Lost: Season 2, Episode 6 "Abandoned" Review

"They're smart, and they're animals, and they could be anywhere at any time."
-Ana Lucia Cortez



The 6th episode of season 2 of Lost picks up with Sayid (Naveen Andrews) building a shelter for Shannon (Maggie Grace).  The two of them finally have sex, but later the romantic mood is interrupted when Shannon sees Walt (Malcolm David Kelley).  Nobody believes Shannon, so she goes off to find Walt with Sayid following her and trying to convince her to go back.  Shannon breaks down because nobody believes in her.  Sayid tells her he does and says he loves her.  They both spot Walt out in the jungle and chase after him.

Ana Lucia's (Michelle Rodriguez) group makes their way across the island towards the camp of our main characters.  Sawyer (Josh Holloway) is dying from his bullet wound, so Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) leads the group through the jungle to save time.  Sawyer collapses, so they build a stretcher and carry him.  After climbing a hill, the group notices Cindy (Kimberley Joseph) is missing and hear whispers surrounding them.  Ana Lucia sees someone running towards them and shoots her only bullet.  It's Shannon.  The bullet kills her devastating Sayid.

In flashbacks, we see a teenage Shannon receive the news that her father has died.  Her stepmother, Sabrina (Lindsay Frost), inherits everything and gives Shannon nothing.  She is forced to abandon a prestigious internship.  Boone (Ian Somerhalder) offers to give Shannon money, but she refuses it when he doesn't respond after she asks if he believes in her.


What Works:

The strongest aspect of this episode is the B-story following Ana Lucia's group.  Halfway through the episode, Michael (Harold Perrineau) forces her to explain what happened to the survivors of the tail section.  Michelle Rodriguez gives an excellent monologue about the others and really enhances their frightening reputation.

Later, we get one of the most chilling scenes in the entire show when the group realizes Cindy is missing.  It's a terrifying moment that leads into the whispers and Ana Lucia shouting at them all to run.  It's some great stuff.

The flashbacks in this episode are pretty heartbreaking and humanize Shannon in a way we hadn't yet seen on the show.  Sabrina is one of the more nonredeemable characters on Lost and you can't help but feels enraged for Shannon.  These are some devastating moments for the character and I do wish we had gotten them earlier in the show.  It would have made Shannon more likable.

Finally, Shannon's death is pretty heartbreaking, especially with the flashback story.  Shannon finally finds someone who believes in her (or at least is willing to say so) and immediately afterward, she dies.  It's a brutal death and a great setup for the conflict between Sayid and Ana Lucia.


What Sucks:

 Shannon's story as a whole isn't super interesting.  She doesn't get to do much in her final episode.  It's a lot of her walking around with Vincent.  Considering this is her last episode before getting killed off, I wish she had gotten to do something a bit more substantial.

I also never really bought Sayid's declaration of love for Shannon.  I just don't think he would get over Nadia (Andrea Gabriel) so quickly.  I can believe he would have an island fling with Shannon, but a full-fledged declaration of love in the pouring rain?  Come on...

Finally, while I did praise Ana Lucia's monologue, she's really aggravating in the rest of the episode.  The way she speaks to everyone, even her own people, just drives me up the wall.  It's like the writers aren't even trying to make her likable.


Platinum Polar Bear:

 This award goes to the most useful character in the episode.  This week was tough.  There wasn't a lot of usefulness to go around, but I decided to give it to Michael for building a stretcher and refusing to leave Sawyer behind.  This is Michael's first time winning the award and I will be very surprised if he wins it again.


Verdict:

 "Abandoned" is a decent episode of Lost.  The B-plot is good, both Ana Lucia's monologue and Cindy's disappearance are chilling, the flashbacks do a great job of humanizing Shannon, and her death is heartbreaking.   I do wish Shannon had more to do, I didn't buy Sayid's big moment, and Ana Lucia was annoying, but, for the most part, I'd say this episode has got it going on.

 7/10: Good 

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