Lost: Lost Questions

[ShannonA]

So what questions do we have on Lost that seem to be truly lost, which is to say ignored, to the point of not even being mentioned, since last season.

Libby. This is the one that frustrates me most. She started showing up in multiple flashbacks. Even after she got shot the producers promised she'd be a regular this season. Then, nothing.

Walt. Not necessarily Walt, but his magic powers. They were played up quite a bit in his first flashback episode, were just scarcely mentioned thereafter, and then when he and Michael got pulled off the island, we lost them entirely. We may be returning to this a bit with Jacob and his own psychic powers, which we saw last episode.

I also feel a bit cheated as to not knowing what happened next to Michael & Walt after they sped off the island at the end of last season.

Rosseau. Though we've seen her a lot this season, it feels like her backstory has been largely abandoned, other than the topic of Alex. I'm actually starting to wonder if her backstory might be entirely a lie. Have we seen anything to corroborate it? Could she be the little girl who was friends with Ben that we met last episode, if everything is a lie?

I'm not sweating the small stuff, like strange statues. I also feel like we're circling around to answers on the wild kids, the smoke monster, the dead people on the island, and such. But it's mainly the people who left the show that I feel like left gaping holes.

[Bobaloo]

I'm with you on both the Libby and Walt issues. Especially since I doubt they'll be addressed again.

I've also started to think the same thing regarding Rousseau. Her backstory was a fabrication. How she aligns with the others/hostiles/natives is the mystery now.

[ChristopherA]

So what questions do we have on Lost that seem to be truly lost, which is to say ignored, to the point of not even being mentioned, since last season.

For me, the telling thing about Lost is that for the second time this year I'm about 6 episodes behind watching it on my TiVo. This means that I'm caring less for the characters as they lurch about on new plotlines.

It is beginning to remind me of Alias, but without a true central character to pull you in after the plots became mush.

There are some very interesting and charismatic characters in the show, but since their share of the face time is so short we are not seeing them evolve as much as we did in the first season, and the flashbacks are not hitting me as hard with the "wow, so that is why they are like that" feelings that the initial flashbacks offered.

Maybe after I catch up with the last 6 episodes I'll change my mind, but third season of Lost may end up falling off of next fall's season pass list on my TiVo.

-- Christopher Allen

[ShannonA]

I adore the multi-character approach of Lost, because I really enjoy ensembles. I would, however, agree that the flashbacks haven't been nearly as hard-hitting. The first season was the best in that regard, and since then nothing has been absolutely amazing.

Overall, however, I think the latter two-thirds of this season has been some of the best the show has to offer, because they've been constantly answering questions and iterating the main plotlines and conflicts.

[bubbles]

The numbers. I don't recall them being mentioned this season at all and I really hope the explanation isn't 'the numbers are important because you have to type them into the computer' cos that's just going to leave me thinking 'but why?' to everything...

[ShannonA]

The numbers. I don't recall them being mentioned this season at all and I really hope the explanation isn't 'the numbers are important because you have to type them into the computer' cos that's just going to leave me thinking 'but why?' to everything...

Oh. That's a good one. They were being broadcast during WWII, they were a terrible curse for Hurley ... and now nothing.

[bubbles]

I have a horrible feeling that I will be disappointed with a lot of the 'answers' when they finally come. I believe the writers have indicated that the mystery of why the 'plane crashed was answered with 'because Desmond didn't enter the numbers'. I still want to know why not entering the numbers caused the crash and I get the feeling there won't be an answer... and if all the questions are answered with non-answers like this, I'll not be a happy bunny :(

Of course, the entire function of the Swan station could be just to prevent aeroplanes from falling out of the sky. Much like my rock keeps away tigers.

[ShannonA]

I have a horrible feeling that I will be disappointed with a lot of the 'answers' when they finally come. I believe the writers have indicated that the mystery of why the 'plane crashed was answered with 'because Desmond didn't enter the numbers'. I still want to know why not entering the numbers caused the crash and I get the feeling there won't be an answer...

Because there was some sort of a magnetic singularity in the hatch. The numbers kept it suppressed, and when they weren't entered, it pulled the plane right apart.

I think we will get answers about:

How the magnetic singularity came to be there
How entering the numbers kept it in check
What the purpose of the numbers actually is


Which is to say, I think we've got a first cut answer, and we just need the background that explains it.

[bubbles]

Because there was some sort of a magnetic singularity in the hatch. The numbers kept it suppressed, and when they weren't entered, it pulled the plane right apart.

I think we will get answers about:

How the magnetic singularity came to be there
How entering the numbers kept it in check
What the purpose of the numbers actually is


Which is to say, I think we've got a first cut answer, and we just need the background that explains it.
Well just one episode left to find all this out... plus however many more series there are to go.

Good episode this week, still frustrating that there are so many unanswered questions though... and now more :(

I guess I shouldn't really be surprised, since both season endings so far have raised more questions than answers.

[ShannonA]

Good episode this week, still frustrating that there are so many unanswered questions though... and now more :(


However, I think you could make a great list of answers that we have received in season 3, which I think has been the most insightful season of the show, namely:

To a large extent, who and what The Others are.
To a possibly false extent, why The Others are interested in children.
To some extent, what Dharma was and what it really looked like.
To some extent, clues about what Rover (the smoke monster) really is, and how it relates to the "dead people" we see on the island.
How John got paralyzed.
Who the man who caused Sawyer's parents to kill themselves really was.
I know quite a few times in the last half of this season I've said, "Wow, they really answered things in that ep", so I suspect there's more.

(Of course I haven't seen last week's ep, since I'm waiting for the wife to get back into town, so I have no idea what new and frustrating questions there might be ;).)