Megan's Minute: "Lost" Recap: "Ji Yeon" (3/13/08)

You thought I forgot about the "Lost" recaps, didn't you? You thought I said, "The heck with it, this is too much work," didn't you? Well, no I didn't. So here in the long line of much delayed "Lost" recaps is "Ji Yeon." Pass around the Kleenex everybody, 'cause this was a heartbreaker.

It's dusk and we're following a tracking shot over the water to the Mystery Freighter. Frank is carrying a bag on deck when Keamy approaches him and asks if he's ready. It seems the captain is having a meeting and Frank is supposed to go. Keamy warns him not to be late.

Cut to Frank below decks. A woman is sitting in front of a closed door reading a book when Frank walks up. Frank calls her Regina and tells her the captain said he could bring Sayid and Desmond some food. Remember, during Daniel's Mr. Wizard experiment in "The Economist," Regina was the one who shot that electronic gizmo to the island.

The book Regina's supposed to be reading is Jules Verne's The Survivors of the Jonathan," but as Frank points out, she's holding the book upside down.

"The Survivors of the Jonathan" is about a man who lives on an island and helps the indigenous people. When a ship is wrecked on the island, he helps the passengers of the ship as well, but this all leads to anarchy and stress. Sound familiar?

After Regina lets him in, Frank tells Desmond and Sayid he has food for them. Sayid wants to know why they're being held captive and Frank says it's because the captain didn't like them busting out of sickbay. When Sayid says they didn't bust out, they thought Frank left the door open, Frank denies it. Puzzled, Sayid presses for more information: have the crew heard anything from the island? Frank says something must have happened to their phone.

He then dumps out the "food." It's a bunch of rusting cans of lima beans. Frank says they're having a little problem in the kitchen. Heh. I'll bet.

Not quite finished, Sayid insists he wants to talk to the captain. Frank pauses just an instant before saying ominously, "No you don't."

Cut to Jin and Sun at the beach on the island. It's night and they're speaking in Korean. Sun is worried that Sayid and Desmond haven't returned from the Mystery Freighter, after all, it's been three days. At least to her. Jin reassures her and instead wants to talk about baby names.

Sun doesn't want to because she thinks that's bad luck. Uh oh. You know when anyone on a TV show says anything is bad luck, they go ahead and do the thing that's bad luck...and then they have bad luck. Oh noooo!

Playing right into the hands of the bad luck cosmos, Jin says since he's sure it's a girl, he likes the name Ji Yeon. Sun likes the name too, but refuses to talk about it until they get off the island. Jin agrees. They're so cute.

We cut to either a flashback or a flash forward, at first I'm not sure which. We're on a medium shot of Sun taking a Korean labeled toothpaste out of a medicine cabinet. She's packing what looks like a very nice Brighton overnight case. I love Brighton bags. Sun's got excellent taste.

Looking in a mirror, Sun's about to put on some lipstick when she doubles over in pain. She grabs for the phone and calls the Korean equivalent of 911.

She tells them she's pregnant and she thinks something's wrong. Cut to a long shot of a very pregnant Sun going into labor. Ladies and gentlemen, we are once again flashing forward.

Opening credits.

We open on Jin, all clean and cute, in a suit and tie in Korea. He bursts into a toy store and he's looking for a panda. When he finds a big ol' cuddly one he tells the clerk he has to get to the hospital. The clerk asks...winky, winky...to the maternity ward? When Jin says yes, the clerk wishes him good luck.

We flash...somewhere.

On the island, Sun is waking up Jin because Kate and Jack are back. Sun approaches the two and wants to know what happened, but because Kate is kinda surly, what with being knocked out and all, she's not in a mood to explain. Sun pushes on, asking Kate if the Fearless Foursome are really there to rescue them.

Wearily, Kate sums it up in a nutshell, "In all the time they've been here, they've talked about a lot of things and none involve rescuing us."

On the Mystery Freighter, Desmond is waking up from a nap. All that time traveling back and forth didn't hurt his looks any, 'cause he's looking nice and yummy. It's morning and Sayid is forcing down some lima beans from one of the rusty cans, grumbling, "I hope they resolve their kitchen issues." Heh.

