LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, Episode 17, Lockdown

On-Island Events: Henry Gale continues to try to play Locke against Jack; Locke becomes angry. Later Locke hears static coming through one of the speakers inside the hatch and after a countdown, several blast doors come down, keeping Locke inside the kitchen area of the hatch and away from the computer. Locke manages to wedge a crowbar under one of the blast doors but asks for Henry's help in trying to open the door further. Henry agrees to help but asks for Locke's protection moving forward; Locke gives Henry his word. Locke and Henry manage to prop the door open and Locke attempts to slide under but the door injures him, pinning his legs. 

The computer countdown needs to be reset, so Locke coaches Henry in how to get to the computer and enter the numbers. Henry suffers a fall but eventually makes it into the computer room. The alarm for the countdown begins to sound, worrying Locke, but suddenly a black light switches on, illuminating pink and yellow florescent drawings on the blast door. The drawings appear to be a map with stations surrounding a central question mark. The black lights switch off, the blast doors rise, and after crawling into the computer room, Locke sees that the numbers have been reset. Henry helps Locke to his feet; Locke thanks him for not leaving. 

Jack and Kate follow a flashing light into the jungle, where a parachute of food and supplies have been dropped. Sayid, Ana Lucia, and Charlie return. They all meet at the hatch, where Jack is immediately confrontational with Henry. Sayid explains they found the grave and the balloon as intended but still believing Henry's story to be a lie, they dug up the grave. Inside it was a man's body along with a driver's license of the real Henry Gale. 

Flashbacks: Locke hides a diamond ring from Helen as he prepares for a picnic; Helen reads in a newspaper that Anthony Cooper has died. Locke and Helen attend Cooper's funeral and observe two strangers in the cemetery; Locke whispers to Cooper's coffin, "I forgive you." 

Locke inspects a house for a woman that looks like Sayid's former love Nadia and is surprised to find his supposedly dead father parked down the block, watching him. Locke confronts Cooper about having stolen his kidney; Cooper in unapologetic but offers Locke 200k to get money out of a deposit box for him. Locke gets the cash but runs into the two men from the cemetery again, who suspect Cooper may not be dead. Locke convinces the two men he hasn't interacted with his father; they search his bag and then leave. Locke delivers the money to Cooper but Helen has followed him. In desperation Locke proposes but Helen shakes her head and drives away.

Greater Meaning: The flashback shows us Locke, seemingly happy in his life, getting wrapped up in a situation that ultimately changes his life. We know from previous flashbacks that Locke paid someone to pretend to be Helen during their phone conversations just before his flight on Oceanic 815, so we can safely assume that their relationship indeed ended after this last issue once again involving deception in regard to Anthony Cooper (although this deceit felt more like a money grab than an emotional yearning to connect or punish). 

Similarly, the lockdown thrust Locke into a situation that he couldn't have anticipated or controlled, which directly involved "Henry Gale," who we now know had been manipulating the survivors all along. If Henry Gale is an "other," Locke was the one most fooled by him just as Locke continued to be fooled by his father despite knowing his devious nature. "Henry" saved Locke's legs by putting weights under the descending blast door, and entered the numbers into the computer as instructed, but what if he hadn't? Locke has suffered injury to his legs before on the island, during the time he and Boone sought out the Nigerian airplane, and Boone's death immediately followed (along with the revelation of Desmond's light inside the hatch). Given Locke's unique ability to have full use of his legs since having crashed onto the island, one wonders about the significance of now two such threats to them, now. 

Further Questions: 

1. Who is "Henry Gale?" 

2. Did Helen leave Locke for good?

3. Does Locke ever see his father again?

4. What reason would "Henry" have to turn Locke and Jack against each other?

5. What is the question mark in the center of the island?

6. Who painted the map?

7. Are there more hatches? 

8. What will they do with "Henry" now?

9. Was the woman whose house Locke inspected Nadia?

Rupert Friend Double Feature

The forgotten Netflix disks from the 2010s continue to arrive. Clearly I was on a kick. And for the record, I would watch Rupert Friend in anything. 

The Young Victoria 2009.

d.  Jean-Marc Vallée, written by Julian Fellowes

Starring: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany

Summary: "A dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert," (IMDB).

This was a chill, wholesome, Jimmy Carter-calibre story of leadership. I'd say most Americans could use something like this for a palate cleanser, as in, look, see? AREN'T THESE NICE, SMART PEOPLE? Aren't their problems and hiccups just sort of . . . CHARMING? There's something gratifying about Victoria (Emily Blunt) assuming the crown, marrying someone she loved, and then going on to have nine children with relatively little drama. The bumps in the road seemed to stem from men's desire to control the crown (we fans of The Crown are well-versed in this, girl ruler = ignorant, gullible + needs a man to manage for her) but Victoria handles her adversaries quite skillfully despite her youth and inexperience. Everything looks gorgeous, a ton of Game of Thrones and Harry Potter alum are scattered throughout (also hi there Vision!), and bonus for Prince Albert grinding those Schubert piano pieces! I think this may have been one of my favorite period pieces about royals, ever. 

Rupert Friend as Prince Albert was a soothing balm to my soul. Lovely appearance, a bit of that brooding but stifled romantic vibe we came to love from Quinn in Homeland, and German accent very nicely done. I loved the understated almost shy chemistry between Friend and Blunt; how refreshing to see an actually functional relationship between two intelligent people in power. Too little, too late, I realize, but has Prince Charles seen this? Someone should give him notes. 

Hitman: Agent 47, 2015. 

d. Aleksander Bach, written by: Skip Woods (story and screenplay, based on video game by Morton Iverson and Peter Gjellerup Koch). 

Starring: Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware, Zachary Quinto, Ciarán Hinds

Summary: "An assassin teams up with a woman to help her find her father and uncover the mysteries of her ancestry," (IMDB). 

Apparently people didn't like this film. I don't know what everyone's problem is, I had a great time. It's not your everyday action film, the stars are largely lesser known, some of the dialogs are a little blunt and clunky, and the premise does seem a little far-fetched when you think about it, but don't think about it! Just relax and enjoy the ride! You get some nice fight choreography, different international locations, energetic music, and clever evasive maneuvers and strategies. This is something I might have found back in the day on a cable station and been unable to turn off. Will the experience be made better under the influence of a substance or several drinks? Very likely, yes, but being as I'm judge-sober these days, I had a perfectly decent experience without. What did I like best about it? Colors. Conspiracy walls. Stern characters. An elevated kind of knowing that stood in for traditional "super powers." Rupert Friend as a villain. 

I thought the little twists in the plot were good ones that matched the overall vibe of the characters, and the chases, fights, and environments were visually appealing enough to keep me engaged. This is not a film where the characters banter cleverly with each other or use humor really at all, but it's a straight-forward, solve-the-problem technological action thriller. I think if you're patient with it, it's a good enough film. 

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, Episode 16, The Whole Truth

On-Island Events: Sun and Jin argue about safety; Jin overreacts and ruins Sun's garden. Later, Bernard and Rose find Sun feeling unwell and Sun eventually asks Sawyer for a pregnancy test. Locke discloses the Henry Gale situation to Ana Lucia, who meets with Henry in the armory. Ana Lucia suggests Henry draw her a map to the balloon where he crashed onto the island. 

Ana Lucia privately goes to Sayid to ask for his help; Henry indeed drew a map on the back of the Dostoevsky novel Locke gave to him. The two plus Charlie set out to find the balloon. Sun's pregnancy test is positive; she shares the news with Kate and Jack but does not want to tell Jin. 

Sayid, Ana Lucia, and Charlie find the area illustrated in Henry's map but do not find a balloon. Sawyer congratulates Jin on the beach, calling him, "Daddy-O," but Jin does not understand what he means. Jin returns to Sun's ruined garden and mends it. Sun finds him there, the two discuss their relationship, and Sun reveals she is pregnant. Jin, overjoyed to hear the news, decides the baby is a miracle.

Jack allows Henry out of the armory to eat breakfast; he informs Locke and Jack about the map he drew for Ana Lucia. Henry suggests that were he one of the others, his map would lead to an ambush.

Flashbacks: Sun and Jin struggle with infertility and argue about what to do. Sun meets the man she initially went on a match date with for English lessons behind Jin's back. In meeting with a specialist, Sun and Jin learn that their chances at conception are very slim. Jin does not handle the news well and storms out of the doctor's office. Later, Sun confesses to her English tutor that she plans to leave Jin and move to America. Sun runs into her doctor on the street, who tells her it is Jin, not Sun, that has the fertility problem. 

Greater Meaning: Sun and Jin's relationship has suffered its ups and downs, but this episode shows us they still have a long way to go, despite the good news of Sun's pregnancy. In trying to protect Sun from the others, Jin resumes his earlier methods of harsh words, physical aggression, and general dominance, going so far as to ruin Sun's garden when she resists his demands. We are reminded through flashbacks that Jin's need to control and protect stemmed from his violent work for Mr. Paik, but his actions on the island are differently influenced. Jin, after all, is the only person on the island who is not a fluent English-speaker. Sun is the only one who can understand and communicate with him; Jin's own value relies on his relationship with his wife, much as his status back home was tied to his role within Paik's organization. Jin's ability to catch fish and his physical power are useful skills, but Jin is still marginalized within the group by the language divide. Despite this, his new role as a father elevates him somewhat as a survivor and a man: he may not be able to fully communicate, but he successfully impregnated his wife, something he was not able to do before crashing onto the island. The episode's title and Sun's interactions with her English tutor suggest that we still may not be fully aware of everything, at least, not yet.

Further Questions: 

1. Did Sun have an affair with her tutor and lie about it?

2. Will Rousseau/others come for Sun's baby too?

3. Is the baby Jin's? If so, how did his fertility return?

4. Is Henry Gale conning Locke and Jack?

5. Do Sayid, Ana Lucia, and Charlie find the balloon?

All My Vampers

Ever since I heard True Blood's Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer) first pronounce the word vampire, "VAMPER" I have adopted it as my preferred way of saying it. I have to remind myself to actually say vampire when it comes up outside my own home, which is a lot more often than I thought it would be. This is not unlike Mark Borchardt stubbornly calling his film Covin,  COE-VIN, which I also do. 

Salem's Lot, 2004 d. Mikael Salomon

Written by: Stephen King (novel); Peter Filardi (teleplay)

Starring: Rob Lowe, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Samantha Mathis, Andre Braugher

Does a Stephen King adaptation even need a summary? Bodies start piling up as a mysterious newcomer stalks a small North Eastern town. And as always, there's a writer.

This somehow made it onto my Netflix disk queue and was delivered the week after I finished rewatching The Twilight Saga. Someone, somewhere must have recommended it to me, although I think my Netflix queue still has stuff on it from 2010 that is just now coming up. 

I don't really have a ton to say about it; even though it's a 2004 production, the vibe is very much cheesy 80s film that you don't get too mad about or invested in. There are very good parts: the casting was interesting, the timeframe was updated from the seventies to (then) modern times, and Donald Sutherland as bad guy Striker seemed to really have fun with this role (the scene of him giddy and scampering up the stairs after a victim made me laugh, a lot).  There are also bad parts: the writing of the relationship between Dr. Jimmy and Sandy was cringe-worthy, the Ben Mears voiceover was mostly lame, and I keep waiting for someone to put the knives-under-the-vanishing-stairway bit from the book into a film adaptation (this didn't), but overall I still enjoyed the experience. This is exactly the kind of film we would watch for our Tuesday group and either spend the whole time overanalyzing or laughing at everything. I actually really dug the ending. My husband had the idea for Ben Mears (your favorite and mine, Rob Lowe) to shout out "Let's Rock," in conversational tone every time they went to kill a new vampire. Yes, everything Rob Lowe does must be related back to St. Elmo's Fire, forever. 

In terms of the vampire genre, I think True Blood might have ruined me a little when it comes to fangs. The retractable (kind of sexual) obviousness of all the Bon Temps Vampers' fangs springing out left and right made me realize that fangs are important. I'm not saying they need to be that clicky or anything but good fang work must be written into the special effects budget. Otherwise the killings are basically zombies who bite necks, why even bother with it? 

The fang work in this film was adequate (Rutger Hauer wore them beautifully), just like the fangs in The Lost Boys were good if a little thick, but I go back to one of my favorites again and again for both fangs AND creepy claw nails, and that's the original Fright Night. Chris Sarandon as Jerry Dandridge is one of my favorite vampires,ever---attractive and creepy. Enough time has passed for me to try the remake starring Colin Farrell again, which I don't particularly remember digging too much, so maybe look for that this fall when I get into the horror lists properly. 

