3.11 Enter 77

1. Sawyer sees everyone carrying the ping-pong table, Hurley says Jin found while looking for firewood, they made legs, paddles and now all they need is a ball, it must've landed in the jungle when the hatch exploded, Sawyer says that he thought it collapsed.
2. Sawyer wants his Guns and Ammo magazine back from Paulo, but he says that they share things now, while carrying it wrapped around a roll of Dharma toilet paper.
3. Sayid says they're still heading North, bearing 305, Locke senses a lack of confidence, Sayid says they've been walking for 2 days following a compass bearing from Eko's stick, Locke says it's the only bearing they have.
4. Sayid is picking fruit, he hears a bell, finds a cow, a house, sees the eye patch man, calling the cow to him, it's another station.
5. Sawyer has a ball, challenges everyone to ping-pong game for his stuff back, pick their best man, they say no nicknames for a week if he loses.
6. Sayid circles the house, he says there's nothing but jungle surrounding it, there are horses, cows, fenced in, a satellite dish on top, Sayid says a dish of that size would have broadcasting capabilities for thousands of miles. From Lostpedia
7. Sayid asks Danielle if it's the radio tower, but she says no, she's never seen it before.
8. Kate asks Sayid where he recognizes the man with the eye patch from, Sayid tells her The Pearl video feed, the only way to find out who he is, is by asking him, if he's unarmed, he won't feel threatened, they cover him.
9. Rousseau says she has no interest on the man inside the house, that she survived by avoiding encounters, that she'll wait by the stream for those who survive.
10. Sayid is a cook, going by the name Najeev, meets a man named Sami, says he's Syrian, but Sami says he's Iraqi too, wants him to work for him because his chef quit, they're in Paris.
11. Sayid approaches the house, with his hands up, there is a horse, saddled, stirrups, a grey cat catches his attention, the eye patch man shoots Sayid, says he didn't cross the line, it's his land, they said he could stay there. Sayid tells him his name, he's not who he thinks he is, says he was on plane that crashed months ago, that he's unarmed.
12. Locke and Kate approach the house, tell the man to drop the weapon, he surrenders. He asks if they really crashed there, Sayid tells him over 40 of them did, Kate asks who he is.
13. "My name is Mikhail Bakunin and I am the last remaining member of the DHARMA Initiative."
14. Mikhail takes a look at Sayid's gunshot wound, spent time in Afghanistan, had experience with field medicine in the Soviet Army, tells Sayid his story while Locke and Kate investigate the station. Kate goes in the kitchen, while Locke sees a computer with a chess screen, "Ready to play? Y/N," he presses yes, the computer tells him it's his move. From Lostpedia
15. "I grew up in Kiev and joined the Soviet Army. I was stationed at a listening post at Vladivostok. After the Cold War, after we lost the Cold War, my unit was decommissioned. I was dismissed from my life in the military. And after years of conducting unpleasant actions against our enemies, I found myself wanting to do something good. So I replied to a newspaper advertisement." Mikhail "An advertisement?" Sayid "Would you like to save the world? it read. That’s how I met them, the Initiative. They’re very secretive, very rich, very smart." Mikhail "So, when did you come to the island?" Sayid "11 years now. I like computers, communications equipment, being along like a lighthouse keeper. So they put me in this station. They called it The Flame." Mikhail "What is the purpose of the flame?" Sayid " To communicate with the outside world, of course."
16. Mikhail says the Dharma Initiative all dead, initiated war against hostiles, the purge, didn't participate in it, likes being alone, after the war was over, 4 men appeared in the yard, they offered a truce, line around the alley, do not cross, he'll be left alone, they took 2 cows, never saw them again, satellite hasn't functioned for years, the hostiles were there a long time before Dharma Initiative.
17. Mikhail removes the bullet from Sayid's arm.
18. Sayid goes to see Sami at his restaurant, Sami greets him, introduces him to his wife, Amira, she says it's him, Sayid is attacked by Sami and his men.
19. Mikhail has a cat named Nadia, after Nadia Comaneci, greatest athlete the world has ever known, they have the same birthday. Mikhail stitches up Sayid's wound, he offers them some iced tea.
20. Locke plays chess on the computer, Mikhail says he's been playing it for 10 years, it's been programmed by 3 Grand Masters, and it cheats.
21. "Well, I’ve played a lot of computers and I’m pretty sure they don’t know how to cheat. That’s what makes being human so distinctly wonderful." Locke
22. Kate questions why they'd leave Mikhail there all alone, with the equipment, but Sayid says that it makes perfect sense, that Mikhail is one of them, and he's not alone.
23. Sawyer plays Hurley in ping pong, gets schooled.
24. Sayid says he noticed thick wires when he walked around the station, Mikhail says that it's the hub, they go around to other stations all over the island, Sayid asks if they go underwater, Mikhail says there's underwater beacon that emits solar pings to help guide in the vessels, submarine, Dharma Initiative used it to bring them there, hostiles have either destroyed or decommissioned it by now, Sayid says that explains how they were able to get around his position and capture the sailboat, lost it to them, killed one.
25. Mikhail wonders why they're playing a game, Sayid fights him, Kate and Locke draw their guns, Mikhail surrenders and they tie him up.
