Lost: Season 4, Episode 7 "Ji Yeon Review

 "I need the panda."

-Jin Soo-Kwon

"Ji Yeon" picks up on the freighter.  Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) and Sayid (Naveen Andrews) receive a mysterious note telling them not to trust the captain.  When they are finally taken to see him, they witness Regina (Zoё Bell) jump into the ocean while wrapped in chains.  Captain Gault (Grant Bowler) stops anyone from going in after her to avoid losing anymore clue.  Gault explains that the crew have been experiencing "cabin fever" and as soon as the engines are fixed, they are going to move to safer water.  He also tells them Charles Widmore (Alan Dale) owns the boat and that their mission is to capture Ben (Michael Emerson) because Gault believes Ben is behind the fake Oceanic 815 crash.  Later, Sayid discovers that Michael Dawson (Harold Perrineau) is among the crew under the name "Kevin Johnson."

On the island, Kate (Evangeline Lilly) tells Sun (Yunjin Kim) and Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) about the events of the previous episode.  Sun confronts Daniel (Jeremy Davies) and asks him if they are going to be rescued.  Daniel says it isn't his call.  Sun decides she and Jin need to join Locke's (Terry O'Quinn) camp.  Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) finds out and tries to stop them by warning them Sun will die in three weeks unless she gets off the island.  When that doesn't work, she reveals that Sun had an affair and a distraught Jin walks off.  After fishing with Bernard (Sam Anderson), Sun and Jin reconcile and decide to stay at the beach.

In the flashes, Sun is revealed to be a member of the Oceanic 6 and goes into labor.  The episode makes it seem like Jin is also a member of the Oceanic 6 and is desperately trying to get to the hospital, but Jin's flashes are actually flashbacks.  Sun successfully gives birth to a girl, Ji Yeon, and they and Hurley (Jorge Garcia) visit Jin's grave that claims he died on the day of the plane crash.

What Works:

The freighter storyline is very refreshing because we finally get a character who has no problem with dishing out answers in the form of Captain Gault.  He's one of my favorite minor characters on the show because he is so straightforward.  He gives Sayid and Desmond a large info dump and it's just a wonderful change of pace.

The reveal that Michael is on the boat isn't exactly a huge twist.  Anyone who paid attention to the main titles would have seen his name in the credits during every previous episode of the season.  Harold Perrineau's return is hands-down the worst kept secret in all of Lost.  That said, it's good to have him back.  It's an exciting reveal and definitely pumps the audience up for what is going to happen next with him.

Yunjin Kim and Daniel Dae Kim bot give excellent performances in the episode.  Their scenes together are so sweet, yet heartbreaking.  Jin coming around in the end with maturity and knowledge of the man he used to be is one of his best scenes on the show.  It's a heartwarming moment to see them get through the one last lie between them.

Finally, the flashes do a great job of throwing us for a loop.  I fell for the trick hook, line, and sinker.  The reveal that Jin will apparently die before the Oceanic 6 escape the island is a real gut-punch and Sun crying at his grave is one of the saddest scenes of Lost.  It this episode doesn't emotionally affect you, I don't know what will.

What Sucks:

My only real problem with this episode is the beach storyline feels like it's spinning it's wheels.  Besides Sun, no one is really pressing Daniel or Charlotte (Rebecca Mader) for information on the rescue plan.  I feel like we haven't gotten much further on that path since "Confirmed Dead."  It's frustrating because it seems out of character, especially for someone like Jack (Matthew Fox), and it's especially noticeable with such a short season.  We're halfway through already!  It's time to start building momentum again.

Platinum Polar Bear:

The Platinum Polar Bear goes to the most competent character of the episode.  For "Ji Yeon," I'm giving this award to Jin for being able to overcome his anger and hurt with Sun and truly embrace the new man he's become.  He was willing to give himself and Sun a clean slate and not many people could have done that.  This is Jin's 3rd time winning this award, which ties him for 9th place with Sun and Charlie.

Verdict:

"Ji Yeon" is a solid episode of Lost with some emotional sucker-punches, excellent performances from Yunjin Kim and Daniel Dae Kim, and a refreshing new character in Captain Gault.  I wish there had been more forward momentum in the rescue plot, but beyond that, this episode has got it going on.

 8/10: Really Good