SPOILER ALERT, SPOILER ALERT
* Historically, I’d come to dread Jin/Sun episodes of Lost. They were to me what Kate episodes or “FlashJacks” were to a lot of other people. Yes yes, they’ve had a troubled relationship marred by deceit, we get it. Things necessarily livened up once the flashbacks gave way to flashforwards, the Islanders/Oceanic Six split, and time jumps. But since I knew that this season’s Jin/Sun episode would be showing us what the couple was up to in 2004, flashback style, I really wasn’t looking forward to it at all. Not even knowing that Jin would end up bound and gagged in a gangster’s kitchen someplace did much to sweeten the pot.
* But whaddyaknow, it was a good episode!
* For one thing, it turns out that Jin ending up bound and gagged in a gangster’s kitchen someplace sweetens the pot quite a bit. The flashsideways couldn’t end with some little epiphany about their relationship, it had to end with how Jin escaped from his plight. The relationship stuff was sort of seeded throughout, and came off the better for it. And hey, it’s still all based on lies, but this time it’s a mutual lie rather than one lying to the other. It’s not quite the breakthrough achieved by Jack, Ben, Locke, or Sawyer, but it beats poor Sayid.
* Also, it wasn’t the worst idea in the world to kick off the Jin/Sun stuff by having Sun take her top off. I’m just sayin’.
* But beyond that, it gave Sun something to do! I wasn’t super-into her heel turn during the flashforwards when she was plotting to kill Ben, but as the Missus always puts it, she’s not a person you wanna fuck with. I like that she’s normally sweet but very dangerous when cornered or pressured. She’s her father’s daughter.
* Another thing the episode had going for it was that it appears we’ll be advancing the main Island mythology ball at a pretty rapid clip at this point, or at the very least eliminating some possibilities as to what the heck’s going on. For example, between Fake Locke’s bug-eyed distress upon finding his camp raided in his absence–and surely all of us thought he’d left on purpose!–and the dick-measuring contest he had with Widmore on the shore of Hydra Island, we can now rest assured that they really aren’t on the same side.
* This raises the question: If Widmore and his people want to stop the Monster, and Ben and his Others worked (after a fashion) for Jacob who also wanted to stop the Monster, then we really were looking at a blue-on-blue conflict, if you will: Two rival teams of “good guys” who were doing horrible stuff all the time to one another and to anyone else who got in the way. “Good guys” really deserves its sneer quotes on this show.
* Also, our Cavalcade of Unreliable Narrators with regards to explaining the Monster/MIB/Fake Locke saw the addition of Charles Widmore. Welcome aboard, Chuck! Now in addition to Richard’s warning that he’d kill everyone on the Island and everyone everyone on the Island cares about, and in addition to Jacob’s characterization of the MIB as a darkness that can’t be allowed to spread past the Island, and in addition to the late Isabella’s warning (via Hurley) that if the MIB escapes “we all go to Hell,” Widmore says that should the MIB get off the Island, Sun and Ji-Yeon and Penny and presumably many more people besides will “cease to exist.” !!! What is this guy, Azathoth?
* And then there’s Fake Locke himself, explaining that he needs all the remaining Candidates to get off the Island. Apparently they have to come willingly, since otherwise he could have just Smoke Monstered Sun’s ass to wherever he needed her to be. Jack and Hurley too, for that matter.
* Kate’s not listed on the wall of the cave “anymore.” She used to be–what changed?
* Great bit with Sayid not feeling anything. I was curious as to how Fake Locke would react to that–was this a surprise to him, or something he’s seen before, or at least expected? Seems like he was unfazed, for whatever that’s worth.
* I’m quite glad Kevin Durand was back again as Martin Keamy. How creepy! I do wish Andrew Divoff had been given more to do as this new, two-eyed, more mild-mannered, easier to kill Mikhail Bakunin, however. And it was also a bit weird to see an Other mixed up with Keamy’s crew–almost a stretch, I’d say.
