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This article is a comprehensive guide to every notable question on Lost given per episode as well as its answer.

"Self-Implied" denotes that the episode that raised a question itself already implied the answer, though fans may have missed it and continue to ask about it.

For a more general breakdown of the mysteries, see Portal:Mysteries.


Season 1[]

Episode Questions and Answers
1x01 FirstScene
1x01
"Pilot, Part 1"
  • Why did Jack wake up in the middle of the jungle?
  • Why is there a shoe hanging in a tree?
  • Why did Oceanic Flight 815 crash on the Island?
  • Where did Flight 815 take off from?
  • What was Flight 815's intended destination?
  • What became of the tail section of the plane and the passengers inside?
  • How did Jack come to be on Flight 815?
    • Jack went to Australia to bring his father Christian home. After discovering he died of an alcoholic overdose, Jack arranged to have his body brought home to Los Angeles on the flight. ("White Rabbit")
  • How did Kate come to be on Flight 815?
  • How did Charlie come to be on Flight 815?
    • He went to Australia in an attempt to convince his brother Liam to join him in a Drive Shaft comeback in a concert in Los Angeles. His brother turned him down, so he took the flight alone. ("The Moth")
  • How did Locke come to be on Flight 815?
  • How did Sawyer come to be on Flight 815?
    • He went to Australia to murder Frank Duckett. ("Outlaws") He later got into a bar fight with an Australian official, resulting in his being deported from the country on the flight. ("Exodus, Part 1")
  • How did Hurley come to be on Flight 815?
  • How did Sayid come to be on Flight 815?
    • He was brought to Australia by the CIA and ASIS to crack down on a terror operation involving an old friend. In exchange, the CIA gave him the location of his childhood love Nadia, whom he had been searching for for years. They booked him a flight to Los Angeles to meet her. ("The Greater Good")
  • How did Sun and Jin come to be on Flight 815?
    • Jin was delivering watches for Sun's father Mr. Paik, first in Australia and then to Los Angeles. ("...In Translation") Sun had joined him on the trip, intending to escape and start a new life in America, but changed her mind realizing Jin still loved her, joining him on the flight. ("House of the Rising Sun")
  • How did Michael and Walt come to be on Flight 815?
    • Walt had been living with his mother in Australia. After her death, his adoptive father wanted to relinquish custody back to his biological father Michael. So Michael went to Australia to bring Walt back home with him on the flight to the United States. ("Walkabout") ("Special")
  • How did Boone and Shannon come to be on Flight 815?
  • How did Claire come to be on Flight 815?
  • How did Rose and her husband come to be on Flight 815?
    • Her husband Bernard brought her to Australia on their honeymoon to meet a faith healer to heal her cancer. They were then returning home to the United States on the flight. ("S.O.S.")
  • What is the nature of the Monster?
    • The Monster is a person, originally the Man in Black, and is one of the two central opposing forces influencing the events of the Island. ("The Incident") ("LA X") The essence composing his being is electromagnetism (which seems to be the source of the siren-like and mechanical-esque sounds he makes). ("The 23rd Psalm") He has been trapped on the Island for millennia due to being tied to the Heart of the Island by Jacob. ("Across the Sea") ("The End") Consequently, he harbors a destructive rage against the Island, Jacob, and the arrivals whom Jacob brings to the Island. ("Sundown") ("Ab Aeterno") He desperately wants to escape. ("The Substitute") So he resorts to long cons, murder, and destruction in his goal of becoming free. ("The Incident") ("The Candidate") ("The End")
    • Locke initially believes that the Monster is the "eye" of the Island. ("White Rabbit") This is not entirely accurate, as the Monster itself does not represent the will of the Island, and in fact is actively trying to destroy the Island. ("What They Died For") However, worth noting on this subject is that the Monster's essence is directly derived from the Heart of the Island. ("Across the Sea")
  • What does the Monster look like?
  • What are the origins of the Monster?
    • The Man in Black was born to an ancient Roman who shipwrecked with her people on the Island. As a newborn, he was taken along with his twin brother and raised by Mother to replace her as the next protector of the Island. However, he later left them, deciding to leave the Island, and later murdered Mother. In revenge, Jacob threw him into the Heart of the Island. As a consequence, the Man in Black's consciousness was fused with some of the electromagnetism from the Heart, forming him into the Monster. ("Across the Sea")
  • What is the Monster's habitation?
  • What are the abilities and limitations of the Monster?
    • Abilities: The Monster can read into the memories of inhabitants both living and deceased, ("The 23rd Psalm") as well as project those memories and other figures into corporeal form. It can also corporeally manifest its own self in the form of the dead. ("The Cost of Living") ("Season 6") It can also "claim" people under its influence. ("This Place Is Death") ("Season 6") The Monster also appears to possess some clairvoyance of Island going ons, ("Follow the Leader") and seems to have some limited telekinetic power. ("Dr. Linus") The Monster is immune to death ("Season 6") as well as time flashes. ("Season 5")
      • It also seems that the Monster can lose or be limited in some of these abilities by Jacob's rules. For example, while it can project living figures from Eko's memories (such as the altar boy), ("The Cost of Living") it seems it was only allowed to materialize its own being into the form of the dead, as was the case with Locke (whether this was a general rule or only applied to candidates is unclear). ("The Last Recruit")
    • Limitations: The Monster is unable to leave the Island. ("Ab Aeterno") It cannot cross through high concentrations of sound waves, as utilized in sonar fences. ("Left Behind") It seems it can also be impacted with some force such as by explosives. ("Exodus, Part 2") It seems limited in the height of its aerial maneuvering. ("Season 3") ("Season 6") The Monster is also unable to fly over water, ("The Package") and seems slowed by being in bodily contact with it. ("The Candidate") The Monster is also severely inhibited by the rules, which limits who it is allowed to kill. ("Season 6") This seems to include its inability to cross over and harm those who are encircled by ash. ("Season 6")
      • The Monster can also attain new limitations, notably only being able to manifest in its last chosen bodily form following Jacob's death. ("The Substitute") Following his death, the Monster also appeared to be limited in other ways, including no longer being able to scan memories, or project forms (across water or otherwise). ("Season 6")
  • Why did Jack need a drink on the flight?
    • He was coping, preparing to bring his father's body immediately to the funeral on arriving in Los Angeles. ("White Rabbit")
  • Why was Charlie being pursued by the flight attendants on the plane?
    • They were trying to arrest him after recognizing his drug withdrawal behavior. ("Pilot, Part 2")
  • Why did Locke embrace the rainstorm while everyone else hid?
    • Locke has a love for the Island born out of the self-renewal it has brought him. ("Walkabout")
  • What caused the radio malfunction on the flight?
    • It was an ordinary technical malfunction that occurred by coincidence. ("Pilot, Part 1")
      • However, one can argue that there are no true coincidences at play, as Jacob has intervened in the natural destiny of the survivors to bring them to the Island. ("Season 5") ("Season 6")
  • What was Charlie doing in the bathroom of the plane cabin?
Distress signal
1x02
"Pilot, Part 2"
  • How did Charlie become a drug addict?
    • He picked up on his brother's drug addiction in the band to gain his approval. ("The Moth")
  • What is Sawyer's letter about?
    • He himself wrote the letter as a child, to deliver to the confidence man Sawyer, whom he took his name after, to tell him that he was responsible for the murder-suicide of his parents after conning them. ("Confidence Man")
  • How are there polar bears living on the island?
  • What is the secret that Locke told Walt?
  • What is Kate's "story" that the Marshal referenced?
  • Is Kate innocent or guilty?
  • What is Kate's history with the Marshal?
    • He had arrested her very quickly after the death of her father. She later broke free, kicking him out of his car and taking it for herself. ("What Kate Did") The Marshal carried on a vendetta to catch her himself, the two eventually taunting each other over phone calls. ("Left Behind") ("I Do") ("Tabula Rasa") ("Exodus, Part 1")
  • Why was Kate in handcuffs by the Marshal?
    • She was caught in Australia by the Marshal after being turned in by Ray Mullen. ("Tabula Rasa")
  • What is the favor Kate wanted to ask the Marshal?
    • She wanted to make sure that Ray Mullen got the 23 grand reward for turning in Kate in order to pay off his mortgage. ("Tabula Rasa")
  • Where is the French transmission playing from?
  • How did the Frenchwoman and the others with her come to be on the island?
    • They sailed out of Tahiti. After 3 days, they changed course to follow the Numbers broadcast, ("Numbers") they came into a storm, their instruments malfunctioned, their ship slammed into rocks, and they got on a life raft, eventually arriving on the beach. ("Solitary") ("The Little Prince")
  • What became of the Frenchwoman?
    • She has been surviving on the island in the wild for the past 16 years. ("Solitary")
  • What did she mean by "it killed them all"?
  • Why was her distress signal never discovered by the world?
  • Where is the Island?
  • What is the nature of the Island?
1x03 FinalTalk
1x03
"Tabula Rasa"
1x04lockesfoot
1x04
"Walkabout"
1x05ChristainShephardinJungle
1x05
"White Rabbit"
  • What is it that Jack "did" that caused the falling out between him and Christian?
  • Why was Christian in Australia?
    • On a drinking binge from depression over his ruined career and relationship with his son, he went to Australia to see his daughter. ("Two for the Road")
  • Is Locke right that "everything on the Island happened for a reason"?
    • Yes. Jacob brought the survivors to the Island. He touched the survivors during their lives, intertwining their destinies to come to the Island. He did this, giving each of them an opportunity as candidates to take his place as the next protector of the Island. ("The Incident") ("The Substitute") Jacob also brings people to the Island in his quest to prove that mankind can break the cycle of destruction and be redeemed. ("Ab Aeterno")
  • Why was Christian wearing white tennis shoes uncharacteristic of his black burial clothes?
    • When dressing Christian's body, Jack couldn't find a pair of black shoes to match his suit, and thought since no one would see the body's feet anyway, that he would just put on a pair of spare white tennis shoes, as Jack didn't feel his father was worth going out of his way to buy a nice pair. ("316")
  • Why did visions of the deceased Christian lead Jack to the coffin?
    • According to the Man in Black, he had led Jack to the coffin in order to help him find water. ("The Last Recruit") However, given the Man in Black's more sinister intentions towards the candidates, ("The Candidate") it can be assumed that he was in fact gauging Jack's emotions for his later use, ("This Place Is Death") similar to his confrontations with Locke and Eko. ("Exodus, Part 2") ("The Cost of Living")
  • Where is Christian's body?
    • Unknown
      • It may have flung out in the crash and landed somewhere in the jungle. (White Rabbit script) (Lost Encyclopedia)
      • The Man in Black may have disposed of the body in order to persuade Jack that he was the real Christian risen from the coffin. (Inference)
1x06jinandsunflower
1x06
"House of the Rising Sun"
  • How did Jack come to get his tattoos?
  • Who were "Adam" and "Eve"?
    • The Man in Black and Mother. They lived during the Ancient Roman era. ("Across the Sea")
  • How did "Adam" and "Eve" die?
    • The Man in Black stabbed Mother in retaliation for killing his village, and likewise, Jacob retaliated by throwing the Man in Black into the Heart of the Island, stripping his consciousness from his body. Afterwards, Jacob laid the bodies to rest in the caves. ("Across the Sea")
  • What were the black and white stones in the bag with them?
    • They were the pieces from Jacob and the Man in Black's Senet game. ("Across the Sea")
    • The black and white theme continues to be prominent in the series, ultimately representative of Jacob and the Man in Black as the opposing forces of power on the Island. ("The Incident") ("The Substitute")
  • What work did Jin do for Sun's father?
    • Jin became a personal assistant to Mr. Paik in organized crime, often being ordered to "deliver messages" - in the form of severely beating the men who have displeased Paik, as an alternative to assassinating them. ("...In Translation")
1X07 CharlieChoice
1x07
"The Moth"
  • When did Liam get clean?
  • Who knocked out Sayid?
    • Locke, who believed he was acting in the survivors' "best interest". ("The Greater Good") He wanted to stop Sayid from sending a distress signal. ("Confidence Man")
1x08 SayidAin'tNice
1x08
"Confidence Man"
1x09 AStoryOfInsanity
1x09
"Solitary"
1x10 claire 4
1x10
"Raised by Another"
  • What was the nature of Claire's nightmare?
    • Ambiguous
      • It may have been an ordinary nightmare reflecting Claire's fears about giving her baby away, brought on by the psychic's warnings.
      • The black and white theme may suggest it was influenced by the Monster, (inferred by the scales from "The Substitute") beginning the manipulation and claiming of her that would later come into fruition. ("Something Nice Back Home") ("What Kate Does")
  • How did Hurley come to get his nickname?
  • What danger would befall Claire's baby if it is not raised by her?
    • Ambiguous
      • There may be no danger at all, if the psychic was a fraud. ("?") ("Lost Connections")
      • If taken at face value, the psychic's comments about the baby needing Claire's "good-natured" influence for a "happy life" may indicate that Aaron would have a destructive lifestyle later in life.
      • Given that it seems impossible to change the future as per the rules of time, ("Flashes Before Your Eyes") it may be that the psychic foresaw the danger Aaron would be in living as a member of the Oceanic Six. ("Season 4", "Season 5")
      • Some fans have suggested that the psychic was helping Jacob to get Claire, a candidate, on the flight. (Jacob's cave) While the fact that Jacob scratches candidates off the list because of motherhood would seem to preclude this, ("What They Died For") Claire had nonetheless not committed to motherhood at this point and had intended to give up her baby, so this still remains plausible.
  • Why was Ethan pretending to be a survivor?
  • What was Ethan injecting Claire with?
  • Where did Ethan come from?
Charliehangingout
1x11
"All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues"
  • Why did Ethan kidnap Claire?
    • After realizing the survivors were going to discover his infiltration, he took Claire to the Staff so he could continue to inject her. ("Maternity Leave")
  • What is the metallic object Locke and Boone discovered?
1x12 Kate Toy plane
1x12
"Whatever the Case May Be"
  • Why was the tide rising so quickly?
  • Why was Kate robbing the bank for the toy plane?
    • The Marshal had taunted her telling her he had the toy plane in a safety deposit box. She "somehow" figured out where it was and stole the key to it. She took the toy plane, out of guilt for the death of her friend Tom Brennan. ("Exodus, Part 1")
  • Who did the toy plane belong to?
  • How did Kate kill its owner?
    • Tom had helped Kate arrange a meeting with her mother in the hospital. After being discovered, the two ran from the police, Tom choosing to join Kate in her escape in a car, and he was inadvertently shot by the police while sitting next to her. ("Born to Run")
BooneCryingShannon1x13
1x13
"Hearts and Minds"

Self-Implied

  • What was the nature of Boone's dream?
    • As the episode itself revealed, it was a drug-induced experience that enabled Boone to let go of his obsession with Shannon.
      • It's worth mentioning, however, that the dream may be more than just psychologically-induced, but also produced by the mythological forces of the Island, enabled via the drug-induction. (inferred from "Further Instructions")
1x14-IJustStabbedABear
1x14
"Special"
  • What is the nature and significance of Walt being "different" and "special"?
  • What is the nature of Claire's dream about the Black Rock?
    • Ambiguous
      • It may have just been an ordinary dream, which coincidentally alerted Sayid to the meaning of the triangle on the map.
      • It may have been influenced by the Monster in its process of "claiming" Claire which would come into fruition later. ("What Kate Does") It seems that a black rock was specifically symbolic for the Man in Black. ("The Substitute")
  • How did Claire find her way back to the survivors?
    • Rousseau knocked her out and left her close to the survivors' region. ("Maternity Leave")

Self-Implied

  • How did Walt draw the bird and the bear towards him?
    • Through his psychic ability.
1X15-CharlieIsland
1x15
"Homecoming"
  • Why doesn't Claire remember anything since the crash?
    • Due to the psychological trauma of her experience, she "switched off" her memory of it. ("Maternity Leave")
  • What happened to Claire during her time with Ethan?
    • Ethan drugged her and continued to administer her with injections in the Staff. He also talked her into giving up her baby to them. According to Alex, the Others were planning to cut the baby out of her, consequently killing her. ("Maternity Leave")
  • How did Claire escape from Ethan?
    • Alex saved her, drugging her to make her pass out, and then taking her outside the Staff into the jungle. ("Maternity Leave")
  • How did Ethan get the bloody claw scratch on his face?
    • Unclear. Ethan looks a lot more disheveled in this appearance in general, compared to his more clean appearance at the Staff. It's possible this is all apart of the "feral" ruse to mislead and intimidate the survivors, and that the scratch was applied through makeup. ("Maternity Leave")
  • How did Ethan come out of the ocean?
116barmeeting
1x16
"Outlaws"
  • What is the nature of the whispers?
    • They are the voices of ghosts who are trapped on the Island and unable to move on due to unresolved emotional baggage, ("Everybody Loves Hugo") hence why Sawyer heard Frank Duckett's voice among them. Additionally, it seems that the whispers try to warn island inhabitants of danger at times, hence their association with the Others as well as other dangers. ("Official Lost Podcast/April 15, 2010")
  • Did Frank Duckett somehow reincarnate as the boar?
  • What was the Tampa Job?
  • What was the nature of Kate's brief marriage?
    • Kate fell in love with a police officer, and hiding her identity as a fugitive, attempted to settle down with him and marry him. However, she realized he would inevitably find out and that she couldn't live this life, so she drugged him and went back on the run. ("I Do")
1x17 jin
1x17
"...In Translation"
  • Why was Hurley on the TV screen in Jin's flashback?
  • What is Locke's issue with his father?
    • Locke's father conned him into giving him his kidney in a transplant before abandoning him. ("Deus Ex Machina") Later, when Locke confronted him, his father attempted to murder him, causing his paralysis. ("The Man from Tallahassee")
Thenumbershatch
1x18
"Numbers"
  • Why did Rousseau give the Dark Territory that name?
    • It was the region where her team first arrived on the Island. They were slaughtered and infected by the Monster which seems to have a recurrent presence in this region. It is also where Montand lost his arm. ("Exodus, Part 1") ("This Place Is Death")
  • What do the Numbers mean?
    • Ambiguous. The meaning of the Numbers varies with each context of their instance.
      • Overall, they seem to be generally tied to the spiritual pattern of fate bringing people to the Island to meet their destiny. The most notable proof of this, is that each of the numbers corresponded to the last remaining of Jacob's candidates in his final weeks of influence on the Island. Each number signified a degree on the dial of Jacob's lighthouse, showing the location of where the candidate lived in their life. Jacob's touching each of these candidates intertwined their destinies to the Island. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2") ("Lighthouse")
      • The Numbers may also repeatedly emerge in the world due to the Valenzetti Equation, which predicted the date of the human race's destruction based on human and environmental factors. This may explain why the factors of the numbers seem embedded in the order and structure of events in the world, especially in link to death and destruction. ("The Lost Experience")
      • Equally worth mentioning, connecting the Numbers' pattern of predestination towards the Island to the Numbers' pattern of death, is that the Island itself is also a hub of activity for the dead, ("Everybody Loves Hugo") and is responsible for sustaining the human cycle of life and death. ("Across the Sea")
  • Do the Numbers really possess a curse or power?
    • Ambiguous. Hurley eventually determined that he could "make his own luck" and that "there was no curse" in starting up the DHARMA van, effectively breaking the curse or the illusion of one. ("Tricia Tanaka Is Dead") However, when Hurley later saw that the odometer in his Camaro read the Numbers, he came to think he was cursed again, and this seemed to be linked with his subsequent pattern of encounters with the spirits of the dead. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 1") However, when Hurley told Jacob he was cursed, Jacob instead suggested that rather he was "blessed". ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2")
  • Why was Hurley in the Santa Rosa Mental Institute?
    • A deck collapsed that Hurley was on, killing 2 people, which Hurley blamed himself for due to his weight. Consequently, he went into a catatonic state, only eating. So his mother had him incarcerated in the Mental Institute. While there, Hurley hallucinated an imaginary friend named Dave. ("Dave")
  • What did Rousseau use to set explosives with?
  • Why was the radio tower broadcasting the Numbers?
    • The on-Island division of the DHARMA Initiative had built the radio tower, setting the Numbers to broadcast as a transmission to the off-Island division to indicate that the Valenzetti Equation had not yet been changed. Once the solution to change the equation was found, DHARMA would change the broadcast. ("The Lost Experience") This was setup was similar to the Numbers stations phenomena. ("Numbers stations")
  • Why are the Numbers engraved on the Hatch?

Self-Implied

  • Why did Sam Toomey and Leonard Simms hear the Numbers over radio?
    • They picked up the Numbers broadcast from the radio tower on the island.
  • Who built the bridge?
    • Sayid and Charlie suggested that it was either built by the French team or the Others.
Ep1x19-hatch light
1x19
"Deus Ex Machina"
  • Does the Island have a will of its own as Locke believes?
    • Ambiguous
      • It seems that a lot of the "higher powers" that represent the will of the Island in Season 1 were in fact Jacob and the Monster. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2") However, the Island still demonstrates a degree of control in the natural order of events as decreed by Jacob. ("Dr. Linus")
  • Why would the Island want Locke to get into the Hatch?
  • What was the nature of Locke's dream?
    • Ambiguous
      • It is implied that the Island was setting up Boone's sacrifice in order to prompt the grief-stricken Locke to pound on the Hatch door, stopping Desmond from committing suicide, and giving them both newfound hope as Desmond turned the light on Locke. So the dream may have been given by the Island or Jacob. ("Live Together, Die Alone")
      • The Monster may have influenced the dream in hopes of hurting Locke's faith for manipulative purposes. (There is a pattern of the Monster being correlated with dreams, such as from "?" and "Cabin Fever")
  • How did the Beechcraft come to crash on the Island?
    • It was originally intended for use by Eko's guerrilla group, disguised as priests, to smuggle heroin out of Nigeria. However, Yemi called the military in an effort to stop Eko. A shootout occurred, inadvertently getting Yemi killed and landing him in the plane as it took off, while Eko was left on the airstrip, mistaken as the real priest. ("The 23rd Psalm") The plane later inadvertently flew into the Island's radius and malfunctioned, crashing onto the Island. ("Because You Left")
  • Whose transmission did Boone pick up on the Beechcraft radio?
  • What was the full last sentence spoken by the person over the radio, "...the survivors of Flight 815"?
    • Bernard said, "We're the survivors of Flight 815." This was true, as he was a member of the tail section of the plane. ("The Other 48 Days")
  • Why did the light shine through the Hatch window?

