Readers Respond to "The Beginning of the End" and "Confirmed Dead" Questions

Last week, we took a look back at the first two episodes of Lost's fourth season, "The Beginning of the End" and "Confirmed Dead," and posed some of the burning questions that remain from those installments. I was surprised by how many mysteries were still unanswered from those early episodes, but I guess Lost loves to keep our brains spinning. After thinking about the questions I brought up, BuddyTV readers had their own theories about the mysterious happenings on the island. Read on for some of the best responses, and get ready to have your mind blown all over again.

Starting with "The Beginning of the End," one of my big questions was why Hurley (Jorge Garcia) lied about knowing Ana-Lucia. buddysbunny agreed that it was the most important query of all, stating, "Yes, I think the biggest question is -THE LIE. Because that lie is keeping them from leading a new life or getting on with a new life. Every time they lie it brings the truth and what happen back."

fizban8535 thinks the reason for the lie is rather simple, in that telling the truth would raise far too many questions. "Hurley lied about Ana-Lucia because it is easier than explaining the truth that she was shot to death by Michael (who goes by another name now, so that would make it harder to verify) to help Ben (Michael Emerson) escape," he wrote. "Do you know how many more questions that will raise? Same exact reason why Jack lied on the stand about only eight people originally surviving the crash."

Another thing that wasn't answered in the episode is when Hurley's flash forward took place. Just how long after leaving the island did he start seeing dead people? 80sPro thinks she has it figured out. "Say Aaron is around 2 1/2 - that would be two years from the point they're at now," she writes. "Good call on the suit - yes Jack sees Hurley the same day [of Kate's trial]. 7 months from leaving the Island Hurley is fine, a year and a half later he isn't. Another year after that, Jack isn't too. After someone dies that Jack (Matthew Fox) says 'sorry' to, after Jack tries to get meds using Daddy's scrips. I say it is three years later when they firmly decide they have to go back. And about the eye. Any theories floating around that it is an older Hurley?"

The owner of that eyeball may remain a mystery for a while longer. The next episode, "Confirmed Dead," gave us one of the most mind blowing events of all when they introduced a polar bear in the middle of the desert. erindreg wrote, "I think the reason the polar bear was found in Tunisia is because of Dharma testing. They placed the polar bear in an unlikely region so that they could easily tell if their tele-transport experiment worked."

Speaking of teleportation, CamaroHeed had some similar thoughts regarding the polar bear. "A related theory goes back to the rabbit cloning/teleportation/time travel Dharma video," he said. "Rabbit #15 (at least I think it was #15) was being held by Mister Candle (or whatever his names are) and then the same rabbit appears behind him on the shelf. Either it has been cloned or has arrived from another point in time. From his reaction, it sounds like it arrived from another point in time. Forget about the time travel for a moment, the main point here is that it appeared out of thin air. If that is possible, they can 'place' a polar bear wherever. Why it was placed there, I don't know. Maybe it was random, or a mistake, or maybe it was on purpose."

So many strange events happen on Lost that it can be tough to know when to stop asking questions. In my article, I posited that the rain in the jungle stops so abruptly due to all of the time wonkiness on the island. As inalehk put it, "Why do people make a big deal about the rain on the island starting and stopping so abruptly? It's the jungle, that's what happens."

Maybe there are some questions on Lost that are a lot easier to answer than we think.

What to Do with the Non-Oceanic 6 on 'Lost'

The character-centric episode structure of Lost is both a blessing and a curse. In the first two seasons, it was a brilliant way to slowly reveal secrets and connections among the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. Fans and even the writers of Lost quickly realized this was getting stale, giving us sub-par, filler episodes like John Locke’s misadventures on a commune or Jack’s Thailand tattoo.

Surely the flash forward shift helped alleviate some of the problems, but how will the writers deal with characters who don’t make it off the island? For the first part of season 4, they’ve carefully avoided seriously addressing that issue. Of the first eight episodes, four featured flash forwards, two filled in details of how people came (or came back) to the island, one played with the conception of time, and the final one simply featured flashbacks on the island.

Thus far, there has not been a single episode in the old tradition of featuring a stand-alone story arc that takes place in the past off the island. Not coincidentally, Sawyer, Locke and Claire, the three series regulars who are not members of the Oceanic 6, have yet to get their flashback episodes.

I bring this up because, heading into the final five episodes of the season, the writers are in trouble if they want to keep up the tradition of giving each series regular a featured episode. Thus far, almost every series regular has had an episode devoted to him, her or them at least once in every season they were a regular (the sole exception being Libby in season 2). Nikki and Paulo had one. Ben had one. Even Mr. Eko had one in season 3.

