Stalking & Talking Ms. Hawking

This post was born out of necessity; there appears to be passionate debate about exactly who the mysterious Ms. Hawking is. The consensus is that she is Ellie, the female Hostile who was working alongside young soldier Widmore on the island during the 1950's. [note: it was revealed during the enhanced episode of "The Lie" that Ms. Hawking's first name is Eloise, but not confirmed on the show itself]

But let's take a step back and review what we DO know about her.

In Season 3, we first encountered Ms. Hawking interacting with Desmond in London during one of his flashes back in time; she worked at the store where he went to purchase an engagement ring for Penny ("Flashes Before Your Eyes").

Desmond choose a ring, but for some reason Ms. Hawking was adamant that he was not supposed to take it; that it was not his fate, because doing so would alter the course of the world (every single person will die if he does not crash on the island and press the button every 108 minutes).

Desmond was understandably bewildered, so Hawking took him outside and told him to look at a man wearing red shoes (yet another Lost literary nod to The Wizard of Oz). That man was suddenly killed in a construction accident; she wanted to prove to Desmond that it was that his fate to die and that the universe has a way of course correcting itself.

I also believe it is significant that Ms. Hawking was wearing an Ouroboros pin during her encounter with Desmond. I first became aware of this symbol when Scully got a tattoo of one on The X-Files (nerd alert). There are many interpretations of what it represents, but most versions of this symbol feature a snake swallowing its tail, illustrating return (to the island?) and the cyclical nature of life. However, Hawking's serpent is not doing so. The open nature of her Ouroboros may indicate her ability to travel back and forth in time without getting stuck.

Later on in Season 3 ("Catch-22"), we catch a quick glance of Ms. Hawking in a photograph with Brother Campbell at the Monastery where Desmond briefly lived.

At the end of episode 5.02 ("The Lie"), we witness Ms. Hawking working out equations on a chalkboard and archaic computer while a large pendulum maps out corresponding coordinates and determines an 'event window.'

It appears as if her workspace is beneath a church, and when she emerges upstairs from the underground physics lair, we are surprised to see Ben awaiting her arrival. Hawking seems to rank higher than Ben (at least off island), and is responsible for ascertaining the 70 hour time line for the O6's return to the island.

And now, I will completely contradict many of my previously posted statements and theories.

Fact? Eloise Hawking is Daniel Faraday's mother because...

• She lived or worked at Oxford, where Daniel was a professor
• She is proficient in Physics, his specific area of expertise
• Daniel's lab rat was named Eloise
• She appears to have the ability to travel through time, like Daniel
• He may not have outright recognized her as his mother, but Daniel did say that she resembled someone he knew
  

At first I thought that Hawking could be Charlotte's mother, but then I remembered that Ben blurted out her family history after he shot her when she first parachuted onto the island. According to Ben, Charlotte's parents are David and Jeannette. It is interesting to note that Ben did not share any information about Daniel's family, however. If Daniel Faraday is Ms. Hawking's son, it is unclear whether Ben knew that at the time, or even if he knows in the present day.

QUESTIONS

• Did young Ellie hook up with young Widmore? Are Charles Widmore and Ms. Hawking father and mother to both Faraday and Penny?

• If Faraday is Hawking's son, why doesn't he have a British accent? He was a professor at Oxford but we don't know where he grew up (only that he 'fled' to the States after something happened to Theresa Spencer).

• When did she leave the island, and why? If she and Widmore were expecting, is that why both of them left the island (so the baby would live)?

• Could she and Widmore actually be siblings instead?
  

• Has she been back on the island since that time?

• Is Faraday ageless, like Alpert? If Ellie is his mother and she had him around 1954, he would have been 50 years old (give or take a few years, depending on when she had him) when he landed on the island from the freighter.

• On the island, Ellie and Widmore were hostiles/others under Richard Alpert's leadership...at what point does Widmore switch to the dark side (opposite Ben, and thus Alpert), and how does that affect his relationship with Ellie?

• Is Hawking working with Ben because she wants to get Daniel off of that island?

• Does Penny know whether or not she has any siblings? Does Penny know who her mother is?

• Desmond and Penny are off to Los Angeles in search of Faraday's mother. If that turns out to be Hawking, they'll more than likely also encounter Ben. Given that Ben told Widmore he was going to kill Penny...how will that play out?

• Does Hawking know that Widmore 'changed the rules' by having Ben's daughter killed, and that Ben now wants to kill Widmore's daughter?

• Does Widmore keep in touch with or still see Hawking? How does he know that she's in Los Angeles and know where she lives?

• Is she able to predict or see anyone else's future besides Desmond? Does she know all about the pasts and futures of the O6? Did she visit anyone else in the past, to put them on the right path toward their destiny (like Abaddon urging Locke to go on the walkabout)?

• Did Hawking arrange (via Brother Campbell) for Desmond to live/work at the monastery, to meet Penny there? Was she aware of his fate/destiny/role early on? Did she know that Desmond would be Faraday's constant?

• If Faraday is her son, was he feeding her information about the island after his time travel there and back? Were they working together yet apart in time shifts to course correct the universe? Was he telling Widmore as well, given that he was funding his research?

CAFFEINE FAILURE + END OF WORK WEEK = OFF-KILTER THEORIES

1. Hawking is an island emissary. She is not on either Ben's or Widmore's "side," but represents the best interests of the island. As a young woman, she was on the island working with Alpert and Widmore to save the island from the detonation of the hydrogen bomb. As an adult, she is working with Ben to make sure that the O6 return to the island in order to stop the 'very bad things' occurring there.

2. Ellie is not Hawking, she is Danielle Rousseau. Same cantankerous countenance and penchant for pointing guns first and asking questions later.

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There are endless explanations and theories about who Ms. Hawking is, who she is related to and how this will all unfold. I certainly don't claim to have the answers, but as I've said before - the fun is in the sheer speculation.

Thoughts?

Initial Thoughts: LOST Episode 5.03, "Jughead"

I apologize in advance - this will be a much shorter post than usual, and with fewer photos. I am recovering from a migraine and am not able to spend much time writing tonight. My hope is to post further thoughts and questions about "Jughead" on Thursday and Friday.

Let's switch things up a bit, and start with....

CRAZY THEORIES OF THE NIGHT

1. They bury the bomb under the Swan hatch. Remember that in Season 2, Jack and Sayid explored beneath that hatch, and discovered that most of it was blocked off with thick concrete. Sayid mentioned that the last time he'd heard of such concrete cover was Chernobyl. Faraday told Ellie that they had to seal the bomb with lead and then bury it in concrete.

The bomb beneath the Swan caused 'the incident.' There was a leak of some kind; perhaps it was not sealed off enough. Dr. Marvin Candle attempted to work on it/fix it and lost his left arm in the process. Don't forget that the bomb was already oozing out a substance when it was hanging there.

Babies that were conceived and born on the island prior to the incident were alive and healthy. Charlotte was born on the island during or immediately following the incident; thus, her current reaction upon returning to and proximity to the Swan.

When Desmond met up with Ms. Hawking during his flash back in time during Season 3, she told him that pushing the button in the Swan hatch and then turning that fail-safe key beneath it will be the most important thing he does with his life (and that if he didn't, everyone would die). The computer in that hatch was somehow linked to the buried bomb below, and Desmond WAS saving he world by entering the numbers every 108 minutes.

2. Desmond's original vision of Claire and Aaron getting on a helicopter to leave the island was a future memory; it will occur toward the end of Season 6.

ISLAND KIDS/OTHER UNIVERSITY

We've seen a (now defunct) Dharma classroom, and Ben always asserted that tailsection kids Zach & Emma were in a better place on the island. Is there some sort of underground education system that has yet to be seen? Is that where Juliet and the other...Others were forced to learn random skills like Latin?

MILITARY MEN

Besides Widmore, the other former soldiers who have been on the island include Desmond, Keamy, Kelvin Inman, Mikhail and Sayid. We know that Inman was in the U.S. Army and was recruited to the island after the war in Iraq, but was Mikhail one of the original military Hostiles?

At some point, Dharma folk took over the island from the hostiles. Was there a purge prior to the one which Ben oversaw?

PARALLEL ALERTS!

When Claire's mom was in a coma, Christian Shephard paid for all of the medical expenses and Claire discovered that he was her father. When Theresa Spencer fell into this mystery condition, Charles Widmore paid for all of the medical expenses...could she be his daughter/Penny's sister?

Obviously not the same woman, but Ana Lucia's mom is Teresa and Faraday's failed experiment is Theresa.

RADIATION EXPOSURE

In 1945 during World War II, many people died from radiation sickness after two nuclear bombs were dropped in Japan.

On Lost...

• The bomb was on the island in 1954
  
• An unknown solider died of radiation exposure
• In "The Constant" last season, Faraday mentions that he has extensive exposure to radiation from his experiments in the Oxford basement...perhaps it was actually due to his work on the island bomb
• Rousseau's crew of scientists experienced an unclassified 'sickness' and their date of arrival on the island is unclear
• Some of the freighter crew experienced an unclassified 'sickness' when the ship was in a specific proximity to the island
  

After the war (between 1946 and 1962), nuclear bombs were detonated on the remote Marshall Islands (in the Pacific Ocean) in Micronesia. Could our island be located there?

• The Marshall Islands are fairly close to Australia, and it is likely that one would fly over them in route to Los Angeles
• Desmond crashed his boat on the island while attempting to race across the Pacific Ocean
• Anthony Cooper and Naomi gave conflicting reports about where they'd heard Flight 815 crashed; he said the Pacific Ocean, she said near Bali...
  

BEN

If his battle for power with Widmore dates back to long ago, is that an indication that Widmore was at least on the island long enough to have interacted with Ben when he and his father were recruited there by Dharma?

(BABY) CHARLIE

Although I get why Desmond would name his son after his deceased island friend, why give the kid his evil grandfather's name as well? Then again, Desmond did love Charles Dickens...

CHARLES WIDMORE

Under what circumstances did he leave the island? Was he unable to return/find it again because someone turned the frozen donkey wheel to relocate it?

Did he become a rich businessmen after his return to the real world?

CHARLOTTE

Is she getting sick because of the proximity to radiation? Because she was born on the island? Because she doesn't have a constant?

DANIEL FARADAY

He is Desmond's constant and Desmond's constant is Penny...

Who else had visited the Oxford basement, searching for Faraday or information?

Could the mystery woman who is taking care of Future Faraday be Ellie or Theresa Spencer?

DANIELLE ROUSSEAU

Did she and her crew crash their boat on the island during an earlier era? Were they really scientists, or military?

DONOVAN

Not that he had a good deal of time, but given his flashes and experiences...why wouldn't Desmond seek out his old friend in London, who happens to also be a professor of physics?

ELLIE

Is she Penny's mother?

Does Faraday think she resembles Theresa Spencer, the woman he left in London; the one under hospice care?

She recognized Faraday from his earlier time working undercover as Dharma Dan....

Was the injury to her left hand due to the bomb leakage?

JULIET

Sigh. She DOES know more. This is the first inkling that she knows about Alpert's agelessness, time shifts, etc.

MATTHEW ABADDON

Given that he recruited Faraday for the freighter mission to the island, can we all agree now that Abaddon is under the employ of Widmore?

MS. HAWKING

I am no longer convinced that she is Faraday's mother. Widmore is sending Desmond to Los Angeles in search of her, but Ms. Hawking isn't the only woman who lives there who could fit that role (Jack's mom, Jill the butcher, Kate's mom, etc.). And although Faraday taught at Oxford, he certainly did not live there long enough to acquire a British accent. I doubt he was born and raised in England.

PENNY

Was she conceived and/or born on the island?

RICHARD ALPERT

So he visited Locke at birth and then attempted to lure him to the island as a young boy by administering that test with various items (including the compass). Was he angry that young Locke chose the wrong item because it meant that Future Locke was lying about being his leader?

THERESA SPENCER

Is she in that state because of an experiment gone wrong in Faraday's lab? Is she traveling through time, waking up and speaking from different eras?

Could she be the blond woman featured on the portrait in Ben's New Otherton house, the one whom Juliet allegedly resembles?

I'm not sure this is relevant, but Theresa Spencer is an anagram for Each Represents.

FILE UNDER: WINK-WINK, NUDGE-NUDGE

The comic book geeks on the writing staff of Lost strike again (and I'm not complaining). The bomb was dubbed Jughead and Widmore's military uniform featured the last name Jones. Jughead Jones is a character in the Archie Comics.

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And with that, I bid you goodnight. Much more to come in the next day or so. Thank you for reading!

Lost Bloggers: The Community

Yesterday I was notified that this site made the list of the Top 100 Science Fiction Blogs, in the television category. It was a great surprise and honor!

And then today I discovered a list of the Top 10 Lost Blogs (as compiled by The Transmission host Ryan Ozawa), which is very cool. I aspire to make such a list in the future.

I feel very lucky to contribute in a very small way to the vast online Lost community, and to have people actually interested in what I have to say about the show.

Because so many fellow bloggers/Lost fans either occasionally link to articles on this site or have added me to their Blogroll (list of friends and/or favorite blogs), I thought I would return the favor and recommend them to all of you. I encourage you to visit, bookmark and follow those which you enjoy!

In alphabetical order, of course...

Annie in MN

Approaching Lost

Capcom's Lost Blog

Cinematically Correct

Crazy Georgia Lost Fan!

DocArzt & Friends' Lost Blog

Dube's World

The Four Toed Foot

Fringe Bloggers

It's About Bunnies

Karen's Lost Notebook

Les Jones

The Life Tussle

Long Live Locke

Lost Blogspotters

Lost Isle

Not Confused Just Lost

The ODI

Sceneggiatori News

SL-LOST

Too Many Hats

Zap2it's Guide to Lost

If I have somehow missed YOUR site, please let me know and I will update it immediately!

Thanks for stopping by! I look forward to getting Lost with you again late tomorrow night.

Shift Together, Lie Alone: "The Lie" Continues

I have to get up in 4 hours to leave for the airport but I had to get these thoughts out of my head first! Please excuse any repetitive ideas or spelling errors tonight (let's blame lack of sleep and Lost premiere hangover), and let me know what you think!

ANA LUCIA

Ghost Charlie made a point to prove to Hurley that he was real, yet Ghost Anger Lucia emphasized the opposite.

BEN

Assuming that he didn't place it himself, who put the secret spy item in Ben's hotel room vent?

Does Ben has his handy dandy black baton with him?

Ben told Jack that he's never coming back once he returns to the island; is that true of all of the Oceanic 6?

Ben illustrated unusual sympathy about Jack (when speaking with butcher Jill); he certainly didn't have much for Locke or anyone else. Why him, and why now?

Is Ben aware of Ms. Hawking's visit with Desmond in the past? Was he involved with that event?

BERNARD

I was convinced that Bernie had military training and/or was far more than a dentist, given his Morse Code abilities. Alas, he was unable to even create fire.

CHARLES & PENNY WIDMORE

We know that both Charles and Penny were searching for and ultimately found the island. Penny hired a team to man a listening station located somewhere in a frozen locale to monitor for an electromagnetic anomaly. It is unclear exactly how Daddy Widmore discovered the island, but he allegedly sent the freighter and Keamy's mercenary team to destroy it. Did either of their efforts involve physics? Is Daddy W aware of Ms. Hawking, or that Ben is working with her?

Did Penny know about her father's involvement with the fake 815 wreckage, and did she tell Jack when they had their private chat on her rescue boat? How else would Jack have known that? The only thing Locke told him before he left was that they had to lie because 'someone' faked the crash...

DANIEL FARADAY

When the others returned to the beach, Faraday remained in the jungle for 2 hours after talking to Des...and there were no time shifts during that period of time. And did he try to stop them from heading back without him; he somehow knew the shifts would not occur while he was separated from the group. So does Faraday have the ability to pause and/or prevent the time shifts?

Why is Faraday's short term memory suddenly so clear? It wasn't that long ago that he couldn't remember three playing cards on the beach. Could it be proximity and interaction with his Constant, Desmond?

FRANK LAPIDUS

Naomi described him as a drunk, and we see him with beer on Penny's boat. Will he slide back into a crazy-Jack-beard phase when he returns?



HURLEY

The photograph of him holding a gun on the hotel balcony was taken at night on a cell phone. So why is the news showing one of him in the daylight? Seems trivial, could have been hotel lighting...but that kind of discrepancy always catches my attention.

Were the men awaiting their return at the hotel only after Sayid? It seems to me that they could have split up and easily obtained Hurley if they wanted to...

THE ISLAND

When someone or something (i.e. a boat or plane) is outside of the radius that Faraday refers to, is the island always invisible except when his bearings are followed directly?

How will the O6 arrive back on the island? Plane, ship, sub or time shift?

JACK

Before or after Jack revives Sayid at the hospital, does he steal any drugs to put in his suitcase for the one-way ticket to the island?


JILL (the butcher)

How long has she worked for Ben? Has she ever been to/worked on the island?

I don't know if this is related, but Charlie's dad was also a butcher...

JULIET

As much as it pains me to finally admit...it seems my girl Juliet is lying. Her reaction to the time shifts was very nonchalant, as was her quick assessment that "whatever stuff we had with us is along for the ride." She knows something and is not sharing with Shirtless Sawyer and the others in the Marooned 5. Like Ben, she seems to hold her cards close to the vest until the time comes to reveal information to her benefit or advantage.

KATE

Before Sun called, Kate was on the run with Aaron and stopped to look at a map. It certainly didn't look like Los Angeles, so where was she headed?

Is Sun planning to use Kate for whatever plans she has with or for Charles Widmore?

When Kate asked Sun in exasperation, "what kind of person do you think I am?"...I had to laugh. Hello, you're a convicted felon.

Upon her return as one of the O6 and because of her criminal trial, Kate's image was everywhere. Wouldn't her cop ex-husband recognize her and try to make contact? Wouldn't Cassidy (Sawyer's ex and Clementine's baby mama) also realize that they'd met and that they both knew Sawyer?

LOCKE/BENTHAM

When Jack said about Locke, "he's dead, isn't he?"...Ben did not respond. Does the 70 hour window that Ms. Hawking referred to have to do with Locke's true expiration? Even after death, can the island revitalize its leader?

MILES

Does Miles know how to kill a boar because he used to live on the island, or did he converse with a hunter from the great beyond (thus he knew it had only been dead for 3 hours)?

MR. REYES

Caviar and salami sandwich...is Hurley's dad a stoner, just like Cheech?

When he leaves to bring Sayid to Jack, Hurley's Camaro is in the garage. Timeline wise...wouldn't it have been trashed after Hurley crashed it after seeing Ghost Charlie?

MRS. REYES

Why is she NOT surprised to see Hurley out of the mental institution?

MS. HAWKING

After the first viewing, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that she is Faraday's mother. However, it is also possible that she's Charlotte's mom. Charlotte told Faraday that "I was thinking about my mom...and couldn't remember her maiden name." Perhaps it's Hawking.

Is the 'event window' that will open in 70 hours a wormhole of sorts?

If she is Faraday's or Charlotte's mother, is she aware that they are still on the island? Is that why she's helping and working with Ben to get the O6 back - to protect/save them from the 'very bad things?'

NIKKI

Before she crashed on the island and was buried alive, Nikki was a pretty successful television star on Expose. Was her death mourned by fans around the world after 815 crashed? After she and Paolo stole her ex's diamonds and left him for dead, were the police after them? I only ask because her damn show has appeared for many years around the world (as shown in various episodes), and it seems natural that the press would focus on a 'star' who perished in the crash. Irrelevant to the big picture.

SAWYER

Very few injuries on Lost are insignificant. And they made a point to focus on Sawyer's foot being pierced by a sharp object. I'm probably reading way too much into it, but...click here for my visual association.

SUN

What "business" was she attending to in Los Angeles? She was on her way to LA before that surprise meeting with Widmore at the airport...

WALT

When he was held captive by the Others, Ms. Klugh asked Michael if Walt has "ever been somewhere he wasn't supposed to be." So when Walt appeared to Shannon and Sayid in the jungle (when he was supposed to be on the raft) and then Locke after Ben shot him (when he was supposed to be home with Michael after leaving the island)...was he shifting through time?

CRAZY THEORY OF THE WEEKEND: GHOSTS, OFF ISLAND

All of the characters who have appeared in ghost form off island have Constants who are still alive and not on the island. I am excluding Eko, because we don't actually see him or hear him speak (when playing chess w/Hurley).

Ana Lucia: Teresa Cortez, her mother
Charlie: Liam, his brother
Christian Shephard: Jack, his son
Claire: Carole, her mother (or Aaron?)
Libby: Hurley, her Santa Rosa cohabitant and almost island beau

See you on Thursday, if not sooner...

Dislodged! Further Thoughts on LOST, Episode 5.01 - "Because You Left"

Even after only four hours of sleep, I could not wait to get home from work to watch the first episode again. I did just that, and below are a few more theories and questions about "Because You Left."

Special thanks and a shout-out to my favorite local Lost party hosts Sara & Mike for their hospitality last night, as well as the rest of the Motorboat Crew (Jaime & Owen, Sara K, Kat, Eddie & Michal and Greg & Elena)!

BEN

Liarpants. He totally knows what happened to those left behind on the island.

Sayid was working with and for Ben. Sayid killed the man outside of Hurley's mental institution and then broke him out of there, all of which was probably orchestrated by Ben. So why is he pretending that it was a setback to his plans?

CHARLES WIDMORE

Miles said that "it took him like 20 years to find this place the first time." When did Widmore first discover it, and what did he do once he found it? How did he lose it?

CHARLOTTE

She said that she hadn't had a nosebleed since she was little. Another sign that she'd been on the island before?

Were her nosebleed and the Dharma worker's nosebleed beneath the Orchid related? Has Charlotte been somehow exposed to excessive amounts of energy? And why is she the only one who seems to be experiencing it?

CLAIRE

Given that Sawyer mentioned Locke as the sole remaining person from their group left on the island, have they all just assumed that she's dead?

DAN NORTON (Attorney)

At first I figured that Ben hired them to scare Kate into fleeing and want to return to the island. But perhaps Abaddon or Widmore were involved; the creepy mute associate with Dan added a rather insidious and almost unnecessary element to the scenario. Gut feeling is that Ben would have threatened her himself or sent one messenger to do the job just as effectively.

Considering that part of her criminal trial deal was that she has to stay in the state, was this a set-up, a test? Administered/sponsored by whom?

DANIEL FARADAY

How did he infiltrate the Dharma workforce? Did he get himself officially recruited by Dharma and follow the proper channels to get to the island, or did he actually travel through time?

Did his presence cause a wrinkle in island time; did he somehow trigger 'the incident' when he was there during the Dharma days?

Did Abaddon choose Faraday for the mission to the island because he knew about Dharma Dan's previous stint there? Has Abaddon seen Faraday's notebook?

I'm pretty sure that his shirt wouldn't fit Sawyer. Oh, and I'm also pretty sure that he didn't give it up because that would mean relinquishing his beloved skinny scientist tie.

Does Faraday know that Locke (or whomever is designated island leader at the time) is the only one who can stop the time shifts?

DESMOND

Was there ever really going to be a replacement for Desmond in the Swan hatch with Kelvin? If so, who?

Why is Desmond immune to "the rules" and 'uniquely and miraculously special?'

Have Des & Penny been on her boat for three years?

ETHAN

Again, why does Ben send his only surgeon out on dangerous missions?

THE HOSTILES/MILITARY VIOLENCE

Weapons seem to be a good indication of time/era on the island. On the beach, Sawyer & co. were attacked via flaming bow & arrow. Locke was shot by Ethan. The British soldiers almost cut off one of Juliet's hands with a machete.

THE ISLAND

Logistically speaking, the people 'inside the radius' did not see or experience the island actually disappear under water (i.e. those on the beach and the Zodiac raft); the Oceanic 6, however, did see just that. Was it some sort of invisible defense shield/mirage that appears outside of the radius when the island moves?

DR. MARVIN CANDLE

Do the Dharma Staff know that his real name is Pierre Chang?

What is his exact position within the Dharma Initiative? In addition to being the authoritative figure both in the Barracks and the Orchid, he appears in other station orientation films.

Is he aware of or does he have a relationship with either Richard Alpert or Jacob?

In future Orientation Films, Dr. Candle does not appear to be wearing a wedding band. Is there a Dharma divorce lawyer on the island, or did he arrange for his wife and their baby to leave the island because he knew about the dangers there (not just beneath the Orchid, but the potential for a purge)?

MIKHAIL

Was he a member of that initial military group that occupied the island?

MILES

IF Miles is Dr. Candle's son and Daddy is buried on the island...will Miles be able to use his ghostbusting abilities to communicate with him? Was Miles specifically chosen by Abaddon for the mission to the island because he knows that Miles can glean pertinent information from his dearly departed Dharma dad? Remember that Miles said he's 'exactly where I want to be,' which is on that island.

When Miles first met Ben and attempted to blackmail him, he asked 'do you know who I am?' and Ben responded with 'yes.' Does Ben know that Miles is related to Candle?

THE ORCHID & FROZEN DONKEY WHEEL

The rock beneath this station resembles the part of the Swan hatch that was cemented off; the part concealing extraordinary amounts of radiation. Who originally built the wheel and contained the energy within the station's walls?

What caused the injuries to the Dharma worker? Proximity to the energy released when they started to bore holes beneath the Orchid?

PENNY WIDMORE

Has she been in contact with Daddy Widmore since rescuing Desmond and the O6? Has he been searching for her for 3 years, just as she was for Desmond?

RICHARD ALPERT

Ben doesn't seem to share Alpert's ability to live agelessly on the island while time and people around him shift...but does Alpert ever inform Ben about Locke's time shifts on the island? Does he remember them?

SAYID

If the men who were waiting to attack him and Hurley were using darts, the intent was to take them both somewhere but not allow them to recognize the journey or locale. So...who wanted them and where WERE they going to take the two of them?

By the way, I love that Sayid was an island bad ass who killed men with his breakdancing feet, and off island he gets shot by his euro fancy con girl and then taken down for a serious nap by a freaking dart.

SUN

How does the world's most recognizable Asian woman roam the airport without so much as a glance? And wouldn't all Oceanic employees (especially in Korea) be highly trained to take special note and treatment of the survivor from their own town and/or country?

I don't believe that Sun really wants to kill Ben, given that they've never actually met or spoken to one another. Yes, they've been in the same general vicinity, but I have a feeling that she's playing her own game with Widmore.

TIME SHIFTS

They do seem to occur when someone is about to alter the course of the future (i.e. when Ethan was about to shoot and kill Locke.).

DID YOU NOTICE...

Bookend statements! In the opening sequence of episode 1, Dr. Candle said "God help us all" when discussing the potential release of energy beneath the Orchid. In the last scene of episode 2, Ms. Hawking responded with "God help us all" when Ben hinted that he wouldn't make her 70 hour deadline to return to the island.

Faraday refers to the island's time shifts as a record skipping...which is exactly what we see in that first scene when Dr. Candle puts the record on.

Oh Kate, you're such a foreshadower. She told Aaron that once Choo Choo the train goes into that tunnel, it never comes back out.

The irony of Widmore saying to Sun, "since you seem to be worried about your plane" was not lost on me. Pun intended.

Parallel Moment Alert! Last season, we saw Ben don some little doctor spectacles and then remove a bullet from Sayid's shoulder. Last night, we saw Alpert don some little doctor spectacles and then remove a bullet from Locke's leg.

Alpert's response to Locke's inquiry about the purpose of the compass ("it points North") reminded me of the engraved words on Eko's Jesus stick...lift up your eyes and look North.

CRAZY THEORY OF THE NIGHT

"Very bad things" started to happen to those left behind on the island because of and when the Oceanic Six left...because Aaron, Hurley, Kate, Jack, Sayid and Sun are their Constants.

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I will be hopping on a red-eye tomorrow night, during which time I aim to re-watch episode 5.02 ("The Lie") and take notes to post upon my arrival in Atlanta on Saturday.

Have a nice weekend, and thank you for your comments!

LOST Episode 5.01 (Because You Left ) & 5.02 (The Lie): Thoughts & Theories!

For those who are new to this particular Lost blog, I wanted to quickly review my process during the season.

Because I am on the West Coast, I avoid being online at all during the day when a new episode airs; I turn off email on the iPhone, avoid Facebook and Twitter, etc. I have remained Spoiler-Free since Season 4 and aim to continue that run.

I watch each episode live while taking notes, and then immediately sit down to flesh out initial thoughts on the laptop. Again, I avoid reading any other blogs or articles until the weekend, lest someone else's theories intermingle with or influence my own. Because I prefer to include screen captures with each post, I tend to publish these entries between 2am-5am.

So I thank you in advance for your patience and enthusiasm as we begin Season 5 of LOST...

[Note: Due to the fact that there were 2 new episodes and I have to be at work in a few hours, there will be fewer photos and content in this first post of the new season.]

Episode 5.01, "Because You Left" & Episode 5.02, "The Lie"

I literally jumped off of the couch and screamed "Candle!" during the opening scene. Talk about coincidence and fate - I just interviewed actor Francois Chau last week and had NO IDEA that he'd feature so prominently in episode one. Of course now I will try to contact him with some follow-up questions about his appearance!

THE ARROW STATION
This station was created for defensive strategies and to gather intelligence about the Hostiles. My first question is...was the Black Smoke Monster created there? Is it based there, and if so, can it be unleashed remotely (i.e. from Ben's secret office chamber)?

FROZEN DONKEY WHEEL
How did Dr. Candle know about it and its properties? The Dharma Initiative were unaware of it...so was Candle recruited by whomever created it to go to the island to keep it hidden or study the effects?

When Ben released the Frozen Donkey Wheel to move the island, was a dangerous amount of energy released (as Dr. Candle warned when Dharma first discovered it)?

THE ISLAND
Why would the Swan implosion cause the same purple sky and bright flash that accompanies the time shifts?

MAROONED 5
I enjoyed the Freighter Four in Season 4, so I now designate Charlotte, Daniel, Juliet, Miles and Sawyer as the Marooned 5. Just because it makes me laugh when I read it. And I'm running on fumes at this hour. (Yes, I'm aware that Rose & Bernard are there as well...but let's be honest, they're not traipsing around the jungle as much).

THE ORCHID STATION
The facade of the Orchid has changed significantly...either that very first scene is set in the FUTURE or most of the station disintegrated by the time Ben descended down to the frozen donkey wheel.

ORIGINAL DHARMA or MILITARY OCCUPATION?
During that last time shift, Juliet and Sawyer were taken by at least one British soldier. Were they under Widmore's leadership? Was he their Ben?

I noticed that their jumpsuits did not feature Dharma logos. Was the pre-Dharma island run/occupied by military?

"THE RULES"
In Season 4, Ben said that Widmore changed the rules. Are the rules he referred to the same set that Faraday is talking about? And since 'the rules' don't apply to Desmond, how will that affect his efforts to help his friends get back to the island and keep Penny safe from Ben?

TIME SHIFTS
Faraday said that they can't change the future. But the time shifts seemed to occur whenever someone was being informed about something in the future (i.e. Faraday telling Des to go to Oxford, Richard Alpert trying to warn Locke about his role).

If it is impossible to change the past, then why did Ms. Hawking (who we can assume is Faraday's mother) talk to Desmond about course correcting the universe during his flashback in Season 3?

Do these time shifts occur even when the frozen donkey wheel hasn't been activated?

YEMI'S PLANE
Did it veer off course, did the island bring it down, or was it an electromagnetic anomaly?

THE ZODIAC RAFT
This is entirely trivial, but I'm pretty sure that the little engine needs refueling before it can be utilized again. It's no motorboat.

AARON
Are 'they' interested in Aaron because he was born on the island, because he's the next in line to run it, or because he's special like Walt? So are they looking to assist his journey back, or prevent it?

ANA LUCIA
I have to admit that it was nice to see Ghost Anger Lucia. When she said "Libby says hi," I laughed for a very long time.

ANNIE
Was she born on the island, and who were her parents?

If she's still alive, does Ben know where she is and does he visit her now that he's banished from the island?

BEN
If the consequence of turning the frozen donkey wheel is that he can't ever go back...does HE change the rules somehow to do so?

Is he lying - had he seen Locke since they said goodbye at the Orchid on the island?

Did he arrange for the attorneys to ask Kate for a blood sample in order to force her to run again, knowing that she'd have to go back with the rest of them?

What is the mystery item that Ben took from the hotel vent and stuck in his bag? It was too small to be his special black baton or the magical father-producing box.

CHARLES WIDMORE
Is he searching for the island because he turned the frozen donkey wheel 20 years ago?

If Widmore found the island 20 years ago, did he visit or live there himself? Where was Penny at that point?

Given that Sun should have had a Golden Pass from Oceanic as part of her settlement, yet Widmore was able to override and intervene at the airport...he's clearly in bed with or owns a majority of Oceanic. If that is the case, acquiring an old Oceanic plane to place at the bottom of the ocean wouldn't be as challenging for a man in his position.

CHARLOTTE
Is she getting sick because she either doesn't have a Constant or can't connect with/recall who it is?

Or, is she getting sick because she WAS born on the island and the time shifts adversely affect her?


DANIEL FARADAY
Oh Dharma Dan. When he was working at the Orchid for Dharma...how did he travel back in time to that exact place and time? Did he do so after Desmond's first visit to him at Oxford?

His appearance there indicates a strong possibility that he was the one videotaping Pierre Chang during the Barracks Video.

Last season, he was distraught when the payload did not land until some time after it had launched from the freighter. Was he trying to figure out the time discrepancy which occurs when the island shifts?

He doesn't seem to remember much without referring to his notebook; after he escapes the island during that first Dharma purge (pre-Ben), is memory loss the major side effect? Remember that in the future, he is crying while watching news of the fake 815 wreckage but does not know why...

DANIELLE ROUSSEAU
Did the arrival of her ship and crew on the island coincide with or result from one of the island's time shifts?

DESMOND
Does the concept of a Constant work in reverse? Is that why Des suddenly remembered his conversation with Faraday outside of the Swan? Do memories return the further away from the island you get?

Faraday informs Desmond that he's special, which is how the Others described Walt.

ETHAN ROM
His appearance signified a very specific time; he was a post-Ben purge Other recruit.

FRANK LAPIDUS
Where does he go after he leaves the O6 and Des/Penny?

Why doesn't he have to go back to the island as well?

HORACE
When he appeared to Locke in a dream last season, was Locke actually experiencing a time shift?

HURLEY
Dude. Ghost Anger Lucia told you not to get arrested. You listened to Ghost Charlie; perhaps it's time to listen to your other afterlife buddies.

She also told you that you have a lot of work to do. That is exactly what Ghost Christian said about Jack (in the mobisode) after they first crashed on the island, and what Walt told Locke after he'd been shot. This does not bode well for Hurley.

My favorite moment of the second episode was Hurley's confession to his mom; the details about his time on the island. He basically sums up the first four seasons of Lost, and the premise DOES sounds as crazy as non-Lost fans consider it be.

JACOB
Could he be reanimate? Ben and his team are quite focused on protecting Locke's body, and he was a former island leader. Could Jacob have also died off island, only to be brought back and given life on the island? Ben did NOT answer the question about Locke being really dead, so anything is possible. Darlton have always joked about that zombie season...

JI YEON
Sun's baby is in Korea, but wouldn't she have to go back to the island as well?

JILL, GABRIEL & JEFFREY
Who the heck are they and how long have they been working for Ben? Were they ever on the island? Are they former Hostiles or Others?

JIN
If in fact he did jump off of the freighter before it blew up, could he have been 'inside the radius' as well? Will he swim to shore and join up with the Marooned 5 at some point?

KATE
Will she return to the island before taking care of that favor for Sawyer?

KELVIN
Where was Kelvin when Faraday talked to Des outside of the Swan?

LARA
I am assuming that the woman Pierre Chang refers to as Lara on the Barracks Video is his wife.

LIBBY
Seriously, is there a Club Posthumous in Los Angeles where Charlie, Libby, Eko and Ana Lucia hang out?

LOCKE/BENTHAM
In order to get everyone back to the island, Locke has to die. In order to save everyone on the island, Michael had to die.

So there are people off the island who are interested in Locke, even after he is dead. Why?

Alpert handed him a compass, which was one of the items he'd tested Locke with as a child. Will we eventually see Locke receive those other items on the island?

When Ethan shot him in the leg, it was reminiscent of a similar incident from Locke's early days on the island; Locke had hatch shrapnel in his leg and couldn't help Boone when he climbed up and then crashed down in Yemi's plane.

MATTHEW ABADDON
Is he the one after Aaron?

What does he know about the island?

Was he one of the alleged LAPD who first showed up at Hurley's house and spoke with his father?

MILES
It should be a safe assumption now that Miles is Dr. Candle's son. Agreed? The man knows far more about the island than he'd let on before tonight's episode. Of course if he WAS born on the island...how did he live?

If he is Candle's son, at what point does he leave the island?

MS. HAWKING
Wow. I did not see that one coming, but I love that she is Faraday's mother. So when she told Desmond that his destiny was to push that button on the island in order to save the world, was her information based on Daniel's data...or intel from Ben?

She also told Des that he wasn't going to marry her. It seems (at least by their wedding bands) that Des and Penny do marry in the future, so was she referring to that point in time? He may still end up breaking her heart if he returns to the island without her...

What is/was her relationship with Brother Campbell at the Monastery where Desmond briefly lived (and met Penny for the first time)? They appear in a photo together.

So who is Daddy Faraday? Is Hawking her maiden name?

Did you notice the photo of the island taped to her equations chalkboard?

Why is she using island-esque computer equipment in her lair under the church instead of modern technology? Is that the only way to pinpoint the location of the island?

PENNY
How does she explain to Daddy Widmore how she came to be in the right locale to find Desmond and rescue the Oceanic 6? I'm assuming that wasn't a secret and that she probably couldn't convince her entire crew to lie.

PIERRE CHANG/MARVIN CANDLE
Clearly we witnessed a pre-purge Dharma Initiative and Dr. Candle. How long after the discovery of the Frozen Donkey Wheel beneath the Orchid did Chang create the Barracks Video (which warned of the purge)?

RADZINSKY
Were he and Kelvin part of Dharma or the initial military subset?

RICHARD ALPERT
Was Alpert ever really a Hostile, or was he dressed 'in character' like the Others were when they were trying to scare the 815ers during season 1?

I was surprised to hear that Richard wouldn't recognize Locke after a time shift. Given that he's basically stalked Locke from birth on, why would that occur?

Do Richard and the remaining Others/Hostiles not experience time shifts?

SAYID
Those who were following him used darts rather than bullets. Did they know that the island wouldn't let the Oceanic 6 die?

SUN
What do she and Widmore discuss at the airport?

Is Sun working for Ben?

When Sun was talking with Kate about doing everything you can to protect your child, she could have been referring to:

• Protecting Ji Yeon from Ben and/or the island
• Ben's failure to do so, gambling on and losing his daughter's life
• Widmore's need to hide Penny from Ben
• Michael's decision to kill Ana Lucia and Libby in order to save Walt

WALT
Why wouldn't he have to go back too?

Was Ben interested in Walt and have him kidnapped to study him because he knew that Walt's special abilities included time shifting? Walt was able to appear in one place while actually being located in another...

THE WHISPERS
Could the whispers on the island be voices/warnings from one's self during a previous visit to the island during a time shift?

CRAZY THEORY OF THE NIGHT
The empty casket that Jack comes upon on the island after the crash belongs to Locke, not Christian Shephard; it was used to transport him back and Jack happens upon it during a time shift.
_ _ _

I must apologize for the brevity of this post. Usually I am game for an all-nighter but I am unable to do so this week. I appreciate that you took the time to visit and read, and look forward to your feedback and comments!

Please stay tuned for further thoughts and photos as soon as tomorrow evening...

The Road to LOST, Season 5: An Extensive List of Questions & Theories (By Character)

I took extensive notes during a recent re-watch of Season 4. Below is a comprehensive list of lingering questions and theories as we head into Season 5 this week, broken down alphabetically by character (major, minor & one-hit wonder) and where they were when we last saw them.

Caveat:
As is my personal policy, I have not read any Season 5 spoilers or recaps whatsoever, nor have I visited or posted on any Lost message boards since last summer or regarding S5 (with the exception of a few ideas on DocArzt and my time as Bentham). These are my notes from each episode, but due to the fact that there are thousands of Lost blogs and forums out there, it is entirely possible that some of what I have to say has been said before. I would never claim to be the first or most original with these thoughts; this is simply my unfiltered stream of Lost consciousness. This post has been created in the spirit of and for the passionate and enthusiastic Lost community; a little thought-provoking fun for all of us as we gear up for 17 weeks of our favorite show.

Key:
F4: Freighter Four
O6: Oceanic Six

AARON {O6; Claire's son/Jack's nephew/Christian's grandson}
Status: off island in care of Kate

Claire's psychic warned her that she had to raise Aaron alone, Ghost Charlie sent Jack a message (via Hurley) off island that "you're not supposed to raise him" and then Ghost Claire admonished Kate with "don't you dare bring him back." It seems as if the island really wants to reunite mother and child...

ALEX {Ben's daughter; deceased)
Status: murdered by mercenary Keamy on island

Was she ever aware of Ben's frequent trips off of the island? Who supervised her when she was younger while daddy was out time traveling?

ANA LUCIA {deceased}
Status: murdered by Michael

Will Ana Lucia reappear in ghost form to anyone off or on the island, just as Libby did?

ANNIE {Ben's childhood Dharma friend}
Status: last seen as a young girl on the island, current whereabouts unknown

Did Ben arrange for her safety when he orchestrated the purge, or was she already off island by then?

Will we see her again, or have we without realizing who she is?

BEN {Other mastermind; off island}
Status: at Bentham's coffin with Jack

If he was having the Others build a runway over on the smaller Hydra island, did he have a plane and pilot on hand and awaiting his call, or was he planning to return to the island via plane in the future?

Is it possible that Alex really was his biological daughter? Could he and Rousseau have actually been a couple at one point in time, or at least briefly enough to create a child together?

The photo of Ben that Miles brought to the island appeared to be from an earlier era, yet Ben wasn't much younger in the photograph. Was it taken when Ben was off island and in a time shift? Did Abaddon provide it to Miles before departing for the island?

It seems that with his many trips to the outside world, Ben could have had more than one VHS tape on hand. So why use the same Red Sox tape to record Widmore's beating of an off-island Other? Did Ben film that footage himself?

What is the true significance, if any, of his black baton, and why would he briefly hand it off to Locke at the Orchid?

This is a lingering question that has been bothering me for many seasons...if Ben knew everyone on and everything about the island, and had video cameras monitoring the Swan hatch long before Flight 815 survivors broke into it, he must have known Desmond's connection to Widmore. Why did he never utilize that or interact with Desmond at all? Will he attempt to find Desmond off island, because he wants to harm Penny?

BERNARD {original 815 survivor; Rose's husband}
Status: on the beach when island moved

Bernie has more skills than that of a normal dentist, including Morse Code interpretation. Will we discover more about his background, and did it involve any kind of military training?

"BIG MIKE" {works for LAPD; Ana Lucia's former partner}
Status: interrogating Hurley after his car crash

Miles made reference to a 'buddy at the police station' in LA. Given that there are no coincidences on Lost, I'm assuming that Big Mike and Miles have a connection because not only did he work with Ana Lucia, he was also the officer who interviewed Hurley after the car crash in LA.

BLACK SMOKE MONSTER {tree & people-crushing entity w/a penchant for flash photography}
Status: pummeling Keamy's mercenaries in New Otherton

Will Locke enter Ben's secret chamber and figure out to unleash it now that Ben is off island? Are there other ways to summon it, and is Alpert responsible for doing so?

CAPTAIN GAULT {captain of freighter; deceased}
Status: murdered by Keamy on freighter

How much did he know about his employer, Charles Widmore? Could he also have been working for Abaddon?

Was he involved with the placement of the fake 815 wreckage?

Had he read the Dharma Second Protocol before Keamy opened it and returned to the island? Was he aware of Dharma's presence on the island and what the real mission involved?

CAROLE LITTLETON {Claire's mother; off island}
Status: at Christian Shephard's funeral, informing Jack that Claire was his half-sister

When Claire left Australia on Flight 815, her mom was still in a coma. Carole seems to have made a full recovery in the meantime; coincidence/miracle, or island/Dharma intervention?

CASSIDY & CLEMENTINE {Sawyer's ex & his daughter}
Status: possibly living in Albuquerque, where Sawyer opened a bank account for Clementine

If and when Cassidy meets up with Kate again, this time when Kate does that favor for Sawyer, will Kate tell Cassidy the truth about his whereabouts or her relationship with him?

CHARLES WIDMORE {Penny's father; off island, in London}
Status: approached by Sun about a mutual interest

Does the original Black Rock journal that he purchased contain information about how to find the island after it relocates?

Could he have been the captain or a crew member of the Black Rock?

CHARLIE {deceased}
Status: at Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute visiting Hurley

Even though many characters on Lost are from England, only Charlie and Naomi were from Manchester. Both are deceased, but will we learn of a connection at some point?

Will he and Claire reunite as living ghosts, off island?

Does Ghost Charlie visit anyone else, in addition to Hurley?

CHARLOTTE LEWIS {F4; anthropologist}
Status: on beach when island moved

Before Miles alluded to it, had Charlotte ever imagined that she was either born or raised on the island? Were her parents part of the Dharma Initiative?

She seemed to know exactly what she was looking for when she unearthed the polar bear collar in Tunisia; was she researching the Dharma Initiative because she knew she was linked to it somehow? Is that why Abaddon chose her as one the Freighter Four to go to the island?

With Faraday out at sea, who will Charlotte attempt to befriend now that she's stuck on the vanished island with the 815 group and Miles (who is an acquaintance but not necessarily and ally).

CHRISTIAN SHEPHARD {Jack & Claire's father/Aaron's grandfather; deceased}
Status: on island, in Jacob's cabin w/Claire; off island, in Jack's office

Is Christian the only deceased character who is able to speak on Jacob's behalf?

CINDY {Oceanic flight attendant on 815}
Status: on Hydra Island, observing Jack in cage; presumably still on island when it moved

Was she subjected to tests and Room 23; is that why she seemed content to be an observer on behalf of the Others?

Was she on 'the list,' and if not, why did the Others kidnap her from the tail section beach? Was she specifically selected to be a surrogate to Zach & Emma during their transition into Otherville?

CLAIRE {Aaron's mother; possibly deceased}
Status: hanging in Jacob's cabin w/Ghost Dad Christian when the island moved, making off island appearance at Kate's house

Is it significant that Ghost Claire was at Kate's house in her island clothes (as opposed to cleaned up Ghost Charlie and suited up Christian Shephard)? Is that an indication that she's still alive and well back on the island?

Has Ghost Claire appeared to anyone else?

DANIEL FARADAY {F4; physicist}
Status: on Zodiac raft when island moved & freighter blew up

Who is the woman in his flashback, the one who appears to be his caretaker?

Given that his notebook is filled with island secrets, it seems rather obvious that Faraday has been there before but is unable to recall due to his memory loss. At some point prior to his arrival on the island on this mission, did he travel back in time to warn of the hostiles vs. Dharma fight and first purge, and was he the one videotaping Pierre Chang in the 1970's Barracks video? He certainly knew what the Dharma Secondary Protocol meant, and set out to prevent it.

Logistically speaking, wouldn't the Zodiac raft need to refuel during Faraday's runs between the freighter and the island? And now that both are gone, where will Faraday take the raft and passengers?

If Faraday has his notebook with him on the raft, will he find a note about how to find the island if it vanishes?

DANIELLE ROUSSEAU {Alex's mother; deceased}
Status: murdered by Keamy & his mercenaries on island

If she can speak English, why did she create the distress transmission in French?

Where is the boat which she allegedly arrived on the island in, and where is her expedition team buried?

Why hadn't she made efforts to see and take Alex back from the beginning?

If she made a deal with Ben to raise Alex, what did she receive in return? Freedom to co-exist on the island with the hostiles and Others? Was she planning to give Alex up for adoption before crashing on the island with her team?

DESMOND {only non-815, non-O6, non-Dharma, non-Other who ever lived on island}
Status: on Penny's rescue boat

When and how will Desmond discover that Ben is looking to harm Penny? If Daddy Widmore knows where he is, will he reach out to him to protect his daughter even though he loathes Desmond?

Was Charlie's vision about Claire on the helicopter and subsequent mission down in the Looking Glass all for nothing? Or, if she's still alive, will we see her get rescued in Season 6? And will Lapidus be the chopper pilot?

DONOVAN {Desmond's best friend, off island}
Status: London

Again, it can't be simple coincidence that Donovan is a professor of physics, just like Faraday. Also, when Desmond flashed back the first time, Donovan was the only person whom he revealed his whereabouts and experience to. So it's possible that Donovan then informed Penny, who set up a search beginning with the listening station manned by the two Portuguese men.

ELSA {deceased, off island}
Status: romanced then murdered by Sayid, presumably at the behest of Ben

Was Elsa working on behalf of Widmore or Oceanic?

EKO {deceased}
Status: playing chess w/Hurley at Santa Rosa

Does Ghost Eko hang out with Ghost Charlie?

EMMA & ZACH {Flight 815 tail section kids}
Status: on Hydra Island observing Jack in cage, presumably there when it moved

This is a total stretch, but...at Comic-Con last summer, there was a woman named Emma working the Dharma booth. Either it was a wink-wink in our direction, or that woman is an actress who will appear in a flash forward as tail section kid Emma.

ERIKA {Doctor at Jack's practice; off island}
Status: LA

She happens to show up at exactly the two moments when Christian Shephard appears to Jack at their office. I have a feeling we'll see her again...

ETHAN ROM {deceased Other}
Status: murdered by Charlie after kidnapping Claire

We know that Ben sent Goodwin to the Tail Section of flight 815 on purpose, knowing quite well that he'd meet his death in the process (which was Ben's intent and revenge for Goodwin's relationship with 'his' Juliet). So what would cause Ben to also send Ethan, his only island surgeon, to the Fuselage section to meet a similar fate? What did Ethan do to cross him?

FRANK LAPIDUS {F4; Oceanic Air & helicopter pilot}
Status: on Penny's rescue boat

If he landed the chopper unharmed on the island after Faraday, Charlotte & Miles bailed out using parachutes, how did he sustain those injuries?

He believed that there were survivors from flight 815 and that he'd encounter them on the island, but why study the manifest in advance of the mission?

Is Frank still technically an employee of Oceanic Air? After he returns from the mission, does he investigate the genesis of and responsible party for the fake wreckage?

When everyone returns to the island, will Frank be their pilot?

HARPER STANHOPE {Goodwin's estranged wife/the Others' therapist}
Status: appeared to warn Juliet in the jungle, presumably still on island when it moved

Because Jack actually saw Harper when she was speaking to Juliet, it seems that she wasn't an apparition. So is she living among the Others who abandoned Other Village or does she roam with Richard Alpert and his formerly hostile crew? How did Ben speak to her while in captivity under Locke's care?

Will she be a part of the hostiles or Others on the island in S5?

HELEN {Locke's ex}
Status: turned down Locke's proposal, hasn't been seen since

While this certainly isn't confirmation or a spoiler, when I met Katey Sagal at Comic-Con last summer and specifically asked whether or not she'd appear during Season 5 (given that Locke will be off island and may seek out Helen), she smiled quite wide and simply said "I love Hawaii and working with the amazingly talented Terry O'Quinn."

HENRIK & MATHIAS {Portuguese tracking station team}
Status: Henrik was on Penny's rescue boat

How did Penny find these guys, and is it significant that they speak Portuguese?

Was Penny able to hire them to man that listening station with her own funds and keep it a secret from Daddy Widmore? Or are they working for him as well; did he use their electromagnetic anomaly discovery to locate the island and send the freighter out as a result?

HORACE GOODSPEED {deceased Dharma}
Status: appeared in Locke's dream, building Jacob's cabin

Something tells me we haven't seen the last of him. He was there the day that Ben was born, just as Alpert was present at Locke's birth...

HURLEY {O6}
Status: leaving Santa Rosa for a safer location w/Sayid

After Hurley ran from his restored Camaro because 'the numbers' appeared in the speedometer, at what point did he change his mind and decide to drive it, and why? (we see him crash it after seeing Ghost Charlie)

Hurley caught a brief glimpse of Christian Shephard in Jacob's cabin on the island. Did he then recognize the photo of Christian at his funeral off island a few months later?

THE ISLAND
Status: moved/shifted

Ben made a comment that the Dharma crackers (in his Orchid-signaling box of tricks) were 15 years old. Was that the last time that someone utilized the frozen donkey wheel to 'move' the island? If so, who was responsible for that (keeping in mind that whomever turns it must leave the island forever); Widmore?

It seems that when it disappeared, the smaller Hydra Island vanished along with it. So should we assume that the displaced Others, Flight Attendant Cindy and tail section kids Emma & Zach were still living there?

Was the Black Rock marooned there when the island moved during a previous turn of the frozen donkey wheel, only to resurface suddenly and take the ship with it?

There is an inactive volcano on the island, and the image of the island as it is about to disappear (see image above) certainly makes it look like a giant crater. I believe that the volcano plays a significant role in the history of the island (see my article "The Tempest, Tectonics & The Volcano" on Doc's site for further elaboration).

JACK {O6}
Status: at Bentham's coffin w/Ben

Does Jack ever tell Kate that Claire is his half-sister and Aaron is actually his nephew, or did Kate overhear Claire's mother telling him?

He doesn't believe that Locke moved the island, but after seeing it disappear and trying to go back for years after rescue...does he believe/know that Ben did?

Bentham told Jack that 'very bad things' happen because he left the island, but did he tell that to the others (Hurley, Kate, Walt) as well? Does Jack have a larger role on the island than we've previously thought; does Jacob have plans for him?

JACOB {who the hell knows}
Status: in his cabin w/Claire & Christian when the island moved

Does the line of ash surrounding Jacob's cabin relate to the inactive volcano on the island?

JIN {allegedly deceased}
Status: on freighter when it blew up

If the O6 and others must return to the island...doesn't Jin have to as well? Does Ben know whether or not he is alive?

JULIET {ex-Other}
Status: on beach when island moved

Apparently she resembles someone significant from Ben's past; his mother? That would be Oedipally appropriate for Ben.

This is random, but I've always wondered how she dislocated her shoulder four times. What else did my favorite fertility doc do in her spare time before arriving on the island?

Will Juliet return to Ben's house in New Otherton and figure out how to use his communication system? Will she be able to somehow contact her sister Rachel?

Does Richard Alpert consider her to be an ally or enemy at this point?

KAREN DECKER {Oceanic Air PR rep}
Status: Holding Oceanic press conference after 'rescue'

Was she assisting the O6 or Oceanic by going along with their story of rescue?

Does she work with or for Matthew Abaddon?

KARL {Alex's boyfriend; deceased}
Status: killed by Keamy & his mercenaries

He was around the same age as Alex. Could his parents have been among Rousseau's crew, or were they Dharma and did they die in the purge?

KATE {O6}
Status: off island, raising Aaron as her son

Did Abaddon, Oceanic or Widmore pay off the judge to remand Kate to jail without bail? It also seemed quite convenient that the terms of the deal mandated that Kate remain in the state, which would (at least in theory and in the eyes of the law) prevent her from returning to the island.

Does Kate travel to Albuquerque to deliver Sawyer's message to Cassidy and/or Clementine? How will she react when she realizes that she and Cassidy have met before?

Who called Kate at the very moment that Ghost Claire appeared in Aaron's room?

Who does Kate claim is Aaron's father? Under intense media scrutiny for O6 and her criminal trial, you'd think that would be a common question.

KELVIN {deceased Dharma; Desmond's former Swan bunkmate}
Status: accidentally killed in skirmish with Desmond

What was he actually doing when he left the Swan hatch every day?

LARA {unknown}
Status: in 1970's Barracks video with Pierre Chang and a mystery baby

Was she Chang's wife? Could the baby be Miles?

Could she be the woman in the portrait hanging in Ben's house in New Otherton, and/or the woman whom Juliet supposedly resembles?

LIBBY {deceased, murdered by Michael}
Status: appeared to Michael on freighter before it blew up & off island in his hospital room}

Will we find out that her deceased husband David was Hurley's invisible friend Dave? Was her husband's illness a result of being on the island at some point, or working for Dharma?

Was she an employee of Widmore? It was entirely too convenient that she gave Desmond her sailboat so he could compete in Widmore's race around the world, which resulted in his arrival on the island.

Given that Jack & co. decided to give Libby's name as one of the 3 passengers who originally survived the crash but perished shortly thereafter, wouldn't it be likely that more information about her would be then be published in the press...and Hurley would discover why she seemed so familiar; that she was a patient at Santa Rosa when he was there before the crash?

LOCKE/BENTHAM {newly elected island leader}
Status: Locke was on island when it moved, Bentham was in coffin in LA

The obvious first question is HOW does Locke get off of the island? Is he assisted by Alpert?

When did Locke leave the island? How much time passed between his arrival and his death?

Did Locke choose the Bentham pseudonym, or was it assinged to him by Alpert or another source?

Do the island's healing properties dissolve once one leaves? Does Locke become paralyzed again upon his return?

We know that Bentham visits Walt and most of the O6, but does he either use the information he has about Charles Widmore or seek out the man himself?

I find it fascinating that Locke visited/warned Hurley, Kate, Jack and Walt as Bentham when he left the island. Given that Sun was in Korea, I understand why he didn't see her, but could he simply not locate Sayid or was there a reason he avoided him? And what exactly did he tell the four that he approached?

The island wouldn't let Locke die...until it did. Did he complete his mission on its behalf by informing some of the off island people that they had to return?

When they do finally return to the island, will Locke (or his spirit/essence) become the new Jacob? Was that the plan all along?

Perhaps he knew that Jack wouldn't believe him, but why on earth didn't Locke ever tell Jack that he'd been in a wheelchair prior to crashing on the island?

MATTHEW ABADDON {allegedly an Oceanic attorney}
Status: visiting/threatening Hurley at Santa Rosa

After he goes to Locke during rehab (after he was pushed out of the window) and encourages him to go on a walkabout, he tells him that 'you'll owe me one.' Does Abaddon find out that Locke has left the island, and if so, does he finally call upon that favor?

Did Abaddon ever visit other 815 people long before they crashed on the island? Was he able to influence others to eventually wind up on that flight?

Who is his employer? Oceanic or Widmore?

MICHAEL {Walt's father; deceased}
Status: on freighter when it blew up

Even though their interaction was brief, why didn't Michael inform Sayid, Desmond, Jin or Sun how to actually escape and reach the outside world via boat?

When Michael was in the hospital after the car suicide attempt, the patient sharing his room has two entirely different types of breathing apparatus in two different shots in that scene....is that indicative of a time shift? Ghost Libby appears at Michael's bedside in between shots, so it seems plausible.

We know that Locke took the name Bentham upon his return to the real world, so did Michael also assume a similarly germane identity during his reentry?

This may seem trivial, but photos of all passengers from flight 815 would have been plastered in the world press for months following the alleged crash, and there were very few African Americans on the plane. So how is it possible that Michael is able to roam freely upon his return, with absolutely no one recognizing him? Outside of a beard, he didn't exactly take any measures to disguise himself...

MILES STRAUME {F4; ghost whisperer}
Status: was on beach when island moved

Miles knew immediately that Michael was not Kevin Johnson when he joined the freighter crew. Had Libby spoken to Miles from the great beyond? Remember that she did appear on the freighter and he communicates with the dead...

Does Miles interpret 'the whispers' on the island, and is that how he knows more than he has let on thus far?

Even though Miles is still on the island, does Ben ever get him the blackmail money when he leaves the island? And in exchange, does Miles lie about Ben's whereabouts?

Is he Pierre Chang's son? Remember that he is one of the many people who have said "I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be." In addition, is it possible that his ability is a result of having been born or raised on the island or in proximity to dad's Dharma experiments?

MR. AVELLINO {deceased, off island}
Status: murdered by Sayid, presumably at the behest of Ben

Did Avellino work for Widmore or Oceanic?

MR. PAIK {Sun's dad, business acquaintance of Charles Widmore}
Status: dealing w/Sun's stealthy takeover of Paik Industries in Korea

Are he and Widmore business competitors or partners? Are they both investors in Oceanic?

MS. HAWKING {ring lady in London in Desmond's first flash back in time}
Status: sitting with Desmond on bench in "Flashes Before Your Eyes"

*This is a great theory which one of my readers just emailed me the other day, so I in no way take credit for it. He wishes to remain anonymous, but I'm allowed to say that his name is Mike. At some point in the near future, I will expand upon and explore this further.

We now know that time travel and shifts are prevalent...is it possible that Ms. Hawking is actually Penny; did she travel forward in time to course-correct Desmond's path? Recall that Hawking appears in a photo with the Monk where Desmond worked, the same location where Penny went to the monastery to pick up wine and met Desmond for the first time...

NADIA {deceased, off island; love of Sayid's life & recent wife}
Status: murdered by unknown party

She was living in Orange County, CA after escaping Iraq. So what was she doing in London (when Charlie saved her from muggers)? Could she have ties to Widmore, Naomi or Charlotte?

Did Ben have her killed in order to recruit Sayid over to his side; to work as his secret spy assassin off island?

NAOMI {hired by Abaddon to assist F4 to island; deceased}
Status: killed by Locke after parachuting onto island

Each of the F4 seemed to have their reasons for going to the island, and Naomi had a photo of Desmond & Penny with her when she arrived. We know she wasn't working for Penny, but did Daddy Widmore hire her to either retrieve or kill Desmond?

Who's initials are RG, the ones engraved inside her bracelet? Regina, the woman on the freighter who jumped off ship wrapped in chains? Or Gault, the freighter captain who was murdered by Keamy?

PENNY WIDMORE {Charles' daughter, Desmond's girl}
Status: on her rescue boat w/Desmond

If Daddy Widmore knows that Ben cannot return to the island, does he somehow arrange for/enourage Penny to go there with Desmond so that she's safe from Ben, who is seeking revenge for Alex's murder?

PIERRE CHANG {Dharma doctor, a.k.a. Dr. Marvin Candle/Edgar Halliwax/Mark Wickmund}
Status: in 1970's Barracks video, warning about purge

In the Orchid video, he is wearing a wedding band (which I did not notice in any other Dharma video). Was he married to Lara, the woman who's voice we hear during the Barracks video, and could Miles be his son?

RACHEL {Juliet's sister}
Status: shown on video in Mikhail's Flame station, playing w/her son in FL

Was her cancer remission and healthy child bearing a result of island/Dharma destiny?

Had her cancer returned, as Ben had told Juliet on the island?

Who is the father of her miracle child? Please don't let it be Ben...

Has Rachel been searching for Juliet? What was she told when Juliet didn't return after six months, if anything?

RADZINSKY {deceased Dharma; Kelvin's first bunkmate who created blast door map}
Status: allegedly killed himself in Swan

If we witness the island during the early days of Dharma, will we meet the artist formerly known as Radzinsky?


RICHARD ALPERT {former Hostile, current Other}
Status: in jungle w/Locke when island moved

Submarines are not the fastest method of tranportation, so how did he and Tom travel back and forth from the island during their many trips on behalf of the island and Ben, respectively?

Had Alpert tried to recruit any of the other 815 passengers to the island before, besides Locke?

Given Alpert's failure to recruit/lure Locke to the island on many occasions, was he responsible for getting Locke on Flight 815 and the subsequent crash?

Will Alpert ever inform Locke that they'd met several times off island, prior to the crash, and reveal in what capacity?

What is Alpert's relationship with Jacob?

After Locke leaves the island, is Alpert in charge?

After the island moves, is Alpert still able to travel back and forth to the real world?

If he doesn't already know, will there be consequences if Alpert finds out that Locke didn't actually kill his father, a sacrifice that the island demanded?

ROSE {original 815 survivor; married to Bernard}
Status: on beach when island moved

One of the reasons that Ben and the Others were interested in Locke was because the island healed him...so will Alpert and/or Jacob become more interested in Rose now?

SAWYER {original 815 survivor}
Status: jumped out of helicopter/sacrificed rescue; on beach when island moved

Now that Jack is out of the picture, will Sawyer become the de facto leader of the remaining 815 group?

We know that 'very bad things' are coming, but will the island keep him alive because he has work to do?

SAYID {O6}
Status: moving Hurley from Santa Rosa to safer location

Will he find out who murdered Nadia?

Did he kill Bentham?

SUN {O6; Ji Yeon's mother, Jin's wife}
Status: visiting Charles Widmore in London

When Sun reminded Widmore that 'we are not the only ones who left the island,' was she referring to Locke? If so, is Widmore the one who kills Bentham? Or was she talking about Desmond, knowing that Widmore is trying to locate Penny? OR...was she basically handing Ben over to Widmore on a platter, in order to protect Penny & Desmond?

Does Sun use funds from the others in the 06 to help purchase a majority of the shares in her father's company?

Does Ben convince Sun to return to the island with Ji Yeon by telling her that Jin is alive?

There are a few candidates for the second person whom Sun blames for Jin's death (the first being her father), but I believe it is Jack; he insisted that the helicopter take off from the freighter w/o Jin and then forced her to lie as one of the O6.

TOM {Ben's Other henchman; deceased}
Status: off island in NY following Michael...and indulging

If the timeline is right, it would seem that Tom brought Anthony Cooper with him back to the island after first convincing Michael to join the freighter.

WALT {Michael's son; off island}
Status: living w/grandma in NY; visiting Hurley at Santa Rosa

Does Tall Ghost Walt make any other appearances while Locke is still on the island?

Who paid for/arranged Walt's trip across the country to see Hurley? Bentham or Ben?

Did Bentham visit Walt off island because he was special or because he thought that Walt could convince some of the others to return?

Does Ben seek out Walt for any reason off island?

Does Walt think that his dad is still alive and living on the island, or does he know that he died?

If Walt returns to the island with the others, does he assume Locke's leadership role? Ben and the Others were certainly interested in him (as they were Locke from an early age)...

MISC.

"All of you have to go back."
I believe that 11 of them must return as a group to the island; in addition to the O6 and Locke, this would include Ji Yeon, Ben, Desmond and Walt. But if Ben is never to return to the island after turning the frozen donkey wheel, does he arrange for/escort them to a point and then part ways?

CT scans
Do we know who the 26 year old woman is whose CT scans were shown to Juliet Mittelos? Given her condition, it is likely that she lives on the island.

The Economist
Could be any of the following: Abaddon, Ben, Bentham, Paik, Widmore.

Frozen Donkey Wheel
Is there any particular reason that it is frozen? What mechanism is maintaining that temperature below the Orchid? Or is there an entirely new and separate cold region/village located below the island where the displaced Others are living and hiding?

Jacob's List
His list clearly had nothing to do with those who wound up as the Oceanic 6 because we know that Kate and Sayid weren't on it. So who the hell was on the that list, and will we ever find out?

Favorite Theory From S4
I created the Bentham blog last summer because I am convinced that Jeremy Bentham and John Locke are two different people. In the Orchid video, a bunny clones itself and Dr. Halliwax (Pierre Chang) makes reference to both a 'shift' and the Casimir Effect. Without getting too scientific...I just have a feeling that during Locke's bumbling efforts to follow in Ben's footsteps, he somehow activates a time shift which creates a clone: Bentham.

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Let's be honest, there are endless theories and questions as we head into Season 5 of Lost. These are just the ones which I'm curious about, so let me know what you think and if you have a list of your own!

Thank you very much for visiting and reading. Apologies for the length!