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Thursday 21 May 2009
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#003 - Who Is The Father Of Ji Yeon?
Question#3 - Who Is The Father Of Ji Yeon?
Episode three was entitled Tabula Rasa, translation meaning "blank slate". In this episode, we begin to see the Island as a place of redemption for our characters, a chance to gain a fresh start and a new life. This is specifically emphasised by following the story of Kate, a fugitive from the Law who finds herself in a place free from the rules of the outside world, granting her a second chance to right the wrongs of the choices she made in her pre-815 life.
But Kate isn't the only one given this choice.
Has Sun also learned the lessons of her past sins? Picture the scene. It's raining. You're in the middle of a mysterious jungle. Your flight crash-landed here a few days ago. The only person you recognise is a boy you don't know. His name is Walt. He is your son.
You're Michael. You are trying desperately to form some kind of bond between yourself and your son, but he seems to have reserved all his admiration for some crazy bald guy with a knife fetish. You have been told in no uncertain terms that the only way Walt will even begin to consider you as a friend is if you find his missing dog, Vincent. That's right, a dog means more to him than you do.
The rain stops. You keep your promise and begin hunting for Vincent in the "haunted damn jungle," but you only wind up getting Lost. Right on cue, a bunch of freaky noises start up. A whole bunch of freaky noise that could not be casued by a dog! You start running, fearing for your very life and your sanity. And in this frame of mind, what do you come across?
[insert picture] A very beautiful Korean woman by the name of Sun. A woman who also happens to be half-naked. Here marks the beginning of a confusing and mysterious relationship between Michael and Sun.
One man, one woman, two souls sharing a deep frustration with their past lives and current circumstances. Soon after this encounter, Michael begins sowing the seeds of friendship by choosing Sun to act as a second guardian for Walt (Walkabout). Sun repays this favour by sharing a secret with Michael during the events of House Of The Rising Sun, a secret that not even her husband knows about - she speaks English! I wonder, did she also share that she planned to leave Jin as soon as she got to America?
Now, we don't see too much of Sun and Michael together during Seasons 2 and 3, so I would like you to flash-forward to Season 4, specifically the 7th Episode "Ji Yeon." This is the episode in which we are introduced to Sun's daughter, Ji Yeon. And guess what happens in the very next episode? That's right, we get re-introduced to (possibly Ji Yeon's daddy) Michael (Meet Kevin Johnson). Was this scheduling a mere coincidence? Possibly.
Man of Science - Jin is Ji Yeon's father.
Okay, so everything within the canon of Lost points to this being fact. [insert picture] When Sun first finds out she is pregnant in The Whole Truth, the main question on everyone's lips was whether Jae was the father or not, but that theory seemed to be sufficiently debunked by Juliet in Season 3's D.O.C.:
"You crashed here ninety days ago. The baby was conceived .. around fifty three days (ago). You got pregnant on the Island."
(Now, a short note on the timeline here. Although Juliet says they crashed ninety days ago, common consensus places the events of D.O.C. on Day 85, or December 15th. Assuming Juliet is correct with her other dates, Sun's date of conception would be Day 32, or 23rd October. It's up to you wether you believe the fan's timeline, the show's timeline or neither, just thought I would mention this "info".)
Since discovering she was pregnant, and even more so after confirmation that the baby was conceived on the Island, Sun and Jin's relationship seemed to take a turn for the better. With the exception of a few hiccups along the way, none more terrifying than the fact that, should she go to full term on the Island, Sun was sure to die, Sun and Jin made it through the assault course of Island life, got Sun off-Island to give birth to their beautiful baby daughter Ji Yeon, and at time of writing all three are alive, although seperated. A happy enough ending all around. Even the revelation that his wife had previously had an affair (thanks again to Juliet, this time in Season 4's Ji Yeon) hardly caused a stir in Jin's temperment.
The picture of a model father and husband? It would appear all of the Kwon's worries are behind them. Jin is the father, case closed.
Well, wouldn't that make things quite boring?
Man of Faith - Michael is Ji Yeon's father!
[insert picture] In the same way that people moot about how dogs look like their owners (YouTube), there are a whole host of people out there arguing for and against the statement that "a man marries his mother." In this instance, to be crass for a moment, it would appear there is a slight parallel in Jin's life - his mother was a prostitute, and Sun is no angel herself when it comes to men and the bedroom.