Self-Implied

  • Why did Locke briefly lose use of his legs?
    • It was implied that the Island was briefly taking away the healing of his paralysis in order to ensure that Boone would be the one to climb into the Beechcraft rather than Locke. There are later known instances of the Island withholding its natural healing on rare occasion for some purpose. ("The Man from Tallahassee") ("Something Nice Back Home")
DoN4
1x20
"Do No Harm"
  • How did Jack save Sarah?
    • After a car crash, Sarah was brought into Jack's hospital where he saved her life. However, her back was broken, and it was thought that she would be paralyzed from the waist down. Jack impulsively made a promise to her that he would fix her so she could dance at her wedding, and ensued with the operation. Thinking he had failed, he had a conversation with Desmond about miracles. He then went to deliver the news to her, when she told him that she could feel her legs. Miraculously, she had indeed been fixed. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")
  • What is the current status of Jack and Sarah's relationship?
1X21-SayidLockeGunpint
1x21
"The Greater Good"
  • Why did Locke believe that breaking the transceiver was in the survivors' best interest?
    • Locke believes that the Island has predestined each of them to itself for a reason which they must discover. ("Exodus, Part 2")
1x22 tom kate
1x22
"Born to Run"
  • Who sent Kate the letter about Diane's cancer?
    • Unanswered
      • It can be assumed that Kate had an unknown friend she was in contact with. (Inference)
  • Why did Kate want to run away as a child?
  • Why was Walt afraid of what was in the Hatch?
  • What did Kate do to cause such distress for her mother?
    • Kate blew up her parents' house to kill her father Wayne. ("What Kate Did")

Self-Implied

  • How did Walt know about the Hatch?
    • The implication is that he had a psychic premonition.
The Raft 2
1x23
"Exodus, Part 1"
  • Why did the Others take Danielle's baby?
    • Ben had been ordered by Widmore to exterminate Danielle. However, when he saw that she had a baby, he took sympathy and chose to spare Danielle, and took her child to protect it. ("Dead Is Dead")
  • Why are the Others coming to raid the survivors?
    • Rousseau heard whispers in the jungle stating that "they were coming for the boy". She lit the bonfire herself, with the intention of trading Claire's baby for her own. However, unbeknownst to her, the Others were actually coming to take Walt. ("Exodus, Part 2")
  • Why was Ana Lucia on Flight 815?
    • She was initially running away from her mother, who knew she was responsible for murdering a suspect who had shot her and ended her pregnancy. ("Collision") She went to Australia to escort Christian as a partner, as the two coped with their lives. She eventually changed her mind and agreed to come home to her mother in Los Angeles to seek help. ("Two for the Road")
  • What became of Ana Lucia following the crash?
  • How did Danielle get her arms scratched?
    • Claire scratched Danielle's arms during her absence after being taken by Ethan. ("Exodus, Part 2")
  • How did Montand lose his arm?
    • The Monster was dragging him into the hole under the Temple Wall, and the French team attempted to hold onto his grip so he wouldn't be pulled in. The Monster then tightened some of its essence around his arm, causing it to tear off. He was then dragged into the hole, and his arm was left to decay outside. ("This Place Is Death")
  • Is Rousseau right that the Monster is a security system protecting the Island?
    • It is not a security system, but in fact is actively antagonistic against the well-being of the Island. ("What They Died For") Rousseau had gotten this theory from Robert, who was under the influence of the Sickness, and was both persuading her that it wasn't a monster as well as that he wasn't sick. However, given that he was indeed infected, this means that his claim of the Monster being a security system was apart of the deception, either of his own making or the Monster's. ("This Place Is Death")
  • How did the Black Rock come to be on the island, wrecked in the jungle?
    • In 1867, it was on a slave trading mission, traveling from the Canary Islands to the New World. It found its way to the Island, brought by Jacob, and a sudden storm and enormous tidal wave carried it inland into the jungle. ("Ab Aeterno")
    • Retconned information: In 1845, it was on a trading mission, traveling from England to the Kingdom of Siam. ("The Constant")
    • Retconned information: In 1881, it was traveling from a gold mining operation in the South Indian Ocean to trade gold for slaves in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. ("The Lost Experience")
1x24 TheOthers
1x24
"Exodus, Part 2"
  • Why did Claire scratch Danielle's arms?
    • Still under the influence of Ethan's drugs, she was trying to call back to Ethan. Danielle found her and attempted to take her away from the Others. Claire scratched her arms trying to get back to Ethan. ("Maternity Leave")
  • How did Arzt come to be on Flight 815?
    • He was meeting an online date in Australia. She ditched him, so he took an early flight home. ("Tropical Depression")
  • What is the "Hurley bird"?
  • Why does the Monster look like black smoke?
    • It is actually electromagnetic energy, distorted in appearance from having been fused with the Man in Black's consciousness. ("Across the Sea")
      • Worth mentioning is that the writers had originally intended the Monster to be born from the Island's volcanic crater, suggesting the Monster's appearance being connected to volcanic smoke. ("How a volcano would have changed the ending") Even in the finalized version depicted on-screen, the Monster's birthplace at the Heart of the Island ("Across the Sea") is still connected directly into a volcanic chamber. ("The End")
  • Why was Locke fearful of the Monster this time?
    • He had previously perceived the Monster as a "very bright light". ("The Cost of Living") This was a stark contrast from now clearly seeing its black smoke appearance.
  • Why did the Monster try to drag Locke into a hole?
  • How did the Others know to look for the raft in the ocean?
    • Unanswered
      • The Others are savvy in technology and surveillance, ("The Glass Ballerina") and so likely became aware at some point that Michael was building the raft.
  • Why did the Others take Walt?
  • Why did Charlie take the Virgin Mary statue?
    • It made him "feel safer" to hold access to it, perhaps for either or both its religious significance and addictive significance. He eventually hoards a stash of the statues. ("The 23rd Psalm") He is decidedly not using heroin again, although he is tempted to do so. ("Fire + Water")

Season 2[]

Episode Questions and Answers
2x01-JackLockeHatch
2x01
"Man of Science, Man of Faith"
  • Why is Desmond in the Hatch?
  • What is the beeping that woke Desmond up?
  • What was Desmond typing on the computer?
  • How is there a sunlit window in the station?
    • It is an electric light to simulate sunlight. ("Adrift")
  • Where does Desmond's food come from?
  • What is Desmond injecting himself with?
  • Why is the station so heavily fortified?
  • What is the octagonal image seen in the station?
  • What is the source of the station's power?
  • What is the purpose of the station?
  • Why are there a quarantine labels on some of the station doors?
    • Unclear
  • Why is Shannon seeing visions of Walt?
    • Ambiguous
      • It is suggested that Walt can remotely project himself across long distances, so he may have been reaching out to her in his fear in captivity of the Others. ("Three Minutes")
      • It may have been manifestations by the Monster to manipulate Shannon into danger. ("Official Lost Podcast/March 21, 2008") ("Abandoned")
  • Why is Walt saying "Don't press the button, the button is bad" in reverse?
    • Ambiguous
      • Given that it's a backwards-spoken, it may have no in-story significance, and is just an easter egg intended for the fun of the fans to find.
      • It may be related to Walt's previous premonition and aversion to Locke entering the Hatch. (Retrospect: "Born to Run")
      • If Walt is a manifestation of the Monster, then it may be because of the Monster's active ill will against the Island's well-being. ("What They Died For")
  • Where was Kate taken by Desmond?
    • To the food cupboard. ("Adrift")
  • What is the mural painted on the wall with the "108" numerals?
  • What is the magnetic force behind the concrete wall in the station?
  • Why was Jack able to miraculously save Sarah?
    • Ambiguous. It seems to be later linked with Jack's conversation with Desmond about miracles, which later gives Jack a spark of faith in the higher purpose the Swan computer when he encounters Desmond again years later. ("Orientation")
  • What is the significance of so many of the castaways having connections prior to their arrival on the Island?
  • What is the significance of the survivors finding entities from their past emerging on the Island?
2x02 michael sawyer
2x02
"Adrift"
  • Who is the "him" Desmond asked about?
    • His replacement in pushing the button. ("Orientation") However, no replacement was ever going to be sent, as DHARMA had stopped existing years before. ("The New Man in Charge")
  • Why is it important to enter the Numbers into the computer and reset the timer?
    • In order to periodically "save the world" from ending when the timer reaches 0. ("Orientation") The Numbers being the code is likely a reference to either the Swan hatch's serial number ("Some Like It Hoth") the Valenzetti Equation which DHARMA studied, ("The Lost Experience") or/and the factors in the countdown time of 108. ("Orientation")
  • Why are there 108 minutes in the countdown?
    • That is the amount of time the electromagnetic leak takes to build up to destructive proportions. ("Live Together, Die Alone")
      • Also worth mentioning is that 108 is the quotient of the Numbers. (4 + 8 + 15 + 16 + 23 + 42.) (Basic addition)
2x03 Locke
2x03
"Orientation"
  • What is the true nature of pushing the button?
    • If the button doesn't get pushed, this will result in an escalating, destructive leak of electromagnetism. ("Live Together, Die Alone") Conceivably, the leak could grow to globally catastrophic proportions. ("Access: Granted")
  • Why have the station manned humanly instead of automated by a program?
    • DHARMA considered an active human presence to be more reliable. ("Access: Granted")
  • How did Kelvin die?
    • Anger over having been deceived for years and his life stolen, Desmond accidentally killed Kelvin, tackling him onto the ground and busting his head on rock. ("Live Together, Die Alone")
  • How did Desmond sleep and continue to push the button every 100 minutes alone?
    • Desmond's sleep cycle would have been largely broken. He seemed to be losing his mind, nearly suicidal from his experience of living a life pushing the button in isolation, until Locke pounded on the Hatch. Fortunately, because Kelvin died on the day of the plane crash, Desmond was only alone for about 45 days. ("Live Together, Die Alone")
  • What was the nature of the DHARMA Initiative?
    • They were a large-scale community consisting of scientists and free-thinkers from around the world to pursue research in various scientific fields. (Self-Explanatory: "Orientation") They had established a long-term, technologically sophisticated settlement across the island, ("Season 3") including the use of vehicular transportation. ("Tricia Tanaka Is Dead") There were hundreds of members on the island, including families and children. ("The Man Behind the Curtain") There was also an off-island division they reported to in Ann Arbor, Michigan. ("He's Our You") Some of their prominent members were time travelers, including Oceanic 815 survivors. ("LaFleur") The Initiative endeavored to live peacefully, akin to hippies, but they were unable to live in harmony with the Hostiles or the Island. ("Enter 77") ("The Man Behind the Curtain") ("Season 5")
  • What does DHARMA stand for?
  • What was Marvin Candle's position among DHARMA?
    • He was a theoretical astrophysicist. ("Dharma booth video") He was one of the senior scientists in charge of DHARMA on the island. ("Season 5")
  • How did Marvin Candle lose his arm?
    • During the Incident, he attempted to keep pressing a button to turn the drill off, but the machinery collapsed down and crushed his arm. After Miles helped him escape, he had to get it amputated. ("The Incident")
  • At which stations did DHARMA conduct their other research projects?
  • What are the origins of the DHARMA Initiative?
  • How did DHARMA come to be on the Island?
    • They were interested in the Island to study and utilize its unique properties for the advancement of world peace. ("The Man Behind the Curtain") They had gathered years of evidence of its existence, including evidence from the United States Army's presence in 1954 ("316") and information from the recovered Black Rock journal known to the Hanso family. ("The Constant") Unable to find the location of the Island, one of the DHARMA scientists theorized that the Island was always moving. Therefore, they constructed the Lamp Post station over an electromagnetic pocket in Los Angeles which connected through the Earth to the Island, and tracked the Island's movements, determining where the Island was going to be at a certain point in time. ("316") Afterwards, they began a careful and confidential process of recruiting members ("Mysteries of the Universe") whom they brought to the island via submarine. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
  • Who were Alvar Hanso and the DeGroots?
    • Hanso was initially a Danish arms dealer during World War II. Later, as a foreign exchange student at the University of Michigan, he stayed with the DeGroot family and bonded with an 8-year-old Gerald DeGroot. Later, Hanso had a change of heart from arms to pacifism during the 1960's, and established the Hanso Foundation. After an adult Gerald and his eventual wife Karen graduated from the University of Michigan themselves as scientists, they learned of the Valenzetti Equation. They sought Hanso to fund their project, the DHARMA Initiative, to avert the equation. Notably, Hanso lived an unusually long life and appeared younger than his age, perhaps due to the Foundation's life-extension experiments. ("The Lost Experience") ("Mysteries of the Universe")
  • How much did DHARMA know about the Island?
    • They amassed a good deal of scientific and historical knowledge of the Island, and achieved some research in manipulating the Island's properties. ("Season 2") ("Season 3") ("Season 4") ("Season 5") They were aware of the Island's status as an electromagnetic pocket in connection with similar pockets around the world. They were also aware of the Island's spacetime properties. ("316") They seemed to theorize there was a source of electromagnetism somewhere in the Island, which they never found. ("Across the Sea audio commentary") However, they were largely in the dark on the secrets of the Hostiles, ancient ruins, and the core spiritual secrets of the Island. ("The New Man in Charge")
  • What became of the DHARMA Initiative?
  • Why are there electromagnetic fluctuations emanating from this sector of the Island?
  • What was the "incident"?
    • During the construction of the Swan, DHARMA drilled into the electromagnetic pocket, resulting in a catastrophic leak of magnetic energy that attracted all metallic objects into the drilling tunnel, resulting in widespread death and destruction at the Swan construction site. The initial catastrophic outbreak was averted through a nuclear detonation, but the site had to be cemented, and the Swan station commissioned in order to discharge the continuing gradual build-up of the energy. The incident involved conflict between DHARMA officials, a evacuation of all non-essential personnel from the island, and multiple shootouts across DHARMA sites. ("Live Together, Die Alone") ("The Variable") ("Follow the Leader") ("The Incident") ("LA X")
  • What was Marvin Candle warning not to use the computer for before the film skipped?
    • He warned not to use the computer for contact outside the station, stating that it would compromise the project's integrity and could lead to another incident. ("What Kate Did")
  • Why is that part of the film missing?
  • What have the tail section survivors become seemingly feral?
    • They have fallen into paranoia from harsh conflict with the Others involving mass kidnappings and infiltration. ("Abandoned") ("The Other 48 Days")
  • Why did Ana Lucia have a facial injury?
    • She asked Eko to hit her to convince their captives that she was a fellow prisoner. ("The Other 48 Days")
  • Who is the woman in Desmond's photo?
  • What becomes of Desmond?
  • What became of Locke's relationship with Helen?
    • Although he proposed to her, they broke up because of Locke lying to her about his continued obsession and interaction with his father. ("Lockdown")
  • What is Helen's relation to the Helen that Locke had been speaking to on the phone before his walkabout tour?
  • How can the survivors end the cycle of pushing the button?
    • There is a failsafe mechanism hidden in a crawlspace under the station's floor, which can detonate the electromagnetic pocket into the sky. ("Live Together, Die Alone")
3x04-I'mClucked
2x04
"Everybody Hates Hugo"
  • How did Hurley dream that Walt is "missing"?
  • How did Mr. Eko come to be on Flight 815?
    • He was initially a drug lord in Nigeria, before inadvertently becoming swapped with his killed brother Yemi, a priest, thus being mistaken for a priest himself. ("The 23rd Psalm") Afterwards, he using his guise as a priest to continue the drug trade, going to Australia, where he investigated a miracle claim involving a girl who drowned. He afterwards boarded Flight 815 to continue his drug business in Los Angeles. ("?")
  • How did Libby come to be on Flight 815?
    • Unanswered.
      • Worth mentioning is that we did see Libby in Sydney Airport just before boarding the flight in Eko's flashback, though we never learned what brought her there. ("?")
  • Why was concrete poured over the magnetic anomaly in the Swan "like Chernobyl"?
  • What is the source of electric power all across the Island?
    • If not due to individual geothermal generations as is the case with the Swan, then it may be the result of an unseen power station rumored to be somewhere on the island. ("The Other Woman")
  • What was the nature of the Arrow station?
    • Designated as Station 2, its function was militaristic in nature. Its purpose was to gather intelligence and develop defensive strategies against the Hostiles. ("Because You Left") It was also used as a restocking and staging area. ("Blast door map notations")
    • Retconned information: Its numerical designation was Station 1. ("The Lost Experience")
  • What happened to the remaining tail section survivors since the crash?
2x05 SunJinFlash
2x05
"...And Found"
  • Why was Goodwin impaled with a stick?
    • After Ana Lucia got him to admit he was an Other, she got into a brawl with him, tumbling down the hill, until she took the stick and impaled him as he jumped on her. ("The Other 48 Days")
2X06 SayidShannonJungle
2x06
"Abandoned"
Radio
2x07
"The Other 48 Days"
  • Why was Goodwin pretending to be a survivor?
    • He was ordered to infiltrate the survivors by Ben and gather a list of their identities. ("A Tale of Two Cities") However, Ben was actually intending Goodwin would be discovered and killed by the survivors, due to being jealous of his relationship with Juliet. ("The Other Woman")
  • Who did the glass eye belong to?
    • Unanswered.
      • It may have belonged to Radzinsky, as he was apparently the one who placed the film splice in the chest with the glass eye. ("Live Together, Die Alone") However, it's not clear when Radzinsky would have lost his eye.
2x08 ana sayid
2x08
"Collision"
Meandmyhorse
2x09
"What Kate Did"
  • What was the nature of Sawyer speaking seemingly as Wayne?
  • Why is there a black horse on the island?
  • What is the purpose of the blast doors in the Swan?
  • Why was the film splice hidden in the Bible in the Arrow?
    • Unanswered.
  • What did Marvin Candle mean that contacting outside the station "would compromise the integrity of the project and could lead to another incident"?
    • It is likely intended as a security measure against the Hostiles, ("Enter 77") who might take the station and prevent the pushing of the button, inadvertently leading to a magnetic catastrophe. ("Live Together, Die Alone") DHARMA already believed that the first incident involved spies/defectors to the Hostiles. ("The Incident")
  • Why was chat mode initiated on the computer?
    • It seems that Walt was able to trigger the chat from his own computer, as DHARMA had programmed the computers of different stations to be able to communicate with each other. ("Blast door map notations") ("The Cost of Living") The Others have control over numerous DHARMA stations. ("Season 3")
  • Is Michael really talking to Walt on the computer?
Beechcraftburns2x10
2x10
"The 23rd Psalm"
  • Why did the Monster scan Eko's memories?
  • How is the Monster able to use abilities such as scanning memories and showing them in images?
    • The Monster was formed from the Light at the Heart of the Island, which exists in every human being. ("Across the Sea") This enables the Monster to connect with a person's emotions, "downloading" their fears and anxieties for analysis. ("Official Lost Podcast/January 17, 2006") It seems that as the Monster is essentially made up of light and mass, it is able to shift these at will into whichever form it wills, enabling it to display or project images and also materialize in corporeal forms. ("The Cost of Living") It is able to do so instantaneously in its flashes. ("The Substitute")
  • What are Michael and Walt planning over the computer?
    • Michael is planning to head north to rescue Walt, armed with a rifle. ("The Hunting Party") However, he is actually being set up for a trap by the Others. ("Three Minutes")
2x11 ThisIsOurIsland
2x11
"The Hunting Party"
  • Why were there gunshots?
    • Michael briefly got into a firing altercation with the Others as they captured him. ("Three Minutes")
  • Who said "Since the dawn of his species, man has been blessed with curiosity"?
  • Is the "Alex" mentioned by Mr. Friendly the same as Danielle's child?
  • What becomes of Michael, following his disappearance into the jungle?
    • He has been taken captive by the Others, who will spend the next couple of weeks holding him and questioning him about Walt, before releasing him for their scheme to capture Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley. ("Three Minutes")
2X12 - CharlieHoldingStatue
2x12
"Fire + Water"
  • What is the nature of Charlie's dreams about saving the baby and the Beechcraft?
    • Ambiguous
      • It may have genuinely been a religiously-inspired dream to baptize Aaron to get him into heaven with Claire as Eko believed. Notably, Claire and Aaron do enter into a heavenly light along with the rest of the survivors when moving on from the flash-sideways. ("The End") Although the details involved do not fully align with orthodox Catholic theology.
      • It may have been brought on by natural causes due to Charlie's drug withdrawal and desperation from losing Aaron and Claire whom he saw as his "family".
      • It may been a dream given by the Island or Jacob to test Charlie in preparation for him to later sacrifice himself to get Aaron off of the island. ("Greatest Hits")
      • It may have been influenced by the Monster in its manipulation of Claire through her fear of losing the baby, which would later come into fruition. ("Lighthouse") (Other dreams involving the Aaron and the Beechcraft also seem to be possibly linked to the Monster - "Raised by Another", "Deus Ex Machina", "?")
  • Why do Hurley and Libby seem to recognize each other from the past?
    • She was staying in the Santa Rosa Mental Institute as a patient at the same time he was. ("Dave") It can be assumed that she didn't want to divulge her mental health history, especially now as a psychiatrist. However, in the flash-sideways, Libby confirms that she does indeed remember Hurley from the hospital. ("Everybody Loves Hugo")
2x13 sawyer
2x13
"The Long Con"
  • Why did Sayid and Hurley pick up a classic jazz song on the radio?
    • They picked it up from a past broadcast decades before due to the Island's time dilation. ("The Constant")
  • Where is Sawyer hiding the guns?
    • Under his own tent. ("?")
2x14 SayidAndBenry
2x14
"One of Them"
2x15
2x15
"Maternity Leave"
  • What is the Others' relation to the DHARMA Initiative?
    • The Others had been in a war against DHARMA which culminated in them wiping them out. A few members of DHARMA defected to the Others during this process. ("Enter 77") ("The Man Behind the Curtain") The Others of today seem to have been heavily influenced by the DHARMA civilization's impact on the island, having taken over many of their leftover facilities and much of their leftover technology. ("A Tale of Two Cities")
  • What was the station that Claire was held in?
  • Why were the Others going to kill Claire and take her baby?
    • The Others were working to research and resolve the pregnancy problems through Juliet's vaccines. And since they were unable to have children of their own, ("One of Us") they were likely intending to raise the baby as their own, for his own benefit, just as they gave the tail section survivors a better life among their own. ("Stranger in a Strange Land") Alex implied that Claire dying would be a natural consequence of surgically cutting Aaron out of Claire.
  • Why does Mr. Friendly dress normal in the station while dressing feral and wearing a fake beard when outdoors?
  • Who is the "him" Mr. Friendly referred to?
  • Why did the station have an escape hatch?
LastToKnow
2x16
"The Whole Truth"
  • When did Kate take a pregnancy test?
  • How is Sun pregnant?
    • The Island's healing properties cured Jin's infertility. ("D.O.C.")
  • Did Sun have an affair with Jae Lee?
  • Is Henry setting a trap or will the balloon be real?
    • The balloon is real. There is no trap. ("Lockdown")
2X17-LockeIsland
2x17
"Lockdown"
  • What triggered the lockdown?
    • It was activated in conjunction with the food drop as apart of the "lockdown and restocking procedure". ("Blast door map notations") ("Dave")
  • Why did Jack visit Thailand?
  • Why did black-lights briefly turn on before the lockdown ended?
    • The black-lights and lockdown ending both seemed to coincide with Ben pushing the button. Given that Radzinsky developed the Swan, ("Namaste") it's likely he had them installed for the purpose of his secret map. In disputed canon, the black lights could also be activated directly through the computer. ("Lost: Via Domus")
  • Why was there an invisible map drawn on the blast door?
    • It was begun by Radzinsky as a personal project during his stay in the Swan station, through the use of a manually-triggered lockdown and his photographic memory. It was later continued by Kelvin. ("Live Together, Die Alone") It marked the findings and confirmations Radzinsky made during his travels across the Island during brief departures from the Swan. ("Blast door map notations") ("Access: Granted") According to disputed canon, it was intended for use as a layout in Radzinsky's continued war with the Hostiles, suggesting that this is why the map was hidden from open view - for security purposes. ("Lost Encyclopedia")
  • What is the meaning of the large question mark?
  • Who dropped the DHARMA food supplies?
    • Two leftover DHARMA workers, Hector and Glen, working in a warehouse in Guam, were still receiving automated coordinates from the Lamp Post to the location of the Island to send drones to drop food supplies. Due to the isolated nature of their work, they had continued working for more than a decade, unaware that DHARMA had long since been defunct. ("The New Man In Charge")
  • What is "Henry Gale's" real name?
  • Why did "Henry" come to the survivors so well-prepared in his guise?
    • He was already planning to come to the encampment, before being inadvertently caught by Rousseau. He claims that he was coming to bring Locke back with him to the Others, as Locke is one of "the good ones", hence why he helped Locke during the lockdown. ("Two for the Road")
    • He may have also been attempting to meet Jack, to find out what he was "emotionally invested in" that he could exploit to get him to perform surgery on him. ("Exposé")
    • According to disputed canon, he was trying to find out more about the survivors in general. ("Lost Encyclopedia")
  • What was the story of the real Henry Gale?
    • It is implied that the Others captured Henry following his crash and interrogated him before executing him. This suggests that a lot of the details Ben used were apart of the real Henry's background, minus the involvement of his wife. ("Dave") The balloon had a logo for Widmore Labs on it, and the writers hinted that Henry was colluding with Charles Widmore in his search for the Island. ("Access: Granted") Hence, the Others killed Henry to protect the Island from Widmore. (Inference)
2x18 TimeToWakeUp
2x18
"Dave"
  • Why would DHARMA want to prevent the Swan inhabitants from seeing the food drops?
    • Unclear.
      • It may have been to discourage the Swan inhabitants from trying to contact the planes through radio, prior to the use of drones.
      • Retconned information: It seems the writers may have at one time intended that DHARMA was concealing a secret method of how the food supplies were delivered. ("Access: Granted") However, the final canonical answer renders this explanation implausible. ("The New Man In Charge")
  • Why did Hurley have a depressive eating disorder even before the deck collapse?
    • He had developed the disorder after his father had abandoned him. The last thing his father ever did was give him a chocolate bar, beginning the disorder. ("Tricia Tanaka Is Dead")
  • Who is the Others' leader that "Henry" refers to?
  • Did "Henry" push the button or not?
  • Why was Libby in the Santa Rosa Mental Institute?

Self-Implied

2x19 RoseBenrardFlash
2x19
"S.O.S."
  • What is the significance of the magnetic spots of energy around the world?
    • They are interconnected to one another. ("316") The source of their energy is the Island. ("Across the Sea")
  • Why did Michael emerge from the jungle?
    • He had been let loose by the Others to return to the survivors. ("Three Minutes")

Self-Implied

2ftR4
2x20
"Two for the Road"
  • Who is Christian's daughter?
  • What was the nature of Christian's argument with the woman at the house?
    • He was arguing with Lindsey Littleton, the sister of his former lover, Carol, whom he had a secret affair with while married to Margo. Lindsey disliked Christian and felt he took advantage of the situation when Carol fell into a long-term coma after a car crash. Christian began to anonymously pay their bills, though he was later revealed. ("Par Avion")
  • Why did "Henry" say that Locke is "one of the good ones"?
    • The Others are excited about Locke as a potential new leader due to his miraculous healing, which the Island would only perform for someone "extremely special". Ben actually feels threatened by this, and tries to toy with Locke's emotions. ("The Brig")
      • Mikhail also states later that Locke was actually not on Jacob's list of "good ones", due to being angry, weak, and frightened. ("Par Avion")
  • What is the DHARMA station that Michael saw?
  • Why did Michael shoot Ana Lucia and Libby, and then his own arm in front of "Henry"?
    • Michael was releasing "Henry" as apart of his deal with the Others to be sent home with Walt. ("Three Minutes") Michael killed Ana Lucia and Libby and shot himself so he could maintain a pretense that "Henry" had escaped on his own. ("?")
2x21 TheQuestionMark
2x21
"?"
  • What was the nature of Eko and Locke's dreams?
  • If Malkin is a fraud, what was the nature of his interactions with Claire?
    • Ambiguous
      • He was pulling a long con on Claire to scare her to give up her baby to a couple in Los Angeles who had paid him. ("Lost Connections") However, it's not clear why they would use the psychic to adopt a baby, nor why Malkin insisted for months on Claire keeping the baby, rather than just telling her from the start to give up her baby to the couple.
      • He may have normally been a fraud, but experienced a true premonition of Claire's baby in danger.
  • What is the meaning of the "########:## accepted" lines written on the log printout from the Pearl?
  • Why did Dr. Marvin Candle/Mark Wickmund change his name between films?
  • What is the nature of the Pearl's psychological experiment?
    • The Pearl inhabitants themselves were unknowingly the true subjects of DHARMA's psychological experiment through their task of recording every trivial occurrence on the surveillance. The papers sent through the pneumatic tube are ejected out in a dump pile on an empty hill, never to be read. ("Live Together, Die Alone")
  • What is the Pala Ferry?
  • What are the Barracks?

Self-Implied

  • Why was the ground above the Pearl salted?
    • So that the supply planes from above could see it.
MichaelCaptured2x22
2x22
"Three Minutes"
  • What is the purpose of the DHARMA vaccines?
  • What was the nature of the tests the Others made Walt take?
    • The Others were studying Walt's specialness, including subjecting Walt to the psychological video at Room 23. Jacob had wanted the Others to take Walt because he was special. ("Room 23 (mobisode)") ("Access: Granted")
  • Why did Walt say the Others are pretending about who they are?
  • Why did the Others need "Henry" back?
  • Why do the Others want Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley?
    • They want Jack to perform surgery on Ben, staging a plan to break Jack psychologically in captivity, with the intention of convincing Jack that the Others are his friends that the surgery is his own idea. ("The Cost of Living") They are using Kate and Sawyer as bait to motivate him. ("I Do") The Others want Hurley to return to the survivors to relay a warning never to look for them. ("Live Together, Die Alone")
  • Why didn't the Others take Jack, Kate, and Sawyer during their original confrontation at the line?
    • According to Ben, he wanted to find out what Jack was invested in that he could exploit. ("Exposé") He also wanted to enact his scheme as "Henry". (Retrospect: "Two for the Road") It can be presumed therefore that the Others were not ready to take them yet at the line. (Inference)
  • Will the Others really honor their deal with Michael?
  • Who is in the sailboat?

Self-Implied

  • Why did the Others capture Michael?
    • As the episode itself showed, they wanted to question Michael on Walt's life to better understand the nature of his specialness.
    • Notably, Ben had also already planned to use Michael in order to capture Jack, Kate, and Sawyer. ("Exposé")
  • Why did the Others take a sample of Michael's blood?
    • It was likely to enhance their knowledge of Walt's health. (Inference)
2x23 DesmondLight
2x23
"Live Together, Die Alone"
  • Why couldn't Desmond sail away from the Island?
  • Who are the "hostiles" that Desmond and Kelvin referred to?
  • Why doesn't Charles Widmore want Desmond together with Penny?
  • Why weren't Desmond and Penny together?
  • What sickness did Libby's husband David die from?
    • Unanswered.
  • What is the purpose of the 4-toed statue?
  • Why does the statue only have 4 toes?
    • It is not a human foot, but rather the foot of the Egyptian goddess Tawaret, the protector of childbirth and fertility. ("The Incident")
  • Who built the statue?
  • What happened to the rest of the statue?
  • How much did the statue's builders know about the Island?
    • There seems to be a spectrum of knowledge among the ancient cultures that came to the Island. Many of them were privy to access to the Island's innermost secrets, but likely did not understand the true nature of them. They seemed to interpret them through their own belief systems, as indicated for example by the Egyptians' references to their deities. ("Dead Is Dead") ("The Incident") ("The End")
  • Where are the Others actually holding the captured survivors and children?
  • How sophisticated are the Others actually?
  • What are the fates of Locke, Eko, and Desmond?
  • What is "Henry's" position among leadership of the Others?
    • He is the leader of the general body of the Others, though he ultimately serves under the authority of Jacob. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
  • Why is it necessary to leave the Island on a specific compass bearing?
  • Why won't those who leave the Island ever be able to come back?
    • Because of the Island's movement through spacetime. ("316")
  • What does "Henry" mean that the Others are "the good guys"?
    • The Others have self-concept of being good, enlightened people in their servitude of the Island. ("Season 3") This is in contrast to people who they consider to be a threat to the Island. ("Through the Looking Glass") This is likely influenced by Jacob's philosophy of the people he brings to the Island having a chance to put their past aside and redeem themselves. ("Ab Aeterno")
  • Where are the Others taking Jack, Kate, and Sawyer?
  • What becomes of Michael and Walt?
    • They return home to the United States in New York, where Walt goes to live with Michael's mother, keeping their identities as Oceanic survivors secret from the public. A guilt-ridden Michael later confesses his murders to Walt, who becomes estranged from him and wants nothing to do with him. Michael becomes suicidal afterwards, but soon finds that the Island won't let him die until he has completed its task for him. ("Meet Kevin Johnson")
  • Why was Penny tracking the Island's electromagnetic discharges?
    • She has been researching the Island, trying to find it in order to rescue Desmond. ("The Constant")

Self-Implied

  • Why did Radzinsky edit the orientation film?
    • As the removed splice was about not using the computer to communicate, it can be assumed that Radzinsky wanted to permit communication with the other stations.
  • What orders did Desmond fail to follow resulting in his dishonourable discharge from the Royal Scots Regiment?
    • He "couldn't follow orders", though no further details are ever divulged.
      • Given the theme of Desmond's cowardice in his flashbacks, it may be that he was a deserter. (Inference)
      • We do see flashes to Desmond's time in the military, but is well before his imprisonment. ("The Constant")
  • What was the nature of the purple sky event?
    • It was a detonation of the electromagnetic pocket from the Swan, and consequently causing the Island to become briefly visible to the outside world.

Season 3[]

Episode Questions and Answers
3x01 LookingUpAt815
3x01
"A Tale of Two Cities"
  • Why does Juliet appear troubled in the opening moments?
  • How did Juliet come to be an Other on the Island?
    • Originally a gifted fertility specialist based in Miami, she was eyed by the Others for her success in impregnating her sister who was infertile from battling cancer. ("Not in Portland") So Juliet was recruited to resolve the Island's pregnancy problems. ("One of Us")
  • How did Ben come to be leader of the Others on the Island?
  • What was the nature of the Hydra station?
    • Designated as Station 1, its function was to experiment on animals, especially through using electromagnetism in genetic alteration. (Self-Implied) ("The New Man in Charge")
  • Where is the Hydra?
  • Was the intercom in Jack's cell working or was he hallucinating?
    • While he was probably hallucinating Christian's voice, the intercom is indeed working and being used by the Others to toy with Jack's mental state. ("Every Man for Himself") ("I Do")
  • Why was Karl being held in the other cage?
  • What is Karl's fate following the breakout attempt?
  • Why were Kate's wrists cut by the handcuffs?
    • Ambiguous
    • She tried to use shampoo on her wrists and pull them hard out of the handcuffs, cutting them. ("Season 3 deleted scenes")
  • Why did Ben leave Juliet to be killed by Jack?
    • Ben wants to manipulate a romantic connection between Jack and Juliet due to her resemblance to Sarah for him to exploit. Little does he suspect, however, that he is succeeding in making a real bond between them against him. ("The Cost of Living")
  • How did the Others gain a file on Jack's personal information and others in his life?
    • It seems that they are able to access files on the survivors through the Flame. ("One of Us") They are also "very thorough" in getting off-island Others to dig up dirt on individuals of choice, information not normally established even to law enforcement. ("Not in Portland")
3X02 SunJinSayidIsland
3x02
"The Glass Ballerina"
3X03 LockeBoone
3x03
"Further Instructions"
  • Did John join the commune before or after meeting Helen?
    • Unanswered.
  • What became of the commune situation after John let Eddie go?
  • What is the nature of Locke's dream of Boone and the airport?
    • Ambiguous.
      • It may have been more for the benefit of rejuvenating Locke's faith than for Eko's life, as Eko was killed shortly thereafter. ("The Cost of Living")
      • It may have been initiated by the Monster, given that the Monster proceeded to start its process of judging Eko after his life was saved. ("The Cost of Living")
  • What is the nature of Desmond's foresight?
  • How did Nikki and Paulo come to be on Flight 815?
  • What have Nikki and Paulo been doing since the crash?
    • They have been searching for the diamonds in the background, occasionally witnessing major discoveries on the island which they did not divulge to the lead survivors. ("Exposé")

Self-Implied

  • How did Locke, Eko, and Desmond emerge in the jungle?
  • What were the human remains and toy in the cave?
    • They were DHARMA, as indicated by the fabric with the logo.
3X04yourisland
3x04
"Every Man for Himself"
3x05-Eko
3x03
"The Cost of Living"
  • Why does Ben need Jack for the surgery if the Others can leave the island?
    • Ben feels threatened in his leadership, that his tumor is a sign that the Island wants him to step down. ("The Man from Tallahassee") Ben's position would be further hurt by the fact that leaving the island and coming back is generally against the Others' rules for the leader. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2") ("Dead Is Dead")
    • Also worth mentioning is that the Others had an excellent surgeon, Ethan. ("Stranger in a Strange Land") But Ben prioritized Ethan to study the survivors' pregnant women. ("One of Us") It was in the ensuing weeks after Ethan was killed that Ben became alerted to Jack's status as a surgeon. ("The Other Woman")
  • Why did Yemi decide it time to judge Eko?
  • What was the nature of Eko's encounters with the Monster and people from his past, especially Yemi?
  • What became of Yemi's body?
    • Ambiguous.
      • It may have been destroyed by the fire or animals, as suggested by Locke.
      • The Monster may have disposed of the body in order to convince Eko that it was the real Yemi risen. This parallels with the disappearance of Christian's body. ("Official Lost Podcast/November 06, 2006")
  • Who is the man with the eyepatch?
  • What did Juliet mean that some of the Others want a change from Ben's leadership?
    • Some of the Others are tired of focusing on "novelties like fertility problems", and want a new leader to remind them of more important things. ("The Brig") Juliet herself wants to go home, having been held on the Island for 3 years due to Ben's manipulations. ("Not in Portland") ("One of Us") ("The Other Woman")
  • Why did the Monster kill Eko?
    • The Monster realized it could not use him for its loophole. ("The Incident") ("LA X") Eko was also a candidate, ("the Lighthouse") which the Monster also needed dead. ("The Candidate") Eko's stance to accept his past choices also aligns strongly with Jacob's philosophy, which the Monster is against. ("Ab Aeterno")
  • What did Eko mean by "You're next"?
    • While Eko didn't know the true goals of the Monster, it's worth noting that Eko actually said these words to Locke, who later was the one to ultimately be used in the loophole. ("The Incident")
3X06 KateIsland
3x06
"I Do"
  • What is the meaning of the sunlight shining on "Lift up your eyes and look north, John"?
    • Locke interprets this as a sign pointing the survivors to head north to rescue Jack. ("Tricia Tanaka Is Dead") The bearing ultimately proves fruitful. ("Enter 77")
  • Did Kevin pursue Kate to arrest her after she went on the run again?
    • Evidently not, as his character is never brought up again. ("Season 3") ("Season 4")
  • Why did Ben ask about Alex before the surgery began?
  • What is the significance of Jacob's list?
  • Who is Jacob?
  • What is the nature of Jacob's list?
    • It is a list of people who are emotionally capable of being devoted to the Island, as seen by Jacob. People who are not "flawed, angry, weak, and frightened". ("Par Avion")
3X07 BenTalkingToJack
3x07
"Not in Portland"
  • What is Mittelos Bioscience's connection to the Others?
    • The Others use the company as their off-island front to recruit people to join them on the Island. ("One of Us")
  • What was wrong with the uterus of the woman in the x-ray?
    • It was damaged by the Island's pregnancy problems. ("One of Us")
  • Does Alex know Ben is not her real father?
  • What is the purpose of Room 23?
  • What is the significance of the phrase "God loves you as He loved Jacob"?
    • DHARMA was aware of Jacob's existence, believing he was an "island deity" that the Hostiles worshiped. ("The New Man in Charge")
  • How did the purple sky event knock out the Others' communications?
  • Why has Juliet been stuck on the Island for 3 years?
    • She has been manipulated by Ben into staying due to his obsession to solve the pregnancy problems. ("One of Us") He also wants to keep her there possessively for himself due to his romantic attraction to her. ("The Other Woman")
3X08 PhotoLive
3x08
"Flashes Before Your Eyes"
  • What was the nature of Desmond's experience after turning the failsafe?
  • Who is Ms. Hawking?
    • Eloise Hawking is a former leader of the Others ("The Variable") and the caretaker of the Lamp Post station. ("316") The writers have also described her as a "temporal policeman" who makes sure that everyone who is supposed to go to the Island, does so. ("Season 3 DVD")
  • How does Ms. Hawking have her foreknowledge?
    • Ambiguous.
      • A lot of her foreknowledge seems to come from Daniel's journal which came into her possession via time travel. ("The Variable") But this would not explain the full extent of her knowledge, especially that of her knowledge pertaining to her meeting with Desmond.
      • She may have derived some of her knowledge from Jacob, who may have also assigned her job as "temporal policeman". (Inference from multiple evidences consistently pointing in this direction in "Season 5" and "Season 6")
  • Will Desmond always receive flashes?
    • His mind seems to stabilize in time after his phone call with his constant, Penny, ("The Constant") putting an end to the flashes for good.
  • Can Charlie escape his fate?
    • No. After much repeated interference to save his life, Charlie inevitably accepts his death and drowns in the Looking Glass station. ("Through the Looking Glass")
3X09JackTat
3x09
"Stranger in a Strange Land"
  • Why were the Tail section survivors watching Jack?
    • Ambiguous.
      • The Others may have placed them there so they could watch the behavioral nature of an unconverted survivor. (Inference)
      • Alternatively, the Others may have placed them there to further get into Jack's mind, showing how the tail survivors had changed among the Others, and to treat Jack like an animal in a cage. (Inference)
  • Why are the Tail section survivors so compliant with the Others?
    • Ambiguous
      • Due to meeting Jacob's verification for emotional affinity for the Island, it may be that they were simply persuaded to their point of view. (Inferred by "Par Avion") ("Lost Encyclopedia")
      • They may have been brainwashed through Room 23. (Retrospect: "Not in Portland")
  • What becomes of Karl?
    • He lives out in the woods and maintains contact with Alex who provides him food. ("Greatest Hits")

Self-Implied

  • Why was Jack punished for getting the tattoos?
    • Jack is an "outsider", and getting tattooed went against the rules of Achara's people.
Dharmavan
3x10
"Tricia Tanaka Is Dead"
3X11 PatchyShootingSayid
3x11
"Enter 77"
  • What was the nature of the Purge?
  • Who initiated the war between DHARMA and the Hostiles?
    • Ambiguous.
      • The Others have consistently shown a pattern of being territorial of the island, hostile to any intruders. ("The Hunting Party") But they also assert that the intruding parties fire the first shots. ("Jughead") Regardless of who shot first, both the Hostiles and DHARMA attempted pacifism, soon agreeing to a truce. ("LaFleur")
  • How much did DHARMA and the Hostiles know about one another?
    • It doesn't appear that the Hostiles were ever particularly familiar with the secret going ons of DHARMA. ("Season 5") Most of their later knowledge seems to have been pioneered by Ben's defection and the overtaking of the DHARMA facilities under his leadership. ("The Man Behind the Curtain") On the other hand, DHARMA seemed just as mystified with the Hostiles, but they were able to garner some information from interrogations in Room 23, including knowledge that the Hostiles "worshipped an island deity" named Jacob. ("The New Man In Charge")
  • Why did Locke enter 77?
    • Locke is trying to blow up all possible means of contact with the outside world, both believing that the survivors need to make a commitment to the Island as well as believing that it is the only place that he is safe from his father. ("The Man from Tallahassee")
3x12 ParAvion SonicBarrier
3x12
"Par Avion"
  • Given that Jacob brought the Others, what are his own origins?
    • Jacob was born to an ancient Roman who shipwrecked with her people on the Island. As a newborn, Jacob was taken along with his twin brother and raised by Mother to replace her as the next protector of the Island. ("Across the Sea")
  • Why was the sonar fence built?
  • Why did Locke take the C4?
  • What will become of the gulls' message?
    • It is never brought up again, so it is presumably never found. It would be difficult for the gulls to leave the Island naturally due to the time dilation. ("Season 4")
3x13lockeblowsupgalaga
3x13
"The Man from Tallahassee"
  • Does Locke or Ben know what the Island wants better?
    • Jacob views Locke as being more in tune with the Island's needs, as he is still a candidate. ("The Substitute") On the other hand, Jacob has low views of Ben's moral character. ("Dr. Linus")
  • What is the significance to the Others of Locke being healed of his paralysis?
    • It has them excited, as it is a sign that the Island has chosen him as a new leader. ("The Brig")
  • What secrets of the Island can Ben show to Locke?
    • It seems that Ben does not actually know much of value that he can tell Locke, but only professes to in order to gain Locke's compliance while he plots away to eliminate the threat he poses to his leadership. ("The Man Behind the Curtain") ("The Incident")
  • What is the Magic Box?
  • How did Anthony Cooper emerge on the Island?
    • He was in a car crash, and went unconscious as he was being loaded into an ambulance, after which he awoke on the Island. ("The Brig") This was in fact all staged by the Others, who took him and brought him on the submarine. ("Access: Granted") The Others want Locke to kill his father in a ritual of rising in leadership, although Ben expects Locke to fail and humiliate his stance. ("The Brig")
  • Why was Cooper referred to as "the man from Tallahassee"?
    • He was in Tallahassee in his car accident when the Others took him. ("The Brig")

Self-Implied

  • If the Island heals, then how did Ben get a tumor in the first place?
    • It's implied that the Island deliberately withheld healing Ben's tumor, so that he would step down from leadership in favor of Locke whom it healed. The Island has been known on rare occasion to withdraw its healing for a purpose. ("Deus Ex Machina") ("Something Nice Back Home")
  • Why was Locke soaking wet after leaving the submarine?
    • While this led to speculation of something more significant by fans due to the producers' lack of comment when questioned about it, ("Can Nikki and Paulo's souls be saved?") it seems likely to have just been a continuity error.
    • Locke may have planted some of the C4 on the outside of the submarine, thus getting wet from being in the ocean.
  • Why doesn't Ben want anyone to leave the Island?
    • Like Locke, Ben has a religious-like devotion to the Island, including the belief that everyone who is on it is there to fulfill a purpose for it.
Happycouple
3x14
"Exposé"
Kateandjulietmeetsmokey
3x15
"Left Behind"
  • Where did the Others and Locke leave to?
    • Because the survivors found their compound, they are departing to "an old place" on the Island, ("The Brig") later identified as the Temple. ("Through the Looking Glass")
  • Why did they leave Juliet behind?
    • Ben left Juliet with a plan to join the survivors covertly. ("One of Us") She is supposed to test the women for pregnancy and report her findings to Ben, ("D.O.C.") and then identify any pregnant women for the Others to kidnap. ("The Brig")
  • How much do the Others know about the Monster?
    • The Others as a whole seem to be in the dark as to the Monster's true nature. ("Dead Is Dead") However, Richard and Dogen are privileged to more direct knowledge of the Monster's nature. ("Ab Aeterno") ("Sundown") Jacob himself knows everything about the Monster. ("Across the Sea")
3X16BensRelevation
3x16
"One of Us"
  • What causes the pregnancy problems on the Island?
    • The natural healing properties of the Island's electromagnetism ("The New Man in Charge") seems to have an adverse effect on early pregnancies, treating them as an affliction to terminate, and consequently killing the mother through the effects on her health as well. ("The Other Woman") While the electromagnetic levels were not always lethal to pregnancies ("LaFleur") they later became escalated to deadly levels as a result of the nuclear detonation in one of the Island's electromagnetic pockets during the Incident. ("The Incident")
  • Why don't the pregnancy problems appear to affect the island's fauna?
    • Unanswered.
      • Educated speculation: It is possibly due to the fauna being luckily exempt from the same effects due to having a different biological structure, which itself is possibly enhanced by being indigenous for eons to the Island's natural electromagnetic properties.
  • How were Ben and some Others born on the Island?
    • Ben was actually not born on the Island as he claims. ("The Man Behind the Curtain") However, births were indeed possible on the Island prior to the Incident in 1977. ("LaFleur")
  • Will Sun and her baby survive her pregnancy?
    • Yes, they will get off the Island in time before Sun's health can turn dire. ("Ji Yeon")
  • How can Jacob take care of Rachel's cancer?
    • Jacob has the power to perform miracles with his touch. ("The Incident")
  • Why can't Jacob take care of the pregnancy problems in the same way?
    • Jacob seems to derive his power from the Island itself. ("Across the Sea") And given that it is the Island's power that harms the pregnancies, ("The Other Woman") this would suggest that Jacob performing a miracle touch is untenable. (Inference)
    • Equally worth mentioning is that Jacob's job on the Island is to protect it, regarding it with sanctity. Jacob in general seems to limit his use of the Island's power for people he assigns special jobs and destinies, and does not abuse it. ("Season 6")
  • Did Ben tell the truth about Rachel's cancer coming back?
    • Ambiguous.
  • What did Sayid do at Basra?
    • Unanswered.
      • It is known that after the Gulf War, which had turned Sayid into a torturer for the Republican Guard, ("One of Them") Saddam Hussein violently put down a widespread rebellion in Basra with much death and destruction. ("Basra history")
Whistlers
3x17
"Catch-22"
  • What is Ms. Hawking's association with Brother Campbell?
    • Ms. Hawking runs a church of her own in Los Angeles. ("316") Additionally, both Ms. Hawking and Brother Campbell were responsible for guiding Desmond's destiny. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")
  • Who is the parachutist?
  • Why did she have a photo of Desmond and Penny?
    • While she claims to be working for Penny to find Desmond, ("The Brig") it seems that this is a cover story that the Freighter team has been instructed to use by Charles Widmore. ("Ji Yeon")
  • How did her helicopter come to crash on the Island?
    • She had taken off in the helicopter from the freighter in search of the Island. Her helicopter's instruments started malfunctioning as she found the Island, ("The Brig") likely a consequence of the time dilation. ("The Constant")
Sun Ultrasound
3x18
"D.O.C."

