Lost 1.22: "Born to Run"
Written by Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, and Javier Grillo-Marxarch
Directed by Tucker Gates
In which the prospect of rescue prompts Kate to make a bid to replace someone on the raft, which in turn forces Sawyer to play dirty and reveal her secret…
Status Report
With the season drawing to a close, at least some questions are being answered (or heavily implied). Sometimes it’s interesting to consider what assumptions the writers are making about the audience. In previous episodes, critics have complained about how simple and obvious the metaphors can be, but it’s quite possible that the writers are taking into account the possibility that the audience isn’t thinking in that kind of philosophical mode.
For instance, was Kate’s back story conceived for an audience generally ignorant of the darker side of childhood? Or was it designed to play on and then defy those in the audience who can draw specific conclusions based on the evidence? If the writer assumes that the kind of abusive past childhoods that are a standard in the works of authors like Charles de Lint are foreign to the masses, then that kind of background would be sufficiently shocking. But if the writers assumes that such knowledge is the baseline, then it could be much worse.
The point is that what constitutes an “answer” can be very different for different people. If someone were to suggest that Kate was abused and thus committed a crime that forced her out of town and on the run, then some people would be satisfied. Others would insist that the questions about Kate weren’t answered and that the writers were dodging the bullet yet again. Still others would accept that such a suggestion is a good transition point, allowing for future exploration as Kate undergoes her likely redemptive journey.
A likely scenario (based on the hints in this episode) would be as follows: Kate was part of a family where the mother was physically abused and the oldest daughter is being sexually abused, possibly to shield a younger sibling from similar abuse. This oldest daughter falls into a cycle: getting driven closer and closer to violence, running away, and then coming back out of guilt and worry over exposing the younger sibling to danger. Sooner or later, the oldest daughter breaks the cycle by either running away for good or, more pertinent to this scenario, killing the father. And of course, the apologist mother disowns the oldest daughter for it.
If the writers are assuming that this kind of scenario is sufficiently dark and unusual enough for Kate, then this might be in the ballpark. But if the writers are expecting the audience to assume this, and they have something worse in mind, then this could get very, very ugly. After all, the evidence as depicted is rather clear: Kate was forced on the run, changing identities constantly, after killing a man, and it was bad enough that she couldn’t come back to town and her own mother was terrified of her. The above scenario would fit the evidence well.
It would go a long way towards explaining her distant approach with men, even when she’s obviously interested in them, and the death of her childhood sweetheart (which she causes) only adds to the psychological scarring. Thus Kate’s penchant for lies and evasion makes sense, since she’s been doing it for years.
Whether or not the above scenario proves out over time, there were predictable elements to Kate’s back story. Each successive plot element led to a predictable outcome. As soon as the picture of Tom and his son was prominently shown, it was obvious that he would die. More than that, it didn’t take much to figure out that he was the original owner of the toy plane, and that Kate was responsible for his death. Despite the predictability, it was filled with a sense of constant dread. By the time the rest of the survivors discovered Kate’s fugitive status, that was the least of the problems facing Kate. The real question is: what isn’t Kate running from?
This episode goes a long way towards explaining why Kate is torn between Jack and Sawyer. Kate sees a lot of Tom in Jack, and she’s usually disappointed in Jack when he doesn’t measure up to the man she remembers. But she sees in Sawyer a kindred soul, someone else running from a traumatic moment from which he’s never recovered. Jack brings out the same good qualities that she could share with Tom, while Sawyer is the man that she thought could understand her as she is.
That’s what hurts her so deeply at the end of the episode: the fact that Sawyer doesn’t consider himself the same. For all that Sawyer has been the most distrusted person on the island next to Locke, he thinks her capable of far worse. And indeed, considering that she was willing to see someone poisoned to get her way, Kate is exactly as terrible a person as Sawyer thinks she is. And given all the other horrible things she’s done, she has an awful lot of baggage.
What’s interesting is that Kate is now in a position where she can no longer run from her past. The rest of the survivors know about her past, and they are now far less likely to trust her. Any prospect of rescue now means her capture. And it’s not as if she can simply slip into a new identity and be done with it. As long as she’s on the island, she lives with that past and its consequences. But of course, that’s the perfect position for her to be in, since until now, she’s had little incentive to open up and let the island truly change her.
Beyond Sun, the one she’s likely to open up to is Jack. But she’s actively lying to him about things, and to tell him the real story could take more than she’s willing to give. For now, of course, there are other concerns. Jack is still getting used to the idea of the hatch and what it could mean. As the de facto leader, he also has a lot of damage to repair in terms of the camp and their sense of safety. It doesn’t look as though that’s going to happen any time soon.
While Kate and Sawyer engage in their little battle of wills (and who would have thought that Sawyer would end up being the more classy one in that struggle?), Sayid takes a bit of a backseat. This is entirely appropriate, but it’s good to see him used in a logical manner, pushing Locke’s secrets into the light. In the process, he’s showing Boone more respect than killing Locke would have equaled; getting Locke to reveal his motives and give Boone’s death meaning is a fitting way to remember him.
