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Lost: The Glass Ballerina

Sun: "Why are you lying to me, Sayid?"
Sayid: "And what would you know about lying, Sun?"

Sun, Sun, Sun. You hussy, you.

So far, we've seen Sun as the most virtuous female in the cast, a woman who made a well-planned, concerted effort to escape from her domineering husband only to give it up because she truly loved him. But now, we're finally seeing another side of Sun.

The symbolism of Sun as a little girl breaking the glass ballerina was particularly apt. Sun is no longer perfect to us, because our perception of her has been shattered. The figurine falling and breaking was also echoed in Jae's fatal fall from the hotel room; Sun managed to break him, as well. Jae was clutching Sun's pearls in his hand. He certainly didn't have them when Jin was beating him up. Did he jump, or was he murdered? If he was murdered, who did it? It couldn't have been Jin. Paik or Sun? Is Sun a murderer, too, like so many others in the cast?

Sun was — is — such a liar. In the flashbacks, she lied twice to protect herself at someone else's expense. The maid and Jae certainly both suffered because Sun lied. Did Sun lie about her pregnancy, too? Is it Jae's baby instead of Jin's, after all?



Meanwhile back in OtherTown, the experiment continued, and I was still really confused. I kept going back and forth about their motivations. Sometimes I was certain the Others were convinced that what they were doing was good; other times, I could swear they were students of Machiavelli. It also appeared that there was a strange Other pecking order. Why were some Others being used on the "chain gang," like Sawyer and Kate, while others were prison guards? Why was Danielle's daughter Alex running around free and unsupervised?

By far, the most interesting revelation (for me) was that Henry, a.k.a. Benjamin Linus, had been on the Island his entire life. Was Ben lying about letting Jack go home? I can't imagine Jack doing what Michael did, just to go home. Not someone as obsessed with helping others as Jack is.


Why give Kate Alex's pretty dress if they were going to put her on a chain gang? It was such an anomaly. But then her dress rode up in the back, and it all became clear to me. They really were trying to manipulate Sawyer. But Sawyer is far from stupid. He figured out how to test the strength of the guards, and even took a taser hit on purpose to do it. I'd be wildly disappointed if he hadn't even considered the possibility that he and Kate were being monitored.

Finally, let me repeat something from an earlier review. Will the writers please stop hurting Sawyer?

Character bits:

Although we saw a new side of Sun, Jin was portrayed in the flashbacks as much the same. He couldn't kill Jae, even though he truly intended to go through with it.

Sawyer called Kate "Shortcake." It went with the strawberries.

I particularly liked Sayid saying he wouldn't underestimate Jin again. No kidding.

Sayid was going to kill most of the Others caught in his ambush. I keep forgetting how brutal Sayid can be. Plus his trap for the Others didn't work. Was Sayid off his game?

Sun's father, Paik, ordered Jin to kill Lee, in order to save Jin's honor. I was a little surprised by that, considering how negative Paik's and Jin's relationship has been. But Paik told Jin that Lee was stealing from him. That made Sun a possession.

In the flashback, Jin stared at the doorman. He used to be the doorman.

Paula Malcomson, much loved as Trixie the whore on Deadwood, played Colleen the Other. I was bummed that she was shot. She's not dead, is she? I want them to add her to the cast. In fact, I think they should add every single favorite unemployed actor of mine to the Lost cast. If they can have a cast of sixteen, why not twenty or thirty?

Bits and pieces:

— According to Ben, the action in this episode took place on November 29, 2004. It has been 69 days since the crash. I think that was the first time we were told what day it actually was.

— Ben told Jack about three major U.S. events: the result of the 2004 presidential election, the death of Christopher Reeve, and the Red Sox winning the series. Jack's father Christian always said, "That's why the Red Sox will never win the damned series." It was his way of saying, "It's fate." It was also how Sawyer knew that it was Jack's father he'd talked to in the bar.

— When the guard (Denny?) made a lascivious comment about Kate taking off her dress, Sawyer automatically smirked. Then he realized he was supposed to be protective, and reversed himself. Pretty funny.

— I found the preppie clothes that the Others wore disconcerting. Pseudo-suburban.

— Alex was looking for Carl, the boy who was in Kate's cage before Kate.

— I loved Sawyer cadging water from Juliet, and then pouring it on the ground.

— Jae Lee was staying in suite 1516.

— The Others ignored Sayid and Jin and went for Sun because they wanted the boat. And they got it.


Quotes:

Sawyer: "Having fun yet, freckles?"
Kate: "Quit staring at my ass."

Kate: "Why'd she call you James?"
Sawyer: "'Cause that's my name. I noticed something else, too. You taste like strawberries."
Kate: "You taste like fish biscuits.”

Three stars,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

4 comments:

  1. The opening shot of the ballerina falling was stunning photography and the music just enhanced it. Beautiful.

    Is our triangle to become a rectangle? Sawyer and Juliet were exchanging some pretty heated looks before he kissed Kate.

    I just *knew* that Sun was lying when she told Jin that she had never been with another man. But, I'm not sure Jin hasn't figured it all out and, for some reason, decided to let her off the hook. Between her father's reaction and Lee's reaction, it would almost hard to miss.

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  2. Argh, the cages!

    "You taste like strawberries" is ruined for me after Rack (Wrack?) in Buffy Season Six.

    These first two episodes do have fun tidbits with two of my favorites, though: Juliet, who is played by the perfect-in-every-way Elizabeth Mitchell (may she be in every show I ever watch), and Ben Linus, who is one of my favorite characters ever written.

    And I like commando Sayid! Sure, he's willing to pit husband against wife in order to get the job done, but he's got a sharp tactical mind and clearly values protecting the group.

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  3. Jae's death is obviously a suicide(Korean mentality about honour and shame).
    Ben,Jack and Red Sox's video:great acting,great scene.
    Jack so alone,weak and frustrated is heartbreaking. Ben is so scary with his evil smile and his mindplays.

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  4. Jack proved to be more than capable of what Michael did in future episodes. So did Sayid, Locke and Sawyer. Kate had already proven it and to a certain extent, will do so again.

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