LOST: “What Kate Does”

Photo Credit: ABC/Mario Perez.

Read on for my live blog, edited with comments, for Lost 6×03, aired February 9th, 2010:

When we last left off, Juliet had died … again.  Sawyer blamed Jack for Juliet’s death, even though pretty much all the Losties are to blame, for going along with him.  So easily led into crazy, that group.  Flocke (i.e. the Smoke Monster) had told everyone that he was disappointed in them, and dragged Richard away from the beach.  And then Sayid had come back to life.  Sadly, we didn’t get to see Flocke in this episode, or any of the Ajira passengers.  Instead, we picked up where we left off in the Temple, following the resurrection of Sayid.

• We open on “Glasses,” who shall from now on be referred to as Lennon (played by John Hawkes) and “Boss Man,” whom we learn later is named Dogen (played by  Hiroyuki Sanada).  Lennon informs his surly superior, “He’s alive.”
• At Sayid’s side, Hurley exclaims, “Dude, you’re alive!”  Jack tells Hurley to get some water, and asks Sayid how he’s feeling.  Sayid is feeling a little “light headed.”  I’ll bet.  He asks Jack what happened to him.  Jack doesn’t sugar coat it: “You died.”  Looking on, Sawyer mutters to Kate, dripping with sarcasm and bitterness: “Of course he’s fine.  He’s an Iraqi torturer who shoots kids.  He definitely deserves another go around.”  Aw, he clearly is thinking that it’s not fair that Sayid came back from death, but Juliet can’t.  Agreed, Sawyer.  Life sucks.  Also, Sawyer questions Kate about the number of guards outside, and clearly is preparing to escape.
• At LAX, we pick up slightly before we left off with Kate.  She gets in the cab, driven by the creepy puppet master from Heroes—a cab already taken by Claire.  Kate puts a gun to the driver’s head to get him to drive, but Arzt is in the way.  I love that he is annoying in every timeline.  He has dropped all his luggage in the middle of the crosswalk, and is impeding Kate’s escape.  As Kate impatiently stresses out, she sees Jack and recognizes him.  She also refuses to allow Claire to exit the cab.  Why?  The Marshal already saw her get in it, so he must have the license plate, right?  Anyways, they finally make it out of the airport, and onto a main road.  The cab driver abandons the cab as soon as possible, leaving the pregnant woman behind with the armed woman.  Nice.  Kate gets up front, orders Claire to give up her purse, and then kicks her (not literally) out of the cab.  When Claire is out of the cab, it is clear that she is very pregnant.
• At the temple, Sayid is brought outside.  He wonders where they are, and who the people holding them captive are.  Hurley, ever helpful: “It’s the Others, dude.  They caught us, again.”  What else is new?  Also, Hurley adds that he thinks that the Others are trying to help them.  Miles snarks: “As you can see, Hurley has assumed a leadership position, so that’s great.”  I heart Miles and his dry humor.  Hee.  Sayid thanks Jack for saving his life, even though it was totally Hurley and Jacob and the magic water.  The Others approach, and Jack steps up and is leader-like, for the first time in a long time.  Hmmm.  I’m just not sure what to think about Jack these days.  Jack questions them, but they won’t spill.  Lennon: “Once we’ve spoken to Mr. Jarrah, we’ll be happy to tell you what you want.”  Jack isn’t willing to accept that, so he fights back, and is restrained.  Then, all of a sudden Sawyer gets a gun and points it at the Others.  But he’s not trying to save Jack, obviously.  Instead, he’s leaving.  I don’t blame him, as the Temple is super creepy.  Dogen tells him that he has to stay.  Sawyer: “No, I don’t.  Don’t come after me.”  But does Kate listen?  No.  Does she ever?  No.  I wonder how many crises would have been averted if Kate just decided not to follow Jack or Sawyer.  My guess is a lot.  Also, why do the Others even want Sawyer to stay?
