The Past is the Past is the Past (except with those for whom it's the present...but it's still the past, too)

I feel like this entire episode—from the title to Miles' time travel lessons for Hurley—was an emphatic message from the LOST creative team. And this is how I interpreted that message:

"We've been telling you for two seasons now that the universe (or fate, or the island) won't allow anyone to change the past, and this is the last time we're going to tell you. It's time to accept that the past can't be changed. So quit thinking that this fact somehow ruins something and start enjoying what actually happens in this immutable past, an immutable past which is still new to you, by the way. Just because it's already happened doesn't mean there's a lack of suspense or drama. Sure, Ben can't die. Horace and Radzinsky can't die (yet) and neither can Richard Alpert and a few others. (Neither could any of our characters during their flashbacks in previous seasons, but you still seemed to enjoy those without questioning everything.) And as Miles pointed out, the rest of them can die because they're living out their present. And that present, just so you know, is a pretty sweet story, if we do say so ourselves. I mean, c'mon, we just showed you a glimpse of how Ben became an Other/Hostile, we hinted at the Hostile hierarchy with the reference to Ellie and Charles, and Richard, I mean, you've got to be at least a little bit intrigued by Richard hauling Ben's dying body into the temple, right? You want to know what's going on there, don't you? Of course you do! And the ending...with Ben waking up to see Locke (alive!) and staring at him...what a teaser that was, right? We just know you're itching to see more of that! But if you're still asking, 'But what if they can change things?' this ship is gonna sail without you. And after this episode, you can't say we didn't try our darndest to bring you on board. But seriously, we have a story to tell. And we've spent enough time laying the groundwork for you. Accept it and climb on board, or just sit on that dock and shut up. Who knows, maybe you can get on the sub that's returning in a month. But we're not going to lose sleep over it."

Okay, so that was an angsty paraphrase of what I think the writers were saying. But yeah, I do think this episode was intended to cement the idea that "whatever happened, happened." That doesn't mean they won't break that rule later—somehow. But I'm pretty sure it means we're supposed to accept it until they suggest otherwise.

And I'm down with that. After all, this episode gave us plenty of other elements to consider. So let's recap.

Season 5—Episode 11: “Whatever Happened, Happened"

First of all, let me say that I was thrilled to see a snarky Miles snagging a bit of the spotlight. I've been waiting all season for more of his smart mouth, and having him fill in as the resident physics professor (in lieu of the still absent Dr. Faraday) while Hurley barraged him with questions...absolutely perfect!

I hope Miles and Hurley become the Sawyer and Hurley of last season—playing horseshoes and RISK—and making me laugh. A lot. (And the duo was playing dominoes, and Miles did call Hurley "Tubby.")

Miles wasn't the only character who emerged in "Whatever Happened, Happened." We also saw more of Cassidy (Kate's friend/fellow con-woman and Sawyer's baby's momma). But sadly, I didn't buy her role. Not completely. It was like the writers were trying to use her to help us understand all of Kate's decisions. But her telling Kate what Kate needed, and her telling Kate how Kate felt when Sawyer did this or that...bah! Phooey! If I never see her again, I won't be upset. But I guess she filled in some holes. So that was good.

More importantly, we learned more about Ben's history with the Hostiles. In fact, let's talk about that right now. Kate and Sawyer took dying boy Ben to the Hostiles because Juliet thought they could save him (Hmmm, did her belief have anything to do with Ben curing her sister's cancer?). This mission resulted in Ben being carried off by Richard Alpert. But before this, we witnessed the most intriguing (no, intriguing isn't sufficient; let's try "spell-binding." Too much? Okay, we'll stick with intriguing...) exchange of the night, if not of the whole season:

Richard: Is that Benjamin Linus?
Sawyer: You two know each other?
Richard to Kate: And who might you be?
Sawyer: She’s with me.
Richard: Why are you here?
Kate: Because we need you to save his life. Can you?
Richard: If I take him, he’ll never be the same again.
Kate: What does that mean?
Richard: It means he’ll forget this ever happened, and his innocence will be gone. [Pause] It means he will always be one of us.
Richard: Do you still want us to take him?
Kate: Yes.

Wow! So Richard saved Ben's life? But whatever he did, and wherever he took him...Ben will never remember it? But his innocence will be gone? He'll always be one of them? Fascinating.

Only slightly less fascinating to me was what this scene revealed about Richard's character. It sure is hard to see him as diabolical when he's telling them clearly: "If you really want this, these will be the consequences. But it's up to you."

