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We Finally Understand The Ending Of Lost

Since airing its two-part finale in May 2010 on ABC, the polarizing ending of the landmark television series "Lost" has been a point of fierce contention among fans. For years, those who tuned in every week to check in with the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 have wrestled with the implications of the feature-length final episode — aptly titled "The End" — which was jam-packed with mind-bending twists and ambiguous answers that only seemed to set up more questions. 

From its very first episode, "Lost" made no attempt to hide its fondness for perplexing mysteries. But while the series' first season was mostly focused on the Oceanic survivors simply trying to stay alive in their new tropical home, subsequent seasons became increasingly more convoluted as the show delved into the bizarre history of the island, its strange electromagnetic properties, and the mysteriously intertwined histories of the survivors themselves. By the final season, the show had thrown time travel, alternate realities, and immortal beings into the mix. Suffice it to say, wrapping it all up over the course of two hours was a tall order, and fans came away with all sorts of different interpretations of exactly what the finale meant. 

So make sure your carry-on luggage is stowed, your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position, and that your seat belt is properly fastened because we're about to take a deep dive into the ending of "Lost," and it may be a bumpy ride.

Was the island purgatory?

From very early on in the show's run, fans worried "Lost" would end with a "they were dead the whole time" twist. Sure, creator J.J. Abrams and showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse repeatedly denied speculation that the characters died in the crash, and that the island was a form of purgatory. Still, some thought the finale's church-set ending confirmed that Abrams, Lindelof, and Cuse had been lying the whole time and that the entire show had taken place in the afterlife. Further evidence used to support this claim was footage of the original plane crash that aired over the closing credits, showing empty beaches, which some fans thought meant there'd been no survivors. 

But it turns out that the crash footage at the end was never meant to be considered as part of the finale. Instead, it was included so fans could decompress, readjust, and collect themselves as the show transitioned to the 11 PM news. ABC network executives never imagined that viewers would consider this part of the show's narrative. Further, "The End" takes pains to explicitly clarify that all the events that took place on the island were, in fact, real. During the church scene, Christian Shephard (John Terry) explains to Jack (Matthew Fox) that everything on the island did indeed come to pass. In fact, it was "the most important period" in the Oceanic survivors' lives.

What was the flash-sideways?

After five seasons filled with flashbacks and, eventually, flash-forwards, the first episode of Season 6 included something "Lost" fans were totally unprepared for — a flash- sideways , exploring an alternate reality in which Oceanic Flight 815 doesn't crash and the plane lands safely at LAX. However, the plane crash isn't the only thing different about the two realities. Instead of being a con man, Sawyer (Josh Holloway) is a cop. Instead of the strained marriage they had in the pilot, Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) and Sun (Yunjin Kim) are secret lovers. And the childless Jack suddenly has a teenage son whose mother is none other than Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell), a woman he met on the island. 

But is this all a dream? Is it maybe a parallel dimension created by the wonky powers of the island? Or is this the true timeline, and maybe the island is just an elaborate "what if" scenario? Well, in "The End," the flash-sideways is revealed to be the afterlife, where all the Oceanic survivors are brought back together following their deaths. In a way, it is  a sort of purgatory where they each have to make peace with the struggles of their lives before they can recognize one another and move on together.

Doesn't that mean they all died in the crash?

This is where the "Lost" finale tripped up many of its viewers , who reasonably assumed that in order for all of the characters on the show to have arrived in the afterlife at the same time, they had to have died at the same time. But as logical as this reasoning appears at first glance, it doesn't hold up under close scrutiny. Not only does it fail to explain the presence of characters like Juliet and Ben (Michael Emerson), who weren't on board Oceanic 815, but it doesn't account for all of the shared memories they recover once they recognize each other. After all, if they all died in the crash, how would Kate (Evangeline Lilly) remember delivering Claire's (Emilie de Ravin) baby, or how could Sayid (Naveen Andrews) recall falling in love with Shannon (Maggie Grace)?

The explanation given in "The End" is that they all died at different times, some way back in Season 1 and others many years after the end of Season 6. But time works differently in the afterlife. To the characters, it feels as though they all arrived around the same time, even if their actual deaths were many decades apart. The only thing they all had in common was that none of the characters in the flash-sideways died during the plane crash. 

So when did everyone die on Lost?

While we'd be here all day if we tried to list every death that ever occurred on "Lost," here's what we know about the deaths of the people in the church. Boone (Ian Somerhalder) dies in Season 1, succumbing to his injuries after a fall. Shannon dies early in Season 2 after being accidentally shot by Ana Lucia (Michelle Rodriguez), and Libby (Cynthia Watros) dies toward the end of the second season after being shot by Michael (Harold Perrineau). 

Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) dies in Season 3, drowning after warning Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) that the boat outside is "not Penny's boat." Locke (Terry O'Quinn) is strangled by Ben in Season 5. Juliet dies at the beginning of Season 6 after falling down a shaft and detonating a bomb. Sayid dies midway through Season 6 saving his friends from a bomb, and Sun and Jin die later in the same episode, drowning together in a sinking submarine. And Jack dies at the end of the series finale, after being stabbed by the Man in Black (Titus Welliver). 

There are also a good number of deaths that are left up to our imaginations. Kate, Sawyer, Desmond, Claire, Rose (L. Scott Caldwell), Bernard (Sam Anderson), and Penny (Sonya Walger) all survive the finale and presumably die at some point in the years afterward. And as the new protectors of the island, Hurley (Jorge Garcia) and Ben likely outlive the other survivors by quite a wide margin, but at some point, they must eventually die as well. 

What is the Heart of the Island?

A good portion of the finale focuses on the question of who will fill Jacob's (Mark Pellegrino) role as the protector of the Heart of the Island, which turns out to be a magical, glowing pool at the island's center. This pool is supposedly the source of all life, death, and rebirth, and according to Jacob, it's the cork holding back a malevolent force that could destroy the world. In the finale, this is revealed to be a literal cork, which Desmond pulls to drain the pool, nearly getting everyone killed. 

The Heart of the Island also emits a strong electromagnetic field and can manipulate space and time, as evidenced by the relocation of the island and the time travel in earlier episodes. It's also implied to have a form of consciousness, or at least self-preservation, granting immortality to the humans who are willing to take on the responsibility of keeping it safe. 

While some of the earlier mysteries of "Lost" were revealed to have at least moderately plausible sci-fi explanations, the Heart of the Island requires viewers to accept some elements of the supernatural as well. No details are ever given about the origins of the Heart of the Island, but it's said that a piece of its light is inside every living thing, and if it goes out, so do we. 

How were the survivors of Oceanic 815 connected?

Throughout the series, we see that many of the characters on the show have some sort of connection before ever getting on the plane, implying that they were always predestined to board the same doomed flight and end up on the island together. However, in the final season of "Lost," we learn more about the way that Jacob has been pulling strings for years, traveling around the world in order to bring a group of potential "candidates" to the island, in the hopes of finding someone capable of taking over for him as the island's protector. He knew his brother, the Man in Black, was searching for a way to kill him and would eventually succeed. Jacob's intent was to find a successor before that happened. 

Jacob chose people who reminded him of himself — individuals who were alone and flawed and who'd come to depend on the island as much as it would rely on them to keep it safe. All of the survivors of Oceanic 815 fit this criteria, and as the series progressed and he was able to observe their interactions on the island, Jacob began slowly whittling down his list of candidates. None of the connections we saw between the characters in flashbacks were fated or accidental. All of them were engineered by Jacob.  

What was the deal with the smoke monster?

Throughout "Lost," one of the show's most enduring mysteries is the nature of the smoke monster , a seemingly sentient column of black smoke that occasionally attacks and even kills people on the island. And it turns out that the smoke monster is another form of the Man in Black, Jacob's immortal twin brother. So how did that come about? Well, after killing their mother, the Man in Black is transformed when Jacob throws him into the Heart of the Island.

For the next 2,000 years, Jacob and the Man in Black oppose one another, as the Man in Black searches for a way around the supernatural law that keeps him from killing Jacob. As the smoke monster, he can't be killed, but he also can't leave. Over the years, he assumes his smoke monster form in order to kill the candidates Jacob brings to the island, hoping that if Jacob dies and leaves no successor, the Man in Black can finally leave. Ultimately, though, the Man in Black's immortality is linked to the Heart of the Island, so when Desmond temporarily shuts it down in the finale, he's made mortal and killed by Kate and Jack, ending the smoke monster forever. 

What happens to Hurley at the end of Lost?

After Jack is appointed as Jacob's successor as protector of the island, he promptly gets into a knife fight with the Man in Black, where he's mortally wounded. Realizing he's dying, Jack volunteers to go replace the cork at the center of the island and tells Hurley that he needs to take over as protector. Hurley agrees, and he drinks from the water that's come from the Heart of the Island, making his new role official. 

After Jack leaves to restore the Heart, Ben also suggests to Hurley that he doesn't have to "protect" the island in the same way that Jacob did and that maybe Hurley will find a better way. Hurley considers this, then asks Ben if he'll consider staying on as his second-in-command, to which Ben responds that he'd be honored. While Jacob lived for 2,000 years, Hurley doesn't have the dark counterpart in the Man in Black that made it so hard for Jacob to find a replacement protector. So although Hurley likely lives for many years following the finale, it's very possible that retirement will prove much easier for him than it did for Jacob.

How did the DHARMA Initiative fit into everything?

The DHARMA (Department of Heuristics and Research on Material Applications) Initiative first came to the island in the 1970s, with the objective of studying the unique properties of the island and harnessing them in the name of scientific advancement. While DHARMA conducted research across all fields (including studies involving polar bears), attempting to uncover the island's secrets, they never fully understood what they were dealing with when it came to the supernatural Heart of the Island. However, that didn't stop them from trying, and they constructed stations all over the island in an attempt to make sense of the bizarre phenomena they were witnessing. 

