LOST fans got a break from their weekly fix last night, and we were treated to a nice hour-long synopsis of how we got to where we are on the island, and off of it. With four episodes left to go in the penultimate season, here are the top 5 most relevant topics to discuss and anticipate over the next month.
1. Ann Arbor, MI
- The Dharma Initiative has been one of the central mysteries on LOST island since the beginning of season 2. It all started with the Swan Orientation film, and Marvin Candle (aka Pierre Chang) telling Jack, Locke and Desmond about the Department of Heuristics and Research on Material Applications. Founded in 1970 by Gerald and Karen DeGroot, two doctoral candidates at the University of Michigan, and financially backed by Danish industrialist and munitions magnate Alvar Hanso and his Hanso Foundation, Dharma had a large presence on the Island between the 1970s and early 1990s. Season 5 has given us a delicious peek at the Dharma 70s heyday. Might we get the full revelation about the organization before the season’s end? And what of the Purge in 1992 that ended it all?
2. Jacob’s #1
- This season we learned that Charles Widmore appears to have formerly been the island’s chosen one. He spent years (at least 1954–1989) on the island until his “actions” forced him out for good. Did he realize at the time how difficult it was to return? His life conquest since his departure on the submarine has been to reclaim the island and remove Ben Linus from power.
- We’ve slowly watched Ben Linus’ apparent fall from (island) grace, starting with his tumor in season three (evidence that the island wasn’t protecting him anymore) and culminating with a judgment and last chance warning from the Smoke Monster via his daughter Alex. Will this change Ben’s direction?
- Is John Locke the chosen one or has he been the great pawn for the coming war?
3. Daniel Faraday
- Son of Eloise Hawking and a physicist who seems to understand the island’s unique properties as much as anyone except for possibly Jacob himself. After a brief hiatus, he’s re-emerged having visited Dharma central in the aforementioned Ann Arbor, MI. He looked refreshed and determined. What did he learn? Will Dan be the one to finally tell us exactly what is up with time travel and how 1977 and 2007 will be reconciled?
4. 2007
- Lets not forget our Losties that aren’t decked out in Dharma jumpsuits… In 2007, with the Ajira airliner in the background of the beach, Ilana and Bram have assembled a crew on a mission. They were sent by someone, but who? Last week in a flashback, Bram told Miles he was/is “playing for the wrong team.” Bram was referring to Team Widmore. Could this be another Ben Team? Is a third player involved? And when will Sun cross paths with them?
5. The Swan
- The long rumored Season 5 finale will be titled “The Incident” and as we know from Desmond, Inman and Radzinsky, The Incident occurred at the Swan and was the precursor for Dharma to institute a reset protocol, every 108 minutes, to disengage an unstable electromagnetic charge. What was the incident, what was the cause, how will it affect the Losties and the shape of things to come?
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