Whatever that was, it sure did happen

I realize that this week’s episode of “Lost” (“Whatever Happened, Happened”) was mostly about Kate, and that Juliet was in it for like five minutes tops, but what can I say? She’s my favorite character/actress combo on the show now. Her character is the only one who both knows what she’s doing and isn’t a total ass about it, lording it over everyone. And on a series that spends so much time showing close-ups of its actors desperately trying to convey some emotion or another, Elizabeth Mitchell is the only one who’s subtle and nuanced enough to tell you almost everything you need to know before the dialogue starts.

For example, in the photo above, the mood isn’t just “pissed.” It’s “really pissed, plus extremely disappointed.” I’d face down the smoke monster before I subjected myself to one of her looks. But then, I probably wouldn’t need to worry about that, because I’m not a total dick like Jack is.

As for Kate’s story: well, okay, whatever. I probably would’ve had more sympathy for the intense emotional trauma she was going through, if her transfer of custody hadn’t consisted of: “I’ve never met you before, but there’s a three-year-old child sleeping unsupervised in a hotel room three doors down the hall. Whenever you feel like it, go pick him up and take care of him while I go to Guam. Later!” Also: universal donor or not, is Kate really the one you want to be giving blood? She looks like she’s got about half a pint in her, tops.

And for a while now, people have been trying to figure out the pantheon of The Others. Because of the hieroglyphics on the countdown clock, and the brief shot of the four-toed statue a few episodes back, current money is on their worshipping the Egyptian god Horus. I’m holding out for the Egyptian god of plot contrivances, whichever one that is. That seems a lot more useful than just worshipping “the sky” or “war,” because you could ask for anything.

“Oh mighty Deus Ex we beseech thee! Help us cure this boy of a fatal gunshot wound.”
“NO PROBLEM.”
“Also if it’s not too much to ask: it would be great if he could forget that this ever happened so that we don’t have to explain a plot point from a couple of years ago.”
“CAN DO. ANYTHING ELSE?”
“Well gee, as long as you’re offering: we kind of set it up that this kid’s transformation into a super-villain would be a long, involved process playing out over several years, but it’d be a lot easier if we could just take care of it in one episode. We wouldn’t have made such a big deal of it at the time, had we known…”
“NO NEED TO EXPLAIN. THESE THINGS HAPPEN. IT IS DONE.”
“Great, thanks! Can you make people forget about the tent village and ‘Miss Clu?'”
“DON’T PUSH IT.“