Self-Implied

3x19-NiceToSeeYouInThoseChains
3x19
"The Brig"
  • What were the ruins that Anthony Cooper was tied to?
    • Unanswered. It seems likely to have been built by the Egyptians given that it was on route to the Temple. (Inference from "This Place Is Death")
  • Why does Locke need to kill his father?
    • It seems that letting go of one's baggage is an essential part of rising to leadership of the Others. Ben similarly killed his own abusive father. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
  • Why does Ben have the Others obsessed with the pregnancy problems?
    • Ben has soft spot for mothers and children, borne out of his mother having died giving birth to him. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
  • What are the "more important things" Richard says the Others are on the Island for?
    • Compared to Ben's medical preoccupations, it seems Richard is alluding to more spiritual and philosophical matters that Ben has lost sight of. For example, Jacob brought the Others originally in a long process to prove that mankind can be redeemed and not succumb to a destructive cycle. Jacob also works as a protector of the Island in order to prevent death from breaking out against mankind. ("Ab Aeterno")
    • Richard's comment may also allude to Locke's desire to live in natural and spiritual harmony with the Island, against Ben's more technological direction. ("The Man from Tallahassee")
  • Why did Rousseau take dynamite from the Black Rock?
    • She is helping Jack prepare his defensive against the Others. ("Greatest Hits")
  • What is it that Jack and Juliet are hiding?
    • Juliet has told Jack the true nature of her mission, so she and Jack are preparing a defensive against the Others' raid. ("Greatest Hits")
Curtain-cap617
3x20
"The Man Behind the Curtain"
  • What became of Annie?
  • Why is Jacob's identity and location held in so much secrecy?
    • Jacob wishes to have as little interference as possible towards the people on the Island, allowing them to make their own moralistic choices ("Ab Aeterno") and personal discoveries. ("Lighthouse")
  • Why does Jacob speak only to Ben?
  • How did DHARMA acquire possession of the submarine?
  • What is the significance of the Island's inactive volcano?
    • The volcano is tied to the Island's life-force and the balance of mankind. If water pours into the volcanic chamber, it results in the volcano erupting with seismic activity, as was shown in the school lesson. ("The End")
  • Where on the Island is the volcano?
    • The precise location of the crater is unknown, but it is known that the Heart of the Island near where Jack first awoke in the jungle is built directly into the volcano's magma chamber. ("The End")
      • The writers had originally intended the volcanic crater to be visited in the last few episodes of the series, but due to the expensive budget it would require to film on Hawaii's volcano, the writers were forced to limit the prominence of the volcano. (Citnation needed)
  • Why did Richard ask Ben about seeing his mother?
  • What enables agelessness in some island inhabitants, particularly Richard?
    • Richard was made that way by Jacob. ("The Incident") In exchange for becoming Jacob's liaison, Jacob agreed to stop Richard from dying so he would never go to hell. Jacob touched Richard on the shoulder, granting him this miraculous gift. ("Ab Aeterno") It seems that this gift was contingent on his servitude to Jacob, however, as he started to age again, seeing his first gray hair, following Jacob's death. ("The End")
  • What is Richard's position among the Others?
    • He is the adviser to the Others' leader, ("Follow the Leader") and Jacob's personal representative for the people he brings to the Island. ("Ab Aeterno")
  • What are Richard's origins?
    • Originally a farmer named Ricardo from the Canary Islands in 1867, he was a widowed prisoner sentenced to execution. Instead sold as a slave to the Black Rock, he arrived on the Island when the ship wrecked. After the Monster killed its other survivors, Richard was the only one remaining. ("Ab Aeterno")
  • What were Jack and Juliet doing, gone all day?
    • They were preparing to test dynamite on trees with Rousseau. ("Greatest Hits")
  • Why is there a circle of ash around Jacob's cabin?
    • To prevent intrusion from the Monster. ("The Incident") ("LA X") The power of the ash seems to function according to Jacob's rules. (Inferred from the Monster's behavior in overcoming the ash in "LA X")
  • What is the significance of the dog painting in the cabin?
    • Jacob seems to have an appreciation for art, which is best exemplified through his pastime of weaving tapestries. ("The Incident")
  • Why could Ben see Jacob, but was invisible to Locke?
    • Jacob was not actually in the cabin. Ben was pretending to see Jacob, embarrassed by Locke's correct accusation that he had never seen him before. Ben was surprised when things started flying through the room. ("The Incident")
  • Why did Jacob say "Help me" to Locke?
    • It was spoken by the Monster to manipulate Ben's jealousy of Locke and drive Ben's resentment towards Jacob. ("The Incident")
  • How much does Jacob know about the Island?
    • Jacob is the most informed individual in the world about the true nature of the Island and its secrets. ("Across the Sea")
  • How did the Others unleash toxic gas on DHARMA?
  • Why did Ben shoot Locke?
    • Ben felt threatened in his leadership by Locke seemingly being able to hear Jacob, even though Ben himself could not actually see Jacob. ("The Incident")
  • What will be Locke's fate in the DHARMA mass grave?

Self-Implied

  • What is the nature of Ben's visions of his mother?
3x21 CharlieIsland
3x21
"Greatest Hits"
  • Who are the two women in the Looking Glass?
  • Why isn't the station flooded?
  • How will Charlie drown as per Desmond's vision?
    • Mikhail will blow up the window, and Charlie will close the door to the room shut to keep the rest of the station from flooding to save Desmond, consequently causing the room to flood on himself. ("Through the Looking Glass")
JackKate3x23
3x22
"Through the Looking Glass"
  • In flash-forwards, why is Jack's life broken and addicted?
  • What is the Temple?
  • What is the nature of Locke's vision of the taller Walt?
    • Ambiguous.
    • Locke has been instructed to stop Naomi from bringing the rest of her people to the Island. ("Confirmed Dead")
  • In flash-forwards, who is the dead person in the coffin?
  • In flash-forwards, why does this person's death affect Jack to suicidal proportions?
    • Locke had tried to convince Jack to come back with him to the Island, even telling him that he met Christian's apparition as well. But Jack harshly turned him down before accepting that he was right. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")
  • What is the true nature of the Freighter's mission?
    • Most of them are under the impression that the mission is primarily intended to capture Ben. ("Confirmed Dead") However, the mercenaries will massacre whom they will in order to seize Ben, ("The Shape of Things to Come") and intend to afterwards torch the Island in order to kill all its inhabitants. ("Cabin Fever")
  • How much does the freighter know about the Island?
  • How did the freighter know Desmond would be on the Island?
    • Charles Widmore investigates disappearances in the Pacific associated with the Island. ("The Constant") So it seems likely that Widmore attributed Desmond's disappearance in the sailing race to the Island. In fact, it is likely that Widmore hosted the sailing race precisely in hopes it would turn up evidence for the Island's location. (Inference)
  • Why were the Others building a runway?
  • In flash-forwards, why does Jack refer to his father as though he were alive?
    • While the episode itself already implies Jack is getting delirious in his state of mind, it's worth noting that Jack has started seeing visions of his father, ("Something Nice Back Home") even being told by Locke that he had had a conversation with Christian. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")
  • Who sent the freighter to find the Island?
    • Charles Widmore sent it. According to Ben, he has been seeking to exploit the Island for power. ("The Other Woman")
  • In flash-forwards, how did the survivors escape from the Island?
    • They were forced to flee the freighter on helicopter before it exploded. Then the Island moved, forcing the helicopter to crash into the ocean. They survived on a raft, drifting at sea, until they were picked up by Penny's boat. After a week, they planned their lie. They then took off to the island of Sumba, where they were picked up by Oceanic representatives and transported to meet their loved ones in Hawaii. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 1") ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")
  • In flash-forwards, who escaped from the Island and who remained behind?
  • In flash-forwards, what became of life for the escaped survivors?
    • They become international celebrities, known as the only survivors to a worldwide known plane crash. However, most of them are ultimately unable to adjust to life back home, haunted by the past of the island and the surrounding threat of danger. ("The Beginning of the End") ("Season 4")
  • In flash-forwards, how much does the world know about the Island and the experiences of the Oceanic 815 survivors?
    • They know nothing about the Island nor the actual experiences of the survivors. The survivors tell an elaborate lie which they built off the Oceanic wreckage hoax. ("The Beginning of the End") ("Eggtown")
  • In flash-forwards, why has Kate been ignoring Jack's phone calls?
    • Jack and Kate broke up badly after being engaged due to his jealousy of Sawyer, discomfort with Aaron, and developing drinking habits. ("Something Nice Back Home")
  • In flash-forwards, is Kate still on the run?
    • No, she managed to win her court cases, getting off on parole, that she not leave the country. ("Eggtown")
  • In flash-forwards, who does Kate need to be getting back to?
    • Aaron, whom she has taken as her son. ("Eggtown")
  • In flash-forwards, why does Jack want to go back to the Island so desperately?
    • Jack wants to save the people that were left behind, believing that grave danger has befallen them. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2") ("Because You Left") More than that, however, is that Jack is coming closer and closer to accepting what Locke has been telling him all along about his destiny to the Island. ("316") Jack is starting to believe that the Island is the only thing that can fix his broken life. ("Lighthouse")
  • In flash-forwards, how can Jack get back to the Island?
    • The Island won't let Jack return unless he is joined with the other survivors. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2") The Lamp Post station can provide the coordinates of where the Island will be at a given point in time, allowing them to board a commercial airliner to get back. ("316")

Season 4[]

Episode Questions and Answers
4x01imoneoftheoceanicsix
4x01
"The Beginning of the End"
4x02 PushedAgainstATree
4x02
"Confirmed Dead"
  • Why did Faraday cry at the Oceanic wreckage report?
    • He was very saddened that they were all dead. It is implied that this is due to the effects his time travel experiments had on his mind, making him familiar with the survivors from meeting them later in his life. ("The Variable")
  • How did Faraday come to be on the freighter mission?
    • He was given the offer by Widmore (who unbeknownst to him, is his father) to go to the Island as a physicist to research its scientific properties. He was told that the Island would heal his mind. His mother, Ms. Hawking, further encouraged him to go, knowing that he was predestined to do so through having met him in his time travels. ("The Variable")
  • Why is the freighter team treating this akin to a military mission?
    • They are aware of how dangerous Ben is and how much power he has on the island. ("The Other Woman")
  • Why was Faraday packed with a gas mask?
  • What is the nature of Miles' mediumship?
    • Miles can pick up on the thoughts from a dead person's brain - "who they were and what they knew". It is implied that he was given this gift by the Island, having been born there. ("Some Like It Hoth")
      • The answer to this question seems to retcon the original details established when it was introduced. Miles seems to be able communicate with disembodied spirits in this episode's flashback, but Some Like It Hoth later establishes that he can only read the thoughts leftover in the dead brain of a person's remains.
  • How did Miles come to be on the freighter mission?
    • Miles was offered 1.6 million dollars by the freighter, as his ability could enable him to read the thoughts of the numerous dead people on the Island who may be able to help the team locate Ben. ("Some Like It Hoth")
  • Why did Faraday say the light doesn't scatter quite right on the Island?
  • Why was a DHARMA polar bear in Tunisia?
  • How did Charlotte come to be on the freighter mission?
    • She was searching for the place she was born, believing it to be the island. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2") She had never seen her father again since leaving, and having been told by her mother that she made the island up. So she has been searching her whole life. ("This Place Is Death")
  • Why does the freighter team not seem surprised to see the Oceanic survivors alive?
    • They are under the impression that the wreckage was hoaxed by Ben, and this is one of the reasons they have come to capture him. ("Ji Yeon")
  • Why did Frank Lapidus not fly Flight 815?
  • How did Lapidus come to be on the freighter mission?
    • He realized the Oceanic wreckage was faked, and Charles Widmore agreed with him, bringing him on the mission as a pilot, believing the Oceanic survivors could be out there somewhere. ("Meet Kevin Johnson")
  • Why can't Minkowski communicate on the phone anymore?
    • His mind has become unstable from time, being affected by the time dilation while on the Zodiac to look at the island. ("The Constant")
  • Why does the freighter want Ben?
    • While they are under the impression that Ben is being captured because of the fake wreckage and "many" other reasons, ("Ji Yeon") Widmore's real motivation is to remove Ben from leadership so he can reclaim his position. (Although he later claims to have been wanting Locke to rise to leadership). ("The Shape of Things to Come") ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")
  • Who is Ben's spy on the freighter?
4x03 Sprinklers
4x03
"The Economist"
  • What is the nature of the Cabin?
    • Ambiguous. It was originally an ordinary cabin built by Horace Goodspeed as a getaway for him and his wife. ("Cabin Fever")
      • Given that artifacts connected to Jacob are often gifted with supernatural features, it seems likely that Jacob gave his cabin an apparitional gift, enabling to move, spirit-like. (Inference from "Season 5" and "Season 6")
      • It seems that the Man in Black had moved the cabin in order to prolong Locke from receiving further instructions, enabling time for the freighter conflict to further stew, which he could manipulate to his advantage. This ultimately allowed time to result in Alex's death. The Man in Black later used Alex's death to drive Ben's resentment towards Jacob. ("The Incident")
  • Why did Faraday's rocket delay in arrival?
    • Due to the Island's time dilation. The Island's sense of spacetime is slightly out of sync with the outside world's sense of spacetime. ("The Constant")
  • What work do Charlotte and Faraday have to do?
  • How did Sayid come to work for Ben?
    • After Nadia's death, Ben persuaded Sayid that she was murdered by Widmore's affiliates, prompting him to get involved in Ben and Widmore's war. ("The Shape of Things to Come")
  • Who was Elsa's boss?
    • Someone in Widmore's organization. ("The Shape of Things to Come") ("He's Our You")
      • Some fans believed the "economist" would be someone more significant due to the episode's title, but it is likely he is just a MacGuffin in Sayid's story as an assassin. The title "The Economist" was likely chosen for its double meaning, as Sayid himself is something of an economist in his trading of Miles for Charlotte.
  • Did Sayid ever reunite with Nadia?

Self-Implied

  • What is the meaning of Naomi's bracelet?
    • As the message on it implied, it was some personal memento to Naomi from someone close from her life. It served to remind Sayid that Naomi had loved ones and deserved a proper funeral, hence him bringing her back to the freighter.
4x04 WelcomeHome
4x04
"Eggtown"
  • Who are the other two survivors Jack mentioned in his story to the court?
    • There are actually three other survivors. (It seems this is a slight writing error that miscounted Aaron, who had not been born yet, as one of the initial 8 survivors.) The three survivors are said to be Boone, who died from tremendous internal injuries a few days after the crash; Libby, who died in the first week; and Charlie, who drowned a few weeks before they were able to leave. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 1")
  • Why does Miles want 3.2 million dollars?
    • He wanted double the money the freighter offered him, which was 1.6 million. It is implied that Miles wanted money to fill the void in his heart left by never knowing his father. ("Some Like It Hoth")
  • What are the issues with Faraday's memory?
    • Faraday suffered from regular memory loss due to experiments he tested on his consciousness. He joined the Island in hopes that it's healing properties would heal his mind. ("The Variable")
  • What happened to the helicopter?
    • It was on its way to the freighter, but the time dilation caused the passage of time since it took off to seem longer than it actually had been. ("The Constant")
  • How did Kate come to raise Aaron?
    • After Claire went missing, Aaron was given to Sun, who took him into the freighter, and thereafter took him onto the helicopter with Kate. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2") After being rescued by Penny, Kate decided the day before the Oceanic Six conceived the lie to say that she gave birth to Aaron on the Island, as she couldn't bring herself to lose him. ("The Little Prince")
  • What happened to Claire?
    • She vanished into the jungle shortly before the Oceanic Six left the Island, having been taken by the apparition of her father, Christian. ("Something Nice Back Home")
  • Why did Desmond see a vision of Claire on the helicopter?
    • It seems that Desmond misinterpreted the woman holding Aaron on the helicopter as Claire, when it was actually either Kate or Sun. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2") This is similar to when Desmond misinterpreted his flashes in Catch-22 that Naomi was Penny, as it is difficult to decipher the full picture of the broken flashes.
  • Why doesn't Jack want to see Aaron?
    • Jack is uncomfortable knowing his relation to Aaron, as Claire's mother Carol had awoken from her coma and attended Christian's funeral, telling Jack about his sister. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 1")
4x05 CallingPenny
4x05
"The Constant"
  • What is the nature of the Island's time dilation?
  • What are Keamy and Omar's jobs on the freighter mission?
  • Why did Faraday say you can't change the future?
    • Faraday has learned through his study of physics that "whatever happened, happened" and time can't be changed. Although Desmond is a mild exception to this rule. ("Because You Left")
  • Who opened the door to let Desmond and Sayid out?
  • Why did Charles Widmore bid on the Black Rock journal?
    • Widmore has been trying to find clues and evidence in order to find the Island. ("The Other Woman")
  • How does Penny know about the Island and Desmond's presence on it?
    • Unanswered. It seems connected to the fact that she is Widmore's daughter, ("The Other Woman") who himself knows about the Island and suspected Desmond was on it.
      • According to disputed canon, at some point Penny had learned about her father's search for the Island, and therefore mounted her own search. ("Lost Encyclopedia")
  • What was the significance of Faraday's writing that Desmond would be his own constant?
    • Faraday's encounter with Desmond bolstered his time travel studies, ("Jughead") and he determined that Desmond was "uniquely, miraculously special" and that the normal rules of time didn't apply to him. Although technically a different matter, Faraday later turned to Desmond for help in stabilizing the Island's time flashes. ("Because You Left")
4x06 BenJulietOverGoodwin
4x06
"The Other Woman"
  • How did Harper receive a message from Ben if he's a prisoner?
  • Where is the real power station?
    • Unanswered.
  • What is Ben's plan, as he purports to "always" have?
  • How much does Charles Widmore know about the Island?
  • In what way would Widmore exploit the Island?
    • It's implied that Widmore had already been using his knowledge of the Island and its properties to advance his corporation off the island before he was banished. ("Dead Is Dead") ("Lost Encyclopedia")
  • What was the nature of the Tempest station?
    • Ambiguous. At the very least, it was used as a chemical weapon facility.
      • There are clues suggesting it was originally purposed for meteorology research, one of DHARMA's primary fields. ("Orientation") The blast door map references a manufacturing facility with light industrial equipment, near mountainous terrain used for meteorological research due to high altitude. ("Blast door map notations") Additionally, the very name "Tempest" means windstorm, the station itself was elevated near a cliff, and the use of widespread gas in the air also suggests meteorological usage. (Self-Implied) The writers also confirmed that the Tempest was one of the unidentified stations on the map. ("Official Lost Podcast/March 10, 2008")
      • The writers proposed two possible explanations as to DHARMA's use for the poison gas: ("Official Lost Podcast/March 10, 2008")
        • To protect themselves against the Hostiles.
        • DHARMA's mission in the Tempest was not peaceful, perhaps alluding to the possibility that DHARMA was planning a Purge of its own against the Hostiles. This is consistent with Ben's claim that both sides realized one would have to be purged. (Retrospect: "The Man Behind the Curtain")
          • The writers suggested that they planned to revisit DHARMA's purpose of the Tempest. But for reasons unknown, it was left ambiguous.
Ji Yeon Sun2
4x07
"Ji Yeon"
  • Where is Lapidus flying Keamy to?
  • Why did Michael write the message "DON'T TRUST THE CAPTAIN"?
    • While Captain Gault's intentions are actually good-natured, ("Cabin Fever") he nonetheless purports Widmore's claim that Ben staged the wreckage, when in fact Michael believes it was Widmore who staged it. ("Meet Kevin Johnson") The true threat from the freighter is the mercenary team. ("The Shape of Things to Come")
  • How did the fake Oceanic wreckage come to be placed in the ocean?
    • An old Boeing 777 was bought through a shell company, loaded with 300 corpses dug up from a Thailand cemetery, and was dropped into the Sunda Trench by a freighter. ("Meet Kevin Johnson")
  • How did Michael come to be Ben's spy on the freighter?
    • He was enlisted by Tom to join the freighter, being duped into thinking he was on a suicide mission to blow it up as redemption to save the survivors. But once there, he was contacted by Ben over the radio, instructing him on his new role as spy. ("Meet Kevin Johnson")
  • In flash-forwards, why is Jin dead?
Michael car
4x08
"Meet Kevin Johnson"
  • Why does the Temple have a DHARMA logo on Ben's map?
    • As the Temple is not a DHARMA station but rather an ancient ruins, ("This Place Is Death") it seems this is likely just a prop error.
    • Alternatively, it could have a logo because DHARMA had a monitoring presence at the Temple. ("Namaste")
  • Why is the Temple only "for" the Others?
    • The Temple is built around a sacred site connected to the Island's power, which is known to change people on a spiritual level, "making" them Others. ("Whatever Happened, Happened") Its inhabitants compose their own subculture and branch of the Others' society, extremely protective of the Temple. They are quick to execute intruders, unless given special permission to be there by one of the leaders, such as Jacob. ("LA X")
  • Why won't the Island let Michael die?
    • The Island has tasked Michael to save his fellow survivors. This culminates in him freezing the mercenaries' C4 long enough so that the survivors can safely escape the freighter's explosion. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")
  • Did Widmore or Ben stage the fake Oceanic wreckage?
  • How does Miles know that Michael and other people on the freighter are harboring secret information about themselves?
    • Unanswered.
      • It seems prior to the writers retconning the rules of Miles' abilities, he was supposed to have been privy to receiving secret knowledge from spirits, as demonstrated by his initial encounter with the sonar fence. ("Season 4 deleted scenes")
      • This same phenomena seems connected with Miles knowing that Charlotte was searching for the Island. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")
  • Who fired upon Rousseau and Karl?
  • Is Rousseau dead or will she survive being shot?

