although I have a sneaking feeling that the writers sat around in the room going, "hey! What happens if they don't input the numbers in time?" "Don't look at me. Like I have a fucking clue." "Hey, what about we flash some random and seemingly portentous symbols? We can make shit up if people ask us about them next year. I know! Egyptian hieroglyphics!"

That's pretty much what I was thinking, too.

Did he have lines? Which soldier?

Yeap. He was in the first flashback scene. He was the one who asked Sayid who the commanding officer was and said, "your English is good, Abdul. But you're lying."

Oh, damn. Yeah, I didn't recognize him at all.

I got a little confused during the flashbacks because I kept overlaying Over There onto the American soldiers.

I don't think we learned anything majorly new about Sayid,

It seemed to me like a reminder of who he really is. But then it kind of lost the punch - reminded me of when they Jossed/retconned/whatever the single creepiest Angelus moment.

They did? Which was that?

Angelus made that comment about Holtz's wife repeating on him (i.e. he burped) but then commented that "of course, I repeated on her." Meaning something quite different. Chilling, and a total Angelus moment. Then a year or so later they did a flashback that had him just snap her neck.

Oh, I...don't remember that at all.

Oh, that's because it was in "Heartthrob," which was one of two episodes I missed and couldn't watch until I got the DVDs.

Someone has dug up from the Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian a likely translation of the heiroglyphics.

I think the sheer geekiness of the fans may be my favorite thing about Lost...

Clancy Brown was the Kurgan in the first Highlander movie, and Brother Justin in Carnivale. He can be heard as Mr. Krabs in Spongebob.

And Lex Luthor on Justice League and the 90's Superman cartoon.

And Rawhide from Buckaroo Banzai!!! One of his few good guy roles.