Follow along! The episode guide for “Ji Yeon” is in Finding Lost — Season 4, pp. 86-94.The end of this episode makes me cry more than Charlie’s death. There’s only one scene in the entire series that possibly makes me cry more than this scene, and that’s when Kate says goodbye to Aaron in S5. But when Sun, Ji Yeon, and Hurley go to see “Jin” in the cemetery, I’m crying the moment she opens the door and Hurley is standing there.
Fun things I noticed:
• I just don’t get why Jin says he’s going to follow his wife to the other side of the island. He’s NEVER been that complacent before, and he MUST have understood what Juliet said to him when she said your wife is sick. Don’t tell me on that island that he draws a complete blank on the words “wife,” “sick” and “danger” yet somehow he understands “affair”? I don’t think so. So if he knew she was sick and could die on the other side of the island, why follow her over there?
• I still think the delivery doctor when Ji Yeon was accidentally hired. I think he put in an application at “Obstacle Burger” and somehow ended up hired as an obstetrician. Seriously, this guy is awful. One minute he’s saying, ‘No, see, we gave you an epidural and therefore we MUST give you a c-section” (because NO woman has ever given birth vaginally with an epidural) and not 10 seconds later the baby is crowning? First babies don’t typically shoot down the birth canal that fast, and it had to have been partly engaged in the birth canal while he was ready to give up. If the guy really does have a doctorate, he must have gotten it at clown college. I really dislike this scene.
• Hurley taking one look at Ji Yeon and saying “She’s awesome” is one of my favourite lines in the entire series.
Things that have new meaning:
• I keep thinking that if Juliet had let Sun and Jin go to the other side of the island, they would still be together. But then I realize no, Sun would probably be dead because she wouldn’t have made it to the helicopter. So Juliet actually did the right thing here.
• It’s interesting that Sun has a superstition about naming a baby before it’s born… what about etching someone’s name on a tombstone before they’re dead?
26 comments:
This is an example of Lost at its best..
Maybe I’m just slower than others, but the surprise twist at the end came to me as several surprises that kept changing the twist, because it wasn’t until the very end that I realized it was a combination flashback / flashforward.
First when they show that Jin is not there to see his wife, I thought he doesn’t realize she’s in labour, and he’s doing this visit with the panda, thinking she’s at home, expecting. Then when he tells says that he’s only been married two months, suddenly I was thinking how sad: they’re divorced now, he’s married to someone else, but Sun was still calling out for him not accepting that he’s left her.
It was only when she went to the cemetery that I realized that Jin’s story was a flashback. Since I didn’t remember the data of the crash, the reveal of the date of death didn’t mean anything to me, so I thought he must die before Sun leaves the island.
On rewatching this, I also noticed that as he’s walking up to the hospital room, the music suddenly but smoothly changes from touching to ominous.
Once again, Lost manages to combine comedy (Jin’s misadventures with the panda), the joy of a newborn baby, tragedy, and a shocking twist in the story, all while relentlessly advancing the story.
A simple trick in story-telling and directing for one just one episode that packs a whallop at the end, and just one more reason Lost is the best show on TV
Nikki, I agree with you about Hurley’s line, “She’s awesome.” It’s so perfect, and it’s the perfect illustration of why we love Hurley so much. Also, good point about the superstition regarding naming a baby before it’s born. Holy cow! What ABOUT etching someone’s name on a tombstone before he’s dead?
I really love those low helicopter shots approaching the freighter at dark blue twilight. We got two of them in this episode.
People always remark on Faraday’s tie, and the fact that he kept it on so long after arriving on the Island. But in this rewatch, I noticed how odd it was that he even wore it in the first place. “Yeah, I’m taking a rusty old freighter to a remote island, better wear my black necktie!"
Don I too missed all the clues hinting that Jin's story was a flashback.
Sun: Why would Juliet lie about that? Kate: Force of habit.
Me: Oh really, Kate, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black???
I'm a fan of the Jin & Bernard scenes. It's so cool that two guys with apparently so little in common have so much understanding between them. And we also get Bernard's explanation for why he and Rose don't go with Locke.
Jin: "Sun teach me. Sawyer too. ... Sun is better." hee hee hee
I totally didn't get that it was a flash back/forward until Jin said he had only been married two months. Then my jaw dropped and I screamed at the tv that it wasn't fair.
I remember my sister and I were so frustrated at Jin over the panda. We were yelling, "Forget the panda, go be with your wife. You idiot!" And then we felt really bad at the end.
The graveyard scene makes me cry so hard every time. I haven't had a chance to quite finish this episode yet, but I will make sure it is at home and not at work so I'm not blubbering in the break room.
@Nikki - Being a father of 2 (both c-sections due to complications)i know what you mean BUT would anyone really have watched ANY problem if the birth scenes were accurate ?....lets sit on our sofa and watch a women in labour for 10 hours ?.......sometimes TV birth's just have to accepted (even on LOST !).
