Josh Holloway, you broke our hearts. Bravo. We had lowered expectations for this presumed “Kate episode,” and on most related points, we were right for having them. But for all the complaints we could readily recite from the cliché of Kate going after Sawyer actually being remarked upon to a largely flat and somewhat surreal off-island destraction — we did not hate “What Kate Does.” We both actually liked it.
And for Jen to say this about an episode with Kate’s name in the title, frankly, is no small feat for “LOST.”
On the character front, Sawyer’s crushing confession hit hard. We remarked last week that Josh Holloway’s descent into nihilism was a powerful turn, and our love for his talent only grew this week. Even saddled with on-the-nose lines like, “Do what you want with him, or anybody else,” he made us believe that this nearly redeemed man now had absolutely nothing to lose. And Dogen? Not since the introduction of creepy Benjamin Linus in Season Two have we been so confused yet simultaneously charmed by a new character. He’s mysterious and brooding, yet wry and funny… in a dignified way.
Jen thought Dogen’s pill presentation was very “Matrix.” And pointed out that Dogen’s leadership strategy, using a translator to add some distance between him and the people he leads, is something that Ben probably should have considered.
It’s a shame to think that this leader has to work with knuckleheads like Justin and (the now late) Aldo. But their two line debate over whether Jin is “one of them” or not was telling. The way Dogen was clearly concerned with Sawyer’s safe return, along with the recitation of names that Dogen called for when our losties were first brought to the temple, it’s obvious there’s something special about these specific people. Our people.
And on the mythology front, the reappearance of Claire before the final thud wasn’t even the most interesting clue. It was the diagnosis of poor Sayid, who’s not a zombie, but will possibly become one in due time. He, like Claire, has been “claimed,” and a darkness is growing within him. It seems that Claire is already lost to the dark side of the force, and the question is, who else has been so infected? The late Christian Shephard seems a good guess. These would be the agents of the Man In Black.
Claire did seem to be channeling a bit of Danielle Rousseau in her half second on screen, and she’s obviously been setting Rousseau-like traps. Also, the way Justin (or Aldo?) said Rosseau had been dead for a while seemed to suggest that perhaps our crazy Frenchwoman had a share of darkness within her as well. On the other hand, out of everyone on the island, she seemed most wary of “the sickness,” and the similarity between Sayid’s torture test and Rosseau’s car battery interrogation in Season 1 is obvious. I’m going to say Rosseau managed to steer clear of infection, just not of bullets.
One thing that stood out this week? Our friends at the temple seem to be big on free will and choice. After more than one physical scuffle with Jack, the burly guards obediently step aside when he finally decides he wants to talk to Dogen. And Dogen said Sayid had to take the pill — the poison pill — willingly. Indeed, the way Dogen asks Sawyer to stay, coupled with the way Hurley was told the alarm wasn’t to keep them locked in, suggests that our losties aren’t entirely the prisoners they think they are.
And what of the off-island storyline? There’s no doubt Kate had several moments of deja vu, from spotting Jack at the airport, to pulling the stuffed orca out of Claire’s backpack (the same whale that Aaron clutched in “Something Nice Back Home”), to hearing Aaron’s name. A name that even surprised Claire. So we get that there are links between the world where Oceanic 815 crashed and the world where it didn’t. But honestly it still seems like a distraction, a writers’ flight of “what if” fancy, particularly when the story we all thought we were following is still unfolding on the island. Sure, it was awesome to see Ethan again (talking about needles, no less), but we didn’t even see Unlocke, Alpert, Ben and friends this week. I can only hope to be wonderfully surprised with a big payoff further down the line.
- The zombie conversation was hilarious. But Miles topped it with, “We’ll be in the food court if you need us.”
- Dogen’s dry answers to Jack were great. “What’s that?” “A baseball.” “What’s this?” “Tea.” Reminiscent of Alpert’s explanation of a compass to Locke: “It points north, John.”
