LOST Roundtable

The most mind-boggling, but entertaining TV series returns tomorrow. This of course is the show LOST. Since the writers strike messed everything up with the TV schedule, LOST took off five weeks, giving us more time to get more confused. Below is a roundtable discussion between five LOST fans---your three TKOT writers and readers Mike & Bargs. If you watch LOST, you’re going to love it. If you don’t watch it, you’re not going to understand a damn word. We apologize for this, but stay tuned this week for an NBA Playoff article and the latest NFL Draft “Voice’s from a Stranger” column. Hopefully, that makes up for it. So, for all of you LOST fans...let’s roll!

Fuzz: One of the main things that happened this season was the split of the camp. You're either with Jack or with Locke. Which would you choose and why?

Q: At this point I think you'd have to be with Locke. First of all, the guy has superhuman abilities. He went from being bound to a wheelchair to the king of the jungle; a guy who could track a person through the woods using only his instincts. He was also shot at point blank range and left for dead, and then miraculously survived (thanks to Tall Ghost Walt). It would seem that luck is on his side, and that's the kind of guy I want leading me. Second, he was right about the freighter people. Jack, with his everything-is-going-to-be-alright attitude, was so sure that these people were here to rescue everyone. John knew something was fishy, and he was right. Seriously, what has Jack done well on this island since he treated people immediately after the crash and found the caves in season 1? If that's the kind of guy you want as your leader, go ahead. If it were me though, I'd take Miracle Man and his instincts at this point.

Dogg: I would always go with Jack. He tends to get himself and others in trouble at times but he always finds a way out of it as well. John Locke is the biggest pile of crap on this island. He is in the Twilight Zone right now and thinks he knows the island up and down but really doesn’t. Benjamin has been twisting his head in every which direction which has made John think and go crazy. I like John’s efforts to figure out the island but the island is just too big for him right now. If he sides with Ben and commits to Ben, they will be a deadly combo. John still doesn’t trust Ben a whole lot but from the previews this week it seems that the two of them might have to begin battling as a team. I hope Ben turns his back on John once again because John thinks he is a know-it-all. Ben will prove that he is the ultimate mastermind on this island in which John and all his followers will be burned. Jack might not have a clue what this island is all about but he’ll protect his people. He’s a stonewall.

Fuzz: At the start of the split and even now, I still would have gone with Jack. Jack's main objective is to get off the island, even if these freighter people are fishy. They have the chopper. That's all that is on his mind. You either go deeper in the island--away from getting off the island or you try to scope out the situation with the transportation off the damn island. Easy choice for me. Plus, with Jack's track record, you'd be pretty safe following him. And, Sayid is with Jack. Can't go wrong with Sayid on your side. Jack keeps you alive and he knows how to lead. Locke fought that and ended up leaving. He had his own theories and wanted to do what he wanted to do. Lucky for him, a ton of people bought into his approach. However, the key thing he forgot about is Ben. I’m with Dogg on Ben. Ben is the smartest person on the island. He knows exactly what he's doing and is planning something huge. We all know this. Locke's whole little "I'm the leader of this island now, I got a better plan than Jack, come follow me bullshit" is going to go up in flames very shortly...


Bargs: If you want off the Island and back to the real world, the answer was and still is JACK. Jack obviously gave people the best chance of rescue and contact with the outside world while Locke made it pretty obvious he had no intention of leaving the island (example: Knife in Naomi's back). If you break down both teams (Team Jack vs. Team Locke) it is not even a comparison. Team Jack throws this line up at you: Camp MVP and Lead Doctor (Jack) - The guy you always want on your side, everyone's favorite torturer (Sayid) - The hottest, most versatile chick there is (Kate) - A guy who can see the future (Desmond) - And a chick who has lived with the others and knows their secrets (Juliet). I'm sorry, but if I was a regular Joe Blow survivor, I am sticking with that team any day of the week. Locke has had a bad track record of getting people killed (Boone, Eko, ect.) and has had one thing in mind the entire time he has been on the island, himself. In the end Jack was the best choice as 4 of the Oceanic Six are from Jack's team and even Hurley admits he should have never went with Locke.

