"Meet Kevin Johnson" is the 80th television episode of the
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...
's (ABC's) ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
*Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
* Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
'' and the eighth
episode
An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption.
The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning t ...
of the
fourth season. It was written in October and November 2007 by supervising producer
Elizabeth Sarnoff
Elizabeth "Liz" Sarnoff is an American television writer and producer.
She has written episodes of ''NYPD Blue'', ''Crossing Jordan'', '' Deadwood'' and ''Lost''. She is the co-creator of the Fox crime/mystery series ''Alcatraz''.
Career
Sarnof ...
and co-producer
Brian K. Vaughan
Brian K. Vaughan (born July 17, 1976) is an American comic book and television writer, best known for the comic book series '' Y: The Last Man'', '' Ex Machina'', '' Runaways'', ''Pride of Baghdad'', ''Saga'', and '' Paper Girls''.
Vaughan was a ...
, and directed in November by co-executive producer
Stephen Williams. "Meet Kevin Johnson" first aired March 20, 2008, on ABC in the United States and on
CTV in Canada.
In the
second-season finale, after 67 days of being stranded on a mysterious and mystical tropical island,
Oceanic Airlines
Oceanic Airlines, and less frequently, Oceanic Airways, is the name of a fictional airline used in several films, television programs, and comic books—typically works that feature plane crashes and other aviation disasters, with which a real ...
815 crash survivor
Michael Dawson (played by
Harold Perrineau
Harold Perrineau (born August 7, 1963) is an American actor best known for his roles as Michael Dawson in the ABC television series ''Lost'' (2004–2010), Augustus Hill in the HBO television series '' Oz'' (1997–2003), Sheriff Boyd Stevens ...
) successfully negotiates his escape via motorboat with the island's dangerous original inhabitants, whom the survivors refer to as the "
Others". One month later in the
episode before "Meet Kevin Johnson", Michael reappears on a freighter offshore of the island, undercover with the alias "Kevin Johnson". Most of the narrative of "Meet Kevin Johnson" consists of a continuous
flashback—the third longest in the show's history after "
Across the Sea" and "
The Other 48 Days
"The Other 48 Days" is the seventh episode of the Lost (season 2), second season of the American drama television series ''Lost (TV series), Lost'', and the 32nd episode overall. The episode was directed by Eric Laneuville, and written by executive ...
"—showing what happened to Michael in the month that he spent away in New York and on the freighter, primarily his recruitment aboard the freighter ''Kahana'' as a spy for the Others.
The writers completed "Meet Kevin Johnson", the eighth of 16 ordered scripts, on the same day that the
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike action began. Post-production finished weeks later without input from the show's writers. ABC pledged to air the completed eight episodes regardless of the strike's resolution, but the writers felt that the episode's cliffhanger was unsuitable as a potential season finale. ABC ultimately overruled their opposition.
"Meet Kevin Johnson" was watched by 13 million Americans and was met with mixed reactions. A major discussion point was the episode's climax, which was criticized for its placement in the story and its focus on secondary characters. Although critics responded well to Michael's emotional journey, they complained that his physical journey seemed to conflict with ''Lost''
's timeline that had been laid out in previous episodes. The episode was honored with the fourth season's sole
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
for its achievement in
sound mixing
Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aesthetic ...
.
Plot
The episode's opening is set on December 26, 2004, over three months after the crash of Oceanic 815. Sayid and Desmond are on the freighter "Kahana," moored offshore of the island where the plane crashed. The freighter is owned by
Charles Widmore (
Alan Dale
Alan Hugh Dale (born 6 May 1947) is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale enjoyed theatre and rugby. After retiring from the sport, he took on a number of occupations, before deciding to become a professional actor at age 27. Dale subsequentl ...
), who is intent on extracting the Others' leader
Ben Linus
Benjamin Linus is a fictional character portrayed by Michael Emerson on the ABC television series ''Lost''. Ben was the leader of a group of island natives called the Others and was initially known as Henry Gale to the survivors of Oceanic Flight ...
