The trouble with "Whatever the Case May Be" is that it takes a step back after the conclusion of the last episode. Claire has been kidnapped by a mysterious group of island dwellers and the survivors seem to have fallen back into their usual routines. It's disappointing to see the lack of momentum carried over. But, in defense of this episode, it did air after the Christmas break and it seems that the writers took this as an opportunity to regroup and prepare for the second half of the season. Unfortunately, knowing these characters, it doesn't seem like them not to be searching for Claire whenever the opportunity strikes.
Several separate stories are present here, all loosely connected with each other. After the discovery of a Halliburton case that Kate claims to be hers, Sawyer becomes obsessed with trying to crack the lock. This leads to a couple of funny scenes, including one were he tries to drop the case from the top of a tree, only for it to be stolen back by Kate when it hits the ground. Kate and Sawyer's playful banter is present and I continue to love the chemistry of these two on screen. Their story leads right into reigniting the tumultuous relationship between Kate and Jack, which is anything but playful.
Kate reveals to Jack that she knows where the key is for the case but once she has it she attempts to double cross him. It seemed like Kate and Jack were off to a great start at the beginning of the series but now their differences are quite apparent and even though it's obvious that Kate cares for Jack, her nature forces her to gravitate towards Sawyer. It also doesn't help that Jack is completely condescending in this episode. At times, he seems to be flaunting his moral superiority over her and after it is revealed what Kate was really after in the case, he definitely has egg on his face.
Rose attempts to help Charlie cope with Claire's kidnapping. It's a small story compared to the rest of the episode but features a good performance by Dominic Monaghan. It also reminds us of the horrors that Charlie had to endure during the previous episode at the hands of Ethan.
"Whatever the Case May Be" marks the genesis of the surprising Sayid/Shannon relationship. This was definitely one of the more unexpected relationships to develop on the show but they surprisingly managed to make it believable. It also gives Shannon another opportunity to do – anything. It's one thing to have Boone tell her that she's useless every week but after a while the audience is going to grow tired of seeing a useless character on screen. Here she's used to decipher some documents that Sayid stole from Rousseau. It amounts to nothing more than a rendition of Beyond the Sea in French but worth it nonetheless.