26. Sayid is being held prisoner by Sami, who brings him water, says he was a torturer in Republican Guard, he victimized his wife, Amira, arrested, harbored an enemy of the state, held for 3 months while she was questioned. Sami wants him to admit what he did, but Sayid only admits who he is, Sayid Jarrah, was in the Republican Guard, was an interrogator, but says he doesn't know Sami's wife, he can remember every face, Sami says his wife remembers, wants him to admit or he will kill him.
27. Sayid says Mikhail is not alone, the horse is still saddled, for someone much shorter. Locke says that he's checked everywhere, but Sayid reveals a trap door under a rug. From Lostpedia
28. Sami brings his wife into the room, Sayid says he didn't know her, wouldn't touch a woman, wouldn't admit to something he didn't do, bu Sami says Amira admitted to something she didn't do and he poured boiling water on her arms and hands, he beats him badly, but Sayid won't admit to torturing his wife. Amira says that's enough for today.
29. Sayid and Kate go underground, while Locke watches Mikhail, the entire place is wire with C4, Sayid finds Dharma Initiative Operations Manuals. From Lostpedia
30. Locke beats the chess game, you win, checkmate, a video begins with Dr. Marvin Candle, "Manual override complete. For pallet drop enter 24. For station uplink enter 32. For mainland communication enter 38." Locke enters 38, "The satellite dish is inoperable. Communications are down. For sonar access enter 56." Locke presses 56, "Sonar is inoperable. Has there been an incursion of this station by The Hostiles? If so, enter 77." Mikhail approaches Locke with a knife. From Lostpedia
31. Kate finds a rack of DHARMA jumpsuits, Ms. Klugh pops up from behind it and attacks Kate, Sayid stops her, Kate says it's her, she was there at the dock. Sayid asks if there's any more of them there, but Ms. Klugh is silent.
32. They bring Ms. Klugh upstairs, Locke and Mikhail have disappeared, they are now outside, where Mikhail has a gun on Locke, he wants to do a prisoner exchange.
33. Mikhail and Klugh speak to eachother in Russian. Klugh says Mikhail knows what to do, but he says they have another way out, she says they can't risk it, but he says no, she says he knows the conditions, they captured them, can't let them get into the territory, he knows what to do, it's an order, Mikhail says that there's still another way, but Klugh insists, he says to forgive him, pushes Locke and shoots her, but Sayid has his gun on Mikhail, who tells him to do it already, to finish the job, to kill him. From Lostpedia
34. Hurley beat Sawyer badly in ping pong, tells him his mom had a table in her basement, played a lot in the instu--this place he hung out at, gives him back one of his Playboy magazines, tells him that Kate's going to be okay, she's with Locke and Sayid.
35. Locke is looking at the computer again, Kate is downstairs, Sayid questions Mikhail, who admits he wasn't a member of the Dharma Initiative, but says that everything else was true. Rousseau wants to kill him, but Sayid says they're collecting whatever is useful from the house, they have a ticket to where the Others live, they can find her daughter, Jack and maybe a way home.
36. Mikhail says that he won't help them, but Sayid has a map to the barracks. From Lostpedia
37. "I didn’t say you were our ticket, did I? This is a map showing electrical and data cabling running from The Flame, here, to a place called The Barracks, here. It’s comprised of houses and dormitories, with water and power large enough to accommodate an entire community. Sounds like a place well worth visiting, don’t you think?" Sayid
38. Mikhail says Sayid will have his guard down, and he won't hesitate to kill him.
39. Sami's wife, Amira, visits Sayid with a similar cat to the one from The Flame.
40. "After my husband and I first arrived in Paris, I was afraid to ever leave our apartment. So I would stare out in the window into the alley, and I would see this cat looking for scraps. One day some children came into the alley and trapped him in a box. I watched them light firecrackers and drop them in the box. I could hear him howl from three stories above. So finally, I had a reason to leave my apartment. I rescued this cat and I brought him home. He sits with me when I read, sleeps with me, and he purrs. But, every once in a while, he will bite me or scratch me. He does this because sometimes he forgets that he is safe now. So I forgive him when he bites me, because I remember what it is like to never feel safe. And that is because of you. So today, I ask only one thing of you: I ask you now to show me the respect by acknowledging what you did to me. That it was you who questioned me, tortured me and that you remember me." Amira From Lostpedia
41. "I remember you. I remember your face. Your face has haunted me ever since I left Iraq. I am sorry. I am so sorry for what I did to you. I am sorry." Sayid
42. Amira forgives Sayid, says she'll tell her husband she was wrong, she made a mistake, that it wasn't him, that they're all capable of doing what the children did to her cat, but she won't do that, won't be that.
43. Rousseau says they should kill Mikhail, but Sayid wont kill him, Locke and Kate show up. Locke says he knows why Mikhail didn't want him to beat the game, The Flame explodes. From Lostpedia
44. "What have you done, John? That place was our one hope of communication with the outside world!" Sayid "The computer said that if there was an incursion of the station by The Hostiles, I should enter 77. So I entered 77." Locke
45. Sayid says they should leave, the explosion will attract attention, he sees the grey cat again.

