Are you lost with 'Lost'? The show's a mystery wrapped in a riddle wrapped in an enigma, with monsters, time travel and a creepy man ... er, figure ... that we've never actually seen supposedly controlling the time-jumping island. But 'Lost' also boasts one of TV's most talented -- and, yes, quite cryptic -- casts and crews, which gave us an idea: why not pick the brain of resident villain-slash-notorious mastermind before the two-hour season 5 finale (Wed., May 13 at 8PM ET on ABC)?
AOL TV got the exclusive scoop on the big finale event from Benjamin Linus himself, Michael Emerson. And while we won't promise any definitive answers about Jacob, a reunion for Jin and Sun or who exactly Richard Alpert is, Emerson's thoughts are always intriguing. -- By Maggie Furlong
This season has been nonstop action -- what can you tell us about the 2-hour finale?
It has a lot of momentum, doesn't it? The action just rises and rises. The thing we're rolling downhill toward -- some inevitable climactic event or events -- is coming at us fast, and that's what the two-part finale is about: bringing a couple of really fraught storylines to some kind of conclusion. I mean, we have sort of these frightening dual storylines going on right now -- one set of heroes is looking for a hydrogen bomb, and another set of heroes is on a quest to find whoever is really running the island. Both of those quests are more fraught with danger than I think anyone realizes at this point.
And we'll be seeing Jacob, and not just as a shadowy figure, right?
Well, the presence of Jacob will be felt. I mean, Jacob works in mysterious ways, so ... I don't know. It's hard to talk about Jacob like you would talk about Jin or Richard Alpert. I mean, he operates in a sort of different way.
But there was an actor cast to play Jacob -- did you get a chance to work alongside Mark Pellegrino at all?
No. No, but I know him by reputation ... he's a good actor.
Lost' A to Z Guide
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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) ... well, we think ... 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 ...
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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You've played powerless, extremely powerful and now you're sort of at the mercy of John Locke -- will we see Ben scheme to get back in control again soon?
I think Ben is always on the alert. The wheels are always turning with Ben, but he seems to be at a low place in his set of resources right now. Not only is he low in terms of resources, he's low psychologically. He's been shaken a little bit lately. He's had to confront some real and metaphorical demons, and he has received orders from another plane, sort of, to be obedient, and to be a good follower. And that seems really sort of out of character for him, but I'm not sure he's quite shaken it off yet. But Ben can always be counted on to be looking for a break, looking for an opportunity. He'll work it if he can, and he's a good improviser, but I don't know what there is for him to do right now except shut up and keep marching.
You got to go head-to-head with the smoke monster -- did you ever in your wildest dreams think that would happen?No, I never dreamt that I would have a face-off with the great smoke monster. It was exciting. Technically challenging to shoot as well -- it's a green-screen kind of shoot, so you're out there in a sea of bright green with little red Xs all over it, and you're sort of pretending in your mind that there's smoke swirling around you, or gathering itself into something head-like and leering down at you from above. [Laughs] I think anything they could've made out of cotton or plush would've spoiled the effect. I don't know if I could've kept a straight face. It was better than I did the scene with the smoke monster in my mind.
I love the Ben/Richard dynamic, but I don't totally get it -- any insight?
I have to say, it's a bit of a mystery to me. I love being part of the team that includes Richard Alpert -- I love being on the march with him sort of as an unknown, and the new John Locke as a sort of an unknown. It makes for a lot of possibilities and a lot of sub-currents. I mean, what is the real history between Ben and Richard Alpert? Ben says something cryptic about him every episode or so, but he doesn't really fill us in on his feelings. Although Richard seems to have been helping Ben all these years, Ben doesn't seem all that appreciative of it.
Lost' Producers Dish About Season 5
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2. Did you realize that setting the end date would make such a huge difference?
DL: Yeah, you know, it's basically like you have an appreciation for something once you know that there's an expiration date on it. If you can't stand your parents and suddenly they say, "Well, in three years we're not gonna be around anymore," every moment becomes a little more precious. You stop focusing on the things that bother you and start focusing on the things that you love, and we hope that that's what's happened with the show.