While Shannon doesn’t get a line in, her very angry and bitter presence is more than a little felt. That look she shot Kate could have leveled entire cities! Hurley is also not in the episode much, but as usual, he manages to move information around at the exactly wrong time. He certainly makes things more complicated for Jack, who gets some of that self-righteousness tossed back in his face.
Charlie and Claire are looking more and more like the happy couple, and that’s a very good thing. The series needs at least one good relationship, one the audience can get behind and support, even if it can only last so long. After all, the writers are unlikely to let Charlie go too long without messing something up, and there is that whole mess regarding Turniphead that’s still to be triggered.
When Michael went ill, it was logical for Locke to think that it was Walt. But Walt is now filling the role that Fiver plays in the novel “Watership Down”. He recognizes that opening the hatch is a very bad, bad thing, and he also sees that doing so is going to unleash all manner of hell on the survivors. (Hence, the symbolism of the shifting trade winds and the coming season of storms.) For Walt to change his mind about staying on the island so abruptly and completely speaks volumes.
Locke’s stock has certainly fallen, but he makes a very good point about Jack. Leadership always involves judgment values when it comes to dispensing truth, and Jack has concealed just as much information as Locke. Had Jack been the one to find the hatch, would he have told everyone about it? He might not have been so dedicated to hiding the truth or so assured of the rightness of his actions, but it wouldn’t have been that much less self-righteous. The real question is whether or not the other survivors will begin seeing the similarities and start wondering if Jack should really be the leader.
It’s inevitable that some in the audience will consider this episode to be a waste of time, yet another failure to advance the plot. Like the previous episode, this is hard to understand. Many questions about Kate are answered; don’t answers regarding the characters and their pre-flight activities count? Or is it only about the plot-specific answers? On that end, the writers continued to move the pieces into place for the season finale, which is going to unfold over the space of three glorious episodes, all while answering some key questions about the main characters’ psychology. The “resolution” phase of the first season arc has revealed critical aspects of Sawyer, Locke, Jack, Sayid, and now Kate. It’s not a major assumption to think that the psychology revealed in those earlier episodes will play heavily into the events of the season finale and beyond.
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode was another strong character piece, even if the back story for Kate was filled with predictable moments. Kate makes for a fascinating individual, and one wonders just how deep the pain and misery will go before the source is revealed. The hints and symbolism regarding the season finale and its consequences pepper the episode with disturbing intrigue, and the interplay between Jack and Locke over morality is just plain fun.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
Season Average (as of 1.22): 8.0
Directed by Tucker Gates
In which the prospect of rescue prompts Kate to make a bid to replace someone on the raft, which in turn forces Sawyer to play dirty and reveal her secret…
Status Report
With the season drawing to a close, at least some questions are being answered (or heavily implied). Sometimes it’s interesting to consider what assumptions the writers are making about the audience. In previous episodes, critics have complained about how simple and obvious the metaphors can be, but it’s quite possible that the writers are taking into account the possibility that the audience isn’t thinking in that kind of philosophical mode.
For instance, was Kate’s back story conceived for an audience generally ignorant of the darker side of childhood? Or was it designed to play on and then defy those in the audience who can draw specific conclusions based on the evidence? If the writer assumes that the kind of abusive past childhoods that are a standard in the works of authors like Charles de Lint are foreign to the masses, then that kind of background would be sufficiently shocking. But if the writers assumes that such knowledge is the baseline, then it could be much worse.
The point is that what constitutes an “answer” can be very different for different people. If someone were to suggest that Kate was abused and thus committed a crime that forced her out of town and on the run, then some people would be satisfied. Others would insist that the questions about Kate weren’t answered and that the writers were dodging the bullet yet again. Still others would accept that such a suggestion is a good transition point, allowing for future exploration as Kate undergoes her likely redemptive journey.
A likely scenario (based on the hints in this episode) would be as follows: Kate was part of a family where the mother was physically abused and the oldest daughter is being sexually abused, possibly to shield a younger sibling from similar abuse. This oldest daughter falls into a cycle: getting driven closer and closer to violence, running away, and then coming back out of guilt and worry over exposing the younger sibling to danger. Sooner or later, the oldest daughter breaks the cycle by either running away for good or, more pertinent to this scenario, killing the father. And of course, the apologist mother disowns the oldest daughter for it.
If the writers are assuming that this kind of scenario is sufficiently dark and unusual enough for Kate, then this might be in the ballpark. But if the writers are expecting the audience to assume this, and they have something worse in mind, then this could get very, very ugly. After all, the evidence as depicted is rather clear: Kate was forced on the run, changing identities constantly, after killing a man, and it was bad enough that she couldn’t come back to town and her own mother was terrified of her. The above scenario would fit the evidence well.
It would go a long way towards explaining her distant approach with men, even when she’s obviously interested in them, and the death of her childhood sweetheart (which she causes) only adds to the psychological scarring. Thus Kate’s penchant for lies and evasion makes sense, since she’s been doing it for years.
