I just assumed the creators screwed up. I was so pissed at myself when I realized it was supposed to be a clue.

They threw me off with that totally unrealistic iPhone I mean satellite phone, and the obvious cell phone tower not-really-disguised as a shortwave radio tower...

Hating myself for loving Lost:

The second half of the season, this show officially became a "soap opera." From bringing people back from the dead, TWICE, (Mikile), to crash survivors being related (Jack & Claire), to the island seeming to have everything BUT a way home for 3 seasons. (i.e. vans, shipwrecked boats, submarines, radios, dynamite, phones, radio towers, construction equipment, indoor plumbing, people's fathers mysteriously popping up on the island (Locke's dad), and Claire and Jack are half brother and sister). I hate it, but yet... I'm hooked. And for that, I hate myself. PS. It's also a "soap opera" because it's not Ben that's dead. In fact, they don't even know who's dead yet! Remember, in soap opera's when there's a serial killer, their identity is never revealed until they figure out which actor can be or wants to be taken off the show. The writers will spend the next 6 months figuring this one out. And besides, if it's REALLY Ben that dies, why would Jack be so torn up about it? Did we forget that Jack beat the s**t out of Ben? So, why would he cry if he found out Ben was dead? I still wouldn't be surprised to see the SERIES finale be sponsored by Staples, and end with an "easy button." I hate it.

IT COULD BE BEN AND JACK WOULD BE TORN UP BECAUSE BEN WAS THE ONE THAT TOLD HIM IT WAS A MISTAKE GETTING RESCUED AND BY THE WAY JACK'S FUTURE TURNED OUT, HE WAS RIGHT.

I thought it was Sawyer that died. And, plus we're all forgetting, how could it be a flash-forward?? Let me explain, when they show Jack in the hospital with the band-aid on his head, he is talking to the chief of surgery. He says something like, "go upstairs and talk to my DAD, and if I'm drunker than he is, you can fire me." The whole reason Jack was on the plane was because his dad died. And you know that when he said this to the chief of surgery it was during the same time period as when he talked to Kate because he still had the big bushy beard and the band-aid.

>>And, plus we're all forgetting, how could it be a flash-forward??

No, we're not forgetting. There are zero clues for a flashback.

Jack talked about his father. So what? We didn't see him, did we? Nope.

1. Jack is drunk or hallucinating on drugs.
2. Jack faked his father's hand-writing to get a prescription.
3. The nurse at the desk said "Ok, then let's call him.", But then Jack
rebuffed, and said no, he's on vacation.

Jack is in denial. He father is dead.

Face it. The clues for flash-forward are overwhelming.

1. Did you hear Jack's statement/ question: "Go bring my father down here and if I am more drunk than he is you can go ahead and fire me?"
That means that Jack"s father is still alive (and drinking)

2. No - it's not a "him" in the casket --- it's a "her", so it can't be Ben. Juliet, maybe?

3.More tantalizing still is Kate's reference to "I have to get back to him." The jealous Sawyer, maybe? Or even more mind-blowing: the controlling Ben? (if Jack's father is actually alive, then Ben could be, too...)

4.And what fateful events make Jack wish he could get
back to the island?

re: "Go bring my father down here" - I think it's perfectly plausible that Jack was out of his head on Oxycontin and saying b.s. ... but remember, this is two years in the future, and the island has this odd habit of bringing people back from various places. Maybe Christian Shepherd appears at one point in the "magic box?"

I'm with Beth on why Jack wants to get back and why he'd be torn up about Ben. For a certain group of characters (Jack, Kate, Locke etc) they had all screwed up their off-Island lives beyond what they saw as repair before they landed on the Island. But it looks like in the future, Kate might fix things. Jack just wallows.

