Wednesday, August 26, 2009

2.06 Abandoned

Follow along! The episode guide for “Abandoned” is in Finding Lost, pp. 205-210.

I haven’t pretended to be a fan of Shannon. She was irritating from the very beginning – suntanning herself and giving herself pedicures on the beach while everyone else was foraging for food, burning the dead, trying to find water. When Boone tried to give her food, she refused. The only time she was useful was when she was trying to show up Boone. As with many characters, they become likable only when we see their flashback (see: Kwon, Jin Soo). So perhaps it was unfair that she didn’t get a flashback until now, and the character was never given a fair shot with us. But here’s the problem: I find her sudden likability in this episode a bit of a cheat. She was treated badly by a horrible stepmother. She was told over and over again that she was useless and would never find her own way. So she decided she would show them… and she gave herself pedicures on the beach. Sawyer might have sat around being a complete dick in the beginning, but that behavior lasted all of a week before he was starting to become a useful member of the group. The Shannon who stands on the mountain and refuses to even attempt to listen to the Frenchwoman’s distress call despite everyone asking her to just TRY is not the same Shannon in this episode who is likable, talented, and trying hard. They haven’t exactly made me like Shannon in this episode – they’ve simply created a new character that I like a lot more than that blonde bimbo on the beach.

Fun things I noticed:
• That scene where Shannon starts kissing Sayid and they stop abruptly always makes me laugh. I wish they’d let me in the writers’ room so I could write the dialogue for that one. Shannon: “Is that a gun in your pants or are you just happy to see me.” Sayid: “Uh… both.”
• Sawyer always looks stricken when he’s caught pretending to be the bad guy. Notice the instant regret on his face when Michael hears him talking about him.
• Shannon’s actually lost all of her immediate family – her mother, father, and stepbrother.
• Charlie is SO mean-spirited in this episode. His comments to Locke about Claire always drive me insane. (I checked my book and I go on at length about the wrongness of it, so I won’t repeat myself here.)
• Do you think Sayid is telling the truth about believing Shannon (before he sees Walt) and that he’ll never leave her, or is he just trying to talk her off the ledge?

Things that have new meaning:
• There’s been a lot of speculation that Libby could have been an Other or may have been connected with Dharma. I’ve often wondered if the fact she’s a clinical psychologist could have connected her to Dharma? Psychological experiments were a big factor in what they did… and an even bigger curiosity to the Others.
• I really love the connection between Locke and Claire. Could there be any link between this and what later happens to Claire? Locke is the only one who can see Jacob in his cabin, and he’s the one given the instructions in “Cabin Fever.” In that same episode, he sees Claire sitting in a chair inside. The jury’s still out on what her deal is, but both of them are connected to Christian in this scene (Claire biologically) and I wonder if the writers were purposely giving us these scenes of the two of them together for that reason.
• Watching Sayid cradle Shannon made me think of the scene of Nadia’s death in “The Incident.” Man the writers have put Naveen through the ringer. Poor Sayid loses both of the women he loves in horribly violent ways.
• Sayid shoots Elsa in “The Economist” the same way Shannon is shot.
• Notice the horrified look on Michael’s face when he sees someone killed with a bullet (Shannon is hit in approximately the same spot as he’ll shoot Libby).

34 comments:

Gillian Whitfield said...

This is the episode in which my opinions for Shannon changed. I was thinking "I'm beginning to like Shannon" as she was hugging Sayid in the jungle. One minute later she has a bullet in her.

This was also the episode when my likability for Chah-lee was tested. He passed. Barely. It isn't until "One of Them" that he passes with flying colours. Of course, as I'm saying this, a huge chunk of me knows that in "Through the Looking Glass" I'll be crying like never before.

Marebabe said...

I've always believed Sayid when he tells Shannon that he a.) loves her, b.) will never leave her, and c.) believes her. I don't know how to reconcile that with his enduring love for Nadia, but Naveen played this scene very convincingly, in my opinion. Shannon clearly bought it, and so did I.

Nikki Stafford said...

