my response to the College Humor LOST video

My response to College Humor’s unanswered questions on LOST.

Here is the college humor video that provided the questions...

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1936291

All answers based on materials considered “canon” to the show and interviews with Damon and Carlton. Lostpedia was used as a reference. Many answers I agreed with movieline.com’s answer and provided more elaboration on the answer. Some answers are simply fill in the blank interpretations that I felt were not big stretches at all. Please read movieline.com rebuttal to the college humor video. In many cases I agreed with their answers and just elaborated on them...

http://www.movieline.com/2010/05/rebutting-losts-questions.php

Why did the monster kill the pilot?


He wasn’t on Jacob’s list. Anyone that was not protected by Jacob or a candidate or was chosen to come to the island was at risk to be killed by the Man in Black.

What did Locke see when he first saw the smoke?


This was actually answered by Locke: He saw a bright light as he told Eko. Which was the smoke monster/Man in Black flashing the light at him and scanning him. He attempted to do this to both Kate and Juliet when they hid in the Banyan tree.

What’s with the polar bear in Walt’s comic?


Pure irony. It was actually Hurley’s comic. The simple fact that
there was a polar bear in it and they also exist on the Island is fate.

Where’s Christian Shepherd’s body if it’s not in the casket?


We clearly see in the season 4 premiere that Christian Shepherd’s body is in the rocking chair of the cabin. We know it is the corpse because we then see a close up of the Man in Black’s eye look out at Hurley. Therefore, the Man in Black took Christian’s body out of the coffin and took it into the cabin.

Why did the psychic say that Claire had to fly on Oceanic 815, and why did he insist that her son had to be raised by Claire?

I agree with movieline…
It’s open to interpretation. Damon and Carlton themselves said that the only person who ever called Aaron special was this psychic who later admits himself he was a fraud. Therefore Aaron being deemed special is not valid at all. As the show went on I think it’s pretty safe to say Aaron was just a normal kid. It was just ironic that what this phony psychic said turned out to have some truth to it. Why did the psychic suddenly decide Claire needed to get on the plane? Either Jacob somehow came to him or the couple who wanted to adopt Aaron reached out to him and offered more $ to him if he could convince Claire. If Jacob came to him, then maybe that’s why his daughter was saved miraculously. Like Jacob saved Dogen, the temple master’s son, when Dogen agreed to go to the Island. Perhaps Jacob agreed to save the psychics daughter if he agreed to call Claire again.

Why did the Others want Walt so badly?


Two reasons. Like movieline said he was a kid. Others can’t have kids. When kids come to the Island they are taken into the society because they are young and innocent. The other reason was Michael. Ben does his homework. Based on his files, he knew Michael wanted nothing more then the love of his son. He takes Walt as a bargaining chip. He hatched a plan via using the computer in the swan where the others pretended to be Walt. This leads to Michael rescuing Ben and also delivering Jack, Hurley, Sawyer and Kate to the others.

Who sent Kate the letter telling her about her mother being treated for cancer in the hospital?


I’m gonna go with Jacob. With the motivation that Kate gets to see her childhood friend Tom again. Jacob touched Kate as a child when she stole the new kids on the block lunchbox with Tom. Tom and Kate (as adults), later dig up this lunchbox when she comes home to see her mother due to this letter. If you want to go with an actual human being as an answer: Cassidy, Sawyer’s ex. Only person I could buy that Kate kept in contact with as they both helped each other.

How does Walt know about the hatch and why does he warn Locke not to open it?


Like movieline said Walt had special powers. I personally heard Damon Lindelof explain Walt as simply something like this: We’ve seen special people come to this Island. Walt was one of these people. So special that he freaked the Others out. We see this ourselves in the minisode “Room 23”, where the others were experimenting on Walt and got freaked out by his abilities. Walt is so powerful; he is unaware of his own power. This is why Ben tells Jack they got more then they bargained for with Walt. That’s why he hands him back to Michael so quickly. Because he just wanted him off the Island. He can appear in places without being aware of it, he seems to have psychic abilities, etc. *"The New Man in Charge" dives more into Walt as well.

Why does the smoke monster make mechanical sounds?

The scientific answer for the light was that it was simply electro magnetism. Combine that force with ripping a soul from the body, it’s gonna sound funky.

How is Walt able to apparate before Shannon?


See previous Walt explanation above.

