“Why don’t you start with the DHARMA Initiative?” Why yes, why don’t you! Fans screaming for clues to the underlying mythology of the show, especially after last week’s feel-good character fest, get a heaping spoonful of information in “Enter 77.” We get an actual conversation with real questions and answers, and then follow Sayid into his epiphany that things are topsy-turvy. What did we know, or thought we knew, about the DHARMA Initiative, and the Others… or the Hostiles.
Our heads are still spinning, but this seems to be the deal:
Ben has been on the island his whole life, and leads a group of Hostiles, apparently residents of the island that predate DHARMA. When DHARMA showed up, built facilities and started conducting experiments, the Hostiles revolted, even set about rescuing the children DHARMA was using. We learn tonight it escalated to a full-scale war, but clearly, the Hostiles were victorious. They took over DHARMA’s facilities, wore DHARMA clothes, ate DHARMA ranch dressing.
When Flight 815 crashed, the Hostiles suspected (perhaps correctly?) that it was just the next batch of subjects in DHARMA’s evil work. They grabbed the kids, and sought to find the “good people.” Otherwise, our survivors were intruders, just like DHARMA, and were similarly treated poorly.
What about Ethan, and Juliet? We thought they were part of the Hostiles, as they played house and played doctor in Ben’s village. But we also know Ethan worked with DHARMA to recruit Juliet. Whatever happened to the rest of DHARMA, I guess Ben found a use for them (as he has for Jack). Remember, Juliet’s outsider status has been evident from the beginning, and she herself referred to DHARMA in the past tense when explaining The Hydra to Jack.
What about Desmond, and Kelvin? Kelvin was another DHARMA recruit, and had mentioned the Hostiles. Was he aware that DHARMA had fallen? (Or had it? The timeline isn’t clear just yet.) I’m guessing yes. He was obviously happy to find a successor for button pushing duty, but he also wanted off that island, something that wouldn’t seem so urgent if DHARMA was still humming along.
And what about Danielle? Boy. She’s turning out to be a creepy, suspicious mess. I bet she’ll take a bad turn fairly soon… but we don’t mind. We still love Mira Furlan.
Even if the above ramblings are correct, of course, more questions remain. But one can finally see a path emerging in the wilderness of “LOST.” They’ve stumbled into a war, and they’ve yet to figure out what side they’re on. And even after they decide, they’ll probably discover they were wrong. My guess at an overall arc is that our survivors may very well succeed at subduing the Hostiles, but quickly find they’ve merely done the dirty work for DHARMA, which will rise again and create allies out of former adversaries.
Or maybe there’ll be zombies.
Surely, we’ve learned by now that “LOST” may just be messing with us. But when it comes to shameless manipulation, this feels pretty good. Where “Tricia Tanaka Is Dead” reacquainted us with our old friends, “Enter 77” grounded us and revived our interest in what’s going on. Things are getting good.
Notes and Notions:
- I must admit, when we met a cow and saw a ping pong table in the first five minutes, I was worried.
- Locke! Oh, Locke. What is it with you and pushing buttons? The moment the computer asked, “Ready to play?” Jen was screaming, “Don’t do it!” Sure, only Sayid knew about the C-4, but after we learned how DHARMA deals with mission failures (Swan Station), how could he have not guessed what the result of “77” would be? Just figures that in the episode they don’t kill someone before getting some answers, they go and blow up a “last chance” for outside contact.
- Mikhail’s eye patch = glass eye in The Arrow station in “The Other 48 Days.” (Kelvin’s predecessor, Radzinski, supposedly hid the piece of the orientation film in the Bible that was also found there.) Is that something a DHARMA employee would do, or a Hostile? Namecheck: Mikhail Bakunin, a well-known Russian revolutionary, and often considered one of the “fathers of modern anarchism.”
- Good flashback. You knew Sayid did it, and would probably have to confess to it, but it was handled very well. That scene should earn Naveen another Emmy nod.
- Nadia the cat. Coincidence? Or mind game? DHARMA or Hostiles, these people have ways of gathering information. Still, finding a picture of Nadia Comaneci just to mess with Sayid seems a bit much.
- Speaking of which… did “Patchy” expect Locke to beat the chess game, and enter “77”? Jen figures he probably watched enough of life in the Swan to know a bit about Locke’s itchy fingers and insecurities. “Don’t bother playing. You can’t win.” Don’t tell him what he can’t do!
