LOST: Comic-Con 2008 Panel!!

Hey Losties! How's it going? Well we are about 2 months into the long hiatus and as usual we have an update from Comic-Con! I posted these video clips from Youtube yesterday, but also promised I'd fill in this blog with some more info after I digested them. These clips are just excerpts from the panel with Team Darlton (Exec Producers Damon Lindeloff and Carlton Cuse ). But they are highly entertaining, as always! I also posted some links below to articles from our most reliable entertainment news sites. Once the podcast is available, I'll add the link to it in this blog posting. Look for my thoughts after the information below!

8/1 Revised: Here's the link to the Podcast!

There is also a link to download it on iTunes there too. Also if you go to lost.abc.com they have a few new videos from Comic-Con including a better quality version of the Marvin Candle video, and an interview with Matthew Fox. Enjoy!

Video 1 of 4:



Video 2 of 4:



Video 3 of 4



Video 4 of 4




Marvin Candle DHARMA Video (added 7/28)




Articles about the panel:

Entertainment Weekly
TV Guide

Okay, so what did we learn from this year's comic-con?

• Locke and Jin will still be part of the cast in some form or another. They were very careful to tread lightly on the topic so that we didn't know who was alive or quite where/when or how the story would be taking place. They mentioned something like "dead is a relative term on this series." Funny how that's changed since season 1 hasn't it? When they said "when you're dead...you're dead!" Of course, I think what they mean is that even if you're dead, there are still flashbacks to be told, and ghostly appearances to happen. Plus whatever is going on with Christian Shephard on the Island as well as eventually ol' John Locke when he undoubtedly returns!
• Mr Eko's story arc was cut short because Adewale (the actor) was tired of Hawaii! My my how that story has changed over the years!
• Video 1 above was talking about the greatest episode of season 4 (possibly of the show) "The Constant" Dez's Time Travel crazy episode. They looked to establish new rules for time travel that haven't been in previous stories...main point they made as always - Flash Forwards are written in stone and can't be changed by meddling with the past. (sidenote: LOST received their Emmy Nod for BEST DRAMA based on submitting this episode! Well deserved!! Can't forget Michael Emerson's nod for his outstanding BEN performances this season!)
• Matthew Fox showed up as a surprise at Comic-Con but apparently didn't really contribute much to the panel. Hey, I guess after a box office bomb like Speed Racer, you need to go to events like this and get crazy applause to reassure yourself that you're not a failure!
• Lindeloff insists that the island did not move in the finale. (hmmmmm Joke? or hint?) (7/29 - After seeing part of the panel, I think this was in reference to the season 2 finale not season 4 finale, so my 7/29 revised section below).
• There is yet another Marvin Candle video that was shown at Comic-Con and this one seems to be moments before the purge. He admits his real name is Chang and a professor at Ann Arbor, Michigan. Based on the EW article, it seems ol' Chang does not survive the purge. But the reason for the video is to insist that the Island research was valid and insist that the DHARMA Initiative be reconstituted. hmmmmmmm (video is posted above)
• (7/28) Just watched the video. Woaaa...that stuff was intense. Candle makes references that people will not view this video for 30 years. Then he mentions the president will be George W. Bush and that there is something called the internet. He urges the reconsititution of the DHARMA initiative in order to go to the past and save them. huh? Also, I could've sworn Ben was a little older when the purge happened (translation: it wasn't the 70's). But I guess with the Time Travel stuff going on, it's tough to know when the Island was when Ben was the age he was during the purge! Craaaaazy!
• Rousseau's story will be told in season 5! (finally!!)
• Vincent will return in season 5 (and might possibly be the first confirmed to survive the entire series)
  
  

7/29

Oh man, for a brief moment this morning the full video of the comic-con panel was available and I posted on the blog. I got through parts 1 and 2 of 5 and was on part 3 and then they removed it all! I guess we'll have to wait for the podcast! Here's additional information I found out.

