The Lost Blog

Key Points from "House of the Rising Sun"

Season 1, Episode 6
Episode Air Date: 10/27/04

Point 1
Island There was a lot of character interplay this week, so I'll be altering the Key Points format a bit. Instead of single character wrap-ups, you'll now get two characters for one low, low price. in the future this format will appear and disappear as developments warrant.

Before we get into the nitty gritty, let's set the scene. The Island is breaking into two factions. On one side we've got the Beach Dwellers. Led by Sayid, this group holds out hope that a passing plane or boat will spot their meager bonfires from thousands of miles away. What they don't realize is that ABC picked up the show for 22 episodes. They won't be saved for at least a year.

The Beach Dweller roster currently includes:

  • Sayid
  • Kate
  • Sawyer
  • Michael
  • Walt
  • Assorted secondary characters
On the opposite end of the Island Political Spectrum we find the Valley Dwellers. Led by Jack, the Valley folk have concluded that a quick rescue isn't likely. Instead of roasting on a beach that's far from the island's only known water source, this group opts to resettle within a series of caves on the banks of a fresh water stream. But there's a problem: The stream and caves are nestled beneath a dense tree canopy, so there's absolutely no chance a passing plane will spot the castaways.

The Valley Dweller party includes:

  • Jack
  • Locke
  • Charlie
  • Sun
  • Jin
  • Hurley
  • Assorted secondary character
Shannon, Boone and Claire appear to be undecided because none of them are seen. Maybe they joined the Green Jungle Party.

One other island development: Kate and Jack discover two dried-up corpses in the caves near the water supply. Jack estimates the bodies (one male, one female) have been decaying for 40 or 50 years. Locke names the pair Adam and Eve. Locke is a freaky guy.

Point 2
Sun
Jin
This week's episode cracked open Sun and Jin's backstory. Here are the highlights:
  • Sun is a rich girl with a powerful and traditional father (You're a rich girl, and you've gone too far, 'Cause you know it don't matter anyway). Jin is a poor boy with limited means. The two fall into a secret relationship that becomes not-so-secret when Jin asks Sun's father for his marriage blessing. Somehow, Jin works his voodoo and convinces Sun's old man to allow the pairing. Happiness and joy ensue. But there's a hitch ...
  • ... and that hitch is that Jin has to work for Sun's dad. In normal rich families this would force Jin into mid-level management. But this is "Lost" and no one has a normal life. So of course Jin becomes a henchman for his father-in-law, and of course Jin's new line of employment stirs up trouble at home.
  • Over the years, Sun has either intentionally ignored her father's unsavory business practices or she was too dumb to notice. Either way, when she discovers Jin's job, she begins developing a plan that will release her from the clutches of her murderous husband her evil father (Note: her father is never seen). The plan's full details are a little fuzzy, but they appear to involve secret English lessons and some sort of rendezvous at the airport. That rendezvous is scheduled to take place at 11:15 a.m. sharp. Why do I know this? Because Sun repeats "11:15" over and over and over for no apparent reason -- which means there HAS TO BE A REASON. I just don't know what it is.
  • So Sun spends months developing this intricate plan. The day finally arrives. She and Jin are at the airport (the same airport where Jack tearfully asks an airline attendant to let his dead daddy fly on the plane). The clock is ticking. Jin is distracted. 11:15 comes ... and then it goes! Sun drops the ball! Instead of racing to freedom she opts to rejoin Jin in a waiting line. And to top it all off, the plane she wasn't supposed to be on ends up crashing on a deserted island. Clearly, it sucks to be Sun.
Sun and Jin had their fair share of island events as well. Here's yet another rundown:
  • The episode opens with Jin inexplicably racing toward the water to deliver a stunning open field tackle on Michael. Jin whips Michael into the surf and unleashes a torrent of punches and drowning attempts. The attack attracts a fair share of onlookers, but no one races to Michael's rescue. Walt screams in English and Sun screams in Korean, but that's about it. Finally, Sayid and Sawyer emerge from the backfield and burn into the surf to converge on Jin. He goes down harder than Drew Bledsoe.The murder attempt is thwarted but a big question remains: What the hell got into Jin?
  • And here's the answer to that question: Jin recognized the watch on Michael's wrist as that of his former employer (Sun's father). He deemed Michael a thief and determined that death by salt water was the only fitting punishment. What Jin failed to realize was that Michael found the watch amidst the plane wreckage (yeah, remember that plane crash, Jin?). The truth is that Michael didn't steal the watch, nor did he know where it came from.
  • The watch stuff is mildly interesting, but it was merely a means to an end. And what's that end? It's the revelation that Sun speaks English. She exposes her secret to Michael (marking the second time she's exposed something to him). Using her exceptional language skills, she convinces Michael to return the watch and set Jin free (he had been handcuffed to a piece of plane wreckage following the surf attack). But there's something more to this conversation. Sun clearly asks Michael for help and I don't think that help ended with Jin's release. Hmm.
Point 3
kate
jack
The "Lost" island can summon snarling polar bears and create unseen monsters. This week we learn it can also dramatically accelerates a couple's relationship trajectory.