Following this logic, it should already be set in stone who these final five episodes will focus on. Locke, Sawyer, Claire, Jack and Ben are the only series regulars not yet featured in their own episodes. Yes, Jack popped up for Kate and Hurley, and Ben showed up in Sayid’s episode, but none have had their own time to shine.

Will the writers spread the wealth and allow these other characters to be the stars in the post-strike episodes? Recent spoilers provide some clues and for more on that, read up on Post-Strike Lost Spoilers for Season 4. However, this article and the views expressed are in no way influenced by those spoilers.

The questions remains: how can the writers make Sawyer, Locke or Claire-centric episodes interesting when the story is now all about the future? Here’s where I propose an idea of pure genius: give them flash forwards too. Thus far, we’ve seen several flash forwards taking place in the real world. Just imagine the structural madness of telling flash forwards that take place on the island. These new flash forwards can show us what will happen on the island once the Oceanic 6 leave.

The problem, you may suggest, is what happens when the real-time action on the island catches up with these on-island flash forwards? Simple. After the Oceanic 6 leave the island (probably at the end of this season), the story should immediately skip forward to when Jack and whoever else returns, several years later. It would be like the end of the second season of Battletstar Galactica, only cooler. Then they could switch back to flashbacks to tell the rest of what happened in the absence of the Oceanic 6.

Perhaps this is all crazy, but I’m offering a very real solution to a very real problem we’re about to face. After such great, forward-looking episodes, do we really want to see Sawyer con another person in the past? Do we need to see how John Locke got a job at the box factory? The answer is no, but the solution cannot simply be to ignore these characters for the rest of the series, dropping them into background status. By introducing flash forwards, the Lost writers accidentally made flashbacks even more useless and boring. We’re done seeing what has happened, now we want to know what will happen

Lost: Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Monday, March 17, 2008

I've heard from many people who broke down in tears upon learning of Jin's death at the end of last week's Lost episode, "Ji Yeon." I should point out that these weepers weren't people who cry over every touching Maxwell House commercial they see on television, but mostly folks who never shed a tear in front of the tube. Considering that I'm someone who proudly admits to occasionally crying over touching TV shows, I was surprised that I was barely moved by the last few minutes of "Ji Yeon." I thought the episode was fantastic, and I'm often touched by any story involving Sun and Jin (Daniel Dae Kim), but I didn't get emotional due to one simple fact: I didn't believe for a moment that Jin was actually dead.

It's become apparent over the past seven episodes that the flash forwards in Lost's fourth season are littered with lies. Jack (Matthew Fox) lied on the witness stand at Kate's trial, Hurley (Jorge Garcia) lied about knowing Ana-Lucia, and Sayid (Naveen Andrews) built a post-island career on deception. The Oceanic Six are obviously covering something monumentally important, and they're going out of their way on a daily basis to keep the illusion of their story alive. They want the world to believe that only six of them survived their time on the island, and they're willing to perjure themselves to do it if they have to.

We may not know why they're lying, but I think it's safe to say that even a show as daring as Lost isn't going to kill all but six cast members before the end of the series. I'm positive that the remaining castaways are still stuck on that pesky island. I can't say why they were left behind or why the Oceanic Six are lying about it, but I know that Claire (Emilie de Ravin), Jin, and everyone else we love is still there. They're still waiting and hoping for rescue, which is why Jack feels so ridiculously guilty and has a great need to go back to the island.

Why would Claire ever allow herself to be separated from her baby? Why would Jin stay behind while Sun (Yunjin Kim) left without him? I don't know. However, I do know that both characters would gladly stay behind if it meant their loved ones could escape the island. I think that by the end of the season, the Losties will be forced to make some tough decisions as to who will leave and who will stay. Difficult choices will be made, and both Claire and Jin will give up being close to their families in order to give them better futures.

For those wondering why Sun would break down at Jin's grave if she knew he was alive, let's remember that the Oceanic Six are celebrities in the future. Sun would have to go to his grave to keep up appearances with the press. Not only that, but she may see his grave as a tangible reminder of her husband and the deceitful choice they made that tore them apart.

I really wish I could have shed a tear or two over Jin's "demise," but this is Lost we're talking about here. We can't believe anything until we've seen it with our own eyes, and even then there's still room for doubt.