He sure wasn't trying to deceive them. Once again, I'm wondering if Richard isn't a decent guy...but I'm still prepared to have that notion shattered in the near or distant future.

Oh, and then there was the conversation immediately after that, when one of the Hostiles (Erik) tried to discourage Richard:

Erik: You shouldn’t do this without checking with Ellie…If Charles finds out…
Richard: I don’t answer to either of them…

That's great stuff! Ellie is obviously the Ellie we saw earlier this year (and most likely, Eloise Hawking) and "Charles" is Mr. Widmore. So if the two of them are mentioned together like that, could it be that they're romantically involved (about to give birth to their "love child," right Todd?). Or maybe they're just co-leaders? Either way, Richard says plainly that he doesn't answer to them. (And did you detect a tone of contempt when he said it? I think it was definitely there. But why? Because Charles or Ellie act like he answers to them? Or because this Hostile Guy made the mistake of thinking Richard answers to them?)

Now, I have to at least mention Kate's backstory. Although I admit I sort of want to skip over it because it wasn't nearly as interesting as I expected. So let's see how I can sum this up quickly:

She and Cassidy are friends. Grocery store. Milk. No. Juice boxes. Aisle 5. Thank you. Aaron gone. Kate runs. Desperate. Aaron found. Scene only included to make Kate doubt her mothering skills, or trick us into thinking Aaron was kidnapped...either way, in retrospect, it's a weak scene. Then, leaves Aaron with Grandma Littleton. Says it will be until she returns. Told him "Bye, my baby." Cried. Claimed to be coming back to find Claire. I don't believe her. Not sure she plans to come back either.

There, that wasn't so bad. Now, let's do Jack the same way:

He refused to save Ben, which was baffling and awesome. He's just chilling out, accepting "whatever happened, happened." But he's still a leader and a man with integrity—one who will always have his friend's back. We caught a glimpse of that when he overheard Horace talking about Sayid setting the van on fire to escape. Jack was quick to speak up and question Horace, asking "How was he supposed to do that when he was locked up?" So our Jack is still there, he's just trying to figure out why the island wanted him to come back...oh yeah, and he does seem to buy into the idea that the island wants things now. He's just not sure yet what the island wants with him.

More interesting than Kate's flashbacks: Her determination to save Ben. Juliet was also trying, but Juliet has a history of trying to save the lives of children. But Kate...why? Because she was thinking of Aaron? According to Cassidy, Kate needed Aaron to help her deal with the loss of Sawyer. So who will she need to help her deal with the loss of Aaron? Doesn't seem to be Jack...or Sawyer...or Sayid...or Hurley...but she and Roger Linus were getting along quite well. Now, I'm not suggesting anything romantic there, but you know, Kate does have a history with a lot of guys. In the flashbacks we've seen, she's kissed Tom (he was married), Jason (she was robbing a bank with him, and she shot him moments later), and Kevin (the man she married and then left 6 months later) Not to mention Jack and Sawyer (and a little bit of flirting with Sayid in Season 1)...so, I'm just saying. Kate might be likable and all, but she uses men. Yeah, I said it. Oh yeah, and we've seen her kiss Aaron too. So chalk up another one for her.

Well, this recap is deviating, and after writing and thinking about Ben and Richard hiking to the Temple, I'm a little bored with the rest of the details. But there's a million notable quotes. So they pretty much tell the rest of the story anyway. So, this recap is officially complete. And that means it can't be changed. Ever. By anyone. What I wrote, I wrote. We might not like what I wrote; we might think it's terrible, anti-climactic, or just plain boring. But hey, you know, whatever happened...

P.S. I'm just really glad LOST chose "Whatever happened, happened" instead of "It is what it is," because I hate that phrase. There, I just had to get that off my chest.

New Character Developments:

—Jack won’t help Ben, but Kate does.

—Jack refers to what “the island wants,” which I think is probably the first time he’s verbally acknowledged that the island might have an agenda of its own (and the ability to act on it)

—Jack’s conversion to “believer” is complete—apparently

—Roger and Kate bond a little bit. Interesting.

—Last episode we saw a child-beating Roger, and this episode he was a concerned and self-loathing father who blamed his son's difficulties on his own failures—and I'm willing to buy it so far (for the most part) but this guy needs to become a little more consistent, methinks.

—Miles fills in as the new Physicist Faraday—explaining time travel realities to Hurley.