Suddenly, a note is slipped under the door and Desmond gestures to Sayid. Sayid goes to pick it up and tells Desmond about Ben's claim that he had a spy on the Mystery Freighter. After Sayid opens the note he shows it to Desmond. It says, "Don't trust the captain." At this point I'd say that's good advice.

It's morning on the island. Daniel's on the beach doing something Mr. Wizard-like when Sun comes over. She introduces herself and tells him she's two months pregnant. He's like, thanks for sharing....and congratulations. Then Sun cuts to the chase, asking him point blank if he and the rest of the Fearless Foursome are there to rescue them.

Daniel hesitates just a little too long and Sun insists it's a simple question. Yes or no. Daniel finally admits that it's not really his call. When Sun asks the next logical question, "Whose call is it?" Daniel doesn't answer. Sun, being much more polite about it than I would have been, says "Thank you," and walks off.

See Sun, this is where I would have grabbed Daniel by his nerdy lapels, shook his neck 'til it rattled and screamed in his face, "Get me the hell, off this island!"

But that's me.

Jin and Jack are at the beach's version of a kitchen when Jin asks Jack in English to pass the cereal. Jack compliments him on his new language skills and asks if Sun is teaching him. Jin says Sun...and Sawyer. Then after a pause he adds, "Sun is better."

Sun approaches and she's upset, but trying to hide it. Jack asks how she is and she says that since the morning sickness is over she feels pretty good. You can tell she can't wait for Jack to beat it. When he does she tells Jin to pack food for two days and meet her at their tent in twenty minutes. They're relocating to Lockeville.

Cut to Sun at the island's version of Walgreens and she's stocking up on medicine. Nosy Juliet shows up and asks what Sun is doing. Sun says she needs more of the pre-natal vitamins Juliet gave her. Juliet wonders suspiciously if Sun is planning a trip. Sun hesitates a moment and then admits she and Jin are going to Lockeville.

Juliet gets all agitated, telling Sun she won't survive if she stays on the island. Understandably, Sun is like, since you've been Miss "I can lie through my teeth with my eyes closed" all this time, why the heck should I believe you?

Juliet then says that considering Sun trusted her with her deep, dark secret---the one about not knowing who the baby's father was for awhile there---Sun should know she can trust her.

Sun's like, whatever. "Claire's baby is fine, I feel fine," so Jin and I are going to Lockeville. And by the way, I don't trust you.

Flash forward to a nurse wheeling Sun into the hospital. Another nurse runs up excitedly and asks the first nurse quietly, "Is she...? "

"Yes," says the first nurse, "Oceanic Six."

Aha. So we've got our Oceanic Six: Kate, Jack, Hurley, Sayid, Sun, and Aaron.

As Sun goes into labor, a nurse wants to remove her wedding ring but Sun won't allow it. In walks a doctor but it seems he's not Sun's regular doctor, because he's at a conference. It's here that I'm thinking, this phony doctor is going to deliver the baby and then steal it, and somehow Ben's behind it all and the baby's going to become a pawn in Ben's master plan.

So the, maybe phony doctor says the baby's in distress. When he asks if there's someone he should contact for her, Sun keeps calling Jin's name over and over.

I've love the way Sun says the Korean version of Jin's name. It sounds like, "Sh, Sh, Shen." (I'll have to look up how it's spelled.) She says it so sweetly.

Cut to Jin running for a taxi. He puts the panda in the cab as his cellphone goes off. Jin answers it and says, "Yes, I'm on my way."

Just then another guy gets in the taxi and takes off in it with the panda. Jin's furious. He throws the cellphone on the ground, smashing it. Take note here, the cellphone looks like an older model.

Anyway, Jin runs after the taxi, hurling threats at the guy who stole it. He's not really the picture of a happy father.

Cut to the toy store from earlier. Jin wants another panda but the clerk says the one Jin bought was the last one. Jin sees one behind the counter and says he'll take that one. The clerk says he can't have it because that one is on hold. Jin proceeds to try and bribe the clerk for the other panda. The clerk suggests a dragon, but Jin is adamant. The clerk finally gives Jin the panda from behind the counter with a warning not to lose that one.

