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Lost
Enter
77
Airdate: 03.07.2007
What did I tell
you about the chess references? Sure, the use of chess could
simply be intended to reinforce the game of subterfuge that
is afoot on (and off) the island, but there are far too
many references to this mind game in play to be matter-of-fact.
Even
the nature of chess suggests hierarchical implications that
are at work within the context of Lost –
pawns serving the whim of a higher power (namely the king
and queen). And let’s not even get into the role the
player plays in controlling the entire game. That may be
a little too man-behind-the-man-behind-the-curtain to pull
out just yet. Or is it?
After
all, isn’t Jacob being set up to be “that guy?”
Keep
in mind, all and nothing that I’ve stated thus far
directly correlates to “Enter 77,” a taut change
of pace that really gets the sense of urgency that Lost
tends to do so well, and places it front and center. Mix
in a one-eyed Russian named Mikhail, Danielle, and a new
Dharma station (the Flame for those keeping score), and
you’ve got what amounts to a highly entertaining episode
full of subtle “blink and you’ll miss it”
suggestions.
One
of these is the aforementioned reference to chess, which
comes in the form of a computer game. I know far too little
about chess, let alone the French defense variant known
as the MacCutcheon, to be able to tell whether or not Locke’s
method of play incorporates aspects of this defense.
However,
Klugh’s decision to have Mikhail shoot her rather
than give up information about where the Others live could
be interpreted as a queen’s sacrifice. She orders
him to execute the move, despite his protests.
Setting
aside the chess theories, one must question much of what
Mikhail shares with Kate, Sayid, and Locke about the history
of the Dharma Initiative. For one, we eventually learn that
he is one of the “hostiles” and not the last
living member of the Dharma Initiative, as he initially
claims to be. Technically that title should go to Benjamin
Linus, although we can’t be certain that he’s
the last of the Dharma crew.
However,
what Mikhail does divulge about the hostiles is interesting.
When asked about their relation to the Dharma Initiative
Mikhail claims that the hostiles were on the island before
any signs of Dharma showed up on the island. His emphasis
on the length of time prior to Dharma is intriguing, but
was he intentionally overselling his point?
Remember,
at the time he was trying to mislead Sayid and company into
thinking that he was actually Dharma. So can we believe
any of what he said about the Dharma Initiative?
The
story he regales Sayid with is very familiar – an
ex-military operative who answers an ad boasting the opportunity
to “save the world.” Also, he isn’t the
first person to refer to the Others as “hostiles.”
Think about it. Kelvin Inman has a very similar profile,
and even shared a similar yarn with Desmond regarding his
path leading to the Dharma Initiative.
Was
Inman actually a part of Dharma, or was he, like Mikhail,
a plant by the Others to carry out vital Dharma tasks after
the purge? The numbers needed to be entered, and who knows
what the Flame’s importance was.
At this
point, anything is possible.
Next
time: We delve further into the mythology behind
the Others and the Dharma Initiative, while Desmond tries
once again to save Charlie’s life.
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