Season 1 - Episode 21 (The Greater Good [a.k.a. Sides]) and Episode 22 (Born To Run)
Episode 21 (The Greater Good [a.k.a. Sides])
This episode opens with Saayid helplessly watching as Shannon deals with the death of her brother. He passes along words of comfort and asks if there is anything he can do. Shannon remains silent and acknowledges him with the barest of nods.
Cut to Saayid being escorted through and airport, apparently in London. He is in handcuffs and two military escorts bring him to an interrogation room to be interviewed by an American and a British Intelligence Officer. They want him to do them a favour. It seems that some explosives have turned up missing and they've tracked the material to a terrorist cell that just happens to involve one of Saayid's old friends. At first, Saayid is uncooperative. Then they sweeten the deal. They know where Nadia is. If he wants to find out, he has to play along and go to Sydney with them.
In the jungle, Kate tracks Jack and intercepts him before he can find John Locke. Jack wants to find Locke to confront him about the lies he told that led Jack's treatment of the injured Boone to ultimately fail. Kate wants Jack to come back and reassure the group that everything will be alright. Kate prevails.
At the beach a somber group gathers in silence. After several awkward moments, Jack steps in and covers Boone's face to prepare him for burial. He asks Shannon if she has anything she wants to say, but she declines. When it looks as if no one will speak for the dead, Saayid speaks up. He speaks of Boone's courage in trying to save Joanna from drowning. As he finishes, Locke arrives and admits his culpability. He tells them of Boone trying to use the radio and how he was injured in an attempt to help the group. Forgiveness is less than forthcoming as Jack attacks Locke and has to be restrained. In a state of manic aggression, sleep deprivation and stress catch up with the good doctor and he nearly passes out. Surprisingly, Sawyer is the first one calling for water to help hydrate the exhausted Jack. Locke and Saayid's eyes meet, meaningfully.
Kate, Sun and Saayid escort Jack away from the confrontation. Jack tells Saayid what Boone told him about the mysterious hatch that Locke has been keeping secret. The little group persuades an exhausted Jack to finally get some rest. Saayid heads off to get some answers.
At a mosque in Sydney, Saayid makes contact with the man he has been sent to hunt. His friend, Assam, suspects nothing. We learn that Assam lost his wife to a stray bomb. Assam invites Saayid to do some catching up. In the apartment he shares with two other men, Saayid ingratiates himself to the three man cell by discovering a listening device planted in their smoke detector. When the men learn that Saayid's background is in the Republican Guard as a communications officer, they accept him into their band, seemingly without reservation.
On the beach, Sun and Charlie are doing the best they can to help Claire by taking her huge newborn so she can sleep. Claire is unwilling to let Turnip-Head out of her sight. Finally, Charlie convinces a reluctant Claire to let him take care of the baby while she gets some much needed rest.
Shannon sits on the beach contemplating life, death and which bikini she should wear later, when Locke walks up and deposits Boone's belongings beside her. He sits and tries his best to console her. He asks forgiveness.
Shannon seeks out Saayid and repeats his question of earlier, if he can do anything for her. John Locke killed her brother and she wants him to do something about that. I'm pretty sure she doesn't intend for Saayid to give him a makeover.
Kate feeds Jack some fruit juice to help him get his strength and blood sugar up. What she didn't tell him was that she took a page from the date rape handbook and crushed up some sleeping pills and put them in his juice. Nighty-Night Jack.
Locke finally gets around to washing Boone's blood out of his shirt. Saayid notes the surgical scar on Locke's back. He calls it a war wound. Under the guise of recovering the radio from the plane, Saayid persuades Locke to take him to the Beechcraft. As they trek through the jungle together, the interrogation begins. Saayid peppers Locke with questions about the incident. Locke recognizes the questioning and the battle of wits begins.
While playing soccer with Assam, Saayid learns that his friend is to sacrifice himself in the name of the cause. Despite his commitment and the loss of his wife, Assam has doubts. When Saayid relates this development to his handlers, and asks permission to get Assam out, they refuse. Instead, they use their knowledge of Nadia's whereabouts as a bludgeon and force him to persuade his friend to martyr himself so he can lead them to the stolen explosives. All for the Greater Good.
