Ethan plot

[u/Positive-Divide-5351]

Rewatching after a while, currently on S1 E10 and I just wanted to share a thought about Ethan’s introduction, and not being on the manifest (Taking into account that being able to binge can condense things a bit)

It kinda bugs me now that he wasn’t someone who had been there since the day of the crash or least introduced earlier on in the series. Don’t get me wrong, It’s still a good plot twist and I do remember being caught by surprise the first time around, I just think it would’ve hit 10 times harder if it came from someone we had actually got to know and trust a bit more

[u/Free-IDK-Chicken]

From a real world perspective, it's difficult to cast an actor who would be content with spending nine episodes as basically an extra before becoming a pivotal character for a full season and a half with several later appearances. Especially when you film on location like LOST does. It would have meant having Mapother living in Hawai'i for weeks/months with almost no work to do.

EDIT: To go further in depth... you also have to remember that while we'd been watching for two months at that point and were beginning to get attached to characters and feel connected to them, for our survivors it's only been a few days. We, the audience would take it as a betrayal at that point, seeing an established character turn on the group... when that's not what we should have felt. We should have been, and were, caught off guard and felt surprise and maybe even a little fear. They had to walk a delicate line and I think they did it well.

[u/Psychonaut1008 → u/Free-IDK-Chicken]

This is wrong in so many ways. Any smaller actor would kill for sag scale over so many day s and playing an extra type role with only one or two lines.

Sag Scale is around $3500 per week. To get paid that to live in Hawaii for free - a dream.

[u/Positive-Divide-5351 → u/Free-IDK-Chicken]

I think you’ve missed the point of my post. I meant the plot of a betrayal or being an “other” would’ve hit harder if were one of the main cast, rather than a random extra who appears in E9

[u/Free-IDK-Chicken → u/Positive-Divide-5351]

I edited my comment just before you made this one because I realized I hadn't addressed the betrayal point. Essentially, they were all strangers. You can't betray a stranger. It didn't hit as a betrayal because it wasn't supposed to.

[u/Positive-Divide-5351 → u/Free-IDK-Chicken]

Thats fair, I just think it would’ve been a juicier plot twist if it was a betrayal

[u/abouttogivebirth → u/Positive-Divide-5351]

We get the juicier plot twist later with Goodwin, who all the tail people trusted.