Cameron (Obnoxious and Anonymous) and I discussed the Twilight Saga a few days ago, and obviously, the attractive aesthetic is alive and well with these vampires with added sparkle and eye-change features, but seriously, had there been a little more attention devoted to fangs, I think it would have elevated the vampires, specifically their fight scenes, to the next level. 

Though I realize I'm missing the Wheadon series (I know, I'm getting to them), I decided to list my favorite vampire experiences in film, television, and books below. Tell me what you think I should do next! 

1. Fright Night (1985 film)

2. I Am Legend (book by Richard Matheson)

3. Dracula (book by Bram Stoker)

4. The Lost Boys (1987 film)

5. Dracula (1992 film)

6. Nosferatu (1922 film)

7. True Blood (television series) 

8. Fevre Dream (book by George RR Martin)

9. The Passage Triology (books by Justin Cronin)

10. I Am Legend (2007 film)

11. The Twilight Saga 

12. The Southern Vampire Mysteries (The Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris)

13. From Dusk Til Dawn (1996 film)

14. "The Reluctant Vampire" (Tales from the Crypt Episode)

In the meantime, if you're down for a nice long chat about The Twilight Saga, check out our discussion (I think I only slip and say "Vamper" once!").

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, Episode 15, Maternity Leave

On-Island Events: Claire goes to Locke in the middle of the night because she believes Aaron is sick; Locke offers to fetch Jack from the hatch for help. Rousseau shows up before Jack can reach Claire and insists the baby is "infected." Claire is confused but suddenly remembers images of a baby's nursery, a large needle, and her own screaming. When Claire suggests to Jack that the baby might have an infection, Jack insists there is no infection and that Aaron simply has a fever and rash. 

Claire consults Libby, a clinical psychologist, to help her remember what happened when Ethan kidnapped her. Libby agrees, and Claire begins to remember while under an altered state of consciousness. She sees herself in a medical setting with Ethan, who gave her a shot for the baby. Claire is agitated when she comes out of the altered state and demands Kate help her find the medical station where she believes there is medicine that will help Aaron. 

Claire has another vision of Ethan, again giving her a shot and then leading her through a bunker to a nursery, which he says is for her baby. She asked several questions but Ethan claimed everything would be too overwhelming for her to understand. Claire studied an airplane mobile above the crib which plays the song, "Catch a Falling Star," while Ethan spoke with an unknown man outside the nursery. Common in all of Claire's visions was also a brunette teenage girl who implored, "You gotta go!" each time. Claire comes out of the memory and decides to leave Aaron with Sun so she, Kate, and Rousseau can find the medical station. 

On the way through the jungle, Claire sees an old stump and has more visions of Ethan. Ethan told Claire he would miss her when she went back, but that there was only enough vaccine for the one. Claire agreed, also stating that she would trust Ethan's people to raise her son.

Claire eventually finds the medical station and goes inside; the nursery has been cleaned out. Kate finds lockers with costumes, a fake beard, and other props. Claire has a vision of the teenage girl again, who insisted she needed to leave, stating Ethan would take the baby by cutting it out of her. Claire fought the girl but was then drug out to the forest. Claire called out for Ethan but remembered encountering Rousseau instead, who dragged her back to camp. When she comes out of the memory Claire finds that no vaccines remain in the medical station; Rousseau admits she did not find what she was looking for, either. Claire realizes Rousseau's daughter, Alexandra, must have been the one who saved her.

After his condition improves, Claire confesses to Aaron that she was going to give him up, but that she knows now that they were meant to be together. Locke brings Henry a bowl of cereal inside the armory and the two chat about Hemingway and Dostoevsky. 

Greater Meaning: Instead of flashbacks which focus on Claire's life before crashing onto the island, we get flashbacks from her time as Ethan's prisoner. In every case before this, the flashbacks have served a few purposes within the narrative: 1. general background on the character; 2. specific background in terms of mistakes, shortcomings, or trouble with relationships; and now, 3. connections between characters known or unknown before the crash of Oceanic 815. Claire's flashbacks of being held captive by Ethan don't really give us any additional information about her, other than showing that she was likely drugged during her captivity, and through conversations with Ethan implied that she still planned to give Aaron up--- but to whom? 

