Lost Episode 2 Recap and Review

Lost Episode 2 Recap and Review
Disclaimer: Total spoilers!

What Kate Does (a Kate-centric episode)

I’ve been hearing things from both camps about this episode. I’ve heard lots of griping about this being a ‘filler’ episode with no real meaning. On the flipside, I hear that this episode is full of some massive revelations. I happen to fall into the latter camp. I’ll start by saying, WOW. “Darlton” seriously threw me for a curveball with this episode. Both our Island folks and our Flashsideways crew had some serious obstacles and issues to deal with. I’ll start by saying I’m glad we got our Kate-centric episode out of the way early on into the season, because generally speaking, I have little interest in her storylines. However, what these flashsideways have to offer us is a brand new chance to get to know these characters. As we know, the exploded bomb has an impact and possible side effects to which we will be learning as the season unfolds. Having said this, I am wiping my slate clean of my distaste for most Kate-centric episodes and giving this new flashsideways Kate a chance. And what a different person she is!

Flashsideways with Kate

I think the first thing to note is the difference we see in Kate. In previous flashbacks, we’ve seen Kate as a woman who absolutely hated being on the run. She really felt lost and never safe or complacent. Flashsideways Kate is kind of a badass. She hijacks a taxi for crying out loud without a second’s hesitation. Whatever altered effect the bomb had on Kate, it certainly made her embrace to fugitive on the run persona. So let’s jump right into it. After hijacking the taxi, Kate starts calling shots to the driver while Claire freaks in the backseat. I’d like to point out that Kate sees Jack outside her window and stares at him with a serious familiarity (sort of how Jack looked as Desmond in the premiere). So the cabbie jumps out, and Kate takes over, kicking Claire out on the side of the road. After visiting a mechanic to wield some mechanical tools to get her cuffs off, Kate is stabbed through the heart with a little thing called guilt (you just don’t hold up a pregnant chick, okay?) Kate drives back to find Claire sitting on the side of the road still. Claire laments about how she had come to LA to give up her baby (obviously the bomb didn’t change the fact that she was going to give the child up). Kate kindly offers to go with Claire to the address of the perspective adoptive parents. Lo and behold, the adoptive parents have separated! Obviously upon this news, Claire starts having contractions. Just their luck! Kate brings Claire to the hospital and is by her side throughout this child birthing process. I find it very meaningful that even though this flashsideways timeline is essentially a new existence for these characters, Kate, Claire, and Aaron are still intertwined in this powerful way, just as they had been on the island. Another point of interest, Kate screams for the doctor to help and in swoops in our favourite prenatal psycho other, ETHAN! I won’t lie, when Ethan came on the screen I screamed in shock. While in labor, Claire screams for them to help “Aaron”. The name just “came to her” Obviously it did. Ethan tells Claire that “Aaron is going to be a handful”. Ha! Anyways, while Claire is resting in her hospital bed, the police come in to question her about “Joan Heart”, the cab driver she came in with. In the spirit of sisterhood, Claire covers for Kate. They bond (how sweet). Claire gives Kate her credit card to help her out, since Kate helped her. Kate leaves (first saying that Aaron is a great name). And that’s the flashsideways for you folks!

Back on the Island

A LOT OF SHIT WENT DOWN ON THE ISLAND. We left off last time with the apparently dead Sayid waking up and being very much not dead. Even more, his wound is practically healed up. As the temple goes on lockdown, Sawyer decides to leave. After losing Juliet, Sawyer just does not give a shit about anything anymore. He leaves, and Kate and Jin offer to go after him, along with a few douchebag Others.

The lead Others decide they need to “talk” to Sayid in private. Their conversation involves strapping Sayid down, torturing him, and branding him. It’s always nice to have a heart to heart with the Others. John Lennon Other tells Sayid they were testing him and he passed. In private, he confirms with Genghis Kahn other that he felt like he just lied to Sayid.

