We're still over a month away from the premiere of Lost's fifth season, but thankfully we only have to wait a week until the release of the long-awaited season 4 DVD set.  Lost executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse recently held a round table discussion to promote the DVDs, and they also ended up revealing some interesting tidbits about season 5.  Will upcoming episodes still feature flashbacks?  Will the Oceanic Six spend the entire season trying to get back to the island?  If Magazine attended the discussion and got the answers to these and other burning questions.

According to Lost mastermind Damon Lindelof, fans needn't worry about the Oceanic Six being separated from the other characters for too long.  "I think everyone, writers and fans alike, feels the show is at its best when our characters are together," he said.  "But the fact of the matter is that the story is constantly twisting and turning to keep them apart.  Let's face it: absence makes the heart grow fonder, but there's nothing sweeter than a reunion.  All we're willing to say at this point is that if we were to spend the entire duration of season 5 with the Oceanic Six trying to get back to the island, we are fully aware that the audience would strangle us."

One of the biggest mysteries going into season 5 is how Lost will be structured.  The series is known for playing with time by using both flashbacks and flash forwards, but some fans wondered if the flashbacks would be retired now that we know so much about the characters.  Carlton Cuse promised that the flashbacks will continue, though they'll only be used when it makes sense for the story.  "We still love doing them and will when appropriate," Cuse said.  "There are still some cool flashbacks left to tell for our characters."

In addition to the great characters and crazy sci-fi elements, many fans watch Lost for the interesting themes it tackles.  One of the biggest has been the "science vs. faith" debate, which has played out over the years through the characters of Jack Shephard and John Locke.  Now that it's been revealed that many of the island's mysteries are rooted in science, is that theme still relevant for the series?

"We can't go back to the ambiguity of season 1, because our characters have experienced so much since then," Lindelof admitted.  "Carlton and I often talk about [Stephen King's novel] The Stand ... how the story starts with something scientific, an epidemic that kills of 99 percent of the world's population, but slowly and steadily transforms into a mystical tale where people are having prophetic dreams, and finally, literally ends with the hand of God coming out of the sky and setting off a nuclear device.  Our story has always been about a journey, but just because we're embracing some of the more fantastical aspects of the island doesn't mean we're completely abandoning the science vs. faith of it all."

Fans can see what season 5 of Lost has in store when it premieres Wednesday, January 21 on ABC.


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Source: If Magazine
(Image courtesy of ABC)