EARLY AND LATE

This is an early promotional picture for LOST. It is interesting to reflect on how the early LOST vision as set forth in the photograph panned out in the actual series.

Front and center are Jack and Kate. In the original scripts, Kate was going to be the main focal character of the series. She did not have the criminal back story of the pilot. She was a little older, wiser, married (and may be widowed after the crash). Jack was supposed to be one of the first initial characters to be killed off (purely for dramatic purposes; to show how the island was a dangerous place). But viewers were quickly drawn to Jack, so the network made him the focal character of the series. In many respects, Kate remained the main female lead, but with a more secondary role.

Just behind Jack and Kate, literally having Jack's back is Charlie. Charlie's original character development was going to be Jack's right hand man - - - his loyal friend who would be in the center of most of the action (in some ways Kate morphs into this buddy role for Jack). Charlie's character went from possible loyal companion to lone-sick, drug addicted puppy.

Sawyer stood in the fourth lead role in the photograph. His character had the built-in elements for conflict: cockiness, rudeness, humor, criminal intent, and ballsy personality. He was a primary character who really did not affect the main plot lines. His decisions did not affect the final ending of the series. He was more representative of "leave me alone" survivor than a community builder.

Interestingly, the next group represents the "family element" of the show. ABC billed itself as the family network. Sun and Jin were the allegedly happy newly weds who we would learn were escaping from her demanding father. Whether the language barrier and stereotypical discrimination elements were initially cast for the Korean couple is unknown. But their story seemed to be more filler episodes than an overwhelming key to the solving of any of the island's mysteries.

Now, Walt and Michael could have been huge factors in the island story development. Walt was in fact touted early that he had "special powers." The danger and cruelty of the Others was established when they kidnapped children like Walt. The dynamic of a child reunited with a father he never knew was probably the most complete and compelling story foundation in the series. But that story arc got the short shaft based upon Walt's actor literally growing out his part. Then the writers began to use Michael as some all-knowing McGuyver on construction, boating, etc. to make him an unbelievable character.  The families never made it to the end as a complete unit. Sun and Jin's back story was better than their island story. Walt and Michael's story just fell off the face of the Earth with the muddy main story supernatural elements taking over the plot.

The first of the background characters were Locke and Hurley.  This makes sense in one regard: both were loners. Hurley was supposed to be a successful businessman and Locke a knock-about bachelor who never could get his act together. But once the show began to be filmed, Locke turned into a miracle survivor on his own quest for acceptance and recognition from his peers. Hurley turned into a meek soldier who lent himself for comic relief. Both men were originally not supposed to play big roles in the series. But the viewers were quickly drawn to the excellent acting skills and personality traits to become fan favorites.

Ironically, the next background pair actually wound up together in the end even though their characters were polar opposites. Shannon was the typical rich bitch, spoiled brat persona which would have had a hard time adjusting to the primitive island life. She had little skills (except French) to contribute to any plot. She was cast for eye candy. Sayid was supposed to be another diversity character, with the background that would cast an evil eye toward him. As someone who fought against the Americans in Iraq, he would naturally be considered by the other survivors as suspicious and untrustworthy. The camp needed his skills but the camp leaders could not deal with the politics of accepting an outsider as an equal. Sayid's role grew to be that "go-to" mission specialist in electronics, weapons, rescues, tracking, etc.

Off by himself, which really happened as the series went on, was Boone. Boone initially had a greater role in the series, but with an ensemble cast he was not paired with a dynamic focal character. In the pilot he was put into the role of potential go-getter leader, but was quickly shot down by Jack. Boone was left to gravitate towards Locke's stronger outback character as the Gilligan to the Skipper relationship. In many respects, Boone had the target of being a red shirt in the writer's room.

The last character in the photo was Claire. She was developed as a main character in the original treatments. As a pregnant young woman, her story was a simple tale of an unwanted pregnancy, bad decision making, and a horrible end crash landing on the island. One would have suspected that she could have died in child birth, got the island infection or had mad PPD to become an outcast in the group. But for Charlie's diminished role to Jack's leadership squad, Claire would have been quicklly written out of the series. Still, her motherhood role did not have any bearing in helping the main island themes pan out into interesting reveals. In fact, the Others intense interest in her, her baby, her birth, the infection shots, the kidnapping and her rescue had no impact on the Season 6 story elements.

What is interesting to note from this photograph is Bernard and Rose are missing from it. They were a "family" element more stable than any other pairing on the show. They were the "adults" in the room. In many respects, they were the base line for common sense on the show. But clearly, they were never intended to have any major role in the series.

DEAL WITH THE DEVIL

One of the themes was good vs. evil. Most literature has this theme in one form or another. It is the basis for most conflict between characters and it gives a writer a redemption road map to change an evil person to change to good.

Jacob was protrayed in white. White is symbolic of good. MIB was dressed in black. Black is symbolic of evil. But things may not be as they appear.

There are various theories that have Jacob as the Bad Guy. And there is plenty of support for it.

Why would a good, immortal angel like Jacob walk up to Locke just after he was pushed through a skyscraper window to land crippled on the ground just to say he was sorry. Wouldn't a "good" supernatural being heal Locke - - - give him the miracle he was searching for?

Also, when Sayid finally found the love of his life, Nadia, in the O6 story arc, it was Jacob who stopped Sayid from crossing the street - - - which allowed Nadia to be killed by a motor vehicle. Wouldn't a good supernatural being protect Sayid - - -  and stop both of them from harm?

And the clearest story of the series about Jacob came from Dogen. Dogen was the man who supervised the Temple. He said that he was a distracted father. He never cared much for his son. But after he was in a traffic accident, and his son was critically injured, Jacob came to the hospital and offered Dogen a deal. He would save his son in exchange for Dogen coming to the island to serve him.

Dogen made the deal.

He would not see his son again. But he knew that his son would live.

This story is a key foundational element that Jacob was not good. Why would someone good make a father chose between his own life and his son's?  Logically, the bargain was Dogen's life for his son's. That means that Dogen would the substitute soul that the grim reaper was going to take to the underworld. That means that Dogen gave up his life in a bargain with the Devil. That Dogen gave up his life to follow Jacob to the island means that the island is Hell.

In Christian texts, the Devil was fallen angel banished from heaven after he had a jealous rage against God. The Devil vowed one day to return to overthrow God and rule paradise. But the Devil was never strong enough to do so. Other texts believe that the Devil was sent to Hell not as a punishment but to prepare human souls for their journey to Heaven. The Devil is a warden for those sentenced to Hell, the portal purgatory between life, death and the after life.

But even the job of being a warden would be a dull, thankless task. Dealing with the worst, immoral and corrupt people for eternity, far away from the paradise he once enjoyed, the Devil would want to find a "loophole" from God's service. The loophole he sought was a person who would take over his job and become the Devil - - - the guard of the island (Hell).

