Cuse and Lindelof tackle their second consecutive Sayid-centric ("One of Them" being their first), and while there's not an obvious parallel between the flashback and island storylines there are two interesting stories being told.
Flashbacks reveal Sayid working as a chef under the name "Najeev". He is lured to another restaurant thanks to a lucrative offer by a man named Sami. It turns out Sami is the husband of Amira, a woman Sayid tortured during his time in the Republican Guard. Payback is indeed a bitch, and it was only by Amira's forgiving heart that Sayid made it out of her clutches alive.
On the island, the team of Kate, Sayid, Locke, and Danielle follow the bearing inscribed on Eko's stick — 305. This leads them to discover the Flame, a DHARMA station designated as a communications link with the outside world. Mikhail Bakunin initially appears to be the sole inhabitant until Kate and Sayid investigate further and find Bea Klugh in the basement. Bakunin's alibi unravels and he's revealed to be an Other, not a DHARMA member as he first claimed.
Oh, if Locke could only resist playing games. An old-school computer chess game beckons him even as a bound and bloodied Mikhail lies at his feet, and he won't quit until he scores a checkmate. That checkmate eventually comes, turning the computer into a high-resolution, video-queueing marvel of technology (something that likely wouldn't exist at the time Dr. Chang recorded the instructions).
The recorded instructions are actually quite intriguing. One of the codes includes a request for a food palette drop, so when you combine that with the Food Drop Protocol manual (also found in the Flame) I'd say that connects the necessary dots on that little mystery.
But alas, Locke inexplicably enters code 77 and the Flame soon explodes. Some might argue that Locke was simply THAT ignorant to not consider the consequences of entering the code. I think the more likely explanation is that he was completely aware of it, making it consistent with his other moves to prevent any chance at rescue.
All hope is not lost, however. Sayid manages to snag a map detailing the location of the DHARMA Barracks. This development would be critical for the rest of Season 3, not to mention Season 4 and 5.
I really struggle to assess Naveen Andrews' acting performances, since there are moments when I think he's brilliant and others when I think he's downright awful. In the case of Enter 77 I thought he was great in his captivity scenes with Amira, even when he was completely broken down and crying. And of course, badass Sayid in the Flame was fun to watch when the conversation with Mikhail became intense.
But then you have scenes like the first flashback where he meets Sami for the first time. This is just a hunch on my part but it seems Naveen had no idea how to play that scene. He turns from courteous to curiously hostile to grateful all in the span of ten seconds. It's the "hostile" part I don't understand. For a moment it made me think (wrongly) he had some sort of history with Sami.
Anne Bedian (Amira) is right near the top of my list of favorite guest stars. Her monologue to Sayid (about the cat she once saved) is one of the longest you'll see from a guest star and she nailed every second of it. It's a treat to watch the emotion build within her as the tale unfolds, culminating as a tearful request that he confess what he'd done.
Andrew Divoff (Mikhail) makes a great villain — smug and deceptive enough to make you despise him yet not a cartoonish cliché.
The highlight of the visual effects is somewhat obvious: the explosion of the Flame (rendering its name apropros). I love the fact that LOST rarely skimps on the scale of its explosions even on a television budget.
Two scenes particularly impressed me in terms of directing:
1. The Kate/Sayid/Mikhail fight scene. It's tough enough to choreograph and shoot a fight between two characters in a tight space, let alone three. It's a little curious that Locke didn't storm into the room and assist, but I'm focusing more on the technical challenges of the scene rather than its credibility.
2. The standoff with Bea Klugh outside the Flame. You've got five characters (Mikhail, Bea, Locke, Sayid, and Kate) all simultaneously yelling instructions and threats. I lost count of how many times the camera angle shifts but suffice to say it was a lot and it translated to intensity.
I'm lukewarm to the overall design of the Flame, which is essentially an extravagant shed or barn. It's not what I'd envision for a station devoted to communications and technology, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
One of the main perks of having different sets of character teams is that it improves the longevity of certain episodes. Kate, Sayid, and Locke isn't a combination I'd associate with an "A" team, but sure enough they uncover the Flame and ultimately the Barracks so it's fun to go back and revisit those moments.
Even though the Flame is discovered and destroyed in one episode, its discovery is critical in the scope of Season 3. It indirectly leads to the discovery of the Barracks as well as the Looking Glass station, which in turn has a profound impact on one of our beloved characters.
The events of Enter 77 also lead to Sawyer's inability to use nicknames for a week — a critical development indeed!
Out of all the DHARMA stations we'd ever see, the Flame might be the one with the LEAST impressive atmosphere. Even the Arrow was more haunting and there was nothing in it!
The extent of my emotional involvement begins and ends with Amira in the flashbacks, and even that's somewhat limited. I have no idea what it's like to be tortured or face someone who's abused me to any extent, but I'm not so dense that I can't feel some of the anguish she's been living with for years.
But alas, this gets at the heart of why Enter 77 is just a middle-of-the-pack episode to me. Though it's significant in the mythology and not a bad storyline, it doesn't resonate with me from an atmospheric or emotional standpoint.
