S1Ep22 - Born to Run (Kate's third flashback)

[This message was initially sent as an email to friends, it was loaded into this blog 2.5 years later]

Hello everyone -

I bet a few of you were wondering if I would protest doing this write-up because it is once again about Kate, my least favorite character. Well, the only reason why I am still doing it is because the Kate Hate on the boards is SO OVERWHELMING, so powerful, that I was anxious to paste in some of the posts because they are so vicious. I'm now going to make a bold statement: There are some people out there who hate Kate even more than I do. And this write-up is dedicated to those people across the country who, like me, are continually befuddled each week when the show doesn't end with Kate being eaten alive by the Monster.


Issues/topics in "Born to Run":


1) Who wrote Kate the letter she read at the beginning?

Obviously whoever it was has been in contact with her enough to know 1) Where she was, 2) What her fake name was and 3) That she would need money. Some suspect it was the ex-boyfriend guy, but I don't because he seemed shocked to see her. Some suspect it was her father, a sibling, a stepfather, or another childhood friend.

And by the way, that opening scene where she "washed out" the platinum blond dye was ridiculous. Most people were just mad that that scene didn't end with her being stabbed in the shower a la Psycho.

2) Dr. Artz aka The Science Teacher - or - Where Did THIS Guy Come From??!?!!?!?!!?

There are many problems people have with the sudden appearance of The Science Teacher:
a) He's a bad science teacher, as trade winds go east/west and not north/south as he said (I plead ignorance on this one... just reporting what people on the boards claim to know… although I DID know that Antarctica was the only piece of land south of them - are you impressed?)
b) If they're going to introduce a new character, they should've done it more subtly over the course of the season. For instance, Rose, Steve, the guy with the rash, etc... these people have had bit parts the whole time... it would be more believable if one of them spoke up rather than some totally new guy who everyone else is talking to on a first name basis all of a sudden.
c) It seems contrived because it's like they NEEDED a reason to speed up the raft's launch, so all of a sudden they create this science teacher. Why didn't he say anything the past few weeks they've been building it?!?!?!

3) More Lord of the Rings connections!

Kate's True Love was played by MacKenzie Astin, who also played the young Andy Moffatt from Facts of Life (You take the good, you take the bad, you ... I'll stop). In real life, he is the younger brother of Sam the Hobbit, and was also once the roommate of Merry Brandybuck (Charlie). If you really want to be weirded out, consider this: Charlie and Kate are dating in real life (strange but true), yet in this episode Kate was kissing Charlie's real life ex-roommate.

3) The Hatch

The one part of this episode that everyone DID like was the Craphole Island Holy Trinity of Locke, Jack and Sayid discussing the hatch. Everyone was annoyed by Jack thinking they should open it because he doesn't see what's so bad that could be in there. I will let you read the posts for peoples' reactions to THAT idiotic reasoning.

The "discretion" argument between Jack and Locke was also awesome, but even better was Sayid's face the whole time, he was very amused. I just like how finally these two had to admit that they both have hid information from the group at large because they thought it was the right thing to do.

4) Sawyer

People really need to stop blaming him for EVERYTHING. I mean, come on.
He didn't take the water early on in the season, he didn't have the inhalers, he gave Kate the alcohol for Boone when they needed it, and he didn't poison Jin. He has actually done a lot of good things on the island in addition to being eye candy for all the women, so really they must stop accusing him every time something goes wrong because it is getting old and tired.

5) Hurley

Once again proving that the producers/writers did intend for him to be "the voice of the audience" when he shouted, exasperated, "How am I supposed to keep straight who knows what around here?"

6) VH1's Behind the Music: Driveshaft

I TOTALLY missed this, but I guess the song Charlie was writing while Claire was cutting his hair was entitled, "The Monster Ate the Pilot." I will watch this again tonight to catch that, but everyone on the boards got a kick out of it. The more sentimental board posters liked the idea of Charlie, Claire and Turniphead shacking up in LA, but most people just felt it was lame.