DHARMA was eventually wiped out by a group of people living on the island who were devoted to Jacob, known to the "Lost" characters as the Others. By the time Oceanic 815 crashed, DHARMA was long gone, leading the plane survivors to wonder whether DHARMA might've been responsible for some of the strange happenings on the island. But the DHARMA Initiative didn't create any of the island's "powers." Those already existed long before DHARMA showed up and were, in fact, the reason why they came in the first place.

What's the deal with the church?

At the end of "The End," after regaining their memories of their time together on the island, the main characters make their way to a church, where they see the symbols of a number of different faiths. Christian Shephard then explains to Jack that the flash-sideways was constructed by and for the Oceanic 815 survivors to help them find one another, let go of the baggage of their lives, and move on together. And according to Christian, once they were all ready to do so, they each showed up at the church, one by one.

When Jack first arrives at the church, he sees his father's coffin and seems to think he's there for Christian's funeral. But the coffin is empty, and the funeral that he'd expected is replaced by a reunion with his loved ones and hope for a new future together. The church seems to symbolize that all of the "Lost" characters have said their goodbyes to their past lives, and they're finally ready to be at peace with one another. When Christian opens the doors at the end of the episode and light floods the church, it's safe to assume that signifies "moving on," whatever that means.

Why didn't Ben go into the church at the end of Lost?

Even though Ben's presence in the flash-sideways seems to indicate that the Oceanic survivors were indeed the most significant people in his life, he elects not to enter the church with them. Before Hurley returns to the church, he tells Ben that he was a "real good number two," and Ben replies that Hurley was a "great number one," which seems to indicate that Ben and Hurley worked together on the island for a long time after the end of the series, never turning against each other like Jacob and the Man in Black. That Ben was drawn to the church with the rest of them may be an indication that, cosmically at least, his service to the island was enough to redeem him for the horrible things he'd done in life and that he could move on with the others.

However, Ben opting not to enter the church could mean that he isn't ready to move on yet. Perhaps Ben still has more people to find in the afterlife before he can let go, or maybe, despite having been forgiven by some of the people he wronged, he still has to come to terms with what he did. Another possibility is that he just can't bring himself to move on and leave his adopted daughter, Alex (Tania Raymonde), behind. It's never clarified what happens to Ben after he decides to stay outside, but we can only hope that, eventually, he finds peace.

Why was Christian Shephard in the church?

While Christian Shephard explains to Jack that the church exists to help all of the Oceanic 815 survivors "move on" with the people who'd been most significant to them in their lives, that doesn't explain what Christian himself is doing there, along with infants Aaron and Ji Yeon. None of them lived on the island (or at least, not for long), so it couldn't possibly have been the most important time in any of their lives. Surely Christian's "most significant" period would've occurred well before his death while Aaron's and Ji Yeon's would've likely been once they were adults. 

The simplest explanation for their presence is that, like all of the other people in the flash-sideways who weren't survivors of the crash, those weren't the real Christian, Aaron, and Ji Yeon. They were merely manifestations of something the Oceanic survivors needed in order to move on. While the flash-sideways was created exclusively for the survivors of Oceanic 815, perhaps Christian, along with the adult versions of Aaron and Ji Yeon, are out there in their own versions of the afterlife, searching for their own most significant people before they can move on for themselves. And sure, their presence raises some interesting questions, but it doesn't take away from "Lost's" powerful ending.

What was the deal with the numbers on Lost?

" Lost" had no shortage of ongoing mysteries that arose throughout its run, perhaps none greater than the enigmatic numbers that seem to follow the characters around like a curse. 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 popped up in all sorts of places over the course of the series, from Hurley's winning lottery ticket and Kate's trial number to the sequence that Desmond spent two years punching into a computer every 108 minutes.

"Lost" never definitively addressed the nature of the Numbers, but implied that, like so many other things on the show, the explanation behind the ascending string of figures was more mystical than scientific. Jacob assigned a number to each of the candidates he drew to the island, and the final six candidates each synced up perfectly with one of the numbers: Locke was 4, Hurley was 8, Sawyer was 15, Sayid was 16, Jack was 23, and 42 referred to either Sun or Jin Kwon. Before arriving on the island, Hurley noticed the pattern recurring in his life and associated it with bad luck, while the other candidates remained oblivious to the numbers until well after they were already on the island. It's worth noting that Hurley ultimately became the candidate chosen to become the new guardian of the island, suggesting that the numbers may have been tied into the idea of fate and inevitability — a prominent theme on "Lost."

What caused the crash of Oceanic 815?

Without the fateful crash of Oceanic Flight 815 in the pilot episode, there would've been no "Lost" at all. Like most of the other strange occurrences on the show, it turns out that the circumstances leading to the crash were more complex than it initially appeared. For a long time, it seemed likely that Oceanic 815 merely suffered some sort of tragic yet mundane technical malfunction. But as the series went on, it became clear that the plane crash was yet another circumstance that had been cosmically engineered by Jacob to serve his own millennia-long agenda.

Many factors contributed to the crash of Oceanic 815, most of which had been manipulated by Jacob, from the DHARMA Initiative building the Swan station in the first place to the careful arranging of circumstances that led to DHARMA's eventual departure from the island. But likely the most significant single piece of the equation was the arrival of Desmond Hume and the subsequent three years he spent pushing — and becoming increasingly disillusioned about — a button.

Eventually, Desmond accidentally killed his companion in the Swan station and allowed the timer to run down to zero, resulting in a system failure. Desmond was able to fix it, but not before the system unleashed an immense electromagnetic charge, which in turn caused Oceanic 815 to break apart while passing over the island. So in a way, Desmond caused the crash of Flight 815, but considering that Jacob was the one who brought Desmond to the island, arranged the circumstances that required him to push the button, and carefully selected the passengers on the flight, the electromagnetic surge and the subsequent plane crash were all part of his plan.

What happened to Jack at the end of Lost?

"Lost" was the very definition of an ensemble show, with a large cast of characters who each received their own well-developed arc and fleshed-out backstory. However, even though the series had dozens of "main" characters throughout its run, most viewers would probably agree that if you had to pick a single main character from "Lost," it was Jack Shephard . The first episode began with a shot of Jack's eye opening, and the series ended on a similar shot of his eyes closing, bookending the series on Jack's point of view. And all throughout "Lost," Jack served as a leader and central figure for the survivors of Oceanic 815.

Ultimately, of course, all of the Oceanic 815 survivors wound up reconnecting in the afterlife in the final episode of "Lost," including Jack. However, the afterlife narrative wound up confusing many viewers due to the show presenting it as an alternate reality for the entire last season. So it's understandable to be uncertain about what really happened to Jack and "Lost's" other central characters by the end of the series.

Jack may have died in the final episode, bleeding to death of stab wounds inflicted by the Man in Black, but he made some hugely significant actions in his final hours. He briefly agreed to take over from Jacob as the protector of the Island, after which he immediately fought the Man in Black to the death. In his final moments, he said goodbye to Kate and Sawyer, appointed Hurley as the island's new protector, and replaced the cork in the Heart of the Island that temporarily turned the Man in Black mortal while also threatening to sink the island and destroy the world. After Jack saved the island and everyone he loved, he finally succumbed to his wounds and died.

What happened to Kate at the end of Lost?

As part of "Lost's" central love triangle — at least for the first few seasons — Kate was one of the few Oceanic survivors who made it all the way through the final episode more or less unscathed (at least physically). After helping Jack lead the survivors on the Island, Kate managed to escape the island along with Jack and the Oceanic Six in Season 4, along with Claire's infant son, Aaron. Since Claire was still on the island, Kate raised Aaron as her own. She was also tried for the crimes she committed before the crash and was sentenced to 10 years probation on the condition that she didn't leave California.

However, Kate ultimately realized that she couldn't abandon Aaron's biological mother on the island, and she left him with Claire's mother so she could return to the island with Jack and the rest of the Oceanic Six on an Ajira flight. After being transported by the island to 1977 and participating in the events that led to the infamous electromagnetic "Incident," Kate returned to 2007 with the rest of the survivors, where she finally found Claire. After helping Jack defeat the Man in Black once and for all, she convinced Claire to join her in escaping on the Ajira plane, which a small group used to escape the island. Before leaving, she told Claire she would help her raise Aaron, although we never learn what sort of co-parenting situation they eventually worked out or whether Kate suffered any legal consequences for breaking her parole.

What happened to Sawyer at the end of Lost?

After serving as "Lost's" resident ally-antagonist for the first season, the vengeance-driven James "Sawyer" Ford gradually shed most of his bad boy persona and eventually became an integral member of the group, forming deep friendships with a number of the other 815 survivors and even falling in love with Dr. Juliet Burke during the years they spent in the 1970s. Like many of the Oceanic 815 passengers, Sawyer had a dark past before boarding the fateful flight and was fleeing from the memory of murdering a man he'd been tricked into believing was responsible for his parents' deaths.

On the island, after pursuing Kate romantically for the first few seasons, Sawyer gave up his chance to escape the island in order to allow Kate and the rest of the Oceanic Six to leave. He subsequently was transported to 1974 with a group of other survivors, where they wound up joining the DHARMA Initiative, and he and Juliet fell in love. However, after Juliet was killed in their attempts to prevent the "Incident" and Sawyer was transported back to 2007, he became determined to leave the island by any means necessary. Sawyer was instrumental in uncovering the Man in Black's plan to destroy the island and in helping Jack figure out a way to defeat him. Realizing Jack was dying, Sawyer persuaded Kate to leave the island, and they escaped together on the Ajira plane. We never learn just how long Sawyer lived after escaping the island or if he was held legally responsible for the crimes he committed before the 815 crash, but we at least know that he left the island a much better person than he was when he arrived.

Was the flash-sideways created by the island?

While the nature of the flash-sideways is at least partially addressed by the end of the show, "Lost" still leaves us with more questions than answers about its origins. What we know is that Christian Shepherd (whose true identity is itself left pretty ambiguous) tells Jack that the flash-sideways is "the place you all made together so you could find one another." Exactly how this works is left open to interpretation, including whether this sort of in-between afterlife exists for everyone who dies or just the people who lived on the island at some point.

