Episode Report Card Sobell: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Married people never talk anymore
By Sobell | Season 1 | Episode 17 | Aired on 02.22.2005
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.Of the myriad mysteries on this island -- What is the monster? How have the polar bears stayed alive without passing out from heat exhaustion? Why is Rousseau battier than Carlsbad caverns? Is Locke good or evil? Et cetera -- of all those mysteries, the one keeping me up at night has been, "Is Sun and Jin's marriage in trouble?"
Well, you can lay that mystery to rest. Over the course of this episode, we learn that maybe Jin and Sun's marriage might have worked out if she had been an orphan. And that Jin was planning on leaving her dad's employ and starting over again in Los Angeles. And that he's really a decent, if misunderstood, guy. He's also a frequently-pummeled one: the rest of the island assumes he torched Michael's raft, and lets Michael beat the crap out of him until Sun's forced to tip her hand on the English-speaking thing. This is evidently what makes Jin decide it's too late to save their marriage -- kind of an unfortunate decision on a small island.
So that's one mystery solved. I look forward to finding out in future episodes exactly how Walt managed to burn the raft and how Locke figured out he did it. Or maybe not. Want more? The full recap starts right below!
The episode begins with a panoramic shot of the beach -- beautiful -- and then with a panoramic shot of Jin's face. It's also beautiful -- Daniel Dae Kim is one of those humans who looks like his face was designed by a CAD program tweaked for extraordinary symmetry and balance. Either that, or he's one of those super-engineered humans from the future, and he came back in time in order to save humanity from being subjected to The Bachelor-related shows five nights a week.
Anyway, we're looking at Jin's face, which is a sure cue that we're about to go into flashback...and then we see him dressed in a suit, standing with his head bowed, in what must be the office of Sun's father. By the way, that office is roughly the size of the entire newsroom where I work. Sun's father is engaging in a classic dominance display, i.e. futzing with a memo while Jin waits. Jin tries not to fidget anxiously. Eventually, Sun's dad asks, "Why do you want to marry my daughter?" Jin replies, "Mr. Paik, I may be from a fishing village, but I have ambitions." Mr. Paik is understandably curious about those ambitions. Not curious enough to look up from what he's doing, but curious enough to make Jin sweat a little. Jin would like to open a restaurant, and one day own his own hotel. Mr. Paik asks what Jin's dad thinks of this would-be marriage, and Jin's all, "My father? I was created by a CAD program from the future and sent back here to your time. My father's response when I psychically e-mailed him was '011110111 0000 00100011 10101.' Please don't ask me to translate. Your present-day human brain wouldn't comprehend.'"
Or maybe he just looks uncomfortable. There's a long pause, and Mr. Paik actually looks up from what he's doing. Jin looks at the floor and says his dad's dead. For some reason, this gets Mr. Paik's attention, and he asks, "What would you do for my daughter." Jin says, "Anything." Mr. Paik sets the trap: "Even work for me?" Jin steps into the trap, saying, "Of course." Mr. Paik springs the trap: "Why would I give my daughter to a man who sells his own dreams so easily?" But Jin's like the wind, baby -- nobody traps him. He responds, "Because she is my dream. Sir." Mr. Paik holds out his hand for the shaking, which is probably as close to a hearty clap on the back and a "Welcome to the family, son," as it's going to get. Jin manages to keep most of the smile on his face.
Back in the present, he's definitely not smiling. The cause for concern: Sun strolling along in a bikini. I don't get why he's unhappy -- it's not like her bikini reveals unpleasant surprises, like a body covered in tiny purple tentacles. He gets a "here we go again" look and rushes over, shouting, "Are you out of your mind?"