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The Happy Campers of Camp Craphole hit the beach with the remains of the ping-pong table from the hatch. They have everything but the ball. Who has the ball? Sawyer, of course. He challenges the entire Island to a ping-pong competition in order to reclaim his stash of stolen merchandise and back issues of Guns and Ammo. Do the other Lostaways agree? Of course they do! What the heck else do they have to do on this Island? Nothing! Except maybe go save the doctor, who would be a really handy person to have around, considering the Lostaways' propensity to get shot, tip planes over, blow shit up, get caught in tree trapsâ¦but I digress.
Meanwhile, Kate, Locke, Sayid, and Rousseau are in hot pursuit of all things Other, and hit the jackpot when they find the one-eyed man you may remember from a mere three episodes ago. What continuity! Go writers go! The One-Eyed Man claims he is the last surviving member of the Dharma Initiative, and has run this communication station since leaving the Soviet Army and answering a classified ad. Sayid doesn't believe him, and in a series of flashbacks we delve into his trust issues. Kate almost gets beat down by a stray Other, while Locke is so busy playing computer chess, he has no idea what is going on. Guess we know what he's been missing most! (No, not his kidney. Good guess, though.) It's too bad for the Lostaways that he's so darn good at chess. Want more? The full recap starts right below!
Camera pans slowly down the beach, capturing the waves breaking over the distant rocks. The sun is low in the sky, casting shadows. Sawyer is walking alone down the beach. His pants are rolled to the knees as the waves splash on his bare feet. His hair is long, and when the wind gently blows it back we see a lone tear making its way down his rugged cheek. A single rose dangles from his fingers, the petals drifting slowly behind leaving a trail on the sand. He spies a crowd making their way out of the jungle. He looks up, momentarily hopeful, but a quick glance through the group does not reveal the face of his beloved. He continues his lonely walk. Oh, Sawyer. What will fix your achy breaky heart? Oh yes, of course -- a ping-pong competition.
The Losties wander out of the jungle carrying pieces of the ping-pong table from the hatch. Hurley informs Sawyer that Jin found it in the woods. They made legs for it, and paddles. They just don't have a ball. They made legs and paddles before they had a ball? Isn't the ball the whole point? And did anyone play ping-pong when it was in the hatch? Or were Jack and Locke keeping the pingy-pongy goodness all for themselves? Hurley tells Sawyer that the table must have landed in the jungle after the hatch exploded. Sawyer and I look confused. I thought the hatch im-ploded, we say in unison. Hurley looks at us like we're the ones with suicidal invisible friends: "I don't know, dude. All I know is the sky turned purple and now I don't ask questions. I just fix myself a salad and move on." Ooh, Zen and the Art of Island Living. Sawyer snarks, I see that's working for you. Because Hurley is fat and Sawyer is sarcastic. Glad we got that established. Sawyer asks if Hurley has seen Kate. Hurley shrugs and says, "Kate? She's not back yet? Huh. Glad to see that's working for you, Sawyer. " Okay, that was me. Sawyer then catches on that the New Guy (I know, I know, his name is Paolo, but I'm not going to go and get all attached and learn his name just so that he can killed off like the walking collateral damage that he is) is walking to the can with his copy of Guns and Ammo. New Guy gets very huffy, because no one wants his bathroom reading called out, and says, we share stuff now. Sawyer pulls a soapbox out of his stash, climbs up on it, and starts hollering about how everyone stole his merchandise when they thought he was dead. But he is not dead and he wants his stuff back. New Guy gets snooty and says fine, keep it. But Sawyer isn't interested in New Guy's leftover bathroom reading, and storms off down the beach.
