Will the season finale see a baby born?

[mnemosyne23]

Hey, everyone! I'm not sure if this should go in the Claire board, but it seems more like a theory than strict character discussion, so I brought it here instead.

Anyhoo, here's my question: do you think Claire will have her baby in the season finale? In the Pilot, remember, when Jack asked her how far along she was, she said "almost eight months." That "almost" is important, I think, since the first season is supposed to take place over approximately 44 days (from TV GUIDE: ...(P)roducers say each episode will only represent a day or two, which means that even if 22 episodes air this season, a maximum of 44 days would have elapsed by the Lost clock.)

If we assume that Claire has a little over a month to go until she gives birth, and the average month is 30 days long, then 44 days would be right on the money for her due date. A birth would also be a powerful metaphor for life beginning on the island, just as life has begun AGAIN for a lot of the survivors (Locke's miraculous recovery, Kate's respite from the law, Charlie's eventual sobriety, etc). So I wouldn't be at all surprised if the season finale sees Claire going into labor and having her baby.

The only question then becomes, does she survive the birth? All I can say is, PLEASE OH DEAR GOD PLEASE YES. I don't think I could bear it if Claire died. She's such a refreshingly sunny character amongst the yummily angst-ridden ones. LOL! She and Hurley are the rays of sunshine that are SO necessary on a show like this. Which isn't to say they don't have their own demons, which we're bound to learn about as the show progresses. But even if they DO have skeletons in their closets, they do a darn good job of hiding them and making life a little more bearable for everyone else!


:D M

[JacksGirlfriend]

I agree with you about Claire and Hurley - both people that would increase the quality of your life. I think Claire will definitely go into labor at the season finale - but we may have to wait until next year to see the results. In fact, I can see them putting her into jeopardy just to wreck our entire summer.

I'm hoping things go well but I think there's a chance we could lose the baby - if nothing else but to remind everyone how tenuous life really is and how lucky they are to be alive.

JacksGirl

[mnemosyne23]

That would be a WICKED cliffhanger. Which means that's exactly what's going to happen. LOL! Evil writers. ;)

That's very true, what you say about Claire possibly losing the baby. Which would actually add a much darker dimension to her character as she tries to work through the depression. I would be very, VERY sad if she were to lose the baby -- simply because that kind of loss is hard to take be it fictional or real life -- but on the other hand, I would be interested to see how Claire and the others would cope with such a powerful blow to their tenuous stability.


:) M

[JacksGirlfriend]

We must have as much angst as possible. That's a rule. And, God forbid, we have anyone actually happy.

JacksGirl

[Baron X]

On TV people don't lose babies that far along, not even on soap operas. Way Way too depressing. Would have to be some very confident, yet twisted, writers.

If they do, I am going to need their addresses.

[Iphigenia W]

*On TV people don't lose babies that far along, not even on soap operas. Way Way too depressing. Would have to be some very confident, yet twisted, writers.*

Ok, let the baby live... but have Claire die. Now that would be a real shocking season ender.

[mnemosyne23]

JacksGirlfriend: Yes, angst is the RULE. Especially on this show. Which is why I'm almost certain Locke is going to die. He's too. Fricking. HAPPY. LOL! How sick and twisted a theory is that? ;)

Baron X: I know exactly what you mean! But I think it's a very good possibility that the baby could be stillborn, or that something could happen to make Claire go into labor prematurely (a bad fall or something else serious) that could injure or (God forbid) kill the baby in utero.

Oh man, I'm getting really, REALLY depressed just thinking about it. Our dear, sweet, happy Claire and her dear, sweet, happy little baby. *biting lip* Please oh PLEASE let everything go well! It would be nice to have an uplifting season finale. Nothing like Simba being raised to the sun or anything, but just something to send us out on a ray of hope for the next season. Of course, this goes against the rule of "Nobody is allowed to be happy." Which means AHHH.

-M

[Lothiriel of Rohan]

Let's hope Claire does not die. Maybe it will be a cliff hanger whether she survives. Do you think the writers would do that to us? Unbearable...(*sniffle*)

[lostcalier]

I'm not sure if the birth episode will wait till the season finale. If everyone is right and Claire's episode is indeed "Raised by Another" then I would bet we'll see the baby born then. The title would seem to be hinting at something to that nature. However, I would be very happy if they did wait to the season finale because then, as has been mentioned here already, Claire would live through the season. The unfortunate thing is most pregnancies don't go the full 9 months due to either complications, not having an accurate date for conception, or stress (which Claire and everyone else on that island is under a considerable amount of).

The only thing that I think we have going for us Claire fans is Emile de Ravin was one of the last original cast members brought on as a regular character. They don't negotiate contracts for characters that are going to die in 10 episodes or less. There are actually rules in Broadcasting that dictate how many episodes a person has to be in to be listed as a regular character versus a recurring character.

Let's all hope for the best and brace for the worst.