How did Walt communicate with Michael using the Swan computer?


Walt did not communicate with Michael. It was the Others. In the episode “Expose”, Ben tells Juliet in the Pearl station that they will use Michael to get Jack to them. The Others observed the survivors from the Pearl station and waited for a moment when Michael was by the computer and no one else was around. Then they wrote to him pretending to be Walt.

What is the deal with Kate and that horse?


I believe it was the island that projected the horse, i.e. something from Kate’s own past to her. The horse had saved/freed her
in her life before the island. This was the islands way of telling her she was OK still. Similar to the cat that Sayid saw outside the flame station, the boar that Sawyer almost shot but he heard the voice of the man he wrongfully killed. This island gives you a clean slate and puts you in scenarios similar to your life. It allows you to choose again. I believe the island, due to the light, has it’s own conscience or is able to be aware of anyone on the island’s own conscience. Note: The only specific animal on the show that was ever confirmed to be the Man in Black were the medusa spiders that paralyzed Nikki and Paolo. You even hear noises of the smoke monster before they appear.

Why are supplies still being dropped on the island after the purge, and by who?


Answered in the epilogue - "The New Man in Charge" there is a logistics Dharma station still in operation in Guam. Pallets are loaded and shipped to the coordinates of the Island. The coordinates are automatically sent by The Lamp Post Station in L.A.

What triggered the lockdown, and why on earth would anyone trigger it so that during the lockdown, black lights would go on?

As movieline stated…
The food drop triggered the lockdown. The hatch was built in the 70’s by a hippie society. People in the hatch were under the belief that the station needed to be quarantined. Black lights help sell this effect.

What happened to the original Henry Gale?


It’s been said that the real Henry Gale and Ben had words. We never got to see this on the show. His hot air balloon says Widmore labs on it. I think it’s safe to say Henry was searching for the Island and was an employee of Widmore. He was most likely killed shortly after he arrived by Ben and the others.

What happened to the original timeline Libby in the mental hospital?


If the sideways world provided a similar, yet different existence for everyone. Then we can say that Libby was really nuts in the real world. Since sideways Libby chose to go to the mental institution. My Libby theory has always been the following: Hurley accidentally killed her husband Dave when he put too much weight on the dock. Dave’s ghost then haunts Hurley; Libby goes insane ends up in the same hospital as Hurley. I base this off knowing Libby's husband had a boat and Hurley was originally in the mental hospital for adding to much weight to a dock and becoming traumatized. Libby also mentions to Desmond that her husband’s name was David.

Who built the four-toed statue?


The Egyptians. The statue was an Egyptian goddess. It’s quite obvious the Egyptians were on the Island.

Why does only one specific bearing get you off the island?


The Island is always moving. The bearing always changes. If you travel on a different bearing you risk getting a time travel sickness: temporal displacement, or “unstuck in time.” Why? Because the island doesn’t experience time like the rest of the world does. It’s unpredictable. The human mind can’t take the displacement.

What are the hieroglyphics on the Swan countdown timer about?


The hieroglyphics spelled out the word: underworld. Dharma paid homage to the Egyptian presence on the island as movieline stated. Also, if the button is not pushed the pocket of electromagnetism would have blown very similar to what started to happen in the series finale. Releasing the “underworld.”

Why did Tom feel the need to wear a fake beard?


Besides providing a list, Jacob keeps his followers in the dark on many things. Ben does not take risks when people show up on the island. He was not sure if the survivors were sent by Widmore or would provide some other kind of threat to their life, etc. His people disguised themselves as primitive natives as a fear/intimidation tactic. He could not afford for them to see how his society was really ran.

Who was Libby’s previous husband?


I like to believe, since they made it a point to say his name was David, that it’s the same person as Hurley’s imaginary friend. It could also just be a random person. It’s really not important.

Who are the skeletons in the polar bear cave?


Dharma employees. One of which was in a pearl station suit. That doesn’t mean the polar bear killed them. He could have dragged them back. Possibly after the purge happened?

Where did the toy truck come from?


Polar bears have been wondering that island with no restriction since the purge. Somewhere there was a toy truck on the island. It most likely belonged to a Dharma child of the 70’s or 80’s. They dragged it back to their cave.

How did Locke and Eko escape the hatch explosion?


They still had work to do. The island wouldn’t let them die. Like movieline states the mystical light is also unpredictable. Also, Eko’s eventual death is progress in John’s journey. He couldn’t have just died in the hatch. His stick ends up providing a guide for Locke to follow.

Why couldn’t Locke talk after the hatch explosion?


Hatch didn’t explode. It imploded. Did we not watch the same show? Anyway, back to your question… The Island took away his ability to speak for a moment. It wanted him to communicate with it directly, so he built his sweat lodge. He needed to be given instructions. Once he knew what to do: save Eko from the polar bear, he was able to speak again.

Why did the monster kill Mr. Eko, and why didn’t he just do it the first time they met?

Pretty much what movieline said. The Man In Black/Smokey had scanned Eko back in season 2. He thought he could be useful in his goal of killing Jacob. Once he proved to not be afraid of the monster anymore and refused to confess to his sins, the Man in Black no longer had use for him. That is why he killed him when he did.

What did Mr. Eko mean when he said, “You’re next?” as he died?

Two things: 1. A early hint that Locke would be the next person the Man in Black would attempt to use to fulfill his goal of killing Jacob. 2. The dude was just killed by a giant pillar of smoke on an Island where he saw lots of bad things happen already. From his POV it was only a matter of time before they all died.

How disgusting was it when Hurley was eating from that tub of ranch dressing?


Grosser then Arzt exploding.

Why did Yemi’s body disappear?


Taken by the Man In Black. Similar to how he took Christian’s body.

Why does Danny say Jack wasn’t on Jacob’s list when in fact his name was clearly written in the cave?


Jacob clearly left people out of the dark. Richard Alpert didn’t even know about candidates, yet Illana did. Danny is referencing an entirely different list. This was a list of people to recruit into their society immediately.

Why can’t women on the island have babies?

I agree 100% with movieline’s answer. The last baby we ever seen born on the Island is Ethan. That was in 1974. The bomb went off in 1977. We never saw a healthy pregnancy after that. The Incident/bomb radiation caused a problem on the island ever since. Aaron/Claire and Danielle/Alex don’t count. The pregnancy issue has to do with women in their second trimester. Claire/Danielle were both well past this step when they arrived on the island. It was confirmed in "The New Man in Charge" that the electromagnetic energy had an affect on pregnancy of female polar bears. When this energy was released via the incident in 1977 it spread island wide and had this affect on women.

What was that Russian letter in Mkhail’s typewriter?


Obviously a joke question… I think? Could be a number of things: He was lonely and didn’t want to lose his touch with his native language. The flame was functional for communications prior to the destruction of the swan. Perhaps Mikhail was writing a letter that he would somehow send out. Probably an old letter he had been working on and was simply doing some touch ups.

Why was the supply drop menu hidden behind a game of computer chess?


Only certain high-ranking members of Dharma could make such requests. They could not make it so easily accessible. When you’re on an Island with angry hostiles and “unique properties and wildlife” you need to play your cards carefully.

Remember when Ben gave Juliet that weird mark as punishment? What was that about?


It officially made her no longer an other. A mark to show that she was a traitor. I believe it also made her no longer safe from potential time jumps. Notice that when the survivors started skipping through time, the others didn’t go anywhere, just people who were non others. Juliet was among this group.

What’s the deal with Jack’s tattoos?


We know how he got the one in Thailand and what it said. The one with the #5 is a reference to his famous story about counting to 5 that he told Kate about when they first met. This day also happened to be when Jacob came to visit him. The small one on his back says “standard black”, the one on his arms with the stars is probably from losing a bet.

How did Desmond’s monk know Eloise?


Another former Other. Made aware of things by Eloise via Daniel’s journal. He was helping the cause during his time with Desmond.

How did Ben see his dead mother?


Island manifestation. Ben turned out to be very important to the Island in the end. This was where his journey really started. I would have said the Man In Black must have scanned Ben’s memory one night when Ben snuck out. Issue with that is Ben saw a vision of his mother inside the barracks and the sonar fences were up at the time.

Who decided to kill the Others in a purge?


Charles Widmore was still on the Island at this time. Dharma had violated the truce. Go read the truce at lostpedia between Horace Goodspeed and Richard. It states that Dharma was supposed to leave after being there for 15 years and were not suppose to do any major digging into the island. Uh oh. Jacob allows the purge similar to Mother killing the Romans: it’s for the greater good. They were getting to close to the source. Probably one of the few things Widmore and Ben agreed on. Ben wanted his dad dead after all.

What happened to Ben’s childhood friend, Annie?


Vacated the Island with all non-major Dharma personnel in July 1977 prior to the Incident. Ben has fond memories of her because she was the one real nice person in his life prior to joining the Others.


Why did Desmond have a false vision of Claire and Aaron leaving the island on a helicopter?


No one could ever prove if all of Desmond’s visions were accurate. It very well could have been a false vision. Perhaps something happened to alter Desmond’s vision which is why it’s Kate getting on the helicopter with Aaron and not Claire. We also don’t know what time period this time flash takes place. Maybe Desmond saw a vision of Claire after finally leaving the island as seen in the series finale. He easily could have been seeing a flash of Claire/Aaron getting on a helicopter after Claire had already returned to the real world. Remember when he had the vision of Penny landing on the island if he let Charlie die in the jungle? He didn’t allow Charlie to die and as a result this vision of Penny landing had been altered and it was Naomi who landed. For all we know after Charlie really died, something else happened to change the vision of Claire and Aaron that Desmond saw.

How does Mikhail keep coming back to life?


Because he never died until he set off the grenade. He even says the sonar fences were not set to a lethal level when he went through them. He ends up getting shot, by a spear gun in the Looking Glass station. At this time he is on the brink of death. He survives long enough to set off that grenade.

Why does Walt tell Locke that he still has work to do?


One of Walt’s abilities is appearing in places where “he isn’t suppose to be”. AKA he can project himself without being aware of it. Bea Klugh of the Others brings this up to Michael when they have him as a prisoner. This was Walt projecting himself without being aware of it, because the Island needed to get a message to John: Do not let that freighter come to the island. The island uses Walt because of the bond he had with John.

Whose eye appeared in the window of the cabin?

The Man In Black’s eye is in the cabin. The big twist with the cabin is that Jacob had not occupied it for a long time. The Man in Black had been using it.


Where did Miles get that picture of Ben?


From Charles Widmore or one of his high level associates such as Matthew Abbadon.

Who was the R.G. on Naomi’s bracelet?


It’s irrelevant. Damon Lindelof said himself “sometimes a bracelet is just a bracelet.” But I agree with movieline’s speculation... that it is in reference to Regina (Zoe Bell), the freighter woman who drowned herself. Naomi probably was able to get her a gig on the freighter. Between getting hit with the time displacement sickness and knowing Naomi was dead explains Regina jumping overboard.

Why was there a time difference between Faraday’s timers?


Like Movieline said, time works differently on the Island. Island is always moving and time was always changing.

Who is the Economist and why did Ben want him dead?


I do not think it was Widmore. I believe it was a close associate to Widmore. Ben was under the belief that Widmore still wanted to get to the Island and perform a hostile takeover. He did not think the Oceanic 6 was safe. I don’t think Widmore was trying to kill the Oceanic 6. I take Widmore at his word when he says Jacob visited him after the freighter sank. I think he was trying to bring them back to the island because per Jacob, the Island needed them.

Why was Ben so surprised that they couldn’t kill Alex? What are the “rules”? The protector of the Island/light creates the rules.

One of Jacob’s rules was that his followers (Others) don’t kill each other. This is why Juliet was going to be executed for killing fellow Other Danny. Ben and Charles have to abide by these rules as well. Alex was an Other, her death, although not directly through Widmore, was against the rules. Attempting to kill Penny was nothing more then revenge for what happened to Alex.

How does Jack’s dad appear in a hospital in LA?


The Island was calling for them to return. Kate had a nightmare where Claire was screaming at her. Similar thing was happening here for Jack. They still had work to do.

How did the monster get into Jacob’s cabin?


Horace Goodspeed built the cabin. Jacob starts to use it most likely after the purge of Dharma. The ash surrounding the cabin was to make sure the Man in Black could not enter. At some point, the ash around the cabin was broken. It was at this point that Jacob stopped using the cabin and probably when he started calling the statue home. The Man in Black then starts to use the cabin. He enters and exits through the gap in the ash circle.

Why did Ghost Horace direct Locke to the cabin?


