Get Ready: Meet Kevin Johnson

Wow... another post BEFORE the episode airs! Get ready for our podcast this weekend on season 4, episode 8 of LOST, Meet Kevin Johnson. Post your comments here, send us an email or visit the LOSTCasts fan forum.

Update: Our automated audio comment voicemail is up and running again. To leave us an audio comment, call: 206-339-6080.

Comments

[Bryan]

Just thought I drop in on the best podcasting group since the 2nd Season of Thundercats in the summer of 88.
Hope tonight's episode is great.

Peace

[ManOfScienceFJC]

Thundercats ftwlolhaha. Also, despite my bitching about that cast I still love it and look forward to it as much as the show itself.

[idiots]

there you go all you jackasses who played the "Aaron wasn't on the manifest" card - telling everyone he's "not one of the oceanic six" - the preview for next episode was pretty clear. hate to say "I told you so" so I'll just say you're all moronic a-holes

[Zach is stupid]

"Again.

Aaron can not be one of the Oceanic Six.
Aaron was not on the manifest.
Aaron did not take up a seat.
Aaron was not yet born.
Aaron doesn't count.
The Oceanic Six are Jack, Hurley, Kate, Sayid, Sun, and someone else we don't know yet.

Posted by: ZachsMind "

Nice call....

[WeakLemonDrink]

Oh dear, that was distinctly underwhelming. To summarise:

* No explanation of just HOW Michael and his tiny boat got anywhere near NY. Did they get picked up? Did he just pootle along until he saw the Statue of Liberty?
* Absolutely zero side effects from leaving the island, after all the bluster about people getting sick when crossing the border. As a result, they had to lamely hide the gigantic Malcolm Kelly rather than give us the cool 'Taller Walt' story now.
* Nothing interesting happening on the freighter, at all.
* Sayid is a fucking TATTLE TALE, now?
* What should be an exciting ending was just lame and clumsily handled.

It's still Lost and it's still great - but based on the other episodes this just didn't quite make the grade, especially since it had such mythology heavy themes to play with. Things like Tom turning up and being awesome and talking about The Island not letting Michael kill himself are very cool, but the episode as a whole just wasn't good enough to hang it all from. Ji Yeon was much more skilfully crafted and satisfying than this, and that disappoints me greatly.

[XpSirC]

The ending was so anticlimatic it ruined the rest of my day.

If it just ended with Alex crouched by the tree after her mother was shot it wouldn't have been worse.

[Osbo]

Anyone else find the JC Penney ads on ABC on-line disturbing? After everyone's jumping off of the boat, some lady jumps out her window all happy...

[mona lisa]

fair episode, nice easter eggs, but HUGE plot gaps. all that michael's NY appearance is just so unconvincing. is he living just like that, without any id, like a ghost or what?

also,are we really supposed to be emotionally involved in poor karl's death? yeah, i felt sorry for him, but that guy got like 2 minutes on screen so far, so why go into the hiatus with that ending scene? lame decision...

[Herr Zrbo]

I don't think it was Karl that was the 'big death', I think it was Rousseau.

The episode did feel a bit underwhelming. Really wanted it to pick up immediately with him leaving the island on the boat.

[Cihan]

Yeah, bit of a weird episode, Lost is beginning to feel a bit...uh, silly.

I think Ben ordered his people to take out Karl and Rosseau, though I hope she's just injured.

[Rob]

The Island should have healing powers... ask Lock.
And why does these people keep taking orders from Ben.
Rousseaeu survived 16 years on the Island with smokey, dead traps and other weird stuff.. how the hell didn't she see this one coming.
I totally agree, too lame!

