Lost - "The Whole Truth"

(I’m back! Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I was dealing with a pesky medical condition for the past two weeks - a double hernia if you must know, stalker fans out there - that rendered me unable to move, let alone spend multiple hours researching and analyzing television programs. I’m finally on the mend now, but far from 100%. Therefore, this will be a shamefully short Blog post, but should serve to get you prepped for the first new episode in a few weeks.

I think the real question is – this medical condition mysteriously pops up the week I post that Balloon picture on my website. Coincidence? Or have I been discovered by Dharma (ABC)? Did they actually implant me with something during the operation to make me less able to skillfully analyze and track down information about this show, or was this a failed murder attempt to silence me? Intriguing…)

Episode Title: “The Whole Truth”

Brian’s Deeper Meaning Guess: The “whole truth” likely refers to two characters on the Island – Sun and Henry Gale. First of, let’s examine Sun…

Since this episode is Sun-centric (how do you know it’s Sun-centric and not Jin-centric? Well, traditionally Jin-centric eps have clever plays on the word “Lost” – see “…in Translation” and “…and Found”, whereas the only Sun episode we’ve gotten was titled “House of the Rising Sun.” Still a pun, but a different kind of pun. But I digress…), there must be something about Sun’s past that we (and Jin) don’t know about. As he learned of her English-speaking last season, the title refers to the fact that there is still something else about her he doesn’t know… but will learn this episode, finally giving him “the whole truth” about her.

However, the far more interesting truth I’m curious about is concerning Henry Gale. It seems that things are coming to a head with him, and the Survivors are going to find out if his story is true or not very soon. I’m thinking this is where the “whole truth” part comes into play. We’ve seen the picture of the balloon. Seemingly, this would prove Henry’s innocence… except this isn’t the “whole truth”. I’m thinking it’s part of an elaborate scheme to cover his tracks, although all of our Survivors will think otherwise – and have some huge moral debate about how they captured and tortured someone just because he was different, they’re becoming animals, etc., etc.

TV Guide Description: Sun wrestles with the thought of telling Jin a newfound secret that threatens to upset the entire balance of the survivors' community. Meanwhile, Locke enlists Ana Lucia to interrogate the prisoner in order to extract more information than he, Jack or Sayid could.

TV Guide Breakdown: In what could take the honor for “Worst Storyline Idea Ever for Lost”, the previews seem to be hinting that Sun is pregnant. Here’s why this is crazy:

1. Each episode lasts a day or two. Season One was 40 days. At this rate, assuming Sun were preggo, it would be Season Four before she started showing, and Season Nine before the baby would be born. Not a good storytelling vehicle for Sun.
2. They already had the “pregnant Survivor” storyline with Claire… and it was pretty dull. I don’t need Sun yelling “they’re after my babay!” every episode for the remainder of the series.
3. I’m all about Willing Suspension of Disbelief… but Sawyer is going to have a pregnancy test on the Island? Really? Okay – perhaps some people travel with medicine and other assorted toiletries – but pregnancy tests? Not bloody likely.

But how would this “threaten to upset the entire balance of the survivors’ community”? Well, if I was a betting man, Sun isn’t sure who the papa is. Jin? Michael? Alfred Hanso? The prospect that someone other than Jin might have been getting to know Sun (in the Biblical sense) would be enough to turn Jin back into the axe-wielding watch-conessuier we saw in last week’s repeat.

(Note: although I didn’t get around to posting about last week’s episode, the obvious intent of airing it was to remind us about Sun and Jin, mainly their turbulent relationship that almost drove Sun to leaving Jin. The two of them have been very lovey-dovey in recent weeks, so this episode served as a stark contrast and reminder of how things between them used to be…)

Then there’s a scene from our last new episode (“Maternity Leave”) that kinda stuck with me.

Claire (in a typical crazy-Claire angry mood): “I’m sorry – are YOU a mother?”
Sun (looking sad): “No. I am not.”

Could it be that Sun had actually been attempting to make babies with Jin before the crash, but was unsuccessful? I’m fairly certain that would add some stress to a relationship, maybe enough to make one person learn a foreign language and try to run away.

Stick with me here. I have a rambing epiphany coming…

So, before the crash, Sun can’t get pregnant. I’m betting that Jin blames Sun for not having a fertile crescent. It’s always the woman’s fault, right? Suddenly, on the Island, she gets knocked up? That means one of two things: either she magically got transformed by the crash (in a Locke-can-now-walk sort of deal), or she cheated on Jin (either with someone on the Island – but I really don’t think the timing for that works out – or before Flight 815) and her pregnancy makes Jin realize two things:

1. It’s not that Sun's crescent wasn't fertile, it's that the fish weren't swimming in his Tigris.
2. His wife cheated on him.

Now that should be enough to drive any man crazy. Thus the upset balance of the Survivors. The end.

Oh wait – there’s still the pesky “Ana-Lucia interrogates Henry Gale” part of the description. Well, we’ve already had a trained Interrogator, a Doctor, a Priest, and a Box Factory Worker talk to Henry without success, might as well bring in a Cop too, right?!

Actually, I think it’s more that Ana-Lucia is already a perceived “outsider” to the group, much like Henry Gale is. She can empathize with him and understand what he’s going through. She probably will believe his story and work to prove him right, whereas everyone else seemed hell-bent on proving him wrong, outing him as “An Other”.


So what’s going to happen? I’m predicting a sub-par Lost episode, a “light episode”, if you will given the intensity and revelations of some of the recent episodes. We’ll learn more of Sun and Jin’s relationship, there will be misunderstandings between them, Ana-Lucia will begin to get a map from Henry Gale and head out with a search party to find it (I think the previews showed Sayid going with her). Predicted ending scene? Finding the balloon! LOST.

However, other than a pesky two week break around Easter, the good news is that we have new Lost now until the end of May. Hooray!

(…and in other Blog news, all my pictures are back! New readers to the site, bask in the glory of technicolor images of previous episodes!)