• Question: When the hatch imploded and the sky turned purple, did the island move through time then?
  Answer: No
  Gift: DHARMA brand bottle of water.
• Question: A local news station told me season 4 won't begin until february and that there are only 2 seasons left, is this true?
  Answer: Ummm yeah where have you been? We made that announcement in season 3!
  Gift: LOST Calendar (ba dum ching!!)
• Question: What are your favorite episodes and seasons?
  Carlton's Answer: Favorite episode - Season 4's "The Constant" Favorite Season - 1
  Damon's Answer: Favorite episode - Season 1 Finale (loved writing it) Loves seasons 1 and 4 but mentioned that fans that stuck with the show will be rewarded and hopes that if this question is asked again in years to come people will say Seasons 5 and 6 are their favorite. They have a lot of "cool" things planned, he says. (consider me psyched!)
  Gift: Eh I forget!
• Question: The guy told the producers "Shame on them" for tricking us in the Sun Flash Forward/Jin Flashback episode. But Congrats on season 4! Then asked about the Season 4 Promo with the cityscape underneath it.
  Answer: Carlton says we have been looking too much into it. The promotion meant to reflect that part of season 4's story would be told in the real world (the Oceanic 6)
  Gift: For slapping the producers around a bit, they gave the Questioner a Heroes Season 1 DVD. That's hysterical!
• Some of that DHARMA video made a little more sense too as the guy with the grey hair is a DHARMA Recruiter for the Octagon Global Recruiting Campaign. This was that commerical that was aired near the end of the season 4 finale. I'm guessing this will have something to do with the fall marketing internet campaign for the show to keep us occupied. He mentioned a website http://www.dharmawantsyou.com/ I haven't checked it out yet and am not sure if it's the same website we were given during the finale. (too lazy to look at my blog obviously!)

Stuff I've read lately, theories I've heard lately totally unrelated to Comic-Con

• I did read somewhere that Team Darlton stated something like season 5 deals with how the Oceanic 6 plan to get back to the island. But at the same time they stated that fans become restless if the core cast is separated for too long so they have factored this into their plan. Take that however you like!
• I posted a comment in the Finale blog about Christian Shephard and Charles Widmore. Apparently the actors John Terry and Alan Dale are signed on for recurring roles in season 5, but rumor has it that they are signed on for FULL-TIME in season 6. Hmmmmmm! I mean, that kinda makes sense based on how things are going right now. But it does leave a lot of room for questions doesn't it? And it also sets things up for a nice father/son reconciliation between Jack and Dad. And considering we know what happens when you've reconciled and fully redeemed yourself...does this mean that Jack will bite the big one in the end? Hmmmm I'm starting to think about this stuff as we're winding down. And right now I'm thinking in the end....Sawyer or Jack will sacrifice himself for the other's benefit allowing Kate to be with her True Love (whoever this ends up to be!). Sappy I know! But LOST does sappy pretty well!
• Okay, someone else told me about this idea...I'm not sure what I think of it. You know how in Kate's finale dream how the phone conversation says in reverse that the island needs them to come back and all? And then Claire hovering over Child says "Don't bring him back!!!" ? Well, she never actually mentions Aaron's name I don't think. She says "DO NOT BRING HIM BACK TO THE ISLAND!!!! DON'T YOU DARE!!!" (yep, I checked the trusty finale blog!) So theories are starting to go around that maybe Claire means John Locke (aka Jeremy Bentham)! I dunno, it seems like a stretch to me, but it could make sense! Who knows? It could mean Ben too! But considering she was hovering over her child and Kate said "get away from my son" I think it's safe to assume that she meant don't bring Aaron back. Still, fun to theorize isn't it?

Well, that's all I have for now, keep checking in though because if I find anything else out from Comic-Con, I'll be adding it to this post. I'll make sure to add a Revision Date to where I add information.

It's been awhile since everyone has chatted, so I'm interested to hear everyone's thoughts on the show as you've been in hibernation! Hope this helps fill the void of the long LOST OFF-SEASON! I'll be sure to post another blog after the next significant update is given to us. See you then and NAMASTE!