Mike: I'm definitely in Jack's camp. How can you go wrong with both Kate and Juliet. Yum!!! Although I'd kick Rose and Bernard to the curb ASAP as they are the only weak links in the whole group. In regards to Locke, someone (hopefully Sawyer and/or Hurley) needs to give him a giant beat down as he's becoming more and more annoying as the season progresses. He used to be one of my favorite characters when he was somewhat quiet and went about his own business. Now he's acting like a dictator and is in cahoots with Ben. WTF???

Q: Wow, Baraga's team breakdown might have swayed me. Keep in mind though, Locke has Ben on his team (sort of). As Dogg & Fuzz said, he's the smartest guy on the island and maybe even all time. He should have been dead back when he was Henry Gale from Minnesota, but he finds a way to manipulate and survive. He never gives the whole story, just enough to get what he wants. For all we know, he might just be the "good guys" as he claims to be. I think having Ben on your side is huge in terms of this debate. It's more his team than Locke's, even if John doesn't know it or want to admit it. Plus, everyone who has gone back has been having major issues. They seem to be living fairly well on the island, so maybe getting off isn't in everyone's best interest.

Fuzz: Speaking of Ben, what is Ben's deal anyway? Is he the best island-player ever? As the old saying says, he could sell ice to an Eskimo. He can talk his way out of anything. At one point, Locke had him locked in a cell by himself with hardly any food and nothing to do all day long. Now, he's pretty much free. He's integrated with the other castaways, walking around on his own free will. This happened in what, four days? He is amazing.


Q: Ben is an amazing human being. I'm still not 100% sold that he's the ultimate bad guy that he is portrayed as being, nor do I necessarily think he's "good" either. Every time I think I get a beat on him, he says or does something that makes me think the opposite. He's easily one of the top 5 characters in television history. And speaking of him freely walking around the camp, how long until Sawyer has enough of this BS and finally does something? Has he been in the show for more than 5 minutes total this season? I know he wants to stay on the island because his life there is much better than back in the States (much like Locke), but he can't be extremely excited about the way Ben has manipulated the entire situation that they're in.

Mike: Ben is the slimiest character on the show. He thinks he's doing the right thing, but he certainly has a strange way of doing it. Of course, gassing people doesn't help his credibility either. Going back to the first question, the only person who seems to now care only about himself is Jack. The rest of the folks (Ben, Locke, The Freighters, The Others) all seem to be engaged in some kind of war against each other and none of them seem to care about anyone or anything else.

Dogg: I think Ben would be the greatest player on the show Survivor. The most manipulative guy/character a show has ever seen. Then he has those eyeballs that are larger than Q’s testicles that can intimidate anybody at a measly 110 LBS. At this point I don’t know what I would do on the island. First off, I would be trying to tag Kate or Juliet. I know one of you will ask me, “why” and my response will be “why not”? They are both good looking, dripping sweat 100% of the time and both have their own unique talents. Juliet knows the island about as good as anybody besides Ben and Kate can flat out kick some ass. Maybe just be independent like Sayid. He has the most physical power in my mind and lets face it, he’s an f’n torturer. He does his own thing and when somebody messes with him he goes off. Nobody can touch him and can’t wait to see when he meets up with Ben after getting off this mysterious ship.

Bargs: When talking about the Island's most powerful players, do we need to start including Hurley on this list? I don't think we can call Ben the best player, or most powerful for once huge fact: He cannot see or hear Jacob anymore. We obviously know that Locke can see him and hear him and that made Ben so jealous that he tried to kill Locke because of it. Then in this season's premiere, something happened that has stayed very under the radar, Hurley saw Jacob's cabin and then saw Jacob in it! What does this mean about Hurley? Has Jacob chosen him as well as Locke to help him with something? Until Ben can get back into contact with Jacob, which I think is totally in Jacob's hands, he has no power on the island and is at the mercy of Locke and now possibly Hurley as well.


