Foreword
First off - do not read this recap before you watch the episode. Seriously. I'm going to build in some scroll space after the next paragraph and before the recapping starts so I don't accidentally spoil anything for you. But this is one episode in which any fore-knowledge will lessen the experience, so please only come back after you've seen "Ji Yeon."
Also, I've gotten a lot of reader comments lately, so I'll respond to those, and do some "set-the-record-straight" maintenance work at the end of this post. Also, my recap will likely be a little less heavy on details this week for two reasons - first, I felt for all its strength as a story in its own right, "Ji Yeon" offered few lesser details to scruitinze than most episodes. And second, I usually take furious notes into my laptop while watching Lost, but, since my wife has the laptop with her on a business trip this week, I was left with my slow, messy handwriting on a legal pad. So with that, scroll down, and enjoy the recap...
Flashback - Jin Kwon
The flashback scenes with Jin were this episode's brilliant head-fake. Intercut with what was unambiguously a Sun flash-forward, we were led to believe that, for some reason, the most important thing in the world for expectant father Jin was to buy, specifically, a stuffed panda for his soon-to-arrive child, to the point where he bribed a toystore owner an obscene amount of money to turn over a pre-paid panda after the one Jin had already purchased drove off in his purloined taxi.
Of course, we were given two clues that Jin was in flashback early on: his cellphone that was run over before he lost his taxi was unambiguously older technology, an odd thing for a guy throwing around huge wads of cash. And, of course, Jin was acting a bit like a prick, like the guy Sun was determined to ditch in Australia. Ultimately, the fake-out was revealed when Jin brought the panda, not to Sun and their baby, but to the Chinese Ambassador to South Korea, as a gift from Mr. Paik to celebrate the birth of the ambassador's grandson.
The ambassador asked Jin if he had children, and Jin replied no, he'd only been married for two months.Flash-Forward - Sun Kwon
Sun went into what appeared to be early labor while in her apartment in Korea. I say "early" because, not only was the prosthetic belly a bit small, but Sun also told the Korean version of a 911 operator that "something was wrong" with the baby, not that she was in labor.
At the hospital, one of the nurses recognized Sun as one of the Oceanic Six, making it abundantly clear (as if the pregnancy did not) that we were watching a flash-forward. As Sun was helped into her delivery bed, she was adamant that the nurse not remove her wedding ring, which she still wore despite the swelling. Sun's regular doctor was away at a conference, so a substitute OB treated her. At first, he thought a C-section would be required, but ultimately, she delivered her daughter, who she immediately named Ji Yeon, vaginally.
As regular readers know, my wife gave birth to a wonderful little girl just under four months ago, so I'm sure you can imagine, I was completely choked up over the birth of little Ji Yeon, and more than a little frustrated at Jin's missing the experience over a silly panda...
As a further aside, the live birth of Ji Yeon confirms Juliet's theory - the lethal combination is conception on the island and a failure to leave before the pregnancy turns fatal. Thus, Claire survived because Aaron was conceived off-island, and Sun survived because Ji Yeon, as a fetus, was removed from the island before turning on her mother. Too bad for the Others that Ben was so determined not to let anyone leave when Juliet suggested it would save lives...
Shortly thereafter, Hurley showed up to visit the new family, but said he was the only one coming. He immediately observed that Ji Yeon looked just like Jin, then suggested it was time that they take the baby to visit Jin.
Obviously, the initial implication was that there was trouble in Jin and Sun's marriage. But then, why was she so clingy with the ring? The answer was quickly revealed when we cut to Hurley, Sun and Ji Yeon at a cemetary. Sun tearfully told Jin that he was right, she was a girl (apparently, she never found out before the birth), and she named their daughter Ji Yeon, just as Jin had wanted.
But here's the kicker - we got a conspicuous look at the headstone, which listed Jin's date of death as 9/22/2004.
