LOST Episode 6.06: "Sundown" (Initial Thoughts/Theories & Response from Andrea Gabriel/Nadia!)

Please note: my original post with initial thoughts and theories at 2am inexplicably vanished like the island, despite the fact that I click on 'Save Now' far more frequently than every 108 minutes (after every paragraph). Blogger clearly had a System Failure and as a result, my article imploded. However, reality and recent events keep me in perspective, so I simply took notes to remind myself what I had covered, went to sleep for four hours and started over from scratch. 


Admittedly, my heart and mind are still elsewhere (see previous entry for details), so I apologize if this post is not as organized as usual.


Below is my recreation of first thoughts about Sundown, fueled by iced mochas and memory adrenalin... 

I had very high expectations for this episode because Sayid has always been my favorite character (long before Juliet was a glimmer in my eye of admiration), and Sundown did not disappoint. 


Andrea Gabriel


Before I delve into episode analysis, I have a little treat for you. 

When I found out that Sundown was Sayid-centric, I asked my friend Andrea Gabriel for a quote about her return to Lost as Nadia for this episode. She kindly sent along this spoiler-free response yesterday:

"I was thrilled to get the script for this episode. It was so fulfilling to have such emotional scenes with Naveen. After all of these years, with my comfort level with Naveen and the depth of Sayid and Nadia's history, I really didn't have to act. All I had to do was show up and basically let it happen."

In case you're interested, here is my interview with Andrea from last year. 


ALPERT


We know that he is ageless, but do we know if he is immortal? 


I feel that there is some type of familial connection between Alpert and Ilana, and look forward to when they join forces to battle Evil. 


BEN

I was quite concerned that they were going to kill Ben off when he approached Sayid at the Spring in the Temple. Not only had Sayid attempted to kill Ben as a young boy, Ben had been saved in that very water. The setting was intense and appropriate. 


CLAIRE

I don't know about you, but I got a serious Silence of the Lambs vibe during Claire's girl-in-the-well scenes. "It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again!"

So Claire can cross the ash line because the darkness has not reached her heart in full. It certainly seems as if Sayid's infection, however, took full effect immediately after interacting with notLocke. 


This is not the first time we've heard Claire sing or refer to "Catch a Falling Star" but there was nothing creepier than her version echoing throughout the Temple during Smokey's aftermath:

• S1: She asked potential adoptive parents to sing it to Aaron, like her dad (Christian Shephard) did to her as a baby
• S2: It played in the Oceanic mobile above the crib in the Staff station nursery
• S5: Kate sang it to Aaron when they were playing house, post Oceanic Six

I wonder if we'll get to see Squirrel Baby again...

DOGEN

Dear Dogen:
You should have known that I am not done with Sayid. His resurrection after two hours should have also clued you in.
Sincerely,
The Island


Nice visual - wearing one black glove to emphasize evil during his speech to Sayid.


If the Man in Black is Evil Incarnate, it seems that Dogen is Goodness Personified. He may not have been immortal, but Dogen was the only thing keeping the Man in Black from entering the Temple. It was as if he was the Panchen Lama to Jacob.


Even though I realize that there is likely no connection, my ears perked up when I heard that Dogen worked in a bank. Perhaps in the flash sideways, that is still the case. And although Dogen was in Osaka and Mr. Paik was in South Korea, I can't help but consider a connection between the two powerful businessmen.


HURLEY


I know that Hurley is currently working on behalf of Jacob, but he has proven to be easily persuaded and probably wants to get off of that island. In light of notLocke's succesfull recruitment efforts thus far, and his inevitable clash against the Good Guys and Jack, I am now reconsidering Hurley's statement to Jack in S4 (The Beginning of the End): 


"I'm sorry I went with Locke. I should have stayed with you."


ILANA


I am so looking forward to Captain Ilana and the Good Guys vs. notLocke and his Evil Minions. I know that Jacob's ashes will be a key tool in that battle.

As I've said before, we do not know how much time passed between Jacob's visit to her in the Russian hospital and her return to the island. That being said, Ilana does not show any signs of a head to toe injury, physically and visually. I'm contemplating whether or not Jacob 'made' her ageless/immortal like Alpert, or if she'd been dipped in the Spring on a prior island stint.