Self-Implied

  • How does the Island stop Michael or other select individuals from dying?
    • The Island seems to have some influence over the natural order of the world, similar to the universe's capacity for course-correction as previously seen. ("Season 3") This is probably related to the Island's abundant source of electromagnetism which is one of the four fundamental forces of nature.
      • This explanation would further apply to why Jack and Richard can't kill themselves. Richard attributes this to getting touched by Jacob. ("Dr. Linus")
Gunpoint
4x09
"The Shape of Things to Come"
  • Why is Jack ill?
  • How did Doc Ray die?
    • Keamy murdered him to coerce Lapidus into flying him back to the island. ("Cabin Fever")
  • Why was Ben in the desert with a thick DHARMA parka?
  • Why was Nadia murdered?
    • It seems that the intended target was actually Sayid, who was walking with Nadia. Jacob touched Sayid, sparing him from crossing the street, and Nadia was killed in collateral. ("The Incident") This is consistent with Ben's repeated claims that Widmore's organization was a threat to the safety of the Oceanic Six.
  • What was inside the secret room?
    • A short passage to a pool of water, which Ben drains to summon the Monster. ("Dead Is Dead") This system seems related to the Island's inner flow of water and electromagnetism, which the Monster itself is connected to. ("Across the Sea")
  • Why were there Ancient Egyptians on the Island?
    • Jacob has brought multiple cultures of people to the Island throughout history in his endeavor to prove mankind's goodness, but they always wipe each other out in a cycle of destruction. ("Ab Aeterno") Egyptians were among the most prominent contributors to the Island's ancient history, but other cultures were involved as well, including Romans, ("Across the Sea") Sumerians, ("The End") and Angkorians. ("This Place Is Death")
  • Why was housing built over the secret room?
    • DHARMA was concerned with protecting and preserving the Island's ancient ruins, a concern enforced by the Hostiles in the truce. ("The Truce")
  • What is the nature of summoning the Monster?
    • Ben has no control over its behavior, and it comes on its own time, deciding whether to kill or spare those whom it has been called against. ("Dead Is Dead") In fact, Ben later realizes, that despite having been told he could summon the Monster, that it was really the one in control, using the summoning process for its own agenda. ("What They Died For")
    • On this same note, it's worth mentioning that the Monster only drove the mercenaries away. It did not actually kill any of them, aside from mortally wounding one. ("Something Nice Back Home") This is consistent with the Man in Black's pattern of instigating the freighter conflict for his own manipulative purposes. The mercenaries still being alive for a round 2 gives the Man in Black leverage to command Locke to move the island. ("Cabin Fever")
  • Why did the freighter say the doctor was fine?
    • Due to the time dilation, the Doc Ray had actually not been killed yet. ("Cabin Fever")
  • What is the nature of "the rules"?
    • According to the writers, the rules were a code between Ben and Widmore, governed by the Island. ("Official Lost Podcast/April 25, 2008") Ben and Widmore cannot be killed, especially by each other, until they have each served their purpose for the Island. Until then, the Island intervenes to prevent their deaths, similar to how it intervenes in Michael's suicide attempts. ("Official Lost Podcast/May 19, 2008") It is later hinted that Jacob was the one who decreed these rules. ("Dead Is Dead") ("Official Lost Podcast/May 14, 2010")
      • This may also apply to Alex's fate, and Ben's initial belief that she wouldn't be killed per the rules. It seems that Ben and Widmore's understanding of the rules may be very interpretive. It also seems that, for a time, it had been Jacob's and the Island's will that Alex not die, which Ben understood and Widmore reluctantly agreed to, the night she was kidnapped. Widmore had later warned Ben that Alex would die if it were the Island's will for her to be dead, and that Ben would be consequently banished for his failure to follow the Island's will. While, after her death, Ben's choice of word was that Widmore "changed" the rules, it's likely this is actually more of a subjective assertion to attribute blame to Widmore and deflect off his own responsibility in Alex's death (as Widmore strongly counters in their penthouse conversation), as well as for Ben to justify himself in his intention to kill Penny. Over the years, Ben eventually came to accept blame for Alex's death and wanted to face accountability from the Island. ("Dead Is Dead")
    • According to disputed canon, Ben and Widmore had made a "gentlemanly agreement" not to kill each other or each other's families. ("Lost Encyclopedia") Although this seems to contradict all of the information and hints from the writers and show.
  • What is Widmore and Ben's personal history?
    • Widmore was formerly Ben's leader, but felt threatened by him as Jacob and the Island had chosen to save his life. Later, Widmore and Ben clashed over their devotion to the Island and their morality, disagreeing on whether to murder Alex and Danielle to protect the Island. Following the Purge, Ben had Widmore removed from leadership and banished from the Island as a consequence of breaking the rules, frequently leaving the Island to advance his corporation as well as having a daughter with an outsider. ("Dead Is Dead")
  • Why did Widmore say Ben would never find Penny?

Self-Implied

  • Why was the secret room built?
    • It seems to have been built by Ancient Egyptians in order to summon protection from the Monster, as indicated by the hieroglyphics and their translation. (Self-Implied) The Egyptians seemed to believe that the Monster was a deity. ("Dead Is Dead")
  • Why is Widmore having nightmares?
    • Likely brought on by the expectation that Ben is coming to kill him.
FFJack3
4x10
"Something Nice Back Home"
  • What is the nature of Christian's visitations to Jack in St. Sebastian?
    • Ambiguous
      • As Hurley stated in this very episode, Charlie's ghost told him that someone would be visiting Jack as well, alluding to Christian. This would seem to suggest that Jack was seeing visions of his father, calling him back to the Island.
        • While Hurley is normally the only survivor known to be able to regularly see the dead, it may be that Jack also has a much milder degree of specialness, enabling him to see Christian. After all, Jack too is destined to become a protector like Hurley, albeit for a much shorter time. This is similar to how other special characters show a slight affinity for apparitions, like Ben. (Retrospect: "The Man Behind the Curtain") It's also similar to how the candidates were later able to specially see Jacob's ghost as a child, but only Hurley could see him as an adult. ("Season 6")
      • According to disputed canon, Jack was hallucinating from the unresolved guilt of leaving the Island. ("Lost Encyclopedia") Although this doesn't preclude the possibility that the Island was giving Jack a vision via hallucination.
      • Despite the temptation to attribute this to the Monster, who is otherwise known for manifesting as Christian (including in the on-island arc of this very episode), it seems unlikely that the Monster appeared in St. Sebastian's, as the Monster is unable to leave the Island. This is not the only time the show has featured two separate kinds of apparitions of the same person in the same episode, their real ghost and a Monster manifestation, as this similarly happens with Isabella. ("Ab Aeterno")
        • However, some fans noted the appearance of Christian in the hospital with the smoke detector beeping. This is likely just a "meta" easter egg referencing the on-island Christian's status as Monster, and doesn't have serious in-story significance.
        • Although unlikely, it may be possible that the Monster had extremely limited ability to project its manifestations to the candidates off-island, despite not being able to physically leave the island.
  • If the Island heals, why did Jack get appendicitis?
    • As Rose herself pointed out, the Island seems to have withheld his healing because of his efforts to leave the Island. This is not the first time the Island has been implied to withhold healing for some purpose. (Retrospect: "Deus Ex Machina", "The Man from Tallahassee")
    • It seems the Island also did this so that Jack later on wouldn't die immediately from being stabbed where his appendix had been. This enabled Jack to survive long enough to save the Island. ("The End")
  • Is there any significance to Miles' noticing Claire?
    • Ambiguous. Some fans noted, following the scene where Sawyer snapped at Miles not to look at Claire, that Miles also was able to see Christian taking her. Some speculated that this was tied to Miles' affinity for the dead, and that Claire might be dead to some extent. However, this is also arguably reading too much into a fleeting moment.
      • Miles' powers seem to be retconned in Season 5 to only allow him to read the last thoughts from a dead body, so if a connection was originally intended in this scene, it is no longer tenable.
      • It's worth mentioning that neither Claire nor "Christian" (the Man in Black) are actually dead, as indicated in Season 6, though both characters have experienced brushes with death that respectively infected Claire with the sickness and turned the Man in Black into the Monster.
  • Where has Christian taken Claire?
  • What has Kate been doing for Sawyer?
  • Why did Sawyer choose to stay on the Island?
4x11 TestingLocke
4x11
"Cabin Fever"
  • How did the Others travel to and from the Island prior to acquiring the submarine?
    • Unanswered.
      • The Others likely had some kind of boating transportation.
  • What is the nature of Locke's dream of Horace?
    • Ambiguous.
      • As it is later confirmed that the Man in Black was guised as Christian in the cabin, ("The Last Recruit") it seems plausible that the dream was in fact influenced by the Monster in its theatrics of manipulating Locke.
  • Why did little John draw the Monster?
    • Ambiguous.
      • This seems to be indicative of John possessing some special connection to the Island already. But interestingly, it seems to foretell his fate to the Monster's manipulations. ("Season 5")
  • Why did Richard keep going to see young John?
    • A time-traveling Locke had told Richard in 1954 that he was destined to be their leader, and told him where he was born to verify this. ("Jughead") So Richard went to see Locke these 3 times to see if he was special, but felt that he "wasn't particularly special", having failed both failed his test and rejected the offer to be enrolled in the Others' society via Mittelos Laboratories. ("The Incident")
  • What was the nature of Richard's test?
    • It is the Others' process for selecting their leadership. ("Jughead") It seems that someone who has been destined for leadership of the Others will intuitively be drawn to the qualities of the jar of sand, the compass, and the book of laws. However, as John chose the knife, choosing hunting instincts over the book, he failed the test. (Self-Implied)
    • The writers have noted that Richard's process for finding leadership is similar to how the Panchen Lama finds the Dalai Lama in Buddhism. ("The Man Behind the Curtain audio commentary") ("Official Lost Podcast/May 7, 2008")
      • Some fans believe that the compass Richard tested Locke with is the same one that Locke gave him in 1954, an idea also assumed by the editors of the Lost Encyclopedia. However, the two props used for the compass are visibly different, and the writers have never confirmed them to be the same compass in-story. So the supposed connection is unclear and unconfirmed.
  • Who was the Others' leader before Ben, who ordered the Purge?
  • Why did Jacob take residence in Horace's cabin?
    • Unanswered. It can be assumed that Jacob may have used it as a secondary refuge for its closer contact with the Others.
  • What was the miracle that happened to Abaddon?
    • Unanswered.
      • Abaddon may have been referencing his spiritual self-transformation from his own walkabout tour.
  • Why did Abaddon suggest to Locke to go on the walkabout?
    • Abaddon was trying to push Locke on his path to the Island, on Widmore's orders, to get Locke into leadership. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")
      • Widmore knew about Locke, having met him in 1954 when he told Richard his destiny as future leader. ("Jughead") While they may not have known the specifics of the plane crash, it's fair to say Abaddon assumed that Locke going on a journey of spiritual self-discovery with nature would guide Locke's spiritual path closer to the Island.
  • What is the secondary protocol?
  • What is the nature of Keamy's order to "torch the Island"?
    • Ambiguous.
      • Widmore may have ordered the island's population slaughtered to both ensure he could assume leadership unopposed, as well as to preserve the secrecy of the Oceanic passengers' true fate, keeping the Island a secret from the outside world. (Inference)
      • Widmore later implies that he had never ordered the slaughter of the island inhabitants. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham") ("Recon") If this is true, then this would instead suggest that the mercenaries are losing their own minds, brought on by the time dilation as suggested by Gault. This possibility was also suggested by the writers, with respect to the mercenaries' use of the dead man's trigger. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2 audio commentary")
  • What is the device on Keamy's arm?
    • A dead man's trigger, that would blow up the freighter with C4 if Keamy's heartbeat stopped. Keamy was using this to try to protect his own life, effectively holding the lives on the freighter hostage. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")
  • Why is Christian speaking on Jacob's behalf?
    • He is actually not. The Man in Black is falsely professing to speak for Jacob ("The Incident") in order to manipulate Locke onto the path to his death. The Man in Black wanted Locke to turn the frozen donkey wheel to leave the Island and sacrifice his life. ("This Place Is Death")
  • Where is Jacob?
    • Jacob is residing at the 4-toed statue, as he has actually not inhabited the cabin for some time. ("The Incident")
  • Why is Christian secretly keeping Claire in the cabin?
    • The Monster has infected her with the sickness, claiming her. ("What Kate Does") He is manipulating and recruiting her to his own cause in his war against Jacob, later telling her that the Temple inhabitants have kidnapped her baby. ("Lighthouse") ("Recon")
  • How can Locke "move" the Island?
    • By turning the frozen donkey wheel, unleashing a burst of the Island's exotic energy and moving the Island ahead in its trajectory through spacetime. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")

Self-Implied

  • What is the connection between John's premature birth and Ben's?
    • It is implied that they are "miracle" babies for surviving their births, further implicating their specialness.
O6Media
4x12
"There's No Place Like Home, Part 1"
  • What was the nature of the Orchid station?
    • Designated as Station 6, it was disguised as a botanical research unit to conceal its true nature. It was built over the pocket of electromagnetism at the donkey wheel. Its purpose was to conduct experiments in space and time through the exotic matter residing at this location. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")
  • Why is there a bunch of C4 within the freighter?
  • Who is the other person Sun blames for Jin's death?
FDK
4x13
"There's No Place Like Home, Part 2"
  • Why did Locke use the alias "Jeremy Bentham"?
  • Why did Miles decide to stay on the Island?
    • Unanswered.
      • Miles may be intrigued to learn more about the Island, having been warned he "wasn't ready" to go to it by Bram. ("Some Like It Hoth")
  • What is Charlotte's history with the Island?
    • She originally grew up as a small girl on the Island with her family in DHARMA. She left with her mother at about age 7, never seeing her father again. ("This Place Is Death") They were being evacuated with non-essential personnel due to the incident. ("Follow the Leader")
  • Who was the guy in the car spying on Hurley for the past week?
    • Ambiguous. He seems to be connected to the dart attackers who subsequently went after Sayid, Hurley, and Kate. ("Because You Left") ("The Little Prince")
      • Ben implied the man was connected to Charles Widmore. ("He's Our You")
        • Additionally, although its canonicity is disputed, Widmore was also implied by an enhanced episode, which stated that Sayid and Hurley were being hunted by "someone who would do anything to get information on the location of the island." ("The Lie enhanced")
      • In Ben's same suggestion, he attributed this man to the party responsible for Locke's death. As Ben was in fact the one who killed Locke, and also claimed to have people watching each of the Oceanic Six, ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham") it is possible that the man was actually Ben's, sacrificed as a pawn to manipulate Hurley and Sayid into going back to the Island.
      • The man may have been involved in Ilana's group, as the dart attackers who followed Sayid and Hurley to the safe house tried to capture them, just as Ilana very shortly later took Sayid prisoner. ("He's Our You")
  • Why did Sayid bust Hurley out of Santa Rosa?
    • Ben had warned Sayid that Hurley was being watched by the man outside, suggesting he was linked to the people who killed Locke, and advised Sayid to kill the man. ("He's Our You"). Sayid took it a step further and also rescued Hurley to take him to a safe house. ("Because You Left")
  • What was the nature of Michael's encounter with Christian?
    • As "Christian" himself stated, Michael had fulfilled his duty and was free to die. Knowing that this is in fact the Man in Black, ("The Last Recruit") this scene takes an interesting new perspective, as the Man in Black wants Jacob's candidates to be dead, ("The Candidate") one of which was Michael. ("cave wall") ("the Lighthouse") The Man in Black seems to take satisfaction in the sudden, confused deaths of the candidates. ("LA X")
  • Did Jin survive the explosion of the freighter?
  • What are Sun and Widmore's common interests?
    • To kill Ben. ("Because You Left") Although it's not clear how she knew Ben was off island.
  • Why did Halliwax (Marvin Candle) have a parka in the Orchid?
    • He was a chief scientist in the study of the Orchid's focus of astrophysics/time travel. ("Dharma booth video") He also knew about the existence of the frozen chamber as a result of a sonar image, ("Because You Left") and so may have visited or planned to visit the frozen chamber. Worth noting, however, is that he was the one who ordered the construction workers not to blow a passage into the chamber.
  • Why was the vault built over the tunnel into the frozen chamber?
    • Dr. Chang ordered it to block entry into the chamber, wanting to prevent the risk of releasing the deadly energy inside. ("Because You Left")
  • Why is that whoever moves the Island can "never come back"?
    • It is implied that Ben is being banished, and it is against the rules for a banished leader to come back. ("Dead Is Dead")
  • Who built the donkey wheel?
    • The initial model was originally designed in ancient times by Claudia's people, especially by the Man in Black, as a way to leave the Island, though it was soon destroyed. ("Across the Sea") The hieroglyphics suggests that the Monster later influenced the Egyptians to remake and finish the project. (Inference)
  • Why is the wheel room frozen?
    • The donkey wheel made use of the water that was circulating the electromagnetism behind the wheel. ("Across the Sea") This seems to suggest some kind of magnetic refrigerating effect on the moisture in the chamber. ("Magnetic refrigeration - Wikipedia")
  • What is the nature of the Island's "move"?
    • Turning the wheel channeled the exotic matter behind it, ("Across the Sea") jumping the Island ahead in its trajectory through spacetime. The donkey wheel also accidentally slipped off its axis, resulting in repeated, random time flashes. ("Because You Left") ("This Place Is Death") The Island is still in the South Pacific, but in a different location, closer to the trajectory of Guam (rather than Fiji as before). ("316")
  • What happened to those in the ocean surrounding the Island when it moved?
    • They were in the Island's electromagnetic radius, so they moved with it. ("Because You Left") The helicopter was flying high enough above the radius to not be pulled with the flash.
  • What is the nature of Kate's dream about Claire?
    • Ambiguous.
      • It may have been an ordinary dream, brought on by Kate's protective feelings of Aaron.
      • Judging by the voice she heard, it may have been produced by the Island. It's worth mentioning that Jacob does not want mothers and their babies to be entangled into the duty of protecting the Island. ("What They Died For")
      • The dream was presumably not connected to the real Claire, as her presence with "Christian" doesn't seem to afford her any apparitional abilities. ("Lighthouse")
  • Whose voice told Kate "You have to go back, the Island needs you" in reverse in the dream?
    • Unanswered. Interestingly, the voice resembles Jacob's. (Although Mark Pellegrino had not been cast yet.)
  • What became of Desmond & Penny and Lapidus after parting ways from the Oceanic Six?
    • Desmond and Penny lived on the ocean, getting married and eventually having a child. ("Jughead") On the other hand, Lapidus sobered up and went back to flying commercial airliners. ("316")
  • How did Locke come to leave the Island?
    • Following the Island's move, it started producing time flashes. Locke was convinced by Richard and the Christian apparition that he could stop the time flashes by bringing the Oceanic Six back, but that he would have to sacrifice himself and die in order to succeed. So Locke took it upon himself to realign the frozen donkey wheel, being transported through the wormhole into the Tunisia desert. ("Because You Left") ("This Place Is Death") ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")
  • What is the fate of the survivors Locke left behind?
    • After Locke readjusted the wheel, the time flashes actually stopped, effectively saving the remaining survivors. They became stranded in the year 1974. ("LaFleur")
  • What was the nature of Locke's visitations to the Oceanic survivors?
    • Locke asked Sayid, Hurley, Kate, and Jack to come back with him to the Island to save the remaining survivors, though each of them turned him down. (Although Locke did not explain to them the exact nature of the danger that befell the survivors, keeping many details in the dark.) He also visited Walt just to check in on his life and see how he was doing. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham") Locke did not visit Sun, having made a promise to Jin that he would not endanger her or their baby. ("This Place Is Death")
  • What was the nature of Locke's off-island mission?
    • He was initially taken in by Charles Widmore, who equipped him with the means to find the Oceanic Six, and was taken across the world by Matthew Abaddon to find each of them. Later, Ben murdered Abaddon, claiming to protect Locke. Ben then went to see Locke for himself, talking him out of suicide to get information from him, and then promptly murdered him himself. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")
  • What are the "very bad things" that happened after the Oceanic Six left?
    • Following the Island's move, the time flashes resulted in the deaths of most of the survivors through an attack by the 1954 Others. ("The Lie") The remaining began to be slowly killed by their internal sense of time being thrown off, resulting in hemorrhaging. ("Jughead") ("The Little Prince") ("This Place Is Death") The Oceanic Six leaving did not actually cause this phenomena, though Locke erroneously inferred that it did. ("The Little Prince")
      • Interestingly, Locke did not actually tell Jack about the "very bad things" that occurred, so it seems that this detail was retconned from their conversation. Though he did reference the danger to Sayid and Kate. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")
  • What are Ben's "few ideas" to get the Oceanic Six back together to go to the Island?
    • Ben is colluding with Ms. Hawking, who has given him the information on how to get back. ("The Lie") Ben intends to try to manipulate each of the Oceanic Six into being motivated to go back. He is sending a lawyer after Kate to threaten her custody of Aaron. ("The Little Prince") He is planning to use Jin's wedding ring to convince Sun to come back. ("This Place Is Death") He is also going to try to convince Hurley and Sayid to come back from the threatening forces that are befalling them. ("The Lie")
  • Why do all of the Oceanic Six and Locke's body have to go back together?
    • Recreating the conditions of the original flight is crucial in order to ensure getting back. This entails bringing as many of the same people, which is why the Oceanic Six must go together on a new flight. Additionally, Locke's body is necessary for use as a proxy for Christian's body. ("316")

Self-Implied

  • Why did the Orchid video start rewinding?
    • It seems to just be a technical malfunction.
  • How did Aaron survive the helicopter crash into the ocean?
    • As Hurley himself suggested, it was a miracle. Jacob seems to care about the well-being of children and their mothers. Additionally, Aaron would have needed to be protected in order to give Kate incentive to go back to the Island to find Claire. (Inference)

Season 5[]

