Kate's Timeline Changed Too?



In "The Incident" when Kate is caught by the shopkeeper for shoplifting she is approximately 12. According to Lostpedia Kate was born in 1977, and according to Tom and Kate's recording in their time capsule it was then 1989. In "What Kate Did" we learn that Kate's parents divorced when she was 5. And at some point after that Diane marries Wayne Janssen becoming Diane Janssen.

But in "The Incident" the shopkeeper refers to Kate as Diane Austen's kid. Not Diane Janssen's. Now, I know this doesn't prove that things have changed for Kate because maybe it took old Wayne a while to pop the question. Nevertheless maybe it has changed. Maybe Wayne doesn't marry Diane leading to his death and Kate's perpetual fugitive status. Maybe Kate is able to do what Jacob told her to, that is "to be good."

Bentham's Mission



Time for back to basics.  I'm looking at some S4 finale things and notice that apparently Locke's mission when he came back to "our world" was to convince Jack and Kate if not the rest of the O6 to come back to the Island.  So here's some questions:





I guess this means that I think Locke did NOT turn the donkey wheel. I'd guess in his attempts to get Jack, Kate and Aaron to return to the Island Locke thought he himself could return to the Island.

I also wonder why someone would kill Locke, but not Jack, Kate and Aaron which doesn't seem like it would be that difficult. Jack tells Kate he wants to go back to keep Aaron and Kate safe. Safe from whom? Safe from the people who just killed Locke? Who killed Nadia? More Kate on the run. Gee. Can't wait for that. (Read with great sarcasm.)

Mummy Penny?



I heard this one on Jay and Jack too. Why didn't they leave Aaron with Penny and avoid the whole Kate was 6 months pregnant when the Marshall picked her up lie?

Kate, Juliet and Smokey













So what is up with Smokey and the ladies? Did they do something to trigger his presence as they trekked back to Othersville? You can hear a CV (Cerberus Vent) open during that first encounter. Did Ben or Jacob send Smokey out to bolster Juliet's con on Kate that they are in it together? Or can Ben's group really not control Smokey?













The second time around, is Smokey coming for Juliet or for Kate? And can he see through mud?

Will Clementine Grow Up To Blow Up Sawyer?













Is this bit of dialogue foreshadowing of Sawyer's possible post-Island future?

Cassidy: What makes a girl that went to Sunday School scared of the cops?
Kate: A few months ago I killed my stepfather and I escaped from the marshal who arrested me for it.
Cassidy: Why?
Kate: Because he was a bad guy.
. . .
Kate: What, you want to help me?
Cassidy: Absolutely.
Kate: Why?
Cassidy: I fell in love with the wrong guy. And then I gave him my life savings. He conned me, and embarrassed me. He was a bad guy.

On a more serious note, I wonder if Cassidy will see Kate's "rescue" from the Island and contact her? That could lead to some interesting girl talk.

Did Locke Make a Case for Jack? For Sayid?













I don't want to go home, Kate. I want you to know I made a strong case for you. I told them you are a good person. Reliable. Smart. Honest. And then they told me who you were and what you had done. Let's just say forgiveness isn't one of their strong suits. -- John Locke, Episode 3.15, Left Behind

So Locke thought Kate had communion with the Island? Or did he just have needs as Sawyer once suggested? But the real thing I want to know is what they told him about Jack. How is Jack not a good person? I still haven't seen anything other than poor judgment in his pre-Island flashbacks; no murder of fathers for example. And what about Sayid? Well hopefully we'll find out soon about Basra and know along with Juliet the full scope of Sayid's unforgivable crimes.

Will Kate Ever Learn About Sawyer and Ana Lucia?

No picture on this one. I just couldn't bear to look at it. So any bets on if/when/where Kate might learn that Sawyer lost his gun to Ana Lucia in a roll, roll, roll in the hay? It's hard to see how she could get upset about a one afternoon stand with a now dead girl, but Kate and her romances are not the most logical things in the world. Add raging pregnancy hormones on top (mere speculation, not spoil-ed) and this could explain how Kate would end up leaving the Island with Jack.

Even Good Dads Lead To Daddy Issues













This one is strange to me. What on earth had Kate, a straight
A student with no prior arrests and just a couple of speeding
tickets done that the man who raised her as his child knew
she had murder in her heart? I guess its related to some
behavior he witnessed when he and young Kate were in the woods.
But still. If all Wayne had done was drink, waste her mom's
money and occasionally beat Diane up, why did Kate kill the
producer of half her DNA?