Marebabe: I agree; when he says it, I believed him 100%. But then when he sees Walt he has a look on his face like, "HOLY CRAP she was telling the TRUTH!!" which would undercut his earlier assertion that he believed her. But it's hard to say. And, like you, I have a hard time reconciling this relationship with the whole Nadia thing.

Joan Crawford said...

You silly girls! Sayid loves only Nadia - he would have dropped Shanon like a small annoying dog the minute Nadia showed up. I think Sayid was just transferring love he felt for Nadia onto Shanon. Weird, but it happens. I had a girlfriend who once swapped boyfriends very quickly - I said "How can you stand it? Don't you still love Dinker?" And she said "Sure, but I just focus it on Lugnut instead." I don't get it but people do that stuff as a coping mechanism.
Sayid is a drama queen who loves to be in love.

P.S. My verification word was "mental". Haha! Blogger, you know me too well!

Joan Crawford said...

On the other hand: Wouldn't have been GREAT if after Shanon was all "I suck, wah, wah... you're going to leave me!" if Sayid, in his Sexy Sayid Voice said "Probably... but I can assure you that I will make it worth your while, while it lasts. Now, stop this foolishness and go back to my Love Tent that I have built for us."

Marebabe said...

@Joan: LOL!! All anyone needs to do to impersonate Sayid is include the phrase "I assure you". Well done!

Joan Crawford said...

@Marebabe - Haha, it's true! Thanks...I am glad my husband hasn't picked up on it yet.
Me: Are you sure?
Him: Yes.
Me: But can you assure me?
Him: Why do you keep asking me that?!

variabull said...

@Nikki

Had the same exact thought.
Shannon: Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me.

I read somewhere that Mae West ad-libbed that line to an actual L.A. cop who was assigned to her as an escort in the 30's and she used it on George Hamilton in her last screen appearance.

The Question Mark said...

@ Nikki: is there a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

I had these naughty thoughts in my head during that steamy tent scene, too. In fact, I'm surprised neither Sayid nor Shannon made a comment about "bringing protection".

Now, I don't know if this happens and I've forgotten, but Sayid DID see Walt...does he tell Michael about this, or does he forget. Because since Michale is going on 24/7 with the whole "they took muh son" spiel, I'd expect Sayid to chime in at some point and say, "Oh, yeah. he appeared to me and Shannon. He was dripping wet and talking backwards. Good luck with that."
Again, maybe he mentions it sometime later and I've forgotten about that. But if he stays mum, it would be a pretty weird choice on Sayid's part.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm. I think I too would withhold the whole "your kid was in the jungle dripping wet and talking backwards," thing from Michael, because that could only freak him out. Clearly Walt's not real - how do you drip water when it's not raining? - if he was, they would have heard him crashing through the jungle as he ran away.

I think it's interesting that Walt's "apparition" basically led Shannon to her death. Did the "real" Walt see that coming? Arrange it? Was he ticked off because Shannon keeps losing Vincent? (Whom she calls "Dog" because she apparently can't be bothered to remember his name?)

"Man the writers have put Naveen through the ringer."

(FYI, it's actually "wringer," as in the old-fashioned wringer washers, which would be seriously difficult to be put through.) I agree; every time Sayid beds someone, it's like signing her death warrant. I guess it's lucky for his captor on the Ajira flight that she booted him in the face before they got too busy in the hotel room.

I'm not saying I personally wouldn't take the risk, mind you.

Azá said...

This ep rewatch showed me that another (kinda) main character has 'Daddy issues'; Shannon.

If it is not Daddy, it is certainly family as we have seen even with Ana-Lucia.

All Daddies have been rich or fairly well off, so do you think they've paid Dharma to allow their children to take part in redemption/destiny exercies to come to terms with themselves? This is supports the 'Game Theory' I've also mentioned...

Anyhow; Sayid certainly seems to have gotten over Nadia pretty quickly indeed, especially with what he vows to her, but he does look (great acting btw) pretty ****** with what Ana does. It's funny how mental he goes and shows off his bad-ass ninja moves, even bamming Eko! But I recalled his words to Charlie about being 'emotionally involved' with when he was going over Ethan & how Sayid would've been a hypocrite. Only once tied up and having a moment with Ana does he see rationally again.

