I am going to hypothesise potential openings for season six whilst discounting other, current theories. To make the guess work more viable we need to look at the writers’ way of working. I like to think this is something I’m good a so here goes something;
In Season One Jack opens his eyes to find himself in a jungle before running to the beach and saving lives from imminent disaster and death…
In Season Two, Desmond awakes in a room and does his morning routine only for us to discover it is the inside of the hatch.
In Season Three, we begin on Juliet’s eye and follow her morning routine preparing and hosting a book club meeting before 815 crashes over their heads.
In Season Four, Hurley is involved in a car chase with cops and then proclaims upon being caught, “I’m one of the oceanic six!!”
In Season Five, Dr. Chang wakes up and does his morning routine, reminiscent of Desmond and Juliet’s opening scenes, before being taken to The Orchid to tell us all about time travel and its dangers.
What are the common denominators and factors behind the logic of the writers when they re-introduce Lost to us with every new season premiere opening?
1.) It intends to be a shocking and surprising reveal of something.
2.) It usually introduces us to a character we do not really know(barring Season 4)
3.) It sets up the focus of the season and the location which we will see much more of;
Season 1 - focus - the plane crash and the survivors (the jungle and the beach)
Season 2 – focus - The hatch and the button (inside the Swan)
Season 3 – focus- The Others (Dharmaville/Otherton etc)
Season 4 – focus - The Oceanic Six’s story (back in the real world)
Season 5 – focus - The Dharma Initiative Origins (Dharmaville back in the seventies)
So, using this pattern and logical follow through, to determine the opening of season six we must factor in the history of the show, rather than just how Season Five ended. In fact Season Five’s cliff-hanger I seriously doubt will be where we pick up from.
Every Lost season opener has dealt directly with what that season is going to be about and where the focus will primarily lie. So, what do we have that we do not yet know of or have not yet seen?
The Temple
The Black Smoke’s deep dark hole
The Black Rock’s true arrival
MIB’s place of residence
Underground caverns that connect many island chambers together
I think The Temple will be Season Six’s main focus. Mentioned first in Season Three. But will we begin in there?
Using this past model (even though we are looking at the final season so these rules may not apply) I will pose a variety of possible openings –
1. The Ancient civilisation – basically the island’s first inhabitants. Whether they be the Mayans, Egyptians, time travelling future dudes, Jacob and his MIB counterpart or whoever the Lost team decide to roll out for us, this could be where we begin… at the VERY beginning. And this civilisation would be introduced to us in the Temple. This is perhaps why we will be “confused” as to where we are at the start of S6. Because we although we are at the END of Lost, we are starting from the BEGINNING. I like the idea of it anyway.
2. The Black Rock – Richard is on board and wakes up in his quarters. This opening would involve old island history and introduces a very old mystery element to us. However, this is unlikely as Season Five’s finale already opened with Jacob and MIB gazing upon the black rock off the island’s coast. This scene in itself could have been the opening to season six, but I feel the black rock will not be the starting point for us next year. Plus, Richard waking up at and having us discover that “OMG he’s on the black rock ship,” would not be nearly shocking enough as most people have already theorised this development ahead of time.
3. Jack waking up in the jungle… again. I don’t believe in the reset theory. Narrative wise, as a writer, it doesn’t make sense at all. Plus, realistically, the story of the show cannot rely and be dependent on old cast members being available to return. Besides, the writers, or Darlton, more or less have told us this is not how Lost Season Six will begin OR end as they already used this “full circle” concept of Jack awaking in the jungle again in the episode 316. I believe this was their way of saying, we are not going to do this Jack waking up in the jungle thing again. Twice is enough. This is the most unlikely opening in my opinion, so scratch it off the list.
4. The birth of old smokie. Yes, if the writers were indeed to follow in the footsteps of the shocking openers of the past, seeing how and where the smoke monster came from immediately right off the bat would be the biggest shocker to open with since the show began. But, it is more likely they will reserve the smoke monster’s true origins until towards the end of the series.
If season one was about the crash and the survivors, season two was about the hatch, season three was about the others, season four was about the oceanic six and season five was about the Dharma Initiative, then Season Six may quite possibly be about the island itself. So I think the opening will be about the first people who ever lived on the island. Jacob being potentially one of them along with MIB.
5. Off island. Starting on Desmond? Widmore? Hawking? Walt? Interesting, but unlikely.
6. Claire. We will be on Claire’s story. What happened to her being the big reveal. I honestly believe Claire is not dead. if people are convinced of that, be prepared to be very surprised. She is alive and well and has one hell of a story to tell.
But in all realistic imaginings, this season opener has to be BIG because it is the last one ever. Which is the only reason it might not open on the island’s original inhabitants in the temple because we want to feel and see our original characters be the ones to kick off this final season.
7. This is the most far out one. But what if the next season does not open at all in the past or the present timeline but the future. When Season Two opened on Desmond I knew we were in the hatch. I knew almost immediately hat is where we were, but I assumed the reason we could not see Desmond’s face was because it was Jack in the FUTURE. That we had jumped forward in time in the show from when we last left them staring down the hatch to the characters having been on the island for a long time and the big crash-bang above that gets Desmond’s attention was the others attacking their hatch. So, imagine my surprise when I saw Jack and Locke still staring down into the hatch at the end of this sequence.