Ethan was shown in scrubs and medical face coverings with several other people in the flashback where the brunette tried to free Claire. Who were these others? The costumes in the locker seem confusing at first . . . why would there be beards and dingy clothing in a medical station? The man speaking with Ethan outside the nursery has a familiar voice and appearance, but has not been named or referred to, yet. Admonishing Ethan for his handling of Claire's situation, the man brings up the words "him," and "list." Back when Ana Lucia, Bernard, Mr. Eko, and Libby were on the other side of the island, Goodwin and his people used lists to determine which survivors to take. We already know Ethan is an "other." To whom is he reporting back? Is it the same person who means to claim Claire's baby?

Rousseau becomes important in this light; if her baby was stolen and kept by the others, what's the reason? They've taken Alex, now a teenager, the two children from the tail section, attempted to take Aaron while Claire was still pregnant, and Walt. Why do they want the children? Is Claire doomed to eventually suffer the same fate as Rousseau? Is there another connection, besides Ethan, that we're missing in all this?

Further Questions: 

1. Was Aaron infected with something?

2. Did Ethan purposely infect Claire with something?

3. Is Alexandra the girl who helped Claire escape?

4. What are the props in the locker room for?

5. Is Henry Gale purposely trying to turn Locke against Jack?

6. Who is in charge of the Others?

Memories of My Favorite Batman

 I'm a pretty easy audience because I don't think I've ever met a Batman I didn't like. And for the record, Burton's vehicles are the best! Batmobile sleek and long; Joker's cars for his team pink bodies with green tops and CHRISTMAS LIGHTS IN THE BACK WINDOWS! 

Batman, 1989 d. Tim Burton

written by Bob Kane (Batman Characters) and Sam Hamm (Story and Screenplay)

Starring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Jack Palance, Billy Dee Williams, Pat Hingle, Robert Wuhl

Summary: "The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker," (IMDB)

There's a lot of background for this "review." It was the summer of 1989, I was thirteen, and this film was everywhere. We started seeing ads, were treated to Prince's "Batdance" on MTV and the radio, and soon, the merchandise arrived, even in our tiny town! Bat cards. Bat earrings. Black T-shirts with the golden bat emblem. Because the theater was thirty miles away, we had to carefully coordinate how and when we would get to see the film, not only because of the distance and needing to be driven, but because the showings were sold out for weeks on end. In the meantime, we took solace in watching the old sixties show with Adam West and Burt Ward on cable. 

As I had been too young for Star Wars in the theater, Tim Burton's Batman would be my first blockbuster experience and I was intent on milking the event to the absolute maximum. I got the shirt; my BFF Erica got dangly bat earrings. We both stalked Food N' Fuel daily with my 9-year-old brother to collect the entire series of Bat Cards. We taped Batdance both from MTV and the radio. I remember walking mornings over to the kids I was babysitting and anticipating the entire time during the swim lessons and playtime at the park for their eventual afternoon naptime when I'd get to see Prince and the half-bat, half-joker getup in front of that epic synthesizer setup (I had no idea what "lemme stick the 7-inch in the computer," meant then, but assumed it was something naughty). I remember the week I finally got to go to the film in Willmar, Minnesota so fully I can picture how the sky looked, how the temperature was in the high eighties, and how I wore my hair (bangs, big, courtesy of Rave, non-aerosol, level 4).

It was a case of piecing together scenes from the cards, at first anyway, since I had them all and looked at them often enough to have memorized the images and the titles from scenes in the film (i.e., "Eckhardt, Think About the Future" or "No Deals, Grissom!") But the cards were tiny and didn't come with music so seeing it all on a theater screen was better than I ever could have imagined. It was the first film experience I remember where I wasn't even halfway through it and I found myself wishing it would never end. If I had been able to turn around and watch it a second time directly after the first, I would have. 

The aesthetics and the music were most impressive to me, even at thirteen. I didn't yet recognize the goth, shadowy Burton-esque environments or the preoccupation with machinery but I was blown away by the way loud colors stood in for the Joker's evil with greens, purples, and oranges and how darkness was actually linked to goodness. I wasn't familiar with any of composer Danny Elfman's other scores yet, but I loved the contrast between the heroic Batman theme and the sort of bumbling orchestral descents given to the Joker's antics, dotted with Prince's music on streets and in the museum. I knew who Michael Keaton was, I knew who Jack Nicholson was, and I loved them both every minute they were on screen. Kim Basinger was new, but I loved her, too, and modeled my hair (poorly) after her as Vicky for years after this, tiny braid and all. Everyone was so iconic. It was all so exciting!