Side-thought: do you think us seeing Walt dripping wet is a sign of what that Other woman asks to Michael about him being in places he shouldn't be? When he first appears, it's the timeline that coincides with his taking on the raft, but he doesn't actually fall in the water?

Marebabe said...

Here's a thing: Remember when Rose said, referring to Shannon, "It can't be easy, losing the one person you love on the island." She was speaking to Hurley. Hurley, who will soon lose Libby, the one person he loves on the island. Of course, when we first saw this episode, we didn't have a clue about Libby's tragic death and how devastating it would be for Hurley. But the first time I rewatched this, Rose's line really zinged me. My hat's off (again) to the writers!

EvaHart said...

I like this episode for several reasons, but mostly becasue it shows a completly new side to Shannon, a character who many people have disliked right from the very start. This is another reason why the flashbacks are such an amazing plot device and give the characters a depth that no other programme really does.

I do actually like Shannon as a character, not just because of this episode but because she doesn't hide her personality unlike many of the charcters, sure it can be annoying and spoilt at times but what you see is what you get with her.

Although Sayid is definitely meant to be with Nadia, I do believe that he loved Shannon and was telling the truth when he said he would never leave her (it just so happened that he didn't have to keep his promise for very long).

One thing i have always wondered is why the others waited until now to take Cindy? Goodwin could have abducted her at any time and just
made it look like the others had found their camp. It just seems
strange that she was taken at that point.

All in all a good episode with an excellent cliffhanger, which is cleverly delayed even further by the next episode.

Rad said...

Long time reader, first time commenting. After already having watched all 5 seasons, I'm having a blast doing this rewatch with my wife and reading your take on things.

This episode just strengthened my belief that falling in love with Sayid is just bad for you, just like picnics on the island. I agree with everyone here that his "I Love You" to Shannon just cheapened the bond that he shared with Nadia. I think he just has that bit of Jack in him where he has to fix things, but more on an emotional level. Nadia was imprisoned, tortured and slowly breaking down, he feels for her situation and confuses this with love and helps her escape. Shannon has been wronged by her entire family and has never known true love, he again empathises with her and confuses these feelings for love. In season 4, he feels bad for Elsa and again he falls for her and her situation and confuses this for love...she too ends up dead. He did have a thing for Ilana too, wonder if she's next.

Keep up the great work Nikki

Nikki Stafford said...

Joan: Your comments just seriously made my day. Just as I was getting over "Dinker" and "Lugnut," you throw in the brilliant Sayid line. :)

Studiorose: D'oh, of course it's wringer! Thanks for the catch. And incidentally my grandmother had one of those washers... wait, did I just date myself? No, I think I just dated her. (Wait... that sounded weird.)

Walt's astral projections are definitely something that still hasn't been answered. Why is he wet? My theory early on was that the Others were trying to get him to do things, and were dunking him in water to see what he'd do. In a moment of panic, he caused himself to appear to Shannon, and he appeared wet because he was. By the way, he's actually giving her warnings when he's talking to her; the audio has simply been reversed (the translations of that and the whispers are in my book).

Writing is my Passion: I'm actually kind of dreading the S3 finale for what it's going to do to me. Bwah.

Eva: I agree; the way they make us wait even longer for that cliffhanger resolution was brilliant. :)

Rad: Great to have you on here!! Yikes... you could be right about Ilana. And Sayid himself is actually in a bad spot now.

Hey, that reminds me... Elsa and Shannon were both shot in the stomach, and now he's bleeding out from a stomach gunshot wound. Karma?

Rebecca T. said...

I loved this episode. I loved the flashbacks where we actually get a different view of Shannon, but her death made me so angry. It really wasn't fair of the writers to give us a real reason to understand her and then - bang! - literally!