Preview of 'Lost' Episode 4.7, "Ji Yeon"

Last week's episode of Lost, "The Other Woman," seemed to split the fanbase right down the middle. Some people loved it for taking time out from the mythology to focus on filling in the blanks in Juliet's past, and others thought it was boring and pointless. Tomorrow night's episode, entitled "Ji Yeon," looks to be getting back to the action on the freighter. ABC has also promised that we'll discover the final members of the Oceanic Six and learn the identity of Ben's (Michael Emerson) man on the freighter. It should be an action packed episode filled with answers and revelations, which is usually when Lost is at its best.

To prepare for this Thursday's installment, we have some promo pictures and an exciting clip from "Ji Yeon."

ABC's official description of the episode reads, "Juliet is forced to reveal some startling news to Jin when Sun threatens to move to Locke's camp. Meanwhile, Sayid (Naveen Andrews) and Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) begin to get an idea of the freighter crew's mission when they meet the ship's Captain."

I'm guessing that the news Juliet breaks to Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) is the fact that Sun will die if she gives birth on the island. I'm also intrigued by the notion of finding out what the freighter crew is up to. However, the mystery I really want cleared up is whether or not Aaron is considered one of the Oceanic Six. And if he's not, why? This is a question that my friends have been talking about for weeks, and I look forward to finally having it cleared up by the end of Thursday's episode.

The first photo gives us a glimpse of the man who may be the captain of the freighter.



Here we see that Doctor Ray will be returning. He's the man who tried to calm Desmond down in "The Constant."



This clip from the episode shows Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) and Sun (Yunjin Kim) having a bit of a confrontation:



"Ji Yeon" airs this Thursday at 9pm on ABC.

Who is Ben's Man on the Boat?

One of the big questions that will be answered on Thursday's episode of Lost is who Ben's man on the freighter is. Readers have been theorizing about the identity of the freighter man for weeks, and while most of us think we have it all figured out, is it possible that Lost is planning to blow our minds with a giant surprise? It certainly wouldn't be the first time the show has subverted our expectations and made our jaws drop.

Based on nothing but my own crackpot theories, I have three completely spoiler-free ideas of who Ben's "man" might be. In fact, what if the person on the boat isn't a man at all? That idea may not be as crazy as you think.

Michael

Let's admit it: we all think Michael is the one on the boat. Harold Perrineau's name has been in the opening credits all season, we know he's coming back, and the only sensible way to get him back to the island would be on the freighter. We don't know what kind of deal he made with Ben (Michael Emerson) to escape the island, but it could have involved becoming a mole of some sort.

While this idea makes perfect sense, I'm against it because it feels far too obvious. I won't be upset if Michael is the man, but I'll be confused as to why the writers teased something so obvious for so long. Even if you watched the series years down the road on DVD, Harold Perrineau's return to the credits coupled with the knowledge of a mole would still make it obvious. I think the Lost writers may be up to something a little trickier.

Walt

Now here is a possibility that would be extremely interesting. While referring to Walt as a "man" may be a bit of a stretch even after a growth spurt, it would definitely be a bigger surprise if he were the mole. Maybe both Walt and Michael are on the freighter, but Walt is the one actually communicating with Ben and feeding him information. We know Walt can appear on the island and possibly communicate telepathically, so it seems as though it'd be a lot easier for him to chat with Ben than it would be for Michael. Maybe he's doing something against his father's wishes.

A Woman

If there's one thing I learned from the first season of Alias, it's that someone referred to as "The Man" can most certainly be a woman. Could another show produced by J.J. Abrams be attempting to pull the same trick?

I'll admit, if the mole is a woman I truly have no idea who it could be. My best guess in different circumstances would be Libby, but since she's pretty dead it seems rather unlikely. Penny is also out of the question since Desmond just chatted with her on the phone recently. How about Jack's (Matthew Fox) ex-wife? Juliet's (Elizabeth Mitchell) sister? A clone of Sun (Yunjin Kim)? Sayid's (Naveen Andrews) long lost Nadia? I have no clue, but I'm keeping my mind open for any possibility.

Thankfully we only have to wait two more days before we'll discover the secret identity of the man (or woman) on the boat. I'm putting my money down on Walt being the mole. Who do you think it could be?

Lost: What Wll Happen on Thursday?

Monday, March 10, 2008

This week's episode of Lost promises to be an exciting one. The previews promised we're going to learn who Ben's man on the freighter is (probably Michael) and who the final two members of the Oceanic 6 are. Originally the post-strike plan was to let this serve as the last new episode, then take a five week break before returning with the second half of the season, beginning with episode eight, which was actually filmed before the strike. However, those plans changed and now the eighth episode will air next week, March 20, followed by a five week break, after which time the final five episodes of the season will continue Thursdays at 10pm, following the new episodes of Grey's Anatomy.

