Right, people. Let’s talk Lost.
I must first confess that I am not one of the Lost faithful. I like it well enough, and some episodes have been incredible. On the whole however, I find the questions to answers ratio frustratingly high and wish, just once, they’d wrap up a storyline in a somewhat conclusive manner (and no, Nicky and Paolo don’t count). I’ve given up on the show more than once, but it somehow always lures me back in. Shirtless Sawyer may have something to do with that.
However, even more powerful than half-naked Sawyer was the producers’ promise to wrap up the entire story within 48 episodes. There was a plan! Some may claim there’s been a plan all along, but considering that Michael Emerson (Ben) was only supposed to be in a handful of episodes in the second season and is now a major player, I am dubious. Still, the show clearly had an endgame in place now, and while rambling, love-triangle obsessed Lost causes me to reach for the vodka bottle, focused, urgent Lost is plenty intoxicating on its own. In other words, I really like season 4.
The flash-forwards have been the best thing that ever happened to the show. Well, after Hurley, perhaps. Suddenly, the entire hour is relevant, and the future scenes are often more compelling than the island time — a significant improvement after the many hours wasted on Jack’s daddy issues in previous seasons. The deliberate interaction of the characters in the post-island world has an emotional depth that the random near-misses of the pre-flight flashbacks entirely lacked. We’ve cared about these characters’ fates since they first landed on the island; it’s about time we find out what actually happens to them.
But, despite the fact that I am genuinely enjoying this season, I am keeping an eye on Mr. Abrams. I saw what he did in the final season of Alias and I will not be fooled again. Those answers better keep coming, or I’ll…well, I’ll make lots of impotent threats, grumble a fair bit, and keep watching, because I DO want to know how it ends. After all, at least this season is so exciting that I can happily sit through an episode before realizing that absolutely nothing was resolved. Still, I’m prepared this season: witness the questions and answers lists I have compiled below, all from just season 4. One list, you will notice, is still considerably longer than the other, and I’ll be updating them each week. If the questions list gets too long, I can only hope they provide a lot of shirtless Sawyer to make up for it.
Answers
- The Oceanic 6 definitely include Jack, Kate, Sayid and Hurley. They do not appear to include Aaron and Ben, both seen off the island, because apparently babies and creepy dudes don’t count. Also, the producers have said that we’ll know all the Oceanic 6 by mid-March, so it’s a bit early.
- Kate is caring for Aaron and is not going to jail.
- The four from the freighter (say that three times fast) were hired by freaky Matthew Abbadon, apparently to find Ben, and are definitely not there to rescue people.
Questions!
- What makes Jack go all drunken crazy-pants and grow the sort of beard that suggests he hopes to be in ZZ Top some day?
- Who are the two remaining members of the Oceanic Six?
- Why did the 6 say that only 8 survived the crash?
- Why was a whole freaking plane discovered in the ocean?
- Why is Kate raising Aaron, and why doesn’t Jack want to see him?
- What does Miles know about Ben and why 3.2 million dollars?
- What happened to Desmond and Sayid’s helicopter?
- What’s with Dan and the memory exercises?
- Why does Hurley think he should have stayed with Jack?
- Who the hell is Jacob, why does his cabin move, and why is he keeping company with Jack’s dead dad?
- Why is future Sayid working with future Ben?
- Who is freaky Matthew Abbadon and what does he want with Ben? (It ALWAYS comes back to Ben, doesn’t it?)
I’ve forgotten some, haven’t I? I knew I should have taken better notes. Help me out — what questions are you dying to know the answer to? Feel free to speculate in comments as to what you think the answers will be. There won’t be prizes, but you could potentially earn bragging rights for months to come.
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February 26th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Yours are season 4, I want answers from all of it! But I give them the benefit of the doubt.
The smoke monster?
The numbers
Desmond’s flashes
(A personal one, because it’s annoying me, is Claire ever going to be upset about Charlie, or is she done with her grief? Will she get the letter, will she find the ring?)
Have we had answers about Rousseu’s group and why she killed them/disease? I forget.
The baby thing - why they die if conceived on island etc
And about a million others. Do you think they have someone keeping track of all the weird things they’ve brought in so they don’t miss anything. Like, the 6 fingered foot, what was that about? Etc.
I watched season 1 recently and was struck by how different it is to now, the pacing and everything, but, I am so glad they got away from the flashback thing, because really, how many times can they show Kate running or Jack moping? It got old and nothing new was revealed. I’m happy they have an end in sight and don’t think they did originally (or at least, they didn’t know the time frame with which to put the stuff in). I’m sick of series that go on and on just because they make money. Prison Break, I’m looking at you.
February 26th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Carrie, I am not even going to try and keep track of the questions from previous seasons. Season 4 is hard enough!
Post-strike, one of the Lost writers made a comment to the effect that he’d forgotten several details of the show over the course of the strike and was of the opinion that, if he’d forgotten it, perhaps it was best left forgotten. That might answer the question as to whether they keep track of all the weird things.
I think the imposed end is necessary, and forces the show to move forward in a way it might not have otherwise. Of course, that does mean they have to give us some answers at last, damn it.
February 26th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Hmm, I’m not sure people would agree with that writer there. There are probably ardent fans keeping track of everything that has been said and done and if it’s not looked at later on, who knows what they’ll do?
He should go back and watch the past seasons and get caught up.
February 26th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
>Post-strike, one of the Lost writers made a comment to the effect >that he’d forgotten several details of the show over the course of >the strike and was of the opinion that, if he’d forgotten it, >perhaps it was best left forgotten.
Wow. I find that SHOCKING. Just… really??
February 26th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
I love the flash-forwards and the fact that they have an end date, because it makes me believe that they’ve mapped the whole rest of the show out (despite the fact that they now have to rework it to accomodate fewer episodes in season 4). I’m perfectly happy with unanswered questions, as long as I feel they’re being deliberately left alone until a future date. But I do really feel that some of the points from the first season in particular are now hidden in the closet, where they’re hoping we’ll forget about them.
Also, my own personal answer to “why 3.2 million dollars?” is “why not?”. Maybe dude is just bored with round numbers!
February 26th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Steph, I’ll try to dig up that link for you, cause that was pretty much my response, too. At least make an effort to explain all the mysteries, you know?
Rachel, you have an excellent point about the money. I mean, I’d definitely choose 3.2 million over a plain 3 million.