I am Kevin Johnson

Sorry, I was out of town and away from a computer last week. But with us not having any new Lost eps. for a month, I figured we'd still do a quick discussion on some key topics:
-- Who shot Rousseau and Karl? -- It could be the Others, though the motivation for that is unclear. It could be the Freighties (remember, the chopper pilot took a few people and supplies on 'an errand.') Or, most intriguingly, it could be some group we've not seen before. Maybe Dharma survivors, hidden in the jungle the last few years after the Ben purge? The question also becomes, did Ben know some shootin' was going to happen when he sent Alex away for her own safety? He has been trying to keep Alex and Karl apart - both because of his possessiveness, I reckon, and because if Alex gets preggers, she's in a heap of trouble. And then dead.
-- What's up with the island supposedly keeping Michael from kililng himself? Am of mixed feelings about this notion. On one hand, it's kinda cool. On the other, it becomes this deus ex machina idea where any crazy s*** can happen and we just have to chalk it up to 'oh, that crazy island is being all crazy again.' Though it opens up some intriguing notions, like Richard Alpert not having aged because the island won't let him because it needs him for something maybe, and Ben and Widmore both wanting the island because of its godlike abilities. Then again, maybe Tom just swapped Michael's gun with a gun that wouldnt work - this show has a running sub theme about cons and scams.
-- The Oceanic Six. So the TV ads have made it clear, the six are Hurley, Jack, Kate, Sun, Aaron and Sayid. One thought as to why those six in particular - five of them were on the far side of the island when the hatch blew and the skies went all purple - Hurley, Jack, Kate were captured by the Others, while Sun and Sayid (and Jin) were on that rescue mission on the boat. So maybe it has to do with exposure to the electromagnetic pulse that makes you adrift in time (= 'the sickness'?). Aaron was still receiving those shots at the time so maybe that innoculated him from those effects?

Kinda sucks that we now have a month without Lost. Damn you, writers strike. You blew it up, you blew it all up. Damn you to hell.

From reader Mike Crupi --
I have to think Ben sent Rousseau and Karl intentionally into harms way. He just doesn't miscalculate like that. Also seems convenient that his 'daughter' was spared.
I like the theory about the oceanic six being the only ones who could get off the island because everyone else is sick or affected by the time drift. Makes sense, as much as something can make sense on lost.

From reader Kevin Werther --
I would gladly send my daughter—if I had one—into
harm's way to kill Karl. That guy's a turd. Heck, I
would sacrifice my daughter—if I had one—for Taco
Bell.

From reader Amy Werther --
I thought it was Ben himself who took out Karl and
Rousseau. He is a very jealous man (see Juliette's
backstory, "You're mine") and think he would do
anything to keep his "daughter" to himself.

As far as the episode, I was a little disappointed
since that was supposed to be season ender. It did
cement the fact that Ben's henchmen was correct in
saying that Kate "wasn't his type."

How does Walt go from being on the island to off so
quickly? First Locke is seeing him, then he's hanging
with his Grandma.

And why does Ben allow Michael to go back to NYC and
pretend he wasn't on Oceanic? Why not Sawyer, Claire,
Locke, etc. get off the island in the future, maybe
they do get off the island, they just lay low.

You're mine

Losttalk is back, after a one-week hiatus as we followed our favorite jam band around the country. Now let's get into the good stuff:
It was Juliette's flashback, but really that episode was all about Ben, boiling down to two key moments - when we see Ben and the Others were willing to let the Tempest powerplant go blooey, presumably so that the chemical contamination would kill off the island populace (or at least that's what we have been lead to believe by the Freighties). The other key moment was Ben's little "you're mine!" rant to Juliette after leading her to Goodwin's body. It really gives us more insight - that Ben is not only a master manipulator but also this Machiavellian child. Maybe Charles Widmore wants to exploit the island. And maybe Ben just doesn't want to share 'his' island.
Side question - so if the chemical explosion had gone off, presumably the Others had easy access to gas masks, but where was Ben supposed to get such a thing, locked up in the basement?
The Freighties know far more about the layout of the island than even the Oceanic gang does - note Daniel's handdrawn map to Tempest. Presumably they got their knowledge from Others that Widmore had captured? Or does Widmore have moles as well? Or does he even have access to Hanso Foundation information? Meanwhile, the question is why he wants this island in the first place. And how it is Desmond ended up on the island on the first place - definitely not coincidence, since he was in a Widmore-sponsored race.
Ben's ability to play Locke never fails to amuse me - by dangling bits of truth and half truth, Ben is getting whatever he wants and at the same time starting to create that insurrection he referred to (how long are Locke's sidekicks going to listen to him if they keep being confronted with things like Ben walking around free when they never were consulted).
Meanwhile, we're getting closer to seeing who Ben's mole on the freighter is - the most obvious guess is Michael. Which makes me wonder if it's someone else.
Nice moments - Tom's mustache and Ben with a bouquet to welcome Juliette; creepy Dr. Harper the Other; a quick reference to the Oceanic 815 children swiped by the Others; Harper telling Julliette "Ben is exactly where he wants to be"; Ben telling an open-mouthed Sawyer and Hurley "see you guys at dinner."
Finally, in the flashback we hear reference to one of the pregnant Others, Henrietta, dying. Henrietta? That a shoutout by the writers to the Rochester region's best-read Lost blog? I think so. I think so. LostTalk is exactly where it wants to be.
Your thoughts, insights, analysis? Let 'er rip.