"Meet Kevin Johnson" (Season 4, Episode 8)

We've had episodes with flashbacks. We've had episodes with flash forwards. We've even had flashbacks and flash forwards in one episode. But last night's "Meet Kevin Johnson" gave us a show made up almost entirely of one long flashback with events on the island bookending Michael's story. This episode continues the practice of giving actors airtime even after their characters have died. Libby, Tom, George Minkowski, and Naomi all made appearances.

Best Line

• "We kinda like knew that forever ago." Hurley response to Miles' statement that the freighter folk were here for Ben.
  

Did You Notice?

• Was "heightened cabin fever" again to blame for the freighter crew trying to steal an inflatable raft and the captain's harsh reaction?
  
• Did my fellow Star Wars fans notice a similarity between Michael in his hoodie and the Emperor? Decide for yourself.
  

• The map Ben provided to Alex had a Dharma logo where the temple was located.
• The song playing on Michael's car radio (and again in the freighter's engine room) was "It's Getting Better" by Mama Cass. Desmond was listening to Mama Cass in the hatch when he was first introduced.
• Michael waking up in the hospital featured another of the show's recurring shot of a close-up of an eye.
• Some on-line theorists believe the unconscious man in the hospital bed next to Michael was Alvar Hanso.
• It was appropriate that "Dr. Libby" be carrying blankets since she had come to get one for her and Hurley's picnic when Michael shot her in the hatch.
• The watch Michael pawned belonged to Jin.
• I know the bottle Michael picked up in the alley has to be significant. It's either the brand the monks made when Desmond was one of them or what Charles Widmore had in his office when Desmond came to ask for Penny's hand in marriage.
• Tom tells Michael that "the island won't let you" referring to killing himself. Does this mean the car accident that stopped future Jack from jumping off the bridge was the work of the island? Does this mean future Sayid would have survived the gunshot whether Ben removed the bullet or not? And was there no fear of Sun dying while giving birth?
• The game show playing on Michael's television featured the question "Who was the author of the book Slaughter House Five?" with the contestant correctly answering "Kurt Vonnegut". The host then asks if she can name the book's protagonist before the news bulletin interrupts. Slaughterhouse Five tells the story of Billy Pilgrim who has become "unstuck in time" and features time travel as a plot device. Faraday had used the term "unstuck in time" when explaining his experiments with Eloise the rat to Desmond at Oxford.
  
• Tom was staying in the Penthouse Suite of the Hotel Earle. A real place in New York, it is now called The Washington Square Hotel and was home to Bob Dylan. In the movie "Barton Fink", the fictional Hotel Earle symbolized Hell.
• Now we know why Tom had no interest in Kate in the shower in Season 3. He had told her she wasn't his type. Kate and Arturo don't seem to have much in common.
• Charles Widmore really wanted to find the island! Buying an airliner, digging up over 300 graves in Thailand. What won't this guy do? The really question is what's the reason for his obsession?
• The freighter was docked at the Port of Suva, the largest and busiest port in Fiji.
• The activation code to the explosion device was 71776. As in July 1776? Significant?
• Did you hear the ghostly whispering before Libby appeared in the engine room?
• Karl's comment "I just have a bad feeling about this" was no doubt the writers tip of the hat to the Star Wars films, in all of which a variation of this line appears.
• I think it's a good bet that Karl is dead but what about Rousseau? I don't think we've seen the last of the crazy French lady. And who is the shooter or shooters? The freighter folk? Is this why we saw them practice shooting in Michael's flashbacks? Or is it Ben's people? Or could it be the island's original, never aging inhabitants?
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• Locke tells the neighborhood watch meeting that Miles and 3 of his people came to the island.
• The freighter captain reminds the crew to remember what happened to the last 2 men who took off.
  
• Sawyer questions Locke about his failure to mention Miles' $3 million offer to Ben.
• Michael's mother (no, that wasn't Martin Lawrence in "Big Momma's House 3") wanted to know where he was for the last 2 months.
• The pawn broker offers Michael $3 hundred for the watch.
• Tom mentions that Walt is 10 years old when confronting Michael in the alley.
• On the phone, Tom suggests that Michael wait a day or 2 before opening the "care package".
• We see the demolition countdown clock with 10 seconds remaining, then again when it counts down from 4 to 3 to 2.
• Rousseau allows Alex and Karl to stop for 2 minutes on their journey to the temple.
• Rousseau tells Alex to run on the count of 3.
  

Previews - Any doubt as to who makes up the Oceanic Six was removed as Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sun, and yes, baby Aaron were shown to be the ones in last night's previews. Good news is it looks like things come to a head between the islanders and the freighter folk on the next episode. The bad news is that show is four weeks away. After the mini-hiatus, "Lost" returns on Thursday, April 24, but in a new time slot at 10:00 p.m. EST.

While you're waiting for the return, check out a fan's amazing website theorizing about how time travel is at the heart of "Lost". It has the show's events in chronological order and a very well thought-out theory of where in time the island exists. I found it incredible. See for yourself at http://www.timelooptheory.com/