Episode Questions and Answers
Daniel501
5x01
"Because You Left"
  • Who is Dr. Chang's son?
  • Why was Faraday in the Orchid as a construction worker?
    • He was in the year 1977 from having time traveled. He was in fact trying to get to Dr. Chang to warn him that another electromagnetic accident, similar to the one that had just happened at the Orchid, was going to occur at the Swan. ("The Variable")
  • Why didn't certain island inhabitants (such as the Others) flash through time?
    • Unanswered.
      • Educated speculation: It seems plausible that Jacob, through his power, would grant his people an immunity/anchor from the side effects of the Island's time flashes - but withholding for Juliet who had left the Others, as well as for Locke who was not meant to lead the Others. Similarly, the Monster probably would have also provided such for Claire. As for the Island's animals, their physiology as influenced by the Island may have also granted them stability.
      • Alternative theory: The victims of the time flashing may have been a result of a predestination paradox: the only ones who traveled through time were the ones who were already unstable from time in the past due to time flashing.
  • Why is the Island causing continual time flashes?
  • Why did Faraday spend his life studying DHARMA?
    • He was pushed into researching them along with physics by his mother Eloise, knowing he was predestined to time travel to DHARMA times. ("The Variable")
  • When did the later Locke send Richard to the the time-traveling Locke?
  • What is the significance of the compass?
    • The compass is stuck infinitely in a time loop, being transferred from Richard to Locke, and then from Locke back to Richard, across time. ("Official Lost Podcast/May 11, 2009") It is a symbol of the Man in Black's influence of Locke's journey. ("The Incident")
  • Why did Richard tell Locke he would have to die to bring the Oceanic Six back?
    • This was a lie perpetuated by the Man in Black to manipulate Locke into getting himself killed, so that the Man in Black could take his form as the risen Locke to manipulate Ben. ("The Incident")
  • Why is Charlotte experiencing nosebleeding?
    • Her "internal clock" has been thrown off by the time flashes, like a "really bad jet lag". Faraday theorized that the ones who nosebleed the soonest are the ones who have had the longest exposure to the Island. ("The Little Prince")
  • What is the nature of Desmond being special?
    • In addition to the fact that Desmond's mind is unlocked from the normal rules of time (enabling him to see other time periods as well make minor changes across time), (Self-Implied) Desmond is also the only man known in the world to be uniquely resistant to catastrophic levels of electromagnetism. ("Happily Ever After")
  • Who is Faraday's mother?
    • Eloise Hawking, who is highly studied on the mechanics of time travel and the spacetime physics of the Island. ("316")
  • Who is Dan Norton's client?
    • Ben, who is trying to manipulate Kate into going back to the Island by threatening to take custody of Aaron. ("The Little Prince")
  • Why did Sayid turn against Ben?
    • After Ben concluded their partnership and left Sayid on his own, Sayid began to reflect on how Ben had used and manipulated him into killing. ("He's Our You")
5x02 AVisitFromAna
5x02
"The Lie"
  • Who are the flaming arrow attackers?
  • What is the nature of the DHARMA station that Ms. Hawking is using?
    • It is the Lamp Post, used by DHARMA to find the location of the Island. ("316")
  • What is the purpose of the pendulum swinging across the floor?
    • It is marking the location of where the Island is going to be on the map of the world. ("316")
  • What has Ms. Hawking been doing in the station, writing equations?
    • She has been tracking a way to get the Oceanic Six back to the Island. ("316")
  • What does "EVENT WINDOW DETERMINED" mean on the computer?
    • The computer has determined a window through which the Island can be reached, later revealed to be the flight course of Ajira Airways Flight 316. ("316")
  • How did Ben become in league with Ms. Hawking?
  • Why is Ms. Hawking trying to get the Oceanic Six back to the Island?
    • She knows they are destined to be there, having met them when they time traveled to 1977. ("Follow the Leader")
    • There is also some evidence that she may be working for Jacob to help bring his candidates back to the Island. (Inference: She was aware that Desmond still had a purpose to fulfill on the Island, and all of her actions seem to benefit the will of Jacob and the Island)
  • Why have they only got 70 hours to get the Oceanic Six back?
    • That is the amount of time before Flight 316 takes off. ("316")
JugheadFar
5x03
"Jughead"
  • Did any of the other survivors, such as Rose, Bernard, and Vincent, survive the Others' attack?
    • Yes. Rose, Bernard, and Vincent themselves are the only known survivors. They managed to take refuge and later settled a home for themselves by the beach. ("The Incident")
  • Why are the Others taught Latin ("language of the enlightened")?
  • Who did Ellie remind Daniel of?
  • What became of Ellie after 1954?
  • What became of Jughead after 1954?
  • What is the significance of the United States military's presence on the Island?
    • In terms of historical significance, the US army served to both provide the existence of Jughead, as well as offer proofs that informed DHARMA of the Island's existence. ("316")
    • The US army's presence is also another example of human civilizations clashing in a destructive cycle on the Island, a cycle which Jacob seeks to eventually break. ("The Incident") ("Ab Aeterno")
  • Why did Faraday leave Theresa Spencer after putting her in her temporally-unstable mental condition??
    • He had already damaged his own mind and memory faculties, having already tested the experiments on himself first. ("The Variable")
  • Why did Charles Widmore fund Faraday's research?
    • He did it because he cared for Daniel, who is secretly his son. ("The Variable")
  • How does Charles Widmore know Faraday's mother?
    • They were both former Others, having been in leadership for a time, and are also ex-lovers, having conceived Daniel. ("The Variable")
Swanlight
5x04
"The Little Prince"
  • When has Miles been on the Island in the past?
    • When he was baby in DHARMA in 1977. ("Some Like It Hoth")
      • Interestingly, while Miles was on the island before Juliet, he actually spent less time there than she did, so Daniel's theory about the length of exposure may need some polishing.
  • How did Miles leave the Island?
  • Who were the assailants in the outriggers?
  • Where did the Ajira Airways bottle come from?
    • From Ajira Flight 316, which crashed on the Island in 2007. ("316")
  • Why did the beach camp appear ransacked?
    • Unclear.
      • It's not clear that it actually was ransacked. Sawyer and Locke seemed to be the only ones to note as such, noting some of the opened boxes and especially given the empty DHARMA beer cans. However, these could have perhaps been used by the survivors during Locke and Sawyer's absence from camp in Season 4.
      • It's possible that the writers intended the outrigger owners to have consumed and used the camp's supplies.
      • It's possible that the Others had taken them over the three years of being uninhabited.
5x05 RousseauIsGoingCrazy
5x05
"This Place Is Death"
  • What is inside the hole under the Temple wall?
  • What happened to Rousseau's team when they went into the tunnel?
    • Ambiguous. The only thing known for sure is that Montand died of his injury and was left in the tunnel. ("LA X")
      • The Monster is known to "infect" and "claim" people on a spiritual level. ("What Kate Does") This presumably involves some kind of physical contact with the victim.
      • Alternatively, the sickness may be more "psychological", being a result of personal manipulation.
      • It has been noted that the infection seems to be linked with brushes with death. Sayid is claimed after his near-death experience in the Temple spring. ("LA X") Claire is claimed after surviving the mercenaries' rocket blast at the Barracks. ("The Shape of Things to Come") ("Season 4 deleted scenes") And the Monster already killed the rest of Rousseau's team, Montand dying in the tunnel.
  • What is the origin of the well?
    • The original designers of the donkey wheel had first dug out wells in search of answers to the Island's magnetic anomalies. ("Everybody Loves Hugo") This led them to the channels of water harboring the Light, from which point they designed the donkey wheel. ("Across the Sea") The well was later filled in, ("LaFleur") presumably under Jacob's authority, to presumably protect it from being abused.
  • Why did Faraday tell a young Charlotte not to come back if he believes the past can't be changed?
    • Charlotte's death broke Daniel emotionally. ("LaFleur") This seems to be a catalyst which later drove him to change his theory of time, that the past can be changed. ("The Variable")
  • Why did Christian specifically tell Locke, not Ben, to move the Island?
    • Christian was actually a manifestation of the Monster. ("The Last Recruit") He was improvising the conditions to get Locke killed, manipulating his faith and misleading him on how to save the Island, telling him that his sacrifice would be necessary. ("Follow the Leader")
  • Why did Locke give Jin's ring to Ben?
  • What was the nature of Ben and Locke's meeting?
    • Ben barely intervened to stop John from hanging himself. However, Ben only talked him out of suicide long enough to get critical information from him, and then promptly killed him himself. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")

Self-Implied

  • How did Charlotte know about the well?
    • She had grown up on the Island before. She also tried to research as much as she could about DHARMA, which she had grown up in.
5x06-ajira-airways-flight-316
5x06
"316"
  • What is Ms. Hawking's position at the Lamp Post?
  • Who is the "clever fellow" who determined how to find the Island?
    • Unanswered.
  • Why is the Island "not done" with Desmond yet?
  • Why is it necessary to recreate the conditions of Flight 815?
    • Due to the Island's unpredictable nature through spacetime, failing to recreate the emotional conditions of the flight may not be sufficient enough to get everyone back to the Island, and if so, not all back in the same time period. ("Namaste") ("Lost: A Journey in Time")
      • This phenomena seems similar to the concept of constants, which are familiar emotional anchors that stabilize an individual through time. (Retrospect: "The Constant")
  • What is the promise that Ben left to fulfill?
    • He went to make good on his promise to Widmore to murder Penny. ("Dead Is Dead")
  • What did Kate do with Aaron?
  • Why did Kate change her mind and board Flight 316?
    • After losing Aaron briefly in a store, she realized she was expecting him to be taken, just as she took him. So she decided to return to the Island to find Claire and reunite her with Aaron. ("Whatever Happened, Happened")
  • Why was Sayid under arrest and being transported on the flight?
    • He was placed under arrest by Ilana who masqueraded as law enforcement in order to bring him to the Island as one of Jacob's candidates. ("The Incident") However, she purported to be a bounty hunter transporting him to the family of Peter Avellino to answer for murdering him. ("He's Our You")
  • How did Hurley know to come on Flight 316?
    • After being released from prison, Hurley was met by Jacob in a taxi cab, who convinced him that he was blessed and not crazy, and told him about the flight to get back to the Island, telling him it was his choice. ("The Incident")
  • What is the significance of Hurley's guitar case?
    • Jacob gave it to him in the taxi. ("The Incident") It contained an ankh with hidden instructions addressed to Dogen regarding the candidates. ("LA X")
    • Additionally, it can be inferred that Jacob provided the guitar case as a further means to recreate the conditions of the original flight, substituting for Charlie.
  • How was Ben injured?
    • Ben shot Desmond, and then approached Penny to shoot her as well, but lowered his gun on discovering she had a child. An injured Desmond managed to then tackle and beat up Ben, then dumping him into the ocean. ("Dead Is Dead")
  • Why did Ben join the flight if he previously said he "could never return"?
    • Ben had intended to reclaim leadership of the Others. ("Lost: A Journey in Time") Coming back to the Island after leaving was against the rules for the Others' leader, however. ("Dead Is Dead")
  • Why did Jack and company flash through time into the the jungle?
    • It was apart of the consequences warned by Eloise of failing to recreate the conditions of the flight: they were insufficiently recreated to get everyone in the same place and same time period, thus causing some passengers to randomly flash into a random place in a random time period. ("Namaste") ("Lost: A Journey in Time")
      • It's worth mentioning, however, that while it may have been scientifically random, that the Island/Jacob seems to specifically influence the natural course of events to bring about a specific destiny. It's no coincidence that the passengers land in the same time period as Sawyer and company. Jack later realizes that the reason they are in this time period is to detonate Jughead in the Incident, ("Follow the Leader") which of course ensured their plane crash would happen. ("LA X") This can just as well apply to other historical events they influence, such as Ben's upbringing. ("He's Our You") ("Whatever Happened, Happened")
  • What happened to the rest of the passengers and the plane?
  • Why does Jin appear to be in the DHARMA Initiative?
    • The year is 1977, and Sawyer managed to get the group enlisted in DHARMA after Locke left, building a life there. ("LaFleur")

Self-Implied

  • Why didn't Widmore use the Lamp Post?
    • As Ben himself seemed clearly surprised and claimed not to have known about the Lamp Post, it can be inferred by extension that Widmore did not know about it either. Eloise seems to have kept it well-secret.
5x07 AtTheLastMoment
5x07
"The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"
  • How did Danielle's and Daniel's papers come to be at the office in the Hydra?
    • Danielle's were likely picked up by the Others over the years since her death. (Inference) As for Daniel's, his journal had come into possession of the Others following his death. ("Follow the Leader")
  • Why did Caesar take the gun from the office?
    • He intended to take charge of the plane passengers. ("Dead Is Dead")
  • Why was Locke resurrected on the Island?
    • He wasn't -- it is the Monster masquerading as a risen Locke. ("The Incident") ("LA X")
  • Where did Lapidus and the accompanying woman leave to?
  • Why is Widmore trying to help Locke and the Oceanic Six get back to the Island?
    • Jacob has visited Widmore, supposedly convincing him the error of his ways, and informing him about the importance of his candidates to protect the Island. ("What They Died For")
  • What is the "coming war" that Widmore spoke of?
  • What was the nature of Walt's dream about the surrounding people trying to hurt Locke?
    • He saw a premonition of the Others angrily surrounding the Man in Black in Locke's form, following the murder of Jacob. ("LA X")
  • How did Ben previously know Eloise?
  • Why did Ben talk Locke out of suicide only to murder him moments later?
    • Ben claims he needed the crucial information (that is, Jin's ring, and Eloise Hawking). He also claims that he murdered Locke in order to bring everyone together to get them back to the Island. ("Dead Is Dead") However, he later apologized and admitted that he had murdered him, wanting his leadership of the Island. ("Lost: A Journey in Time") ("The End")
LoveAfterLove
5x08
"LaFleur"
  • What is the nature of the truce?
    • It was a temporary truce, ("The New Man in Charge") signed in 1973 between Horace and Richard, agreeing to a cease-fire between their peoples, respecting a zone of five kilometers surrounding each camp, no violation of the ruins or the Island itself, a limited DHARMA population, and that DHARMA will leave in the island in 15 years. ("The Truce")
  • How can the Others cross through the sonic fence?
    • Unanswered. Richard may have used some earplugs of his own.
  • Who is Amy's baby?
  • How can the survivors stuck in 1977 get back to the present?
    • Via another time flash from the detonation of Jughead in the Incident. ("LA X")
Landing
5x09
"Namaste"
  • Where did Faraday go to?
    • He left for the DHARMA headquarters at Ann Arbor, continuing his research on time there. ("The Variable")
  • What is the "journey" Sun has ahead of her to reunite with the Oceanic Six?
    • Christian is going to advise Sun to follow the risen Locke in order to reunite with them. ("Dead Is Dead") Of course, the risen Locke is actually the Man in Black himself, and his real objective is to get Jacob murdered. ("Follow the Leader") ("The Incident")

Self-Implied

  • Why was the Numbers broadcast heard on the Ajira flight?
    • The broadcast was likely received through time due to the time dilation. (Retrospect: "The Long Con")
  • Why was the Monster heard near the Barracks?
    • It was heading there to manifest in Christian's form.
5x10 Shoot em up
5x10
"He's Our You"
  • What will Ben's fate be from being shot?
    • Sayid is unable to change the future, only fulfilling it, as Faraday has previously stated. Ben survives, being saved by the Others at the Temple. So Sayid has effectively made the monster he was seeking to destroy. ("Whatever Happened, Happened")
FarewellBaby
5x11
"Whatever Happened, Happened"
  • Why did Richard take Ben to be healed against what Ellie and Charles would have wanted?
    • Jacob wanted it, as the Island has chosen Ben for leadership. ("Dead Is Dead")
  • What is inside the Temple that healed Ben?
    • A spring. ("LA X") It seems to be held in some sacredness, used only selectively and strictly. ("Dead Is Dead")

Self-Implied

  • Why won't Ben remember what happened to him?
    • It seems that the process it not only a physical healing and spiritual change, but is also a psychological healing, erasing the trauma of how he got shot.
Lost-Smokey-Ben-dead l
5x12
"Dead Is Dead"
  • Was Ben or Widmore right about the Island's will for Alex's life?
    • Ambiguous.
      • Considering that Jacob seems to have a caring for mothers and their children, it seems likely that Ben was right about it.
  • Why did Christian and the Monster both insist on the castaways following Locke?
  • What are Locke's ideas to bring the Oceanic Six back to the present?
    • He has none. He does not intend to bring them back, ("Follow the Leader") instead letting them come on their own. ("LA X")
  • Where was Locke while Ben was summoning the Monster?
    • Unknown.
      • As Locke is the Monster itself, it seems that he was off in the woods to give the pretense he was receiving some kind of instructions from the Island. (Inferred from his comments from: "Follow the Leader") He seems to be very theatrical in how he perpetrates the beliefs in "mystical journeys" in the island inhabitants, rather ironically as he himself thinks they are worthless. ("Season 6")
  • What is the mission objective of Ilana's group?
    • They are working for Jacob ("The Incident") as his bodyguards, here to protect both Jacob and his candidates. ("LA X") ("Dr. Linus")
  • How much does Ilana's group know about the Island?
    • They seem to have a good deal of knowledge regarding the protected secrets of Jacob, including the existence of his location and various ruins, his role on the Island, his rivalry with the Monster, and his intentions for the candidates. ("Season 5") ("Season 6")
  • What is inside the crate?
  • What is the answer to "What lies in the Shadow of the Statue"?
    • "Ille qui nos omnes servabit." ("The Incident") This is Latin for "He who will save us all." (Translation)
  • What is the significance of that phrase?
    • It is a code phrase used between Jacob's confidants to identify each other. ("The Incident")
  • Why did Ilana take Lapidus captive?
    • She thinks he could be important, possibly a candidate. ("The Incident")
  • How did Locke know to go to the hole under the Temple?
    • As Locke himself is the Monster, he already knows the location of his own chamber. ("LA X")
  • What is the Monster's connection to the Egyptian deities?
    • The Monster itself is not a deity. ("Across the Sea") However, the Monster tends to perpetrate widespread delusion among the island's inhabitants for its manipulative purposes. ("Season 6") It seems that the Monster masqueraded as a deity to the early Island inhabitants.
  • Why did the Monster let Ben live?
    • It determined it could manipulate his guilt for Alex's death to murder Jacob. ("The Incident")
5x13 He did care
5x13
"Some Like It Hoth"
  • Why do Miles and Hurley exhibit different mediumship abilities?
    • Various individuals seem to naturally have different psychic gifts. (Retrospect: "Special") Hugo possessing the greatest gift of all seems to foretell his specialness and destiny as the Island's caretaker. ("The End")
  • Why did Faraday return to the Island?
    • He learned that Jack, Kate, and Hurley had traveled through time and wanted to learn how they got back. He also came back to try to warn DHARMA of the Incident and stop it from occurring. ("The Variable")
5x14 eloisedan
5x14
"The Variable"
  • What is it that Dr. Chang is supposed to do in the Incident?
    • He is supposed to evacuate the island of all non-essential personnel. ("Follow the Leader")
  • How did Eloise come to leave the Island?
    • Unanswered.
      • It seems that she likely left within the year, in order to protect her pregnancy from the effects of the Incident. She likely used whatever transportation Richard and Widmore use to leave the Island. She also seems to have accepted her job to push Daniel's destiny, which is likely another reason she moved off-island. (Inference)
  • Why did Eloise push Faraday to go to the Island if it would doom him?
    • Ambiguous.
      • She may accepted that there was no other choice, having learned about his future and the laws of time through his journal. ("Follow the Leader")
      • She may have done so on Jacob's orders, knowing that Daniel would be important in producing the Incident, which would bring about the Oceanic passengers to the Island. (Inference)
  • Why is Daniel's last name Faraday?
    • According to disputed canon, it was to hide him from being discovered by Widmore. ("Lost Encyclopedia")
  • Why does Daniel have an American accent?
  • Is Faraday's new "variable" theory correct or his old "whatever happened" theory?
  • Why did Widmore seem pleased by Desmond's survival?

Self-Implied

  • What was the nature of Eloise and Charles' falling out?
    • Widmore sacrificed his relationship with his family in his quest for power on the Island and in his corporation. (Also supported by Widmore's confession in "Happily Ever After")
  • Why doesn't Ms. Hawking know what will happen next?
    • It seems that her knowledge of the past has reached its limit, culminating in what she knew of her past encounters with the time travelers in 1977.
      • Additionally, if she receives some of her knowledge from Jacob, then this may also be the limit to what he informed her of.
5x15 Jughead
5x15
"Follow the Leader"
  • Why were the tunnels built?
    • As they lead up to the DHARMA housing, it appears they may have been intended as a passage to the Monster's summoning chamber. ("The Incident")
  • Why did Richard say he watched the Oceanic Six all die?
    • He knows they vanished following the detonation of Jughead in the Incident. ("The Incident") ("LA X")
  • How does Richard know how to find Jacob?
    • He is Jacob's personal representative. ("Ab Aeterno")
  • Why did Locke tell Richard to give his past self the compass?
    • It is actually the Man in Black, ("The Incident") who was setting up Locke's life and death to be manipulated. Richard's 1954 encounter with Locke and the compass resulted in the Others believing and expecting Locke would be leader of the Island. (Retrospect: "Jughead") Additionally, the Man in Black wanted Locke to get himself killed so that he could assume his form as the risen Locke in his scheme to manipulate Ben. ("The Incident")
  • What did Locke mean that the Island told him where to find his past self?
    • As this is actually the Monster, ("LA X") it seems likely that he knew just in virtue of his connection to the Island. ("Across the Sea") Interestingly, the Monster does not even take seriously the idea of following the Island's will. ("Season 6")
  • Why does Locke want to kill Jacob?
    • The Man in Black must kill Jacob in order to leave the Island. ("Ab Aeterno")
5x17 DyingInBen'sArms
5x16
"The Incident"
  • Who is the Man in Black?
    • The Monster. ("LA X")
  • What is the Man in Black's name?
    • He was not given a proper name at birth, as his mother had chosen only one name, not expecting a twin brother. ("Across the Sea") The Man in Black seems to have assumed a number of monikers from different people over the eons. ("Season 6")
  • What are the origins of the Man in Black?
    • The Man in Black was born to an ancient Roman who shipwrecked with her people on the Island. As a newborn, the Man in Black was taken along with his twin brother and raised by Mother to replace her as the next protector of the Island. However, he later left them, deciding to leave the Island. Later on, he became the Monster. ("Across the Sea")
  • Who was on the ship in the distance?
  • How did Jacob bring them to the Island?
    • Jacob has power over the natural course of events in relation to the Island. ("Season 6")
  • What is the nature of Jacob's miraculous power and seeming omniscience?
    • Being the protector and having access to the Heart of the Island, ("Across the Sea") Jacob seems to have developed a special spiritual connection or ability to psychically harness the energy for his own use. (This is similar to Isaac of Uluru's power established in "S.O.S.") This would also plausibly grant Jacob some degree of clairvoyance that would grant him his immense awareness of the Island's going-ons and future. (This is similar to Walt's psychic knowledge, such as seen in "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")
  • What was the nature of Jacob and the Man in Black's disagreement about arriving castaways?
    • The Man in Black believes that humanity is corruptible and evil by nature. Jacob brings people to the Island to break that cycle and prove him wrong. ("Ab Aeterno")
  • Why did Jacob found the Others' society?
    • He realized by 1867 that he needed to give more guidance to the people he brought to the Island, since the Man in Black would always step in in his absence. So he recruited Richard to represent him to people he brought to the Island, resulting in the organization of them into an established society. ("Ab Aeterno")
  • What was the nature of Jacob and the Man in Black's rivalry?
    • Jacob keeps the Man in Black trapped on the Island, as his release would result in the destruction of humanity. ("Ab Aeterno") Jacob was also the one to originally transform him into the Monster against his will. ("Across the Sea")
  • Why couldn't the Man in Black kill Jacob himself?
    • Mother touched them both as children on the way to seeing the Heart of the Island the first time, making rules that they wouldn't kill each other, out of her fear of mankind's destructive nature. ("Across the Sea")
  • Why did Jacob visit and touch each of the survivors during their lives?
    • He was marking them as candidates, to be destined in their paths to the Island, to replace him as the next protector of the Island. ("The Substitute")
  • Did Jacob manipulate the lives of the survivors?
    • No. He chose them because he already knew their lives were broken and they were alone, because they were like him. ("What They Died For") Although the Man in Black believes he did manipulate their lives. ("The Substitute")
  • How much did Jacob know about the survivors?
    • He had been watching them their whole lives. ("Lighthouse")
  • How does Ilana know Jacob?
  • Why was Ilana bandaged in the hospital?
  • What help did Jacob need from Ilana?
    • He needed her to protect the remaining candidates. ("Ab Aeterno")
  • Why did Jacob revive Locke?
  • Why did Jacob have a lengthy conversation with Hurley?
    • Jacob ultimately needs Hurley's gift for speaking with the dead, as Jacob knows he will be dead soon himself. ("LA X") It also seems to foreshadow the fact that Hugo is destined as the next protector. ("The End")
  • How does the Man in Black intend to "deal with" the Ajira passengers?
    • Ambiguous.
      • He seems to be alluding to killing them, as Jacob's bodyguards are among them. However, he was also willing to offer them to walk away in peace. ("LA X")
  • What is a "candidate"?
    • A candidate chosen by Jacob to replace him as the Island's next protector. ("The Substitute") Lapidus is in fact not a candidate, but nonetheless important in getting the remaining survivors off of the Island. ("The End")
  • How did the circle of ash around the cabin come to broken?
    • Unanswered.
      • It can be assumed that whichever island inhabitant did it, did so under the Monster's manipulation. (Inference)
      • According to disputed canon, the ash had already been broken prior to Locke entering with Ben for the first time. ("Lost Encyclopedia")
  • Why did Jacob abandon the cabin?
    • Unanswered.
      • According to disputed canon, the cabin was abandoned after the ash became breached, making it no longer safe for use. ("Lost Encyclopedia")
  • Where is Claire now if not in the cabin?
    • She is in a hut of her own making, out in the jungle. ("Lighthouse")
  • Why did the Man in Black take the form of Locke?
    • He says that he knew Locke's form would get him access to Jacob. ("The Substitute") Looking at the series in context, it's clear he used the risen Locke's form to manipulate Ben's jealousy of not being special and chosen by the Island, and to drive him to murder Jacob. (Inference)
  • How did the Man in Black possess Locke's memories?
    • Through his scanning power as the Monster, which likely extends to reading dead brains, as is the case with Miles. (Inference)
  • What had the Man in Black "gone through" to get Jacob killed?
    • He has been manipulating events throughout the series to bring this about, especially revolving around Locke and Ben. (Series Inference)
  • What did Jacob mean by "What about you" to Ben?
    • Ambiguous.
  • Who is "coming"?
    • The candidates from 1977, who are going to soon be flashed into 2007. ("LA X") ("The Substitute")
  • What will be the outcome of Jughead's detonation?
    • It does not change the future, ("LA X") but rather serves as the climax of the Incident, flashing the survivors back to the future, and ensuring the plane crash does indeed happen, as well as causing the pregnancy problems. (Inference)

