Ji Yeon

We love when “LOST” unleashes a clever twist of storytelling. But tonight, that twist was in service of one of the most tragic reveals we’ve ever had on this show. It was beyond bittersweet, it was heart-wrenching, to go from “Oh!” to “Oh god no!” in the same moment. Finally, Sun and Jin have separate off-island stories, but the space between them is the worst kind. I got a lump in my throat when Jin forgave Sun and said he’d do whatever it takes to protect his wife and child, and sure enough we learn that Jin dies not six months after those words are spoken.

And we are certain, at this point, that Jin is dead. If his fate wasn’t sealed by his words to Sun, look no further than Sun’s graveside introduction of Ji Yeon. Indeed, so beautifully was this crafted, I’d be mad if the writers find a way to wiggle out of it. Because the prospect of now watching Jin’s last few days on the island over the next few episodes, knowing what we know about his fate, will probably be one of the more memorable periods for any character on “LOST.” [What did you think? Comment or call the LostLine at (808) 356-0127.]

So who are the “Oceanic Six”? Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Aaron and Sun. Up until now, Jen and I disagreed on whether Aaron was among them, but I think tonight we agree that he was. And of the other five, Hurley is the only one to fly to Seoul to meet Ji Yeon. When he’s told no one else has come, he says, “Good.” So things seem strained among our post-island survivors, even at this point in the future (which at least comes before Hurley’s flip-out and basketball game with Jack). Looks like keeping up an elaborate fiction is stressful.

One surprise? Juliet blurting out to Jin that Sun had an affair. Even though we knew she did, we felt almost as dumbfounded as Jin. The news had its intended effect, in terms of saving Sun and the baby’s lives, but boy, that Juliet’s something else. Sun went from saying to Juliet’s face that she didn’t trust her, to putting her life in Juliet’s hands. Juliet’s as hard to figure out as Ben, methinks.

The opposite of a surprise? Learning that Michael was on the boat. (Though whether he’s Ben’s mole has yet to be officially confirmed.) At least they didn’t save that reveal until the closing thud. He’s Kevin Johnson, janitor. The question is, has he had the job only since sailing off a month prior? Or for much, much longer? (Frank’s bearing of 305 ate half a day. What would Ben’s bearing of 325 do?) And we’ve not seen Walt yet. We can only hope a fair chunk of all this is told next week, else we’ll be waiting almost two months for the rest of the story.

In terms of new faces, we finally meet Regina. Who a few minutes later is swimming with the fishes. She, like Minkowski, gets introduced and killed off within the same episode. I can only hope, coupled with Michael’s boat story, there’s a freighties flashback that gives us a lot more of those two… because Fisher Stevens and Zoe Bell are just too awesome for cameos. In any case, it looks like Regina went off the deep end, and the blood stained wall and tales of “cabin fever” suggest that many others have as well.

We also meet Captain Gault. That he utters Charles Widmore’s name and catches Desmond’s reaction was great. Desmond and Sayid are told not to trust him, so what to make of his otherwise plausible story? That the fake plane wreck at the bottom of the ocean was a ruse that Widmore only recently uncovered, and at great expense. And that the answers behind 324 dead bodies lie with Benjamin Linus. There is a great conspiracy afoot, but I have no idea who’s behind it. The question is, what does it accomplish? If a fake crash stops the world from looking for the plane, and from finding the island, I can still see both Ben and Widmore being behind it.

The “male bonding” scene between Bernard and Jin was a nice touch, though we always love seeing Bernard or Rose. The discussion of “karma,” and Bernard’s conclusion that Jin and he were “the good guys,” echoed countless previous distinctions and definitions of good and evil. Jen says it, too, foreshadowed Jin’s fate. Since it seems making the right decision and becoming a good person is the most reliable ticket to gonersville.