Thank God for Dvr! There are a few things that i dont understand about your theories! Like how do we know that the person in the casket is female? i hardly think that jack or kate would be the slight upset if ben died and i would think that "although psychotic" kate would want to go to lockes funeral but i could see where jack would be upset if juliet died and that kate could care less! pausing on the newspaper article, if you try to read it, it says something about "man identified" and it looks as if there is a (jo) you cant see the rest because of the bend in the newspaper. who knows? all i know is that 9 months seems like a long time to wait for some answers!!!!

OK-I thought that because Jack's BEARD was very dark it was in the past -- and if you look at him on the island with a rough shave it is growing in gray!

did anyone think it was a vision , Desmond, or Joseph?

What I can't understand is why Charlie locked himself in the room. He had lots of time to leave the room and close the door behind him. Why would he lock himself in??

Charlie locked himself in the room because thats what he new he had to do and if he didnt he would of had to keep running away from death. Also he new that the sequences of events had to happen so that the survivors could get off the island... i thought the same but then it came to me

Also does anyone still wonder about the numbers, and the wierd guy in the beggining of season 1 with hurley, i still dnt understand why the numbers are like cursed

Another thing I found strange about the flash forward is why Kate wasn't in custody. She was a fugitive and wanted for murder, after all. If they were all saved the authorities surely would have figured out who she was.

hmm... well, I think that next season (god, is it really not going to be shown until nine months from now??? 0_0 that sucks!) will probably begin by showing the events immediately after that ship was called. Ben's captive, Desmond's still under water, 6 people are still at the beach while friends are in the center of the island somewhere. And the Others are "at the Temple" ....which could be the "magic box" location, come to think of it. Some people must have stayed ON the island, even after the rescue. I'm thinking Ben, most of the Others, the older couple (remember, the wife had cancer, the island saved her, she felt she couldn't leave and didn't want to) John Locke. Perhaps others. And I wonder about Kate not being in jail, too.... maybe the flash-forward isn't what it seems. hmmm... speculation sucks :P

I say it is more likey Juliette.

Those of you with HD DVR's - go back to when Jack is driving and reading the news clipping. You can't read the entire story, but you CAN read clips and words...

One example that I read was, "he died while ..." So it's, without a doubt, a MAN. So unless Juliette had a sex change... you're looking in the wrong direction. :)

dont know who died. but i do know its a flash forward. Also since destiny demanded that jack not leave the island, its possible that his leaving altered future events so we cannot yet be certain of much. so 4 ex: if charlie had left the room and lived... that too could have altered future events as well. Also i think Jack is falling in love with Juliette - she seems his type.

Lindelof and Cuse mentioned that the show would begin looking "forward, to the future" in the Lost overview show; Jack's delusional state scenes are two years into the future at least. (Another way to estimate that is determining what model year vehicle Kate was driving when she met Jack outside the airport.)

Jack visits Sawyer at the funeral home; he's the one in the casket and why Kate is so emotional about the newspaper clipping. We don't know who she's got to get home to. Maybe not anyone we've yet met?

Here's a stumper: When the surgery chief questions why Jack's on that bridge at 2 a.m. to save the mom and 8-year-old son, just what in the world was the 8 year old doing out at 2 a.m.? That was a ridiculous guilt-inducing moment at the hospital.

We never actually saw Charlie die. How 'bout the Russian with the hand grenade? Dead finally? After living through the sonic fence and the harpoon to the chest? Goodness that's ridiculous. Will he now come after Des, who's still in Looking Glass?

Will the satellite phone rescuers turn into the next three seasons' Others? Will Ben be turned? Will Locke take over as the Others' leader and turn against Jack and the survivors? When will Hiro from Heroes teleport onto the island and kill Sylar? (Ahh, just havin' fun.)

Uhhh no way is the guy in the casket Ben. He will NEVER leave the island alive. The key here is it has to be someone who is linked to Jack & Kate, but would also have NO attendees at thier funeral. I bet its Sawyer. NO WAY is Kate is gonna live happily ever after with Sawyer.

I just can't see Sawyer being in the casket because Jack was way too emotion for it to be Sawyer's death. I don't think its Juliette, not because of the glimpses at the newspaper article, but because I think she would have at least one other person show up at her funeral, and I don't think Jack would ask Kate why she wasn't at Juliette's funeral, obviously Kate is not Juliette's number one fan.

