Well. It’s been and gone again, and we’ll have to wait another grueling week until the next episode. But, for what it’s worth, here’s my take on this week’s LOST, “What Kate Does”.
About half-way through the episode I was in agony. I turned to Maria and said, “They’re not answering any questions, they’re only creating more!” That about sums up my sentiments for this episode. For a season in which I thought they’d be answering lots of questions, this episode didn’t really answer very many. In fact, I think it answers a grand total of one: what happened to Claire, and even that question is only half-answered—but let’s start there, with Claire.
Last week saw Claire she snuck off into the jungle with Jack’s dad, Christian Sheppard, who was—I think it’s safe to say—being possessed (inhabited?) by Jacob’s nemesis at the time. We met her, with Christian, in Jacob’s cabin in the jungle. This was the same time that Christian, who said he spoke for Jacob, told that he had to move the island. That’s the last time we saw Claire. What exactly caused her to abandon her baby, and when her and Christian parted ways, we have no idea. What we do know is that she’s become Rousseau. How strange.
I liked the setup: finding all those Rousseau-esque traps in the jungle but commenting that they’re too new, they couldn’t have been made by Rousseau… so then who made them. And then there’s comes Claire, appearing out of the jungle, shooting two of the Others, and even striking a perfect Rousseau pose with her hunting rifle. The time between last seeing Claire, and her transformation into Rousseau is obviously so important and we can only speculate at what happened. Claire and Rousseau were always intrinsically linked, I think, by the fact that they both had babies on the island. But what does that mean?
Interesting that in the same episode as Claire makes her Rousseau reappearance, we hear tell of the “infection”.
It can be assumed that this infection the Others were referred to is the same one that drove Rousseau’s crew insane. Is there a connection to Claire here? Is she the Rousseau some how reacting to a new infection on the island? But her transformation must’ve been before Sayid became “infected”. Did it have something to do with spending time around Jacob’s nemesis… was it something she saw?
Now what about the alternative timeline? If this timeline shows what would’ve happened if the plane hadn’t crashed, then Claire’s baby would’ve never been up for adoption. Interesting. But again, many of the survivors on the plane in the alternative weren’t the same personalities we knew on the island. Somehow this alternative reality is more than just what could’ve been. We’ve met two people now: Desmond and Ethan, both who weren’t on the original plane, but somehow made it into this alternative reality. Desmond appeared on the plane—a plane he was never on—in the premiere and Ethan appears as Claire’s doctor in this episode.
Maria thinks that the island ceased existing in the 1970’s when Juliet detonated the hydrogen bomb. I suspect that the explosion somehow caused the island to never exist in the alternative timeline; this is why Ethan is “off” the island. Maybe the alternative timeline, then, is what could’ve been if the island never existed. Is that why Hurley is lucky? I don’t know.
For what it’s worth, I wished that this episode focused more on answering questions. It was interesting to see Kate and Claire interacting in the alternative timeline but a lot of the business with the Others, Sawyer’s continued downward spiral was pretty bland. Important, but ultimately, meh. I was more interested in knowing what happened to Richard and Fake John and Ilana. Maybe it’s because one hour felt so short compared to last week, but I wished they had crammed more in there. I feel like so much of the time spent at the temple was just killing time.
But alas, maybe more questions will be answered next week. One can only hope!
If the island never existed in this alternative time-line….then what’s with the foot in the ocean. Hmm, Keith, what’s with the foot in the ocean….
Love,
Your wife.
BUT according to samurai dude in charge of the temple Claire isn’t fighting the infection, she has the infection! Remember when he was telling Jack about how the darkness was going to take over Sayid and he said ‘It already happened to your sister’?
Sara
Sara, you’re right. Maria reminded me of that little exchange right after I posted this. Now I don’t know what to think. It’s the same infection that Rousseau’s crew got, it must be, unless there are several infections on the island (unlikely). But Rousseau never got it — why? — and why is Claire acting exactly like Rousseau? Ahhh. Head explode.
“I suspect that the explosion somehow caused the island to never exist in the alternative timeline; this is why Ethan is “off” the island. Maybe the alternative timeline, then, is what could’ve been if the island never existed.”
I’m thinking something along the same lines. Perhaps this is why S6E1 begins by showing viewers the island *under* water.
*correction: not that it *never* existed but that the island as we know it in S1-5 was annihilated.
Also, this may not be important but each episode ends with the word “Lost” in white appearing over a black background. However, at the end of a previous episode (I think it was the final episode of S5, “The Incident”) the word “Lost” was in black appearing over a white background. Obviously this wasn’t accidental so I’m sure it means something significant. I’ve heard someone say it means that what we’ve come to know as “good” and “evil” are perhaps inverted after that show.
On a side note, the Others that we see at the temple, I’m pretty sure they’re baddies. Claire, although apparently infected, I think she’s probably good. I guess we’ll have to wait and find out!
The others at the temple are hereby known as “Templars.”
Ethan is “off” island because he would have been put on the sub and sent off island – just the same as miles and his mother. If you notice, I believe this is the first time Ethan is called Doctor Goodspeed.
“Ethan is “off” island because he would have been put on the sub and sent off island – just the same as miles and his mother. ”
Hmm…although Miles and his mother are sent off the island in the original unaltered timeline…
The sub would’ve left the island with Miles, Ethan, and their mothers on board, regardless of the events that we saw happen in the 1970’s. We know this because Miles grew up, on the mainland, without his father in his normal timeline. That means, without the intervention of the survivors, the sub would’ve left with the women and children on board. Miles and Ethan.
But Miles makes it back to the island. Ethan must have as well, sometime before the Oceanic flight, because he appears as an other, already well-established, when the plane crashes.
In the alternative timeline the island CAN’T exist, because if it did, Ethan would’ve been on it.
Wasn’t it wierd to see Ethan checking out Claire?! He said things like “I dont want to stick you with needles if I dont need to.” and I kept thinking “YEAH RIGHT!! YOU DID IT BEFORE!!”
anyway, I agree…I am left with more unanswered questions….and I keep going back and forth between who is good and who is bad. Those writers sure know how to keep us confused and on the edge of our seats.
I have a questeion.
Why is Ethan refering to himself as doctor Goodspeed?
Wasn’t Goodspeed Horace’s (From Dharma) last name? Also Goodspeed was the name of Horace’s son, the guy who is sent to infiltrate the tail section of the plane.
So if Ethans name use to be Hode why is not now in the alternate reality Goodspeed
Also please keep in mind that in the alternate reality the Island doesn’t exist, it’s under 100 feet of water….
Ethan Goodspeed is the son of Horace from Dharma, we found this out in Season 5.