Her affair with Jae shows that she is very capable of being unfaithful. While the responsibility for the problems within her marriage are shared threefold between Sun, Jin and Mr Paik, it was Sun herself who instigated these problems by going to her father to borrow money to save Jin the shame of discovering his true origins, thus placing him directly under the thumb of Mr Paik.
Rather than take responsibility for these actions, Sun succumbed to the pressure of a strained marriage and, further dismayed by the revelation that Jin could not produce a child, Sun entered into a sustained affair with Jae (The Whole Truth). What was there to stop her having an affair with Michael?
Well, not a whole lot really. After seeing her plans for escape from a marriage with Jin and Korean life in general, Sun found herself washed up on the Island with no-one to confide in save for an increasingly controlling and violent husband (I wish to make clear here I mean that Jin was becoming increasingly violent to the other survivors, not to Sun). She opened her heart and her true self to Michael, revealing her greatest secret to him and engaging him in a sustained friendship. The two spent a lot of time together, such as helping Shannon's breathing in Season 1's The Confidence Man.
This increasing estrangement from Jin culminated in Sun almost kissing Michael, as seen in the Mobisode "Buried Secrets". Now, it has been suggested that this Mobisode takes place on Day 32, or 23rd October. Does that date ring a bell? It sure should, as it is also (supposedly) Ji Yeon's date of conception. Let's run down the events of that day:
Sun is found by Michael as she is trying to hide her American driver's license.Sun shares with Michael her plans to run away to America and leave Jin.They hug and share a moment of affection.
They move in for a kiss, but are interrupted.Now, in this Mobisode Sun appears to be wearing the same bikini she wore in the episode ... In Translation, (decide for yourself: video (of Mobisode) and pictures (of ... In Translation)). Jin also appears to be wearing the same shirt.
So, if we assume that the events of ... In Translation take place on the same day, what else happened on this day on the Island?
Jin spots Sun wearing a bikini and orders her to cover up.Michael tries to aid Sun, but she slaps him instead.Jin accuses Sun of having an affair with Michael.Sun later tries to apologise to Michael, claiming the slap was to protect him, but Michael shuns her and resumes working on his raft.There is more conflict between Sun, Michael and Jin when it is assumed that Jin burned Michael's raft. Sun reveals to Jin that she knows Michael's name.
Sawyer and Michael beat Jin, causing Sun to reveal to everyone, Jin included, that she speaks English.Jin, seemingly deciding that his marriage is over, tries to help Michael build a new raft, in a supposed attempt to leave the Island (and Sun) behind.Sun, in a show of freedom from Jin's over-bearing grasp, removes her towel and stands on the beach wearing only her bikini. [insert picture]
Keeping in mind that this is Ji Yeon's supposed date of conception, we have:
Sun's plan to leave Jin freash in her mind.Compassion, friendship and loyalty shown to Sun from Michael.Jin leaving Sun, and suspecting an affair between Sun and Michael.Sun reveling in her new-found freedom.
If this isn't fairly conclusive proof that Michael is Ji Yeon's father, I don't know what is. Which leads me to...
My Answer
I do believe there is a fair chance that Michael is Ji Yeon's father. Although the hints were there in the show, I don't think the writers decided to pursue this as a storyline. To be honest, it has left a worse taste in my mouth writing about it than I had thought it would, and I suspect these are the feelings the writers felt also. The Mobisode "Buried Secrets" seems to allude to this - Michael and Sun nearly kiss, but are interrupted and go about their seperate ways.
I think at one time there was a storyline for another "love triangle" between these three, but the writer's simply cancelled that and tried there best to make it seem conclusive that Jin is Ji Yeon's father. But although I would prefer this to be the truth, I think there is enough evidence there to say that, originally at least, Michael is indeed the father of Ji Yeon. Go back and rewatch There's No Place Like Home Part 1 and Parts 2 & 3. Look specifically in Part 1 at the looks between Sun, Michael and Jin as they first meet since Michael's leaving the Island, and even more closely at the scene in Parts 2 & 3 where Sun reveals to Michael that she is pregnant. Is the fleeting glances between them due to suspicion that Michael may be Ji Yeon's father? I think it is, but the fact it is not verbally mentioned outright alludes to the fact that that specific storyline is gone now and forever. A casuality of the Writer's Strike? Or a case of morality winning over storyline? Whatever the case may be, I believe that Michael is Ji Yeon's father.
