New Season 3 Spoilers for September 30, 2006

There have been several ads on ABC and on the Internet recently showing very brief flashes of scenes from Season 3, and a couple of brief scenes from the first episode have also become available. Some of these flashes and scenes have included the following (spoilers ahead!):

• Tom (the formerly bearded Other) takes Kate somewhere, with Kate dressed in a different outfit from the Season 2 finale (which begs the question, why did they put Kate in a skimpy dress instead of leaving her in the clothes she had been wearing when she was captured?)
  
  
• Kate cries while lying down in the dress
  
  
• In another scene, Jack has his hands chained up and screams at someone, "Tell me where my friends are!"
  
  
• Sayid shooting a rifle
  
  
• Locke, apparently with a painted face and possibly firing a gun
  
  
• Sawyer and Kate kissing
  
  
• Jack opening some kind of a hatch door, only to get knocked off his feet by a tidal wave
  
  
• Sawyer is behind bars in an outdoor, rudimentary jail cell which appears to be a Skinner box or a Pavlovian experiment; there are several switches, some of which appear to not do anything upon initial inspection. Sawyer presses a button twice that bears a fork-and-knife symbol, and each time a recorded voice says "Warning." As Sawyer is about to press it again, a male prisoner in an adjoining cell whom we've never seen before says, "I wouldn't do that," but Sawyer ignores his advice, presses the button again, and is thrown backwards, apparently electrocuted based on the sound effect that is heard.
  
  
• Jack wakes up to find himself in a room by himself with a small bandage on his arm, the kind a doctor might use to stop the bleeding after giving an injection. There is a "Communicate" button on the wall, which doesn't seem to work. He then turns around and walks straight into a transparent wall which seems indestructible and partially soundproof.

Lost-media.com has several photographs of upcoming LOST sets (more spoilers ahead). From the first episode are shots of Jack and his wife Sarah, who appear to be having problems with their relationship, and shots of Jack speaking heatedly with his father, Christian Shephard. There is a picture of Sawyer lying on the floor of a holding cell, possibly unconscious. From the second episode of Season 3, it appears that Charlie may lose his hearing entirely, as John writes messages and draws pictures to communicate with Charlie. We will see a flashback in which Locke went hunting with a young man. This young man may perhaps be a relative; other photos show what appears to be an outdoor family gathering or a picnic, and the guy is sitting next to Locke. He is also wearning a Geronimo Jackson t-shirt; a Geronimo Jackson album appeared in the hatch and the band was later mentioned in the LOST Experience.

Speaking of the LOST Experience, it has finally ended now that Season 3 is about to start. At the conclusion of the Experience, the protagonist, Rachel Blake, discovers that Alvar Hanso is apparently her father, that he is alive, but that he is being held captive in his own home by Thomas Werner Mittelwerk, who has overtaken the Hanso Foundation for his own gain and evil intentions. Since thehansofoundation.org stated that Alvar "made his mark during the Second World War," he must be at least in his 90s, or possibly well over 100, so he looks unbelievably young for his age; perhaps this is a result of the Hanso Foundation's Life Extension Project.

Don't forget—the new season starts this Wednesday night! Don't miss the action!

A Fresh Look at LOST's Season 2 Finale, "Live Together, Die Alone"

Following is a brief analysis of some portions of the Season 2 finale, "Live Together, Die Alone," that stood out to me after watching it again recently. It was interesting to watch the show from a fresh perspective, having listened to loads of fan theories over the summer, being aware of several new insights gained through the LOST Experience, and having seen and heard the Season 3 hints, teasers, and spoilers that have been released thusfar.

• Why is it that Desmond couldn't get away from the island? He attempted to sail in the same direction for two weeks straight and ended up back on the island. Desmond assumed that this meant they were in "a bloody snowglobe," but more probable is that the navigational equipment on his boat was giving inaccurate readings. Could it be that the island's magnetic properties affected the instruments on Desmond's boat from so far away? Does the fact that Desmond couldn't get away from the island have anything to do with the fake Henry Gale's instructions to Michael that he would only "find rescue" if he followed a specific heading from a specific place on the island?
  
