Seeing sweet, flower-bearing Jin was a shock. This is not the brute that we're used to seeing. The episode acknowledges this because the very next scene we see Jin at his worst, beating up Michael for no reason and trampling one of Sun's plants on the way.
Sayid and Sawyer imprison Jin until they can find out what happened. Sun points to her wrists, to which Sayid responds "the cuffs stay on". However, Sun wasn't talking about the cuffs, she was talking about the watch.
Michael claims that he was attacked because Korean people don't like black people. Later on his son asks him what he meant by this comment. This is pretty much the only LOST episode to deal with race relations. Surprising for a show with such a diverse cast.
Sun learned English with the intention of leaving her husband, and it is this episode in which she reveals that secret. She tells Michael he was attacked over the watch. When Michael finds this out he's even more pissed. He yells angrily at Jin, who obviously can't understand him, holding an axe. Jin's reaction as Michael swings the axe at his cuffs to free him is priceless.
The flashbacks show the gradual deterioration of Jin and Sun's marriage. First, he has to spend time away for his training but assures her he'll be back later. Then he comes home with blood on his hands and yells at her when she expects an explanation. His transition to the brute we know is complete by the end of the episode, although not really explained. But don't worry, they're saving that for later in the season.
We see at the airport that Sun came very close to leaving her husband forever but decided to stay when she caught a glimpse of the old Jin. The downside is she's now stuck on an Island.
The producers have said Adam and Eve will be the mystery that proves they weren't "making it up as they go along" – so their introduction may be season one's most important moment. Speculation has ranged from Amelia Earhart and her Navigator, important characters from the Island's past to Jack and Kate after time travel.
Jack and Kate stripping their clothes off may not have just been for gratuitous value. The fact that they are naked (or as naked as you can get on Network television) in the presence of the skeletons fortifies the Adam and Eve comparisms. With the lovely lush caves as their Garden of Eden.
There are a lot of Jack and Kate moments in this episode. First Kate asks about his tattoos (a set-up for a future flashback, perhaps?). Then she takes her shirt off in front of him. Then she bends over in front of him to give him a great view of her ass and accuses him of checking her out. But it doesn't end happily for the couple as they decide to part ways when the group splits. Jack has also changed his mind about not wanting to know what Kate did, but Kate has changed her mind about wanting to tell him.
Charlie and Locke also share a lot of scenes. At first Locke comes off as a creepy stalker, but he's actually trying to help Charlie overcome his addiction. Last episode, he introduced Jack to the idea of faith. This time, he does so to Charlie. He tells him he has faith that he will find his lost guitar. And sure enough, once Charlie gives up his drugs, he gets his guitar back.
The camp can't agree on where to live, so they split up – but who goes where, and why? Well, it seems the people who went to the caves – Jack, Hurley, Jin, Sun and Charlie – are the ones who don’t believe rescue is coming. The ones who stayed – Sayid, Kate, Michael, Walt, Shannon, Boone and Claire – just want to get off the Island as quickly a possible. Interesting then, that Sawyer stays on the beach, after previously announcing in Tabula Rasa "rescue boat ain't coming". The song choice is Willie Nelson’s "Are you sure?", and as the last character on screen it seems it is aimed at Kate – is she sure she is where she wants to be?
6/10 – Decent episode, but more of a set-up for the other Sun/Jin episode later in the season
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