Season 6, Episode 6: "Sundown"

Although I thought this was a good episode, I (still) feel like we don't really have many answers. Anyway, here are my thoughts from this episode. I had a hard time coming up with something to write about. We need some answers!!!


IN THE ALTERNATE REALITY:
- Sayid's brother is married to Nadia (his longtime love and the woman he eventually married after leaving the island, only to watch her get killed right in front of him, when Jacob stopped him on the street to ask for directions). We learn that in this alternate reality, Sayid felt he did not deserve her. He was trying to wash his hands clean of all the horrible things he had done. Turns out his brother is in trouble with a loan shark and ends up in the hospital after being "mugged." Did you notice Jack walking by in the hospital hallway? His brother had previously asked him to do what he does, but Sayid refused, saying he is not that man anymore. Sayid is later apprehended by the loan sharks and taken to see the man who was responsible, turns out it is Martin Keamy! (the crazy military guy from the freighter, who killed Ben's daughter). After Sayid kills all his men, Keamy backs off and agrees to let his brother off the hook. However, Sayid kills him anyway. This goes to show us that Sayid is still that same man. Deep down, he is still a murderer. This parallels the actions of Claire in last week's show, after the man from the Temple told her they did not have Aaron and Jin backed him up, she still killed him anyway. This is what happens to those who are "infected." (Except in this alternate reality, Sayid is NOT infected. This is the reality as if the plane never crashed.) So this just shows us that even without being infected, Sayid does in fact have an "evil" side. He told Nadia he was not that man anymore, but in truth he still is.


ON THE ISLAND:
- Sayid and Dogan (the Temple leader) are having a conversation about why they want Sayid dead. Dogan tells him that the scale measures good and evil, and his measured the wrong way. He tells Sayid that he is evil, and Sayid remarks that he is GOOD, that Dogan doesn't know what kind of man he is. Of course this directly contradicts what we just saw in Sayid's alternate reality, where he "thinks" he is still a good man, but he turns back to his old "evil" ways. I think a big question, though, is if it is considered evil if doing it for the greater good? For example, Sayid killed Keamy as revenge for hurting his brother. Does that still make it "evil?" I guess that is what the island is for - to determine who is good and who is evil, deep down. It seems the ISLAND is always a judge of character for those who truly are GOOD. All of the other survivors who did "evil" things also did it for the greater good (Sawyer wanted to find and kill the real Sawyer in revenge for killing his parents; Kate killing her stepdad for hurting her and her mom). I believe that the island is a judge for each of their characters.

Fake-Locke convinces Claire to go inside the Temple and deliver a message to Dogan. She obliges and goes to tell him that "HE" wants to talk to him. Instead, Dogan sends Sayid and tells him to kill him, but must do so before he speaks. He tells him that if he does this it will prove that there is a small amount of goodness still in his heart. Sayid indeed tries to kill fake-Locke but it is too late. (Too late because fake-Locke already spoke, and now also too late for Sayid. He did try to kill him as that was the last bit of goodness in his heart, but it's too late now, the infection has taken over now and he will become evil). Fake-Locke tells him that he can give him everything he ever wanted. Sayid agrees to follow him and then goes to deliver his message to Dogan and the Others. He tells them all that Jacob is dead and they no longer need to hide in the Temple. He tells them that fake-Locke is leaving the island and they can join him. If they stay, they will die. They have until sundown to decide.

This is similar to what must have happened with Claire, except the smoke monster appeared to her as her dead father (Christian Shephard), whereas he came to Sayid as fake-Locke. The smoke monster always appears to people in the form of someone who has died, because he "takes" their bodies. Remember when Claire just up and left in the middle of the night when Sawyer was trying to get her and Aaron back to the beach so they could be rescued? She just walked away, remember she saw her "dad" and went after him. Then later on we saw Claire sitting in Jacob's cabin with Christian Shephard. That must have been after he "infected" her with the sickness. He promised Claire that he would get Aaron back (that's the one thing she wanted the most). So, just like Jacob has made promises to get people to the island (he promised Dogan he would save his son if only he would come to the island, never to see his son again)...it turns out that the smoke monster is making the same kind of promises. So far, Claire and Sayid have followed him. But which one of them, Jacob or the smoke monster, will honor the promises they have made to their "followers?"

Meanwhile, Kate returns to the Temple and discovers Claire is there. She tells her the truth about Aaron, that she was the one who raised him. Of course Claire gives her the look of death and if she was not in that hole I think she would have killed her right there. Kate tells her that she came back to the island to rescue her. But Claire tells her that she's not the one who needs to be rescued. HE is coming and there's nothing they can do to stop him.

Sayid goes to see Dogan one last time and tells him he is going to stay, then kills him by drowning him in the Spring (the very spring that they drowned Sayid in...talk about irony!) The other man from the Temple shows up and is horrified to see what Sayid has done. He tells him "you just let it in" and Sayid replies "I know." Ben arrives with the other survivors and tries to help Sayid get out by telling him there is still time. Sayid says "not for me." By now we know he is completely infected and the "darkness" has now spread to his heart. He is no longer the same Sayid that we knew. The smoke monster shows up and kills almost everyone left in the Temple. At the end, fake-Locke is walking off with his new "followers" which includes Sayid and Claire, and now Kate who has no where else to go. What is going to happen to Kate as she goes along with them? Fake-Locke surely knows that she is not there to follow him. (Besides, she is still "good" and he knows it.)

I've talked about this many times, but clearly the island has a way of "judging" who is good and who is bad. There is always so much talk about who truly are "the good ones." We have seen in the past when the island determines who is "bad," that the smoke monster comes to get them, which I always took to mean that if the person had been evil, they were going to hell and that was what happened when they died - they were being "punished" by the smoke monster coming to get them. Remember when we saw Mr. Eko's brother (who was bad) get taken by the black smoke? I just assumed that was the island's way of sending him to hell, because he was bad. However, now I am thinking it's not so much like they are being punished after they die, but it is more that the smoke monster is RECRUITING them because they are bad. Like he wants those people on his side. Because he knows they can help him to take over. He makes them promises, they become infected with this "evil" and he recruits those who have come over to the dark side. From the very beginning of this show, it has always been about good vs. evil. I just want some answers already!!