(
Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor who is best known for his roles as serial killer William Hinks on ''The Practice'', Benjamin Linus on ''Lost'', Zep Hindle in the first ''Saw'' film, Cayden James on ''Arrow'', and H ...
). Captain Gault (
Grant Bowler
Grant Bowler (born 18 July 1968) is a New Zealand-Australian actor and television presenter who has worked in American, Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian film, television, and theatre.
He is known for playing the role of Constable Wayne ...
) stops two crewmembers from deserting the freighter in a raft. He publicly beats them and shouts that this is to save their lives, reminding the crew of what happened to
George Minkowski (
Fisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens (born Steven Fisher; November 27, 1963) is an American actor, director, producer and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Ben in ''Short Circuit'' and ''Short Circuit 2'', Chuck Fishman on the 1990s televis ...
) when he
left the boat. The next morning,
Sayid Jarrah
Sayid Hassan Jarrah ( ar, سَعِيد حَسَّان جَرَّاح, ''Sa‘īd Ḥassān Jarrāḥ'') is a fictional character from the ABC show ''Lost'' portrayed by Naveen Andrews.
Appearances Prior to the crash
Sayid originally served as a ...
(
Naveen Andrews
Naveen William Sidney Andrews (born 17 January 1969) is a British-American actor. He is best known for his role as Sayid Jarrah in the television series ''Lost'' (2004–2010), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime ...
) confronts Michael about his motivations, and the narrative shifts into an uninterrupted flashback of Michael's life after escaping from the island.
Michael and his son
Walt Lloyd
Walter "Walt" Lloyd is a fictional character portrayed by Malcolm David Kelley in the American ABC television series ''Lost''. The series follows the lives of over forty survivors of the crash of Oceanic Flight 815. Walt is introduced in the pilo ...
(
Malcolm David Kelley
Malcolm David Kelley (born May 12, 1992), sometimes credited as just Malcolm Kelley, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and actor best known for portraying the character Walt Lloyd on the ABC series '' Lost'' and as one half of the pop ...
) return to New York. Overcome with guilt, Michael confesses that he murdered
Ana Lucia Cortez
Ana Lucia Cortez is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Lost'', played by Michelle Rodriguez. Ana Lucia made her first appearance as a guest star in the first season finale, and became part of the main cast for season two. After ...
(
Michelle Rodriguez
Mayte Michelle Rodriguez (born July 12, 1978) is an American actress.
Rodriguez began her career in 2000, playing a troubled boxer in the independent sports drama film ''Girlfight'' (2000), where she won the Independent Spirit Award and Gotha ...
) and
Libby (
Cynthia Watros
Cynthia Michele Watros (born September 2, 1968) is an American actress recognized for her roles in both daytime and primetime television. In 1994, she was cast in the regular role of Annie Dutton on ''Guiding Light'', which earned her the Day ...
) as part of his rescue of Walt from the
Others' captivity. Michael becomes estranged from Walt, who goes to live with Michael's mother (Starletta DuPois). Michael is haunted by apparitions and nightmares of Libby. Michael attempts to kill himself twice, but is unsuccessful. That night, Michael is confronted by
Tom (
M.C. Gainey), the Other who abducted Walt. Tom explains that Widmore staged the wreckage of Flight 815 found in the ocean and is determined to find the island. He also explains that the island will not allow Michael to kill himself, and tasks Michael with infiltrating the freighter ''Kahana'' to kill everyone on board. Michael agrees to this and boards the freighter from Fiji. Michael becomes acquainted with the crew and hesitates to sabotage their mission until he finds
Martin Keamy
First Sergeant Martin Christopher Keamy is a fictional character played by Kevin Durand in the fourth season and sixth season of the American ABC television series '' Lost''. Keamy is introduced in the fifth episode of the fourth season as a ...
