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"He's Our You" is the tenth episode of Season 5 of Lost and the ninety-sixth produced hour of the series as a whole. It was originally broadcast on March 25, 2009. The DHARMA Initiative tries to discover the identity of Sayid Jarrah, who is a presumed member of the Hostiles.

Synopsis[]

Previously on Lost[]

  • A young Ben asks Richard if he is a Hostile, and then asks if he can join him. Richard tells him that he would have to be very, very patient. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
  • Ben convinces Sayid to shoot Mr. Avellino in order to protect his friends. ("The Economist")
  • At the airport, Jack sees Sayid, apparently handcuffed, and being accompanied by Ilana, a federal marshall. On the plane, they experience severe turbulence and are engulfed in a flash of white light. ("316")
  • On the Island, Jin finds Sayid in the tall grass surrounding the Flame. Radzinsky shows up and Jin is forced to pretend that Sayid is a Hostile and forces him to kneel at gunpoint, warning him that he will be killed if he says another word. Later at a holding cell, a polite young boy delivers a sandwich to Sayid. The boy asks Sayid if he is a Hostile to which Sayid replies, "Do you think I am?" The two exchange names and the young boy introduces himself as Ben. ("Namaste")

Flashback[]

Tikrit, Iraq[]

5x10 WillBeAMan

A young Sayid is congratulated by his father.

Sayid's father drags Sayid's older brother outside to kill a chicken, telling him that it is about time he became a man. When the brother argues, the father asserts his authority, telling him that he will remain outside until the chicken is dead. A young Sayid steps in to help after the father leaves, and without hesitation, he wrings the chicken's neck. When their father returns and discovers the chicken is dead, he congratulates the brother, who admits Sayid is the one who killed the chicken. Their father responds that he is glad at least one of them will be a man.

Moscow, Russia[]

5x10 ShootingInRussia

Sayid shoots an unarmed accomplice of Widmore.

Sayid pursues a man called Andropov into an apartment in Moscow, Russia. As Sayid trains the gun upon him, Andropov offers a bribe in exchange for his life, only to be gunned down instead. Sayid leaves the building that appears to have a sign reading 32 Oldham Pharmaceuticals in Russian. Sayid walks at a brisk clip down a street with Saint Basil's Cathedral in the background. He turns and enters through a double gate, where he meets Ben. Ben informs Sayid that he has killed the last of Widmore's people that were a danger to the Oceanic Six, and that Sayid is free to go live his life. Sayid expresses confusion that this is the end.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic[]

Ben visits Sayid

Ben visits Sayid in Santo Domingo.

Sayid is seen helping to construct a school as part of a charity called Build Our World. Ben appears to inform Sayid of Locke's death, attributing it to murder by one of Widmore's men in retribution for their activities, including Sayid's murders. Ben forewarns the danger Sayid is in, of being found as easily as Ben found him. He also apprises Sayid of a man perched outside the Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute watching Hurley for a week.

Sayid determines that Ben's true mission is to prod Sayid into killing that man. Ben reasons Sayid's capability of accomplishing things most other men can't, and how killing is in Sayid's nature. Sayid tells Ben that he is mistaken, as he does not like killing. , to which Ben says "Then I was mistaken" and walks away.

Los Angeles, CA[]

Baring

Ilana sits next to Sayid in a bar.

After leaving the marina, Sayid is drinking MacCutcheon whisky served by a bartender when he is approached by Ilana. They flirt, and end up going to a hotel room. As they kiss and she lies back on the bed, Sayid starts to take off her boot, only to receive a kick to the head. Ilana holds him at gunpoint and reveals she has been employed to take Sayid to Guam by the family of Peter Avellino, whom Sayid previously had killed for Ben.

The next day, Ilana escorts Sayid to the airport. After noticing some of the Oceanic Six (Kate, Hurley, and Jack) about to board Ajira Airways Flight 316 to Guam, he asks to be put on a different flight, but Ilana sarcastically suggests that Sayid buy a rabbit's foot, and will not yield. On the plane, Sayid sees Ben Linus board and accuses Ilana of working for him, which she denies. He describes Ben as a liar, a manipulator and a monster. When Ilana asks Sayid why anyone would work for a man like Ben, Sayid replies "I did."

On the Island[]

Sayid is in the DHARMA Initiative's jail. Young Ben brings Sayid a sandwich and a book, asks if Richard sent him, and says he will help Sayid. Sayid is later questioned by Horace Goodspeed and Radzinsky, but does not reveal anything. Juliet expresses her concern to Sawyer that their life with the DHARMA Initiative will be jeopardized because of Kate, Jack, and Hurley's return to the Island. Horace tells Sawyer of Sayid's silence, so Sawyer goes to Sayid one-on-one and tries to convince him to give a false confession of being a defector from the Island's native population, the Others, yet Sayid refuses.