7) Kate is the WORST

OK, so Jack knows that Kate's a fugitive, she's proven she knows how to use a gun, she wanted the Halliburton case with 4 guns in it, and she drugged Jack last episode. But yet she has the gall to get all offended when Jack asks her if she poisoned Michael? Sista, please!

8) The Time Capsule

So Kate and her True Love dig up some time capsule they made back in the day (8/15 1989, to be exact. Yes, 815 AGAIN), which was housed in a New Kids lunchbox. Hey, I went to see them in concert (shout out to DY, who I believe was with me?), so I can't make any rude remarks. But then again, I also saw Milli Vanilli three times in concert (shout out to DY and Nerdy P, both of whom I KNOW were with me at those... you've been OUTED). In this lunchbox is ... dum dum dum... the toy plane. And also a cassette tape, which reveals that even back then Kate wanted to run away, and her True Love should supposedly "know why." This has led to much speculation about Kate being abused or whatnot, and that perhaps she killed whoever was hurting her. I have no idea what to think anymore. I really don't.

9) Walt stars in The Dead Zone

First, Walt wants to make sure Locke knows he didn't poison his dad, which I actually thought was a good scene and smart of the writers to do... If I was Walt I would've done the same thing.

But then Locke touches him and Walt supposedly gets some sort of vision about what will happen when the hatch is opened, and pleads with Locke not to open it. Definitely freaky... awwwwwwwwwwwww.... FREAK OUT! Le Freak, c'est chic!


10) So What Did Kate DO, for the love of God!??!?!

For those of you thinking the mystery of Kate's past was solved this episode, you are dead wrong. And the reason why I am especially mad is that it means there's no way we're getting around having to wince our way through MORE Kate flashbacks in Season 2. There is significant evidence now to suggest that whatever Kate did was a horrendous crime. Or else, it better be since they've established the following evidence:

a) Episode opens with Kate changing her looks, having a stash of license plates, and sneaking into a hotel room like she's no stranger to doing that. She also is using an alias, as we have seen her do in her other flashbacks.
b) There is an ARMED GUARD sitting outside her mom's hospital room. There IS a slight chance that her MOM was a criminal, or possibly her dad/other relative was and they needed to protect the mom from someone, but most likely it was for Kate, since...
c) She covered her face with the flower bouquet when passing the guard
d) She was able to break into the back of her True Love's alarmed car
e) She said "I'm so sorry for everything I've put you through" to her mom (by the way, Hurley made nearly the exact same apology to his family at the press conference after he won the Lotto)
f) Her mom, who quite possibly could've been possessed by a demon, starting freaking out when she saw Kate... not out of joy, but out of horror and fear. She obviously thought Kate was going to kill her as she was trying to scream "Help me!!!!"
g) The mom causes enough ruckus for the guard to come over, giving Kate no choice but to uppercut him and bust out...
h) Using her True Love's car to escape, she attempts her getaway but he jumps in beside her. She asks him to leave but he's like, "No... you know what? Forget that wife who stuck with me through med school and my new beautiful baby and the fact that you're a criminal and I haven't even seen you in years... I think I want to ride with you to my death in the most lame escape attempt EVER." Watch it again, I swear he said that.
i) She drives straight into the police, and then finally crashes, only to then notice that True Love has been shot to death. But tramps like Kate, baby they were born to ruuunnnnn*..... so she hops out of the car, LEAVING THE TOY PLANE BEHIND and THUS ENSURING much to my dismay that we must endure another Kate flashback to see how the toy plane ended up in the safety deposit box. Although it still is strange that when Sawyer outed her as the fugitive to everyone else, she said, "what I SUPPOSEDLY did."

Once again, ensuring another flashback.

*(I also saw Bruce Springsteen in concert (damn, DY, we've seen a lot of concerts together!), and I apologize for using his song lyrics in the same sentence I mentioned Kate. However, it's the writers' fault as they named this episode and I feel that was totally disrespectful to The Boss)


11) Sun Resorts to Poison

I can't believe Sun fell victim to Kate's evilness and not only took her suggestion to poison Jin, but also didn't see through Kate's completely selfish reason for suggesting that route. Many people feel that Jack saying, "Say goodbye," to Sun is foreshadowing Jin's demise.