Once again, Jin's not the picture of happy fatherhood in this scene.

Flash...somewhere. Kate is drawing a map for Jin and Sun on how to get to Lockeville. Kate says she'll tell Jack where they've gone, but give them a head start first. Kate and Sun agree that Jack won't be too happy with their decision.

Out of nowhere, Juliet comes storming in saying Sun's not going anywhere. Sun's like, what the hell business is it of yours what I do? Good for you Sun.

Juliet turns to Jin and tells him Sun is sick and if she doesn't get off the island she will die. At first she asks Sun to translate and Sun refuses, but we just heard Jin say he understands more English than he can speak, so we get the impression he's understanding what Juliet is saying.

Jin basically says, Sun's the wife and the pregnant one, and wherever she goes, I go. Sun and Jin start to walk off and Juliet follows.

Juliet announces, "Your wife had an affair."

That stops everyone in their tracks.

Jin says, "What?"

Juliet says directly to Jin, "Sun was with another man. She thought the baby was his."

An incredulous Sun walks over to Juliet and slaps her. Hell, I would have done much more than that. What a be-atch!

Jin faces Sun and he looks like he's about to cry. He walks off, heading back to the beach and Sun calls helplessly after him.

Just a note here. I've decided I hate Juliet. I don't care about how she was tricked into going to the island. I don't care that Ben made her the focus of his sick, gross, yet dangerous puppy love, and I don't care that she cared about her patients on the island so much that she would cry when they died. What she did just did to Sun was unforgivable. So now, I officially hate her.

Jin is packing a bag at the beach. Sun comes up to him, desperately trying to explain but Jin won't even look at her.

Jin grabs a fishing pole and starts to walk off when Bernard arrives. He wants to go along on the fishing trip, but he realizes his bad timing when he sees Sun crying and how upset Jin is. Nonetheless Jin asks him to come along.

Cut to a small boat with Jin and Bernard. Bernard points out that they're the only two married guys on the island. Bernard jokes, "Not to each other, no."

Bernard continues, "It's not easy is it? It's wonderful, but every decision takes twice as long because you have to talk them into it." Bernard then confides that Rose has cancer and that she believes the island has healed her. But she still didn't feel that she could go to Lockeville because it wasn't the right thing to do.

Bernard says, "Locke, he's a murderer."

He then continues that it's all about karma. Good things happen when you do good things and bad things happen when you do bad things. Just then, Jin hooks a fish and Bernard says, "Now that's karma. We must be the good guys, huh?"

I miss Bernard and Rose. I want to see more of them, do you hear me, "Lost" powers that be?

Cut to the Mystery Freighter. Desmond and Sayid are in their room listening to some sort of faint banging noise. Desmond thinks it's something that's broken, but Sayid thinks it's someone banging the pipes deliberately. Doc Ray comes in and tells them the captain is ready to see them.

Doc Ray takes them up on deck and the helicopter is gone. When Sayid asks where the helicopter went, Doc Ray says the captain sent Frank off on an errand.

While Sayid questions Doc Ray about where Frank might have gone, Desmond notices Regina walking around on the upper deck. She's wearing chains around her body, when she nonchalantly climbs the railing and jumps over the side of the ship.

Desmond and Sayid move into action yelling for ropes and assistance to rescue Regina. The crew on deck just ignores them, looking over the side of the ship as if to say, "Oh well, lost another one. Wonder what's for lunch?"

Sayid and Desmond keep yelling for ropes to help Regina when the captain comes out and says. "It's over. She's gone. Everybody get back to your posts."

He comes down to the main deck and introduces himself to Sayid and Desmond by saying, "I'm Captain Gault. I suppose you two have a few questions."

After the break, we're back on the Mystery Freighter. Sayid and Desmond are demanding to know why the captain didn't try to save Regina. Gault says it's because he didn't want to lose anymore people.

"Some of my crew have been dealing with what might best be described as a heightened case of cabin fever. I think it's got something to do with the close proximity of the island."

