1.03 - Tabula Rasa

While Jack attempts to save the marshal's life, part of Kate's past is revealed.

Was it a dinosaur?
It wasn't a dinosaur.
You said you didn't see it.
I didn't.
So, how do you know it wasn't a dinosaur?
Because dinosaurs are extinct.
Oh yeah... --- Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, Jack Shepherd

Brother, you've got to wake up and smell the gull crap here. Rescue ain't coming. You're just not looking at the big picture, Doc. You're still back in civilization.
Yeah? And where are you?
Me? I'm in the wild. --- Sawyer, Jack Shepherd

I got trust issues. --- Kate

I get it, you know. Everyone deserves a fresh start. --- Ray Mullen

Listen to me. No matter what she does, no matter how she makes you feel... just don't trust a word that she says. --- The Marshal

In case you hadn't noticed, I did get away.
You don't look free to me. --- Kate, The Marshal

It doesn't matter 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. --- Jack Shepherd

At the beach, the marshal keeps telling Jack that "she" is dangerous and not to trust her. Jack looks in the marshal's pocket and finds a mug shot of Kate.

The expedition to the mountain is on its way back when it gets dark and they decide to camp rather than go through the jungle at night with the "thing" out there. They discuss the events of the last few days; the crash, the "thing" in the jungle and the repeating distress message. They also discuss how the fact that they were off course means no one is looking for them in the right place. They agree to not tell anyone else about the repeating message so that the others will not lose hope.

Hurley and Jack are building a makeshift tent over where the marshal is lying. Hurley asks how the marshal is doing and observes that he looks "kind of dying". Hurley finds Kate's mug shot and shows it to Jack, asking what he thinks she did. Jack says he doesn't care and Hurley says she looks "pretty hardcore".

At the mountain expedition's camp, we see someone taking the clip from a sleeping Sayid. Sayid wakes up and we find it is Boone. Everyone wakes up and argues. Boone says he was planning to stand guard but Shannon says that Boone hates guns and doesn't know how to use one. Charlie suggests giving the gun to Kate and everyone agrees. Boone gives the gun to Kate who stares into the distance.

Flashback: A farmer armed with a rifle finds Kate, who calls herself "Annie", sleeping in his barn. She claims to be a Canadian tourist who is walking through Australia and has run out of money. The farmer asks her if she is hungry.

Later, she is eating breakfast. The farmer asks Kate if she knows how to work a farm and she says that she does. The farmer reveals that he has a mortgage to make but is having trouble working the farm since his wife died. He also reveals that he has an artificial arm. He offers to pay Kate if she stays for a while and helps him work the farm. Kate agrees.

The next morning, the expedition arrives back at the beach and Sayid simply says they could not get a signal. He says that they cannot depend on rescue soon and organizes the survivors into three groups. One will set up containers for capturing rainwater, one will collect batteries and electronics that he can use to help boost the signal on the radio and the third will go through all of the luggage looking for items of use.

Kate takes Jack to one side and tells him about the repeating message. She then asks about the marshal. Jack says that he is not doing well. She asks if he said anything and Jack says no.

Later, Hurley talks to Jack and asks what Kate said. Jack says she didn't tell him anything and that he didn't tell her what they have discovered. Hurley reminds him that the marshal keeps saying she is dangerous but Jack continues to insist that it isn't his problem.

Jack says that the marshal is dying and that he needs stronger antibiotics. Hurley says he searched the luggage but when asked admits that he didn't look inside the fuselage.

Jack enters the fuselage and is searching through the overhead bins when he hears something. Sawyer comes from the back part of the fuselage and Jack asks what he is doing. Sawyer says he is doing the same as Jack, except he is looking for cigarettes, alcohol and the like.

Sawyer says that rescue isn't coming and he seems to think that Jack shouldn't waste any drugs on the marshal. He says the problem is that that Jack is still in civilization while he is already in the wild.

Jin tells Sun that she is dirty and that she needs to go clean up.

Charlie helps Claire move some suitcases around by using a wheelchair. He asks if her husband was on the plane and she says that she isn't married. She then comments that Charlie and the others climbed all the way to the top of the mountain for nothing. Charlie looks guilty but doesn't say anything.

A storm comes up and everyone spreads out tarpaulins to catch water.

Kate goes to the tent where the marshal is lying and encounters Hurley. She says she is looking for Jack and Hurley tells her he is in the fuselage looking for some more medicine. He seems uncomfortable around her and rushes off.

Kate enters the tent and kneels over the marshal, her face very close to his.

Flashback: Kate is in a pantry, retrieving some money she has hidden behind a board. She is surprised by the farmer, who expresses some regret that she is trying to sneak off in the middle of the night. She tells him that she left him a note. It is revealed that she has been there for three months and that he knows she is running from something. He thinks she is escaping a bad relationship and observes that everyone deserves a fresh start.

The farmer offers to drive her to the train station the next morning if she is determined to leave. She thinks for a moment then agrees.

The marshal suddenly regains consciousness and grabs Kate by the throat. He is strangling her when Jack arrives and separates them. The marshal collapses again and Jack and Kate leave the tent.

Jack goes for water and Kate asks about the marshal. Jack admits that he is dying; the antibiotics aren't helping. She then asks if he will suffer and Jack says it will take three or four days and will be very painful.

Kate asks Jack if he will put the marshal out of his misery and Jack refuses. "I'm not a murderer, Kate!" he tells her, adding that he saw her mug shot. He goes back into the tent while Kate stands alone, stunned.

