Ji Yeon

"Ji Yeon" redirects here. For the character Sun and Jin's daughter, see Ji Yeon Kwon.

"Ji Yeon"
Season	4
Episode number	7
Airdate(s)	March 13, 2008
Flashback	Jin
Days	95-96
Writer	Edward Kitsis Adam Horowitz
Director	Stephen Semel
Guests	Sam Anderson - Bernard Zoë Bell - Regina Grant Bowler - Captain Gault Kevin Durand - Keamy Jeff Fahey - Frank Lapidus Marc Vann - Doctor
Co-stars	George Kee Cheung - Ambassador Lynette Garces - Another nurse Lanny Joon - Doctor Bae Christine Kim - Admitting nurse Sun Hee Koo - Delivery room nurse Simon Rhee - Shopkeeper David Yew - Security agent Tess Yong - Maternity nurse
Uncredited	Kiele Sanchez - Nikki Fernandez Billy Dee Williams - himself
Transcript	Ji Yeon transcript

"Ji Yeon" was the seventh episode of Season 4 of Lost, originally broadcast on March 13, 2008 in the United States. Juliet is forced to reveal some startling news to Jin when Sun threatens to move to Locke's camp. Meanwhile, Sayid and Desmond begin to get an idea of the freighter crew's mission when they meet the ship's Captain.

Synopsis

Flashback

Jin buys a panda

Jin is on his cell phone, saying that he will be at the hospital soon. He rushes into a store and buys a large stuffed panda.

Outside the store, Jin hails a cab and puts the bear in it, but before he can get inside, another pedestrian gets in and the cab speeds off. Going back into the store, Jin attempts to buy another panda. The store owner suggests a stuffed dragon since it brings good luck in the "Year of the Dragon" (which implies the timeframe is within 5 February 2000 to 23 January 2001). Jin insists that he "must have the panda". He ends up paying an exorbitant price for one which had been reserved for another customer.

The Chinese ambassador with the offered panda

Jin rushes through the hospital entrance carrying the stuffed panda. Upon arriving at the maternity ward, Jin approachs a room which has a man standing guard outside. Jin identifies himself as working for Mr. Paik, offers his congratulations to the Ambassador on becoming a grandfather, and states that, as a representative of Paik Automotive, he has brought a gift. Before the guard, who tells Jin to wait there, can enter the hospital room, Jin asks the baby's gender. The guard responds it is a boy, and as the guard turns to enter the door, Jin throws a pink ribbon on the waiting area table and wraps the panda's neck with a blue ribbon. An older man comes out of the room, and Jin presents the bear as a token of Mr. Paik's esteem. Jin informs the Ambassador that Mr. Paik is looking forward to doing business in China. As he is leaving the hospital, a nurse asks why Jin is leaving so early. He informs her that it's not his baby. She says "Well, maybe someday...", to which he replies "Don't rush me. I've only been married two months."

On the freighter

Keamy warns Frank

At nighttime, Frank, holding a small brown paper bag, is confronted by Keamy, who warns him, "Don't be late." Frank travels to the lower level of the ship, where he meets Regina, who seems somewhat distant and a little confused. He tells her that the captain wants him to bring the paper bag (to Sayid and Desmond), and that the book she is reading, The Survivors of the Chancellor, is upside down.

As Frank enters the room with Desmond and Sayid, the door can be heard locking from the outside. Frank says the captain is upset about them 'busting out' of the old room, and Sayid responds the door was left open and he had assumed Frank did it. Sayid asks if he had communication with the Islanders, and Frank remarks their satellite phone must be broken. Frank dumps the contents of the bag to reveal several containers of lima beans and says they have a problem with the kitchen. He gives Sayid a can opener as he tells him to stay put, knocks on the door, and is let out by Regina.

Regina commits suicide

Gault reveals the identity of the freighter's owner

In the morning, Desmond awakens to find Sayid eating a can of lima beans. Someone slips a folded note through the vent on the cabin door; as Sayid picks it up, he tells Desmond that Ben claimed there was a spy on the boat. The note reads, 'DON'T TRUST THE CAPTAIN'. Desmond remarks on a knocking sound which can be heard through the walls, and Sayid tells him it is not mechanical, so he thinks it is being made by a person.

