Lost: ...And Found Rewatch

August 8, 2023 7:31 PM - Season 2, Episode 5

Sun loses, and finds, hope.

S2E5: …And Found: (Lostpedia | transcript): air date 19th October 2005 • writers Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof • director Stephen Williams • day 47 on the island • Sun & Jin flashbacks

I went to college to get a degree • love will look orange • the man knows how to fish • it’s crazy where you look when you want to find something enough • FISH • what village are you from? • I know about scared • Mr. Eko • it’s every man for himself, Chewie • a buck thirty-five in nickels • somehow I ended up in hotel management • Goodwin • I’m not lost any more • teddy bear on a string • thank you for the opportunity • you have no idea what these people are capable of • orange dress • a first meeting

Joyce Millman, New York Times: This Is the Tale of Our Castaways (paywalled; archive)

Sun and Jin are alluring in part because their relationship is so unusual for network television, where younger, whiter, unmarried people seem to have all the romantic fun. But Sun and Jin also stand out on "Lost" because their storyline, despite the requisite flashbacks, seems to be pushing forward. Other castaways are slaves to the past. The island has freed Sun and Jin, though, to deal with their marital problems in a way they could not back in South Korea. It is their Eden.

Heimlich Maneuvers: Lost Re-view: ...and Found

Perhaps Sun has to have the experience of a love snatched away from her before she's ready to meet Jin. Perhaps Jin has to have the experience of standing up to humiliation before he's ready to meet Sun. And it seems that neither of them quite fully learns their respective lesson here. Later, Sun forgets how she felt to have a love and lose it, when she stops fighting for Jin and decides to walk out on him. And Jin forgets how to stand up for himself when he allows Sun's father to walk all over him. It's not that Jin doesn't go to a dark place, or that Sun's father isn't amply intimidating -- but the lesson that came just prior to the couple's first meeting doesn't set deeply enough for them to stay together. They have to re-learn their lessons again, in the form of crashing on the Island, for their relationship to be truly put back together.

Myles McNutt, AV Club: Lost (Classic): “...And Found”/“Abandoned”

The way the flashbacks in “…And Found” are structured works to draw out the class dynamics we already knew existed in Jin and Sun’s relationship, but notably they do so at a point where it feels like the island has evolved beyond those broader social and cultural tensions. When the series started, the characters largely fell into existing patterns of judging others based on issues of race and class, but as they have gotten to know one another those issues have become less central to the on-island narrative.

Rewatch companion: THE STORM: A Lost Rewatch Podcast - S2, E5: "...And Found"

Dave Gonzalez: “So we have a pretty traditional everyone checks in with one character episode, except this time, it's with Sun.”

Joanna Robinson: “I noticed that too, like, okay, this person has a conversation with Sun, this person has a conversation with Sun. But it's our A-team, right? It's Hurley, it's Jack, it's Kate, and it's Locke. I'm actually a little annoyed by that because last week I really liked this whole Sun / Shannon / Claire thing that was happening, and then all of a sudden it's like no, we have to have our alpha cast members check in with Sun. And I just feel like there are other characters: like Shannon, who lost Boone, could have talked to Sun about losing someone and how that feels. Rose who believes that her husband is coming back, but is unsure and wears his wedding ring on a chain, and maybe could teach Sun how to do that for herself.

I think Kate is a real miss here. The Sawyer thing feels like a real miss, even though I like Sawyer and Kate, it feels like a real miss for me. The Locke works really well for me. And I guess the Jack works for me in that Sun gets more information about Jack in terms of like, okay, but you don't have a wedding ring now, so? But Hurley, I mean, I guess Hurley is just comedy. But I don't know. Vincent's there, shouldn't Shannon be there? I don't know. They get so much time, the A-team, couldn't we have had some of the B-players in the mix a bit more here?”

Dave Gonzalez: “I agree. And I would have struck Locke. I mean, he does have a good little Locke scene, but: he should be pushing the button. It doesn't make the most sense for Locke to just be leisurely wandering around, giving out advice to people.”

Joanna Robinson: “Sitting in a garden.”

Dave Gonzalez: “Yeah. Oh, hey, I just watched you fuck up your garden. Uh, not creepy at all.”

Joanna Robinson: “It wasn't creepy! What are you talking about?”

Neil Miller: “When is Locke not a little creepy?”

Joanna Robinson: “He was so nice to her. He was incredibly nice to her.”

Dave Gonzalez: “Yes, but he is also, by the nature of how television works, popping up right as people are having horrible moments. And we've talked about this as being somewhat antagonistic, but even so I would say creepy. If you are in your private garden—”

Joanna Robinson: “Your private garden?”

Dave Gonzalez: “The garden that you tend to.”

Joanna Robinson: “It's all public! They're all walking through each other's backyards all the time. They all live together on a beach!”

Dave Gonzalez: “I don't know. I think that garden's a little over-off somewhere.”

Neil Miller: “Here's the thing. I don't think that it's weird that Locke stumbles upon her garden, or her emotional outburst that she's having. I think that what's weird about it is he's very open with how super chill he is about being on the island now. Like, we've crossed a rubicon with Locke: now that the hatch is open and he's in there, he is now cool with everybody knowing that he wants to be here. That to me is the weird thing. Sun doesn't react to it because she's got her own shit going on. But that I think is an interesting moment for Locke. You know, for him to be like: no, I love it here. I'm at peace here. Stop trying to get off this island. We're doing great. Sun, if you don't find your ring, do you want to be on my team? The John Locke team?”

Joanna Robinson: “He doesn't say that!”

Neil Miller: “But he's working to it.”

Joanna Robinson: “No, you're not— you're not going to let Dave poison your mind. He's just doing nice things all the time for people. He gives her a handkerchief, a nice clean handkerchief. He's just very sweet and thoughtful. This is a— you cannot. I was watching and I was like, no way the boys can fuck this one up. This is just Locke being nice. And then here you come, Neil and Dave, being like duh-duhduh-duhduh what a creep. Like what are you talking about?”

Neil Miller: “But are you noticing at least what I'm noticing about Locke where he has now crossed into this realm of like the Svengali of I love being on the island? Like now he's openly that guy. He wasn't like that before. Until he had that argument with Jack.”

Joanna Robinson: “Isn't it better to just be open and not like, secretive and weird, and like drag Boone off into the jungle and goop him? That was bad Locke. This is like: don't worry, my anger chip is clean because I know where the washer and dryer is now.”

Dave Gonzalez: “Yeah, this is like guidance counselor Locke. He shows up, give you some good advice, and then disappears back into the mysterious hatch that only five people are allowed to go into.”

“We don’t go that way. Because that’s where they come from.”

L O S T

posted by We had a deal, Kyle (2 comments total)

Currently streaming in the US on Hulu (subscription) and Freevee (free with ads); in the UK on Disney+; and available for purchase just about everywhere. Next episode will post at the weekend. Ish. Maybe I should just say Tuesdays, that seems to be what I end up on.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 7:31 PM on August 8, 2023

I am forever here for Joanna getting exasperated with Locke Antagonist Checkin.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 7:32 PM on August 8, 2023