Lost episode recap – “Sundown” S6E6 (airdate 03/01/10)

Just so you know: much better episode than last week.  Jack didn't cry at all this time!

Alterna-2004. Sayid is having dinner with Nadia and her husband Omar. Their children call him “Uncle Sayid.” Omar seems aware of Sayid and Nadia’s history.

Island. Sayid barges in, demanding answers from Dogan, as in: you tortured me and hooked me up to some machine and called it a test - what were you testing for? Dogan says that machine measures the balance between good and evil in a man … and now, “we think it would be better if you were dead.” Sayid insists that he is a good man. But Dogan obviously thinks otherwise and they start fightin’, using everything they can reach. They’re fairly well matched, Sayid by no means getting the upper hand as we’ve come to expect. During the fight, a baseball falls off the table. This distracts Dogan just as he is about to plunge a dagger into Sayid's throat and he stops, and tells Sayid to leave and never come back.

Not-Locke and Claire stand at the gray ash border around the Temple. She wants to know why she has to be the one who goes in – why not Jin or Sawyer? She’s the most motivated, explains Not-Locke. She steps across the ash, pausing to ask, “Are you going to hurt them?” Not-Locke: “Only the ones who won’t listen.”

Alterna-2004. Omar wakes Sayid at 2:30 a.m., confessing that he’s in trouble: he has borrowed money from a loan shark who won’t leave him alone. He wants Sayid to “convince” the loan shark to back off. Sayid says he’s not that kind of person so Omar plays the “I know you care about Nadia and we could lose our home” card. Still Sayid says: “I am not that man anymore.”

Island. Sayid finds his backpack and tells Miles that he’s been banished for being evil. Miles fills him in on how he’d been dead for two hours before something brought him back, so something wonky – if not evil exactly – is definitely going on. They are interrupted when Claire struts into the Temple, hands raised. She goes straight to Dogan and tells him that Not-Locke wants to speak to him outside. Dogan refuses, saying he’ll be killed if he sets foot outside the Temple. “Then send someone he won’t kill,” sneers Claire. Dogan orders the Others to “put the girl in the hole” until this is over, then tells Sol that he wants to see Jack and Hurley immediately. Um, says Sol, they’re not here right now. Dogan is not psyched to hear this, then points at Sayid: “Come with me … things have changed.”

They go into the Temple and Dogan pulls a special dagger out of a hiding place. Sayid wants to know why Claire is here. Dogan intones that she is a confused girl under the control of an angry man, once trapped for years but free now with Jacob gone. “This man will not stop until he has destroyed every living thing on this Island.” Sayid: “And you want me to talk with him?” Dogan: “No, I want you to kill him.” He explains that the man will come to Sayid as someone he knows who has died; Sayid must plunge this knife into his chest – if he speaks, it is too late. Sayid wants to know why he should do anything for Dogan. Dogan replies: you say there is still good in your soul – prove it.

Alterna-2004. Sayid walks Nadia’s kids to the school bus stop. When he turns, Nadia runs out, shrieking his name: Omar is in the hospital with a punctured lung from a “mugging.” Sayid unconsciously moves but Nadia stops him, asking him to not do whatever he’s thinking of doing, but go home and wait for the kids while she goes to the hospital.

Island. Sayid finds Kate out in the jungle. “Are you leaving?” she asks, “What did I miss?” “Ask Miles,” he replies, and keeps going. Kate, doing what she’s told for once, returns to the Temple and asks Miles what’s going on. Miles: “Sawyer sent you packing, huh?” Nice – I love Miles. He brings her up to speed: Claire’s back, just strolled into the Temple, acting weird but “still hot though.” I adore Miles. Kate: “Where is she?!!!”

Speaking of still hot, Sayid pauses for a drink when the wind suddenly picks up around him, Smoke-Monster-like, but without the black smoke, and then Not-Locke steps out of the underbrush. He starts to greet Sayid when Sayid plunges the knife into his chest – to no effect. Not-Locke pulls the knife out of his chest: “Now why’d you do that?”

After the commercial, things are a little tense until Not-Locke offers the knife back to an extremely bemused Sayid. “What did they tell you?” asks Not-Locke. Sayid: “That you are evil incarnate.” Not-Locke rolls his eyes: you had no chance, Sayid, Dogan knew you couldn’t kill me – shame on you for being talked into this. Not-Locke wants Sayid to deliver a message and if he does, he could have anything in the entire world he wants. Sayid tears up, saying that the only thing he ever wanted died in his arms. Not-Locke’s like, I can totally work with that.

Alterna-2004. Nadia returns home late from the hospital, reporting that Omar is going to be fine, eventually, and he ‘fessed up to her about the loan. Sayid offers to give her some money but Nadia turns him down. She starts to cry, saying that she knows he cares about her and if so, why did he push her towards his brother. OMAR IS HIS BROTHER! Gently, Sayid says that he’s been trying to atone and separate himself from all the horrible things he’s done. “I can’t be with you because I don’t deserve you.” And then he starts to cry. AW.

