What Kate Did

This article is about the episode. For the magazine issue, see "What Kate Did" (magazine)

"What Kate Did" is the ninth episode of Season 2 of Lost, and the 34th produced hour of the series as a whole. Kate begins to believe that she is going mad after she sees a black horse on The Island similar to one from her past, and hearing her father when speaking to Sawyer. Meanwhile, Eko shows Locke an interesting item.

Synopsis

Flashback

2001

A 24-year-old Kate is sitting on a porch, playing with a cigarette lighter, when her father, Wayne Janssen, arrives inebriated. As Kate helps him to bed, he complains and makes advances toward her. Kate soon leaves. As Kate rides away from the house on a motorcycle, the house explodes.

She rides to a diner where her mother, Diane Janssen, works. ♪ Kate confronts Diane about an injury caused by Wayne and then presents her with a homeowners' insurance policy, telling Diane she'll be taken care of. Despite worried pleas from her mother to explain what she did, Kate leaves, fighting back tears.

Later, as Kate is trying to buy a bus or train ticket to Tallahassee, she is arrested by U.S. Marshal, Edward Mars. He says Kate's mother turned her in. ♪

On a country highway during a rainy night, Mars is driving a handcuffed Kate to her arraignment in Iowa. He questions why, with no previous criminal record or history of violence, she would choose to kill Wayne now. Suddenly, a black horse passes in front of the car. Kate shouts "Look out!" and after swerving to avoid hitting the animal, the car hits a pole. With Mars momentarily stunned by the opening of the driver's airbag, Kate grabs the handcuff keys and tries to unlock the handcuffs, but the marshal revives. After a short fight, Kate kicks Mars out of the car. She reverses the slightly damaged car and turns on the headlights and drives away. To her surprise, the lights show the black horse standing next to the road quietly looking at her for a few seconds before leaving into the darkness. ♪

Kate visits a U.S. Army recruiting station and meets Sergeant Major Sam Austen, the man she believed to be her biological father. She tells Sam she recently discovered he was her stepfather and Wayne was her biological father. Sam says he had known all along, but hid the truth because he knew Kate would kill Wayne if she ever found out. He informs Kate that he must call the authorities, but gives her a one-hour head start. ♪ In the background of the recruiting station, a TV set is playing and a shot of Sayid can clearly be seen for two seconds.

On the Island

In the morning light, Jin comes out of his tent with no shirt on, followed by a smiling Sun. As she hugs him, Hurley gives Jin a thumbs up from his nearby shelter. Sun turns to look down the beach and sees Sayid digging a grave for Shannon. ♪

In the Swan, Jack watches over a semi-conscious Sawyer, who mutters, "Where is she?" which Jack assumes refers to Kate. Sawyer whispers, "I love her" twice, stunning Jack into silence.

While collecting fruit in the jungle, Kate is shocked to see a black horse standing in the undergrowth. She returns to the Swan to attend to Sawyer and the computer so Jack can attend Shannon's funeral. On the beach, Eko comforts Ana Lucia, saying most of the survivors realize Shannon's death was accidental, but she decides to avoid the funeral. At the funeral, Sayid tries to say a few words, but, overcome by emotion, can only declare that he loved her before walking away. Jack, Locke, and the other survivors continue the improvised ceremony by each pouring a handful of sand into the grave. ♪♪

In the Swan, Kate plays a record of "After Midnight" by Patsy Cline and tells the sleeping Sawyer she thinks she saw a horse outside. Sawyer begins to mumble, and as she leans in to hear better, he grabs her by the neck and says, "You killed me. Why did you kill me?"

Jack and Locke return to the Swan to find the alarm blaring, Sawyer on the floor, and Kate nowhere to be seen. With only 23 seconds to go, Locke hastily enters the Numbers, resetting the clock to 108.

Outside, Kate bumps into Charlie in the woods and asks if he thinks there are horses on the Island. He replies that he has seen polar bears and heard monsters, but never horses, and they part ways. Back at the beach, Charlie meets Jack and tells him where to find Kate.

