Review: Lost Season 4, Episode 7: Ji Yeon

This episode was an example of what originally made Lost a hit series. The show delivered a strong emotional story about Jin and Sun, while still working in some progression of the island mysteries. There was no clicking away from this one.

Daniel Dae Kim and Yunjin Kim showed us once more why Jin and Sun are the strongest romantic story on the island. There is none of the constant back and forth we see with Kate, Jack and Sawyer, nor is there the reliable consistency of Rose and Bernard. Jin and Sun have serious issues which get aired out for us in dramatic fashion, but when they come back together it is with always with a sense that their bond has become stronger for the struggle. Theirs is a story of hope. If Jin and Sun can overcome the extreme situations that seemed to have destroyed their marriage, then any one of us should be able to fix whatever small problems exist in our own relationships.

No episode is perfect, however, and this one was no exception. Now that we are finally beginning to see the dynamics of the freighter crew, those dynamics are looking very suspect. The captain is the only person on the ship who seems to be willing to talk openly about what is going on, but he is also the man who ordered his crew not to attempt to rescue one of their own who jumped overboard as a form of suicide. He apparently has quite a temper, as well. But this iron-fisted straight talker is not able to stop someone from sabotaging seemingly every system on the ship, including the galley.

The list of potential saboteurs is apparently limited only by the number of people on the freighter. Not one person has shown an ounce of trust in anyone else. The list of suspects may be narrowed very quickly, however, if the crew members continue to die almost as soon as they are introduced.

The overall story arc section of this episode left me a bit cold as well. We are led to believe that Ben Linus is behind the fake flight 815 wreckage at the bottom of the ocean, and Charles Widmore is trying to expose this to the world. Ben somehow arranged for a duplicate of Oceanic 815, complete with a falsified flight data recorder, to be loaded with 326 bodies and dropped into the ocean. And he did this while dealing with a bunch of island invaders who at one point kept him tied up in a small room for several after he was impaled through the shoulder with an arrow. Suspension of disbelief is one thing. Piling one incredible thing on top of another is something else. I hope that the episodes being produced right now for the rest of the season simplify the story to some extent, or at least add no more convolutions.

Even with these drawbacks, though, this episode is likely to be remembered as a high point of the season. It was enthralling even when it didn't make complete sense, and the episode's central story of love and hope will remain with viewers long after they have moved on to the next island mystery.