Dogg: Bargs, good question about Hurley, but can you see him being “the man” on the island? It would be like Seth Cohen being “the man” instead of Ryan Atwood. It just doesn’t seem right and the show would be out of place if that were the scenario. LOST would make Hurley the main guy behind the whole island theories just so everybody got more confused so maybe him and Jacob are best friends.

Q: Great call on Hurley being the new "chosen one". For a long time, Ben was the only one who could talk to or see him/it and the cabin. Then Locke got one glimpse of it and lost his mind/went on an outrageous power trip. Can anyone figure out why this didn't happen to Hurley? The other two guys seemed completely powerless and lost without Jacob's guidance and tried to take over everything. Hurley freaked out for one afternoon and has been fine ever since. What gives?

Dogg: I think Hurley has been in a stage of shock since the cabin/Jacob incident and that is why he has nothing to say. I think he might’ve seen something that nobody else knows about so he’s staying hush-hush for now. He’ll break big news in the next few episodes and all of us will be shocked once again. Hurley does have something bigger to him. That lottery ticket business along with the psych ward he’s in seems like he has something bigger about him but he’s just been the “class clown” since the show has started.

Mike: "Dude", I almost forgot about the whole Hurley seeing Jacob part. That does make him the "chosen one" now. What's strange though, is that Ben didn't originally try to kidnap him earlier considering he seemed to know who among the survivor's were the "chosen people". Hurley seems to be the only one on the island that doesn't seem to give a rat's ass either way about what happens. Then again, he's crazy and has a fake bald friend, but don't we all? It would be the ultimate of irony's if Hurley were to somehow become the king of the island. I feel for the guy. He's obviously on his way to a heart attack considering his size and you know he doesn't get a whole lot of play. Finally when he does get play, his girlfriend gets killed by Michael (another character I hope the monster tears limb from limb). The guy has got to be pissed and I look forward to seeing who he takes it out on.

Fuzz: I personally don’t think Hurley has much power but the time he said to Kate: “Oh man, you just Scooby Doo’d me, didn’t you?” was one of the better lines this season.

Mike: What I'd like to know more about is Jacob and the "monster". I can't wait to hear more about those two. Anybody have any ideas as to who or what they really are?


Dogg: It’s LOST so knowing what the monster and Jacob are all about would be genius of anybody.

Fuzz: The Jacob character is one of those LOST island mysteries that kill you thinking about. You literally can think about stuff like Jacob for hours and still have zero clue what it REALLY means. Same goes for the LOST Monster (as Mike mentioned), Walt re-appearing, and Charles Widmore. The Widmore character is an interesting one. For a long time, he was always a giant wildcard in what the island was all about and seemed to play a very secret role about the island. Ben this season mentioned that he is the enemy of the people on the island and wants to exploit the island in some way. But, do you ever trust Ben? The ship that is wandering in the sea right now is Charles's also. I'm completely confused on Widmore, like mostly everything else with the show. We don't know a ton about Widmore, but what we do know is that he plays a fairly large part that I'm sure we'll find out soon what it is.

Mike: The whole Widmore-Ben battle is becoming very interesting. Like always with this show, it's hard to tell who to like in the battle. We all know Ben is a snake, but Widmore doesn't seem much better either. It seems as though they both want to exploit the island for their own gain. If I had to pick a side, I'd have to go for Widmore, even though I think Ben will ultimately win out. The reason is simple, I'll take Penny over Alex any day of the week. Let's hear if for the creators of the show and their excellent casting of female talent. Wow!!!

