8 Answers I Expect From the LOST Finale

For a couple of years now I've been a devotee of the show that's known best for asking questions. Now, four episodes deep into the sixth and final season, I find myself wondering, "What questions are they finally, FINALLY going to answer?"

I'm not expecting the writers to wrap up everything with a pretty Dharma-issued bow on top. I'm sure some things will be left quite wide open to interpretation. But I personally think that if LOST can answer these eight questions it will go down as one of the greats.

That said, I'd like to know what questions are on your list?

"I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end." -Margaret Thatcher

1. Why are these people special?

We've seen how each character's backstory--each person's "unfinished business" or "baggage" or whatever you want to call it--led them to the island. And we watched how all of these characters' lives intersect in past, present, future, and "flash-sideways" world. They are all connected in some way that is significant. I want to know what is special about them as a group. Why were they all on the plane that brought them to the island?

The word destiny has been thrown around a lot on this show, and I'm fine if that's part of the grand reveal we're all expecting in the last couple of episodes. But the show needs to go further to explain why these individuals share a common destiny.

2. The characters need to have a final moment of redemption and change.

Let me clarify. We're all familiar with each survivor's baggage: Jack doesn't have what it takes, Kate needs to run, Sayid is a torturer, Hurley thinks he's cursed, Locke needs a purpose, etc. They've become the LOST archetypes that we've come to accept (unfortunately, I think the writers have been relying on our acceptance to walk us through the last season or two of plot plot plot).

What I want is a satisfying catharsis for these characters. What is Jack going to do when he realizes he does have what it takes (and not because Jacob told him, mind you). What will Kate do when she finally stops running?

I personally hope that the writers recognize that this will be the climactic moment of the show. Not a hypothetical showdown between Jacob and the MiB, or Ben and Widmore. Let's be honest, while those are important parts of the mythology that is LOST, they are storylines that have only been fully revealed to us for a season or two. But we've all been waiting for Jack to get over his daddy issues since episode 1.

The biggest trick the writers ever pulled was convincing the world that LOST is a sci-fi show. It's not. LOST is a character drama that just so happens to involve time travel. And that's why it's so damn good.

3. I don't care what the island is. I want to know what it does.

I'm actually comfortable not knowing what the island is. And I'm not convinced we'll ever get a specific answer. But I do want to know what powers the island has that makes it so desirable. It can heal people, but women who get pregnant there die. It's not the afterlife, but there do seem to be an awful lot of dead people walking around. It's unplottable (unless you have a submarine or a giant magical pendulum), it can move, it can time travel. Oh, and it seems to have the uncanny ability to force its temporary residents to deal with their issues. Bum bum bum... DESTINY!

I want an explanation. What does the island do and why?

4. Who are the Others?

We've been patient.

First they were the mystical protectors of the island who didn't wear shoes and didn't leave tracks and seemed (let's be honest) magical. Then they weren't all that scary, they lived in abandoned Dharmaville, they wore neatly pressed shirts and listened to Patsy Cline records and ate grilled cheese sandwiches. Then they were back to dressing in rags, living in an ancient temple (complete with fountain of youth!), and wishing Jacob had come up with a hieroglyph for "sonic fence."

They were the island's natives, then we found out that really, a lot of them were brought over by Ben & Co. Except for maybe the ones who were trying to microwave coconuts with hydrogen bombs in the 50s. Oh, and then there's that guy with the eyeliner.

We've been very patient. Please reward us with a straight answer. Who are the Others?

5. Jack & Kate & Sawyer

I'm a little worried. The ridiculous love triangle that's been triangling since season one has gotten stagnant in these last few episodes. But I feel that no LOST ending will feel right without some sort of resolution here. And the resolution has got to feel genuine. It's got to feel worth the six seasons it took to get there. And it's got to unfold in a way that could only happen in the final act.

6. Jack's Dad

He's been there from the beginning, I'm willing to bet he'll be there at the end. He is without a doubt the character most connected with everyone else. He's not the smoke monster because when the smoke monster took Locke's form it left his real body behind, and we all know that Christian Shepard's casket was quite empty when it crashed on the island. Who is he? And what has he been up to all this time?

7. The Whispers

Need to know.

8. [CUT TO: Eye Opening]

The famous LOST camera-shot may be my favorite motif. I desperately want it to be significant to the meaning of the show.