LOST: "I Do" [Spoilers!]

Monica

We'll start with the flashback this time, which was regarding Kate.  Or should I say, "Monica", as is the name she had during this period in her past.  She was madly in love with a cop (how dangerous! :/ ) named Kevin, and ended up marrying him.

A lot of June Cleaver-ish wife-acting happens on "Monica's" behalf.

Long story short, she's torn between her past and wanting to settle down with Officer Kevin.  She calls up the FBI agent who's on her case, and basically tries to cut a deal.  He says if she can settle down and stay out of trouble he'll leave her alone.  Of course they both know that will never happen.

So we see the wedding, her bonding with her future mother-in-law, and then (assumedly) go forward a bit to her in the bathroom looking at a pregnancy test, which comes up negative.  This is most interesting, as I'm guessing it has to come up again, especially considering Sun's dilemna, and Juliet's claimed profession.  Big question is, can Kate get pregnant and what will become of this bit of information?

Having come up short on the baby angle, she makes the choice to bail on Kevin, telling him the truth before drugging him and (although we're not shown) going back on the run.

Short summary, but we'll come back to what this means in a bit.

Pickett's Grudge

So back at the cages, Pickett comes to take Kate off to the building site, but wants to leave Sawyer here.  She insists they both go, "they're a team" you know.  Fine! Pickett obliges.

At the building site, alarms start going off, "Compound Breach!"  Pickett gets on the radio to somebody, talking about "her."  Then "she" shows up.  It's Alex!  Armed with a makeshift slingshot, she demands to know what happened to Carl.  "You're not supposed to be here!" says Pickett, and they finally subdue her and haul her off, not before she screams to Kate, "They killed him! And they'll kill your boyfriend too!"  Later we here Juliet talking about "taking her home."

So what's the deal with Alex and Carl? (And just WHO the **** is Carl?!) Why was she not supposed to be there?  Why would her being there trigger an alarm?  Is she supposed to be under "house arrest" or something?  There's more to that story, I wager.

Juliet shows up, tells Kate to put this hood on, you're coming with me.  Kate refuses, until Juliet explains that they're going to kill Sawyer if she doesn't.  So after a bit of Sawyer-gazing and contemplating she does it.

Lift Up Your Eyes And Look North

Off we go to Locke, Desmond, and company, standing over the recently departed Mr. Eko.  Locke decides to bury him where he is, so that the rest of the stranded don't have to endure another funeral.  (I'm betting there are other reasons....)  Locke pensively holds Yemi's/Eko's cross, and it looks like he's going to keep it.

Locke goes off to get shovels, and Sayid insists on following.  Of course they're not going directly to the beach, but they must take a "detour" first.  They have a brief and not-very-revealing conversation about the monster.  Locke doesn't spill the beans to Sayid about what he's seen.  But he does tell Sayid that Eko died "for a reason" and that he needs to figure out what that is.

Their detour was to retreive Eko's prayer stick, so it can be buried with him.  John says a few words, to the effect of, "You died for a reason, hopefully it won't be too long before we find it out.  Thank you for helping me find my..." And then he reads what's on the stick.  "Lift Up Your Eyes And Look North."

Looks like Locke has a new misison!  We can only assume the rest of his interrupted sentence to be "helping me find my purpose."

The Nail In My Coffin

Ben and Juliet are back at the Hydra, still trying to convince Jack to operate on Ben.  (Although for different reasons.)  Jack refuses, on the grounds that they won't keep their word if he does, so why should he?  Ben is "very disappointed", but Jack tells him he won't be for very long.  Bottom line is Ben needs the surgery *now*.

Juliet returns with a hooded Kate to Jack's cell.  Before taking off the hood, she exchanges an interesting look with Jack.  Is it one of "I really don't want to be doing this, but Ben made me?"  Is it "We're serious, here!?"  What exactly that look was supposed to be is a mystery...

Then the hood comes off.  There are some interesting silent moments here, as they don't seem to know what to do with each other through the glass.  Kate's obviously still torn about Jack, and it's obvious that Jack still has it (at least a little) for her.

Kate (tearfully) tries to convince Jack that he needs to do the operation.  Of course Jack still isn't caving (stubborn Jack! didn't we learn anything before?) She tells him of the plan to kill Sawyer if he doesn't.  "And you believe them?"  "I have to," she says.

