One of the biggest problems people have with Lost is that while this show likes to bring up many questions and mysteries, it’s very light on providing answers, although this have changed recently. Naturally, those mysteries aren’t the same. Some were raised in the beginning of the show, others are more recent. Some are major and have an impact on the entire show while some are a lot more minor. Not all of them can be covered in one article, but at least we can try to look at some of the biggest questions.
What is the island?
It’s not purgatory. That’s the only theory specifically shot down by the producers. But what the hell is it?
The island’s healing powers:
When John Locke woke up after the crash, suddenly he could walk again, after spending four years in a wheelchair (BTW, the way he ended up in a wheelchair was one of the longest running questions which was answered only recently). His wheelchair was tossed aside and he was able to walk around like nothing ever happened and go all commando and fighter. But Locke isn’t the only one. Rose had cancer and no matter what treatments she tried, be it conventional or alternative medicine, nothing helped. But when she found herself on the island, she was all well and cured. In fact, she tried to stop Bernard and the rest of the Lostaways from trying to get help to leave the island, out of fear that the cancer will return. What is it about the island that heals people who was sick before they arrived? Why can’t it help new ailments or injuries, ones that occur on the island (like Ben’s cancer or fatal injuries to the Lostaways and The Others)? Can those powers be “transported” off the island (this might explain how Ben healed Juliet’s sister)?
4 8 15 16 23 42:
The numbers are bad. We all know that ever since Hurly yelled that in season 1. We first saw the numbers when Hurly won the lottery playing those numbers (which he got from his pal Leonard at the hospital). But the numbers brought bad luck as everyone around him started dying or suffering other kinds of misfortune. Then the numbers were etched on the hatch and of course had to be typed into the computer at the Swan in order to stop the world from ending (or something to that effect). Those numbers, or some of them, keep popping from time to time in different locations and stories. But what do they mean? What’s behind those numbers? So far we have no idea.
The Dharma Initiative and its stations:
Dharma built all the stations on the island in order to conduct some sort of experiment. The nature of which is unknown. They also recruited people and sent them to the island. Sure, we learned some basic stuff like who founded the initiative and some information about the different stations, but the bigger questions about the goals and members of the initiative are still cloudy. For example, the numbers being put into the computer at the Swan it wasn’t just an experiment, as when they weren’t entered the hatch imploded. And the tube that shot all the reports to the ground what’s that about?
Lostzilla:
The island has its own native threat. It’s a cloud of black smoke also known as “The Monster” or “Lostzilla”. It used to attack the Lostaways on different occasions and in different settings. A few times people were able to escape it, but Mr. Eko actually surrendered himself to it and accepted his fate, perhaps as way to reunite with his brother. Eko was Lostzilla’s second victim, as it killed the pilot of flight 815 in the pilot. What is this cloud? How is it created and what’s it origin? Why does it attack some people and why isn’t it always roaming the island? All those questions need answers. We also know that there’s an electromagnetic defense mechanism against Lostzilla how does it work and was it created by Dharma, The Others, or someone else?
Flight 815 had no survivors:
Naomi told the Lostaways that the remains of the plane were found at the bottom of the ocean with the bodies of all the passengers. Are they really dead and if so where are they? Were the remains a fake planted by The Others? Will they eve be rescued?
Seeing Dead Relatives:
Jack saw his dead father. Ben saw his dead mother. Kate saw a horse. Where do all these illusions come from, and are they really illusions?
Six degrees of separation:
Jack and Claire have the same father. It’s the same deal with Sawyer and Locke. Hurly was in the hospital with Libby. Jack’s father traveled with Ana Lucia. Jack’s dad shared a drink with Sawyer. We see various island characters pop up in the flashbacks. What’s the meaning of that? Why were all those people brought together before the flight and on the island? And is Kevin Bacon connected too all of this?
The Others:
They claim to be the good guys. But who are they? The Others bring up a bunch of questions and mysteries, not just one. Here are the main questions relating to The Others:
* Why are they on the island? What brought them here and why did they choose this location. And if they can leave, why don’t they?
* How long have they been on the island? Ben claimed to live there all his life, but we now know it’s not true. Juliet’s only lived there for three years. When did the rest of them arrive, and who were the first “Others”?
* Who is Richard? He recruited Ben to The Others when Ben was a child. But 30 years ago, Richard looked exactly like he looks today (Except for the hair). Why doesn’t he age? Or perhaps the Richard Ben saw as a child isn’t the same Richard? And if it is the same person, why does he answer to Ben?
* Who is their leader? Ben appeared to be the leader on the island; however Mikhail told Kate that Ben isn’t the leader and there’s actually someone above him. Recently, Ben introduced Locke to Jacob, which only enhanced the mystery. Who’s Jacob? Why is he invisible and where does he get his powers? How come Ben is the only Other who can communicate, and how come Locke can also do it?
* How and why are people chosen to join The Others? Mikhail was recruited, so was Juliet. There’s some sort of list of people who are invited to join and only “good” people are eligible. But who decides the names that go on the list and what the criteria?
* Their fascination with children and the pregnancy disease: we know that every woman who gets pregnant on the island dies before giving birth. That’s why they go after children and women who got pregnant off the island. But what is it that causes pregnant women to die? And why do they need children oif they keep recruiting grown people?
* How do they connect with the outside world? They seem to have no restrictions when it comes to interacting with the world outside the island. They have access to world media and they also seem to be able to get on and off the island as they please (Even though Mikhail revealed that the electro magnetic pulse caused by the hatch’s implosion disabled their homing beacon, so they can’t return as the please). They also seam to have access to some restricted databases, as they know everything about everyone. How do they do that? What are their tools?
* Why are they so hostile towards anyone who makes it to the island? They’ve attacked the Lostways on several occasions. They’ve attacked the members of Danielle’s crew. They’ve attacked the members of the Dharma Initiative. Why are they so hostile? If they’re so keen on keeping their way of life and being separate from everyone else they can either keep quiet so no-one will discover them or just help them to get off the island so they’ll be left alone. So why attack them?
* Are they really the good guys? Ben claimed they’re the good guys. Yet they’re keep doing everything’s that will portray them as the bad guys, unless you consider Kidnapping, blackmail and killing “good”. So how come they are so convinced they are the good guys? And what does it mean?
This article didn’t cover all the questions that were raised on Lost. There are many more. But there aren’t many answers. Sure, every good show needs to keep questions open in order to keep the mystery alive and the audience watching. The numbers of mysteries on Lost was getting ridiculous, and many of the show’s fans have become frustrated with not getting any answers. The creators became aware of that and started throwing some bones to the loyal viewers. With the announcement that only 48 episodes are left in the final three seasons, it seems logical that we’ll start getting more answers in the buildup to the series finale, three years from now. But so far, the recent trend is most definitely welcomed.
– Lost airs on ABC on Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT with the third season finale airing on May 23.
– Lost airs on the CTV network in Canada on Wednesday nights….