Charlie is doing his best to quiet the baby, to no avail. Even Hurley and his best James Brown impression have no effect on the wailing child. I, however, stopped crying as soon as he started singing.
Saayid investigates the plane wreckage and its cargo of illicit drugs. With a tiny taste, Saayid pronounces it heroin. Can someone please tell me how it is that in every single movie or tv show, people can tell which drug is which just by tasting a little on their fingers? I can't speak for anyone else but I've never done a blind drug taste test and wouldn't know heroin from brick dust.
The interrogation continues. Saayid gathers details about the incident and confronts Locke about the concealed gun he is carrying that he found on the priest's body back in the jungle. When John hands over the weapon, Saayid is still less than persuaded of his trustworthiness. In an attempt to win Saayid's confidence, Locke admits to being the one who ambushed him and destroyed the transceiver when he, Kate and Sawyer were trying to triangulate the French woman's signal. At gunpoint, he explains that he felt that leading the group to the source of a transmission that repeated "They're dead, it killed them." for sixteen years might not have been in everyone's best interest. He was acting for the Greater Good. He feels that everyone has a sort of tunnel vision when it comes to getting off the island, blinding them to the reality of their situation. This is probably the last time we get the sense that John Locke knows more about what's going on around them than anyone.
Saayid asks about the hatch and Locke lies smoothly that Boone must have meant the hatches on the plane.
Speaking of lying smoothly, Saayid is convincing his friend that his life and the innocent lives that will be lost in the operation are lives sacrificed to the Greater Good. He uses Assam's memory of his dead wife to twist his friend's will to his purpose. Assam allows himself to be manipulated into martyrdom, but he pulls Saayid into the sacrifice with him.
Saayid conveys his belief that Boone's death was an accident to Shannon. She is not consoled.
Walt quizzes Michael about the viability of the almost completed raft. Michael dismisses his son's fears and reassures him that they aren't going to die in the attempt to get off the island. Charlie interrupts the two with a plea for help with Turnip-Head. He asks Michael and even Jin for assistance, but when Sawyer comes along, they discover that Sawyer's Southern Drawl is the only thing that calms the child to sleep. Charlie and the baby become Sawyer's shadow.
Jack wakes from his artificially induced slumber only to discover that the key to the gun case is gone from around his neck. Jack and Kate storm down the beach in search of Locke. Jack figures that it was he who took the key, but just as they're about to leave the beach (which is perfectly dry, by the way) and enter the jungle, Saayid stops them and tells them who it really was.
It was Shannon. A very wet Shannon who is opening the gun case in the jungle, in the pouring rain. Since it's raining, we know that something bad is probably going to happen soon. Since it's Shannon, it'll probably be whiny and annoying.
Yet another example of the pouring rain in the jungle, no rain whatsoever on the beach phenomenon. Some have said that this is fairly common in the tropics, but it's almost always dry beach, wet jungle and that can't be statistically normal.
As Saayid steps out a building, onto a street, an unmarked van pulls up beside him. It's time. He and Assam are driven to a warehouse and shown truck containing the stolen explosives. Final instructions and a gun are issued. The two men get into their bomb on wheels. As Assam starts the truck, Saayid reveals his true purpose and allegiance. He has chosen Sides. He will give Assam time to escape before he calls his C.I.A. handlers. Assam is devastated to learn that Saayid betrayed him and the Greater Good. Out comes the gun. With his last words, he tells Saayid that he hopes Nadia will make him whole again. Then he pulls the trigger and kills himself.
Running through the jungle, Saayid, Kate and Jack try desperately to find Shannon before she takes action against Locke.
Saayid finds her holding Locke at gunpoint. He pleads with her not to do something she will regret. As the scene plays out, Saayid creeps closer to Shannon. When he sees that she is going to pull the trigger, he acts and deflects her shot enough that it only grazes Locke's head. Once again, Saayid has chosen Sides.
Back on the beach (still bone dry) Sawyer reads a car magazine aloud, keeping Turnip-Head quiet.
After sundown, Saayid watches Shannon as she sits alone. Kate tells him that she just needs time, but he questions whether or not he made the right choice in stopping her.
Back in Sydney, Saayid learns that Nadia lives in Irvine, California and works as a lab tech in a medical testing company. I wonder if she makes pregnancy tests?
