Apr 01 2009
Lost — “Whatever Happened, Happened”
*SPOILER ALERT* Ahh, Kate. Tonight’s episode of Lost, “Whatever Happened, Happened,” finally answered two big questions about Kate (Evangeline Lilly)–what did Sawyer whisper to her before he jumped from the helicopter, and why did Kate decide to return to the island after all?
I have to say, I really liked the answer. “What Happened, Happened” did some digging in some painful places for the characters and actually made a lot of Kate’s seemingly odd actions finally make sense. It turns out Kate is sent by Sawyer to look after his daughter–a daughter he didn’t want to have anything to do with before. Kate befriends the mother and a lot of Kate’s feelings for Sawyer get uncovered. The fact that Kate needed Aaron after the loss of Sawyer’s love makes a lot of sense–especially for Kate. What also makes sense is the eternal feeling of uneasiness and guilt she’s had, because Aaron isn’t rightfully hers.
I’m glad that she let Claire’s mother take care of her grandson. And I really like to believe that she was returning to the island to look for Claire–and not just to return to Sawyer. Perhaps it’s really both things–like the other survivors, she just couldn’t escape all of her unresolved issues from the island. She left Claire, she left Sawyer, and was left with all these loose ends rather than a real life. In a nutshell, Kate needs closure.
We also had some interesting moments with Sawyer (Josh Holloway). When Kate suggested that he’d jumped out of the helicopter to avoid what might have happened (with Kate) if he hadn’t, he didn’t really deny it. He felt he wasn’t boyfriend or father material. When Kate countered that he seemed to be doing fine with Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell), he said he’d changed a lot in three years. And he has. What really threw me for a loop–and threw Kate–was his reasoning for helping her with the injured young Ben (Sterling Beaumon). Both Kate and Juliet were in agreement that no matter what Ben did as an adult, it wasn’t right to kill a kid. Sawyer told Kate that was why he was there, too–but it was because of Juliet’s feelings, not hers. The look in Kate’s eyes said it all–he’s definitely not the man he was three years ago.
But while I would enjoy and appreciate Sawyer’s sticking with Juliet, I couldn’t help but squee a little when he called Kate “Freckles” again.
And then there’s Jack (Matthew Fox). In a way, he and Sawyer have reversed positions, as Sawyer seems to be working for the good of everyone and taking charge, while Jack just sits around and looks after Number One. He was palpably bitter as he reminded Kate he’d already saved Ben’s life once at her bidding–to save Sawyer–and it hadn’t gotten anyone anywhere. When Kate said she liked the old Jack better than the new Jack, he replied cuttingly, “You didn’t like the old me.” Touché, Jack.
What the painful irony is, is if Jack had saved young Ben, things might have turned out differently. Ben’s father actually realized his love for his son when he got shot, and maybe they could have repaired the bad relationship that drove Ben to be the person that he was. But perhaps Jack and Miles were right–if it all already happened one way, there was no way to change it. Jack ended up in this jaded state because it was important to the rules of Time that he be that way and leave Ben in the hands of the Others.
Speaking of Miles (Ken Leung), the amusing argument he had with Hurley (Jorge Garcia) led to Hurley’s preceptive question that left Miles stumped–if Ben lived through this in order to fulfill everything that had already happened, how was it that he didn’t remember his attempted-murderer Sayid at their next meeting?
Turns out the ageless, dark-eyed Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell) had the answer for Kate and Sawyer. Whatever he would do to bring Ben back to life would cause him to lose his memory of the traumatic event and also “lose his innocence”. Kate agreed to it anyway, and then we see Richard taking Ben into the strange building where Rousseau lost her husband and friends to an evil that possessed them. This explains a lot about Ben. But then I wonder about the Others–have they all been possessed this way? Is that why they so easily commit acts of violence against the Dharma group and crash victims? And what IS in that building, anyway?
Ahh, Lost. As always, you ask just as many questions as you answer.
Tune in for more Lost mysteries on ABC Wednesday nights, at 9/8c.
PHOTOS: Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Josh Holloway as Sawyer, and Matthew Fox as Jack, Lost “Whatever Happened, Happened” screencaps, c2009 ABC Studios.
Love the screencaps (as always!)
Very interesting analysis. You caught some things I missed — such as that the house in the jungle was where Rousseau’s friends had gotten possessed. Oooh — creepy!!
Another thing you caught that I missed was the poignancy of how things might have worked out differently for Ben and his father — if only Jack had intervened.
LOL at your squeeing when Sawyer called Kate “Freckles.”
Hurley and Miles cracked me up. As for Alpert — maybe he really IS a vampire! Ha ha.
OMG…lol! Alpert is just taking them into those buildings and biting them and turning them into his minions…while he remains ageless. Egads, we’ve solved it!
I really was wondering if they were going to change the timeline somehow, by having Ben and his father change their toxic relationship, but I guess that’s something that could have altered the entire course of the show. But I’m wondering if it might not come up in the future…like maybe somehow Ben would remember what happened? Or that Kate might tell him how much his father cared about him after all?
I can’t help it. Sawyer calling Kate “Freckles” is just the way it ought to be.
Glad you liked the pics! I just had to get Sawyer in there, of course.
Sawyer and Kate again…..nooo please!!!!!
Well, Doctor Jack, they don’t *seem* to be heading that way with the plot. They’re sticking to the Sawyer/Juliet line right now, so we’ll see what happens!
The two of them make a sexy pair, but I think Juliet and Sawyer are better suited to one another. And Sawyer finally seems happy! Maybe Jack and Kate can figure something out finally…