12) Freaky Walt Part Deux

Before, Walt wanted to stay on the island so badly that he burned the first raft. So tonight he cops to torching it to his dad, and then Michael responds, "We don't have to go if you really don't want to leave that badly." And Walt's like, "Oh no, we GOTS TA GO!" because he KNOWS that something wicked that way will soon come. I thought that besides the demon-possessed mother, Walt's "Yes, we do." response to "We don't need to go!" was the scariest part of this episode. Why doesn't he tell OTHER people besides Locke to not open the hatch?!?!?!



Best Line:

Dr. Artz to Sawyer: "Because I'm a Doctor...And you're a hillbilly!"


POSTS FROM THE MESSAGE BOARDS

- All right, that wasn't supposed to make me feel bad for Kate, right? Cause... no. My hate has only intensified. Greatly. I want her to go on the raft... alone... and I want it to sink. Slowly.
- So...Everytime Kate gets into a motor vehicle, someone is screwed. I'll never buy her as a farm girl after seeing her foam that beer terribly. I know it was thrown, but girl, you gotta tap that! The Mortal Kombat Uppercut of Doom in the hospital did a lot to regain the (dirt) street cred.
- At least The Hatch is back. The Hatch is creepy. It's a much better character than Kate.
- Oh good, now I have a thoroughly legitimate reason for hating Kate. Excellent. Way to kill your childhood sweetheart, coward. Oh, yes, everyone else hates her too! Woo-hoo!- I love this show but after nearly every episode, I feel so stupid. This was Kate's third episode and I'm still confused. Newsflash, writers! Kate is not all that interesting of a character. She's annoying and always up in someone's grill. One rule for next season: Less Kate, more Sun. Learn it, live it, love it.
- I loathe Kate and her stupid toy plane, but I admit, that part where her mother started crying for help was downright creepy. - So Jack's gonna let everyone assume Kate poisoned Michael, even though he himself thinks Sun did it? And he's gonna try to lecture Locke about keeping secrets? Smug jackass. I vote Hurley mayor of Craphole Island.
- Why do I suspect Kate killed her father somehow as well?
- Now, besides the monster, the Others, the Black Rock, the black and white stones, the empty coffin, Adam and Eve and the numbers, we have Why is Kate running to begin with? Why is Kate's mom so freaked? and the all important, "How did she get the toy plane she left in the back seat of the Doc's Beemer?
- And Jack? I can think of a billion things that could be in that hatch. Most of which I don't want to find. And sure, I agree the best-case scenario would be a lifetime supply of food and medicine. But, gee, I don't know, I think monsters, a virulent disease, dead bodies, lostzilla, polar bears, nuclear weapons or a stash of serial killers are way worse than your worst case scenario of NOTHING???
- I think the reason for Charlie's haircut was to emphasize his metamorphosis into Boone II: the new biggest tool on the island. Did anyone else notice that he got the exact same mullet that Boone was sporting towards the end?
- I don't think Walt wants to go necessarily. He said -- we have to go. Even creepier in my opinion. It's like he knows it's his and his dad's destiny to be on that raft -- Either to get away from whatever is going to happen on the island, or because something has to happen on the raft. Kid knows.- I can't wait for the hatch to be opened. Only two more years and 1,000 more flashbacks and we'll see that the hatch leads to the hottest nightclub on the island or something equally as disappointing.
- I may be the only one, but I'm intrigued by all the inconsistencies to Kate. What's the original reason she's on the run? Why did her mom act like that? If she grew up in Iowa, how does being from Canada and hunting with her US military dad come into play? How long was she involved in Tom's life and who knows how to find her? Someone had to know where and who to send that letter. What's up with all the names? How'd the airplane end up in New Mexico and why wasn't it important enough to grab tonight, but is important enough to rob a bank for in the future? I honestly don't think she's lying about the stuff she's said on the island. She didn't lie tonight.

- e