(this picture was taken by fellow Lost fan and friend Julie Hodgins-Zillman, who is an amazing photographer) 

By the way, even though I interviewed Zuleikha Robinson at the Lost S6 Premiere on the Beach in January, I did not notice that she was wearing a number 25 jersey dress until so many of you kindly pointed it out to me. This is relevant because of my theory about Ilana's last name.


JACK

I enjoyed that Omer was taken to Jack's hospital, because the org chart connecting familiar faces in the flash sideways life is becoming more crowded and the possibilities are endless. When Jack quickly walked by and glanced at Sayid and Nadia, I flashed back to S2 when Jack walked by Shannon as she was dealing with her stepmom. 


JACOB


It seems that Jacob represents Free Will/Choice whereas the Man in Black represents Force/Fate. 

When Nadia mentioned that Sayid 'pushed' her toward Omer, I was reminded of Jacob's infamous touch and that he said to Jack during his off island visit at the hospital: "it just needed a little push." Of course Jack thought he was referring to the candy bar stuck in the vending machine, but we can speculate otherwise.

Jacob's mental nudges resulted in the return of the Oceanic 5 (minus Aaron) to the island. It can be argued that he metaphorically pushed Nadia to her death in the crosswalk while making sure that Sayid was distracted and safe on the sidewalk.

In addition, Dogen's story about his son calls to mind Juliet's situation with her sister Rachel. In order to keep Juliet on the island, Ben told her that Jacob would cure Rachel's cancer...and he did. In order to lure Dogen to the island, Jacob healed his son. 


I'm still baffled by the fact that Jacob was dressed in black and wearing gloves when he visited Ilana in the hospital, and am contemplating if he must avoid touching those who have either been to the island before or are immortal/ageless. 

I was hopeful that whatever Jacob subtly added to the Spring in the last episode would revive/save Dogen...and perhaps that will happen.


KATE

I have to say that I am very happy with Kate in S6, both in the flash sideways and on the island. To my surprise, her actions from the last two seasons are finally fitting into the puzzle nicely, and I find myself rooting for her for the very first time.

Like many other characters in this episode, I worried about Kate's longevity when she finally reunited with Claire. Now that Kate admitted to her that she raised Aaron, I don't think we've seen the last Crazy Claire Glare. 

And let's be honest, the way that notLocke looked Kate over at the end of the episode was downright skin-crawling. 

Kate may not be one of the officially assigned 'numbers' on the wall, but her name is not crossed out. I believe this is significant because Smokey has spared her life (or ignored her) on two occasions now: when she and Juliet were in the trees and last night in the well. So is she a Candidate, and does that status prevent the Man in Black from hurting or killing her?


KEAMY and OMAR


I was thrilled to see Keamy's right hand man Omar step out of the SUV in front of Nadia's house, because I knew we would soon see our favorite mercenary again. I actually love this character, and consider him to be one of the very best Lost villains of the entire series.




If I had to guess, Keamy was a thug-for-hire middle man working for Widmore, just as he was on the freighter mission to the island. So it is possible that Omer borrowed money from Widmore and paid the price. 

In S4, Sayid fought with Keamy and Alpert shot him (although he did not die). In this episode, Sayid shoots Keamy and it appears that he dies.

Sidenote:
We know that Widmore and Mr. Paik are acquaintances (they've played golf, etc.). The last time we saw Jin, he was being detained at the airport for having a large amount of cash in his suitcase. 

I would not be at all surprised to learn that Widmore was responsible for Jin's current predicament, given that he had airport security stop Sun in S4 so that he could question her in person.  I have a strong suspicion that Jin was delivering the watch to Widmore on behalf of Mr. Paik, but that the cash was a surprise to him and part of the set up. 


MILES

I feel that Miles has been underutilized this season, but am hopeful that his unique ability to communicate with the deceased (versus chatting up ghosts, like Hurley) will play a larger role as we approach the end. It makes me nervous to see him linger in the Temple, and I thought for a second that he would become one of Smokey's victims. It was a relief to see him join up with Ilana, Frank, Sun and Ben. 


NADIA

When we first saw Nadia at her house, of course I wondered if Locke was the one who inspected it. Although he's currently a substitute teacher, we saw him working as a home inspector when he ran into Nadia in the original timeline. Who knows - Rose (via Hurley's temp agency) may put Locke to work in various capacities where he'll intersect with familiar faces. 

