After last week’s luxurious extended narrative, tonight’s episode was a disjointed series of vignettes designed to set up the pieces for the endgame. The Sun and Jin alternate timeline story was particularly effective.
The Gift of the Magi
We pick up Sun and Jin’s alternate timeline as customs let’s Jin go, gives him back the watch but confiscates the $25,000 dollars he was supposed to deliver with the watch. Sun wants to know why Jin has to deliver these items Jin explains that he doesn’t ask questions, he just follows her father’s orders. They go to the hotel where they are staying and check in under separate names into separate rooms: Paik and Kwon. Sun and Jin are NOT married. It soon becomes obvious that even though they are not married, they still involved romantically. Or at least sexually.
Ok. Romantically and sexually. The morning after, Sun is giddy. She suggests to Jin that they run away. She has an account in America. They can stay there out from under her fatehr’s gaze. Jin is leery at first, then seems excited about the idea. “You want to be with me, don’t you?” Sun asks. “Of course. I love you.” Jin answers. Then we hear a knock on the door.
It’s Martin Keamy and his fabulous arms and his chicklet teeth and unfortunately, we are only privy to the teeth tonight. “Your bodyguard is supposed to give me some money. Where is Mr. Kwon?” Keamy asks. He’s so politely creepy. “No English.” Sun answers. Keamy tells his Arab sidekick to go get that guy who speaks like eight different languages. “Mikhail?” “Yeah. That guy.” Sure enough, Mikhail appears and he has BOTH of his eyes, which is really weird since I just finished watching season three over the weekend and I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed Mikhail’s character. So it was good to see him again. Mikhail translates Sun and Jin’s sad story about the confiscated money and Sun volunteers to go to the bank and withdraw the money for them. Mikhail goes with her and Keamy takes Jin to the restaurant.
Unfortunately, when Sun gets to the bank, she finds that her account has been closed and furthermore, that it has been closed by her father. “Why would he do that?” she asks Mikhail. “Why do you think?” Mikhail answers. Meanwhile, Keamy has Jin tied up in the pantry and is explaining in English that the $25,000 was Keamy’s fee to kill Jin for sleeping with Sun. “Everyone who knows Mr. Paik knows it’s hands-off the daughter. Everyone but you.” Of course, Jin understands none of this.
Then we see Jin in the pantry alone, hear the gunshots outside and Sayid bursts throught he door. Sayid won’t free Jin, but he does hand him the razor so that Jin can cut himself free. Mikhail arrives with Sun, finds Sayid’s signature carnage and rolls Keamy over to ask what has happened. Jin gets the jump on Mikhail, and a second shootout ensues. Mikhail appropriately gets shot in the eye, which was a very nice touch. But Sun is also shot. Jin lifts her up and runs out of the restaurant as Sun tells him she is pregnant.
Island Setup
We observe the Not Locke Camp on the island through some Widmorian night vision goggles. \ Not Locke explains to Jin about the names on the cave wall and the candidates. He tells Jin that Kwon is one of those names. “Me or Sun?” Not Locke says that he is not sure, but If all the names that haven’t been crossed off leave together, they can get off this island. “But Sun is not here,” Jin protests. “I know,” Not Locke answers. “I’m working on it.”
Meanwhile Zombie Sayid gets creepier with each passing episode. “I don’t feel anything,” he tells Not Locke. “Anger. Happiness. Pain. I don’t feel it anymore.” “Maybe that’s best,” Not Locke suggests. “You have to get through what’s coming.”
Jin’s had about enough of creepy Camp Not Locke what with crazy Claire, Mopey Kate and Zombie Sayid—Sawyer is the only one of the original party who is even remotely like himself. Jin is about to leave when tranq darts start flying all over the place, hitting everybody in Camp Not Locke. Tina Fey and another Widmorian find Jin, and he’s the one they’ve been looking for. They take him.
Meanwhile, over at Camp Ilannah, the good guys are playing cards and debate about a.) whether or not Richard is coming back, and b.) if he does come back, that he will know what to do. Ilannah proclaims that they are waiting for Richard and that’s it, which pisses Sun off. She stomps off to her old garden. Jack follows her and tells Sun about the lighthouse, the names and the places he saw. “There is a reason we’re here,” he insists. But Sun doesn’t want to hear it. “I don’t care about destiny,” she says. “Leave me alone, Jack.”
Right after Jack leaves, Not Locke finds Sun in the garden. He tells Sun that Jin is with him. “I can take you to him right now.” Sun hesitate. “I don’t believe you,” she says. “Come with me, Sun,” says Not Locke holding out his hand. “I’ll never make you do anything against your will.” Remembering all those people Smokey killed back at the Temple and connecting that with Not Locke, Sun runs away and Not Locke chases her on foot, when it seems it would be much more efficient to change into Smokey and simply take her out. She falls and for some reason, he doesn’t take her. When she wakes up, she is babbling in Korean.