• Once Sawyer is gone, the Others still have guns trained on the leftover Losties.  Lennon asks, “Where did Ford go?”  Kate says that she can bring him back and make him stay.  Really, Kate?  And why do you want to?  [It's clearly a ploy to escape, but there seems to be more to it.]  Jin volunteers to go with her.  [His volunteering is later explained by the fact that he wants to find Sun.]  Lennon wonders why Kate thinks Sawyer will listen to her.  Kate: “I can be very convincing when I want to be.”  I think Kate is living in the past.  He’s not in love with her anymore (at least I hope), so I doubt her tricks will work.
• In Los Angeles, Kate pulls her gun on a mechanic.  Hey, it’s the creepy vamp Kralick from the Buffy episode “Helpless.”   Jeff Kober also played Rack, who corrupted Willow in season six of Buffy.  He is much less creepy here, but I keep expecting him to go psycho.  Kate offers him $200 to take her cuffs off, and he obliges.  Kralick: “So why the bracelets?”  Kate: “I’m wanted for murder.”  Kralick: “Murder?”  Kate: “You don’t have somewhere I can change do you?”  Kralick: “Bathroom’s over there.  Make it quick.”  Kate opens Claire’s bag, and it contains a Polaroid photo of Claire.  Um, yeah, I travel with a Polaroid of myself in my bag all the time.  Not.  Weird.  Kate also sees a stuffed animal orca.  The combination of the two clearly turns Kate into a sap, and guarantee that she’ll go back to find Claire.  But is there an added significance to the toy?  Was that in one of the future flash forwards, or something?
• Back at the temple, Kate is getting ready to go.  She tells Jack: “I’ll take care of James. You take care of Sayid.”  Since when does she call him James?  Anyway, she and Jack have a moment, but it is pretty darn vague, and Kate is the most wishy-washy character on the planet, so I have no idea what the moment means.
• Elsewhere at the Others’ camp, Dogen blows powder over Sayid’s body.  Sayid is hooked up to some old fashioned machine, to his brain.  Dogen uses the weird contraption to shock Sayid with electric volts.  Ick.  Sayid: “Why?  Why are you doing this?”  Dogen doesn’t answer, but instead heats a poker in the fire, and burns Sayid with it.  Is this like his karma for torturing him?  Also, Sayid totally cries.  I expected better of him.  Shouldn’t Sayid be able to withstand torture, as a torturer himself?  Finally, it seems that the torture is over, and Lennon apologizes to Sayid: “I’m sorry we had to put you through that.  It was a test.  We had to be sure.”  Sure of what?  [From later conversations, it seems that they were determining whether he was “infected.”]  Lennon also tells Sayid not to worry, as he “passed.”   When Sayid is gone, however, Lennon turns to Dogen and asks, “I just lied to him, didn’t I?”  Dogen: “Yes.”
• Meanwhile, in L.A., Kate brings Claire back her stuff.  She notes: “Relax, I didn’t take your money.”  Claire is not exactly overcome with gratitude, as Kate held a gun to her: “Gee, thanks.”  Kate asks where Claire was going, and Claire tells her not to worry about it.  Kate has the nerve to be offended.  Sigh.  Claire is clearly feeling lost and alone, as she then tells Kate that she was going to meet the couple who is adopting her baby.  So the adoption storyline continues in this timeline.  Kate offers her a ride.  It would be cool if Kate delivered Claire’s baby in this timeline too. [And she does ... sort of.]