* Speaking of which, I’m waxing enthusiastic for this episode despite my hunch that Internet naysayers will have a field day with this one. Sun’s loss of English (followed by the now de rigeur fanservice acknowledgement by Frank–could have been Hurley or Miles or even Sawyer too–that this is kind of ridiculous), Jack’s line about the tomato that didn’t know it was supposed to die, Mikhail getting shot in the eye OMG!!!, Jack once again earning someone’s trust for a big plan despite the fact that all his previous plans ended in bloody disaster, a SWAT team led by a geophysicist and that dimpy guy from various commercials taking out a few dozen hardened Others and Castaways with poison darts…a lot of the stuff in this episode could read as clunky or cheesy or forced. I just read it as fun.
* One thing about that Jack/Sun conversation: I think it’s worth pointing out that you can trust people for different reasons. Trusting Jack doesn’t necessarily mean that you have confidence in his ability to successfully execute a plan, it just means that you trust he’s a good person with your best interests at heart. Frankly, I too would take that over a smoke monster wearing the skin of my crazy dead friend.
* Was I disappointed that it was Desmond in the locked room, not Walt? You betcha. I mean, I guess I ought to have known that the guy in the opening credits in every episode would show up by now. Oh well. Still holding out hope that Walt is 108.
* Oh yeah: What the heck can Desmond do to stop the MIB? We’ve seen that he has some rare abilities in terms of weathering time travel of various kinds, and he managed to blow the Hatch without imploding…
>>>.a lot of the stuff in this episode could read as clunky or cheesy or forced. I just read it as fun.
SUN BASHED HER HEAD INTO A TREE WHILE RUNNING AWAY FROM ULTIMATE EVIL!!! When I saw that I just groaned. Bugs Bunny.
Other than that, a decent enough Sun/Jin episode.
All the competing kinds of Others are starting to get on my nerves some. I mean, at this point we’ve got:
* An older generation of Others largely represented by Widmore and Ellie (there could be more or that could be it) who have been pushed out of the hierarchy for various reasons but are still invested in the fate of the Island from afar.
* People like Juliet who were recruited onto the Island from the mainland who may know the general focus of why the Others exist or that Jacob is their leader but really know none of the specifics on what the Island is and why it exists.
* The rest of “Ben’s group” of Others from longtime cronies Friendly, Bea, Mikhail, Ethan and the like to the stewardess and the kids who have been made aware of secret knowledge that makes them totally dedicated to Jacob/defending the Island/killing outsiders.
* Possibly Dogen and the temple people if they know more than Ben’s group.
* Ilana and Bram and the other “off Island Others” who are not only solidly with Jacob and opposed to Widmore but seem to have more direct connection to Jacob than Ben certainly ever had and maybe more than Richard has had in a long time.
Dragging all these different groups connected to Jacob and/or the Island over the years and then playing super coy about their motivations or their belief systems has made it very hard to care about any of them succeeding or failing in anything and worse so has made it very hard for me to believe that we’ll get any kind of satisfying explanation as to why we’ve been kept in the dark for so long with these “the character’s never ask the obvious questions/give normal answers” moments the series detractors complain about. I don’t need every little moment of mysterious Other-ness explained away, but I would like to know: What is Widmore is trying to accomplish outside what the core Others want, and why does that cause conflict? Why are certain people allied with the Others brought into Jacob’s inner circle? What makes people who didn’t grow up on the Island so dedicated to Jacob’s views? What does Jacob think about all the murdering done in his name by Ben’s team and others?
Beyond that, I was a little let down in this week’s flash sideways because what really happened? We learned that Jin and Sun were not married (knew it already basically) but were in love (shocker) and the rest was setting up a scene we already knew was coming with no real twist aside from Sun getting capped. To me, the real story for these two in the parallel universe is just starting…legendary wheel-spinning.
HOWEVER, did anyone else think that Sun’s loss of English on the Island was less of a result of a head wound and more of a signal that she’s making some connection to the parallel reality? In the sideways flash, before answering the door to let Kearny in, she stopped in the mirror to inexplicably touch her forehead before we zip back to Jack checking out her mystery trauma. I think we’re in to see some more bleed between the two realities beyond Jack having a scar and Juliet’s coffee line.