The candidates were good people who could do the thankless job of helping other people through their sins. But Jacob could not tell them. Each soul retains their own free will. For example, Ben's psychotic anti-social behavior did change after he killed Jacob. Jacob's own followers decided not to kill him - - - which gave Ben a chance to change to become a good person. Even in the sideways world, Ben's new attitude was that he needed to make amends for his past mistakes before moving on to paradise.

If one looks at LOST through the "prison" of various deals with the Devil, Jacob, it is interesting that most characters did achieve something that they were missing or looking for in their pathetic lives. Charlie got his own "family" in Claire and Aaron. Claire actually found a man who would love her unconditionally and never leave her. Locke found something he never had: a group of friends who believed and respected him. How each character got to their revelation moments is actually quite sadistic and dramatic, but there is that underlying theme that the characters were pushed into their decisions, deals, with Jacob for a greater purpose.

BUGS IN THE SYSTEM

What is the meaning of Life?

It is a question that humans have contemplated since they became aware of their own existence, and then their own mortality.

From a purely objective standpoint, what are the roles of humans on this planet.

Basically, we all gather energy, consume energy, store energy, and use energy. The byproduct of all these biochemical factors is the create of waste. Waste that is then used as food/energy source by the smallest microbes. Some scientists have compared the human body to that of a complex industrial factory. Instead of an actual product at the end of the production line, the final discharge is human waste.

Evolutionists believe that from the primordial muck, bits of chemical molecules began to bond together to create more complex life forms like microbes and bacteria. Over time, these single cell creatures evolved into multi-cell beings to the current highly complex animal species. But throughout this entire evolutionary chain, the same basic tenet applies: life needs to find, consume, store and use energy in order to live. The microbe level breaks down chemicals and materials from higher life forms or found in nature. But if nature is a matter of creating efficiencies, in closed ecosystems of mutual cooperation (such as trees releasing oxygen for humans and humans releasing carbon dioxide needed for tree growth), then it makes sense to see that humans are the greatest microbe factory to feed microbes their favorite food sources - - - waste.

The microbe theory can be applied to LOST in the sense that the smoke monster appears to be a complex form of nanobots or microbes that have evolved into an intelligent being. The smoke monster preyed upon human beings - - - but not in the normal biochemical consumption sense, but a different form of energy - - - emotional.

Though never discussed by TPTB, one could tangentially say that one good theory for the show's "big theme" could be the evolutionary process on mankind is really the continuation of micro-biology finding bigger and better ways to support the smallest life forms on the planet. People are the sheep created by then herded by the microbes. Mankind's own self-importance and arrogance would erase any concept that they are food factories for the unseen bugs that populate every surface on the planet.

THE STATION UNDER THE CHURCH

In 2007, after Ben murdered Locke, he found his way to Eloise's church. In the basement was the Dharma location station, the Lamp Post.

This has always been an odd set.

Eloise's church was also the same church found in the sideways world conclusion. Open question: whether they are one in the same, meaning in the afterlife time period. If so, then would not Locke been the only one to get to the Dharma location station since he was the only one "dead." Unless of course, death is nebulous concept that we don't fully understand.

Meeting her one night at the church, Eloise urged Ben that he had only 70 hours to reunite them—else "Then God help us all."  Ben brought Jack, Sun and Desmond to the church,  whereupon Eloise escorted them down into the Lamp Post and explained that it was built as the DHARMA Initiative's means of locating the Island. Eloise then supplied them information about Ajira flight and the warning that they must be aboard that flight and must work to recreate the conditions of Oceanic Flight 815 as nearly as possible. She also gave Jack Locke's suicide note and explained that Locke's body would have to be aboard the flight as well, serving as a proxy for Jack's dead father, and would therefore have to carry something of Jack's father on him.

Now, in retrospect, none of that makes any sense. Jacob was the one power that could bring humans to the island, not some mythical, complex "recreation" of prior events. Even MIB confirmed that it was Jacob's power that brought people to corrupt the island. And at the Lighthouse, Jacob himself inferred to Hurley and Jack that he was the sole power on the island as it guardian; that he spied on all his potential candidates prior to bringing them to the island.

Why did everything have to be "re-created" in Ajira to get the castaways back to the island? Clearly, this was false because the passengers and pilot were different on Ajira. And there were "new" survivors of that crash landing.  Then also, how did Ben "know" about the "need" to build the runway on the Hydra Island "years" before the actual event?  Recall, when Ben had Kate and Sawyer in the bear cages, their work detail was scraping the jungle to create a runway.

No, Eloise "story" or "magic spell" elements does not make sense. Sure, it was a con-job to entice the O6 back to the island, but that did not work either considering Aaron never returned with the group. The "substitution" of Locke's body for Jack's deceased father also made no sense since there was no substitute on the plane for Locke.

So why would it be necessary to con the O6 people?

More importantly, when did the "con" start?  It may have started early on prior to the rescue of the helicopter crash survivors and the arrival on Penny's boat. If you try to tie Eloise's church and the sideways church as the same (in time and space), logic would conclude that the O6 never "survived" their helicopter crash. Penny's boat was an illusion - - - the ferryman to carry the lost souls to the after life (the sideways world). Because the Coast Guard, press conference and their "life" afterward (especially Kate's trial) were all messed up fantasy. If the O6 had died, they needed to be brought back to the island to be "reborn."   So the direction was coming from the sideways Eloise from the beginning.

Even today, some theologians are unsure whether heaven or hell exists; and some believe that people living on Earth are actually living in heaven or hell, depending on their circumstances. We just believe that this is Life, but in one respect we cannot prove it one way or the other.

The symbolism of using a church as the Lamp Post (itself symbolic of giving light in the darkness, death) and in the sideways reunion hall is a key clue. When Christian told Jack that some people lived and died well before and well after Jack (and Jack's island's death was still to come) that may mean that Jack died during the freighter story arc with the O6. The reason Eloise wanted Jack and the others to return to the island was simple: to make them "forget" about their deaths caused by the island - - - in order for her to keep up her sideways world illusions of life in the afterlife since she was desperate to keep her son, Daniel, from knowing the details of his own island death. In this theory, Eloise is the supreme puppet master, who created the mythology of the island, Dharma, an evil husband trope and the ability to suspend logic and intelligence in her subjects. But like all lab rats, the characters had retained enough free will to muck up Eloise's plans.

Another factor is that if the island could not be found without the Lamp Post, how did Widmore find it? Eloise must have told him about it since she controlled the station. It also goes to what the island really was: was it a cloaked space craft or a portal to a different dimension in time and space. More evidence seems to point to the latter, as in life and afterlife.

The island was a prison, but for characters that Eloise needed to keep at bay in order to keep her illusion with Daniel alive. That would mean that even Jacob and his brother were pawns in an elaborate scheme - - - tricked into becoming candidates and guardians for eternity. That could mean that everyone on the island had a connection to Daniel and his mother - - - like Dogen at music recitals because Daniel was into that. Or Jacob, Patchy and the Others were former teachers, students, colleagues in business that Daniel had met. The idea of erasing Daniel's past and implanting the perfect sideways memories in him was Eloise's ultimate goal. She turned time and space, physics and energy against the laws of nature and human evolution to make it happen.