WARNING: This article contains possible spoilers about this week's episode.

Various spoiler sources are reporting that there is going to be a major death on this week's episode. According to TV Guide's Michael Ausiello, the character who dies will be an original Oceanic 815 passenger. Since season 1, Lost has continually proved to be the most unpredictable show on TV and a big part of this has been the writers intestinal fortitude when it comes to character deaths. Lost is not afraid to kill off beloved characters. Going in to Thursday's episode, there are a few contenders poised for an untimely demise. The Ausiello spoiler, if true, tells us it won't be Juliet, or any of the four freighter people now on the island. We can also rule out known members of the Oceanic 6, who include Hurley, Jack, Kate and Sayid. Who, then, is left?


Sawyer

This would certainly be shocking, but Sawyer is too important to Lost to be killed off unexpectedly, especially in an episode where Sawyer isn't featured. I worry that Sawyer's character may not have a lot of story juice left going forward, but he should be safe for awhile.

Locke

The same thing with Sawyer, except that Locke has a lot of story left to tell. He and Ben's relationship is integral to the series, and won't be ending any time soon.

Claire

Now, I think Claire is going to die at some point, given the fact that Kate will eventually end up taking care of Aaron back on the mainland. But, I don't expect her death to take place until the end of this season when the Oceanic 6 get off the island. For one, Kate and Claire are in different areas of the island going into Thursday's episode and I don't see a realistic scenario in which Claire gets killed. Yet.

Jin

It's probably going to be either Sun or Jin who dies on Thursday. I've got a bit of a crazy theory, so hear me out. The episode is titled “Ji Yeon” which is said to be the name of Jin and Sun's as-yet unborn daughter. It has been said that the Oceanic 6 will be fully revealed during Thursday's episode, and since the episode will feature Jin and Sun, it's likely that it will be a flash forward showing that Jin and Sun are the final two members of the Oceanic 6, probably living in Korea with their child. So, where does the death come in?

Sun

Lost is always trying to change things up and surprise the viewers. What if Sun died in the flash forward, as a result of island after-effects? Or, what if she is sick of lying, gets ready to tell the truth, and one of the secret-keepers takes her out?

That's my bold prediction: Sun will die in her flash forward.

Lost: Episode 4.6 "The Other Woman" Live Thoughts

Previously on Lost: Desmond and Sayid (Naveen Andrews) finally arrived at the freighter, but we didn't get to know the freighter people very well because Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) was busy bouncing around time. It turns out that Daniel might be a time tripper as well. Back on the island, Locke still has Ben and Miles locked up in the barracks while most of the other castaways are packing their bags and preparing to go home.

Tonight's episode focuses on Juliet, who may be willing to go to great lengths to stop Daniel and Charlotte from completing their mission. Can "The Other Woman" possibly live up to the mind boggling events of last week's installment? Read on and find out.
The hour kicks off with Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) meeting with a therapist named Harper about the difficulties she's having dealing with fame. No, she's not one of the Oceanic Six. This is a flashback to shortly after Juliet arrived on the island, and the "fame" she's dealing with is being a much in demand doctor. She leaves the therapist's office and meets Ben for the first time. He shows her the fancy house she'll be living in, but she insists that it's too much since she'll only be on the island for six months.

In present time, Jack is freaking out because Charlotte and Daniel have disappeared into the jungle with some stuff that doesn't belong to them. The gang spreads out into the jungle after them. Juliet immediately starts hearing whispers as the rain pours down. Suddenly Harper appears out of nowhere and says, "Hello Juliet. Long time, no see."

The woman tells Juliet that she's arrived with a message from Ben. She says that Daniel and Charlotte are off to The Tempest station to release some gas on the island. If they release it, everyone on the island will die. Jack (Matthew Fox) interrupts and asks who the woman is, but she swiftly disappears while he's distracted by more jungle whispers.

Flashback time. Juliet meets Goodwin for the first time by treating a chemical burn on his arm. He happens to be married to the therapist Harper, who Juliet accidentally calls a mean and spiteful person. Goodwin tells her to come to him if she ever needs to talk about the trouble she's having with the pregnant women dying on the island.

According to Juliet, The Tempest is an electrical station that powers the island. Juliet tells Jack that she needs his help, but she neglects to tell him about the plan that Charlotte and Daniel are supposedly concocting. The next morning the two freighter folks are in the jungle. Dan asks what happens if he can't go through with the plan, but Charlotte assures him he can handle it. Before they can move on, Kate (Evangeline Lilly) interrupts them and Charlotte whips out her pistol.

