1.22 - Born to Run

Title’s significance: This episode is all about Kate running, whether it’s running from the law in her flashbacks or trying to run away by using the raft. She always wants to run away, get it?

Recap: Flashbacks center around Kate and her attempts to see her hospitalized mother. Kate reconnects with Tom, a former sweetheart who ends up dying while Kate escapes the police. Arzt lets the survivors know they missed their window in launching the raft, but Michael won’t say die as Kate demands Sawyer’s spot on the raft. When Michael takes ill, Jack suspects his drinking water has been poisoned and accuses Kate, while Michael blames Sawyer. Locke and Sayid show the hatch to Jack, who berates them for keeping secrets. Walt, meanwhile, cryptically tells Locke not to open the hatch. Though Kate denies poisoning Michael, she knows she has earned the distrust of the rest of the survivors; Jack deduces that Sun accidentally poisoned Michael while trying to keep Jin from leaving, and he tells her to say goodbye, but he doesn’t know it was all Kate’s idea. Walt admits to Michael that he burned the first raft but says he’s had a change of heart about leaving.

Thoughts: LOST has a reputation for bang-up finales. Unfortunately, the penultimate episode of each season also has a reputation, albeit one of “putting all the pieces in place.” “Born to Run” is a “just okay” episode with a moderately compelling mystery (Michael’s poisoning) but a lot of stalling for the big two-hour finale. I can put up with episodes like this, though, since the show always delivers in the finale.

Favorite moment: Hurley spills the beans to Locke about Kate’s fugitive past: “How am I supposed to keep straight who knows what around here?” I’ll hand it to you, Stay Puft, it’s confusing to me, too.

Characters introduced (in order):

• ARZT, a fellow survivor who acts smarter than he really is
• DIANE JANSSEN, Kate’s mother
• TOM, an old friend of Kate’s

What we learned:

• At one point, Kate was dyeing her hair blonde.
• It’s monsoon season on the island.
• The airplane was in a time capsule that Kate and Tom buried and once belonged to Tom.
• Kate’s mom is dying of cancer.
• Tom was the man Kate loved and “killed.”
• Michael was accidentally poisoned by Sun.

Questions:

• It’s come up before, but I don’t think I’ve asked it yet: How do you open a hatch with no handle?
• How does Walt know about the hatch?
• Why did Kate’s own mother call the police on her?
• How did Kate’s airplane get into the safety deposit box?
• Why is it so important for Sawyer to be on the raft? He claims it’s because there’s nothing on the island, but there has to be something deeper, right?
• Was it Walt’s thoughts on the hatch that spurred his change of heart vis-à-vis leaving the island?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• We get another suggestion that Walt is “special,” when Locke touches his arm (remember how important touching was when Jacob encountered the survivors). Is Walt going to come back for the final season?