Rewatching the graveyard scene is still sad even though we all know Jin is alive !....weird
@Nikki-"The end of this ep makes me cry more than Charlie's death"
Yes! And I only realized it after rewatching it this time! An Ji Yeon is SO cute, with her little heart-shaped lips! Love LOVE this ep!
We have a stuffed giant panda just like that! His name is Kim-Kim. heheh
If they know Sun is O6, wouldn't they also know that her husband didn't survive the crash (according to the official press release)? Just seems weard that the whole hosp staff is that dense.
@Susan-I too am a big fan of the "Jin and Bernard's Big Fish Expo". Jin may not know everything Bernie's saying, but he obviously got enough of the jist to be able to go back to Sun and forgive.
@SunshineMusic-yes, I am also very glad I was at home for this one, and not at work (like I am now).
Don: As I pointed out in my S4 book, there were lots of hints that Jin's flashback was happening in 2001 (including the "year of the dragon" comment or his giant cellphone) but like you, I didn't pick up on them because I was so engrossed in the story, which says a lot about the writers.
I'll never forget my husband's reaction to the ending: He was really angry. He said he felt like he'd been purposely manipulated and duped, like he'd put his trust in the writers and they'd tricked him. I said I liked being tricked, but he didn't. He was really upset about it.
Marebabe: I love when they flashback to younger Dan and he's still got that tie. It's like his signature, and who wants to be seen on a mysterious island without his signature?! Hahahaha...
Wait... is this the first post where you weren't the first person to comment?! ;)
M9: Obviously I'm not saying I want to watch the birth in real time... as someone who's been through it twice, I'm really not into watching 26 hours of a woman screaming. I'm just saying an ob wouldn't be insisting on a c-section if the baby was quickly and easily slipping down the birth canal. That's just basic science. The janitor in the hospital would know that. It was bad writing. You want to convey the frenzy of the situation, then you should have Sun refusing drugs and screaming for Jin and the doctor trying to calm her down, or her refusing to push until he gets there and the doctor saying she must push or the baby could suffocate. All of those would have been viable -- and truthful -- scenarios to have conveyed the same chaotic mess that was happening in the room. I'm not looking for real time births (you need to give me SOME credit on that one), I'm just looking for the tiniest bit of verisimilitude.
*Gulp*....kind of wish I hadn;t mentioned it now !....remind me never to discuss birth/labour with the female sex again ;-)
LOLZ!! I still remember part of a Bill Cosby routine where he said once his wife told him, "You want to know what labour is like? Take your bottom lip... and wrap it up over your head." Hahaha!
I'm a little confused about what "event" Hurley showed up at Sun's for. They both got dressed up to - what? Visit Jin's grave? Was that a formal funeral/wake of sorts? Hurley expected more people to show up; did Sun issue invitations w/ RSVP cards? Where were Jin's dad and Mr. Paik, his employer?
I hope we'll get to see a Sun/Jin/Ji Yeon reunion. ::sigh::
@Nikki: This is funny. I feel like Bob Cratchit offering his excuse for being late: "I was making rather merry yesterday." Thanksgiving, family stuff, not home yet when the magic hour struck... Actually, regarding the posting of first comments, that mostly started happening when the new fall shows started. People tend to be glued to their TVs more than their computers at 8/7 Central. I record my prime time shows for later viewing (and later zooming through the commercials).
@studiorose: I felt my heart squeeze when I read your comment about a Sun/Jin/Ji Yeon reunion. Throughout S5, everyone was focused on their wish to see Sun and Jin reunited. (Me too.) But how wonderful will it be to witness the moment when Jin first meets his little daughter? I really REALLY want to see that! Please, writers, make it so.
So wierd Jin and Sun are separated in flash forward and back. It is like a comment on much of the marriage, where the two were living in separate worlds, but seeming to be living together. Only on the island did they have the chance to listen to each other and fall in love once again.
Yeah, and I thought how great that Bernard and Jin scene together was. Karma was the big word. Locke ain'ty got it, but Jin does. Maybe that's why Jin survives the ship exploding, but Locke is done in by Ben. As Bernard says, "You must be the good guy." And yes he is.
And what's this note: Don't trust the captain. Turns out he is probably the most trustworthy person on the ship. And why isn't the doctor interested that Des's flashbacks have stopped? You'd think he'd be testing him to no end.
And now that Michael returns, it doesn't have the impact it once had. The blood stain in the room sure does (I'd completely forgot about that). Someone on another site has suggested that Leonard Sims is Radzinsky--they sure approximate one another well in appearance. And aside from the story that Leonard and Sam heard the numbers while listening at a military listening post, that story seems perhaps unlikely. Maybe it's true, and Leonard is Radzinsky, gone crazy from entering the numbers, again and again. Why?
Hey everybody! I need some help - I can log into my account but I can't view my page! Can you guys go to my blog? Mine says "can't find server" :( what a hell is going on?
