Lost/... In Translation

... In Translation
Season 1, Episode 17
Airdate	February 23, 2005
Production Number	116
Written by	Javier Grillo-Marxuach Leonard Dick
Directed by	Tucker Gates
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Lost — Season One

... In Translation is the seventeenth episode of the first season of Lost, and is the seventeenth episode overall.

A mysterious arsonist destroys Michael's raft, and everyone's suspicions turn to Jin, whose inability to defend himself prompts him to flee into the jungle. As the castaways hunt Jin down, Sun must decide the best way to project her husband - even as she suspects that he may be guilty.

Starring: Naveen Andrews (Sayid), Emilie de Ravin (Claire), Matthew Fox (Jack), Jorge Garcia (Hurley), Maggie Grace (Shannon), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Malcolm David Kelley (Walt), Daniel Dae Kim (Jin), Yunjin Kim (Sun), Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Dominic Monaghan (Charlie), Terry O'Quinn (Locke), Harold Perrineau, Jr. (Michael), Ian Somerhalder (Boone).

Guest Starring: Byron Chung (Mr. Paik).

Co-Starring: John Shin (Mr. Kwon), Joey Yu (Byung Han), Chil Kong (White Suit), John Choi (Butler), Kiya Lee (Byung's Wife), Angelica Perreira (Byung's Daughter), Tess Young (Best Friend).

Plot Overview

The Island

• Sun, in a bikini, takes a walk along the beach. Jin rushes over and tries to cover her up with a blanket while arguing with her in front of the survivors. Sun trips and falls, and Michael rushes in between the two and pushes Jin away. As he begins arguing with Jin, Sun steps in and slaps Michael. She and Jin walk away. At the caves, Jin asks Sun what is going on between her and Michael. She tells him nothing is going on. Later, Sun approaches Michael at the raft and apologizes. She tells him she was protecting him from Jin when she slapped him. That night, Kate and Sun discuss Jin. Sun tells her that he wasn't always like he's been acting, that he used to be tender. But as they're talking they notice people running on the beach. Charlie tells them the raft is on fire. Everyone tries to put out the fire, but it's no use. Michael turns on Sun and demands to know where Jin is. Sun rushes off to the caves and finds Jin there with his hands burned. She asks him why he did it, but Jin leaves. Out in the jungle, Jin is ambushed by Sawyer and taken prisoner. He brings Jin back to the beach where Michael confronts him. Without defending himself, Michael punches Jin, knocking him down. Jack tries to step in, but Sawyer stops him and Sayid agrees with him saying it's between Michael and Jin. Jin gets up and speaks in Korean again, and Michael punches and knocks Jin down again. Michael goes to punch him again when Sun, speaking in English, yells at him to stop. She tells him he didn't his raft, it was already on fire when he arrived and he burned his hands trying to put it out. Locke steps in and reminds everyone that, while they're busy pointing fingers at one another, there are other people on the island who've attacked them, sabotaged them, kidnapped them, murdered them. He walks off and the mob disperses. Michael inspects what's left of the burnt raft and gets to work on building a new one. At the caves, Jin tells Sun it's too late for them and leaves her. He goes to Michael and begins helping him build a new raft.
• On the beach, Michael continues work on the raft. He tries to get Walt interested in leaving to see New York City, but Walt is more interested in throwing a ball to Vincent. Jack tells Michael there's a lot of talk among the survivors about who's going on the raft with him. Michael tells him there's only room for four people and three of those spots have been taken by him, Walt... and Sawyer. Sawyer bought a ticket on the raft by giving Michael a coil of cable he needs for the mast.
• Sayid approaches Boone to let him know that he and his sister, Shannon may become more than just friends. Boone gives Sayid a warning about his sister, telling him that she likes older men who can take care of her. She'll make him feel like the greatest guy ever while he gets her whatever she needs, then she'll move on. Boone tells Sayid that, when she does move on, to not take it personally. After their conversation, Sayid talks to Shannon and tells her that she should perhaps find another friend to help her. She asks him if she's been talking to Boone and storms off to find him, but comes across Locke. Locke asks her if she likes Sayid and, if she does, what it has to do with her brother. Everyone gets a new life on the island, and Locke suggests it's time she starts hers.
• With the raft burnt, Locke has a talk with Walt. He asks him why he burned the raft and that he won't tell anyone. Walt tells him that he doesn't want to move anymore, that he likes being on the island. Locke tells him he likes it there too.

The Flashback

• Flashback: Jin

Jin is meeting with Sun's father, Mr. Paik. Mr. Paik wants to know why Jin wants to marry his daughter. Jin tells him that, although he may be from a fishing village, he wants to open a restaurant and one day own his own hotel. Mr. Paik asks what Jin's father thinks of the marriage and Jin tells him that his father is dead. In order to marry Sun, Jin agrees to work for Mr. Paik.

At their wedding reception, Sun tells Jin she wished his father had lived to see it. She asks about their honeymoon and Jin tells her that he wants to, but he wants her father to see that he's committed and they can go in six months when his management training for Mr. Paik's car company is finished.

Some time later, Jin is promoted by Mr. Paik to be his new special assistant. His first assignment is to go to the home of the Secretary for Environmental Safety, Byung Han, and deliver a message: "I'm very displeased." Jin goes to Byung Han's house and delivers the message. Byung Han appears greatly relieved and profusely thanks Jin, forcing him to accept his championship breed dog as a gift and to thank Mr. Paik.