- It was good to see Ms. Klugh again. For exactly four, non-English lines, at least. Anyone translate all that Russian yet?
- Jen remains frustrated with where Sawyer’s head has been lately, considering the ordeal he just went through. Still obsessed with his stuff, and getting whipped by Hurley the ping pong shark?
- I actually kind of like Sawyer giving up nicknames, though, gimmicky as it is. Because in the last two episodes in particular, I was starting to think we were getting too much of a good thing. I don’t like imagining “LOST” writers trying to come up with the next best nickname, rather than a real plot.
- So, anyone else warming up to Nikki and Paolo yet? Thought not.
Location Notes:
- Both restaurants were played by Café Laniakea at the historic downtown YWCA on Richards Street. Photos here.
- “The Flame” was out at Kualoa Ranch. Our daughter’s Girl Scout field trip there was mysteriously cancelled a couple of months ago, and “LOST” was the most likely culprit.
Links:
- “Enter 77” discussions at TheFuselage.com and Lost-Forum.com
Locke, you are breaking my heart….once so wise, now so dumb. Sayid has the best temperment to officially take on the leadership of the castaways. no more Sawyer nicknames for a week, whick is seven episodes in Lost time. Boo!!!
Wow. Simlply ‘wow’. Answers galore. I also finally went back to the hatch drawing to check where our Losties have been and have yet to go, and they have been to quite a lot of places.
Poor Locke – (inadvertant?) destroyer of stations!
PS: Ryan and Jen – sorely miss your podcasts.
what a SWEET episode. Finally getting back to the meat of the show..I think the steaks should be ready now.. Let’s EAT!!! 🙂 So much for medium well
great episode. it answered questions, progressed plot lines, had super kate and super sayid in fine form (along with doofus!locke), an appearance by the smoke monster, nikki and paulo were likable, it was fast paces and action packed (with most time on the A plot, rather than the flashback or B plot) AND an explosion.
ive always loved LOST, but what can the haters hate about this episode? seriously?
Great episode…finally getting back to what we love about Lost. Above all, the best line ever in the entire series from Sawyer…to Niki, “Who the hell are you?” Exactly! What many of us have been saying all season! Bravo!
Wow. I must agree with everyone. This episode was very well written. I’m such a fan of Sayid’s, but I must admit that I’m not very partial towards his flashbacks. However, his last flashback sequence (his conversation with Amira) was heartbreaking. There was so much information loaded in this one, I literally had to sit and think about what I just saw after the episode ended.
For right now i am just happy that nadia is mentioned on the show…i will have to watch it again online later though. I missed some of the answers. I do like the whole ping pong and chess thing going on at the same time. 🙂
What an incredible episode…as always, the Sayid episodes continue to make me LOVE this show. Most intriguing character above all…
I love the allusions to Nadia in this episode (burnt arms… the cat). Although, I’m left wondering: Did Sayid really torture her? Or did he lie to simply get out the situation? His break down crying lead me to believe the former, what do you guys think? He’s always seemed to be very religious and honest about his part in the Republican Gaurd before…why deny that he had harmed this particular woman? He admitted to harming others as an “interrogator”. I couldn’t help but affirm Sayid’s bad-arseness. A man of detail, for certain. The only other guy I’ve seen pull off strategy-savvy moves like that is Bond! (Oh, duh John, the cranny you missed is RIGHT HERE I DONT EVEN HAVE TO CHECK UNDER THE RUG FIRST!)
I reckon those that believe Jacob is the eyepatch man got a stronger backing of their case: He could watch everything going on in the stations…he saw Hurley, Sawyer, Kate, and Jack (who all experienced many compelling moments in the hatch). People on his list?
Did anyone happen to notice that when Rousseau started talking, Mikhail got a rather panicked look on his face? He didn’t see her come up behind him, but he KNEW HER VOICE. So this points to a couple of questions..
1.) Do Rousseau and Mikhail know each other?
2.) If so, how do they know each other? Was he one of the Others in which her group was fighting to begin with?
3.) Does this give more fuel to the fire that Rousseau is indeed a very, very important character who’s true purpose has yet to be revealed?
Holy Smoke Monster! What an episode! I hope the whiners among us (and within us) are feeling kinda sheepish after this classic, killer Lost chapter! A great principal narrative, an effective flashback, and great comic relief to let some steam out of the valve when needed.