  
• Why was Desmond placed in prison and dishonorably discharged from the Royal Scotch Regiment? The only thing we know is what Kelvin says to Desmond later, that Desmond "got kicked out because [he] couldn't follow orders."
  
  
• Why did Charles Widmore dislike Desmond so much? Why did he think that Desmond was "a coward"? The only hint we receive is when Desmond later tells Libby that Charles thought that Desmond was "unsuitable on several levels."
  
  
• Libby said that her deceased husband's name was David. Several fans have speculated that David may have been a Widmore, and others have pointed out that Hurley's imaginary friend's name was Dave. Interesting, though, is the fact that at the beginning of the episode we learn that Desmond's middle name is David. Could Libby have known this? Did she lie about having had a husband named David in order to make Desmond think that fate was bringing him a boat?
  
  
• Does the vaccine that Claire has been giving the baby actually do anything, or is it just a placebo? Desmond assumed it was useless because Kelvin told him to use it, and Desmond knew that Kelvin had been deceitful about certain things. Is there really a sickness, and does the vaccine help to prevent it? Danielle, the French woman, certainly believes in the sickness because she believes that her whole team was infected by it.
  
  
• What is the large, four-toed foot statue that Sayid, Jin, and Sun saw from the boat? Why does it only have four toes? Is it supposed to symbolize something? Who built it? Based on comments from the executive producers, it is apparently much older than the DHARMA Initiative.
  
  
• Desmond seemed very concerned when he turned to John in the hatch and said, referring to Mr. Eko, "We locked out a priest?" The apparent depth of his concern, as well as the fact that he crosses himself before putting the key in the fail safe later in the episode, seems to indicate that Desmond is a religious man. We also see the religious side of Sayid coming out when he prays on the boat. Perhaps Sayid is seeking forgiveness for torturing people on the island after having sworn that he would never torture again. Or perhaps Sayid is praying for forgiveness for what he thinks he might do when he finds The Others.
  
  
• Desmond asked Kelvin "What's behind that wall, Kelvin? Huh? What was 'the incident' [mentioned in the Orientation film]?" Kelvin responded: "Electromagnetism... geologically unique. The incident... it was a leak. So now the charge builds up and every time we push the button, it discharges it before it gets too big." What, then, does the fail safe do? Does it cause the electromagnetic charge to become so strong that it becomes unstable and self-destructs? This theory is supported by the fact that the executive producers have used the term "imploded" when describing what happened to the hatch. Or does the fail safe somehow reverse the polarity of the magnetism? If the polarity-reversal theory is correct, this would seem to explain how the "QUARANTINE" hatch door went flying through the air toward the beach; it was propelled away from the magnet.
  
  
• When Sayid raids the camp where The Others had taken Michael, Sayid finds all the buildings to be abandoned—and more interestingly, he even finds that the double doors that appeared to be a hatch were nothing more than a facade. Why in the world would The Others go to the trouble of making a fake hatch when they captured Michael?
  
  
• What was the real purpose of the Pearl station? We now know through The LOST Experience that the DHARMA Initiative's purpose was to try to use the Valenzetti equation (which made use of the numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42) to save the world. How would having a human observation station fit with the DHARMA Initiative's purpose? Moreover, what was the point of recording all these observations only to have them dumped in a pile, exposed to the elements, and never analyzed by DHARMA?
  
  
• What did the fake Henry Gale mean by "We got more than we bargained for when Walt joined us"? Many fans believe that Walt has psychic powers; is this what The Others were trying to tap into? If The Others are associated with the DHARMA Initiative, do they want to use psychic abilities to help prevent the world's destruction?
  
