Sundown, you better take care
If you find Locke’s been creepin’ ’round your backstairs
Fake Locke is on a roll. Sayid’s story gets crazier. The temple becomes a veritable Temple of Doom. All on episode 6 of the final Season of LOST. Spoilers below!
Fake Locke has been creepin’ ’round the temple’s backstairs, and he’s finally in. Even Gordon Lightfoot couldn’t scare him away at this point. Evil is taking over.
I don’t yet know whether they’re going to give Sayid and Claire a chance at redemption, or if we’ve seen the end of them – that they’re “Lost” for good. I’m hoping the former, even though I haven’t been much of a fan of Sayid’s character since that absurd, forced relationship with Shannon.
Harry Potter fans should have recognized the central temptation in this episode: The desire to again see someone who has passed on – someone you loved, and someone you hurt. Smocke put that carrot out in front of Sayid: Do what I want you to do, and you’ll get to see Nadia again, even though she’s dead. This sounds a lot like Voldemort, this claim to power even over death. It sounds a lot like the Resurrection Stone which killed Dumbledore’s hand.
The flash-sideways gives us Sayid’s fundamental problem in the Nadia situation: he cannot believe he is capable of redemption. He could not be with Nadia, because in his mind, he “doesn’t deserve” her.
In many ways, tonight felt more plot-ending than plot-moving, at least as far as Sayid goes. But I think that’s a misdirection. The last 20 minutes of the show flew by so fast, and so much happened, it almost seemed a bit contrived. But the idea we’re supposed to be picking up here is that Smocke, “evil incarnate,” is taking over quickly. On second thought, I kind of like the way the plot marched right along at the end there.
Smocke as “evil incarnate” verifies – if Dogen is correct with that description – the idea of his being a demon of some kind, and the island (Jacob in particular) being what keeps him trapped and in exile. I think he has to kill or convert all candidates, and then he can be unleashed to the world, with apocalyptic consequences.
The person who finds herself in the most awkward situation now is most definitely Kate. She’s following this band of evil, but she hasn’t been “infected” as far as we know. I don’t think she’s got the first clue what she’s gotten herself into.
By the way, where’s Sawyer? Wasn’t he with Smocke when last we saw him?
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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Political correctness will demand that Sayid finds redemption. No way will he be allowed to finish the show as a baddie.
Minus two points for referencing the warbling skeleton.
Oh come on now. You can’t possibly be dealing with an episode called “Sundown” and not make a reference to the song.
And in case you forgot, only Hogwarts professors can award and take away points.
Sayid has always been a fascinating character to me (although I too felt the pairing with Shannon was preposterous). With Sayid we have a terribly conflicted person who has done great evil but wants to be good, yet who repeatedly keeps making bad decisions that tip him into evil acts that he feels are justified. Sometimes I think it’s a sin when I feel like I’m winnin’, but I’m losin’ again.
Sideways Sayid says to Nadia that because of his past he didn’t deserve her and thus pushed her into marriage with his weak brother Omar. Instead of making peace with his past and a fresh start (choice theme!), he let his past determine his future. In saying he wasn’t good enough for Nadia, he was also saying she wasn’t enough–enough to make an effort for, to change for. Nice, Sayid.
Kate and Jack have looked into mirrors and thus themselves, and from that point on have changed. Sayid has several mirror moments. the key one being at Nadia’s front door where he’s reflected in the glass. But instead of looking at himself, he looks through his image trying to see her–getting lost(!) in her lovin’ is your first mistake.
The other times he sees himself mirrored in others’ eyes. First Omar: “you are a torturer who easily kills.” Sayid rejects that, offering money instead. Then Nadia: “you are a good man, keep my children feeling safe.” Sayid does this, instead of going after his brother’s attackers. With Omar and Nadia, Sayid is making hard and good choices and it gives us some hope.
Then he is captured by Keamy’s goons. Once he’s dispatched the goons and faces only Keamy, there’s another mirror test in Keamy’s eyes: “we are alike; let’s make a deal,” and this one Sayid fails badly.
Island Sayid also looks into the Magic Mirror of Smocke (and he don’t always say what he really means). And Sayid walks away Smocke’s man, clutching the promise of his Erised desire–to “have the only thing he wanted that died in his arms.” Anybody here think Sayid’s thinking Nadia but Smocke will give him Shannon’s ghost? As with the Resurrection Ring, he will get-but-not-get what he wants, because what he gets can’t satisfy.
In his Oceanic life, Sayid did have Nadia and a happy life. He felt he deserved her in real time. When she was gone, though, he gave into his revenge fantasies, becaming a killing machine. Sometimes I think it’s a shame when I get feeling better when I’m feeling no pain. (I always felt Ben was behind her murder and Sayid’s assigned hits were not on the castaways’ behalf but Ben’s.)
I really want some kind of redemption for Sayid, who is as emotionally crippled and conflicted as any other character. But it doesn’t look good right now. Sundown, ya better take care….
Does anyone else wonder if Flocke would’ve died had Sayid not allowed him to say “Hi Sayid”?
Arabella: That. was. brilliant. I should just replace my post with yours. Great theories – especially Smocke thinking it’s Shannon instead of Nadia – and brilliant use of Sundown quotes all the way through! Love it.
Sawyer and Jin are off somewhere, presumably together; Claire mentioned them in the beginning. My money’s on neither of them truly being won over to FLocke, but we’ll have to see. Very good point about the Resurrection Stone. And I’m curious about how Kate will fit in. That was a weird look FLocke gave her at the end. She seems totally out of her element now, and just clinging to Claire for dear life. Which isn’t such a safe person to cling to, considering… And Ben, meanwhile, is completely on his own. I loved his totally terrified reaction to Sayid at the spring. You know he’s bad news if Ben’s that freaked out.