I am surprised, Ryan, that you are taking Mikhail’s “Story of the Island” at face value. He is a liar! They are all liars! (Sounds like the Libby trial…) After all this time, the watchword should be TRUST NO ONE! (A little X-Files nostalgia…) This includes Danielle, who should definitely not be treated as an ally.
I never thought I’d say this, especially after his noble personal odyssey circa Season One, but LOCKE IS AN IDIOT! How in the world could he even seat himself at a computer terminal after the catastrophe of The Purple Sky? And have a s***-eating grin on his face besides? Now he’s blown up not only a possible communications center, but a really cool set besides! (And steak dinners for all!)
I’ve never been more eager to see the rest of the season. One more thing: I have a feeling we have not seen the last of that pussycat! Kudos to all involved: writers, actors, director, crew — Bravo!
I agree with the comments above — what a great episode. One of the best of the season if not so far. There was a little something for everyone. Ryan, I also appreciate your breakdown of the Others-DHARMA dynamic; as you can see from my prior musings (unbeliveably all from the same episode) I had several theories on this, most of which were sadly incorrect. 😉
http://www.hawaiiup.com/lost/2006/05/24/live-together-die-alone/#comment-2468
http://www.hawaiiup.com/lost/2006/05/24/live-together-die-alone/#comment-2560
http://www.hawaiiup.com/lost/2006/05/24/live-together-die-alone/#comment-2798
If Mikhail was telling the truth, though, and has only been on the island for 11 years, and Ben was born there, and Danielle has been there 16 years, how is Mikhail part of the Others? Any chance that he was tortured/converted to the Others? Does that explain his haggard appearance and the terse Russian exchange with Ms Klugh? Is Sayid on to something about him… perhaps that he can’t be broken and won’t overthrow his captors… or is he — like Henry Gale/Ben and unlike the Other others — a master of deception and not revealing any privileged information?
A few other scattered thoughts:
– Nikki and Paolo were actually not a negative in this episode. I love Sawyer’s embodiment of the everyfan with his “who the hell are you” attitude.
– Maybe Kelvin was painting the map of the DHARMA stations because all of the official handbooks were in the Flame and he was prohibited from going there.
– SO GOOD to have Sayid back. We (or the writers) forget what a bad-ass and compelling character he is. From the time he got jiggy with Shannon until just a few episodes were left in last season, the funk of his depression and relative prominence of the other characters really robbed us of juicy Sayid bits. I also loved his story arc… I think he did remember this woman and torturing her, but knew that her husband would kill him if he revealed this and sought to hold back that information as long as possible.
OK… am I the only person who is confused by this woman Sayid supposedly tortured? She definitely is not the woman from Season 1 Episode 9 “Solitary” that was Nadia AKA Noor Abed-Jazeem and he never tortured her. Unless I’ve totally missed a Sayid flash back there hasn’t been any other reference to female torture by Sayid. Which raises the question why Sayid would tell her that her face has haunted him all these years. I also have to question why Sayid, the seasoned soldier and confessed torturer, would have to be told by Locke, of all people, to not let Mikhail & Ms. Klugh speak to each other. Sayid looked dazed and confused at that very moment not at all the calm and collective person we saw while HE was being interrogated… totally out of character if you ask me. Over all I liked the episode but then again I pretty much like all of them but I don’t think it was as meaty as the rest of you seem to think it was.
Rousseau and Mikhai definately know each other! I believe Rousseau is “marked” just like Juliet and she has not been totally honest. She’s a player. The Flame Station certainly lived up to it’s name. A submarine, yes!!! Loved, “who the hell are you?” that Sawyer snapped to Paolo. OK, writers — get on with it, we know Sayid was a bad dude with the Replublican Guard and is very very remorseful. But I don’t think he tortured THAT particular woman. His confession was sincere covering all that he DID DO and saved his life.
Alright! Now, that was a good episode. Glad to see Lost is back in action.
I think that he did torture that woman. I think that the show has at least implied that Sayid was a torturer with the Republican Guard for a year or two, so there’s lots of people out there that he might have tortured who we haven’t seen yet. And the flashback was about redemption … she forgave him for what he’s done, and he learns to see her as a human being. That’s why he didn’t kill Mikhail, because he sees him as human, not just a ‘prisoner’.
Can someone please clear this up? Ok, so the Hostiles are at your door; you need to enable the destruct code for the Flame Station (Enter 77); so, FIRST you have to win a game of chess so that the computer will put the station in the duress mode? Dr. Candle – dead left arm/hand. What happened to the horse and cow? Locke fiddled while Flame burned.