[mnemosyne23]

Lothiriel of Rohan: *hugs* I'm with you, chica. *sniffle*

lostcalier: Thanks for sharing that info about broadcast rules. It puts my mind slightly more at ease, if not completely content. I'm still worrying, if only because my favorite characters ALWAYS seem to die or disappear. I guess that's what I get for having Sean Bean as a favorite actor -- I think the man is killed in about 50% of his roles, if not more. LOL!

As for the pregnancy not going 9 months... While I agree it's the truth in real life, this is a fictional world, and occasionally the truth gets played with to service the story (like Jack's father's coffin being allowed on the plane despite the lack of proper documentation -- ABSOLUTLY UNACCEPTABLE, especially considering the strict security measures Stateside since 9/11. I'm not saying they aren't broken, but something the size of a coffin being allowed on a plane without proper ID? Someone would swing for that). So while it would be nice for the writer's to acknowledge the truths of pregnancy, I really think they'd go more with the generally accepted idea that pregnancy = 9 months. The audience at large understands that to be the truth, even if many more knowledgeable people realize it's just a generalization. :)

And I just can't believe Claire would have her baby as early as episode 10. That's barely halfway into the season yet! Not quite jumping the shark, maybe, but definitely not something I see them broadcasting during the holiday doldrums. I see the baby being born during a sweeps period -- November, February or May (ie, the season finale). December is just too fickle.

*chortle* You've gotta love TV. I'm rescheduling Claire's delivery date to coincide with SWEEPS. LOL!


-M

[16L43]

Pardon me while I say this--

"NO freakin' cliffhangers!"

The cliffhanger is a tired, hoary, device that's waaayyy overused in science fiction Tv. I'm hoping, with the number of bright people in charge of "Lost" that the cliffhanger will be consigned to the scrap heap, where it [truthfully] belongs...

(Nothing turns me off a series faster than a cliffhanger; I've always felt it was a lazy way of building drama, an "Oh look, aren't we so clever, peeing all over our loyal fans by making them wait 4 months to see the answer to some contrived plot device!")

As for Claire and the baby, I hope both are around for the duration. I like the poor girl!:D

[mnemosyne23]

16L43: LOL! *high five!* Cliffhangers kill me. I can't tell you how many summers I sweated through, waiting to see what would happen next on "Buffy" or "Angel" or "X-Files." Oy! But at the same time, it was a GOOD pain; an excited pain. Maybe I'm a masochist. ;) LOL!

The main reason I DO think the finale will be a cliffhanger, though, is because the whole SHOW is a cliffhanger. There aren't any tidy ends neatly tied off in happy knots; at least not yet. So while it might not be a cliffhanger in the generally accepted notion, it might be a cliffhanger like any other episode of Lost: a whole bunch of fresh, infuriating questions raised, with absolutely no answers. Which is almost as hard to handle. LOL!


:D M

[Baron X]

But if they kill the baby before birth they will have to deal with getting it out and what not. If they kill the baby afterwards it would deal them and us a blow we might not wait around for to see how they recover.

I'm not for it, but I could see them killing Claire before I could see them killing the baby. Of course that brings up a whole mess of improvising on how to feed the baby. Too messy, too real life, too domestic. Hope they won't do it.

[mnemosyne23]

I really, REALLY hope you're right, Baron X, because then there's a very good chance Claire AND the baby will live. Hope you don't mind if I hang up my hat in your camp!


:D M

[Baron X]

Plenty of room.:)

[16L43]

M--What killed cliffhangers for me was an ABC cop series called "High Incident". After the first year, the producers made cast changes to "sex it up" a bit and the series wasn't anywhere near as good. After only a few episodes in the second season and lousy ratings, everyone knew the writing was on the wall. What did the powers-that-be do, knowing the series was [more than likely] going to be cancelled? Do a knock-down drag out, shoot 'em up, where some of the best liked characters were shot and near death as a CLIFFHANGER! It was a cynical, up-thrust middle finger to those of us who liked the show and one I haven't forgottten.

Death to cliffhangers!

[Baron X]

I hate shows the leave you hanging and then get cancelled.>: Bastards.

[Baron X]

VR5, Strange Luck, Space 1999, and my least favorite, leave me hanging Space:Above and Beyond.

[PlaneJane22]

OMG! Someone else who remembers S:AAB, I actually liked that show quite a bit.

Anyway, I think it was mentioned in another thread that if they kill Claire, it's very likely the baby won't survive.

Also, I'm pretty sure the show creators are aware of fan sentiments and even if they were THINKING of killing Claire, may change their mind. I think it would be interesting to keep the baby on the show and see how a child raised on the island grows up.

As for cliff hangers, meh. Sometimes, if they're really well executed, I like them. The only one I can think of that I quite liked was the end of Buffy season 5, which was only sort of a cliff hanger and the who shot Mr. Burns on the Simpsons (oooh and that Star Trek TNG where Picard joined the Borg). Mostly I hate them. But they do tend to produce a lot of good fanfiction. And the other problem with a cliffhanger is that if it's a great cliffhanger, the season premiere can rarely live up to it.

