The LOST Book Club

For those of us with time on our hands during the hiatus, there is now an official Lost Book Club. Seriously.

Here is a note from the producers:

Welcome to the Lost Book Club.

Over the first four seasons of LOST we've managed to incorporate more than 40 books into the show. For the first time, we've catalogued a list of books available in audio form that relate in some way to LOST. Some are being read by our characters, such as Sawyer, or are just sitting on shelves in episodes of the show; others connect with various themes of the series.

We hope you'll join our informal Lost Book Club. To paraphrase one of our heroes, Stephen King, to be a writer one must first be a reader. We find ourselves constantly striving for even a small measure of the accomplishment of what all these authors have achieved in their books. Pick up any of them and experience the richness of storytelling, character, and theme, and then allow your imagination to connect all that back into our show.

We can't promise you any of these books will lead you to answers about LOST, but we can promise you'll be enriched for having read them.

Enjoy! And fall through the rabbit hole with us!

All our best,
Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse

LOST Panel at Comic Con 08 in San Diego

Next month I will be attending Comic-Con for four days in San Diego. It was just announced that the official LOST panel will take place on Saturday, July 26 from noon - 1pm. Guess who will be in line at 6am...

And although an official date and time has not been released, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse will also be participating in a show runner panel hosted by Entertainment Weekly. So of course that will be my second panel priority.

By the way, I will be collecting as much swag as possible from various vendors, panels, participants, etc. I will have a contest after I return, with prizes from either Octagon Global Recruiting or Lost.

LOST Flash Forwards, In Order

I was going to write about the Lost flash forwards in chronological order, but someone has taken the time to do it for us, visually. Enjoy.

Where Are They Now? LOST Cast Updates

Since we have plenty of time on our hands between Seasons 4 & 5, I thought I'd research what the (current) cast of Lost is up to. As a general rule, I don't tend to report gossip or share personal information about celebrities on any of my blogs, so that kind of detail will not be included below.

It seems that many of the cast are taking some much needed time off, while others are fitting in a film or two in the interim.

NAVEEN ANDREWS (Sayid)

Animals
This Side of the Looking Glass

HENRY IAN CUSIK (Desmond)
Dead Like Me
[the big screen adaptation of the Showtime series]

ALAN DALE (Charles Widmore)
Currently appearing in Spamalot, in London

MATTHEW FOX (Jack)
No projects on the horizon

JORGE GARCIA (Hurley)
Although there has been no official news, Jorge is about to begin filming When We Were Pirates.
Here is a video of him recording a song for the film, along with his co-stars.

JOSH HOLLOWAY (Sawyer)
No projects on the horizon

DANIEL DAE KIM (Jin)
No projects on the horizon

ELIZABETH MITCHELL (Juliet)
No projects on the horizon

EMILIE DE RAVIN (Claire)

The Perfect Game
Public Enemies

MICHAEL EMERSON (Ben)
No projects on the horizon

YUNJIN KIM (Sun)
Two Sisters

EVANGELINE LILLY (Kate)
Afterwards

TERRY O'QUINN (Locke)

No projects on the horizon

SONYA WALGER (Penny Widmore)
The Factory
Tell Me You Love Me
(the HBO series has been picked up for Season 2)

Filming should commence later this summer, and Season 5 is scheduled to premiere in January 2009.

Dharma Reaches Out: The Octagon Email

Along with the rest of the Lost world, I received an email today from Octagon Global Recruiting (from a man named Hans Van Eeghen). To refresh your memory, watch their commercial again. It originally aired during the season finale a few weeks ago.

Here is the email:

Octagon Global Recruiting, on behalf of the Dharma Initiative, would like to thank you for registering your expression of interest in our latest volunteer recruitment drive.We will be launching in San Diego on July 24th at Comic-Con International offering select registrants the opportunity to take an exciting aptitude test that will give applicants the chance to demonstrate their unique talents.

The Dharma Initiative hopes you will be able to join us to find out more about their ground-breaking new research project. We will contact you closer to the date with more information.

For those not able to join us in San Diego, Dharma's full recruitment program will be made available online to registered recruits after July 27th.

