I have a feeling Jack might be done for.

[AceOfDiamonds]

Rumor has it that Episode 20 will star Jack and give more of his backstory.

Doesn't this strike anyone as a little...odd?

If the rumors are correct, Jack is getting his third episode right after characters like Jin and Hurley experience their first episodes. Shannon, for the record, would not even have had an episode to herself by the time Jack's had three. For that matter, a vast majority of the cast hasn't had a second episode -- even some of the higher-ranking members, like Sayid.

My theory is that this all (albiet indirectly) points to Jack getting the axe. The creators of Lost aren't going to kill off a character they haven't fully fleshed out yet. I'd practically guarentee that Sayid and Shannon are off the hook, because their backstories have barely even been touched by a ten-foot pole.

I would be very uncomfortable if I were a Jack fan (fortunately, I'm not). Not only is Jack getting a third episode so unnaturally quickly, but there's also precious few elements of his flashback that are 'left out' or are still 'mysterious'. Characters like Locke, Sawyer and Kate still have a lot of secrets, but even Jack's flashbacks have revealed precious little 'special' about him. My feeling is that the good doctor gets the axe in the season finale.

[jjabramizeme]

i'm kinda feeling the opposite way. like it might one of the characters we know LESS about and are therefore (presumably) less attached to.

my prediction is that it is Jin. and that he is killed by Sawyer or Michael.

[Wynter Zera]

Yes. I've been saying for a long time that Jack is highly likely to get killed. I also found it odd that he and Kate got second stories SOOOO soon. As in before others got their first episodes. To me it's a red flag. This third episode confirms it. This season is going to be 22 episodes long from what I hear.

[futureidol]

I think Jack Shephard is considered the central character of LOST, which may explain his having more episodes than other characters. I wouldn't be so flippant about his past, as he may have more secrets than meet the eye. I just don't think they could kill off "the leader" or "shepherd" of the group.

[Wynter Zera]

Actually he said that Locke was central to. I think JJ is adopting the "one character one season" philosophy. And lots of shows have started killing major characters (thank God! I'm so sick of the total unrealism of everyone making it through everything. Death is a powerful uniter and upon reflection, I've noticed character death can create powerful fans. Happily ever after doesn’t exist in RL.) Remeber, JJ said not to get attached to ANYONE. There is no character so central they can't be sacraficed.

[drabauer]

I am fascinating that so many of you think that the guy with the most screentime might get the axe. Would this be just to leave a gaping emotional hole? It doesn't seem to be wise in terms of ratings. That said, I had thought Jack might get it because he was originally slated to go early, and they didn't have a long-term arc for him (not that they couldn't create one; I believe they might have had some 'generic' character arcs that they could fit to the characters they felt grew into them).

That said, I think a third episode might be a "connector": one that shows how the character met or relates to someone else. We could be moving from flashbacks in isolation to flashbacks that unite characters.

[futureidol]

Jack is the glue of the show, the uniter, the peace maker, the leader! Would it be smart for the writers to kill him off? No way! It would be shocking, but that's about it... Without Jack the social structure on the island would disintegrate. I think a lot of fans would be turned off as well. And doesn't Matthew Fox have a contract for a few years (usually five) anyway? Plus there is a lot about the character and his storyline that is unexplained: we still don't know why Jack can see and hear things others can't. What's up with his dad? And why was he so far away from the other castaways in the pilot? Not to mention his blossoming relationship with Kate, which probably hooked a lot of female viewers. I guess I'd bet money on Jack's not getting axed, but I also would have bet money that Shannon and Boone were just siblings... so you never know!

[Isitwednesdayyet]

I don't think Jack will die just yet. They are building up the Jack-Kate-Sawyer triangle too much to kill him off just yet.
As far as who does the killing...wouldn't it be shocking if SUN killed JIN? Or anyone for that matter?

[Kastor Brightstaff]

If you remember, JJ Abrams said that the original plan was to kill Jack off in the pilot episode, but because Matthew Fox did such a good job and made the guy so likable they decided to keep him around.

However, in interviews with Abrams and Lindelof, they stated that there was an idea for the first episode that they decided to hold off until the end of the season. I think that idea was killing Jack off.

[tavella]

If you remember, JJ Abrams said that the original plan was to kill Jack off in the pilot episode, but because Matthew Fox did such a good job and made the guy so likable they decided to keep him around.

No, I don't remember, because Fox was cast well after the decision to not kill off Jack. He's indeed a likeable actor, but charming or not, it wasn't him that changed that storyline.