I am suggesting that maybe Season Six will open on Jack or Locke waking up and doing something where we assume it to be moments after the incident or Jacob’s death. We will be confused as to where or when this is only to eventually realise that Jack or Locke are indeed in a future months or even years later after these events and the flashback structure of the show will consist of flashing back to what happened after the Losties from 77 returned to present day island time as Impostor Locke was just coming to power. So our island present for Season Six will be catching up with the characters in their future predicament and filling in the history of how they ended up where they are at the start of S6.
This is entirely plausible in my mind. It allows for the flashback structure to continue in a new way and it keeps the intrigue going but also helps to further the story in an exciting way.
Ultimately, Season Six will be focusing on the island and the Jack/Locke science/faith ideological struggle that Jacob and MIB also represented back in their day. Jack and Locke are merely the new replacements for these old symbols, both whose images are hinted at as being no more. MIB potentially no longer has form and Jacob is potentially a pile of ash.
The war that is coming is between Jack and Locke and perhaps Season Six will open with that war between them already in full swing.
These are my predictions. Options 1 and 7 are my favourites to win, and of course there are many other ones I haven’t even considered. But these are the ones I think are the most probable. I’ve tried to be Faraday and concentrated on the constants of the show, ignoring the variables because the past tells us what will happen in the future if we pay close enough attention. Even a complex show like Lost runs on a set structure and pattern of behavioural history and once you understand the mechanics of how the writers work, it becomes easier to guess what they will do next.
For example I knew the Season Five finale would open on Jacob’s introduction because they had been setting it up all year. The devil is in the details with this show and sometimes he reveals himself to us.
As for that pesky final image Matthew Fox keeps on saying he already knows my odds are on the simplest, most nostalgic, bittersweet, conclusive image of all… and its not the island being blown up, or someone’s eye closing or any such business it is simply Oceanic 815 taking off from the runway and into the sky. The fated flight on course to rendezvous with destiny and with that final image we know exactly what happens next and can go right back to the beginning of the show where Jack awakes in Episode One to continue to journey all over again. That would bring it full circle in my mind and even bring a tear to the eye. We’ve seen them arriving at the airport, we’ve seen them boarding the plane, we’ve even seen them in mid-flight, the only piece of that sequence missing, is the take off from the runway. And to be honest, they don’t even need the actors beyond shots of them all in their seats (if that’s even needed), because the plane ascending into the sky with ! us knowing what comes after will be all the final image we need to know it is THE END.
Thanks for reading.
In Season One Jack opens his eyes to find himself in a jungle before running to the beach and saving lives from imminent disaster and death…
In Season Two, Desmond awakes in a room and does his morning routine only for us to discover it is the inside of the hatch.
In Season Three, we begin on Juliet’s eye and follow her morning routine preparing and hosting a book club meeting before 815 crashes over their heads.
In Season Four, Hurley is involved in a car chase with cops and then proclaims upon being caught, “I’m one of the oceanic six!!”
In Season Five, Dr. Chang wakes up and does his morning routine, reminiscent of Desmond and Juliet’s opening scenes, before being taken to The Orchid to tell us all about time travel and its dangers.
What are the common denominators and factors behind the logic of the writers when they re-introduce Lost to us with every new season premiere opening?
1.) It intends to be a shocking and surprising reveal of something.
2.) It usually introduces us to a character we do not really know(barring Season 4)
3.) It sets up the focus of the season and the location which we will see much more of;
Season 1 - focus - the plane crash and the survivors (the jungle and the beach)
Season 2 – focus - The hatch and the button (inside the Swan)
Season 3 – focus- The Others (Dharmaville/Otherton etc)
Season 4 – focus - The Oceanic Six’s story (back in the real world)
Season 5 – focus - The Dharma Initiative Origins (Dharmaville back in the seventies)
So, using this pattern and logical follow through, to determine the opening of season six we must factor in the history of the show, rather than just how Season Five ended. In fact Season Five’s cliff-hanger I seriously doubt will be where we pick up from.
Every Lost season opener has dealt directly with what that season is going to be about and where the focus will primarily lie. So, what do we have that we do not yet know of or have not yet seen?
The Temple
The Black Smoke’s deep dark hole
The Black Rock’s true arrival
MIB’s place of residence
Underground caverns that connect many island chambers together
I think The Temple will be Season Six’s main focus. Mentioned first in Season Three. But will we begin in there?
Using this past model (even though we are looking at the final season so these rules may not apply) I will pose a variety of possible openings –
1. The Ancient civilisation – basically the island’s first inhabitants. Whether they be the Mayans, Egyptians, time travelling future dudes, Jacob and his MIB counterpart or whoever the Lost team decide to roll out for us, this could be where we begin… at the VERY beginning. And this civilisation would be introduced to us in the Temple. This is perhaps why we will be “confused” as to where we are at the start of S6. Because we although we are at the END of Lost, we are starting from the BEGINNING. I like the idea of it anyway.
