OMFG! I caught myself saying that twice in this episode, once near the very beginning and once near the very end. The twists of "The Economist" will truly spin your mind. The addition of the flash-forwards proves definitively to have been a great idea - just what the series needed to renew itself. In fact, the "future" story of this episode, focusing on Sayid's post-rescue life (yes, he's the fourth revealed out of the "Oceanic Six", after Jack, Kate and Hurley), is even more compelling than the "present" happenings on the island. The gorgeous Dutch guest star Thekla Reuten gives an outstanding performance. Not that the island scenes don't have their moments as well: in particular, one of Hurley's funniest lines ("Oh, awesome, they sent us another Sawyer") when Miles calls him "tubby", and a pretty convincing argument from Sawyer to Kate on why they should maybe stay on the island after all. But it's the twist of the final 2 minutes that propels "The Economist" to the status of brilliance. ***1/2 out of 4.
4 Reviews
"She wanted to know who I work for. She wanted to know about YOU"
gridoon202426 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Torturer, Diplomat, Hit-man
claudio_carvalho23 February 2008
Jack deals with Frank and proposes to bring Charlotte back; in return, Frank would take Sayid to the ship. Frank accepts and Sayid seeks Locke with Kate and Miles, and when they meet each other, Sayid trades Miles per Charlotte. Meanwhile, in a flash-forward, Sayid becomes a hit-man and travels to Berlin, where he meets Elsa and has a brief affair with her.
"The Economist" is another episode where there is no new revelation or answer to the countless unresolved mysteries of the island. The most intriguing is the situation of Sayid in the future as a hit-man and the identity of his boss. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): Not Available
Note: On 13 April 2013, I saw this episode again on DVD.
"The Economist" is another episode where there is no new revelation or answer to the countless unresolved mysteries of the island. The most intriguing is the situation of Sayid in the future as a hit-man and the identity of his boss. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): Not Available
Note: On 13 April 2013, I saw this episode again on DVD.
Tense negotiation
TheLittleSongbird30 May 2018
When 'Lost' was in its prime, it was must-watch television. Remember first watching it, found it remarkably easy to get into, was hooked from the start and was on Season 3 by the end of one week. The general consensus is that the final season is a disappointment and cannot disagree.
Season 3 was for me a solid if uneven season, with many brilliant episodes but a few slightly underwhelming ones, an inconsistent first part of the season and containing one of 'Lost's' low points "Stranger in a Strange Land". Season 4 had a good amount to live up, and its first episode "The Beginning of the End", was a brilliant start. The following episode "Confirmed Dead" is very nearly as great and already there are signs of a season that settled much quicker than the previous one. That continues once again with "The Economist".
The episode has pretty much everything that 'Lost' is all about. It's taut and thought-provoking, with utterly gripping and beautifully developed on-island events. On top of all that, it introduces with enormous potential new characters, keeps the existing characters interesting, shows plot progression rather than repeating itself or being filler.
Also found "The Economist" to be once again a non-stop thrill ride of insane entertainment value, edge of your seat tension and very emotional moments. The time discrepancy, cellphone and secret room parts are highlights, as are the intriguing flashforward and Hurley containing one of the episode's best lines which is very funny (it has been mentioned by two of the previous reviews so won't repeat).
Can't fault the performances, particularly Naveen Andrews.
Nor the stylishness and atmosphere of the visuals, nor the effectively understated and chilling use of music, taut writing and the tightly controlled direction (one of the best of the season and perhaps of the show).
In conclusion, great episode. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Season 3 was for me a solid if uneven season, with many brilliant episodes but a few slightly underwhelming ones, an inconsistent first part of the season and containing one of 'Lost's' low points "Stranger in a Strange Land". Season 4 had a good amount to live up, and its first episode "The Beginning of the End", was a brilliant start. The following episode "Confirmed Dead" is very nearly as great and already there are signs of a season that settled much quicker than the previous one. That continues once again with "The Economist".
The episode has pretty much everything that 'Lost' is all about. It's taut and thought-provoking, with utterly gripping and beautifully developed on-island events. On top of all that, it introduces with enormous potential new characters, keeps the existing characters interesting, shows plot progression rather than repeating itself or being filler.
Also found "The Economist" to be once again a non-stop thrill ride of insane entertainment value, edge of your seat tension and very emotional moments. The time discrepancy, cellphone and secret room parts are highlights, as are the intriguing flashforward and Hurley containing one of the episode's best lines which is very funny (it has been mentioned by two of the previous reviews so won't repeat).
Can't fault the performances, particularly Naveen Andrews.
Nor the stylishness and atmosphere of the visuals, nor the effectively understated and chilling use of music, taut writing and the tightly controlled direction (one of the best of the season and perhaps of the show).
In conclusion, great episode. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Great script by Kitsis and Horowitz
ametaphysicalshark14 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
"The Economist" basically continues developing the on-island story quite fast, and Charlotte rejoins Frank and Daniel while Miles ends up in Locke's hands. Most intriguing of the on-island events are the discovery of Ben's secret room and Daniel's time experiment, which is a terrific scene in its execution. This is a great script, and it's really better than I initially thought it was. Lots of fun, occasionally clever dialogue, some great one-liners ("great, the ship brought us another Sawyer"), and a neat structure and sense of pace, although it slows down slightly near the end as far as the on-island stuff goes.
The flashforward is better than I initially gave it credit for as well. It works both as a spy story (which I'm sure the genre enthusiasts who wrote the script were thrilled to write), and as an emotional story for Sayid. I'd go as far as saying it was at least his second most interesting flash (forward or back) to me personally, and I really thought that Naveen Andrews was terrific here, and gave one of his better performances. Yes, the ending was surprising and intriguing, but I really don't think that this episode as a whole should be reduced to its ending. As a script, this really works well all-around, and is excellent both on and off the island. The dialogue in particular struck me as notably better here than in many other "Lost" episodes.
Jack Bender's direction is tasteful and smart as well (as usual), and I found the scene in the hotel with Sayid and Elsa late in the episode especially well-shot. I know this episode is well-liked, but I feel like it almost doesn't get quite enough credit, it is really, really good all-around. Some of Michael Giacchino's new compositions for season 4 are absolutely incredible, can't wait for that CD.
The flashforward is better than I initially gave it credit for as well. It works both as a spy story (which I'm sure the genre enthusiasts who wrote the script were thrilled to write), and as an emotional story for Sayid. I'd go as far as saying it was at least his second most interesting flash (forward or back) to me personally, and I really thought that Naveen Andrews was terrific here, and gave one of his better performances. Yes, the ending was surprising and intriguing, but I really don't think that this episode as a whole should be reduced to its ending. As a script, this really works well all-around, and is excellent both on and off the island. The dialogue in particular struck me as notably better here than in many other "Lost" episodes.
Jack Bender's direction is tasteful and smart as well (as usual), and I found the scene in the hotel with Sayid and Elsa late in the episode especially well-shot. I know this episode is well-liked, but I feel like it almost doesn't get quite enough credit, it is really, really good all-around. Some of Michael Giacchino's new compositions for season 4 are absolutely incredible, can't wait for that CD.
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