Tuesday, July 3, 2018

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, episode 9, Solitary

Solitary 
"No one calls her Noor,"

Events: Following a cable in the sand, Sayid treks into the jungle alone to investigate unexplored regions of the island. He is snared in a trap and tortured by the French woman, Rousseau. After transporting Sayid to her hideout she asks several times, "Where is Alex?" in multiple languages. Sayid assumes Alex is a man but knows nothing of Alex's whereabouts or who he is. Eventually Rousseau, whose first name is Danielle, explains she was part of a science team that came to the island from Tahiti but that now she is the only one left alive. She admits to recording her distress signal sixteen years ago but seems surprised to hear so much time has passed. They discuss Nadia, someone Sayid cared about but lost; through flashbacks we see that Sayid was meant to torture Nadia while serving in the Iraqi Republican Guard but allowed her to escape, instead. The photo he carries is all he has left of her just as an old music box is all Danielle has left of Robert, her former partner and team member. She gives vague answers when Sayid asks about others in the jungle yet she seems to respond with confidence to a sudden roaring outside her lair ("If we're lucky, it's one of the bears.") After Sayid escapes he asks about Alex; Danielle explains Alex was her child.

"What did you bring me?"
In other island events, Hurley, in the interest of boosting morale, builds a golf course.

Greater Meaning: Sayid is off on his own in the midst of a hostile environment just as Danielle Rousseau has been for the last sixteen years. Sayid's flashbacks show he was a competent soldier and well-respected by his superiors, but that he jeopardized his own career (and life) by shooting an officer and allowing Nadia to escape. He obviously loved her. Sayid explains that Nadia died regardless, just as Danielle lost Robert, but in the current situation, Sayid has chosen to leave the community and go it alone whereas Danielle did not get a choice in the matter (according to her distress signal, something, which we can only assume is the island's "monster" killed the members of her team). Sayid either wants to keep exploring the island or wishes to return to the rest of the survivors, which Danielle allows him to do, but overall her actions suggest the solitude has not been good for her and though she's not officially an enemy, she still seems a bit suspect. Rousseau seems to have adapted fully to the island and its dangers (bears, the monster, "others" who whisper) but has not been fully embraced by them and is not immune, despite her years of experience. She seems to know more than she's letting on and Sayid is aware of this.

"Have you seen others on this island?"
"No, but I've heard them. Whispering."















Further Questions: 

1. What is the cable in the sand?


2. Who is Ethan, apparently skilled in hunting?

3. What is "The Black Rock?"

4. Who are the whispering "others?"

5. Can Rousseau be trusted?

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