The Debate That Wasn't

At the end of "Meet Kevin Johnson," Karl and Rousseau both get shot. Alex leaps up and shouts "Wait, I'm his daughter!" Smash cut to black: L O S T.

So who shot Karl and Rousseau - the Others, or Freighter Folk?

Right now you're saying: "Dude, why bother writing a post on this? It was obviously _____." But the thing is, it's apparently not obvious.

After I saw the episode, it was "obvious" to me that it was the Others. I talked to some friends, who all agreed: obviously, Ben knowingly led Rousseau and Karl into an Others-sprung trap, and Alex just didn't realize it.

But with my Lost withdrawal forcing me to troll online and read summary after summary of "Meet Kevin Johnson," another story emerges: that it's obviously Freighter Folk who shot Rousseau and Karl. Leading Lost expert Jeff Jensen writes:

I also didn't bite on the mystery of Karl's unseen assailants. I think Lost wants us to be debating if those are Others lurking in the bushes or freighter mercenaries. But I never read it as an open question; I'm just assuming it is the freighter creeps.

It's also casually mentioned to be a freighter team here. Thus the debate continues to not happen, because apparently everyone already assumes they know the answer. Since clearly there is a gray area, I present to you the two alternatives:

The Others shot them. Ben sent them to the sanctuary knowing that the Others would kill those who didn't belong, because after all, he said himself the sanctuary "wasn't for everybody." Rousseau's an outsider, and Karl's a rebel they tried to lock up and hypnotize. Notice how Ben was staring evilly while Karl had his arm around Alex? He planned the whole thing.

Freighter Folk shot them. Everyone from the freighter seems to be accounted for - except for the giant question mark of Frank Lapidus, and whoever he may have taken with him on his "errand." Alex obviously assumed they were the ones out there in the jungle, and, knowing that they're after Ben, is surrendering herself.

Even as I write that, it still doesn't sound logical - how would Frank & (Possible) Co. know where Alex, Karl, and Rousseau were? Were they just wandering the jungle and happened to stumble across Ben's daughter? And how would they be there for that in the first place? The only way it could happen is if Ben somehow tipped them off, and why would he let his own adopted daughter get kidnapped by the people hunting him?

Heck, screw the debate: why do people assume it's the freighter folk? It's obviously the Others.

TAGS: Alex, Freighter Folk, Karl, Meet Kevin Johnson, Others, Rousseau
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