5.10 - He's Our You

Title’s significance: Sawyer compares Oldham to Sayid by saying, “He’s our you.”

Recap: In flashbacks, Sayid kills a chicken, kills the last name on Ben’s list, plays charity worker until Ben asks him to return to the island, and drinks MacCutcheon with Ilana before she apprehends him in Peter Avellino’s name. Young Ben promises to free Sayid, but Sayid won’t talk. Horace tells Sawyer that they’ll have to use Oldham, a crazy interrogator who lives out in the jungle, but Sawyer tries to stage a confession. Dharma Chef Hurley (variant action figure) brings Jack and Kate breakfast and reveals that Sawyer and Juliet are an item. Roger Linus and Sayid exchange barbs, and Sayid sees firsthand how awful Ben’s dad was. Sawyer can’t stall any longer, so Horace brings Sayid to Oldham, who drugs Sayid in pursuit of the truth. But Sayid’s story – that he was on two planes that crashed and that he’s been time-traveling – is too farfetched for the Dharma folk, who believe he’s fooled their drugs. Dharma votes to kill Sayid, who tells Sawyer he has a “purpose,” but young Ben stages a rescue to free Sayid. The escape is almost thwarted by Jin, but Sayid knocks him out and shoots young Ben right in the chest.

Thoughts: It’s been a while since we saw an old-school flashback, but the show’s evolved so far past the flashback era that it almost feels like a waste of time – except for the bits about Ilana, which we know ultimately to be a giant colossal red herring. The rest of the episode is pretty good, slightly mysterious, and ending on a terrific cliffhanger. One thing that bugs me, though, is that Oldham is this season’s Isabel – intriguing with hints of a larger importance, but ultimately fading away.

Favorite moment: I love William Sanderson, so it’s great seeing him as this crazy old bat living out in the middle of nowhere.

Characters introduced (in order):

• OLDHAM, psychedelic Dharma interrogator

What we learned:

• The names on Ben’s list were accomplices of Charles Widmore.
• Nobody likes Radzinsky.
• Ilana was apparently hired by the family of Peter Avellino to capture Sayid.

Questions:

• Why does Oldham live all the way out in the jungle?
• Why does The Dharma Institute need someone like Oldham?
• If whatever happened, happened, what ramifications will Sayid shooting Ben have?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• Ilana clearly has a purpose for getting on Flight 316, and we can assume it has something to do with Jacob’s instructions to her in the finale flashback. Why does Jacob need Sayid on the island?