Locke, Kate, and Sayid are cutting a path through the jungle arguing about directions and hiking in circles and whether they should be following a compass bearing written on a priestly whackjob's beatin' stick. Locke has no problem with this. And since it's his bearing, he's keeping it. Sayid rolls his eyes and says his going to find some food and then hopefully then can have a "rational" conversation about their move. Oh, Sayid -- did you forget what island you were on? This island scoffs at rational. This island makes mincemeat out of rational. Speaking of mincemeat, is that a cow? It is a cow! It's a cow that lives on a farm. Hey, Kate! Locke! Sayid found a farm! And Patch Adams runs it. With a palomino. Why not? "Home Home on the Craphole Range."
How many Losties does it take to tie up a ping-pong net? Apparently, twelve of them, and apparently it also takes them a long long time, because after Sawyer has cooled down and is returning to camp, the Losties are still busily fixing up the ping-pong table. Sawyer's long walk down the beach has paid off. He has the ball. The only ball on the island. That's funny. I thought Kate had his ball. Heh. Anyway, Sawyer is back and he wants what's his. An ass-kicking? No, he wants his stuff. New Girl (yes, I know her name is Nikki and, no, I don't care) points out that the stuff wasn't his to begin with. He glares at her, points his finger, and says: 1. It was mine when I took it and 2. Who the hell are you? Hallelujah. Someone noticed. We have no idea who the hell she is. I heart Sawyer. Sawyer challenges the Losties to a game of ping-pong. When he wins, he wants all his stuff back. And if you lose, Sawyer? I will not lose, he says. However, just to be sporting, they can choose their own prize. Sun and Jin are busily hatching a plan when Sawyer calls them out, saying, Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon have something. Hee! Sun then challenges him to no nicknames for an entire week if he loses. Now I feel bad for laughing because apparently all the nicknames really really hurt the Losties feelings. Sawyer says to pick their best player and he'll be back in an hour to kick ass.
Back at the ranch, Sayid, Locke, Kate, and Rousseau are crouching in the bushes, surveilling the cow. The cow (and the building nearby) is isolated. Sayid checked it out. Dude, Shannon hasn't been dead that long! Locke notices that there is a satellite dish on top of the building. They note its potential long-range-communication capabilities. Kate asks Sayid about Patch Adams. All he (and we) know is that the one-eyed man turned off a surveillance camera in the Pearl Station. Sayid doesn't know who Patch Adams is or what side he is on, but he is going to find out. Rousseau has never seen this man before, and she's not interested in meeting him now. She has stayed around the island this long by specifically avoiding these situations. She's all, smell you guys later! If anyone survives, I'll be over there. And exits stage left. Amen, sister! That is a very sensible MO. Do the Losties listen? No, they do not. Instead Sayid hands Kate his gun and says that Patch is less likely to be hostile if Sayid is unarmed. Yes, the Others always play nice if you are unarmed. Except, you know, for the dozens of times when they don't. Kate takes his gun and agrees to his very rational plan.
Today is Sayid's flashback day. Yay! I love him. In the past, he is choppety-chopping in a restaurant when he is beckoned out front to speak to a customer. He assumes it is an irate one, so when the guy asks him if he cooked the meal, Sayid looks all abashed and checks to see if his band-aids, fingers, and hairs are all still attached to him. They are, so he sort of shuffles his feet and says yeah. The guy asks him where he's from, and Sayid claims he's from Syria. The customer scoffs and answers in Arabic, "You are as Iraqi as I am, young man." Even though he doesn't look any older than Sayid. Sayid in his world-weary way wants to know what the guy wants. Turns out the guy liked the meal so much, he wants to give Sayid a job! At twice his daily pay! That is so likely! I own a restaurant, and whenever someone really likes his or her hamburger, our cook is gone the day. We go through six cooks a week! True story!
