For a show like "Lost," keeping things fresh and innovative is not only important, but essential to keep their high level of popularity and high acclaim. From the very first episode it boasted in-depth flashbacks, usually focusing on one of the characters and their very convoluted back story.

In the third season finale, the writers took it to a new level by introducing flashforwards, a move that was both unanticipated and applauded. Last week's episode, "Ji Yeon," added a third twist to these flashes by having a flashforward running simultaneously with a flashback.

It appeared at first that the two characters in question -- the married Korean couple Sun and Jin -- were experiencing the same flash until the last 15 minutes revealed that Jin's was in the past and Sun's was in the future. Jin is seen running around trying to find a panda bear. The audience assumes it is for Sun, who is in the future an Oceanic 6 member (the final one) and goes into labor with their daughter Ji Yeon. What does this mean? Well, apparently bad things for Jin, if the last scene in a graveyard indicates, but as any fan can tell you, death is rarely the ending for a character on "Lost." Since no one is certain what happened to the characters who are not part of the Oceanic 6, Jin could very well be sipping Dharma beer with Sawyer on the beach while his daughter is being born.

In the present time, Sun is starting to fear that the Boaties are not actually there to rescue anyone. She is anxious, pregnant, and decides to move to Locke's camp. Juliet is very adamant that she stay at the beach, reiterating that pregnant woman die on the Island, and the only chance Sun has is to get rescued. Sun is a very headstrong woman, but she finds her match in Juliet, who knows the dirty truth of Sun's affair, which she tells Jin to keep them on the beach. It works beautifully and throws a heavy fork into the otherwise harmonious marriage. With a little pep talk from Bernard, Jin makes his peace with Sun, and Juliet persuades her to stay ... for now. This may have been the right decision for her, considering Sun is one of the six that leave the Island, but at what cost?

Elsewhere on the freighter off shore, Sayid and Desmond are still being held prisoner. They hear strange clanging from part of the ship, and witness a crew member committing suicide right before their eyes. They meet the captain of the ship, a strangely honest man who implies that Mr. Ben Linus is responsible for the false 815 ship at the bottom of the ocean. Who should they believe? Who is lying? Is everyone lying? It's just an average day for the poor battered Losties.

This was yet another heart-wrenching episode, and it is genuinely beautiful to see how the relationship between Jin and Sun has changed through the seasons. In the beginning, he was the angry, overprotective spouse who shouted at her and refused to let her wear revealing clothing. Sun was the secretive, submissive wife who was planning to run away and had an affair with her English tutor. They have come so far together since then, and it is specifically wonderful to see the difference in Jin. His coldness toward her and bittersweet feelings of inadequacy due to their class differences often made Jin a difficult character to like. For him to acknowledge his bad behavior, and to forgive Sun, is the kind of maturity one would hope to see in a loving couple.

Oh, by the way, Michael is back. Yeah. That Michael. The one that murdered Ana Lucia and Libby, rescued Ben, and sold out Kate, Jack and Sawyer to the Others. He was last seen sailing away with his son Walt, and now he's on the ship pretending to be a man named Kevin Johnson. If you have as many questions as the rest of us, you will have to wait until this week's episode aptly named "Meet Kevin Johnson."

Meet him? We want to beat him first, and then ask questions!

Story by Chelsea 'Dee' Doyle
Starpulse contributing writer