• On the island, Jin and Kate walk through the jungle with two of Others.  One of them is a real jerk, and really hates Kate.  Kate corrects him when he tries to lead them one, way: “No, that’s a decoy trail.  He went this way.”  The other Other (oh no, we’re back to this again) tells the jerk Other, whose name is revealed to be Aldo, that Kate’s right.  Then Kate almost steps on one of Rousseau’s traps … or is it.  The Other notes, “She’s been dead for years [...]“  Right.  So this is three years after Rousseau was killed, because this timeline is at the same time as the Ajira flight arrival. Then, Aldo reveals that he knows Kate, but she just doesn’t remember him.  He notes that three years ago Kate staged a prison break, and knocked him out with the butt of his rifle.  Oh please.  Kate has knocked countless people out with guns, dude.  You are not special.  How is he still bitter about that?  So much worse stuff must have happened to him since then, given the craziness of the island.  [Especially once we learn that Claire has taken Danielle’s place as the resident crazy chick.]  Also, Aldo  shouldn’t have given Kate any ideas, as Kate knocks him out with a gun … again.  Idiot.  Poor Jin asks what she’s doing.  Kate: “Escaping.”  Jin, I urge that you do that too—just don’t go whatever way Kate goes, because that way leads to trouble.
• Back at the Temple, Sayid is back with his friends.  He tells Hurley and Jack that the Others tortured him.  They wonder why.  Sayid: “I don’t know.  They didn’t ask me any questions.”  Yeah, that would have been a clue.  Jack gets up, and tells the Others standing nearby to step aside.
• Jack goes to see Lennon and Dogen.  Jack: “What the hell did you do to Sayid?”  Dogen says something, and Lennon says that the closest translation is that Sayid is “infected.”   Dogen says some more, and Lennon translates: “He says, ‘you have to give your friend this pill.’”  Jack wonders why they don’t just give Sayid the pill.  Lennon: “Because it won’t work unless he takes it willingly.”  Hmmm.  Why not?  Jack: “I’m not going to give anything to Sayid, unless I know what’s in it.”  Dogen decides to speak up in English: “Tell me, Shephard, how did your friend get shot?”  Jack says he was helping him.  Oh, Jack loves to be the martyr.  Like Sayid was really doing it for Jack, and for no other reason.  Dogen notes that others (not the capital “O” type Others though) were probably hurt helping Jack as well, and concludes: “Then this is your chance to redeem yourself.  It’s medicine, and your friend needs it.”  Hmmm.  Jack: “What happens if I don’t give it to him?”  Boss: “The infection will spread.”  [Could this be a reference to “the sickness,” which Danielle talked about?  In “The Little Prince,” we saw Danielle’s team turn on her.  Were they infected in the same way as Sayid?  And is the infection the fault of the Smoke Monster?  Later we learn that Claire is also “infected.”  Was Christian Shephard infected too?  He appeared with Claire in Jacob’s cabin.  Is that why his body disappeared?  Because he got resurrected, but it didn’t go so well?]
• Jack returns to Sayid.  Sayid says that all he remembers is that he was shot.  Hurley: “You’re not a zombie, right?”  Ha!  I love Hurley.  Sayid: “No, I am not a zombie.”  It’s not like he’d admit it though.  Jack rather obviously indicates for Hurley and Miles to leave.  Miles notes that they’ll be in the food court, and Hurley makes a hilarious comment about Jack’s private talks creeping him out.  Yes, like Kate following people, Jack and Sayid plotting secretly always lead to injury.  Once our comedic relief is (tragically) gone, Sayid notes: “They told me that it was some sort of test, that I passed.  Clearly I didn’t.”  OK, there’s still some humor left.  Jack tells him about the medicine.  He also admits that he didn’t have anything to do with saving Sayid’s life.  Sayid: “I don’t care who fixed me.  All I care about is who I trust.  So if you want me to take that pill, Jack, I’ll do it.”  So will he take it?  [No.]
• Meanwhile, in the jungle, Kate admits that she never planned to back to the Temple.  Enough about you and your plans, Kate.  What about Sun and Jin reconciling?  Don’t you even care?  I thought Sun was your friend.  Jin is under the same mistaken impression I was: “Sun was on that plane too.  And I have to find her.”  Kate says that the Others don’t care about them.  Duh, and nobody asked.  She wishes him good luck.  Jin asks, “Once you catch up with Sawyer, then what?”  Kate: “I guess we’ll figure that out together.”  [Um, I don’t think so.]