- Doc Arzt pulls the
“Taxi Driver”“Midnight Cowboy” line, “I’m walkin’ here!” Just like Sawyer did when Christian hits him with the car door in “Two for the Road.” - In contrast, Kate had some real clunkers. Her astonished lines with Sawyer in the temple as they looked at Sayid were, it seemed, practically a re-run of the same astonished conversation in the same dark corner as last week.
- So is this the end of the Kate-Sawyer side of the love triangle? I hope so. I’m not sure if I can take another go ’round. There definitely seemed to be some heat on the Kate-Jack side. I don’t care who Kate chooses. I just want her to choose and be done with it.
- It’s great to see Jin speaking English. And his desperate search for Sun is understandable. But they’ve been kept apart so long, I’m starting to forgetting the chemistry they had, and I’m afraid their reunification will be less Rose and Bernard and more “Waaalt!”
- Locations: Honolulu International Airport (LAX), Koapaka Street (where Kate left, then came back for, Claire), Hawaii Medical Center West (where Kate took Claire) and a home in Kahala (Claire’s would-be adoptive parents’ home).
What did you think of “What Kate Does”? right now! Commenting below is the best way to submit feedback, so you can share your thoughts with fellow listeners immediately. You can also e-mail us at lost@hawaiiup.com, or call the LOSTline at (815) 310-0808. We love hearing from you.
3 thoughts:
1- Kate centric episode! Please God (Damon and Carlton!) make it good! Let poor Kate have a nice centric episode for once and for all!
2- Last episode we did not notice (another) religion symbolism: Baptism!!!! What they did to Sayid was a baptism! They do it in the healing pool… That’s why everyone that comes from there is “different” because they are born again (Rouseau’s team, Ben, etc…)
3- I was thinking about Richard’s “You?” when he met Locke. What if he just realized at that moment that the “Jacob” he met when he was in chains was in fact Unlocke? If MIB can take whatever appearence maybe he took Jacob’s appearence in the past…
Kate! Don’t disappoint us!
ooooooh yaaaann….
WHy do you expect great things from tonights episode. On island, I know it will rock.
Off island I imagine it will be Kate running around with Claire. Kate will commit crimes and such and Claire will be like “Golly Gee! I don’t wanna have me baby like this!!!”
LOL This episode is called What Kate Does?
Oh man that is awesome!
What a call back.
So we can safely assume this is a Kate centric episode, but what does ‘centric’ even mean now with the two literary mechanisms?
Well I guess in 3 hours well find out!
LOVE YOU RYAN AND JEN!!!
-Knives
It’s way to early in the season to lose momentum so I pray that it’s a decent episode. However, I was never all that thrilled with Kate’s motivation for returning to the island. They built it up as if something really monumental would have had to have happened to make her change her mind. She loses Aaaron in the grocery store for a minute and this convinces her to orphan him and go on what she previously thought was a wild goose chase? Still, this episode could really pay off if Claire appears in a flashback with greater explanation of the need to come back or if we find out about Claire’s, and by extension Christian’s, ghostly status.
I was listening to some Jakob Dylan today and a line really reminded me of all the discussion about the true nature of smokey/MIB.
“This genie’s too angry
to go back into the bottle again.”
This “who” is an angelic entity (rather than an alien) who has been imprisoned on the island in one way or another for a very long time. Someone in the earlier thread talked about Lucifer seeking to regain the bliss of heaven and that this may be the “home” MIB refers to. One last note about fallen angels: James Joyce described the sin of Satan by the statement “I will not serve.” That’s how smokey can argue to Bram and company that he has set them free, because service equals slavery.
@Yann
I can barely remember everything I’ve posted on here let alone all the other great theories. I called what happened to Sayid, “baptism by drowning.” Other baptisms include Claire’s, Charlie’s leap into the pool, Hurley’s cannonball,etc.