Sayid and Desmond are released from sickbay for their meeting with the captain. When they emerge on the deck, they immediately notice the helicopter is gone. They are told Frank has gone on an "errand" and are led to believe he has returned to the Island.

Gault with the black box from the fake 815

Regina then appears, draped with large chains, and, as if in a trance, she walks over to the side of the ship, climbs over the railing, and throws herself into the ocean. Desmond and Sayid attempt to rally the crew to save her, but the captain appears and orders the men back to their posts. When they meet Captain Gault, Sayid and Desmond begin to get an idea of the freighter crew’s mission. The captain shows them the flight data recorder (the black box) of Flight 815 and tells them it was obtained by Charles Widmore. He explains that the wreckage was found in the bottom of the ocean and included 324 dead bodies.

Kevin Johnson is revealed to be Michael

He then explains it was obviously a staged find, but that it is frightening to think about the fact that somebody had the power and resources to do such a thing, especially procuring 324 bodies. The captain remarks that this was just one of the reasons they need to capture Benjamin Linus.

Later, Ray, now with a wound on his cheek, takes Desmond and Sayid to a filthy new room, on the "quiet part" of the ship. Desmond notes the ship is not moving, to which Ray responds, "if you say so". Upon entering the new room, they find it contains cockroaches and a large bloodstain on the wall. Ray observes that the room "should already have been cleaned," and calls Kevin Johnson—who has been down the hall, mopping the floor—to wipe up the stain. As Johnson walks down the hall and into the light, Sayid recognizes him as Michael Dawson. Desmond introduces himself (this being the first meeting between the two), and while Sayid is shocked, he plays along with Michael's lie in order to feel the situation out.

On the Island

At night, Sun and Jin are on the beach when Sun questions why Sayid and Desmond have not come back after 3 days. Jin comforts her and tells her he wants to talk about baby names. Sun does not want to discuss it, saying it is bad luck. Jin, who is confident the baby is a girl, suggests the name Ji Yeon. Sun says it is a beautiful name, but she doesn't want to jinx the baby. They make a deal to get off the Island first before discussing it further.

Jack, Jin and Sun at the breakfast table

In the morning, Sun wakes Jin and informs him that Kate and Jack have returned. Sun finds Kate, and asks what happened. Kate tells her how Charlotte hit her, and that they had gone to a "poison gas factory." Kate remarks that they "were trying to earn some brownie points". She also says Juliet lied about the Tempest being a power station, "probably out of habit." Sun asks Kate if Daniel and Charlotte are really there to rescue them, and Kate replies that they talked about a lot of things, but none of them were about rescue.

Juliet confronts Sun

On the beach, Sun approaches Daniel, who has taken the phone apart, and they introduce themselves. Sun asks him if they are going to rescue them, and Daniel says that it isn't his call. Sun asks whose call it is, and he doesn't respond. Sun thanks him and leaves.

Jin is making breakfast and Jack compliments him on his improving English. Jin says that both Sun and Sawyer have been teaching him, but Sun is better at it. Sun comes running up but stops at the sight of Jack. Jack inquires about her health, and she says the morning sickness has stopped. After Jack leaves, Sun tells Jin to pack food for two days because they are moving to Locke's group.

Sun is going through the medical supplies, to find her pre-natal vitamins, when Juliet arrives suddenly. She confronts Sun about why she would need a new bottle, unless she is going on a trip. Juliet reminds Sun that pregnant women die on the Island and Sun needs to escape, but Sun doesn't trust Juliet and takes the pills anyway, still determined to go to Locke's group.

Kate draws Jin and Sun a map to Locke’s barracks. She warns them she will have to tell Jack they left, but says she will give them a good head start. Sun and Kate agree that Jack won’t understand why they are leaving. As they are saying goodbye, they are interrupted by Juliet who forbids Sun to leave. Juliet warns Jin that Sun is very ill and will die within three weeks if she doesn’t leave the Island, but Jin doesn't appear to understand what Juliet is saying, and Sun refuses to translate. Sun is not swayed and Jin supports her, saying: “Where Sun go, I go”.