As for Charlie's death, we did see him die. And I still think he didn't need to die. He could have gotten out of there and the jamming equipment was already turned off. The phone call to the Naomi's ship would have still happened regardless if Charlie died or not.

What about Naomi's story about them all being dead? How is that going to be explained. Obviously they just wouldn't assume any plane crash site was flight 815, they must have determined in some kind of certainty that it was their flight.

The dead person is probably Walt's dad. Did you note the all black, deteriorating neighborhood? Who else was close to Jack and Kate but had a pre-island life in that environment?

Charlie didn't drown. He planned to so the resue would take place but after he drifted back and crossed himself, he didn't exhale but the scene cut away. Desmond will get the door open and give him an air tank.

The survivor's return won't be a big issue. It will be shown as a coverup by the Dharma Initiative. Naomi stated that 815 had been found intact underwater with all passengers accounted for. Reality: planes break apart on impact and get scattered over acres of ocean floor by the currents as they descend.

Jack is having guilty "what if" thoughts of what the future would be like if somehow they escaped the island. Only now the island is driving his thought process. It is all in his head the same as many have regressed to a time previous in their lives. No one has escaped the island.

I am pretty sure that the phone is not a krzr but the new Motorola V3 MAXX. Check it out I just got my wife the krzr and myself the maxx and the maxx is identical to jacks phone.

Ok..I have just finished watching the Lost season finale about 30 minuites ago and I already have many theories.

Firstly, I think that the person in the casket could be anyone. Since there are 48 episodes left, for all we know, anyone could suddenly become a traitor. It could be Jin for all we know.. though I think most likely not. Although In Lost.. you can never say never.
I am not sure it could be Micheal because at least someone would go to his funeral, like his ex-wife or Walter (if he is alive.) If it was Micheal though, it would make sense that Kate wouldnt want to go to the funeral becuase he betrayed them. However, Jack is different and he would probably feel bad if he didn't go, as that is the way he is. Also, I thought it was strange when the camera closed up on the black people beside Jack's car, which may be a clue. Also, when Jack took out his phone, I thoguht to myself, this is strange.. but i didn't think anymore of it.
I dont think it is Ben because even Jack probably wouldnt go to his funeral, and anyway, i think Ben would rather kill himself than be taken off the Island alive. He even killed his father for it, after all.
For people who are trying to make excuses that Charlie is alive, I know this is not true, though I would desperately love for this to happen. Charlie knew that if he didn't die today, he would just die tomorrow. He probaby thought that he may as well die a hero now, as there was no point in running away from it forever. I think the door couldnt be locked from the outside anyway. At the time I was practically begging him to go out the window! He probably could have if he wanted. I felt so bad for him because he left that DS ring to Aaron but i dont think aaron will ever get it now! Its probably blew to smithereens.
By the way, did no one else actually gasp when Jack said he loved Kate? I actually did. Like, OH MY GOD! Unfortunaately Im not sure she loves him, though she looked jealous when they kissed and all. I wonder why Jack kissed Juliet when he loved Kate? I feel so bad for him.
As for the whole Naomi thing.. I think it is all a plan. I'm not really sure about this, but it is my only explanation because I dont think that Penny would lie. Incidently, she really loves Desmond, doesn't she? She's been sitting there searching for him for years. So, if Naomi lied about the search boat, who said she didn't lie about the whole "finding the plane" thing? Though I'm not sure of her motive.
Also, this may be a strange thought, but maybe Jack's dad isn't dead. Remember when Jack found his coffin empty? So maybe he came back from the island to find he was still alive? And that is why he mentioned his father when he said "he was more drunk than him." Remember, there are still 48 episodes left to go and he could still be alive.
How many people died?
7 others.. charlie.. naomi (i presume).. then the next 4 others.. those two women in the looking glass.. i HOPE mikil died.. because he killed Charlie and i LOVED charlie!