Oh Fid! I agree. Katy again? Frecklemania? I hope it’s not the case, but Jesse sums up my expectations in LOL fashion. WHO are the people that enjoy Kate and her antics? C’mon, if you’re there, fess up! Please tell the rest of us what we’re missing?
Can’t wait in any case. All the old episodes I have disparaged, I now love, so……..
@Rich in Cleveland- re: Kate’s ‘motivation(s)’. W E A K
Is there Patsy Kline music in the alternate universe?
Kate centric episodes have widely been considered some of the show’s weakest. I’m hoping that with her last centric episode, the writers do well for Kate. Kate is hated on far too much in my opinion. She remains a central character to the story.
I can understand why Kate is hated in the first 4 seasons, but I thought in season 5 she’s redeemed herself.
I can say right now I’m pro Kate, but I hope this episode doesnt fail. I have no idea why it would!
Please give me some answers!!!!!!
HFC!!! Kate redeemed in Season 5? Now my head REALLY hurts!
I’m glad they’re getting the Kate ep out of the way early and hoping it’s the only one this season.
@docjkm.
imho, Kate was redeemed in season 5 as far as her debauchery and shenanigans, and Whatever Happened, Happened was really strong.
Her motives changed when she raised Aaron.
alot can happen in 3 years, and I think Kate really matured.
well see ‘what kate does’ tonight =)
I’m hoping that in the island scenario Kate will be able to get Sawyer under control and help calm his anger. Despite his love for Juliet, Kate and Sawyer have a history and perhaps she can help him get in control of his emotions.
I’m also hoping for a good Kate yarn.
But something from last episode has me wondering. Why did the other others have to take off Sayid’s Dharma jumpsuit when they were putting him in the pool? I mean, the temple leader specifically said – remove the jump suit. Not remove his clothes (ok, yes it’s TV…) but it seems just the jumpsuit needed to be gone before entering the murky waters. I’m wondering if that’s significant. It was ok to leave on his dirty, bloody dark duds.
OK Claire was infected but who brought her to the temple? Christian? Or is Christian on the Island just Smokie? Can an infected person be healed by Jacob?
What a strange episode. Claire is back and with a vengeance!
And god help me but how amazing is Josh Holloway now? When did this guy learn to act so incredibly well? This version of Sawyer is just magnificent to watch; not fun to watch, but so raw and real. What a journey for that character.
I don’t even care about asking questions. We’re getting answers…
It’ll come!!
CLAIRE IS ALIVE!!!!!!
CLAIRE IS ALIVE!!!!!!
CLAIRE IS ALIVE!!!!!!
CLAIRE IS ALIVE!!!!!!
CLAIRE IS ALIVE!!!!!!
CLAIRE IS ALIVE!!!!!!
CLAIRE IS ALIVE!!!!!!
CLAIRE IS ALIVE!!!!!!
CLAIRE IS ALIVE!!!!!!
CLAIRE IS ALIVE!!!!!!
CLAIRE IS ALIVE!!!!!!
CLAIRE IS ALIVE!!!!!!
CLAIRE IS ALIVE!!!!!!
CLAIRE IS ALIVE!!!!!!
Oh and Sayid is Sayid!!! WOOT!!!
^_^
2 words….
CLAIRE
and
ETHAN!
What a great episode! So, clearly Sayid isn’t some new incarnation of Jacob, but is instead “claimed” by the dark force on the island — like Claire and Christian.
The Kate-Claire bit in the alternate storyline was nice, but I didn’t think all that interesting or revelatory. Although, I called out loud when the doctor turned around and it was Ethan!
Can’t wait for next week!
This episode wasn’t good at all
Wow. Claire looking a lot like Rousseau in that last scene. Everything is repeating it self but differently in some sort of way. And was that a real tear coming from Sawyer’s eye… cause i know it was a real one coming from mine.
Is it next Tuesday yet?
