Ji-Yeon
Nice form, LOST, nice form.
Last night's Sun-and-Jin-centric "Ji-Yeon" brought you back to that furrowed-brow manner of watching LOST. In the final minutes of the show, we find out that what we thought was a Sun and Jin flash-forward was actually separate-- a Sun flash-forward, and a Jin flash-back. I have to say that I originally had mixed reactions when faced with that conclusion. Heretofore, LOST had been able to separate the flash-forwards from the flash-backs from the on-island, on-freighter, in-helicopter, in-the-year-1996, and generally keep them all together without going in a million different directions at once. And we had gotten used to it. We liked it. But oh, LOST, you just had to go there, didn't you?
At the conclusion of Season 3, there were many concerns on how LOST would now handle the flash-back device. Would LOST continue in the future, with anything happening on the island being now classified as a "flash-back?" Or are we to think of the future as being the "flash-forward?" Then, along came "The Constant," where past, present, and future are now at the mercy of .... the clouds, and the compass bearing you take off the island. Well, to be honest, my head hurt then having to think about it, and it only hurts more when I try to think all scientific-like. Hence the reason I was an English major, and left the science to roomie Ev. So, I've basically come to the conclusion that I won't try to figure it out, and I'll just go with the flow. How very hippie of me. Hand me a doobie. (Actually, don't, I wouldn't know what to do with it, anyway.)
With that said, I would like to know how quickly you came to the realization that we were watching both flash-back and forward. Were Jin's death threats hurled at The Guy Who Stole His Cab so out of new-Jin's character that it became apparent then? (That's when it hit me!) Or, did you only clue in at the very end when Jin casually dropped the clincher, mentioning that he'd only been married for two months? I have been debating with J.C. in Events this morning on this, as well. I would like to know that if I spoke and/or read either Korean or Chinese, would I have known very early on in the episode? I (being the uneducated dolt who can neither speak nor read Chinese OR Korean) would assume that since Sun is in Seoul, and Jin was running around being Creepy Mobster Father-in-law's b!tch in China, that advertising writing, dialects, etc. would have been different in each place. J.C. claims that, no, Jin was in Korea, speaking Korean to the toy shop owner and the guard at the hospital, to which I responded "... oh yeah? Well... how do you know?!" Which was, I admit, a bit juvenile, but still bears scruitiny. Jin could've been speaking in Finnish for all I know, but as long as the subtitles were in English, there's really no way of telling where in the world he was.
OK, but anyway, I digress. So Sun was in Korea, birthing that kid and calling out for Jin in her duress. (Me, I was calling out for more drugs while I was in labor, but hey, to each her own). Oh, but wait, we find out later that Jin is dead. Or so we are led to believe.
Here's the thing, people. The date on that tombstone was September 22, 2004.
Poor Jin was 30 years old, born on November 27, 1974, and died when Oceanic 815 crashed into the ocean on September 22, 2004. (I'm guessing the March 20, 1980 date off to the left is Sun's DOB. And if that's the case, she is the youngest looking almost-27-year-old I've ever seen). Or, at least, that's what the Oceanic Six are claiming.
And yeah, about those Oceanic Six. You still haven't convinced me that the cast of characters there are Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Aaron, and Sun. As we all know, those six people are quite entrenched in each other's lives. You know, Jack all shootin' some hoops with Hurley in the mental institution and testifying as a character witness for Kate, and Hurley travelling (no doubt on his Oceanic golden ticket) to Seoul to meet Baby Ji-Yeon. (Just doesn't have the same ring as "Baby Aaron," does it?) I'm still operating under the theroy that Sayid isn't one of the six, that his business of being all in-cahoots with Benny-boy is doing so under the radar of the other survivors. Mark my words, there's gonna be another one coming! (Or has it already come, in the form of Ji-Yeon? Did Sun and her bulging belly count as two people in the eyes of the media who coined the term, 'Oceanic Six?')
And speaking of other survivors... Micha--er, Kevin. Yeah, like we didn't see that one coming. I was holding out a sliver of hope that it wouldn't be him, since I do always like the surprises, but yeah, we all knew that one.
Other points of order: (in no particular order)
- Juliet has balls the size of boulders! Wow, that was so none of your business, nor was it your place to go all "Your wife cheated on you" on Jin. She totally deserved the b!tch slap she got from Sun, and lost any cool points she might have gained with me last week.
- Regina (a.k.a. Suicidal Freigher Chick) was (apparently) "reading" (upside down) a book about a bunch of crew members driven mad by their own despair. Theories abound that Regina was the "R.G." engraved on Naomi's bracelet, and that she jumped off the ship with an anchor necklace because she was inconsolable over the loss of her gf and bff.
- Captain Gault, You. Are. Creepy. Especially with your ghost stories about black boxes, and Ben finding 318 bodies to be staged in Oceanic plane wreckage at the bottom of the ocean. No wonder our freighter friend, ahem KEVIN, said not to trust you.
- More theories than I've been able to shake a stick at (I've truthfully never understood that saying, if someone can please explain, you'll get a prize from me) have come out in support that Michael is actually a grown up Walt. Before you roll your eyes in disgust, and swear me and my blog off forever, at least entertain the idea. Now, when Daniel Faraday gave the helicopter guy a specific compass bearing (North 305', which, by the by, is most likely a nod to the scripture engraved on Eko's Jesus Stick: "Lift up your eyes and look north" ~ John 3:05. Just sayin.') to which he was supposed to adhere. Helicopter Guy (Frank?) claims that he kept to that bearing, but that specific bearing (OMG, how many times can I say 'bearing' in the same sentence?!) caused Desmond to toggle (hehe, I like that word) between 1996 and 2004ish. What if the bearing (d'oh!) Ben gave to Michael as he and Waaaaaaalt were leaving the island on the boat sent the two of them to like 2015 or something? Clearly, the island is in some sort of time-space continuum, and maybe every bearing will bring you to a different point in time, whether it be past, present (sort of, since the island is off by 31 minutes?), or future. I don't know. The possibilities are endless, and my brain is full.