He continues that because of a saboteur on board, the engines are damaged and he hasn't been able to get any further away from the island. The crew is working around the clock to get the engines working again. When Sayid wants to know who he gets his orders from, Gault freely admits that his orders come from Charles Widmore, Penny's Daddy. Desmond's amazed, as he absolutely should be.

Cut to Gault's cabin below deck. Sayid and Desmond watch as Gault takes out an airplane's black box. He explains the black box comes from Oceanic 815. A salvage vessel found the black box with the "Oceanic 815 wreckage" and its 324 dead "passengers."

Gault then speculates what kind of resources and manpower it took to fake the crash and find 324 dead bodies to put in it at the bottom of the ocean floor. He seems to be implying Ben was involved with staging the fake wreckage, whereas Ben has implied, Widmore is the one responsible.

Anyway, Gault concludes, "And that's just one of the many reasons we want Benjamin Linus."

Cut to Sun sitting on the beach. Juliet comes up and apologizes.

"I had to stop you any way I could," she says.

Juliet says she knows that Sun doesn't trust her, but they all need to get off the island. She then goes through a detailed account of exactly what will happen to Sun if she stays on the island: in about three weeks, there'll be nausea, shortness of breath, a lose of consciousness and then coma and death. Juliet concludes that because Sun is her patient, that's why it's her business. I think Sun and I would beg to differ, but whatever.

Flash forward to Sun in labor. The doctor says he needs to do a C-section, but Sun insists they can't do one until Jin gets there. She doesn't seem totally in her right mind because she mistakenly thinks a random guy walking by her room is Jin. By the way, they leave the hospital room door open when a woman's in labor?

Anyway, all of a sudden, the baby's coming and a C-section may not be necessary. Sun starts pushing, the doctor starts encouraging, Sun starts screaming, and before you know it, a new little Kwon is brought into the world. The doctor hands Sun the baby who's crying and all gunky, but very cute. Sun smiles

Flashback to the Mystery Freighter. Doc Ray, Sayid and Desmond are coming back from their meeting with the captain. Doc Ray wants to know what they thought of the captain. Sayid admits, he was "surprisingly forthcoming." Doc Ray is like, yeah that's right, but "don't piss him off."

Doc Ray is leading them below decks to their new luxury accommodations. When he opens the door, some of the biggest water bugs you've ever seen start scurrying for cover. Ewww. And if that weren't enough, there's a big red blood spatter on the wall as if somebody blew their brains out in front of it. Double ewwww.

Doc Ray is like, "that shouldn't still be there, damn it."

There's a guy mopping down the hall and Doc Ray calls to him. His name is Johnson and the Doc wants him to come and mop up the blood. Johnson says something about needing to go up on deck, but Doc Ray insists.

Slowly, reluctantly, Johnson comes down the dark hall and into the light in front of Sayid, Desmond and the Doc. The Doc introduces them and Sayid and Desmond do a good job of hiding their recognition of "Kevin Johnson."

Why would they need to do that? Oh, because "Kevin Johnson" is really Michael!

A revelation that's not nearly as cool as it would have been if the "Lost" powers that be hadn't decided to announce months ago that Harold Parrineau, Jr. was coming back to the show this season as Michael Dawson.

So all of you who didn't know that Ben's spy on the Mystery Freighter was Michael, raise your hands. All of you that did? I see it's 90-10 for the latter.

Sayid and Desmond shake hands with "Kevin" and there are all kinds of undercurrents as they all say, "Nice to meet you."

Back on the island, it's night and Sun is in her tent on the beach. Jin comes in with two plates.

"I made dinner," he says, then smiles.

She can't believe it. She thought he'd left her for good. Sun wants to explain but Jin stops her.

They speak in Korean and Jin says that he knows why she did what she did. He knows that before the island, he "withheld his affections." And what she did, she did to the man he was before the island. That man's actions caused what she did.

He takes Sun's hand and says, "So I forgive you."

Oh, this is such a good scene.