We know that in both timelines, Sayid was in the war in Iraq. But now I'm wondering if he spared/saved Nadia's life, as was the case the first time around. 


notLOCKE

There was no blood on the blade after Sayid stabbed notLocke. My Immortal, indeed. It was a stark visual contrast to the dripping blood on that same blade after Sayid killed Lennon.

We should now be able to finally agree that it was the Man in Black in Jacob's cabin, given the revelation that "for years he has been trapped, but now that Jacob is gone, he is free." I believe that his "help me" plea to Locke was our first clue, as was the broken ash line upon Locke's arrival back on the island via Ajira 316 (the Man in Black's loophole and new shell).


When Dogen said that "this man will not stop until he kills every living thing on this island," I thought about Ben's similar description of Widmore. 


Can someone please explain to me the significance of why the Man in Black (as notLocke) can only die if he does not speak after being stabbed?

By the way, I was amused by the softer, gentler sounds of Smokey; his approach to Sayid was  more of a warm breeze than a frantic freight train.

Magic Box alert! When notLocke temped Sayid with the possibility that "what if I told you that you could have anything you wanted...in the entire world?" I thought back to Ben's speech to Locke in S3, followed by the appearance of Anthony Cooper:

"What if I told you that somewhere on this island, there's a very large box. And whatever you imagined - whatever you wanted to be in it - when you opened that box, there it would be."

That last scene, with notLocke leading people where he wanted them to go with a smirk on his face, was equally fascinating and eerie. Locke's dream is finally coming true, but he had to die in order to achieve it. {sidenote: my partner and I said the same thing during that last scene - zombie season.}


File under: What The Hell. notLocke is still wearing that damn backpack and I have to believe that something very important is inside. Perhaps it will be something to counteract Jacob's ashes...


SAWYER


Although we have not seen Sawyer since he seemingly chose to follow notLocke in The Substitute, I have faith that he and Kate (who inadvertently joined the dark side while following Claire, who is aligned with notLocke) will wind up helping to save the day in the pending war.


I'm pretty sure that notLocke did not want Sawyer to see Claire and start asking questions, nor was he ready for Sawyer to see him go on a killing spree as Smokey.


SAYID

There were a few moments in this episode that recalled moments in S5, including the appearance of Sayid's younger and more vulnerable brother Omer. In this episode, Omer tells Sayid that he knows what kind of man he is, and Sayid responds with "I'm not that man anymore." Think about that in the context his interaction with Ben in He's Our You:

Ben: "You're capable of things that most other men aren't. Every choice you've made in your life, whether it was to murder or to torture - it really hasn't been a choice at all, has it? It's in your nature, it's what you are. You're a killer."

Sayid: "I'm not what you think I am. I don't like killing."

In the last scene of that episode, right before shooting young Ben, Sayid says "you were right about me; I am a killer."


So if "whatever brought you back, it wasn't them" - who or what resurrected Sayid? 

When Sayid told notLocke that "the only thing I've ever wanted died in my arms," my better half reminded me that both Shannon and Nadia fit that description.


SUN

Seriously, just reunite Jin and Sun already. At least they're finally in same vicinity. And while we're at it, can we get Frank another shirt?


Talk about a potential death tease - when I first heard that the title of this episode was SUN DOWN...I worried for a minute that they might actually kill her off. 


Best. Lines.


Sayid: "Apparently I'm evil."


Omer: "We're lucky he showed up." {in both realities, that is quite true}

Keamy: "I make good eggs." {unlike the island}

Sayid, to Keamy: "Sayid Jarrah, but you already know that." {in both realities}

Claire: "I'm not the one who needs to be rescued."

Dogen: "She's a confused girl, under the influence of an angry man."

Blame Canada

I have tracked many of the international locales on Lost for the last several seasons, and references to Canada are of particular interest because most of them involve a fabrication:

• Ben used a fake Canadian passport
• Widmore gave Locke a fake Bentham passport issued in Vancouver
• Both Anthony Cooper and Ethan Rom said they were from Ontario
• Kate said she was from Canada at one point
• Sawyer said he had an 'investor' in Toronto {it was during a con but who knows in this flash sideways world; perhaps he and Sayid will cross paths}
• Tail section passenger Nathan said he was from Canada

The Father, The Son, The Sacrifice


It seems that Dogen is the latest in the long line of cowboys who have had to make sacrifices for their son (and vice versa). Father and son Dogen have joined the crowded Daddy Issue Island Club: Michael and Walt, Anthony Cooper and Locke, Christian and Jack, Mr. Kwon and Jin, Pierre Chang and Miles, Charles Widmore and Daniel Faraday, Roger and Ben Linus, etc.