MULTI-VERSES

One of the bothersome aspects of LOST was its backhand use of Time to distort the plot lines.

Most people consider a time line as a lineal progression of events in a daily second, minute, hour grid. Ancient people felt that time was a cycle that progressed like the seasons.

One science fiction genre is the parallel universe. It is trope that allows a writer to "alter" present reality but mask it with the all the familiar settings of our current world.

Multiverses is the plural of a parallel universes. In some fictional mythologies, every action one does in real life affects and changes the pathway and development in an alternative universe. And since there are trillions of daily decisions, there are almost infinite parallel universes based on the outcomes.

A basic example of this change is this:

You are in Universe A at a stop sign. Your plan is to turn left to go to the store. But if you turn right, you suddenly alter the decision to create a Universe B. In Universe A you get to the store and buy your goods. But in Universe B you drive into a gas station, to be shot and killed during a botched robbery. In Universe A you go home to your family. In Universe B your family comes to the morgue, setting off a series of unintended consequences. In Universe B, your spouse can either remain single or remarry a close friend, which creates a new Universe C. In Universe C, the second marriage complicates the relationships between your children, splitting them onto various destructive paths in other universes. It is an avalanche or domino effect.

One theory about LOST is that the show's premise is that of multiverses. The continuity errors between shows and seasons are not errors per se, but the effects of previous actions.

If one breaks a part the show, one can find four different parallel universes:

1. The Pre-Flight 815 World.
2. The Post-Crash Island World.
3. The O6 World.
4. The Sideways World.

The Pre-Flight 815 World seems to be the "real" world in the context of the characters' background stories, and how they came to Sydney, which was the focal point of change. There was something in the preboarding that altered the normal time line to create the post-crash island world. Perhaps it was the airline not putting Christian's body on the plane. As a result, the normal universe created a second parallel universe where the plane lands safely in LAX. However, there is an alternative explanation that the pre-flight world was actually part of the sideways continuum.

The Sideways World where Flight 815 did not crash could be considered by some to be the first or "real" world view. This is because in normal course of events, planes arrive at their destination. In the sideways world, people go forward with their lives unaffected by the flight events. (This is problematic for some viewers because that would infer that the real world began as an afterlife setting.)

Some event on board the plane, such as Bernard going to the back cabin, altered the normal universe event line, which in turn caused a parallel universe to be created where the plane crashes on the island.  This can be considered true because in the sideways universe, Ben was seen as an Sydney airport employee, which would be impossible since he was on the island at the time of the plane crash unaware of Flight 815.

Once the second world, the island, was created, it spawned two more parallel universes.  The island world seems to be a "closed" system since it was difficult for outsiders to find. The barrier could be considered the border between universes. Some scientists believe that time and space (or Einstein's concept of space-time) can be the separation fields between universes. The next universe created would be the O6 world which had different events and outcomes than the sideways world.

Since each universe is self-contained, the timing of the life events can be different. This is the only way to logically explain why Aaron and Ji Yeon could be "born" both in the sideways world and in other worlds. On the island world, Sun was found pregnant on the island and gave birth in the O6 world. However, she had to be far along her pregnancy in the sideways world because in that time line (a few weeks) she gave birth to her child in the hospital.

When the show runners talk now about asking the big questions like life or death to help temper the complaints about the show's direction and conclusion, that seems like a throw-a-way bone to fans. It does not help explain the apparent inconsistencies in scripts and seasons. The bigger question is whether the multiverse theory is the best foundation to help understand the show's big premise.

HOW FAR CAN ONE FALL?

One of the first plot contentions in LOST was the survival of the passengers in the plane crash. Whether or not the passengers could survive a mid-flight, high altitude, broken apart plane crash set the path of science/reality vs. fiction/fantasy; life or death.

There are exceptions to the rule, but for the most part when a commercial airplane is in distress during flight and crashes in the ocean or on land, there are no survivors. The recent Germanwings and the Malaysian Airlines crashes are evidence that plane crashes are a violent end.  Planes are flying approximately 500 miles an hour during flight.  The momentum of a sudden change in flight path toward the ground, and resulting impact forces creates a deadly end.

The first hurdle in the believability of LOST's story is whether so many passengers could have survived a mid-air plane break-up from approximately 33,000 feet.

There is an example of a flight attendant, Vensa Vulovic, who survived a Serbian plane crash in 1972 after falling 33,000 feet. How she survived is not fully clear. Some scientists think one raises their chances of survival by becoming "wreckage riders," holding on to parts of the plane debris like a glider to lessen the impact forces. But it highly unrealistic to have so many panicked passengers thinking about improvising paragliders while the plane falls a part around them.  Besides, we know that the passengers "landed" on the ground (or ocean) such as Jack in the bamboo field.

In another example, a World War II pilot survived a bail out of his plane at 20,000 feet when he crashed through a glass roof which science believes "spread out the impact" of the crash force to survivable levels. (Mythbusters tried to re-create a similar story where an airman fell toward a building that blew up below him, creating an "air cushion" to lessen his impact. It was not confirmed.)

The facts seem straight forward. 

Terminal velocity is 120 miles per hour. That is the maximum speed an object, like a human body, reaches when in free fall. 

It is not the height that causes fatal injuries, it is the impact.

First, physics  how and where you land is one of the major factors in whether you get up from the ground or go 6 feet further into it. If you can make the time [landing] longer, the force needed to stop you is smaller. Think of punching a wall or a mattress. The wall is rigid and the time of interaction is short so the force is large. People who have survived falls, they’ve managed to increase that time, even if it’s in milliseconds. From one millisecond to three, that’s three times longer, three times less force needed for the same change in momentum. 

Second, survivors who have plummeted into snow, trees, or something that can better absorb your landing than, say, concrete or water, have a better chance of survival. Spreading out the force of impact away from one's body is a key factor in survival.

Third, another factor is slowing the descent. Increasing surface area means more energy is required to push air out of your way, slowing you down. The “flying squirrel” position, body splayed out, is preferred over falling feet or head first. By increasing that drag is the biggest factor in keeping you alive.  This is why a parachute’s large surface area is best to slow descent speed.  

But some scientists state that there are issues even before one hits the ground. If you start your fall from high altitude, the air is thin. You may not have enough oxygen to survive. Further, if one body spins in the fall turbulence, the blood can rush to one's head and will kill you. Also, the friction of the fall could burn skin or beat up internal organs causing hemorrhages.

So it is probable that falling passengers could die during the fall (especially if they had pre-existing health conditions) or upon impact with the ground.

Now, many will remember the scene from the barracks that showed Flight 815 breaking up over the island at an apparent "low" altitude. This is debatable continuity error, because the prior "on board" sequence of events clearly showed no elevation change of the plane from its cruising 30-35,000 feet level when in seconds, the plane broke a part. Perhaps the second scene was used in order to "white wash" or change the perception of the story from the cries that fans who theorized that everyone died in the plane crash and the show was about purgatory.

But from the physical, objective evidence seen in the show's first season, one has to assume in the normal course of events, there would have been no survivors of the plane crash. But LOST is a fictional show, so it is possible to stretch the truth to create a plausible reality. But the writers did not fully explain how so many passengers could have survived a high altitude plane crash. If the writers said that the plane got caught in the island's sci-fi "unique" electromagnetic field that lessened the impact of the free fall, then why did most of the passengers die anyway? And when the writers added the fact that only Jacob could "bring" people to the island, this shows that the island was not a "real" island but some supernatural place in another dimension of time or space (such as purgatory).

It would have been much easier to start the series premises with a cruise ship disaster and the survivors floating ashore (such as was the case with Rousseau's ship). But having a questionable survival situation from a plane crash, coupled with an immortal being collecting "candidates" to play a game with a smoke monster tends to put the evidence clearly in the camp that the characters never survived the plane crash. Likewise, such sci-fi elements call into question whether the characters were ever even on a plane to begin with . . .  an open ended premise that we can continue to debate ad nauseaum.

THE SUDDEN END

LOST's writing and creative staff admired how The Sopranos ended even though it left many viewers and critics baffled by it.

The Sopranos was one of the most controversial endings in television history. The camera suddenly cuts to black after a quick shot of Tony Soprano looking up from his plate of onion rings in a small town New Jersey diner, loyal viewers were left, quite literally, in the dark as to the fate of the beloved/reviled mobster. Did he die? Did he live? No one, except the show’s creator David Chase, knows for sure. In the past, Chase has rebuffed any suggestion of any fan’s conclusion to his series.

That said, in DGA Quarterly, Chase goes into a lengthy, incredibly detailed, and wildly fascinating dissection of this memorable finale. He breaks down the action shot-by-shot, giving hardcore fans unprecedented access into his thought process and directing choices, including some awesome insight into why he chose Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” to score the scene:

I love the timing of the lyric when Carmela enters: ‘Just a small town girl livin’ in a lonely world, she took the midnight train goin’ anywhere.’ Then it talks about Tony: ‘Just a city boy,’ and we had to dim down the music so you didn’t hear the line, ‘born and raised in South Detroit.’ The music cuts out a little bit there, and they’re speaking over it. ‘He took the midnight train goin’ anywhere.’ And that to me was [everything]. I felt that those two characters had taken the midnight train a long time ago. That is their life. It means that these people are looking for something inevitable. Something they couldn’t find. I mean, they didn’t become missionaries in Africa or go to college together or do anything like that. They took the midnight train going anywhere. And the midnight train, you know, is the dark train.

I said to Gandolfini, the bell rings and you look up. That last shot of Tony ends on ‘don’t stop,’ it’s mid-song. I’m not going to go into [if that’s Tony’s POV]. I thought the possibility would go through a lot of people’s minds or maybe everybody’s mind that he was killed … I thought the ending would be somewhat jarring, sure. But not to the extent it was, and not a subject of such discussion. I really had no idea about that. I never considered the black a shot. I just thought what we see is black. The ceiling I was going for at that point, the biggest feeling I was going for, honestly, was don’t stop believing. It was very simple and much more on the nose than people think. That’s what I wanted people to believe. That life ends and death comes, but don’t stop believing. There are attachments we make in life, even though it’s all going to come to an end, that are worth so much, and we’re so lucky to have been able to experience them. Life is short. Either it ends here for Tony or some other time. But in spite of that, it’s really worth it. So don’t stop believing.

To Chase’s credit (and to most people’s frustration), he still does not give a definitive answer as to Tony’s fate. 

Some critics still think the Sopranos ending, like LOST's, was a creative cop-out.  A few infer that the creative minds drew so many plot tangents and mysteries the creator's well had run dry on how to wrap things up. Even LOST's showrunners have stumbled upon the vague explanation that the show's finale was about "bigger questions," like life and death.

What was Chase trying to say? That life ends and death comes, but don’t stop believing. There are attachments we make in life, even though it’s all going to come to an end, that are worth so much, and we’re so lucky to have been able to experience them. Life is short.

Everyone can agree "Life is short," but so is the conclusion of someone's favorite weekly entertainment show. Mankind is all about curiosity, exploration, relationships, causes and effects. And answers - - - we need to continually need to final answers otherwise we would apathy and sink like a shark who stops swimming.

But in the Sopranos ending, viewers had a cue to the long history of gangster film tropes, especially the quaint family diner "hits" by a character's rivals. And many assumed Tony got what he deserved as he looked from his plate when diner door opened . . .  but others could presume a fate worse than death such as the FBI arresting him, or an old girlfriend coming in to make a scene to destroy his family. Which such a sudden ending without more, fans were left to their own imagination to figure out what happened next.

LOST's showrunners also keep going down this path, in interviews saying it was never their intent to answer "all the questions and mysteries."  In fact, they boast proudly of not answering the big questions.  But one of the bargains in the creator-consumer entertainment complex is that the viewer or reader is not to being tricked into thinking that the time, energy and resources given to the show, film or book was for naught. A creator who takes a path of creating mysteries is bound by this implied contract with his audience to answer what he created for them. Despite LOST being a highly fan-interactive show, it was not up to the fans to write their own ending to their series.

Yes, creators and writers have the right to see their personal vision to their end. But then they should at least have the decency to explain their ending to questioning fans. Otherwise, there is a smoldering resentment that carries on long after the series' end.
 

LOCKE STEP

Was John Locke the Key to Lost?

Many things have been said and written about LOST, but one thing has not been its clarity. LOST continues to befuddle, confuse and head scratch the best of series scholars. Since the ensemble cast had so many back stories, conflicts and relationship issues, it was the ultimate smoke screen (smoke monsters excepted) to NOT tell us what was really going on.

Let's look at some objective situations with the show's beloved whipping boy, Locke.

Prior to Flight 815, Locke was a handicapped loner who totally screwed up everything in his life. He was abandoned by his crazy teen mother who had been knocked up in the 1950s by a traveling con man. Locke miraculously survived a premature birth in a rural hospital with no advanced technology (but he was visited by Albert, an immortal island liaison who would try to recruit young Locke to the island.)

Locke was literally and figuratively a "broken man" when he got aboard the flight to LAX. His outback adventure turned into a bitter rejection. His final straw in his life snapped when he was not allowed to go on the trip.

One could remark at this point that Locke's outrageous and outlandish dreams had turned into one, big nightmare. And the "crash" on the island could be the manifestation of his nightmare.

Science has tied psychotic tendencies in parents to their children. There may be a genetic component to mental illness. Since Locke's mother was institutionalized, there may have been some lingering paranoia and delusional behavior hard wired into Locke's mind. As such, Locke's mental state could be the real state of the show, as many theories have speculated that the premise of the show had to be the fantasies and fears of a person's mind.