Dogg: I think Mr. Widmore (Caleb Nickel from the O.C.) actually has some sort of revenge against Ben. Ben is making it out like Widmore is the bad man in this situation but I can assure you Ben had pulled a big time shenanigan against Widmore that has led Widmore to go on a wild goose chase for Ben. Ben is LOST’s Dan Scott (from the show “One Tree Hill”). One moment he’ll be on your side and right when you turn to walk away he puts a threshold around your neck. I can’t wait to see Ben and Locke getting attacked this week and having to fight together. It should get interesting as usual.

Mike: What's with this man-crush you all seem to have on Sayid? We already know he becomes Ben's bitch once he gets off the island. Although I must admit I am curious to see how that all comes about.


Q: I think it's because we're all guys that everyone loves how bad ass Sayid is. The guy was freaking torturer back in Iraq. He can make people do or say anything he wants and has that take charge personality. Even when he's Ben's little errand boy, he still seems to have that "Go Eff Yourself" look in his eye. Like he's planning something bigger than working for Ben.

Dogg: About Sayid, he was the first guy who absolutely wanted to kill Henry Gale (Ben) before the survivors knew what he was all about. Sayid knew that this Henry’s character was a liar and had skepticism about him immediately. “My name is Sayid and I’m a torturer” is the best line since “Show me the Money”. He is just the man and will always have your back so why wouldn’t we have a crush on him? He’s the guy you always want on your side!

Fuzz: Turning toward the "Oceanic 6" part of the show, what is your theory on where the other survivors are? Still on the island? Back home, but hidden & unidentified? Another theory? Expand on this Oceanic 6 thing...

Dogg: First of all, I don’t understand the “Oceanic 6” at all. I don’t know how Claire’s baby is one of the so called “Oceanic 6” since there is no way he was on the airline manifest. I’m sure there will be a twist with this but what direction they will go in is a different story…The other survivors will be on the island but think we will see some of them disappear (die) in the remaining episodes. I don’t think the survivors are home and hidden because it seems that the main “chosen people” on the island consisted of Jack, Sayid, Hurley, Sun and Kate, all of which are identified already. Why would they identify or hide those other survivors and not these 5? The baby just gets me because there is no link at all besides knowing Kate is taking care of the thing now. Thinking about it more and more, all the other survivors are going to be dead including Sawyer. The “Oceanic 6” will be the only 6 people remaining from the plane crash after Mr. Widmore and his fools get their hands on the survivors and Ben. Widmore not knowing or being able to distinguish between Ben’s people and the survivors’ will attack and kill them all.


Q: I'm with Dogg that Claire's baby should not be included as part of the 6. I have a feeling that a lot of Lost fans feel this way too and I'm not really sure why the producers chose to include him. I am very sure that there are people remaining alive on the island. I would think that they aren't there because of choice either. My guess is that some sort of rescue team came (either by air or by sea) and got the few people they could, while the rest are still burried deep in the jungle either hiding or fighting against the freighter people--if they're still alive that is. I think that is why Hurley tells Jack that they need to go back; to rescue those who are still stuck there.

Dogg: I think a rescue team came and chose who got to leave the island. Possibly Mr. Widmore and his team had set out to rescue the “Oceanic 6” and leave the rest behind. Widmore seems to know more than what we think about this island so he probably knows everybody on the island somehow and has his select people that he wants to keep alive or rescue and probably doesn’t care about the rest of them except Ben. I think Widmore’s team gets there, Ben hides out somewhere where they cannot find him and Widmore decides to take these 6 people for information about Ben and the island.

Fuzz: I also believe that they are still on the island. The guy from the Wire (Lance Reddick, aka Daniels) plays a detective for the airlines in this season. He grilled Hurley and said something like: "Where are they?" Something strange happened on that island when the rescue went down. I'm looking forward to that. I'm also looking forward for flipping answers. This show has thrown some many different things at the viewers that it's getting a little out of control. We have three more years until we find out all these theories and I can't wait!