Lost is an interesting show. It’s not just a show you can watch on TV each week. You can certainly do just that. However, there are millions of Lost fans around the world that are curious to learn more about the mysteries of the island and the people on it. They continue to think about what happened in each episode for the entire week. That can be good and bad.
At the heart of the Lost is a complex and cryptic storyline that has produced numerous unresolved questions. The writers and stars of Lost have encouraged both TV viewers and critics to come up with their own theories to unravel the mysteries of the show. Theories mainly concern the nature of the island, the origins of the “monster” and “The Others,” the meaning of the numbers, and the reasons for both the crash and the survival of some passengers.
With that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to see what some of the writers on the Prime Time Pulse staff had to say about some of the major questions that have come from the show. So I threw out the questions and Matthew Romanada, Kevin Wong, Mathan Erhardt, Matt Basilo, and Craig Russell of Prime Time Pulse, along with special guest writer, Michaelangelo McCullar of Popcorn Junkies, gave us their answers.
These are just a few of the questions that have come from the show. New questions get created in almost every episode. By the end of the show, all the answers should be revealed but for now lets see what PTP staff has to say. Lets call this the “Mysteries of Lost Roundtable”…
Where did Desmond go?
The Facts: Desmond was living in the hatch. Besides being alone and having to push all of these buttons every 108 minutes, it seemed like a great place to live. Then, he talked Locke into taking over the button routine, and then ran off into the jungle.
Matthew Romanada (Romo): I think Desmond is alive, well after the “accident.” This season he may still chose to live in seclusion from the castaways but I think he will have a bigger part in the show this season.
Kevin Wong: I think that Desmond will end up living with the rest of the castaways.
Mathan Erhardt: I’d have to guess that he found other hatches to explore. The island is a large place and once he realized that the world didn’t end he was probably too embarassed to return back to his hatch so he went off to explore the island. I mean the guy had been cooped up in that hatch forever, so he was probably anxious to stretch his legs and live the dream. And then he got on his boat and tried to escape. Which didn’t work.
Matt Basilo: Did anyone else notice that the time between when Desmond disappeared and when he re-emerged was exactly 80 days? So, basically, he went around the world in 80 days. Alright, I’m just kidding, I have absolutely no clue if it was 80 days. In fact, I’m pretty damn sure it wasn’t. That’d be pretty cool, though.
Michaelangelo McCullar: Desmond survived the explosion, along with Locke and Mr. Eko.
Craig Russell: That’s a very good question. It’s a big island,
but how are Desmond and Rousseau able to just pop in and out? Did he have any interaction with “The Others”? Regardless, I mentined before that I was finding it very hard to like any of the islanders these days. But I’m
definitely rooting for Desmond.
Who is the father of Sun’s baby?
The Facts: A doctor in Korea told Sun that Jin was infertile.
Romo: The baby is not Jin’s!! Rather the child is from the illicit affair between Sun and her English tutor. Still, Jin will likely never find out this factoid until they are off the island so it’s a moot point.
Kevin: I think that the father ain’t Jin. But of course, the way time works on the island, it’ll be season 20 before Sun gives birth.
Mathan: The important thing is that it’s not me. I’m serious Maury, I’ve never even met the woman. Oh, I’m sorry wrong show. It’s clearly her husband’s. That’s what married people do; they make babies. If there’s one thing I remember from my parents “talk” it’s that married people make babies.
Matt: I think it’s Jin, because it fits in perfectly with the theory that the island is somehow curing people. Between Locke, Rose, and Jin (and arguably Hurley’s mental illness), these stranded souls, who are each disabled or diseased in their own way, are being cured of their ailments. This also ties back to an early theory I had, which is that the “good” people are being cured, while the “bad” (or “not good”) people are being harmed.
Michaelangelo: I think the island cured Jin’s infertility, just as it did Rose’s cancer and Locke’s paralysis. Jin’s the father.
Craig: Jin is the father. There’s some kind of healing power on that island.
What is the Dharma Initiative?
The Facts: The orientation film in Hatch No. 3 (the one with the swan symbol) revealed that University of Michigan doctoral candidates Gerald and Karen DeGroot created the island research facility in 1970. They were bankrolled by industrialist and munitions magnate Alvar Hanso. An “incident” created the need for the button routine.
Romo: The Dharma Initiative is a group of pseudo-smart people who think they are smarter than they really are. They tried to play God and it bit them in the arse. What, if anything, they learned from their past failures is the more interesting question that the show will hopefully answer, along with finding out if all those involved in Dharma had/have the best of intentions.