Charlie had to die because a) he knew he was going to die eventually. There was no escaping it so he decided to go out in a heroic way b) the actor wants off the show :)

I don't believe its Sawyer in the casket because even though he was a hard ass and played tough, he was still one of the group and I would assume people would pay their respects to him, unless that is, he did something totally awful later in. I don't think its Michael either, because why isen't Walt there? For now, the only thing that would make sence is that it is Ben. Ben is symbolic of the island and everything that Jack wishes to return to. He assume Kate feels the same way, but she doesn't. It's not Ben that he is crying over so-to-speak, but everything he lost in not listening to him. Ben, for now, was right.

My question is, what kind of coincidence was it that the second the trasmission block was turned off, that Penny showed up on the screen.

And ofcourse, we still have questions on the island itself. What's with the swan hatch and that magnetic force that brought down the plane? Hurly's numbers? Jacob?

My thoughts;

1. Funeral. If nobody turned up, who organised it? Also relevant that Jack said he was neither family nor friend.

2. Charlie. The door only locks from the inside. However, why he could swim out the window, I don't know.

3. Naomi. If it's not Penny's boat and she has no idea who Naomi is then why did she have a picture of Desmond with her? Also, how could Charlie communicate with Penny before the french lady's distress call was disabled?

4. Still don't trust Juliet.

5. Sawyer has changed. Killing not a problem.

6. Kate may have faked her death in the crash not get around the whole fugitive thing.

I really don't think the writers know where there ghoing with this yet in terms of the detail. Pretty sure they'll be reading all these boards for both ideas and to cover all bases though!

You all have some very interesting theories. I would just like to add that on the newspaper of the deceased person, *
it is a male, *
you can also make out the first letter of the first name with appears to be a "J"
*also the surname is there but only the last part is visable and from what i can see is "antham" *
so possibly Grantham or some such surname,
*it also states the body was found at 4am in a new york street so thtat may also be a clue. i have search the net for lists of all the known lost charaters and cannot find a possible match so can only assume that it will be someone from the next series.

Could it be true that they do get rescued and not everyone goes home?

Definetly Flash-Forward. At the end when Jack meets Kate, Jack say's he travels all the time with the "Golden Pass" they gave them. Meaning they made it home and Oceanic Air gave the survivors lifetime free air travel.

Kate had an attitude while saying "Why would I go to the Funeral" meaning she really doesn't like who it is. Jack must have new bond with the person to be that interested in the funeral.

My Casket Pick........Ben

I think Jack's so cut up about the guy in the casket because he feels responsible for his death, presumably for forcing him to leave the Island. That's why he feels he needs to go back and make amends. That and the fact that he's a hero there and a nothing here. It was only the chance to be a hero again on the bridge that stopped him from jumping.

Don't read too much into Kate's ambivalence. Remember this is in the future so there's plenty of time for her to fall out with current friends or meet new foes.

My guess is Locke or Ben, but Jonah begins with a J.....

I'm guessing next season will be a series of flashbacks to the Island dealing with their rescue and taking you up to the present and the following season will be about their return to the Island.

I really don't think their rescue is as straight forward as the helicopters arriving after the phone call to take them home. Who's boat is it? Who is/was Naomi? Why did she have Desmond's picture? Was Ben lying? Are the Dharma Initiative back?

My guess is that the people on the boat are baddies and next season will revolve around taking control of the boat to get home....probably with Ben.

Still don't trust Juliet.

How come we haven't heard any more about the mysterious sickness that caused Russo to kill her friends?

Found this.

Here's what is supposedly written in the newspaper article/obituary:

"The body of John Lantham of New York was found shortly after 4 am in the 4300 block of Grand Avenue. Ted Worden, a doorman at the Tower Lofts complex, heard loud noises coming from the victim's loft. Concerned for tenants' safety, he entered the loft and found the body hanging from a beam in the living room. According to Jaime Ortiz, a police spokesman, the incident was deemed a suicide after medical tests. Latham (sic) is survived by one teenaged son. Memorial services will be held at the Hoffs-Drawlar Funeral Home tomorrow evening."