The only other plausible explanation for Sun’s head trauma is this one: http://twitpic.com/1c3h7q
I also really dig that Widmore’s people are the plot outlet that will bring in discussion of what really happened during the Incident and time travel and the flashsideways and everything else that’s a result of last season’s mega-story but that’s been pretty much dropped from active discussion ever since.
I liked this episode! What clinched it for me was Jin looking at the photos of Ji Yeon. Holy fucknuts, that was heart-rending. Someone at Sepinwall’s blog took Widmore’s warning that Smokey’s escape would mean that Ji Yeon would cease to exist to mean that the flash-sideways we’re seeing are what would happen if Smokey escaped. Which is very interesting, because it sets up again the choice that we saw at the end of last season but that kind of got short shrift: is it worth destroying certain lives if you can make certain other lives better? Will Jack or Sawyer eventually be given a look at a world that includes Jack’s son and Juliet alive, but doesn’t include Ji Yeon or Charlie Hume, and have to choose between them?
Another thing I thought, and this could have been spotted from info given last season, so forgive me if it’s been covered already – Widmore would have had access to Daniel Faraday’s diary, right, because Ellie Hawking had it? So he would have known that Desmond eventually ended up on the island. Does that mean that he’s not as big an asshole as we think he was for trying to keep Des away from Penny, that he knew that Desmond had tragedy in his future and he was trying to protect her? Because even though Des was drugged when we saw him, I get the feeling we’re going to find out Widmore isn’t actually treating him that badly and they just drugged him to make the trip (like they did to Juliet when she took the sub).
I liked the episode, bing bang boom.
Another topics: so who is the candidate, Jin or Sun?
Evidence in my mind for Jin: He was able to travel through time (Sun was not; though Kate and Miles were too), he survived the boat being blown up.
Evidence in my mind for Sun: She survived conceiving a child on the island, she was a member of the Oceanic Six (and every other member besides–again–Kate ended up being a candidate).
My gut says Jin, but I’m also somewhat intrigued by how Kate is sort of the monkey wrench in most candidate theories I have and also wonder if her and Sawyer have some sorta link in that sense (she basically took his place among the O6).
Heidi:
Yeah, the bumped noggin was another big one. That sequence was shot and edited weirdly, too, so that the headsmack came off almost like an afterthought. Maybe that’s for the best.
Kiel:
I assume that sorting out the various motives, and claims of righteousness, of all the different groups is on the order of business for the remainder of the season. I can wait. By their works ye shall judge them.
Very good call on Jin’s loss of English as a reflection (pun intended) of the flashsideways world. Don’t know how I missed that, given that i sat there thinking “Wow, this is a random-ass concept to introduce this late in the game.”
Justin:
I had a hard time appreciating that moment with Sun looking at the photos of Ji-Yeon because I couldn’t get past how weird it was that Jin brought her camera with her when she went back to the Island. I suppose the idea is so she could do exactly this and show Jin pictures of their daughter, but I couldn’t get around “Was she gonna take pictures of her and the Smoke Monster?”
And yes, I assume that Widmore’s actions all along were dedicated to driving Desmond to the Island.
Ben:
For all we know, Ji Yeon herself is the candidate!
Something else from last season I just remembered:
For all the fuss about what would become of Aaron while Kate went back to the island, we NEVER found out where Sun stashed Ji Yeon when she headed back. That’s got to play in somewhere, right?
Megan actually brought up the possibility of Ji Yeon being the candidate when we watched, Sean! Totally forgot to mention that and hat tip her.
Also, it’s entirely possible Widmore brought that camera to the island, not Sun, given their alliance and him knowing he might need it.
Oh shit, you guys. I forgot about Sun’s alliance with Widmore. What if Widmore’s the one who took those pictures? What if he’s the one Sun left Ji Yeon with? What if She’s the package, and Desmond being led out of the sub is a red herring? It sounds kooky, but I could see it all happening.
why did they have to fly Jin all the way to the states just to shoot him in the head?
Kearny hates planes.
Also, Justin, you have now totally put in my head the image of Widmore being at all of Ji Yeon’s birthday parties saying “Smile for the camera!”
I want Widmore at my birthday party.