Considering that the island also has some sort of unspecified tie to all life and death on Earth, it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibilities that the island itself created the flash-sideways. But since the island's light is said to be in everyone all around the world, not just the people on the island, that doesn't necessarily mean that its version of the afterlife is limited to the island's inhabitants. Perhaps all humans get some version of a flash-sideways in order to reconnect with the significant people from their lives or perhaps they all even share the same flash-sideways, but different people shape different sections according to who they're drawn to. It's a complex question with no clear answers, but given how many other supernatural abilities the island seems to possess, it's not out of the question that it has its fingers in the afterlife too.

Were the minor characters in the flash-sideways real?

Although "Lost" gives us a pretty definitive explanation about what happens to the main characters from the show in the flash-sideways — or at least, as definitive as it gets whenever TV tries to tackle the afterlife — it's much less clear what happens to all of the minor and background characters who are there ... or whether they were even real at all. For example, take Jack and Juliet's son David, who of course didn't exist in real life. Was he just an illusion created by Jack or Juliet, or was he another real person tossed into a fictional afterlife scenario, who also needed to awaken to his real-world memories?

Then there are characters like Nadia (Andrea Gabriel), who had significant interactions with the main "Lost" characters during their lives but who only play a minor role in the flash-sideways and never enter the church. We know that some people who don't recall their real lives and don't enter the church, such as Daniel Faraday (Jeremy Davies), were definitely the "real" versions of those people. So is everyone real and just not "awake" yet, or are most people in the flash-sideways illusions, and the real versions are in their own flash-sideways somewhere else? The series never gives us a satisfying answer to this. The closest we get is Christian telling Jack that the people on the island created the flash-sideways together, rather than it just being a universal purgatory where they were cosmically drawn together. So while the true nature of the other characters in the flash-sideways is left mostly ambiguous, our guess is that most of them weren't actually real.

What happened to the people who didn't go into the church?

While most of the main cast members of "Lost" who reconnect in the flash-sideways get closure when they head into the light at the church, there are others who were most likely real but never woke up, such as Daniel Faraday, Charles Widmore (Alan Dale), Miles Straume (Ken Leung), and Charlotte Lewis (Rebecca Mader). In Daniel's case, his mother, Eloise Hawking (Fionnula Flanagan), specifically asked Desmond not to help him remember his life so that Daniel would stay with her in the flash-sideways instead of deciding to move on. Others, such as Eloise herself and Ben Linus, opted to remain in the flash-sideways rather than entering the church.

So what happens next for them? Like many of the more existential questions surrounding the ending of "Lost," the show isn't really clear. However, there are some subtle hints that the church will be there as long as there are still characters left in the flash-sideways who may someday decide to move on. When he opts not to enter the church, Ben says he'll stay "for a while," indicating that it's not a permanent decision. And when Eloise asks Desmond if he's going to take Daniel, Desmond answers, "Not with me, no," implying that Daniel may still leave on his own eventually. So although they missed the mass exodus of the main group, our best guess is that the others who remained in the flash-sideways will still have the opportunity to wake up and move on at some point in the future, whenever they're ready.

Why weren't Michael and Walt in the flash-sideways?

Although most of the significant characters on "Lost" appeared in the flash-sideways either as people who regained their memories and moved on or people who weren't yet ready to remember (or weren't ready to move on) and stayed behind, there are two notable exceptions. Michael Dawson (Harold Perrineau) and his son Walt (Malcolm David Kelley) were both main characters for "Lost's" first couple of seasons before escaping the island at the end of Season 2.

However, Michael returned to the island in Season 4, posing as a worker on Charles Widmore's freighter and ultimately sacrificing himself for his friends, making amends for his earlier betrayal. Later, his ghost appears to Hurley, who realizes Michael is now tied to the island and can't move on. Walt is later approached by Ben and Hurley (in the unaired epilogue included with the sixth season DVD box set) after they become the island's protectors, offering him a job and saying he can help his father if he agrees to return to the island. Yet neither appears in the flash-sideways. Perhaps Hurley gave Walt immortality, similar to Richard Alpert (Néstor Carbonell), in order to allow him to stay with his father, or perhaps they both ended up tethered to the island indefinitely. Sadly, their ultimate fates are never addressed by the end of the show, so we can only hope that wherever they wound up, they're at peace.

Did the characters on Lost have free will?

After "Lost" revealed that the vast majority of its characters had been drawn to the island through Jacob meddling in their lives, it's reasonable to question how much autonomy those characters actually had to make their own decisions. It definitely seemed as though they were all free thinkers with their own agency, but if Jacob was pulling the strings behind the scenes the whole time, how can we know that their free will wasn't all an illusion? Could it be possible that all of the conflicts on the island — the struggles for power, the shifting loyalties, the surprising love stories — were actually engineered?

Well, most likely, yes and no. There's no denying that Jacob was a significant factor in everyone's lives, and his influence directly impacted many of the choices they made, often significantly. But if absolutely everything was fate, Jacob never would have had any need for "candidates" at all. He would simply have brought his successor to the island, along with the people who needed to influence that successor in order for them to choose to take over for him as Protector, and he wouldn't have needed to narrow down a list of possibilities at all. Jacob's lists of candidates — with many of their names crossed off as though they were once under consideration but weren't anymore — serve as hard evidence that while Jacob was indisputably powerful, he wasn't ultimately the one in control.

If the Numbers were each assigned to a final candidate, what was the point of the other candidates?

Bear with us here, because this one may get a little confusing. Among the most perplexing elements of the "Lost" mythology are the ubiquitous Numbers that recur throughout the series. Not only do the Numbers make up the factors of the Valenzetti Equation, which was developed in order to predict the precise date that humans would eventually go extinct, but the Numbers also appeared in many more places and contexts than that during the show's run, including being the numbers Jacob assigned to each of his six final candidates. Although he started with over a hundred candidates, by the time the show ended, all that remained were candidates 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42.

This begs the question — did Jacob realize the significance of the Numbers when he was assigning them to candidates, and if so, why did he consider any of those other people at all? Put plainly, if he already knew that these six people (Locke, Hurley, Sawyer, Sayid, Jack, and Sun or Jin) were going to be the finalists, why bother with the rest of the competition? While it is certainly possible that Jacob had no idea what the Numbers were and there was a larger hand of fate at work of which he was completely unaware, it seems unlikely that Jacob wouldn't have come across the Numbers during his millennia of life. The only explanation that makes sense is that although Jacob knew those six would be significant, he didn't necessarily know how , and he still needed to let events play out in order to narrow the field down to his final candidates.

What was the deal with the time travel?

What started as a seemingly straightforward show about groups of strangers surviving on an island together gradually evolved into something much weirder the longer the series went on. Eventually, "Lost" became a series about time travel , with characters being transported several decades back and forth in time. Ultimately, it was made clear through several storylines (such as discussions of "the Incident" in 1977, which wound up being largely caused by the Oceanic survivors trying to get back to the future) that there really was no original timeline or altered timeline. There was simply one timeline that had always existed, which certain people experienced in a nonlinear way.

But how did the time travel work, and how does it factor into the ending of "Lost?" We never get a clear answer about its mechanics, although it's implied that it has something to do with the island's powerful electromagnetic energy. As with so many other things, the island's ability to move through time and space appears to be partly a defense mechanism through which it keeps itself from being discovered on a large scale. But it also seems to have an element of fate to it, which may or may not be tied to the supernatural powers of the island. However it works, none of the characters would have wound up where they did by the end of the series without time travel — particularly Sawyer and Juliet, whose romantic reunion in the final episode would never have happened if they hadn't been thrown into the past together.

Did Desmond escape the island at the end of Lost?

Ever the enigma, Desmond Hume's earthly fate is left pretty open-ended by the end of the series. The last we see of Desmond, he's unconscious after being pulled out of the Heart of the Island cave by Hurley and Ben, after the Ajira plane has already carried off the other survivors. Ben suggests to Hurley that the first thing he could do as the island's new protector is get Desmond home, although Hurley laments that the task is impossible since no one can leave the island. "That's how Jacob ran things," Ben muses. "Maybe there's another way. A better way."

They leave it at that; we never see Desmond again while he's alive. Presumably, Hurley and Ben did figure out a way to get him back home, although how they would've done it remains a mystery. After all, without the plane, they don't have a lot of resources for intercontinental travel. Yet we do get confirmation in the show's DVD epilogue that Hurley and Ben do eventually make it off the island, so there's no reason to believe they wouldn't have been able to take Desmond with them, especially with Hurley making the rules. But whether Desmond made it home right away or whether it took a while for Hurley and Ben to figure out how travel on and off the island works, we'll never know.

What happened to the people who made it to the ending of Lost?

Although it's true that by the flash-sideways ending of "Lost," literally every character we've ever met is dead, there are a lucky few number of characters that at least make it to the end of the earth-bound narrative still alive. While many members of the show's original cast die by the time the Ajira plane makes its final flight away from the island, several remain behind, at least for a short time. In addition to Desmond, Rose and Bernard also end their "Lost" journey on the island, although unlike the time-traveling Scotsman, they actually choose to stay there. We don't know what happens to them after the Ajira plane takes off, but odds are that with Hurley in charge of the island, they're allowed to live out the remainder of their days in peace.

As for those on that Ajira plane — Frank (Jeff Fahey), Kate, Claire, Richard, Sawyer, and Miles — we don't really know much about what happens to them. It seems likely that they probably all lived for a long while after leaving the island, since otherwise their final escape would ring a little hollow, but the details of their post-island lives are mostly left up to the viewers' imaginations. Still, it seems safe to assume that Kate helped Claire reunite with Aaron, and that they went on to co-parent him together. The fact that both Claire and Kate regain their memories in the flash-sideways during Aaron's birth could subtly nod to the idea that they were both his mothers when they were alive.

Is Richard still immortal at the end of Lost?