All right, I am really confused with the behavior of the Others. Why is it that they pick off so many of the Tailies? Why do they follow them and take Cindy later? Why do they have the lists and everything here, while the only one they take from the other group is Claire. I mean, surely there were other "good" people in the group of Losties!
Was it because they were a smaller group, in a less defendable position?

And if the lists are given by Jacob (or so they say) then what does Goodwin do? Does he mark them in some way? And how would he have known which ones to do after only one day when, as he claimed, no one knew anyone's name.

Another nitpick - How does Charlie know so much about babies? He hasn't really lived a life that would give him that kind of information. Locke I can kind of buy because he grew up in foster care and very well could have helped out with younger kids in the homes he stayed in, but Charlie doesn't make sense to me. (Although Locke seems awful awkward about holding Aaron for someone who knows so much about babies.)

Michael got on my nerves again. Ana Lucia says the Others took 12! freakin' people and his response is, "They took my son!" It just gets so OLD.

I was kind of wondering how Shannon keeps being the one to see Walt and then I wondered if Vincent is some kind of conduit that connects her to Walt and that's why she's the one and not, say, Locke, who sees him.

Susan said...

Studiorose, to answer just one of your questions, Ethan was outed before he could complete his list, so the Others had to find some other way to figure out who was in the beach group. Though I wonder, since it turns out Ben has never seen Jacob, just what is Ben's purpose for the people he has chosen???

As much as we all hated Susan, I nominate Sabrina for worst parent. With some parents what she did would be called tough love, but she didn't love Shannon so she's just evil.

JennM said...

I agree with those of you who suggest that Sayid's love for Shannon was nothing more than a projection of the love he feels for Nadia. You can't ignore a love like that, I assure you.* (*The Sayid guarantee)

Fred said...

When Shannon ask Sayid if he believes her, it reminded me of Hurley asking his mother that after he told her the story of the island. And she says, without hesitation, "yes".

Notice Libby has better bedside manner dealing with Sawyer than Jack does. re: the condition of his wound.

The whole destiny::free will thing is tossed about in Locke's statement to Claire about babies, that when we are born we like being constricted (swaddling), but as we get older we develop a desire to be free. What does it mean Aaron "smells good." Odd little statement--Sarah, when she awoke said Jack smelled "bad." Does moral goodness/badness result in body odour?

I agree with everyone who said so here, Charlie is really annoying to Claire. It's not that he is right, but the way he says it. It's "me, me, me." Locke handles it much better, nmaking Claire feel at ease. Yes Claire is a young mother, but it doesn't come instinctually. At home she'd have had her mother, friends, even a nurse from the local hospital to check on Aaron. On the island, she is just being run ragged. Does Rose help her? You' d think someone like Rose might stop by and see in on her every so often.

I get Shannon's step-mother denying her money as a means to keep Boone away from Shannon. Drop the girl into the street and move your son away from New York. Maybe step-mom was reading the tea leaves and realized something was going on between those two.

The Shout said...

SonshineMusic:

I always assumed that because The Tailies had more kids in their number, The Others had to take out potential threats before kidnapping them. At this point names didn't matter. There were no pregnant women, so they could be a little more direct in their actions.Also, Ethan never got to make his list before he was uncovered, so who's to say the main Losties wouldn't have been attacked in the same way.As for Cindy, I hope the writers give us some kind of answer as to her part in the whole thing.

The lists definately need to be addressed in Season 6. I think there's a difference between the lists made by The Others (Ethan, Goodwin, the one they give to Michael)which seems to be more pratical and Jacob's list, which ties in with whole thing about 'good' and 'bad' people. The whole deal with lists is thrown into even more confusion now we know Ben might not even have been communicating with Jacob but with The Man In Black .

Austin Gorton said...

Sayid is a drama queen who loves to be in love.

Boy, ain't that the truth? :)

I remember I was always more affected by Shannon's death for the impact it would have on Sayid than because Shannon died. Which says something about her character, I guess.

Did Sayid love Shannon? Probably not, but I definitely think HE believed he did.

humanebean said...

