A Growing Darkness

For an episode called “What Kate Does,” Kate didn’t seem to do much. At least nothing that was very interesting. Yeah, I get the gimmick, since Season 2 had an episode titled, “What Kate Did.” But still, I expected more from her. Or maybe I just expected more from the whole episode.

After last week’s premiere, “What Kate Does” was a little bit of a letdown. But “a little bit of a letdown” is still a pretty entertaining hour. And I expected this week to be a little less sensational; after so many stunning moments in the premiere, the following episode inevitably needs to slow down a bit. After all, the writers have to provide some context to set the stage for the rest of the season.

The confusing thing, I think, is that too many of the characters seem to be in flux right now. Everything feels discombobulated. In the past, even when our characters were flashing through time repeatedly, it still felt consistent because our characters had objectives. They were unified in their goal to stop the time flashes. Later, they were committed to “going back” (or at least most of them willingly boarded Ajira 316).

But now? What are our characters doing? What do they want? Do they even know?

Sawyer throws a hissy fit and stomps across the island to…what? Live out the rest of his days as a hermit in New Otherton? Kate follows him…why? Because she has feelings for him? Because she doesn’t like to sit still? (If 3 years was long enough for Sawyer to get over Kate, then maybe 3 hours is long enough for him to get over his dead would-be fiance???) Sayid’s story is all kinds of crazy. Jin is hunting for Sun (that, at least, is understandable). Jack is doing a lot of pushing guys. Miles and Hurley, well, they’re just sitting around (“hanging out in the food court”) until they’re called upon to deliver a funny line.

I’ve always been fond of Kate and Jack (not as a couple, necessarily, but individually), but I was annoyed by both of them in this episode. Usually the writers use these two to advance the plot, because they both always need to do something…but now, we don’t even know what they’re trying to do. The characters’ objectives need to be put into perspective for us before we can feel like we’re still on a journey with them…so hopefully that will start happening next week.

As for “What Kate Does,” I’m going to briefly address the events in the sideways reality first, mostly to get it out of the way, because, let’s be honest, it was boring. All of Kate’s sideways reality was…predictable. Wasn’t it? Well, I guess it wasn’t completely predictable. For example, I expected Kate to deliver Claire’s baby (again), and that didn’t happen…yet. And I didn’t expect to see Ethan as a doctor in LA (and that’s Dr. Ethan Goodspeed, not Dr. Ethan Rom…so in this reality, he has his daddy’s last name?).

But when Claire called her baby Aaron, Kate certainly seemed to react. Didn’t she? One of the last things I care about seeing a second time is a Claire/Kate “push…you can do it…c’mon, push” labor scene. But I am interested in knowing if the characters in the sideways reality can recall anything from the reality we’ve seen. And I admit, it is nice to hear Claire say “my baby” in that Australian accent again.

Okay, and now let’s talk about the more interesting reality—on the island.

This episode raised two huge questions, and they can both be summed up in one word each:

Question 1: Sayid?

Question 2: Claire?

Let’s start with Sayid.

I do like what the writers are doing with the Sayid situation. I like that he’s not possessed; he’s just “infected,” or “claimed.” But even so, Sayid is still himself for now—or at least, partially. We think.

But how infected is he? How are we supposed to feel when Sayid tells Jack that he trusts him? Is that Sayid speaking? Or is it the darkness that is apparently “growing inside him”? I’d like to think it’s really Sayid talking. But if it is, does he know that he’s “infected”?

Time for me to give a shout-out to my wife. She reminded me that Rousseau had used the word “infected” when she was talking about her science team getting sick. So that puts Rousseau’s backstory in a clearer perspective. When she shot her husband (as we saw in the time flash when Jin was watching from the bushes), Jin saw two other bodies in the sand, and they had been there long enough to attract flies. Sure, that might not take long, but I think it was showing us that she gave her husband, Robert, more time…but when she was certain that the sickness was growing in him, when she knew that her husband was no longer himself, she killed him. (But even then, she waited until he tried to shoot her first—and he would have, if she hadn’t removed his firing pin.)

But back to Sayid.

We know he’s infected because Dogen (who spoke a lot of English in this episode for someone who doesn’t like the way it tastes on his tongue) did the ol’ blow-ash-on-his-chest-then-hook-him-up-to-an-electric-current-and-shock-some-girly-screams-out-of-him test. A test which Lennon informed Sayid that he had passed…only to say, as soon as Sayid had left, “I just lied to him, didn’t I?”

