The LOST Interrobang: FIGHT! (S6E6)
Miles put it best: “Still hot though.”
Knowing that the ingredients for a good LOST episode is a healthy mix of “!!” and “??” Jef and Anupa will be interrobanging the show’s final season every week. As LOST winds down to its conclusion, can its creators dish out all the needed explanations without resorting to exposition? Can they keep up the mystery without succumbing to just more mindfuckery? In “Sundown” we begin with a fight and are set up for a fight, while being reminded along the way that some characters we haven’t seen in a while could definitely still get it. SPOILERS after the jump:
Jef: Wow okay this one is hard to start because I want so bad to start at the end
Anupa: We could if you want
Let’s be non-linear, LIKE LOST
Jef: No I think it’s just because I just finished watching
Well let’s just start with Sayid in general
Do you love this transformation?
Anupa: no
Jef: DO TELL
Anupa: are they making a terrorist analogy?
Jef: Oh. Haha no I don’t think so. I think he’s been fleshed out enough but break it down for me.
Anupa: I’m being simplistic. Just the way he, like, infiltrated and then fucked them up.
It was also written very confusingly: like first he was leaving, then Dogen wanted him back, then he left, then he came back, then he stayed but was going to leave anyway.
I mean, I guess that was done to add to the confusion about whether Sayid is “good” or “bad” and set up the twist at the end, but it left me kind of frustrated.
Also, it was a little TOO much Sayid (I can’t believe I’m saying that)
Jef: Well yeah but therein lies the transformation—the Sayid we saw at the beginning of the episode is not necessarily the same Sayid that we saw at the end.
I kind of loved how seamless they did that whole poison/corruption of his character. I always thought it was like this virus or brainwashy thing, but it was organic enough — rooted in actual events — that it was real even though it was startling.
As for the terrorist stuff—it’s a judgment call on your end I guess. I mean, he’s an Iraqi torturer. That’s been his character and his struggle since we met him.
If it didn’t bother you then, I don’t see why it should now.
Anupa: It’s true. Like I said, I was being simplistic.
But what events do you mean?
Jef: He was being dicked around by Dogen. Smokey gave a hell of a convincing speech. I could see even a character who wasn’t corrupted making the same choices, you know?
The big OH SHIT HE’S EVIL moment comes from Ben when he does the bug-eyed slow retreat, which was AWESOME.
Anupa: Okay, right. So basically him being determined “bad” meant he would always make that choice.
I could see someone like Jack not doing that.
It’s almost like being good and bad is innate.
Jef: Yeah, Jack’s always been trusting to a fault, whereas Sayid’s kind of a paranoid loner.
It was kind of tragic that in paralello-verse Sayid is the one character we’ve seen so far who doesn’t find redemption.
He still kills. He gets to see Nadia but she’s not with him.
Anupa: What’d you make of that? For a second I thought it would be Shannon or someone when the door opened at the beginning, but of course it was Nadia.
Then “Uncle Sayid!”
Jef: It hurt to watch in a way. But it was awesome character-wise and certainly upped the stakes for Universe Two. It doesn’t feel safe there anymore.
It’s like his corruption bleeds over into the new reality and it’s the first bad thing we’ve seen blur over like that.
Anupa: Right. It’s continuity in a way.
I did find that whole Mainlandverse storyline a little humdrum.
I read a great re-cap today on Vulture and the blogger was saying it felt like Nadia fanfic
LOL
All dramatic and filled with longing and pushing and pulling between the two.
Jef: Ha VERY. The whole money-owing plot is mad cliched too.
But I loved the appearance by Martin Keamy, who is a fantastic thug as far as thug characters go.
Something about his asshole face.
I had a lot of fun seeing him back!
Anupa: He’s a hot thug!
Although he looked better with his head shaved and his muscles rippling.
Yum.
I loved how eccentric they make him. Let’s give it up for eccentric bad guys:
“Want some eggs? I make good eggs.”