Sayid walks slowly towards the house. He has his hands in the air and his eyes wide open. He checks out the horse, because the cow isn't enough for him. The horse has a saddle. Sayid keeps walking. He spies a cat sitting on a table. He wisely glares at the cat. Good plan! Those things will totally sit on your chest and steal your breath while you sleep. Glare away, Sayid. He keeps walking. Aaaaand he gets nailed. People on this island sure get shot a lot. Maybe the Island is Baltimore? Kate starts to storm out of the bushes guns ablazing, but Locke puts the kibosh on it and tells her to wait. Patch Adams and his rifle lean out the window, hollering: "I didn't cross the line! We had a truce! This is my land! You said I could stay!" Sayid yells back: "I'm not who you think I am! My name is Sayid! I crashed on the island months ago! I am unarmed!" Exclamation points! Ack! Patch caves and rushes out of the house. Kate and Locke shoot at his feet until he stops in his tracks. Locke grabs his gun while Sayid stumbles to his feet, and Kate for some reason asks him if he's okay. Kate? Honey? He JUST GOT SHOT. There is NO WAY he is okay. Patch is surprisingly nonplussed by the turnabout. He raises his arms and calmly asks if they are really plane crash survivors. Instead of answering, Kate demands to know who he is. His name is Mikhail Bakunin and he is the last living member of the Dharma Initiative. Hmm. Impressive. But not nearly as impressive as being the father of modern anarchism. Eh, what do Wikipedia and I know?
Anyway, Patch is the last surviving member of the Dharma Initiative. And he now believes their story. I find it is very easy to believe stories when there are guns are pointed at your head. Patch and the Losties bring Sayid inside. Patch sends Kate off to get a medical kit so he can repair the damage he's done. Sayid wisely asks if Patch has any experience removing bullets, and Patch admits that he spent some quality time in Afghanistan. So did my cousin in the Peace Corps and I wouldn't trust her to remove a baby from a stroller, let alone a bullet from my arm. Sayid, however, shrugs because he has a bullet in his arm and not many options. He does want to know how Patch ended up there, and about the Dharma Initiative. As Patch starts to, um, patch up Sayid's shoulder, he uses his droning voice and a bottle of Official Dharma Initiative Vodka as anesthetic. He was born in Kiev, he says, and entered the Soviet Army, where he was stationed at listening post in Vladivostok. After they lost the Cold War, he was decommissioned, and after years of doing bad things to bad people, he wanted to do something good. So he answered an advertisement that asked if he would like to save the world. And that's how he became a part of the Dharma Initiative. Quick, gentle reader! Go check Craig's List! Maybe you can still join! So now he lives in The Flame. Or the Frame. Between the Iraqi accent and the Russian accent I am at a bit of a loss here. God, sometimes I am hopelessly Ugly American. So Patch joined the Initiative, who stuck him on this island all alone like a lighthouse keeper. Oh-kay. What is the Flame used for? It is a hub for communication to the outside world. OMG! Lostie jackpot! They are totally getting off the island, like, this episode! Right? Right?! Locke, meanwhile, is wandering around the house, and stumbles into a room full of computers. One is talking to him, asking him if he wants to play. He says yes. He has time to play. He has nothing better to do. It's chess. And it's his turn. Um, Locke? ... Oh, never mind.
Sayid wants to know what happened to the Dharma Initiative. According to Patch, they are all dead because they started a war with the Hostiles. They called it The Purge -- presumably because it came after a long bout of Twinkie-eating, Cheeto-munching, and Snicker-scarfing. How did Patch survive? He did not participate. Hmm, notice a theme? Survival = Not Engaging. Losties, you paying attention? Of course you're not. After the war, the Hostiles came and offered Patch a truce. Don't cross the imaginary line around the Valley and we will leave you alone. They took two cows and left and he never saw them again. Kate rolls her eyes and asks why they weren't interested in the satellite dish or the computers. Patch explains that the dish has been broken for years. Curses! Foiled again! Everyone sighs. Sayid asks Patch who the Hostiles are, but he doesn't know. All he knows is that they have been there a long time. A very long time.