The C.I.A. handlers plan on cremating Assam's remains, contrary to Islamic tradition. Saayid demands to be allowed to bury his friend, forcing them to change his flight plans.
Locke comes to Saayid to thank him for what he did. Saayid explains that his choice of Sides was for the Greater Good. He senses that Locke might be their best hope for survival. He still doesn't forgive or trust him.
"And now, you're going to take me to the hatch."
"I already showed your the..."
"John. No more lies."
Discussion
Episode 22 (Born To Run)
A blonde woman driving a green convertible pulls in to a motel parking lot. When she gets out of the car, the first thing she does is open the trunk, revealing dozens of license plates from various states. With a handy screwdriver, she immediately sets to changing the current plate on her car. A family is packing out their gear into their minivan and the blonde woman slickly snags a towel from a passing maid trolley and literally steals the room long enough to have a shower and dye the artificial blonde out of her hair. Our mystery blonde is none other than Kate. After cleaning up, she goes to the front desk and retrieves a letter addressed to Joan Hart. The letter brings her to tears.
On the beach, Kate is contemplating the toy airplane found in the Marshall's case along with the guns when she is interrupted by a guitar wielding Charlie who is writing his next album, to be released to millions of music lovers on his triumphant return to civilization. Charlie figures that once they are rescued, they will all become ridiculously and eternally famous. Somehow, Kate doesn't seem thrilled by the idea.
Further down the beach, where Michael's shipyard stands, a new player is voicing his suggestion that they not delay the launch of the raft any longer than necessary. Arnst, the high school science teacher explains that when monsoon season hits, the tradewinds that are currently, favourably blowing North to push the raft into the shipping lanes and hopefully rescue, will be shifted South, pushing the raft with them to the only piece of land South of where their little island paradise lies: Antarctica. To avoid stumbling across any chilly Brazilian guys playing chess, they need to leave yesterday.
Kate catches up with Michael and opens negotiations for a spot on the raft. Michael tells her that the raft is full, but she sites her sailing skills as a very good reason to bump someone in favour of her. She goes so far as to suggest that bumping Walt in favour of her might be safer for the child than being on a homemade raft in the middle of an uncertain ocean. Michael is adamant. The raft is full.
At a hospital, Kate arrives bearing flowers. She's looking for Dianne Jansen, who has just came up from I.C.U.. On her way to visit Dianne, Kate sees a police officer sitting in front of Dianne's room and hardly misses a beat as she shifts the flowers to her other arm, shielding her face as she walks by him.
Kate enlists her friend Tom to help her, since Dianne is dying of cancer.
Sun confronts Jin to find out if he is leaving with the raft. He is.
Saayid takes Jack in to the jungle where they meet John Locke. Locke shows Jack the hatch.
"I guess it's time we talked about this."
Michael and Sawyer argue over whether or not Sawyer belongs on the raft. Sawyer immediately goes to Kate, who hides the passport she's been defacing. He lets her know that he knows that her fugitive status is why she's jockeying for his raft ticket.
"Hey Sawyer. I want your spot, I'll get your spot."
While he's explaining to Walt that he doesn't feel confident of being able to find the island again, once they're rescued, Michael suddenly comes down with some sort of stomach trouble. Walt runs off to get help and finds Sun and Kate. Kate heads in to the jungle to find Jack.
Jack and Locke are discussing the finer points of sharing information with the group. Locke feels that keeping the hatch a secret from the rest of the people in camp was as wise as Jack keeping the case full of guns a secret. Jack decides not to pursue the argument. He just wants to open the hatch.
Saayid tries to dissuade the other two from opening the hatch. Kate interrupts the discussion with the news of Michael's illness. They all run to the beach to help.
Despite his illness, Michael insists that they must launch the raft tomorrow.
Kate's friend, Tom, is on the phone with one of his friends, arranging a way for Kate to see Dianne without the police officer being around. They have several hours to kill before the meeting can take place. She wants to go and see if it is still there.
They drive out to a field and a big, lonely tree that marks where it is buried. Kate paces off from the tree and the two begin to dig.
