I still can't find the meaning of the face I keep on seeing
Was she real or am I dreaming?
Did the sound of your name TURN A WHEEL, strike a FLAME in me?
The Jackson 5, "Torture"
I'm sure I speak for most of you when I say...wow. Again. Although we knew that the Little Linus/Sayid connection in 70's Dharmaville could potentially put the mini manipulator in danger, I was still quite surprised when Sayid pulled the trigger.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the return of traditional flashbacks and the lack of time shifts in this episode.
AND, we yelled out (to no one in particular) when we saw Sayid first meet Ilana; it was in Nobu Waikiki - we had drinks at that very bar last month, and the bartender told us that Naveen Andrews was recently there filming a scene! For the record, I did not see MacCutcheon. And yes, I looked even though I realize that it is a fictional liquor.
But my head is spinning like a dislodged Geronimo Jackson record, so let's get started with the thoughts and theories...
ANN ARBOR, MI
When I heard Radzinsky talk about calling Ann Arbor, my first thought was that he meant Pierre Chang (Dr. Marvin Candle), because Chang mentions he's from there in the Comic-Con 08 Barracks video. However, I then recalled that the DeGroots founded the Dharma Initiative in 1970 when they were working on their PhD's at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (as mentioned in the Swan orientation film). They are also seen in the Pearl orientation film.
AMY
Still don't trust her. I am starting to believe that she's a spy for Richard Alpert and the Hostiles, that the picnic outside of the sonic fence with her first husband Paul was a set up, and that she knew Sayid wasn't a Hostile even though she pretended to be fearful of him.
ANNIE
Is Ben's childhood girlfriend still living in Dharmaville? If not, where did she go?
BEN
It seems rather obvious that Ben hired Ilana to get Sayid on that Ajira flight, given his first-hand knowledge about Sayid's weakness for hot mysterious women. Also, Ben would have been the only one to know that Sayid killed Avellino, so he chose that particular victim's name for Ilana's bounty hunter cover. I wonder if Ben also hired the Marshall to get Kate onto Flight 815...
Does the island let Ben die? In the future, he gets a spinal tumor - but it's never really been clear whether or not the island protects him.
How will Ben's "death" affect his future relationship with Richard Alpert if young Ben really thought that Sayid was a Hostile? Could it be that Alpert comes to respect, trust and work for Ben after he witnesses him come back to life?
It is interesting to note that no one intervenes to save or help young Ben. Not Alpert, future Locke, Smokey, etc.
Is there any significance to the fact that in the future, Ben is unconscious after being knocked out by Sun's oar, and in the past, Ben is unconscious after being shot by Sayid? I am far too tired to analyze whether it is a purposeful paradox or irrelevant coincidence...
HURLEY
I've always said that I'm more likely to trust a chef who looks like they eat (no offense, Giada De Laurentiis), so I love that Hurley is a Dharma cook.
ILANA
In retrospect, she didn't seem all that concerned about Sayid's whereabouts once the Ajira flight landed on the island and he'd disappeared. If she was indeed hired by Ben, perhaps she was told that might happen (even if Ben didn't give specific details how or why).
Now that she's on the island, what will her role be? Spy for Ben? Or was her purpose served, and will she meet her fate a la Naomi?
KATE
So why did Freckles return? I don't think it was for Sawyer or to update his favor request. I'm assuming it has to do with Aaron. Whomever has him probably made the trade by threatening his life unless she returned to the island.
When Sawyer went to her house, was Jack inside? Is that why she looked behind her and then shut the door to speak with him outside? Did she pull her usual I-can't-have-him-so-I'll-sleep-with-you trick again?
MILES
Donde esta?
If he is Pierre Chang's son, and he is somehow able to communicate that fact to his father (even though Miles would also be there as a baby at the same time)...is that what convinces Chang to believe in the island's abilities, time shifts, etc., and lead him to create the Barracks video? Many of us have assumed that Faraday was the one who informs Chang about the future because we think it's his voice behind the camera, but Miles may have played a role as well.
OLDHAM
Bravo to the casting staff on Lost for choosing William Sanderson to play Oldham. He is the king of creepy awesome, as any Deadwood fans would know from his underrated role as Farnum.
Given the strict rules of "the truce" and the sonic fence, why is Oldham allowed to live on his own on the outskirts of Dharmaville? Clearly he is not afraid of anyone or anything, and although they brush him off as crazy, he holds some power over the Others. Could he be Jacob?