Apparently, Sayid was a cook in Paris. Or in that casino that has a replica of the Eiffel Tower, because it is looming in the background as he makes his way to the customer's restaurant to scope out the job situation. Sayid walks into the well-appointed Middle Eastern restaurant and asks for Sammy. Sammy comes out, shakes Sayid's hand, and explains that the restaurant is simple but good. His wife comes out, and Sammy introduces her. She has burns all over her arms and a very serious look in her eye. Sayid says it is a pleasure to meet her. Things go downhill from there, though. One of the men grabs Sayid, and Sammy asks his wife if she is sure this is him. She says yes, and while Sayid is attempting to protest, the men in the restaurant grab him and beat him down. God, I hate disgruntled customers.
Sayid is on the couch at the ranch. Patch has just pulled the bullet out of his arm and is about to start sewing up the wound. There's an extreme close-up shot of the bullet hole and the needle poised to start stitching. And I have officially lost my appetite. Thanks, show! Patch stops his ministrations to yell at his Evil Cat in Russian. Sayid asks what he said, and Patch explains that he asked Nadia, the Evil Cat, to be polite in front of their guest. "Guest"? Don't you mean "guy you shot"? Maybe that's what the kids are calling it these days, but Emily Post might take issue with it. Nadia the Evil Cat was named after Nadia Comaneci, the greatest athlete of all time. I thought the Soviets hated the Romanians. Or maybe I hate the Romanians? Oh wait, no -- I hate the Romantics. "I hear / the secrets that you keep!" Ugh. So, it's definitely the Russians who hate the Romanians. After another gratuitous wound shot, Patch proclaims Sayid mended. He wants to make amends with a glass of iced tea. Wow. Does that qualify as adequate restitution in Russia? I think we now know why Communism failed! Patch takes the opportunity to go see what Locke is up to. Locke is still playing chess. Seriously. He is STILL PLAYING CHESS. Patch suggests that Locke shouldn't waste his time. Patch has been playing against that computer for ten years and has never beaten it. Three grand masters of chess programmed it, and it cheats. Locke says he has played a lot of computers, and he doesn't think they know how to cheat. Being able to cheat is what makes being human so distinctly wonderful. Well, that and our opposable thumbs and excellent television writing!
Kate is suspicious. But not as suspicious as Sayid! Kate says it doesn't make any sense. Why would they just let Patch stay? Sayid says it makes perfect sense if he is one of them. Kate looks shocked. Shocked! You let him shoot you!, she says. Why are we just sitting here? Sayid whips out a chalkboard to spell it out for her: "We are sitting here, Kate, because I am sure he is not alone." The music is Very Dramatic during this exchange.
Back on the beach, the Losties have nominated Hurley as their one ping-pong chance to free themselves at last from the harsh rule of Sawyer's name-calling ways. Sawyer calls him "Grimace." That's it, Sawyer, get inside his head! Make him feel bad about himself! Ping-pong is all about the psychology! In an unexpected turn of events, Hurley flips the psych-out right back at him by asking if they are going to play with a "mercy rule." Meaning that if he is up 11-0, he automatically wins. Sawyer scoffs that Hurley will be up that high, but agrees. Hurley asks if he wants to volley to see who serves, but Sawyer just lets him start. Hurley proceeds to kick his ass. Wacky!
Patch comes in with a tray of iced tea for his "guests." He claims to grow the tea himself, and apologizes for the bitterness. Sayid says that any tea is good tea, and Kate rhetorically asks if Patch knows how long it's been since they've seen ice. Patch explains that everything was brought over by the Initiative -- and "everything" apparently includes the horse, cat, and many wires. The station was the communication hub; it connects to all the other buildings, and yes, it does have big wires that run into the ocean, in case anyone is still mulling that question over from past seasons. See? The writers do have a plan! They know a loose end when they write it! They are helping us unravel a cable-knit sweater that someone just keeps knitting and knitting and knitting. So: the giant wire that runs underwater is for a sonar beacon to a submarine? That the Initiative used to bring Patch and the horse over? Sounds like the start of a bad joke. A horse, a cow, and a one-eyed man walk into a submarine... what is this, a Metallica video? The Hostiles have undoubtedly commandeered the submarine by now, which Sayid opines is how they knew where to find his sail boat. It's too bad they got the boat, but at least they killed one. Patch raises his eyebrow while Kate and Sayid stick with the stink-eye. Patch slowly puts his tea down and asks why they're continuing with the charade when it is, like, so over. Patch picks up the iced tea pitcher and smashes it into Sayid's face. Whoa. Emily Post would so not approve! Sayid whales on him for a bit and then Patch backhands Kate to the ground. Kate is down while Sayid and Patch throw each other into the walls. Sayid (despite being one-armed) manages to body-slam Patch to the ground. Which answers the eternal question: if a one-armed man and a one-eyed guy were in a death match, who would win? Kate has managed to get to her feet; she grabs the gun, and points it at Patch's head. And Locke? Yeah, he's still playing chess. He finally runs in as Sayid looks for a rope to tie up Patch. Kate slaps him on the back of his big bald head. Dope!