Flashback: Kate and the farmer are in the farmer's pickup truck, presumably heading for the train station. The farmer suggests stopping for breakfast but Kate insists that she will eat on the train. She suddenly realizes that the farmer is stalling her and asks how long he has known. The farmer admits he saw her mug shot several days ago and the reward for her was $23,000. He reminds her that he has a bad mortgage and says, if it helps, that it was a hard decision.

A black SUV pulls up next to them and the marshal looks out the window and smiles at Kate.

At the beach, Walt is under a makeshift shelter which Michael is working on. Michael asks Walt who Locke is and Walt says Locke is his friend. He also says that Locke told him a secret; a miracle happened there. Michael agrees, saying that it was a miracle that any of them survived.

He then says that he wants to be Walt's friend too. Walt says that if he was a friend then he would find his dog (Vincent) for him. Michael says he will go looking for Vincent as soon as it stops raining. It almost immediately stops raining.

Later, Michael is looking through the jungle and muttering to himself. He hears something and calls for Vincent. Whatever it is growls at him then charges him through the brush. Michael turns and runs.

Michael bursts into a clearing and finds Sun, who is bathing and is naked from the waist up. She seems stunned while he is embarrassed. He picks up her top and gives it to her, all the while repeating that he didn't see anything. He leaves, embarrassed.

Some time later, Charlie finds Locke, who is busy making a whistle. Charlie keeps looking at the tent where the marshal is now moaning loudly.

Shannon and Boone are talking about the marshal and Shannon says she wishes he would just die already.

Sayid goes to Jack and says many of the others are wondering what is happening. Jack says he is trying to save the marshal's life. Sayid says the rumor is that he can't.

Elsewhere on the beach, Kate is building a fire. Sawyer comes by, offers her a light, and sarcastically thanks her for taking the gun from him. He says that everyone is listening to the marshal suffer and only the one with the gun can do what has to be done.

In the tent, the marshal is talking to Jack and telling him not to trust Kate. Jack asks what she did but the marshal says he wants to talk to Kate alone. Jack repeats the question.

"She got to you too, huh?" the marshal observes.

Outside, Kate stares into the distance.

Flashback: Kate and the farmer are still in the truck, the marshal in the SUV behind them. Kate grabs the wheel from the farmer and they struggle. The truck goes out of control and rolls down an embankment.

Kate gets out of the now burning truck. The farmer is unconscious and Kate pulls him from the wreckage. She then pulls him back to the side of the road, though she does lose his artifical arm in the process. Just as she gets him there, the marshal arrives and points a gun at her.

Kate goes inside the tent with the marshal. He asks her what the favor was she wanted. She asks what he means and he tells her the last thing he remembers before the crash was her asking him for a favor.

Flashback: It is on the plane just before the turbulence. Kate asks the marshal for a favor. The marshal comments that this should be good then asks what it is she wants.

The turbulence hits and a case from the overhead compartment falls and hits the marshal. He passes out. The plane starts to crash.

Kate says she wanted to make sure that the farmer got his reward money. The marshal laughs at this and tells Kate she is one of a kind; she would have gotten away if she hadn't stopped to save the farmer. She observes that she did get away. The marshal points out that it doesn't look that way to him.

The marshal coughs and asks if he is dying. After a pause, Kate admits that he is. He then asks if she is going to "do it" or not.

Outside, Jack is talking to Hurley. Hurley asks if it is safe to leave Kate alone with the marshal and Jack says he doesn't think Kate can do anything. Hurley points out that she has the gun.

Jack rushes towards the tent, calling Kate. She steps out and starts to walk away. She and Jack look at each other then there is a gunshot from inside the tent. Sawyer steps out.

Jack asks what Sawyer did and Sawyer says he did what Jack couldn't. There is a sudden gasp from inside the tent and everyone rushes in. The marshal is still alive. Sawyer attempted to shoot him in the heart but missed and hit a lung. It will take him hours to die.

Jack goes to work on the marshal again while Sawyer staggers outside. He is obviously quite upset with himself. He attempts to light a cigarette but his hands are shaking and he fails, finally throwing the cigarette away in disgust. He suddenly realizes that the sounds from the tent have stopped. Jack steps out, breathing heavily and, after staring at Sawyer for a moment, turns and walks quietly away.

The next morning, Locke is blowing on his whistle. We hear nothing but after a few moments Vincent comes trotting out of the jungle.

Locke wakes up Michael and tells him that he found Walt's dog. He also says that he thought Michael should be the one to bring it back to him. He tells Michael where to find the dog and starts to leave. Michael stops him long enough to thank him.

Jack is sitting alone on the beach, staring at the ocean. Kate comes up and sits down beside him.

"I want to tell you what I did." she says. "Why he was after me."
Jack shakes his head. "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."
He looks at her then back out at the ocean.
"Three days ago, we all died. We should all be able to start over."

As the song Wash Away by Joe Purdy plays, we see scenes of the various survivors. Hurley empties sand from his shoe, Boone gives Shannon a repaired set of sunglasses, Jin brushes the hair away from the face of a sleeping Sun, Sayid throws an apple to a surprised Sawyer and Michael brings Vincent to a happy Michael. Locke watches all of this, an unreadable expression on his face.

Kate's flashbacks feature a fugitive, a US Marshal and a one-armed man, which together are probably an inside reference to The Fugitive.

What was Kate's crime? What was her explanation?