Episode 3: Tabula Rasa

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1. ABC Episode Guide

   In a makeshift infirmary tent, Jack is tending to the Marshal who mutters the same thing over and over through his pain: "Don't trust her…She's dangerous." When Jack asks him who "She" is, the Marshal tells him to look in his Jacket pocket. What he finds there will change things on the island forever. It's a mug shot…of Kate!
   
   The Signal Party is working their way back down the mountain. It's getting dark and some of them want to make camp for the night. Sawyer wants to press on through the jungle at night, but anyone who has seen the last two episodes knows that isn't a very good idea and he is convinced to stay. Sitting around the fire, they discuss what they should tell the others about the French transmission. That information hasn't exactly done a lot for their peace of mind, so in the end they decide not to tell the others anything in order to preserve hope. At least for now…
   
   And speaking of hope, back in the tent Jack is using a great deal of it trying to save the Marshall. Hurley enters, stumbles across Kate's mug shot and asks the question we all want answered: "What do you think she did?" — off which we FLASHBACK to:
   
   Kate, being prodded by a shotgun held by a farmer (Ray) who wants to know what she is doing sleeping in his barn. After a frank exchange, the two find that they can be of service to each other. He needs some help on the farm, she needs a job and a place to stay. She says her name is "Annie."
   
   Back at the Signal Party, Boone lifts the gun from Sawyer and the clip from Sayid as they sleep. They wake up and an argument ensues over who should have the gun, but they can't agree on a trustworthy candidate — until they arrive at Kate. She reluctantly agrees to keep it.
   
   The next morning, Hurley arrives at the infirmary tent to tell Jack the Signal Party has returned. Kate pulls Jack aside and says she has something she wants to tell him…in private. Jack is relieved, assuming that she is going to confide in him. But when they get down to it, Kate tells Jack about the French transmission. He asks if there is anything else she'd like to tell him. She asks if the Marshal has regained consciousness. When Jack tells her he did briefly during the surgery, Kate asks if he said anything to Jack. Jack considers the question for a moment before answering, "No."
   
   The Marshal has taken a turn for the worse. If they don't find some stronger antibiotics, he's not going to make it. Hurley tells him he's looked everywhere…except the fuselage — but that's full of bodies "and they're all…dead."
   
   Jack enters the wreckage and does his best to avoid disturbing the bodies as he makes a desperate search for anything that will help the Marshal. Hearing something rustling behind him, he finds Sawyer combing the fuselage for a different reason — turns out he's doing a little personal shopping. Jack berates him for disrespecting the dead, but Sawyer tells Jack to get with the program. Jack still thinks they are back in civilization while Sawyer realizes they are "in the wild."
   
   At one end of the beach, Charlie is helping Claire collect luggage using a wheelchair from the plane and they begin to form a bond. Meanwhile, Sun presents a suitcase to Jin, but after closer inspection Jin determines it is the wrong one and tells Sun to keep looking. But before she does, he tells her to go and clean up her face, she is embarrassing him. As she turns leave, he tells her he loves her. And the strange thing is that he appears to mean it.
   
   Hurley bumps into Kate at the infirmary tent and tries to play it cool about knowing her secret and in the process notices the gun in her waistband. He is not a smooth liar. And off the gun we FLASHBACK to:
   
   Kate, who decides it's time to move on from the Australian farm. But when she accepts a ride from Ray to the train station, she learns that he is planning on turning her in to the authorities. He saw her picture at the post office and he really needs that reward money. Kate looks in the side mirror to see the Marshal, hot on her heels. In a desperate attempt to get away, Kate jerks the wheel and crashes the truck off the road. Saving the farmer from the truck costs her a chance to escape and she is captured by the Marshal.
   
   Back in real time, while leaning over her body, the Marshal wakes up and lunges at Kate's throat, choking her. Jack has to pull him off of her before it's too late.
   
   Michael struggles to forge bond with Walt — wants to know what the bald told him yesterday. Walt says it's a secret, but when Michael presses the issue, Walt reveals that Locke told him "a miracle happened." Michael wants him to stay away from Locke.
   
   When the rain stops, Michael searches for the dog in jungle. He hears something in the tall grass; something dangerous. He runs as fast as he can to get away from it and runs smack into Sun, who is topless and washing herself. There is an awkward moment between them.
   
   Back on the beach, the Marshal is dying. Loudly. His screams are taking a physical toll on the rest of the group. Sayid asks Jack if anything can be done. Jack says he is doing all he can. The Marshal tells Jack he wants to speak to Kate…alone. While she is in the tent, Hurley tells Jack about the gun he saw in her pants. Jack races back to the infirmary tent before it's too late… "BANG!"
   
   Out of the tent walks…Sawyer! He did what had to be done —what Jack couldn't do. Horrible groans come from the tent again. We go in to find that the Marshal still isn't dead — Sawyer shot him in the chest! He was aiming for the heart, but he missed! It will take hours for him to bleed out and he will suffer horribly. Jack throws an extremely shaken Sawyer out of the tent. And a few moments later…the moans stop for good. Jack emerges and walks past Sawyer without a word.

2. Live Notes

   • Kate. . .dangerous?
     