Hoffs-Drawlar is an anagram of flash-forward.

I'm sure there are a few more anagrams in there too.

Deceased survived by a teenage son. Could it be Michael in the coffin?

Where did you find that article/obituary???

It was clear after the second flashback this was screwy. When the new residency chief called Jack as Hero twice over, I was sure this was a flash forward.

BTW I bet it's Michael in the box - why would Ben leave the island...alive?

My questions are...what has driven Jack to drinking so much? Why is it so important to Jack, to perform the surgery? What is the surgery?

I don't think it's Ben in the casket, as I don't think he would leave the island either. Other than that, I have no idea who it is.

At first, I also thought it might be Michael's funeral, but then why would the funeral director ask Jack if he was a relative? Jack and Michael don't really look like they are related. That probably eliminates Jin as well. For all we know, John Lantham of New York may be a character we haven't even met yet. We still have 3 seasons to go, so technically the series is only half over.

Also, Jack is living in LA and apparently the funeral home is also in LA. What was 'John Lantham of New York' doing in LA and why did he kill himself?

...and if he's of New York - why is the funeral being held in LA?

They were definitely flash-forwards. Jack said "I've been using the "golden tickets" they gave us. I've been flying everywhere." Kate said "Jack, why?", Jack responds with "I have to get back there"

Definitely flash forwards.

A baby can be conceived and delivered in 9 months. That is a ridiculous amount of time to wait for the next season but not as long as the wait for season 2 of Rome. Rome is the bomb by the way.

At the station, Danielle Rousseau did not really cut off the transmission. She only stopped the tape loop... Technically the transmission should still be on, without the recorded message playing. What do you make of that?

I just have to say... THANKS! I've loved Lost since the beginning but have no other friends who watch it. Do you know how frustrating it is to want to talk over the twists with someone and have no one??!! Thanks for all the research and your theories.

I, too, was frustrated by the flash-forward which gave the impression Jack's dad was alive. My first thought was that they screwed up but then again, the writers do have a way of making the pieces all fit.

My guess was that Ben was in the coffin but when someone mentioned Michael I thought that was a good guess, too. Kate could still be pissed at him for trading them for Walt and the boat.

Anybody know where "Chippy" found the newspaper clipping he shared with us on May 30th? I don't have DVR but it seemed like most of you could only make out a few words. Who the heck is John Lantham?

And, what's up with Jacob? We saw his image for an instant so he is real. He's so powerful and yet he asked Locke for help?

Hmmm.... so many things to ponder. Seems like one answer leads to two questions. Do we really have to wait 9 months?!!

I sure hope the final episodes clear everything up. I was addicted to Alias but was very disappointed with that series finale.

i think that lock maybe in the casket becoz when lock told jack not to answer the phone but he did

If that sequence was all a flash forward, then why did Jack try to pass off a script written by his father to the pharmacist? His father would have been dead if it were a flash forward....that wouldn't make sense.

Jack forged his father's signature because you're not supposed to write prescriptions for yourself.

Jacob asked Locke for help because Ben is holding Jacob prisoner, I assume.

I think the guy in the casket was Michael... people were studying the newspaper clipping that Jack had and it said a name but it wasnt michaels. It was some other name. Like the clippings said and also it said he had a son. Michael lives in an apartment in new york and he has a son. We believe he went back to America and got away from the island and changed his identity. Somehow he died in America and Jack found out about him in the clipping. Kate doesnt want to go because he never told anyone to send help to the island to rescue the others that are there. I think Michael might have been with Dharma Initative all along. Everything that happened between Michael and Walt and the others had all been a fake. That explaains why Walt appeared in the finale. WOW i cant wait for the show to re-start!!!!!

http://www.beggingtodiffer.com/2007/05/24/lost-through-the-looking-glass-season-3-finale/feed

I think this is where I found that Obit.