RADZINSKY
Two words: loose cannon.
SAYID
In The Economist, Ben said the following to Sayid: "These people don’t deserve our sympathies. Need I remind you what they did the last time you thought with your heart instead of your gun?"
I love that Sayid used his gun this time. (I am obviously so not in favor of shooting a kid; just Ben in general). What ever happened to Sayid's brother?
Add Sayid to the long list of Losties with daddy issues.
Should I now be concerned about the fate of favorite male Lost character of all time? Will the island/Jacob/Alpert avenge Ben's "death" and send Smokey to take care of Sayid? I seriously hope not.
[Side note: if the PTB (powers that be) kill off either Sayid or Juliet (my top 2)...I will be very disappointed. Reminder: please keep your comments spoiler-free; if you've heard anything about the future of any character, please do not share that information here. Thank you in advance!]
WIDMOREBen was having Sayid kill all of Widmore's associates. Not because they were a threat to Sayid, any of the other Oceanic 6 or those left on the island...but because Widmore changed the rules when Alex was killed.
PARALLELS
- Ben brought Sayid a book when he was in jail, Locke brought Ben a book when he was being held beneath his New Otherton house.
- Sawyer watched as Oldham "tortured" Sayid via hallucinogenic drug while tied up to a tree, Sayid tied up Sawyer to a tree and tortured him in Season 1 to find out where he was hiding Shannon's inhalers.
- Ben set a Dharma van on fire to distract everyone and set Sayid free, Walt set the raft on fire in Season 1 because he didn't want to leave the island. On second thought, the only similarity is fire...
A Separate Reality (Ben's book)
It is about apprenticeship, which clearly ties into Richard Alpert's relationship with Ben. But there is also the use of psychotropic plants, which reminds me of Locke's Season 3 sweat lodge paste and Oldham's truth serum used on Sayid tonight.
THE FUTURE
Faraday has reiterated that they can't change the future; that what happened, happened. Even though he's been a few sandwiches short of a picnic since Big Red's death, I'm still following his train of thought. He has the infamous notebook of secrets after all, from thirty years of time travel back and forth from the island to...a separate reality.
That being said, will Sayid's actions have any impact on Ben's future purge or "the incident?"
NOT ENTIRELY CRAZY THEORIES OF THE NIGHT
1. Just as he did when he saved Ben's life by removing the spinal tumor, Jack will save young Ben's life.
2. Little Linus transforms into Lethal Linus after being shot by Sayid as a kid. His entire purpose and plan are altered by this...incident. Including his lifelong obsession with Juliet.
3. Radzinsky is panicked that Sayid saw the model of the Swan (even though it's unclear whether Sayid even registered what he saw) because it will become or house an island wormhole/exit. We know that whomever turns the Frozen Donkey wheel winds up in Tunisia, but perhaps there is more than one way to (time) travel from the island. Entering the numbers into the computer directly relates to the wormhole and the electromagnetic field above or surrounding the island, which is why Hawking emphasized to Desmond that the most important thing he would do in his life is push those buttons.
---
That about does it for the first round of initial thoughts about "He's Our You." I have no doubt that there will be a second round sooner than later, given the magnitude of that last scene and the resulting ramifications for the remainder of the season and series.
I appreciate your patience and eyes. Thank you for reading and sharing; as an Anonymous reader astutely recognized in a recent comment...I love receiving and reading your feeding more than anything. It is why I continue to analyze and discuss Lost with great enthusiasm.
Enjoy the rest of your week, rewatch the episode (or at least "the scene") and stay tuned for more lucid theories soon!
Last year, William Mapother was kind enough to answer some questions for me to share with fellow Lost fans. So immediately following "LaFleur," after discovering that Horace and Amy's baby was named Ethan, I contacted him again in the hopes that he would address that reveal. William is such a sweet person and a good sport; he responded quickly and enthusiastically!
So here is my brief follow-up interview with the Other Man we know so well. There are no spoilers (although I broke my own rule and pried/tried). 
Here's hoping we learn more about Dharma baby Ethan before the end of Season 5! After all, he doesn't go by his given name (Goodspeed), he may be the only child to have been conceived and born on the island with success, he probably grew up spending time in Jacob's cabin (which daddy Horace built) and he seems to also be the only Dharma/Other to have survived Ben's 1992 Purge...
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