2. The Black Rock – Richard is on board and wakes up in his quarters. This opening would involve old island history and introduces a very old mystery element to us. However, this is unlikely as Season Five’s finale already opened with Jacob and MIB gazing upon the black rock off the island’s coast. This scene in itself could have been the opening to season six, but I feel the black rock will not be the starting point for us next year. Plus, Richard waking up at and having us discover that “OMG he’s on the black rock ship,” would not be nearly shocking enough as most people have already theorised this development ahead of time.
3. Jack waking up in the jungle… again. I don’t believe in the reset theory. Narrative wise, as a writer, it doesn’t make sense at all. Plus, realistically, the story of the show cannot rely and be dependent on old cast members being available to return. Besides, the writers, or Darlton, more or less have told us this is not how Lost Season Six will begin OR end as they already used this “full circle” concept of Jack awaking in the jungle again in the episode 316. I believe this was their way of saying, we are not going to do this Jack waking up in the jungle thing again. Twice is enough. This is the most unlikely opening in my opinion, so scratch it off the list.
4. The birth of old smokie. Yes, if the writers were indeed to follow in the footsteps of the shocking openers of the past, seeing how and where the smoke monster came from immediately right off the bat would be the biggest shocker to open with since the show began. But, it is more likely they will reserve the smoke monster’s true origins until towards the end of the series.
If season one was about the crash and the survivors, season two was about the hatch, season three was about the others, season four was about the oceanic six and season five was about the Dharma Initiative, then Season Six may quite possibly be about the island itself. So I think the opening will be about the first people who ever lived on the island. Jacob being potentially one of them along with MIB.
5. Off island. Starting on Desmond? Widmore? Hawking? Walt? Interesting, but unlikely.
6. Claire. We will be on Claire’s story. What happened to her being the big reveal. I honestly believe Claire is not dead. if people are convinced of that, be prepared to be very surprised. She is alive and well and has one hell of a story to tell.
But in all realistic imaginings, this season opener has to be BIG because it is the last one ever. Which is the only reason it might not open on the island’s original inhabitants in the temple because we want to feel and see our original characters be the ones to kick off this final season.
7. This is the most far out one. But what if the next season does not open at all in the past or the present timeline but the future. When Season Two opened on Desmond I knew we were in the hatch. I knew almost immediately hat is where we were, but I assumed the reason we could not see Desmond’s face was because it was Jack in the FUTURE. That we had jumped forward in time in the show from when we last left them staring down the hatch to the characters having been on the island for a long time and the big crash-bang above that gets Desmond’s attention was the others attacking their hatch. So, imagine my surprise when I saw Jack and Locke still staring down into the hatch at the end of this sequence.
I am suggesting that maybe Season Six will open on Jack or Locke waking up and doing something where we assume it to be moments after the incident or Jacob’s death. We will be confused as to where or when this is only to eventually realise that Jack or Locke are indeed in a future months or even years later after these events and the flashback structure of the show will consist of flashing back to what happened after the Losties from 77 returned to present day island time as Impostor Locke was just coming to power. So our island present for Season Six will be catching up with the characters in their future predicament and filling in the history of how they ended up where they are at the start of S6.
This is entirely plausible in my mind. It allows for the flashback structure to continue in a new way and it keeps the intrigue going but also helps to further the story in an exciting way.
Ultimately, Season Six will be focusing on the island and the Jack/Locke science/faith ideological struggle that Jacob and MIB also represented back in their day. Jack and Locke are merely the new replacements for these old symbols, both whose images are hinted at as being no more. MIB potentially no longer has form and Jacob is potentially a pile of ash.
The war that is coming is between Jack and Locke and perhaps Season Six will open with that war between them already in full swing.
These are my predictions. Options 1 and 7 are my favourites to win, and of course there are many other ones I haven’t even considered. But these are the ones I think are the most probable. I’ve tried to be Faraday and concentrated on the constants of the show, ignoring the variables because the past tells us what will happen in the future if we pay close enough attention. Even a complex show like Lost runs on a set structure and pattern of behavioural history and once you understand the mechanics of how the writers work, it becomes easier to guess what they will do next.
For example I knew the Season Five finale would open on Jacob’s introduction because they had been setting it up all year. The devil is in the details with this show and sometimes he reveals himself to us.
As for that pesky final image Matthew Fox keeps on saying he already knows my odds are on the simplest, most nostalgic, bittersweet, conclusive image of all… and its not the island being blown up, or someone’s eye closing or any such business it is simply Oceanic 815 taking off from the runway and into the sky. The fated flight on course to rendezvous with destiny and with that final image we know exactly what happens next and can go right back to the beginning of the show where Jack awakes in Episode One to continue to journey all over again. That would bring it full circle in my mind and even bring a tear to the eye. We’ve seen them arriving at the airport, we’ve seen them boarding the plane, we’ve even seen them in mid-flight, the only piece of that sequence missing, is the take off from the runway. And to be honest, they don’t even need the actors beyond shots of them all in their seats (if that’s even needed), because the plane ascending into the sky with ! us knowing what comes after will be all the final image we need to know it is THE END.
Thanks for reading.