Ghost Horace was actually the Man in Black. None of the Dharma bodies in the purge were buried. Therefore, the Man In Black scanned Horace at some point. He came to John in a dream as Horace to guide him to the cabin. This was part of his loophole. He then appeared to John as Christian Shephard and a recently “claimed” Claire was sitting in the cabin as well. He then instructed John that he had to move the island. He makes sure not to tell John how to move it because he knows he’ll go to Ben. Which is exactly what he wanted to have happen. This is all part of his elaborate loophole to kill Jacob.

Why did the Oceanic Six lie and name Charlie, Boone, and Libby as the other survivors? What’s the logic in that?


The story would have sounded more like a conspiracy if they claimed they were the only survivors from the plane crash. By saying that other people survived the crash and later died on the island of Membata it gives their story a bit more of truth. They chose to use the names of three people that they 100% know were on the plane and that had died. They wouldn’t use names of people that they left on the Island. By publicly stating that these people were dead would help family members be able to accept and move on from losing their loved ones.

Here’s some more interesting facts on this provided by lostpedia.com…

“Some elements of this story are derived from the truth. The order in which Boone, Libby, and Charlie supposedly died matches the order in which they actually died, as well as the rough timeframe of each death. Boone did in fact die of internal injuries following a plane crash (though they were sustained in a different plane, which fell from the trees), ("Deus Ex Machina") and Charlie did drown shortly before they left the Island. ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1")”

Why does Miles decide to stay on the island?


The Island was the ultimate playground for Miles to use his ghost communicating talents. He was able to suspect that Charlotte had a connection with the Island; maybe he began to wonder if he had one as well? After all, his mother on her deathbed told him his father’s body was somewhere he could never go. Between hearing this and Charles Widmore offering him a lot of money to go to a secret Island and Bram, (Illana’s collegue), also wanting to bring him to the island… I would think (by this point) he started to suspect the place his mother was referring to was the island.

What’s the deal with the frozen wheel? It combines light and water?


The water that flows through the light has healing abilities. Think about that spring of water that flowed into the temple pool. This example shows us that combining this magical light with the water can do something very unique. Jacob’s brother was a “special” man of science. He understood how games were played with knowing anything about them, etc. He was able to create a device in which he theorized that when he combined the light with the water would be able to provide him with an exit off the Island. In reality, his device physically moves the Island. The light source being moved stretches the light out a little bit and consumes the person who turned the wheel and spits them out into the Tunisia desert. Which was the exit point for the Island.

Why does Ben insist that the Oceanic Six, as well as Locke, have to return to the island? Ben planned to eliminate all of

Widmore’s associates and kill Penny. After doing this he wanted to return to the Island. John explains to Ben that he was told that he needs to go see Eloise Hawking. Once Ben goes to Eloise Hawking she tells him that he must bring everyone back to the island. She alludes to them being in grave danger if he doesn’t bring everyone back and she gives him a deadline that it needs to be done by. *Eloise believes they have to go back to the Island because she knows none of them have traveled back in time yet. She knows based on her memories and Daniel’s journal that this has to happen.

Why don’t the rules of time travel apply to Desmond?


Like movieline said… When Desmond turned the failsafe key in the hatch/swan and got blasted with all that electromagnetic radiation, the rules of time and space no longer applied to him. His conscience was able to bounce through time.
Who are the men who tried to kidnap Sayid and Hurley, but got thrown into a dishwasher full of knives?

Hired men of Charles Widmore and associates.

Ben asks his butcher friend who was watching Locke’s body if Gabriel and Jeffrey have checked in yet. Who are these people?


Like movieline said… part of Ben’s off Island network of others. Remember the 2 chicks in the underwater station aka the looking glass? Mkhali thought they were doing work in Canada. So yes, there are some others who are working off island. Gabriel and Jeffrey were most likely the lawyer and his associate that visited Kate about her relationship with Aaron. The lawyer could have been using an alias.

When the gang was unstuck in time, who was that shooting at them from the outrigger?

Charles Widmore’s scientists. Seeing the Ajira Airways bottle at the beach camp, we know this time flash took place after 2007. Widmore’s scientists were snooping around on the main island looking for Jin. When time traveling Locke, Juliet, Miles etc. take one of the outriggers in order to get over to the Orchid station they started being shot at by Widmore’s scientists. Why? Because the scientists saw Locke and presumed he was the Man in Black.

Who sent Sun a gun and pictures of Jack and Ben?


Widmore. Sun wanted Ben dead and aligned herself with Charles Widmore. Even if Widmore got a visit from Jacob, he still would love to see Ben out of the picture.