5x10-oldham-tortures-sayid

A drugged Sayid reveals untold information about DHARMA stations.

During breakfast at the DHARMA cafeteria, Kate asks about Sayid's fate, to which Jack has no answer despite talking to Sawyer the night before. When she says she's going to ask Juliet about it, Hurley mentions the fact that Juliet and Sawyer are in a relationship. Kate is shocked at this, and learns that Jack knew about it.

5x10-dharma-vote-for-yes

Despite Sawyer's counter efforts, DHARMA members vote for executing Sayid.

Young Ben brings Sayid another sandwich, but finds his father, Roger, already in the room. Ben tells Roger he has brought the sandwich for him. Roger assaults Ben and forces him to admit the sandwich was actually for Sayid. Sayid is subsequently taken to Oldham, DHARMA's resident interrogation expert. When Sayid asks Sawyer about him, Sawyer regretfully tells Sayid "He's our you". Oldham gives Sayid a few drops of a drug on a sugar cube which forces him to tell the truth. Sayid reveals his knowledge of DHARMA stations: the Flame, the Pearl and the future yet-to-be-built Swan Station. This causes Radzinsky to get nervous and he asks how Sayid could possibly know how they were going to name the Swan, as they haven´t even built it yet. Sayid tells them that he had previously been on the Island for 100 days and that all the members of DHARMA Initiative are going to die. Finally, he reveals that he is from the future, which causes Oldham to exclaim that he must have given Sayid an overdose of the drug. Sayid laughs hysterically and replies, "You used just the right amount."

Juliet shows Kate around the motor pool where she will be working. Kate reveals she knows about Juliet and Sawyer because Hurley told her. Juliet says it's a relief because she didn't know how to say it without making it sound like she was telling Kate "to stay away". Both women still appear uncomfortable, but they are interrupted from further conversation by Sawyer walking by the motor pool holding a captive Sayid.

Firecar

A flaming DHARMA van crashes into a house.

That evening, several members of the DHARMA Initiative take a vote to decide whether to execute Sayid. After an impassioned speech from new mother Amy, holding newborn Ethan, about being unable to sleep, worrying about their children's fate while that man is here, they all vote in favor of execution. After the vote, Sawyer attempts to let Sayid escape one last time, but Sayid refuses again, stating he has found his purpose for returning to the Island.

5x10 ByeByeBen

A young Ben is shot by Sayid.

Later in the evening, Sawyer goes to Kate's house and asks her why she came back to the Island. Before she can answer, however, a flaming DHARMA van runs through the barracks and crashes into one of the houses. While everyone is distracted by the fire, Ben helps Sayid escape from the holding cell, and they flee into the jungle. Sayid is spotted by Jin, who drives by their location in a van. Sayid approaches Jin and tells him that Sawyer allowed his escape, but when Jin radios for confirmation, Sayid knocks him unconscious and takes his gun. Ben is impressed with Sayid's combat skill and suggests that they keep moving. While still crouched over Jin's body, Sayid quietly says "You were right about me. ... I am a killer." After a moment of reflection, he shoots Ben in the chest, and then runs off into the jungle.

Trivia[]

GeronimoJacksonCafeteria

A Geronimo Jackson poster on the wall of the DHARMA cafeteria.

  • A large map of the Barracks can be seen on a wall in the security office.
  • In Moscow when Sayid exits outside mirrored writing "Олдхэм Фармасьютикалс" can be seen above the door which is "Oldham Pharmaceuticals" transliterated into Cyrillic.
  • A Geronimo Jackson poster can be seen on the wall in the cafeteria.
  • The disc on Oldham's phonograph includes the brand name "Victor".
  • The sign at the construction site in Santo Domingo reads: "Otro Proyecto de 'Construyendo Nuestro Mundo' para servicio a la comunidad" which translates as "Another 'Building Our World' project for service to the community".
  • This is only the third time we see Sayid laughing, although he was under the effects of Oldham's drugs. The first time was in "Pilot, Part 2", when he hears Rousseau's distress signal, and the second was during the raft launching in "Exodus, Part 1".
  • This is the second time you see a dead chicken in a Kitsis-Horowitz episode of Lost. Last time was Season 3, "Tricia Tanaka Is Dead", but those were frozen chicken. (He's Our You audio commentary)
    • This is also their second Sayid episode, the first one being "The Economist".

Production notes[]

  • Greg Yaitanes returns to direct this episode, his first since "Special".
  • Though Achilles Gacis is credited in the press release for playing guy in car, he does not appear in the episode.
  • Molly McGivern appears in the episode playing Rosie, but she is uncredited.
  • The episode features young Sayid in a flashback and a young Ben on the island. This is the first time in the series that two main characters appear as children in one episode.
  • Sun only appears in stock footage. However, some of the stock footage appears to be unused or alternate takes from "This Place Is Death" and "316".
  • An audio commentary by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz for this episode is available on the Season 5 DVD.
    • In the commentary, Kitsis and Horowitz reveal that "The Radzinsky Solution" was a contender for the episode title. They also say (perhaps jokingly) that "The Sugar Cube" was an idea for the title.
  • A Lost: On Location for this episode is available on the Season 5 DVD.

