James "Sawyer" Ford

What He Left: After getting out of prison Sawyer went back to being a con artist and the Tampa Job went badly, apparently because Hibbs either screwed it up or betrayed him. He was tricked into killing Frank Duckett, then head butted the Australian Minister of Agriculture and he got deported back to the States. Cassidy and Clementine were still out there, but he made sure Clementine never knew who had set up a fund in her name because he didn't want her to go through the heartbreak of depending on him.
What He'd Return To: He was in almost as dire of a situation as Kate. Sooner or later The Tampa Job and/or the murder of Frank Duckett would be discovered and he would end up on trial too. Much like Kate, he didn't have a career, and didn't have any loved ones hurry home to.
What Never Happened: He never met Juliet or Kate. He never got a nice, normal job and had an ordinary life. But more to the point, he never learned how to be a functional person or form meaningful, reciprocal relationships.
Prediction: Sawyer would have been in the worst trouble of the four. You can't get out of jail only to return to society and kill someone - not if you ever want to see the light of day again. Unlike Kate, he probably wouldn't have found a lot of sympathetic people who wanted to help him because he was brash, independent and lacked Kate's, well, dimples. If ever he had a moment to turn his life around it was right after he got out of prison. If he took that opportunity to just go out and do the Tampa Job it seems unlikely would have realized the urgent need to change even if he wasn't discovered as Frank's killer. I don't think he saw having a normal life as a realistic possibility so he probably would have pushed his luck just to see when it would run out for good.


Juliet Burke

What She Had: Technically Juliet never left and wouldn't be allowed to return. She was being held on the island against her will when the plane crashed and she would still be on the island if history were erased. Juliet was in a relationship with Goodwin, and Ben was extremely jealous. Ben told her that Jacob had promised to cure her sister Rachel's cancer, but later showed a video proving Rachel was alive and had a son. Since Ben wasn't in contact with Jacob, and since he was the one who told Juliet her sister's cancer had returned, it's likely the entire story was a lie concocted to emotionally manipulate her.
What She's Return To: If the plane had never crashed Goodwin never would have gotten killed trying to investigate it, and he would still be working with Juliet among The Others. Her relationship with him would have continued but so would Ben's jealousy. Her sister would once again be pregnant back in Miami.
What Never Happened: Goodwin would never been killed; Juliet would never have escaped The Others and found a new community; She wouldn't have met Sawyer and joined the DHARMA Initiative. Before the plane crash she was sullen, insular, sad and had terrible self esteem. Her courage, self awareness and ability to connect with people would be erased.
Prediction: Juliet may have eventually managed to escape The Others anyway. It's possible she could have defected to the DHARMA Initiative or that Edmund would have been willing and able to somehow set her free. But she didn't have the ideal life back in Miami, either. Even with Edmund dead and no longer putting quite so much weird stress on her work life she hadn't proven her theories yet enough to really set up her career. She was a quiet, smart, professional woman and she probably would have found a decent job in a laboratory someplace. She would have met someone who loved her, and learned to love him. She could have had much of the life she'd built with Sawyer, just with a guy who hopefully didn't know Kate. But there would have been a rough period of despair there before that happened.

Will we see these scenarios unfold when the series returns for its final season? And what would have become of Locke, Hurley, Sayid, Charlie, Claire, Boone, Shannon, Ana Lucia, Libby, Ben, Ethan and countless others?  I'd love to hear your theories.





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-Henry Jenkins, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of ABC)