  • The book Regina was reading was “The Survivors of the Chancellor,” by Jules Verne. The story is of an ill-fated voyage at sea, told in the form of a diary. At the end of the book (spoiler alert!), a character decides to avoid cannibalism by jumping overboard.
  • Sun was watching “Exposé” when she went into labor. Love that.
  • Kate, Kate, Kate. Now she’s playing camp counselor? “I’m going to have to tell Jack,” she scolds, then adds a little wink. Trying to earn brownie points? Shut up!
  • When the doctor takes Sayid and Desmond to their new (blood stained) accommodations, we get a curious line. The doctor says it’s the quiet part of the boat, and Sayid observes, “But the boat isn’t moving.” Says doc, “If you say so…”
  • Captain Gault: John Galt, of Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”? Or sediment?
  • Locations: The interior of the toy store was Toys ‘N’ Joys store in Kaimuki on Waialae Ave. Photos! The exterior street scenes were N. Pauahi St. in Chinatown at Smith St., near Mei Sum (one of my favorite dim sum joints). More photos! The hospital for both flashback and flash forward was Kahuku Hospital. Not sure about the cemetary, though.
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120 Responses to Ji Yeon

  1. James says:

    Not sure if anyone has mentioned this but didn’t Ben tell Michael and Walt that a Oil tanker was offshore when they left. Added to this that the helicopter in last nights episode went off somewhere other than the island.

  2. NuckinFuts says:

    Like that theory BXCellent….wow…best I’ve seen yet – – I’ll drink a Dharma beer to that

  3. Greg says:

    I also like BXCellent’s theory. I too have wondered about how he Michael could have gotten on the boat, and for the same reasons. I do however have a small problem with the theory. This just bugs me, and maybe I should let it go, but I thought the creators said at one time that there would be no time travel in the show, per se, and yet they have indeed done that in a couple of ways already. With the conscience basically time-travelling, but not in a controlled way, and with the revelation that things off the island experience time at a different rate. What you are suggesting fits into the latter example for sure, but then it is just pure time travel, and I really thought they would avoid that.

    Regarding the extra toothbrush in Sun’s bathroom mentioned above, I really think that the only possible explanation if it was deliberate (and when is anything not on this show?) is that she has it there for Jin, hoping one day he will return, because she knows he is still alive. He may as well be dead from her point of view right now, and certainly all she said at the gravestone would make sense if she thought she would never see him again or didn’t know when she would. The gravestone would have to be put up, to keep up appearances of the story that everyone else on the plane died. I don’t think it was put up before the survivors made it off the island because it does not have Suns death date on it. Only Jin’s.

  4. mikefrommaine says:

    I too agree with BXcellent. I’m not sure how each corresponds with the other, I have played the Lost Via Domus game for the PS3 and at the end, you are piloting a boat to “go home” and must follow your compass setting at 325. While you are on your boat, you see the plane fly overhead and break apart. This may be a hint that Michael did go back in time.

  5. BXCellent says:

    I’m wondering if anyone noticed the expiry date on any of the Dharma food in the drop? Especially the cereal, beer, etc. If this was a drop from the past, there probably would have been comments from the Losties about the food being well past its expiry date.

    I’m also thinking about the polar bear found in the desert at the archaeological site. Does anyone remember if this was some ancient dig, or a relatively recent one? Was the bear also sent back in time?

  6. Connie in Alaska says:

    MikefromMaine: Um…I know you probably didn’t even think about it before you wrote it and I have done it myself, so I’m not, like, totally jumping all over you with self-righteous zeal…um…but technically giving away the ending of the Via Domus game was…um…like a “spoiler” for those of us who haven’t gotten to the end of the game or had a chance to play it yet. I know, I know…it’s easy to do when you are excited about sharing ideas and making your point…been there; done that. But, just a reminder to myself and others on the blog to post a “spoiler warning” before you give away info that may affect those of us living the “spoiler free” life. It’s all good. Please don’t tase me, bro! ;O)

  7. mikefrommaine says:

    Connie in Alaska, Sorry! I wasn’t thinking about spoilers! If you plan on playing it, don’t get too excited. It’s not that great. The fact that you can walk around the island and interact with the characters from the show is cool, but other than that it’s pretty boring. Anyway, sorry again for the spoiler.