(
Kevin Durand
Kevin Serge Durand (born January 14, 1974) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for portraying Vasiliy Fet in ''The Strain'', Joshua in '' Dark Angel'', Martin Keamy in ''Lost'', Fred J. Dukes / The Blob in '' X-Men Origins: Wolverine'', Barry ...
) and his associates target-practicing with machine guns. After Michael tries to detonate a provided bomb only to discover that it is a fake, Ben contacts Michael by radio and explains that the trick illustrated his stance against killing innocent people in his war against Widmore. The flashback ends and Sayid, appalled by Michael's association with Ben, exposes his duplicity to Gault.
On the island in the Others' abandoned Barracks where some of the survivors have taken residence, 815 survivor
John Locke
John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism ...
(
Terry O'Quinn
Terrance Quinn (born July 15, 1952), known professionally as Terry O'Quinn, is an American actor. He played John Locke on the TV series ''Lost'', the title role in '' The Stepfather'' and ''Stepfather II'', and Peter Watts in ''Millennium'', w ...
) meets with his faction to discuss the freighter and Ben reveals that Michael is spying for him there. Ben later urges his adopted daughter
Alex
Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis.
People
Multiple
*Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people
* Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people
*Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple pe ...
(
Tania Raymonde
Tania Raymonde Helen Katz, is an American actress and artist. Her career first caught traction when she played the recurring character of Cynthia Sanders on the Fox sitcom '' Malcolm in the Middle'' between 2000 and 2002, followed by the role o ...
) to flee to the Others' sanctuary at the "Temple" for safety; she is accompanied by her biological mother
Danielle Rousseau
Danielle Rousseau is a fictional character on the ABC drama television series ''Lost'', which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific. Croatian actress Mira Furlan play ...
(
Mira Furlan
Mira Furlan (7 September 1955 – 20 January 2021) was a Croatian actress and singer. Internationally, she was best known for her roles as the Minbari Ambassador Delenn in the science fiction television series ''Babylon 5'' (1993–1998), and as ...
) and boyfriend
Karl Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austria ...
(
Blake Bashoff). On their way, Karl and Rousseau are shot dead by hidden assailants and Alex surrenders.
Production
Casting
![Cynthia Watros in Iraq](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Cynthia_Watros_in_Iraq.PNG)
"Meet Kevin Johnson" features the first appearance of Cynthia Watros as Libby in ''Lost'' since the second season finale. After her character's death in the second season, Watros became the first main cast member to never play the central role in a ''Lost'' episode. Several members of production stated that the character's backstory would be explained in later episodes, but was continuously postponed. Watros made a couple of appearances via hallucinations in Michael's flashbacks in "Meet Kevin Johnson". The writers asserted that while they had yet to shed light on the character's past, they would finally in their fifth year. When Watros returned to ''Lost'' for "Meet Kevin Johnson", she did not receive the "special guest star" credit, as was customary for former main cast members of ''Lost''. She was instead billed simply as a guest star, although her name appeared with that of frequent guest star M.C. Gainey ahead of the remainder of the episode's guest cast, who were listed alphabetically on-screen.
["''Lost'' on Location: 'Meet Kevin Johnson' ". ''Lost: The Complete Fourth Season – The Expanded Experience'', ]Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Buena ( ) is a borough in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,603,[Featurette
In the American film industry, a featurette is a kind of film that is shorter than a full-length feature, but longer than a short film. The term may refer to either of two types of content: a shorter film or a companion film.
Medium-length film ...]
, disc 6. Released on December 9, 2008. Damon Lindelof said that "it was sort of like a walk down memory lane for the dead", as the episode included several characters who died earlier on the show.
[
First season regular cast member Malcolm David Kelley returned in an uncredited cameo for a single scene as Michael's ten-year-old son Walt without dialogue and from a distance. Fifteen-year-old Kelley claimed that make-up was applied to him in an effort for him to look younger; Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse later clarified that footage of Kelley from production on the first season was composited into the shot. Because Kelley was so obscured and his name did not appear in the cast list, television critics were convinced that Walt had been recast.][Heisler, Steve, (March 21, 2008)]
''Lost'' Me Tender: Where's Walt, Though?