  
• Michael said, referring to Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley (who was still bound at the time), "My friends—I was promised you wouldn't hurt them," to which Henry replied, "Deal's a deal." If The Others keep their promise, then Jack, Kate, and Sawyer won't be hurt. However, we see in Season 3 teasers that Sawyer is hurt by a contraption in his holding cell, and Kate is clearly emotionally hurt in more than one clip where she is seen crying.
  
  
• Michael then asked Henry, "Who are you people?" Henry's reply, "We're the good guys, Michael," has prompted a lot of speculation about what The Others' real goals and intentions are. This may support the theory that The Others are indeed part of the DHARMA Initiative and see themselves as "the good guys" because they're trying to save the world from mass destruction.
  
  
• We find out for sure that Penny Widmore kept her promise to Desmond and didn't get married; one of the Portuguese men from the Listening Station says to her, "Miss Widmore... I think we've found it." By "it," does he mean that they think they found the island? If so, how would Penny have known about the island? Does this prove that Penny's dad is somehow involved with the DHARMA Initiative?

FREE Download: "Live Together, Die Alone"

For a very limited time (until 1 million copies have been downloaded) if you're in the U.S. you can get the LOST Season 2 finale, "Live Together, Die Alone," on iTunes for absolutely free. You can get a 23-minute "Lost Survival Guide" for free as well. Hurry and get your free copies before it's too late!

Season Three Spoilers and More

A question related to Live Together, Die Alone: Could Libby be a Widmore? We still don't know Libby's last name. If Libby (or her husband, David) was a relative of Penny's father, Charles Widmore, then this would seem to explain how Libby ended up getting connected with Desmond in the coffee shop. Perhaps Charles Widmore asked or coerced Libby into meeting Desmond and offering him a rigged boat that would somehow cause him to get stranded on the island. Far-fetched? Maybe, but we have seen several hints of island-Widmore connections on the show and more especially in The LOST Experience.

On the Generally Speaking podcast, it was pointed out that Charlie and the flight attendant, Cindy, were in the front section of the plane when the plane began to go down. Charlie got out of the lavatory and buckled himself into the first available seat, which appeared to be in the front section. However, he somehow ended up landing near the middle section of the plane with the majority of the survivors; the front section of the plane landed elsewhere. What's even more mysterious is how Cindy managed to end up with the tail section survivors! Either these are serious production errors, or else they're mysteries that have yet to be explained on the show.

A new Orientation Film, known as the Sri Lanka Video, is being revealed in small fragments through The LOST Experience. It features Alvar Hanso and explains the name and nature of the DHARMA Initiative. In the film, apparently created in 1975, Alvar Hanso explains that "DHARMA is an acronym for Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications. It also stands for the one true way." The purpose of the Initiative was "to do nothing less than save the world as we know it." The film explains that the Valenzetti Equation "predicts the exact number of years and months until humanity extinguishes itself." Apparently the DHARMA Initiative's intent was to conduct research that could prevent the destruction of mankind.

Following are some notes and important highlights from the Comic-Con 2006 discussion panel, wherein executive producers answered fan questions about LOST.

