Lost (S06E06)

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Lost (S06E06)

Thursday, March 04, 2010

How about that Smoke Monster attack? Did you see that guy flying through Smokey above Kate's head? That was just like the cow in Twister, except this black mess is both evil incarnate and a bald guy with a knife. LOST. Watch it, but first watch this!

Reviewer
Ben
Categories
TV Shows

Reviewed by Ben Cordes

Lost (S06E06) - "Sundown"

This week's Lost episode "Sundown" breaks the mold in more ways than one. Contrary to the heretofore method of paralleling season 1 episodes, the ultimate season's 6th episode "Sundown" follows Sayid's sideways and on-island wheelings and dealings, as opposed to the Korean couple who spend more screentime apart than they do together. Alongside the death of this four-week tradition, "Sundown" also sees a massive injection of action sequences, as is to be expected from any episode following the former Iraqi solider. What caught me off guard was the Japanese master of the Temple, Dogen, initiating the conflict with our would-be infectee. Possibly the biggest shock of all was Sayid's messanger boy status and the Man in Black's (as well as my own) shocked expression upon delivery. To any casual viewer, I can't imagine "Sundown" making hoards of sense, but we're now seeing the culmination of 5 years worth of story telling, so that's to be expected, unlike every other aspect of yet another fabulous Lost installment.

Sidestepping for Sayid didn't seem to do him much good. If the off-island flashes are any indication, it seems he's destined to live unhappily ever after. I appreciated these harder to swallow, bitter story elements, even if it means Sayid's lifelong love Nadia is doomed to infinitely reiterate cell phone/dinner table policy to her vagina of a husband. And speaking of Sayid's brother Omar, it was interesting to see Keamy's partner (also Omar) snatch Sayid and deliver him to Keamy's slaughterhouse, wherein the once bad ass villian turned out to be nothing more than an overconfident egg chef with two dead bodyguards and a bullet in his stomach. These tense action sequences are a stark contrast to the sentimentality explored between Sayid and Nadia, making "Sundown" a series of drastic emotional shifts.

Emotions are running wild back on the island as well, as Kate finally confronts Claire, Dogen and Sayid have a heart to heart, and the Man in Black delivers a hefty message to the Temple inhabitants. Sides are clearly being taken, lines drawn, etc. "Sundown" is a massive neon sign advertising the battle looming in the near future, and it's extremely cool to see some of our longtime favorite characters tipping the scales, favoring the more irredeemable aspects of their personalities. Naveen Andrews has always showed up as a phenomenal performer, whether he's swooning over a European blonde or killing goons with dishwashers, Andrews gets the job done, and does so in a manner that's remarkably entertaining. And then there's Emilie de Ravin, whose name is about as ruffled as the character she's presently portraying. The light, or "goodness" in her seems to barely remain intact, dangling by the thread of her matronly feelings toward her absentee son Aaron. The predominant portion of her character, however, seems to be overtly dark, or at the very least, as Dogen described her, confused.

Confusion is something I'm discovering myself up against more and more often this season, which makes emperical sense for executive producers Lindelof and Cuse. All questions regarding Lost were birthed upon arrival on the island; it's obvious we won't get ABC's promo-promised "answers" until the season finale, but I'm content with the hangman letters we've received thus far. Lost is largely dependent on the revelations of the mysteries it creates, so the show's success depends on adequate pacing. If too much information is obtained too early on in the game, the show will succumb to its own devices, a la Twin Peaks after the massive reveal of who killed Laura Palmer. On the flip side, if viewers are forced to wait for prolonged periods of time just to discover, say, the story behind Jack's tattoos, well... You'd have season 3 of Lost, hence the then unprecedented plan to conclude the series after 6 seasons. I know I'm not alone in thinking Lost is the ultimate example of how quality serialized television is produced - novel format.

And it's a novel idea, to boot. This fresh concept is a huge assist in touting Lost's enourmous cast as they delve deeper toward their ultimate fates. Come this May, all of Lost's characters will have definitive end games clearly painted, a mythological puzzle masterfully (emphasis on "fully") crafted, and some serious remniscing to do. Until then, "Sundown" delivers a message of its own: there's more to come. The Man in Black is as menacing and manipulative as ever, recruiting Losties left, right, and center. Has Sawyer succumbed to the infection? What's Jin's current status? Where the HELL is Desmond?! Past another fantastic installment in the Lost saga, amongst answers to these questions, we now have vivid images of how it's all coming together. The darkly enchanting end to "Sundown" indicates a rise of darkness, and a seemingly indominable threat. Let's hope whoever's coming to the island has a plan!

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