'Sundown' was truly an awesome ride from start to finish and an insanely cool turning point in the season.
Everything within this episode was handled so well - the pacing, the plot, the dialogue, the camera work, the music - it all came together, even the flash sideways was very satisfying this week, and opens new doors for future flash sideways.
A lot of the time good pacing is just felt rather than being too obvious. This episode's pacing was a leap up from everything else so far this season; in essence, the creative team cuts right to the chase with each scene rather than wandering off as other episodes have proved to do. A sense of dreaded urgency is present throughout the episode, particularly after Sayid meets 'evil incarnate' and learns of his mission. That scene is positively brilliant, from the sounds of the smoke monster and the image of John Locke appearing before Sayid, to both of their reactions after the stabbing, to the idea that Nadia could be brought back. It's fantastic acting by these two this whole episode.
I also have to add that the fight scene between Sayid and Dogan was damn cool. It was great to see Sayid go up against an even better fighter than he, and I was nearly shouting at the screen to egg him on.
The flash sideways was very good I thought, showing us an alternate relationship with Nadia. Sayid's reasoning that he doesn't deserve Nadia makes perfect sense and only emphasises the tragic nature of his character. In terms of random characters showing up, I'm so glad they chose Keamy, as it completely came from left field and it was great to see him still being the evil type. Jin appearing at the end was interesting more than the usual response I give to other characters cropping up which is, 'Ugh'. I'm keen to see what he's been up to.
Naveen Andrews was fantastic all around this episode. His character is going through two very different arcs on the island and in LA X, and is fun to see. One can only imagine the road he will take after this episode, in particular after killing both Dogan and Lennon in cold blood. Quite the shock.
Lastly, the final sequence of the episode. While Lost usually gives us intrigue, mystery, tension and adventure, this sequence was pure 100% entertainment and I welcomed it with outstretched arms. Although Ilanna & co. appearing out of nowhere was a little weird, it didn't spoil the Man in Black's all-out assault on the Temple, something I'd been anxiously awaiting since the beginning of the season. And if it wasn't enough, the very last scene where Kate, Claire and Sayid are walking through the devastated Temple grounds and outside in slo-mo, with Claire's eerie song over the top was so...I can only say amazing, the whole scene was, even the final shot.
While previous episodes have made me think, "Hm, that was interesting," this episode filled me with genuine awe and reminded me how great Lost can be. I cannot wait until next week!
Everything within this episode was handled so well - the pacing, the plot, the dialogue, the camera work, the music - it all came together, even the flash sideways was very satisfying this week, and opens new doors for future flash sideways.
A lot of the time good pacing is just felt rather than being too obvious. This episode's pacing was a leap up from everything else so far this season; in essence, the creative team cuts right to the chase with each scene rather than wandering off as other episodes have proved to do. A sense of dreaded urgency is present throughout the episode, particularly after Sayid meets 'evil incarnate' and learns of his mission. That scene is positively brilliant, from the sounds of the smoke monster and the image of John Locke appearing before Sayid, to both of their reactions after the stabbing, to the idea that Nadia could be brought back. It's fantastic acting by these two this whole episode.
I also have to add that the fight scene between Sayid and Dogan was damn cool. It was great to see Sayid go up against an even better fighter than he, and I was nearly shouting at the screen to egg him on.
The flash sideways was very good I thought, showing us an alternate relationship with Nadia. Sayid's reasoning that he doesn't deserve Nadia makes perfect sense and only emphasises the tragic nature of his character. In terms of random characters showing up, I'm so glad they chose Keamy, as it completely came from left field and it was great to see him still being the evil type. Jin appearing at the end was interesting more than the usual response I give to other characters cropping up which is, 'Ugh'. I'm keen to see what he's been up to.
Naveen Andrews was fantastic all around this episode. His character is going through two very different arcs on the island and in LA X, and is fun to see. One can only imagine the road he will take after this episode, in particular after killing both Dogan and Lennon in cold blood. Quite the shock.
Lastly, the final sequence of the episode. While Lost usually gives us intrigue, mystery, tension and adventure, this sequence was pure 100% entertainment and I welcomed it with outstretched arms. Although Ilanna & co. appearing out of nowhere was a little weird, it didn't spoil the Man in Black's all-out assault on the Temple, something I'd been anxiously awaiting since the beginning of the season. And if it wasn't enough, the very last scene where Kate, Claire and Sayid are walking through the devastated Temple grounds and outside in slo-mo, with Claire's eerie song over the top was so...I can only say amazing, the whole scene was, even the final shot.
While previous episodes have made me think, "Hm, that was interesting," this episode filled me with genuine awe and reminded me how great Lost can be. I cannot wait until next week!