Born to Run

"Born to Run" is the 22nd episode of the first season of Lost. It was directed by Tucker Gates, written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and based on a story by Javier Grillo-Marxuach. It first aired on May 11, 2005, on ABC. The character Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly) is featured in the episode's flashbacks. The title Born to Run is an allusion to the Bruce Springsteen song and album of the same names. Plot Flashbacks Kate is changing the license plate of her car, dyeing her hair, taking a shower, as well as claiming a letter under the alias Joan Hart. She returns later to her hometown to visit her dying mother and, while there, meets up with her now-married ex-boyfriend Tom Brennan (Mackenzie Astin), who is a doctor at the hospital. The two decide to dig up a lunch box time capsule that they buried back in 1989. Among its contents are Tom's toy airplane and a tape recording that they made to mark the occasion of the burial. Later, with Tom's help, Kate is able to be alone with her mother (Beth Broderick) and apologize. Far from appeased, however, her mother begins to scream for help. Kate flees, knocking out a policeman before running into Tom, who gives her the keys to his car and climbs into it. When the police try to block their exit from the hospital, Kate implores Tom to leave, but he refuses. As the police open fire at the speeding vehicle, Kate rams theirs out of the way before crashing into another. With the car brought finally to a halt, Kate looks over at Tom and finds him dead. Distraught and left with no choice but to flee, Kate climbs out of the car and runs. On the Island Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan) and Kate discuss the fame that awaits them if and when they are rescued, and this disturbs Kate. A survivor named Dr. Leslie Arzt (Daniel Roebuck), a science teacher, suddenly announces that the monsoon season is coming, where the winds go south, and that they have to go north to reach shipping lanes. He also exclaims that the raft must leave immediately so the forces of nature won't turn against them. This hits everyone hard. Thus, Michael Dawson (Harold Perrineau) hurries to finish the raft, and Kate seeks a spot. Michael refuses, reiterating the fact that all places have already been booked. After a conversation with Sawyer (Josh Holloway), however, he reconsiders, reasoning in spite of their deal that Sawyer has little grasp on the art of sailing and will be of little assistance once the voyage is underway.