I also enjoyed the use of baseball as a bonding agent between Christian, Jack and David (the Red Sox) and Dogen and his son. I'm still convinced that the baseball mitt that Alpert offered up as one of the items to young Locke during his early recruitment test and failure is relevant somehow as well. 


It's Just a Question of Time


I am starting to believe that Juliet is right, that "it worked." We may have gotten our first hint that the current island reality/timeline will indeed collide  or converge with the flash sideways reality when notLocke presented Sayid with the possibility that he could reunite with Nadia.


Man Cave


Given that the Man in Black was trapped inside of a dark cabin for years, it makes more sense that the cliffside cave was his secret lair rather than Jacob's. Dark and damp is how Smokey rolls. 


Mind Spring

It seems that Alpert was telling the truth when he warned that young Ben would not be the same or remember what happened to him after being saved in the Spring. Although it is up for debate whether or not Ben was ever fully infected by the darkness, he did not seem to recognize the Spring when he approached it and the man responsible for his plunge in the first place - Sayid. 


Mother and Child Reunion

We paused and then slowed down Smokey's travels above Kate's head in the well and it appears that there is a taller figure holding the hand of a smaller one. Given that Kate and Claire were in the well, it more than likely featured Claire and Aaron or Kate and Aaron.

My Generation

At this point it would be hard to argue that the Shephard men do not play a significant role in how this entire series ends. We have been introduced to other families with ties to the island, but there are five generations of Shephard boys: Ray, Christian, Jack, David and Aaron.


As most of you know, I am convinced that the next generation of familiar families will end up on the island in the end, and now there are two more to add to my list: David Shephard and Dogen's son may meet up with Walt Dawson/Lloyd, Clementine Ford, Charlie Hume, Ji Yeon Kwon and Aaron Littleton some day...


Scales of (in)Justice

I have to say that at first I was a bit annoyed when Dogen stated the obvious about good and evil; that theme has been prevalent since day one, and we've been hit over the head with it in S6. I love Lost because they go out of their way to IMPLY rather than voice such themes. But then I realized that they want us to believe it is as simple as black and white, when really there are many shades of gray permeating the lives of those in both realities.

Stephen King and IT

Although it has been many years since I've read It, last night's episode reminded me that King's book was about a monster shapeshifter who literally manifested itself into one's greatest fear. On many occasions, we've heard people refer to the Island as It. But I was surprised to hear Sayid refer to his lost love as IT rather than Her:


"The only thing I've ever wanted died in my arms, and I'll never see IT again."


The Visitor


As much as I'd like to discover that the person coming to the island is Walt or Aaron, I have a feeling that it will either be Desmond or Widmore. Both would be interesting choices, given that Hume and Widmore are not listed either in the cave or lighthouse...and that one would likely assist the Good Guys while the other assists the Evil Minions.


CRAZY THEORY OF THE WEEK [from Lighthouse]

I am a fan of the prevailing theory that Juliet is Jack's ex-wife and baby mama in the flash sideways life. [Of course I would love to see hot doc divorced cougar Juliet having coffee with the new version of James Ford]. However, I would not be surprised to learn that Juliet's sister Rachel is actually David's mother.

If you recall in S3 (Not in Portland), Rachel had cancer and became 'miraculously' pregnant after fertility guru Juliet treated her with experimental drugs.  After Juliet was lured to the island and then told that Rachel's cancer had returned, Ben said that Jacob would cure her...and he did. Rachel gave birth to a boy. In the regular timeline, Rachel was single and named her son after her sister, Julian. In the flash sideways, however - I believe that Rachel and Jack had David together, and later divorced (like her parents, as seen in that odd S5 finale flashback).

Something to keep as mind as you ponder this possibility - biblically speaking, Rachel was Jacob's wife...
---
You are a patient bunch, and I am thankful for that. Whether my delayed posts have been caused by travel, illness or technical issues, I have appreciated your kind words and feedback. As always, I encourage constructive comments and your thoughts/theories!


Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to climb down a ladder, find a dark cave and hibernate for a few days. 


-Jo