Jef: HAHA I was just typing that.
And it’s great how he eats the eggs, shovelling them into his asshole mouth.
Anupa: I would’ve said “yes I would like some eggs”
and then he would’ve asked me how I like my eggs
Jef: I am dreading the punchline
Anupa: and I would’ve said “FERTILIZED”
Jef: ZING THERE IT IS
Anupa: shaddap
also, can I point out:
(and I’m not Iraqi so I have no real context)
but Nadia’s accent feels excruciating to listen to
I always hear it in my head and it makes me cringe
Jef: You are bothered by so many accents! What accents do you like?
I fall in love with Irish women off voice only.
Anupa: I like men’s Australian accents
Jef: Haha just not Claire’s.
Sun and Jin?
Anupa: Listen, Jin gets a major pass
that guy is FINE AS FUCK
He has this sexy deep voice too.
Annnnnnyway
Jef: Haha,well that is a good segue
Because after the eggs and the Sayid and the shooting we find Jin in the freezer.
Reality 2 is getting gangster.
Anupa: Yeah that was cool.
I am so curious as to how this will all tie together. OR NOT, in the case of Lost.
Jef: I am wondering if it will all lead back again to Widmore, and of course Desmond, because we met him already, and ultimately Faraday
Who will be the one to explain everything and/or join the universes.
Anupa: At the very least, he’d be the best equipped to do so.
Let’s head back to the Island since not much else happened IRL
Jef: Yeah OK actually back to the opening scene
LOL what did you think of the kung-fu fight between Dogen and Sayid?
Anupa: HAHA
Well my first thought, because I always think about these things, is WHY was he being so damn meticulous about his plants in the first episode if he was so willing to let them get jacked up in that fight?
THE BONSAI!
Jef: It was all a part of his mysterious Asian act?
Anupa: but it was a pretty awesome fight sequence—I feel like we haven’t seen once of those in a while
Jef: Do you think the mysterious Asian act was Dogen’s idea? Or was Jacob like “LOL okay so you’ll wear your hair like this, and you’ll have BONSAI PLANTS!”
Anupa: LOL. He’s just culturally ASIAN!
If he was Indian, he’d have a mustache and spend his time watching old Bollywood movies
Jef: And he’d have a dance with Sayid, not a fight.
But yeah I did think the fight was fun
Anupa: DAMN YOU!
Jef: Sayid was doing all this Jackie Chan shit, throwing the props around!
Anupa: What did you make of the baseball?
Wasn’t a baseball one of the things that Richard brought when he tested young John Locke seasons ago?
Jef: YES I THINK SO
Which stands to reason Dogen picked the baseball
When he was a little tyke.
No yeah, I dunno. The baseball thing kind of missed me but mostly because I still don’t care about Dogen.
Anupa: Well we don’t really have to worry about that anymore.
Jef: It’s just way too late to try and introduce new characters. I’m glad he’s done with.
Anupa: Yeah, I feel like that was a huge fuck up on the part of the writers
It’s cool if they wanted to make them all plot device-y, but they shouldn’t have been so 3D.
Jef: Definitely. That’s kind of why I’m cool with Ilana, because they’re not really asking me to care about her. Dogen died in the Lazarus pit though. You don’t think he might return?
Anupa: I realllllly hope not.
Jef: At the very least I hope Dogen dead gives Miles something to do.
Anupa: haha, yeah, aside from playing Solitaire and saying crazy Claire is hot
You should’ve put him as your Facebook picture for Doppelganger week.
Jef: Aha that was an awesome Miles moment though, him checking out Kate like “Wow” and Claire being “still hot though.” I forgot Miles was all lecherous.
Anupa: It’s really funny how Claire is fucking batshit one minute and then super normal the next.
Jef: I really like the new Claire, and I’m not just saying that for sex reasons. I LOVED that stank face she gave Kate when she was in the pit and Kate told her about Aaron.
That’s totally how I look at Kate all the time.
