'Lost' A to Z

Lost' A to Z Guide

Whether you've been counting the minutes until 'Lost' returns or can't remember what exactly happened in the season 4 finale, we'll get you back up to speed, rehash some of the show's biggest defining moments and give you 26 reasons (from A to Z!) why you won't want to miss this season. -- By Maggie Furlong

ABC (10)

A Is for ... Ageless

We know the island of 'Lost' has healing powers, but can it also keep its inhabitants forever young? Take Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell), for example: We've seen him in flashbacks from 1956 (when he visited a then newborn John Locke) to the early '90s (when he helped Ben eliminate the Dharma workers) and in present day, and he always appears to be unchanged by time.

ABC

B Is for ... Big Deaths

Since the surprising (well, if you hadn't read the Internet spoilers) season 1 death of Boone (Ian Somerhalder), the show has been willing to kill off major characters in the name of good storytelling. R.I.P. Shannon (Maggie Grace), Ana Lucia (Michelle Rodriguez), Libby (Cynthia Watros), Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Ethan (William Mapother), Nikki (Kiele Sanchez), Paulo (Rodrigo Santoro), Tom (M.C. Gainey), Charlie (Dominic Monaghan), Claire (Emilie de Ravin), Karl (Blake Bashoff), Rousseau (Mira Furlan), Alex (Tania Raymonde), Jin (Daniel Dae Kim), Michael (Harold Perrineau), Locke (Terry O'Quinn), et al. But we all know that on this island, people are never gone forever ...

ABC

C Is for ... Charles Widmore

What is Charles Widmore's (Alan Dale) connection to the island? Emerging as the 'Lost'-ies biggest antagonist in season 4, the rich and powerful businessman (father of Desmond's love, Penny) has been in contact with Sun (Yunjin Kim) and Ben (Michael Emerson) since they left the island and -- in what will certainly come to a head in the show's final season -- Widmore promised Ben that he would take back the powerful piece of land that is rightfully his.

ABC

D Is for ... Dharma Initiative -- Hanso Foundation

Funded by the Hanso Foundation, the Dharma Initiative was a research project that had scientists living on the island while testing theories on topics like meteorology, psychology and utopian societies. Unfortunately, their efforts were preempted by the Others, who killed the Dharma campers and took over their research stations. Thanks to our friends remaining on the island, we'll see more of their work and back story in season 5.

ABC

E Is for ... End Date

Ever since ABC announced that an end date had been determined for 'Lost,' the show has kicked into overdrive. Now with only 34 episodes ahead in the final two seasons, the show's finale -- and the explanation for all of the mysteries that've plagued fans since the beginning -- can be adequately and thoughtfully mapped out. And don't expect anything less: Producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof (pictured) promise there won't be a snow globe or fade-to-black ending, and they won't be holding back information for a big screen movie either. Phew!

ABC

F Is for ... Flashes

After years of flashbacks, a look to the future in the season 3 finale confirmed that some of the 'Lost'-ies would be rescued. In subsequent season 4 flash-forwards, we learned who the Oceanic 6 were, how they made it off the island and the price they're paying for leaving their fellow castaways behind. Now a new type of time-flashing (caused be the island moving, natch) will change life for the island dwellers indefinitely.

ABC

G Is for ... Good vs. Evil

It's the ultimate battle of 'Lost' -- no, not 'Lost'-ies vs. Others or rescued survivors vs. deserted island dwellers, but that's not far off. We're talking good vs. evil. Our heroes have slowly but surely weeded out the bad seeds from the Others' camp, the tail section of the plane and the freighter ship, but there are still a few characters whose intentions have yet to be revealed ... we're talking to you, Ben, Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) and Widmore.

ABC

H Is for ... Hurley

Aside from providing comic relief and the occasional helpful island discovery (what would they have done without that golf course?), Hurley (Jorge Garcia) also has one of the deepest ties to the island. His winning lottery numbers -- which landed him on the island in the first place -- matched the number on the hatch, and he's the only Oceanic 6 survivor to have been in contact with all the other five. We're betting their return to the island will hinge on his involvement.

ABC

I Is for ... the Island

You can ask yourself where the island has been, and where is it now that it's been moved, but the bigger question is: What is the island? We know it's filled with some scary, mysterious inhabitants (the polar bear, the smoke monster, Jacob) and that it has healing powers (curing Locke's paralysis and Rose's cancer), but the origin of this inexplicable locale is the show's no. 1 mystery.

ABC