—Cassidy and Kate establish a friendship. Cassidy is like a sage, imparting wisdom about who Kate is and what she needs and blah blah...I found this a little unbelievable. Only slightly more unbelievable than:

—Kate can't always keep a secret. She shared the truth about the other survivors with not one but two people: Cassidy and Mrs. Littleton.

—Sawyer and Juliet seem really committed to one another—even if Sawyer went traipsing through the woods with Kate while Juliet barged in on Jack in the shower.

Summary:

So is Ben not evil? Or if he is evil, does this mean it’s not his fault? Richard and the Temple stripped him of his innocence, made him forever “one of them.” But no, it wasn’t Richard and the Temple, was it? It was Sawyer. And even more than him, it was Kate who spoke up.

So they made Ben into the man he becomes. Interesting…

And I think we got a hint of that when we heard Ben tell Kate to tell his dad that he’s sorry he took his dad’s keys. Future Ben, stripped of innocence, never seemed to show remorse. So maybe it’s whatever happened (, happened) to him in the Temple that prompted him to participate in the Purge, not his hatred for his father. I think we still have a lot to learn about what it means to "always be one of them."

Notable Quotes:

1) Roger: That’s my kid. That’s my KID!

2) Horace: We’re pretty sure he used this fire as a diversion to escape…
Jack: He was locked up. How could he start the fire?
Horace: Um, who are you?

3) Kate: He jumped out of the helicopter…
Cassidy: What a coward.
Kate: He was trying to do the right thing.
Cassidy: No, he was trying to get away from you.

4) Jack: You’re telling us we’re all under house arrest?
Miles: No, you’re all free to leave whenever you want. I’ll just shoot you in the leg.
(Note: This made me laugh really hard. Probably harder than appropriate, actually.)

5) Jack: Whose idea was that?
Miles: Who do you think?
Kate: He’s just doing his job, Jack. (Note: Kate defending Sawyer.)

6) Hurley cites Back to the Future as he holds his hand up to see if it starts disappearing.
Miles: You’re an idiot.
Hurley: Am I?
Miles: It doesn’t work like that. You can’t change anything…things are happening as they always happened…we just haven’t experienced that yet.
Hurley: Uh, that’s really confusing.


7) Sawyer: If you don’t come with me, then that kid’s going to die.
Jack: Then he dies.

8) Kate: What are you doing?
Jack: Making some sandwiches…
Kate: He’s just a boy, Jack. You can’t let him die.
Jack: You heard Miles…he’ll be fine.

9) Jack: I’ve already saved Benjamin Linus once, and I did it for you, Kate. I don’t need to do it again.

10) Jack: When we were here before, I spent all my time trying to fix things. But did you ever think that maybe the island wants to fix things by itself? And maybe I was just getting in the way.
Kate: You know, I don’t like the new you. I liked the old you who wouldn’t just sit around and wait for things to happen.
Jack: You didn’t like the old me, Kate. (This was a great line.)

12) Juliet: I needed you.
Jack: Excuse me?
Juliet: That kid was bleeding out, and you’re a surgeon. I needed you.
Jack: That kid’s Ben.
Juliet: Not yet. (Note: At first, did anyone else think that her "I needed you" referred to Jack leaving her on the island? I did...)

13) Jack: I came back here because I was trying to save you guys.
Juliet: We didn’t need saving…you came back here for you…at least do me the courtesy of telling me why.
Jack: I came back because I was supposed to.
Juliet: Supposed to do what?
Jack: I don’t know yet.
Juliet: You better figure it out.

14) Kate: She had an interesting theory about why you jumped off the chopper…she said you were worried about what would happen if you didn’t.
Sawyer: You and me wouldn’t have ever worked out, Kate. I wasn’t any more fit to be your boyfriend than I was to be that kid’s father. (Note: Is this an admission that Kate is right?)

15) Erik: You’re in violation of the truce. You’re over the line.
Sawyer: We know. This kid’s been shot, and that’s both our problem. So if you want to avoid a war, you’re going to take us to Richard Alpert. And you’re going to do it now.

16) Kate: He’s your grandson. And your daughter, Claire, is alive.

17)Kate: I know you got to stop me, but I can’t just let that kid die.
Sawyer: Damn it, Freckles, I’m not here to stop you. I’m here to help you.

18) Sawyer, quoting Juliet: She said no matter what he’s going to grow up to be, it’s wrong to let a kid die. That’s why I’m doing this. I’m doing it for her.

