You've articulated precisely the point I was trying to make--that in a universe in which entropy is a primary component, life and intelligence are mechanisms which help to increase that entropy even though they may superficially appear to be reversals of it.

Freeman Dyson also mentions bottlenecks in this process. In one of his essays I read years ago, he talks about thermonuclear fusion in stellar interiors as a slow process which generates entropy-reversing energy for long periods of time, thereby delaying the eventual heat-death of the universe. Stars form quickly, but take a long time to burn out, and while they are emitting light they provide a source of energy for the creation of complex structures. The energy made available by stars provides the means to create complex organic and inorganic structures throughout the universe, including the heavy elements. But the price the universe pays for this is the eventual transformation of its hydrogen into elements which can no longer undergo fusion. Dyson mentions other bottlenecks, too, but I cannot recall them. Perhaps some reader here can direct me to that essay if they are familiar with it.

The arrow of time is defined by entropy, and entropy can be reversed, if you're willing to spend the energy to do it. But energy can only be assembled by accellerating entropy somewhere else.