[Enchirito]

But at the same time, it was a GOOD pain; an excited pain. Maybe I'm a masochist. ;) LOL!
wow that was funny :lol

And the other problem with a cliffhanger is that if it's a great cliffhanger, the season premiere can rarely live up to it.
Agreed. A premiere can never match the hype after all that waiting.

[Baron X]

Writers always feel the need to out do themselves, even if we don't need or want them to. Cliffhangers get more and more absurd as seasons go on. Perfect example: X-Files. They kept getting bigger and bigger, they got to be absurd, as they were building up to the cliffhanger 3 and 4 shows before the end of the season, I was thinking 'How are they ever going to be able to go back to regular shows? Scully is wanted by the Feds, you don't just get your job back once you are on the run'

Yes cliffhangers are rarely done right. Movie sequels usually suck too. Usually. For some reason they think if they put in 30% more explosions than the previous movie it will automatically be a hit.

[AilaAolani]

ok was space above and beyond the one where they were at war over colonies or something and the have clones called "tank" or something like that?

[Baron X]

Yup.

[LostIslander]

This is a little 'out there,' but here goes.

We've all read the threads on these boards regarding the island's healing powers, etc. And the island won't be giving up its 'what's in the bushes?' secret anytime soon. Soooo...

One clean, everyone-wins solution, assuming that whatever IT is has purposely been helping out certain survivors, would be to have her go into labor and have something go wrong- basically to have either Claire or the baby (almost or completely) die. Then IT saves them both. If the writers want a subtle cliffhanger, they could have the tragedy happen at the end of the last episode (prompting us all to react to that as Claire's finale), then start the first episode right where it left off and throw everyone for a loop as the character who we all mourned for months is really back for another season, with a baby to boot. Of course that's all just based on the idea that whatever is on the island is helpful (but then look at Locke and Jack), but I would love to see something along these lines. We can't lose Claire, or her baby! They can't do that to us.

[Baron X]

LI, we will see. Half the fun is waiting to see who is going to be right, almost right and just plain out of their minds wrong.

Happy Posting.

[kat]

Pregnancy doesn't actually = 9 months... Pregnancy is 40 weeks, though a baby is considered full term between 36 and 42 weeks. "Almost 8 months pregnant" means she's almost 32 weeks pregnant because you're considered 8 months pregnant from 32 weeks - 36 weeks. You're actually 9 months pregnant, the whole last 4 weeks.

So, 32 weeks + 44 days would still put her 2 weeks short of her due date.

I have all this useless knowledge because I have a 1 year old. :)

[deelsee7]

Hi, I'm new here. Found this site a few days ago, since Lost is my newest fixation, and I am loving the speculation here!

I'm afraid that I think Claire's days are numbered. Think about the title of 'her' episode... Raised by Another. That implies a child being raised by someone other than his/her parent(s). Since Walt's the only child we've met - so far ;) - then there must be another child, and since Claire's ready to provide one...

Of course, they might just be torturing us with misleading titles...

Or it could be one of the adults who was adopted as a child...

But Claire IS sick, or exhausted, or something...

I hope I'm wrong; Claire IS a ray of sunshine. I haven't been this involved in and by a TV show since Babylon 5! Well, Alias... And Firefly...

Again, great site!

[honerbright]

I'm afraid that I think Claire's days are numbered. Think about the title of 'her' episode... Raised by Another. That implies a child being raised by someone other than his/her parent(s).
What if Claire herself was adopted?
and when you think about it, the title is usually a sentance/word used in the episode (at least for white rabbit & Walkabout, in Tabula Rasa they talked about the meaning for the word)

[joolie78]

Consider this: what are the odds for a newborn to survive in those conditions if its mother is dead? What would they feed it? Even if Jin takes over its care, she won't be able to breast feed. For that reason, I think the writers will either let both mom and baby live, or kill both of them off.

Here's a hint: I got a peek at the public relations material put out by the show. Every actor had a full page of past credits, personal info, ect., except the actress playing Claire. Does that mean that she'll be killed off soon? Seem likely.

[killbuckner]

My out of left field theory so that just in case it turns out to be true I can point back here and look like I am really smart. Claire gives birth to a health baby. The baby is claire's purpose. But then Claire dies unexpectedly. Then for no medical reason that jack can determine, the baby dies as well. Once claire is gone, the thing she wanted most is no longer necessary and there is nothing jack can do to save the kid's life. Maybe it will even be a case where there are complications during the pregnancy but jack pulls them both though, then during the night they both inexplicably die. Just a random theory to throw out there.

[Baron X]

uh.....Jin is a dude. But you are right he will not be able to breast feed.

[Enchirito]

^^^ :lol

[Master Xander]

Saving this thread from death.