2.16 - The Whole Truth

Title’s significance: Jack advises Sun to tell Jin “the whole truth” about her surprise pregnancy.

Recap: Jin and Sun’s flashbacks let us know that the couple was trying to have a baby in an attempt to fix both their relationship and the domineering control Mr. Paik wielded. While Sun was learning English from Jae Lee, she learned that Jin was infertile (though her doctor lied about it at first) and that Jae Lee was still interested in her. On the island, Jin worries about Sun being attacked again, while Locke asks Ana Lucia to interrogate Henry. Sun falls mysteriously ill, and Locke tells Jack that Henry isn’t motivated enough to tell them the truth; they agree that Ana Lucia should give it a shot, and she asks Henry to draw a map to his balloon. Sun seeks a pregnancy test from Sawyer, while Ana Lucia leads Sayid and Charlie to follow Henry’s map. Sun’s pregnancy test comes up positive, but she doesn’t want to tell Jin. Ana Lucia apologizes to Sayid for killing Shannon, but he says he understands and blames The Others. The searchers find where the balloon should be, but the field is empty; meanwhile, Jin helps Bernard fish for oysters (and pearls) and replants Sun’s garden, at which point Sun tells him she’s pregnant – “it’s a miracle.” Over breakfast, Henry tells Jack and Locke about the map to his balloon, while saying that if he were one of The Others the map would certainly lead to a trap. “You guys got any milk?”

Thoughts: The problem with this episode is that there are two plotlines competing for attention, and both of them are compelling. Of course, my natural inclination is to find the Henry Gale one more interesting (with acting like this, how could one not?), but the Sun/Jin plotline is handled well, and there’s just a smidgeon of mystery left at the end to keep the reader piqued. Episodes like this one start to get LOST back on track and get us ready for a whopper of a season finale.

Favorite moment: Sawyer decrying Judy Blume’s “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” as “Predictable. Not nearly enough sex.” That, or Henry’s oscillation between threatening an ambush and jovially asking for milk

Characters introduced (in order):

• No new characters introduced.

What we learned:

• Sun learned English from Jae Lee.
• Kate’s taken a pregnancy test.
• Jae Lee was at least interested in having an affair with Sun.
• Jin is infertile.

Questions:

• Did Sun and Jae Lee have an affair?
• Who’s the father – Jin or Jae Lee?
• Did the island cure Jin’s infertility like it cured Locke’s paralysis?
• Does Henry's map lead to an ambush?
• Is there milk in The Swan?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• There’s something just too prescient about Jin’s “A baby will change everything.”
• Henry tells Ana Lucia, “It doesn’t matter what I do. I’m dead already.” Is this a clue that the island is purgatory/hell?
• Ben reads the following passage from “The Brothers Karamazov: - “Men reject their prophets and slay them, but they love their martyrs and honor those whom they have slain,” later asking what the difference is. Something like this just feels super important, especially with respect to Locke’s trajectory over the rest of the series.