In flashback, Sayid is chained to the floor, looking desolate. He perks up a bit when Sammy brings him some water. The perkiness does not last long; Sammy then accuses him as his wife's torturer. Doesn't Sayid recognize his victims? Doesn't he remember dumping boiling oil over her arms after she was arrested for harboring enemies of the state? Sayid confesses that he was an interrogator in the Republican National Guard, but denies torturing Sammy's wife. He swears that he remembers every face of every person he ever tortured -- and he doesn't know her. He says maybe she saw him at the same facility, maybe she remembers him from there, but he did not torture her. He swears. Sammy says she remembers him well enough to know it was him after one glimpse as they walked past the restaurant where he worked. So Sayid better start remembering, because if he doesn't, he is leaving the room. In a bag! I'd be more concerned for Sayid if this weren't a flashback and we didn't know that he didn't leave the room in a bag. Unless... unless the entirety of Craphole Island is populated by ghosts! Maybe all the Losties are dead and the island is Purgatory! And the Others are living people like in the movie The Others and they kill people by exorcising them! Yeah! Totally!
Sayid is so damn smart. He knows that Patch is not alone in the station because the horse outside is still saddled and the stirrups were set for a much smaller person. Oh, Sayid. Sigh... As they hogtie Patch, Locke wants to know why the Others would send someone to keep Patch company. Sayid flicks Locke in the forehead and points out that maybe the Others lost communication when the sky turned purple and maybe, since this is a communication hub, it would make sense to send someone along to check on things. Locke says he can't figure out where another person would be hiding, because in between games of computer chess he has managed to search every nook and cranny in the entire place. Sayid lifts the carpet, points to the giant trapdoor in the floor, and says, "Uh duh." Locke bursts into tears and goes back to his computer. Oh, Sayid!
Sayid is still shackled to the floor in Sammy's House of Pain. He is getting his face whupped by Sammy while his wife watches. Now I'm not positive, but I think I saw their adult personal ad on the back page of the Voice. The more Sayid denies knowing her, the more Sammy smacks him. Sayid says he cannot admit to something he didn't do, no matter how much he is beaten. Sammy claims Sayid forced his wife to admit to something she didn't do by pouring a pot of boiling oil over her arms. Sayid denies it some more. Sammy reaches for a pipe to finish the deed. Sammy's wife uses her safe word to stop the onslaught. Oh, the suspense! Will this be it for our loyal Sayid? Oh gosh! Oh golly!