Then we cut to an obviously pissed-off Ben watching the whole exchange in the monitor room.  "Get her out."

Cut again to Jack sleeping on the table.  The intercom starts sputtering static, it's Juliet! "Try and open the door."  Turns out the door is unlocked, and Jack carefully makes his way down the hall to the monitor room.  He sees Kate and Sawyer on the screen, and is confused, stunned, and maybe angry(?) There is a open weapons cabinet, and Jack grabs one of the Lugers and turns around.

There's Ben.  "If it helps I was surprised too."  Surprised at what? To see Jack out? To see that somebody let him out?  With the pistol pointed squarely at his chest, Ben says "I guess this is the final nail in my coffin."

Jack puts the gun back, and agrees to do the surgery.  What? What happened to change his mind?  In the morning, he says.  Ben is even more surprised, and of course agrees.  But Jack needs Ben's word that they'll all be let go.  Is Ben's word worth anything?

Caged

So back at the cages, Kate decides to take matters into her own hands.  She escapes through the top of her cage, arguing with "James" the whole timeand breaks the lock on Sawyer's cage, telling him to run. 

He tells Kate about the second island, that there's noplace to run too.  "When were you going to tell me?" "Never. Because I wanted us to have a chance."  And then the moment all you soap-opera fans were waiting for happens.  They disregard everything (hello? don't you think this is a bad idea? hey! you! hello?) and make love right there in the cage. (Hello, cameras? Bueller?)  So now it's official, Kate and Sawyer are "it."

The (Not So Very) Big "Cliffhanger"

The last part of the show brings Jack and Kate's stories together, so they kind of have to be told that way....

Jack is in surgery, over an open Ben.  When he gets a chance he cuts into Ben's kidney, causing the very-expensive-machine-that-goes-PING! to go PING! a lot, and causes quite a commotion amongst the others in the room.  He demands "Tom's" radio, and explains that unless he gets his way, Ben will die in an hour.

Back at the cages, it would seem that Sawyer's end is near.  Pickett's caught Kate and Sawyer post-coitus and drags him out to take a bullet in the head.  He's interrupted by Tom on the radio, who tells him whats going on and to give the radio to Kate.

Jack tells Kate to run.  Without Sawyer if need be.  Kate can't handle this, as she knows what Jack doesn't, that there isn't any place to run to.  Jack tells her to get to the spot on the beach where they were after the crash, and when she gets there, to tell the story he told her there. (OK, that was an odd sentence!)  Of course I can't remember off-hand what that story was...anyone want to help?

Much crying and disagreement eminates from Kate at this point, and we leave the show at that.  At that!  Now what kind of a cliffhanger is that?

I was expecting (from the description) that Locke was actually going to find something (besides the carving) and we'd all go "oooh! what's that!?"  Or Jack would exchange some meaningful looks with Juliet, as he decides whether or not to take her up on her offer.

But this?  This can only end badly for the Hydra trio.  Unless they pull a magic number-eight-rabbit out of a hat, I don't see anything good coming of this.  Maybe that's what the writers wanted. I don't know.  I just thought there'd be, I don't know, "more" at that point.

The Usual Question and Answer Roundup

So, we get to see more of Kate in the flashback.  That she's capable of love and settling down, but knows she can't.  On the island, has she decided to for real? With Sawyer?  More questions:

• Did they just allow Kate and Sawyer's little trist because the plan was to kill Sawyer?
• What all can Ben see on his monitors there? Just parts of the Hydra? Or is there more?
• Since Kate won't run (there's no place to go!) what will happen there?  Will Jack just allow Ben to "expire" on the table and deal with the consquences? Will Juliet keep her word if that happens?  Will he save Ben regardless?
• What is "North" that Locke's new mission entails?
• Just what is going on with the "Alex and Carl" thing?  Is Alex being punished for the Claire incident? For something else?

In 12 Weeks....

But the most exciting part (for me anyway) was in the preview for when we come back in February.  Lots of already-shown-scene-clips were run through, and then we get Desmond.  Ranting about "you don't want to know what happened to me!"

Whoa! Is he referring to what happened when he threw that failsafe swicth under the Swan?  Why he ended up in prison in his former life?  That's going to be something to wait for.

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