Locke quizzes Jack on the possible causes of Michael's illness. Jack has eliminated heatstroke and diet. That leaves water. Or rather something in the water. He finds a suspicious whitish residue at the bottom of a water bottle.
He switches out the bottle that Michael has been drinking from. Michael is understandably upset at the notion that someone tampered with his water, but Jack is only speculating and keeps Michael from overreacting. Michael still suspects Sawyer though.
Locke questions Hurley closely enough that he begins to suspect that they think that someone deliberately tried to poison Michael. Hurley figures that Sawyer might have done it because of Kate or possibly Kate might have done it because of her fugitive past. Locke knew nothing about Kate's past and seems miffed that Jack chose not to share the information with him.
"Discretion, John."
Claire is grooming Charlie. Charlie offers to let Claire and Turnip-Head hang out with him in L.A. until she figures things out. He's also working on the hit single from Driveshaft's comeback album, "Monster eats the pilot."
In the cave, Kate asks after Michael and whether or not someone might take his spot on the raft. Point blank, Jack asks her if she poisoned him.
"Do you really think I'm capable of that?"
"I don't know what you're capable of."
Kate and Tom continue to dig. They find it. It is a tin box time capsule containing a variety of trinkets, including a very familiar toy airplane that once belonged to Tom. It also contains a tape dating from August 15, 1989. We learn that Kate's real last name is "Austin". We also learn that Kate has always wanted to run away. And Tom knows why.
The childhood sweethearts share a single, tender kiss.
Walt goes to Locke to tell him that he isn't responsible for Michael being sick. Locke reassures the boy that he doesn't believe that he would hurt his father. Suddenly, something strange happens to Walt when Locke touches him. He pulls away from Locke's grip.
"What's the matter?"
"Don't open it."
"What'd you say?"
"Don't open it Mr. Locke. Don't open that thing."
"What thing?"
"Just don't open it!"
Obviously, Walt sees something horrific when he looks at Locke. Like maybe John Locke in an apron...
Michael boots Sawyer off the raft because he's a criminal. Sawyer pulls something out of Kate's bag. It's Joanna's passport with the picture burned off. He lays her plan out for everyone to hear. Her secret is out. She wanted to use Joanna's ID but the only way that would work was if she was among the first group to be rescued.
Kate finally gets to see Dianne. Dianne is her Mother. Kate is sorry for all that she's put her Mother through. Instead of a tearfully forgiving Mother/Daughter moment, Dianne starts shouting for someone to help her.
The police officer comes in to investigate and Kate incapacitates him. She gets Tom's car keys and tries to make her escape. When a police car blocks their route, she tries to force Tom to get out of the car, but he refuses. She runs the road block and bullets fly. She manages to get through but ends up T-Boning a very familiar looking gold car. Tom is dead, a bullet meant for Kate killing her childhood sweetheart. With the police about to arrive, she snags the toy airplane and bolts.
On the beach, Kate finally comes clean about her past. She completely denies poisoning Michael, but her denial isn't enough to keep Michael from giving Sawyer the damaged passport and making it clear that Kate won't be going with them on the raft. In fact, judging by how fast the bystanders clear out after the confrontation, Kate isn't going to be doing much socializing of any sort. We leave Kate as she focuses on the toy plane, crashed on the beach.
As the men are loading an empty cargo container onto the raft, Jack confronts Sun. He knows that she poisoned the water. She explains that she just wanted to keep Jin from leaving and never intended to hurt Michael. Jack agrees to let the matter drop. He advises her that she really should say goodbye, because Jin is going on the raft, no matter what.
Sawyer comes to Kate to confirm that he's back on the raft. He points out that he acted out of desperation because she cornered him. When she asks why it's so important for him to be on the raft he tells her that there isn't anything on the island worth staying for.
Walt comes clean to his Father about what he did to the first raft. He redeems himself in his Father's eyes and Michael is even willing to stay, since that's what Walt wants. Walt no longer wants to stay. Probably has something to with that vision of Locke in an apron. Lord knows I'd want off the island if I saw that.
It turns out that Sun's poisoning Jin's water was Kate's idea. I guess Jack really doesn't know what she's capable of. Inspector Shepherd only caught the accomplice, not the mastermind.
Sun tells Kate:
"When I was a little girl, I believed that once I found the man I loved, I would be happy. Forever."
