The Losties face an incredibly tough decision: head to the caves or stay on the beach. In flashbacks, Sun is faced with a strikingly similar decision — one path might lead to her rescue while the other commits her indefinitely to an unpleasant situation.
If that parallel was intentional then major credit goes to writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach.
The overall writing is good but not phenomenal. Deductions for Jack stating "40 to 50 years" on the degradation of clothing on Adam and Eve. I don't think doctors are trained in radiocarbon dating via naked eye, so I'm not sure it was wise to put that estimate in the script and effectively handcuff the writers (pun intended, think Jin in this episode).
There's one particular situation that really nags me, almost to the point where I question whether it's shaky writing or bad editing:
Jack and Kate launch a persuasion campaign to bring people to the caves. Sawyer asks Kate what her own decision will be, she indicates she's conflicted. A bit later, Jack stops by to check on her and she's suddenly hostile toward him. She says she's staying put, he reacts incredulously. Finally he asks her what exactly she did (before Oceanic 815) and she replies, "You had your chance to know."
I have no idea where her sudden cold shoulder came from, as there was no incident between her and Jack that would justify it. If I'm missing something I hope someone will fill me in.
Yunjin Kim rose to the challenge of her first centric, particularly in the airport scene where she faces her agonizing decision. The pain written across her face is entirely credible. Daniel Dae Kim held steady but really didn't have much of a chance to flex much acting muscle.
Bonus points for Harold Perrineau's fantastic performance. He's got some laugh-out-loud lines this time around, particularly when he realizes Sun speaks English. Also got a laugh when he returned the watch to Jin, stating it was "ridiculous because time doesn't mean anything on a damn island!?"
The flashback scenes feature deep, rich colors at Mr. Paik's residence, giving us enough eye candy to believe we're in Korea. That counts for something. The caves were an impressive (and expensive) set design, almost downright cozy if I do say so myself.
Slight deductions for the CGI bees, which weren't horrible but could've been better.
Other than the Adam and Eve discovery there aren't many moments in this episode that are iconic by LOST standards. The conflict between Sun, Jin, and Mr. Paik is interesting but it's well-covered over the course of the series. I'm not suggesting it's a chore to re-watch this ep many times, but it doesn't have the same sentimental value of previous eps.
I thought the Losties' tough decision — moving in or staying put — was fairly engaging. It got my own mental gears spinning as I determined what my own decision would be in those exact circumstances (I'm leaning toward the beach).
Bonus points for the cave atmosphere and the intrigue of the black/white rocks.
Deductions for the 180 pulled by Kate, which may have been the first time I became irritated with her character. To decide to stay on the beach was one thing, but it irritated me that she'd act like it's some kind of gift to find out what she had done. Jack "had his chance" to know? Please.
Another deduction for Willie Nelson's "Are You Sure" for the closing montage. Not a bad song on its own merits and the lyrics were obviously relevant, but it completely clashes with the episode's atmosphere and caused a brief spike on my cheese radar. I remember thinking the first time around, "Ut oh, I hope they don't abuse these musical montages. This isn't VH-1."