   • "Hope is a dangerous thing to lose." What does that mean for the Signal group?
   • Kate was actually willing to help the farmer. . .seems a bit out of character (based on the rest of her backstory that hasn't been seen yet)
   • the others were dead, something killed them (the other "others" or french woman's others?)
   • Seems like Jack doesn't really want to believe that Kate could be dangerous. . .just about the only thing going on that Jack doesn't want to get involved with (figuring out whats the deal with Kates past)
   • Haha, Hurley is great, its like he's talking to Charlie Manson or something and is scared out of his mind, even though its just Kate
   • Why would the marshall try to choke/kill Kate? Taking the whole "She's dangerous" thing a bit far
   • And mugshots qualify someone as a murdered?
   • Kate actually trusted the farmer (guessing its her first real trust-based relationship since Tom) and she trusted him one day too long
   • Did Walt make the rain stop?
   • Smooth Michaal, the old "I didn't see anything" line after eyeing Sun up and down a few times
   • "She got to you too". . .again, I'd really like to know more of the backstory between Kate and the marshall, there's more there and her simply being a fugitive he was after
   • Interesting. . .Kate probably could have run and got away after the accident, but instead she saved the farmer
   • $23,000 for the farmer (23 is a "Lost number")
   • "You don't look free to me". . .why is Kate not free?
   • Sorry Sawyer but you're not the killing type, as much as you'd like to be considered a bad-ass, you're not
   • Not the last time I'll be saying this, but Locke is awesome
   • Ah, thats why Kate wasn't free. . .should could never get away from her past
   • Jack says virtually the same thing Ray the farmer said "We should all be able to start over"
   • And cue Hurley's mix
   • "Wash Away" by Joe Purdy
   • Sawyer still shaken up by the whole shooting f*up
   • What's Locke looking for/at?
     

Before I start to comment on the contents of the episode, I'd like to think about the title of the episode. Now that we're done with the entire Pilot, the episode titles really should be observed, because they're all titled for a purpose. The title, Tabula Rasa, refers to a philosophical theory investigated by John Locke (the English philosopher). I find it interesting that while the episode deals with Kate's story, its title is related more to Locke (the one on the island). In simple english, the theory of tabula rasa (wikipedia) states that every person, when they are born, are a "blank slate" and their entire identity is shaped by events that take place in their life. In my notes from the episode, this theory was discussed twice. First by Ray the night before he betrays Kate and second by Jack when he tells Kate he doesn't care about what happened in her past because everyone that survived that crash was given a second chance, a second life. Thats the "obvious" reason for the episode title.

A second meaning to the episode, and I believe this based on the final shot of the episode, which is of Locke (after seeing the other survivors all take steps to making things right. . .the whole "second chance at life" truly starting).

While I don't believe that everyone accepting their fate and taking that second chance at life is the result of Locke, this shot almost tries to show that I think. Locke did find Walt's dog Vincent, but in order to "make things right" he lets Michael take the credit and return Vincent to his son. Other things that make it seem like the world is right: Hurley found his CD player, Boone gave Shannon sunglasses, Jin was gentle with Sun while she was sleeping, Sayid gave Sawyer an apple while he was still regretting what he had done, and Charlie has been helping someone other than himself. I believe that the end of this episode signifies the beginning of the survivors' new lives.

This episode dealt with Kate's past. While it doesn't mean very much at this point in time (being the third episode), after seeing the entire season and the other Kate-centric episodes, we can see that Kate was trying to change. She trusted Ray enough to stay and help him for 3 months. I get the idea from the other Kate episodes that she probably hasn't stayed in one place for that long in a good amount of time. Unfortunately for her, her past did catch up with her, in the form of the marshall.

The first of the really blatently obvious "Lost Numbers" is in this episode. Ray was going to turn in Kate for a $23,000 reward. Even after seeing the whole first season, I'm still pretty much stumped as to what the numbers mean and where JJ and Damon are going with them. But rest assured. . .they turn up pretty much everywhere in the show somehow. Check out that Lost Numbers link if you want to see a blog that pretty much shows every single way that the numbers turn up in the show (some references are definately intentional, like the reward for Kate, while I'm sure that others referenced in that blog were not intentional and therefore hold no deeper meaning to the show).

This episode shows another strange Walt/Island connection (like the polar bear in the comic/jungle). This time, during an argument with his father, it almost seems that Walt made the pouring rain stop. Not the first and not the last time strange things happen when Walt is around.

We also see in this episode the first interaction between Michael and Sun. Doesn't mean much at this point but in a few more episodes we learn more.

Like I say in the notes, Sawyer almost tries too hard to come off as a "bad guy." I mean, he almost tries to make people hate him, he instigates others, plays mind games, etc. But really when it comes down to it, he isn't a bad guy. Yes, he did pull the trigger to try to kill the marshall. I think he really did it because the guy was in pain, not because he couldn't stand hearing the marshall as he was getting worse. However, he wasn't able to effectively kill the marshall and only made the situation worse for Jack and for the marshall. This, like the letter he carries around, really hit him hard. If he would have killed the marshall like he tried, I believe he wouldn't have been as sorry (because, really, he was doing him a favor) but knowing that he caused someone that was already in immense pain even more, that is why he felt so bad. Or at least thats what I'd like to believe (I sound like such a Sawyer-mark).

To wrap it up, a lot of future story-related events are set up in this episode (if I wrote about all of them, it would take up way too much space). I've described what I feel are the most significant in the grand scheme of season 1. I may refer back to this episode as I write later episodes because of all of the character interactions that took place in this episode.