1x17 … In Translation

[Lost Fan 4815162342]

Here's the Lostpedia information on the episode:

Lostpedia's episode recap of "… In Translation"

Flashback: Jin's relationship with Sun from their engagement to just before they leave for Sydney
Eyeopener: Jin

Just some quick thoughts as I watched this:

This is a two-dog episode.

In addition to the obvious, the theme of the story is also about starting over. “Everyone on this island gets to start over,” Locke tells Shannon. So who's trying to start over?

• Shannon and Sayid start a relationship, this time is Shannon for real?
• Jin, in his flashback, tells his dad he wants to start over.
• Michael starts building his raft again after it burned, with a guilty Walt’s help.
• Sun, at the cave, asks Jin if they can start over, but Jin says it’s too late, forgetting what he said to his dad just several weeks earlier.

And I love the line from Jin's dad, when Jin is speculating, "In a good world … " His dad simply says, "It is a good world." And in a way, he's right. Again, a fundamental theme in "Lost" resurfaces: It's all about the choices we make. He urges Jin to choose to live a good world, rather than the one he's in now with his father-in-law." I love Jin's dad. He's no simple fisherman. He's like Rose and Bernard. He has a handle on things.

This is also the episode in which Locke's line about the others "They've attacked us ..." is used so often in the "Previously on Lost" ep openers.

[DharmaVan]

My favorite musical montage ending: the music swells and the viewer gets caught up in it only to hear it cut out as Hurley’s CD batteries die, followed by him delivering Sawyer’s infamous “Son-of-a-bitch” line.

[MM0602]

Haha I also love the end with Hurley. The whole episode is great really.

Also, Sun and Jin both want to go back to the beginning... RESET confirmed!?

[faragay4faraday]

best Sun/Jin episode, hands down

it's so amazing how House of the Rising Sun and ...in Translation depict the very same scenes from different angles. absolutely genius (especially the fact that they both planned on changing their lives and running away to America without the other knowing)

I never got why they don't stop Michael from beating Jin ... they neither understand what Jin is saying, nor do they have any proof that he burned the raft, yet ... nobody but Sun steps in ... this was the first time I thought that those survivors were effin' jerks (especially James and Michael, who both acted like major a-holes)

what does Jin say to Michael anyway?

Jin's visit to his father was heart-warming, very strong scene


what happened to Sun and Jin? they were an integral part of the show, and now, they're merely on the margin of the story ...

[addictedtolosties]

what happened to Sun and Jin? they were an integral part of the show, and now, they're merely on the margin of the story ...

Thats what I was thinking! can you please say this to team Darlton?

[Noman]

I love this episode. I'll get into more detail later, but some things I want to point out now.

When the raft is burning, as soon as everyone starts blaming Jin, a look of guilt comes over Walt's face and he starts trying really hard to put out the fire.

Michael tells Walt he's going to build another and Walt looks so defeated.

Hindsight is 20 20 but the mystery of who burned the raft seems pretty easy to solve now, due in large part to Kelley's performance.

Also

WALT: Hurley owes me 83,000 dollars. I told him I'd give him a chance to win it back.

and

LOCKE: Everyone's got a dad.

WALT: Is he cool?

LOCKE: No, no, he's not.

set up the next two episodes wonderfully.

[Mrs.locke]

I really enjoyed watching this again. I like the whole theme of starting over, and the freedom it represents. I especially like the ending scene with sun standing on the shore and releasing her blanket, as if releasing Jin and becoming "free". There is a lot of good stuff in this episode. And of course I love John, he is awesome in all the episodes!

[blacxthorne]

Watch/time reference again.

It was interesting to see the parallels between Jin and Desmond. Both love women with evil-overlord-type fathers, who actually have connections with each other professionally. Both try hard to prove themselves to their future in-laws. Both disappoint the women, only to eventually win their hearts back. Both almost die later.

