TBG TV: Lost -- "Sundown"

Three Things I Dug:

Sayid's Demise: If this is the writers' way of making up for underutilizing one of my favorite characters on the show for the past five seasons...apology accepted! Early on, I was certain I'd figured out where Sayid's storyline would take him -- his brother would betray/kill him in the sideways world and then he'd sacrifice himself on the island to keep the "darkness" from consuming his heart, proving (in both worlds) that he's indeed a good person. The desperation on Sayid's face and in his actions during the opening fight with Dogen (ceramic bowls as weapons!) only hastened his breakdown and left him ripe for Dark Locke to manipulate like putty. Dropping the knife at Dogen's feet was a sneaky bit of business and lulled me right in, before Sayid brought down some of that "evil incarnate" on Dogen and his hippie Smithers. The smirk on Sayid's face at the end? Best heel turn ever.

Sideways Sayid: So sue me...I was sucked right into the soap opera with Nadia. The picture in the backpack, the "why did you push me to your brother" speech...everything. Yes, it was ham-handed, but the focus seamlessly transitioned to Sayid, his brother and the loan sharks. The Jack Shepard two-second cameo was a nice touch, but the Martin Keamy appearance had me out of my seat. The "eggs" sequence just slayed me for some reason and then watching this clean-cut(!) bad-ass try to bargain his way out of the gun pointed at his chest was gold. I said it way back when and I'll say it again: they killed off "island mercenary" Keamy too soon. In many ways, he was this generation's Boba Fett.

Claire v. Kate: The scene where Kate is brought in to see Claire down in the pit was very well-written. With Claire seemingly helpless (and clinically cuckoo), Kate unintentionally lords over her and declares that she "raised" Claire's son. If I didn't know better, I'd think the writers were having a little fun with the well-worn (and absolutely f-ing deserved) contempt that many Lost fans feel towards the Kate character. Even if Claire wasn't Evil Claire, it'd be hard NOT to root for her to kick Kate's ass.


Three Things I Didn't Dig:

"What are you...the narrator?": I'm still holding out hope that the writers have something better for Miles than serving as exposition for everyone else. I thought there might be some kind of revelation during Sayid's talk with Miles -- when Miles tells Sayid he was dead for two hours -- but "the guy who converses with corpses" apparently had nothing to ask Sayid during his brief eternal sleep. Glad to see he survived ol' Smoky, but Miles has been wasted all season.

Wait...Kate?: Soooo...everyone seems to see that Kate has not been "infected", right? Dark Locke even gives her this cock-eyed look as she exits the temple with Evil Claire and Sinister Sayid ("Sinisayid"? "Sinestro"?) Kate grabs a gun from a dead temple-dweller and that's her infiltration? Sayid and Claire didn't notice the calm look on everyone else's face within Team Smoke set against the "OMG, the humanity!" horror on Kate's face? No?

"I want answers!": C'mon, writers. Those words actually found their way out of Sayid's mouth early in the episode. Let's tighten up the dialogue going forward, 'K?


The Verdict: After several weeks of episodic inertia, I'm pleased to report that Lost has a pulse. Best episode since the season premiere and the opportunity for two-in-a-row is right THERE with next week's Ben-centric show.