It’s Aldo! I remembered! :p
Claire’s been “infected” and turned evil? Makes sense. What earlier seemed a crackpot theory- that Claire died when her house at the Barracks exploded in season 4- seems to be true. Like Sayid, she came back to life but she came back “wrong…” And Smokey/Man-in-Black/Anti-Jacob/UnLocke/Christian Shephard came and took her away? Wow.
Anyone else notice that whenever an Other is about to shoot a main character they’re always gunned down by someone surprising?
OMGWTFBBQ! Claire = Rousseau?!?
Well, we all expected this to be a Kate centric episode and in many ways it was, but more importantly it was a Claire centric episode. This episode takes me back to the sickness that infected all of Danielle’s fellow crew members. suspect whatever that was is what has happened to Sayid and also, we learn to Claire. What does it mean to be “claimed?” It seems that the MIB has a means to “claim” people over to his side and this scares the temple guardians a lot, to the degree that they are willing to poison anyone who they suspect is “claimed.” Since we last saw Claire as she walked away with Christian and then later in the cabin with Christian, I suspect that Christian is also a manifestation of the MIB. It looks like much of what we’ll be seeing in the upcoming weeks is each side (Jacob and MIB) claiming their forces for the ultimate battle. So, for me, the most important thing to come out of this episode is the question, “what does it mean when you are claimed?”
Also, looks like Claire’s been setting traps a lot like Rousseau. Was Rousseau maybe “infected” at some point as well? Hmmm…
Also, nice to see the Others finally referring to Smokie out in the open. “A big pillar of black smoke that makes a ticca-ticca-ticca noise?” Sounds silly when they put it like that.
This island is seeming less and less safe the more we learn.
Well, let the bashing of the makeup team over Claire’s hair begin 🙂
Excellent episode! Although I’m going to have to watch it again before I can formulate any thoughts.
Claire, Ethan….and she wants to name the baby Aaron. And if that wasn’t enough, Sayid is “claimed” by whatever possessed the rest of the French team back in the 80s.
That being said, Sayid has the sickness. Claire has the sickess. Claire was with Christian. What does that mean for Christian? Assuming the sickness has soemthing to do w/ Man IN Locke, does Christian have it and is he associated with it?
Lots to think about
I really don’t know what to think about this episode. At first glance, I’m not sure how much, or if I liked the episode. Seemingly good reveals, more questions. I don’t want to think about anymore questions. Ok, yeah i do.
I think I need to re-watch this episode.
brain hurts.
Hi Ryan and Jen,
Just finished the eppy, and oh wow things are starting to make a little sense now. At first I really thought that Jacob could be the bad guy, but apparently not. Christian, Claire and now possibly Sayid are taken over by the dark man. Guess the only way he will be able to go home is to get his own army to fight Jacob, and he intends to do that with the Oceanic 6. Kate and Sawyer both are in a very bad place right now, should have never left the temple, but thats only makes really good tv. No wonder when Claire appeared to Kate, she told her not to bring Arron back to the island. That was the spirit of Claire, but her dead body like Locke and Christian has been taken over. Sayid is also dead and is about to be taken over, hope he eats the pill soon.
So the writers always said that the actors were not in purguratory, but I think that what is being shown is that dead is dead, but your spirit may not continue on to the next plane. Hense the whispers (which are the voices of the dead helping) and the dead bodies can be used by the bad black shirt guy as he sees fit.
Looking forward to your podcast and Kudos to seeing you both mentioned on NightLine, that was great
Sandy
Can’t say I loved this episode. Quite the opposite, but Kate is the worst character in the series (yes, worse than Nikki/Paulo) and suffers from the worst writing ever. What else was to be expected? I can only hope this was officially the last Kate episode.
A lot of immediate online reaction is calling this episode “filler” but I disagree. Any Kate episode – that airs right after the premiere – was bound to be a slowdown. But there were still some great reveals. I still think seeing what happens off-island is interesting – Ethan Goodspeed? As Claire’s doctor, who doesn’t want to stick needles in her? Niiice.
