Do any of us really understand Kate? Have we even got a chance in hell of understanding Kate since she has been inextricably linked with two men and doesn’t know if she is head over heels for one or chasing her tail for the other? Does Kate even know where her own heart lies anymore? Unfortunately it is quite impossible to discuss Kate now without mentioning her relations with Sawyer or her… somewhat non-relations with Jack.
It's hard to know if TPTB have forgotten to add to Kate's character depth since to all intents and purposes, she seems to have been reduced to a trophy lately. Putting that aside, let's look at the reasons and the underlying motives for her actions that we know of. It seems Kate’s psychological pain and confusion motivated her to rationalize some very bizarre, dangerous behavior in her pre-island life. I think Kate DID demonstrate there’s a worthwhile character to get to know underneath despite those facts. Time and again, she has been prepared to help others when it was required as we have seen over the course of the show. She has become part of that community of survivors. So, we have seen that there IS a lot of good in Kate... 2 examples: last season she went with Claire in ML to help find medicine for Aaron when he was sick. This season she was determined to rescue Jack with the belief he was stuck in captivity in Otherville. This demonstrates one of Kate’s pretty much consistent characteristics – impulsiveness - she rushes headlong into her attempts to help her fellow survivors, sometimes with dire though unforeseen and not entirely direct consequences just as have seen in her latest attempts to go to the extent of a rescue for a man who couldn’t give two hoots about her.
Did anyone else care about these events though? Mikhail’s cat (briefly) perhaps?
Kate herself landed right back into the psycho Others’ hands…
Did she look happy about it here?
…or here?
Nuh-uh. Didn't see any happy faces at this time and who can blame her since she's handcuffed and on her own this time.
Although it appears as if Locke is the one responsible here…
as usual, Kate gets the cold shoulder for this one from her increasingly pissed-off daddy
… or should I say mommy?
How could I have almost forgotten already!
Who is Kate now?
Kate was established as such a strong, feisty, independent and unique character in Season 1. What has changed since then? And I don’t mean that she’s some impostor a'la Jateresque deductions since she isn’t in an acceptable form for Jack. *eyeroll*
One major question that springs to mind - does she even love herself? Her mother appeared to love her own abusive partner, Kate’s father, more than her own daughter. This had to have repercussions in how much Kate thinks of herself. She does have an instinct for survival though – does this mean she’s still searching for that love that was never given to her as a child? Has she been looking for this in Jack who has played that authority type figure in the Losties’ lives?
Has her character changed so much that she’s now so indecisive, she isn’t able to choose between two men? Can she have changed so much in a matter of weeks since convincing us of her love for James? Or is there a difference in what she’s looking for from both men? Or does TPTB’s entertainment lie in confusing the frakkin’ hell out of all of us - Lost fans and Kate included?
At the beginning of this season, we saw Kate in a situation that was one of her worst nightmares – held captive behind bars, imprisoned in a cage. She couldn’t run the way she had become accustomed to when the going got tough. Yet when she did have the opportunity, she chose not to. Why? It seemed she wasn’t going anywhere without the man she appeared to love with her heart & soul. In this way, Kate’s motive for staying now included one of the men. It wasn’t JUST a choice she made for herself anymore. Did the circumstances make her realize she couldn’t face life without Sawyer anymore, when it came to the crunch?
Kate has been shown groveling to Jack more recently however. IMO, if Kate continues to grovel for Jack's approval at this point, it hurts her character in two profound ways. First, she hurts the guy who loves her in the humblest way possible, the guy who is incidentally the shows most popular character. Secondly, she would be portraying the ultimate nightmare for women, someone who grovels for the approval of a judgmental, superior mate. Which brings me to the question - why would Kate be IN love with Jack? Is she even in love with this man since we’re even less convinced of that compared to Sawyer? Does she believe Jack is the type of man she should love? Because he reminds her of her father Sam and that’s what she’s familiar with? Does she not love herself enough to recognize or accept the real would-die-for-you love Sawyer gives her? Because her eyes have not yet been opened to what real love is? Or is she already realizing this, slowly but surely as time goes on? Should we be even considering this if Kate in love with Sawyer IS the case already? Kate’s character will forever be damaged since she has had and I might add… continues to have sex with Sawyer if the plan in the end is to have her NOT be in love with him. This is after all the man that loves her like he has never loved any other/Other.
Is Sawyer the RIGHT man for Kate? Does she have the power to stay away from the physical, chemical and emotional undercurrent, overcurrent and no-way-in-hell-getting-away-from the current between them? Would Ohm’s Law apply here? Remember I = V/R
The greater the resistance, the lower the current except when you have two semiconductors i.e. greater conductors of energy as the temperature rises? Well the temperature certainly rises with these two, starting with that unforgettable kiss a long time ago…
…and progressing to undeniable passion in recent times
with goodnight kisses par for the course 'til living arrangements change...
When is Kate at her happiest?
Yup…one person seems to light up Kate’s face like no other.
Redemption?
Kate has still got a journey ahead of her IF redemption is required for her character. What does redemption mean for this show though? Does accepting one's own badness mean redemption? Does forgiveness from just anybody provide redemption for her sins/crimes in the past? And is forgiveness the same as redeeming? Does the one redeeming, need to be the victim of the person's crime? How can Jack redeem Kate as envisioned in Bubbleland if he isn’t the one she committed the crime against? I love the fact that Kate is psychologically and emotionally screwed up, because it makes her a fascinating, layered character, but that does NOT mean I want Sawyer to sweep her off her feet and make everything better. Healing is a process that primarily has to come from within, not from someone else - and while I love the idea of Kate and Sawyer being there for each other and helping each other grow and heal, I don't think many Skaters have ever longed for a one-sided "fixing" scenario. For some twisted reason, the Jaters love that dynamic.
So, what’s it to be?
* Will Kate renew our faith in the kickass character that she has shown us she can be?
* Will Kate show us she can still be "a formidable, take-charge kind of woman" as Gregg Nations seems to think she still is? Can't say I've seen much evidence of that lately myself.
Can’t forget the all-important question of the moment since Kate can’t stay away from one man:
* Will Kate expand her tent for all the right reasons?
* Will Kate survive into next season?
* Will Kate make OUR minds up about her in the meantime? Is she for real? (Well, no, of course she isn’t, but forget this is just a TV show for a minute. If all we can figure out is that Kate is confused, what’s the point in trying to figure out the rest of it?)
So Fishbiscuiteers...what do YOU think?
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