", '' Time Out''. Retrieved on March 21, 2008.[Daniel, (March 21, 2008)]
''Lost'' Diary: 'Meet Kevin Johnson'
", TMZ.com. Retrieved on March 21, 2008.[
Having appeared in six episodes of the third season and the first two of the fourth season, Blake Bashoff was cast as Moritz Stiefel in the Broadway production of '' Spring Awakening''. He warned Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse that he would be unable to shoot ''Lost'' for at least six months beginning in December 2007, as he rehearsed for and performed in the production.][Godwin, Jennifer, (March 21, 2008)]
Oh My God! Those Bastards! They Killed ****!
", E!. Retrieved on March 21, 2008. The producers decided to that the character would die in this episode. The cliffhanger of "Meet Kevin Johnson" sees Karl shot dead by unseen killers in the jungle. Two episodes later, the character Miles Straume
Miles Straume is a fictional character played by Ken Leung on the ABC television series ''Lost''. Miles is introduced early in the fourth season as a hotheaded and sarcastic medium as a crew member aboard the freighter called the ''Kahana'' tha ...
(Ken Leung
Kenneth Leung (; born January 21, 1970) is an American actor. His roles include Sang in '' Rush Hour'', Miles Straume in ''Lost'', Admiral Statura in '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', and Eric Tao in HBO's ''Industry''.
Early life
Leung was ...
) finds Karl partially buried in the jungle dirt, but this corpse is portrayed by a body double
In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...
.[
]
Writing
The Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers:
* The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO
* The Writers Guil ...
went on strike on November 4, 2007—the day that the writers finished editing the final draft of the script of "Meet Kevin Johnson". The writers wanted to hold the eight episodes until they were able to produce more of the season because the eighth episode has a "very cool" yet inconclusive cliffhanger that was not written to end the season; they compared it to "the end of an exciting book chapter utnot the end of the novel." ABC decided that the eight episodes would be aired from January to March, regardless of whether any more episodes were produced in the 2007–2008 season. After the strike's end on February 12, 2008, the writers pleaded with ABC to air "Meet Kevin Johnson" on April 17 with the second pod of episodes, due to "the eighth episode eingnon-traditional and the start of something new". ABC prioritized scheduling ''Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...
'', ''Ugly Betty
''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian t ...
'' and ''Lost'''s returns all for April 24.
Despite the struggles with the strike, the producers and writers were satisfied with the plot of the episode.[Terry, Paul, (August 12, 2008) "2008 Yearbook: The Others – Remembering Season 4". ''Lost: The Official Magazine'', ]Titan Magazines
Titan Magazines is the magazine-publishing division of Titan Publishing Group. Titan Magazines' publishing directors are Ricky Claydon and John Dziewiatkowski.
History
Titan Magazines launched in 1995 with '' Star Trek Magazine'' with John ...
. Issue #18. Instead of being intercut with scenes from the main ongoing plot, the flashbacks of "Meet Kevin Johnson" are presented continuously and are only bookended by present-day scenes. This is the second episode to do this after " Flashes Before Your Eyes" from the third season. The flashback portion of "Meet Kevin Johnson" is the longest in ''Lost'' history, which was unintentional.[ When asked why Michael's alias was not an allusion to a literary or historical figure, as with other ''Lost'' characters, Damon Lindelof explained that the Others would not have picked a famous person as an alias, as that would cause others to be suspicious of the character.][ Lindelof, Damon & Cuse, Carlton, (March 21, 2008)]
The Official ''Lost'' Audio Podcast
", ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
. Retrieved on March 24, 2008. Lindelof also said that it was a coincidence that "Kevin Johnson" was also the name of an American basketball player.[
In "Meet Kevin Johnson", Michael visits Tom's penthouse suite, where Tom introduces his partner Arturo (Francesco Simone), revealing that he is homosexual (and becomes ''Lost'''s only gay characters.) Online speculation about Tom's sexual orientation began after the broadcast of the third-season premiere, in which Tom tells ]Kate Austen
Katherine Anne Austen is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Lost'', played by Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly.
