The first part of Lost’s three-hour season finale was a tantalizing setup for tonight’s two-hour installment, which promises to reveal who’s in the coffin and how the Oceanic Six made it off the island. But, of course, the last episode raised questions of its own, like: Why does Sun have any interest in her father’s company? And why aren’t the O6 happier to be off that wretched rock? And what is the Orchid? The above clip from tonight’s episode suggests some members of the freighter crew have secrets, too. Watch it with simmering anticipation, and then read through some spoiler-free speculation and theorizing from our favorite obsessives as the season draws to an end.
• One reason the O6 may have all looked so shocked as they headed home is that they might have seen the island disappear before their very eyes in another “purple sky event.†[EYE M SICK]
• The last time viewers saw Claire’s mother, she had been in a coma for a few years. Now she’s alive and well and revealing to Jack that Claire is his sister. What’s up with that? [TV Squad]
• Kate’s false account of being pregnant when she got on the plane ruined the popular theory that the Oceanic Six traveled through the time anomaly and actually moved forward in time. Still, maybe something will happen when the Orchid is activated that alters the space-time continuum and gets those pesky reporters off Kate’s back. [EW]
• Assuming that the O6 were on the island for a full four months, why was Christian Shephard’s funeral held ten months after his death? And why did Jack’s mom tell him she was so glad he was home; hadn’t he been home for half a year already? [Long Live Locke]
• In case you didn’t notice, the journey of Ben, Locke, and Hurley toward the Orchid mirrors the journey of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion to the castle of the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. But anyway, if you want to know why Sun used her Oceanic settlement to buy a controlling interest in her father’s company, consider that the logo for the Orchid resembles the company logo of Paik Heavy Industries. Does this mean Sun will play an important role in getting the O6 back to the island? [Powell’s Books]
• Is “frozen donkey wheel†a reference to the time-warping particle accelerator housed in the Orchid? [EYE M SICK]
• Who is that shadowy figure sitting on the Coast Guard plane with O6 and totally privy to their secrets? Is it Abaddon? [Magic Lamp]
• On second thought, maybe he’s just a crew member whose ears are covered the entire time. [Lost Easter Eggs]
• Could the island be the long-lost Atlantis, which supposedly sunk? Or is it the biblical paradise known as Eden? [Film Fodder]
• Jack’s dad is kind of like Jesus. Seriously. [Doc Arzt]
• The only way the O6 will ever get back to the island is if they all work together. Also, Aaron picked his nose and then ate it. [Dark UFO]
—Michael Alan Connelly