Please discuss this episode here.

Bumping in anticipation for rewatch.

Lostpedia summary of episode for assistance in rewatch:

http://lostpedia.com/wiki/Tabula_Rasa

My main thought on this episode - what are we missing in Kate's past?

From episode 2:

Marshal to Kate - You know, there's always that off chance that they'll believe your story. I know I sure did.

In episode 3:

Marshal to Jack -  want to talk to her, alone. She got to you, too, huh?

When Jack tells Kate it will take 3 or 4 days for the marshal to die, she wants to put him out of his misery. Because he knows her secret and she's afraid he'll tell before he dies, or because she cares? Later when the Marshal asks her to do it, she can't. But she talks Sawyer into it. I think because she cares.

When I first saw this episode, I thought that Kate and the Marshal had been married at one time. Now we know she was married to someone else, but those lines convince me that there is more to the Kate/Marshal backstory. Nowhere in what we have seen so far have we seen the Marshal trusting Kate, or letting her get to him. So what is the rest of this story?

Also in episode 3 we have Kate's first time of not keeping a secret. They agree not to tell the folks at the beach about the message, but the first thing she does is run to tell Jack. An action she'll repeat many times, as we know.

Boone taking the gun which he doesn't know how to use. Boone giving CPR incorrectly to Rose in the pilot. Boone (in a later episode) almost drowning, despite saying he's a lifeguard. The poor guy just couldn't do much right, could he?

Sayid is originally organizing everyone to deal with food, water, and shelter. In this episode, he was the leader.

Both Sawyer and Sayid seemed to come to grips more quickly than Jack with the idea that rescue isn't coming. Or is that just because Jack cannot bear to not save someone, and so is willing to use all the antibiotics on the marshal if need be.

I still love the scene of Walt and Vincent reunited.

My thoughts:

Do we know the WHOLE of what Kate did? Because burning down a house and killing one man, and robbing a bank seem too minute to justify her picture being in a rural Australian post office when her crimes were committed in the USA.

How does Locke know how to make a whistle??? He worked at a box company.

I still do not understand the Marshal’s obsession with Kate.

I forgot it was Sawyer who killed the Marshal – that makes three he’s killed on this island. Even though he technically didn't kill him -- Jack did.

Jack says it does not matter what they did before the crash -- yet that is proven NOT true by the impact of the flashbacks on this show. Clearly what they did BEFORE the crash impacted brining them to the island.  

--Last edited by Penelope on 2007-06-02 17:04:28 --

I remember later in Kate`s FB too, it seems there is more to the story between Kate and the marshal. Remember how she used to call him at his house?

And in the Cassidy-FB it did seem a bit odd that all those marshall`s were sitting around staking out her mother`s house for months in hope she would turn up?

I`m not an expert on American law enforcement, but they sure are using A LOT of resources on getting someone who killed one guy who they`re not even sure will turn up?

And like Jeannie pointed out, it sounds strange her picture would be posted in a post office in rural Australia for those crimes. Even if the bank robbing was part of it too by then, doesn`t Australia have enough criminals of their own to post pictures off?  

--Last edited by Rainflower on 2007-06-02 17:32:59 --

Random thoughts from re-watch:

Why don`t they try to find the radio tower right away? They are starting to realize rescue might not be coming, the transmission must come from somewhere, yet they don`t make any effort to look for the source. Instead Sayid wants them to collect lap-tops and cell phones.

Sawyer catches on real quick. He is already sure rescue isn`t coming, and is already collecting stuff for his stash.

The way Kate was leaning over the marshall, once again indicates there were something more in their back-story IMHO.

I wonder if Walt made the rain stop??? Michael kept repeating he would go find his dog as soon as it stopped raining. And then it stopped immediately, with Walt looking at his dad.

I wonder if all of Oceanic`s plane came equipped with lots of blue tarp?

Rain mentioned in the Pilot thread that Kate made sure to get the oxygen mask on the Marshal as soon as she had her hands free. Another odd thing to do for someone who is taking you in. I really think there is more to this backstory.

On the why her picture was in a rural post office in Australia - if they had traced her to Australia, it's possible they sent her picture to all the post offices there. Or even to just the post offices in a specific area of Australia, if they had an idea she was in that area.

Quote :

Jeannie wrote : My main thought on this episode - what are we missing in Kate's past? From episode 2: Marshal to Kate - You know, there's always that off chance that they'll believe your story. I know I sure did. In episode 3: Marshal to Jack -  want to talk to her, alone. She got to you, too, huh?

I took the comment the Marshal made to Kate as sarcasm. But maybe it was meant to be a truth. After seeing the first three episodes again, I am confident we are missing a chunk of Kate's backstory.

the thing I picked up on the rewatch was that Kate was told twice in this epi that there was always a place with a chance to start over again.

Who told her GB? That's a good point that I missed....was it flashback people?

Ray said it to her, the night she was going to leave and he talked her into staying one more night - "Good.  I get it, you know.  Everyone deserves a fresh start." (which I found strange, because he had already ratted her out} and at the end when she asked Jack if he wanted to know what she had done, Jack said he didn't want to know "I don't want to know.  It doesn't matter, Kate, who we were, what we did
before this -- before the crash.  It doesn't really --. Three days ago, we all died.  We should all be able to start over."
this is an epi where TPTB started letting us get glimpses of the underlying theme of that the island is a place and chance for our losties start over  

--Last edited by gardenboy on 2007-06-04 19:51:33 --

ala Redemption ? (Song)
Interesting. It is certainly a theme. And good to see it had early roots in the show.

I think that Mars trying to strangle Kate when he woke up was another indication that there's more to their story.  I realize she was right in his face, but he clearly felt immensely threatened by her (as he did at the police station in the later epi).  And yet, he ultimately asks her to kill him.  Somehow, it doesn't add up.

The thing that stuck out most for me on rewatch was Vincent's complete lack of reaction upon being reunited with Walt.  Any lab I know would have pounced his "kid" and licked his face.  I realize it is not his real dog and all, but it just stood out, although it doesn't really mean anything in terms of the plot.  Vincent swimming after Walt in Exodus was a much more lab reaction, and it showed that they'd spent a lot of time together in the interim (in real life).

I can see Mars having a strong attachment to Kate.  He is the marshal charged with capturing her, he has studied her, her actions and her motives and he has gotten inside her head.  ANd she is inside his head.  She keeps eluding him and he becomes more and more obsessed with catching her.  That alone is enough do develop a connection or bond.

Plus she's HAWT.