Character biography Prior to the crash
Born in 1977 and raised in Iowa, Kate is the daughter of diner worker Diane ...
(Evangeline Lilly
Nicole Evangeline Lilly (born 3 August 1979) is a Canadian actress and author. She is the recipient of various accolades including a Screen Actors Guild Award and an MTV Movie Award. She has also received nominations for a Golden Globe Award, ...
) that she is "not istype". A few weeks later, the writers hinted that a character would eventually be revealed as gay. In response to the internet community's suspicions, actor M.C. Gainey began to play the character as such, subtly trying to flirt with Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ABC television series ''Lost'', played by Matthew Fox. ''Lost'' follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive ...
(Matthew Fox
Matthew Chandler Fox (born July 14, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Charlie Salinger on ''Party of Five'' (1994–2000) and Jack Shephard on the drama series ''Lost'' (2004–2010), the latter of which earned him ...
) and later claiming that this attraction "got imthrough the first half of the season." Following the broadcast of "Meet Kevin Johnson", Lindelof and Cuse confirmed that the line from the third-season premiere is an allusion to Tom's sexuality, but felt that it needed to be explicitly confirmed in the show.[
Tom establishes that the island has some control over whether characters can die, as demonstrated when Michael unsuccessfully attempts to commit suicide three times.][ Cuse has said that "There is a raging debate on the show about what constitutes free will and what constitutes destiny and Michael's story was sort of a argument on the destiny side of that equation. He had more destiny to fulfil with that island than he anticipated and maybe the audience anticipated."][ Elizabeth Sarnoff stated that "the island doesn't let you go until it's done with you and I think that the rest of our characters are going to feel the reverberations of that, as well."][
]
Filming
Shooting commenced in early November and concluded on November 27, 2007. The strike suspended the script for the next episode and freed the cast and crew from an immediate deadline, with the result that more time was spent on filming "Meet Kevin Johnson" than the average ''Lost'' episode. Shooting did not customarily overlap with the surrounding episodes, although it was produced simultaneously with the '' Lost: Missing Pieces'' mobisodes directed by executive producer Jack Bender
Jack Bender (born September 25, 1949) is an American television and film director, television producer and former actor best known for his work as a director on ''Lost'', ''The Sopranos'' and '' Game of Thrones''.
Biography
Bender grew up in ...
and one scene from the season premiere
A season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a returning television show. In the United States, many season premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or late winter.
In countries such ...
overseen by co-executive producer Jean Higgins.
The exterior freighter scenes were filmed on an actual freighter, while interior scenes were filmed both on sets and in the freighter. The production crew had intended for the engine room scene where Michael goes to detonate the bomb and sees Libby to be shot in the freighter's engine room; instead, they built a new engine room set based on that inside the freighter. It was extreamly hot on the set at around and the crew was unable to install air conditioning. Sculptor Jim Van Houten created twin twenty four foot (seven meter) marine engines for the set, primarily from urethane foam.[Van Houten, Jim, (May 9, 2008)]
The Official ''Lost'' Video Podcast #412
", ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
. Retrieved on December 14, 2008.
One New York flashback was filmed on the same Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
, Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, street that had been used by set decorator Carol Bayne Kelley as Berlin, Germany in the fourth season's "The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...
" and London, England in the third season's "Flashes Before Your Eyes". The cliffhanger, in which Alex, Karl and Rousseau are in the jungle, was shot at Dillingham Ranch on the northwest tip of Oahu near the beach where the pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
and other early episodes were primarily filmed. The scene originally ended with "snipers emerging through the jungle in these incredible, elaborate, jungle camouflage uniforms"; however, this was cut in post-production.[ Elements of this would be re-shot and used in the next episode when the snipers are identified.