Locke was permanently paralyzed. There was no medical procedure to correct his crushed spinal cord. He would be trapped in his wheelchair for the rest of his life.

But once he "survived" the plane crash, he was no longer "trapped" in his wheelchair. That is a physical impossibility. The physical impact of a plane crash does not "heal" broken bones; it tears a part of person's body upon impact. Locke's transformation from a severely handicapped man to a strong,  outback survivalist was unbelievable. A few people believe that the island's "healing" properties "changed" Locke. But that theory does not objectively hold true as many of the other passengers were in good health but sustained traumatic and fatal injuries. Other viewers believe that Locke was chosen by god to do his work - - - a supernatural intervention. Again, there is little evidence that any spiritual god was part of the show, let alone communicating and giving characters personal miracles. For if the island was a spiritual dimension, our general notions of good vs. evil; right vs. wrong; and the moral litmus tests for eventual good souls to go to paradise, none of those concepts were present in any religious context. In fact, some really, really bad people wound up in the same heavenly afterlife as the good people. So, a minority view Locke as the poster boy for "everyone died" theory.

Now, TPTB continue to vehemently deny that the passengers on 815 died on impact, and the island was about purgatory. But objectively, they contradicted themselves in Season 6 where the run-up to the conclusion was clearly "everyone died."

In fact a few people, including Locke, "died" many times. A few doubt Locke survived the fall from the office building (where he was met by Jacob who "touched" him, perhaps bringing him "back to life?") Some believe that Locke and his fellow passengers did not survive the plane crash. Later, some view the FDW and purple flash as another death portal that a normal human being could not survive. Then, we saw Locke strangled by Ben. Then we saw Locke's form reincarnated by MIB on the island to seek revenge against everyone - - - then falling dead to the rocks after being shot by Kate.

Locke went from an abandoned baby who should not have survived, to a abandoned adult in foster homes, to a loner and loser adult who bounced from job to job with no direction or common sense, to being tricked into giving up a kidney to a con man, to being crippled by the same man, then surviving a plane crash to become a heroic hunter leader. It sounds too made up to be true (even in this fictional series). Locke's path shows the self-grandeur that Locke himself would dream himself to be.  This bolsters the dream theorists who think that the show was about one man's fantasies about himself.

It is a good study to show Locke's dreams (being a leader, a hunter, a lady's man, a jock, etc) seem to collide with his subconscious fears, phobias and experiences (being a worker, without friends, bad with women, anger and authority issues, etc.). The torment of Locke's mind is the sowed fertile fields of his imagination - - - the back and forth between the good (dreams) and bad (nightmares). This sums up the LOST experience, through Locke's own story.

Locke's own story could be the real story of LOST.

REAL TO UNREAL

I never understood why Charlie's character wanted to die. He could have easily saved himself by getting out of the control room, even after Patchy flooded it by exploding a porthole (which is question for another day).

Charlie had much to live for:

1. He wanted very much to protect Claire and Aaron.
2. He wanted to have a family with Claire and Aaron.
3. He wanted to get his career back on track, since the island gave him a second chance at life.
4. He wanted to be a hero, so people would look upon him not as a "one hit wonder," but a real person.

His relationship with Claire was not that unusual. Claire was the damsel in distress after the crash. Who wants to deal with a pregnant woman in shock? But Charlie did - - - instinctively. But initially Charlie felt he did not have the skills to impress and keep her: Jack was the medical savior protecting her baby, while Locke was the hands on guy who could build her shelter and a crib. All Charlie could give Claire was kindness, something that apparently was lacking in her life.

And Claire did not know how to react to Charlie's affection.  She was put off by his imposition of himself into her island situation. She did not have the same feelings for him. Some would say her hormones were all out of whack, and the added stress of the Others wanting to take her child made her mad. But even as frustrated as Charlie got, he never gave up. When she was kidnapped, he went into the jungle to confront the Others - - -  and he wound up hanged by a tree. Jack had to cut him down - - - which brings us to an island tangent: did Charlie actually "die" in that encounter to be reincarnated as a smoke monster or soul seeking forgiveness of Claire for not being able to protect her like he had promised her?

If Charlie was Charlie 2.0 (soul/smoke monster/reincarnation) that would put a whole different spin on "what" the island was . . . . beyond a metaphysical dimension in time or space but a soul proving ground for redemption.

But after Desmond's purple fail safe moment (which like Charlie's hanging should have killed Desmond, who was found naked in the jungle), Claire seemed to gravitate toward Desmond rather than Charlie. It made Charlie jealous.  Then when Desmond told Charlie he could see future visions, including Claire and Aaron leaving the island on a helicopter, Charlie knew he had to make that happen. But when Desmond told him that he also saw Charlie dying - - - they connected the two visions as being a cause and effect. In order to save Claire, Charlie had to die.

There were no "rules" which made that connection true. Charlie's own weaknesses: his low self-esteem, his jealousy, his rejection, his self-pity, all contributed to his suicidal but heroic stance in the control room. In order to radio for rescue, Charlie had to recognize a musical pattern code to unlock the panel. This always seemed to contrived to be true reality. But it made Charlie the "only" person who could figure it out - - - his own supernatural power. But once he got contact established, he found out that Desmond's vision was wrong: it was not Penny's boat coming to save them. It was Widmore's freighter coming to kill them.

So instead of doing anything possible to bring that news back to the island - - - and to protect Claire from the coming harm - - - Charlie decided not to open the control room door. As Desmond pleaded with him to open it, Charlie drowned in what could be considered a senseless death.

The only thing that Charlie's death did was to cause other people, especially Desmond, pain. Dez's flashes were not reality and not true premonitions. Desmond's own personal motivation to get back to Penny clouded his judgment. It cost Charlie his life. It cost Charlie his chance to make things right with Claire.

After Charlie's death, Claire went insane when Aaron was taken away from her. Some believe that Claire may have been killed during that three year period of darkness - - - since she could see "Christian" a smoke monster, she too could have been recreated into one. She did not ask about Charlie at all when she encountered Kate. She did not miss him. Her sole focus was revenge.

So why did Claire rejoin up with Charlie in the after life? There connection was broken on the island when they were not on the best of terms. The sideways was an afterlife plane of existence, but it has the troublesome unreal aspect in which Aaron and Sun's baby have in common:

Why did the island pregnant women give birth to their children in the afterlife if they had already been born in the real world? 

Logically, an afterlife birth would mean that Claire and Sun never gave birth in their real worlds. That would mean the island was not in fact real. Their motherhoods were illusions. Their relationships and interactions with other people were merely dreams. The sideways world was the ultimate "do-over."

Charlie got his second chance with Claire, to experience the birth of Aaron. Claire got a loving partner in return. Their reconnection seems to be the most real of the final pairings, as we still have issues with how Jack and Kate wound up with each other while Locke never reconnected with Helen.

