What Kate Did

Kate is one of my least favorite characters on Lost. She cannot have her story told without flirting with Jack and Sawyer in-between flashbacks. However, the flashbacks here were interesting. I liked the story, even though it might feel cliché. My problem is the love triangle. Stop that. Kate is practically playing with Jack's feelings every episode. Aside from that, Locke is excellent and Mr. Eko is too. In typical Lost fashion, the cliff hanger ending leaves me wanting to watch the next episode, and then the one after that, and then the one after that.

I loath Kate .

This episode was full of plot holes . And I have a question . Why did Jack send Kate off to look for food for Sawyer when they have a pantry full of it ?

A filler episode at its best .

SPOILER: "What Kate Did" is definitely one of the better Kate-centric episodes, and probably the best (although I will have to see "I Do" again before deciding on my favorite) of the bunch overall, actually. While the reveal of the 'mystery' of what Kate did is somewhat disappointing, and certainly caused some less than favorable feedback from fans, the episode as a whole is quite strong thanks to a solid script from Steven Maeda and Craig Wright.

The flashbacks show Kate's torching of the house, her meeting with her mother just after, and her later encounter with the man she thought to be her father. It's a decent flashback episode, but not much worth discussing, really. The island events are far more interesting, in spite of being a bit grating on occasion- this is the real beginning of the love triangle nonsense. Still, we do get some really interesting scenes between Eko and Locke which are excellently-written and provide a lot of food for thought. Similarly the scenes with the orientation film are entertaining, as is the cliffhanger ending.

The episode is particularly notable for the outstanding direction by Paul Edwards. Already, just a few episodes into the second season, "Lost" has easily surpassed, visually, the first season of the show, where half of the episodes showed incompetence on the part of the directors (other than Jack Bender and other regulars, and some other exceptions as well). This was his debut, but there's a lot of beautiful shots here and for an episode which hardly features any tumultuous events it moves at a fairly fast pace.

"What Kate Did" is especially notable for its visuals and Eko-Locke interaction, but it remains the most tolerable Kate-centric episode (outside of "I Do", perhaps), and is a fairly solid episode with certain outstanding scenes (Sayid's placing of his prayer beads on the cross at Shannon's grave, for example).

7/10

When 'Lost' was in its prime, it was must-watch television. Remember first watching it, found it remarkably easy to get into, was hooked from the start and was on Season 3 by the end of one week. The general consensus is that the final season is a disappointment and cannot disagree.

It is very difficult following on from two tension-filled show high-points in "The Other 48 Days" and "Collision" and be as good, but "What Kate Did", while not as great as those two, accomplishes this very well. It is by quite some way one of the best Kate-centric episodes (don't dislike her as much as some do but there are far stronger characters on 'Lost'), and does see her at her most interesting in quite some time.

The flashback, no matter how pretty clichéd it is, gives one more of an insight into Kate's past and answers the long unanswered question of why Kate was a fugitive. The mystery itself is handled well though the whole black horse stuff leading up to the reveal for my tastes was a touch on the silly side. It also is successful in allowing us to sympathise with Kate's situation despite her un-condonable actions.

Having said that, the island events and mysteries are more compelling and advance the story and characters much more. Particularly the bond between Locke and Eko, which is mysterious and thought-provoking (Eko really intrigues as a character, and is every bit as intriguingly acted), the shocking cliff-hanger and with Sawyer, where his pain and anguish is very believable as is the mental instability dialogue. Hurley's line about Bernard is very funny.

"What Kate Did" benefits from great acting. Terry O'Quinn can do no wrong and Josh Holloway's Sawyer is fantastic. Evangeline Lily continues to grow vastly as Kate and having an episode centred around her may have induced some groans and worries but it does allow Lily to stretch her acting abilities and she does in a very emotionally committed performance.

A great job is done with the writing and development of the characters thanks to a taut, smart, passionate and complex script that has a lot happening while not feeling over-stuffed.

On a visual level, "What Kate Did" is beautifully photographed, as always making the most of the island setting. The music is as always chilling and understated and some of the show's best direction is present here.

In summation, an excellent episode that progresses everything beautifully and makes Kate the most interesting she'd been on 'Lost' up to this point. 9/10 Bethany Cox

SPOILER: This is another brilliant case of "does exactly what it says on the tin": the title of the episode is What Kate Did, and what the writing team made up of Steven Maeda and Craig Wright does is precisely what fans have asked for since the show began - reveal why Kate Austen was on the run. And it's every bit as good as it sounds.

On the Island, the castaways are preparing for Shannon's funeral, while Jack keeps watching over a convalescent Sawyer and Locke sets up shifts to push the button in the hatch now that Desmond is gone, striking a friendship of sorts with Mr. Eko in the process. Kate, meanwhile, fears she is going insane after seeing a black horse in the jungle, which leads to her having a talk with Sawyer on the subject of mental instability, and Michael discovers a way to get in touch with his captive son.

As for what Kate did, it turns out she murdered her abusive stepfather by blowing up his house. She was arrested by US Marshal Grant (Fredric Lehne, always a welcome presence) but managed to escape - a black horse was involved, weirdly enough - and confronted her birth parents about her crime, making a shocking discovery about her step-dad.

What Kate Did is a spellbinding combination of standalone character bits and relevant mythology plotting: in the former camp, we have all scenes featuring Evageline Lilly, whose performance hits all the right notes and remains sympathetic even in the darkest moments; in the latter, we have the bond between Locke and Eko, which is strengthened by the appearance of another Marvin Candle tape, and two climactic revelations that suggest the rest of the season will amp up the danger factor. Oh, and did I mention Kate and Jack kiss?