19) Juliet: James told me that Jack wouldn’t help, but he didn’t tell me why.
Kate: If I understood why Jack does the stuff he does, I wouldn’t be sitting here. (Note: huh?)

20) Roger: You got kids?
Kate [pauses]: No.

21) Roger talking about Ben’s mother: I tried to do what I thought she’d want me to do… (Note: Hmmm, like...come to the island?)…but I guess the boy just needs his mother.

22) Hurley: Let me get this straight…all this already happened?
Miles: Yes.
Hurley: This conversation we’re having right now, already happened?
Miles: Yeah.
Hurley: Then what am I going to say next?

23) Hurley: If all this already happened to me, then why don’t I remember any of it?
Miles: Once Ben turned that wheel, time isn’t a straight line for us anymore.

24) Miles: We can die. We all can.
Hurley: But you said Ben can’t die.
Miles: Ben can’t die, because this is his past. But this is our present!
Hurley: Well, then how ‘bout this. When we first came to the island, when we captured Ben and Sayid tortured him, why wouldn’t he remember getting shot by that same guy when he was a kid?
Miles [pause]: Huh, I haven’t thought of that.
Hurley [looks all proud]: Huh.

25) Kate: He can’t die, right?
Juliet: He is going to die. He’s in a medical situation that’s not resolvable.
Juliet…Maybe there’s something they can do.
Kate: They?
Juliet: The others.

26) Mrs. Littleton: Where are you going?
Kate: I’m going back to find your daughter.

27) Locke: Hello, Ben. Welcome back to the land of the living.


Questions:

1) The ongoing question: Where is Desmond? Penny? Little Charlie Hume?

2) The newer ongoing question: Where is Daniel Faraday?

3) The newest question I expect to be an ongoing one: Where is Sayid?

4) Juliet mentioned that the doctor was over in The Looking Glass until Friday…why would the doctor be in the underwater station (where Charlie died)? What does a doctor do down there? And is there any chance we might know this doctor?

5) This question doesn’t really necessitate a response, but did you notice when Kate was singing “Catch a Falling Star” to Aaron? I thought that was a special moment because I remembered this sequence from “Raised by Another,” when Claire was about to give Aaron up for adoption:

LAWYER: Now, I'll need you to sign and date here, where indicated.
[Shot of Claire starting to sign.]
CLAIRE: Do you know "Catch a Falling Star"? It's a song, like a lullaby.
EILEEN: "Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket."
CLAIRE: My dad used to sing that to me when I was little. Do you think you could sing it to the baby once in a while?
EILEEN: Of course.

So I guess the question is, did you catch that? Or, um, did you think it was special?

Okay, next question:

6) Any thoughts on the Temple? If that is, in fact, where Richard was taking him…

7) Did Kate really come back to find Claire? Or did she just say this because she was talking to Claire's mum?

8) Does Kate really think Claire's alive? (If not, it was pretty cold to tell Mrs. Littleton that Claire is still alive.) If she thinks this...why? Why would a living Claire abandon Aaron? How does that make any sense in Kate's head? Unless she knows something we don't...unless someone we didn't see approached her and said Claire is still living...Ben, maybe?

9)How does Miles know so much about time travel? Any chance Daniel, wherever he went, let him peek at that notebook of his?

10) Whatever Richard did to save Ben's life (and make him irrevocably "one of them")...any chance something similar happened to Christian? Maybe even Claire?

11) Did anyone else want to see them test the "Whatever Happened" theory by doing nothing for little, dying Ben? If they truly believe that they needn't do anything because they can't change the past, then why try?

12) Was anyone else confused by Miles begging Hurley to shoot him? If the point he was making was that they could all die because this is their present in a past time period, then getting shot could have killed him...and I think Miles' self-preservation would be more important to him than proving his point. Don't you? Did I miss something there?

13) When Hurley asks Miles why Ben (when he was Henry Gale) didn't recognize Sayid as the man who shot him 30 years ago, Miles says, "I don't know...I hadn't thought about that." My initial reaction was, "I bet Ben did remember..." But now I'm not so sure. Because, after all, Richard says that if he took the kid, Ben would "forget this ever happened." So what does that mean? Forget what saved him? Forget who carried him there? Forget who shot him? Do you think Ben recognized Sayid after the Oceanic 815 crash? Or do you think he lost that portion of his memory?

—Thanks for reading