The Package (S6X10)
Airdate: 30 March 2010
Written by: Paul Zbyzewski & Graham Roland
Directed by: Paul Edwards
Running Time: 42 minutes
With Lost merely a handful of episodes away from its monumental finale, the series’ creators were by this stage less concerned with weaving a coherent or realistic narrative, and more focused on delivering closing checkmarks. These came either in the form of long-sought answers to the show’s dense mythology, or as fan service in the shape of episodes dedicated to specific characters. The Package, the tenth episode of the final season, is a prime example of the latter approach, offering a Jin- and Sun-centric hour that feels more like a contractual obligation to complete their arc than a naturally evolving piece of the story. Whilst it dutifully advances the plot towards the endgame, the episode is marred by contrivance, melodrama, and a flash-sideways narrative that increasingly resembles subpar fan fiction.
The characters in question are, of course, Jin-Soo and Sun-Hwa Kwon. Their years-long physical separation on the Island in 2007 provides the episode’s primary source of tension, but the script by Paul Zbyszewski and Graham Roland spends equal time on their happier, united selves in the 2004 alternate timeline. This flash-sideways narrative confirms that these versions are, in certain telling details, quite distinct from the characters audiences have followed for five seasons. Their trip to Los Angeles via Oceanic Flight 815 had a very different purpose: Jin was, as in the original timeline, tasked with delivering a valuable watch to Mr. Paik’s business partners, whilst Sun claimed to be going shopping. In reality they were using the opportunity for a clandestine love affair, being unmarried and defying Sun’s tyrannical father. This setup initially offers a sweet, if simplistic, inversion of their original story. However, any subtlety is swiftly abandoned when Keamy—another resurrected face from the past—arrives at their hotel. Due to the couple’s inability to speak English, he brings along the alternate version of Mikhail Bakunin to act as a Korean interpreter. The convoluted reveal is that Keamy has been hired by Mr. Paik, who is aware of the affair and is determined to punish his employee for daring to mess with his daughter. Jin is taken to the same restaurant wher he will be found by Sayid. In a neat but unearned callback, Sayid helps him free himself and then walks away. Jin reunites with Sun, but in a tragically forced twist, they become embroiled in a shootout with Mikhail, who is killed. Sun is shot in the abdomen and, in a moment of high melodrama, reveals she is pregnant. This entire subplot feels engineered for shock value rather than character insight, and the inclusion of Mikhail stretches the credibility of the flash-sideways device to breaking point.
Back in the regular 2007 timeline, Jin and Sun remain tragically separated. Both, however, are now pawns in the Man in Black’s grand design, as he must gather all six candidates to leave the Island. His attempt to recruit Sun is ends in her terrified flight and leads to her hitting her head on a branch. The resulting aphasia—which renders her unable to speak English, forcing her to communicate with Jack via written notes. It exists solely to prolong the couple’s separation and inject a cheap, medicalised dose of pathos into an already overwrought situation. Meanwhile, the Man in Black also loses Jin, who is captured during a raid by Charles Widmore’s team. Jin is tranquillised and taken to Hydra Island, where Widmore attempts to woo him to his side. In a scene that leverages the audience’s emotional investment, Widmore shows Jin digital photographs of his daughter, Ji Yeon, and explains that allowing the Man in Black to leave would precipitate a global catastrophe. This plot thread is arguably the episode’s strongest, as it logically positions Widmore not as a mere villain, but as a ruthless pragmatist preparing for an apocalyptic war. The Man in Black, observing the sonic pylons protecting Hydra Island, later dispatches Sayid to infiltrate the submarine and discover the nature of Widmore’s mysterious “package”. The final reveal that it is Desmond Hume is a genuinely effective cliffhanger, promising to reintroduce a key player into the endgame.
To its credit, the script by Zbyszewski and Roland generally succeeds in providing a credible path for the plot to advance towards the finish line. With very few mysteries left unresolved and the stakes now fully revealed, the episode sensibly focuses on solidifying the three factions—the remnants of Jacob’s followers, Widmore’s expedition, and the Man in Black’s forces—that will clash in the final act. The temporary alliances formed here, make tactical and strategic sense. They feel born of necessity rather than the irrational character swings that plagued earlier seasons, demonstrating a welcome narrative discipline amidst the gathering storm.
Nevertheless, The Package ultimately suffers from an over-reliance on plot convenience and a tendency towards soap-operatic excess. Sun’s aphasia is a purely mechanical obstacle, whilst the flash-sideways narrative devolves into a parade of familiar faces. The appearance of Mikhail, yet another alternate-timeline version of a deceased character, makes the 2004 Los Angeles setting feel increasingly claustrophobic and artificial—less like a thoughtful exploration of destiny, and more like bad fan fiction. The shooting of Sun in this timeline, the first instance of such violence befalling a flash-sideways character, is similarly overmelodramatic, prioritising a cheap “gotcha” moment over meaningful development.
The Package functions as a necessary, if clumsily executed, piece of narrative logistics. It moves the key players into position for the final confrontation and delivers a handful of effective moments, particularly in the 2007 timeline. However, its flaws are symptomatic of Lost’s final season struggles: a preference for checklist completion over organic storytelling, and a willingness to sacrifice character integrity for manufactured drama. For an episode centred on one of the show’s most beloved couples, it offers surprisingly little heart, leaving the viewer with the distinct impression that, for Jin and Sun, the journey’s end cannot come soon enough.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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