• Back in L.A., Claire asks what happened to Kate’s handcuffs.  Obviously, she got them off.  Sigh.  Claire notes: “It’s a beautiful neighborhood.  I’m sure they’re a nice couple.”  Yep, because people who live in beautiful neighborhoods are always nice.  Riiiight.  Claire also seems to be having some doubts, but is clearly in denial.  When they arrive at the house, she asks if Kate will go in with her.  Kate: “Are you kidding me?”  Claire: “Please, I just really don’t want to go up there alone.”  Claire goes to the door and introduces herself.  However, the woman is not happy to see her.  The woman explains: “I’m so sorry.  My husband, he left me.  And believe me, I wanted the baby so much, but I can’t do it alone.  I’m sorry.”  Claire almost looks relieved, but then she gets a little angry: “So you just changed your mind?”  Kate chimes in: “She came all the way from Australia, and you don’t call?”  Good point.  Suddenly, Claire screams, “Ah, it’s coming.”  She is in labor!
• Back on the island, Kate goes to New Otherton.  It seem that she’s at the site where Claire’s house blew up, but I guess the explosion would have been three years ago, so who knows.  She enters a house, and finds Sawyer in the bedroom sifting through the rubble.  She stands outside the doorway spying.  He finds a shoe box, which he was clearly looking for, and pulls something out.  [An engagement ring for Juliet.  Sad.]  Kate looks on sadly, but she is still spying.  Sawyer hears her and pulls a gun on her.  He decides not to shoot when he sees that it’s Kate.  He asks what she’s doing there.  Kate: “I was worried about you.”  Sawyer doesn’t respond, and brushes past her.  I hope that Kate will just let him have some space and grieve.  [She won’t.  Sigh.]
• In L.A., Kate brings Claire to the hospital, and stays with her.  Once Claire is settled, Kate goes out to find the doctor … and it’s frakin’ Ethan!  Ethan doesn’t recognize Kate in this timeline: “Yes, I’m Doctor Goodspeed.”  Wow, I don’t even know what to make of this.  I guess he left the island when he was a baby, and never came back?  He enters Claire’s room and asks if she’s ready to have her baby.  He explains: “If you want, you can have your baby tonight.  […]  I just don’t want to stick you with needles if I don’t have to [Ha!], so it’s up to you.”  This is all just so surreal.  Claire says that she’s not ready.  Then, however, something seems to go wrong.  Claire is overwrought: “What are you saying?  What’s happening to my baby?”  The doctor does some stuff, and then Claire asks, “Is Aaron ok?”  So, she decides to go with Aaron in this timeline too.  Ethan tells her that everything is fine, and notes: “I have a feeling that Aaron is going to be a handful.”  Claire looks happy and relieved, and Kate holds her hand.  It’s cool to see the parallel between this episode and “Do No Harm,” in season one, where Kate helped deliver Claire’s baby.  In a way, Kate helps deliver Claire’s baby in this timeline too, though Aaron has not yet been born.
• Back on the island, Sawyer sits on the dock, grieving.  Kate goes out there too.  And she makes it about her, again: “A couple days ago, you asked me why I came back to the island.  [Like he cares about that now.]  I need to find Claire.  […]  Maybe if we could find her and bring her back to Aaron, then all of this wouldn’t be for nothing.”  Sawyer doesn’t respond.  Kate asks: “That was your house, right?  With Juliet?  I’m sorry.”  Sawyer: “You already said that.”  Kate: “No.  If I hadn’t come back for you on the sub …”  Sawyer: “It’s not your fault that she’s dead.  It’s mine.  She was sitting right there … and I convinced her to stay.  I made her stay on this island, because I didn’t want to be alone.  You understand that, right?  But I think that some of us are meant to be alone.”  He is holding a ring, and he says that he was going to ask her to marry him.  Then he throws it into the water.  Before walking away, he notes: You can probably make it back to the Temple by night fall.”  Kate sits alone on the dock and bursts into tears.  While this was all very powerful stuff on Sawyer’s end, this did nothing to make Kate’s character more sympathetic.  Honestly, I have no idea what is going on in that head of hers. Is she genuinely feeling guilty?  Is she heartbroken that Sawyer doesn’t love her?  Or is she upset about Claire?  Or what?