  8. Connie in Alaska says:

    Hey, no worries. I had planned on playing the game at some point in the future, but reviews have been only so-so, so I’m in no big hurry. Maybe I’ll pick it up in a garage sale or the thrift store for a buck some day ;O)

  9. Rob W from Aurora, IL says:

    THREE ITEMS TO CHEW ON UNTIL THE NEXT EPISODE (IF YOU’RE NOT WATCHING THE NCAA TOURNEY):

    A. The “People Dying on the Freighter” vs “The Sickness that Russo” explained way back in Season 1 or 2. Are these the same “sickness” or “problem”? Back in Season 1 or 2, Russo described to Sayid (who happens to be on the freighter, so he’s heard about it) the fact that many people died from a sickness. On the boat, Desmond and George Minkowski both seem to have the same problem because their conciousness is moving between different times. However, people like Regina are going through some type of illness where she doesn’t seem to be “all there” and ultimately ends in suicide. It seems more like a sickness than the time movement dis-orientation.

    Is Russo’s “sickness” the same thing that happened to Desmond & George? Is Regina’s illness and suicide caused by the same thing that happened to the people who got Russo’s “sickness”?

    B. Also, I heard this on another Podcast – The Flash-forward Order:

    Every flash-forward that we’ve gotten have been going in reverse order. By the end of the season, the last flash-forward could take place in current time.
    1. Season 3 Final Episode – Jack’s flash-forward was the latest. (Jack with a beard and going down an alcoholic path). (Season 3)
    2. Beginning of the End – Hurley’s flash-forward (Jack was clean-shaven, but starting to drink in the morning. Hurley was in the asylum).
    3. Confirmed Dead – Flash-backs for each of the 4 main supposed “rescue” team people.
    4. The Economist – Sayid’s flash-forward – Any Lostie in there besides Ben?
    5. The Constant – Desmond’s movement of his time conciousness – NOT A FLASH-FORWARD
    6. The Other Woman – Juliet flash-back. NOT A FLASH-FORWARD
    7. Ji-Yeon – Sun’s flash-forward (No Jack, Kate, Sayid in the episode). Hurley shows up all dapper in a suit and well-groomed like he hasn’t been to the asylum yet.

    C. The “We have to go BAAAAAAAAAAAACK” Theory – Since Ben is the only “non-Oceanic 6″ person we’ve seen in the flash-forwards and someone died in Jack’s flash-forward and nobody went to the funeral, can we assume (or stretch to believe) that Ben is the one that dies and is in the coffin? Unless someone else pops up on the mainland that was on the island, who else would none of the Oceanic 6 want to go pay final farewells to? Ben could easily be using someone’s ID from the flight manifest.

    Ben could ultimately the one that forces the 6 to leave the island to represent “survivors of Oceanic 815″ which would be a smokescreen for other people who “need/want” to stay to do so (i.e. Locke, Rose, etc.). Then after Ben dies, could Jack then realize that they have (or have the ability/opportunity) to go back to the island to either save the remaining survivors or to save themselves from the real world?

    Think it over………… 🙂

    Aloha.

    Rob from Aurora, IL

  10. Greg says:

    I am with you on the first two Rob, but it is pretty evident that A) it is not Ben in the coffin, it is most likely Michael, based on the small bit of information gleaned from the newspaper clipping, and B) Ben is not one of the Oceanic 6 because of too many reasons to go into here, but even if he was, it would still not be him in the coffin, for that very reason. If he WAS one of the Oceanic 6, there would be more than just Jack at the funeral. It would be crowded with press for one thing. Everything points to Michael being in the coffin, with his new alias being used in the newspaper story.

  11. Keith says:

    Does anyone think it is possible that the aircraft at the bottom of the sea is really Oceanic 815, and the anomaly led to there being 2 x 815s, in much the same way as there are 2 rabbits in the video that was on the web?

  12. Keith says:

    @BXcellent – nice one. I was working along the same lines, but you have put it much more succinctly!

