This is the third straight solid episode of Season 4, continuing an impressively energetic start to the season. What's more surprising about The Economist is that it's written by Kitsis and Horowitz whom I always associate with humor-driven episodes. I suppose I should let go of that assumption. They can obviously write emotional episodes (D.O.C.) and James Bond-esque episodes (The Economist) just as effectively.
Flash-forwards (FFs) show Sayid disposing of a man on a golf course, then hooking up in Berlin with an attractive woman named Elsa. Turns out he's working an angle to get to her boss (who she claims is an economist), but in true James Bond fashion she's simultaneously working the same angle on him. Things eventually unravel and come down to a brutal shootout. Sayid wins, 2 bullets to 1.
The big FF reveal: Sayid's boss turns out to be — are my eyes deceiving me? — Benjamin Linus.
Things are getting particularly interesting on the island. Most of the science team has rallied at Frank's chopper, but Charlotte had the misfortunte of landing new Locke's team. In order to secure a spot on the chopper, Sayid insists he can negotiate for Charlotte. Sayid did indeed return with Charlotte and land his seat on the chopper, but Lapidus didn't realize part of the negotiation was leaving Miles at the barracks with Locke.
Tangent #1: I should note that Hurley's deception of Sayid's group was a stroke of genius from the writers. Considering we'd just seen Hurley have doubts about Locke's sanity I fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
Tangent #2: Right off the bat, Hurley and Miles have great comedic chemistry and part of the credit goes to the writers.
A very interesting yet understated scene comes around the 19:00 mark, when Faraday sets up a beacon and asks Regina on the distant freighter to fire a mini-rocket toward it. It eventually arrives but Faraday's freaked out by the time discrepancy. The seeds of time travel have been officially planted — that is, if they weren't already planted by previous Desmond-centrics.
I'll have to watch Sundown one more time to fully decide, but The Economist might be my favorite Sayid-centric. This is the type of role where Naveen Andrews truly shines, when he can be truly merciless in pursuit of his goal. The scene on the golf course, particularly after he wins the bet, is vintage Sayid.
I know this goes against the writers' intent but I can't ignore what I see on the screen: the Sayid/Elsa romance felt much more natural than Sayid/Shannon's ever did. Naveen really toned down the puppy dog look, perhaps because he realized Sayid was executing a mission. No matter what the cause, this particular fling translated better on-screen.
Thekla Reuten (Elsa) deserves just as much credit for the convincing fling as Naveen. Right around the 33:00 mark, when Sayid says "you have to leave Berlin," both Andrews and Reuten do a wonderful job of playing off each other as their identities are revealed.
Jeff Fahey and Jeremy Davies were great in the "payload" scene, starting with Faraday's request to use Frank's phone. I love the contrast between the two characters here.
Jorge Garcia and Ken Leung (Miles) deserve a special shout-out. The following exchange had me cracking up:
MILES: How about you stop babbling and just tell us what happened to them? Where are they?
HURLEY: Who are you?
MILES: Where the hell did they go, Tubby?
HURLEY: Oh, awesome. The ship sent us another Sawyer.
The big, big winner in the visuals/design department: re-creating a street in Berlin, including piles of snow! After I'm done appreciating what they accomplished I always wonder how uncomfortable Naveen must've been weaering a trenchcoat in Oahu.
If I hadn't already known Jack Bender was the director I probably could've guessed after the golf course scene. He tends to use wide crane shots at the best moments, in this case after Sayid shoots his man and walks away. Love it. Another example is the chopper leaving the island in the final minutes. When combined with Giacchiano's score this felt like a cathartic moment in a feature film.
The Sayid/Elsa shootout was nicely executed by everyone involved, especially with the subtle twist of Sayid smashing the mirror to lure Elsa to the room. High-intensity scene. I dig it.
My only real complaint involves the shots of Sayid in the chopper (filmed on stage). The lighting doesn't ring true at all. Also, even if the faux wind was at a realistic level it wasn't at the expected dramatic level. Sayid's hair should've been flopping all over the place to sell the moment, not just a few "tendrils" swaying over his cheeks.
If I'm in the mood for a Bond-esque episode The Economist is the one I'd pick every time. Once again Season 4 delivers brisk pacing and lots of scenery changes, which always provides a big boost to replayability.
It's significant that Sayid got on the chopper, but only to the extent that it'd set up a mini-arc on the freighter (including The Constant) and eventually lead to him becoming one of the Oceanic Six.
Sayid's exploration of Ben's house is also moderately significant in that it reveals a slew of passports and money from a variety of nations. It raises questions of how, when, and why Ben leaves the island.
I might be in the minority but I've always liked the atmosphere of the flash-forward storyline, which is a little odd for me because I'm generally not a fan of spy movies. The romance element and art design just make The Economist feel different in some way.
There's very little in terms of emotional impact except a strong sense of nostalgia when Sayid finally hopped onto the helicoper. Admittedly much of that nostalgia was helped along by Giacchino's score.
I'm giving a few bonus points to The Economist for its brisk pace all the way through. I don't consider any of the scenes to be a lull in the episode and that should count for something.