So there's my answer. What is yours?
Who is the father of Ji Yeon?
Episode three was entitled Tabula Rasa, translation meaning "blank slate". In this episode, we begin to see the Island as a place of redemption for our characters, a chance to gain a fresh start and a new life. This is specifically emphasised by following the story of Kate, a fugitive from the Law who finds herself in a place free from the rules of the outside world, granting her a second chance to right the wrongs of the choices she made in her pre-815 life.
But Kate isn't the only one given this choice.
Has Sun also learned the lessons of her past sins? Picture the scene. It's raining. You're in the middle of a mysterious jungle. Your flight crash-landed here a few days ago. The only person you recognise is a boy you don't know. His name is Walt. He is your son.
You're Michael. You are trying desperately to form some kind of bond between yourself and your son, but he seems to have reserved all his admiration for some crazy bald guy with a knife fetish. You have been told in no uncertain terms that the only way Walt will even begin to consider you as a friend is if you find his missing dog, Vincent. That's right, a dog means more to him than you do.
The rain stops. You keep your promise and begin hunting for Vincent in the "haunted damn jungle," but you only wind up getting Lost. Right on cue, a bunch of freaky noises start up. A whole bunch of freaky noise that could not be casued by a dog! You start running, fearing for your very life and your sanity. And in this frame of mind, what do you come across?
[insert picture] A very beautiful Korean woman by the name of Sun. A woman who also happens to be half-naked. Here marks the beginning of a confusing and mysterious relationship between Michael and Sun.
One man, one woman, two souls sharing a deep frustration with their past lives and current circumstances. Soon after this encounter, Michael begins sowing the seeds of friendship by choosing Sun to act as a second guardian for Walt (Walkabout). Sun repays this favour by sharing a secret with Michael during the events of House Of The Rising Sun, a secret that not even her husband knows about - she speaks English! I wonder, did she also share that she planned to leave Jin as soon as she got to America?
Now, we don't see too much of Sun and Michael together during Seasons 2 and 3, so I would like you to flash-forward to Season 4, specifically the 7th Episode "Ji Yeon." This is the episode in which we are introduced to Sun's daughter, Ji Yeon. And guess what happens in the very next episode? That's right, we get re-introduced to (possibly Ji Yeon's daddy) Michael (Meet Kevin Johnson). Was this scheduling a mere coincidence? Possibly.
Man of Science - Jin is Ji Yeon's father.
Okay, so everything within the canon of Lost points to this being fact. [insert picture] When Sun first finds out she is pregnant in The Whole Truth, the main question on everyone's lips was whether Jae was the father or not, but that theory seemed to be sufficiently debunked by Juliet in Season 3's D.O.C.:
"You crashed here ninety days ago. The baby was conceived .. around fifty three days (ago). You got pregnant on the Island."
(Now, a short note on the timeline here. Although Juliet says they crashed ninety days ago, common consensus places the events of D.O.C. on Day 85, or December 15th. Assuming Juliet is correct with her other dates, Sun's date of conception would be Day 32, or 23rd October. It's up to you wether you believe the fan's timeline, the show's timeline or neither, just thought I would mention this "info".)
Since discovering she was pregnant, and even more so after confirmation that the baby was conceived on the Island, Sun and Jin's relationship seemed to take a turn for the better. With the exception of a few hiccups along the way, none more terrifying than the fact that, should she go to full term on the Island, Sun was sure to die, Sun and Jin made it through the assault course of Island life, got Sun off-Island to give birth to their beautiful baby daughter Ji Yeon, and at time of writing all three are alive, although seperated. A happy enough ending all around. Even the revelation that his wife had previously had an affair (thanks again to Juliet, this time in Season 4's Ji Yeon) hardly caused a stir in Jin's temperment.
The picture of a model father and husband? It would appear all of the Kwon's worries are behind them. Jin is the father, case closed.
Well, wouldn't that make things quite boring?
Man of Faith - Michael is Ji Yeon's father!
[insert picture] In the same way that people moot about how dogs look like their owners (YouTube), there are a whole host of people out there arguing for and against the statement that "a man marries his mother." In this instance, to be crass for a moment, it would appear there is a slight parallel in Jin's life - his mother was a prostitute, and Sun is no angel herself when it comes to men and the bedroom.