Who attacked Sayid, and why did he have Kate’s address?


Hired guns of Widmore and associates. Again, I believe Widmore when he claims he was visited by Jacob and knew he had to bring them to the island.

Why was the smoke monster at the temple?


Smoke monster was never in the temple until Dogen, the temple master was killed. You are referring to the underground chamber in the temple wall that Ben fell into. This wall was a mile away from the temple and was created to keep outsiders out. The smoke monster had free reign over the Island. So long as there were no fences, water or ash in his way. He mostly stayed in the area Rousseau referred to as the “dark territory”. If you look at the blast door map in the swan you will see that Dharma referred to the monster as “Cerebus”. They made markings where they saw the most “Cerebus” activity and also where there were vents that it came from. One of these vents was the hole it was dragging Locke down in the season 1 finale. Another one would be the grate that the Egyptians had created underneath the wall in the temple. This is also a pretty big clue that there was a smoke monster on the island prior to Jacob’s brother. Since the Egyptians had acknowledged it. *I’ve always believed the earlier smoke monster was “mother”.

How do the producers of Expose deal with the death of their two lead actors, Nikki and Paolo?


Clearly a joke question! But like movieline said… Paolo wasn’t on Expose, and Nikki was just a guest star. Expose’s biggest issue was probably dealing with the executive producer that was poisoned to death by Nikki and Paolo

How does Eloise come to run the Lamp Post station?


More was discussed about this in the “mysteries of the universe” series released before season 6. Since leaving the island and raising Daniel, Eloise went on to become the general manager of the church where the Lamp Post station was located. It also mentions she does not have a birth certificate which alludes to her being born on the Island. She obviously was aware of Dharma and it’s implied she was aware of the church.

How does a pendulum predict the island’s movements?


There is a photo of the Island taken by the army in 1954. So coordinates for the island were established during this time. Once they had the location of the Island they kept track of it. We also know that the church was built near a pocket of energy in Los Angeles. “The bright young fellow” that came up with the theory that the Island was always moving was Enzo Valenzetti. His pendulum is designed to discover other pockets of energy. When it does, the coordinates are taken down. He also came up with the Valenzeeti equation: it revealed the exact number of days and months that humanity would extinguish it’s self. Changing this equation was Dharma’s ultimate goal. Oh by the way, the equation’s core numerical value happened to be “4,8,15,16,23,42”.

Why do those returning to the island need to recreate the circumstances of their first arrival?

I am one of the fans that believes the Island was alive. Meaning it had some sort of “conscience”. By recreating the events that took people to the Island, the Island would be able to recognize it as a memory and bring the plane down, as they flew over it.
How did Jack, Hurley and Kate get from that Ajira flight to the 1970s, and why didn’t Sun?

Eloise Hawking said if they were not able to totally recreate the circumstances that took them to the Island the results could be unpredictable. Combine this with the fact that the series finale reveals that “Whatever happened, happened”, then we know that Jack, Hurley and Kate always were on the island and a part of Dharma in 1977.

How did Richard bypass the sonar fence?


There were ancient tunnels that the Others had access to that went underneath the Dharma barracks. We saw Richard take a sledgehammer to these tunnels that led to the basement of Horace Goodspeed’s house. Richard used these same tunnels to get past the sonar fence. The only thing that kept the Others from ever full on invading the Others was the truce.

How did Ethan go from a member of the Dharma Initiative to a member of the Others?


Ethan was sneaking out in the middle of the night with Ben and doing missions for the Others. He was pretending to be a member of Dharma still. What I believe was going on with Ethan is that his mother Amy was actually an Other the entire time. I found it very peculiar that she went out for a picnic with her first husband in a location that she was not suppose to be at. Her husband is killed on the spot but she was just going to be taken? Remember the old lady other who greeted Juliet in the season 3 premiere before 815 crashed? Her name was Amelia. (Lot of people thought this was a tease towards Amelia Earhart.) Who also happened to be at Juliet’s house that morning? Ethan, doing some work for her. He and Ameila end up having a friendly/loving exchange. I propose Amelia was an older Amy. She helped coordinate the purge and was allowing Ethan to go out in the middle of the night with Ben.

What’s with all the hieroglyphics underneath the temple?