In the Swan, Locke uses bolt cutters to finally remove the handcuff Jin has worn on his right hand since attacking Michael weeks previously. After Jin leaves, Michael asks Locke about the blast door in the ceiling, which Locke admits he had not noticed.

Jack tracks Kate down and accosts her for leaving the Swan. Kate shouts, "I'm sorry I'm not as perfect as you. I'm sorry that I'm not as good!" She tries to run away, but Jack grabs her forearm and pulls her back. With emotions reaching a fever pitch, Jack pulls Kate close and holds her. Without warning, Kate kisses Jack passionately and, seemingly shocked by her actions, runs off into the jungle. ♪ Jack calls after her, but she does not turn around and he does not follow.

Locke shows the DHARMA Orientation film to Michael and Eko and says he has set up two-person shifts every six hours to enter the code. When Locke asks Eko what he thinks, Eko leaves without saying a word.

Sayid goes to Shannon’s grave to place his prayer beads on her cross; he discovers Kate sitting there. She apologizes for missing the funeral and says she thinks she's going crazy. When asked if he believes in ghosts, Sayid says he saw Walt in the jungle just before Shannon was shot and asks if that makes him crazy too.

Locke demonstrates to Michael that the keyboard only works when the alarm sounds - Michael asks to inspect the equipment and Locke hesitantly agrees, but only if he doesn't break it.

Eko calls Locke aside and, after leading in with a story about Josiah and the book found during Josiah's rule, reveals a hollowed-out Bible which contains a small reel of 16mm film. The book was found by the tail-section survivors in the DHARMA bunker they inhabited on the other side of the Island. Locke unrolls part of the reel and recognizes Dr. Marvin Candle, the narrator from the original film.

In the jungle, Jack is cutting wood when Hurley approaches, making small talk, eventually leading into the topic of Sawyer. Hurley asks Jack if he is mad at Sawyer, which Jack denies.

Kate returns to the Swan and relieves Sun, who has been tending to Sawyer. Kate asks Sawyer if he can hear her, first saying "Sawyer?" then "Wayne?" Sawyer stirs and mumbles inaudibly. Kate, believing that Wayne's ghost has possessed Sawyer's body, confesses aloud that she killed him after finding out he was her biological father. It was too much for her to bear to know that the man who she hated would always be a part of her. Furthermore, whenever she had feelings for Sawyer she couldn't help remembering Wayne. ♪ Following Kate's confession, Sawyer awakes as his normal self, and his comments reveal he has heard the whole conversation. Kate is embarrassed but relieved. ♪

Locke discovers that the film found in the bible was cut from the original Swan orientation film; Eko and Locke splice the film back into the main film reel. Locke marvels at the odds of them finding the missing piece, but Eko advises him not to "mistake coincidence for fate."

Sawyer believes that they had been rescued, seeing the kitchen, beds, and such in the hatch. Kate shows Sawyer around the Swan, before taking him outside to prove they have not been rescued. The two talk until something catches Sawyer's eye; Kate turns to see what he is looking at and sees the black horse standing nearby. Kate asks Sawyer if he sees it and Sawyer says he can. Kate approaches and pets the horse before it walks back into the jungle.

Back at the beach, Jack approaches Ana Lucia, who is sitting carving a stake with her hunting knife. Jack offers her one of three miniature bottles of Tequila, recalling their first meeting at the airport. They commiserate, smile, and share a moment together.

Locke and Mr. Eko watch the missing section of the film, in which Dr. Candle expands on his warning that the computer is to be used only to enter the code. He explains that while the isolation of Station 3 may tempt one to use the computer to communicate with the outside world, such action would compromise the integrity of the project and may lead to another "incident."

