Thursday, March 4, 2010

"Showdown At Sundown"

This week's header caption is brought to you by my nephew Ian, mentioned here often, because we watched the episode together after school Wednesday. We used to rewatch with his big brother Lee also, but he's got lots of after-school sports now (hi Lee!). Ian thought that it was pretty funny how Ben reacted to Sayid's eeevilness. He made a lot of comments during the episode, so some of them are mixed in with my thoughts.

Uncle Sayid? Wow, this flash-sideways timeline is like a flash-diagonal in it's bizarreness. I figured that TPTB were setting us up for something surprising here, but I didn't expect that. I didn't foresee much of anything in this episode, for that matter.

Ian and I both agree that this was a great fight scene, although it was a shame to see Dogen's lair trashed up. Little did we know that later he wouldn't be needing it anymore anyway.

One thing we did guess was that the baseball belonged to some iteration of Dogen's son, in whatever universe or timezone.

We're both pretty confused but intrigued by Claire's allegiance to Flocke. But we're guessing that three years with the freak would change anyone. We still need to know how he got her to walk away from baby Aaron so easily, but I'm not hopeful that we will be getting any information on that ever...at all. Although it might be just as simple as her death after the explosion left her fodder for MIB to take over.

It was fun Jack-spotting in the hospital passing Sayid and Nadia. A commenter on either TLC or EyeMSick mentioned that perhaps in this timeline Jack decided to operate on Shannon's dad instead of Sarah. I'm sorry that I can't remember who said that, but it's an interesting idea to think about as to the ramifications of the difference in choice.

So Dogen gives Sayid a Sting sword to kill the Orcs with, but it doesn't work. That caught us off guard as well. We figured that MIB would kill Sayid then and there, not pull a slick bargain on him.

But bargain he did, and he began to sound a lot like a certain snake in a garden. I'm still somewhat confused about how it relates to what happened in the FS timeline though. Nevertheless, we enjoyed seeing Keamy show up as another form of his over-the-top bad guy self, although I could respect him a little more as a mercenary than just a Mafia type thug. There's no logic in that thought at all, I realize.

I'm just disliking Cindy more and more every time she shows up...and she hardly ever does! Something is just very off about her, IMO. Perhaps she's just so distraught at the death of her boyfriend Gary...ah, who cares.

Well, I'm very confused (along with Amy Lynn at TLC) that Kate spent all that time telling Claire various details about Aaron, but failed to mention anything at all about her mother having him. Telling her would also reveal that she's alive (thanks The Other Lisa at TLC) and not in a coma anymore. Not that Kate would have known about the accident, etc., but it just felt that TPTB underestimated us in this area here. Or, maybe I'm underestimating them and they have plans for explaining such a glaring omission of dialogue. Kudos to Emilie De Ravin in her Rambo version of Claire, she's doing a great job of playing crazazy.

Ian and I feel that Dogen probably wasn't being specifically punished by Jacob in having to make the choice of saving his son and being banished from The World, as some are looking at it. It's kind of a Zen thing maybe. It was entirely Dogen's fault that his son was hurt, but it's a trade-off that had merit and dignity where none might have existed otherwise in the tragic situation. Not only in making some restitution for his foolish act and to pay Jacob for the "miracle", but to honor the gift that Jacob gave to Dogen and his son of allowing him to live. It's maybe not just a one-sided bargain to avoid the shame and suffering he caused in The World, Jacob needed him for an important task and it would be something that's also an honor to uphold, especially in Dogen's culture. That's just my take on it anyway, I could be totally off.

Give a 'Standing-O' to Naveen Andrews for his outstanding performance which flowed seamlessly between the suffering tragic, a compassionate hero, and newly formed demon. He was just amazing and this episode should be used in acting classes to exhibit the range an actor can aspire to. Seriously.

OK, we're really amazed about why Kate followed someone that she knew was dead in L.A., into the jungle with a bunch of people that she hates, without showing any concern for her pals left behind in the temple with Smokey. It's just not up to her usual Amazonian Warrioress attitude. Does she have a plan? Is she playing it by ear until she gets a plan? I'm leaning towards that angle at this point. Unless she has somehow been claimed because she didn't follow Jacob's request of giving up the life of crime and it made her susceptible to MIB, that's always an option too I suppose.

