Whatever the Case May Be
Encyclopedia
"Whatever the Case May Be" is the twelfth episode of the first season of Lost
. It was directed by Jack Bender
and written by Damon Lindelof
and Jennifer Johnson
. It first aired on January 5, 2005 on ABC
. The character of Kate Austen
(Evangeline Lilly
) is featured in the episode's flashbacks.
, applying for a loan at a bank using an alias ("Maggie", "Meg", "Miss Ryan"). Three masked men with guns enter and attempt to rob the bank. Kate is thrust to the floor in the chaos. A man tells Kate that they can stop them before he grabs and disarms one. Kate grabs the gun but when the man tells her to shoot the thief she claims that she can't use a gun. One of the thieves pulls Kate into a back room after the situation is handled and they share a kiss, revealing that Kate is a part of the robbery. The man hits Kate to make it look as if she's an innocent civilian, and threatens to kill her unless the manager takes them to the cash vaults. In the back, one of the robbers tells the manager that the whole robbery was Kate's idea. However, she shoots the felons and tells the manager to open the safety deposit box #815 — the true reason for the robbery. The manager opens the safety deposit box and Kate takes the contents inside: a single envelope.
) find a locked halliburton
suitcase
among some sunken wreckage. Kate wants it, but refuses to tell Sawyer what's inside, so he takes it. At the beach, the tide is rising and will soon submerge the fuselage. Shannon Rutherford
(Maggie Grace
) asks her stepbrother, Boone Carlyle
(Ian Somerhalder
), what he and John Locke
(Terry O'Quinn
) do every day when they go out into the jungle, and Boone replies that they're looking for Claire Littleton
, who has been kidnapped by the mysterious Ethan Rom. While Shannon complains that Boone should locate food, Boone gets upset; in retaliation he calls her "useless."
Kate enters Sawyer's tent while he's sleeping in an attempt to retrieve the case they found earlier. He wakes up, however, and they struggle, Sawyer playfully flirting with her all the while, until he takes back the case and refuses to give it to her, resulting in Kate leaving.
Sayid Jarrah
(Naveen Andrews
) asks Shannon to help him translate Danielle Rousseau
's French
notes. She asks if Boone put him up to asking her for help because of Boone's earlier comment. Rose Henderson (L. Scott Caldwell
) comforts Charlie Pace
(Dominic Monaghan
) by telling him that what happened to Claire isn't his fault and that he did everything he could. Sawyer tries to pick the lock on the case, but Michael Dawson
(Harold Perrineau) tells him the only way to open it is with pure force. Sawyer drops the case off a cliff, but it still doesn't open. Kate steals it from him, but Sawyer pins her hands down and gets it back. He tells her that he will give the case to her if she tells him what's inside. She refuses.
Kate goes to Jack Shephard
(Matthew Fox
) and says the case contains weapons. It belonged to the U.S. Marshal that was escorting her to the United States
and the key is buried with him. They dig up the body and Kate pulls out his wallet. Before giving it to Jack, she palms the key, but he catches her.
Sayid becomes impatient with Shannon when her translations do not make any sense. Upset, Shannon runs away, saying that she's useless. Jack gives Sawyer an ultimatum: if he does not hand over the case, Jack will stop giving him antibiotics for his knife wound. Afraid of getting an infection in his wound, Sawyer hands over the case.
At the caves, Jack and Kate open the case. There are gun
s inside, and a manila envelope, the same which was in the safety box: Jack gives it back to Kate. She opens it and pulls out a toy airplane. When pressured, Kate says it belonged to the man she loved - and killed. She then cries, but receives no sympathy from Jack.
Rose tells Charlie that she believes her husband, Bernard Nadler, who was in the tail section of the plane when it crashed, is still alive. Charlie, distraught, begs Rose for help, and she prays with him. Shannon recognizes Rousseau's notes as "La Mer
" (the original French version of "Beyond the Sea
"), which featured in a French-dubbed animated film (though not named, the film is Finding Nemo
, which features the song over its credits). By her campfire, Kate stares at the toy plane.
pool, due to the producers had trouble filming it in the ocean, as it had too much silt
and waves, and Evangeline Lilly kept being thrown against coral
s.
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
. It was directed by Jack Bender
Jack Bender
Jack Bender is an American television and film director, actor, television producer and also a screenwriter. Bender was an executive producer and lead director on the ABC television series, Lost. He directed the series finale of Lost. Bender has also directed on other popular shows such as The...
and written by Damon Lindelof
Damon Lindelof
Damon Laurence Lindelof is an American television writer and executive, most recently noted as the co-creator and executive producer for the television series Lost. He has written for and produced Crossing Jordan, and wrote for Nash Bridges, Wasteland, and the MTV anthology series Undressed...
and Jennifer Johnson
Jennifer M. Johnson
Jennifer M. Johnson is an American television writer and producer. She has worked in both capacities on the series Lost, Reunion, Cold Case and is a co-creator of the series Chase. Johnson won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Dramatic Series for her work on Lost.-Career:Johnson began...