WHAT MYSTERY ARE YOU?

Buzzfeed has created an major business model on goofy quizzes which yield no significant, tangible results except for sharing results in social media circles.

By checking off some random photo choices, a participant gets spit out a result.

The answers included:

"What are these rules of which you speak, Charles Widmore?"
"Michael Abbadon, who are you?"
"What the fuq did that bomb do?"
 "WTF is the island?"
"Why are pregnant women dying?"
"What's up with the statue?"

KATE AND BEN'S DEAL

We know Kate was supposed to be the lead character in the original manuscripts for the series. But in the rush of the pilot and early screenings, Jack emerged from an early dramatic death candidate to the leader of the survivors.

A pivotal plot point was contained in the episode "A Tale of Two Cities."

Jack, Kate and Sawyer have been captured by the Others. Unknown to them, they have been taken to a secondary island, Hydra, and held in cells (Jack inside the facility and Kate & Sawyer in outside polar bear cages).

Jack wakes up in a holding cell. He sees chains across the ceiling. He seems to be on some kind of table. He looks at the inside of his elbow, which has a band-aid on it where something had been injected or blood given. He tries to open some kind of hatch/door but it is locked. Some kind of electronic device used to "communicate" is on the wall, but it does not seem to work. Jack sees another door on the opposite side of the room, but when he walks toward it he collides with a glass wall blocking his way. Water is dripping from the ceiling. Jack tries to break the glass, unsuccessfully. He shouts for Kate, but there is no reply. 

Kate wakes up in a bathroom with "Mr. Friendly," Tom,  standing over her. He indicates a clean towel, a new bottle of shampoo and an unwrapped bar of soap, and tells her to take "a nice hot shower." She refuses to shower in his presence, but Tom laughs and tells her she's not his type; he then leaves. Kate sees that she too has a band-aid on her arm. 

Sawyer wakes in an outdoor  zoo cage. He looks around and sees speakers and a big tube with an unknown DHARMA logo. Also, he notices other nearby structures, including a cage similar to his, with Karl inside it. Sawyer tries to get answers from him, but the man does not respond. Sawyer looks around his cage some more and sees a strange contraption/button inside that has a large "button" with a knife and fork painted on it. He tries to figure it out, and pushes the button. A "Warning" sound goes off. Sawyer pushes the button again, the same sound goes off. As he is about to push the button for a third time, the prisoner in the cell opposite warns him not to. Sawyer pushes the button anyway, and receives a painful electric shock. 

We learn fairly quickly that Hydra station was for animal experimentation. It is also away from the main island, which adds another level of security and therefore danger to the castaways. Each castaway had been apparently "injected" with something in their arm. We would later learn that Sawyer has a chest scar, as Ben shows him that he is trapped on the island, that contains an explosive device set to go off with high blood pressure. Most people believe Ben was bluffing the con man, but Sawyer believed him enough to cooperate and control his anger and rage to escape.

It is clear that this episode shows the brilliance of Ben's evil mind. He has taken three strong willed survivors and put them into a situation where he can play each their fears, desires and self-interest off each other.

But the key plot point was the beach scene.

After Kate's encounter with Tom, she takes a shower. When she emerges, she finds that someone has taken her clothes and left her a dress instead. She puts it on, reluctantly. Tom and three Others bring her to a beach, where "Henry" is waiting at a covered table with chairs, freshly cooked food, utensils, and coffee, with a pair of handcuffs on the side. He tells her to handcuff herself or she gets no coffee. 

She asks "what did you do with Sawyer and Jack?" But "Henry" notices that she started the question with Sawyer and not Jack. Kate asks for her clothes, "Henry" tells her they burned them. When she asks why he's doing all this, "Henry" responds that he gave her a dress to make her feel "like a lady," fresh food to make her feel at home, allowed her a view of the beach because her friends are seeing the same beach, and utensils to make her feel civilized. He tells Kate that he gave all those things to her so she'll have something to hold on to, because "the next two weeks will be very unpleasant."

After some experimentation, and with the help of a large rock Sawyer found outside the cell, he soon figures out the mechanism that delivers food and water. The water streams out a pipe into a trough, kibble falls on the ground as well as a large fish biscuit -- animal food. As Sawyer drinks the water, Tom returns and he puts Kate into the cell that Karl had occupied. He takes off her cuffs. She also has visible cuts from the handcuffs and Tom remarks "cut you up pretty bad, didn't they." Tom, noticing that Sawyer was able to obtain food, first congratulates him, and then mocks him by telling him that the bears figured it out in two hours.  Kate is in the cell across from Sawyer's, and he tries to make her feel better by joking around. She seems distraught, so Sawyer asks if she wants something to eat. Kate says yes, so Sawyer throws her a biscuit which she eats pitifully.

And the unsaid aspects of the beach scene hover over the rest of this story arc.

Apparently, if Kate was still hungry upon her return to the cage, then she must have not eaten with Ben on the beach. That would mean that Kate decided not to cooperate with Ben. But what was the proposal(s)?

We know that Ben had risen to power by being brutal and controlling of the Others. But as king, he wanted to solidify his kingdom with a queen. Juliet had refused his romantic overtures, so Ben killed her lover and vowed to keep her a prisoner on "his" island. We could assume that in the beach conversation, Ben made a similar demand: Kate would work with him (or be his consort) or one of her loves would die.  When Ben picked up "Sawyer's" name first in Kate's concern, Sawyer got the chest bomb. (Some could argue that was the plan all along since Ben really needed Jack to do spinal surgery on him.)

Ben had all the intel on Kate's past, so he probably used it against her. Criminal minds think a like, and Ben was a master of leverage. He could have used Kate's secrets to claim that he could turn her over to the authorities and receive maximum punishment if she did not cooperate. Kate was always a runner; a person who never wanted to face her responsibility or accountability for her actions. She also had in the past used then discarded her lovers when she needed to keep running from the law. Kate could have decided to cut a deal to "stay" on the island, i.e. to be Ben's double agent.

It would then make sense why Kate demanded to go on ALL the remaining missions. If she was Ben's inside spy, she could tell the Others exactly what the castaways were planning to do. Juliet was a later obvious choice as a triple spy, using Jack's affection for her to get herself into camp leadership and trust roles (as a medical professional helping Claire), but also to balance or confirm Kate's potential spy activities. 

The deal could have also been that Kate had to choose between Jack or Sawyer. Ben probably pressed her to choose Sawyer, since he needed Jack to turn his back his feelings on her. And it worked. Out of character, Kate made a move on Sawyer which Jack "conveniently" saw on the bear cage monitors. With Kate choosing Sawyer as her island lover, Jack was heartbroken - - - and fell in line to help Ben.