It seems we’re finally going to see Claire on-island again, and if we needed a slower crap Kate episode to build up to that, then so be it. And Sayid and Claire are officially on the “dark” side? LOVE. Those are two characters the writers never seemed to know what to do with, and it looks like they’re going to get some great stuff.
Slight revision to my earlier post —
Should have been “Claire = The New Rousseau?!?”
I didn’t intend to suggest that things changed to the point where Claire was always Rousseau…. 😀
Claire is just like Rousseau. They both came to the island very pregnant, they both had their babies on the island, and they both traipsed around the island avoiding everybody else.
Not sure about Sayid. Perhaps the “infection” has to do with the possession of their bodies, like MIB/Locke, and the treatment exorcises it. But, did he fail the test because he still is Sayid, or did he fail the test because he is somebody/something else? Too soon to be sure.
I think that the time lines will eventually come together. Clues like Claire calling for Aaron and the familiarity between Claire and Kate and other instances were obvious.
I guess it’s true… it’s hard to make a Kate episode great. It’s a shame really given that I really like Evie. But this episode was predictable at best. Boring at it’s worst. I’m just thankful that they got it out of the way early in the season. Next week’s *****-centric should be much, much better. Whew. I can’t wait for the tipping point where the flash-sideways end because they are far too predictable. I know, I know, it will all converge eventually but for now, if you’ ve been watching the show, it’s like reading the script as you go. And the Island scenes are just as cryptic as ever. But we still haven’t seen some of the scenes from the preview a couple days before the season started which gives me a lot of hope for next week.
@Dave in AL – Personally I think Sayid failed the test because he is somebody/something else. Evidently he is not human any longer. From the looks of it, they tried to burn the hair off his chest (didn’t work), and then they stuck him with a hot iron (left no burns or marks that I could see). So evidently they are figuring he is not a normal human any more.
Just my thoughts anyway.
Lyle
Kate centric weak!
Claire turns Rousseau on us!
Josh Holloway rocks!
ETHAN!
Zombie Sayid?
THE INFECTION!
I thought it was weak, but maybe because following ”LA X” could only be kind of a let down.
THE TRANSMISSION rules!
With the timelines being split by 3 years, I’m starting to wonder if there will ever be a reconciliation. The producers and writers have established two legitimate timelines. I’m starting to think that it’s possible that we will see two resolutions — one will be on-island in 2007, and one will be off-island in 2004.
We are have lots of questions to be answered – and they are raising more questions!! The Claire/Danielle resemblance is too eerie… Sayid is claimed by what – the Smoke Monster or does he have the sickness that Danielle’s people have – are they the same thing?
Seeing Ethan was bizarre too…. I thought for sure Claire would freak out when she saw him! What did he say his name was – Godspeed? I think that was another’s “other”s name….
Sobaika – I have to disagree. I admit I have never been a big Kate fan and part of that is influenced by the fact that Evengeline Lilly has never hidden her dislike for Hawaii and Oahu in particular, my favorite Hawaiian island and my second home. That being said I think that the writers did well by Kate in this episode. She was forceful when she needed to be forceful and compassionate when she needed to be compassionate. She showed wonderful sensitivity for Sawyer and his grief and for Claire in the alternate timeline. Still, I think that Kate was not really the character we should focus on for this episode. This was much more about Sayid, Claire and Jack and where this will take them in the remaining episodes.
Ethan Rom is actually Ethan Goodspeed. Son of Horace Goodspeed?
@Lynn — Yep!
An observation – may not mean anything but…….
Did anyone else happen to notice that in the scene where they were going through customs (or at least I think that is where they were at), Kate and the sheriff were still together, even though it was after Kate supposedly broke free in the bathroom? Do you suppose this was just a cutting room error in the order the scenes were shown in, or could it mean something?
Lyle
@ Pete From Rockford
“OMGWTFBBQ! Claire = Rousseau?!?”
Word, homie.