"Yeah. Me too."
Discussion
This episode opens with Saayid helplessly watching as Shannon deals with the death of her brother. He passes along words of comfort and asks if there is anything he can do. Shannon remains silent and acknowledges him with the barest of nods.
Cut to Saayid being escorted through and airport, apparently in London. He is in handcuffs and two military escorts bring him to an interrogation room to be interviewed by an American and a British Intelligence Officer. They want him to do them a favour. It seems that some explosives have turned up missing and they've tracked the material to a terrorist cell that just happens to involve one of Saayid's old friends. At first, Saayid is uncooperative. Then they sweeten the deal. They know where Nadia is. If he wants to find out, he has to play along and go to Sydney with them.
In the jungle, Kate tracks Jack and intercepts him before he can find John Locke. Jack wants to find Locke to confront him about the lies he told that led Jack's treatment of the injured Boone to ultimately fail. Kate wants Jack to come back and reassure the group that everything will be alright. Kate prevails.
At the beach a somber group gathers in silence. After several awkward moments, Jack steps in and covers Boone's face to prepare him for burial. He asks Shannon if she has anything she wants to say, but she declines. When it looks as if no one will speak for the dead, Saayid speaks up. He speaks of Boone's courage in trying to save Joanna from drowning. As he finishes, Locke arrives and admits his culpability. He tells them of Boone trying to use the radio and how he was injured in an attempt to help the group. Forgiveness is less than forthcoming as Jack attacks Locke and has to be restrained. In a state of manic aggression, sleep deprivation and stress catch up with the good doctor and he nearly passes out. Surprisingly, Sawyer is the first one calling for water to help hydrate the exhausted Jack. Locke and Saayid's eyes meet, meaningfully.
Kate, Sun and Saayid escort Jack away from the confrontation. Jack tells Saayid what Boone told him about the mysterious hatch that Locke has been keeping secret. The little group persuades an exhausted Jack to finally get some rest. Saayid heads off to get some answers.
At a mosque in Sydney, Saayid makes contact with the man he has been sent to hunt. His friend, Assam, suspects nothing. We learn that Assam lost his wife to a stray bomb. Assam invites Saayid to do some catching up. In the apartment he shares with two other men, Saayid ingratiates himself to the three man cell by discovering a listening device planted in their smoke detector. When the men learn that Saayid's background is in the Republican Guard as a communications officer, they accept him into their band, seemingly without reservation.
On the beach, Sun and Charlie are doing the best they can to help Claire by taking her huge newborn so she can sleep. Claire is unwilling to let Turnip-Head out of her sight. Finally, Charlie convinces a reluctant Claire to let him take care of the baby while she gets some much needed rest.
Shannon sits on the beach contemplating life, death and which bikini she should wear later, when Locke walks up and deposits Boone's belongings beside her. He sits and tries his best to console her. He asks forgiveness.
Shannon seeks out Saayid and repeats his question of earlier, if he can do anything for her. John Locke killed her brother and she wants him to do something about that. I'm pretty sure she doesn't intend for Saayid to give him a makeover.
Kate feeds Jack some fruit juice to help him get his strength and blood sugar up. What she didn't tell him was that she took a page from the date rape handbook and crushed up some sleeping pills and put them in his juice. Nighty-Night Jack.
Locke finally gets around to washing Boone's blood out of his shirt. Saayid notes the surgical scar on Locke's back. He calls it a war wound. Under the guise of recovering the radio from the plane, Saayid persuades Locke to take him to the Beechcraft. As they trek through the jungle together, the interrogation begins. Saayid peppers Locke with questions about the incident. Locke recognizes the questioning and the battle of wits begins.
While playing soccer with Assam, Saayid learns that his friend is to sacrifice himself in the name of the cause. Despite his commitment and the loss of his wife, Assam has doubts. When Saayid relates this development to his handlers, and asks permission to get Assam out, they refuse. Instead, they use their knowledge of Nadia's whereabouts as a bludgeon and force him to persuade his friend to martyr himself so he can lead them to the stolen explosives. All for the Greater Good.
Charlie is doing his best to quiet the baby, to no avail. Even Hurley and his best James Brown impression have no effect on the wailing child. I, however, stopped crying as soon as he started singing.