SO, next week we get to "Meet Kevin Johnson" and learn what our buddies Michael and Waaaaaaaaalt have been up to since they left the Island from Hell. You know, other than getting wet, talking backwards, appearing to people in the jungle and generally being creepy. Fun times! See you next week!!
posted by Bree @ 2:06 PM
4 Comments:
So, as we watched this episode last night (and constantly freeze framed the DVR), some interesting things emerged. The dates on the tombstone- SCARey! As bree points out, date of death 9/22, date of birth 11/27 and 3/20 which is Sun's birthdate- she is still alive, so date of death is blank. These dates are important to this family. In fact, got goose bumps during that last scene. I would conclude that the last scene proves that there is a "secret" the oceanic 6 must adhere to- is Jin dead? I would assume, his death must be faked. I too, do wonder, who exactly ARE the oceanic 6?
Ok, Bree,
First of all, you looked radiant in Anaheim. And me, not so much. But on to more important topics like our Favorite show since television was invented.
I am sooooo impressed with your ability to write extensively very soon after the show. Something tells me the time space continuum applies to you also when it comes to posting your blog.
I have to admit that I was a little slow and did not realize what was happening with Jin until I read your blog. I'm up to speed. Yes, Michael was very predictable. Yes, the captain was very spooky. So, where was the helicopter? Just off for a little jaunt? Apparently it took well over 12 hours + or - the 31 minutes to get from the island to the boat. So did pilot boy just go to the local 7-11 for a slurpee? I think not.
Where is Walt? I have a hard time with the time/space concept you offered. Is the banging Walt? Where does one keep that much helicopter fuel? Are the 318 dead bodies the same dead bodies that Ben killed in the first genocide? Will I continue to ask questions?
All great questions, and I know you are the perfect person to answer all of them.
See, why couldn't we meet after THAT show! Uggghh. You leave me back on the East coast with my head spinning. Not cool.
At last, I’m caught up to all of you in the real world! You have no idea how frustrating it’s been to be three episodes behind and unable to look at this site because it would spoil everything. But finally, number seven came out on the shared drive, so I’m with you. Now I have some thoughts of my own.
First, the flash forward/back deal. Did not see that coming. Was very surprised at the end. My feeling is that what we saw actually transpired as depicted: Jin is dead, and only appeared in a flashback to throw us off of what was happening in the flash forward. It’s very sad, since Jin’s a nice guy and very excited about being a father. It also leaves a slot open on the Oceanic Six (or two, if you go with the theory that Sayid is undercover. BTW, something crazy must happen in the future to put Sayid and Ben on the same team. However, I think he counts as one of them, because in the very beginning of ‘his’ episode he says he received a large settlement for a plane crash and then drops his name. So that leaves one slot). Another pilot, however, has an alternate idea: BOTH were flash-forwards, and Jin somehow has a new wife and no memory of the island, and Sun thinks Jin is dead but his death was faked somehow. Not sure I buy it, but stranger things have happened.
Michael. I didn’t expect to see him so soon, but I knew he’d make a reappearance. Unless there’s another surprise coming in the next episode, I’ll wager he’s the spy. Which leads us to the question: why is he working with Ben? And where’s Walt? I think that Walt never actually left the island; after all, the Others repeatedly called him ‘special’ and said he was very important. Plus, he’s appeared on the island to others after he supposedly sailed off into the sunset with his father. Whatever got onto to the boat with Michael, it wasn’t Walt. Doppelganger, apparition, or whatever you want to call it: we see things on the island that aren’t really there, and Michael was tricked into leaving without his son. I think the Others still have Walt somewhere (wherever they’ve stashed the other kids), and that this is Ben’s hold over Michael. Michael was sent back to the real world and then manipulated into getting onto the freighter in order to get his son back (again).
Very manipulativey, that Ben. He clearly has tentacles in the real world: he has lots of money, many passports, and apparently the resources to fake an airplane crash, complete with dead bodies (unless the captain was lying, which is possible; but I wouldn’t put it past Ben). Bernard’s “I guess we’re the good guys” comment reminded me of a similar statement by Ben at the end of season two. Ben DOES think he’s a good guy, and doing what’s best for everyone. But let’s look at his scorecard: he’s manipulative, he lies (or tells half-truths), his followers have no compunction about abducting children or killing those who get in their way (I recall in season one, after Ethan kidnapped Clair, the Others brutally killed an anonymous survivor by breaking every bone in his body as a warning), they punish their own with abandon (Alex’s boyfriend, first time we saw him, was getting brainwashed), and he himself apparently arranged the deaths of 300-plus people in a fake plane crash, all to protect whatever’s going on on the island. Either he’s a monster, or there’s something on the island worth all that blood to protect.
But, did he fake the plane crash himself? I’m not so sure. In Sayid’s episode, he says ‘these people don’t deserve our sympathy’, and he criticizes Sayid for thinking with his heart, not his gun, ‘like last time’. He also asks whether Sayid wants to protect his friends. Perhaps the Whidmore corporation, which owns the freighter, faked the crash themselves, and at some point in the future will trick Sayid so badly that he’s willing to kill for Ben in revenge. Maybe, in the final measure, Whidmore IS the bad guy and Ben IS the good guy. Maybe Ben’s protecting those children from something. Maybe the guy whose bones they broke did something bad. Who knows?
I'm glad you're not just long-winded on Matt's blog. :)
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