This was, of course, the date that Oceanic Flight 815 crashed, a date which was at least three plus months before Jin could have died. So the big question that's raised here is, is Jin even dead? Clearly, as part of the lie the O-Sixers have told the world, Jin was not one of the seven survivors that Kate allegedly pulled out of the water. So if Jin didn't die when they said he did, did he die at all? In retrospect, Sun's clinging to her wedding ring reminded me very much of Rose's season one insistence that Bernard survived the crash, which, early in season 2, of course turned out to be true. Also, given how well-adjusted Hurley seemed, I got the sense this was one of the earlier flash-forwards we've seen. And, recent space-time anomalies notwithstanding, if Sun was around two and a half months pregnant when she (obviously) left the island, and she gave birth early, we know this sequence took place between eight and nine months of the crash, when the O-Sixers were still clinging to their stories. (Jeff Jensen suggested in his ew.com recap that the reason Hurley and Sun went to the cemetary at all is that this is what the world would expect them to do after Ji Yeon was born, and they were just keeping up appearances).On the other hand, as I'll describe shortly, Jin's story largely appears complete. I believe it was Daniel Dae Kim, himself, who said in an interview a couple of years ago that, once your character has redeemed himself on the island, death cannot be far behind. The longer these people remain "Lost," the longer the show keeps them around. And, as this episode essentially resolved all of Jin's issues, he may very well die in the near future of island time. Still, I hope this is not the case. After all, when it comes time to rally the O-Sixers to go back to the island (next season), Sun would be much more motivated if Jin were still alive than if he had died.
Island Time - Beach Camp
Although it resolved a bunch of loose ends in the Jin-Sun story, the beach sequences provided the least "action" to the overall story.
Island time begins with Jin wanting to name the baby, who he somehow knows is a girl, Ji Yeon. Sun, beginning to fear that the freighterites will not take her off the island in time to save her, insists on changing the subject and does not want to discuss baby names until they leave.
Kate tells Jin and Sun about how Charlotte decked her, and about how Juliet lied about the purpose of the Tempest station (incidentally, the producers in this week's podcast confirmed that the Tempest, even in the DHARMA days, was always meant to be a chemical weapons factory. This of course begs the question of why hippie scientists needed chemical weapons...) Kate notes that Dan and Charlotte have talked about a lot of things, but rescue hasn't been one of them.
Sun introduces herself to Daniel, who, for some reason, has taken apart his sat phone and is tinkering with it. She asks point blank if Daniel is there to rescue her, but his response is just that it's not his call. She angrily demands to know whose call it is, and, when he doesn't answer, Sun, whose only purpose the past couple of weeks has been to question whether Jack was correct in trusting the freighterites, concludes that she and her baby will be safer if they bolt for Locke's camp. Juliet tries, in vain, to convince her otherwise, and assures Sun that she will die within a matter of weeks if she does not leave the island. Sun, no longer in a mood to trust Juliet, resolves to leave with Jin.
Juliet, fearing that Sun will be lost to her if she goes to the barracks, plays the only card she has - she reveals to Jin the secret about Sun's affair. Angry, and no longer determined to follow Sun whereever she needs him to go, Jin prepares to go fishing. Bernard, at first not catching on to the spat, asks if he can join. Even after Bernard notices he was is interrupting, though, Jin welcomes him along, needing some male bonding to take his mind off his wife's betrayal.
In Karl's boat, Bernard comments about how he and Jin are the only married men amongst the survivors. Jin, who previously told Jack he was learning English from Sun and Sawyer (Sun is the better teacher) and that he understands more than he can speak, sits patiently as Bernard explains about Rose's cancer and her belief that leaving the island will kill her. Jin, of course, wonders why Bernard and Rose stayed with Jack instead of seeking refuge with Locke and his crew of people who don't seem as interested in leaving. Bernard explains that it was simply the right thing to do, that Locke was a deranged murderer and it would be bad karma (are we suddenly on "My Name is Earl"?) to follow someone like that. (Obviously, the beach camp still doesn't know about "taller ghost Walt," which was enough of an explanation for team Locke to forgive their bumbling leader).
Proving his point about karma, at that very moment, Jin catches a fish. Jin knows he needs to forgive his wife.
Meanwhile, back at the beach, Juliet apologizes to Sun for revealing her affair to Jin. But she insists she did it to save Sun's life, because Sun is her patient. Juliet explains how she should expect symptoms to begin in about three weeks that, in about six weeks, would lead to her slipping into a coma and dying. Sun is moved by the extent to which Juliet seems to really want to save her, and changes her mind about defecting to team Locke.
In a tear-jerking scene that was second only to the cemetary sequence, Jin returns and tells Sun he doesn't need an explanation, that he understands why pre-island Sun would be unfaithful. She assures him that his final fear - that the baby is not his - can be put to rest.
And there you have it - the end of Jin's story. He went from a brash, angry, infertile, domineering husband who drove his wife to an affair and to the brink of abandoning him, to a dutiful, doting, self-sacrificing and forgiving dream baby-daddy. Thus, as described above, Jin is now ready, in Lost terms, to die, as he is no longer "lost." So the question remains - will he make it? Will he be the reason Sun ultimately decides to return in Season 6? Or will he sacrifice himself in the coming weeks to ensure his wife survives to give birth to their daughter?