In the cellar hidden below the trapdoor, Kate and Sayid walk around and check out the sites. Look, the entire building is wired with C4 and could blow up in a hot minute! Wow, how do you think the real estate agent sold them on that particular feature? Act now, 'cause this listing could go at any time! Kate asks why, and Sayid says he doesn't know, and honestly, Kate, why would he know that? He's new here too. Kate has not been the sharpest knife in the Ginsu ad this episode. Meanwhile Locke has decided that the prisoner can watch himself while he plays just one more game of computer chess. Has he learned nothing after blowing up the hatch? When did he turn into such a chucklehead? Sayid finds a room full of Dharma Initiative filing, including row upon row of Operations Manuals. Kate walks around with her mouth open. Upstairs, Locke finally wins the game of chess and feels so self-satisfied and proud that he actually giggles. It is a bit disconcerting, but not nearly as disconcerting as when the computer goes fuzzy and Dharma Initiative's resident mouthpiece pops up on the computer screen and states, "Manual Override Achieved. For Pallet drop, enter 24. For Satellite uplink, press 32. For Mainland Communication, enter 38." Locke enters 38. The Dharma mouthpiece tells him that the satellite is inoperable; communications are down. For sonar access, press 56. Locke presses 56. Sonar is inoperable. Has there been an incursion on this station by the Hostiles? If so, enter 77. Just as Locke is about to enter 77, Patch Adams shoves a giant bowie knife under his chin and tells him to keep quiet. Gosh, Locke, if only you had managed to keep one eye on the prisoner while you played. Chucklehead.
Kate is looking through a stack of uniforms (just like a girl -- always shopping!) when a woman ambushes her. The woman turns out to be the lady from the docks -- Mrs. Klugh. She and Kate tussle around in some hot girl-on-girl action until Sayid puts a stop to it with a firm gun to the back of the head. Kate finally gets a good look at the woman with whom she's been wrestling, and as soon as she recognizes her, she delivers one big ol' knuckle sandwich. Sayid is shocked, but Kate explains that the woman was at the docks and knows where Jack is. Sayid points the gun at Mrs. Klugh's chest and asks if there are any Others there. Mrs. Klugh says nothing but stares coolly over the barrel of the gun into Sayid's eyes. Kate and Sayid take their new prisoner upstairs and shout for Locke. Locke can't come to the phone right now, Sayid. He's a little preoccupied, what with having a gun pointed at his head and all. Hey, it's a better excuse than computer chess. Sayid pulls Mrs. Klugh outside to make with the prisoner-swapping. Patch tells him to send the girl over, red rover, red rover. Locke tells Sayid not to give up Mrs. Klugh. He says that if Patch were going to kill him he would have done it already. Everyone starts yelling at this point. I'll sum up: Sayid! Russian! Locke! Russian! Sayid! Don't let them talk! Russian! Russian! More Russian! Sayid! Russian! Russian! I'll handle this! Russian! Russian! Russian! Just do it, Mikhail! KA-BLAM! Patch has shot Mrs. Klugh. In the jungle. With a gun. Locke grabs at the gun, and Kate and Sayid rush in to back him up. Patch ends up on the ground with a gun pointed at his head, begging Sayid to finish it. Finish it! Sayid will do no such thing, Patch; you're not the boss of him.
Back on the beach, Sawyer is Sulky McSulkston since Hurley beat him down at ping-pong. Sawyer feels hustled. Hurley explains that his mom had a table in the basement, and he also played a lot in the institution and got good. Sawyer shouldn't feel bad since he got three points, and the last serve didn't leave a mark on his forehead. Oh, Hurley, you didn't! Sawyer wants to know if Hurley is there for a reason. He wants to make a peace offering and give Sawyer some of his stuff back, because he seems like a guy who needs stuff. Apparently Hurley says "stuff" and means porn, because he tosses a stack of dirty magazines at Sawyer. So Sawyer looks like a guy who needs "stuff," huh? Guess it's time to shave, Sawyer! A quick aside: How did all this porn get on that one airplane? Who travels with girlie mags? Don't you just buy it at your destination? And if you do bring it with you, do you carry it on? Or check it and risk the TSA guys swiping it? Truly one of life's big mysteries. Sawyer looks disinterested, so Hurley knows something is wrong. He tells him not to worry about Kate; she's with Locke and Sayid. She'll be okay. Sawyer is about to call Hurley something nickname-ish, but Hurley stops him short. It's "Hurley" or "Hugo." Sawyer tells him to get bent. Hurley ponders the possibility.