Locke asks why anyone would block a chance to get off the Island. He did it once, and Walt does it now. Both special. Then we see Locke, Walt and backgammon again. Both like being on the Island. Locke just... knows that it was Walt. Locke's face is half-shadowed again, reflecting duality.

The last scene with Hurley was great. How real.

And watching Sawyer vs. Jin was quite weird, knowing that Jin will eventually work for Sawyer in Dharma in S5.

[Captain Bunny Killer]

I love Sawyer's famous line that it's "Lord of the Flies time." To me, that line encapsulates so much about the on-island parts of the show and the Losties sometimes seemingly irrational behavior. When I see characters doing things that seem extreme or don't make sense or read other's comments about the same, I think back to that line and see if it makes the situation understandable to me (though some character's actions still don't make sense afterwards *coughMichaelcouch*).

The Hurley CD player ending is classic and so good to see again although I forgot how long the scene goes after his CD player cuts out. I love that the writers aren't absolute about using the "dong" sound at the end of an episode if it's for the sake of the joke (or a tragic event).

I also wondered what is the "message" that The Man In White was going to deliver? I'd always assumed that he was going to kill the Korean Secretary for Environmental Safety and I think this is what the writers wanted us to assume (especially since Jin says he saved the guy's life) but what message would that have sent? The guy who was supposed to receive the message would be dead. Maybe Man In White intended to shoot one or both of his kneecaps out? Or, dare I say, his wife and/or child? I don't like this latter idea because while Mr. Paik isn't a saint, I don't think he's that evil (though this is probably less to do with what we've seen of Mr. Paik and more to do with my (real life) Locke-esque belief that people are inherently good).

As for the raft burning, it annoys me that Walt's reason for doing it is completely inconsistent with his actions later in the episode. He becomes an arsonist because he's so determined to stay on the island (be it for supernatural or simple reasons) but then rolls over without even so much as a blemish when Michael asks him to help build the second raft. It's like the writers created the drama of the raft burning as a way to create the tension between Jin and Michael and to ultimately reveal Sun's secret (well, one of them) to the Losties but then had nowhere to go with the raft burning. I think it was just really lazy writing. I mean, they created great drama early on between Michael and Jin fighting ovr a freakin' watch that worked but couldn't find a more plausible way to do it again?

Originally Posted by faragay4faraday

best Sun/Jin episode, hands down

it's so amazing how House of the Rising Sun and ...in Translation depict the very same scenes from different angles. absolutely genius (especially the fact that they both planned on changing their lives and running away to America without the other knowing)

what happened to Sun and Jin? they were an integral part of the show, and now, they're merely on the margin of the story ...

Wow, faragay, I nevr made that connection before that both Jin and Sun were planning to leave their homelands unbeknownst to each other. Thanks.

As for Sun and Jin, I remember reading an article during this past season where Lindelcuse discussed how Sun and Jin nevr seemed to fit into the greater mythology of the show until this season. They're great characters and their flashbacks have been some of the most compelling (plus, who but them could have pulled off a flashback/flashforward episode?) but those stories could easily stand independent of the show. I think they definitely worked Jin into the greater mythology of the show this past season but Sun was virtually useless after Flight 316.

[Noman]

Originally Posted by Captain Bunny Killer

As for the raft burning, it annoys me that Walt's reason for doing it is completely inconsistent with his actions later in the episode. He becomes an arsonist because he's so determined to stay on the island (be it for supernatural or simple reasons) but then rolls over without even so much as a blemish when Michael asks him to help build the second raft. It's like the writers created the drama of the raft burning as a way to create the tension between Jin and Michael and to ultimately reveal Sun's secret (well, one of them) to the Losties but then had nowhere to go with the raft burning. I think it was just really lazy writing. I mean, they created great drama early on between Michael and Jin fighting ovr a freakin' watch that worked but couldn't find a more plausible way to do it again?

Wow, I completely disagree. I think that this is a huge moment in the Walt/Michael relationship where Walt realizes the pain he caused his father by burning the raft and decided to put his own desires second to his father's happiness.