Island. When Sayid returns to the Temple, he delivers Not-Locke’s message: Jacob is dead and because he’s gone, none of the Others have to stay on the Island anymore. Not-Locke is leaving the Island and if the Others want to go too, they’re welcome to meet him at the rendezvous before the sun goes down. Cindy the Stewardess asks what happens to them after the sun goes down. Sayid: “You die.”

Kate is wandering through the Temple looking for Claire when Sol finds her. He wants to know where Jack and Hurley are but she shoves him into the wall and he’s all, okay - you can see her! He shows Kate to the Hole, which is a dank, stone –lined pit, where Claire is singing and muttering to herself. Kate wants to know what happened and Claire starts babbling about how the Others stole Aaron. Foolish Kate interrupts her, saying no, I took Aaron – off the Island where I raised him. Kate obliviously keeps going on and on as Claire’s eyes narrow viciously. Kate says she’ll rescue Claire and Claire scoffs that she’s not the one who needs to be rescued. “He’s coming, Kate. He’s coming and they can’t stop him!”

There is chaos at the Temple in the wake of Sayid’s announcement. Sol tries to stop people from leaving but no one wants to listen to him. Miles sees Sayid and is like, first you’re banished and now we’re leaving? Sayid: yup, but first I have to return this big ol’ knife.

Alterna-2004. Sayid goes outside and runs into with that bald bearded guy from several seasons ago who found Sayid when he was working in a restaurant. He’s still a bad guy and he makes Sayid get in his car with him. They go to a restaurant where – holy crap - it’s friggin’ Keamy. He’s Bearded Guy’s boss, still completely sleazy, and apparently the guy from whom Omar borrowed the money. Sayid wants to know if Keamy was the one put Omar in the hospital. Keamy starts shooting his mouth off and Sayid Has Had Enough. He grabs Bearded Guy, using him as a shield when another henchman starts shooting, and then pulling Bearded Guy’s gun to shoot the other henchman. When he takes aim at Keamy, Keamy panics, saying that everything’s fine, Omar’s debt is clear and Sayid should just forget about it. “I can’t,” says Sayid softly and, in some very nice symmetry, shoots Keamy. He looks as though he maybe feels a little bad about it. Then he hears some banging coming from a walk-in cooler: it’s Jin, gorgeous, tied up. Sayid asks who he is. Jin shakes his pretty head: no English.

Island. Sayid brings the knife back to Dogan, who notes “You let him talk to you.” Sayid says: “I stabbed him first, and then he talked to me. That’s the second time you tried to have someone else kill me – why?” Dogan says that off-Island, he was a businessman who got his son killed in a drunk driving accident. In the hospital, Jacob came to him and told him he could save his son’s life but Dogan would have to come to the Island and never see his son again. Sayid: “Jacob drives a hard bargain.” Dogan: “The man outside offered you a similar bargain, right?” Right.

Dogan observes that it is now sundown – will Sayid stay or go? Sayid says he’d like to stay. And then he grabs Dogan and plunges with him into the murky pool, holding him under until he stops breathing. Dang. Sol runs in, screeching, “What have you done? He was the only thing keeping it out – you idiot, you’ve just let it in!” And the Smoke Monster sounds outside. “I know,” says Sayid, and dispassionately slashes Sol’s throat.

Outside, the trees are shaking and uprooted as the Smoke Monster enters the Temple, grabbing people willy-nilly. Remember how scary the Smoke Monster was the very first time we saw it?  Well, this isn't quite that scary but it's still pretty intense.  Miles and Kate run together for a while until she splits off, saying she has to get Claire. Miles tries to hide in a storeroom but the door gets pushed in: it’s Alana, Sun, Frank Lapidus and Ben. Frank’s like, Miles, you gotta come with us now. Alana is also looking for Sawyer and Sayid, etc.; Miles says Sayid is at the pool and Ben runs off to fetch him.

Meanwhile, Kate runs back to the hole to get Claire but Claire’s all, we’ll be much safer in here. The Smoke Monster barrels into the room and Kate flings herself into the hole, clutching a rope to keep from falling, watching as the Monster blows by. Claire just grins.

Ben finds Sayid watching Dogan and Sol’s bodies float in the pool. He says, “Come on, I know a way out of here. There’s still time.” Sayid smiles at him CREEPILY, “Not for me.” And Ben’s eyes bug out as he backs slowly away.

As they run through the tunnels, Miles asks Sun where Jin is. “He’s alive?” she gasps. Um, last I saw of him, yeah. Alana leads them to the escape tunnel Hurley and Jack used and they escape just in time as the Smoke Monster cruises through the Temple.
Some time later, Sayid walks out into the Temple courtyard, picking his way through the carnage. Claire and Kate come out soon afterwards, with Kate still clueless that Claire is Evil. She does at least pick up a rifle so her self-preservation is intact at least. They walk out of the Temple to join Not-Locke and his band of lackeys. Not-Locke is slightly surprised to see Kate with them. But no one says anything as Not-Locke leads the pack off into the jungle, Kate following along behind, her face a symphony in WTF?

Lines are being drawn: Not-Locke, Claire and Sayid are Evil; Jack and Hurley are Good; Kate is a Doofus; and Sawyer is a Wild Card … how will everyone else take sides?

Previously on Lost / next time on Lost