I came out of that theater into the hot sun and wondered how I could take the feelings I had just experienced during that film and turn them into something, some kind of involvement, or project. Something that I could preserve and love and revisit that could last my entire life. 

We watched Burton's Batman as a family a few nights ago. I tried to explain how meaningful the film was to my kids in an abbreviated version of what I've just written, above, and my teenage daughter interrupted about halfway through--- "Are you seriously CRYING OVER BATMAN?" 

(yes, I was). 

My best friend Erica had this poster hanging in her room for years. 
(LOVE THAT JOKER!)

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, episode 14, One of Them

On-island Events: Ana Lucia leads Sayid to Rousseau, who has returned to the survivors' camp looking for Sayid. She leads them deep into the jungle where a man has been caught in one of Rousseau's net traps. Sayid frees the man, who says he's Henry Gale from Minnesota but when the man tries to flee, Rousseau shoots him with an arrow, injuring him.  "He's one of them," she warns. 

Sayid brings Henry to the hatch, where Locke is sleeping. Henry explains he crash-landed onto the island on an air balloon and that his wife, who was with him, got sick and died. Jack arrives at the hatch and is angry that Sayid and Locke have allowed the man to suffer. While Jack tends to Henry's injury, Sayid suggests Locke change the combination to the weapons room in the hatch, suggesting Jack will not approve of Sayid's methods in obtaining information from Henry. When the men move Henry into the armory, Sayid locks Locke and Jack out.

Sayid questions Henry, who asks Sayid details about himself. Sayid replies only, "My name is Sayid Jarrah and I am a torturer." Henry reveals details about his air balloon, his wife, and his occupation, but Sayid is unsatisfied and becomes upset in remembering Shannon's death. While Sayid beats Henry inside the armory, Jack and Locke fight over pushing the button, which needs immediate attention. Jack prevents Locke from going to the computer and forces him to open the armory door, where he pulls Sayid away from Henry. Locke rushes to the computer and enters the numbers partially as the countdown clock reaches zero. Locke stands frozen as the clock's cells suddenly switch from zeroes to black and red hieroglyphics but enters the complete series quickly, sending the count back to 108. 

Flashbacks: While in the Republican Army in Iraq, Sayid and others are surprised by American troops as they shred and destroy documents. The American officer in command asks for Sayid's help in locating a  missing pilot. Sayid is then made to interrogate his own commanding officer, who refuses to cooperate and encourages Sayid to kill the American soldiers.

Later another American informs Sayid that Tariq, his commanding officer, was responsible for an attack using sarin gas on Sayid's old village where many women and children were killed. The man asks for Sayid's help in retrieving the American pilot, suggesting he can show him methods that will bring results. Sayid eventually tortures Tariq to get the information he seeks, but reveals that the man had been executed.

As Sayid is driven back to be released, the American commander looks at a picture of his daughter, which turns out to be a young Kate Austen. The man who ordered Sayid to interrogate implies that although he will remain in Iraq under Saddam, he may need these recently-acquired torturing skills again someday. Sayid emphatically states he will never torture again.

Greater Meaning: The connection between Sayid and soldier Austen is the second such connection between a member of Kate's family and one of the survivors on the island (the first being Diane Janssen who served Sawyer in a diner in The Long Con). What is going on with these connections, and will they affect Sayid and Sawyer down the road? 

We know that Sayid indeed uses his torturing skills for further war incidences as well as on the island, but bigger than the skills themselves seems to be Sayid's guilt over using them. He insisted he would never torture anyone again, but does. He offers his torturing skills when Sawyer appears to have hidden Shannon's inhaler (back in Confidence Man) but then has intense feelings of regret after having done so. Jack intervened before Sayid was able to seriously injure Henry; what would have happened had he not done that? Sayid has become an important member of the survivors since his early days, a respected leader, strategist, and man of action. Will his guilt over his role as a torturer doom him? 

Further Questions: 

1. What were those hieroglyphics on the clock countdown?

2. Will Sayid continue to torture people?

3. Was Rousseau setting Sayid up?

4. Is Henry who he claims to be? 

5. Is there a situation where Sayid's torturing skills will come in handy?