Born in the mid-1800s, Richard Alpert was granted immortality by Jacob in exchange for acting as a liaison between Jacob and the outsiders who would come to the island. After that, Richard spent over a century doing Jacob's bidding. In the finale, he makes it off the island with the others in the Ajira plane, which is the last time we see him since he never appears in the flash-sideways. At a glance, this might seem to indicate that Richard continued to live long after everyone else died, but that's probably not the case. In the "Lost" finale, Miles observes that Richard has gotten his first gray hair, which is a subtle indication that he's started to age.

Since Jacob was the one who granted Richard his immortality, it seems likely that his long life was actually tied to Jacob's, and that when Jacob died, his magic left with him. The gray hair hints that once Richard leaves the island with the others, he will continue to age and eventually die like a normal person. But if that's the case, where did he go when he died since he's not in the flash-sideways? While we'll never know for sure, we'd like to think that Richard was finally reunited in the afterlife with his wife Isabella, who died shortly before Richard was arrested and sold into slavery, which is how he came to be on the island in the first place.

Sorry, Haters: The Lost Finale Was a Powerful, Misunderstood Ending to One of TV's Boldest Shows

For a decade, fans have been disappointed with the conclusion of the twisting ABC series. But it boils down to one question: Are you a person of science or a person of faith?

My high school statistics teacher was one of the first people to entertain my love of television. He was also the first to tell me about a show called Lost that debuted on ABC in September 2004. Having missed the whole first season and some of the second, he burned me bootleg DVDs to watch over spring break. By the time I came back, I was hooked. I followed Jack and Sawyer and Kate and Sun all the way to the end of the series, and I remember watching the finale episode in my sparsely furnished college apartment with a pizza and a bottle of wine. I remember crying. I remember thinking that the final moments—the church and the reunited cast and a Vincent (Vincent!) laying alongside a fatally injured Jack — was simply beautiful. But when I asked my stats teacher his thoughts, Mr. Milani was fully against it. He hated that the finale barely tried to answer the questions. Milani was decidedly a man of science, not of faith.

With time on my hands, I revisited the series in the past few months. That's a big undertaking because Lost 's disappointing series finale is as iconic as the show. At the time it aired—on May 23, 2010—fans famously did not understand what the hell had happened when Jack died on that island and was suddenly in a church with all his other dead friends. Were they really dead the whole time? Why didn't it answer every question this show presented in six seasons?

That finale, man. That finale busted a fandom wide open, pitting the logical against the emotional. As more answers have been revealed from showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, opinions have shifted a bit over the years. Still, I anticipated on this rewatch that I might fall into that pessimist camp. But the thing is, the finale remains nearly perfect to me. I think a big part of that is because I always invested in the series because it was about flawed people who (using my best Barbra Streisand voice) need people . And if that's not how you watched it, sure, I can see the point. The problem, in that respect, is that Lost kept stepping in piles of shit it on its way to the ending: Eloise Hawking, and Katey Sagal's random episode, and being stuck in the '70s. But Lost 's finale was a beautifully simplistic finish to an often convoluted series. It asked viewers to imagine that nothing matters but people, and that, in its own way, is unimaginably perfect.

Esquire Select

To accurately assess that finale, you kind of have to go back to the beginning of Season Five. At this point, the Oceanic Six (Sun, Kate, Jack, Hurley, Sayid, and Baby Aaron) have escaped the island and are attempting to lead normal lives while being haunted by the fact that they've abandoned the rest of the castaways on the island, which has been thrown into a time loop. Locke manages to escape the island through death, reappearing before the Oceanic Six and begging them to return. The season's multiple timelines, time jumps, and tertiary characters (hello, Widmore and Eloise?) lead to a massively confusing season that seems to forget big questions around the island's mystical qualities—questions that were too alluring to ignore, yet ultimately inconsequential to the plot.

And that's the biggest issue. Even as it was spiraling toward a final season, Lost kept introducing new questions it never wanted to answer. The series, as a whole, was always about surviving this plane crash and escaping the island, and Season Five could have ultimately operated as a season where the six people who left realize the importance of humanity without the extreme additional mythical, sci-fi elements. Instead, it launched a literal reset—a 1977 hydrogen bomb detonation at the end of Season Five blows up part of the island and effectively changes history, rendering the plane's initial crash obsolete and alters a new timeline we see play out in Season Six.

That launched the final march to a Lost conclusion — a resolution that explains that it's people, not mystery, that drives the series forward. The series spent a brilliant final season creating a thoughtful, albeit sometimes incomprehensible, alternate timeline that followed characters through a whole different existence where they managed to find one another anyway. Each character in the final season comes to reconcile both of their worlds, realizing that the one constant is the people they've shared their time with. And the finale culminates in a cast of characters saving Jack, the man who spent six seasons trying to save all of them. From the beginning, Jack and Locke represented "man of science, man of faith" respectively, and the show always wanted to prove that it's the faith in people that matters most.

It's a potentially hokey premise, but there is something beautiful in the fact that there is so much of the series that we don't understand, and yet it doesn't matter. The finale requires a certain level of faith that we're uncomfortable with... a reexamining of our own logic and expectations. Through the final season, Lost made the move to shed a lot of the baggage it had introduced along the way. Part of that irreverence had to do with Lost creators biting off more than they could chew, but it also had to do with a refocusing in its final season that aimed to center the series on its intended purpose of "people first." And even with all its stumbles, Lost couldn't have ended any other way.

I tried to figure out the origin of that purpose, which I think dials back to Episode Five of Season Four, "The Constant." Desmond introduces this concept that we all have "constants" that ground us to our reality. For the emotionally inclined, it's the Lost equivalent of " you're my person ." For the brainier crowd, think of it like an Inception totem . So instead of spending the final season trying to land a whole laundry list of successes, it took one final swing and introduces the alternate timeline to prove that even in two different realities, we can all be tied together with human relationships.

The finale itself is the culmination of a refocused premise that shouldn't have been ignored so overtly for a season and a half. The reason that the Lost finale failed in so many people's minds is because it was the coda to a series that had completely shifted gears. Audiences waited for a finale that answered the logical puzzles Lost overtly posited, when its creators aimed to home in on a nuance that had been subtly woven in over the course of six years. If you think of Lost as a first draft for the superior series that come later— The Leftovers and The Good Place , namely—the missteps become more palatable. Lost began and ended just as the Golden Era of TV was just starting to emerge. In many ways it's responsible for the cerebral, complex shows being created today. And at the time, it's possible that audiences weren't entirely ready for a nuanced conclusion that required the viewer to do much of the theoretical legwork. Watching it 10 years later, it's a finale that is on par, and expected from some of the greatest television of today, whether it's The Leftovers or The Good Place or Watchmen .

And if you're one of those people who just can't shake it a full decade later, then hey—at least we had Vincent.

@media(max-width: 73.75rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.4375rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.5625rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}} TV

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Exploring the Mysteries and Legacy of “Lost”: An In-Depth Analysis

“Lost” is a critically acclaimed TV series that premiered in 2004 and ran for six seasons. The show was created by J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and Jeffrey Lieber and was known for its intricate storytelling, complex characters, and mythology. “Lost” follows the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, who crash land on a mysterious island in the Pacific Ocean. The show was a massive hit and had a dedicated fan base that eagerly followed the characters’ journey and tried to unravel the show’s many mysteries.

Over the years, “Lost” has become an iconic show, and its influence can still be seen in today’s TV landscape. The series paved the way for other serialized dramas that explored complex themes and characters, and it continues to be a beloved and debated show among fans. In this article, we will explore the show’s plot, characters, themes, and its controversial ending. We’ll also discuss the impact that “Lost” had on TV and pop culture and why the show is still relevant today.

Plot Summary – What about series Lost

Lost ending explained, unanswered questions, character analysis, the importance of themes, legacy of “lost”.

“Lost” follows the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, which crashes on a mysterious island in the Pacific Ocean. The group of strangers must band together to survive in this strange and dangerous new environment. As the series progresses, the show’s mythology becomes increasingly complex, and the characters’ backstories and relationships are revealed through flashbacks, flash-forwards, and time travel.

Here are some of the key elements of the show’s mythology:

• The Island: The island is the central location of the show and is where the plane crash survivors find themselves stranded. The island is shrouded in mystery and is home to many secrets, including the mysterious black smoke monster and the ancient statue of Taweret.
• The Dharma Initiative: The Dharma Initiative is a research group that was stationed on the island in the 1970s. The group conducted various experiments and built several facilities on the island, including the Swan Station, which plays a significant role in the show’s mythology.
• The Others: The Others are a group of people who have been living on the island for a long time. They are initially portrayed as the show’s antagonists but are later revealed to have more complex motivations.
• The Numbers: The Numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42) are a recurring motif in the show and are believed to be cursed. They are introduced in the first season and have significant implications throughout the series.

The series finale of “Lost” aired on May 23, 2010, and was met with mixed reactions from fans and critics alike. The finale, titled “The End,” attempted to bring closure to the many plot threads and character arcs that the show had developed over six seasons.

In the finale, the survivors are reunited after their many trials and tribulations on the island. The final episode features a flash-sideways timeline that reveals that the characters are actually in a sort of purgatory or limbo, created by themselves to reunite with each other before moving on to the afterlife. Many fans were disappointed with the final episode, feeling that it left too many questions unanswered and didn’t live up to the show’s earlier promises of solving all of the show’s mysteries.

Despite the backlash, the ending has also been praised for its emotional resonance and for the way it brought closure to the many character arcs that the show had developed over its six seasons. The final shot of the show, which features Jack dying on the island while Vincent the dog lays next to him, is widely regarded as one of the most poignant moments in TV history.

Despite the show’s complex mythology, there are still several unanswered questions that fans continue to debate about. Here are some of the most prominent:

• What is the nature of the island? The show hints at various explanations, including that the island is a sort of purgatory or that it has a unique electromagnetic energy that affects time and space.
• What is the significance of the Numbers? While the show explains that the Numbers are cursed and appear throughout the show, their precise meaning is never fully explained.
• Who or what is the Smoke Monster? The Smoke Monster is a mysterious entity that terrorizes the characters on the island. While the show reveals that the Smoke Monster was once a man named Jacob’s brother, many fans still debate about the entity’s true nature and motivations.
• What is the purpose of the Dharma Initiative? The Dharma Initiative is a research group that was stationed on the island, but their exact purpose is never fully explained. The group’s experiments and research are hinted at throughout the show, but many details remain unclear.
• What happened to Walt? Walt is one of the youngest characters on the show and is revealed to have special abilities. However, the character disappears from the show after the first few seasons, and his fate is never fully explained.

