thinking about how bad went through all the stages of grief the first few days the eggs were gone, and then ended on revenge, before kidnapping and torturing a worker. how today with tina that’s most of what he talked about - not just getting the eggs back, but how once they’re back he’s still not going to rest until he’s taken revenge on everyone involved. it does not matter who, so long as they had a hand in it, they’re already condemned.

this is something he views as necessary. he doesn’t pretend it isn’t a gruesome, destructive task, he doesn’t pretend like it isn’t scary to those who may witness this. he keeps returning to this one comparison, this common metaphor, in that of forest maintenance. fire is destructive, and terrifying, but controlled burns are healthy, and necessary, to keep the ecosystem of a forested area healthy and thriving. it keeps brush build up down, contributes to a rich top soil. saving the trees by burning the forest, as he said to foolish. as he said to tina.

and there is nothing he would not do to get his children back. a very limited list on those he wouldn’t throw into the flames without question or remorse - and even those on the list are in a hierarchy. he’s made it clear to this limited list of people that there is a lot that is expendable, so long as it gets him closer to reaching his son and daughter. the worker in his basement, while no longer one he sees as needing to take vengeance on, is easily expendable. a lot of members on the island are expendable. so long as he does not love them, and they are not necessary in this task, they are expendable. and in the scheme of things, he himself is expendable. any cost is worth the price, so long as he gets his kids back to safety.

he keeps keeps using this metaphor - burning the forest to save the trees, controlled burning to better the ecosystem. but it’s no secret he’s somewhat delusional, and an unreliable narrator at the best of times. and as meticulous as he is, as cautious and careful as he is, fire is tricky to control, as it is tempting. this is no controlled burn - its scorched earth. and he does not care if he himself is caught in the blaze, so long as everything he wants burned to the ground is reduced to ash and dust.