Juliet then tells Jin that Sun had an affair. Sun slaps Juliet and Jin storms off.

Jin and Bernard fishing

Jin forgives Sun

Sun catches up with Jin and tries to plead with him to stay, saying the affair was a long time ago. Jin is leaving with fishing gear when Bernard unknowingly interrupts their argument to ask Jin if he can go fishing with him. When he realizes they were having an argument, he apologizes, saying it was a bad time. Jin tells Bernard he can come along.

Later, Jin and Bernard are fishing on the outrigger when Bernard points out they are the only two married men on the Island. He talks about how difficult marriage is, and how it takes twice as long to make all the decisions. Bernard then confides in Jin, telling him Rose had cancer before coming to the Island, but that she now claims to be better.

Bernard also says he expected Rose would want to go with Locke since Rose doesn't want to leave the island. When Jin asks why they didn't join Locke, Bernard says it was because Locke is "a murderer". Bernard states it was "the right thing to do" to stay with Jack, and tells Jin about karma, stating good karma happens when you make good choices. Upon Jin catching a fish, Bernard tells Jin it was karma.

Bernard's talk about marriage seems to convince Jin, and he finds Sun and tells her he knows why she had an affair - because he was the man he was before he came to the Island. He says he is different now and he would do anything to protect Sun and their baby. He then asks her to tell him the truth about whether the baby is his. Sun cries and tells Jin the baby is his.

Flashforward

Sun in labor

Jin and Sun's family tombstone

Sun packs a suitcase and is applying makeup while watching the Korean-dubbed episode of Exposé, when she begins to feel pain. She phones for an ambulance and the camera pulls back to reveal that she is very far along in her pregnancy.

At the hospital the nurses comment to each other that Sun is one of the Oceanic Six. She is going into labor and the baby is, according to the doctor, "in distress". Sun asks them to inform her husband and repeatedly calls for Jin, indicating her desire to not give birth until he arrives.

Sun, distressed from the labour, mistakes a hospital visitor for her husband. While the doctor debates whether to perform a caesarean section, the baby crowns. Soon a daughter is born.

Some time later, Sun is back at her apartment, removes her wedding ring from the hospital bag where it was placed just before the birth, and puts it on her finger. Sun then is applying her makeup, when she hears a knock at the door. It is Hurley in a formal suit, who has come to see the baby. He asks if anyone is else coming and says "good" when she answers no. While admiring the baby, Hurley comments that she "looks just like Jin". Then he suggests that the two should "go visit him". They travel to a cemetery and stand in front of a tombstone with the date 9/22/04 inscribed on it. Sun looks at the tombstone and tells Jin that she misses him and that she named their daughter Ji Yeon, as he had wanted.

Trivia

General

Michael can be seen before he is revealed as a deckhand, seconds after Regina's suicide.

• Ji Yeon means "flower of wisdom". ("Ji Yeon-Enhanced")
• Michael can be spotted on the boat before he's revealed as the janitor. When Regina jumps off the boat, the camera cuts to a group of people standing at the boat's edge. Michael appears to be the hooded member. He seems to be hiding his identity from Sayid and Desmond until he is forced to confront them by Ray.
• Jin's tombstone has the date September 22, 2004, on it, the day of the crash.
• The tombstone says Jin was born November 27th 1974, and Sun was born March 20th 1980. This difference of 6 years is considered the least compatible according to the Zodiac.
• When Sun and Jin are sitting at night by the campfire (Day 95), Sun comments that it has been 3 days since Sayid and Desmond left the Island, matching the helicopter departure at dusk (Day 92). The next morning (Day 96), Sayid says to Desmond that 3 days ago when Sayid was when I was in Locke's camp, Ben told him there was "a man on the boat", the same day the helicopter departed. This confirms there is a difference where Sayid and Desmond have experienced 3 days, while the people on the Island are experiencing their fourth day, matching the flight time discrepancy of a 20-40 minute flight landing a day and a half later in Island time.
• Day 95 is Christmas Day, 2004, and Day 96 is December 26, 2004 - also the day of the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami that killed over 225,000 people in 11 surrounding countries.
• Assuming minimal or no time differences between the Island and South Korea and the correctness of Juliet's estimation of Sun's date of conception (~10/23/2004), ("D.O.C.") the flashforward takes place in July or August 2005.
• Several hints are given that Jin's flashes are actually flashbacks:
  • Sun is immediately recognized as one of the Oceanic Six when she enters the hospital, but no one pays any special attention to Jin.
  • Jin exhibits his characteristic pre-Island violent temper when his cab and panda are stolen.
  • The "year of the dragon" reference which implies a timeframe between February 2000 and January 2001.
  • Jin uses a huge cell phone, reminiscent of the early 2000s.
  • The timeframe is made explicit when Jin says he's only been married for two months.