[Rok]

Michael didn't fall victim to the out-of-time crazies because he followed the heading Ben gave him. Even those who have missed it by a few degrees have been okay (heli pilot, Sayid), but Desmond was already frayed at the edges at the slight miss really screwed him over. One would assume the rafters off the freighter missed the heading entirely and, in a slow moving vehicle like that, were subjected to it too long and the crazies set in. One would also have to assume that just sitting there long enough will have the same effect, as the crew slowly takes itself out. I guess the whole "getting to NY" is just a dramatic leap of faith the writers are hoping well take, because there'd be no point in making a whole episode around that.

by the way, there is a thick irony here because Sayid rats out Michael for working with Ben, and then he himself works for Ben in the flash-forward. My guess is that Sayid will eventually realize that by ratting out Micheal, he doomed everyone on the island outside the Oceanic 6, and works for Ben in order to help his guilt (similarly to Michael's predicament).

Ben was surprised that Michael hit the execute button. It must have been a test similar to how Ben told Locke to kill his dad. Though I really want to know why Ben, an island immigrant, is regarded with such god-like status by everyone on AND off the island.

I assume I'm not the only one who has noticed that BOTH Widmore's side AND Ben's side have accused the other of staging the crash of Oceanic 815.

Very interesting to see Libby again, even if it was in nightmare flashbacks.

Okay, someone do a time-check here, but is it possible that Tom being alive actually occurred BEFORE he got shot on the island by Sawyer? Or are we to assume he got better, like Mikhail, etc.?

The one hard part to swallow was Karl and Danielle taking Ben's advice so readily. COME ON. But, yet again, Ben makes sure that someone dies conveniently (Juliette's ex-husband, Goodwin, Danielle and Karl). Well, I assume he had something to do with Juliette's ex.

Why does the temple have a Dharma symbol on it? Why the HELL does Ben have a map on him no one seemed to find? How in the hell are people using these goofy grade-school maps as actually means by which to find anything?

[Brad K.]

So, my only problem with that episode was with Michael "almost dying" in a car accident and then having enough time to heal and walk around and work on the freighter without any signs of a gnarly car crash.

Wouldn't he have only been off the island for a few weeks?

[Jerome]

I thought this episode was great... I never thought the "temple" would be another darma station!

didn't Tom once tell Kate "you're not my type" when she was given a pretty dress to change into?

I can't believe anyone would claim LOST is getting "silly" or going downhill... just look at all the ground it's covered in the last 8 weeks! this is by far the most exciting season so far - we have no ground to complain about it at all!!!

[scott]

Tom was in NY BEFORE he got shot by Sawyer... Michael left at the end of Season 2.... Tom died at the end of season 3... perfectly plausible to get to NY between...

[Amanda]

@Scott--

Maybe I have my times/dates confused (yours are clearly correct)...when did the Others become unable to come and go from the island? I always associated it with the turning of the fail-safe key, but that's either not true, or Ben was lying because Tom's off the island after the key is turned. Or, as Ryan from The Transmission pointed out, we have learned most of this unable-to-leave-the-island information from Juliet...it's possible either she's lying, or she's doesn't know the whole truth, and is not as far into Ben's "inner circle" as we think. What do you think?

[doktored]

It was the blowing up of the submarine that brought the Others off and on island habits to a standstill.

Tom was always into the homme.

[Scott]

@Amanda -

Good thoughts.

I don't think Juliet was lying - but Ben seems to keep all the cards close to the vest and not let everyone know what's up. Although considering the pursuit of juliet by Ben, he MIGHT let her know stuff.

ultimately, I think that the ability of Tom to get to NY may have nothing to do with a submarine but instead with some sort of other "island power" to transport him there. I think about Locke's Dad just Showing up and Ben "not knowing" how he got there.

So either this was BEFORE the sub blew up OR it's some other mode of Island transportation to get him there. Ryan on the Transmission mentioned that it was about 1 month between Michael leaving and then getting on the freighter... so I think it's possible it could be before the sub.

[Scott]

1 more thought -

it's probably obvious, but I'll say it anyway - it seems the Freighties are caught up in "the sickness" that may have plagued Rouseau's people. I'm sure it came from their imprecise arrival to the Island. Apparantly there's some sort of "time bubble" around the island with only 1 way in... graze the edges & start going time-crazy. I wonder if Radzinsky knew anything about this.

and how does Widmore just happen to "find out" the coordinates to the island... I guess we're led to believe that the Black rock's Journal gave them to him... I can buy that, I suppose

[WeakLemonDrink]

I was wondering about why The Temple had a DHARMA logo as I was convinced it was an ancient site after what Ben said about it being an "old place". But, how about The Temple IS an old place of worship for the natives and it was captured and converted by DHARMA and turned into a station? Perhaps that was even the reason why hostilities started in the first place...

[Scott]

@WLD

in this episode he calls it a "sanctuary" and it seems like the "natives" don't know about it... b/c "it wouldn't be a sanctuary if I told everyone would it?"

so it's some place DHARMA knows of (hence the label) and that BEN knows of... but no one else... since Ben came from the DHARMA iniative, I'm guesssing it's not an old place of worship but instead darma station

'm convinced that the TEMPLE is another dharma station - but the "old place" comment calls that into question - not that I don't believe you, but what episode did he say that in?

[Batman in tights]

Tom is gay! I would like to get it on with him whilst using my ball weights.

[Hellcharger777]

What I noticed:

I think Tom's "friend" was the guy getting american history x'd by widmore on the video tape. How do I come up with this? Well he is the only character on the main land that has been revealed to us so far that looks like the guy on the video tape. If Ben is tracking his people you can probably bet Widmore is trying by any means possible to find any member of the "Benny's." Ok that was totally stupid but never mind. Onward.

Irony that Sayid is ticked at mike for working for ben. Of course knowing what we know, it's ironic, other wise sayid is pulling a juliet. I don't know why. I think maybe the captian could be a benny too. Dang it, there it goes again. I really don't know if I should call them "others?" I will just call the "others" so i don't keep confusing myself.

According to tom only a few can come and go from island. I guess these are the ones without the sickness. Or maybe those that can use the magic box. I wonder if the sub really is used at all some times. How strong of a drug is it, if it lasts them from portland to somewhere around fiji. Mucho questions. Geographical and such. I don't want to mess with them.

Ok, Danielle survives for 16 years and now gets taken out like a punk. Wow that really stinks if that is the case. Carl getting jacked like the red shirt he is, is understandable, but Danielle? She is like one of the last of the first season supporting characters, and she definitely needs a flashback. I guess we can check imdb, or other spoiler places and such to see if she survives.

Did anyone catch alex rubbing her belly? Is their a little carl or alex inside? The only reason I picked up on this is my wife is due may 24 and as soon as we found out she was pregnant she started rubbing her belly.

My wife thinks the others shot carl and danielle, I believe it is the freighties who were taken to the island by lapidus on his errand. She said that ben would be that evil enough to take out the people who stand in the way of her and his relationship. Now that they are dead, she has no one to turn to but to Ben. I can't falt her on this one.

I thought mikes mom was going to slap him at one point. It would have been funny.

Yeah for cynthia watros! I miss her character. I guess anna lucia (michelle rodriguez) couldn't make it. Is she filming fast and the furious 75: the smell of vin diesel? Or is she still doing jail time?

Did anyone notice the guy dancing to get out of the way at the boat dock and that the name of the boat seemed to be covered or painted over? is this the same boat that found the plane but was sold and renamed?

[CrazyDavid]

I could be wrong, but didn't Ben say that when "the sky went purple", the beacon that essentially allowed the sub to return was knackered?

Therefore since Tom is off the island after this, how can he get back to be shot by Sawyer at the end of season 3?

Unless Ben is lying OR they have an alternate method of transport to and from the island.

Also, from what I remember, a rough timeline would be:

- Michael leaves island after ~60 days
- Jack & co. makes contact with the freighter after ~100 days

so that's 40 days for Michael to get from the island to NY, the whole run-in with Tom and then get to the freighter (which we know was waiting around for a while before making contact w/Jack as Minkowski was saying that the crew were getting bored waiting for orders).

