If Widmore (or Abaddon working for Widmore) told Sayid about Benjamin Linus' deceit—which is my current suspicion—why didn't they include that in this episode? It seems like it would have fit in nicely, so if they left it out, then it makes me think it will be revealed later—and it might be important...

4) Was Ilana really hired by the family of murdered Peter Avellino? Or was someone else responsible for getting Sayid on that flight? Maybe the "family of Peter Avellino" is no family at all. But let's see, who knew this Peter guy's name? And who knew Sayid offed him? Well, there's Ben. And Ben. Even though Ilana claimed she didn't know him, it doesn't mean he wasn't behind it. Maybe he convinced Mrs. Hawking to set it up? Or Butcher Shop Jill? Or his lawyer friend who was hounding Kate? Regardless, I think Ben was behind it. Do you?

5) Where is Sayid going to go? Join the Others? Where else could he go?

6) Who were the men on Ben's hit list? Were they really men who posed a threat to Sayid's friends? I don't think so. But I don't know who they are. Maybe men who once lived on the island? But I have no support for that. Any ideas?

7) In the introductory "Previously on LOST" section, we once again saw the scene when the even younger Benjamin Linus first met Richard in the jungle. And once again, I wondered why Richard was dressed so differently. If that was 4 years ago, as Ben said, then it was one year before Richard strolled into Dharmaville to find out what happened to his two missing guys. Back in 1954, when Locke met Richard during the time flash, Richard was dressed nicely, the way he is when we've seen him every other time (except for this scene with Ben). So why did Richard dress differently this one time? If it was part of a ruse, or a disguise, for whose benefit was it? Ben's?

8) I also read a fan post on a LOST forum this week suggesting that Ben is obsessed with Juliet because she was nice to him when he was a kid on the island. I think this is possible, but I think it's more probable now that he's been shot—now that he might need a nurse/doctor to keep an eye on him. If Juliet was the one to nurse him back to health, then maybe that's why he has a soft spot for her later. Thoughts?

9) How long before Radzinsky realizes that Sayid might have really come on a plane? If not Radzinsky, then someone at one of the stations Radzinsky radioed (in "Namaste") when Jin burst in demanding to know about the plane crash? Since Sayid claimed to arrive via plane crash, and since he was found just minutes after Jin was talking about a plane crash, shouldn't that be raising any flags?

10) Any idea where the name Oldham comes from? I did a little searching, especially relating to LSD and other psychedelic drugs, but no dice. Thoughts?

—Thanks for Reading