Flash hopscotch

I need to take “expert multitasker” off my resumé, because the flash forward/flashback combo in last night’s episode of LOST, “Ji Yeon”, caught me off guard. The big shocker was supposed to be Ben’s man on the boat: Michael. Instead, we got a psych out by the writers with the reveal that while Sun was delivering her baby off-island in the future, Jin’s flash scenes were actually from 2000 while still working for Sun’s dad.

The mind scrambling effect was soon replaced by another disorienting sensation – mourning. Jin, it seems, is dead. Though I’m holding out hope that Jin’s still fishing with Bernard on a canoe somewhere off the coast of Lost Island.

Lost recap 4x07: Ji Yeon

In the flashes:

We start with a flash forward of Sun going into labor. She happily delivers a healthy baby girl. A well-dressed Hurley visits Sun and little baby Ji Yeon in Seoul and they pay a visit Jin’s grave. The date of death on the headstone was 9/22/04, the date of the crash – evidence that Jin may still be on the island.


Geek alert: In Sun’s first flash forward scene, Sun’s TV was showing Exposé dubbed in Korean, starring every Lost fan’s least-favorite character from last season, Nikki. Razzle Dazzle!



In Jin’s flash backs, he is delivering a stuffed panda bear to an associate of Sun’s father. The toy shop salesman said that it was the Year of the Dragon, apparently 2000. Another clue was Jin’s old cell phone.


On the island:

Juliet was trying to ensure Sun stayed on the beach for her best chance to get rescued and stay alive, but really pulled a bitchy move by telling Jin about Sun’s pre-crash affair. Regardless, it worked. After a chat with Bernard, Jin forgives her. Further evidence that he’s still alive in the future, Jin says to Sun, “You’ll never lose me.”


On the ship:

Desmond and Sayid were slipped a note warning them not to trust the captain. Later, they meet Captain Gault, who confirms that there was wreckage from flight 815 faked and that he believes Ben is responsible. The helicopter was no longer on the landing pad, and Gault explains that Lapidus is off on a quick mission, but doesn’t clarify where.

Geek alert: Captain Gault was a fictional sea captain in a series of stories written in 1917 by English author William Hodgson. Gault is a captain for hire who despite being a law-breaker, seems to follow a solid moral compass. He’s also revealed to be a member of a secret society and possesses knowledge about an unusual number of areas including the occult, religious artifacts and gemology. The stories also often include misinformation and misdirection by the captain . Sounds a little like a show we know.

We finally meet the mysterious Regina who is clearly confused as she’s reading a book upside down. When we see her again later she’s wrapped up in chains, looking like she’s just come from the freighter’s drama club performance of “A Christmas Carol” playing Jacob Marley. She jumps off the port side of the ship to her death. The captain orders the crew to ignore her, much to Sayid’s and Desmond’s dismay. Apparently the captain doesn’t want to lose more of his crew to “cabin fever”. We later see that Regina isn’t the only one to have killed herself, as the doctor shows Des and Sayid to their suite, and it’s primed with brain splatter on the wall.

Geek alert: The book that Regina was reading upside down was The Survivors of the Chancellor by Jules Verne, a story about a group of survivors from a shipwreck on a raft for weeks, several of whom commit suicide.


Let’s discuss:

We now know that the members of the Oceanic 6 are Kate, Jack, Hurley, Sayid, Aaron and Sun. Agreed?

Did it seem curious that Sun’s OB doctor wasn’t available? This does frequently happen, but he told her she’d need a cesarean section when the baby was already crowning. Was he even a doctor? Or was he working for Ben to report back whether the baby who was conceived on-island lived?

When Sun told Hurley no one else came to see her and the baby or to visit Jin’s grave, he said “Good”. Why?

The doctor said the room that he was showing them to was quiet. Sayid said that the ship was anchored so it shouldn't be noisy. The doctor replied, “If you say so.” Are they moving through the water? Time? Space?

Why is there an axe embedded in the hull of the ship? More “cabin fever” crazies? I'm betting we get a freighter flashback story at some point this season.

Although it seems we got the answer to who Ben’s man on the ship is, do we really know it’s Michael? How can Michael communicate with Ben with a sabotaged radio room? I’m thinking Walt might actually be Ben’s mole, using telepathy or teleportation to communicate with Ben. Also, the note not to trust the captain looked like it was written in a teenager’s block lettering to me.


What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts.