Lost: Season 2, Episode 16: The Whole Truth Review
The Whole Truth
Original Airdate: March 22, 2006
Writers: Christina M. Kim and Elizabeth Sarnoff
Director: Karen Gaviola
Following what should be the last major hiatus this season, it's expected to be a little slower and not big on major revelations. Despite that, it is a good episode, focused on one of the more endearing aspects of the characters: the love between Jin and Sun. They have been in a good place recently, renewing their bonds as man and wife after Jin returned from the raft. But Sun's mind is on less pleasant memories, the stresses she faced when she and Jin were trying to conceive a baby and deciding to leave Jin, and the realization that she is pregnant.
Some considered Jin was out of character when he pulled up the plants in Sun's garden, saying it harked back to his more chauvinistic ways in season one. While many characters are going back to certain darker characteristics, I saw it more as him being protective because he loves Sun deeply and he is worried about her getting attacked by "The Others" again (although we know it was Charlie). Married couples fight, which is why they included the Bernard and Rose scenes this week. Ultimately, they reconcile; Bernard tries to find a pearl for Rose, and Jin replants the garden. He knows that he has to give her independence, and in return she keeps him connected to the rest of the survivors. Sun's announcement also helps end the fighting.
Sun's pregnancy brings forth many complications. Considering how short a period goes by a season (the second season has only covered a little over two weeks), Sun would be pregnant until the eighth or ninth season! That would be mean to Yunjin would have to wear a pregnancy suit (one that would gradually grow) for many years and to have fans bug her about when she'll give birth. The writers could remedy this by quickening the timeline so more time will pass in the episodes. Alternatively, they could keep the period the same, but have Sun come to term in record breaking time. If the baby won't be born, they could have the test turn out to be a false positive even with Jack saying it was unlikely. Sun could miscarry, or she may be next in line to be killed off. Hopefully she isn't killed because she brings a lot to the show.
Jin's infertility begs the question of how Sun got pregnant to start. It was implied in "What Kate Did" that they had sex after reuniting, and enough time has passed for her to find out she's pregnant. One thing about Lost worth noting is that not a lot of hooking up is happening on the island. The first time we saw anything was with Shannon and Sayid, and that was a few episodes into this season. Earlier in the series, there were hints that Sun had some feelings for Michael. I don't believe he's the father considering all of his motivations have been towards his son, up to his going AWOL. Also, they haven't made as big a deal about the tension between them for a while.
The other most likely father would be Jae Lee. As we saw in "…and Found", Sun was attracted to Lee, but his relationship with an unknown American woman delivered Sun into Jin's life. Now we see that that relationship failed, and he is in Sun's life at a pivotal moment in her marriage. The inability to conceive can ruin a marriage, and it could lead Sun to stray. We don't know when the flashbacks (which were quick, but showcased Yunjin Kim's beauty) occurred, but it can be assumed that they occur shortly before the fateful flight, since learning English was part of her plan to leave Jin. Although I believe that Jin is the only man she's slept with, there are still aspects of this story that are unknown, or up for speculation. If she starts showing early, it may be a sign that Lee is the father.
I am firmly in the camp that thinks that Jin is the father. We have seen that this island has special capabilities, like healing Locke's legs. Couldn't it also affect Jin's ability to produce children? We haven't seen much of the healing abilities the island appears to possess since the first part of the first season, and now would be a good place to reintroduce that element of the island. Plus, it is really sweet to see Jin so happy that he's going to be a father.
One thing of note, while Kate is helping Sun with the pregnancy test (which is nice to add to her), she remarks that it is unusual that someone would bring one on a plane. Besides that, the name on the test is Widmore, the company whose name is supposed to be on the side of the Battersea Power Station in "Fire + Water", one that Damon and Carlton told us to remember for later. Perhaps this is some rival company to Hanso?
I am conflicted over Hurley's brief scene with the candy bar. I found it funny, but one of the things I've liked about Hurley's characterization is that his character hasn't been defined heavily as being fat and obsessively eating. One could hope that they are ultimately going somewhere with Hurley's hidden stash.
We see Locke and Jack continue to divide over how they should handle the Henry conundrum. While Jack wants to keep it quiet, Locke goes ahead and brings Ana-Lucia into the circle. They don't have much choice, they need to figure out what to do with Henry soon. Not asking Jack adds to the friction, but Ana-Lucia's inclusion proved successful, as Henry relented and drew them a map. It also brings her in close contact with Sayid, one of the few other people aware of Henry, which adds to the drama.
Since the end of "One of Them", Sayid has some plan for how to deal with the Others, and recruited Charlie to the task. We can assume whatever they're building has something to do with this plan, but what exactly is "the purpose" Sayid is speaking of? Is this a war machine meant to aid in their fight? Or are they just going after Henry Gale to make him an example? Sayid wants Henry to pay, and it doesn't matter if Henry is an Other or not, he's made his mind that he's bad and that's that. There is irony in his attitude, as Sayid would've faced a lot of racial profiling in the post 9/11 world.
Sayid and Ana-Lucia's relationship has reached a turning point. Although it has only been a week and a half since Shannon's death, Sayid appears ready to forgive Ana-Lucia. This works in the overall story as Henry's arrival convinces him that The Others were truly responsible for Shannon's death and that Ana-Lucia's involvement was at worst an accident. Part of me is hoping that they get together, but that would be too melodramatic.
Henry Gale, where do we start? Henry's bit at the end shows again that the writers are aware of many of the criticisms Lost faces, most notably the lack of curiosity amongst the castaways about what's going on (although to be fair, who could give them any answers?) Henry is in an interesting position as far as people on the island are concerned. He is the most objective, since he hasn't been involved with what has happened to the castaways, Desmond or Rousseau. Because of this he can ask what the audience has wanted the castaways to ask and because of his poor treatment, has no remorse at scaring them.
The part everyone remembers is that stellar final monologue, where he sucks the air out of the room. This episode could've easily ended with a parallel between Henry's speech and the three recon castaways getting caught in the plan he illustrated to Locke and Jack. The ending chosen is far more mysterious, which is fitting for a cliffhanger. Even if he is telling the truth, the way he manipulates Jack and Locke is stellar stuff.
Though some may complain that this episode is "filler" because it didn't push the mythology as far as last week, this is still a very good episode. Jin & Sun are a great couple to see together, and even if we didn't learn as much as we did going in, it still had some nice touching moments, as Lost heads into its final episodes for the year.
Score: 8/10
Some considered Jin was out of character when he pulled up the plants in Sun's garden, saying it harked back to his more chauvinistic ways in season one. While many characters are going back to certain darker characteristics, I saw it more as him being protective because he loves Sun deeply and he is worried about her getting attacked by "The Others" again (although we know it was Charlie). Married couples fight, which is why they included the Bernard and Rose scenes this week. Ultimately, they reconcile; Bernard tries to find a pearl for Rose, and Jin replants the garden. He knows that he has to give her independence, and in return she keeps him connected to the rest of the survivors. Sun's announcement also helps end the fighting.
Sun's pregnancy brings forth many complications. Considering how short a period goes by a season (the second season has only covered a little over two weeks), Sun would be pregnant until the eighth or ninth season! That would be mean to Yunjin would have to wear a pregnancy suit (one that would gradually grow) for many years and to have fans bug her about when she'll give birth. The writers could remedy this by quickening the timeline so more time will pass in the episodes. Alternatively, they could keep the period the same, but have Sun come to term in record breaking time. If the baby won't be born, they could have the test turn out to be a false positive even with Jack saying it was unlikely. Sun could miscarry, or she may be next in line to be killed off. Hopefully she isn't killed because she brings a lot to the show.
Jin's infertility begs the question of how Sun got pregnant to start. It was implied in "What Kate Did" that they had sex after reuniting, and enough time has passed for her to find out she's pregnant. One thing about Lost worth noting is that not a lot of hooking up is happening on the island. The first time we saw anything was with Shannon and Sayid, and that was a few episodes into this season. Earlier in the series, there were hints that Sun had some feelings for Michael. I don't believe he's the father considering all of his motivations have been towards his son, up to his going AWOL. Also, they haven't made as big a deal about the tension between them for a while.