Saayid investigates the plane wreckage and its cargo of illicit drugs. With a tiny taste, Saayid pronounces it heroin. Can someone please tell me how it is that in every single movie or tv show, people can tell which drug is which just by tasting a little on their fingers? I can't speak for anyone else but I've never done a blind drug taste test and wouldn't know heroin from brick dust.
The interrogation continues. Saayid gathers details about the incident and confronts Locke about the concealed gun he is carrying that he found on the priest's body back in the jungle. When John hands over the weapon, Saayid is still less than persuaded of his trustworthiness. In an attempt to win Saayid's confidence, Locke admits to being the one who ambushed him and destroyed the transceiver when he, Kate and Sawyer were trying to triangulate the French woman's signal. At gunpoint, he explains that he felt that leading the group to the source of a transmission that repeated "They're dead, it killed them." for sixteen years might not have been in everyone's best interest. He was acting for the Greater Good. He feels that everyone has a sort of tunnel vision when it comes to getting off the island, blinding them to the reality of their situation. This is probably the last time we get the sense that John Locke knows more about what's going on around them than anyone.
Saayid asks about the hatch and Locke lies smoothly that Boone must have meant the hatches on the plane.
Speaking of lying smoothly, Saayid is convincing his friend that his life and the innocent lives that will be lost in the operation are lives sacrificed to the Greater Good. He uses Assam's memory of his dead wife to twist his friend's will to his purpose. Assam allows himself to be manipulated into martyrdom, but he pulls Saayid into the sacrifice with him.
Saayid conveys his belief that Boone's death was an accident to Shannon. She is not consoled.
Walt quizzes Michael about the viability of the almost completed raft. Michael dismisses his son's fears and reassures him that they aren't going to die in the attempt to get off the island. Charlie interrupts the two with a plea for help with Turnip-Head. He asks Michael and even Jin for assistance, but when Sawyer comes along, they discover that Sawyer's Southern Drawl is the only thing that calms the child to sleep. Charlie and the baby become Sawyer's shadow.
Jack wakes from his artificially induced slumber only to discover that the key to the gun case is gone from around his neck. Jack and Kate storm down the beach in search of Locke. Jack figures that it was he who took the key, but just as they're about to leave the beach (which is perfectly dry, by the way) and enter the jungle, Saayid stops them and tells them who it really was.
It was Shannon. A very wet Shannon who is opening the gun case in the jungle, in the pouring rain. Since it's raining, we know that something bad is probably going to happen soon. Since it's Shannon, it'll probably be whiny and annoying.
Yet another example of the pouring rain in the jungle, no rain whatsoever on the beach phenomenon. Some have said that this is fairly common in the tropics, but it's almost always dry beach, wet jungle and that can't be statistically normal.
As Saayid steps out a building, onto a street, an unmarked van pulls up beside him. It's time. He and Assam are driven to a warehouse and shown truck containing the stolen explosives. Final instructions and a gun are issued. The two men get into their bomb on wheels. As Assam starts the truck, Saayid reveals his true purpose and allegiance. He has chosen Sides. He will give Assam time to escape before he calls his C.I.A. handlers. Assam is devastated to learn that Saayid betrayed him and the Greater Good. Out comes the gun. With his last words, he tells Saayid that he hopes Nadia will make him whole again. Then he pulls the trigger and kills himself.
Running through the jungle, Saayid, Kate and Jack try desperately to find Shannon before she takes action against Locke.
Saayid finds her holding Locke at gunpoint. He pleads with her not to do something she will regret. As the scene plays out, Saayid creeps closer to Shannon. When he sees that she is going to pull the trigger, he acts and deflects her shot enough that it only grazes Locke's head. Once again, Saayid has chosen Sides.
Back on the beach (still bone dry) Sawyer reads a car magazine aloud, keeping Turnip-Head quiet.
After sundown, Saayid watches Shannon as she sits alone. Kate tells him that she just needs time, but he questions whether or not he made the right choice in stopping her.
Back in Sydney, Saayid learns that Nadia lives in Irvine, California and works as a lab tech in a medical testing company. I wonder if she makes pregnancy tests?