I completely loved this episode. Yes there is a lot going on. I just want to point out some key observations about Rousseau. She was part of a group that landed on the island. She was the only one that survived, and the Others “took her baby.” She captured Sayid and knows of the picture of Nadia. She captured Ben, the father or the adopted father of her child, in a net for Sayid. She is never around to do the dirty work. She knows when to pop up at the right time. She was ready to kill Mikhail before getting any answers from him. Most importantly, she rudely interupted Mikhail right when he was going to give up some important information about the Hostiles. From the way she looked in last night’s episode, I would say she is an Other and is probably faking the French accent.
Are we sure Ethan was recruiting for DHARMA? Maybe he is just recruiting for Ben? or whatever the organization is behind the hostiles.
An A+++ episode!!! The best of the season and one of the best episodes of the entire three seasons. Glad to see Sayid back and excellent acting by Naveen. Can’t really add more that hasn’t already been said in the previous comments. Still can’t stand Nikki and Paulo and loved Sawyer’s “who the hell are you” comment. Locke needs to get some help for his computer obsession. Hope the rest of this season’s episodes will be as awesome as this one was!!!!!
Locke’s behavior is just weird! I am beginning to wonder if he is not in league with another group, perhaps sub-consciously, and has been planted on the island to destroy what is left of Dharma and/or the Others or Hostiles. I mean, come on. Who leaves a potentially dangerous enemy unguarded while your comrades go searching for another enemy who is lurking around the compound?! I too thought it strange that Patchy didn’t chase Locke away from the computer room…a set up? I am probably imagining things, but the first thing I said when we saw Patchy in this episode was, “wasn’t his eye patch on the other eye when they saw him in the Pearl Station?”
I also think that Sayid did torture that woman and was not releasing all his info. He is tough and can take a lot before being forced to reveal all.
Paulo and Nikki did not suck quite so bad in this episode…did you see that look they gave each other when they were setting up the ping pong table? Hmmmmm……..
When the Flame blew up, I felt like I was watching Gilligan’s Island! “Oh no little buddy! Now we’re really stuck on this island!” ARGH!
Can’t wait until next week!
This is the kind of episode we have been waiting for. Simply amazing. I was a t the edge of my couch almost the entire time, and could not shut my jaws close.
Here are the issues that I cannot stop thinking about:
Was Mikhail saying the truth? can we trust/believe anything at all from what he said?
Shouldn’t Locke be the next one to die? He’s become really stupid and annoying with all the mistakes he keeps making. C’mon, the real Locke we came to know in Season 1 would have NEVER blown the Flame Station. So, after wefind out how/why he ended up in a wheelchair before the crash, he should just die.
Why should we assume that the Others and the Hostiles are the same group? The first time we heard the term “hostiles” was from Desmond at some point in season two. Personally, I think they are two differnt groups. Or at least, the Dharma Initiative people and the Hostiles have to be two different groups.
I did not buy the whole ping-pong table thing. But i let it go. If food gets dropped from the sky in mysterious ways, why not a ping-pong table.
Has anyone identified any of the people in the pictures on this board? http://lost.cubit.net/forum/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=233
I have read lots of spoilers, adn I am sure what is to come int he next three episodes is going to be very exciting. I just think these are the episodes we should have been watching during February Sweeps.. oh, well.
Here is a wierd observation I made after viewing for a second time. After Locke beats the computer at chess and the guy in the white coat shows up, did anyone else notice that his right hand is semi-clenched in a fist and his left hand is open and facing toward him. Almost like he had something written on that hand and was reading from it.
It also looked like maybe it was a fake hand.
Anybody else notice that?
Great episode. No need to be all hatin’ Locke. He cracked the chess code and got another tidbit of intel about the hostiles/DHARMAs conflict. In so doing, he independently verified the intel that Sayid got by questioning Mikhail. I think he knew, in his special faith-based way, that the chess game had to be cracked.
Also, from a plot perspective, thank goodness that treasure trove of info was blown up! It’s more compelling and interesting to get the pieces one or two at a time. We can then examine each carefully, turning them over and over, before putting them into place. Having said that, I was really hoping for another orientation film!!
loved to see kate in action.
a few things that i noticed that didnt make much sense.
– do cows respond to whistles? theyre not dogs, and ive never in my life seen one that would do this.