• Back at the Others’ camp, Dogen plays with a baseball, as Jack enters.  Jack: “What’s that?”  Dogen: “It’s a baseball.”  Oh goodness, now the writers are making me question a simple baseball.  Jack notes, “You speak pretty good English for someone who needs a translator.”  Dogen: “We both know that I don’t need a translator.”  Dogen explains that he needs to keep a distance from his people, so that they will follow his orders and not question his decisions.  Jack should have totally pretended not to speak English three years ago.  Maybe everyone wouldn’t have turned on him and followed Locke.  Jack: “Who are you?”  Dogen: “My name is Dogen.”  He couldn’t say his name last episode?  Dogen says that he was “brought here, like everyone else.”  Jack asks what the means.  Dogen: “You know what I mean.”  Um, do we really?  Dogen knows that Jack didn’t give his friend the pill, and says that he will die.  Jack notes the obvious: “He already died.”  He then asks what is in it.  Dogen: “You just have to trust me.”  Jack: “I don’t trust myself.  How am I supposed to trust you?  Let’s see where trust gets us?”  At that, he takes the pill!  Dogen chokes it out of him, however.  Jack: “Now, are you going to tell me what’s in it?”  Dogen: “Poison.”  Dun dun dun.
• In L.A., at the hospital, a couple cops come into Claire’s room to ask about Joan Hart.  Joan Hart was the alias Kate used to sign into the hospital, and it’s also an alias she used in “Born to Run” in season one.  Claire says she doesn’t know where she went.  Once the police are gone, Kate comes out of a room marked APO (Alias shout out?), wearing a doctor’s coat.  She asks Claire, “Would you believe me if I said I was innocent?”  Claire, innocent girl that she is, says: “Yeah.  Yeah, I would.”  Oh, Claire.  However, I guess that in this timeline, theoretically, Kate could actually be innocent.  We shall see.  Claire then gives Kate her credit card, and when Kate says she doesn’t have to do that, Claire notes, “You didn’t have to do what you did either.”  Kate tells her that “Aaron’s a great name.”  Claire: “I don’t know why I said it…”  Kate advises: “I think you should keep him.”  Claire smiles and wishes her good luck.  Kate does the same.  It’s nice to see them have a connection, but something just seemed missing in that scene.
• Back on the island, Kate looks on sadly as Sawyer goes back into the house.  Again, I have no idea what the woman is thinking, or her motivation in stalking Sawyer.
• At the Others’ camp, Lennon asks, “He swallowed it?”  Dogen:  “Yes.”  They give Jack tea.  Jack asks, “Why would you people want to kill Sayid?”  While I love Sayid, I don’t find the idea that someone wants to kill him at all shocking.  Dogen: “We believe he has been [non-English term].”  Lennon: “The closest translation is … ‘claimed.’”  Jack: “By what?”  Dogen: “There is a darkness growing in him.  And once it reaches his heart, everything … will be gone.”  Jack: “How can you be sure about that?”  Dogen: “Because it happened to your sister.”  What?
• Cut to Jin in the jungle.  He goes to get water at the stream, but Aldo and the other Other capture him.  Aldo asks where Kate is, but he’s less polite in his terminology.  Jin doesn’t know, and tries to run.  However, his foot is caught in a trap, much like the ones Danielle used to lay.  Aldo tries to shoot the trapped Jin, then someone shoots Aldo first.  Thank you, show, as I could not deal with Jin dying … again.  The shooter is revealed to be Claire!  And she is totally the new crazy chick in the jungle!  But will she be able to bring the crazy as well as Danielle?  Could anyone?  She definitely looks the part though.  The end.

So, all this talk about “infection” and “claiming” makes me think of all the references to “the sickness” back in season one and two.  I think it is directly related to the Smoke Monster, but my brain stops there.  Thoughts?  Reactions?  Theories?  Comment below.

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