• Damon indicated that many fans had been overwhelmed by the mythological aspect of the show, so Season 3 will tone down the island mythology.
• In response to a comment from someone who enjoyed Season 1 but apparently disliked Season 2, Damon agreed that the show was very different between the two seasons and that "Season 3 is going to be much different than Season 1 or 2."
• Damon and Carlton hinted that the giant foot statue is very old, presumably much older than the DHARMA Initiative.
• Spoilerific quote from Damon: "It's interesting that you should ask about time because... you're making a basic assumption that... they've been there as long as they think they've been there. I would say by the end of Season 3 you might have a very different idea--" [Carlton stops Damon from continuing].
• Jack from Jay and Jack's podcast asked about an underwater hatch. Damon said that this was interesting and that he would not deny the existence of an underwater hatch, but Carlton interjected saying that he wouldn't confirm it, either. (As an aside, it is interesting to note that a Season 3 teaser shows Jack Shephard opening a hatch door and being thrown backward by a flood of water, which seems to indicate that The Others might take Jack, Kate, and Sawyer to an underwater hatch in the first episode of Season 3.)
• Jay from Jay and Jack's podcast asked on Jack's behalf whether Rose and Bernard "work for DHARMA," which Damon and Carlton emphatically denied.
• Rachel Blake, a character from the LOST Experience, was in the audience and demanded that the executive producers say what they knew about the Hanso Foundation. They claimed that the Hanso Foundation is a philanthropic organization with no actual connection to ABC. Rachel called them liars, and demanded "Where is Alvar Hanso?" to which Damon replied "He is an actor!" and Carlton quipped "He's in a window on our TV show." Rachel yelled that Alvar Hanso is real, that she herself was real, and that if we want the truth we can go to hansoexposed.com.
• The show makes a lot of references to The Wizard of Oz. Damon: "There are going to be and have been other Oz references in the show which are either incredibly meaningful or they don't mean anything at all."
• Damon promised that "You will never, ever hear the word 'clone' on LOST."
• On the Season 2 DVD, there's a bonus feature where "every single insult" that Sawyer has made has been edited together.
• Carlton: "We are definitely going to be back in the world of Jack's role as a spinal surgeon this year as well as the history of Locke and why he's in a wheelchair is obviously a question that we have not yet answered but we are not going to tell you exactly when but yes, we are going to explain that eventually." Damon: "You will know definitively, and one of the things we talked about down here at the very first time we came was this sort of idea of the show dancing between the supernatural and actual science and as far as the island's healing abilities, Locke's ability to walk, the fact that Rose was cured, and the many other sort of island mysteries... it's going to get a little scientific this year, which is going to be fairly cool. We want to be able to bounce between those two points of reality and fiction..."
• A member of the audience asked a question about a scene from Hurley's mental institution. Leonard said that Hurley had "opened the box," and the question was asked whether this had reference to Pandora's box. Damon: "Hurley's time in the mental institution, who he met there, and obviously his overlap with Libby, which is sort of a very significant character we sort of dangled out there before she met her unfortunate demise, is definitely going to be woven into the fabric of season three both in flashbacks and in the island, so you won't have to ask that question again next year."
• About 13 LOST "mobisodes," each a couple minutes long, will air this season. They will probably be available during the gap between the first six episodes and the rest of Season 3. They will be available on Verizon phones first, and will be available for free on the Internet one week later.
• Terry O'Quinn, the actor who plays Locke, got frustrated as Locke was getting frustrated on the show. Damon said that Terry would plead, "I want a knife in my hand and [to] kill things again!" and Damon said "Oh, you'll get your knife back, John Locke."
• Daniel Dae Kim, the actor who plays Jin, speaks English, and Carlton hinted "maybe you'll be seeing more of that" on the show.
• Damon: The literal translation of the five heiroglyphics seen on the counter in the Hatch mean "Underworld."
• Executive producer Bryan Burk said that there are going to be new characters, some of whom were still being cast at the time.
• Carlton: Desmond will be back on the show.
• Damon: "No, [the monster] is not a cloud of nanobots."
• Damon was fairly coy about answering when Sun would have her baby, but he hinted that the show will continue to cover a time span of about 30 days on the island per season.
• Carlton: Kate will hook up with somebody "very soon, we promise." Damon: "Within the first six episodes... [she] will be officially making her selection."
• Carlton hinted that Jack's dad really is dead, and said that there is still a lot "to be told, particularly about Libby, that we hope to get to." Damon stated that "some of those blanks [in Libby's story] will be filled in in the course of season three, and some beyond."

From an ABC press release on August 4th, we get some hints and spoilers about what's coming up on LOST in Season Three. Following are some excerpts.