At the same time, as Michael examines the computer equipment, he hears a beeping from the terminal and goes to inspect. He notices there are still 51 minutes remaining on the timer and the text "Hello?" is shown on the screen. Unlike Locke's attempt earlier, Michael is able to enter text and types "Hello?" A moment later, "Who is this?" appears and Michael responds, "This is Michael. Who is this?" After a few seconds, "Dad?" appears on the screen. Michael is stunned to see this. ♪

Trivia

• When Kate visits Sam Austen, a TV in the recruitment center shows Sayid being pushed into the back of a car. Sam knew Sayid when he was serving in Iraq during the first Gulf War, as revealed in "One of Them".
• A podcast rehash for the episode was released on January 09th, 2006. (Official Lost Podcast/January 09, 2006)
• In the official podcast, it was stated that the title of this episode was a response to people asking what Kate did. (Official Lost Podcast/January 09, 2006)
• In the special feature Access: Granted on the Season 3 Blu-ray release, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse said that it was indeed Walt who communicated with Michael on the Swan computer.
• A 2009 Comic-Con video (which is not necessarily canon) claimed that Wayne did not die during the events depicted in this episode and instead someone else did. This could be a possible reference to the world of the flash-sideways of season 6.
• This episode marks the first time in the series where Jin and Locke exchange dialogue. The next time they would speak to each other wouldn't be until season five in "This Place Is Death". Daniel Dae Kim and Terry O'Quinn would later work together on Hawaii Five-O.
• Season six features an episode called "What Kate Does", a reference to the title of this episode.
• This episode is rated TV-14-V.
• Beth Broderick appeared as a waitress in a diner, not only in Lost, but also in the television show Under The Dome. The End of the World by Skeeter Davis, the song playing as Kate walks into the diner, and Broderick's character Diane Janssen is introduced, was also a song played in Under The Dome.

Production notes

• Emilie de Ravin (Claire), Cynthia Watros (Libby), L. Scott (Rose Nadler) and Sam Anderson (Bernard Nadler) appear without speaking lines.
• This is the second extended episode of Lost running 5 minutes longer than the standard 1 hour episodes of Lost, other episodes that were extended were "The Other 48 Days", "The Long Con", "Maternity Leave", "Dave", "?", "316", "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" and "Ab Aeterno".
• An audio commentary by Evangeline Lilly, Paul Edwards, and Michael Bonvillain for this episode is available on the Season 2 DVD.
• A Lost: On Location for this episode is available on the Season 2 DVD with the Best Buy/TV Guide Bonus Disc or Blu-ray Disc set.
• This episode marks the first appearance of Lindsey Ginter (Sam Austen).
• The opening credits appear before the Lost title sequence. They usually appear after.

Deleted scenes

• A deleted scene from this episode shows Libby first introducing herself to Claire. Libby compliments Aaron and then surprises Claire by informing her that she is wearing her shirt. Libby tells Claire that it looks good on her and that she should keep it.
• A deleted scene shows Sun and Jin caring for Sawyer as he recovers from his gunshot wound and Jin tells Sun he's happy to be understood (in Korean).

Bloopers and continuity errors

• The currency used in the ticket transaction includes the colorful U.S. twenty-dollar bill introduced October 9, 2003. When she was captured (in 2004) the marshal had been chasing her for three years (since 2001). This incident was the first time that they had met.
• When Kate and Sawyer both see the horse in the jungle, the hand of the horse's trainer can clearly be seen on the right side of the shot.
• The missing footage from the Orientation film that Eko gives to Locke appears to have been filmed at a different time than the parts directly preceding and following it. François Chau has a different hair style, the lab coat is slightly different and the lighting is much brighter.
• The nameplate on Sergeant Major Sam Austen's desk misidentifies him as a Sergeant.
• The soldiers in the recruiting station are wearing uniforms improperly. They are lacking both the blue cord, and blue disks on their collars, identifying them as infantry (11B). However, they are infantry soldiers judging by their combat badges, and cross-rifle insignia on their collar. They are also missing both their recruiter badges on their breast pockets, and unit badges over their name plates.
• In the first shot, when Kate is leaving the recruiting station, the TV is turned off and in the next shot it's turned on again.

Music

The Season 2 soundtrack includes the cue "Shannon's Funeral" from this episode, a statement of Shannon's theme.