[Sunny]

I dont think it will be Jack who gets Killed, because then if people get hurt, everyone else in medically untrained, so if people get hurt the other survivors wont know how to fix their injuries properly, and then everyone else would die and we wouldnt have a show...my bets are on MICAEL or LOCKE, Michael because i just dont see much point to him, and it would be interesting if Walt was left fatherless...And for Locke, im hoping he doesnt die cuz i like him quite a bit, but it would be really interesting if he did die because then the other survivors would (and could) have to figure out how to do the hunting on their own...that could create some good storylines

[Cassis1]

Remember, JJ said not to get attached to ANYONE. There is no character so central they can't be sacrificed.

What JJ says and what JJ does are two different things. I'm still not convinced that anyone is going to be killed off permanently.

However, I think that Jack's third flashback is overkill but doesn't necessarily mean anything about his fate. I'll bet that Kate gets a third ep too (talk about overkill), because they are the show's two central characters.

I'm much more worried about Sayid than about Jack.

[elfdream]

There are polar bears on tropical island but we must have a character die to make it more 'realistic'?:rolleyes

[Celtic Ceilidh]

Killing off a major character makes a big shift in the direction of the story lines. Why do you think JJ would make that statement in the first place? Why not just do it and make it a big surprise to everyone? I think we need to examine why they want us to know a character is going to die. What are the producers' motivations behind that?

[Wynter Zera]

I really think the idea they have with getting rid of characters is so they can develop lesser characters. This is the scenario JJ has laid out when he talked about two characters going into the forest a major and a minor, but only the lesser one comes back. It seems pretty obvious that some of our MAJOR, major characters will die, i.e. those with the most screen time.

As for Jack being the glue, who better to kill to create conflict and plot lines?

Also I wonder, did MF get the award for his acting this season because JJ told them he wouldn't be back?

My votes for main who dies:
1. Jack
2. Sayid

[Hodgepodge]

Wynter Zera says:
My votes for main who dies:
1. Jack
WZ, there's no way its going to be Jack, if anyone. Jack is the male S.T.A.R. of the series. He's the first name you see when they start rolling the cast names. He's just won an award for acting in the series. That would be like JJ killing off Sidney Bristow from Alias. It ain't going to happen!

[deelsee7]

Why do we love this show so much? Because it's DIFFERENT. Because we can't figure out what's going to happen next. Because just as we think we have a character figured out, we find out they are really something else. This show doesn't play by the usual TV rules. We can't ASSUME anything.

As to Jack not getting killed because he's the doctor/leader, that depends a great deal on what they find in the hatch, who the 'Others' are, etc. May be there's a complete 'sick bay' down there, another physician(s), etc. Sure, Jack's the 'shepherd' now, but he's not really very good at keeping his 'flock' together and protecting it from the 'wolves', now is he?

And as to the Jack/Kate/Sawyer triangle, it would be easy to add a little melodrama by having Kate fall for Jack, so that when Jack dies, she's too mournful about his death to turn to Sawyer, or maybe she does. Either way, good melodrama.

And as to killing off a major character... can you think of anything else as likely to attract attention from the media and the fans?

If I had to guess right now, I'd agree that Jack is a likely target.

And I read somewhere (too many sites, too little grey matter) that ABC has ordered a 23rd episode to round out the season.

[DontWannaBLost]

I'm leaning toward Claire as my pick to be off'd...

I heard Emilie (Claire) doesn't have a contract, not that that should be an indicator if she will be around after the first season.

I pick Claire because her elimination from the island offers so many story options:
1) If she's still pregnant, what WILL her baby turn out like if SHE doesn't raise it as instructed by the fortune teller?! I can imagine crazy horror scenes with polar bears and a negligent Walt as the babysitter (earning $20K a day from Hurley)...or on a less gruesome note, we could see someone like Sun shine (pun intended) as a nurturing caregiver
2) Or if she's still pregnant, she could die in child birth...leaving Charlie heartbroken and a myriad of possibilities about what happens to the baby...the baby could also die during birth, given their lack of medical supplies on the island
3) If she returns and isn't pregnant (by natural causes), she could fall into a horrible depression that even Charlie's love can't save her from...ending in any one of a variety of revealing suicide/funeral/mourning scenes
4) If her baby was stolen by Ethan/the others, she could spend all of her time in a relentless search for the child or could even be re-abducted by Ethan to raise the babe...either way she could be gone for a couple of seasons and then come back when the baby is at a more interesting age for a character. There's no room for Olsen twins wearing pigtails and asking for "ouce-cream" on Lost!

That being said, I don't think any "central" character is too important to fade into the depths of the jungle for awhile, including Jack.