Meanwhile, over on Hydra Island, Jin wakes up in the Carl Brainwashing Room, aka Room 23. He is a prisoner. Tina Fey comes in (seriously, does it even matter that her name is Zoe in the show? They should have just named her Tina and made it easier for all of us.) and tells Jin that the room was used by the Dharma Initiative for subliminal messaging. Jin is agitated and Tina Fey tells him, “Relax, you’re safe,” and then she tases him, bro. When he is coherent, she breaks out a map and starts asking him about the pockets of electromagnetic energy that he marked on it. “Get me your boss. I want to talk to Widmore,” Jin says, refusing to deal with Tina. Tina Fey says, “That’s good, because he wants to talk to you, too.” At which point we are all wondering if Jin is going to be talking to Widmore or Jack Donaghy.
Locke comes back from his unsuccessful pursuit of Sun and finds that his camp has been attacked and Jin is missing. He’s pissed off about it, but is wondering what’s bothering Claire, other than the fact that she could really, really use a shower. And a brush. And probably some deodorant. Claire is glaring at Kate and asks if her name was on the cave wall. Not Locke tells her it wasn’t. “Then you don’t need me. If I go back, I’ll be a stranger to my own son,” she says. Nodding at Kate, she asks, “Is her name on the wall?” “Not anymore,” Not Locke tells her. Then he strikes a bargain with her. “Kate can help me get them on the plane. But once she does, whatever happens, happens.” In other words, you are free to kill her once she has served my purpose.
So Not Locke approaches Zombie Sayid and asks him if he can swim so that they can go on a mission. Sawyer wants to now wy they are taking a boat. “Can’t you just turn into smoke and go over there?” “If I could do that, I wouldn’t still be on this island,” explains Not Locke. “Right. Because THAT would be ridiculous,” Sawyer says.
Back at Camp Ilannah, Ben is once again whining. “For the fourth time, I was gathering mangoes and she was already knocked out. Why won’t you believe me?” “Because you are speaking,” Ilannah answers. Jack diagnoses Sun’s sudden loss of English as Aphasia, which, because I was a loyal viewer of As the World Turns, I know is a selective form of amnesia. Richard and Hurley return to the camp and it appears Ben has lost the bet on both counts. “Pack your bags,” Richard says. “We’re leaving.”
Not Locke gets to Hydra Island but can’t advance beyond the sonic fence. Widmore comes out to meet him. Not Locke acknowledges that he knows who Widmore is. “Do you know who I am?” “Myths, ghost stories and jungle noises in the night,” Widmore answers. “You know a bit more than that,”Not Locke says, acknowledging the sonic fence. “You took one of my people. I want him back.” “We don’t have him.” Widmore says. Not Locke clearly doesn’t believe him. “A wise man once said that War was coming to this island,” Not Locke says. “I think it just got here.”
Back at Camp Ilannah, Sun is freaking out in Korean, telling them that she isn’t going anywhere to destroy the Ajira plane because that’s her only way off the island. She doesn’t care about saving the world, she only cares about finding Jin and getting off the island. Then she storms off. “This is your fault.” Miles says to Hurley. “Kinda,“ Hurley agrees. “Uh, I don’t think she wants to come.”
Back in Hydra Island, Widmore orders Tina Fey to get the package and bring it to the infirmary. He then goes to Jin and hands him a camera that they found on the Ajira plane in the luggage. It is, of course, Sun’s camera and Jin sees pictures of his daughter Ji Yeon for the first time. Widmore explains to Jin, “If that thing that looks like John Locke gets off the island, you, me, everyone we ever loved and cared about would simply cease to be. I am here to make sure that doesn’t happen.” “How?” asks Jin. “I think it’s time you saw the package.” “What is it?” “It’s not a what, it’s a who.”
Back at Camp Ilannah, the chip on Jack’s shoulder has completely dissolved and in it’s place is a wonderful bedside manner that he’s always been lacking. He hands Sun a pad and pen. “Just because you can’t speak doesn’t mean you can’t write. Can you do it?” Sun writes “Yes.” “Now you have your voice back. Look what I found in your garden.” He holds up a tomato. “This is one stubborn tomato. No one told it it was supposed to die.” Sun writes “Sorry.” Jack smiles. “It’s ok. You’re not the first person to tell me to leave them alone. What did Locke say to you?” “He said he had Jin.” “Why didn’t you follow him?” “I didn’t believe him.” “Do you trust me?” Sun nods yes. “Come with us and I’ll help you find Jin. I’ll get you both off this island. I promise.”
Back at Camp Not Locke, Kate wants to know, “Why aren’t you worried, James?” “I am worried,” Sawyer says. “I’m just really good at hiding it.” Not Locke returns alone, which means that Sawyer’s plan of Widmore taking care of the Not Locke problem has not only not worked, but Not Locke hasn’t even gotten Jin back. When Sawyer asks Not Locke about the lack of Jin and Sayid, Not Locke reminds Sawyer of the guarded room on the sub. “I don’t like secrets. Sayid is taking care of that.”
Sayid is swimming up to the sub and we see Tina Fey and the other Widmorian struggling with a sedated person. “Let’s go Mr. Hume.”
Desmond!
Thoughts on this episode
Although this was a tough episode to follow, what with no real continuous narrative except the Sun and Jin alternate timeline story, it still served to move the players into place for the finale.
Interesting that Kate’s name was on the wall but isn’t anymore. Why was it crossed off?
Love love love the new Jack. Even better than the old original Jack.
Is Widmore one of the good guys? Was his power struggle with Ben what allowed the island to be compromised?
Next week:
Desmond!
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