Analysis

Recurring themes

• The marshal crashed his car when a black horse ran in front of it. (Animals)
• Kate discovered a black horse in the jungle. (Animals)  (Black and White)
• A dart board is shown in the Swan. (Games) (Black and White)
• Kate's biological father came home drunk driving, and hit on her. (Parent issues)
• Kate blew up a house to kill her biological father. (Life and death)  (Parent issues)
• Marshal arrested Kate for murder. Then marshal said: "Your mama gave you up, Kate." (Imprisonment)  (Parent issues)
• Sam always knew he was not Kate's biological father, yet never told her. (Deceptions and cons)  (Parent issues)
• Shannon is buried. (Life and death)
• Sawyer woke up and yelled at Kate "why did you kill me?" (Life and death)
• The timer had 23 seconds left when Jack and Locke discovered that Kate abandoned the Swan. Locke mistyped 23 as 22 for a brief moment when he was typing in the Numbers. (The Numbers)
• Kate dealt out $42 to buy a ticket to Tallahassee. (The Numbers)
• When Locke is talking to Michael about entering the numbers, the timer flips to 23 minutes. (The Numbers)
• Sam Austen was in Korea until 4 months before Kate was born. (The Numbers)
• Locke helped break Jin's handcuff from his wrist and said "free at last, huh?" (Imprisonment)
• Kate told Jack "I'm sorry that I'm not as good." (Good and bad people)
• Kate said she killed Wayne because she knew she would never be "good." (Good and bad people)
• As Kate enters her father's recruiting office, Sayid is seen on the TV by the door in a CNN-type screen. (Character connections)
• A sign reads "Build your future" at the army recruitment office. (Fate versus free will)
• Eko said "don't mistake coincidence for fate." (Coincidences)  (Fate versus free will)  (Regularly spoken phrases)
• After waking up, Sawyer asked Kate "Are we saved?" To which Kate replies "Not yet." (Salvation)
• Sayid puts praying beads on Shannon's gravesite. (Religion)
• Eko tells Locke the story of Josiah and the Book of Law. He also presents him with a hollowed out Bible containing the missing splice from the Orientation film. (Religion) (Coincidences)
• Michael refers to the electromagnetism mentioned in the film. (Electromagnetism)

Cultural references

• What Katy Did: The title of the episode refers to this 1872 book by Susan Coolidge (pen name Sarah Chauncey Woolsey). The book tells the story of Katy Carr from the American Midwest who has a life similar to young Kate. Katy is a tomboy from Ohio always getting in trouble and fights, but wishing to be beautiful and loved. An accident makes her an invalid, but the recovery eventually teaches her to be good and as kind as she has always wanted. (Literary works)
• Janis Joplin: Kate wore a t-shirt that had a Janis Joplin logo. (Music)
• "The End of the World": by Skeeter Davis is played at the cafe. (Music)
• "Walkin' After Midnight": Kate played this song by Patsy Cline on the Swan record player. (Music)
• Lord of the Flies: Charlie compared the Tailies' trip to this book by William Golding. (Literary works)
• The Bible: Eko presents Locke with a Bible, containing the splice of missing Orientation film. (Literary works)  (Religion and ideologies)
  • Mr. Eko tells Locke a story about how Josiah rebuilt The Temple with the Book of Law or "Old Testament." This story can be found in 2 Kings 22, which is part of the Old Testament. The "Book of the Law" that is referred to in that passage is apparently the Mosaic Law that existed at that time. (Religion and ideologies)  (Literary works)
• Hindsight: this book by Peter Wright can be seen on the shelf near the bed where Sawyer recovers. (Literary works)
• After All These Years: this book by Susan Isaacs can be seen on the shelf near the bed where Sawyer recovers. (Literary works)

Literary techniques

• Michael questions why the Swan has blast doors in the ceiling. (Foreshadowing)
• Michael communicates with someone on the Swan computer, who replies with "Dad?" (Cliffhanger)  (Plot twist)
• Eko says "Do not mistake coincidence for fate" to Locke. (Regularly spoken phrases)
• Locke and Eko watch the Orientation film with the splice added back in, which explains that using the computer to communicate with the outside world is strictly forbidden. As they watch, Michael uses the computer to communicate with Walt. (Irony)
• Sawyer coming to consciousness and grabbing the arm of Jack and saying "Where is she" about Kate parallels when Mars said the same thing in Pilot, Part 2. This time, however, someone asks about Kate because they love her, not trying to capture her. (Juxtaposition)