Production notes

• Ben, Claire, Locke, Miles, and Sawyer do not appear in this episode.
• Charlotte appears without speaking lines.
• Michael reappears in the series for the first time since "Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1", a span of 28 episodes.
• This is Jin and Sun's only centric episode in which they do not appear together in any off-Island scenes.
• The scene at the Korean toy store was shot at the “Toys N Joys” store on Waialae Ave in Kaimuki.

Bloopers and continuity errors

• The first scene of Jin in the toy store shows items on the back shelf from the shows Ben 10 and Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive. These shows did not begin airing until 2007. Another shelf carries Nintendo DS and PSP consoles, which were not available until late 2004.
  • Also, a toy doll of Minun (a type of Pokemon) is shown on a shelf in a toy store. Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire versions, which Minun first featured in, weren't released until late 2002.
• In Jin's flashback, the establishing shot of the Korean city disappears in later scenes.
• When Sun is fighting with Juliet and right before and after she slaps her, there is a clip in which Juliet is missing her bruises/cuts from her previous fight with Charlotte.

Two of the crew's shadow can be seen in the road after Jin throws his phone on the ground.

• In Jin's flashback, he pulls South Korean won bills that recently came into circulation out of his wallet. The ₩10 000 he pulls out were released on January 22, 2007.
• In Jin's flashback, the panda is said to cost 50,000 won (roughly fifty US dollars) but the subtitle says 5000 won (which would be about 5 US dollars).
• In Jin's flashback, as he throws his broken telephone on the ground in anger, when the camera pans down, you can clearly see the shadows of two crew members in the road.
• At the end of the episode Sun takes her wedding ring out of a hospital bag labeled with the name 권성혜 (Kwon Sung Hieh), which is not Sun's name (백선화). (Confirmed mistake per 25 April 2008 audio podcast)

Recurring themes

• Jin buys two Panda dolls. (Animals)  (Black and White)
• Sun gives birth. (Children)
• Sun takes her newborn baby to Jin's grave. (Life and Death)
• Bernard tells Jin that they are the good guys. (Good and bad people)
• Jin and Sun deal with the fact that she cheated on him. (Relationship Issues)
• Michael is on the boat, using the name Kevin Johnson. (Secrets)  (Deceptions and cons)
• Regina kills herself. The captain prohibits anyone to try to save her because of the risk of more people being killed. (Life and Death)
• Desmond discovers that Charles Widmore sent the freighter. (Character connections)
• We see the old Jin in the flashback, while on the Island Jin says he is not that man anymore. (Good and bad people)  (Rebirth)
• Jin forgives Sun's affair in an attempt of redeeming himself for being the man he used to be. (Redemption)
• Juliet tells Jin something she knew about Sun and that Jin should never know. (Character secrets)

Cultural references

• Captain Gault: is a fictional sea captain created by English writer William Hope Hodgson. A captain for hire, Gault is a morally ambiguous and mysterious character. A collection of his stories can be found in the book Captain Gault, Being the Exceedingly Private Log of a Sea-Captain, published in 1917. (Literary works)
• Atlas Shrugged: Alternately the name of the Kahana's captain may be a reference to a character in Ayn Rand's 1957 novel, which is a story about the producers, the movers and shakers in society who decide to go on strike because they are not appreciated by the masses, and create a separate utopian world, a "village" hidden from view from people, planes and the world. (Literary works)
• The Survivors of the Chancellor: is the Jules Verne book, about the last voyage of the British ship Chancellor, that Regina is reading upside down. In the novel, at the beginning of its voyage, the Chancellor carried eight passengers and twenty crew members. By the end, only eleven people (five passengers and six crew) remained alive. In the novel, several characters commit suicide, at least one of them by jumping off of the raft and into the water.(Literary works)
• Dragon (zodiac): The shopkeeper claims that a child born in the Year of the Dragon brings good luck. (Religions and ideologies)
• Karma: Bernard talks to Jin about Karma. (Religions and ideologies)
• U-Boat War by Lothar-Günther Buchheim (author of Das Boot). On the captain's book shelf. (Literary works)
• Guide to the Soviet Navy by Norman Polmar. On the captain's book shelf. (Literary works)