This leaves us with the most mythologically-heavy sequence in the episode...
Frieghter Time
On the freighter, we begin with Frank talking to Keamey on deck. Keamey asks Frank if he's ready and cautions him not to be late. Late for what? At this point, we don't know. Frank continues his walk and comes to where Regina (we finally meet Regina!) is standing guard outside the room in which Desmond and Sayid are still locked. Frank notes that Regina is reading a book upside down, a fact about which she was oddly unaware prior to his mentioning it.
Frank goes in and tells Des and Sayid that they are locked in because the captain was upset they busted out of sickbay. Sayid points out that they didn't bust out, the door was opened, and he had assumed Frank had opened it for them. Frank denies any involvement, hands over some cans of beans, and, when Sayid demands an audience with the ship's captain, Frank assures them that's something they don't want.
The next morning, Desmond awakens to Sayid eating some beans. He sees a note slipped through the vent in the door. Sayid, who tells Desmond about Ben's claim to have a spy on board, opens the note, which reads, "don't trust the captain."
Later, Sayid and Desmond hear a banging sound in the ship's pipes, which Sayid knows is not mechanical in nature. Doctor Ray comes to collect them, and they notice the helicopter is gone (perhaps this is what Frank was not to be late for?) Sayid asks if it went back to the island, and Ray snidely notes there's nowhere else for it to land. Suddenly, Regina emerges on deck, wrapped in heavy chains...and flings herself overboard, sinking like a stone!
Sayid and Desmond try to help, when suddenly the Captain, who calls himself "Gault," appears and orders that nobody try to assist. He says to Sayid and Desmond, "I suppose you two have a few questions." Captain Gault explains that some crew members, including Regina, have experienced what he calls a "heightened cabing fever" ever since the boat's engines were sabotaged. He confirms what Ben revealed last week, that Kahana was sent by Charles Widmore (and he notes that Desmond is familiar with the name), and says the orders he's received are to head away from the island as soon as the engines are repaired. Gault then pulls out what he claims is the "black box" flight recorder from flight 815.
According to Gault, Mr. Widmore recovered this and the plane at tremendous personal expense. He cites Sayid's presence as evidence that the crash was staged, then tosses out this question - imagine the resources required to not only put a fake plane crash in a deep ocean trench, but to come up with 324 dead bodies to put on board. Gault tells them this is one of many reasons Widmore wants to find Ben.
Now, a few weeks ago, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse told us that, by season's end, we would hear two competing explanations for how the fake flight 815 ended up on the ocean floor. This is the first - the idea that Ben Linus was somehow behind it. Whether or not Ben actually is the mastermind of the fake crash, the idea that he commands these types of resources clearly influenced Miles in his attempt to fake Ben's death in exchange for 3.2 million dollars. For that matter, in a show in which recurring numbers are an ongoing motif, note the similarity between 324 bodies and 3.2 million, a figure which seemed quite random at the time (and really still does).
Finally, Ray shows Desmond and Sayid to their new, unlocked quarters. When he opens the door, we see massive roaches scampering all over the floor (eww). Even more "eww," though, is the blood spatter at the junction of the wall and the ceiling (reminiscent of the stain Radzinsky left on the ceiling of the Swan station), which Ray nonchalantly says "shouldn't be there." Ray calls to the janitor, Johnson, who is mopping down the hall, and demands that he come and clean it up. As "Johnson" approaches and introduces himself to Sayid and Desmond as "Kevin," we instantly recognize him as Michael feakin' Dawson!!!!
So, at long last, Ben's spy on the boat is revealed! Again, this is the least surprising surprise ever, given that Harold Perrineau's name has appeared in the credits all season (and yet he only appeared about twenty minutes past the season's halfway point), and the great fanfare with which both the network and the producers revealed Michael's return over the summer.For the time being, Sayid and Desmond appear willing to allow Michael his little deception. But rest assured that next week, in the final pre-strike epsiode, "Meet Kevin Johnson," we will learn just how the hell Michael Dawson became Kevin Johnson, and, more importantly, how he ended up being Ben's spy on the boat.
Correction
Last week, in my recap of "The Other Woman," I reported hearing the name, "Sarah," in the whispers that were heard before Harper met Juliet in the jungle, and said that Sarah was the name of Juliet's sister. While I still believe I heard the name, it should be noted that Juliet's sister's name is "Rachel," and Sarah was Jack's ex-wife. The mistake is understandable, however, considering that my daughter's name is Sarah Rachel.
So, that's all for this time. Until later, Namaste.