“Lost” is known for its large ensemble cast and complex character arcs. Here are some of the most memorable characters and their character arcs:

• Jack Shephard: The show’s protagonist, Jack is a spinal surgeon who becomes a leader among the survivors on the island. Throughout the series, Jack struggles with his own identity and his relationship with his father. His character arc is largely focused on learning to let go and accept his own limitations.
• Kate Austen: Kate is a fugitive who is on the run from the law when she crashes on the island. Her character arc is largely focused on her relationships with the other survivors, particularly Jack and Sawyer. Over the course of the series, Kate learns to confront her past and take responsibility for her actions.
• John Locke: Locke is a mysterious figure who has a deep connection to the island. His character arc is largely focused on his search for purpose and meaning. Throughout the series, Locke struggles with his faith and his belief in destiny, culminating in his tragic death in the fifth season.
• James “Sawyer” Ford: Sawyer is a con artist who initially keeps to himself on the island. Over the course of the series, Sawyer learns to let go of his anger and grief and becomes a valuable member of the survivors’ community. His relationships with Kate and Juliet are particularly memorable.
• Benjamin Linus: Ben is a manipulative and cunning figure who is initially presented as an antagonist. As the series progresses, however, it becomes clear that Ben’s motivations are more complex than they initially appeared. His character arc is largely focused on his relationships with the other characters, particularly his daughter Alex and his adversary John Locke.

“Lost” was more than just a thrilling adventure story – it also explored a number of complex themes and messages. Some of the most prominent themes and messages include:

• Fate vs. free will: The show frequently explored the idea of whether our lives are predetermined or whether we have the ability to shape our own destiny. Characters like John Locke and Desmond Hume were particularly interested in this question, and the show often used flashbacks and flash-forwards to explore how our choices and actions can shape our futures.
• Science vs. faith: Another major theme of “Lost” was the tension between science and faith. Characters like Jack and Juliet often placed their trust in science and reason, while characters like John Locke and Mr. Eko were more interested in the island’s mystical and spiritual properties. The show often suggested that both science and faith have their limitations, and that a combination of the two may be necessary to fully understand the world around us.
• The human condition: Finally, “Lost” was deeply interested in exploring what it means to be human. The show frequently delved into questions of morality, mortality, and the nature of existence. The characters on the island were often forced to confront their own flaws and weaknesses, and the show suggested that it is through our struggles and hardships that we grow and develop as people.

“Lost” was a groundbreaking show in many ways, and its impact on TV and pop culture cannot be overstated. Here are some of the most significant ways in which the show has influenced the media landscape:

• Pioneered serialized storytelling: “Lost” was one of the first shows to fully embrace serialized storytelling, with each episode building on the last to create a complex and interconnected narrative. This approach paved the way for other serialized dramas like “Breaking Bad,” “Game of Thrones,” and “Stranger Things,” which have since become some of the most popular shows on TV.
• Created a rabid fanbase: “Lost” inspired a passionate and dedicated fanbase that dissected every detail of the show and developed elaborate theories about its mysteries. This fan culture helped to create a sense of community around the show and made it a cultural phenomenon.
• Raised the bar for TV production values: “Lost” was one of the most expensive shows of its time, with elaborate sets, stunning visual effects, and a large ensemble cast. The show’s success demonstrated that TV could be just as visually impressive and ambitious as movies, and paved the way for other high-budget shows like “Game of Thrones.”
• Influenced storytelling across media: The impact of “Lost” was not limited to TV. The show’s serialized format and use of flashbacks and flash-forwards have influenced storytelling in other media, including video games, comics, and novels.

Overall, “Lost” was a groundbreaking show that pushed the boundaries of what TV could do. Its legacy can be seen in the many complex, serialized dramas that have followed in its wake, and its impact on pop culture will be felt for many years to come.

“Lost” was a highly ambitious and complex show that captivated audiences with its mysteries, characters, and themes. From its groundbreaking use of serialized storytelling to its exploration of weighty philosophical and existential questions, the show set a new standard for what TV could achieve. Despite its divisive ending and unanswered questions, “Lost” remains a beloved and influential show that continues to inspire and fascinate viewers to this day.

Whether you’re a diehard fan or a curious newcomer, delving into the world of “Lost” is a journey well worth taking. By analyzing the show’s mysteries and themes, exploring its memorable characters, and understanding its legacy, you can gain a deeper appreciation for this groundbreaking and unforgettable show. So, whether you’re watching for the first time or revisiting the Island, get ready to be lost in the world of “Lost” once again.

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• Season 1 characters
• Season 2 characters
• Season 3 characters
• Season 4 characters
• Oceanic Flight 815 Crew and Passengers
• Middle Section Survivors
• Desmond's flashback characters
• Flashback Characters
• Deceased Characters
• Hurley's flashforward characters
• Flashforward Characters
• Nikki and Paulo's flashback characters
• Salespeople
• Season 6 characters
• Desmond's flash-sideways characters
• Claire's flash-sideways characters
• British characters
• Characters killed by Mikhail Bakunin
• Characters killed by the Others
• Survivors killed by the Others

Charlie Pace

• View history

Charlie Hieronymus Pace was a survivor from the middle section of Oceanic Flight 815 . Before the crash , he was the bassist and principal songwriter for the rock band Drive Shaft . He was addicted to heroin, but he kicked the habit on the island. He also suffered from self-doubt before the crash, but he formed new relationships on the island, including a friendship with Hurley and a romantic relationship with Claire Littleton .

Learning from Desmond he was fated to die, Charlie sacrificed himself to guide the survivors toward safety. After his death, Charlie has continued to guide his friend Hurley .

In the flash-sideways , he was reunited with his lover, Claire Littleton after she gave birth to Aaron, and along with their friends, they moved on.

• 1.1 Childhood
• 1.2 Musical career and addiction
• 1.3 Flight 815
• 2.1 Days 1-44 (Season 1)
• 2.2 Days 44-67 (Season 2)
• 2.3 Days 68-91 (Season 3)
• 3.1 Flash sideways
• 3.2 Appearances to Hurley
• 4 Character overview
• 5.1 General
• 5.2 Charlie's close encounters with death
• 6 Additional casting
• 7 Unanswered questions
• 9 References

Before the crash [ ]

Childhood [ ].

Charlie amazed at his christmas present . (" Fire + Water ")

Charlie was raised a devout Catholic and served as an altar boy. According to a dream, his mother gave him a piano one Christmas because she sensed his special musical talent. Charlie's father , however, vehemently opposed the career choice, and believed that Charlie and his brother Liam should become butchers like him. His father supported Charlie in other arenas though, teaching him to swim as a child. Charlie claimed he later became Northern England's swimming champion. (" Fire + Water ")  (" Greatest Hits ")

Musical career and addiction [ ]

Charlie honed his talents over the years, practicing and singing on the street for money . During one performance of Oasis' Wonderwall, a stranger claimed they'd been on an Island together, and Charlie jokes that "this is why we don't do drugs." Another time, he chased off a mugger after performing, and the victim he saved called him a hero. (" Flashes Before Your Eyes ")  (" Greatest Hits ")

Charlie and Liam performing in a concert. (" The Moth ")

Charlie and Liam formed a band called Drive Shaft . They initially doubted their chances, but they heard their song " You All Everybody " on the radio one day, and the group gained hope. Their song then became a hit, and the pressure of stardom consumed Liam, who turned to heroin . During their second Finland tour, he gave Charlie an heirloom ring for Christmas, thinking that only drug-free Charlie could carry on the family legacy. (" The Moth ")  (" Greatest Hits ")

The band was a one-hit wonder. Losing popularity, they stooped so low to parody their song for a diapers commercial. Liam's addiction continued as well, and Charlie stood in for him at his daughter's birth. Charlie tried rejuvenating the band with a new song , but Liam sold Charlie's piano for an Australia rehab clinic. With Liam gone, Drive Shaft ceased to exist. (" Fire + Water ")

Despite Liam's expectations, Charlie eventually turned to heroin. A year after Liam left the band, Charlie started a relationship with Lucy , a wealthy businessman's daughter, so he could rob her to pay his dealer . He changed his mind and took a job from her father, but heroin withdrawal kicked in, sending him to the hospital. Doctors returned to Lucy from Charlie's pocket a stolen antique, still covered in his vomit. (" Homecoming ")

Flight 815 [ ]

Charlie gets high in the plane's bathroom. (" Pilot, Part 2 ")

Years after Drive Shaft's fall, Charlie flew to Sydney to try and convince Liam to reform the band. Liam, now living happily with his wife and children, refused and offered to house Charlie while he fought his addiction. Charlie, not wanting to deal with his brother anymore, scoffed at this and bought a plane ticket for seat 29C aboard Oceanic Flight 815 . (" Homecoming ")  (" The Moth ")

He spent the night before the flight with a fellow addict who pretended to be a Driveshaft fan in a desperate attempt for his drugs. They fought physically over the last of his stash. On the plane, fearing a flight attendant's suspicion, Charlie threw his stash into a toilet, first snorting some of it. The plane then hit turbulence, and Charlie quickly buckled himself into a new seat. (" Exodus, Part 2 ")  (" Pilot, Part 2 ")

On the Island [ ]

Days 1-44 (season 1) [ ].