The C.I.A. handlers plan on cremating Assam's remains, contrary to Islamic tradition. Saayid demands to be allowed to bury his friend, forcing them to change his flight plans.
Locke comes to Saayid to thank him for what he did. Saayid explains that his choice of Sides was for the Greater Good. He senses that Locke might be their best hope for survival. He still doesn't forgive or trust him.
"And now, you're going to take me to the hatch."
"I already showed your the..."
"John. No more lies."
Discussion
Episode 22 (Born To Run)
A blonde woman driving a green convertible pulls in to a motel parking lot. When she gets out of the car, the first thing she does is open the trunk, revealing dozens of license plates from various states. With a handy screwdriver, she immediately sets to changing the current plate on her car. A family is packing out their gear into their minivan and the blonde woman slickly snags a towel from a passing maid trolley and literally steals the room long enough to have a shower and dye the artificial blonde out of her hair. Our mystery blonde is none other than Kate. After cleaning up, she goes to the front desk and retrieves a letter addressed to Joan Hart. The letter brings her to tears.
On the beach, Kate is contemplating the toy airplane found in the Marshall's case along with the guns when she is interrupted by a guitar wielding Charlie who is writing his next album, to be released to millions of music lovers on his triumphant return to civilization. Charlie figures that once they are rescued, they will all become ridiculously and eternally famous. Somehow, Kate doesn't seem thrilled by the idea.
Further down the beach, where Michael's shipyard stands, a new player is voicing his suggestion that they not delay the launch of the raft any longer than necessary. Arnst, the high school science teacher explains that when monsoon season hits, the tradewinds that are currently, favourably blowing North to push the raft into the shipping lanes and hopefully rescue, will be shifted South, pushing the raft with them to the only piece of land South of where their little island paradise lies: Antarctica. To avoid stumbling across any chilly Brazilian guys playing chess, they need to leave yesterday.
Kate catches up with Michael and opens negotiations for a spot on the raft. Michael tells her that the raft is full, but she sites her sailing skills as a very good reason to bump someone in favour of her. She goes so far as to suggest that bumping Walt in favour of her might be safer for the child than being on a homemade raft in the middle of an uncertain ocean. Michael is adamant. The raft is full.
At a hospital, Kate arrives bearing flowers. She's looking for Dianne Jansen, who has just came up from I.C.U.. On her way to visit Dianne, Kate sees a police officer sitting in front of Dianne's room and hardly misses a beat as she shifts the flowers to her other arm, shielding her face as she walks by him.
Kate enlists her friend Tom to help her, since Dianne is dying of cancer.
Sun confronts Jin to find out if he is leaving with the raft. He is.
Saayid takes Jack in to the jungle where they meet John Locke. Locke shows Jack the hatch.
"I guess it's time we talked about this."
Michael and Sawyer argue over whether or not Sawyer belongs on the raft. Sawyer immediately goes to Kate, who hides the passport she's been defacing. He lets her know that he knows that her fugitive status is why she's jockeying for his raft ticket.
"Hey Sawyer. I want your spot, I'll get your spot."
While he's explaining to Walt that he doesn't feel confident of being able to find the island again, once they're rescued, Michael suddenly comes down with some sort of stomach trouble. Walt runs off to get help and finds Sun and Kate. Kate heads in to the jungle to find Jack.
Jack and Locke are discussing the finer points of sharing information with the group. Locke feels that keeping the hatch a secret from the rest of the people in camp was as wise as Jack keeping the case full of guns a secret. Jack decides not to pursue the argument. He just wants to open the hatch.
Saayid tries to dissuade the other two from opening the hatch. Kate interrupts the discussion with the news of Michael's illness. They all run to the beach to help.
Despite his illness, Michael insists that they must launch the raft tomorrow.
Kate's friend, Tom, is on the phone with one of his friends, arranging a way for Kate to see Dianne without the police officer being around. They have several hours to kill before the meeting can take place. She wants to go and see if it is still there.
They drive out to a field and a big, lonely tree that marks where it is buried. Kate paces off from the tree and the two begin to dig.
Locke quizzes Jack on the possible causes of Michael's illness. Jack has eliminated heatstroke and diet. That leaves water. Or rather something in the water. He finds a suspicious whitish residue at the bottom of a water bottle.
