Summary: In flashbacks Kate reconnects with childhood friend Tom who is a doctor. She goes to visit her mother who has cancer. Kate's mother screams for help so Kate has to leave as the cops arrive. Tom goes with her but he is shot and killed. On the island, the raft is almost ready to go. Kate tries to get Sawyer off the raft so she can go in her place which leads to drama with Michael. Later, Michael is poisoned and he angrily accuses Sawyer of doing it. Sawyer reveals to everyone that Kate was the prisoner. It's revealed that Sun poisoned Michael, but that she did it unintentionally. Her real target was Jin to get him to stay on the island. Meanwhile, Sayid brings Jack to see the hatch. Locke and Jack want to open it but Sayid does not.
The Good: Kate actually does get a good amount of character development in this episode. This episode focuses on how self-absorbed she can be at times, and how this character trait does damage to herself and those around her. On the island we see her estrange Sawyer when she selfishly tries to take his spot on the raft, while on the island we see her return to meet her childhood friend Tom, a selfish move that ends in his tragic death. Furthermore we get a very interesting glimpse at Kate's troubled childhood which I'm very interested to learn more about (see: The Unknown). The main island plots of this episode were fine and easy enough to enjoy. Michael being poisoned is a good story to center the episode around as it set up plenty of opportunities for character conflict, with some pretty decent moments. The hatch storyline works really well in the background. I enjoyed Jack and Locke debating with Sayid over the pros and cons to opening the thing. It makes perfect sense that Sayid with all of his military background would immediately think of the potential dangers that could be inside of this hatch, keeping him consistent with his more pragmatic approach. There's also a damn good scene between Walt and Locke that seems to be about the hatch (see: The Unknown and Best Moment). There were a few little things I really enjoyed. Arzt is a fun addition to the cast. I enjoy seeing more of the other survivors that aren't part of the main cast. There were some nice character moments too. I like that Sawyer figured out that Kate was the prisoner. The show has teased that Sawyer suspects the truth about Kate (like in "Pilot Part 2" and "Outlaws"), so it's nice to get confirmation that he is well aware that Kate is a criminal. Lastly, I really loved Hurley accidentally revealing Kate's fugitive status to Locke. His frustration over not being able to keep track of who knows what was very funny as well as a nice dose of realism. The Bad: Kate is the weakest character in the series so far. I like the idea of Kate unexpectedly being a criminal, but the show hasn't committed enough to the idea, and as a result it becomes very hard to buy into Kate actually being a hardened badass. Kate just seems like too pure of a person on the island, and there isn't enough evidence of her personality being affected by a troubled childhood to suggest that her criminal nature is caused by her past. Furthermore, the show spends too much time trying (and failing) to draw a fitting contrast between criminal Kate and normal Kate. It isn't very interesting to watch, and it has unfortunately given her a surprisingly low amount of character development, especially when compared to other characters. Kate has had 3 centric episodes now, but we still hardly know her, and it feels like we are only beginning to look into the deeper aspects of her character. This episode felt too melodramatic for my taste. There isn't enough interesting conflict throughout the episode, and the episode spends too much time making characters have meaningless arguments with each other that don't develop character relationships at all. It all feels surprisingly sloppy for a show that is usually really good at developing meaningful character conflict. Instead of getting sensible conflict, everyone seems to argue with everybody in this episode without any good reason. Furthermore, things aren't helped when there are several unusually poor lines of dialogue in the episode. Jack and Locke arguing about discretion feels pretty forced, and their interactions feel a little too cheesy and clunky. There's also a really poor line from Kate when she asks Jack if he really thinks she is capable to poisoning Michael. It's a very awkward line for an established prisoner to say, and it's hard to believe that Kate would respond with that. In every way, that line sounds like a very poorly constructed attempt to lie. The explanation behind the toy plane was a total disappointment. In the end, the plane had no real meaning to it at all. It was just a memento of Tom. Would Kate really go through all of that trouble to get some memento out of a bank vault? The story feels to absurd to be satisfying. The Unknown: So Kate was on the run before she got Tom killed. So if he isn't the reason why she is wanted, then what is the reason? What did she do? The scene between Kate and her mother Diane was very interesting. Kate seems to really care about her mother who doesn't seem to return the feeling. Diane's cries for help were very unexpected and you can't help but wonder why Diane is so afraid of Kate. It all seems to ties into Kate's childhood somehow, as evidenced by the tape that Kate and Tom listened to earlier in the episode. As a kid, Kate reveals a desire to run away, and she seems to have good reasons to do so. What problems would lead Kate to want to leave her family? How did the plane end up in a bank vault? Is there still more story to be told about this plane? Earlier in the episode, Kate picks up a letter which I assume told her about her mother's condition. Who sent the letter? Is Walt referring to the hatch when he told Locke not to open it? Why would he say that anyways? How does he know about the hatch? What does he know? Does this have something to do with him being special? I presume it does. Could he have seen things in a dream like Locke did back in "Deus Ex Machina"? Best Moment: Walt comes up to Locke and they start off having a pretty casual conversation. But things turn surprisingly mysterious when Walt recoils from Locke's touch and warns him not to open "that thing". The scene brilliantly builds up tension and it ends up being both mysterious and frightening. Character of the Episode: Kate. Conclusion: This was a pretty weak episode. It had enjoyable aspects but it never seemed to suggest that it was telling a compelling story. With the 3 part season finale starting with the next episode, I will chalk this down as a fluke, and hopefully "Lost" can end a terrific first season on a high note Score: 53
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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