. It first aired on January 5, 2005 on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. The character of Kate Austen
Kate Austen
Katherine Anne "Kate" Austen is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, played by Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly. She is the de facto female lead...
(Evangeline Lilly
Evangeline Lilly
Evangeline Lilly is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as Kate Austen in the ABC drama, Lost.-Early life:...
) is featured in the episode's flashbacks.
Flashbacks
Kate is in New MexicoNew Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, applying for a loan at a bank using an alias ("Maggie", "Meg", "Miss Ryan"). Three masked men with guns enter and attempt to rob the bank. Kate is thrust to the floor in the chaos. A man tells Kate that they can stop them before he grabs and disarms one. Kate grabs the gun but when the man tells her to shoot the thief she claims that she can't use a gun. One of the thieves pulls Kate into a back room after the situation is handled and they share a kiss, revealing that Kate is a part of the robbery. The man hits Kate to make it look as if she's an innocent civilian, and threatens to kill her unless the manager takes them to the cash vaults. In the back, one of the robbers tells the manager that the whole robbery was Kate's idea. However, she shoots the felons and tells the manager to open the safety deposit box #815 — the true reason for the robbery. The manager opens the safety deposit box and Kate takes the contents inside: a single envelope.
On the Island
While swimming near a waterfall, Kate Austen and James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh HollowayJosh Holloway
Joshua Lee "Josh" Holloway is an American actor and model from Free Home, Georgia. He is best known for his role as James "Sawyer" Ford on the American television show Lost.-Early life:...
) find a locked halliburton
Zero Halliburton
Zero Halliburton is a company which manufactures hard-wearing travel cases and briefcases, mainly of aluminum. It was originally a metal fabrication company called Zierold Company, which in 1946 changed its name to Zero Corporation. In 1952 Zero, which until then had no relation to Halliburton,...
suitcase
Suitcase
A suitcase is a general term for a distinguishable form of luggage. It is often a somewhat flat, rectangular-shaped bag with rounded/square corners, either metal, hard plastic or made of cloth, vinyl or leather that more or less keeps its shape. It has a carrying handle on one side and is used...
among some sunken wreckage. Kate wants it, but refuses to tell Sawyer what's inside, so he takes it. At the beach, the tide is rising and will soon submerge the fuselage. Shannon Rutherford
Shannon Rutherford
Shannon Rutherford is a fictional character played by Maggie Grace on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the South Pacific. Shannon is introduced in the pilot episode as the stepsister of fellow crash survivor Boone Carlyle . She is...
(Maggie Grace
Maggie Grace
Margaret Grace Denig , best known as Maggie Grace, is an American actress. Originally from Worthington, Ohio, she dropped out of high school to move to Los Angeles with her mother after her parents' divorce. While struggling financially, she landed her first role as the title character in the...
) asks her stepbrother, Boone Carlyle
Boone Carlyle
Boone Carlyle is a fictional character played by Ian Somerhalder on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the south Pacific. Boone is introduced in the pilot episode as the stepbrother of fellow crash survivor Shannon Rutherford...
(Ian Somerhalder
Ian Somerhalder
Ian Joseph Somerhalder is an American model, actor and producer, best known for playing Boone Carlyle in the TV drama Lost and Damon Salvatore in the TV drama The Vampire Diaries.-Early life:...
), what he and John Locke
John Locke (Lost)
John Locke is a fictional character played by Terry O'Quinn on the ABC television series Lost. He is named after English philosopher John Locke...
(Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn is an American actor, most famous for playing John Locke on the TV series Lost. He made his debut in a 1980 television movie called F.D.R.: The Last Year. Since then, O'Quinn has had minor supporting roles in films and TV movies such as Young Guns, All the Right Moves, Silver Bullet,...
) do every day when they go out into the jungle, and Boone replies that they're looking for Claire Littleton
Claire Littleton
Claire Littleton is a fictional character played by Emilie de Ravin on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the South Pacific. Claire is introduced in the pilot episode as a pregnant crash survivor. She is a series regular until her...
, who has been kidnapped by the mysterious Ethan Rom. While Shannon complains that Boone should locate food, Boone gets upset; in retaliation he calls her "useless."
Kate enters Sawyer's tent while he's sleeping in an attempt to retrieve the case they found earlier. He wakes up, however, and they struggle, Sawyer playfully flirting with her all the while, until he takes back the case and refuses to give it to her, resulting in Kate leaving.