Whether or not the above scenario proves out over time, there were predictable elements to Kate’s back story. Each successive plot element led to a predictable outcome. As soon as the picture of Tom and his son was prominently shown, it was obvious that he would die. More than that, it didn’t take much to figure out that he was the original owner of the toy plane, and that Kate was responsible for his death. Despite the predictability, it was filled with a sense of constant dread. By the time the rest of the survivors discovered Kate’s fugitive status, that was the least of the problems facing Kate. The real question is: what isn’t Kate running from?
This episode goes a long way towards explaining why Kate is torn between Jack and Sawyer. Kate sees a lot of Tom in Jack, and she’s usually disappointed in Jack when he doesn’t measure up to the man she remembers. But she sees in Sawyer a kindred soul, someone else running from a traumatic moment from which he’s never recovered. Jack brings out the same good qualities that she could share with Tom, while Sawyer is the man that she thought could understand her as she is.
That’s what hurts her so deeply at the end of the episode: the fact that Sawyer doesn’t consider himself the same. For all that Sawyer has been the most distrusted person on the island next to Locke, he thinks her capable of far worse. And indeed, considering that she was willing to see someone poisoned to get her way, Kate is exactly as terrible a person as Sawyer thinks she is. And given all the other horrible things she’s done, she has an awful lot of baggage.
What’s interesting is that Kate is now in a position where she can no longer run from her past. The rest of the survivors know about her past, and they are now far less likely to trust her. Any prospect of rescue now means her capture. And it’s not as if she can simply slip into a new identity and be done with it. As long as she’s on the island, she lives with that past and its consequences. But of course, that’s the perfect position for her to be in, since until now, she’s had little incentive to open up and let the island truly change her.
Beyond Sun, the one she’s likely to open up to is Jack. But she’s actively lying to him about things, and to tell him the real story could take more than she’s willing to give. For now, of course, there are other concerns. Jack is still getting used to the idea of the hatch and what it could mean. As the de facto leader, he also has a lot of damage to repair in terms of the camp and their sense of safety. It doesn’t look as though that’s going to happen any time soon.
While Kate and Sawyer engage in their little battle of wills (and who would have thought that Sawyer would end up being the more classy one in that struggle?), Sayid takes a bit of a backseat. This is entirely appropriate, but it’s good to see him used in a logical manner, pushing Locke’s secrets into the light. In the process, he’s showing Boone more respect than killing Locke would have equaled; getting Locke to reveal his motives and give Boone’s death meaning is a fitting way to remember him.
While Shannon doesn’t get a line in, her very angry and bitter presence is more than a little felt. That look she shot Kate could have leveled entire cities! Hurley is also not in the episode much, but as usual, he manages to move information around at the exactly wrong time. He certainly makes things more complicated for Jack, who gets some of that self-righteousness tossed back in his face.
Charlie and Claire are looking more and more like the happy couple, and that’s a very good thing. The series needs at least one good relationship, one the audience can get behind and support, even if it can only last so long. After all, the writers are unlikely to let Charlie go too long without messing something up, and there is that whole mess regarding Turniphead that’s still to be triggered.
When Michael went ill, it was logical for Locke to think that it was Walt. But Walt is now filling the role that Fiver plays in the novel “Watership Down”. He recognizes that opening the hatch is a very bad, bad thing, and he also sees that doing so is going to unleash all manner of hell on the survivors. (Hence, the symbolism of the shifting trade winds and the coming season of storms.) For Walt to change his mind about staying on the island so abruptly and completely speaks volumes.
Locke’s stock has certainly fallen, but he makes a very good point about Jack. Leadership always involves judgment values when it comes to dispensing truth, and Jack has concealed just as much information as Locke. Had Jack been the one to find the hatch, would he have told everyone about it? He might not have been so dedicated to hiding the truth or so assured of the rightness of his actions, but it wouldn’t have been that much less self-righteous. The real question is whether or not the other survivors will begin seeing the similarities and start wondering if Jack should really be the leader.
It’s inevitable that some in the audience will consider this episode to be a waste of time, yet another failure to advance the plot. Like the previous episode, this is hard to understand. Many questions about Kate are answered; don’t answers regarding the characters and their pre-flight activities count? Or is it only about the plot-specific answers? On that end, the writers continued to move the pieces into place for the season finale, which is going to unfold over the space of three glorious episodes, all while answering some key questions about the main characters’ psychology. The “resolution” phase of the first season arc has revealed critical aspects of Sawyer, Locke, Jack, Sayid, and now Kate. It’s not a major assumption to think that the psychology revealed in those earlier episodes will play heavily into the events of the season finale and beyond.
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode was another strong character piece, even if the back story for Kate was filled with predictable moments. Kate makes for a fascinating individual, and one wonders just how deep the pain and misery will go before the source is revealed. The hints and symbolism regarding the season finale and its consequences pepper the episode with disturbing intrigue, and the interplay between Jack and Locke over morality is just plain fun.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
Season Average (as of 1.22): 8.0
posted by John Keegan | 12:40
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home