Literary techniques

• This is the first episode where we see both flashbacks (Jin) and flashforwards (Sun). (Flashbacks)  (Flashforwards)
  • The flashback in this episode is structured so that, on first viewing, it appears to be taking place concurrently with the flashforward. (Juxtaposition)
• The audience is led to believe that they are seeing flashforwards of both Jin and Sun, only to find out that Jin's is a flashback, and that in the future, he is apparently dead. (Mindf*ck)
• Michael reappears on the freighter after betraying the other survivors and heading off the Island with Walt at the end of Season 2. (Plot twist)
• Jin buys a stuffed panda to give to the Chinese ambassador, with the panda being representative of China. (Symbolism)
• Michael is revealed to Desmond and Sayid to be on the freighter. (Cliffhanger)
• Jin tells Sun that she will never lose him. In the flashforwards we see that he's either dead or was left behind. (Irony)
• It was indicated that Ben might have been the source of the second Oceanic 815. (Plot twist)  (Mindf*ck)
• Jin and Bernard's conversation about marriage on the Outrigger contrasts the positions that the two men are in. Jin wants rescue to come to the island to save his wife, whose life is in danger if she remains on the island; Bernard, on the other hand, is concerned about rescue coming for himself and Rose, whose cancer could return if she were to leave the island. (Juxtaposition)

Storyline analysis

• Juliet tells Jin that Sun had an affair. (Relationships)
• Sun assures Jin the baby she's carrying is his. (Relationships)
• Frank takes the helicopter back to the island. (F-Missions)

Episode references

• Kate promises to give Jin and Sun plenty of time before she tells Jack, just as her father did for her. ("What Kate Did")
• Bernard tells Jin of Rose's sickness and recovery. ("S.O.S.")
• Michael is called on to clean up the bloodstains, just as he offered to clean up the blood of Ana Lucia and Libby after shooting them. ("Three Minutes")
• The blood on the wall in Sayid and Desmond's room mirrors Radzinsky's blood in the Swan. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")
• Juliet reveals Sun's affair to Jin. ("The Glass Ballerina"), ("D.O.C.")
• When Jin says he is being taught English by Sun, he also laughs about being taught phrases by Sawyer. ("Tricia Tanaka Is Dead")
• Nikki's death scene in her Korean-dubbed show, "Exposé", appears briefly on television in Sun's flashforward. ("Exposé")
• Juliet tells Sun (and in less detail, Jin) what happens to pregnant women on the Island. ("One of Us"), ("The Other Woman")
• When going into labor, Sun calls for her absent husband. This mirrors the moment when Jack refered to his father as if he were still alive in his own flashforward. ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1")
• Bernard calls Locke a murderer. ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1")
• Daniel tells Sun that rescuing the survivors is not his call, echoing his words to Jack saying that rescue is not the Freighter's primary objective ("Confirmed Dead")
• Sun has her baby in Seoul, just as she had told Jin she wanted. ("Eggtown")

Unanswered questions

Unanswered questions
Do not answer the questions here. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer. More details...

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Ji Yeon/Theories

On the freighter

• Whose blood was on the wall of Desmond and Sayid's new room?
• Why does Ray have a wound on his cheek?
• Why were Sayid and Desmond warned not to trust the captain?
• Why does Gault believe Ben had anything to do with staging of the fake Flight 815 crash?
• Why does Regina commits suicide?

Flashforward

• Why is Hurley glad to hear no one else would be coming?

External links

• ABC Primetime Grid
• ABC Medianet Press Release Bundle (02/22/08): PDF