So Dogen concocts a magic poison pill that Sayid needs to take willingly. It only works if he is willing to take it…

But after the aforementioned shock test, Sayid isn’t going to trust them. So they need good ol’ Dr. Shephard to administer the medication. Jack is stubborn as ever, and he refuses to give it to him unless they tell him what’s in it.

Dogen implores Jack to trust him. Jack does not, so he pops the pill himself. A couple judo chops and a Heimlich later, Dogen manages to eject the pill from Jack’s esophagus. And did anyone else catch that look on Dogen’s face just before he told Jack that the pill is poison? Didn’t it look like a combination of sadness and frustration? Defeat? Like Dogen realized Jack would never trust him, so he had no choice but to tell him. Even though he knew telling him would make it even harder to convince Jack to give Sayid the poison pill.

Let’s pause to think about Dogen and the Temple People for a moment. I’ve been assuming they’re trustworthy. In Lost, that is typically a huge mistake. But I continue to think they have our Losties’ best interests in mind (after all, Jacob sent them to these people…). Then again, they’re not perfect, are they? Aldo (yeah, that was Mac from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) was going to shoot Jin, before he was saved by…a scary incarnation of Claire (but more on her/it later).

I found it a little frustrating that Sawyer…and then Kate and Jin…left the Temple. I thought it was a stupid move on their part. But then I realized that they don’t really understand the severity of the situation (do we?). Sure, Hurley knows that Jacob died (did he tell his friends, or just the Temple People?), but does he know who Jacob was? None of them know about the Locke Monster (who is apparently still lugging Richard through the jungle, because we didn’t see either of them in this episode). So they don’t know what could be coming for them.

As far as they know, the island is no more dangerous now than it ever was.

If he weren’t so distracted by Sayid’s death and his subsequent resurrection/torture/infection, Jack would have been demanding some answers. But that time will come. And soon…although maybe not until after they get a chance to see Locke Monster (or one of his forms) themselves…

As I transition into the Claire question, let me give a shout-out to my fellow Lost-obsessor, Todd Hertz. After the premiere, Todd was already drawing comparisons between the look Miles gave Sayid’s dead body and the way he looked at Claire when she was walking through the jungle (after she was blown up in a New Otherton house). I didn’t make that connection, but I’m glad Todd did. Because I think it’s dead on.

Especially after Miles, who usually stays on the periphery, starting grilling Sayid:

Miles: So nothing? There wasn’t anything? No white light? No angels singing? No relatives?
Sayid: I remember being shot.

Miles is used to talking to dead people, so he maybe he knows what they usually experience during their death…and maybe he’s checking to see if Sayid’s story matches up, because he thinks there’s something odd about Sayid.

In fact, the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that the following will happen:

There’s going to be a “Miles reveals he’s known some things all along…” episode.

Somebody (probably Jack) is going to say, “You mean, you knew that? Why didn’t you say anything?”
Miles, sarcastic as always, “You never asked…”

Yup, I’ll bet you a nickel.

It was nice, however, to get some more funny one-liners from Miles:

Miles to Sayid: As you can see, Hurley here has assumed the leadership role. So that’s…completely great.

Miles: We’ll be in the food court if you need us…

Back to more serious matters, here’s my transcription of what I believe is the most important exchange from this episode:

Jack: Why would you people want to kill Sayid?
Eerie noise.
Dogen: We believe he has been…
Lennon: Closest translation is “Claimed”
Jack: Claimed? By what?
Dogen: There is a darkness growing in him. When it reaches his heart, everything your friend once was…will be gone.
Jack: How can you be sure of that?
Dogen: Because it happened to your sister.

But wait, was that pill really going to kill Sayid? Or just kill the “infection” that has “claimed” him? I’m not sure…

As for it happening to Jack’s sister (it took me a good 3 seconds to remember that Jack’s sister is Claire), well, that’s interesting.

Because Claire—whose heart has apparently been consumed by the darkness—just saved Jin’s life. And killed two Others. So if everything Claire once was is gone, then why is she saving Jin? Why would the Smoke Monster (assuming that “the darkness” means she’s been taken over by Smokey) save anybody? Unless Smokey has some sort of plan for Jin…but seriously, how many people can he control simultaneously?

