Jungle Love: Kate Says "I Do" to Sawyer on "Lost"

It had to happen. That grueling 13-week period is upon us while we're forced to wait for the return of Lost in February. While I knew that we only had 62 minutes (well, including commercials) of Lost-related goodness this week, I tried really hard to put the hiatus out of my mind. Not to say that I didn't scream with rage when the screen went black at the end of last night's episode. Thirteen weeks is, after all, a really long time to wait, regardless of whether or not we're getting no repeats whatsoever.

Sigh.

In any event, I thought that last night's installment of Lost ("I Do") was another fantastic spin around the island this season, though I was hoping for just a little bit more out of the fall "finale" cliffhanger. Was I on the edge of my seat? You bet. But Damon and Carlton promised such a huge cliffhanger that I was expecting something more like last week's climactic showdown between the Monster and Mr. Eko (something momentous), than the cliffhanger we were given. Am I alone in thinking that?

Locke and the other castaways bury Eko, but Locke doesn't want the funeral to happen on the beach (too many of those lately). But he and Sayid do return for Eko's prayer stick to bury with him, which was a nice thought. Sayid FINALLY asks Locke about the monster; Locke says he doesn't have a name for the monster (but he did see it) and that he believes Eko died for a reason, however unclear that may be right now. Later, Locke says a few words about Eko over his grave as Desmond, Sayid, Nikki, and Paulo look on. (Fortunately, Nikki and Paulo don't get much to do--or say--this week.) As he hammers Eko's prayer stick into the grave, Locke notices GEN 13:14 inscribed: "LIFT UP YOUR EYES AND LOOK NORTH." Underneath it, "JOHN 3:05" is carved into the stick as well. A message from Eko from beyond the grave? Hmmm, think Locke will head north and discover the Station of the Flame and the one-eyed man from last week's episode?

At the Hydra Station, Ben and Juliet go to see Jack to persuade him to save Ben's life. Many people had surmised that the x-rays Jack discovered in the medical bay weren't even Ben's, but I am glad that that was one theory disproved. Ben does have a malignant tumor that is nearly inoperable and, left to his own devices, he will die, unless Jack can save him. So will Jack follow his pledge to "do no harm" or will he follow Juliet's plan and kill Ben as he lays on the operating table?

It's suddenly clear why the Others brought Kate and Sawyer along. Ben needed Jack, but they were just leverage. Cheap labor until the time Ben needed Jack to perform the surgery. And at that time, Ben would use them to make sure that Jack would cooperate. I don't think any of the Others actually thought that Kate was in love with Sawyer or that they'd sleep together in the bear cage. Speaking of which, I was amazed that the two of them actually got it on. Lost's producers had been saying since before the start of Season Three that Kate would choose between the two men in her life, but I didn't think it would be a grappling against the bars of their cage in the rain that would seal the deal. (Especially given the fact that they know there are cameras there filming them.)

Jack refuses to perform the surgery and, sure enough, Kate is brought in to "convince" Jack that he has to go ahead with it, or they'll kill Sawyer. Hmmm, I'm not entirely sure why they didn't just threaten to kill Kate instead. While Jack is no fan of anyone on his team dying, it's clear to all of them that he has certain feelings for Kate that could have been more easily exploited. (Then again, there wouldn't have really been much of an episode if that were the case.) I loved the scene between Jack and Kate as they spoke from opposite sides of the plexiglass barrier: so close to one another, but never able to touch. A perfect metaphor for their entire relationship as a whole.

The Lost Flashback of the Week belongs to Kate and we finally learn that she wasn't lying when she told Sawyer she had been married. And sure enough our little gal got hitched to Captain Tightpants himself (Nathan Fillion)... or Kevin Callis, as he's known in this episode. The fact that Kate, a known fugitive from justice, would marry (of all people) a cop and try to settle down into suburban bliss was a surprise to me. At first I wasn't sure that this flashback happened AFTER she blew up her father but that became increasingly clear. LOVED the scene with her in the rain-slicked phone booth as she calls and baits Marshall Edward Mars (Fredric Lehne), pleading with him to leave her alone, which went a long way to showing just how messed up Kate is. Mars had left her alone, she was safe in suburbia and married to a man she claimed to love (who knew nothing of her real identity), so why did she bother calling him in the first place? Poor Kate. She can't escape her past nor can she escape her own self-destructive devices.

Does Kate love Sawyer? She doesn't say as much after their tryst, but her silence speaks volumes. I never thought I'd ever hear Sawyer utter the words, "I love you," but he does tenderly in fact... right before Pickett shows up to murder him. I'm not entirely sure why Pickett has it in for Sawyer, but he seems to blame him (or hold him symbolically responsible) for the death of his wife Colleen, who was shot to death by Sun a few episodes back. (Does anyone else miss Sun? We haven't even seen her reaction to the fact that she shot a woman, fatally.)