Jin says he'll go to Lockeville with her if she still wants to go, but Sun says no. Juliet was very convincing, so Sun changed her mind. They need to get off the island.

Jin promises, "I'll do what it takes to protect you and the baby."

Sun thanks him.

Then Jin asks, "There's just one thing. And please, the truth."

Sun says, "Anything."

In English Jin asks hesitantly, "Is, the baby...mine?"

Oh my, sniff. sniff. Sun can't even speak. She nods and then starts to cry.

Jin is happy when Sun swears the baby's his.

He's crying, she's crying, I'm crying.

Sun says she loves him and she thought she had lost him. Jin says he loves her too and "you will never lose me."

Flash...somewhere. Jin arrives at the hospital with the replacement panda and runs through the halls to the maternity ward. He gets to a room and talks to what looks like a guard standing outside the door. He bows, introduces himself and says he's there representing...Paik Automotive.

That's Sun's father's company and the company Jin used to work for. Jin is there to present the ambassador a gift for his new grandson.

Right before the guard goes into the room to get the ambassador, Jin asks if the grandchild is a boy or a girl. After the guard says it's a boy and goes to get the ambassador, Jin whips out a blue ribbon and puts it on the panda.

When the ambassador comes out of the room, Jin presents it to him with much fanfare and bowing. The ambassador takes the panda, tells Jin to thank Mr. Paik, then goes back to the happy family in the room.

As a relieved Jin is walking out of the building, a nurse asks why he's leaving so soon. He tells her the gift wasn't for his baby. He doesn't have a baby yet because he's only been married two months.

Now I have to admit, at first I was a little confused here. After the first couple of scenes, I suspected the panda wasn't for the baby Sun was in labor with, but I kind of thought that Jin might now be with someone else who was having his baby. But when I started to put together the old cellphone, Jin's demeanor throughout all the "acquiring the panda scenes," and the fact that nothing is every wrapped up this happily on "Lost," I figured out that all of Jin's scenes were flashbacks.

Oh those sneaky "Lost" writers.

Flash forward to Sun at her apartment, dressed in black and putting on lipstick and her wedding ring. The doorbell rings, she opens it and it's...Dude! Hurley all dressed up in a suit.

Sun and Hurley hug warmly. Sun says she can't believe he came all the way to Korea and Hurley wants to know if anyone else is coming. When she says, "No," he says, "Good." He then asks to see the baby.

It's a she. Sun offers to let Hurley hold her and after protesting he has "two left hands" he takes her gently. He says, "She looks just like Jin."

Sun agrees.

Hurley says, "So, I guess we should, like, go see him."

"Of course."

Oh no. Sniff, sniff. I know where this is going.

Cut to Hurley and Sun and the baby in a cemetery. There's a beautiful tree with arched branches.

That sweet, sad music they play whenever something really awful is about to happen is playing. It's the music they played at the end of the first season, when we see all our well known characters, Sawyer, Hurley, Locke, Jack and Kate in slo-mo getting on Oceanic 815 and finding their seats. It's my favorite musical piece of the whole show.

They approach a headstone that's written in Korean. Sun kneels, holding the baby in front of her and says, "Jin, you were right. It's a girl. The delivery was hard on me... The doctor said I was calling for you... I wish you could have been there. Jin...she's beautiful. Ji Yeon. I named her just like you wanted."

We cut to a closeup of the headstone and the date of death is the same date as the date of the plane crash.

Sun continues, "I miss you so much. I miss you so much."

Oh, the agony! Sniff, sniff...such a great episode. Such a great love story.

Sun puts her head on the baby's head

The music plays softly..."Lost."

Sniff, I've got to blow my nose...okay, that done, two final observations.

First of all, Yunjin Kim and Daniel Dae Kim, how amazing are they? That was some of the best acting I've seen all season long. In fact, all the best acting I've seen all season long seems to come from this show.

Second, I have a friend who insists that Jin probably isn't dead, he's still on the island and can't ever leave. I disagree. I don't think Sun would ever take the baby to a cemetery headstone like that to introduce Ji Yeon to her father unless she knew Jin was really dead. Whether he died on the island or not.