LOST: “That’s One Stubborn Tomato”

Photo Credit: Mario Perez/ Lost.

Read on for my recap and running commentary for Lost 6×10, “The Package,” aired Tuesday, March 30th, 2010:

This week provided a break from the mythology, which I appreciated.  Some people, I would imagine, might have found this episode a bit of a letdown after last week, but not me.  I was happy to get a Sun and Jin episode, as it has been so long.  I was much less happy to see that they did not yet reunite.  But I have faith that the reunion will happen, because Sun is “one stubborn tomato.”  Of course, one of them will probably still die in the end.  Did I mention that I’m an optimistic person with a sunny outlook on life?  Because I’m really not.  On to the recap and running commentary.  I took notes live, and only watched the episode once, so bear with me.

• Hello, V countdown clock.  I’ve heard so much about you.  You’re not quite as big and annoying as I thought you would be, but I still resent you.
• We open on Sawyer and Kate on the Island, and we see them through a night vision camera or something.  The screen has a distinctive green color and looks all fuzzy.  Smocke approaches Jin and asks him about his leg.  In case you don’t remember, his leg got injured in one of Claire’s Rousseau-esque traps.  Jin says that it still hurts.  Smocke asks, “Mind if I sit down?”  Smocke wonders if James has filled Jin in about what happened at the cliffs.  Jin is all “You mean the cave?” and it’s clear that he has most certainly been filled in.  Smocke: “Most of the names have been crossed off.  There are only a few left.  Kwan is one of them.”  Jin: “Does that mean me or Sun?”  Good question, Jin!  Smocke doesn’t know, but he says that the only way they can leave the island is if all the names that aren’t crossed off go together.  Interesting.  But is he telling the truth?  Or will killing all those names do the trick too?
• Then we return to Jin at LAX, where we last left him in the sideways timeline (well, I guess we last saw him in the Sayid episode, but we’re not there yet).  The TSA agent tells Jin, who doesn’t understand English, in English, that his money has been confiscated.  If Jin wants it back, then he has to fill out the necessary paperwork, which I would also assume is in English.  Sigh.  Jin and Sun then discuss what happened, and she asks about the money.  Jin got it from her father, but he didn’t ask questions.  Her father just gave him the money, and told him to bring it to a meeting at a restaurant, which he has now missed.  The two go to their hotel, and check in.  Jin corrects the guy at the desk, asking for two hotel rooms.  Pointing to his bare finger, he indicates that they are not married.
• Back on the Island, Smocke gets ready to head out.  He tells Sayid to keep an eye on the camp.  Sayid says that he doesn’t feel anything—nothing at all.  Smocke: “Maybe that’s best.”  Side note: Is Sayid now crossed off the wall, since he has “the sickness,” or whatever?  Is he no longer a candidate?
• Elsewhere at the camp, Sawyer and Jin talk.  Jin is getting out of there, “before that thing comes back.”  He really does not trust Smocke, and he wants to go find his wife.  Before Jin can head out, however, Jin and everyone in the camp (minus Smocke, who already left) are shot by darts.  They all pass out.  The shooters are revealed to be Widmore’s people, including the girl Sawyer encountered who wears Tina Fey glasses.  I wouldn’t call her a lookalike though, because of the obvious.  According to Lostpedia, her name is Zoe.  Zoe and company capture Jin.  Cue the title card.
• Meanwhile, Ilana and Ben are on the beach.  He reminds her of Richard’s last angry rant, and argues that Richard will probably not be back.  She has faith, as Jacob told her that Richard would know what to do, plus she sent Hurley after him.  Ilana tells everyone that they will wait until Richard comes back.  Sun does not take very kindly to this, and angrily throws down whatever she was working on.  She stomps off, and  Jack follows her … to her garden.  Ah, the garden!  Memories.  Jack: “You don’t believe Alpert’s coming back, do you?”  Sun: “I don’t care if he’s coming back.”  Jack tells her about the light house, and the names of candidates.  She doesn’t care.  She doesn’t care about Alpert or being a candidate.  Unspoken: all she cares about is finding Jin.
• Cut to Jin in L.A., at the hotel.  He goes to Sun’s door and shows her a box with a watch in it.  The watch!  He says that her father is having him go to a restaurant, and she tells him to come inside to discuss it.  Jin is clearly stressed out, and takes it out on Sun: “What do you care?  You’re here to go shopping.”  She unbuttons her sweater: “Maybe you should tell me to button it, like you did on the plane.”  There’s some back and forth flirtation, and then she opens her sweater and they kiss.