The other most likely father would be Jae Lee. As we saw in "…and Found", Sun was attracted to Lee, but his relationship with an unknown American woman delivered Sun into Jin's life. Now we see that that relationship failed, and he is in Sun's life at a pivotal moment in her marriage. The inability to conceive can ruin a marriage, and it could lead Sun to stray. We don't know when the flashbacks (which were quick, but showcased Yunjin Kim's beauty) occurred, but it can be assumed that they occur shortly before the fateful flight, since learning English was part of her plan to leave Jin. Although I believe that Jin is the only man she's slept with, there are still aspects of this story that are unknown, or up for speculation. If she starts showing early, it may be a sign that Lee is the father.
I am firmly in the camp that thinks that Jin is the father. We have seen that this island has special capabilities, like healing Locke's legs. Couldn't it also affect Jin's ability to produce children? We haven't seen much of the healing abilities the island appears to possess since the first part of the first season, and now would be a good place to reintroduce that element of the island. Plus, it is really sweet to see Jin so happy that he's going to be a father.
One thing of note, while Kate is helping Sun with the pregnancy test (which is nice to add to her), she remarks that it is unusual that someone would bring one on a plane. Besides that, the name on the test is Widmore, the company whose name is supposed to be on the side of the Battersea Power Station in "Fire + Water", one that Damon and Carlton told us to remember for later. Perhaps this is some rival company to Hanso?
I am conflicted over Hurley's brief scene with the candy bar. I found it funny, but one of the things I've liked about Hurley's characterization is that his character hasn't been defined heavily as being fat and obsessively eating. One could hope that they are ultimately going somewhere with Hurley's hidden stash.
We see Locke and Jack continue to divide over how they should handle the Henry conundrum. While Jack wants to keep it quiet, Locke goes ahead and brings Ana-Lucia into the circle. They don't have much choice, they need to figure out what to do with Henry soon. Not asking Jack adds to the friction, but Ana-Lucia's inclusion proved successful, as Henry relented and drew them a map. It also brings her in close contact with Sayid, one of the few other people aware of Henry, which adds to the drama.
Since the end of "One of Them", Sayid has some plan for how to deal with the Others, and recruited Charlie to the task. We can assume whatever they're building has something to do with this plan, but what exactly is "the purpose" Sayid is speaking of? Is this a war machine meant to aid in their fight? Or are they just going after Henry Gale to make him an example? Sayid wants Henry to pay, and it doesn't matter if Henry is an Other or not, he's made his mind that he's bad and that's that. There is irony in his attitude, as Sayid would've faced a lot of racial profiling in the post 9/11 world.
Sayid and Ana-Lucia's relationship has reached a turning point. Although it has only been a week and a half since Shannon's death, Sayid appears ready to forgive Ana-Lucia. This works in the overall story as Henry's arrival convinces him that The Others were truly responsible for Shannon's death and that Ana-Lucia's involvement was at worst an accident. Part of me is hoping that they get together, but that would be too melodramatic.
Henry Gale, where do we start? Henry's bit at the end shows again that the writers are aware of many of the criticisms Lost faces, most notably the lack of curiosity amongst the castaways about what's going on (although to be fair, who could give them any answers?) Henry is in an interesting position as far as people on the island are concerned. He is the most objective, since he hasn't been involved with what has happened to the castaways, Desmond or Rousseau. Because of this he can ask what the audience has wanted the castaways to ask and because of his poor treatment, has no remorse at scaring them.
The part everyone remembers is that stellar final monologue, where he sucks the air out of the room. This episode could've easily ended with a parallel between Henry's speech and the three recon castaways getting caught in the plan he illustrated to Locke and Jack. The ending chosen is far more mysterious, which is fitting for a cliffhanger. Even if he is telling the truth, the way he manipulates Jack and Locke is stellar stuff.
Though some may complain that this episode is "filler" because it didn't push the mythology as far as last week, this is still a very good episode. Jin & Sun are a great couple to see together, and even if we didn't learn as much as we did going in, it still had some nice touching moments, as Lost heads into its final episodes for the year.
Score: 8/10
posted by Matt @ 5:37 PM
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