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3. In episode 3, we see the harmful effects of the island yet again. How many fatalities are we looking at this season?
CC: [Laughs] There are definitely some fatalities. The body count in the flaming arrow attack [in episode 2] was pretty significant. We do want to say that Rose and Bernard are probably OK, but sadly a lot of those other people have met their demise. We feel like the first couple of episodes set up the premise of this season, which is that the island is skipping through time, and then we're gonna have a lot of fun with that premise. Episode 3 is really a lot about where does that premise lead us? What happens when the island skips through time? Who do our characters run into? What are the challenges and obstacles they face? That's a good jumping off point for where this season is going.
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4. Will we ever truly find out the rightful "owner" of the island?
CC: It's a leasehold ... it's not ownership. [Laughs]
DL: [Laughs] Exactly. We'll know more about Ben and Widmore's relationship by the end of this year and, obviously, when we go into the final year of the show, even more. But I think the more interesting question to be asking is: Is the rightful leader of the island Ben or Widmore or someone else entirely? And who might that be?
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5. Will it be the "owner"'s eventual destruction that ends the island's powers and its grip on the inhabitants?
CC: Only if it's the dog.
DL: Carlton gave it away again.
CC: No, I mean, the history of the island is something we're dealing with a lot on the show this year. Ascendancy and who ruled the island when -- those are all good questions to be asking, and we are fascinated by the Widmore-Ben-John Locke power struggle that's going on, and you'll learn a lot more about that this season.
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6. Widmore-Ben-Locke are like the new love triangle ... but with hate.
CC: Yeah, there's not a lot of love there. But speaking of love triangles, there's also that too. Actually it's a quadrangle really -- it's not just Kate, Sawyer and Jack. You've gotta add Juliet in there.
DL: Sure, why not? Just throw her in the mix. [Laughs]
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7. [Laughs] Well now that Sawyer and Juliet are left together on the island -- and Sawyer continues to be incredibly shirtless -- the two of them are like the new Jack and Juliet.
CC: You are very perceptive. We just need a shorthand: what do you call Sawyer and Juliet together? There's Jaters [for Jack and Kate] and Skaters [for Sawyer and
Kate] ...
DL: Ooh! Julers.
CC: Julers. That's pretty good. That was just here on AOL TV.
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8. What question are you hoping to hold off on answering for as long as possible?
DL: That's tough because if we say the question that you're watching for, you're gonna get very frustrated with us. But obviously the big question on the show is: Why these people? Why were they brought to the island? What is their grand purpose? You'll have more of a sense of it by the end of season 5, but season 6 is really sort of where we begin to reveal what the grand design of all of this is.
CC: I personally just want to know more about Miles. I find Miles pretty interesting. I hope somebody will give me some answers about who Miles is.
DL: Yeah, he's been kind of maintaining a low profile. I'd like to know why he's so curmudgeonly or why he can speak to the dead.
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9. Jorge Garcia recently slipped about a new piece of wardrobe that everyone will be wearing, and it sounds a lot like hazmat suits or Dharma jumpsuits. Care to comment?
CC: He is so fired! [Laughs] He's gone. That's it. It's all your fault.
DL: [Laughs] We are now forced to reveal the explanation for that: There is a skinny dipping episode, and Jorge is a part of that episode. When they get out of the water, they learn that someone has made off with their clothes, so they have to go to the Arrow, an old Dharma station, and they find a store of both jumpsuits and hazmat suits, which they will be wearing for the remainder of the season.
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Do you want real dish on 'Lost'? So do we, which is why AOL TV went straight to the source and got the exclusive scoop on season 5 of the complicated show from the guys behind the scenes, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse.
Questioning whether they know where the show's headed? Wondering if Rose and Bernard survived that brutal flaming arrow attack? Want word on the possible Sawyer/Juliet coupling? The producers reveal all of that and more -- including which character they want to see more of and why they went pants-less for this interview. (That's right. We said pants-less.) -- By Maggie Furlong
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1. There are only 32 episodes left to air -- is that enough to resolve all the series' major questions?