Nik, I do believe that Sayid loved Shannon and wanted to protect her - a connection that he did not share with any other person on the Island. He felt protective towards the group as a whole and certainly jumped in where needed in a variety of situations but he opens himself to Shannon in a way that he doesn't show to others. Also, I think he did believe that Shannon "saw" Walt .... but of course did not believe that Walt had actually appeared. Hence his shocked look when HE sees Walt in the jungle, just as Shannon had described.

The connection between Locke and Claire has been intriguing right from the very beginning. I do think that this is something we will learn more about in Season 6. I'm not sure if this is more of a connection to Claire than perhaps Aaron himself ... but his seeing Claire in Jacob's cabin is a sign of something - I just don't know what it IS!!

Fred: Nice recap of those "found" after folks stopped looking for them in this episode.

Rebecca T. said...

@The Shout: Ethan never got to make his list before he was uncovered

I disagree. The Tailies were attacked the first night and then a week later (right?). Ethan takes Claire after they move to the caves. According to Lostpedia, they don't uncover Ethan until Day 16. That's 2 whole weeks in which he wanders around the jungle with Locke, hunts for boar, etc. That should have been plenty of time for him to get information back to the Others.

I just find it odd. And I definitely agree that the lists need to be adressed in Season 6. Where were they really coming from?

variabull said...

LISTS

"The Other 48 Days"
Goodwin: That first night they took the strongest of us--our quiet friend(Eko)--three other guys. They're all athletic, tough threats.

Ana-Lucia: Here are the names of every single person they took, all 9 of them -- what they were wearing -- what they look like -- one of them had a list -- of us.

Logically there would seem to be some validity to Goodwin's answer to Ana-Lucia's suspicious questioning of him when they go off alone together to "try the radio on higher ground". In "A Tale of Two Cities" Ben orders Ethan and Goodwin to "Listen, learn, don't get involved. I want lists in 3 days." Ben of course has a David/Bathsheba agenda for Goodwin. Is he hoping to get a list and then get Goodwin killed? Is bringing Flight 815 to the Island strictly a Jacob or Jacob/Hawking production. Is Ben surprised or aware? Have they Ben, Ethan and Goodwin done this drill before in other situations. When Ana-Lucia brains the female Other with a rock and finds the above list it is day 12. Goodwin probably had a drop point (maybe like Juliet's marked tree...although there would have had to have been several, since they were at times on the move. Goodwin probably slipped away at night since they didn't seem to post a watch. Does the Goodwin list go up the chain of command from Ben to Richard Alpert to Jacob, or does it not get past Ben? What are they supposed to listen for and learn? What is a "good person" and how does a murderer decide? From the day of the crash (since the outside world seems to be a day ahead of the Island) At the Flame Dharma station Mikhail is downloading video about the crash survivors and also somehow compiling dossiers.

In "Maternity Leave" Tom (Mr. Friendly) scolds Ethan Rom for not making a list after abducting Claire and taking her to the Staff(Caduceus) Dharma station. "Surgeon" Ethan (along with Juliet) has lost 9 women in childbirth in the last three years, one of which may have been his wife (if you believe what he told Jack). Since he knew he would soon be found out by Hurley's census did he take the initiative and act on his own when he kidnapped Claire? In his first fight with Jack he seemed to defeat Jack rather easily. Jack overcomes him the second time around. Did the Island or "Jacob" show displeasure with Ethan and sap some of his strength?

Ben is overheard by Paulo in the Pearl station bragging to Juliet about his plans for bringing Jack, Kate, and Ford to him via Michael and exploiting Jack to do his back surgery by using Ford and Kate against him. Hurley was brought along as the best possible messenger to be returned to keep the rest of the survivors away. In a later episode Picket mentions that Shephard wasn't even on Jacob's list. Mikhail tells Kate she's not on the list because she has flaws. So I would suppose that the Hurley, Jack, Kate, Sawyer list was Ben's list, not Jacob's. So were any of the fuselage folk on Jacob's list.

