there were 48 survivors in the beginning. They crossed off the names of the dead and burned their bodies.
1) How did they know who was who when they were crossing off names? They could have checked ID, you cant fly without it, but most women carry that sort of thing in a handbag, which I am sure did not remain with bodies after the crash.
2) Maybe they just took a count of who was alive and assumed everyone else was dead, which would seem more likely a way to do this.
If this is the case, it is possible that some people did not land in the same place as everyone else. They are still missing part of the plane, and Jack survived being thrown waaaay away from everyone else. I wonder if Hurley just crosschecked the living people on the manifest (those not crossed out as dead) and Ethan actually was on the manifest. He could have been a survivior that made his way to the group a day or two after the manifest was crossreferenced.

The reason I question all this is because I cant believe they told us someone wasnt on the plane, cut away to Ethan, and the next week told us it was him. Its just tooo obvious. Although I do think he is up to something (or being controlled by an outside force) I just think there is more to it than he just wasnt on the plane.

Let the bashing begin........

Hmmmm I was ready to start bashing it when I first started reading it but you make an excellent point. My only problem with it is, I don't think he's a survivor, as such. Yes he MAY have survived the plane crash, but I think IF he was on the plane he was planted there. He seems to have some kind of Steroid induced strength. And he seems to know where he's going. So, I'm not saying he wasn't on the plane but I think he's from the island. And remember, sometimes things are exactly what they seem, not everything can have a twist.

When Hurley took the census he asked for everyone's name and then looked in the manafest and Ethan wasn't there.

When Hurley took the census he asked for everyone's name and then looked in the manafest and Ethan wasn't there.


Yes, that is what he said. But, Hurley was also interested in taking names and held on to the manifest. So in order to believe that Ethan wasnt on the plane, we have to believe that Hurley was telling the truth about himself being on the plane. When Hurley approached Jack about Ethans name not being on the manifest, Jack believed him, he didnt look at the manifest to confirm. Now that Ethan is dead (and he did kidnap Claire and try to kill Charlie), there is no reason for any of the to believe that he was on the flight. But this is all hinged on whether or not Hurley was trying to cover up something, like HE was not the one on the plane. I guess we will find out after Numbers how he got there in the first place

But this is all hinged on whether or not Hurley was trying to cover up something


You make an excellent point in that we should be questioning *everything and everyone* when it comes to this show and take nothing at face value...but I don't believe Ethan was on the plane. His strength, familiarity with the surroundings, and handiness with crude weapons like the slingshot said "long-time jungle dweller" to me.

There's an upcoming spoiler about Boone finding a plane with a cache of drugs, I'm wondering if Ethan was the pilot of that plane. He may have been "recruited" by the "others" after he landed.

I'm wondering abuot that also Zlatna...

From the pictures the plane looks as if it just landed....it didnt crash, so he flew to the island and for what reason?

that a little creeoies i fu ask me... i neve would think of ethan being the one on the plane but i makes sense. cuss that like the only way he could have got there

In the scene where Hurley walks up to Ethan - Ethan is gathering fruit in a handmade basket. Unless someone came to that island with basket making skills (not an improbability) that basket gave a clue that he had been there for a while. When Hurley was done questioning him he started taking off back into the woods. It looked suspiciously like he was taking fruit back to the others. JMO.

Let's re-watch...

One, they probably found the plane log in the cockpit...
Two, they clearly said he wasn't on the plain...
Three, we still don't know who this Alex person is...

Three, we still don't know who this Alex person is...


Danielle's child, likely to be *much* younger than Ethan.

on the other hand, hell, we never saw hurley on the place. but hopefully we will, so i can get that out of my mind.

I'm hoping we will have some answers on who was there and where they sat when we see the people boarding the plane in Exodus I.

Maybe we'll see a shot of Ethan and Danielle (standing either together, or each on their own part of the island) watching the plane come down. The camera can then pan across their faces for their reactions...cue mysterious music...

I really doubt that.

I don't think Danielle ever laid eyes on Ethan or even knew he existed.

Remember she told Sayid that she'd never *seen* anyone else on the island, that she'd just heard them whispering. Yeah she's crazy, but I think she tells the truth.

Remember she told Sayid that she'd never *seen* anyone else on the island, that she'd just heard them whispering. Yeah she's crazy, but I think she tells the truth.

