Slapinions

Right up until around 8:55 central time, I'd have started this post with a complaint about how my parent's dropped off my kids in the middle of the show, causing me to miss a chunk of my self-described 'sacred hour'.

Instead, I can only open with 'Wow'.

For the first time in a very long time, Lost floored me. I have been surprised before, and shocked, and in awe of the writers ability to spin a tale, but never at the same time. Not until tonight.

Throughout the episode we witness a 'flash forward' to Sun giving birth to her child in Korea. It is very clearly the future, as a nurse identifies her as a member of the 'Oceanic Six'. Throughout the labor she calls for her husband In , but he is encountering a series of mishaps. He purchases a panda bear toy on his way to the hospital, but it vanishes in a taxi just as he drops his cell phone and has it broken by a passing motorist. He wishes to purchase another but it is on hold for someone else.

It seems he will never get to the hospital in time.

Meanwhile back on the island Sun is convinced the newcomers are up to no good and wants to join Locke's camp. In a scorched earth bid to stop her and improve Sun's chances to leave the island, Juliet tells Jin about Sun's affair.

He is angry and hurt. Still not speaking to her, he  ventures offshore with Bernard to go fishing.

Sensing the pair are fighting Bernard gives one of the wisest and most memorable monologues I've seen on the show. [Once a transcript appears online I'll try to come back and post the actual dialogue.]

He speaks of the difficulties of marriage, and about how, in opposition to her own health, Rose has chosen to stay with Jack's group. Why? Jin asks. Why not join Locke and stay on the island that has cured her of her cancer?

"It was the right thing to do", Bernard says. "Locke is a murderer." He then describes his own philosophy of karma. "if you do bad things, bad things happen to you" he says. Unaware of Jin's past he labels them both good guys.

UPDATE: Transcript

(On the beach, Sun is in her tent, Jin comes in with food) <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

JIN: I made... dinner.

SUN: (in Korean) I thought you had left me. Will you let me try to explain?

JIN: (in Korean) It won't matter.

SUN: (in Korean) Just listen, maybe--

JIN: (in Korean) I know why you did it. I know the man... I used to be. Before this island, I withheld my affections... And I know... that whatever you did... you did it to that man. His actions caused this. So I forgive you.

In the future, Sun gives birth to a baby girl, as Jin predicted. It appears he will arrive only a moment too late, but the audience learns he is not on his way to Sun; his journey is a flashback to a time before the island, when he was still a member of the Korean mafia and running an errand on their behalf.

THEN Just as the episode concludes, Sun, her daughter, and a visiting Hurley visit a centograph (tombstone over an empty grave).

It is Jin; he is dead, and Sun tearfully ''introduces' him to his daughter Ji Yeon.

* * *

I bought the Jin storyline completely. It was seamlessly integrated with Sun's labor and the romantic reconciliation on the island. Moreover, the buildup was such that the viewer has no choice but to be filled with regret and horror for the loss of this man.

I do not look forward to the episode where we watch Jin's fate.

There were some clues that things were fishy, and I caught them prior to the revelation but misinterpreted them.

1. The shop owner identified it as the year of the Dragon. I recognized this as a means of identifying the year in the future. In truth, the year of the Dragon had to be either 2000 or 2012.

2. The cell phone looked awfully old for a current model.

3. Jin reacted with menace to both the shopkeeper and with threats of violence to the cabdriver, ala his old self.

Going back to the post-isle 'present' note that the monument carried the date of the crash. In their story, Jin must have 'died' aboard the plane The possibility exists that he is still alive on the isle, but it is unlikely the spiritual visit with the baby would have taken place if that were true.

 * * * *

In other plot areas of the episode, the not so secret surprise return was Michael, now calling himself Kevin. Desmond, Sayid, and Michael all kept up the pretense of his alias for the moment.

I have no idea why the woman committed suicide, why the captain is not to be trusted, who's blood was on the wall, and what happened to the kitchen aboard the ship.

I didn't really care tonight.

I returned from shooing the kids upstairs to overhear the tale of the 815 crash site being a completely staged setting, allegedly orchestrated by Ben.

Who is that freak?????

Note Juliet's line from last week, which I caught on the replay tonight: "they're here to wage war against Ben. And Ben will win Jack."

Next week, for the final pre-strike episode: one cast member will die.