Lost, you got some 'splainin' to do! With only three and a half hours of storytelling time left, we're prepared to cut our losses regarding some mysteries, but there are still 10 important questions that need to be answered.
The show really had a lot of ground to cover this season in order to satisfy its loyal fans, but I think we all knew deep down that we'd never really know everything. Still, we were thrown several bones of juicy Island lure, however, it's doubtful that all of the puzzling aspects will be solved by the end of Sunday's season finale. Here, I'll go over the this season's 10 big revelations, the 10 questions that still must be answered, and the 10 questions I think we'll need to just give up on.
10 Solved Mysteries
1.) Richard Alpert
We learned—in this season's episode "Ab Aeterno"—why Richard doesn't age. He said it was because Jacob "touched" him, after his slave ship crashed on the Island sometime in the 19th century. In exchange for joining Team Jacob, he asked for "time," so Jacob gave him eternal life. But we saw him drinking Jacob's Jesus juice. In last week's episode, "Across the Sea," we saw that this was the same wine bottle from which Jacob drank to become the Island's protector. So, something is up with that. As we've been told, our "questions will only lead to more questions." Sigh.
2.) The Whispers
This is one of those instances where we got a completely straight-forward, no bullshit answer. As (dead) Michael explained to Hurley in "Everybody Loves Hugo," the whispers in the jungle are the ghosts of people who died on the Island who are "trapped" there for their misdeeds.
3.) The Donkey Wheel
As polarizing as the Jacob/MIB-centric episode "Across the Sea" was to fans, it did answer many of our questions, one of which being the origin of that "frozen donkey wheel" that transports people to Tunisia when they turn it. MIB built it as part of a "system that channels the water and the light," in hopes that it would get him off the Island and back to the real world.
4.) The Smoke Monster
Throughout this season, we've received confirmation that the Smoke Monster is the Man in Black. And know we know that MIB turned into the Smoke Monster after Jacob threw him into the log flume ride that is the Tunnel of Light.
5.) Jacob's Touch
Last season we saw that Jacob went around touching a bunch of the survivors of Oceanic 815. We knew it was important, but we didn't know why. Now we have somewhat of a better idea. He was anointing the "candidates" he was choosing to replace him as the Island's protector. It's been a long process of making lists of names and crossing them out.
6.) The Temple
We finally got to see what was inside the walls surrounding the Temple—it was a Temple! And inside the Temple was a bunch of barefoot hippies, an Asian herbalist, and a pool of water that apparently creates pseudo-zombies. And I think that's all we're ever gonna get on that.
7.) The "Heart" of the Island
So this is what it's all about, what all those people died for, what Jacob is protecting, why they were all brought there: A Thomas Kinkade landscape.
8.) Hurley's Guitar Case
He'd been carrying it around for three seasons, and we finally learned that inside the guitar case that Jacob gave Hurley was an ankh, and inside that ankh was a list of names.
9.) The Loophole
Last season we found out that MIB wanted to kill Jacob, but he was unable to do so, because of some rule. We found out that the "rule" was that their adoptive wizard mother put some kind of spell on MIB and Jacob that prevented them from ever killing each other (completely, that is). The loophole was to convince someone else to kill Jacob.
10.) Jacob/MIB's Origin
They're twins! They were born to some woman who spoke Latin and raised by Allison Janney, who had an American accent.
10 Questions That Must Be Answered
1.) Charles Widmore
There are so many mysteries surrounding Charles Widmore, and I'm certain that not all of them will be cleared up, but we need something more. Like, how did he and Eloise come to live on the Island? Who is Penny's mother? Why didn't he have anything to do with raising his son, Daniel Faraday?
2.) Fertility
Lost fans—or at least I—will be livid if the issue of the Island's fertility problem is not addressed by the end of the finale. At some point, either right before or right after the purge of the DHARMA folk, women were able to conceive, but not give birth, on the Island. Or they were able to give birth, but not conceive on the Island. We need to know why!
3.) The Statue
Connected to the fertility issue is the statue of Taweret, who is the Egyptian goddess of childbirth and fertility. Who built it?
4.) Infection
According to the dirty Temple hippies, Sayid and Claire are "infected." Rousseau talked about how science team also got infected. What the hell does that mean, how does it happen, and is this just a red herring?
5.) Sideways Universe
How did it come to be? Will it ever converge with the original timeline? What does it all mean!!?!?!?
6.) Island Under Water
In the first few minutes of this season, we saw that, in the sideways universe, the Island is submerged underwater. How did that happen? What happened to the DHARMA people who had been there? What is the significance of its destruction?
7.) Desmond
A relationship with electromagnetic energy probably has something to do with his importance to what is currently happening on the Island, but why does Mocke want him dead? What is Widmore's planning to do with him? Will he ever see Penny again?
8.) Eloise Hawking
Much like the mysteries surrounding Widmore, we need to know a little bit more about Eloise Hawking. How did she come to live on the Island? When and why did she leave? Why doesn't she have the same last name as her son? Why did she spend so much time in her science sorcery dungeon under the church devising a way for the Losties to return to the Island, but didn't want to go back herself?
9.) Jacob's Army
Jacob had apparently set up an army—Bram, Ilana, etc.—of bodyguards who spent their lives training for whatever war that was going to happen. How did he do this? Why? How did he chose Ilana? What's her deal anyway? Why were none of these army people "candidates"?
10.) MIB's Name
That's the face I'm going to make if we never find out what it is.
10 Questions to Let Go
1.) Walt
I think we should just give up any hope of knowing why Walt is "special," why he has creepy powers, and how and why he appeared to Shannon and Locke on the Island after he'd already left. That kid pubed too hard and fast for them to ever really include him in any more central story lines.
2.) Vincent
Did he time travel to 2007 after Juliet activated the atomic bomb? I don't know if we'll ever see him again, but I'm thinking that we might just have to think of him as being safe and sound somewhere, at some time.
3.) Rose and Bernard
They were with Vincent, so whatever happened to him, probably happened to them. But honestly, I don't care for them, because they annoy me and I find Rose to be an asshole.
4.) Desmond & Penny Photo
Why did Naomi have it in her backpack when she parachuted on to the Island? How the hell did she get a copy of it? I think we have to just forget that ever happened.
5.) Ethan
How did he join up with the Others? Was he partially responsible for the Purge of the DHARMA people? How did he become a doctor? We'll probably never know.
6.) Karl
Remember him? He was Alex's 16-year-old boyfriend. If there were fertility issues on the Island, where did he come from? He's certainly not one of the DHARMA people, given his age. Oh well.
7.) Food Drops
Who orchestrated the food drops to the Hatch? Did the Others have a helicopter? That one, I'm sure, will remain a mystery forever.
8.) Black Rock Journal
How did the journal of the first mate of the Black Rock get off the Island for Widmore to purchase it at an auction many years later.
9.) Christian Shepherd
Beyond being a vessel for MIB, what was Christian Shepherd's deal? Why was his body never discovered, when MIB didn't need Locke's original body to take his form?
10.) Why Them?
Why, specifically, were these people chosen over all others to be candidates? I think we're just going to have to accept that—beyond being "lost" people—they were just chosen by a casting director.
By the way, the editors at our sister site Io9 have their own list of questions that need to be answered, here.