]
Editing
Despite picketing on most days with his fellow ''Lost'' writers, Carlton Cuse, a member of the WGA negotiating committee, continued to oversee post-production in late November. When negotiations between the Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) is a trade association based in Sherman Oaks, California, that represents over 350 American television and film production companies in collective bargaining negotiations with ente ...
broke down in early December, he boycotted his producing duties on the show until the strike was resolved.
In addition to Michael Giacchino
Michael Giacchino (; born October 10, 1967) is an American composer of music for films, television and video games. He has also served as a director for television. He has received many awards, including an Oscar for his work on '' Up'' (2009), ...
's original score, "Meet Kevin Johnson" contained popular music diegetically. The song playing on Michael's car radio during his first suicide attempt is "It's Getting Better," performed by "Mama" Cass Elliot. The song is heard again, fleetingly, during Michael's vision of Libby in the ship's engine room. Elliot's rendition of the song was released as a single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
in 1969 and was included on her album '' Bubblegum, Lemonade, and... Something for Mama'' later the same year. ''Lost'' previously played Elliot's " Make Your Own Kind of Music" throughout the second season.
Reception
Ratings
Dubbed "the most anticipated ''Lost'' pisodeof the season" by Verne Gay of ''Newsday
''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
'' due to Michael's flashbacks, "Meet Kevin Johnson" was watched live or recorded and watched within five hours of broadcast by 11.461 million viewers in the United States. Despite ranking ninth for the week in television programs with the most viewers, "Meet Kevin Johnson" set a new record as the lowest-rated episode in ''Lost'''s history, although this title was taken two episodes later with the broadcast of "Something Nice Back Home
"Something Nice Back Home" is the tenth List of Lost episodes, episode of the American Broadcasting Company's Lost (season 4), fourth season of the Serial (radio and television), serial Dramatic programming, drama Television program, television se ...
". "Meet Kevin Johnson" achieved a fifth-place 4.6/12 in the coveted adults aged eighteen to forty-nine demographic for the week. Including those who watched within seven days of broadcast, the episode was watched by a total of 13.386 million American viewers. 1.421 million Canadians watched "Meet Kevin Johnson", making ''Lost'' the eighth most-viewed show of the week. The episode brought in 618,000 viewers in Australia, placing it as the twenty-fourth most watched show of the night.
Critical response
Critics and fans alike criticized the writers' seeming disregard for the ''Lost'' timeline.[Sepinwall, Alan, (March 21, 2008)]
Ready to Die
", ''The Star-Ledger
''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...
''. Retrieved on March 21, 2008. Based on the actions and whereabouts of characters in the third season, fans could deduce when parts of Michael's flashbacks occurred in relation to events on the island, and critics pointed out that the chronology was inconsistent with events in the third season and an earlier episode of the same season.[Stafford, Nikki, (March 21, 2008)]
The Island Puts Michael on a Suicide Watch…
, '' Wizard''. Retrieved on November 5, 2008. This episode's negaitve critiques on fan message boards was highlighted by Lindelof as a reason why he avoids them, and said in defence of the script that "it's television."
The episode's plot received mixed reviews from critics. Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
's Ben Rawson-Jones lauded the lack of interruption to the flashback and praised the writing of the episode,[ while ]TV Squad
Weblogs, Inc. was a blog network that published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90 blogs, although the vast majority of its traffic could be ...
's Erin Martell was unsatisfied with the flashback and the exclusion of Walt from the plot, wondering how the characters explained their absence in the real world. Steve Heisler, writing for '' Time Out'', felt the story was predictable,[ while John Kubicek, writing for ]BuddyTV
BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profile ...
, commented that the flashback did not reveal much new information to the audience.[ Oscar Dahl at BuddyTV ranked it as the second worst episode of the season.