Self-Implied

  • Why did the Man in Black make Ben kill Jacob?
    • Because he was not allowed to kill Jacob himself, instead utilizing a loophole of making someone else do it. (Confirmed in "LA X")

Season 6[]

Episode Questions and Answers
6x01 LA X
6x01
"LA X"
  • What is the nature of the flash-sideways?
    • It is an intermediate realm between life and death, existing outside the known boundaries of time. It is created by the collective subconscious of the souls inhabiting it, molded as a result of their experiences from their original lives. The realm is a place where they can come to terms with their lives and deaths, and find the people who were apart of the most important times in their lives. Afterwards, they "move on". ("The End")
  • Why are there changes, little or big, in the events of the flash-sideways world?
    • Many of these changes reflect the needs of the flash-sideways world in order to bring the characters together, emotional needs, as well as subtle or major changes acquired in the characters' personalities during their original lives, spilling over into how they constructed the sideways realm. (Inferred from "The End") This results in dramatic changes like former Island inhabitants now living off Island, and certain characters leading very different lives.
    • The writers initially referenced this as a "butterfly effect" from the detonation of Jughead, ("Official Lost Podcast/February 4, 2010") but this was a red herring. ("The End")
    • Notable changes include: (observed and inferred throughout Season 6)
      • Ethan is now an off-Island doctor, and retains his parents' name of Goodspeed. ("What Kate Does")
      • Locke is in a better relationship with his father, which seems to have allowed him to have the engagement to Helen that she rejected in their previous life. ("The Substitute")
      • Rose and Bernard seem to lead the same lives, but interestingly, it's hinted that they are already "awake" from the start, suggesting no emotional baggage they needed to work through. ("LA X") ("The Candidate")
      • Jack has created a son, ("Lighthouse") an extension of his own inner child, as a way to come to terms with his issues with his own father. Their physical resemblance and similarities in personality are repeatedly noted by other characters, and fans have also noted their extremely similar physical mannerisms. ("Season 6") Additionally, Jack is divorced from Juliet, ("The End") which seems to be a reflection of his brief romantic relationship with her during life.
      • For Ben, in reflection of years of redemptive character as Hurley's adviser, ("The End") he constructed a life where he was a good-natured school teacher. He also formed restored relationships with his father and with his surrogate daughter Alex as his student, who was instead raised by her real mother Danielle. ("Dr. Linus") ("What They Died For")
      • Sawyer constructed his life as a cop, in reflection his years of being head of security at DHARMA and partnership there with Miles. However, he still constructs his life as lonely man molded by what the original Sawyer did to him. ("Recon")
      • Miles has also sustained a relationship with his father Pierre Chang into adulthood. ("Recon")
      • Sun and Jin have constructed their life as unmarried but involved in a secret affair, ("The Package") in reflection of the rift Paik tore in between them during life. And it's likely just as well as because Sun and Jin were ultimately separated for years prior to their deaths. Sun also does not speak English. This may be because she was not trying to run away from Jin. It may have spilled over from her subconscious memory of experiencing aphasia for most of the last days of her life.
      • Desmond has constructed a life where he has Widmore's approval and high job, ("Happily Ever After") perhaps in reflection of having gained his own self-esteem as well as Widmore's favor on the Island. But he has not yet met Penny, perhaps in reflection of having often been lost from her and trying to find her during life.
      • Charlie seems a little darker in his personality, more inclined towards death, ("LA X") ("Happily Ever After") as per his inclinations towards death near the end of his life. He is in a close relationship with Liam, who is joining him in the DriveShaft concert. ("Recon") ("The End")
      • Familiar antagonists from the original reality were also brought together in new relevant roles, including Keamy and Mikhail as mobsters. ("Sundown") ("The Package")
      • Eloise, Daniel, and Widmore have constructed a life where they are together as a family. ("Happily Ever After")
      • Ilana has constructed a life where she is an American lawyer, suggesting a normal life and no involvement with the Island's future. ("The Last Recruit")
      • Hugo seems to have constructed this life as a philanthropist, ("Everybody Loves Hugo") in reflection of the years he spent as caretaker of the Island, using his job to help people.
  • Why do the Oceanic passengers seem to experience a déjà vu of the original reality?
    • They are subconsciously remember their original lives, as they are now only conscious of the new lives they have constructed in the intermediate realm. Awakening to their memories and the true nature of the two realms requires some cathartic contact with an extremely important person or experience from their original life. ("Happily Ever After") ("Everybody Loves Hugo") ("The End")
  • What is the meaning of the cut on Jack's neck?
    • It is the cut he received from the Man in Black's knife in his final hours shortly before his death. ("The End")
  • Why was Desmond an Oceanic passenger?
    • In his constructed life, he was returning home from conducting business for employer, Widmore. ("Happily Ever After") But his presence on the plane construct seems to subconsciously reflect the spiritual connection he made in life with the Oceanic passengers. (Inferred from "The End")
  • What is the nature of the Island being underwater?
    • This idea seems to be inspired from the notion that the Island would sink underwater if the Light were extinguished. This suggests the underwater Island is a symbolic or subconscious clue that the characters are dead in the flash-sideways, as the sinking of the Island would mean the end of humanity. ("The End")
    • Some fans also believe that the Island being underwater is a reflection of the survivors psychologically moving on from their life on the Island, putting it behind them.
  • What was the nature of the time flash from 1977 to 2007?
  • What became of Rose, Bernard, and Vincent after 1977?
    • They flashed forward to 2007 along with the other survivors, and resumed their lives at their hut. ("The End")
  • Why is Hurley the "luckiest guy alive" in the flash-sideways?
    • This seems to be a reflection of his newly-found optimism in years of being a humanitarian caretaker of the Island. (Inferred from "The End")
  • Did Locke really go on a walkabout in the flash-sideways?
  • Why does the Monster want to talk to Richard?
    • He has been holding a long-standing offer to recruit him to his cause. ("The Substitute")
  • Where did Desmond vanish to on the plane?
    • It seems that he likely went back to his original seat on the plane, as he was later seen disembarking the plane into the airport. ("Happily Ever After")
  • What did Juliet mean by "it worked"?
    • Her proximity to Jughead's blast in the electromagnetic pocket seems to have caused her mind to become unstable from time in her dying moments, enabling her to slip briefly between this life and her flash-sideways life. She stated "it worked" with respect to telling the sideways James that her trick with fixing the stuck candy bar in the vending machine worked. This occurred moments before both of them experienced their awakening. ("The End")
  • Who is Dogen?
  • Was Sun telling the truth about speaking no English?
  • What is the nature of the Temple's spring?
  • Why is the pool now tainted and dysfunctional?
    • It is a consequence of Jacob's death, (Self-Implied) who no longer has influence over its power, which has instead fallen to the Monster. ("What Kate Does")
  • Why are the Others trying to keep the Monster out of the Temple if it is its security system?
    • It appears that the Monster is in fact not the Temple's security system, but only masqueraded in such a role to manipulate the ancient island inhabitants. (Inferred from Ben's remark on the summoning chamber "What They Died For") Jacob long failed to inform the island inhabitants of the Monster's influence, allowing it to step in in his absence, but has mildly evolved his position on this since then, giving limited information to selected confidants. ("Ab Aeterno") The Temple inhabitants believe they are to protect the Island from the Monster. ("Recon")
  • Where is the Monster's home?
    • He considers the outside world to be his home, ("The Substitute") despite having never been there. He has yearned to be free of the Island since learning that Mother lied about his origins. ("Across the Sea")
  • What happened to Christian's body in transit?
    • According to the sideways construct, it was apparently misplaced en route to Berlin. ("Lighthouse") It seems that Jack was subconsciously holding off on coming to terms with his father's body, which would be the lynchpin of his finally "moving on". ("The End")
  • What "chains" did the Monster see Richard in?
    • The chains that were holding Richard prisoner as a slave in the Black Rock. The Man in Black had spoken the same phrase, "It's good to see you out of those chains", to Richard when he first freed him. ("Ab Aeterno")
  • How does Richard know the Monster?
    • The Man in Black had been the one to free Richard from his chains in the Black Rock, and told him he was in hell and that Jacob was the Devil, trying to manipulate him into murdering Jacob. ("Ab Aeterno")
  • Why is the Monster disappointed in the Others?
    • He is disappointed with them for blindly following Jacob without having ever spoken to him. ("Season 6")
  • What was the nature of Sayid's revival?
    • He was revived by the tainted power of the spring, consequently causing him to be infected with the sickness. As Miles' inability to read his thoughts shows, Sayid's brain was not dead -- he was only "clinically" dead, as the water from the spring slowly took effect in resuscitating him over two hours. (Self-Implied) ("What Kate Does") ("Sundown") ("Official Lost Podcast/February 4, 2010") Sayid also did not see the flash-sideways world. ("What Kate Does")
6x03 LordOfTheRing
6x02
"What Kate Does"
  • Why does Dogen have a baseball?
  • What was the nature of Dogen's test?
    • Dogen states that the test told how the scale of good and evil is balanced in a person. ("Sundown") It's worth noting that Dogen was examining Sayid's facial expressions when torturing him, inspecting his feelings. Later on, Sayid exhibits "deadness" in his feelings at the height of his sickness. ("Recon") ("The Package")
  • Why didn't Dogen have Sayid killed directly?
    • It seems Dogen does not emotionally like to deal in death personally or order it through his people, due to having almost killed his son. Therefore, he tries to manipulate Sayid to get killed on his own at the behest of outsiders. ("Sundown")
  • Is Kate really innocent in this reality?
    • As this reality is a construct, it seems that her self-belief of her innocence is derived subconsciously from her belief that she did nothing wrong in murdering Wayne. (Inferred from revelations about the sideways from "The End")
      • It's worth mentioning that supplementary material suggested that in this reality, the explosion Kate staged accidentally killed Wayne's apprentice, and Wayne himself survived. ("Comic Con 2009")
  • How has the sickness affected Claire's nature?
    • It has turned her insane and murderous. ("Lighthouse")
6x04 LovingLife
6x03
"The Substitute"
  • Why is Locke in a wheelchair in the flash-sideways if he is in a better relationship with his father?
    • Locke was not conned by his father in this reality, but rather was on good terms with him. He caused his own paralysis and his father to go into a vegetative state when he accidentally crashed a plane he was piloting. ("The Candidate") This seems to reflect Locke's inner self-blame for his father abandoning him and ruining his life in their original lives. (Inference from Locke's comments in "The Candidate")
  • Why did Jacob leave so many island inhabitants in the dark about his plan?
    • It seems Jacob prefers not to indoctrinate the people he brings to the Island, but rather to let them discover their destiny for themselves, giving as minimal information as possible as infrequently as needed. ("Lighthouse") ("Ab Aeterno")
  • Is the Monster really telling the whole truth about the secrets of the Island?
  • Why did Ilana take Jacob's ashes?
    • His ashes will be needed to make him appear for the ceremony of choosing a new protector. ("What They Died For") Additionally, she wants Miles to read his last thoughts to find out who killed him. ("Dr. Linus")
  • Why is the Monster recruiting?
    • He is assembling his own army ("Sundown") for use against Jacob's forces, such as Widmore's group. ("Recon") Most importantly, though, he specifically needs to recruit the candidates in his scheme to leave the Island. ("The Package")
  • Why did the Monster tell Sawyer he was dead?
    • He was initially portraying himself to Sawyer as the deceased Locke, before Sawyer realized he wasn't the real Locke. He later states to Kate that he is, in fact, not dead. ("Recon")
  • Who is the mysterious boy?
    • It is Jacob's ghost. He is taking the form of how he looked when he was a child and played Senet with his brother, alluding back to their conversation about "the rules" of their game. ("Across the Sea") In child form, Jacob seems to appear to remind the Man in Black of the rules, letting him know that he is not able to kill Richard or Sawyer, and later Desmond. ("Happily Ever After") It seems that Jacob likes to to change his appearance to reflect symbolic meanings. His arms are bloodied, signifying murder, when he appears near Richard. Later, when he appears to Desmond, his hair is darkened, perhaps alluding to the Man in Black's growing influence on the Island. (Inference)
  • Why is it that some can see the boy and other's can't?
    • It seems that only the people who are "special" and chosen by Jacob have the ability to see him, such as the candidates and Desmond. (Inference) Additionally, the Man in Black is also special, hence why he can see him. ("Across the Sea")
  • What is the nature of "the rules" the boy mentioned?
  • Who all does the Monster want dead?
    • He intends to orchestrate the indirect deaths of each of the candidates, ("Ab Aeterno") ("The Candidate") and directly kill anyone who he feels will get in his way of escaping the Island. ("Recon") It doesn't seem that he wants "everyone dead", but his scheme to escape the Island will have the consequence of humanity's death. ("Ab Aeterno")
  • What did the Monster mean that he used to be a man?
    • He used to be a human being, before Jacob took his humanity and body, turning him into the Monster. Jacob did this by throwing him into the Heart of the Island. ("Ab Aeterno") ("Across the Sea")
  • How did the Monster become trapped?
    • When Jacob threw him into the Heart of the Island and turned him into the Monster, this physically bound him to the Island's electromagnetic radius, preventing him from being able to leave. ("Across the Sea") ("The End")
  • How did the Monster experience betrayal?
    • He considers Jacob, his brother, taking his humanity and body to have been a betrayal. ("Ab Aeterno") He is also likely referencing the lies and loss he suffered from Mother. ("Across the Sea")
  • How did the Monster lose someone he loved?
  • Why is the Monster now stuck using Locke's form?
  • What is the "inside joke" with the rocks on the scale?
    • It is a reference to how Jacob and the Man in Black symbolically exchanged colored rocks representing each other whenever one had a victory over the other. ("Ab Aeterno") This traces back to their game of Senet that they played as children. ("Across the Sea")
  • Is Sun or Jin the "Kwon" candidate?
    • Ambiguous. While Jacob's condition about mothers being crossed off seems to preclude Sun, ("What They Died For") it's worth noting that Jacob nonetheless included Sun on his list of six people for Ilana to protect. ("Ab Aeterno")
  • Why was Kate's name crossed off?
    • Because she became a mother. However, she can still take the job if she wants it. ("What They Died For")
  • Why were most of the names crossed off in general?
    • Ambiguous. We know that Jacob values a selfless and pacifist character, hence his rejecting of Ben. ("Dr. Linus") We know that Jacob made chose his candidates based on the fact that they are broken and alone, that "they needed the Island as much as it needed them." This likely rules out candidates who find parenthood, like Kate. ("What They Died For") This reasoning may also rule out candidates who come to their own self-reconciliation, like Eko. Retrospect: ("The Cost of Living")
  • How did Jacob come to be the protector of the Island?
    • He was originally raised as a candidate himself by Mother, along with his brother. She had favored his brother to take the position, but after he left, she forced Jacob to take it against his will. ("Across the Sea")
  • How did Jacob choose his nominations?
    • His chose people who were like him, who were "alone, looking for something they couldn't find out there" and who "needed the Island as much as it needed them." ("What They Died For")
  • What is the significance of the candidates' numbers?
    • They correspond to the numbers on the lighthouse's wheel, showing each candidate's home in the world. ("Lighthouse")
  • Who will ultimately be chosen as the next protector of the Island?
    • Jack will initially take on the role, ("What They Died For") but will sacrifice himself and pass the position on to Hurley. ("The End")
  • What is there to protect the Island from?
    • It has to be protected from the greed of humanity, who are always destructively seeking to claim its light. ("Across the Sea") Additionally, it has to be protected from the Monster itself, who seeks to destroy it. ("What They Died For")
  • How does the Monster intend to get off the Island?
  • Why is Ben a high school teacher?
    • It seems that he and his father left the Island and DHARMA Initiative prior to its sinking in this reality. ("Dr. Linus") Ben has constructed a more benevolent life for himself, in reflection of the years of growth he had as Hurley's adviser on the Island. ("The End")
6x05 WatchTheOcean
6x04
"Lighthouse"
  • Who is David's mother?
  • Who is coming to the Island?
  • Why did Christian and the Monster tell Claire that the Others had her baby?
    • He claims to have been giving her "someone to hate" as a helpful way to cope with her separation from Aaron. ("Recon") However, as it is in fact he himself who separated her from Aaron, it seems was in fact claiming her for use against Jacob's forces.
  • What is the significance of Dogen's son?
    • Dogen had gotten his son mortally wounded in a car accident. Jacob offered to heal his son, but in exchange, Dogen had to take his position on the Island, and would never see his son again. ("Sundown")
  • What is it that Jack has to do, according to Jacob?
    • Jack must become the protector long enough to sacrifice himself, defeating the Monster and saving the Island from destruction. ("The End")

Self-Implied

  • What is the nature of the lighthouse?
    • Under Jacob's orders, it was built by the Egyptians (as indicated by the hieroglyphics), and was used to guide ships to the Island, and later repurposed by Jacob to watch the candidates in the mirror. Jacob seems to have endowed it with some electromagnetic or spacetime power, as the mirror is drawing light from around the world. Also, as Jack seems to suggest in the episode, it seems they had to be looking for it in order to find it, thereby keeping its existence long undiscovered.
6x06 MiB's Group
6x05
"Sundown"
  • Is the Monster "evil incarnate"?
    • No. He, in fact, seems to have been a decent human being initially, but being turned into the Monster and being trapped for eons has eroded his moral character. ("Across the Sea")
  • Can Sayid and Claire be redeemed from the sickness?
    • Yes. With the proper enlightenment or kindness, it seems they can be drawn back to their old selves. ("The Last Recruit")
  • How can the Monster be killed or stopped?
    • The only known way is to transform him back into a mortal human. ("The End")
  • Did Sayid refer to Nadia or Shannon's death?
    • Ambiguous. While he spent a lot of his flash-sideways life with Nadia, it seems that he ultimately needed Shannon to move on. ("The End")
  • How can the Monster enable Sayid to see her again?
    • He can't. He is simply manipulating Sayid to his side, long enough so he can kill him himself. ("The Candidate")
  • Why was Keamy's group mobsters instead of soldiers?
    • As the flash-sideways is created by the needs of the people's collective subconscious and brings together the people from the most important times of their lives, it seems that familiar antagonists from the original lives were orchestrated together, enabling Sayid to come to terms with his choice for murder, as well as for Sun and Jin to later overcome Mr. Paik's influence over their lives. ("The Package")
  • Why was Jin being held in the freezer?
    • Keamy had been hired by Mr. Paik to kill Jin for his involvement with Sun, but first needed to get the money that had been taken at customs at LAX. ("The Package")
  • Will the spring raise Dogen and Lennon again with the sickness?
    • It seems not. ("Season 6") It seems that the spring may be selective in who it does or doesn't raise, relative to the will of Jacob or the Island. (Retrospect: "Dead Is Dead") However, in the case of the tainted pool, it seems likely that the Monster controls it, and so didn't raise Dogen or Lennon, knowing he couldn't turn them to his side. (Inference)

