Well, we're here in the last week of our three-week excursion into delving into reader-chosen topics on an in-depth basis. In the first week, we looked at the Island. Last week, we looked at The Others. And whatever shall we deal with on the Lost blog this week? What topic do you think interested readers the most? Danielle Rousseau's history? Time travel? The "sickness"? All got votes, but nothing initially presented got as many votes as the topic of "those left behind."

By "those left behind," I mean any and all people who are "missing" by the time of Oceanic 6's discovery. So I'm not only thinking about our beloved Lostaways, but Danielle, The Others, and any and all freighters who are suddenly and/or mysteriously absent when Jack and company are located at a point in between Island activities and flash forwards. That might seem like I'm hedging my bets on several fronts, but what I'm really trying to do is cover all the bases that the show can possibly cover between now and the end of the season.

Now, in order to cover as wide a swath of possibilities as the show currently allows, I'll be tackling this week's analysis in three parts thusly:

1. Day 1: "They're all dead."  The Oceanic 6 escape certain doom when they leave the Island, and are wracked with survivor's guilt. "Going back" means going back in time, not in geography, in order to find the moment in which history can be changed  and those lives can be restored.
2. Day 2: "They're all missing." The Oceanic 6 escape in a manner that closes the Island from outside entrance permanently. Those left behind are alive, but inaccessible, and for all intents and purposes dead. Leaving the Island separated them from their friends but ultimately protected them.
3. Day 3: "They are saving the world." The Oceanic 6 are a strategic move constructed by Benjamin Linus in order to counter Charles Widmore's incursion. There are losses on both sides, but many still remain on the Island by the time the 6 leave and garner worldwide attention. Widmore then hires Abaddon to break the Oceanic 6. Linus uses Sayid and others to strike back. World War Widmore, people.

So that's the basic glimpse into the week. But as always, I need your input before starting. Tell me some of your theories about those left behind. Which of those scenarios seems most plausible? What other possibilities exist? Leave your thoughts below!

Ryan also posts every 108 minutes over at Boob Tube Dude.

Comments

I am not completly sold out on option #3. I don't really see Jack and most of the others forming an alliance with Team Ben because I am in no way convinced that Ben is being truthful about what he perceives as being Widmore's goals. When Hurley told Jack he shouldn't have gone with Locke, I'm thinking there's more than 'going with Locke' behind that statement. And so far, of all the Oceanic 6,we only know for sure that Sayid is woking for or with Ben, the others are stil free agents (kind of!). And knowing Lost and its numerous redemption arcs, he'll probably end up betraying Ben for the greater good (coz old Ben is bound to get all Hitler-like at a certain point!). Still, I can't wait for April 24th, the trailer is really exciting and we can now know with some certainty that the Freighters (or is it Freighties?) are on the island. And all of you have probably heard about the extra hour of Lost we'll get for the finale. Well, I'm going back to my Star Wars marathon now (the original trilogy., not the crap that came after).

Joalissa | Apr 13, 2008 7:54:00 PM | #

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While I don't necessarily think they are all dead, I had never really interpreted the "we have to go back" as a time reference. This is a great new theory.

Morgan | Apr 13, 2008 8:00:32 PM | #

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Whatever the reason was the O6 got off the Island and no one else did, they told a big enough lie about it to the rest of the world that they all felt extremely guilty - Jack did so much he tried to kill himself. Something big happened that cause those six people to leave behind everyone they had been surviving with and cared about.

I'm firmly in the camp that people are left on the Island, alive, in the future. Whatever reason the O6 left for, it was a mistake and things won't be set right until they return.

Jeff | Apr 13, 2008 8:21:12 PM | #

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ok, for day 3, ar you sure that Ben created the O6 and not Widmore? if it was Widmore (and he therefore planted the plane wreckage too, b/c whoever did that, created the O6...don't know why i'm linking those 2 events) he is covering his tracks and the existence of the Island so that he can exploit it.

mri | Apr 13, 2008 8:58:24 PM | #

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I'm with Jeff on this one. For reasons not yet known to us the Oceanic 6 are forced to leave some of their own behind. I'm thinking that they were told everyone would remain safe as long as the Island was kept a secret from the rest of the world. They probably didn't have a choice as to who left the Island. It was most likely them or none at all.

Shaggysteve | Apr 13, 2008 8:59:38 PM | #

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Gosh, I can't even imagine what is going to happen when the show comes back. Well, I *can*, but whether it's prudent to do so is another question entirely.

At this point, it can go either way IMO. At the start of the season, I assumed everyone on the Island did in fact die, caused by toxic gas Faraday et al. brought with them. Seems I was off about that, but there's still a chance people will die.

Evidence for mass deaths (SPOILER WARNING!!!):

1) In the trailer for the next episode, we see Keamy and the freighter commandos have arrived, and are blowing things up and shooting alot.