Kevin: It’s essentially a sociological experiment played upon people that they’ve sent to this island that can’t be found from the outside, except by chance. Unfortunately, almost all the principals involved with this experiment have either died or moved on to other things.
Mathan: They’re looking out for mankinds best interest. I think that it’s just an organization devoted to being out the best in people. Kind of like Scientology.
Matt: Dharma Initiative = “The Others”.
Michaelangelo: The Dharma Initiative is a group studying the human genome, looking for ways to prolong human life.
Craig: It’s an elaborate character study experiment that might have gotten into the wrong hands.
Can I play solitaire on that computer?
The Facts: In the missing footage from the orientation film, Dr. Marvin Candle warns that using the computer for anything other than pushing the button could result in another incident or something worse next time.
Romo: You probably could use the computer for other purposes but the computer is so old it probably doesn’t even play pong let alone solitaire. I think Marvin’s warning was just part of the experiment.
Kevin: I’m trying to remember what games you can play on a Commodore PET, but chances are, you can play none of them. Now, if that thing has a tape player that you can read a la the Vic 20, then we’re talkin’.
Mathan: Nope.
Matt: Hey, the thing had a primitive form of AIM, so why not solitaire?
Michaelangelo: We already saw Michael use the computer for a non-button pushing purpose, but I’m betting that computer’s so old it doesn’t have solitare. Maybe Pong, but that’d be it.
Are “The Others” evil?
The Facts: Rousseau says they took her daughter and contributed to the deaths of her science team. Ethan Rom, one of “The Others”, infiltrated the castaways camp, killed minor character Scott and abducted Claire. “The Others” shot Sawyer, took Walt, abducted and/or killed “Tailies” and set Michael on a dark path. On the other hand, they seem to have a plan and sense of a righteous purpose. But they were there first.
Romo: No. Well, evil is really in the eye of the beholder. I think most of, if not all, of the Others believe they are doing “good” and “right.” Whether they are or not is another question. Many people would see Jack Bauer as evil for the fact he tortures and kills without remores but he believes he is doing it for a higher good. No doubt the Others believe that as well, or have convinced themselves that is the case.
Kevin: Not evil, but they do have their own agenda.
Mathan: “The Others” aren’t evil. At the end of the day, when all is said and done, while you may not like their tactics there will be no denying that they’ve got the best of intentions.
Matt: No, only because that’s too easy and simple, and nothing on the show is easy or simple. Are the Others evil? On one hand, we HAVE seen them murder people without much of a motive of self defense, however they seem exceptionally true to their word, almost in a noble way. If anything, I think they’re just ultra protective due to the knowledge that they know (whatever it is), and their methods are extreme because of the major importance of said knowledge.
Michaelangelo: Evil is a matter of perception. I think “The Others” believe they’re not evil, but who really believes they’re evil?
Craig: You better believe it! Self-righteous is a good way to explain them: they believe their actions are completely necessary. They also appear to be on the same page, unlike our favorite castaways.
What’s up with Walt?
The Facts: Walt may have special abilities. He was reading a comic book about polar bears, and then a polar bear appears on this tropical island in Season 1. In Season 1 as well, Walt’s stepfather says odd things happen around Walt. Shannon heard and saw Walt in the jungle, and he was probably miles away. And now, Miss Klugh of “The Others” is asking Michael a bunch of curious questions about Walt like if he had any childhood illnesses or if Michael saw Walt where he shouldn’t be?
Romo: Well for one Walt is gone, so we probably won’t know much more about him. But I’ve read Walt’s showing up in the jungle was him doing something called “remote viewing,” Walt definitely has some mad skillz that would make most X-Men characters jealous, it’s just a shame we will likely not see him reach his full potential.
Kevin: Who knows? They seem to really, really want to limit Malcolm David Kelley’s appearances since he’s growing quite a bit. I doubt they’ll touch on it much this season.
Mathan: Walt’s a gifted kid. He just grew too fast for the show’s creators to justify keeping him on the show, given he wasn’t missing for too long and grew into quite a young man. I’m guessing that we’ll be find out more about Walt mostly through exposition.
Matt: I have a feeling we may never really find out, as it seems that Walt and Michael have been written off of the show, for the season at least. Nevertheless, I do believe he has SOME sort of ability, and that, in the end, we’ll learn that he’s played a very central role in the fate of his fellow plane-mates. Think about it, he played a pretty vital role in Shannon’s death.
Michaelangelo: Michael’s a mutant. He’s got mind powers that make him dangerous. Probably best for everyone he’s off the island, or else there could have been a Twilight Zone-esque episode where someone gets turned into a jack-in-the-box.