Sayid Jarrah
Sayid Jarrah
Sayid Hassan Jarrah is a character from the ABC show Lost portrayed by Naveen Andrews.-Season 1:Sayid fixes the transceiver recovered from the cockpit, and leads a group into the jungle in order to send out a distress signal. Instead, he picks up a looping message . He tries to locate the...
(Naveen Andrews
Naveen Andrews
Naveen William Sidney Andrews is a British American actor. He is best known for portraying Kip in the movie The English Patient and Sayid Jarrah on the American television series Lost.-Early life:...
) asks Shannon to help him translate Danielle Rousseau
Danielle Rousseau
Danielle Rousseau is a fictional character on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific. Croatian actress Mira Furlan plays the scientist who shipwrecks on the island sixteen...
's French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
notes. She asks if Boone put him up to asking her for help because of Boone's earlier comment. Rose Henderson (L. Scott Caldwell
L. Scott Caldwell
Laverne Scott Caldwell is an American actress known for her role as Rose on Lost.This Chicago native started her career in 1978 as a member of the famed Negro Ensemble Company, making her Broadway debut two years later in the Tony Award nominated play Home...
) comforts Charlie Pace
Charlie Pace
Charlie Hieronymus Pace is a fictional character on ABC's Lost, a television series chronicling the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island...
(Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan is an English actor. He has received international attention from playing Merry in Peter Jackson's adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and for his role as Charlie Pace on the television show Lost....
) by telling him that what happened to Claire isn't his fault and that he did everything he could. Sawyer tries to pick the lock on the case, but Michael Dawson
Michael Dawson (Lost)
Michael Dawson is a fictional character played by Harold Perrineau on the ABC television series Lost. After losing a custody battle with Susan Lloyd , Michael does not see his son Walt for almost ten years. They reunite when she dies, but on their journey home, their plane crashes on a mysterious...
(Harold Perrineau) tells him the only way to open it is with pure force. Sawyer drops the case off a cliff, but it still doesn't open. Kate steals it from him, but Sawyer pins her hands down and gets it back. He tells her that he will give the case to her if she tells him what's inside. She refuses.
Kate goes to Jack Shephard
Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and protagonist of the ABC television series Lost played by Matthew Fox. Lost follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Airlines flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive and escape, slowly uncovering more of the much broader...
(Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox (actor)
Matthew Chandler Fox is an American actor. He is mostly known for his role as Charlie Salinger on Party of Five, and for portraying Jack Shephard on the supernatural drama television series Lost.- Early life :...
) and says the case contains weapons. It belonged to the U.S. Marshal that was escorting her to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the key is buried with him. They dig up the body and Kate pulls out his wallet. Before giving it to Jack, she palms the key, but he catches her.
Sayid becomes impatient with Shannon when her translations do not make any sense. Upset, Shannon runs away, saying that she's useless. Jack gives Sawyer an ultimatum: if he does not hand over the case, Jack will stop giving him antibiotics for his knife wound. Afraid of getting an infection in his wound, Sawyer hands over the case.
At the caves, Jack and Kate open the case. There are gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
s inside, and a manila envelope, the same which was in the safety box: Jack gives it back to Kate. She opens it and pulls out a toy airplane. When pressured, Kate says it belonged to the man she loved - and killed. She then cries, but receives no sympathy from Jack.
Rose tells Charlie that she believes her husband, Bernard Nadler, who was in the tail section of the plane when it crashed, is still alive. Charlie, distraught, begs Rose for help, and she prays with him. Shannon recognizes Rousseau's notes as "La Mer
La Mer (song)
Trenet wrote the lyrics of "La Mer" on a train in 1943 while travelling along the French Mediterranean coast, returning from Paris to Narbonne. He supposedly wrote the song in ten minutes, on toilet paper supplied by SNCF. He was assisted with the tune by Leo Chauliac. It was originally published...
" (the original French version of "Beyond the Sea
Beyond the Sea (song)
"Beyond the Sea" is a 1946 contemporary pop song with music taken from the song "La Mer" by Charles Trenet and lyrics by Jack Lawrence.Trenet had composed "La Mer" with French lyrics totally different and unrelated to the English language version that Lawrence composed...
"), which featured in a French-dubbed animated film (though not named, the film is Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo is a 2003 American comi-drama animated film written by Andrew Stanton, directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich and produced by Pixar. It tells the story of the overly protective clownfish Marlin who, along with a regal tang called Dory , searches for his abducted son Nemo...
, which features the song over its credits). By her campfire, Kate stares at the toy plane.
Production
The underwater scenes were filmed in a Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
pool, due to the producers had trouble filming it in the ocean, as it had too much silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
and waves, and Evangeline Lilly kept being thrown against coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
s.