Lost/Recap/S01/E12 Whatever the Case May Be

Season 1, Episode 12:

Whatever the Case May Be
While collecting fruit out in the jungle, Kate hears a noise and suspects it might be a creature, or one of "the Others"... but it's only Sawyer, keeping an eye on her. Heading back to the caves, they stumble onto a picturesque lagoon and go for a swim, only to find more bodies and luggage from Oceanic 815 at the bottom. Sawyer searches through them for more items for his stash: Kate is disgusted, until she sees a silver case and grabs it, claiming it's hers. When Sawyer spots the lie and takes the case for himself, Kate pretends--badly--that it's no big deal.

At the beach, a sudden tidal change is threatening to flood the fuselage wreckage and the survivors' entire beach camp. Jack and Sayid help get the supplies out of harm's way and plan to set up a new camp slightly further down the coast, though Jack still thinks its best if everyone moves to the caves. He asks Sayid to take him to Rousseau so that he can ask about the Others, but Sayid thinks Rousseau is insane. They discuss the maps and documents Sayid stole from Rousseau's shack, but the mathematical equations on them are too either too advanced or two nonsensical for Sayid to understand, and parts are written in French. Sayid wonders if some things are best left untranslated, but Jack responds that maybe Sayid should tell that to Charlie, who's been completely despondent since Claire's kidnapping. Boone comments on how Shannon is reading a magazine while everyone else moves the beach camp. Her response is to ask what Boone and Locke have been doing every day in the jungle. Boone claims they're looking for Claire.

"Boone: At least I'm doing something. Don't you see the way they look at us around here? They don't take us seriously. We're a joke. I'm trying to contribute something. You're just... you're useless."

That evening, Kate sees Sawyer with the case.

Kate, calling herself "Miss Ryan" and claiming to be a photographer, is filling out a loan application at a small New Mexico bank. Thieves with guns and masks burst in and force everyone to the ground except for the manager, who they want to let them into the money cage.

Kate tries to steal the case from Sawyer while he sleeps, but he's just pretending and manages to keep it. The next morning, Shannon is sunbathing when Sayid asks her help in translating Rousseau's documents. At first, she thinks Boone put him up to it, but Sayid convinces her to do it. Sawyer tries unsuccessfully to pick the lock on the case, and Michael tells him that he'll need force, and a lot of it, to open it. Boone brings the axe to Locke in the jungle and assures him that no one knows what they're doing. Rose finds Charlie in his stupor and snaps him out of it, convincing him to help move the beach camp. In the jungle, Sawyer tries smashing the case against a rock, but it won't open. He tries dropping it from the top of a tree, but not only does it not open, Kate swoops in and steals it. However, Sawyer manages to catch up to Kate and takes the case back. He makes her a proposition: tell him what's in the case, and he'll hand it over. She refuses.

The thieves' leader threatens to kill the bank manager if he doesn't hand over the money cage key. One of the hostages manages to get the jump on one of the thieves and kicks a gun over to Kate, but she claims to not know how to use it and the thieves get control of the situation again. Their leader grabs Kate and pushes her into an office... where it's revealed that Kate is part of the gang and the leader, Jason, is her lover.

Shannon helps Sayid to translate Rousseau's maps and documents, and she talks about living in Saint Tropez and learning French there. As Sun brings an herbal headache remedy back to the caves to show Jack, Kate arrives and asks for his help. She claims the case contains four nine-millimetre handguns and several boxes of ammo, and the key to open it is in the Marshal's wallet, which Jack buried with him. Jack agrees to help her get the case on the condition they open it together. On the beach, Charlie and Rose are moving supplies to the new campsite. She has a very positive outlook, despite all the terrible things that've happened, which Charlie proceeds to list.

"Rose: Charlie, nobody blames you.

Charlie: What?

Rose: For what happened to Claire. It's not your fault. You did everything that you could do. And you came very close to dying yourself.

Charlie: Maybe I should have died.

Rose: You know what I think, Charlie? You need to ask for help.

Charlie: Who's going to help me?"

Jason hits Kate several times then takes her out to the bank manager and threatens to kill her if the manager doesn't open the money cage. Thinking they're gonna kill Kate, the manager agrees.

Jack and Kate dig up the Marshal and she palms the key, but Jack sees and takes it. At the beach, Shannon is translating the documents, but the things written in French are nonsensical and bear no relation to the maps or equations. Frustrated, Sayid decides it was all a bad idea and Shannon, remarking about how "useless" she is, tromps off. Jack goes to Sawyer and threatens to withhold medication for his knife wound unless he hands over the case. Sawyer hands over the case, but not before telling Jack that whatever Kate said to convince him to help her, it was a lie. Jack brings Kate the case, but insists they open it together.

Once inside the money cage, Jason and his cronies start taking cash. The bank manager demands they let Kate go, but Jason reveals that not only is Kate (who he calls "Maggie") one of the thieves, she's the mastermind. When Jason moves to shoot the manager, Kate grabs a gun and shoots all the thieves before demanding from the bank manager the key to one of the safe deposit boxes. Inside is a plain white envelope with something small inside.

Jack and Kate open the case. Inside are the guns, the ammo, a wad of cash and that same white envelope, which contains a small toy airplane.

"Jack: What is it, Kate?

Kate: You wouldn't understand.

Jack: I want the truth, just this once. What is it?

Kate: It belonged to the man I loved.

Jack: The truth!

Kate: It belonged to the man I loved!

Jack: Stop lying and tell me the truth!

Kate: I'm not! It belonged to the man I killed!"

As Kate cries over the airplane, Jack puts everything else back in the case, takes it and leaves. That evening, the survivors set up their new beach camp. Charlie asks Rose how she knows her husband is still alive, and she replies that "It's a fine line between denial and faith. It's much better on my side." Sobbing, Charlie asks for her help. Shannon goes to Sayid and tells him that she figured out what Rousseau's notaions mean: they're song lyrics. Boone watches as Shannon and Sayid sit together, and Jack watches as Kate sits with the toy airplane.