Craig: He’s a clairvoyant or something like that. And a lot smarter than his father, that’s for sure.
Who crashed the plane?
The Facts: Oceanic Flight 815 was on its way from Sydney, Australia, to Los Angeles when it crashed, a thousand miles off course.
Romo: I have a few ideas on this. 1) Walt, by accidently using his powers. 2) Desmond, when he failed to hit the button. 3) Desmond’s girlfriend while she was looking for him. I kinda hope it is the last option because that would be the coolest.
Kevin: Magneto.
Mathan: Desmond because he didn’t push the button. But the real question is why was the plane so off course.
Matt: I think that the explanation provided in the season finale was hugely satisfying and acceptable.
Michaelangelo: The season finale showed Desmond crashed the plane.
Craig: I guess Desmond feels he may have been the culprit.
Is the island supernatural?
The Facts: A lot of weird and freaky stuff happen on this island.
Romo: I think its more a mix of technology we don’t understand than the traditional definition of supernatural. No if only those two brothers from Supernatural would show up they could figure out what’s really going on.
Kevin: I think that it’d be a copout to make the island supernatural. So I’d guess that Abrams and co have a technobabble explanation for all of this.
Mathan: I don’t know if it’s “supernatural” but it’s not completely natural. Most of the freaky stuff has occurred in dream states so I’m guessing it’s an outside source, possibly a person, messing with minds. But I don’t think the island is supernatural. I mean electromagnetic energy occurs naturally.
Matt: Supernatural? Perhaps. I think “possessed” may be a more accurate word, though. I think something very significant and otherworldly occurred on the island, and that it has been facing the repercussions and consequences ever since.
Michaelangelo: Supernatural? No. Not in the sense of the word. Whatever Dharma was doing has altered the island, but it’s nothing otherworldly. It’s more science run amok.
Craig: The feeling I get from the island on Lost, and the world that the “survivors” must now live in, is total loss of control: nothing is in their power to control anymore. All the rules that governed
their lives before have been thrown out the window. Don’t know if there are any Stephen King fans here, but I had similar feelings reading The Langoliers – where a plane full of passengers slips into an alternate universe. Yes, the island is supernatural. The writers are doing a good job by not beating us over the head with polar bears and dinosaurs, and sticking with the human element: how these people respond to these extrordinary circumstances.
Will “Lost” collapse under the weight of its complicated self?
The Facts: Other shows like The X-Files, Twin Peaks, and creator J.J. Abrams’ own Alias have all been called complicated shows and most had limited success.
Romo: I hope not. I spent wayyyyyy to many hours invested in The X-Files. It will depend on how many of the Lost writing crew stick around till the end. If the good writers, and some already have, bleed of to get involved in other projects Lost may be doomed to never fulfil the hopes and dreams of its many viewers.
Kevin: There’s always that possibility. Sophmore years were not kind to ABC’s two big hit shows of 2004-05, allowing Grey’s Anatomy to emerge as their biggest show. So definitely, the pressure’s on for Lost to regain it’s footing, and I think that it will.
Mathan: I don’t know if it will completely collapse, but it’s bound to disappoint some folks. I’m equally sure that some answers won’t be worth the time folks waited for them. I’ve got enough faith that the creators know where they’re going and what they’re doing, but I’m bracing for some degree of disappointment.
Matt: I’m cautiously optimistic. I didn’t watch many of the other shows, save for The X-Files. However, The X-Files was hugely contingent on two central characters, one of which didn’t seem to want to be on the show for the final couple seasons. That’s a lot different than Lost, which could very easily shift the focus from Jack to Kate, or Sawyer, or Locke, or even Charlie and Hurley. Hell, they could even completely reinvent the show and do an entire season from the perspective of “The Others”. The possibilities are a lot more open with Lost than most shows. The real question is if the writers are able to stay creative and prevent any shark jumping.
Michaelangelo: No. The X-Files had a good run. Twin Peaks hit its climax way too soon. And Alias suffered from a bit of neglect from the network. But you can see the push ABC’s given Lost. I think it’ll be fine. I’m seeing a solid five seasons and they’ll wrap it up with a nice red bow.
Craig: If I hear the whole Twin Peaks fell apart after seven
episodes argument one more time, I’m gonna scream. Lost should feel honored to be mentioned in the same breath. We’ll see what happens, but for now it’s still a very entertaining show. And if it fizzles out, that’d
be a shame. But it won’t mean it was a failure, either. Dramas like Twin Peaks and Lost should be commended for being different, so much better than television is supposed to be.