Back out on the trail of Sawyer Kate, Jin, and Dumb and Dumber come across a well-maneuvered trap, in the style of our old French nutcase Danielle Rousseau. But they can’t be Rousseau traps! As Dumber Other reminds us, “But she’s been dead for years!” to with Dumb Other whaps him to shut up. Hmm, whose traps are they then? Kate knocks out Dumb and Dumber so she can go follow Sawyer (with no intentions of bringing him back). Jin is fucking pissed cause he just wants to find Sun god dammit!

Back to Otherville, John Lennon Other tells Jack that Sayid is “infected”. Too-good-to-speak-English Genghis Kahn tells Jack that Sayid must take a pill. Jack must give him the pill, because Sayid trusts Jack. Jack and Sayid talk, and Jack is hesitant about this whole pill deal.

Back at the deserted Other Town, Kate finds Sawyer rummaging through his and Juliet’s old bedroom. He is mourning and retrieving something. They have a heart to heart by the water, where Kate says she came back for one reason only: to find Claire. Sawyer, in a heartfelt diatribe shows Kate the wedding ring (Do they have a Kay Jewelers on the Island or something?) and talks about his plans to propose to Juliet. He chucks the ring in the water and walks away. Kate cries and kind of looks like an ass for chasing after Sawyer. It’s here that I’d like to give a standing ovation to Josh Holloway’s performance. His range of acting during this scene was breathtaking and had me crying. We see him hurt, pissed as hell, defiant, defeated, and empty. In a Kate-centric episode, Sawyer steals this episode!

Jack and Genghis Kahn talk. Genghis Kahn reveals his name, which is obviously unimportant since he looks like GK! He tells Jack that the reason he is too good for the English language, is that he has to remain separate from the rest of the people and it makes it easier to make decisions that people may not be happy with. He says he was “brought here, just like everyone else” (which reminds us of the AGE OLD question of why are they on the island?). Jack reveals that he will not give Sayid the pill because he doesn’t know what is in it. He does not trust himself, so why should he trust Genghis Kahn? So he decides to see how far trust will go. He takes the pill himself! An enraged Genghis Kahn beats that pill out of Jack’s mouth. He reveals that there was poison in the pill! Dun dun dun!

Genghis, Lennon, and Jack all have a little sit down to talk about what just transpired and why they want to kill Sayid. Lennon, “He has been claimed.” Genghis, “There is a darkness growing inside of him, and once it reaches his heart, everything your friend once was will be gone.” Jack, “How can you be sure?” Are you ready for this?! Genghis, “Because it happened to your sister.” Whoa.

Dumb and Dumber jump Jin, They’re about to shoot him when all of a sudden they get shot dead themselves. Who just saved Jin? Camera pans over to a rugged, fucked-up Rousseau looking CLAIRE! (Guess we know whose traps those were, and what has become of Claire. But how?)

My Thoughts

Well…what an episode of twists and revelations. A few thoughts and questions came to me after this episode. First and possibly least important pertains to these adoptive parents. I feel like if they didn’t matter in some way other than not taking the baby, we would not have seen the woman. Which brings up the question of who was the adoptive father supposed to be, and does it matter? Now, onto this whole “claimed” business. So Claire has been claimed. Has she been living like Rousseau used to all this time? What does it mean to be “claimed”/ how did they get infected? I’m assuming John Locke has been claimed too. Sayid is possibly claimed as well. Claire went off with Christian and last we saw her. She was chilling with her pops in Jacob’s hut. If we last we saw her with the Jacob crew, how is it that she has a darkness in her that Jacob’s followers fear? How does one become “claimed”? Is this the same kind of “infection” that Rousseau feared so much back when she was young and first came to the island? How do Sayid, Claire, John, Jacob, and the Smoke Monster (and Christian and Danielle for that matter) all connect around this central idea of being claimed by darkness? And what the hell is the deal with Christian Sheppard? So many questions!

Next week: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 9pm/8c
Episode Name: The Substitute.
My guess from previews is that this is going to be a John-centric episode. Keep watching Lost!