Jack and Kate have vaulted right past the getting-to-know you stage. They're now engaged in full-blown flirting. It's the kind of flirting everyone is noticing. Consider these pithy comments:

Charlie: "When you guys finish verbally copulating we should get a move on."

Hurley: "Are you guys gonna move into a cave together or what?"

The height of Jack-Kate flirtation comes in an early scene.Jack, Kate, Charlie and Locke are gathering water at the newly-discovered stream. Charlie steps out for a little pick-me-up (i.e. drugs), but he accidentally clomps on a bee hive. Angry bees zip around, sending the four characters in different (and very convenient) directions. Locke and Charlie go one way. Jack and Kate go another. And of course, Jack and Kate rush back to the water source and of course both whip off their shirts and run beneath waterfalls. And of course both blame their disrobing on bees. For those keeping track at home, the Unnecessary Partial Nudity Tally now stands at:

Kate: 2 (shirt off in the first episode; shirt off in this episode)
Jack: 2 (shirt off in the first episode; shirt off in this episode)
But here's the weird thing: Jack and Kate spend the first half of the episode making goo-goo eyes at each other, but all that happy fluffy stuff falls right off a cliff when Jack campaigns to move the camp into the valley. Kate gets that sullen Kate look (you know the look: pouty lips, thousand-mile stare) and tells Jack she can't "dig in." Jack tries to prod kate for information, going so far as to bring up her past, but Kate slams the door on the inquiry: "You had your chance to know." BLAM! Lovey dovey time is now over.

At the end of the episode Jack takes custody of the valley and Kate remains in the beach house.

Point 4
Kate
Sawyer
Yup. I put Kate and Sawyer together. Here's my reasoning: I don't think these two will shack up (not until season 3 or so when the writers try to get past the Jack-Kate thing in the same way "Friends" scribes tried to ditch Ross and Rachel), but I do think Sawyer has a low-down dirty feeling for Kate. He's trying to cover it by asking Kate how she feels being stuck in a love triangle between Jack and Sayid (what?), but we all know that triangle is shaped like a square and Sawyer is the fourth corner.
Point 5
Kate
Sayid
I'm only pairing these two because Sawyer brought it up. If you want an explanation, ask Sawyer. I haven't picked up any love vibes between Kate and Sayid. Am I mistaken? Anyone?
Point 6
Locke
Charlie
Charlie and Locke form the week's most unlikely pair. They share two important moments:
  1. Following Charlie's bee incident, Locke opts to keep him in his sight (excellent idea). Charlie isn't too keen about that since he wants to sneak off to dope up. But Locke has an ace up his sleeve. "I know who you are and I know what you're looking for." Charlie stops in his tracks -- that first part really perks his ears up because he's been desperately waiting for someone to recognize him as the bassist from Driveshaft. And lo and behold, that someone turns out to be Locke (yes, Locke -- WHO IS THIS GUY?). It's a slick manuever on Locke's part because it knocks down Charlie's defenses and eventually allows Locke to confront Charlie about his drug habit.
  2. The drug confrontation leads to an odd exchange that revolves around Charlie reuniting with his guitar. Locke asks Charlie if he misses playing, Charlie, as you'd expect, laments the loss of his beloved instrument. "You'll see it again," Locke says. And dammit if he doesn't see it again. In a later scene, Locke switches into Obi-Wan mode: "What I know is that this island just might give you what you're looking for, but you have to give the island something." Charlie hands over his drug baggie. Locke points up. AND THERE'S THE GUITAR resting comfortably on a nearby hill.
Point 7
Sayid
Walt
At first Michael and Walt danced around each other like strangers, but their father-son dynamic is starting to grow. Case in point: The two had their first pissing match:
Walt: "When's my birthday."

Michael: "August 24th. When's mine?"

Walt: SILENCE

Michael: "Yeaaaaah. That's right! Who's your daddy, Walt?! WHO'S...YOUR...DADDY!"*

Well, that's not exactly how it played out, but the whole birthday thing does show forward progress. If Michael can avoid homicidal Korean henchmen, he and Walt just might make it.

That's it for now. Be sure to drop by our "Lost" Forum for stimulating conversation and conjecture.

Next Episode:
"The Moth" -- Locke holds Charlie's hand through detox: Jack gets trapped in a cave; and someone could be blocking the castaways' efforts to find the source of the mysterious radio transmission. Airs: Wednesday, Nov. 3, 8 p.m., ABC.


Review by Mac Slocum. All photos and episode descriptions © ABC Inc.


The watch stuff is mildly interesting, but it was merely a means to an end. And what's that end? It's the revelation that Sun speaks English?

#1. Posted by: david at August 3, 2006 5:11 AM

Reading old recaps Mac!
You predicted a Kate / Sawyer hook up in Season 3. You da man!!!

#2. Posted by: onelostdude at April 26, 2007 7:23 PM

Nice review, and good call on the Kate/Sawyer shacking up in Season 3.

#3. Posted by: James at June 2, 2007 8:08 PM

This proves that mac can call 'em! Adam and Eve have been one of the mysteries I would really love to see explained.

#4. Posted by: meg at March 29, 2008 10:37 AM