[Cihan]

I want to add to my earlier post that I think this season has been fantastic, and I love the individual arcs going on both in flashforwards and the present, but the overall arc of the show is walking on thin ice for me. I'm just starting to lose interest in the whole Widmore V Ben plot, especially when Widmore is written like a cartoon; is videotaped beating someone, and managed to create a fake plane crash. It's beginning to feel too silly. I hope the writers can return to the relatively small scale of the show after this season, having had their chance to expland the story in a risky and unconventional manner.

Lost was, and is, always better at character conflicts than global battles for island supremacy.

[WeakLemonDrink]

@ Scott,

> in this episode he calls it a "sanctuary" and it seems like the "natives" don't know about it... b/c "it wouldn't be a sanctuary if I told everyone would it?"

Well, we know that Alex, Danielle or Karl don't know about it, but are any of those natives? I'm willing to bet that if my theory is true, any true native knows precisely what it is. In fact, the only native we properly know of - Richard - certainly does know about it as he's leading the rest there!

> so it's some place DHARMA knows of (hence the label) and that BEN knows of... but no one else... since Ben came from the DHARMA iniative, I'm guesssing it's not an old place of worship but instead darma station

That's the thing, though, I'm betting is WAS an old place of worship before DHARMA came along and turned it into a special station for their own, thus sparking the hostilities that lead to the purge. Like I said before, we have no evidence to suggest that the other natives in the Others don't know about it. My betting is that the only people not to know it are people who came to the island post-purge.

> 'm convinced that the TEMPLE is another dharma station - but the "old place" comment calls that into question - not that I don't believe you, but what episode did he say that in?

Ben said it was an old place in The Brig when he's telling Locke that they're upping sticks. He then mentions this "old place" by name to Richard in the finale.

[lostieboy]

Nothing really to add ,but Alex was so hot in this episode!!!

[lostieboy]

Tom likes the fellas.?....who knew.. well they do call him "Mr.Friendly" ..

[WeakLemonDrink]

> Nothing really to add ,but Alex was so hot in this episode!!!

I second this. Tanyia Raymonde is a very attractive lady. The sort of face you could get lost in for hours on end.

> Tom likes the fellas.?....who knew.. well they do call him "Mr.Friendly" ..

Everyone seems to be making this joke, and I don't get it. So gay people are more friendly? I once worked for a gay man and he wasn't friendly at all, he was an idiot. Or is it suggesting that gay people are more likely to want to have sex with people?

Either way, it's more than a little questionable, don't you think? And, worst of all, it's NOT FUNNY.

[spalz]

Anyone notice that in the background when Mike was going to kill himself, they said "Kurt Vonnegut" as the answer to the question on the TV show? Ben was given a book by Locke in the prior few episodes written by him.... interesting....

[spalz]

I think they want you to think Ben was behind killing Rouso and Karl, but what about the helicopter and the army dudes... where are they at and them seem to have great firepower and the ability to do kill people. After all, why would Ben want Rouso dead?

[spalz]

@ Zack
Aaron is one of the six. He was in Claires belly, now you can go off on a religious thing, but it shows him in the preveiw that he's one of the six.

[Rok]

@spalz, "...why would Ben want Rouso (sp?) dead?"

let's see. maybe it's because she was the one who caught him in the net back in season 2 and dropped him off with the Losties to get the snot beaten out of him repeatedly ever since. Or the fact that she shot him with a crossbow to prevent his escape when he was dropped from that net. Or the fact that she's taken a turn at knockin' the teeth out of Ben when givent he chance for taking her daughter away from her. Or, speaking of which, the fact that Ben took Alex away 16-ish years ago against Danielle's will, and Ben knows he's only her adopted father? Or maybe because we've been shown that Ben has absolutely no problem with "arranging" the deaths of people who would stand in the way of him creating his own little family on the island (i.e. Goodwin).

And that's just off the top of my head.