We open with a wide shot of a lonely and isolated Sayid. All he has is his pictures of a girl back home (Nadia) for comfort. The wire on the beach I assumed would be irrelevant. Amazingly though, it does get mentioned again 50 episodes later. The wire leads to a tripwire (only Sayid could spot a tripwire), indicating he might not be quite as alone as he thought.
Sawyer seems to be laying on the guilt trip pretty thick, doesn't he? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure he told Jack to let him die. Kate explains Sayid has been gone for 2 days. I think this time lapse is because they knew they wouldn't be able to have Sayid away from camp for long, so they needed it to seem like a bigger deal.
Introducing multiple new characters this episode made Ethan's sudden appearance less suspicious. Locke's connection to Ethan was really understated. We're thrown into the middle of a relationship and don't even get any focus on it when Ethan does eventually become more integral.
Danielle's shelter is like a cave of mystery. Where did she get all this stuff? We also learn she speaks many languages. Talking of languages, the flashbacks of this episode uses a common cinematic trope of switching language from Arabic to English in the middle of a scene for the benefit of the audience. We see Sayid interrogate someone, and later concludes he knows nothing, to which his superior oficer Omar replies is not the point. Sayid seems to actually enjoy his job.
He only really begins questioning it when his next suspect becomes someone from his past. We recognize her as the girl from the photo immediately. Turns out Nadia was a childhood friend who used to push Sayid in the mud to show her affection. Interesting that when Nadia tells of the torture she's been put through, Sayid replies "If you were innocent, then I'm sorry". He still thinks the methods are justified on guilty people.
Now we get to hear more of Danielle. She gives several snippets of information - "they" control the radio tower, "they" were the carriers of the sickness. Who are they? Other people on the Island that she has never seen, but heard. Unlike many fans, I never thought Danielle was lying during this conversation. Some may be incorrect interpretations, but it seems really counterproductive to give out false information at this stage, and she seemed genuinely offended when she wondered if Sayid believed her. I do wonder where she was during the plane crash though if she never knew about it.
When Sayid says Nadia was dead, I never thought this was true. But it's not technically a lie either. At the end of the episode where he says he has been holding onto the blind hope that she's still alive, he acknowledges it may not be the case, and explains that he has just let go of her because he doesn't think he'll ever see her again. This also explains why he jumped into bed with Shannon so easily.
Danielle points out that Sayid doesn't like to talk about Nadia because it causes too much pain. She might be right there, but Danielle is also trying heavily to deflect every time Sayid mentions Alex. If you notice, they never state whether Alex was male or female. The best answer Danielle gives is "Alex was my child".
Hurley and the golf course he builds to combat boredom was one of the lighter subplots of the episode. It even got the rash guy to loosen up. It also allows for one of the cleverest act openings they've ever done. A misdirection where Michael and Jack appear to be debating something serious but instead are dealing with a tough shot.
I didn't like Michael in this episode. His serious neglect of Walt causes his son to gravitate towards Locke and for the first time it felt justified. On the positive side, his artistic skill is revealed this episode when he draws an awesome sketch of a new water system.
Danielle is taken aback when Sayid offers to fix her music box. She's not used to nice gestures these days. Interesting how Danielle's motives for keeping Sayid in captivity have totally changed. She now just wants a friend, telling him "you need me". It's been a lonely sixteen years.
The place Nadia is held is similar to Danielle's hovel. Dark and confined. It adds to the contrast of the captive becoming the captor. Nadia is refusing to give up information and instead insists on torture (remind you of Sawyer last episode?). But her protest seems to be about changing Sayid and making him a better man. That, and because she wants Sayid to visit her. Why does Nadia always have to result to pain to get attention?
Omar has had enough of her lack of cooperation and orders her be executed. I believe this was the main reason for the "she's dead because of me" lie...just a simple misdirection trick. Sayid stages Nadia's escape and shoots himself. I originally thought the bullet wound we saw earlier was foreshadowing this, but if you watch he actually shoots himself in a different place. He tell Nadia he can't leave because they'll come after his family. This is the first mention of Sayid's family. Maybe he's not so alone after all.
Another loner comes out of the group when Sawyer joins in the golf game at Kate's request. Kate is always great as an extension to other characters, as she always brings out the best in them.
It's interesting that Danielle has encountered multiple bears. Wonder how many there were. It's also interesting that she claims there's no such thing as Monsters. Between this and the security system comment in Exodus, I believe she knows what it is.
Sayid takes the maps and leaves the photo. He also takes a gun that doesn't work. Danielle confesses to killing her crew and lets Sayid go, with a warning. The episode ends with Sayid alone again...but the whispers in the trees indicate that once again he may not be as alone as he thought.
8/10 - Great mix of interesting backstory and mysteries that further the plot
