Season 3, Episode 11:
Enter 77
In flashbacks, Sayid is working as a chef in Paris, and is offered a job by a fellow Iraqi named Sami. This turns out to be a trap, as Sami's wife Amira claims to have been tortured by Sayid, and Sami tortures him in revenge. Sayid admits to Amira that he remembers her, and apologizes. Amira forgives him, and tells her husband that Sayid is the wrong man so he will let him go.
At the beach, Sawyer is annoyed to discover the other survivors have divided up his stash. After they make a ping-pong table, he offers a bet: if he defeats Hurley, the stash must be returned to him; if he loses, he must give up calling people nicknames for a week.
In the jungle, Sayid, Locke, Kate and Danielle head north on a bearing of 305, following Eko's "instructions". They come across a DHARMA communications station, the Flame, inhabited by a man named Mikhail, who claims to be the last surviving member of the Initiative. Danielle leaves the group, while the rest investigate the station, and realize that Mikhail is one of the Others. They find Beatrice Klugh hiding in the station. She orders Mikhail to kill her so she cannot be taken prisoner, but the group succeeds in capturing Mikhail. Locke triggers a self-destruct sequence, blowing up the Flame. Sayid discovers a map to the Barracks, which he believes to be the Others' home.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Back for the Dead: Ms. Klugh makes her first appearance since the end of season two and is killed by Mikhail at her own request.
- The Bet: Sawyer bets the survivors that he can beat any of them at ping-pong. If he wins, they have to return all the supplies that they took from his stash, but if their best player (which turns out to be Hurley) defeats him, he must go a week without giving anyone a nickname. Hilarity Ensues as Hurley destroys him.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: Ms. Klugh orders Mikhail to kill her so she can't be taken prisoner.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Subverted. At first, Sayid claims he doesn't remember Amira, despite her certainty that he tortured her. However, he later admits privately that he does, and that her face has haunted him for years.
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: In-Universe, Mikhail tells Locke that the Chess game on the Flame's computer cheats, though Locke eventually beats it anyway.
- Eiffel Tower Effect: Sayid's flashback is set in Paris, as evidenced by the Eiffel Tower seen in the background.
- Hypocrite: Both Nikki and Paulo calling out Sawyer for his hoarding would ring hollow three episodes later.
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Deconstructed. Sami claims that Amira confessed to something she didn't do when Sayid tortured her, and seeks revenge by torturing Sayid in turn. Sayid is also haunted for years by the memory of torturing an innocent woman.
- Shadow Archetype: Mikhail is this to Sayid. They are both technological experts who specialize in communications, former soldiers, and fiercely dedicated to doing what they believe is right. It's implied that noticing these similarities is part of why Sayid decides to take Mikhail prisoner rather than killing him on the spot.
- Sherlock Scan: Sayid deduces that Mikhail is an Other, and that he is not alone at the Flame, when he notices that the horse outside it is still saddled, and the stirrups are set up for someone much shorter than him. He also realizes that the carpet is hiding a trapdoor when he sees Mikhail's cat clawing at it.
- Shoot the Hostage: In this case the hostage, Ms. Klugh, asks to be shot by Mikhail, who obliges.
- Take Our Word for It: Only the opening point of Hurley's ping-pong game with Sawyer is shown, but it's clear from their dialogue that it was a Curb-Stomp Battle in Hurley's favor.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Hurley brings Sawyer some magazines and tries to cheer him up after beating him at ping pong. Between Kate being off on a rescue mission, losing his entire stash and the use of nicknames for a week, he’s not in the mood for a pep talk.
- Title Drop: The Flame instruction video tells Locke to "enter 7-7" in case of an incursion by the Hostiles.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Sayid gives Locke a dressing down for carelessly destroying the castaways' possible link to the outside world.