Last night's episode did feature the return of Rousseau's daughter Alex, who is clearly at odds with the rest of the Others. She ambushes the quarry and takes out a few men with her homemade slingshot. (Apparently, she's as resourceful as her Mama.) She demands to see Ben, but she's subdued and dragged off, after warning Kate not to trust anything that the Others say and that they'll kill Sawyer just like they killed her boyfriend. That would be Karl, last seen in the season premiere episode ("A Tale of Two Cities"). Is Karl dead or just missing? Can't be certain, but Alex is a wily opponent and lends credence to my thoughts that there are two groups of Others working against one another.

And just what is the relationship between Alex and Ben? When it was Alex demanding to see Ben, I imagined that it was just because he's the leader. But when Ben is about to undergo surgery, he asks about Alex. Juliet tells him that she had been taken "home" (wherever that may be), but that her current whereabouts are unknown. And here's the clincher: Ben asks Juliet if Alex asked about him and Juliet says no. Which struck me as odd for a number of reasons, as Alex DID ask about Ben, but Juliet wasn't there. But was Ben inquiring if Alex was asking because of the surgery? Or just in general? My gut tells me that Ben raised Alex (she was taken from Rousseau, after all, as a baby) as his own adopted daughter. There's definitely some frisson there, but we'll have to wait until the second half of the season for more on that.

Alex, meanwhile, is able to escape from the Others' clutches yet again... and use the intercom system to contact Jack at the Hydra Station. Curious. (So was the fact that Jack heard Christian's voice on the intercom earlier just a hallucination then? The intercom actually does work.) Did Alex open the doors herself or arrange for them to be opened? Or did Ben create the entire "escape" scenario? He didn't seem v. surprised to discover Jack in the surveillance room (poor Jack had to see Kate and Sawyer snuggling together on screen) and was eerily calm about the entire situation. Hmmm.

Who is Jacob? He's mentioned in an aside between Pickett and... the other Other regarding Jack NOT being on Jacob's list. I had to go back and rewatch that exchange again because it boggled my mind. Why would Jack not be on the list? Is it the list that Miss Klugh gave to Michael last season with the people he was explicitly told to bring back to the rendezvous? Is the mysterious list of "good" people that we've seen before, most notably in the Tailies' camp? Or another list altogether? Very curious. It almost seems as though Ben influenced the list somehow and managed to bring Jack just to perform the surgery and for no other reason; is Ben working against his own group for his own selfish ends?

So who the bloody hell is Jacob then? My only thought is that this is the identity of Patchy McPatches who we saw on-screen in the Pearl last week. We've got a mystery man with no name, and a name without a face to put it to, so logically they must be one and the same. (That's the story I'm sticking with for now, anyway.) Patchy is a member of the Dharma Initiative (you can see part of the logo when he appeared on-screen), so are the Others definitely part of Dharma then? Or was Patchy just at a loss for what to wear that day?

Jack goes ahead with the surgery but stops midway through and makes an incision to Ben's kidney, giving him about an hour to live unless Jack stitches him up. In the meanwhile, he makes a bid to win Kate and Sawyer's freedom (just as Pickett is about to kill Sawyer as Kate is forced to watch) and give them an hour's head start. Only problem is, he doesn't know that they're on an island. Is Jack's move a calculated one? Has he sided with Juliet? (She seems oddly bewildered about the whole thing, despite her plan last week.) Does he know that, thanks to his altruistic move, the Others will surely kill him once he patches Ben up?

How can we wait thirteen weeks to find out?

Next time on Lost: Come back on Feburary 7th to find out what happens with Jack's plan. Will Kate and Sawyer find a boat or the Other's sub and escape "Alcatraz"? Will Ben survive the surgery? Will Juliet betray Jack? (Or vice versa.) And will we ever grow to love new characters Nikki and Paulo? Find out in February.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Survivor: Cook Islands (CBS); My Name is Earl/The Office (NBC); Smallville (CW); Ugly Betty (ABC); 'Til Death/Happy Hour (FOX); Desire (MyNet)

9 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC); Supernatural (CW); Grey's Anatomy (ABC); The O.C. (FOX); Fashion House (MyNet)

10 pm: Shark (CBS); ER (NBC); Desperate Housewives (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: My Name is Earl.

On tonight's episode ("Mailbox"), Catalina offers to help cross off number 75 on his list: cleaning out a mailbox he used as a garbage can.

8:30 pm: The Office.

On tonight's episode ("Branch Closing"), Michael tries to keep the employees of Dunder-Mifflin Scranton upbeat after he learns that their branch will be shutting down, leading everyone to imagine how their lives would be better if they DIDN'T work there anymore. This episode promises to be a keeper on the TiVo, so be sure to tune in!