Please leave a note here and let me know if my page is up or what? I have apparently pissed off the Blogger gods.
Jerks.
Joan: Ugh, that's terrible. If it's any consolation, your blog seems to be just fine; I just went over and it's up, with the Iceland story on the top.
I'm actually pretty unhappy with Blogger and have been considering Wordpress... I'm just worried that it might not import my entire blog over there, and worse: that the address listed in each of my books is the damn blogspot one. :(
Thanks, Nikki! I just was able to get in - phew! I was struck with inspiration and wouldn't you know it - locked out for 30 mins. I have heard Wordpress is better too but I hate change and am stupid. These two things make the idea of switching seem insurmountable :D
It's so sad thinking that Sun & Jin will go throughout all of Season 5 without seeing each other (and for Jin, that's a period of THREE YEARS!!!)
@Marebabe via Nikki-really! I thought it was just me, but I was suprised not to see your name there first like always!
I loved this flashback / flashforward format! I also felt very clever having picked up on it (at the end of course), and then being able to look really smart the following day when some fellow Lostie friends and I were conducting our usual post-lost discussions, and they were all, "wtf?" And I was all, "It was a flashforwad / flashback, duh!"
LOL
Don, you said it all - this is LOST at it's best! I was also tricked by the simultaneous flashforward/flashback but wow, it was so clever!!
A few eps back I commented that Regina seemed so bored and uninterested with her job! Now I feel kinda bad cuz I am reminded that she was basically slowly going crazy, be it from some accelerated cabin fever or an island sickness. Sorry, Girl!
How do they still have so much food at the beach?!
LMAO, Nikki, at your description of the incompetent clown college graduate of an OBGYN! Also when the nurse removed the jewelry during childbirth 'because of swelling' - wouldn't the swelling have already happened and made it impossible to get the rings off so easily?
I listened to Sun's pronunciation of 'Ji Yeon' several times but couldn't quite get it. Anyone have a phonetical spelling that I can understand?!
And what is the timeline of Hurley's meeting with Sun at the graveyard? Before or after the car chase?
@tiasabita-I know, I can't figure out how Jin @ Sun are pronouncing Ji Yeon either. When they say it it doesn't sound anything like it's spelled, but remember, when they speek, the order of words is not the same as ours, even though I have been listening to ALL the words trying to pick out something from the phrase that's close!
Also, with Hurley, I'm gonna venture a guess and say it's before he was committed, since after he's committed, he's, well, committed, and I tend to think they wouldn't let him out for such a long trip. Also, he seems alot more stable, so it must be closer to when they left the island, AND Ji Yeon still looks like a newborn.
I love Hurley! He is definitely the most reliable of all the losties.
I can't belief I wrote "speek", I meant "speak"!
If this has already been brought up some other time please forgive me but I've wondered if Sun and Hurley are maybe meeting on the one year anniversary of the crash. If Sun was between 2 and 3 months pregnant when they left the island around January, then delivered Junish (maybe a little premature since she didn't seem to be ready when she went into labor), this would make Ji Yeon 3 - 4 months old in September. Could work! Yeah, crazyinlost, it probably has to take place before the institution cuz I think we've seen Hurley getting busted out by Sayid and shortly after returning to the island!
@Tiasabita & Crazyinlost: I'm pretty sure the way the flashforwards timeline works is the first one we see is the closest to when they go back to the island and "Ji Yeon" is the closest to when they were rescued from the island. So crazy bearded "We have to go baaaack!!!" Jack is shortly before they return to the island on the Ajira flight; Car chase and Santa Rosa Hurley is sometime before that; Hitman Sayid is sometime before that; Kate on trial is sometime before that; and Ji Yeon's birth is sometime before that. Although I'm not sure were Jack and Katie's time of domestic bliss fits in there. It would have to be after Katie's trial but before Hurley's car chase.
I remember when I first watched this I hated Juliet for telling Sun's secret. What possible justification could she have for breaking that kind of confidence. She certainly could have found another way to persuade them to stay with Jack's group. It's kind of funny now thinking about how much I disliked her character at that point, because now after season 5I love the Juliet character and hope to see more of her next season.
Nikki, you said it was good Sun and Jin didn't make it to the other side of the island to be with Lock's group because she would have died if she didn't leave the island, but I was thinking that perhaps if Juliet had not stopped her and Jun she would not have died because the island started time jumping and she would have ended up in a time before the island killed pregnant women. She and Jin could have had Ji Yeon in the Seventies and lived happily ever after, until Jack came back hell-bent on detonating the bomb of course.
Ooooh! NOW you've done it, Nik! You've gone and messed with a Bill Cosby quote (he's a homeboy, having graduated from UMass, and one of my heroes). I believe he actually quotes Carol Burnett with the "take your lower lip" line and then works it into his routine about his wife going into labor. And thereby makes it entirely his own, of course! ; ]
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