Charlie after the crash. (" Pilot, Part 1 ")

When the crash's initial aftermath had died down, Charlie accompanied Jack and Kate to the cockpit so he could secretly recover his stash from the bathroom. The Smoke Monster chased them to through the jungle, and Charlie told the other survivors. Charlie joined a group the next day that picked up Rousseau 's distress call. During the hike, the group was attacked by a polar bear . On day six, Charlie noticed a woman drowning in the sea. He ran to Jack for help, claiming he didn't swim. (" Pilot, Part 1 ")  (" Pilot, Part 2 ")  (" White Rabbit ")

Charlie makes a choice regarding his addiction . (" The Moth ")

Charlie began using heroin again. John Locke helped him with the addiction by trading him his drugs for his guitar , but withdrawal pains made him soon demand his stash back. Locke told him he would return it the third time he asked. Still suffering, Charlie later argued with Jack, causing one of the caves to collapse on Jack. Charlie crawled in though and rescued him. Later that night, successfully retrieved his drugs from Locke, he threw them into the fire and began the long road to recovery. (" Walkabout ")  (" House of the Rising Sun ")  (" The Moth ")

Charlie quickly became friends with Claire , a pregnant survivor, first offering her a second blanket the night of the crash. When half the survivors moved to the caves, he convinced her to join them by offering a pretend jar of her favorite food: peanut butter . Charlie began to feel an emotional attraction to her, which blossomed into genuine love. (" Greatest Hits ")  (" Confidence Man ")

Jack and Kate try to save Charlie. (" All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues ")  ( promotional still )

After Claire began suffering from nightmares and possible attacks, Charlie defended her against those who disbelieved her. The next day, an Other masquerading as a survivor kidnapped Claire and left Charlie to die hanging in the jungle. Kate and Jack found and resuscitated him. (" Raised by Another ")  (" All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues ")

With Claire gone, Charlie withdrew from the others. Rose confided in him though about her missing husband to comfort him. When Claire returned the survivors used her as bait to capture her kidnapper . Charlie foiled the plan by shooting him before anyone could interrogate him. Sayid warned him the murder would take its toll on Charlie. (" Whatever the Case May Be ")  (" Homecoming ")  (" Outlaws ")

Charlie kills Ethan Rom. (" Homecoming ")

Not long after, Claire gave birth to a healthy boy . Charlie took on the role of surrogate father to the child and looked after him when Claire couldn't. (" Do No Harm ")  (" The Greater Good ")

Danielle Rousseau soon after though attacked Claire and kidnapped the baby, hoping to exchange him for her missing daughter . Charlie and Sayid went after her, walking into one of Danielle 's traps on the way and coming upon a plane containing statues filled with heroin. They successfully rescued Aaron, and Charlie angrily told Danielle "You're pathetic!" as Lily had said to him. Charlie returned Aaron to Claire, but he'd brought something else back as well, one of the heroin-filled statues. (" Exodus, Part 1 ")  (" Exodus, Part 2 ")

Days 44-67 (Season 2) [ ]

Charlie questioning Locke about the Swan. (" Everybody Hates Hugo ")  ( promotional still )

No one initially told Charlie about the newly-opened Hatch , but he eventually followed Locke and demanded answers. Learning of the Swan's food, he demanded peanut butter for Claire from Hurley , who eventually complied. Charlie and Claire's relationship was good during these days - Claire tended to Charlie's wounds and casually asked after his Virgin Mary statue, not knowing its contents. Eko knew though and told Claire. He then forced Charlie to lead him to the Beechcraft , which they burned. Claire banished Charlie from her tent, believe he was using again. Charlie in fact had stashed an entire collection of heroin statues. (" Everybody Hates Hugo ")  (" Man of Science, Man of Faith ")  (" The 23rd Psalm ")

Charlie along with Aaron on the beach. (" Fire + Water ")

As Charlie struggled with his isolation, he dreamed of having to save Aaron . Locke interpreted this as more evidence of drug use, which bothered Charlie, who'd earlier laughed off Shannon 's visions. Charlie started a fire one night to distract the camp so he could "baptize" Aaron in the ocean. Claire demanded her baby's return, and Locke punched him repeatedly. Locke also confiscated Charlie's stash. Charlie retaliated by allying with Sawyer to humiliate Locke, attacking Sun to simulate the Others attacking and letting Sawyer control the Swan's guns. (" Fire + Water ")  (" Man of Science, Man of Faith ")  (" The Long Con ")

Charlie at Henry Gale's grave. (" The Whole Truth ")  ( promotional still )

Charlie found a new mentor and friend in Sayid . After interrogating a new prisoner , Sayid told Charlie he remembered what the Others had done to him and Claire. The pair later followed a map to the prisoner's supposed balloon . Charlie took a gun along, and he refused to relinquish it to Ana Lucia , but he gave it to Sayid. Charlie found the balloon, but buried beneath it, they discovered the body of the man the prisoner was impersonating. (" One of Them ")  (" The Whole Truth ")  (" Lockdown ")

After this adventure, Charlie began helping Eko build a church , and he continued alone once Eko moved to the Swan. Vincent led Charlie to the heroin statues in Sawyer's stash, and Charlie threw them into the ocean as Locke looked on. Charlie further redeemed himself by handing Claire a DHARMA vaccine from the supply drop . The two held hands at Ana Lucia and Libby 's funeral. (" Dave ")  (" Three Minutes ")

Charlie's redemption (" Three Minutes ")

The next day, Charlie saw Locke weeping in the jungle and informed him of Desmond 's return to the island. After Locke locked Eko out of the Swan's computer room, Eko enlisted Charlie's help to retrieve dynamite to blow their way in. Charlie tried to mediate between Eko and Locke, but Eko lit the dynamite, and a fireball almost killed Charlie. He awoke nearly deaf. As the Swan countdown reached zero and caused an intense electromagentic build-up, Charlie fled the station, though he first tried to rescue Eko. That night, he and Claire caught up, and they kissed. (" Live Together, Die Alone ")

Days 68-91 (Season 3) [ ]

Locke asks Charlie "to stand guard", outside the sweat lodge . (" Further Instructions ")

After Locke lost his voice, Charlie stood watch outside his sweat lodge at his request. Together, they then saved Eko from a polar bear . Charlie and Hurley later led Sayid to the injured Eko, and when Eko's tent caught fire, they dragged him out. Eko then ran off into the jungle, and they failed to find him. A few days later, as Charlie and Hurley distributed Sawyer 's stash, Desmond told them the Monster had killed Eko, and Locke warned them to keep the camp calm. (" Further Instructions ")  (" The Cost of Living ")  (" Flashes Before Your Eyes ")

Desmond began experiencing visions of Charlie dying. He constructed a lightning rod to divert lightning from Claire 's tent. He foresaw Charlie drowning trying to rescue Claire, so he saved her himself. Hurley and Charlie got him drunk , and Desmond admitted the premonitions. Charlie later failed to get further details out of him and became depressed. Hurley though recruited Charlie to drive the DHARMA van down a steep cliff, and the pair celebrated joyously when they succeeded. (" Every Man for Himself ")  (" Flashes Before Your Eyes ")  (" Tricia Tanaka Is Dead ")

Charlie tells Sun the truth about the kidnapping. (" Exposé ")

Two days later, Charlie prepared a beach-side picnic, but Desmond dissuaded him, having foreseen another of his deaths. Charlie abandoned the picnic and belittled a new rescue plan from Claire, hurting and shocking her. Desmond explained the situation, and she told Charlie they'd face the ordeal together. Later that day, the two attached a note to a seagull and released it. (" Par Avion ")

Charlie helped investigate Nikki and Paulo 's deaths, and he confessed to Sun his earlier role in her attack. The next few days passed peacefully, and he spent lots of time with Claire , even composing music again. Hurley tricked Sawyer into sharing a feast with the camp the next day, and Charlie inadvertently revealed the con. Then one day, he found Claire deathly ill in her tent. He cared for Aaron and looked after her, and when Juliet helped her recover, Charlie was overjoyed. (" Exposé ")  (" Left Behind ")  (" One of Us ")

Desmond convinces Charlie to go camping. (" Catch-22 ")

Later, Desmond recruited him for a "camping trip," Desmond in fact was leading a mission to find a rescuer he'd foreseen. They followed a helicopter into the jungle, and Desmond saved Charlie from one of Rousseau 's traps. Realizing Desmond had brought him to likely death he'd foreseen, Charlie lost his temper. They then found a parachutist though and stabilized her, and Desmond convinced them to keep her presence a secret. (" Catch-22 ")  (" D.O.C. ")  (" The Brig ")

Charlie gives Desmond his final message before drowning. (" Through the Looking Glass, Part 2 ")

Desmond had a final vision - Charlie dying by turning off the flooded Looking Glass station's signal jammer. Charlie accepted the suicide mission. He passed his ring to Aaron and kissed Claire goodbye. He went out in a canoe with Desmond, passing on a list of his life's best moments. The Scotsman volunteered to take Charlie's place, but Charlie knocked him out with an oar and swam to the station, discovering it wasn't flooded after all, but it was inhabited by two women who beat and interrogated him till Mikhail arrived and shot them. One gave Charlie the jammer's code before she died, and he entered it, successfully disabling it.

He then received an incoming message, revealing that Desmond's girlfriend Penny hadn't sent their "rescuers". Mikhail, still alive, then blew up a window, filling the chamber with water. Charlie passed on the message to Desmond and drowned. (" Greatest Hits ")  (" Through the Looking Glass ")

Post-death [ ]

Desmond returned to the beach with news of Charlie's death and his final message. The group then headed for the radio tower to warn Jack , unaware he had already called the freighter . When the groups reunited, Hurley told a sorrowful Claire of Charlie's demise, and the death caused Hurley and Claire to side with Locke when the group divided. After Claire's house at the barracks was blown up by an RPG, Claire believes Sawyer is Charlie and calls out his name, as Sawyer carries her to safety. (" The Beginning of the End ")  (" The Shape of Things to Come ")

Sun finds Charlie's ring. (" The Incident, Part 1 ")

After leaving the Island, Desmond and Penny had a son named Charlie . In 2007, upon returning to the island, Sun found Charlie's ring in Aaron's crib. (" Jughead ")  (" The Incident, Part 1 ")

According to the official story of the Oceanic 6 , Charlie was one of the three survivors who survived the initial crash but died before the rescue. According to Jack, he drowned shortly before the rescue. (" There's No Place Like Home, Part 1 ") Oceanic Airlines rejected a petition from Drive Shaft fans, who wanted Membata 's exact location so they could build Charlie a memorial. ( The Oceanic Six: A Conspiracy of Lies )

Flash sideways [ ]

In the flash sideways world , Driveshaft saw far more success, and " You All Everybody " was the first of several hits. Charlie still was addicted to heroin. Classical musician Daniel Widmore hired him to come to Los Angeles to fuse rock and classical music for a benefit concert.