Could be bullshit.

I believe the dead guy was Sawyer.

Has anyone ever stopped to think about the rest of Dharma? I mean surely a group as large and influential as their's couldnt possibly have been contained soley on that island. So what if the boat thats close by is the real Dharma and not Ben's cronies. Maybe after Ben killed all the people on the island and set up the jammer they could'nt find the island again. Remember when the EMP went off and the island showed up for a second to penny's researchers? who's to say that Dharma didnt have their own people doing silmilar scans for the island as well.

Hmm, perhaps Michael will appear in the 4th season...he did only leave at the end of the 2nd season following Ben's compass bearing, and since then only 25-30 days have elapsed.

I think that Naomi's boat is of Dharma Initiative - they were alerted to the Hostiles takeover by Locke when he played chess on the computer at Mikiels station, and have perhaps come to reclaim the island.

The oncoming Dharma boat could have picked Michael up and been harbouring him since...and this could be how Naomi could enter the island without a submarine - she could have followed the bearing that Michael had follwed to escape the island.

Because the Charma Initiative is a research-orientated organisation, they could most probably have found out information regarding the relationship between Desmond and Penny, and perhaps used this as a rouse or cover up their assault on the island.

i, too, think that Ben is holding Jacob a prisoner [the strange powder around his house]. i slao think that Jacob can perhaps take control of the dead bodies on the island, and this is why they always seem to dissapear [Jacks father, Mr Eko's brother etc]. thats why i also think Walt's dead.

Just watched the fianle of the 3rd season in New Zealand 2 days ago - THANKS DAMON LINDELOF, CARLTON CUSE JJ ABRAMS AND THE REST OF THE LOST CREW!!!

Why has no one noticed that Jack wasn't known when he rescued the boy and his mother. Like he was a plane crash survivor - you would have thought he would have been well know.

I don't want to take it too much into Sci Fi but has anyone considered the option that the hostiles might be aliens.
And I don't mean Ben because he was not orignally part of the hostiles as he came to the Island with the Dharma initiative. The reason I have come to believe that the hostiles fit this profile is because of the so many equipments and bunkers everywhere throughout the Island. I think the Island itself is a gigantic space ship which has crashed in the time when dinosaurs walked the earth.
We have not seen "the monster" yet or the meaning of the black smoke. I figured that if there was a polarbear walking around there, then dinosaurs could very well inhabit the Island as well, which would make the soundbarrier gates be more applicable. I mean it was created to keep them safe, but against what? Aliens? Monsters? Black Smoke? I wonder when an episode comes in where they will display some of the LOST characters with special powers.
Desmond can look into the future.. Hurley sees things that are not there (like the guy that jumped off the cliff after his girl that he liked died) Jack is a lifesaver. Locke was a tracker. Micheal was an artist. Jin is a fishersman. etc etc. they all have some skill. Would it not be logical that they are on that Island because Aliens want their ability to be like that and to experience emotion?
what do you think?

Too many theories to even type here, but.....Jack's dad is soooooo alive. I sensed something from the beginning when his coffin turned up empty. Anyone else think that "Jacob" is actually Jack's dad? I saw a video online and I swear he was sitting in the rocking chair with his suit. He may be a bit beat up. And also I think the body in the coffin at the end of season 3 is Locke. It makes the most sense.

Ben WILL leave the island alive,as it turns out he had several fake passports when there was a room that was stumbled upon in his house,and in the flash forwards we obviously see Ben with Sayid which suggests that this IS off the island. With the whole obituary thing don't forget that heaps of people have changed their names,well not heaps but a few,namely Michael who is now Kevin Johnson,whos to say no one else did the same and went under the alias John Latham(name that Jack supposedly reads on the obituary).What gets me is is how would you think its a past flash back?Jack never knew Kate in the past prior to the island?

i agree with you ,but are we wonder for what is going with them?can they save.i hope that thay does.is mistery haw they can end