The return of Claire did help me concoct a theory about how the season is going to end (and let’s be honest, we’ve seen three episodes, so a “this is how it’s going to go down” theory is long overdue). But I’ll save that for the end…

Dominant Themes:

Trust
This week was all about trust, wasn’t it? Sayid didn’t trust the Temple People, but he trusts Jack. Dogen needs Jack to trust him.

Jack says, “I don’t trust myself. How am I supposed to trust you?”

In the sideways reality, Kate and Claire start trusting each other—and they end up helping each other in their own ways.

Personally, I trust Hurley. That’s about it.

My “How It’s All Gonna Go Down” Theory (week 3 version):

Okay, are you ready for this? I mean, I hate to spoil the ending for you if you don’t want me to…

Still reading? Okay, here goes…

Jack refuses to give Sayid the poison. So they have to find a new way to save him. Meanwhile, a completely darkness-consumed Claire has reentered the picture. And we have a Locke Monster in the mix, too.

All of these things are problems: problems for the Temple People, problems for our Losties, and problems for the Island.

I think the key phrase came from Dogen: “There is a darkness growing in him. When it reaches his heart, everything y our friend once was…will be gone.”

So if this darkness reached Claire’s heart, then maybe she really is “gone.” And maybe Sayid is going to be…

But maybe there’s a way to restore Claire, and a way to save Sayid. And maybe that way comes from…wait for it…the sideways reality.

Remember when Desmond’s consciousness jumped (in “The Constant”), and when Desmond’s past consciousness was able to transmit Daniel’s message to Desmond’s sleeping-on-the-boat present consciousness? Well, what if Claire’s sideways consciousness can jump into her on-island body? What if Sayid’s can do the same?

But how? I don’t know that (c’mon, cut me some slack), but I suspect that Desmond has something to do with it. (“If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant.”)

In sideways reality, Kate has established a connection with Claire. On island, Kate came back…to find Claire (which I always thought was a stretch…until now). If this theory is legit, then I think we’ll see one of our Losties connecting with Sayid in the sideways reality. And maybe even Locke (if “nothing is irreversible”). Maybe Locke will come in for that free consultation?

I know it sounds far-fetched, but whatever the writers have in store for us, it will be far-fetched. So maybe this is it. I was about 90% sure last night, and I’m less sure today. I might hate this theory tomorrow…

What do you think?

Snippets (Questions and Other Thoughts):
—Did the Sayid torture scene remind anyone else of the life-sucking machine from The Princess Bride? (I was waiting for Dogen to say, “I just sucked one year of your life away…”)

—So if Dogen and the Temple People know about Claire being “claimed,” did they try to give her a magic poison pill? Or was she not important enough to them?

—What was that business about how that trap couldn’t have been set by Rousseau because she’s been dead for years? Justin (the black guy whose name I looked up on lostpedia) was about to explain something about that when Aldo told him to shut up. What was going on there?

—Dogen said Sayid has a darkness growing in him. When did that happen? When he was submerged in the pool (in other words, would the same darkness have taken over a young Benjamin Linus?), or when his body revived (in other words, did Locke Monster infiltrate Sayid’s body and bring him back to life…with a budding darkness inside of him?)..???

—Was anyone else distracted to realize that Aldo is Mac from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia? (I just checked lostpedia, and apparently he was in previous seasons, but I guess that was before I started watching It’s Always Sunny.) But anyway, I’m kind of glad he died, because I just couldn’t take him seriously.

—Was it just me, or did Claire’s clothes look familiar? I don’t think it means anything (necessarily), but didn’t that flannel shirt look like something we’ve seen Alex (Rousseau’s daughter) wearing in the past? I don’t know why that would be a clue…but take a look at these pictures and tell me what you think:

—Are we to believe that the Smoke Monster has inhabited Christian, Locke, Yemi…and on some level, Claire and Sayid? If so, then why is the incarnation of Locke completely separate from Locke’s body? While Sayid is still in his body…and maybe Claire, too? There seems to be some variation at work here…

—I’ve always liked Jack, even when others have gotten fed up with him. I’ve always felt like he’s trying to do the right thing. But I’m close to being tired of him. It’s good that he’s willing to stand up to, well, everyone, and to do it for seemingly worthwhile reasons…but, it’s just…well, is he ever going to be content with anything?

—Sawyer living alone in Dharmaville? That can’t end well…

—What’s Kate going to do now? Trek back across the island by herself? Back to the Temple? Or will she find a new place to which to run…?

Well, that’s all for me. So, what did you think about “What Kate Does”?