[xLegenDx]

to confirm thise to people - Sayid was a bearer of the body (TIVO and recorded, im sure of this) and Jack wasnt...does this not strike anyone as odd that a main character like Jack wouldnt be carrying the body, yet Boone would be? Unless he was just hurt from the fight and couldnt...Kate also looked extremely sorrowful, not sure if that scene was before or after the death, but im willing to bet it was after...therefore, my votes go to
1. Jack
2. Sawyer
3. Ethan
Out of what we have seen so far, im willing to be the creators will do anything
And notice, the flashbacks per episode generally focus around the center of attention at the end of the episode

[hppydppy1]

i feel all of the characters have crossed paths before the crash, we have seen sawyer in the police station with boone there. so there may be a connection between jack and all of them. possibly medical? and jack's dad's body is gone! i don't feel he is the one. i stil think it is rose or ethan, but ethan is such a mystery, he may be key to the plot. but, then, the ethan story may be settled this season, and jack's dad's body and the baby will be for next season. claire's quest to find it. and i think danielle will be in it more. or perhaps SHE is killed?
naaaaaaah. i still have a gut feeling ethan is alex, and ethan will be around. the plot thickens. hey, j.j.! can i be hired as a writer? pm me....i am very abstract and complex! i got this "lost horizon-village-dogville" thing goin in my head.

[J C Tenney]

Hi. Don't post often, mostly lurk, but hope it's okay that I jump in here.

About Jack...NOOOO! He can't die!

Ahem. Ummmm, what I meant to say was...Sure, logically, it would be a real mind bender if a central character like Jack were killed. But what would be the emmotional impact of that death?

See, I think if someone major is going to be killed off, that death had better serve a higher purpose than shock value. So, I'm guessing the death will be the result of some character development. Now Jack is one of the few truly selfless characters on the show. If, for example, he sacrificed himself to save Claire from Ethan, it would be exactly what we'd expect Jack to do. He's all about looking out for the other castaways. The death would feel hollow and unecessary to the character development. On the other hand, if someone who has been portrayed to be self centered and an outcast, like Saywer, sacrificed himself to save Claire, THAT would pack an emmotional wallop. It would be shocking and yet also serve to make a final statement about Sawyer, ie that he had that kind of sacrificial heroic gesture inside of himself after all. Orrrr you could take a character who had seemed to be going down the right path and turn him, making his death a tragic fall from grace. Boone would be a good example of that kind of death. Locke assumes that he has helped Boone make peace with Shannon, but what if that little vision quest actually took his obsession and turned it into something even uglier? What if Boone looses it and attacks Shannon, and Sayid jumps in to save her and kills Boone? That would change the relationship between Sayid and Shannon forever. It would also be tragic for Boone, as we find out that his demons ran deeper than even he realized, and our first hard evidence that Locke's island magic is NOT as beautiful as he claims. AND it would especially be earth shattering for Locke who's confidence in his "higher purpose" would be shaken by failing Boone.

(Don't mind me...I'm just trying to assuage the fears of my inner Jack fan.)

[FWC2210]

Hey, I've been reading the board for a while but new to posting, just wanted to say regardless of what happens I think you have some pretty good ideas. Original. And I would really like your Boone senario if they have to kill off a major character because I would miss him least.But I have no idea what will happen and I'm really dying to see.

[drabauer]

Just a clarification. The writers have indicating that a minor character likely dies next week. One of the core 14 is supposed to bite it at the end of the season; that is why they can state, as of Jan 30, that the victim has no idea who he/she is.

[Wynter Zera]

The quote of death...>

DL: J.J. and I decided to have 48 people survive because we wanted to stock the show with as many possible story avenues as possible. As I recall, the network tried to talk us out of it.
Greatest thing about the "other" castaways is that they can come forward for an episode, then melt back into the chorus. The popular thinking that their function is purely to be Red Shirts is grossly mistaken. In FACT...
We've always loved the idea that one of our series regs goes traipsing off into the jungle with one of the castaways we've never seen before. The audience is thinking the poor yahoo with one line is gonna die a gruesome and horrible death, but then it's the REGULAR who gets wiped out. It will be done. Watch and see.

[tavella]

Also I wonder, did MF get the award for his acting this season because JJ told them he wouldn't be back?

(rolls her eyes) I know you are kind of obsessed in wishing for Jack's death, Wynter Zera, but get real. Abrams didn't even tell the cast until last week who was going to die. You think that while keeping them in ignorance he went out and told the International Press Assocation? And they mysteriously, despite being, y'know, journalists, kept it a secret?

Sheesh. I suppose you were tempted by the twofer of wishing Jack dead and turning the award into a mere pity gift, but don't be stupid.

[Wynter Zera]

Maybe that is a little bit of a stretch, but it wouldn't be the first time someone got an award earlier than they might have otherwise because the folks giving it out were told ahead of time that this actor wasn't going to be there longer. BTW, I'm not saying he didn't deserve it. MF is a great actor, I just question the timing.