Clearly there was a huge Egyptian presence on the Island. Most hieroglyphics were most likely written by them. Some could be written by other cultures that came to the Island. Many other ancient cultures used them as well. The hieroglyphics in key locations imply that the area was built “a long time ago”.

Why did Widmore tell Ben to kill Rousseau and her baby, and why did he then let Ben keep it anyway?


Widmore himself pretty much admits he was a power hungry greedy dude until Jacob came to see him. When he becomes defacto leader after Eloise leaves to raise Daniel he rules very harshly. No outsiders are allowed unless they somehow are proven to were brought to the island by Jacob. So Dharma was safe for the time being. This moment was probably the first big play by Ben in questioning Widmore’s leadership. Ben calls him out and there is no way in front of everyone is Widmore going to have the baby killed. It’s worth noting how Richard quietly watches this exchange as well.

Why did Daniel leave the island in the 70’s?


Daniel Faraday’s knowledge of science/time travel eventually was revealed to members of Dharma. When they realized how smart he was he was assigned to work at Dharma HQ at Ann Arbor with the Degroots and the rest of the Swan team.
Why does Richard think he saw everyone in the 1977 Dharma picture die?
Well for starters, he did see everyone in Dharma die since he was part of the purge. Who knows how well he was looking at the picture because he seemed to look pretty guilty that he had to participate in that mass murder. Mix that with the fact that he has witnessed time traveling people disappear out of nowhere on top of seeing the incident and knowing how much of a disaster it was then you have your answer.

Who broke the circle of ash around Jacob’s cabin?


Not known. Either the MIB tricked someone into doing it somehow or scared someone into tripping over it. Or someone simply just tripped or picked some ash up to examine. It does not matter. All that matters is that at some point the MIB started to occupy the cabin. Pretending to be Jacob, it became his “headquarters” for manipulation.
Why can Jacob leave the island but the smoke monster can’t?

This is one of Jacob’s rules. He realized what a horrible mistake he made by letting his emotions get to him when he threw his brother into the source. He could not allow his Frankenstein… the smoke monster, leave the Island.

Jacob uses his last breath to say, “They’re coming,” but who are they?


Exactly what movieline said… the remaining candidates. All of which were in 1977. Unless Sun was the Kwon candidate.
What’s the deal with the pool that brings people back to life?

The light at the source of the Island represented life, death and rebirth. The spring at the temple had water that flowed through this very light. It was capable of healing the injured and sick.

Why did Sayid come back to life with a British accent?

Joke question! Quite a good one too! Personally I never noticed anything. But for those that did, he did spend a lot of time all over the world working for Ben! Could have easily had picked one up!

What is the “infection”?


You mean “The Sickness”. Technically there were two sicknesses. The first one I already explained was the “temporal displacement” aka your conscience going through a crazy deadly time travel expierence due to traveling to and from the Island on incorrect coordinates. The other sickness and the one we have known about since season 1 is the Man In Black’s process of claiming. A little bit of the light in the island is in every person. The light inside each of us could easily tip towards darkness… based on our actions, etc. The Man In Black ‘s light is totally dark. Once you die you can be claimed by him if your body has not been properly disposed of. He did this to Claire after her dharma house blew up; he did it to Sayid after he died in the temple spring. It’s safe to say with Jacob dead, the Man In Black was able to corrupt the water that flowed into the temple spring. So Dogen and the temple others actually killed Sayid by drowning him in it. Sayid later proves it is possible to tip the scale inside yourself out of the darkness and back to light.

Why was the Smoke Monster confused that Sawyer could see Young Jacob?


The island always needs a protector. Even though Jacob was physically dead, his spirit could live on until he was replaced. He still “had work to do” aka find his replacement. Jacob’s candidates were able to see him. Perhaps Desmond was able to see him as well because he had been exposed twice to the light/electromagnetism, he therefore was able to see other planes of energy. Or Jacob just simply allowed himself to be seen by Desmond.

What’s the magic lighthouse about?


Like movieline said… Jacob used the lighthouse as a way peer into the lives of his candidates. He also could have used it to determine who would become a candidate or when to go visit a candidate and “push” them toward the island. The lighthouse it’s self existed on a different plane, due to the power of the light most likely. Only those that Jacob allowed to see it were able to. It’s most likely the lighthouse was built by an ancient civilization and like the cabin; Jacob made it into a “magical” place.
How is Dogen simply being alive keeping the smoke monster out of the lighthouse?