Ji-Yeon was probably not the Candidate because she was not on Oceanic 815. It seems that the Hand of Jacob conspired to get all the candidates on that flight for the express purpose of getting the next Dalai Lama all set up.
I also noted the vague feeling that the timelines were getting closer.
Jin looking at those photos was the best bit in the episode, because I
Ben & Justin: Oh man, I forgot about the Widmore Alliance! Is that still in play, even?
Anonymous: Style, my dear boy, style!
Heidi: A technicality, but this is a show that thrives on them. (Although my all-time most frustrating experience with Lost fandom was when I tried in vain to explain to people on the Tori Amos message board I used to hang out on that yes, Aaron counted as a member of the Oceanic Six even though he was just in utero on the original flight, because the world media that gave the survivors that nickname isn’t about to ignore a orphaned infant born on a deserted island just because he didn’t have a boarding pass on the flight that brought his mother there.)
So much of this episode made me feel like old home week. The midnight raid on the beach brought me back to the days of the flaming arrows and the poaching missions of the then-shadowy Others…Jack getting his groove back in a nice moment with Sun (yeah, I like Jack)…a trip back to Alex’s gooney boyfriend’s Alex DeLarge den, Widmore moving towards center stage, Desmond back in the picture…
I’m glad they’re taking time to return to earlier elements of the show, it really makes the whole, epic story feel like one cohesive whole. Watching Jack and Sun having a beach bonfire chat (as warm and familiar as a kitchen chat on Family Ties), the line “seems like a million years ago” was more than a trite silence filler. It brought home (before the big rush to the end) how much these characters have been through, and how far we’ve come as an audience watching them for six years. I could feel Jack’s bittersweet longing for the days when Hurley’s discman still worked. Contrasted against the stark differences of loopy Claire, psychotic Sayid, and Locke as a puppet for the smoke monster (of all things), it was a nicely grounded episode.
I hear the complaints that the flash-sideways was killing time until the inevitable Jin in the freezer scene, and I guess I understand it, on a really dry level. To me, it was worth every minute to see Sun and Jin’s characters and dynamic under different circumstances. Now they are outside marriage and…still in love, and somehow happier? Happier than the first time we saw them on an Oceanic flight, to be sure. Sun, less serious, and Jin, more gentle. This time around, love pushes Jin to break the boss’ one big rule, instead of love pushing him to be his lapdog. Who doesn’t love a good tale of forbidden love?
And Sun, delightfully, still a schemer! In the OG storyline, it could be assumed that a deferential Sun was pushed into the position of creating an American escape plan by a bad husband. In the flash sideways, we see her create an American escape plan out of her own moxie and will. Complete with a secret bank account apparently worth more than $25,000! (…tough break on that one.) This is a woman who made an alliance with Widmore of all people. Sun is a person dedicated to getting things done, a badass with guile, stealth and subtlety…perhaps on par with Ben. Love it.
(And Sun’s got self assurance that Ben will never have.)
— The bonk on the head and the aspasia (really, just fancy pants amnesia) reminded me of Marx Brothers (kissin’ cousins with Heidi’s Bugs), but what the hell, I’ll bite. Especially if the aspasia is really just a connection with the other timeline, something I didn’t think of at all until Kiel put it together for me.
— OK, if I’m going to talk about stupid plot points, what kind of gangster thinks he can waltz into the US with $25k IN CASH and thinks customs are gonna just be chill bros about it?? Do your research!
— Is Sun and Jin the only flash-sideways with a cliffhanger? All the others came to satisfying endings, but Sun is bleeding out, and pregnant. It seems to be the only threat to follow, so far.
— Kiel, I also have trouble with all the various factions of Otherness floating around. I guess my reluctance to care about Dogen’s crew and Ilana (as I’ve commented in previous weeks) is due to the fact that we just don’t know what the stakes are for them. Without more information, they seem more like placeholders in the plot.
And then there is Widmore and Ben. Damn, that was such a great matchup on the “mainland” — remember the frantic violence of Ben on the docks?? Crazy shit! All that intensity seems to have been deflated in the light of multiple factions, Jacob vs. MIB, etc…I hope they get THAT groove back.