Pickett, and Mikhail, and Tom, and Bea Klough have all had access to the list(s). So are they readily available (posted on the Barracks community board, Temple doors, the "TallyHo" the Others internet)or are they strictly need to know?

Batcabbage said...

@Joan Crawford: he would have dropped Shanon like a small annoying dog the minute Nadia showed up.

LMAO!!! Thank you, Joan Crawford, for the best laugh of the day. So funny, and so true. :)

Batcabbage said...

@Joan Crawford: Wow, I posted too soon. No sooner had I posted my reply than I read your very next comment with the Sayid line, and I have now injured my pancreas from laughing so much. Kudos, my friend. Kudos!!!

variabull said...

Cindy Chandler

Jack: What are you doing here with them? I thought you were taken. you were, you were captured.
Cindy: They're not, um ... it's not that simple.
Jack: What are they doing here, right now? What are you doing here?
Cindy: We're here to watch, Jack.

So now about a month after she disappeared from the Tailies she seems to be an "Other" in good standing to witness the caged neuro-surgeon and the branding of the obstetrician murderess with the two kids no less. Can you say Patty Hearst Stockholm Syndrome, or has good ole flight attendant Cindy always been an Other. She parrots the pilot's story about flying off course for two hours and ignites Ana Lucia's Nathan suspicions with her comments about not seeing him on Flight 815. She and our favorite Santa Rosa mental patient/clinical pyschologist/sailboat supplier Libby team up to further fan the flames against Nathan. Although when she disappears there is a whisper transcript that mentions "she is heavy", couldn't she just as well have walked away? Couldn't she also have put something akin to Juliet's Galaga OJ into Jack's screwdriver on Flight 815 to facilitate one of his bamboo grove soft landings. If she was kidnapped did they have some Temple ceremony wearing white robes where they passed a smoke filled bong to our intrepid Aussie flight attendant?

Susan said...

Variabull I like your comments about Cindy. I never thought of those ideas before; they certainly make sense, and I can't think of a better theory.

The Shout said...

SonshineMusic: Agree with you that a day for Goodwin identify everyone, make his lists and report back to The Others seems too short a time but perhaps he had to act quickly because they wanted the kids.

As Variabull points out Ethan definitely didn't make a list in the 2 weeks he was with The Losties. Maybe he was just a lazy Other.

JennM said...

Cindy as Secret Undercover Other? Interesting!

Joan Crawford said...

Hahaha! Thanks, everybody!

@Variabull - Cool! Cindy as a pre-planted other! So...she was put there by Jacob directly? Was she in Otherville ahead of time and then sent on the plane? If Ben had sent her, he wouldn't have been shocked at the plane crashing...hmm. If Jacob sent her, why didn't he he also have Ethan and Goodwin already in position at the time of the crash? In fact, why not actually put Ethan and Goodwin on the plane too - if Jacob can apparently kill and unkill people?

Anonymous said...

Never bought or liked Sayid with Shannon.

Joan Crawford said...

@Anonymous - that is because you are a decent human being! Boo to Shannon + Sayid!

The Rush Blog said...

I started liking Shannon back in mid-Season 1, especially when she tried to be helpful to Sayid by translating Danielle's charts. I didn't have to wait for her back story in flashback.

As for Shannon's bitchy behavior, it didn't bother me one bit. In fact, I found it more bearable than dealing with Sawyer's "bad boy" behavior. Anyone who can come up with the nicknames, "Craphole Island" and "The Rape Caves" is a-okay in my book.

The episode was a little dull when Shannon's back story was featured. Otherwise, I enjoyed it.


Here's a thing: Remember when Rose said, referring to Shannon, "It can't be easy, losing the one person you love on the island." She was speaking to Hurley. Hurley, who will soon lose Libby, the one person he loves on the island. Of course, when we first saw this episode, we didn't have a clue about Libby's tragic death and how devastating it would be for Hurley. But the first time I rewatched this, Rose's line really zinged me. My hat's off (again) to the writers!

Hurley's so-called love affair with Libby was one of the most badly written aspects of the show. I didn't really mourn her death or the end of their relationship.