Okay.... I need some of you smart peeps to talk me through this. After watching "TLP" this week, I'm realizing that either the pace of the remaining seasons is going to be much different from what I'd thought, or I have things all wrong. At the end of TLP, it now feels to me that the 06 is going to be coming back to the island much sooner than I'd figured they would. I figured it'd take all season to get everyone together and/or wanting to go back, and it almost looks like it was just too easy to get them all together. I know Hurley's not at the dock yet, but still. I'm almost thinking to myself 'what on earth are they gonna do for the duration of the show if they're already almost headed back??' I know I have to be oversimplifying it...I have much faith in the writers, so I'm sure they know what they're doing.....but I'm curious for others' thoughts....what had you envisioned and has the pace of the first 3 epis surprised you at all? Or do you think that it won't actually be so easy to get back and it will take them a lot of season 5 to get back?

Talk to me.

I haven't given this much thought. I tend to just watch each eppy and see where it takes me.

however.. thinking on it... I have a feeling we'll see the O6 back on the island by mid season, and then things will play out there while we continue to get flashbacks and flashforwards that answer all our burning questions.

But, I'm usually wrong. lol

At first I thought they would drag out the O6 getting back until season 6, but when I think about it now - that would be dragging it out too long.

I really like the fact that they are keeping things so fast paced, the only problem is that the episodes go by so fast! They could get away with airing 2 hour episodes at this pace... It's great.
Instead of trying to predict what they are going to do, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Yes, I was assuming based on previous comments by TPTB that it would take them all season to get back, but clearly it's not going to take that long.

I also thought it would take them longer to assemble the O6. But, seeing how quickly they have all come together, I think maybe the problem with getting back to the island will be actually finding the island again. I have a hard time believing they will get back right away. After all of the build up of some of them getting off the island, I would think they would stretch it out a little more. They never do what you think they will though. :rolleyes:

From what I understand, they are going at exactly the pace they need to, to cover everything by the end of the series. They did a lot of filler episodes in the early seasons, not knowing if they had 4, 5 or even 10 years to do it all. Now that they know exactly how many hours they have left to tell the story, they can move along at a quick pace. And they intend to keep it moving along like this.

They didn't want to stretch the return of the O6 out too long, because they know we fans like it when our characters are all together. After how they stretched out the time Jack, Kate & Swayer spent on Hydra island, I for one, am glad they are bringing the 6 back quickly.

I have no idea what they have in store for the future once the 6 return, but it's not like everything will return to paradise instantly. We have Widmore to deal with, the smoke monster, we know absolutely nothing about Jacob, how they all tie together, or what exactly their purpose is in being there. I could go on and on with all the things left unanswered.

I just wonder how they will cram it all into 2 short seasons!

I think that the 06 could be back in as little as two episodes.

Well, they did set a rather strict timetable with Hawking telling Ben he only had about 70 hours to get everyone back. Even on LOST 70 hours wouldn't take up too many episodes. We just saw episode 4. I'd say the O6 are back at the latest by episode 7 or 8.

It seems to me there is still a LOT of story to tell. Why are the O6 supposed to be there in the first place? Who are the Others? Ben's backstory? Locke's destiny? What is this Island, anyways? Richard? Jacob? Smokey? Widmore trying to take down Ben and get back to the Island? Seems more than enough story to keep us going for two seasons. Especially since LOST doesn't seem to reveal answers very quickly.

Well hold on there everyone, Sure it feels like they will be back soon, but think of all the stuff that we haven't seen yet, that has to happen before they get back.

1.We still haven't seen Lock get OFF the island, But seems like that will happen very quickly.
2.)Then We need to see why he is called Benthem,
3.)Then he has to go to each of the O6 to plead his case,
4.) Lock has to die.
5.)Then We need to find out what Suns agenda is, Clearly she has her own plan going on, and if it is simply to shoot Ben I will be disappointed.
6.)Oh and Kate has to do what ever Sawyer asked her to do.
7.)Desmond and penny have to go see Mrs. Hawking
8.)Then they need to get back to the island.

Now at the rate things are racing forward that could all happen in one episode, Or it can all be shown in flashback after they are back, who knows. But I have a feeling that we will keep jumping around in the time line for a while before they get back to the island. With all the stuff we have still to a. Learn and b. set up ON the island It's still very possible that they will get back to the island only an episod or two before the season finally.

Perhaps we could see the 06 back on the island before we see them return? So we have them on the lefties perspective, after they have returned, and then from the 06 linear perspective showing how they got to the island.

Darlton have stated that it would not be fair to the audience to keep their favorite characters apart for too long. They have done that almost every season so far (S2 with the Jin, Sawyer and Michael; S3 with Kate, Jack, Sawyer; S4 with the whole Locke/Jack split) and the viewers always wanted the characters to get back together as soon as possible. So yes, I think the Oceanic Six will be back on the island in two or three episodes and they will help the Lefties and Daniel infiltrate the Dharma Initiative to destroy the Frozen Donkey Wheel. At least that's how I understood the very first scene of the season.