One of Jacob’s rules. Call it an Island insurance policy. If the temple was considered the “base” for Jacob’s followers, he wanted to make sure it had some extra protection besides some ash on the ground. Like he protected his candidates and Richard etc. Jacob made it that the temple was safe from the Man in Black as long as the temple master was alive. I’m going to presume there were other temple masters before Dogen.

What happened to the flight attendant Cindy and the kids?


Cindy and the kids were on Jacob’s list. She got enlightened pretty fast by thier ways. Being on the list means she was privy to know more details about what they were all about. Cindy and the kids either died during Widmore’s air bomb raid or they were part of the few others that scattered into the jungle. My gut tells me they are alive and well with Hurley, Ben, Rose, Bernard etc.

Why didn’t Sun tell Jin to go just so their daughter wouldn’t be an orphan?


“If we don’t live together, we’re gonna die alone.” Jin knew his daughter was in safe hands. There was no way he was going to leave his wife to drown to death. Especially after finally reuniting with her after being apart for 3 years. Sun probably could have mentioned Ji-Yeon, sure. Then again, she was going through a pretty traumatic moment, one probably isn’t thinking straight. She also knew Jin was not going to leave her.

Where did Jacob and the smoke monster’s mother come from?


Based off the way she was dressed… Rome. The dagger that Jacob’s brother (not Man In Black yet!) had when he was living with these people was also Roman. Since the Island always moves I’m guessing it was located in the Mediterranean at this time.

Where did Allison Janney come from?


The island has always had a protector. Janney aka “Mother” could have been the first protector; maybe that’s why she was so lonely. She claims she had a family but I believe she was very capable of lying. There could have been a protector before her too. She could have simply shipwrecked and eventually replaced the protector at that time.

Who finished the magic wheel that combined light and water?


Movieline states… The next people that happened upon that place. I agree but would also say that the MIB manipulated people into doing it. Hoping that his experiment would work. We saw him manipulate Locke into turning the wheel. I would not be shocked if he had done something similar earlier.

What is the nature of the light?


Movieline’s answer is perfectly fine. I’ll simply add this it’s nature is the “circle of life”, it represented life, death and rebirth. So the island was the source to all of this.

Why does Tina Fey want the electromagnetic map of the island?


Like movieline said. Widmore came back to the island because Desmond was Jacob’s “failsafe” in case the candidates all died. Widmore was informed Desmond could take in massive amounts of electromagnetic energy and be used to make sure the MIB never left the island. He needed to find the pockets of energy to know where to place Desmond.
How does the electromagnetic thing send Desmond to the afterlife and back?
Cause he got nailed with it twice. Seriously: the first time he was exposed it allowed him to get unstuck in time and his conscience was able to travel through time. The second time he was exposed it allowed him to get unstuck into a greater field then his own life: not quite the afterlife, but the life that his conscience helped create along with others.

Wasn’t Sayid’s soulmate Nadia, not Shannon?


Nope. Sayid thought she was but it was never meant to be. Even in a world that Sayid helped create… the flash-sideways, his own conscience created a situation where he was not with Nadia. When he tried to be, it resulted in him getting into danger. It was always that random stranger that he met on the Island and lived with for 2 months that was his real soulmate.

Why weren’t Michael, Walt, Lapidus, Eko, or any of the other characters at the church?

Like movieline said…
Like Ana Lucia, they may not have been ready to move on yet. To add to this: You also move on with who was most important in your life. Eko would probably move on with Yemi. Frank, most likely with the rest of the freighter crew. Think about it: Eloise finally had her dream life: happy family with Charles and her son Daniel. Miles finally gets to spend quality time with his dad. He wasn’t ready to face the truth. Michael gets a raw deal and becomes part of the whispers and is trapped on the island. "The New Man in Charge" implies that Walt is returning to the island to help his father move on. It's implied that one of Hurley's missions as protector will be to free the "whispers" of being stuck on the island. I personally think Walt will become the next protector after Hurley. I don’t think Hurley is an immortal protector. Jack passed on the job while the light was out and did not whisper anything over the cup like Jacob and Mother did.

*Bonus question: What is the deal with the "Hurley Bird"? Dharma was running experiments on animals at the Hydra station. Birds were being genetically altered and released into the island for study. This was one of those birds.

Got more questions? Bring em on!

Namaste!