10 Lost Plotlines Completely Abandoned Despite the Show’s Careful Planning
A show built to resolve threads
Lost was often joked about as a series whose writers invented its story as they went. The account says the show planned its final three seasons in advance and frequently used flashbacks and flash-forwards to close storylines.
That attention to loose ends makes the abandoned ideas more noticeable. Walt, for instance, received a sendoff and returned in four successive seasons, so his story was not simply dropped.
Mystery brands with ordinary answers
In Season 2, survivors discover The Swan, a research station stocked with food. Most supplies carry the Dharma Initiative logo, but one candy bar is branded Apollo; the characters say they have never heard of it. They also find a record by Geronimo Jackson, a band Charlie says he does not know.
Later flashbacks show that both Apollo bars and Geronimo Jackson are familiar in civilization in the world of Lost. The account says the characters had no real reason to be surprised, suggesting the writers may have had plans for the items that they did not pursue.
Ethan’s strength and the Others
Ethan is revealed as an island native who had infiltrated the survivors’ camp. After being discovered, he defeats several people, carries two bodies into the jungle, returns unnoticed, and kills more survivors. It takes a group of armed men to make him surrender.
The later depiction of the Others does not match Ethan’s apparent fighting abilities. The show eventually explains that he was the only Other born on the Island; the only other people identified as Island-born are Jacob and the Man in Black, who also have powers.
Miles and the caves
Miles is first shown as a medium speaking with a ghost that appears to respond by moving objects. Later, the show establishes that he cannot converse with the dead: he can hear the last thoughts of people whose remains he finds. Flashbacks then portray this narrower ability as something he had used throughout his life.
The account calls the first scene a true retcon, arguing that it conflicts with the later explanation. It also describes the survivors’ short-lived move to a cave system, where they found water and shelter. After a supposed threat proves false, the groups return to the beach and do not live in the caves again.
Key points
- Lost planned its final three seasons in advance and often returned to earlier story details.
- Apollo bars and Geronimo Jackson were familiar in the show’s world, despite the survivors’ surprise.
- Ethan’s unusual abilities contrasted with the later portrayal of the Others.
- Miles’s first ghost scene conflicts with the narrower power explained later.