I think it'll be more than two or three episodes. Let's look a how Lost likes to end. There's always some major change or revelation that they break off with to torture us for a week. So bearing that in mind, along with the idea that we still haven't even gotten to the orchid (there's no WAY we'll get to the orchid and have Locke leave in the same epi...it's never that easy.)

Let's be extremely conservative and say yes, they're going to reunite them as soon as possible.

1 Episode just to even get to the orchid.
1 to have enough screwed up events to where the last scene is Locke in Tunisia.
1 to have the Bentham meetings with the O6, and his death. MAYBE 2.
1 to have the O6+desmond+walt? get together, get to Hawking, and find the method of travel.
1, maybe 2, to get through whatever craziness the actual trip will entail and finally finish off with a Sawyer incredi-face saying "KATE?!" Or some Jack-mad watching on as Kate and Sawyer mug down.
Then everyone is back together for the next episode.

So we're looking at between 5-7 episodes before they even get back to the island in my opinion. That puts us with 2-4 episodes to go, and the season finale could be shrunk down to 2 hours again this year. If it's a three hour finale, I'd say that either the Bentham stuff, or the trip will take two episodes. So yeah..most of the season, I'd say they're going to be apart. Just gonna have to deal with the realization that once they do get back to the island, the flood gates will open and the finale will be a huge setup (most likely with a LOT of information and a couple more key final questions being setup), and 6 will probably run at a break neck pace til the end.

Wouldn't it be crazy if the O6 return before Locke even leaves?

They would have Locke's body with them and they would see Locke alive on the island...

...For some reason, I could easily see the writers doing that.

Perhaps we could see the 06 back on the island before we see them return? So we have them on the lefties perspective, after they have returned, and then from the 06 linear perspective showing how they got to the island.
that would be kind of cool.

and it's not just a simple question of them showing up on the island and the left-behinders are sitting on the beach waiting for them. i would imagine that them "being all together on the island" is a little bit more then them just being there. my opinion is that, when the O6 get to the island, the writers will surprise us with another time jump. i believe that they'll have to do something (maybe in the orchid station, the temple, an unknown station that we've never heard of yet).

Wouldn't it be crazy if the O6 return before Locke even leaves?

They would have Locke's body with them and they would see Locke alive on the island...

...For some reason, I could easily see the writers doing that.

Judging from the rules of time travel on the show, and I might be going about this wrong, that wouldn't happen. The reason the O6 are going back to the island is because Locke/Bentham told them they needed too. It always happened that way...he got off of the island, then they went back. Maybe it's possible that they land on the island in a time before he left, but I'm not sure he would run into them. That screams paradox to me. My theory is that they'll land and the island will right itself again.

At first I thought they would drag out the O6 getting back until season 6, but when I think about it now - that would be dragging it out too long.

I really like the fact that they are keeping things so fast paced, the only problem is that the episodes go by so fast! They could get away with airing 2 hour episodes at this pace... It's great.
Instead of trying to predict what they are going to do, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Honestly, I can't understand how you can possibly say they are keeping things fast-paced. I have been very disappointed with this season so far, and one of the reasons why is because the pacing has been abysmally slow.

People can run and shoot and yet there can still be slow pacing.

The Los Angeles setting is the worst. We viewers are simply waiting for the inevitable articifial barriers to the reuniting of the Oceanic Six to finally lower. Nothing is actually happening, and it is taking forever. It is quite boring--and all of the characters seem out of place off of their "natural" setting (the island), too.

The Island setting is only slightly better. I don't have a problem with the time shifts, as so many people do, but let's note exactly what the B Team has done: nothing, not a damn thing. All they have done is run from one place to another and back to the first place and then somewhere else. It has been made mildly more interesting by some of the people they have encountered (The Island's Greatest Hits), but they haven't DONE anything.

So here we are, multiple episodes in to the season, and all we can say is that all of the main cast are simply running around more or less randomly, whether on the Island or off.

Contrast this with the Good Old Days, where they might be trying to get into the hatch, or interrogating Henry Gale, or even coming up with a plan to ambush the Others when they come to snatch the beach gals. Obviously, the Losties are often Acted Upon, but at least there were times when they were doing things.

Right now I am basically waiting for the season to get going. So far it all seems like prologue to me.

It took an entire season last year to get the Oceanic Six off the damn island (I sure didn't see that coming), and now it looks like at least half a season will be wasted getting them back on.

See, I knew there'd be plenty of smart folks to bounce this off of.....thanks for pitching in your idears. Enigma, your breakdown of episide guesses is exacty where my brain was trying to go but I was too lazy. :) I agree...the return won't be anything close to simple...nor do we want it to be, I suppose....but like everyone pointed out, once they do return, there should be lots to cover. And yeah, I'd forgotten that about Darlton liking to have all the Losties together.

Pitman, although I have enjoyed this season so far, I do understand what you mean. Some of the LA scenes have felt kinda 'off' but I just couldn't tell why...didn't know if it was just that certain story lines weren't my faves or what. I just couldn't get 'wow'ed about the whole 'Sun packin' heat'...just felt like a bad Charlie's Angels epi or something. But alas, I have already partaken of the Lost Kool-aid, so I'm in it for the long haul...or what's left of the long haul....but your points are well taken.