Later, Sun prepares dinner for Jin. Jin's phone rings, but he tells her that he won't answer it tonight and instead enjoy a meal together. The house phone rings, however, and Jin reluctantly answers it. Jin appears before Mr. Paik to tell him why his factory is closed because he was too incompetent to deliver a simple message. He tells Jin he's to drive his associate, a man in a white suit, to Byung Han's house that night and he'll show him to deliver a message. On the way to Byung Han's house, the white suit tells Jin he's to keep the engine running while he's inside. When he returns, Jin is to not drive faster than the speed limit. Jin will take the car to the riverbank eight kilometers away. When they arrive at the house, Jin rushes into the house before the white suit can and beats up Byung Han. He tells Byung Han that the factory is to open tomorrow and that he just saved his life. Jin arrives back at his home. Sun asks him whose blood is on him and what he was doing. Jin tells her he does whatever her father tells him to do, for them. Sun leaves and Jin cries to himself.

Later, Jin shows up at a pier where his father is. Jin asks him to forgive him, because he was ashamed of his father. Out on the water, Jin tells his father all about Sun and how they don't talk anymore because he can't tell her about her father. Her father wants him to deliver watches to his associates in Sydney and Los Angeles. Jin's father tells him to start over, let that be the last thing he does for Mr. Paik and then walk away. He tells Jin to go to America and save his marriage.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Sawyer buys a spot on Michael's raft, leaving only one available spot.
• The survivors discover that Sun can speak English.
• Michael's raft is burned by Walt, but he and Jin begin work on a second raft.
• The batteries in Hurley's CD player finally run out.

Characters

• Jin and Sun separate.
• Sayid and Shannon's relationship becomes more initimate.

Referbacks

• 1x06 - House of the Rising Sun - The shar-pei that Jin brought Sun as a gift was actually forced upon Jin by Byung Han as a gift for him.
• 1x06 - House of the Rising Sun - We see how and why Jin showed up at his house with another person's blood on him.

Trivia

The Show

• Hurley on TV: When Jin goes to Byung Han's house for the first time, Hurley can be seen on the TV in the background.

Behind the Scenes

• Location, Location, Location: Mr. Paik's office was filmed at the mezzanine gallery inside the First Hawaiian Center.

Allusions and References

• The Queen Mary: Michael refers to the raft that "it's not the Queen Mary." The Queen Mary was a Cunard Line ocean liner that sailed between 1936 and 1967. When it first entered service, it was the second largest liner in existence.
• Lord of the Flies: Sawyer tells Jin that "it's Lord of the Flies time now". Lord of the Flies is a novel written by William Golding first published in 1954. The novel is a tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island. At first, the boys cooperate with one another to survive by gathering food, making shelters, and maintaining signal fires. But, over time, many of the boys are lured away to a competing group of boys who prefer to hunt the island's pigs and act like savages. Eventually two of the boys find themselves being hunted by the child savages.

Quotes

• Sayid: Do you have a past in the Navy you've neglected to tell me about?
  Shannon: Why?
  Sayid: How does a woman like you learn how to tie a perfect bowline knot?
  Shannon: By dating guys with sailboats.
  Sayid: Since you bring it up, I've been worried since I first met you that you might end up being a spinster.
  Shannon: Spending my Saturday nights alone at home tying knots?
  Shannon: Perhaps with an overweight aunt. It's a very sad image.
  Shannon: Maybe we should get some rope, spend a Saturday night alone together, and see what happens.

• Jack: I thought I'd give you the heads-up.
  Michael: Yeah?
  Jack: There's a lot of talk going on about who's going on this thing with you.
  Michael: Hey, man, it's not the Queen Mary. I only got room for four people. There's one open spot.
  Jack: Who took the other one?
  Sawyer: What's the matter, doc? Feeling left out?
  Jack: You're taking Sawyer with you?
  Sawyer: Yep. Bought myself a ticket on this little tub. Let me tell ya, the fare was steep. Could have used that cable to hold up the whole east wing of my new beach house.
  Jack: You sold him a spot?
  Michael: I needed halyards for the mast.
  Sawyer: Good thing I'm a saver, not a spender, huh, Doc?

• Shannon: Boone, where is he?
  Locke: Don't know.
  Shannon: What do you mean you don't know? You two are like jungle pals.
  Locke: Sorry. I haven't seen him.
  Shannon: Well, if you do see him, tell him to keep his stupid mouth shut. And if he has something to say, he can leave Sayid out of it and come say it to my face.
  Locke: Should I be writing this down?
  Shannon: Just tell him to stay the hell out of my business.
  Locke: Do you like him?
  Shannon: What?
  Locke: Sayid.
  Shannon: Are you serious?
  Locke: Becuase if you do like him, what's it got to do with your brother? You're a grown woman. Sure, you can yell at Boone 'til you're blue in the face, but all you're doig is giving him what he wants.
  Shannon: Yeah, what's that?
  Locke: Your attention. Everyone gets a new life on this island, Shannon. Maybe it's time you start yours.

• Locke: Why would he burn the raft?
  Michael: He's been after me since day one! Everybody knows it!
  Locke: OK, it's personal. But why take it out on our best chance at getting off the island? Why would any one of us block an attempt to get home? We're so intent on pointing the finger at one another that we're ignoring the simple undeniable truth that the problem isn't here, it's there! They've attacked us! Sabotaged us, abducted us, murdered us. Maybe it's time we stop blaming us and started worrying about them! We're not the only people on this island, and we all know it!

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