1.09 - Solitary

Title’s significance: The title nominally refers to Nadia’s time in solitary confinement, but the case could be made that many characters – Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Sayid, Rousseau, etc. – are on their own, in their own kind of solitary confinement.

Recap: Flashbacks reveal that, while in the Republican Guard, Sayid helped his childhood sweetheart Nadia escape custody rather than torture and execute her, but he promises to reunite with her. While on his island tour, Sayid finds a cable buried in the sand and follows it until he’s caught by Rousseau, the Frenchwoman from the distress call, who’s looking for someone named Alex. With tensions still running high, Hurley looks for a way to cut back and relax, so he develops a golf course for the survivors. We meet Ethan, another survivor from the crash, who brings Hurley a briefcase filled with cool stuff. In Rousseau’s shack, she asks Sayid where Alex is (he doesn’t know) and demands he fix her music box; she explains that she came to the island on a science expedition but that all of her teammates are dead, killed by a disease that “The Others” carried. Jack wins the Island Open in spite of Sawyer’s bet against him, while Locke teaches Walt how to throw a knife. Sayid learns that she killed all her team, Rousseau reveals that Alex is her child, and Sayid hears the whispers in the jungle.

Thoughts: A lot of interesting mythology gets added this episode, but Sayid’s backstory is less than compelling (the writers seem to know this based on how little screen time it gets); I’m much more interested in his present at this point than his past. But the episode has some great moments of levity, especially Hurley’s golf course.

Favorite moment: Hurley built a golf course. ’Nuff said. (This beats Shannon in her new bikini by a long shot – no pun intended.)

Characters introduced (in order):

• SULLIVAN, island hypochondriac
• DANIELLE ROUSSEAU, the crazy Frenchwoman from the distress call, now living nomadically in the jungle
• OMAR, Sayid’s superior in Iraq
• NADIA, Sayid’s romantic interest back home
• ETHAN, another survivor with hunting experience

What we learned:

• There’s some kind of a cable that goes from the ocean into the jungle.
• The girl from the photograph is Nadia, Sayid’s love interest in Iraq
• Sayid claims that Nadia is dead because of him, but we learn that he helped her escape.
• Michael balanced his work in construction with being an artist.
• There’s an Island Open sponsored by Hurley.
• Rousseau came to the island as part of a science expedition.
• Rousseau claims there are no “monsters” on the island.
• “You will find me in the next life, if not in this one” is written on the back of Nadia’s photograph.

Questions:

• What’s the cable for?
• Where is Alex?
• What does Rousseau think Sayid is?
• What happened to Nadia?
• Are there other people on the island?
• What is the source of the mysterious whispers?
• What is The Black Rock?
• If there are no monsters on the island, what killed the pilot?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• Rousseau’s presence, as well as the introduction of Ethan, sets up the important plot point that the 815ers aren’t the first ones – or the only ones – on the island. Just how far back island inhabitation goes, though, is still anyone’s guess.
• Are we going to see the golf course again?
• The whispers, as well as Rousseau’s remarks about the monster and The Others, are a central mystery on this show. How will all of this play into Season Six?