In the meantime, the Dharma Initiative urges you to spread the word. Invite your colleagues to join the team at www.octagonglobalrecruiting.com and take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity.

I will be at Comic-Con, primarily to attend the Lost panel! So hopefully I will learn more about what Octagon involves and collect some cool swag as well.

So what do you think of this whole campaign?

Hurley Sings! Jorge Garcia Records Song for Indie Film

Hey Lost fans - you must watch this video of Jorge Garcia singing "Here's To You." The song is from the upcoming independent film When We Were Pirates, starring Jorge and Sharon Zimmer.

The movie, directed by Jimmy Hanks (Tom's brother) and written by Rafael J. Noble, sounds like it has the potential to be a cross between The Big Chill and Stand By Me.

Stay tuned for more details! And be sure to bookmark and read Jorge's very entertaining blog, Dispatches From the Island.

Literary & Philosophical Allegories on LOST

I highly recommend that read J. Wood's "Of Myths and Pisteutics" if you're seriously interested in the literary and philosophical references that permeate Lost, as well as how they all intertwine. The article is one of the best I've ever read about the series.

Television Critics Recognize LOST

Year after year, I express outrage at the lack of overall award nominations for Lost in all major categories (acting, writing, direction, editing). So imagine my surprise and joy to learn that the Television Critics Association (TCA) has rewarded our favorite show with nods in the following categories:

Outstanding Achievement in Drama
Damages
Friday Night Lights
Lost
Mad Men
The Wire

Program of the Year
John Adams
Lost
Mad Men
The War: A Film by Ken Burns
The Wire

The winners will be announced next month, but it is unclear whether or not the ceremony will be televised.

Fourth Viewing: Further Finale Thoughts

So I watched the finale at a party when it first aired, on TiVO the next morning, on video iPod the next day, and a fourth time last week when my better half finally had the chance to see it for the first time. My opinion about it was solidified upon the last viewing; that was two amazing hours of television. And of course the questions and theories continue...

DANIEL FARADAY

Faraday was on the Zodiac raft when the island moved and the freighter blew up. So where does that leave him next season? What about the other no-name survivors who were with him?

IF Jin is alive, will Faraday rescue him? And if so, won't Jin's reappearance put a dent in the Oceanic 6's lie and plans?

Will Faraday be the one who helps the Oceanic 6 find and return to the island? Does his notebook contain information about moving the island too? If he is still experiencing short-term memory loss, perhaps he'll consult his handy little notebook after the events that just took place, only to find instructions for what to do in case of such a situation.

FREIGHTER FOUR

It will be very interesting to follow Freighter Four now that they are split up. Faraday is in no man's land on the water, Frank quietly slipped back into the real world, and Miles and Charlotte remained on the island...wherever that may be.

Were Miles and Charlotte born on the island or are they children of Dharma?

When Ben turned the frozen donkey wheel, they showed everyone's reaction to the sound and sky...except for Miles and Charlotte, who were on the island when it disappeared. Interesting, and never a coincidence.

MILES

Is Miles' father the man who appears in all of the Orientation videos (Dr. Marvin Candle/Dr. Edgar Halliwax/Dr. Mark Wickmund)?

Does Miles glean all of his info from dead people on the island? Did he know about Ben's off-island access and wealth before he arrived there, or was he informed about it and proceeded with the blackmail attempt? Would this also explain how he knows that Charlotte has been there before (even if she doesn't remember)?

By the way, I recommend that you watch this intriguing deleted scene from "The Economist" earlier this season (courtesy of Doc Arzt). Miles definitely communicates with the deceased, but it's unclear who that was or what he learned. My first inkling was that Ben's mother Emily spoke to Miles. Remember that young Ben encountered her in that very location when he ran away from his father in the barracks. She even warned Ben not to follow her (because the sonic fence was activated at the time).

JULIET

When Juliet stayed rather than leave with Faraday on the raft, did she know that Ben was about to move the island? Did she know that the freighter was going to blow up? I doubt it, because she would have tried to warn Jack before he boarded a helicopter there with the other survivors.

JEREMY BENTHAM/JOHN LOCKE

Did Locke (as Bentham) visit his old girlfriend Helen upon returning from the island, or did he change his name and stay away from her to keep her out of danger?

Jeremy Bentham...sounds like Bent Them. Bending through time?

CRAZY THEORY

Locke/Bentham visited Sun after he left the island. She then traveled to London to inform Widmore that Locke (as Bentham) was off the island. It was probably written on the back of the card she handed him. Widmore then had Bentham killed.

Bentham's death triggered Sayid to go get Hurley and start gathering the Oceanic 6 to relocate to a safe location. Sayid was working with Ben, so clearly Sayid lied to Hurley about going back to the island. Ben went to Jack at the funeral home to inform him that they ALL have to return to the island.

Widmore knows all of this. He wants them all to return, and will be there when they arrive.

Character Spotlight: Charlotte Lewis

Given that Charlotte was on the island when in moved in the season finale, plus that fact that there is rampant speculation about her past (thanks to Miles), I thought it would be appropriate timing to look at the little we do know about her.

Her full name is Charlotte Staples Lewis, an obvious nod to writer CS Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia). Charlotte was born in England, at least according to Ben (when she first landed on the island, he told Locke & co. everything he knew about her...from his spy Michael's intel on the freighter).

Charlotte is an anthropologist who received her PhD at Oxford (where Daniel Faraday was a physics professor).

When the fake wreckage of Flight 815 was reported in the media, Charlotte was on a dig in Tunisia and expressed skepticism about the crash.

She then unearthed a Dharma collar (with the Hydra station logo) that was attached to the skeleton of a polar bear.

Ben later traveled forward in time to Tunisia, and it wasn't his first visit. Coincidence? I think not.

Matthew Abbadon, who claims to work for Oceanic Airlines, hand selected Charlotte to be one of the Freighter Four (along with Daniel Faraday, Frank Lapidus and Miles Straume) and travel to the island on a ship funded by Charles Widmore. Her actual assignment and role are unknown.

Charlotte arrived on the island via parachute, crash landing in a tree before being discovered by Locke and his group.

Ben shot her in the upper chest, but she she had a bullet-proof vest on so she survived. He then proceeded to share her life history with the group, and she looked surprised to hear it.

Charlotte accompanied the survivors to the abandoned barracks in New Otherton, but Sayid came and exchanged her for Miles, so she returned to the beach with Daniel and Jack's group.

Due to her vague answers and sassy attitude, Charlotte was not very popular there, especially with Juliet (which led to a nasty fight in the Tempest later, and should make for some interesting exchanges between them next season because they're among the only ones left on the island).

Let's back up a step. Charlotte clearly knew more than she was letting on, which became obvious when she and Daniel secretly took off to the Tempest station to turn off lethal gas. Oh, and our mysterious anthropologist knocked Kate out with a gun when she started asking too many questions. Add Charlotte to the list of women on Lost with prior gun experience that does not relate to what she supposedly does for a living.

She and Daniel went with Jin and Sun to get medical supplies when Jack required emergency surgery. We learned during that trek that Charlotte speaks Korean, when she interpreted and understood Jin and Sun's private conversations. Jin and Sun think that Daniel has a crush of Charlotte, but it appears that she views him more as a little brother. By the way, Jin confronted her about knowing Korean and threatened Daniel's life unless she helped Jin get Sun rescued.

When it came time to leave the island with the survivors and take them to the freighter for rescue, Charlotte chose to stay behind because she's still "looking for where she was born." Miles implied that she'd been to the island before, but she pretended not to know what he's referring to.

LINGERING QUESTIONS ABOUT CHARLOTTE

• Did she know Daniel Faraday during their days at Oxford? Have they worked together before?

• When she first encountered Locke and his group after dislodging herself from the parachute, she inquired about Claire and Aaron. Did she know the history of babies and infertility on the island?

• Could she have been a child of Dharma folks? Was she born on the island, and if so, would that make her the first child to be conceived and delivered there successfully?

• If her parents were working on the island for Dharma and they died during Ben's purge, are they the ones who provided Miles (the ghost whisperer) with the information about her previous stint on the island?

• Even though there is an age discrepancy, could she possibly be Annie, Ben's childhood Dharma friend? Or could Charlotte be related to/know Annie? When she first encountered Ben, Charlotte didn't give any indication of recognition when she saw him and heard his name...

• When Ben visited Tunisia before (time unknown), was Charlotte there? Was he there because that's where the island had moved before? If so, Charlotte may have known that (thus, the dig for the Dharma collar there).

• Is it possible that Ben really doesn't know everything about her, that his only information came from Michael?

• Does she work for Widmore directly and was she under his employ when she went on the Tunisia dig? Was he her source of information about the island and how to access it/avoid the dangers on it?

• Had she also studied the Flight 815 manifest (like Frank)? Did she learn Korean only recently, as part of her homework for the mission on the island? And if so, how did she know for sure that not only were there survivors from Flight 815 there, but that the two who spoke Korean survived the crashed?
  

• What will she make of the 4-toed statue? Perhaps she already knows about.

• Does she make it off the island in the future and interact/work with any of the Oceanic 6 or Ben?

CRAZY THEORY - CHARLOTTE IS:

...one of Widmore's daughters. She and Penny don't share the same mother, and Penny is not aware that she has a sister. Charlotte has been to the island before because Daddy discovered and/or owns it, but she was very young at the time and doesn't remember much about it...yet.

LOST Finale Parties: Ours & His

I attended a great finale party last Thursday, sponsored in part by Dharma Water and Charlie, Kate and Jack. It was quite an experience watching that episode unfold with a group of people who share similar fervor for the show. Thank goodness they had TiVO, because we had to pause after reacting to the many jaw-dropping moments.

But I had no idea the lengths that some people go to...

Huge kudos to Matt R. for his serious dedication to Lost. Check out his blog, where you can view his very cool and creative finale party invites, as well as photos of guests' Lost costumes and Matt's detailed props. I am both jealous of and inspired by all of it. Nicely done.

Octagon Global Recruiting: Dharma Commercial

One of the downfalls with TiVO is that occasionally we miss Lost-related commercials like this, which aired last night during the finale.

This pseudo Dharma company will be appearing in San Diego from July 24-27, which just so happens to be Comic-Con...and I will be there! I'm hoping that this relates to whatever the producers unveil during the official Lost panel.

Walt, The Vault, It's All Jack's Fault: LOST Season 4 Finale Theories

Before I get started with Round 2 of random thoughts about the spectacular season finale, I have to fill you in on my current location.

I am lost right now [pun intended], away for the weekend in every sense of the word. So here I sit in front of the Pacific Ocean, the perfect setting to ponder an episode that so involved the sea. And I'm happy to report that I am sipping on something far tastier than poor Juliet's aged Dharma rum.

Although I went to bed at 5am, I was wide awake by 9am and watched the finale again before heading out of town...so here are some additional thoughts and questions.

But first, here is the audio of the mysterious phone call that Kate received, in reverse. Thanks to Sara K & Kat M for the link!

RICHARD ALPERT

When Ben thanked him for rescuing him from Keamy, Alpert responded with 'my pleasure.' That struck me as an odd response. What exactly is the nature of Ben's relationship with him, and how will that change once Ben is gone from the island? Does Alpert's role remain the same for Locke now that he's assumed leadership?

BEN

When Kate asked if they were really allowed to leave the island on the helicopter, Ben did not hesitate to let them go...because he knew they'd be back eventually.

Locke did return his black baton, because he took out Keamy with it before stabbing him. Again though...that little thing sure enhances Ben's physical abilities. He only really kicks ass when he's wielding it.

Is Ben still interested in Walt and his special abilities? If so, is he helping him off island (i.e. flying him across the country to see Hurley)?

JEREMY BENTHAM/JOHN LOCKE

Why didn't Locke ever reveal to Jack that he was paralyzed before Flight 815 crashed on that island? I suppose the stubborn doc wouldn't believe that either.

Now that Ben is out of the picture on the island, how will Jacob interact with Locke and vice versa?

Did Locke create the new name, or was it assigned to him?

When Locke visited Walt as Bentham, did he tell him where to find Hurley?

Did Locke also visit Ben at any point after leaving the island?

How much time had passed since Locke left the island and supposedly took his own life?

If the island let him die because his work on its behalf was complete, was his purpose to merely inform the Oceanic 6 that they all had to return in order to save each others lives (as well as those remaining on the island)?

CHARLOTTE

Does she know where the island has relocated before? Is that why she knew she'd find a Dharma collar on the polar bear skeleton in Tunisia?


She doesn't want to leave the island because she's searching for the place where she was born. With all of the research and prior knowledge about the island before arriving there (this time), you'd think she'd know that no children have ever been born there and live to tell about it. Except Alex, allegedly.

She may not be Ben's childhood Dharma girlfriend Annie, but there certainly is a resemblance...

CLAIRE

She up and wandered off in the scary jungle by herself after sustaining a head injury, leaving her baby at the base of a tree. So why do Jack and Hurley think that Claire is still alive?

Even though it was (apparently) a dream, when Claire showed up in Kate's house, I was surprised to actually hear her. Other posthumous appearances have been pretty silent up until now (i.e. Christian Shephard).

Why was Claire still dressed in island clothes in Kate's dream? I only noticed because Charlie's makeover was so obvious upon his reappearance from beyond.

Has Claire appeared to her mother? If so, did she somehow communicate that her grandson Aaron is now in the care of Kate?

DESMOND

Before they parted ways on Penny's boat, Jack said "don't let HIM find you" to Desmond. Who? As far as we know, Jack isn't aware of Widmore or his relationship with Ben and the island, let alone that Penny is Widmore's daughter. So is Jack referring to Locke?

FROZEN DONKEY WHEEL

The elevator down to the frozen tundra and the island's wheel was located deep beneath the Orchid station. Is there an artificial refrigeration system maintaining that area, or is the Orchid situated directly above an icy locale directly beneath the island itself? If so, is that where the island moved to when it was sucked into the ocean?

Was that the first time that someone had activated the move using that very location? Is it a one-shot deal; is that why Ben had to destroy the Vault to even access the frozen cave?

Was this mechanism noted on the Swan hatch blast door map that Locke briefly viewed while trapped underneath it?

Is Juliet aware of the Orchid or the wheel/ability to move the island?

HOSTILES/OTHERS

First of all, are they two separate factions or are they intertwined? Why does this group still don the dirty rag ensembles? This can't be the same group that includes the Tail Section kids and leftover Others from abandoned New Otherton.

Obviously they didn't care whether or not Kate & co. left the island...they shot at and threw grenades toward a fueled helicopter without hesitation.

The whispers were heard right before the hostiles appeared. Is it actually them, or spirits?

What was that magnetic bullet/charge that they shot one of the mercenaries with? Where did they get it and why haven't we seen it used on the island before?

HURLEY

After the fact, now that he has returned to Santa Rosa Mental Institution in the future, does Hurley ever put two and two together and find out that Libby was a patient there as well (during one of his stints)?

There have been many instances of board games played on and off the island, but Hurley's participation now seems integral. Oh yeah, and he almost always wins...

• BACKGAMMON: Hurley played Walt on the beach, and confessed to have placed in a tournament once.

• BASKETBALL: Hurley played HORSE with Jack at the mental institution in a flash forward, and kicked the doc's tail.

• CHESS: Hurley plays against the deceased Mr. Eko in the institution, in a flash forward.
  

• CONNECT FOUR: Hurley played Leonard (the man who originally mumbled 'the numbers' at the mental institution).

• HORSESHOES: Hurley played with Sawyer in New Otherton, and commented about his new lucky streak.

• PING PONG: Hurley played Sawyer on the beach

• POKER: Hurley played with Jack, Kate and Sawyer on the beach. Jack won that time.

• RISK: Hurley played with Locke and Sawyer at Ben's house in New Otherton, and said that Australia was key to the entire game (and possibly series).

JACK

Why would Jack want to open the coffin anyway? To confirm Bentham's identity?

What 'bad things' happened on the island after Jack left? Does it involve Juliet, Sawyer or Rose and Bernard?

I can't WAIT for the episode where Jack starts to believe; the day that Jack not only trusts Locke, but desperately and finally wants to follow his lead and advice.

KATE

In her alleged dream, who called Kate at the exact time that Claire showed up? (Listen to the audio of that message at the top of this post). Abbadon? Ben? Bentham/Locke? Charlie?

KEAMY

Why was he pretending that he didn't know anything about Ben? Clearly the man knew everything about the island and he knew quite well how to push Ben's buttons.

I forgot to mention...I LOVED the Keamy/Sayid fight. Great choreography and tension. We were cheering at our Lost party. I'm sure we weren't alone.

How did he know that Alpert had shot him in the back? Was he conscious and playing dead the entire time, lying there with his eyes open until the helicopter and hostiles left?

Was the heart transmitter programmed specifically to Keamy's heart? Is that why Locke didn't even attempt to remove it and place it on his own arm?

FRANK LAPIDUS

I know they were pressed for time, but why didn't Frank inspect his helicopter for bullet holes after being fired upon?

When he was flying Desmond and the Oceanic 6 off of the island, why is it that the freighter was visible from the beach but it took him forever to locate it from the sky? Were the bearings he followed different from the ones that Daniel Faraday used to bring passengers back and forth on the Zodiac raft?

MILES

Did he know that Charlotte had been to the island before because of information he'd gleaned from one of his ghost-busting missions off island?

SAWYER

When he jumped out of the helicopter, did he not grab a life vest because he wanted to make sure that everyone else had one in case of crash landing? Given that it appeared to be a rash decision to bail, it's probably more likely that he didn't even think about taking one.

For those of you wondering why Sawyer would sacrifice his rescue to save the rest, the answer is in the photo above. The love triangle has just become a straight line.

SAYID

When he went to get Hurley at the institution, he told him that 'they' said Bentham had committed suicide two days ago. How was Sayid informed about Bentham's death, and by whom? Was he involved? Who is the 'they' that he referred to?

SUN

When she was screaming for Jin in the helicopter, it was absolutely heart-wrenching. Something tells me that the second person she blames for Jin's death (besides her father) is...Ben.

That is why she finds Widmore in London; she will wind up working as a double agent of sorts, helping keep Penny safe from Ben while pretending to be on the same side as the rest of the Oceanic 6. Given that she is the only one of the O6 living outside of the Los Angeles area, she can travel about and conduct business without the same scrutiny.

WALT

What does Walt's grandma know? It seems to me that she would be in danger if she knows about Michael and Walt's journey home, the island, Ben, etc.

If Hurley was being monitored (by Abbadon, Oceanic or Widmore), Walt has now blown his cover. I wonder if Sayid will come to take him to the 'safe' place as well...

As soon as he sat down across from Hurley, I half expected him to ask for the $83,000 that Hurley owed him from a game of backgammon on the beach way back in Season 1.

CHARLES WIDMORE

Keamy never said whether or not Widmore ordered Alex's execution, so did he take matters into his own hands or was he instructed to kill Ben's daughter?

PENNY WIDMORE

At what point, if ever, did Daddy take measures to hide her away in a location where Ben could never find her? Was Desmond with her?

THE VAULT

When Ben blew through the Vault to get to the frozen section below, did that render the actual time travel function useless? Is that the only wormhole for time travel on and off the island?

Dr. Halliwax experimented with a rabbit in the Orientation video, but the tape skipped forward and John never saw the result...but we have. Watch the original video again. Seems as if the rabbit duplicated itself rather than disappeared or merely traveled through time. What implications will this have for Lost in the future?

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS & QUESTIONS

• When Sawyer and Jack first approached the Orchid station, Sawyer asked Jack what the plan was...exactly as Locke had inquired with Ben.

• Now that the unnamed passengers from Flight 815 have died on the freighter, the only remaining survivors besides the rescued Oceanic 6 are Rose & Bernard and Sawyer (as well as the Tail Section kids and Flight Attendant Cindy, wherever the hell they are).

• There appear to be 2 posters on Aaron's door in the flash forward...of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

• Is the identity of the man that Sayid shot outside of Hurley's institution important, or was he simply another in a long line of Widmore cronies that Sayid was assassinating?

• Will the items discarded from the helicopter (in order to save fuel) be relevant down the line? I thought I saw the black box being tossed out...

• Who really went to the effort and expense of planting the fake wreckage of Flight 815? From a financial standpoint, both Widmore and Mr. Paik would be likely candidates. But what about motive?

• Band-aids: significant or no? Frank Lapidus has been sporting once since he first landed on the island, Claire was wearing one in Jacob's cabin after she (probably) died in the house explosion, and Jack had one on in that last flash forward when he met Kate at the airport.

• The 'live together, die alone' mantra has come full circle now that they all must return to the island together. And it's a bad sign for those left behind/alone...

• Ben: "Good command decisions get compromised by bad emotional responses." That, in a nutshell, describes the pasts and future of almost every single character on Lost.

• The title of this 3-part season finale really only applies to Locke: There's No Place Like Home. For him, it's the island, and until the coffin reveal...he seemed pretty content with his abode.

CRAZY THEORIES OF THE WEEK/SEASON 5 PREDICTIONS

1) When Locke leaves the island and dies, Walt becomes the new leader of the island. Ben and the hostiles/others were skeptical of Walt at first, just like they were of Locke...but Walt makes sense as the next in line to lead the crazy train. Think about it...young Ben first encountered the ageless Richard Alpert in the jungle at about the same age that Walt was when the Others kidnapped him for testing/brainwashing. Alpert had told Ben that he needed to be patient in order to lead, and Walt may have been primed for the same.

2) Widmore knew that whomever moved the island could never go back. So he arranged for Penny to go there after Ben visited him and threatened her life. Widmore somehow found out that Ben was responsible for the latest relocation (perhaps from Desmond), and that Ben himself could never get back. Thus, Penny would be safe there.

3) Jeremy Bentham was not John Locke. He was a clone of Locke that was created in the Vault below the Orchid station (like the rabbits). Whether this happens as an accident or was purposeful remains to be seen.

---
So there you have it. I will more than likely view the finale for a third time this weekend now that iTunes has finally posted it for purchase. In the meantime, I'm off for some R&R and non-Lost writing.

I appreciate all of your comments...keep 'em coming!

LOST Season 4 Finale: Alternate Endings!

Thank you to Brian K., who sent me this link (from DarkUFO's fantastic site) to 2 alternate endings from last night's season finale! You will definitely recognize the other two familiar faces in the coffin.

Apparently the producers had these ready in case the identity of the man in the casket was revealed prematurely. When you see who the options were, it kind of makes sense that either of them could have also been the infamous Jeremy Bentham.

I will be posting further thoughts and theories in a few hours...

Bend it Like Bentham: LOST Season 4 Finale Theories & Thoughts

Wow.

I wasn't sure that they could top last year's flash forward finale, but tonight...the writers, producers and actors have gifted us with two of the most compelling and intense hours of television in a very long time. The nominating committees should just hand over Emmys to Michael Emerson (Ben) and Yunjin Kim (Sun) right now.

I attended my very first Lost party, and it was quite an entertaining experience. Thanks to host SB and her hubby, as well as JK & OM, EF & GM, KM and SK! I will post photos from it tomorrow, including Dharma water bottles and a special 'appearance' by Charlie, Kate and Jack.

But now, on to the real reason you're here...

Here are some initial thoughts, theories and questions about "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3." Given that I only began blogging at midnight, please excuse any spelling or grammar errors in advance, as well as repetitive thoughts or lack of structure.

BEN

Did he ever get his weapon (the black baton) back from Locke? Why did he give it to him in the first place?

If Ben really intends to kill Penny to avenge the death of Alex, but the Oceanic 6 are all on Desmond's side, how will that work?

It still bothers me that Ben knew Desmond was on that island for 3 years in the Swan hatch, and he had to know that Des was Penny Widmore's boyfriend...so why didn't he ever acknowledge that or try to use him as another piece in his game with Widmore?

When he originally had Michael as his spy on the freighter, he told him not to detonate his bomb because there were innocent people aboard. Was his sudden disregard for those same lives tonight simply a response to 'changing the rules' of the game with Widmore, because his daughter was killed?

Ben said that whomever moved the island would never be able to come back. How did he actually leave it in the first place? When we see him in Tunisia, he's wearing that same parka and it's a year after the Oceanic 6 are rescued. Did it take him that long to leave?

Besides poisoning his own father with gas, we've never actually seen Ben kill someone himself. He oversaw the Dharma purge and had a large hand the deaths of many others, but this was a first.

Is Ben still communicating with someone on the island? How else would he know about those left behind and instructions for return? Is Richard Alpert still able to be in both places?

CHARLOTTE

Is she Annie, Ben's childhood girlfriend? She has been to the island before, and she's looking for the place she grew up. But although they both have red hair, Charlotte is far younger than Ben (unless the island has aged him and leaving the island has affected her). Besides, Ben shot Charlotte immediately after Locke and his group found her in her parachute. Not only would Ben probably recognize her, she would make some kind of gesture to indicate that she knew him.

Until now, it seemed that only Widmore and Ben knew how to locate the island. So how did Charlotte know as well? She may be way more connected to Widmore than we ever imagined...

CHRISTIAN SHEPHARD

He showed up to tell Michael that his work was done...meaning, the island will let him die now. Will he do the same when it's Locke's time to go?

He is a messenger of death; that is why he also appeared to Claire, to accompany his daughter to the other side because she did not survive the house explosion.

Have the whispers accompanied Christian's presence before? They were heard right before he appeared before Michael on the freighter.

CLAIRE

Can we all agree that she's dead now? Thank you.

She's also eaten a few sandwiches, but that's beside the point.

If Ben is insistent that they all have to go back to the island together, then why is Claire asking Kate not to take Aaron back with them?

DANIEL FARADAY

Now that the freighter is gone, is he going to return the Zodiac raft back to the island?

DESMOND

Was his future flash about Claire a total crock? Did Charlie die in vain? Did Desmond only see Penny in his future, and make up the part about seeing Claire and Aaron get in a helicopter?

Does he also have to go back to the island? Ben didn't specify exactly who, except to say that they all had to go together.

FRANK LAPIDUS

Will he be the one to eventually pilot all of them back to the island?

HURLEY

Did anyone else think that his chess partner was going to be Jacob? We've certainly seen an empty chair before, where a ghost took up residence.

JACK


Dad's death + subsequent visits from beyond + prescription drug abuse + illegitimate sister he never knew (and abandoned on the island dead and alive) + island lie creator = guilt, downward spiral and excessive unkempt facial hair.

JEREMY BENTHAM/JOHN LOCKE

What is the significance of his pseudonym? Was Locke 'The Economist?' [the real Jeremy Bentham was a philosopher {like the real John Locke} and social reformer; an advocate for economic freedom]...

As Jeremy, Locke visited all of the Oceanic 6...and Walt. So does Walt have to go back to the island as well?

Did Locke really commit suicide (as his obituary said)? Was the island done with him, and that's why he died this time?

He visited all of the Oceanic 6 at some point. Was he alive when he did so? Was he paralyzed again upon return to the real world?

How did Locke get from the island back to the real world in the first place?

When Locke takes over as the new leader on the island, does he control Smokey?

If Richard and co. find out that Sawyer killed Anthony Cooper and not Locke himself, will that make a difference in how he is viewed and respected?

Will Richard remind him that they'd met before on several occasions, that he was there for Locke's birth and had been trying to recruit him to the island for years?

Why was Locke, as Jeremy Bentham, being buried in Los Angeles? We know that all of the Oceanic 6 except Sun are living in that area after rescue, and Locke lived in Orange County. Was he also living there?

Locke Box theme: he worked at a box company, his dad appeared in a magic box on the island, and he wound up in one prematurely.

JIN

Is it possible that he jumped off the freighter when the helicopter left without him, knowing that the bomb was about to go off? Would he have survived that, given the proximity to the explosion and debris?

JULIET

Are they setting us up for a Juliet/Sawyer love connection next season?

Not that they don't have other tasks at hand, but do Ben or Jack ever interact with or find out about the status of Juliet's sister and nephew?

KATE

When Kate took the deal after her trial, one of the conditions was to remain in the state. She agreed because she had no intention of returning to the island. So was the district attorney on Widmore's or Oceanic's payroll? Was that why she was so insistent upon Kate staying put?