Bloopers and continuity errors[]

  • After Ben is shot by Sayid, his body changes from being sprawled out to a more compacted position and back again. This is most noticeable in the position of his arms and hands. Also, the direction his head is facing changes.
  • In this episode, during the marina flashback, Ben says to Sun, "There's somebody... Somebody here in Los Angeles", while in the original scene, seen in "This Place Is Death", Ben said to Sun, "There's someone... Someone here in Los Angeles".
    • Also, in this flashback, Sayid says only to Ben, "If I see you again, it will be extremely unpleasant for us both, while in "This Place Is Death", Sayid addressed both Jack and Ben by saying, "If I see you, or him again, it will be extremely unpleasant for all of us."
    • Similarily, Kate says "This is insane. You're all crazy!" with a clear pause between the two sentences, whereas in "This Place Is Death", she said, "This is insane, you guys are crazy!" with no noticeable pause between the two sentences.
  • The chicken that Sayid kills in the beginning goes from being a very fat, well-fed chicken to an underfed chicken when it's dead.
  • In the Moscow scene, Sayid walks past Ben's car, parked on the side of the road, and then enters the gate, where Ben's car is now parked behind Ben, who is standing outside it.
    • The license plate of that car points to a nonexistent region in Russia, 158 (i.e., for Moscow valid region codes at the time were 77, 99, 97 and 177), and the numbers on the plate are flat whereas actual ones in Russia are pressed out.
  • There is no such view on Red Square where a car could be parked.
  • The food pyramid seen on the wall of the cafeteria was not created until 1992.
  • When Sayid looks at Hurley standing at the gate counter at the airport, the female ticketing agent is not Nalini as seen in "316".
  • "Oldham Pharmaceuticals" would be a very weird name for the pharmacy in Russia, it would rather be "Pharmaceutical Company of Oldham" with a very different Russian writing "Фармацевтическая Компания Олдхэма". Also, the character "э" is usually only used at the start of words. Олдхема or Олдхама would make more sense.
  • The small CCTV camera monitoring Sayid's holding cell is a modern CCD camera not available in the 1970s.
  • Before Sawyer goes into Sayid's cell the first time, an Apple Lisa can be seen behind Phil. This computer would not be on the market for another 6 years.
  • Sawyer seems to stun Sayid with an electrical stun gun, a device which was first patented 1987. [1]
  • In one of the DHARMA vans, a modern CD player with the faceplate removed is visible.

Analysis[]

Recurring themes[]


  • Sayid continues to lie about who he is, where he is from, and how he stumbled into the Barracks. (Deceptions and cons)
  • The Geronimo Jackson poster at the Barracks features the date of 15 of August (the month 8), the number 16 is written on a mushroom and the hour 23. (The Numbers)
  • Sayid says he was handcuffed, because he is a bad man.(Good and bad people)
  • Kate finds out that Juliet is with Sawyer, and the two are more or less friendly about it. (Relationships)
  • The members of the DHARMA Initiative vote to have Sayid killed. (Death)
  • Ben tells Sayid that he first met Richard 4 years ago. (The Numbers)
  • The license plate of the Russian car in front of which Ben waits for Sayid is "E 608 PC|158." (The Numbers)
  • Ben's father is abusive. (Parent issues)
  • Sawyer gives Sayid the opportunity to escape, and is willing to take a punch to reinforce this lie. (Sacrifice) (Deceptions and cons)
  • Juliet tells Kate to fix a "flat-four engine." (The Numbers)
  • Sawyer reports on the walkie-talkie that Building 15 is on fire after the flaming DHARMA van plows into it. (The Numbers)
  • Sayid says he is from the future. (Time)
  • Sayid kills a chicken as a child. (Animals)  (Death)
  • Sayid is held prisoner by the DHARMA Initiative. (Imprisonment)
  • Ben lies to Sayid about the details of Locke's death. (Deceptions and cons)
  • Ben does kind things for the prisoner and helps him escape, much the same way his adoptive daughter Alex did. (Imprisonment)
  • Sawyer calls the world visible through the window of his Barracks house "the TV", Horace Goodspeed "H" and Radzinsky "Stu". (Nicknames)
  • When Sayid says he's superstitious about flying, Ilana sarcastically offers to get him a rabbit's foot. (Animals)
  • Ben tells Sayid that he can't help being a killer and torturer because that's his nature. Sayid denies this, saying he doesn't like to kill. Before he shoots young Ben Linus, he tells him he was right. (Fate versus free will)
  • Sayid shoots the young Benjamin Linus in an attempt to prevent the future. (Fate versus free will)  (Time)
  • Sawyer asks "Why are we on your clock, Radzinsky?" (Time)
  • Ilana pretends to want to have sex with Sayid, then handcuffs him and tries to take him to Guam for murdering a man. (Deceptions and cons) (Imprisonment)
  • The number 8 can be seen by the car where Ben is, when Sayid is looking for him in the park. (The Numbers)
  • Sayid says the Swan was built to study electromagnetism. (Electromagnetism)
  • Ben tells Sayid that Locke was murdered as "retribution" for the work they've been doing. (Deceptions and cons)  (Revenge)