Questions:

1. How did objects explode out of the hatch when it imploded?
2. How could Sayid live in Paris and not know a lick of French?
3. Why were the codes on the computer in The Flame hidden behind a chess game?
4. Was Mikhail really a member of the Dharma Initiative?
5. Why would Mikhail tell a story that was partly true?
6. Why would Sayid say the horse was saddled for someone much shorter than Mikhail?
7. Did anything happen besides an explosion when Locke entered 77?
8. Who occupied The Flame before Mikhail?

Favorites:

1. "Look, dude, all I know is the sky turned purple. After that I don’t ask questions. Just make myself a salad and move on." Hurley
2. "We’ve been walking for two days, following a compass bearing provided by the carvings on a stick!" Sayid
3. "Uh-uh. We need to do a quick prid quo first. I know I’ve been gone a while and you thought the General Store was having a “going-out-of-business” sale. But now I’m back. And I want what’s mine." Sawyer
4. "Ooh, looks like crouching tiger and hidden dragon got something good. Lay it on me." Sawyer
5. "So, you really the number one draft pick, Grimace?" Sawyer
6. "Not every nook and cranny, John." Sayid
7. "Sorry I beat you so bad, dude." Hurley "Sorry you hustled me, you mean." Sawyer
8. "Looks like that last slam didn’t cause any long-term damage to your forehead. And you got 3 points which is better than nothing." Hurley
9. "Uh uh. It’s Hurley. Or Hugo if you want." Hurley "Get bent, Hugo." Sawyer

Notes:

1. The Flame station's name foreshadows its ultimate fate.
2. This is where my severe thoughts of time looping began, with Paris and the grey cat.
3. One of my favorite bloopers is from the Season 3 DVD, perhaps my favorite ever, where Naveen Andrews exaggeratedly says, "Not every nook and cranny, John!"