Unlike Locke's wheelchair story, What Kate Did has never set
well with me as an explanation for why Kate is the way she is.

Smokey?

I just watched What Kate Did and I'm more confused than
ever when it comes to this Island and what's going on. Is
this horse seen by Kate alone at the beginning of the episode
when she hasn't had any sleep and has been worried about
Sawyer Smokey?














How about "Why did you kill me?" Wayne-channeling Sawyer?
Something happened to lead to Sawyer being on the ground.
Just crazy Kate or more?














And what about the black horse seen by both Kate and Sawyer
and actually touched by Kate? By the way, I think it neighed
backwards. Just kidding.













In all, okay more, seriousness, Smokey has had past run-ins
with Kate both in The Pilot and in the S1 finale. So is this
horse the smoke monster in the form of a horse or is it one
of the Others' horses on the loose? Is it the same horse that
appeared in the flashback setting Kate free to run from the
Marshal? Or is it just a similar horse like Sayid's cat in S3?
Finally, if the horse in the flashback permitted Kate to run
why does she now interpret its appearance as permission to
stop running?

There have been recent discussions regarding Mrs. Hawking's
time rules and Damon Lindelof's statement that they apply.
I wish we had someone to elaborate on the rules of Smokey.

Sarah's A Really Bad Judge of Men














From a fiance who's worried he can't have sex and will have
to help her go to the bathroom and doesn't hang around to
see how her surgery went to said surgeon who really just
wanted to fix her and be worshipped for it to a guy willing to
cheat with a married woman, Sarah Shephard really knows
how to pick 'em.

Here's a coincidence, Sarah's fiance is named Kevin. Kate's
husband who she drugged and left in Miami is named Kevin.
Add an "l" and you get Kelvin. Creepy.

Last Kate Post For A While --
Promise















Some other questions came up for me rewatching
Born to Run.

Kate claims to have spent 2 summers crewing J/Boats.
True or just blowing smoke up Michael's, well, you know?

Kate had to have had the keys to the Marshal's cuffs
on Island during the Pilot. She only removes one cuff in
her airplane flashback, and when we first see her in The
Pilot she's rubbing her wrist. Why didn't she give the
key to someone to remove that cuff from poor Jin's wrist?

When oh when oh when can we get tough chick Kate back?
I guess once they added Ana Lucia and then Juliet, they
decided to make Kate softer/weaker, but I really, really
wish they'd give us Season 1 Kate back.

What's with Kate's righteous indignation when Jack asks
her if she poisoned Michael? Of course she's capable of
it, she's the one who suggested it to Sun, and a mere
episode earlier, she drugged Jack, not to mention that
pesky murder thing.

A couple of observations -- Kate and Tom dig up a time
capsule in the flashback. That's basically what Locke and
Boone have dug up in the jungle.

Sun tells Kate she didn't tell Jack it was Kate's suggestion
to drug Jin because Kate shouldn't be punished for trying
to help Sun. That's exactly the thing Kate's been hoping
her mother would tell her since she blew up Wayne.

What Broke Up Tom and Kate?


















Listening to a young Tom Brennan describe his future life
with Kate Austen brings tears to my eyes. He knows they'll
be together when it's time to dig up the time capsule
because they'll be married and have nine kids. But something
or someone intervened and it's only because Kate needs Tom's
help and doesn't mind that she doesn't play fair that they
ever get the chance to dig up the capsule and retrieve the
toy plane and the rest of their memories.

Capcom has a great post on her blog about Do-Overs
and seeing Kate and Tom in Born to Run made me wonder
if Kate has ever wished she could get her do-over all the way
back to where she was with Tom. I used to think Kate saw Jack
as her chance of getting that do-over. But judging from
Through The Looking Glass as well as the choices Kate
made througout Season 3, a do-over with Tom wasn't in her
cards or perhaps even in her fantasies.

Who Wrote This Letter to Joan Hart?














In Born to Run at the motel in the cornfield, Kate
retrieves a letter addressed to Joan Hart that has been
held for guest arrival. The handwriting looks like a
woman's as does the stationary. I couldn't find a
transcription of the entire letter, but the jist of the
letter is that Kate's mom is dying despite the doctors'
best efforts. The letter also says that the writer doesn't
know when Kate will get the letter, but that she hopes it's
soon. It's signed "Love," but Kate's hand is over the
signature. A wad of money came with the letter as well.