Self-Implied

  • Why did Dogen ask Sayid to kill the Man in Black before he spoke?
    • There is no actual magical binding power here, but rather Dogen was hoping the Monster would kill Sayid in retaliation. When Sayid accused Dogen of this, he responded in silence, which seems to confirm this.
      • The Man in Black had also previously attempted to trick Ricardo into killing Jacob in the same manner, stabbing him with the same knife before he could speak. As the Man in Black later conceded, Jacob is "very persuasive". ("Ab Aeterno")
  • How did Dogen's death make the Temple accessible for the Monster?
    • This is likely another one of Jacob's rules. Interestingly, it seems that the Monster was able to cross over the ash into the Temple following Dogen's death, which may suggest that the ash can be crossed if the person or representative person inside is killed.
6x07 DoctorLinus
6x06
"Dr. Linus"
  • Why does the Monster want to leave Ben in charge of the Island?
    • He doesn't. He only wants to get Ben on his side, but intends to destroy the Island. ("The End")
  • Why is the Monster leading his group to the Hydra?
    • He intends to get everyone on the Ajira plane. ("Recon")
  • How did Widmore get back to the Island?
    • Jacob gave him an invitation back to the Island, giving him the coordinates to find it. ("What They Died For")
  • What is Widmore's mission?
    • Widmore is heading to dock to Hydra Island in orderto form a defensive against the Monster, ("Recon") and bring Desmond back for Jacob's purposes. ("The Package") ("What They Died For")
6x08-Ajira Mystery
6x07
"Recon"
  • Where is Anthony Cooper in the flash-sideways?
    • He is in a nursing home, in a vegetative state. ("The Candidate")
  • Who killed the Ajira survivors?
    • Ambiguous.
      • According to disputed canon, Widmore's people slaughtered them. ("Lost Encyclopedia")
      • The Monster may have done so, as per his previously hinted intentions. ("The Incident") Though it's not clear when he would have had an opportunity to do so.
  • Who was the Monster's mother?
    • She was his surrogate mother, who took him after murdering his biological mother. She raised him to be fearful and avoiding of the outside world, though was very deceptive, secretive, and manipulative. When he later vowed to leave her behind, she destroyed his means of escape and destroyed the community of people he had begun to live with. ("Across the Sea")
  • What is Zoe's position among Widmore's group?
    • She is a geophysicist brought to search for the Island's electromagnetic hotspots, and also Widmore's second in command. ("The Package")
  • Why is Widmore geared for conflict against the Monster?
    • Widmore is securing the Ajira plane, trying to keep the Monster from escaping the Island. ("The Package")
  • Why doesn't Widmore's group appear to be as militarized as the freighter?
    • Widmore claims that Jacob had "convinced him of the error of his ways" after the freighter's destruction. So Jacob's invitation to Widmore back to the Island likely entailed a group lighter on warfare. ("What They Died For")
  • What is inside the locked room in the submarine?
  • Will Widmore really honor his agreement with Sawyer?
6X09 RichardAndIsabelle
6x08
"Ab Aeterno"
  • How did Ilana recover in the hospital so quickly?
    • Unanswered.
      • According to disputed canon, Jacob touched Ilana and healed her burns. ("ABC Recap: Ab Aeterno") This was not seen occurring in the episode on-screen, though it may have been in a cut scene.
  • What is it that Jacob said Richard would know to do next?
    • As Richard realized through his flashback recollection and his conversation with Hurley and Isabella, the survivors must stop the Monster from leaving the Island in order to stop hell from breaking out against mankind. ("The Package") Of course, Richard's chosen choice of action to stop the Man in Black (the use of explosives) is quickly rejected by the group. ("Everybody Loves Hugo") Richard himself later changes his mind and decides to fly the plane off the Island with Lapidus's help instead. ("The End") While this does not seem to impact the Man in Black's final path of escape (via sailboat), Jacob nonetheless may have intended Richard to get the Ajira plane functioning so that the remaining candidates could fulfill their choice of leaving the Island.
  • How did Jacob betray the Monster and take his body and humanity?
    • He threw him into the Heart of the Island, causing his consciousness to be stripped away from his body and fused with some of the Light, turning him into the Monster.
  • Why did Jacob want to prove mankind can be redeemed?
    • This personal quest seems to have begun with his disagreements in his early life with both Mother and the Man in Black. The former, out of her own beliefs, tried to indoctrinate them both into fearing mankind. Jacob grew skeptical of her claims, and felt that humanity "didn't seem so bad" when watching them from afar. His personal quest to prove mankind's goodness was also likely influenced out of his own failings in turning the Man in Black into the Monster. ("Across the Sea")
  • Why is the Monster cynical about mankind?
    • He came to agree with Mother's belief, out of his own personal experience living among humans. It was also likely influenced by his suffering experienced at the hands of Mother and later Jacob. ("Across the Sea")
  • How does the Island keep "hell" "corked"?
    • This seems to be partly a symbolic metaphor for preventing mankind's universal death. The "cork" Jacob speaks of is a veiled reference to the cork-like drain plug at the Heart of the Island, which sustains the flow of the Light and contains destructive volcanic activity. ("The End") If the Light were to be extinguished and the Island destroyed, this would result in humanity's death. ("Across the Sea")
  • How will the Monster's escape unleash "hell" onto the world?
    • The Monster is physically connected to the Light at the Heart of the Island. ("Across the Sea") His escape from the Island entails that he must uncork the Light in order to sever his connection and be free, with humanity soon dying as a consequence. ("The End")
      • It seems that the writers at one time may have intended for the death of humanity to be brought on by a globally cataclysmic volcanic eruption, as hinted in their comments in an interview. For budgetary purposes, the volcano's presence had to be minimized in the finale, but this idea is still worth pondering in interpretation. | Lost Volcano Alternative Ending

Self-Implied

  • What is the nature of Isabella's appearance to Richard on the Black Rock?
    • It was the Monster projecting her figure into the ship, as Jacob himself later hints in his argument with Ricardo. ("Ab Aeterno-enhanced")
6x10 TragicSecret
6x09
"The Package"
  • Why does the Monster need all the candidates to leave together?
    • While he implies in this episode that this was influenced by the same methodology that brought them on the Ajira plane in the first place, Retrospect: ("316") it seems that this is a lie. What he really needs is for the candidates to be together in a confined location where he can instigate their deaths without their escape. ("The Candidate")
  • Why is Widmore looking for electromagnetic pockets on the Island?
    • He is looking for the Heart of the Island, knowing he must take Desmond there for his unique resistance to electromagnetism, in order to stop the Monster. ("What They Died For") ("The End")
  • Why did Widmore bring Desmond back to the Island?
    • He was instructed to do so by Jacob, to use Desmond's electromagnetic resistance as a "failsafe", a last resort to stop the Monster. ("What They Died For")
06X11Desmondtoshowthem
6x10
"Happily Ever After"
  • What was the nature of Desmond's experience following the electromagnetic blast?
    • It seems that Desmond's consciousness was jolted through time again, as previously happened after turning the Swan's failsafe. This time, Desmond's consciousness randomly glimpsed into his future constructed life after dying, the flash-sideways world, possibly as a result of the normally-lethal level of energy blasted at his head. (Notably, Desmond does not experience a time jump later when entering the Heart of the Island, as only his feet stepped into the electromagnetism.) ("The End")
  • What is the nature of Charlie, Daniel, and Desmond's glimpses into the original reality?
    • It seems that extreme emotion and life-altering experiences in the flash-sideways are a trigger for the sideways characters to remember their original lives and original the persons they made the closest connections to. It seems it's often a gradual process, which may require continued emotional exposure before a character has fully awakened. ("Everybody Loves Hugo") ("The End")
  • Is Eloise already aware of the original reality?
    • Yes. She is trying to stop Desmond from waking the other characters up, out of fear that Desmond will take Daniel, who she is trying to hold onto her relationship to, because of what happened in their original lives. ("The End")
  • What happened to Desmond after he made contact with Penny?
  • How much does Widmore know about the flash-sideways world?
    • He knows nothing. He is not aware of Desmond's newly-formed connection to the sideways world. ("What They Died For")
  • What is the nature of Desmond's connection between the worlds?
    • Desmond saw a glimpse into the sideways world, leading up to his sideways counterpart's awakening with Penny. This has invigorated the Island Desmond with a new serenity and optimism, though he is in fact not in sustained contact with the Sideways Desmond, and isn't any more clear on the nature of what's really going on than anyone else. On the flip side, the Sideways Desmond has now awakened and remembers what happened in the Island reality and what the nature of the sideways reality is, and so holds the key to getting the other 815 passengers' purpose fulfilled in that reality. ("The End")
  • Why did Sayid spare Zoe?
    • Sayid later states that he didn't see the point in killing her more after finding what he came for. ("Everybody Loves Hugo") This is the first hint showing that some light still exists in Sayid's personality, not extinguished by the sickness. ("The Last Recruit")
  • What is it that Desmond needs to "show" to the other Oceanic passengers?
6x12 AKissToRemember
6x11
"Everybody Loves Hugo"
  • What will the Monster use the stick he's carving for?
  • Why did Desmond run down Locke?
    • He wasn't trying to hurt Locke, but rather trying to help him let go. ("What They Died For")

Self-Implied

  • Why did the Monster throw Desmond into the well?
    • He felt threatened by Desmond, and threw him in to trap him there.
6x13jack-jumps
6x12
"The Last Recruit"
  • In the flash-sideways, why did Sun seem distressed to see Locke?
    • She was remembering the Man in Black in Locke's form, who caused the deaths of both herself and Jin. ("The Candidate")
  • Did the Monster speaking to Jack cause him to be recruited?
    • No. Despite this being entertained throughout the season, it doesn't seem that letting the Monster speak to you has any particular persuasive enchantment. The characters all seem to resist the Monster fairly soon, including Claire herself. ("The Candidate") ("The End")
  • Did Sayid really kill Desmond?
GoodbyeKwons2
6x13
"The Candidate"
  • Did Cindy, Zack, and Emma escape the mortar attack?
    • According to disputed canon, they did, and later on continued to help Hugo in his caretaking of the Island. ("Lost Encyclopedia")
  • Who planted the C4 in the Ajira plane?
    • Widmore did, in order to stop the Monster. Richard's group had not yet collected their C4. ("What They Died For")
  • Is there any more C4 in the plane?
  • Why does the Monster have to kill all the candidates to leave?
    • According to the Monster himself, the rules are that he can't leave until the candidates are all dead. ("Season 6 deleted scenes") It seems that this was initially necessary for him in order to reach the Heart of the Island. ("The End")
  • What is Lapidus's fate?
    • He survives, and later is found by Miles and Richard as he's floating in the ocean with a life vest. ("The End")
6x15 OriginOfAdamAndEve
6x14
"Across the Sea"
  • What was the setting of this episode?
    • According to production leaks, the episode may have been scripted to have begun in 4 AD, and would have extended to about 44 AD. (Citation needed) ("Lost Encyclopedia")
    • On-screen evidence sets a timetable that this episode could be set between 8th century BC and 2nd century AD. (Inference from Roman presence and from lack of other cultural presences such as the Egyptians, Sumerians, etc.)
  • Who were Claudia's people?
  • What are Mother's origins?
    • Ambiguous. She was born of a human, and states she arrived the same way Claudia did, "by accident".
  • What is Mother's name?
    • Unanswered.
  • How did she become the protector?
    • Ambiguous.
      • She may have been handed the job by a previous protector, which would fit with her dislike of holding the job.
      • She may taken the job upon herself, prior to growing weary with it.
  • How did Mother know so much about the Island?
    • Ambiguous.
      • She may have learned it from a previous protector.
      • She may have become enlightened on her own through her growing relationship with the Island.
  • What is down in the tunnel of light?
    • A vast pool of water and electromagnetism, above a dormant magma chamber. ("The End")
  • Why couldn't the Man in Black ever find the Light again?
  • How did Mother's incantation and drinking of the wine enable Jacob to become protector?
    • It seems that this is more symbolic, and what matters is that Mother offered the job and Jacob accepted it. As seen in the next two episodes, Jacob and Jack used water from a creek rather than wine, and Jack did not speak an incantation. ("What They Died For") ("The End")
  • How did Mother destroy the entire village and fill the well, seemingly over night?
    • Ambiguous.
      • The writers have talked about the possibility of Mother being a Monster, but chose not to say one way or the other. ("Across the Sea audio commentary") However, if Mother was a Monster, then it's not clear how she aged and was murdered, signs of her mortality.
      • Mother may have simply abused her power as the protector in order to achieve this.
  • Why did Mother keep the Man in Black from leaving because she "loved" him?
    • This is a reference to her cynicism of humanity. She believes she was protecting the boys by keeping them sheltered from the evil of things outside her control. ("Across the Sea audio commentary")
  • Why did Mother thank the Man in Black after he stabbed her?
  • What happened to the Heart of the Island when the Man in Black was thrown in?
  • How did the Man in Black's body end up at the edge of the creek?
  • When did Jacob become so wise and serene?
    • It seems that he attained this enlightenment over the centuries in self-reflection. He recognized the mistakes he made. ("What They Died For")

Self-Implied

  • Did Mother really leave the Senet game?
    • It's implied that she lied about it, so as to leave the Boy in Black in the dark about his origins across the sea.
  • What was the significance of the Boy in Black being special?
    • This fits into the same paradigm of some people being naturally special and connected to the Island, such as Walt, Hurley, and numerous other characters. This also seems to have enlightened him further with the Light's workings to know that the donkey wheel would work.
  • What part of the Light exists in mankind?
    • The physical, tangible part of the human spirit or consciousness, which is implied by Mother's description of the Light circulating life, death, and rebirth.
  • What is the origin of the Light?
    • It seems to exist as a naturally-formed feature geologically.
  • What does it mean that the Light is "life, death, rebirth"?
    • Mother seems to be referencing the Light's power for miraculous healing, for sustaining spirituality, and perhaps for giving rise to mankind's spirit itself.
6x16-campfire-promo
6x15
"What They Died For"
  • Where is Claire at?
  • What is Richard's fate?
    • He landed in the bushes, unconscious. ("The End")
  • Was Widmore really "convinced of the error of his ways"?
    • Ambiguous.
      • According to disputed canon, Widmore was simply jumping at his opportunity to return to a position of power on the Island. ("Lost Encyclopedia")
  • Is Ben really working for the Monster or is he being duplicitous?
    • Ambiguous. In the next episode, he is being secretive against the Monster. ("The End")
      • According to disputed canon, Ben was not truly on the Monster's side, and in fact shot Widmore to prevent him from giving the Monster information crucial to the Island. ("Lost Encyclopedia")
  • Is John right that all of this is happening for a reason, that Jack is supposed to fix him?
    • Yes, although not due to predestination, but rather because the characters have constructed the reality together to come together to move on. ("The End")
  • Why is the Monster going to the Heart of the Island?
    • He needs to extinguish the Light in order to escape the Island. ("The End")
  • Why is Ana Lucia "not ready" yet?
    • She is not ready to move on from the flash-sideways world, ("The End") suggesting that she still has matters to come to terms with.
  • Where is Hurley taking Sayid?
    • To find Charlie, then Boone and Shannon. ("The End")
  • Why are Desmond and Kate going to a concert?
    • Because that is where Kate, Claire, and Charlie will find their awakenings. ("The End")
  • Who helped Desmond out of the well?
  • How is Desmond a failsafe to stop the Monster?
    • Desmond can enter into the Island's electromagnetism and turn off the Light, which will make the Man in Black mortal again and killable. ("The End")
  • How can the Monster use Desmond to destroy the Island?
    • The Monster intends to, in the same manner, use Desmond to turn off the Light, which will cause volcanic activity that will cause the Island to collapse into the ocean. ("The End")
  • Why is the Monster going to destroy the Island?
    • It is the natural consequence of turning off the Light, which the Man in Black needs in order to be severed free of the Island. There is also a hint that the Man in Black takes satisfaction in seeing its destruction due to his millennia of harbored resentment. ("The End")

Self-Implied

  • What is the nature of Jacob's ashes burning in the fire?
    • It seems Jacob used his power to make it so that burning his ashes would allow him to take form to the remaining candidates.
JackDiesWithVincent
6x16
"The End"
  • Why did the Light and water in the tunnel seem lessened compared to eons before?
  • Who built the apparatus and cork within the Heart of the Island?
    • The writers implied that this was done under Jacob's orders in the ensuing years following the creation of the Monster. ("Across the Sea audio commentary") The cuneiform and hieroglyphs on the cork suggest a cross-cultural collaboration between Sumerians and Egyptians in creating and installing the cork. This was confirmed in the script, which also referenced Angkorians as also being involved. ("The End script") ("Lost Encyclopedia")
  • What is the nature of the cork system?
    • The cork seems to have a power to stabilize the Source of electromagnetism, probably endowed this such by Jacob, and the electromagnetism seems to affect the flow of water into the cavern. The creek and waterfall immediately dried out as the Source began to dissipate, perhaps suggesting that the Source magnetically attracts the water into the cavern. The draining of water and lack of cooling water and electromagnetism results in the rise of the volcanic activity. But the cork has the power to stabilize the electromagnetic energy back into fruition once placed back in the drain, resulting in the stabilizing of the seismic activity and the drawing back in of the water. (Inference) ("The End script")
  • How did Jack survive the electromagnetic pool and end up at the edge of the creek?
    • He only barely managed to survive before the electromagnetism had built up enough, and the pressure of the water carried him out of the cavern to the creek outside. ("The End script")
  • What did Hurley and Ben do in their years of running the Island?
    • As the episode itself implies, they spent their years in pacifism and taking care of others, which seems to have reflected in how they constructed their flash-sideways lives. (Inference) Additionally, they tied up several loose ends off-island and recruited Walt to join them. ("The New Man in Charge")
  • What is the nature of the light illuminating the church?
    • Ambiguous. It is open to the personal beliefs of the audience.
      • The heavenly appearance of the light obviously carries religious connotations for interpretation.
      • Fans have also noted that the light is similar to the Light at the Heart of the Island, suggesting that the flash-sideways world itself is the Heart of the Island, as perceived on an incorporeal level.
  • Where are the characters moving on to?
    • Ambiguous. It is open to the personal beliefs of the audience.

Self-Implied

  • Why did the Monster say he didn't need to kill the candidates anymore?
    • Sawyer telling him that they weren't candidates anymore seemed to result in an adjustment of plans for the Man in Black.
      • The Man in Black may have realized that he didn't need to kill the candidates to access the Heart of the Island anymore, as Jack would be heading there to take Desmond anyway.
      • The fact that they were no longer candidates may have been sufficient to fulfill the rules of "no more candidates" in order for the Monster to access the Heart.
  • Who were the skeletons in the Heart of the Island?
    • Ancient inhabitants who helped install the cork, killed by exposure to the electromagnetism.
  • Why did the Light extinguishing turn the Monster mortal?
    • His connection was temporarily severed from the Source, which had been responsible for making him the Monster in he first place.
  • How was the Monster able to mortally wound Jack if it was against the rules before?
    • The Heart of the Island also seems to be responsible for stabilizing the Island's enforcement of the rules.
  • What would have been the consequence if the Island sank?
    • The destruction of its electromagnetism would have extinguished mankind.
  • What is the dichotomy between ghosts in the original reality and the spirits in the flash-sideways reality?
    • It seems that the ghosts can remain in the realm of the living before moving on to the flash-sideways world, if they need the world at all. Notably, Walt is going to help Michael's ghost move on when he returns to the Island. ("The New Man in Charge")
  • What are the existential implications of people who are dead or who are babies in the flash-sideways world?
    • It seems that these roles are ultimately superficial and temporary, as the world is a construct to help the characters move on. As we saw, Christian was "dead" in the sideways world for a good deal of time before his spirit emerged.
  • What are the existential implications for people who did not exist in the original reality?
    • It is implied they were constructed as extensions from the real living people, as is the case with Jack and his son, as well as Nadia and her children.

Supplementary Material[]

Episode Questions and Answers
2x17 AMapOfRadzinsky
2x17 Easter Egg
"Blast Door Map"
  • What is the "unknown" designation of the question mark?
    • The Pearl, Station 5. ("?")

What is the "unknown" purpose of the question mark?

    • It is a monitoring station, where a psychological experiment was conducted. ("?")
  • What is the purpose of The Flame?
    • It is a communications hub. ("Enter 77")
  • Why are only 6 stations acknowledged in the orientation film, if the map implies more exist?
    • According to the writers, some stations are not "officially" numbered. ("Access: Granted")
  • What is the extra building next to the Swan?

W*hat is the extra building's purpose?

  • What is P.R.D.?
  • What are the 5 fatalities?
    • Unanswered.
  • Which station is C1?
  • What is C1's purpose?
  • Which station is C3?
  • What is C3's purpose?
    • Meteorology research. (Self-Implied)
  • Why so many DHARMATel relays in such an "untenable" location?
    • Unanswered.
  • Which building is C4?
  • What is C4's purpose?
    • Unanswered.
    • According to disputed canon, it was for poison gas manufacturing. ("Lost Encyclopedia")
  • What does R.S.V. mean?
    • Unanswered.
  • What is "aborted Station #7" ?
    • Unanswered.
  • What was Station #7's purpose?
    • Unanswered.
  • Why was Station #7 aborted?
    • Unanswered.
  • Why are there allusions to a "treatment worse than the disease" near the Staff?
    • Unanswered.
  • What is the "bad plan that can't be changed" written near the Staff?
    • Unanswered.
  • What is the Cerberus system?
  • What is the "primary nexus of Cerberus-related" activity?
    • This seems to be a reference to the Dark Territory, given its proximity to the Black Rock on the map. The Monster was highly active here, having its own chamber under the Temple. ("Dead Is Dead") The Monster actively tried to work against the Temple inhabitants as they strove to protect the Island against it on behalf of Jacob. ("Season 6")

What does CV mean?

  • What was the accident at CV II?
    • Unanswered.

Why was Magnus Hanso's final resting place at the Black Rock?

    • He was captain of the ship, killed in the impact when the Black Rock wrecked there. ("Ab Aeterno")
  • Why were the polar bears experimented on?
    • They possess a keen sense of memory and adaptability, traits which made them ideal candidates for the experiments. ("The New Man In Charge")
  • What was the AH/MDG Incident?
  • Why were so many DHARMA projects gradually shut down?
    • Unanswered.
  • What does D.I.H.G. mean?
  • What are the EEP conduits and network?
  • What is "Valenzetti-related" research activity?

What is Code 42?

    • Unanswered.

Why was there a DHARMATel presence past a security barrier?

    • Unanswered.

Why are there dramatic references on the map to DHARMATel Intranet security?

    • Unanswered.
TheWatch
Mx01
"The Watch"

N/A

Hurley and Frogurt Mobisode2
Mx02
"The Adventures of Hurley and Frogurt"

N/A

King of the Castle 1
Mx03
"King of the Castle"

N/A

MichaelTheDeal2
Mx04
"The Deal"

N/A

OperationSleeperJuliet
Mx05
"Operation: Sleeper"

N/A

MX06Birds1
Mx06
"Room 23"
  • Why did Jacob consider Walt to be important?
    • Unanswered. It seems Walt's specialness indicated he had some destiny for work on the Island. ("The New Man in Charge")

Self-Implied

  • What was happening to Walt in Room 23?
    • He was being tested with the hypnotic procedures at Room 23, and reacting strongly with psychic powers.
Mx07Arzt
Mx07
"Arzt & Crafts"

N/A

Mx08 Sun Michael
Mx08
"Buried Secrets"

N/A

Mx09 Arzt Michael
Mx09
"Tropical Depression"

N/A

Mx10-EthanRom
Mx10
"Jack, Meet Ethan. Ethan? Jack"

N/A

Mx11 Jin
Mx11
"Jin Has a Temper-Tantrum on the Golf Course"

N/A

Juliet-TheEnvelope
Mx12
"The Envelope"

N/A

So it begins
Mx13
"So It Begins"
  • What was the nature of Christian's apparition waking Jack up?
    • As this was the Man in Black, ("The Last Recruit") it seems likely that the Man in Black was beginning his entrapment of Jack into his manipulations, which would carry over into the next few days. (Retrospect: "Walkabout" "White Rabbit") He probably stated "Jack has work to do", either referencing Jack's work in his own manipulations, or stating it out of irony for the fact that Jacob brought Jack to do work on the Island. (Inference from "Season 6")
Epilogue BenAndWalt
Epilogue
"The New Man in Charge"
  • How did the Orchid scientists send the polar bear into the Tunisia desert?
    • Unanswered. It seems likely the scientists conducted some technology like "pinholes" ("Dharma booth video") to exploit the energy under the Orchid to send the bear into the desert.
      • Disputed canon has suggested that the polar bear turned the donkey wheel. ("Lost Encyclopedia") However, the donkey wheel was specifically sealed off from access with the Vault, it would be hard logistically to get the bear into the cavern and get it to turn the wheel, and there is no evidence of another "Island moving" catastrophic event having occurred in recent history.
  • What work do Ben and Hurley have for Walt back on the Island?
    • Unanswered. It can be assumed that Walt will take on some position of importance and leadership, given the pattern of special people being inclined for such on the Island.

Self-Implied

  • Why did Walt move into Santa Rosa?
    • This is probably because of Walt's growing psychic power, making him think he was crazy.
  • How did Walt know Michael was dead?
    • Unanswered. He may have either inferred it due to Michael never returning, or realized it through psychic premonitions.
  • How can Walt help Michael?
    • As seen in the flash-sideways, being able to give someone the emotional closure they need can help someone to move on into the afterlife. (Retrospect: "The End") Walt's specialness probably also enables him the ability to see ghosts, like Hurley.
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