Lost/Mikhail Bakunin

Mikhail Bakunin Lost
Actor	Andrew Divoff
First Appearance	3x05 - The Cost of Living
Last Appearance	6x10 - The Package
Show Status	Series: Guest
Episode Count	9
Notable Episodes	3x11 - Enter 77 3x12 - Par Avion 3x18 - D.O.C. 3x23 - Through the Looking Glass (2)

Mikhail Bakunin claimed to be the last living member of The DHARMA Initiative, but was one of the Others. He is played by Andrew Divoff and appeared in nine episodes.

Basic Information

Before Oceanic 815

Mikhail Bakunin was 24 years-old when he was recruited by the Others. Little else about his true past is known. He claims to have been in the Soviet Army as a field medic and understands several languages including English, Russian, Italian and Portuguese. While on the island, Mikhail was stationed at The Flame and became their contact with the outside world. Mikhail appeared to have liked his solitary job, even turning off his walkie talkie to keep from being bothered.

After Oceanic 815

Season Three

Mikhail Bakunin was first glimpsed through a CCTV surveillance camera when Sayid Jarrah patched The Pearl's monitoring system into a new feed. The feed was in black and white, full of static and without sound. Mikhail noticed the activation of the camera and severed the connection shortly thereafter.

Several days later, Sayid, John Locke, Kate Austen and Danielle Rousseau stumbled upon Mikhail's location. Recognizing Mikhail from the Pearl's feed, Sayid attempted to make contact but was shot by Mikhail as he believed Sayid to be one of the Others. He was then ambushed and disarmed by Locke and Kate. After discovering their true identity as crash survivors, Mikhail helped Sayid into his home and treated the bullet wound to the shoulder.

Mikhail claimed to have grown up in Kiev, Ukraine before joining the Soviet Army. He was stationed at a listening post in Vladivostok, the home port of the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Mikhail's unit was decommissioned and he was dismissed from the military. Wanting to do something good with his life for a change, Mikhail responded to a newspaper advertisement reading: "Would you like to save the world?" Through this advertisement he met The DHARMA Initiative, an organization that was very secret, very rich and very smart. In 1993, the DHARMA Initiative placed him at The Flame, a communications station which also allowed for communication with the outside world. He was posted at the Flame as he was good with computers and communications equipment, and liked being alone. However, the other members of the DHARMA Initiative were killed after they initiated "The Purge", a war against the hostiles. He does not know who these hostiles are, but they had been present on the island for a very long time before DHARMA arrived. Mikhail did not involve himself in the war and, after it was over, the hostiles let him stay as long as he did not cross an imaginary line in the valley.

Sayid saw through Mikhail's deception and believed he was an Other. Mikhail attempted to subdue Sayid and Kate, but failed. Left unconscious and under the watch of Locke, Mikhail regained consciousness and was able to free himself when Locke left his guard down. He attempted to trade Locke for Miss Klugh, who was found in the basement of the Flame. In Russian, Miss Klugh basically ordered Mikhail to shoot her in order to prevent the survivors from finding the Others. Mikhail complied and then attempted to turn the gun on himself, but was stopped. Afterwards, Mikhail revealed to Sayid that he was never a member of the DHARMA Initiative, but everything else he told him was true.

The group brought Mikhail with them on their journey to the barracks, and to hopefully find and rescue Jack Shephard. Along the way, Mikhail revealed that they used the submarine to come and go from the island as they pleased. However, the activation of the fail-safe device rendered the sonar beacon inoperable and, without the locater signal to guide in the sub, it would be impossible to come back to the island. Asked why he would want to come back, Mikhail cryptically told the group they were incapable of understanding because they were not on "the list" as they are flawed. Mikhail spoke of a magnificent man who brought him and the rest of his people to the island, but this man is not Ben Linus.

Mikhail and the group eventually came across a series of pylons set into the ground, a security system surrounding the entire barracks. He claimed that, like everything else on the island, the security system hadn't functioned in years. Tired of the lies, Locke tossed Mikhail between two of the pylons. The sensors on the pylons activated and Mikhail was seemingly killed by a sonic weapon that induced cerebral hemorrhaging. Luckily for Mikhail, the sonar fence was set to a non-lethal setting and he was eventually able to recover from his nearly fatal injuries.