I thought this was an excellent episode. I was a bit nervous going into it, knowing it was Kate-centric, but thought this was done very well. The whole episode and the characters, especially Kate, had a very season-one vibe about them. I was so relieve that Kate was back to being bad-ass, and that she didn’t follow Sawyer for romantic reasons. She really wants to find Claire.
I’ve already started seeing “filler” complaints on other blogs and sites and I have to really disagree. I thought this episode got back to the characters in a way a lot of us have been hoping for since last season. So much happens so fast in these episode, it was nice to see character moments, characters talking about what was going on, and still being entertaining and having some mythology included (eg infection, island Claire)
Sawyer, Jack and Kate all had tremendous character moments in this episode. Sawyer’s moments in New (or I guess it is Old) Otherton, Kate in the jungle and off-Island with Claire, and Jack taking charge and asking real questions.
A couple of random things I noticed:
1. The musical themes appear to be different in the off-island stories. Kate had a different theme. I though this was pretty cool.
2. When Sayid was on-screen, the musical theme seemed very similar to the Smocke theme from LA X. Very telling.
3. Kate noticing Jack at the airport was a bit freaky. Then later on, she seemed to recognize the name Aaron in the hospital. Very interesting.
Anyway, I really liked this episode and am enjoying how this season is progressing so far. As always, I love your podcast and everything you do for the fan community. I hope you enjoy the episode as well.
Well, at least we got the Kate episode over with. Sigh. What a waste of one of the final hours. I am hoping now that Kate will at least leave Sawyer alone.
Holloway rocked it tho.
Wrote an email earlier but I forgot to add that I love the line Miles throws to Jack when he wants to talk to Sayid along..”We’ll be in the Food Court”…ROFLMAO
@ Lyle — If you’re referring to “LA X” Part 2, here’s a link to the “Bloopers and Continuity Errors” part of the episode’s Lostpedia entry.
http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/LA_X#Bloopers_and_continuity_errors
Is Claire the new french woman??
She sets traps and carries a gun and lives in the woods.
Also she lost her kid as a baby like the French woman
@ John Fisher – I guess we have differing opinions. I think she’s the most useless character to ever grace the island and this episode was no different. She followed Sawyer when he explicitly told her not to, had a chat with him (Holloway brought a tear to my eye), and then went back. Is that complex character stuff? Not for me.
I still find the off-island story compelling, but more because Claire’s story and the nice Ethan surprise. My interest in the on-island story was for Sayid and Sawyer. I will be happy if Kate dies before the end of the series.
Incidently, I have next to no opinion on Evangeline Lilly. Maybe due in part to her acting, but mostly due to writing (IMO), her character simply sucks.
It terms of this being a kate episode, it was average for what those are expected to be, but everything cast aside from the “Kate stuff” was pretty on par with the premiere. I love the whole Jack-Sayid-Dogen angle they’re working, and the short-lived return of “Aldo” from season 3 was a treat 🙂
i think the best line of this season so far is “You know the thing that goes Tickity Tickity when it gets pissed off!” i couldn’t help but smile 😀
Claire back?!!?!? They just had to throw that at the end of the episode didn’t they. I did like that they mentioned claire before her return tho, because her just showing up would’ve causeddd too much confusion. If she’s been infected that’s cool, but, at least from the way she looked at Jin, i feel she’s not as “infected” as Robert and crew were last season.
All in all it was good, and if Josh Holloway doesn’t get an emmy, than no one else deserves one, he was fantastic.
oh and is it me or did Sayid sound distinctly different throughout the episode.???
I’m interested in the connections people are making between Rousseau and Claire. Clearly Claire looks and is acting much like Danielle aka the traps in the jungle, the guns, the look etc. Since we were told that Claire has been “claimed” are we now to believe that Rousseau was “claimed?” Was it Rousseau that was infected with the sickness and not the others in her crew whom she killed? Someday I’ll have to go back and watch all of those earlier episodes with Rousseau and see if her actions seem to be guided by the MIB.