Comic-Con Gets "Lost" with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse

As always, the Lost panel at Comic-Con does not disappoint and this year's panel was no exception to that rule. Presented by the indefatigable duo that is Team Darlton (Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse), this year's must-attend event was a mammoth beast of a presentation, taking place inside the 6,500-seat Hall H.

And I don't need to say that the room was filled to the rafters with Lost fanatics, who were treated to a look at the upcoming DVD of Season Four, which contains a documentary about a conspiracy surrounding the Oceanic Six, a linear look at the flashforwards, and a hilarious explanation by Lindelof and Cuse about the flashforwards, via their very own flashforwards... which featured an eye patch-clad Lindelof and Cuse sporting an Obama: Four More Years t-shirt. (Oh, and a special "surprise" appearance by a soul patch-sporting Matthew Fox.)

The Lost panel this year was sponsored by the Dharma Initiative itself which, apart from the branded oversized soda cups that Lindelof and Cuse drank from, also had a booth on the convention's floor, which administered several hundred ASR (Aptitude, Suitability, and Readiness) Tests to convention attendees looking to join the reconstituted Dharma Initiative. (Those of you who didn't attend the convention can try their hand at the test by visiting www.dharmawantsyou.com.) Dharma recruiter Hans von Egan was on hand as well to talk about the tests' "abysmal" results, saying that the candidates were "boys and girls in a perpetual state of arrested development." (If that doesn't sum up the Comic-Con crowd, I don't know what would.)

A few tidbits from the panel about what's coming up for Lost as it enters the home stretch, as the final two seasons are scheduled to air beginning February 2009 and February 2010 respectively:

-At the start of Season Five, you won't know when or where you are," said Cuse. And the way that he and Lindelof are telling the story will be different, with the action shifting between different periods of time. So no more flashforwards? We're told that the plot will be told in a "fresh and exciting new way."

-The island didn't move when the hatch exploded at the end of Season Two and the sky turned purple but something significant DID happen.

-Jin, who seemingly died when the Kahana exploded in the season finale, is "still on the show... in some form," teased Cuse. As for the fate of John Locke (a.k.a. Jeremy Bentham), last seen in the coffin, and Jin, we "haven't seen the last of either of them... Death is a relative term on Lost." Cuse went on to say that there's still a lot to be told about both of them and that their timelines are still very important to the series.

-Danielle Rousseau might be dead but it doesn't mean we've seen the last of the mysterious French Woman. "We will say that you will see definitively Rousseau's story," said Cuse. "But to use 'flashback' would be disingenuous." That said, look for Rousseau to turn up during Season Five but the producers will be using a very different storytelling device rather than "flashbacks" and "flash forwards."

-Animal lovers out there can rest easy: Vincent definitely survived the events of the season finale. (Whew.) "Vincent made it and will appear in Season Five," said Lindelof. "And it's safe to say that he will make it to the very end."

-Will Jack and Kate end up together? "We can't tell you," said Cuse, who said that he and Lindelof are "very invested in that relationship" and their romantic triangle will go through some new permuations but will remain "very essential to the show."

-On that note, simply put: "Yes, Kate will see Sawyer again," said Lindelof. (Hmmm.)

-What about the Faraday and those (unnamed background) survivors stranded on the Zodiac raft when the island disappeared? "I'd be a little more worried for the five non-line speakers," joked Cuse. "There's a monsoon coming... Things are looking up for Faraday." And, yes, we will learn why Faraday is running around the island wearing a necktie.

-Speaking of Daniel Faraday, his notebook contains written notes about things that have happened and things that have YET to happen. Look for this storyline to be a major component to Season Five.

-Richard Alpert is very old. "He's quite old, " said Cuse. "Aging on the island is a very different process." And that aging process will be a vital mystery for next season, as will Richard Alpert's backstory. As for whether he has four toes (like that giant statue foot), Cuse promised that Richard "will be barefoot in the very near future." And went on to say that he "meant that as a pun."

-This year's clue-containing video was a confession from Dr. Marvin Candle, who claimed his real name was Pierre Chang, a scientist from Ann Arbor, Michigan. He says he recorded this video as a warning and seems to know vital information from our present day, including that George W. Bush is president and we can trade digital information over the Internet, despite recording this thirty years earlier. He says that they are all dead, thanks to a violent purge and that Dharma Initiative must be reconstituted. "Time is not only of the essence," says Chang, "it is the essence." Someone will need to change the past. What this means for Season Five will remain to be seen, but it's given me some rather fanciful ideas...



Finally, Lindelof could not stress enough that the endgame will be worth the wait. "You will be rewarded for hanging in all the way to the end of Season Six," said Lindelof. Cuse said that knowing the end date for the series "was a huge advantage" and "really invigorated Season Five."

"It ends well, we hope," said Cuse.

With these two at the helm, I know it will.

Lost's penultimate season launches February 2009.