LOST 6.3 – "What Kate Does"

WRITERS: Adam Horowitz & Edward Kitsis
DIRECTOR: Paul A. Edwards
GUEST CAST: William Mapother, John Hawkes, Rob McElhenney, Daniel Roebuck, Hiroyuki Sanada, Dayo Ade, Jenni Blong, Traci Lee Burgard, Yasmin Dar, Tania Kahale, David H. Lawrence XVII, Jeff Kober & Fredric Lehne

[SPOILERS] After the premiere's whirligig of revelations, surprises and fun provocation, "What Kate Does" was a comparatively sedate episode that felt easier to digest yet rather tasteless. It's possibly a symptom of the fact Kate (Evangeline Lilly) isn't a very compelling character, despite the divergent "Timeline-X" returning her to the fugitive we met during season 1's flashbacks. This was actually one of the better Kate-centric episode we've had for awhile, but that's hardly a sterling recommendation...

X-Timeline '04: Kate & Claire

Firstly, I think it's worth clearing one thing up regarding these "flash-sideways", as showrunner Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have insisted that it's erroneous to call it them an "alternate timeline". From that crumb I get the impression these events in 2004 are actually happening and mean something to the "prime timeline", so it's perhaps the Island that's existing in its own tenuous timeline and has jumped forward 30 years? I know, it's confusing. I actually hope the show explains things quick, because I think it would be a mistake to withhold this crucial information for too long. I need to feel I can invest in what's going on in the off-island timeline, and truly know it's not just an entertaining look at a parallel universe answering a few "what ifs."

Anyway, "Timeline-X" picks up with Kate's escape from LAX in the back of a cab that coincidentally contained pregnant Claire (Emilie de Ravin) -- whose baby she raised off-island in the primary timeline, of course. After dropping Claire off and getting her handcuffs removed after bribing a mechanic, Kate notices she still has Claire's luggage and, after seeing a cute photo of the expectant mother inside, feels enough remorse to return to where she left Claire and offer her a lift. It turns out Claire's on her way to see the American woman who wants to adopt the baby she's surrogating for, but after arriving at her home it becomes clear the woman's had second thoughts about the arrangement now her marriage has fallen apart. That shock appears to trigger Claire's premature labour, so she's rushed to the hospital by Kate, and both are told by Dr. Ethan Goodspeed (William Mapother) -- yes, sinister Ethan Rom, who in this Island-less timeline is kindheartedness personified! -- that her baby is fine, before Claire opts out of an induced labour.

It was certainly a fun idea putting Kate and Claire together like this, as we know they both have a strong connection to baby Aaron in the original timeline, and the only reason Kate returned to the island in season 5 was to find the missing Claire and reunite her with her child. The two women have both been maternal forces on the show, so it was fun to see their lives intertwined here. I just don't quite see where this timeline is leading, or what the point of it is (to a degree), which is making it hard to really get excited about anything, as it feels like a separate flight-of-fancy. Still, Kate's a more likeable and entertaining character when she's balancing her good/bad sides, and it was nice to see the adorable de Ravin back on the show. I'll also be amused if she becomes the first ever TV character to give birth to the same baby twice.

The Island '07: Kate, Sawyer & A Ring

The loose theme of running away from your problems was echoed in the present-day's Island storyline, with Sawyer (Josh Holloway) managing to escape The Temple and heading to the Others' Barracks. Dogen (Hiroyuki Sanada) was not pleased he's left their safe haven, for some reason, so he agrees that Kate and Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) can leave to get him back, escorted by two Others. But Kate actually has no intention of bringing Sawyer back safely, so manages to escape from their companions and later finds Sawyer in his old Barrack crying over the contents of a shoebox. There follows the best scene of the whole episode, with Sawyer and Kate (former prospective lovers) sitting on a pier, with Josh Holloway giving a heart wrenching performance as it becomes clear just hot much the dead Juliet meant to him (he had a ring he was going to propose with), and Kate truly came to realize just how much Sawyer had moved on from her in their three years apart.

The Island '07; Sayid, Jack & A Pill

Those hungry for mythology got some crumbs thrown their way in The Temple, with Sayid's (Naveen Andrews) resurrection prompting a distressing "test" by Dogen -- that involved electrocuting Sayid's torso after it had some ash blown across it, and a red hot poker being placed against his flesh. He apparently "failed" the test (i.e he showed pain?), so Dogen creates a green pill and instructs Jack (Matthew Fox) to ensure Sayid swallows it willingly. It was a little frustrating there was so much evasion in this episode, which has always been part of Lost to sustain its mysteries, but now it's the final season you can't help feeling a little irritated that characters are still refusing to talk straightforwardly.

Still, I really liked Jack's thorny attitude throughout this episode, as he refused to just go along with Dogen's demands on blind faith, and was proven correct to be suspicious when he forced Dogen to admit the pill contains poison. Apparently, Sayid has been "claimed" and therefore is "infected" with a "darkness" that will soon overwhelm him, and I can't help suspecting that must be related to The Sickness that struck Rousseau's castaways. We never did quite come to understand what the Sickness was all about, or how her people became infected (shortly after they tangled with the Smoke Monster near The Temple...), so hopefully Sayid's condition will come to explain how and why Roussea's team went crazy.

In Summation

I'm all for character-building and I understand it's not likely every episode of this final season will answering a prime piece of the mythology's many questions, but the fact the nature of the divergent timeline's still hard to rationalize gave this episode's Kate/Claire storyline a slight feeling of ambivalence. However, some excellent work from Josh Holloway, the intriguing mystery about Sayid's condition, and the prospect of getting some answers about Island-Claire (who appears to have gone feral and become proficient with the art of booby-trap making, since we last saw her in season 4 being lured away by Christian Shephard) just about made up for its unfortunate deficiencies elsewhere.

Questions, Questions, Questions!

-- Why do Jack, Sayid, Hurley, Kate, Sawyer, Miles and Jin need to be protected inside The Temple now?

-- What has "claimed" Sayid, and what exactly is he infected with?

-- Why did Sayid have to voluntarily take Dogen's pill?

-- What is Dogen's role among the Temple Others?

-- What happened to Claire during the past three years on the island, where she was last seen with Christian's "ghost"? If she's been infected like Sayid, what does that mean? Are they both now agents of the Smoke Monster?

12 FEBRUARY 2010: SKY1 (HD), 9PM