He switches out the bottle that Michael has been drinking from. Michael is understandably upset at the notion that someone tampered with his water, but Jack is only speculating and keeps Michael from overreacting. Michael still suspects Sawyer though.
Locke questions Hurley closely enough that he begins to suspect that they think that someone deliberately tried to poison Michael. Hurley figures that Sawyer might have done it because of Kate or possibly Kate might have done it because of her fugitive past. Locke knew nothing about Kate's past and seems miffed that Jack chose not to share the information with him.
"Discretion, John."
Claire is grooming Charlie. Charlie offers to let Claire and Turnip-Head hang out with him in L.A. until she figures things out. He's also working on the hit single from Driveshaft's comeback album, "Monster eats the pilot."
In the cave, Kate asks after Michael and whether or not someone might take his spot on the raft. Point blank, Jack asks her if she poisoned him.
"Do you really think I'm capable of that?"
"I don't know what you're capable of."
Kate and Tom continue to dig. They find it. It is a tin box time capsule containing a variety of trinkets, including a very familiar toy airplane that once belonged to Tom. It also contains a tape dating from August 15, 1989. We learn that Kate's real last name is "Austin". We also learn that Kate has always wanted to run away. And Tom knows why.
The childhood sweethearts share a single, tender kiss.
Walt goes to Locke to tell him that he isn't responsible for Michael being sick. Locke reassures the boy that he doesn't believe that he would hurt his father. Suddenly, something strange happens to Walt when Locke touches him. He pulls away from Locke's grip.
"What's the matter?"
"Don't open it."
"What'd you say?"
"Don't open it Mr. Locke. Don't open that thing."
"What thing?"
"Just don't open it!"
Obviously, Walt sees something horrific when he looks at Locke. Like maybe John Locke in an apron...
Michael boots Sawyer off the raft because he's a criminal. Sawyer pulls something out of Kate's bag. It's Joanna's passport with the picture burned off. He lays her plan out for everyone to hear. Her secret is out. She wanted to use Joanna's ID but the only way that would work was if she was among the first group to be rescued.
Kate finally gets to see Dianne. Dianne is her Mother. Kate is sorry for all that she's put her Mother through. Instead of a tearfully forgiving Mother/Daughter moment, Dianne starts shouting for someone to help her.
The police officer comes in to investigate and Kate incapacitates him. She gets Tom's car keys and tries to make her escape. When a police car blocks their route, she tries to force Tom to get out of the car, but he refuses. She runs the road block and bullets fly. She manages to get through but ends up T-Boning a very familiar looking gold car. Tom is dead, a bullet meant for Kate killing her childhood sweetheart. With the police about to arrive, she snags the toy airplane and bolts.
On the beach, Kate finally comes clean about her past. She completely denies poisoning Michael, but her denial isn't enough to keep Michael from giving Sawyer the damaged passport and making it clear that Kate won't be going with them on the raft. In fact, judging by how fast the bystanders clear out after the confrontation, Kate isn't going to be doing much socializing of any sort. We leave Kate as she focuses on the toy plane, crashed on the beach.
As the men are loading an empty cargo container onto the raft, Jack confronts Sun. He knows that she poisoned the water. She explains that she just wanted to keep Jin from leaving and never intended to hurt Michael. Jack agrees to let the matter drop. He advises her that she really should say goodbye, because Jin is going on the raft, no matter what.
Sawyer comes to Kate to confirm that he's back on the raft. He points out that he acted out of desperation because she cornered him. When she asks why it's so important for him to be on the raft he tells her that there isn't anything on the island worth staying for.
Walt comes clean to his Father about what he did to the first raft. He redeems himself in his Father's eyes and Michael is even willing to stay, since that's what Walt wants. Walt no longer wants to stay. Probably has something to with that vision of Locke in an apron. Lord knows I'd want off the island if I saw that.
It turns out that Sun's poisoning Jin's water was Kate's idea. I guess Jack really doesn't know what she's capable of. Inspector Shepherd only caught the accomplice, not the mastermind.
Sun tells Kate:
"When I was a little girl, I believed that once I found the man I loved, I would be happy. Forever."
"Yeah. Me too."
Discussion
posted by Greybishop at 7:32 AM