Kate informs the duo that Locke is holding Miles, but she ensures that he's just fine. Charlotte feeds her some story about how they're looking for packs that they threw from the chopper, but Kate doesn't buy it. When she decides to investigate Dan's bag, Charlotte pistol whips her and knocks her out.

In the land of flashbacks, Ben (Michael Emerson) is eyeing Juliet with creepy, lovestruck eyes while she looks into a microscope. Goodwin stops by to give Juliet a sandwich, which immediately queues up Michael Giacchino's strings and indicates that Ben doesn't like this guy talking to his crush. Later in therapy, Harper mentions to Juliet that Ben is fond of her because she reminds him of someone else. She also knows that Juliet is sleeping with her husband. She wants Juliet to stop the affair so Ben won't get hurt. I have no clue what she's talking about, but I'm sure we'll find out.

Is it just me, or has Claire (Emilie de Ravin) shown a remarkable lack of grief over Charlie's death? She tells Locke that she wants to talk to Miles to try to get some info out of him. In the basement, Ben is still reading Valis while John brings him some tasty rabbit for dinner. Ben, who is of course being very Ben-like, is trying to get into Locke's head about his leadership abilities. He tells John that they have a common enemy: the man that the freighter folks work for. Ben says that if John lets him out he'll tell him everything, but that's the same old song we've heard a thousand times before.

Juliet is enjoying a lovely picnic with Goodwin on the beach. He hates that they have to be so private about their relationship, but Juliet advises him not to tell his wife. She says that Ben wouldn't like the news because he has a crush on her. We then cut to the moment when the plane crashes and Ben sends Goodwin to infiltrate the Tailies. Did he do that because he suspected Juliet was sleeping with someone? Devious!

Jack and Juliet find Kate knocked out in the jungle. She tells Jack what happened and also lets him know about the gas masks while Juliet disappears to grab some water. However, "grabbing water" is really a code for vanishing into the jungle. In the barracks, Locke (Terry O'Quinn) is ready to make a deal with Ben. Ben proves he's not just blowing smoke again by showing John a safe in one of the walls. Inside the safe is a videotape containing footage of Charles Widmore. Ben tells Locke that Widmore is the man who sent the freighter. He's searching for the island, but Ben doesn't know why. He just knows that Widmore wants to exploit the island and all the people on it, therefore he must be John's greatest enemy. He gives Locke a file on Widmore and also promises to tell him who the man on the boat is.

Of course, just as he's about to blurt out that news the show cuts to commercial. Argh!

While Jack and Kate track Juliet through the jungle, Kate explains that she stayed with John to find out if the freighter folk knew about her past. Meanwhile, Juliet has arrived at The Tempest. She flashbacks to a dinner with an overly perky Ben, which is one of the weirdest sights I've seen on this show. He's smiling and cooking and generally much happier than he's ever appeared to be. She's concerned that they've kidnapped children from the Tailies, but Ben insists that they're on the list and the list cannot be questioned. Juliet is also concerned that Goodwin is still undercover, but Ben assures her that his assignment will be over soon.

Inside The Tempest, Daniel is in a hazmat suit and frantically typing into a computer while a warning alarm goes off. He insists that he's trying to render the gas inert and not release it. That would be more believable if Charlotte didn't come up behind Juliet and whack her with a crowbar. A giant fight breaks out, and after the fight Charlotte insists that they're trying to stop the gas so Ben can't use it against them. Daniel does his thing and ensures that the gas won't be released.

Back in the past, Juliet is telling Ben that a spinal surgeon has landed on the island. Ben thanks her by taking her to see Goodwin's dead, impaled body, and she's understandably devastated. It looks like Ben had a man killed just because he had a little crush. He then tells Juliet that she belongs to him because he brought her to the island. Creep-tastic!

Jack and Kate arrive at The Tempest. Juliet explains that Charlotte and Daniel were only trying to help. She's also figured out that Ben gave her the message because he wanted Juliet to kill the two of them. His plan nearly worked, and she's afraid it will work at some point because Ben is completely crazy and obsessed with her. He's not going to give up until he wins.

In the barracks, Sawyer (Josh Holloway) and Hurley (Jorge Garcia) are playing horseshoes while Ben walks by jauntily with his laundry. He says he'll see them at dinner. For once, Lost ends with a chuckle instead of a jaw dropping revelation. Next week we get to find out who the final member of the Oceanic Six is!