Meet Kevin Johnson is an episode about guilt and redemption; it's an episode about choices and 'doing the right thing'. More often than not, such choices are never easy, neither is redemption. Guilt however, that is an emotion which attaches itself with ease.
So, we find out what happened to
Michael upon his return 'home' - down and out, with a son who doesn't want to know him - much like pre-Oceanic 815. However context offers a greater insight into
why, for Michael, leaving the island was not such a good thing. Riddled with guilt and self-loathing, he confided in his son and told him of the
sacrifice others had to pay for his release. Disgusted and sickened by his father’s actions, Walt shows just why children are so special - their morals are not skewed by the product of adulthood or by the notion of 'the greater good'. Life is pink and blue to kids - much like Locke's metaphor to Walt in the third episode of the first season -
"two sides" - for Michael there were choices..options, but he did what he thought was best to get his son back. Like Ben,
I don't blame him - although it took me a while to get over what he did to Ana-Lucia - after all, what man wouldn't do anything to protect his son? It's right there that we have the conflict:
actions = consequence, there's no denying that, and likewise leaving the island is never the end of the story. As hinted earlier by bearded Jack's failed suicide attempt, the island is more than just an island - it will latch onto you and keep you on its strings, not letting you die unless it's on
its terms..
unless you come back...
A most interest reveal, one which further establishes the island as a
character, as a creator and controller of fates and futures, of destiny and salvation. In this situation a person has no will, even if they're
willing. This 'protection', however unwanted, explains so much - it gives us possible insight into why the people on
future Ben's list are so afraid that Sayid is coming for them, since one would now assume that Sayid also cannot die. Same goes for Jack, Hurley and the rest of the Oceanic 6, perhaps?. Least not off-island - is this why Jack so desperately wants to 'go back' -
so that he can finally die?
But then what of the man in the coffin? ..he died off-island. More proof that this man is indeed Ben..a man who has recently been at odds with the land which raised him and allowed him to get sick? (assuming Ben didn't will
himself to be sick, that is..)
I felt that this episode was rushed in places, but the same could be said of most of this seasons episodes. So much so that they can even afford to give us rewarding reveals such as confirmation of Tom's homosexuality. Boone was many people’s favourite for the role, but personally there's something refreshing about Tom's character, there always has been from the moment we saw him thugged-up on the boat in Exodus, he's continued to tear away the mis-perceptions about his character. Good for him..and Arturo
I thought that the scenes on the boat were solid, if not a bit forced in places - to the point of spending 2 minutes on the Keamy shooting scene, which was purely designed to make us speculate his part in the assassination of Karl and Rousseau at the end of the episode. For me it does seem likely that Keamy and Frank (and whoever else from the freighter) are the ones responsible, but my after thought was also
Alpert and
the Others. This thought was not helped by the earlier scene with Ben sending the threesome off to the "sanctuary" (Temple) - a scene which was brilliantly filmed and acted by Michael Emerson, who along with Harold Perrineau is by far the best actor on this show.
I liked the scene where Ben showed Michael the difference between himself and Widmore - whilst Widmore is a ruthless killer without morals and conscience, Ben doesn't sacrifice
innocent people - however muddy this concept is, it is one which I and I’m sure most people can certainly appreciate. After all, this is war and in war people die. But to limit the collateral damage shows conscience and humanity. Ben could easily have armed that bomb and wiped out the freighties - the fact that he didn't speaks volumes and one would hope that all the 'anti-Ben' fervour will subside as his character is clearly on a compass direction which will ultimately palatable for even the most earnest of character dissectors.
Sayid on the other hand, well, he's final been proved wrong about something and it amazes me how he (and people like "that Michael?" Sawyer) can be so judgemental. However hindsight is ironic, isn't it, Sayid..
All in all this was a fantastic episode, although clearly not one constructed to be a finale of any kind - the writers’ strike saw to that, although I do suspect that the writers crow-barred in the assassination of Karl and Rousseau as way of making it 'feel' like it was part of their natural episode 8 arc. Still, I think that this was one of
Sarnoff's best episodes to date and I've always loved Michael centric-episodes - Harold Perreneau brings heart and confliction to the show, and I for one and happy that the island didn't let him die...
Please Harold, stay a while?