— Heidi, I’m with Sean on this. Jacob’s plans are pretty elaborate, I wouldn’t be surprised if he corralled Sun and Jin to get at Ji-Yeon. That said, it would be pretty far fetched if we found out that — AW HELL, WHY NOT! JI-YEON FOR PRESIDENT!!
I mean, good god y’all, Ben had a straight up BLOOD FEUD going against Widmore! With the island AND Penny in the middle! Eye for an eye, daughter for a daughter. Confronting the old man in his silk PJs and then walking out the front door. Coooooold bloooooded!
I’d trade ten episodes of Dogen for one more episode of that. (Not that it’s a zero sum game, but…yknow.)
I enjoyed this episode a lot. A lot more, a least, than the big hour of Richard portents of doom and hellfire. Mostly I just enjoy both the comedy of remarriage, but also the tragedy of the Sun/Jin relationship pre-island, of each doing what they think they need to do, and totally failing to hear or understand the other.
The big shift was the Sun and Jin relationship; in the original timeline she wants to escape Jin, in F/S, she wants to escape WITH Jin. Given their relationship, the implication is that Jin’s employment with Mr. Paik pre-dates his relationship with Sun (another shift). But as a result, he’s not quite as yoked to Paik Sr.’s whims, and not quite as complicit in the more unsavory aspects of the Paik empire (he was clearly less comfortable with violence than gangland-enforcer Jin).
Sun’s “aphasia” is definitely a converging timeline issue. “Where is he” doesn’t refer to Nemesis, but to Keamy.
The scenes with Widmore convinced me that Sun and Jin will remain separated for a while longer at least, and that one of them (most likely Jin) will be roped into a moral dilemma in which they have to choose between spouse and child.
The emphasis on Ji-Yeon also makes me think that if she isn’t the candidate, that she is a loophole. Something that maybe even Jacob didn’t see. This, in fact, might provide the basis for the aforementioned quandary. Will installing Ji-Yeon as the new Jacob let everyone leave? Probably not, but it makes for good drama, no?
I also loved Sayid in this episode, being beyond all human feeling– without fear, love, anger, or regret. Essentially, just a better-smelling zombie. The the dead-eyed stare he gave Desmond at the end, from the water, was absolutely chilling. (And seemed oddly reminiscent of Martin Sheen’s “river baptism” in Apocalypse Now. Or is that just me?)
“Is Sun and Jin the only flash-sideways with a cliffhanger? All the others came to satisfying endings, but Sun is bleeding out, and pregnant. It seems to be the only threat to follow, so far.”
It was certainly the most intense and urgent cliffhanger, but not the only one. Sayid still has to deal with the consequences and his actions, presumably (maybe not). And of course I’m guessing we’ll see what happens with Sawyer, Kate and Miles.
I’d say the book should/could be more or less closed on Jack, Locke, Ben and Claire though.
And yeah, as many great story and acting moments as Ben’s reduction in power and self-assured nature has given us, the intensity of the war with Widmore is definitely one of it’s greatest casualties.
I’ve been thinking about what’s going on with Sayid. Is “the darkness” contagious? If so, an incubation period might explain why The Monster’s crew had to make camp for two days rather than proceed directly to Hydra, to make sure everyone in the party would be infected. And along the same lines, maybe the Purge was actually justifiable, if a flat-affect-plus-violence epidemic was about to break out among the DHARMA personnel. The Purge happened subsequent to Horace Goodspeed building that vacation cabin in no-man’s-land, so a member of his family would probably be patient zero in such a scenario.
Another question about Jin’s confiscated cash: how’d he get it through Australian customs?
I assume the “Danny” that Keamy mentions as being friends with Mikhail refers to Pickett, not Faraday.
The sideways stuff is going to start converging now – Jin takes Sun to Jack’s hospital, Sawyer and Miles investigate the murders at the restaurant, leading them to Sayid – I’m not sure how Linus High and Kate and Claire work in there, but those clever writers have worked it all out, I’m sure.
We still haven’t seen Juliet – maybe she works at the hospital, too…