Her affair with Jae shows that she is very capable of being unfaithful. While the responsibility for the problems within her marriage are shared threefold between Sun, Jin and Mr Paik, it was Sun herself who instigated these problems by going to her father to borrow money to save Jin the shame of discovering his true origins, thus placing him directly under the thumb of Mr Paik.
Rather than take responsibility for these actions, Sun succumbed to the pressure of a strained marriage and, further dismayed by the revelation that Jin could not produce a child, Sun entered into a sustained affair with Jae (The Whole Truth). What was there to stop her having an affair with Michael?
Well, not a whole lot really. After seeing her plans for escape from a marriage with Jin and Korean life in general, Sun found herself washed up on the Island with no-one to confide in save for an increasingly controlling and violent husband (I wish to make clear here I mean that Jin was becoming increasingly violent to the other survivors, not to Sun). She opened her heart and her true self to Michael, revealing her greatest secret to him and engaging him in a sustained friendship. The two spent a lot of time together, such as helping Shannon's breathing in Season 1's The Confidence Man.
This increasing estrangement from Jin culminated in Sun almost kissing Michael, as seen in the Mobisode "Buried Secrets". Now, it has been suggested that this Mobisode takes place on Day 32, or 23rd October. Does that date ring a bell? It sure should, as it is also (supposedly) Ji Yeon's date of conception. Let's run down the events of that day:
Sun is found by Michael as she is trying to hide her American driver's license.Sun shares with Michael her plans to run away to America and leave Jin.They hug and share a moment of affection.
They move in for a kiss, but are interrupted.Now, in this Mobisode Sun appears to be wearing the same bikini she wore in the episode ... In Translation, (decide for yourself: video (of Mobisode) and pictures (of ... In Translation)). Jin also appears to be wearing the same shirt.
So, if we assume that the events of ... In Translation take place on the same day, what else happened on this day on the Island?
Jin spots Sun wearing a bikini and orders her to cover up.Michael tries to aid Sun, but she slaps him instead.Jin accuses Sun of having an affair with Michael.Sun later tries to apologise to Michael, claiming the slap was to protect him, but Michael shuns her and resumes working on his raft.There is more conflict between Sun, Michael and Jin when it is assumed that Jin burned Michael's raft. Sun reveals to Jin that she knows Michael's name.
Sawyer and Michael beat Jin, causing Sun to reveal to everyone, Jin included, that she speaks English.Jin, seemingly deciding that his marriage is over, tries to help Michael build a new raft, in a supposed attempt to leave the Island (and Sun) behind.Sun, in a show of freedom from Jin's over-bearing grasp, removes her towel and stands on the beach wearing only her bikini. [insert picture]
Keeping in mind that this is Ji Yeon's supposed date of conception, we have:
Sun's plan to leave Jin freash in her mind.Compassion, friendship and loyalty shown to Sun from Michael.Jin leaving Sun, and suspecting an affair between Sun and Michael.Sun reveling in her new-found freedom.
If this isn't fairly conclusive proof that Michael is Ji Yeon's father, I don't know what is. Which leads me to...
My Answer
I do believe there is a fair chance that Michael is Ji Yeon's father. Although the hints were there in the show, I don't think the writers decided to pursue this as a storyline. To be honest, it has left a worse taste in my mouth writing about it than I had thought it would, and I suspect these are the feelings the writers felt also. The Mobisode "Buried Secrets" seems to allude to this - Michael and Sun nearly kiss, but are interrupted and go about their seperate ways.
I think at one time there was a storyline for another "love triangle" between these three, but the writer's simply cancelled that and tried there best to make it seem conclusive that Jin is Ji Yeon's father. But although I would prefer this to be the truth, I think there is enough evidence there to say that, originally at least, Michael is indeed the father of Ji Yeon. Go back and rewatch There's No Place Like Home Part 1 and Parts 2 & 3. Look specifically in Part 1 at the looks between Sun, Michael and Jin as they first meet since Michael's leaving the Island, and even more closely at the scene in Parts 2 & 3 where Sun reveals to Michael that she is pregnant. Is the fleeting glances between them due to suspicion that Michael may be Ji Yeon's father? I think it is, but the fact it is not verbally mentioned outright alludes to the fact that that specific storyline is gone now and forever. A casuality of the Writer's Strike? Or a case of morality winning over storyline? Whatever the case may be, I believe that Michael is Ji Yeon's father.
So there's my answer. What is yours?
Who is the father of Ji Yeon?
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