Anupa: It was kind of weird though, because earlier she had said she would kill Kate if she had taken Aaron, and then Kate confessed and Claire was all giggly and shit.
EMPTY THREATS
Jef: Ha don’t worry though. Kate is far from safe.
Anupa: As evidenced by that WTF look on her face at the end
Jef: I think it woulda been a great moment if at the posse shot at the end Sawyer was there with the whole crew.
I’m sure the writers have better plans, but that would have been a good “oh shit” moment for Kate.
Anupa: Where is he again?
Jef: We don’t know. Last we saw, he agreed to leave the island with Smokey.
So the only ones who are currently WITH Jacob are Jack and Hurley, right?
Smokey is WINNING.
Anupa: Yup.
But again,we have no idea if he’s good or bad.
Jef: You know what though? I’m comfortable now saying that he’s the bad guy.
Anupa: You’re right. They’re setting him up as the bad guy, why not believe it?
Maybe the bad guy wins.
Jef: Not that he IS Satan, but the writers are totally giving him Satan traits. He shape shifts, the cloud is snake-like, and he keeps luring everyone in by promising them free will and independence and shit.
Anupa: Don’t forget he encourages peopl eto do bad shit
Jef: That darn Satan!
Oh and yeah the “Evil Incarnate” thing.
Dude, how do you feel about Ben?
Do you think his story is essentially over?
Anupa: I think he’s essential to the story
But I think he’s just along for the ride now
I don’t think he’ll influence things
Jef: Yeah I hope he plays a bigger part later. He’s too good of a character.
Jef: SO GOOD.
Not too many actors can sell the bug-eyed slow retreat.
Anupa: I love slow retreats. Usually they’re hilarious. But this one was real.
Jef: Dude I’m totally going to do one for you IRL. I will bide my time for the appropriate moment.
Anupa: I might pee my pants. You can’t do it if we’re drinking.
Jef: Oh that’s so when it’s going to happen though!
LOL but guy, talk to me:
Aside from being bored by the money-owing subplot, I clearly loved this episode off.
Tell me more about why you didn’t
Anupa: I’ve been thinking about that but I can’t really put my finger on it.
It was clearly a plot advancing episode, with not much new revealed (aside from the big twist) and nothing really answered.
So, I guess I feel in the middle about it—it just didn’t do much for me.
And usually there’s enough going on in both storylines to be engaging but maybe the off-island plot put a damper on things.
Jef: In general, are you a Sayid fan?
Anupa: I dig Sayid, I usually really like his episodes.
He’s layered
Maybe this episode revealed that he’s actually not
His life revolves around two things: Nadia and killing
There is no redemption there
Maybe that’s why he’s bad
Jef: Are you going to hate this show if it ultimately ends up on some fate shit?
Like it really is about this higher power pushing people around on a chess board and there’s nothing they can do about it?
Too soon?
Anupa: No I don’t think so. I’m personally invested in the way it’s carried out, not the final outcome.
I’m pretty fatalistic actually so that’s right in line with my personal beliefs in a way
Jef: LOL
I’m not sure how to end this after THAT.
Anupa: Did you feel this episode was well-written?
Could it have been executed better?
Jef: Aside from some of the Sayid universe 2 plot yeah I liked it.
Great dialogue bits, humour, was able to sneak in really good but short bits for characters that normally don’t register—even Dogen!—and it pushed the plot along in a faster pace than we’ve seen yet in this season.
It’s the first episode where I felt like I was on a ride.
Anupa: I normally trust your opinion, so maybe I’m just way off in my assessment of this episode.
Jef: Well we both agree the side-story was a bit off. You probably just felt it a lot more than I did.
Anupa: I am a lady.
Jef: And I was too busy being happy that Universe Two is no longer this safe happy zone to be angry about how it got there.
This has been am oddly heavy conversation.
I have no jokes to end it.
Anupa: Neither do I.
I give it a .
Jef: LOL
(INSERT: POSSE SHOT)
