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Can't tell the players without that map

Lost Internet sites try to hack labyrinthine clues of the addictive show, whose finale is Wednesday.

By COLETTE BANCROFT
Published May 23, 2006

For those in the market for something a little more complex, thank goodness, there is Lost.

Among the multitude of unanswered questions heading into the two-hour season finale of the ABC hit: Will Walt be rescued? Will the Losties discover who really murdered Ana Lucia and Libby? Why is Libby the only Lostie without a last name? Does pushing the button really matter? What is that map all about? And who's in that sailboat?

Speculation is running wild on the hundreds of Internet forums devoted to Lost, which has an enormous online presence. The show has built its success on bizarre twists of plot and stunning surprises, and there's nothing its fans love more than trying to anticipate them.

At some of the most popular Web sites, such as TheFuselage.com and, TelevisionWithoutPity.com, as well as TheTailSection.com, "Server is too busy" messages have been popping up for days as fans melt down their keyboards.

Some of the speculation is thoughtful surmise based on reasonable analysis of what has gone before. And some of it? Dude, it's just crazy.

The Yellow Brick Road

On last week's penultimate episode, viewers learned that while Michael was missing, he was not spying on the Others but being held prisoner by them.

He saw their seaside hut resort and yet another hatch door, met the mysterious and imperious Miss Klugh and had a brief reunion with his long-gone son Walt.

Klugh sent him back to base with a list of four names, telling Michael that if he freed the Losties' prisoner, the creepy guy formerly known as Henry Gale, and brought the people on the list to her, he would be reunited with Walt.

The names on the list sent speculators into high gear. Why do the others want Jack, Sawyer, Kate and Hurley?

Are they the "good people" the Others have alluded to before? Given that both Kate and Sawyer have committed murder, that seems iffy. But, on the other hand, who could call Hurley bad?

Among the many theories trying to explain the list, one of the most interesting draws a parallel to The Wizard of Oz not the first found in Lost; Henry Gale, for example, shares his name with Dorothy's uncle.

That theory speculates Jack is the Scarecrow, in need of a brain; Sawyer is the Tin Man, shiny and handsome but heartless; and Hurley is the Cowardly Lion, sweet but hardly intrepid. Kate is Dorothy, longing to go home and having the key all the time.

So who is the witch, and who is the wizard behind the curtain? And does it all mean Walt is Toto?

Goodbye?

A major focus of speculation is whether one or more characters will die in the finale - or be left hanging between life and death.

Michael: He could be killed by the Losties (because they find out he murdered Ana Lucia and Libby), by Hurley (for Libby), or by the Others (by accident or design, or because Libby was an Other and they find out he killed her). Biggest reason for this spec: rumors that Harold Perrineau, who plays Michael, doesn't have a contract for next season. Biggest argument against it: People who die on Lost usually have just done something redemptive, and, as Eko's parable about the dog last week suggested, Michael isn't there yet.

Sayid: Spec is that he is the Others' real target for takeout, being the only Lostie with military experience (and, in many situations, the only one who seems to have a brain).

Charlie: Based on the notion of redemption leading directly to death on this island, his decision to throw all the heroin Hail Marys into the ocean would qualify him. If he and Claire have sex (the other predictor of death on the island), he may be a goner.

Locke or Eko: Previews suggest they have a battle in the hatch over pushing the button, and that something cataclysmic results. Lost previews, on the other hand, are notoriously deceptive (remember Jin speaking English?).

Or hello?

Lost's producers have promised new characters next season, which means lots of spec about where they'll come from.

Leading theories: Desmond, Alex, Rousseau and/or some of the Others become regulars. One of the most popular, albeit outlandish (not like that ever stopped Lost) theories: Another plane crash brings a fresh crop of Losties.

After all, the previews promise we'll learn what made Flight 815 crash. Maybe there will be a demonstration.

Lots of fans are guessing that a second crash would reveal something about the island's strange magnetic power, and whether it's in the control of the Others or not.

And other fans are just goofing on the whole idea, like one poster at the ABC.com forum:

"Cheney accidently shot the plane down while he was on a hunting trip in the Fiji Islands."

Colette Bancroft can be reached at (727) 893-8435 or bancroft@sptimes.com.

[Last modified May 23, 2006, 06:26:11]