Storyline analysis

• Jin and Sun exit their tent in a loving embrace, and Hurley gives them the thumbs up. (Relationships)
• While recovering, and half-asleep, Sawyer tells Jack "I love her," referring to Kate. (Relationships)
• At Shannon's funeral, Sayid said "I loved her." (Relationships)
• Kate kissed Jack on the lips, and then ran off. (Relationships)
• Referring to Ana Lucia shooting Shannon, Eko said "I think most of them know it was an accident." (Crimes)
• Kate killed her biological father and started her life as a fugitive. (Crimes)

Episode connections

Episode references

• Charlie mentions seeing the polar bear. ("Pilot, Part 2")
• Jin's handcuffs are finally removed. ("House of the Rising Sun")
• The survivors hold a funeral for Shannon after she was shot by Ana Lucia. ("Abandoned")
• Sayid tells Kate he saw Walt in the jungle. ("Abandoned")
• Eko shows Locke the Bible he found in the Arrow station. ("The Other 48 Days")

Episode allusions

• The episode opens with Kate hugging a tree limb. ("Whatever the Case May Be")
• Sayid gives the eulogy for Shannon, just as he did for Boone. ("The Greater Good")
• Jack brings Ana Lucia some tequila in reference to their meeting at the airport bar. ("Exodus, Part 1")
• Locke shows the Orientation film to Michael and Eko. ("Orientation")

Unanswered questions

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: What Kate Did/Theories

• Why was the orientation film edited?

v • d • e Kate Austen Portrayed by Evangeline Lilly, Emily Rae Argenti and Skye McCole Bartusiak Centric episodes "Tabula Rasa" • "Whatever the Case May Be" • "Born to Run" • "What Kate Did" • "I Do" • "Left Behind" • "Eggtown" • "The Little Prince" • "Whatever Happened, Happened" • "What Kate Does" Shared and non-centric flashes "Pilot, Part 2" • "Exodus, Part 1" • "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1" • "There's No Place Like Home, Part 2" • "There's No Place Like Home, Part 3" • "The Incident, Part 1 • "LA X, Part 1" • "LA X, Part 2" • "The End" Flashback characters Adam • Sam Austen • Baseball Hat • Black horse • Connor Brennan • Rachel Brennan • Tom Brennan • Kevin Callis • Mr. Callis • Suzanne Callis • Customer • Duncan • Federal agent • Kate's horse • Mark Hutton • Jacob • Diane Janssen • Wayne Janssen • Sayid Jarrah • Jason • Johnny • Sun-Hwa Kwon • Benjamin Linus • Aaron Littleton • Carole Littleton • Man • Manager • Edward Mars • Michelle • Minister • Motel maid • Ray Mullen • Nurse • Cassidy Phillips • Clementine Phillips • Sam • Sanjay • Jack Shephard • Six Foot Five • Mr. Springer • Sweet young woman • Ticket agent • Traner • Trucker • Scott Wheeler Flash-forward characters Arthur Galzethron • Bearded man • Co-pilot • Karen Decker • Melissa Dunbrook • Diane Janssen • Dorpema • Duncan Forrester • Sayid Jarrah • Sun-Hwa Kwon • Aaron Littleton • Claire Littleton • Woo-Jung Paik • Mrs. Paik • Pearson • Pilot • Carmen Reyes • David Reyes • Hugo "Hurley" Reyes • Jack Shephard • Margo Shephard • Sutherland • Veronica Flash-sideways characters Airport taxi driver • Leslie Arzt • Lindsey Baskum • Mr. Baskum • Calhoun • Ana Lucia Cortez • Customs officer • Fitzpatrick • James "Sawyer" Ford • Ganson • Ethan Goodspeed • Sayid Jarrah • Claire Littleton • Margaret • Edward Mars • Mechanic • Detective Rasmussen • Hugo Reyes • Roadie • Jack Shephard • Officer Westly • Veronica • Woman in bathroom Items Halliburton case • Mugshot • Safety deposit box • Time capsule • Toy airplane • Kate and Tom's tape • Map Other Family • Relationships