• On the Island, Sun cuts her finger while gardening.  Just one of the many reasons that I don’t garden.  The other reasons are all the dirt.  Each speck of dirt is a reason.  Smocke approaches and startles her.  He is all politeness and apologizes.  Sun: “What are you doing here?”  Smocke: “I found your husband.”  He says that Jin is with his people and he can take her to him.  Sun doesn’t believe him.  She says, “You killed those people back at the temple.”  How does she know?   I should pay closer attention.  Maybe Ilana told her?  He says that he would never make her do anything against her will, but he’s asking her to come with him.  Instead, she runs.  Atta girl, Sun!  Smocke chases her and we cut to commercial.  When we come back, there is continued running and chasing.  And Sun runs into a tree.  Seriously.
• Cut to Sun and Jin in L.A., in bed, the morning after.  She is really happy.  Jin seems rather pensive.  She proposes that they run away together, and she says that she has an account.  Jin: “This was your plan all along?”  He says that it’s forbidden.  She reminds him that he wants to be with her, and that this is the only way.  Then she teases a secret, which is most certainly that she is pregnant: “Good, then there’s something you need to know.”  They are interrupted by a knock at the door.  It is Keamy, who asks, “Mind if I come in?  I believe you’ve got something for me.”  Man, that guy is creeeepy.
• Cut to Sun on the Island.  When she wakes up, she’s speaking in Korean, but she tells Ben that Locke was the one who did this.  Made her run into a tree?  I’m not sure that would hold up in court.
• Smocke returns to his camp to see everyone passed out.  He removes a dart from Sayid and revives him.  He asks what happened.  Sayid: “We were attacked”  Smocke: “By whom?”  Sayid: “I don’t know.”  Smocke: “Where is Jin?”  Uh oh.
• Cut to a creepy metal room, where Jin flips a switch.  A bunch of images come across a screen, and it’s apparently the room where Alex’s boyfriend was brain washed.  Zoe comes in and says that it is Room 23, where Dharma was doing experiments on subliminal messaging.  He asks why she brought him there.  She says, relax, you’re safe.  She shows him maps, where there are pockets of electromagnetic energy, and a signature that appears to be his.  She wants answers.  He wants to talk to Charles Widmore.  Go, Jin!  I love that Sun and Jin are standing up for themselves in this episode.  They’ve been dragged around by everybody else for so long, so it is about time.
• Meanwhile, Smocke and Sayid discuss what to do.  They’re taking the outrigger, whatever that is, to the other island to rescue Jin.  Smocke sees Claire looking at him and asks, “Something wrong, Claire?”  She gets up, and asks if her name is on the wall.  What good ears you have, Claire.  He says no.  Liar!  Littleton WAS on the wall.  But her name was crossed out.  Hmmm.  Was her name crossed out because of that whole heart of darkness thing?  Does that mean Sayid’s name is now crossed out too?  Claire asks if Kate’s name was on the wall.  Smocke: “No, Claire, it isn’t, not anymore.”  What?  I didn’t see Austen on the cave wall, but she was on the light house dial, and her name was not crossed out.  Hmmm.  Smocke caters to his audience, and says that once Kate helps him get on the plane, “Whatever happens happens.”  So he seems to be basically giving Claire permission to kill Kate, but who knows what he really has up his sleeve.  Maybe Kate still is a candidate, and he’s just tricking Claire.  What do you think?  Sawyer then asks what Smocke needs a boat for, because can’t he just turn into smoke and float right over there.  Smocke: “No, cause that’d be ridiculous.”  Ha!  Smocke explains that Widmore and company took one of their people, and they’re going to get him back.
• Back in L.A., Keamy and his men are looking for the money, and being rude and unlikable.  Sun explains that the money her father gave Jin was taken at customs, and Mikhail is there to translate.  Mikhail!  Crazy.  Keamy tells Mikhail, “You take her to the bank.  I’ll take Casanova here to the restaurant.”  Well this is sure to end well.
• On the beach, Ben is telling the story of how he found Sun unconscious, while Ilana looks on disbelieving.  Ben: “Why won’t you believe me?”  Ilana: “Because you’re speaking.”  Ha!  Well, at least she’s not an idiot.  Also, Sun can’t tell her side of the story, because she can only speak Korean.  Jack says some name of a condition caused by head injury, which injures the part of the brain that remembers languages.  OK, Jack, whatever you say.  He says that she’ll be OK.  Then Richard approaches, wearing his wife’s necklace, and accompanied by Hurley.  “Pack your bags, we’re leaving.”  Woo hoo!  Purpose!
• Cut to the other island, to Widmore and Smocke.  Widmore says that all he knows of Smocke is legends and ghost stories.  Smocke: “I think you know more than that, judging by the pylons.”  Aha!  Widmore is less than cooperative in returning Jin.  Smocke: “A wise man once said that war was coming to this island.  I think it just got here.”  Remind me, who said that?