While Kate grabs extra ammunition and Sayid packs up the prisoner, Locke decides to play one last game of chess. He wins again, and when the Dharma guy asks him if there has been a hostile incursion on the station, Locke takes a deep breath and enters 77. Sayid has Patch tied up at gunpoint as he heads outside and calls for Rousseau. Sayid asks Patch if he was ever a member of the Dharma Initiative, or whether it was all a lie. Patch says that was never a member of Dharma, but everything else he said was true. He came to live at the Flame station after the Purge. Sayid isn't buying the Purge. He doesn't believe that Dharma, purportedly a group of peacenik scientists, attacked the Others. In a cleansing burst of either massive hinting or complete coincidence, Rousseau shows up right then. See? Sayid says "scientists," and Rousseau appears. Is that a clue? Is it? Is it? ... Oh, whatever. Rousseau asks if Patch killed Sayid's friends. He says that they're still inside, retrieving whatever is useful from the house. He is happy, because they have a key to the Others now and can go get Rousseau's daughter and, hopefully, a way home. Patch tells him that there's nothing Sayid can do to make him take them to the Others. Sayid rolls his eyes and tells him that he is not a ticket no matter how much he pretends. Can't argue with the obvious, can you, Patch?
Sayid pulls out a map and shows us his best guess as to where the Others live -- in a place called The Barracks. It is a large dormitory with water and electricity and enough room for everyone and the horse they rode in on. They are going to pay a visit to The Barracks. Mikhail swallows and then tells Sayid that he plans on killing him as soon as possible. Um, Patch? You can't kill Sayid. He's a star. He has a contract. It's not going to happen. Not without protracted contract renegotiations, demands for excessive amounts of per-episode money, and calls for a work stoppage. Rousseau asks why they are keeping Patch alive, and it's a darn good question. Kind of like that scene in Austin Powers when Seth Green asks Dr. Evil why he doesn't just kill Austin now, and Dr. Evil has no good answer. Sayid decides the question is best answered by a flashback that, of course, Rousseau can't see.
Sammy's lovely wife arrives in Sayid's cell with her kitty cat. She spins a lovely tale about some psychotic French children, a homeless cat, and feline torture. Very much bedtime-story material. She rescued the cat and loves the cat. He reads with her, sleeps with her, and occasionally bites her. He bites her because he forgets that he is safe. She forgives him for this because she understands it. She does not feel safe because of Sayid. She wants Sayid to admit that he remembers her. She wants that respect. Sayid finally admits that he does remember her. Her face has haunted him ever since he left Iraq. He breaks down and cries. He is sorry for what he did to her. She forgives him. When her husband returns, she will tell him that she made a terrible mistake, that it was not him, and he will let Sayid go. He wants to know why. (Gift horse/mouth much, Sayid?) She says that we are all capable of doing what those children did to the cat, but she refuses to give in to such behavior.
Rousseau asks Sayid again why they are keeping Patch alive, and Sayid says that Patch is his prisoner and he will do what he wants and if Rousseau doesn't like it then Sayid will just take his prisoner and go home. He then sticks out his tongue and says, "Nyah nyah nyah!" Kate and Locke join the group. Sayid looks Locke up and down and says, "I see you didn't find anything useful." Locke admits that he just played chess again and then tells Patch he knows why he didn't want him to beat the game. Sayid and Kate exchange WTF looks. Just then, Locke proves that winning isn't everything. Especially when it causes the entire building to explode! Flames shoot skyward and the entire complex is decimated. Sayid looks apoplectic and then yells at Locke, "What did you do? That was our one chance at communicating with the outside world! Are you a complete chucklehead?" Locke explains that the computer told him to do it. Sayid looks like he's about to wrap his hands around Locke's sinewy neck and scream, "Learn, dammit! Learn!" like Matthew Broderick in WarGames. Sayid tells them that they need to leave because Locke has just started the biggest signal fire ever. As they go, Sayid spies Evil Kitty staring at him meaningfully.