Carlton Cuse: What we didn't want to do is shuffle around from one foot to another and stall this year. We wanted [this] season to be really exciting, so we're doing some bold things. We feel like we have enough time to wrap up questions that are important to us and, hopefully, the audience as well. We can't anticipate every question that every person is gonna have, but we do feel like we're gonna answer the major ones before the show is over.
Damon Lindelof: What's really funny is, in the first couple of seasons of the show, the question was, "How are you gonna keep doing episodes of the show?" And now that we've announced an endpoint, the question becomes like, "Is six seasons enough?" [Laughs]
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From your viewpoint, can you all actually change the past to avoid the crash?
I mean, I personally think that's unlikely. We don't have any evidence from the show that the past can be altered. I don't think things can be undone ... it looks like things can be nudged, but is that different from the natural order of events as they should've been or not? I don't know. Maybe reality includes these trips back.
You said "nudge," which makes me think of the time-shifting donkey wheel ... does that need another turn to get everyone back in the same year?No ... no, I don't know how everybody can get back in the same year. I don't know how that can happen. I think we're done turning wheels. I think another mechanism is needed. And whether it's of the mechanical plane or of the spiritual plane, I'm not sure.
The last episode showed Sawyer, Juliet and Kate getting on the submarine to leave the island, but previews for the finale show them back on the island. What gives?
That confused me! Honest to God -- I read the scripts and I shoot them, but sometimes I sort of gloss over the parts that don't have me in it [laughs], and I can't ... I don't know how that's working. I'll just be quite frank with you. I don't know what that means, what you saw ... I don't know what that means.
Reader Comments (8)
Erica at 4:29AM on May 14th 2009
LOST ... The best show ever created.
Treehouseforest at 7:15PM on May 13th 2009
I'm not sure by reading the season finale info., but is this the end of the show period?
MARYE at 7:29PM on May 13th 2009
''SORRY., BUT I COULD NEVER GET INTO THIS SHOW
alphama333 at 7:45PM on May 13th 2009
IS THIS SHOW STILL ON THE AIR?!!!!!!! THE FIRST EPISODES WERE COOL BUT, THEN CRAP GOT STUPID. LIKE THE ISLAND HAVING BEEN SOME UNDERGROUND BOMB B.S. WHERE SOMEONE HAS TO KEEP PUSHING SOME RESET BUTTON OR THE PLACE BLOWS UP. STUPID CRAP LIKE THAT. I THOUGHT THEY'D ALL BEEN RESCUED BY NOW AND THE SHOW CANCELLED. NEED TO FIND SOME BETTER SHOWS THEN THIS AND PRISON BREAK. THEY GET A GOOD SHOW, PEOPLE START LIKING IT, THEN THE WRITERS, WHEREEVER THEY FOUND THEM, TURN THE SHOW AROUND AND TURN IT INTO SOMETHING STUPID AND NOT WORTH WATCHING.
JohnQ at 7:54PM on May 13th 2009
Peter Watts did it!
PEliza at 8:06PM on May 13th 2009
I was perfectly willing to suspend my sense of reality for a while when this show first came out, as I’m sure all viewers did, but things just got more and more incredible, and I eventually lost interest. Credibility is big, and it is lacking here. Too many story lines ended up in Nowhereville. I think the writers should have given us some closure at the end of each season, but the viewers were always left with that nagging feeling that they wasted another season watching this mess. I stopped watching last year, but my husband is still trying to figure out what is going on, and is hanging in there. I do not get it. These writers are either very smart or very confused themselves. Good luck with this finale if you are going to watch it, and don’t be too hard on yourselves if nothing is resolved this time either (as usual).
Erica at 4:36AM on May 14th 2009
Obviously more people than not enjoy this show ... being that it will be making it to 6 seasons. You have to enjoy mystery and have an open mind to get into a show like this. Some people unfortunately lack that. This will always be my favorite show of all time, but that's just me.
Oh yeah, and the season finale was Awesome ...
ColleenO at 9:47PM on May 18th 2009
I love this show. And Ben has become awesome and hilarious. I enjoyed this interview. Thanks Maggie!