• Back on the main Island, we return to Richard and company.  Miles to Hurley, “This is your fault, isn’t it?”  Hurley: “Sort of.”  Ha!  I love those two.  Richard wants the story of why Smocke showed up at their camp, and the fact that they are all getting ready to leave the Island is reiterated.  Sun yells at Richard in Korean, and it is quite entertaining.  She is not leaving without her husband.  Go, Sun!  Hurley: “I don’t think she wants to come.”  Hee.
• Meanwhile, in the sideways timeline, Sun goes with Mikhail to get money from her account.  However, she learns from the bank that her account was closed by her father, and that the funds were transferred to one of his other accounts.  You’re a cold one, Mr. Paik.
• Also in the sideways timeline, at the restaurant, Jin is put in the freezer.  Keamy tells his underling, “You go get the Arab guy.”  Underling: “Hey, I’m an Arab.”  Keamy uses duct tape to bind Jin’s hands, and is oddly nice about it.  He explains that Mr. Paik wanted Keamy to kill Jin, and the money was his payment.  Ouch.  I can’t believe Mr. Paik had Jin deliver his own hit fee.  That’s just wrong.  Keamy tapes Jin’s mouth and says: “I’m sorry.  Some people just aren’t meant to be together.”  Hmph.
• Cut to Widmore and Zoe.  Zoe has brought Jin to him.  Widmore tells her: “I need you to get the package from the submarine and bring it to the infirmary.”  Hmmm.  Widmore apologizes to Jin and introduces himself.  Jin knows who he is.  Then Widmore hands Jin Sun’s camera, recovered from the Ajira plane, with pictures of his daughter, Ji Yeon.  Awwwww.  Very touching.  Reunite that family already, Lost!  Widmore says that he has a daughter too, and he knows what it’s like to be kept apart.  However, he explains that if “that thing masquerading as John Locke” got off the island, then everything they know and love would cease to be.  The plot thickens.  Widmore continues: “Come with me.  I think it’s time for you to see the package.”  When Jin asks what the package is, Widmore replies, “It’s not a what, it’s a who.”
• In the sideways timeline, Jin is still in the fridge and is kicking the door.  Sayid opens it, like we saw in “Sundown.”  Sayid asks who he is.  Jin: “No English.”  Sayid is ready to just leave him there, but Jin says, “No.  Free.”  And  he gestures to the razor on the shelf.  Instead of actually unbinding Jin, Sayid just hands the razor to him and says good luck.  Well, that’s better than nothing.  At the same time, Mikhail is leading Sun through the kitchen and they see the dead men.  Jin comes up from behind, and pulls a gun on Mikhail, who is still wondering who did all the killing.  Jin tells Sun to move away.  Mikhail: “No, I don’t think so, because if you were the person who did this, you would have killed me already.”  He tries to get the best of Jin, but Jin shoots him.  Whether he is actually dead remains to be seen, since he is Mikhail, who came back from the dead a million times.  In the corner, Sun cries out in pain.  She is bleeding and is seems that she has been shot?  Or is she having a miscarriage?  Or both?  Either way, she takes this opportunity to tell Jin that she’s pregnant.  Also, we see that Mikhail, who wore an eye-patch in the original timeline, has been shot in the eye.  How poetic … or something.
• Cut to Sun on the beach, sitting alone.  Jack approaches.  He tells her that she should try writing in English, and that works.  Maybe Jack really did go to medical school.  Jack tells her that he went out to the garden to see if Locke was still there, but he found a tomato.  Apparently, the tomatoes are supposed to be dead, but not this one.  Jack: “That’s one stubborn tomato.”  Deep metaphor, dude.  Jack: “Locke, what did he say to you?  Why didn’t you go with him?”  Sun writes on her notepad (hidden under the V countdown clock), “I don’t trust him.”  Smart lady.  Jack: “Do you trust me?”  She nods yes.  Hmmm.  I’m not so sure whether she should trust him.  He tells her to come with them, and that he’ll help her find Jin.  He promises, and holds out his hand.
• Elsewhere on the Island, Kate is sitting by the fire.  Sawyer comes to sit by her and asks, “Where’d you go?”  She comes back to reality, and Sawyer comments, “It’s like your brain took a little stroll.”  It does that a lot.  He admits that he is worried, but he’s just good at looking like he’s not.  Then Smocke returns, without Jin or Sun.  Poor Smokey.  Nothing goes his way.  He’s such a failure at being a bad guy that I just feel sorry for him sometimes.  He tells Sawyer that there is someone guarding something they didn’t want him to see, and says pointedly, “I don’t want any secrets.”
• Cut to Sayid, swimming up to the submarine.  He watches as Desmond, drugged, is brought out of the submarine.  He’s the package.  Surprise!

So, what did you think of the episode?  What is so important about Desmond?   What’s Widmore’s interest in all this?  Is he working with Jacob?  Will Claire make another move against Kate?  Will Sun and Jin ever reunite in the island timeline?  What dead people will Hurley talk to next?  Which dead secondary characters will show up in the sideways world next?  React and speculate in the comments.

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