(Prev) The Thrilla in Manilla (assuming The Island is near Manilla)

Tonight. LOST. “Left Behind.”
10/9c.
A Kate flashback the week after a Nikki flashback!?! What God did I please?

“Oh No She Di’int”
This is what many of us have been left thinking (or saying, if we’re blessed with the ability to pronounce it without sounding completely ridiculous) after watching a Kate flashback in this series. Where to start? She robbed a bank after planting herself inside as a potential customer and charming a banker who in turn risked his life to save her despite having only known her for 5 minutes. Then once inside the vault she went Tony Montana on her own team, ultimately retrieving a seemingly meaningless heirloom from her past: the toy plane that belonged to the first man she deceived (you always remember your first). She fell in love with a doctor, accidentally got him killed while fleeing. She deceived Old Man River (the Aussie farmer widower) into believing she was an innocent wanderer. Then last time, she almost settled into June Cleaver mode, until she decided that “Taco Night” was for the birds, so she drugged her cop husband and left him on the floor to die. And, oh yeah, the reason she’s on the run in the first place? She blew up a house with her abusive stepfather inside and hit the road (actually a completely justifiable, and awesome, move). And yet. I still love her.

So much of this show centers on the theme of redemption. The idea of confronting and dealing with your demons in order to overcome them and move on has been a big part of the story. We saw Kate do this when Black Beauty (the horse that caused a car accident that freed her) appeared on the island, and she couldn’t approach it until she dealt with her stepfather issues. So I think tonight may feature a little bit of a journey for redemption. And because Kate and Juliet will be taking that journey through The Forest of a Thousand Whispers (and a Smoke Monster), expect those more mystical island elements to make an appearance. They seem to show up at just the right (or wrong) time.

As for Kate’s actual backstory: I’d like to see a departure from her usual siren song. We’ve seen her lure guys in only to leave them dead, dead-broke or broken-hearted. So lets throw in a little flavor this week, eh LOST writers?

Rumble in the Jungle
Previews for this week’s episode (you can watch them by clicking on the preview on the right-hand page of this blog) show Kate and Juliet on the run in the jungle. They also show Kate throwing a sweet right hook on Juliet after Juliet plays a mind game with her. Juliet says, “Jack didn’t want you to come back because you broke his heart,” arousing Kate’s ire and presumably leaving Juliet with a sore jaw. (By the way, a Kate vs. Juliet fight scene ?!? Again, what God did I please?) This appears to be the Modus Operandi in Othersville. Like a little kid on the playground who taunts and taunts until someone puts him in his place (and yes, I was this kid), The Others seem to seek out a fight. They play on the weaknesses and insecurities of the survivors, which they easily identify and exploit thanks to their wealth of background knowledge on each survivor. Ben did it with Locke, then Jack turned the tables and did it to Ben, then Ben did it to Jack and Juliet by promising them the final ace up his sleeve: a trip home.

But why would Juliet, not a natural Other, resort to this? I find her character to be a fascinating case study in nature vs. nurture. She came to the island timid and weak after years of mental and emotional abuse from her ex-husband/boss. The Others lured her to the island when she was in that state, and three years into her stay there, she seems to have done a 180. She manipulates, lies, goes behind the backs of those who trust her and ultimately leaves everyone wondering, “Which side are ya on, boy, which side are ya on?” I think her true allegiance is to anyone who might get her off the island. She’s in survival mode, whether that means fight or flight. And she’s willing to manipulate and prey on anyone who might aid her in that survival. She obviously got close to Ben for that reason (though we don’t know what they mean by “close”. Yet.) Apparently tonight she will see something in Kate that makes her believe that manipulating her will help open the door to survival — it’ll be interesting to see what she’s after here.

O Sawyer, Where Art Thou?
Personally, uncertainty kills me. So perhaps it’s my masochistic side that leads me to watch LOST, a show rife with uncertainty. One of my major sources of frustration: what is Sawyer after? Remember the “new sheriff in town” speech where Sawyer asserted his authority by commandeering the gun supply? Flash forward to a man who’s trying to learn how to beat an obese millionaire in Ping Pong in the wake of a seemingly failed relationship with the one woman he truly loved, Kate “The Female Sawyer” Austen. Flash forward to a man who disregarded the gravity of two survivors’ “deaths” (Nikki and Paolo) just to find what they were hiding, only to realize it wasn’t worth fighting for. So who is Sawyer? Obviously a con, obviously a user of people. But what is he trying to do? Does he need (or secretly just want) the approval of the other survivors? Is he just doing whatever he needs to survive, hoping to hold out long enough for rescue? I just don’t know. It’s hard to follow him, as he seems to waver back and forth in his direction. As we return to the beach, I’ll be interested to see his character take a new direction, and I think the seeds of that direction might be planted tonight.

Here’s why: In earlier episodes, Sawyer was untouchable. He took what he want from the wreckage. He branded people with ridiculous (and often disparaging or racially insensitive) nicknames. He kissed whoever he want. He stood up to Jack. He stood up to Locke. He attacked Sayid after accusing him of being a terrorist. He was, frankly, an ass. And nobody could stop him. Now he’s playing by everyone else’s rules (Ping-Pong and Poker games with disadvantageous stakes) and, what’s worse, he’s abiding by them. Maybe he’s given up the fight. Maybe he’s playing the game on a grander scale by remaining like a wolf in the weeds until it’s time to strike. Either way, I want to know why he’s become the weak pig in the runt, and what he plans to do to return to his previous position of the untouchable outsider who does what he wants, when he wants, how he wants. We’ll see, but come on Sawyer, (re)grow that backbone. I think it’s reaching a boiling point, and tonight his own internal sense of self-awareness will begin to kick in and soon cause him to choose a path.

(By the way, I would never say that to the real Sawyer as he could probably kick my ass. But seeing as I’ll never meet him and, oh yeah, he’s a fictional character, I’ll launch this assault from the safety of anonymity in this blog. Hooray!)


Until next week my friends. Enjoy tonight’s episode, and keep an eye open: I think we’ll have a visit from Eko’s killer, and maybe this week it’s Kate who will make like Locke “Look into the eye of this island.” But will what she sees be beautiful?


Still learning what the hell a blog is,
Charlie.