Any ideas about who might have sent the letter? I used
to think it might have been Cassidy because of Kate's mom's
appearance in The Long Con. But Left Behind showed us
that Kate's mom didn't know Cassidy and the letter writer
had somewhat detailed knowledge of Diane's medical treatment,
so I don't think it was Cassidy. Plus, Cassidy should be in
New Mexico, not in Iowa anymore.

I'm guessing Kate's use of the name "Joan" in this episode
is a tribute to St. Joan of Arc, the young Frenchwoman who
led troops against the British and was later burned at the
stake. According to Wikipedia, St. Joan is the patron saint of
prisoners and captives, so she's fitting for Kate.

Outstanding Questions from Outlaws














There are a few loose ends left over after Outlaws:

1. Will we ever find out what happened between Sawyer
and Hibbs in the Tampa job? (Do we care?)

2. Hibbs says that he and Sawyer both know Sawyer's not
not the killing type, so why con Sawyer into killing
Duckett? Seems like Hibbs would know an actual killer
that could have handled the job. This reminds me of
Jin's mis-delivered message to the government official
that led to Sun getting a dog.

3. If Smokey is at work in this episode, when would it
have had an opportunity to scan Sawyer? My answer --
Vincent is Smokey.

4. What did Kate do between high school and killing Wayne
since she wasn't in college?

5. Why did they change Sawyer's hometown between this
episode and The Brig? Sawyer tells Duckett he's from
Tennessee like that would mean something to the real
Sawyer, but now he's from Jasper, Alabama. I'm willing
to take a job doing continuity if TPTB need it. Here's
a nutty idea. Maybe Desmond traveling back in time
changed it.

Why Isn't Future Kate












Behind Bars?

If all Kate had done was blow up Wayne, maybe
future Kate would be able to beat that wrap, but
that's not all we've seen Kate do. In running from
the police she was responsible for Tom's death.
That should lead to a felony murder charge. And
then she robbed a bank, another federal crime.
And then she shot three people when she robbed
that bank. Yes, you can charge people for shooting
their accomplices.

So what's your future Kate theories? Is she
using an assumed name? Jack's not. Why wouldn't
someone, her dad Sam for example, have recognized
her upon her return? Are there 2 of her?

It makes me think that very powerful people arranged
for Jack and Kate's return. It also makes me think
that someone other than Jack and Kate got off the Island
because why would Jack be a hero if the only person he
saved from the crash of Flight 815 was himself?

Did Kate Do This














With Cassidy's Help?















The Marshal tells us that:

[he tells Kate] that I've got whats-him-name's little toy airplane
in a safe deposit box in New Mexico. So, she somehow figures
out which bank, which safe deposit box.

Cassidy and Clementine are in Alberquerque. Is this how Kate
figures out which bank and which box? Did Cassidy also hook
Kate up with Jason and his cronies who help pull off the heist?

Hero or Villain?
























While listening to the Michael Emerson interview in
Episode 93 of Comic News Insider Emerson said he's
always assumed despite all evidence to the contrary that
Ben is going to turn out to be a hero. What do you think?
Are the following Heroes or Villains?

• Benjamin Linus
• Jack Shephard
• John Locke
• Kate Austen
• James "Sawyer" Ford
• Juliet Burke
• The Island
• Jacob
• Smokey
  
  

Questions from Tabula Rasa







After rewatching Episode 1.3, Tabula Rasa, I've got some questions.
Answer as many or as few as you'd like.

1. Would you trust Kate?
2. Would you lie so that others would not lose hope?
3. Should Kate have told everyone what she did?
4. Why isn't Kate in jail in the Flash Forward? Has she stopped running?
5. Jack has to finish what Kate and Sawyer started in trying to end the Marshal's suffering. Is it Jack's destiny to clean up the mess Kate and Sawyer leave behind?
6. Is Kate's real issue running or going back?
7. Why didn't the Island heal the Marshal?
8. Did Walt make the rain stop?
9. Jack says they died 3 days ago (Purgartory? JK) and that they should all be able to start over, but do they? Or do they stay who they are for ill as well as good?








10. Why did Charlie change FATE to LATE on his fingers?








11. Did anything ever happen between Michael and Sun?