"Just who these 'Others' are and what they want are primary questions Season Three will explore."

"Michael Emerson joins the regular cast in his ongoing role as Henry Gale, leader of 'The Others.'" (Does this admission that Henry is the leader of The Others indicate that he's the mysterious "Him"?)

"Romance looms on the horizon as Jack's interests veer towards a mysterious new woman, whose motives may be questionable."

"Sun and Jin will continue to celebrate their pregnancy - but is the child really Jin's?" (On the Generally Speaking Lost Podcast, the question of whether someone other than Jin—perhaps either Michael or Sun's English tutor, Jae Lee—might be the father has been discussed.)

"Locke and Sayid will band together with some of the other survivors and journey across the island in an attempt to free Jack, Kate and Sawyer."

"The fates of Locke, Desmond and Mr. Eko in the aftermath of the implosion of the hatch are answered." (Their fates are pretty obvious at this point; all three characters are featured in the Season Three promo poster and have been otherwise confirmed to be alive and well in Season Three.)

"Will Penny Widmore find the island and her long, lost love, Desmond, and can the survivors find a way to interact with the outside world?" (This seems to be a hint that the survivors will continue their attempts to find a way off the island.)

In a July 21st interview with Carlton Cuse, several tidbits were revealed about Season Three:

"...[I]t's not going to be just one new romance. There will be several new romances on the show this year. ... The second season was a little darker, a little more intense, a little more mythology-oriented, and I think that this year we're looking to make the show a little bit brighter, a little bit more vibrant, a little bit more on the action-adventure axis, a little bit more on the romance axis. ... Penny is an important character in the overarching mythology of the show. ... The interrelationship between the outside world and the island will be something that will be a part of Season 3. ...[T]he monster will be a part of Season 3, as will the polar bear. ...[W]e will be doing some polar-bear stories." In the first episode of LOST, the monster was indeed what killed the pilot. "The smoke creature and the monster are one and the same." Walt and Michael are "not necessarily" gone forever. "They still remain a part of the overall mythology of Lost. But as to when we will revisit their story, that's not something I can answer. But we will not immediately be getting back to Michael's story." The fact that the actor who plays Walt--Malcolm David Kelley--continues to get older is "something that we've accounted for." This fact may have something to do with what Damon Lindelof implied at Comic-Con in regards to time on the island not necessarily being the same as in the outside world. "[W]e have many actors on our show; [the actress who plays the flight attendant, Cindy,] is not at the top of the list of actors we're servicing."

At least three new characters will appear in Season Three:

Juliet, played by Elizabeth Mitchell: An Other, and possibly a love interest for Jack?

Nikki, played by Kiele Sanchez: Possibly an Other?

Rodrigo Santoro will also play a new character on LOST in Season Three, apparently a survivor of Flight 815, and he is not expected to appear on the show until later in the season.

Jack's ex-wife, Sarah, will be featured in an upcoming flashback. (Source: USA Today)

According to SpoilerFix, the first four episodes of Season Three will be titled, in chronological order, "A Tale of Two Cities" (with Kate flashbacks), "Further Instructions" (with Claire flashbacks), "The Glass Ballerina" (possibly with Jin and/or Sun flashbacks), and "Every Man For Himself" (with Desmond flashbacks). On the Generally Speaking Lost Podcast, it was pointed out that the title "Every Man For Himself" seems to be the opposite of the Season Two finale's title, "Live Together, Die Alone"—Kate's abbreviation for Jack's statement that if the survivors couldn't live together, they'd die alone.

Don't miss the first episode of Season Three! It airs Wednesday, October 4th in the United States and Canada.

Get Season Two on DVD! As of this writing, you can currently get it for just $37.99—a full $22 cheaper than the list price! Get it now at http://tinyurl.com/p3zrd. Not only will you get a sweet deal, you'll also help support the JoshMeister's LOST Blog and Podcast.