In the jungle of the island, Desmond Hume, Charlie Pace, Jin-Soo Kwon and Hugo "Hurley" Reyes found Naomi, a woman who parachuted from a downed helicopter. A flare gun was found among her possessions and Hurley accidentally fired a signal flare into the air. Shortly afterward, Mikhail came rushing out of the jungle, drawn to their position by the signal flare. Realizing the group were survivors of Oceanic flight 815, Mikhail attempted to flee but was captured. Mikhail acknowledged the fact that he was supposed to be dead, but had little to say in regard to how he was alive. He agreed to treat Naomi's punctured lung in exchange for his freedom. Patching up Naomi, Mikhail alluded to the fact that wounds and injuries heal differently on the island. Naomi spoke in Italian, saying that she was not alone, but Mikhail told Desmond that she was only saying thank you. It appeared that Mikhail understood much of what Naomi was saying in her dazed condition. Mikhail attempted to steal Naomi's satellite phone, but his ruse was discovered by Jin and the satellite phone was recovered. Despite Mikhail's deception, Desmond allowed him to leave once more and Mikhail disappeared into the jungle.

Mikhail eventually found the Others' temporary camp and informed Ben about Naomi. However, Ben ordered him to an underwater DHARMA station called The Looking Glass after Charlie had gained access to it. Mikhail was surprised to learn that the station was not flooded as Ben had told everyone, but agreed to go. Inside the station he was further surprised upon discovering Bonnie and Greta, two Others who were supposedly on assignment off-island, guarding the station and that the station's equipment was actively blocking transmissions when Ben had told everyone the electromagnetic anomaly was the cause for their communication problems. Mikhail voiced his concerns to Ben in private, and Ben confessed to lying and apologized to Mikhail. However, Ben maintained that Jacob had told him to do it and it was for the good of the island as it was under attack. He asked Mikhail to help him by killing Charlie, as well as Bonnie and Greta, to conceal the truth. Mikhail agreed to help, killing Greta and fatally shooting Bonnie before being shot with a spear gun by Desmond. Believing he was dead, Charlie and Desmond left Mikhail's body unattended and Mikhail slipped into the station's moon pool. Making his way to a portal outside the station's jamming room, Mikhail detonated a hand grenade which shattered the window. Mikhail killed himself and the explosion resulted in the drowning of Charlie.

Episode Appearances

1. 3x05 - The Cost of Living
2. 3x11 - Enter 77
3. 3x12 - Par Avion
4. 3x16 - One of Us
5. 3x18 - D.O.C.
6. 3x20 - The Man Behind The Curtain
7. 3x22 - Through the Looking Glass (1)
8. 3x23 - Through the Looking Glass (2)
9. 6x10 - The Package

Character History

• 3x05 - The Cost of Living: Is glimpsed for a second through the Pearl's monitors.
• 3x11 - Enter 77: Is found by the survivors and his true identity is discovered.
• 3x12 - Par Avion: Was supposedly killed by the sonar fence, and left for dead.
• 3x18 - D.O.C.: Having spotted an accidental flare sent by Hurley, Mikhail runs into Desmond, Charlie, Jin and Hurley.
• 3x20 - The Man Behind The Curtain: Tells Ben about Naomi. Gets beaten up by Locke.
• 3x22 - Through the Looking Glass: Kills Bonnie and Greta. Floods The Looking Glass station in a suicide attack, causing Charlie to drown.

Memorable Moments

• 3x11 - Enter 77: Shoots and kills Miss Klugh.
• 3x12 - Par Avion: Is pushed through the sonic fence by Locke and appears to be dead.
• 3x18 - D.O.C.: Reappears, despite people having believed he was dead.

Trivia

• Mikhail Bakunin: Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin was a Russian revolutionary, and often considered one of the "fathers of modern anarchism". Bakunin believed society should be organized "on the basis of the absolute freedom of individuals, of the productive associations, and of the communes." He argued against the idea of God and denied religious concepts of free will.
• Listening Posts: Mikhail claimed to have been in the Soviet Army and stationed at a listening post in Vladivostok, which is the home port of the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet. Hurley's friend, Leonard Simms, was a member of the United States Navy and was stationed at a listening post in the Pacific.

Quotes

• 3x18 - D.O.C.: As your friend pointed out, I already died once this week.