– ok so sayid lived in Paris but doesnt speak nothing of french? remember season one, all the translating shannon did…. he should know at least a bit of french…
but anyway, nice episode. i love kate and sayid.
locke since season 2 has become very annoying.
I have to agree, this episode was one of the best ever. Kudos to the writers!
But did anything we learn shoot-down the Time-Loop theory proposed in Desmond’s Flashback story with Penny?
I’m beginning to believe the whole Lost story that we’re watching is the “Final Loop,” where everyone “finally gets it right” this time, so the Universe can be saved.
The time-loop hypothesis answers almost all of the puzzling questions, the puzzling behavior, why the Hostiles know so much about the Losties, just basically the whole puzzle.
Sure, there probably was a war between the Dharmanites and the Hostiles, but just maybe the outcome of that war is what the Universe is trying to do over.
Keep in mind that Locke does not want to leave the island.
Among others things he can walk there.
Didnt he say once that the island saved him?
So I wouldnt be suprised if he destroys any chance to get off it.
Excellent point about why Locke would try to sabotage any effort to contact the outside world and leave. Come on Locke, did you think something good would happen when you alerted the computer that Hostiles were about to capture The Flame?
Hasn’t Locke said (in the past) something to the effect that it was his destiny was to be on the island?
Locke suck.. where is the Locke from the Moth episode ?! anyway… Enter 77 was very great !! im downloading it right now… ill watch it at least 10 times !!
No. Sayid did not torture this woman. I agree that this is about redemption but the story about the cat said it all. The woman needed a symbolic torturer to be able to forgive and move on with her life just as Sayid came to realise that he needed a symbolic victim to atone from what he did. Sayid did say “I remember the face of everyone I tortured and don’t remember you” and I guess the woman would have been much more ambivalent to release Sayid if he had really been her torturer. It would also explain how Sayid had been able to live with himself in spite of his past, since he seems to have somewhat of a sensitive nature underneath (you have to be to fall in love with that Shannon).
I tend to agree with Ayama that this is very weird that Sayid doesn’t speak a little bit of French. But my feelings is that he understands Russian which would explain why the eye-patch man is still alive and why he did nothing while the two others were speaking in Russian. One of the best episode yet (also loved the one about Hurley, dude)!.
The Russian translation was, “You know what to do”. Then Patchy says, “Forgive me”.
My Russian is a little rusty, but that is a rough translation.
This episode make me thing that the Others and the Dharma are the same group of people because Bea Klug ask Mikail to kill her and Mikail ask to be killed… they look like ”kamikaze” ready to die for their cause… and in the Dharma video after the game, they have a self-destruction button.. like all kamikaze have… so.. I think the Others are the Dharma people..
If Locke visits my house there’s no way he’s getting near my computer. Mr Gates gives me plenty problems as it is thenk you – I don’t need John L making it even worse! 🙂
A brilliant episode. So much happened. I was on the edge of my seat one minute and enjoying Sawyer’s trouncing the next. Still love Sawyer though!
Russian translation, courtesy of TheBlackRock.org:
Klugh: Mikhail. Mikhail! You know what to do.
Mikhail: We still have another way [out].
Klugh: We cannot risk it. You know the conditions.
Mikhail: There is another way.
Klugh: They captured us. We will not let them to get into the territory.
Klugh: You know what to do. That’s an order.
Mikhail: We still have another way!
Klugh (in English): Just do it, Mikhail.
Mikhail: Forgive me. (shoots)
——
Great episode!
I think Locke’s up to pull a con together with Patchy (remember what we’ve learned so far–you can’t pull a con alone). That brief dont-bother-playing exchange felt all secret agent password-y to me. He knew what he was doing blowing up The Flame, and he thought Sayid doesn’t know about the trapdoor under the carpet (every nook and cranny, eh?). Was The Flame being invaded by Hostile when he entered 77? To Locke it was, and so he did.
I hope the Horsey and BellCow are Okay.
afterall Nadia Survived.
Mikal Knows everything.
He has seen everything(Cameras in Hatch,Alcatraz) and is involved at every level of Dharma Biz.
hostiles are ANYONE not Dharma..
However, I think Mikal is Toast and soon.
Hey Monauk, if you read a spoiler don’t share it here. please!
i absolutely loved Locke in this episode and can’t believe what little faith y’all have in him. consider that he has his reasons for doing what he did…
http://www.jibjab.com/jokebox/jokebox/jibjab/id/551132/jokeid/124527