I figured you’d be making the Gordon Lightfoot reference too. Bravo! Alas for the lack of an obliging Dharma record player…
Arabella, love the Sundown connections. I quoted the “feel like I’m winnin’ when I’m losin’ again” line in my own recap, but you really took the song and ran with it. Standing O!
I don’t think Ben orchestrated Nadia’s death, because he seemed really surprised when he saw the television footage. And that was hours after he landed in Tunisia, wasn’t it? So I don’t see how he could have been behind it when he lost that entire year. I do think, however, that when he saw it he immediately sensed a golden opportunity to manipulate Sayid. But I have no idea who he was having Sayid kill off and why. I feel like the Economist is a major player yet to be introduced and I have no clue how he fits in.
Arabella, love the Sundown references! And I hadn’t thought about the Shannon angle. Good call. I think I had heard that Shannon was supposed to make an appearance soon. Maybe that’s why.
Thank you Travis, Erin and Robin for those very kind comments. I thought of Elsa for the satin dress and Shannon for the faded jeans.
More reflections about Sayid. Did you notice that he brings Nadia yellow roses? Their color correlates to the yellow tie Island Sayid was picking out (for meeting Nadia) at the airport pre-Oceanic flight, while snotty luggage babysitter Shannon was busy getting her future lover arrested “because I can.” And, yes, his “love” for Shannon was only a month after he’s buying that tie.
Jack is an emotional man often motivated by pragmatism. Sayid is a pragmatic man often motivated by emotion, and usually acts to protect people. He tortured Sawyer, who was “withholding” critical medication; ditto Benry, believing the Others were lethal (and weren’t they?). But he’s also heroic; he told Jack he was willing to die for the other castaways in Through the Looking Glass where, in the deathly beach fight, he killed an Other. He killed no one else until he became Jacob/Ben’s hit man to protect his Island friends; he killed Elsa in self-defense. After his stint for Ben, he killed at the motel in self-defense. Back on Misery Island, he again kills to protect. Sideways Sayid kills in what could be considered self-defense, and kills Keamy to protect his brother (oh, heck, Nadia). Sayid has a pattern, which (in his mind) traps him; he never kills just to kill. His truly dreadful killing was shooting Child Ben. But even in this horrendous act, he believed he was protecting the castaways and others—even Others—against a mass murderer. Contrast this to Ben who kills without compunction or feeling—“who cares?”
From Sayid’s point of view, Jacob as King of the Others, is behind the Others’ and Ben’s atrocious acts. During his conversation with Dogen, Sayid sees Jacob as an evil manipulator perhaps as evil, or more evil, than any competing entity. Maybe he makes the connection with how Nadia’s death occurred. Jacob has a lot to answer for regarding the castaways’ suffering both on and off-Island. Now Jacob wants Sayid thrown to the Smokey wolves, as test or bait, to do Jacob’s dirty work as—again!—assassin. When Sayid faces Smocke he has to decide who is truthful, and more compellingly, who is most evil, between two dead men. Given what he already knows and believes, that’s a pretty difficult choice. Still, he “sold his soul for a mess of Nadia.”
This is why I like Sayid and feel his pain. He told Charlie that he knew Benry was an Other, because Ben had no guilt for his actions. And this has been a pattern with the Others, something I’ve been thinking about a lot. Really, Jacob and his followers are pretty questionable and I’m wavering.
Quickly on to Kooky Claire. Did anyone else roll their eyes when we heard “put her in The Hole”? Expect to hear a baseball bouncing back and forth? Claire can croon Catch a Falling Star all she wants, but I just don’t buy this storyline, nor de Ravin’s portrayal; she lacks that mad gleam that made Rousseau so believable. There was no apparent Darkness Building in Claire before her disappearance. It was only a couple days to her reappearance as Creepy Claire in Jacob’s Jumping Jungle Hideaway, where she said to not worry about Aaron, he was where he was supposed to be. So why is she madly looking for her baby, cuddling her revolting substitute? I hope there’s a decent backstory to make me buy into this “where’s Aaron?” crazy ax burying mama.
Erin, I read your LOST Bohemian Rhapsody parody (http://www.epinions.com/content_4796817540) and it’s genius, pure genius! I loved a couple of the others I had time to read, too. I’ve written a few song parodies, but none about LOST. Everyone rush over to read these gems!
Aw, thanks so much, Arabella! That was the first one I ever wrote, and at the time I was thinking maybe only. A hundred songs later, I know a bit better…
I didn’t notice that about the tie. Interesting! What I thought with the flowers was that yellow roses are generally symbolic of friendship rather than love, which was what Sayid was trying to convey to Nadia. I agree he seemed to get over Nadia way too fast in falling for Shannon, especially considering that a good friend of his died as a result of his desperation to get to her and considering that he spent most of season one as perhaps the castaways’ best shot at getting off the Island. Didn’t quite seem to add up.
Sayid’s whole trajectory has just been so sad. But they keep saying season six is all about redemption, so I can’t help thinking that somehow he’ll come out of this a better man than he seems to be right now…
This probably doesn’t have anything to do with anything, but it just occurred to be that Lightfoot is a name that fits into LOST very well – as in (light) Jacob living inside of a giant foot…
Erin. That statement just blew my mind O.O
XD
That’s awesome
I suggest reading Vozzek’s recap (http://darkufo.blogspot.com/search/label/Recaps) for an excellent deconstruction of Sayid’s trip to the Dark Side.
Just in case there’s anyone not yet familiar with the song that’s been so frequently quoted in this thread.
I love Edmund Fitzgerald’s voice.
Ha! Surprisingly, I’d never seen that before.