Given our familiarity with Juliet's eventual hook-up with Goodwin, it's fair to say at this point that the plot has just thickened...Juliet said she would not reveal Goodwin's lie about how he was burned (she recognized a chemical burn) if he didn't tell Harper what she said, the beginning of their shared deceptions. 
In therapy, Harper asked Juliet what she thought of Ben. Harper let slip that Ben has been good to Juliet because "you look just like her." 
But Harper's concern was not with Goodwin's infidelity - it was with the consequences for Goodwin for getting between Ben and Juliet.
Goodwin said he plucked the wine off the sub (ok, so my theory that the sub was not the real conveyance used by the Others may have been a bit far-fetched), and he hated being so private. He had been sleeping on the couch for a year, but Juliet said it would not be a good idea to confess to Harper, because Ben wouldn't like it. "Why," Goodwin asked, "because he has a crush on you?" Ben had Goodwin working on "chemicals that could kill every man woman and child on the island." Goodwin asked (prophetically) what Ben would do if he got upset? Cut to another replay of the 815 crash as seen from the barracks - Ben sent Goodwin to infiltrate the tail section, prompting Harper to give Juliet an "I told you so" look. 
Juliet accused Ben of knowing this would happen and asked, sobbing, why he would want Goodwin to die? In a rare moment of total candor, Ben laid it all out for Juliet: "Why? After everything I've done to bring you here, everything I've done to keep you here, how can you not understand, that you're mine?!" Collecting himself, Ben looked down on Goodwin, then said, "take as much time as you need." and stormed off.
Harper says she came to deliver a message from Ben - Daniel and Charlotte are going to "the Tempest," and if they figure out how to deploy that gas, everyone on the island will die. Harper says that Ben insists that Juliet be the one to kill Daniel and Charlotte, and that Ben, although apparently a prisoner, is where he wants to be. Jack emerges and sees Harper, who suggests Jack and his gun join Juliet. The whispers return, prompting Jack and Juliet to look for their source, and suddenly, Harper is gone. Juliet says it's safer for Jack if she doesn't tell him what "the Tempest" is (aside from being the power station for the island). She then asks him for help.
Daniel asks what happens if he can't do it, But Charlotte reassures him. Kate, on her way back from the barracks, finds them, and Charlotte draws her gun, but Daniel tells Charlotte it's okay. Kate confirms Locke has Miles, but he's fine. Kate catches Charlotte in an obvious lie about dead phone batteries and missing chopper packs. Kate looks in Daniel's pack, and sees gas masks...and Charlotte knocks her out with the butt of her gun.
Jack kisses her, and gives his version of George W. Bush's infamous "bring it on" line.
This is the man who's been trying to find the island!!!! Ok, so, by now this was about as obvious as Jack and Claire being siblings. But isn't it great when a theory pans out? Last week I gave three possibilities of how Charles and Penny could be connected to the island. This certainly points towards number three - Widmore wants the island, and may have used Desmond to try to find it. Penny learned about this and has been working around her father to find the island and, by extension, Desmond. In any case, as hard as it is to take Ben at face value in his claim that Widmore is the "bad guy" (or in any other claim), we now know who Ben's adversary is, for suresies. Ben compares Locke's miraculous recovery from paralysis to the appearance of the Virgin Mary in a patch of mold, and notes that if thousands flocked to see the mold, just think what people would do if Widmore finds the island. Ben hands John the file he has on Widmore - some he knows, some is his theories. Locke demands to know who Ben's mand on the boat is. "Alright," says Ben, "but you might want to sit down."
Ben sees them, smiles, and says, "see you guys at dinner."
He also wonders why they're flying directly into a thunderhead. Desmond, clutching the picture of Penny, says he expects to find answers on the boat. As they enter the cloud, the chopper slips a bit off its bearing ...
He tells his drill sargeant he is late to wake up because of a dream - of the helicopter, in the storm....and suddenly he flashes back to chopper, but now he's disoriented and frightened, and doesn't know who Sayid is, or how Sayid knows his name.
"Your perception of how long your friends have been gone, it's not necessarily how long they've actually been gone," explains Daniel. When this (shockingly) does nothing to improve Jack's mood, Daniel assures him "it will be fine as long as Frank stays on the bearings I gave him." If not? "There might be some side effects."
Keaney insists on taking the increasingly agitated Desmond to sick bay for a doctor to look at him. Desmond shouts "I'm not supposed to be...here?" 
Suddenly he is back in the army, standing up, while the rest of his squad is still doing crunches as punishment for Desmond's slow wake up. Desmond later tells a buddy what he experienced, and recalls the only familiar aspect of the boat "dream" was the photo of Penny. He goes to call her, drops his change, and when he goes to pick it up... he's back on the boat. Kamy and Omar lead him below deck.