Charlie is revived by Jack, wondering if he is alive. (" LA X, Part 1 ")

When Charlie saw a "cop" on Oceanic Flight 815 , he fled to a lavatory to hide his stash. Turbulance caused him to choke on the heroin baggie, and he briefly remembered his life, including Claire . Half an hour later, staff enlisted Jack Shephard 's help, fearing something was wrong. Another passenger kicked in the door, and Jack removed the heroin bag from Charlie's throat. Charlie awoke ungrateful and told Jack that he was "supposed to die." Police officers led him off the plane in cuffs when it landed. He remained in prison untill his brother bailed him out. (" Happily Ever After ")  (" LA X, Part 1 ")  (" Recon ")

Charlie's mission triggers a vision for Desmond. (" Happily Ever After ")

Desmond collected him from prison, and he crossed the street to a bar paying no heed to traffic. He told Desmond about his experience on the plane - seeing "the truth" - and refused to come to the scheduled concert. Desmond tried to convince him otherwise, but as they drove away together, Charlie mocked him and his superficial lifestyle. He then steered the car off a dock into a marina, making no attempt to escape. Desmond escaped and rescued him, but in the process remembered the last time he'd seen Charlie drown. They were both admitted to the hospital, and when Charlie regained consciousness, he fled, and Desmond chased him. He suggested Desmond pursue Penny , whom he'd started recalling. (" Happily Ever After ")

Charlie reunites with Claire and Aaron. (" The End ")

Days later, Hurley tranquilized Charlie in his motel and left him backstage at the concert. Charlotte woke him up. Charlie performed with the band and Daniel, then he saw Claire in the audience and followed her backstage. Claire went into labor, and he left to find water and blankets. When he returned, Aaron had been born. He touched Claire and remembered his entire life. The two sat together with Aaron in the church later as a bright light washed over them. (" The End ")

Appearances to Hurley [ ]

Charlie visits Hurley at Santa Rosa Hospital (" The Beginning of the End ")

Charlie also appeared to Hurley during his years off the island. Hurley first saw him in a convenience store and panicked, and his flight turned into a full on car chase with the LAPD . In the interrogation room, Hurley hallucinated Charlie drowning, disturbing him so greatly that he agreed to be taken back to the Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute . Charlie began visiting him regularly there, possibly even visible to one of the other patients . At an early visit, he told Hurley "they" needed him, apparently referring to the people still on the Island . Hurley closed his eyes and counted to five , and Charlie disappeared. On a later visit, Charlie said Jack would soon visit and gave Hurley two messages to give him. One: "You're not supposed to raise him ". Two: Jack would soon receive a visitor of his own. (" The Beginning of the End ")  (" Something Nice Back Home ")

Character overview [ ]

What Charlie wanted most was to be useful, to be someone others would turn to. He tried unsuccessfully at first to help the others and be part of what he called the “Men” and later proved himself. He even died trying (and partly succeeding) to save his friends.

He suffered from heroin addiction that caused him to be rejected by some characters and perhaps to have his visions . He fought and eventually lost this habit. Charlie was a successful singer and musician but his band didn’t last, to his great pain.

Charlie was charming and cheerful and liked to make jokes to ease the atmosphere, like his friend Hurley . From the beginning, he fell in love with Claire and acted very kindly and protective to her and Aaron. He says that the best moment of his life was when he met her. After his breakdown where he nearly harmed Aaron, he was horrified by his behaviour and was desperate to make amends to win Claire's trust again. Despite his friendly attitude, he clashed with Locke, who humiliated him in front of everyone. He was known to use typical British curses, such as "bloody" and "sodding".

Religion also played a big part of his life, having lost his faith due to his drug obsession and band crisis, but went on to regain it during his time on the Island and the trials he endured. His last action before death was crossing himself.

General [ ]

• Charlie is the third character (after Jack and Kate) with most centric episodes in a single season, with 4 (" Pilot, Part 2 ", " The Moth ", " Homecoming ", and " Exodus, Part 2 ") in Season 1.
• Charlie was the second former main character to appear in Season 6 .
• Charlie's episode count so far is 65. He was killed on his 60th episode appearance.
• Four of his appearances were made solely by his flash-sideways counterpart.
• Charlie is the tenth character with most appearances (with 65) and is also the tenth character with most centric episodes (with 7).
• Charlie had met all the main characters who were main characters at the time of his death.
• Charlie met Christian , Charlotte and Daniel in the flash sideways .
• Eloise and Miles saw Charlie performing in the flash sideways .
• Pierre introduced Charlie to the stage in the flash sideways .
• Claire and Charlie were the last two main characters to be seen in Season 2.

Charlie wrote the word " FATE " on his fingers, which he later changed to "LATE". In, " Fire + Water " during the dream sequence, the letters on the bandages changed back to " FATE "

• This is also shown in the next-to-last episode of Season 3, sealed with a kiss and the last time they see each other; though it is not in the final moments, it is near the end of the episode.
• Hieronymus Pace is an anagram for "pious archenemy"
• "LATE" Backwards is "ETAL" which is a latin phrase short for Et Alia which means "and others".
• Larry Underwood also risks his life to save the world after kicking drugs.
• Charlie was the eighth main character to be killed.
• Charlie wears a ring with the initials " D.S. " on the middle finger of his right hand. Initially thought to be a Drive Shaft ring since he pointed to it in the pilot while telling Kate that he's a member, the ring is actually a family heirloom, as revealed in " Greatest Hits ". The initials stand for Dexter Stratton .
• In the episode Exodus, Part 2 , as Hurley is leaving his hotel, Charlie is a passenger in the overcrowded elevator. As Hurley heads for the exit stairs, Charlie shouts after him, "Some of us have a bloody flight to make!!"
• During Charlie's heroin scenes actor Dominic Monaghan is actually snorting brown sugar.
• In the episode " The Moth ", in which Charlie breaks his addiction, his shirt changes. In previous episodes, Charlie is wearing a striped shirt reminiscent of prison garb.
• In " The End ", we see that the tattoo now has the complete lyric, Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see .

Charlie, Claire, and Aaron appearing as a family in Locke's vision

• Charlie changed the word from "FATE" to "LATE" on bandages around his fingers.
• The Kinks song, "He's Evil" was sung by Charlie while he was fishing with Jin. (" The 23rd Psalm ") . There is a Kinks poster on the refrigerator in Charlie's apartment. (" Fire + Water ")
• The band happens to have recorded a song called "The Big Black Smoke." The lyrics in this song have some similarities to the things that have happened on the Island, such as " the Monster " that often appears as black smoke and tries to drag someone down.
• He's also a fan of Big Star as evidenced by a poster on the wall of his apartment. (" Fire + Water ")
• It was St. Jerome who translated the Bible into Latin.
• It is also the first name of the Dutch surrealist painter Hieronymus Bosch , famous for his depictions of demons.
• Hieronymus is also the foreign variant of the name Geronimo, a reference to the band Geronimo Jackson .
• He had never heard of Geronimo Jackson .
• Charlie has a fear of bees.
• One of the first things Charlie does when he arrives on the Island is write "FATE" on strips of tape around his fingers. The last thing he does on the Island before he drowns is make the sign of the cross. The last thing he does before that is write "Not Penny's boat" on his hand and hold it up to the window for Desmond to see.
• Charlie was the only person who could have turned off the radio jammer after Bonnie was incapacitated, because he was a musician , was familiar with the Beach Boys " Good Vibrations " (probably played it a few times during his street musician days), and could quickly figure out the notes corresponding to a 16 -tone keypad. Sun was also a musician, but might not have been familiar with Beach Boys' music. This might explain why Ben is so angry and surprised when he is told Charlie is in the Looking Glass , sends Mikhail to kill everyone there, and seems to change his plans instantly by deciding to intercept the castaways with Alex .
• In both " Pilot, Part 1 " and " Pilot, Part 2 " Charlie speaks the last words, with a question that leads the episode on a dramatic cliffhanger - "Guys? How does something like that happen?" (" Pilot, Part 1 ") and "Guys? Where are we?" (" Pilot, Part 2 ")
• Locke broke down on top of the Hatch over Boone's death, giving Desmond hope and resulting in Desmond giving up ideas of suicide.
• Charlie died in an effort to prevent the Looking Glass from flooding and killing Desmond.
• Charlie's checker-pattern shoe is or was on display at the ABC Commissary at the Disney Hollywood Studios theme park in Bay Lake, FL
• In Hurley's vision (post-island) Hurley sees Charlie by the "Ho Ho's." Also when Jack and Hurley are playing "H-O-R-S-E" Jack gets to "H-O" and then ends. "H" is the 8th letter in the alphabet and "O" is the 15th. Which links back to the Numbers 8 and 15 and also the flight number 815.
• Charlie's brother, Liam leads their band, Drive Shaft . In Flashes Before Your Eyes and Greatest Hits , Charlie is on the sidewalk singing Oasis' "Wonderwall". Oasis' lead singer and guitarist/songwriter are brothers; the lead singer's name is Liam.
• When Desmond saw Charlie playing the guitar on the street in England, Charlie was singing the Oasis song "Wonderwall". In this song the lyrics are, "Maybe you're gonna be the one that saves me". A precursor to Desmond saving Charlie from death multiple times.
• Charlie's appearance when he visits Hurley in the flashforward is very reminiscent of Tyler Durden's appearance when he returns to The Narrator in Fight Club . They both have closely cut hair, fashionable clothes and large sunglasses.
• A Drive Shaft CD was a clue for the Find 815 ARG
• Charlie's death was voted number 8 in the UK TV special 'Top 50 TV Endings'.
• Charlie is one of 22 main characters to have their names appear in a soundtrack title.
• He is allergic to bees.
• Last words (vocal): "Your boat! 80 miles offshore! Uhh.. Naomi! The parachutist!" Last words (written): "NOT PENNYS BOAT"
• Witnesses of his death: Desmond, Penny
• Dominic Monaghan based Charlie off of a Monkey. [1]
• Charlie was the only main character out of them who was not buried outside a DHARMA station.