2) Claire isn't around to raise Aaron and Jin is apparently dead.

3) In the same EW article I mentioned above, Darlton said that we'll FINALLY see the Orchid station, that it will have 3 levels, and the whole place is related to time travel studies. If the Oceanic 6 make it off and into the future, the properties of the Orchid station could send them there and, just maybe, get them back. Since they're not gonna play the next two seasons of Lost around a cast of only 6 people, then killing everyone but later changing the timeline so they live could actually work.

Evidence for everyone living:

1) Although the Oceanic 6 are depressed, they're not mournful or super-duper, "oh my God, everyone we knew and loved perished" manic depressed. If anything, they just seem to be secretive, which brings me to...

2) The Oceanic 6 are hiding a secret. Abbadon hints at this by his direct "Are they still alive?" question. If everyone was dead, the world would believe, and the Oceanic 6 would view, them all as dead because of the crash. The only reason for a lie they all share is to hide that the world believes them to be dead...but they really aren't.

3) Future Jack says he flies across the Pacific, hoping to crash. When Oceanic 815 crashed, it didn't go back in time (as far as we know). Time certainly started moving slower since they've been there, but they didn't actually travel through time. If Future Jack crashed and returned to the Island, and everyone had been killed there already, he would have accomplished nothing except returning to an empty Island. If everyone is still alive, he would have a reason to go back.

Other Sean | Apr 13, 2008 11:42:22 PM | #

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Spoilery Prediction: The end will be the beginning...in the beginning there was much work to do...

Brian of the North | Apr 14, 2008 6:21:29 AM | #

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Brian, I've often wondered if that's how the show will end.

It would certainly be interesting, but I'm really hoping for closure and finality rather than a neat twist where the end is the beginning.

Jeff | Apr 14, 2008 7:22:06 AM | #

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If they go the route of "The Dark Tower," I don't know how I'd react.

But it would be cool if every shot of an opening eye had an ultimate purpose, beyond a mere visual motif. Some cross between a reborn Cylon on Battlestar: Galactica and Desmond's jumping in "The Constant", maybe.

Ryan | Apr 14, 2008 7:51:16 AM | #

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The "ending being the beginning" would be a little different with this show. Utilizing the flash-forward/flash-backwards technique, the creators of the show have created a scenario that throws our concepts of what-is-now, out the window. Is current island time (CIT) really current from our perspective? Given how my Windows Vista reacted to Eastern Daylight Savings time, how would Windows react to a change in CIT? I don't know.

Brian of the North | Apr 14, 2008 8:14:49 AM | #

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Mayhaps that's why they use DOS on the island computers!

Brian of the North | Apr 14, 2008 8:15:48 AM | #

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LOL, something tells me those computers weren't Y2K compliant.

Jeff | Apr 14, 2008 8:33:53 AM | #

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I think there are many survivors of this "war" left on the island. The idea that Widmore is still looking for the island and has Abbadon creeping around for him makes sense. Abbadon was in the hospital questioning Hurley as to if "they" were still alive. I'm not sure if Abbadon was asking specifically about the crew that he sent (Naomi, Charlotte, Daniel and Miles) or if he was referring to anybody that might still be alive, 815ers and "others" included.

I agree that the island is probably much harder to find now due to something Ben must have done to sheild it once again from the outside world. Ben's no fool so, if he managed to hide the island once again, he made damn sure that no one was going to find it easily this time.

When Jack say he wants to go BAAAAACK he wants to go back to the island which is exactly why he told Kate that he flies just hoping to crash again. Charlie tells Hurley that "they need your help" while he's at the hospital after Abbadon leaves so, that leads me to believe that it's not back in time but back to the actual island they have to go.

Getting back to the island is, most likely, going to be a very difficult task which the O6 may still need Ben for and that's why Sayid is working for him. Sayid must help Ben to rid Ben and the O6 of whatever (or whoever) is an obstacle that would prevent them from going back and saving their people. The folks that are left on the island are not only indanger if it's found again by the wrong people but, they probably do not have many resources like food drops and such to sustain them for any length of time. Who knows if they even have weapons or shelter after the "war".

Chris | Apr 14, 2008 9:48:58 AM | #

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Good summary Chris. I agree on all points.

Jeff | Apr 14, 2008 10:55:50 AM | #

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I always found the conversation between charlie and hurley at the mental institution very strange...

A lot of people quickly dismissed it as a part of hurley's madness, but there was another guy who saw charlie.

Charlie says "I am dead. But I'm also here". Could it be that someone (ben, widmore, abbadon, take your pick) managed to bring charlie from the past to convince hurley to return(or am I overthinking this?)?

sin laden | Apr 14, 2008 6:03:41 PM | #

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