It would not have been out of character for Kate to sell out Jack by pretending to bond with Sawyer. But like all Kate's decisions, she did not follow through very long with Sawyer (only enough to escape from the Hydra station.) There was conflict in Kate's mind since she immediately started to plan a rescue mission, but it was Jack who told her to NEVER return. When she did try a rescue mission, we saw the shock on her face when she saw Jack playing toss with Tom in the Barracks yard. Jack was suddenly integrated into the enemy camp - - -  and he looked happy and content. Kate was shocked - - - and she was taken away with the impression that Jack was lost to her.

At that moment, Kate's "bad" decision in choosing Sawyer over Jack was apparent. It was a decision that would haunt her for the rest of her life. She would only "remember" the pain and deep love for Jack when she awoke her soul in the sideways afterlife. This is the only rational explanation of why Kate would be so clingy to Jack in the sideways church at the End. She got her one second chance to be forever in love with Jack - - - something that would have not happened if not for her "deal" with Ben on the Hydra beach.

TODAY IS "LOST" DAY

Variety reports that today is LOST DAY, because April 8, 2015 lines up with the Numbers on LOST.

Wednesday is being dubbed “Lost” Day by fans, as it’s the day that Hurley’s infamous lotto numbers — 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 — finally align on the calendar (April 8, 2015). The numbers really line up perfectly at 4:23:42 p.m., for those keeping track
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The series of numbers first appeared in the show on Hurley’s (Jorge Garcia) winning lotto ticket, though he was convinced that the numbers were cursed and brought him bad luck wherever he went. They would go on to become forever intertwined in “Lost’s” vast mythology, taking on a deeper meaning as the show went on.

Viewers later found out that the numbers were the ones that Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) punched into the computer in his hatch on the island every 108 minutes for three years. And as any avid “Lost” viewer knows, there are few simple coincidences in the show.

Each number actually represents one of Jacob’s candidates for becoming protector of the island, which he determined via degrees on a lighthouse mirror. For many Losties, however, the numbers simply represent hours spent obsessing over trying to figure out what they meant.

While the meaning of the numbers did disappoint some fans, there’s no doubt the once-in-a-decade day will be filled with “Lost” binge-watching, reminiscing, speculation and, of course, venting about the mysteries that still plague viewers today.

A SAINT AND A SINNER

Of all the secondary characters in LOST, Helen Norwood would probably be nominated as the most important to the underlying mythology themes of the series. She was a saint compared to all the sinners.

Helen was Locke's girlfriend for a period during his life before the plane crash, whom he had intended to marry. (In the sideways world, they were engaged to be married in October, 2004) After Locke returned to the mainland in an attempt to bring back the O6 survivors, it was revealed that she had died of a brain aneurysm in 2006. 

Locke's relationship with Helen was a bitter triumph of self-destruction. Helen had the patience of a saint. She kept giving Locke chance after chance, but Locke refused to let go of his past. Locke's anger, frustration and revenge for how he perceived his life going so wrong clouded his judgment that the best thing about his life was right in front of him: Helen, who unconditionally loved him before and after his horrible disability.

Locke and Helen met at an anger-management support group of which they were both members. After his outburst at the group about their whining, Helen approached Locke outside and told him that she appreciated his candor and shared his frustrations. She also flirted by telling him that she liked bald men - despite Locke not being bald she said that she was prepared to wait. 

Their friendship moved to the bedroom fairly quickly and continued to blossom. During a meal at a restaurant, Helen gave Locke a key to her flat as a six-month anniversary present. She told him that she'd followed him and discovered that he was sneaking out at night to lurk outside his father's   house. The gift of the key was given on the condition that he stopped going there, to which Locke agreed.

Despite his promise to stop, Locke continued to spend long periods in his car waiting outside Cooper's house. Helen followed him again and shunted her car into the back of his, stormed over to his window and snatched his keys from the ignition. She threw the keys over the security gates in the drive and implored him to give up on his obsession and take a "leap of faith" with her. Shortly after, Locke moved in with Helen. Locke eventually started making plans to propose to Helen over a romantic picnic. Unfortunately on the morning of the picnic Helen spotted Cooper's obituary in the newspaper and that the funeral was scheduled for that day. Helen accompanied Locke to the funeral to support him. Some days after the funeral, Cooper revealed to Locke that he was still alive and convinced him to participate in a criminal financial scheme in exchange for a share of the money. Locke's suspicious behavior and a run in with gang members searching for Cooper led Helen to follow him again. She turned up at the motel, where Locke was meeting Cooper to hand over the money. She demanded of Cooper: "Are you him?", slapped him and berated him for his treatment of Locke before leaving to go back to her car. Locke caught up with her in the parking lot outside and pleaded for forgiveness, went down on one knee and proposed. Helen shook her head and drove off.

But Helen was with Locke in the sideways afterlife. Things seemed different. Cooper was in a nursing home, unable to speak or function, but Helen took care of him as well as Locke. She was not demanding but supportive. Helen was the embodiment of a good partner: kind, charming, witty, loyal, trusting, helpful, and nonjudgmental. 

Helen was the best thing in Locke's life, but he failed to realize it.  In all relationships, there are fleeting moments where a couple becomes a couple, connects as a couple, and lasts as a couple. There are few if any second chances at romance with a person spurned during a first encounter. Locke had several chances to make things right but he failed over and over. 

Helen deserved better. Much better. She was like a guardian angel who gave Locke a glimpse of what he life "could have been" if not for Locke's delusional self-torment issues.

Helen also deserved a better ending in the series. We are told she died after breaking up with Locke. She died alone. She did not meet Locke in the sideways church to share or rekindle their affection for eternity. So, despite doing nothing wrong, Helen's soul is apparently trapped in a purgatory of Locke's own creation. That's a sad fate for a character who did nothing wrong to deserve such treatment.

It is almost a reverse life lesson. Locke, whose bad behavior and choices, hurt so many other lives but he was rewarded with eternal life with his island friends. Meanwhile, Helen, who took care of people, was kind and loyal to a fault, gets nothing for being of high moral character.

LIFE OR DEATH

What would you choose: life or death?

Probably 99.9 percent of us would choose life.

But what if you were so troubled that you felt that in death you would receive new life?

This is the contradiction that is the daily headlines. Suicide bombers attack innocent people under the belief that they will have a better life in afterlife. Some teens under horrible torment of bullies, self-esteem issues, too high expectations and peer pressure weigh that option.

There is also the question of faith. Individuals believe in either an afterlife or not. People hope that there time on earth has a more infinite meaning.

LOST attempted to explore those themes.

It is hard to tell whether Locke convinced himself that he was better off killing himself than trying to help the island or his friends. Recall, he basically mucked up everything in his life, including his relationship with Helen and Jack, who he considered his rival and probable best friend.

It is hard to tell when Sayid came to the conclusion that he was better off dead when he took the submarine bomb and tried to leave the ship. Recall, he had lost his Nadia, then Shannon, in tragic accidents. He was an outsider and an outcast. He may have gotten along with a few island castaways, but he never fit in.

In the big picture of LOST, the writers did dance around to the side that there is hope in death.