Yes, that's what Danielle said...but it's the "was she telling the truth" that's up for grabs. Nothing on this island ever ends up as you'd assume.

And as I said, they don't have to be together...they could each be observing the descending plane from their own little areas. Also, if Ethan was one of the "Others" Danielle might not have seen him, but he might have watched her. And was he alone? Either way I'd be curious to see their respective reactions to new arrivals as the crash was happening. Actually, I'm curious just to know anything more about the two characters.

I think Danielle is the only one who tells the truth.

I think that lies are one of the symptoms of the illness, she was speaking about.

I don't think Danielle was aware that a plane went down until she captured Sayid and he told her.

I do know this Danielle is back in both parts of the finale, I haven't seen any evidence that Ethan is.

And why don't the blasted buttons for the formatting and the smileys work any more?

However William Mapother is signed on for the rest of the season, sooooo he could be back to scare everyone a lot.

However William Mapother is signed on for the rest of the season, sooooo he could be back to scare everyone a lot.


Where did you find that information?

He's not listed in the ABC press releases for either of the final two episodes.

Where did you find that information?

He's not listed in the ABC press releases for either of the final two episodes.



I could be off on this, but I think that probably any of the recurring characters would sign contracts that are fairly open-ended for returns...in part this would ensure ongoing secrecy from the actors, and it would allow the writers to bring people back as needed for flashbacks (a staple for this show).* Any of the recurring cast would be a fool not to want to come back to a show this popular, for a producer as prolific as JJ Abrams! If they do bring Ethan back I'm sure they'd keep William Mapother's name off of the guest lists to maintain the surprise until the show aired.

I did read a spoiler posted at Television Without Pity that said that in a radio interview back in February, JJ Abrams said that "William Mapother would be back even though Ethan was dead."* Haven't heard much about it since then so I can't swear to it's accuracy--who can with spoilers?

In my opinion the only way we'll see him again is in flashbacks, probably Charlie's or Claire's next season (but maybe in the upcoming finale if they flash back to the day of the crash on the island).*

FYI for anyone interested, William Mapother did a sci-fi pilot called "Threshold" for CBS that just received the green light for fall.* His part is recurring rather than regular, so his schedule would still presumably be wide open for guest returns (again, in flashbacks I think!).

I could be off on this, but I think that probably any of the recurring characters would sign contracts that are fairly open-ended for returns...


Isn't true in all cases.

And I have yet to see an ABC press release for LOST that had anyone with a speaking role in an episode omitted.

It also appears the he was in South Africa filming "Ask the Dust" when the final episodes of the season were filmed.

Isn't true in all cases.

And I have yet to see an ABC press release for LOST that had anyone with a speaking role in an episode omitted.

It also appears the he was in South Africa filming "Ask the Dust" when the final episodes of the season were filmed.



Well, nothing is true in all cases. We obviously won't know anything for sure until the eps air.

As for his availability during the filming period for the finale, all filming for ATD was completed well before Lost began filming the final episodes. Plus, WM's role in that was small, and I believe was filmed here in the States rather than in South Africa. He was shooting a pilot in March...that might've conflicted with Lost's schedule.

Let's re-watch...

One, they probably found the plane log in the cockpit...
Two, they clearly said he wasn't on the plain...
Three, we still don't know who this Alex person is...


Hmmm,
One - they didnt find the log in the cockpit, because Sawyer had it and the only people in the cockpit were Jack, Kate and Charlie
Two, Hurley said his name wasnt on the manifest. With this lot of folks whos to say anyone is using a real name
Three we sure do know who Alex is, its Danielles child (who now we know is a girl)

Ethan may not have been on the plane, but nothing you posted proves he was

I personally think that Ethan wasn't on the plane to begin with. I think that he may have been there on the island as long as Danielle. I was at the convention and some theories were going around that him and Danielle knew each other from a while back and may have been working together when it came to the disappearance of Claire and her attack.

Kel aka Ethan

I still am quite sure that Danielle had no idea that Ethan existed. Certainly not before she tells Sayid in Solitary that she has never seen anyone else on the island, that she has just heard them whispering.

If Danielle encountered Ethan at all, it may have been the night Claire escaped from him and the rest of the people who kidnapped her and Charlie. Although I think that Danielle ran across Claire in the jungle after she had escped, and when Danielle tried to help her, Claire, who was disoriented and without any memory of anything that had happened after the crash paniced and scratched Danielle.