I think that everyone agrees that this episode had the creepiest and most compelling ending ever so far. It was a haunting rendition of Perry Como's big hit, like it was never heard before. The use of the song got me wondering: is the falling star a reference to MIB being the Lucifer who fell from grace in Heaven? Or alluding to the possibility that the island might be a fallen "star" or meteor that landed on Earth? And what about this part of the one verse that Claire sang: "For love may come and tap you on the shoulder some starless night, Just in case you feel you want to hold her, You'll have a pocketful of starlight." That sounds like some kind of loophole to me.

15 comments:

Greg Tramel said...

WOW! COOL! that last picture of Lockeness Monster with a falling star behind his head

so is Kate gonna infiltrate Smokey's army and be the hero? that would really surprise me

Capcom said...

Tx! Heheh, that shiny spot on the top of his head was hard to resist playing with. :o)

I dunno, after all these times of Kate's insistant buttinskiness when it comes to plans to save the day, if she doesn't pull a plan out of her bag here, I'd be tempted to call shenanigans. Unless of course she has been claimed, then the old Amazon Kate is off the table I suppose.

lilybelle said...

great thoughts, I really like the Catch a Falling Star thing re Lucifer. I never thought of that.I definitely don't think that Kate is claimed, I think she is unsure how to get out of this right now. And maybe she will be the reason Sawyer fights Smokey, as he (Sawyer) will never let anything happen to Kate. Who knows, but it's all bound to be great. Thanks.

Capcom said...

Oh, that's a neat idea about Sawyer. :-D

Greg Tramel said...

i could see sawyer and kate defeating Smokey together as redemtion for both of them

Capcom said...

...and then they die in the cave, heheh.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why Adam and Eve were dead in the cave. And they weren't even in the polar bear cave.

Anonymous said...

Finally posted on EMS, but Big has to link it in. Thx for making my head all twinkly.

I'm still saying that Jacob and MiB are equally good/bad. Think on it, MiB cannot leave the Island so Jacob got to rack up all those candidates. They both want to win at something, and certain rules can't be broken.

I hadn't even thought on Kate not mentioning Mrs. Littleton, but A/there wasn't time and B/Kate's a little $#!t. I only have a VHS. Were you able to see images as Smokey went over the pit.

Capcom said...

Hi Jonny! Hey, no problem on the head shining. ;-)

A) I might disagree
B) I highly agree, heheh. But in spite of her sh@#ocity, she does pull through when the gang needs her, I have to admit that.

Oh, I'll have to put the VHS back into the wayback machine and check that out about the images in Smokey!

Tx for stopping by!

Wow, I seriously just got the weirdest deja vu feeling....*!*

Greg Tramel said...

i'm still sorta going with MIB and Jacob are just parts of a whole so neither is purely evil or purely good

they both have done some evil stuff IMHO

Capcom said...

True, or at the very least questionable.

lostmio said...

brilliant analysis of this episode, Capcom! Naveen deserves another Emmy nod, for sure.

Re Kate: remember she picked up that rifle first, and not in a zombie-soldierly way. She didn't know what awaited her outside that gate but no way she was going to face it unarmed.

As to whether she'll enlist in flocke's army, that's a no-brainer. Kate has many flaws but not even the most vehement kater-haters have ever accused her of being a follower.

I always enjoy your takes on the episodes, keep them coming!

lostmio said...

p.s. If anyone is seriously considering that Kate might enlist in flocke's army, let's not forget way back in S2, how quick she was to abandon button-pushing and Sawyer-nursing duty. One brief Sawyer-channeling-Wayne moment and she was outta there.
Even Desmond didn't desert his post that quickly.

Memo to Flocke: Don't pick Kate for your dodge ball team.
run kate run.

Greg Tramel said...

i agree with you Lostmio, Kate and Sawyer are gonna save the day

maven said...

Great analysis, Capcom and Ian!

I think Kate is just now stunned...she doesn't know that Ilana took Sun, Frank, Miles into a secret room. She knows she can't fight the Smoke Monster by herself. And she does have the moment where she bends down and grabs a rifle. If she was "claimed", she wouldn't bring arms. And Flocke gave her a special glance as if to say...I wasn't expecting you, but the more the merrier.

Capcom said...

Hi friends! Tx Lostmio! That's what intrigues me too, how Kate picks up the rifle (even tho she is a rifle-picking-up kind of girl). LOL about the other Kate points. I agree, I'd say whatever funk she's in at the moment, unless she's been claimed somehow, she can't go "follower" on us like some kind of wishy-washy Cindy-girl! :-p

Hi Maven, Ian says tx! I think that this is the most interested I've been in Kate's actions in a long time, lol. I have to give it to E.L. for doing such a great job with the character.