  13. TTY says:

    I know there has been lots of speculation regarding which characters make up the “Oceanic 6” (whether to include Aaron or not, etc). But here’s another thought that might turn simple arithmetic into something more complicated.
    Isn’t it possible that the individuals that become known to the public in flash forwards as the “Oceanic 6” may not represent ALL of the characters who actually make it off the island?
    e.g. Could Sayid have made it off the island/freighter without actually being later publicized as one of the O6 (to allow him to do his hitman work in secret)? Just because we have seen his character in a flash forward, does it necessarily follow that he is publicly known to be one of “the” O6?
    Also, since some of those on the island were never on the list of Oceanic airline passengers, (Desmond, Juliet, Ben, and “others”), might they quietly escape the island without achieving the notoriety of an actual 815 survivor? And could we eventually be seeing some of them in future flash forward episodes, too?

  14. Keith says:

    I have a question for anyone that has recorded the episodes so far – in the episode where Ben says that if Jack made contact with the freighter then ‘everyone on the island will be killed’ (or something like that)…did Juliet’s psychiatrist not use much the same words when she spoke to her in the rain? Does it not suggest that Ben would use the gas again to kill everyone on the island in order to protect it? Also, could it be that Goodwin’s wife could have been a ‘projection’ of Ben, given the similarity of the words and the fact that she just disappeared?

  15. Connie in Alaska says:

    TTY-I think that in the episode “The Economist”, Sayid says to the man he kills on the golf course that he is one of the Oceanic 6. The guy gets visibly nervous and frightened when Sayid reveals this (and rightly so, apparantly!)

    It would not surprise me that others got off the Island incongnito, but I am reasonbly sure that the O6 are Jack, Kate, Hurley, Aaron, Sayid and Sun.

    If the Losties possessed even 1% of the curiosity that we fans have about their situation, they would be asking a LOT more questions! I guess I could never be a Lostie…I would be asking too many questions!

  16. TTY says:

    Connie,
    You’re right about Sayid identifying himself as being “one of the Oceanic 6”. I should have used a different example like perhaps Michael getting back as “Kevin Johnson” or any of the Losties with another alias. My premise is that the once the writers have us convinced of who the “Oceanic 6” are, that we will no doubt be surprised by seeing someone unexpected in a future fast forward…

  17. Jeremias says:

    I haven’t followed online talk more than a few weeks, so what I’m about to write has probably already been discussed senselessly, but I’m going to post my theory anyway.
    It is about who the person in the coffin form season 3’s season final is.

    322-323 (Through The Looking Glass):
    Some facts:
    Jack sick of lieing. Drunk, drug addict. Someone is dead.
    Someone will wonder where Kate is. We know now that it is probably Aaron.

    The person in the coffin:
    The person in the coffin is most likely Ben imo. Jack obviously wants to get back to the island and when he see Ben’s obituary he realizes that it probably isn’t going to happen. It is not because it was someone he cared about that he cried and wanted to kill himself, but because he wanted to get back to the island, and Ben held the key to that particular problem. It also makes sense that Kate wouldn’t care if Ben died since she doesn’t want to get back to the island. Had it been one of her friends from the island (oceanic six) I believe she would have cared although the relationship might be strained at the point of the flash forward. Ben being in the coffin would also fit Jack response “neither” when he was asked if he was friend or family.

    It might just be me, but I think it would make perfect sense if Ben is the one in the coffin. It would also make sense that no one would come to his viewing imo.

  18. Dave says:

    Kudos to BXCellent. That really is a nice theory. I agree with the poster above that it kind of antagonizes the statement that there would be no time trvael… maybe there is some other explanation for how Michael got on the freighter aside from time travel. Maybe with all their crew dying they needed another hand on deck and felt sorry for him?

  19. Keith says:

    @Jeremias – I’m with you on that one. If I recall correctly, the person in the coffin commit suicide. Why might Ben do that? Or was he killed, and was it made to look like a suicide?

    Still, why might it prompt Jack to need to get back to the island so badly?

    I also think that Jin is not dead – I think he remained on the island but sent Sun away for the sake of the child. I’m really looking forward to the later episodes this season to find out about how the Oceanic 6 leave…

  20. Effie says:

    If that is Jin’s toothbrush, could there be plans in a future episode to check the DNA to see if the baby is his?

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