I felt that "LA X" was an atypical LOST premiere because it showed us a whole new world (Temple) rather than just winding down out of the finale. This week's episode, "What Kate Does", did some of the latter. Some observations and thoughts:
* Part of the reason I wasn't in love with this episode as I was with "LA X" was because of a little too much lovey-dovey stuff, centered on Sawyer. His emotions go on a roller coaster from extreme bitterness (even disowning Sayid as a friend) to blaming himself for Juliet's death and throwing the engagement ring he'd bought for her into the ocean. I'm sure some women were swooning, and I recognize that it's a necessary part of the show, but it isn't for me.
* Once again, bizarro-2004 parallels the reality we know, but with a twist. Claire and Kate (but especially Claire, with the name Aaron) both seem to have a deja vu feeling, but can't place their finger on it. Kate is the second character (last week it was Jack) who we see look at their reflection in the mirror in bizarro timeline, which can't be a coincidence. Kate once again goes out of her way to help Claire (as she's doing on Island), and once again has to assist in delivering the baby, or at least a false start (as she did on the Island). And it's nice to see that Kate kept finding Claire on-Island at the top of her agenda once she got back.
* So Ethan is still working as a doctor, but now he's Dr. Goodspeed--no name change because he didn't participate in the murder of his parents? This is why it would be so interesting to see how Ben turned out. And it also adds further intrigue to the question of the Island's fate in the bizarro timeline, as the Goodspeed family would have been on-Island for any immediate 1977 catastrophe.
* It was disappointing that we didn't know the woman Claire was going to give the baby too--although it's quite possible that we know the MIA husband (I suspect we'll learn more when there's a Claire-centric episode). It looked as if TBTBP were going for a Juliet fakeout, as the woman looked vaguely like Juliet from behind and was wearing one of her trademark shirts. Juliet would have made sense from the Ethan angle--rather than being engaged in attempting to solve pregnancy problems on the Island, she could have been having trouble conceiving herself.
* Sayid is tortured (electroshock, again, and hot poker) to see if he is infected--and he is. Why him and not any of the other Lostaways? Is it because he was wounded when he went through the declivity under the Temple wall? Or is it because the spring water was murky? Or is it just a possible side effect of being healed in the spring.
Rousseau warned Sayid way back in 1x9 "Solitary" to be on guard against the sickness, but apparently he has now succumbed. We are told that he has been "claimed", and that the darkness growing with in him will spread until it reaches his heart, at which point he will be gone as we know him.
Nonetheless, I love that Jack is finally being assertive in his second tour on the Island (taking the pill himself was awesome), and I love the Sayid/Jack relationship of mutual trust. I'm reminded of their big moments together in the Season Two, Three, and Five end games. The two have always been able to work together towards a common goal, maybe as well as any pair of Lostaways.
* The high priest gets his own bullet point (I realize he has a name, but I'm going to keep call him that until it's actually used on the show). I'd love to know what he was typing and whether or not he was a baseball fan before he came to the Island (he is Japanese, after all). He informs us that he was brought to the Island, and implies that Jack and company should now have some understanding of what that means. He says that Sayid must take the medicine...err poison willingly, or it will not work, but that seems like a cover for himself to make sure that Jack and Sayid are on board with it. He's still short with answers, as is Aldo, who doesn't even want to let Kate and Jin know what year it is or about what happened to Ajira 316.
The high priest explains that the translator provides a layer of separation between himself and his people, and in light of Jacob's human interactions with the Lostaways, I can't help but think that this is yet another area where the Others have gone astray. I believe that there's an intentional contrast between the priest's leadership style and the fact that Jack is putting up with Sawyer threatening to kill him.
* So, Claire has the sickness too--not too surprising, since it seems as if she's been chilling with an apparition of the Monster since late December 2004. I have to believe that there will be some cure for the sickness, though, and that Claire will be reunited with Aaron. She'll have her brother and Kate doing all they can to save her.
