Heading into season six, Lost fans are wondering how it will end. I certainly can't answer that question, but I think I have a good idea how some of it will play out. I believe death on the Island is a huge key to the final secrets of Lost. And at the end, or toward the end of the series, we will see most (maybe all) of the characters die. But in some way, they will be reborn.
A major theme of Lost is that the characters have been literally and figuratively lost, each finally finding his or her true purpose on the Island. The tagline for season six has been revealed as "Destiny Found." Many characters have died on the show, which prompts the question, "If everyone has a purpose on the Island, what's the purpose of those who have died?" Was Boone's "destiny" really just to die on the Island? I believe the Island actually holds the key to eternal life.
After five seasons we've seen some amazing things and learned that death on the Island is not what it seems. The end of season five revealed a shocking twist: that the John Locke we knew is dead, and something else has been walking around looking just like him. But also, there's Claire, who was in a house destroyed by rocket propelled grenade. Later, we saw her leave her baby and wander out to the Cabin. And of course, Claire has since been hanging out with the apparition of her dead father, Christian Shepard. Did Claire really survive? Consider this exchange after the accident, with Miles - a wise-ass who can speak to the dead:
SAWYER: You all right, sweetheart?
CLAIRE: Yeah, a bit wobbly, but, uh, I'll live.
MILES: Well, I wouldn't be too sure about that.
There are many more examples showing how weird death on the Island can be. These are just a few: A major event from season three revealed that Ben, an outsider, had been accepted by the Others partly because they knew he had seen his dead mother appear on the Island. During a Season 2 Kate episode, a delirious Saywer seemingly speaks as Kate's dead father, growling "You killed me. Why did you kill me?!?" Miles, who lived on the Island as a baby, can hear the thoughts of the dead. Hurley receives visits from those who died on the Island, including Charlie and Mr. Eko.
And then there are the Whispers. I think the Whispers are the voices of the dead. A somewhat more "sci fi" explanation is they are echoes from another time, audible thanks to the unique properties of the Island. Several times, the Whispers seem to be associated with the dead. In Abandoned the Whispers are heard just after Cindy the flight attendant disappears. She is later seen with the Others. Did Cindy actually survive the crash? Later, as the Tailies approach the beach camp, Shannon and Sayid hear the Whispers in the jungle. Some think the the voices say "She likes this guy/Dying sucks/Hi sis/Here she comes, here she comes". Is this the voice of Boone on "the other side" waiting for his sister? In The Man Behind the Curtain, Ben hears the whispers just before he sees the ghost of his mother. And in The Other Woman Harper Stanhope of the Others appears to Juliet and Jack with a mysterious "message from Ben". While Jack and Juliet are distracted by the Whispers, Harper vanishes. Is Harper actually dead? Finally, I think the most important relation of the Whispers and the dead is from the season one episode Outlaws. It also hints at what I think will be a major Lost theme - that season six will reflect season one, and the story will be somewhat circular. Sawyer hears the Whispers say "It'll come back around" - the dying words of Frank Duckett, the man Sawyer had killed in Australia believing him to be the "Real Sawyer". The Whispers are the voices of the dead, and they're saying it will all come back around.
"Season six will feel a lot like season one," said Damon Lindelof in a recent interview. The season six promotional still shown at Comic Con features almost every main character to appear on Lost, alive or dead, and shows John Locke in the middle with his back to us. We already know one way season six will resemble season one - by including main characters from season one thought to be dead, like Charlie, Boone and Claire.
At the Comic Con panel we saw Dominic Monahan, confirming Charlie's return, but Monahan wrote on his hand "Am I Alive?" Also, Damon revealed, we will definitely see the return of Daniel Faraday and Juliet will appear in only a few episodes. In another interview, Carlton confirmed that we will see Claire in season six. But Lost producers have been very cagey about the status of the returning characters. Carlton was only willing to admit, "We’ll circle back around to include Emilie, we think in a very exciting way.”
There are comments from Matthew Fox about the ending of Lost, echoing the producers' statement that the ending will be "bittersweet". Fox is asked whether Jack could die, answering "Oh Yeah!" and when asked what he would think about Jack dying, replied:
"I think that would be awesome. I think Jack will die. I mean that's my own personal belief. Whether he will die in the last moments of the show or before that will remain to be seen. I think a lot of the characters are going to die, but I can be wrong. I might know that."
I have theorized that Charlie's death was a special moment. He embraced his death and went willingly to face his destiny, sacrificing himself for the greater good. I believe that is the most important lesson on the Island - embracing Destiny rather than struggling against it, and giving selflessly for the good of others. In return for his sacrifice, Charlie will be granted a form of eternal life. Others who were not so good may only return as Whispers, or not at all.
When someone dies on the island, they may be granted a form of eternal life. Their soul is judged, and those who have learned the lessons of the Island may be reborn. Some force or some race of ancient immortals inhabits the Island, and they inspired humans' notions of gods and demons. Possibly they granted mankind technology, or even language and civilization. Those they deem "worthy" in some fashion are granted an opportunity to join the citizens of the Island. This is depicted in the hieroglyph that appears underneath the Temple - apparently a depiction of Anubis and Ammit. In Egyptian mythology the jackal-headed god Anubis weighed the hearts of the dead. Those whose hearts are heavy with wrongdoing failed the test, and their souls given to Ammit to devour. Ammit dwelt in the Hall of Ma'at, who was the personification of the concept of truth, balance, and order. She embodied all that the Egyptians feared, threatening to bind them to eternal restlessness if they did not follow the principle of Ma'at. Perhaps the Smoke Monster is the Island's devourer of souls, and inspiration for Ammit, the personification of divine retribution for all the wrongs one had committed in life. If a soul can't measure up to the principles of the Island, it is devoured. The "good" people are invited to join the Others, and live forever like Richard Alpert.
As part of the final season of Lost, I think we will see many of the survivors die in some fashion. Their souls will be judged by the forces on the Island, and many of them will be granted a form of eternal life on the Island. This is my guess for the bittersweet ending of the series.
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