Considerably more complicated than we originally gave her credit for,
Kate is a runner who has no where to run. Raised as a military brat with a
single father bouncing from base to base, the cumulative effect of never
putting roots down later led to a series of busted relationships with men.
Kate has what might be commonly referred to as "commitment issues." And that brings us to the traumatic events that made her a fugitive, where the solitude and constant suspicion of life on the run merged with her self- reliance and practicality to harden her beyond anything she ever imagined.
Her crime itself remains a mystery, a fact made even more intriguing by her refusal to apologize for it. An independent spirit who has problems with authority now finds herself free for the first time in years... but only as free as the island's coastline. Now forced to face her fears, the island reveals the emotion Kate tries so hard to hide and forces her to drop the walls she has built around herself. Even more interesting, she may finally be falling in love with a man she cannot escape.
There are a few major character trait differences for the original Kate character. Most importantly, she was raised by a "single father" as a military brat moving from base to base, instead of the back story where we find her living in Iowa with her mother and real biological father for whom she despises. A second major difference in original Kate is that in her back ground, she was supposed to have failed relationships with men, caused by the lack of permanent roots (and social skills of a community). But in the actual series, we see very few relationships of Kate: the childhood friendships aside, she was married to a Florida policeman, but left him - - - and she had a bank robbery boyfriend who she used merely to gain access to a sentimental toy plane. Nothing in the series points to a "series of busted" relationships. On the island, she does have commitment issues but those are based on her fugitive status and the internal need to run away from problems (such as relationship issues).
Kate has what might be commonly referred to as "commitment issues." And that brings us to the traumatic events that made her a fugitive, where the solitude and constant suspicion of life on the run merged with her self- reliance and practicality to harden her beyond anything she ever imagined.
Her crime itself remains a mystery, a fact made even more intriguing by her refusal to apologize for it. An independent spirit who has problems with authority now finds herself free for the first time in years... but only as free as the island's coastline. Now forced to face her fears, the island reveals the emotion Kate tries so hard to hide and forces her to drop the walls she has built around herself. Even more interesting, she may finally be falling in love with a man she cannot escape.
There are a few major character trait differences for the original Kate character. Most importantly, she was raised by a "single father" as a military brat moving from base to base, instead of the back story where we find her living in Iowa with her mother and real biological father for whom she despises. A second major difference in original Kate is that in her back ground, she was supposed to have failed relationships with men, caused by the lack of permanent roots (and social skills of a community). But in the actual series, we see very few relationships of Kate: the childhood friendships aside, she was married to a Florida policeman, but left him - - - and she had a bank robbery boyfriend who she used merely to gain access to a sentimental toy plane. Nothing in the series points to a "series of busted" relationships. On the island, she does have commitment issues but those are based on her fugitive status and the internal need to run away from problems (such as relationship issues).
It is also interesting to note that the producers had no idea at this point of what Kate's FEDERAL crime would have been (the U.S. Marshal has limited jurisdiction over federal matters). In the series, we know the whole Kate legal story line was a factual and legal mess of impossible drivel. The writers attempt to portray Kate as being free for the first time in her life, but imprisoned on an island she can never leave (sounds like a personal hell). However, there is an immediate inconsistency in how Kate is to act: the independent, self-reliant runner only has one fear - - - getting caught, so if that is taken away, there really is no "emotional walls" that need to come down.
Now, the last part of "falling in love with a man she cannot escape" seems strange and nonsensical. If Kate is trapped on the island, escape is not an option. If it is meant to say that Kate finally can't run away from her emotions, and must have a real relationship for the first time in her life, there is no reason why she would not want to embrace that experience. The only thing unsaid in the summation is the possibility that Kate is incapable of love - - - which may be the reason for her heinous yet unknown crime. It could be that love triggers a form a madness in her - - something that she is truly running away from as to not to kill again; i.e. she is a monster.
That would have been a more clever adaptation of the character traits of Kate than how Kate actually evolved on the island. Yes, she played the cute girl next story routine to con favors from men; to keep her secret secret; or to divert attention from herself. She was apt to change sides without a reason. She was the tomboy who preferred to go on missions than stay in the camp interacting at a social level with the other castaways. Kate's character did not grow or expand very much from the pilot episode. She was almost typecast as the bad girl. As for Jack and Kate falling in love, this is weak link in the story. They had nothing in common except for surviving a plane crash. Kate burned Jack on several occasions but apparently he took her back in The End.