Some critics acclaimed Michael's character development and emotional struggles.][ Dan Compora of SyFy Portal enjoyed seeing dead characters in flashbacks and commended Perrineau's performance and character's story, while criticizing the underutilization of the rest of the main cast. Glatfelter had mixed feelings for the revelation of Tom's sexual orientation,] while the ''San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...
'''s Tim Goodman referred to "Gay Tom" as "a unique and funny twist".
The cliffhanger, in which Rousseau and Karl are killed and Alex calls out in desperation that she is Ben's daughter, gained a mixed response.[Kubicek, John, (March 21, 2008)]
''Lost'' Easter Eggs: 'Meet Kevin Johnson'
", BuddyTV
BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profile ...
. Retrieved on October 27, 2008. IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's Chris Carabott called the scene "completely out of place"[Carabott, Chris, (March 22, 2008)]
Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore
", IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
. Retrieved on October 27, 2008. and Rawson-Jones said that the fate of the three characters was not interesting to the audience.[Rawson-Jones, Ben, (March 23, 2008)]
S04E08: 'Meet Kevin Johnson'
", Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
. Retrieved on October 27, 2008. Jay Glatfelter of ''The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' deemed the cliffhanger "a shocker".[Glatfelter, Jay, (March 21, 2008)]
On ''Lost'': 'Meet Kevin Johnson'
", The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
. Retrieved on March 21, 2008. while ''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'''s Jeff Jensen felt that network executives were partially to blame for going against the wish of the show's creative team to broadcast "Meet Kevin Johnson" as a midseason premiere as opposed to a midseason finale.
In retrospectives of the show, reviewers had various opinions on the episode's plot. Josh Wigler twice ranked the episode as one of the worst of the series, citing a convoluted storyline, and Jacob Stolworthy, writing in ''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', also ranked the episode as one of the weakest of the series and criticised the large amount of plot in the episode. The episode was ranked 44th out of 113 episodes by the IGN staff, who praised how the episode presented Michael's time off the island.
Awards
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the television industry in the United States. It is a 501(c)(6) non-prof ...
gave sound production mixer Robert "Bobby" Anderson and re-recording mixers Frank Morrone
Frank Morrone is an independent re-recording mixer who has worked extensively in both film and television. His award winning work includes Emmy Awards for the ABC hit ''LOST'' and the mini-series '' The Kennedys'' as well as a best sound Satel ...
and Scott Weber the Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One-Hour) for their work on this episode. It was ''Lost''s only Primetime Emmy Award win in 2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
. Anderson discussed his job for an Easter egg
Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tr ...
featurette
In the American film industry, a featurette is a kind of film that is shorter than a full-length feature, but longer than a short film. The term may refer to either of two types of content: a shorter film or a companion film.
Medium-length film ...
on the DVD and Blu-ray releases of ''Lost: The Complete Fourth Season – The Expanded Experience''. ''Lost'' is sometimes filmed just from the Kamehameha Highway
Kamehameha Highway is one of the main highways serving suburban and rural O‘ahu in the U.S. state of Hawai‘i. Informally known as Kam Highway, it begins at Nimitz Highway near Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, serves the ...
and the traffic noise drowns out filmed dialogue, as do the ocean waves, so Anderson has the actors loop
Loop or LOOP may refer to:
Brands and enterprises
* Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live
* Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets
* Loop Mobile, an ...
their relatively quiet lines on an automated dialogue replacement (ADR) sound stage
A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a soundproof, large structure, building, or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or ...
.["Bobby the Sound Guy". ''Lost: The Complete Fourth Season – The Expanded Experience'', ]Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Buena ( ) is a borough in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,603,[Easter egg
Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tr ...]
, disc 6. Released on December 9, 2008.
References
External links
"Meet Kevin Johnson"
at ABC
*
{{featured article
Lost (season 4) episodes
2008 American television episodes
pt:Meet Kevin Johnson (Lost)