The sideways world has to be considered a lukewarm attempt to show the afterlife as a continuation of the human lives we all live, day to day. The sideways purgatory or weigh station to paradise/heaven mocked the same struggles of real life, but with no lasting consequences except perhaps feelings of personal regret or remorse (as with Ben who decided to "stay" on to work out some of his issues with Rousseau and Alex). But that is the odd part about LOST's vision - - - each individual is his or her own judge and jury on what sort of afterlife they will be rewarded by the unknown gods (such as Jacob, MIB, the island, or some other supernatural power).

Though we were told that the island contained the power of life, death and rebirth, the sideways world showed us that it was each individual who controlled their own destiny.

OUR JACK AND JILL

There was an untapped undercurrent in the show which could have dramatically changed its course.

And it reminds us of an interpretation of an old nursery rhyme.

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.
Up got Jack, and home did trot
As fast as he could caper
He went to bed and bound his head
With vinegar and brown paper.

There are several different tales about the origin of "Jack and Jill." One of the most popular versions involves French royalty. Many believe that the rhyme about Jack falling down and breaking his crown refers to the king of France, Louis XVI, who was beheaded during the French Revolution. And the "Jill who came tumbling after?" That would be his dear wife, Marie Antoinette, who also lost her head in the French Revolution.

Juliet could have been the Island Queen if she had accepted Ben's advances. But since Ben killed her lover in order to control her, that relationship was DOA before it began. Ben's relationship with women was more torturous than normal. But even afterward, Juliet held a lot of sway among the Others, possibly because she stood up to Ben and lived to tell. She was smart, she knew how things worked, and she could navigate her way to manipulate even Ben.

Jack was the leader of the survivor camp. Over time, he began more assertive and controlling as he made unilateral decisions on missions. He became the focal point of the Others ire. So much so that Ben tried to convert Jack into an Other, an ally. It almost worked as Jack stayed in the Others camp after Kate and Sawyer escaped the cages.

Both Jack and Juliet had similar fates of the French nobles. Both died on the island, at the hands of the island politics.

TROUBLED RELATIONSHIPS

As with the previous post on Jack and Kate's relationship, the other controversial pair ending was Shannon and Sayid.

To the vast majority of viewers, it made no sense.

Throughout the series, Sayid was shown pining for Nadia, a woman from his home land. A woman for whom Sayid tortured, then let escape - - -  turning himself into a cold blood killer (by taking out a superior officer to allow her to escape.) After the war, Sayid spent his entire life trying to find Nadia, considered by all to be "the love of his life." He went so far as to work for the CIA, a dirty deal to double cross a childhood friend in order to get a chance to meet Nadia. So, Sayid was deeply in love with Nadia.

But that is just one side of the story. Sayid's attraction and affection for Nadia was clear. But what was Nadia's true feelings toward Sayid. As a child, it would seem she had a crush on Sayid. Even in the school yard, Sayid was different: strong and a provider. But when there was political change in Iraq, Sayid would wind up on the other side: with the Guard, while Nadia and her family were in the rebel camp. This basic ideological divide would doom most couples.

But even when Sayid was ordered to torture her to get information about the rebels, Nadia seemed to forgive Sayid. As a result, Sayid's heart overwhelmed his training and rank to allow her freedom. However, some could argue that Nadia was using her past relationship to manipulate Sayid to grant her freedom - - - a ruse, a classic spy move - - - not out of love but necessity.

But the latter evidence seems to contradict this faux spy story. When Sayid was rescued as part of the O6, he was met at the airport by Nadia. They embraced. They began to start their new life together in LA. Now, various theorists don't understand how this even happened . . . why the airline would find a stranger, such as Nadia, to greet Sayid in Hawaii is a mystery. Perhaps the CIA knew her whereabouts under a protective custody program, but not an airline.

One theory has it that the O6 never made it to the awkward press conference in Honolulu. That when the freighter was blown up, the survivors were in bad shape. Penny's boat was actually a trailing shadow craft to pick up survivors for Widmore so as to reprogram the brains in a virtual reality "rescue" so as to have them volunteer to return to the island to fight Jacob/MIB. If Widmore could "fake" an underwater crash site including passenger bodies, then he could easily brain wash island survivors.

When Nadia was killed by a motor vehicle in a cross walk when Sayid was pulled by Jacob, Sayid was totally lost. He had lost his one, true love. He was a broken man. He could never love another woman. He turned into a zombie - - - easily manipulated to become Ben's assassin under the guise of getting revenge of those who killed Nadia. (This also shows a direct link between Jacob's influence to Ben's missions with Sayid.)

Even back on the island, Sayid never forgot about Nadia. So it was a shock to find Sayid winding up with Shannon in the End.  They only had a week long island affair. It was spurred by a matter of convenience and loneliness. Shannon's brother, her one protector, had died. Sayid was still seen as an outcast within the group. Shannon was in need of finding someone to take care of her since she was accustomed to the life of luxury. She used her one commodity, her beauty, as currency to find another man to be with her. But when she was killed in the jungle, Sayid was cut down to his core in emotional grief. Some think that Sayid's physical relationship with Shannon could have clouded his long term memories, or that he was actually re-living the terror of losing Nadia all over again.

Sayid was doomed at that point. Any woman he loved would die in his arms. He thought it was his fault. He could never love again because the pain was too great. In order to cut out the pain, he had to cut out his own heart - - - die and be reincarnated as an empty soul.

But when the cast was reunited in purgatory/heaven of the sideways world, the image-character of Nadia was present. But she was married to Sayid's brother, who was in trouble with the mob. Sayid had to "fix" it - - - to make Nadia happy. It was like the one woman he loved he could never have - - - but there was no evidence of that in the "real" world. So in that respect, Nadia's soul must have bonded with Sayid's brother while she waited for him to show up in the next level of existence. That must have paved the way for Sayid to release his feelings toward her, opening up the possibility of finding his second love, Shannon. But that is a weak appraisal of the overall Sayid-Nadia story line.

A week of passion with a different stranger is more important than a life long longing over a love that you finally found after years of searching? Sayid and Nadia were together in LA. They were happy. They went to Hurley and Sun's parties. So why did that love and affection carry over into the next world?

Sayid and Nadia's relationship was troubled from the beginning. He was a soldier, she was a freedom fighter. He was a poor boy, she was from an upper class family. He was repressed by his emotions, she was outgoing in her beliefs. In a world where opposites attract, they would be a perfect pair. But in reality, opposites often cause conflict in their own relationship. Deep, lasting relationships have as a foundation core similar values, goals, beliefs and mutual dreams. Perhaps Sayid's feelings toward Nadia were a dreamer's lust for something that could have been instead of actual love.

And in that regard, Shannon was the only person Sayid knew who loved him for what he truly was - - - she knew his background, she knew about all the bad things he had done, but she still took him in and loved him. Even that short term bond between two troubled souls could have a lasting impact.