"Confirmed Dead"

Written by Drew Goddard and Brian K. Vaughn
Directed by Stephen Williams


In which four members of the rescue party land on different parts of the island, and as they encounter the survivors of Oceanic 815, their motivations are put to the test...

Status Report - Final Analysis




Status Report
The producers for "Lost" promised that the storytelling would accelerate now that the timetable for completion was in hand, and fulfilling that promise certainly seems to be at the forefront of their minds in this particular installment. At first glance, this episode seems to introduce unnecessary new mysteries to the overall puzzle, but in actuality, the picture is coming into focus. In terms of the "present", the narrative advancement is incremental but incredibly important. Splitting the rescue party between Team Shepherd and Team Locke is an unexpected but welcome twist. It prevents the likelihood of ignoring Team Locke completely whenever telling stories about the rescue party, and with the revelation about Ben and the true purpose of the "rescue", this speeds the flow of information. This time around, the flashbacks follow a more conventional format, which in turn is more unconventional in terms of "Lost" itself. Each act is prefaced by a flashback for one member of the rescue party, in order of introduction. In nearly every case, the members were reacting to the news that Oceanic 815 had been found at the bottom of the ocean. Footage of the remains confirms that someone faked the crash site, though the circumstances remain hard to judge. It seems to resurrect the theory that Ben and his post-Dharma organization made sure no one would be looking for the true survivors, but there's the small issue of timing. Ben's organization wouldn't have had the information necessary to fake a plane crash that quickly. However, it's certainly clear that someone faked the crash, and that means the true fate of Oceanic 815 may not have been circumstantial after all. Whatever the case, this would appear to debunk the theory that the rescue party was in some way meant to pre-empt Penny Widmore's efforts to find Desmond. That doesn't mean that Penny's father is off the hook, since it still appears that he knew about the island and happily contrived to get Desmond there ("Live Together, Die Alone"). All the evidence still points to the Hanso Foundation and their connection to the legacy of the Dharma Initiative, especially given the nature of the rescue party itself.

The first member of the rescue party is Daniel Faraday, who takes the news regarding Oceanic 815 rather hard, despite having no reason for such a response. According to Faraday, he is a physicist (hence the clever character name), but that doesn't seem to be the complete story. For one thing, his comments suggest an interest in fringe theories regarding electromagnetism. As it happens, unusual electromagnetic fields play a vital part in legitimate research into "paranormal" events, and they would certainly be important to anyone with fringe theories on the subject.

The second member of the rescue party is Miles. He sells himself as a professional "ghost buster", it seems, and that puts him in the category of con man. That could explain his paranoia to some extent; he may also have a military or mercenary background. Even so, his abilities do seem to be real to some extent (even if it's an intuition on the level of Frank Black from the series "Millennium"), and psychic abilities are nothing new in the "Lost" mythos.

The third member of the rescue party is Charlotte Lewis. Once again, on the surface, she appears to be a simple anthropologist, but her flashback and dialogue suggest something more. She certainly recognizes the Dharma symbol, and that suggests that she's been studying the appearance of similar remains throughout the world. Like the rest of the team thus far, it suggests a keen interest in the paranormal and historical/geographical anachronisms (like polar bears with Dharma collars in the middle of Tunisia).

The fourth member of the rescue party is Frank Lapidus. Unlike the rest of the rescue party, Lapidus seems to have little interest in the paranormal. Instead, his flashback reveals a far more interesting tidbit: he was supposed to be the pilot of Oceanic 815, and he’s aware that the remains are fake. His presence on the team is revealing, to say the least.

The final flashback is devoted to Naomi, but it says far more about Matthew Abbadon (he of the demonic name). Abbadon's emphasis of the party line, that there were no survivors of Oceanic 815, strongly suggests that his organization was behind the fake crash site. It also leads to the speculation that his organization was behind the actual crash on the island, given the fact that Naomi is aware of where the plane actually fell. One interpretation is that Naomi was being told to ensure none of them escaped the island. (Perhaps because two of them already have, and presumably Abbadon is well aware of that fact.)

Taken in context with the other members of the rescue party, it's not a stretch to speculate that the team members were chosen for very specific purposes. It has been strongly hinted that elements of the Hanso Foundation are connected to the legacy of the Dharma Initiative as well as the Widmores. Naomi's possession of Penny's picture suggests that Abbadon's organization is connected to the effort to trap Desmond on the island, which further implicates the Widmores and Hanso. The Dharma infrastructure has remained intact to the extent that food drops continue. While one might assume that the drops were still for Kelvin, the fake crash suggests that someone knew about Ben's Others and their inroads into the rest of civilization.

What if Abbadon's organization knew about Ben and the Others, and their Purge of the Dharma Initiative? What if that organization had been planning to take back control of the island? Ben may be aware that a small mercenary force is waiting on the boat to take control, since he has a man there. Daniel, Miles, and Charlotte are all ideal choices for scientific study of the island, its history, and its properties. Frank would be an inconvenient voice to be silenced, presumably trapping the "science team" on the island once Ben and the Others were eliminated or taken into custody. The survivors of Oceanic 815 might have been intended as test subjects for new Dharma experiments, or a means of destabilizing the Others and making them vulnerable.

This is important, because in the future, Abbadon is very keen on getting Hurley to reveal if anyone else remains on the island, as seen in the previous episode. That suggests that something went very wrong with the mission to find Ben. Taken in that context, Team Shepherd's decision to control the relationship with the "rescue party" is a rather good one, and could point to the eventual circumstances of the "Oceanic 6" situation. The speculation that the "rescuers" are repelled, yet Abbadon's organization learns about six survivors, forcing the "Oceanic 6" to leave to protect the remainder, continues to be a viable theory.

Team Locke, on the other hand, is still trying to find its course. Locke is still operating on visions and instinct, probably in conjunction with Jacob, and that disturbs Ben greatly. Ben's stock is rapidly declining, and that makes him dangerous. Meanwhile, Sawyer is more than happy to take control if necessary, and it's only Hurley holding him back. Hurley and Locke now have the cabin in common, and that ought to lead to some interesting conversations, to say the least. Ben's operative on the boat, and their method of communication, ought to provide a ready source of exposition.

After the first season, which was all about the main group of survivors, each successive season has introduced new characters intrinsic to the respective season arcs. The second season featured the tail section survivors and their impact on the tribe. The third season was all about the struggle against the Others. This season appears to be about the threat of Abbadon's organization, which is tied directly to many unanswered questions about the island and its history. The trend of introducing new characters as a challenge to the existing cast continues, and thus far, the process continues to be successful.


Final Analysis
Overall, while the season is still clearly in the introductory phase, marching through the usual process of setting up new conflicts, this episode is equally devoted to establishing the new characters as important to the answers to many lingering questions. The wrtiters are still taking their time, but it's clear that the timetable has accelerated, and that bodes well for the rest of the season.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10




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