LOST - Episode 21 - The Greater Good

[lenafan]

LOST ? Episode 21 ? Sayid
THE GREATER GOOD
?There are always choices.?

This week we got another peek into Sayid?s life. This time we learned how he ended up on Flight 815 of Oceanic Airways. We?ll start this time with Sayid until the end of the back-story.

Sayid is in prison clothes, hands cuffed behind his back and he is brought into an interrogation room. There he is confronted by a CIA operative, Alisa Cole, and a man representing the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), They tell Sayid that a man who was his college roommate is in Australia and they want Sayid to get involved with the group his friend, Hassan, is with. They suspect that the group has stolen three hundred pounds of C-4, a deadly plastic explosive.

Sayid refuses. He?s no spy. Cole tells him that it has been seven years since he left Iraq and they know he is looking for someone. Cole shows him a picture of Nadia. She tells him that he has been wandering over the globe looking for her. If he will do this thing for them, she?ll tell him where she is. He agrees.

In a mosque in Australia, a dozen or so men are praying. One, Hassan, thinks he has seen someone from his past, his former friend and roommate, Sayid. He has, of course. He accosts Sayid out in front of the mosque. Surprise! He invites him to his home/apartment to meet friends. When Sayid asks about Hassan?s wife, he learns she is dead, killed by a stray bullet during the war.

There, Sayid discovers a ?bug? that was planted by someone, probably the intelligence agency of the country. The boss of the insurgent group is grateful and, of course, accepts Sayid into the group. He says it was Fate that Hassan and he met in the mosque.

Later while practicing some soccer moves, Hassan tells his friend that he has been chosen to be the martyr?to be the one to die inside the car bomb. He is scared and doesn?t want to do it. Sayid relays this to the agents, but they tell him if he does not know where the C-4 is, he has to convince Hassan to be the martyr. Sayid is upset. They tell him if he does not do it, they will arrange for Nadia to be picked up and held for questioning as an enemy insurgent.

Sayid returns to see Hassan and he tells him that he lost a loved one too?Nadia. Hassan begs him to join him as a martyr and Sayid says, ?I will.?

The leader of the group comes to Hassan and says that they?re ready to do the dastardly deed. He takes the two men to a warehouse where there is a van. They put on jackets advertising a service. The leader goes. Both men are in the truck, ready to go when Sayid reveals that he is working for intelligence and that he does not want either Hassan or himself to die.

?You used me,? he cries and Hassan shoots himself, leaving Sayid in shock.

Cole gives Sayid an airline ticket to the United States with some ?walk around? money. That is where Nadia is living and working?in the city of Irvine. Sayid wants to know what will happen to Hassan?s body. The Aussie says he?ll be cremated and buried in Potter?s Field. Sayid says no, that as a Muslim, Hassan has to be buried. He shoves the ticket back into the Aussie?s hands and tells him to change the flight.

Ergo?Sayid is on Flight 815.

Sayid watches Shannon grieve for Boone and he asks, ?Is there anything I can do for you??

On the beach people are gathering about the grave where Boone is about to be buried. Sayid speaks up and tells everyone that he will remember Boone as being courageous. He was the only who tried to save the woman who drowned. Locke appears and tells them he thought Boone was a hero. He tells them it was his fault that he shouldn?t have encouraged him to climb up the plane they found. He was trying to help everyone.

Suddenly Jack rushes him, going berserk, crying, ?Where were you?? repeatedly. He is pummeling Locke and they have to drag him off the other man.

Claire is holding her baby and Charlie insists she give him the child so she can rest. She?s scared someone is going to take the baby and Charlie swears he?ll protect him. She needs to have some sleep also. Later we see Charlie carrying the baby who is screaming his lungs out. He meets Hurley and both try singing to him, but the kid will have none of it.
The only one who can keep the baby quiet is Sawyer?s voice. That was funny, but curious.

Later Locke brings Shannon Boone?s bag, which he says he hasn?t looked into at all. He apologizes to Shannon, but we can see she is not pacified by his words. She goes to find Sayid and tells him if he cares for her, he will do something. She does not specify ?what?.

Jack in the meantime is still wired. He?s not slept for two or three days. Boone?s death is weighing heavily on his mind. Kate gets him to drink some juice and as he falls back asleep, she tells him she gave him some sleeping pills. ?You drugged me?? and he falls sound asleep.

Meanwhile Sayid travels with Locke in the jungle and he ?interrogates? him. Locke understands that is what he is doing, but answers his questions honestly. He says that he had a ?charley horse? in his leg and he could not make the climb to the plane with Boone. He takes him to the spot where the plane is now resting. Sayid wants to salvage any parts he can from the radio transmitter. They find the radio as well as Sayid?s confirmation the plane was carrying heroin. Sayid doesn?t know whether he can trust him, especially since he is carrying a gun in his pocket. Locke hands it to him. He and Boone found it on one of the men from the plane.
Then Locke decides to tell Sayid another truth that it was he who hit him on the head and stole the transceiver the first week after they arrived on the island. Sayid wants to know why he would do that.

Locke answers, ?Back then you wouldn?t have engaged in a reasonable debate.?

He wants to know about the ?hatch? that Boone mentioned while dying. Locke shrugs and tells him there were two hatches on the plane, forward and aft, and he doesn?t know what Boone was referring to when he said it.

Sayid returns to the beach and confirms to Shannon that what Locke told everyone was true?that there was a plane that fell. He is also sure that Locke did not mean to harm Boone. He is sure it was an accident. Shannon is not happy and stalks away.

Michael and Walt have a conversation about the safety of the raft and about dying.

Jack awakens to discover someone has taken the key he?s been wearing around his neck. It?s the key that opens the case with the marshal?s guns. He accuses Locke, but Sayid says it was Shannon and that he know she?s going to kill Locke.

Jack, Sayid, and Kate race off into the jungle. It?s raining hard. They find Locke being held at gunpoint by Shannon who warns them off.

Sayid rushes to her, warning her not to pull the trigger. ?You can never take it back,? he cries.

She shoots as Sayid jumps her and Locke falls. She runs and Sayid, Jack, and Kate hurry to Locke, but he was only slightly grazed by the bullet. Jack is still angry even after Sayid tells him Locke was telling the truth. Kate follows Jack. She turns to Sayid saying he had no choice.

Later, Sayid catches up with Locke. Locke tells him he?s sorry. Sayid turns to Locke and says, ?Where is the hatch??


REMARKS

First, it?s my observation that the entire season had to be written in advance, or at least so well plotted out that they knew what to shoot when they were in Hawaii and when they were on stage in Burbank. I do know some of the beach scenes were shot there and then the actors acted in front of a blue screen. The production staff then combined the actors, action, and scenery.

However, some scenes were actually done in front of the rolling waves. Therefore, the writing staff had known what the episodes were going to be.

Naveen Andrews who plays Sayid was so excellent. Thump, thump goes my heart. Of course, I also have a crush on Josh Andrews who plays Sawyer.


DISCUSS

Did you guess that Locke was the one who knocked Sayid out? Why? Do you think his explanation was a good one?

Now that Shannon has tried to kill one of the survivors, do you think this is the beginning of the end and that the passengers will begin to suspect, hate, and search out ways to get rid of each other? Was the Frenchwoman right?

Just how close do you think Shannon was to Boone? Were they lovers in the true sense of the word?or was it just a one-time thing?

Why is Jack so mad at Locke? I mean, Locke explained sans the hatch. It would seem that Jack should accept the statement.

:boat: