Rather than posting in last week’s LOST episode thread, I thought I’d start a more general thread to discuss all the mysteries as yet unanswered. More specifically, has anyone, here or on another site, attempted to compile a complete list, season-by-season, of all the questions that remain? I know this would be a huge undertaking, requiring the study of each episode, and constant updating after each new episode airs . . . but I also have no doubt that somewhere on the Internets, someone has done/is doing it. I’d love to have a reference to go back to after the finale, to see just how much of the sprawling storyline came together and how many loose ends were left flapping in the breeze.
Which brings me to another question: what mysteries do you most want to see answered by the time we get to the finale? Do you think these things will most likely be addressed or ignored? If they’re ignored, how negatively will that impact the show for you as a whole?
And yes, I know there are some fans who don’t care much about getting answers, as long as their favorite characters have happy endings, or it “wraps up thematically,” or whatever. While these folks are certainly welcome to their opinion, this particular discussion is for those of us anal-retentive types who would prefer that the series actually ends up making some kind of narrative sense.
Personally, I love the show and am totally obsessed with it lately, but like a good mystery novel, it’s ultimately going to be judged a success or a failure by how it all ends.
I’d like at least some mention of Alvar Hanso and a tiny bit of focus on the DeGroots. The DeGroots moreso, because Hanso has been featured prominently in the viral media components of Lost.
At this point, I expect to get some idea why the island is so powerful and what role Jacob and MiB play.
I think if we figure out the nature of the island’s power, we might get at least a vague answer about why people have special powers (Walt, Hurley, Miles, Desmond).
Some of my more cynical posters have talked me off my ledge of wanting clear answers, but I still need a little idea.
Oh, and what was significant about Geronimo Jackson!
OK, so can we just agree to leave this kind of post out? I had a thread on this very topic awhile ago that got slightly derailed by people feeling the need to come in and bash the show.
I have no idea why it is so hard to just ignore posts about shows you don’t like.
It’ll probably turn out that the purpose of the island has something to do with the dynamic balance between Light and Dark. It’s not that Smokey himself will be a serious threat to the world if he leaves(although he probably will be) but what he represents and what will happen if he leaves without someone taking his place and position.
The reason things haven’t gone all flooey on the island(which flooeyness would eventually spread to the world at large) is that although Jacob is dead, possible replacements exist, and as long as Smokey remains, whatever force holds sway over the island remains in balance. Should one side depart en masse, or both leave together, things would Not Go Well for whatever remained.
Smokey has not Touched anyone in the way Jacob has to choose his candidates for replacement, so when he leaves, things go out of control and pop goes the world.
Yeah, it’s been discussed off and on throughout the recent episode-centric threads, but I figured with only a few episodes left the topic might be of enough interest to merit a new one. (Sometimes I feel like I’m doing a slight hijack when I bring up/discuss something that isn’t directly related to a thread’s specific episode.) This way people can discuss any mystery they want, from any season, whether it relates to what’s currently going on in the show or not.
Here are my own top 10 head-scratchers:
What’s the deal, ultimately, with the Others? Good guys? Bad guys? Originally good guys, but became bad under corrupt leadership? What was their central purpose before the crash of 815? Hell, what was their central purpose after?
Who is Alvar Hanso and how did the Hanso Foundation/Dharma become involved with the Island? Or, stated in season 6 terms, why did Jacob bring them there? Why did the Others then massacre them?
Why the pregnancy problems?
What was all the cabin business? Was it really Jacob’s, or MIB’s? Did one take it from the other? Who did Locke see/hear in the cabin the first time Ben took him there?
Was Ghost Dad always MIB, or sometimes really Ghost Dad?
What is/has been Charles Widmore’s motivation (other than keeping long-haired Scotsmen away from his daughter)?
What is the “sickness” and how does one get “infected”? Presumably its the MIB equivilent to Jacob touching someone, but I’m still confused on the specifics.
Who made the Frozen Donkey Wheel and what is it really for? Was there a larger purpose to all the time-travel, i.e. was it all part of Jacob’s plan?
What exactly will happen if MIB leaves the Island? The end of the world? The end of time? Or will he just become an angry talk radio host?
What are the flash-sideways and how do they relate to everything else? Was the timeline created by the H-bomb going off, or something else entirely?
Actually, as I’ve been writing these, I’ve thought of about a dozen other pretty good questions, but I made myself stop at 10 for now. As for which of those I’m guessing we’ll actually get an answer for (even if it’s only a partial one), I’d say #10 is the only sure bet, if only because it’s the one the producers have confirmed. The rest, who knows.
So far nobody’s posted info/links to the hypothetical Complete Lost Mysteries List. Come on, I know somebody’s keeping track of this stuff.
The main mystery for me is the cabin. If Ben never met Jacob, why did he bring Locke to the cabin? If it was just a ruse, why did Ilana also look for Jacob there? Whose voice did Locke hear?
Dharma: How did Inman get recruited to the Swan station after the purge? Why did the Others steear clear? Why did Jacob not try to prevent it from exploding? Why are the food drops still coming? What was really going on in the Pearl?
The kids: Why are Walt and Aaron so important?
Jacob vs MIB - lot of questions there, but we’ll see what’s still left up in the air after next week’s episode.
At this point this is the only thing that really concerns me. I want to know who, and more importantly, what Jacob and Smokey are. I’ve had other questions but they all have been answered adequately or they’ve had enough information dropped to speculate toward plausible explanations.
Unfortunately, I think a definitive answer about their origins might be the one answer we don’t get before the end.