They say they left from Fiji, so at least they know they're still in the Pacific. Kamy locks Desmond in a room, where he's greeted by...George Minkowski, strapped to a bunk.
"it's happening to you, too, isn't it?" asks George, sounding every bit as mad as Desmond appears. And why wouldn't he be? "Minkowski" gets his surname from the physicist who conceptualized that time is really the fourth dimension of space, a concept since referred to as "Minkowski Space-Time." Bear that in mind...
Ray asks Desmond about the last thing he remembers...
Daniel, assuming it's a prank, wonders why he would put Desmond through the headache of time travel, and not help him in the future? Des relates the numbers, and says he knows about Eloise, and Daniel relents and takes him to his lab. Desmond asks if he's changing the future by having this discussion. Daniel puts on a radiation vest, which he says Desmond doesn't need because he does not have to worry about prolonged exposure. Eloise, we learn is a rat, who gets put in a maze. Using Desmond's settings, Daniel radiates Eloise with a purple light...
...and after she briefly goes catatonic (like Minkowski), he releases her into the maze, where she runs directly to the other side. The kicker? Daniel wasn't even going to teach Eloise how to navigate the maze until an hour later. Her mind, it seems, was sent to the future. So...let me get this straight...the purple-tinted radiation can blast your mind through time? And Desmond was at ground zero for such a radiation burst...but despite his prior flashes, it's happening more now? What's going on here? As past Daniel and Desmond contemplate the sketchy knowledge that they end up on some "bloody island"...
Daniel postulates Eloise short-circuited because she had no anchors in time. He says, to avoid Eloise's fate, Desmond needs a constant, something in the future that he really cares about, that also exists back in 1996. The constant can be a person, but he has to make some kind of contact. But, of course, Penny's old number has been disconnected. Desmond falls over... 
According to the auctioneer, the journal is the only known remnant of the lost ship, and it turned up with some pirates in Madagascar...So to clarify...both Black Rock and Oceanic 815 ended up on an island. The freighter just off the coast of the island got there by traveling a short distance from Fiji, while the ship's journal found its way to Madagascar. Fiji and Madagascar are 8209 miles (13210 km) (7133 nautical miles) apart (I loves me the inernet). So where on Earth is this sodding island? 
...to the men's room. Widmore snidely gives Desmond Penny's address and leaves, with the sink he used still running. 
Sayid makes the call, and it rings and rings, until, finally, Penny picks up. She can't believe it's really Desmond! 
Desmond suddenly remembers the island, and tells Penny he's been there. Penny says she's been looking for him for the past three years. She said she'd been researching the island and finally knew she wasn't crazy to do so when she talked to Charlie. They say they love each other and promise to find each other, even as the call fades out. And Desmond stays put on the freighter. Apparently, the contact stopped the jumps.
Finally, Daniel finds that he wrote - "if anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant."
Ben, always ready to play the part of the chorus, asks why $3.2 million, and not 3.3 or 3.4? Miles brushes off this question but says he would take care of Charlotte's having seen Ben. Ben negotiates a week to make it happen. Miles tells Kate everything there is to know about her and suggests she stay on the island rather than face justice. Locke, none too pleased, arrives and sends Kate home. 
He struggles, and she, interestingly, asks what he remembers. He ends up getting two out of three (correctly 
Who was the strange bearded man shouting at her outside? Somehow I'm sure we'll find out later. Kate's charges were read to her - murder, arson, assaulting officers, grand theft, yadda yadda. She pled "not guilty." Kate's lawyer told the Court she could not flee since she was one of the most recognizable faces in America, (in other words, we just established, in case there was any doubt, that this is a flash-forward) but the judge ordered her remanded without bail through the duration of the trial (as if Kate ever fled anything in the past, eh?). 
Jack told the jury a skewed version of events, including the marshall dying in the crash. According to Jack's sworn (and perjured) testimony, he never asked if Kate was guilty because she pulled the only eight survivors of the crash out of the water, and cared for all of them, even though two later died. (Umm...I'm pretty sure Jack is about 40 survivors short on that count. Any guesses as to who the two who died later are under the O6 story?) The DA asked if Jack loved Kate, and he testified "no, not anymore." 
As if the importance of Daniel's card "guessing" game weren't hidden enough before, now one of the very cards he correctly guessed is painted on Aaron's wall? What's the deal with the Six of clubs? Is there a greater meaning to the number 6 than the number of survivors who got off the island? Or did Daniel somehow predict there would be six survivors?