Cultural references[]

  • A Separate Reality: Ben gives this book to Sayid to read. Written by Carlos Castaneda in 1971, this allegedly non-fictional book is about a man's experience working with a self-proclaimed sorcerer (Don Juan Matus). The authenticity of the book, along with the rest of Castaneda's series, has been a topic of debate since they were published. Part of the story is about the effects of plants that caused mind alterations - like mushrooms - that help people "see." In the book Don Juan talks of 'allies' who can appear in any form and of one, in particular, he calls 'little smoke'. The copy seen in the episode is the Pocket Books edition first published October 1972. (Literary works) (Religion and ideologies)
  • "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby": Oldham is playing this Billie Holiday recording on his phonograph in front of his teepee. The song was published in 1928 and the music was written by Jimmy McHugh, the lyrics by Dorothy Fields. According to the Jazz Standards website, the song was originally written as "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Lindy" in honor of Charles Lindbergh for the Broadway revue Harry Delmar's Revels (1927), but was dropped from that show. (Music)
  • Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: The Geronimo Jackson poster on the wall in the cafeteria features Alice, the White Rabbit and the 'hookah-smoking caterpillar' on a toadstool. (Literary works)
  • Tibetan Buddhism: A prayer flag can be seen at Oldham's camp. On such a flag, each color represents a different element (sky, air, fire, water, earth), and those colors are arranged in very specific patterns. Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown by the wind to spread the goodwill and compassion into all pervading space. Therefore, prayer flags are thought to bring benefit to all. (Religion and ideologies)

Literary techniques[]

  • As of this episode, the show returns to its standard flashback/main story formula for the first time since Season 4. Previous Season 5 episodes had featured small establishing flashbacks in the first few minutes, broke from the traditional narrative, or in some cases no flashback at all. (Flashbacks)
  • This is the first of a series of five episodes to feature flashbacks to events that, chronologically haven't happened yet (though they have already happened in the character's personal timeline), and the only episode in the series as a whole to feature both flashbacks to events that have happened chronologically (Sayid's childhood flashback) and to events that are yet to happen (Sayid's post-rescue flashbacks). The other episodes to feature flashback from events that are yet to happen are "Whatever Happened, Happened", "Some Like It Hoth", "The Variable" and "The Incident, Parts 1 & 2". (Flashbacks)
  • Sayid kills Andropov in a building with a questionable representation of the words, "Oldham Pharmaceuticals" in Russian on its exterior in Moscow. On the Island, Oldham forces Sayid to eat a sugar cube laced with drugs so he'll tell him the truth. (Foreshadowing)
  • Ben tells Sayid that he is a killer and Sayid eventually shoots young Ben after contemplating his earlier remarks. (Foreshadowing)
  • After the murder of Andropov, Ben tells Sayid "You are free". Immediately after, we see Sayid behind bars in 1977. (Juxtaposition)
  • Sayid tells Oldham the truth about all he knows about the Island, but Oldham doesn't believe him. (Irony)
  • Roger will have to clean up the chicken salad sandwich he threw on the ground. (Irony)
  • Sayid probably would have been dismissed as insane had he not mentioned the unnamed and incomplete Swan by name and function. (Irony)
  • Sawyer describes young Ben as a "sweet kid." (Irony)
  • Amy is concerned about the safety of the children of DHARMA, including Ben, who is ultimately responsible for the demise of DHARMA and death of her husband. (Irony)
  • Hurley was put in charge to manage the Swan's food supply. Now he works as a chef for the DHARMA Initiative. (Irony)
  • Ben serves Sayid a chicken salad sandwich after we see a young Sayid kill a chicken. (Irony)
  • Sawyer asks "Why are we on your clock, Radzinsky?". Radzinsky is working on a station whose purpose will be to push a button every 108 minutes, essentially on Radzinsky's clock. (Foreshadowing)
  • The episode ends with Sayid shooting a young Ben Linus, possibly changing the future, and leaving his fate unknown. (Plot twist)  (Cliffhanger)


Storyline analysis[]


Episode connections[]

Episode references[]

Episode allusions[]


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