Charlie's close encounters with death [ ]

Even before Desmond started having premonitions, Charlie had several dangerous brushes with death:

One of Hurley 's post-island visions of Charlie. (" The Beginning of the End ")

• He survived the crash of Flight 815 . (" Pilot, Part 1 ")
• He stood perilously close to the turbine just before Gary Troup was sucked into it; a few minutes later, a piece of flaming wreckage landed right behind Charlie after the wing fell. (" Pilot, Part 1 ")
• He survived a perilous brush with the Monster shortly after arriving in the Island. (" Pilot, Part 2 ")
• He stepped on a large beehive. (" House of the Rising Sun ")
• He narrowly escaped being trapped in the caves with Jack. Later he reentered the caves to help Jack get out and they were both trapped again. On the brink of running out of oxygen, Charlie found a way out. (" The Moth ")
• Ethan hanged Charlie from a tree; Jack resuscitated him. (" All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues ")
• Charlie was following Hurley across the suspension bridge when it broke. He had to climb up the side of the cliff to avoid falling. Not very long after that, he and Hurley became shooting targets for Rousseau . (" Numbers ")
• Charlie had a large bag of rocks fall on his head, a trap set by Rousseau , during his trek to rescue Aaron. (" Exodus, Part 3 ")
• He had another near-miss brush with the Monster during Eko's first confrontation it. (" The 23rd Psalm ")
• Charlie almost died twice in the Swan . First, he was in the entrance when the dynamite went off, and he was inside when the fail-safe key was turned. (" Live Together, Die Alone, Part 2 ")

After Desmond started having premonitions, many involved scenarios in which Charlie would die:

• If Desmond had not constructed a lightning rod, Charlie would've been electrocuted. (" Every Man for Himself ")
• When Claire was about to drown, Charlie dived in to save her, and would himself have drowned, had Desmond not rescued Claire first. (" Flashes Before Your Eyes ")
• Desmond revealed to Charlie that he would have fallen into the water and fatally slammed into the rocks if Charlie had tried to catch a seagull for Claire. (" Par Avion ")
• Desmond saved Charlie from being stabbed in the neck by an arrow that was fired as part of a trap set by Rousseau . (" Catch-22 ")

Additional casting [ ]

• Jeremy Shada played the role of young Charlie in " Fire + Water " and " Greatest Hits ".

Unanswered questions [ ]

• How did Charlie end up with the middle section survivors, when he sat in the cockpit section of the plane at the time of the crash?

See also [ ]

References [ ].

• ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20060530013058/http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=18187K

• 1 The Man in Black
• 2 Benjamin Linus

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

• The survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.
• The past, present, and future lives of surviving Oceanic Flight 815 passengers are dramatically intertwined as a fight for survival ensues in a quest for answers after crashlanding on a mysterious island. Each discovery prompts yet more secrets, as the hastily-formed colony search for a way off the island, or is this their home? — Chris Cullen
• The survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 were 1,000 miles off course when they crashed on a lush, mysterious island. Each person possesses a shocking secret, but they've got nothing on the island itself, which harbors a monstrous security system, a series of underground bunkers and a group of violent survivalists hidden in the shadows. — Jwelch5742
• Out of the blackness, the first thing Jack senses is pain. Then burning sun. A Bamboo forest. Smoke. Screams. With a rush comes the horrible awareness that the plane he was on tore apart in mid-air and crashed on a Pacific island. From there it's a blur, as his doctor's instinct kicks in: people need his help. Stripped of everything, the 48 survivors scavenge what they can from the plane for their survival. Some panic. Some pin their hopes on rescue. A few find inner strength they never knew they had -- like Kate, who, with no medical training, suddenly finds herself suturing the doctor's wounds. Hurley - a man with a warm sense of humor despite the desperate situation - does his best to keep his cool as he helps those around him to survive. Charlie is a faded rock star who harbors a painful secret. Sayid is a Middle Eastern man who must wrestle with the racial profiling directed at him by some of his fellow survivors. Jin and Sun are a Korean couple whose traditions, values and language are foreign, and thus causes much to get lost in the translation. Sawyer has an air of danger surrounding him, and his intense sense of mistrust for everyone around him could prove to be fatal to his fellow castaways. Michael has just gained custody of his nine-year-old son, Walt, after the death of his ex-wife - they are a father and son who don't even know each other. Locke is a mysterious man who keeps to himself, and who harbors a deeper connection to the island than any of the others. Self-centered Shannon - who actually gives herself a pedicure amid the chaos - and her estranged controlling brother, Boone , constantly bicker and must learn to get along if they are to survive. And young Claire is eight months pregnant and ill-prepared for the hardships of motherhood - especially on a deserted island. — ahmetkozan
• A horrific plane crash leaves 48 passengers alive, and stranded on a remote island in the South Pacific. The survivors include doctor Jack, now freed prisoner Kate, one hit wonder rock star Charlie, Iraqi military vet Sayid, and a mysterious man named Locke. For a while their goal is simple survival, but they soon realize that it was far more than mere chance that brought them together, and each of them has a purpose that will help them unlock the island's secrets. — rmlohner
• In Season 3, the crash survivors learn more about the Others and their long history on the mysterious island, along with the fate of the Dharma Initiative. The leader of the Others, Benjamin Linus, is introduced as well and defections from both sides pave the way for conflict between the two. Time travel elements also begin to appear in the series, as Desmond is forced to turn the fail-safe key in the hatch to stop the electromagnetic event, and this sends his mind eight years to the past. When he returns to the present, he is able to see the future. Kate and Sawyer escape the Others, while Jack stays after Ben promises that Jack will be able to leave the island in a submarine if he operates on Ben, who has cancer. Jack does, but the submarine is destroyed by John. Jack is left behind with Juliet, an Other, who also seeks to leave the island, while John joins the Others. A helicopter carrying Naomi crashes near the island. Naomi says her freighter, Kahana, is near and was sent by Penelope Widmore, Desmond's ex-girlfriend. Desmond has a vision in which Charlie will drown after shutting down a signal that prevents communication with the exterior world. His vision comes true, but Charlie speaks with Penelope, who says she does not know any Naomi. Before drowning, Charlie writes on his hand "Not Penny's Boat" so Desmond can read it. Meanwhile, the survivors make contact with a rescue team aboard the freighter. In the season's finale, apparent flashbacks show a depressed Jack going to an unknown person's funeral. In the final scene, these are revealed to be "flash forwards", and Kate and Jack are revealed to have escaped the island. Jack, however, is desperate to go back.

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Lost: who is jeremy bentham.

Lost was essentially one big mystery throughout its six seasons, but the puzzle of Jeremy Bentham from season 5 was particularly confusing.

One of the biggest mysteries from season 5 of Lost was the presence of Jeremy Bentham, who he was, and how he fit into the story. From the very first episode of Lost , which aired in 2004, the series established itself as a mysterious puzzle, and plot threads involving the Smoke Monster and the DHARMA Initiative kept fans guessing throughout. By the arrival of the show's fifth season, it had answered some questions, but it also continued to pose new and intriguing complications that grew richer as the lore of the island became more fleshed out. Characters themselves were often mysteries, and Jeremy Bentham was one such example.

Before playing a part in season 5, the corpse of Jeremy Bentham was presented in Lost season 3, episodes 22 and 23, "Through the Looking Glass," though only a name was given. Following Lost 's big " Not Penny's Boat " moment , the identity of Jeremy Bentham was given less priority than the twisting plots of the show's fourth season that saw the Oceanic Six back in society. However, Lost , season 4, episode 14, "There's No Place Like Home," finally switched its attention back to the mystery of the dead man in the casket and finally revealed his shocking identity. Far from being a newcomer, Jeremy Bentham was someone close to home.

RELATED: Why ABC Thought Lost Would Fail (Before It Was Huge)

John Locke Is Jeremy Bentham

Left to stew over the big reveal that John Locke was Jeremy Bentham at the end of season 4, viewers were soon given answers as his plot took center stage in season 5. In Lost season 5, episode 5, "This Place is Death," Locke found himself trapped in a well after a time flash severed his rope, he was then instructed to reunite the island's Oceanic Six , and convince them to return. The workings of the mysterious Jeremy Bentham had been discussed in seasons 3 and 4, but his actual flash forward wasn't fully fleshed out until Lost season 5, episode 7, "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham."

Locke turned the island's wheel, which moved it and also sent him back to the mainland at the same time. That reveal paid off events from earlier seasons and started "Jeremy Bentham" on his quest to get the Oceanic Six back on the island. He soon failed to convince any of the survivors to return and attempted to end his own life before being stopped by Ben Linus. In one of the worst things Ben Linus ever did , he killed Locke and staged his death to look like it was self-inflicted, using the grief of the death as a motivator to get the Oceanic Six to return to the island.

Why Ben Killed Locke/Bentham In Season 5

Though his motivations remained mysterious for a while, Lost season 6, episodes 17 and 18, "The End," finally shed light on why Ben Linus killed John Locke in season 5. Though it was partly because he needed Locke's corpse to recreate the original plane crash as accurately as possible, it was also because he was extremely jealous of Locke's standing among the Others. Ben was shown throughout Lost to be covetous of the position, and he had previously ousted Charles Widmore from the spot. In the end, both were being used by fate to allow the events that needed to happen to come to fruition.

MORE: Lost's Divisive Ending Is Saved By One Crucial Aspect