GROUP 6 ANALYSIS:
Group 6 was also designed to cost our contestants points but not quite as many as Group 7. The characters we’ve included in Group 6 seemed more likely to show up than those in Group 7 for one reason or another. Thanks to the Tailie-centric “The Other 48 Days” and Claire-centric “Maternity Leave,” Group 6 avoided total oblivion, finishing up with a combined -25 points. Is this indicative of how well they may do in Season 4? Probably not.
Either way, here’s my take on the likelihood of these characters being good or bad picks for the Fantasy League:
REMINDER: Do not post spoilers in the comments section. I have gone 90% spoiler-free during the hiatus and will not reveal anything that I know, so please do not let anything that you know slip. Let’s respect the fans that have gone 100% spoiler-free.
LIBBYRight around an even 39% of you included Libby on your Fantasy rosters and its understandable why. Damon and Carlton claimed way back at the end of Season 2 that they had hoped to tell Libby’s back-story but killed her off to add weight to Michael’s slaying of Ana-Lucia. They said for a while that they would hoped there was a way to tell her story through flashbacks of other characters.
Libby never emerged during Season 3 because actress Cynthia Watros was attached to a pilot that ultimately never got picked up. Watros was not attached to any pilots for the 2007-2008 TV season, so she may have had the flexibility to head to Hawaii and shoot a few cameos for Lost.
The largest mystery still surrounding Libby is her time in Santa Rosa with Hurley. If Hurley has a flashback this season, we may catch a glimpse of Libby and gain new insight as to why she was there, but she also appeared in Desmond’s Season 2 flashback, so she may pop up elsewhere. She did absurdly well in the Hiatus League but, because she’s dead, Libby certainly won’t show up in any flashforwards, which could limit her in potential appearances and points. Still though, she’s probably a safe bet for Season 4. Only time will tell.
CHARLES WIDMOREBig Bad British Dad is the father to Desmond’s long-lost love Penny. He has appeared in two of Desmond’s flashbacks already and proved to be a powerful element in each of them. Any new flashbacks for Desmond could include Widmore, but he could just as easily appear in a Desmond flashforward. If Penny and Des are reunited, you can bet that he’ll have something to say about it.
Another enticing reason to include Widmore in the Fantasy League is the rampant fan speculation of how he and his company may be involved with DHARMA and the Hanso Foundation. He may also have ties with Mr. Paik’s company and possibly the people on the freighter. If the freighter was not sent by Penny, how did they acquire a picture of her and Desmond? These are questions only time will answer.
Because of both of these enticing possibilities, Widmore is a real wildcard, with potential for appearing in the past, present and future of Lost’s timeline. If he’s anything like his products, he’ll be popping up with some frequency from here on out. If he does show up more than once, he’ll be a big boost for the 504 (21.26%) of contestants that selected him.
ETHAN ROMAh the Duke of Disturbing! I feel that Ethan is probably the safest character in Group 6 to have on your team. As actor William Mapother states on the Season 3 DVD, he has appeared in more episodes via flashbacks than before his character was killed in Season 1. With nine appearances over three seasons and the fact that Mapother enjoys coming back and filming cameos, I think Ethan is a sure thing for Season 4.
Like Libby, the deceased Ethan won’t be show up in flashforwards (unless we ever get that zombie season that is), but he’s got a strong connection to the Others. If Ben has more flashbacks covering the time between the Purge and the crash of Flight 815, Ethan is almost guaranteed to show up. His back-story has been filled out a little bit through flashbacks, but I think there’s room to grow. What would background on the Others be without good ole Ethan?
As I said, Ethan is probably the safest pick from this group, but only around 19% of you picked him up. I guess this means that 81% of Lost fans like to live dangerously, which I think will prove costly for you once Season 4 is all said and done. Ethan’s appearance could be a difference maker, since he’ll always be picking up points for appearing in someone else’s flashback.
MS. HAWKINGHer only appearance thus far on Lost was a brief one, but people can’t stop talking about Ms. Hawking. Desmond’s time-bending flashback raised many questions and brought the fringe discussion of alternate timelines to the forefront of most forums. What did this episode, and Ms. Hawking specifically, mean to the series? No one has a clear answer yet.
Damon and Carlton said a while back that we would see her again at some point, explaining her appearance her in the Fantasy League. But will we see her this season? Were they even serious about her coming back? While Desmond is still a relatively fresh character, I don’t think we can count on Hawking to appear in any Desmond-centric episodes. If he has more than one episode, maybe it’s a possibility, but with the reduced number of episodes, I don’t know how likely it is that anybody gets doubled up in Season 4.
I was one of the roughly 16% of contestants to pick Hawking, thinking she could be an integral part to Desmond’s story here on out. Now, however, I regret my decision. I think Hawking was the red herring of Group 6 and it can only mean disappointment for those of us who picked her. All we can do is hope she turns up in other characters’ episodes.
RACHEL CARLSONInitially, I didn’t think people were giving Rachel the credit she deserved. Appearing on less than 5% of fantasy rosters, it seemed like people were overlooking the fact that Rachel would be an important part of any potential Juliet flashforward. Further Juliet flashbacks would likely have been on-Island experiences, but Juliet’s devotion to getting back to her sister would have had her in a prime position for points in a flashforward. Juliet would undoubtedly want to catch up and see her miracle-nephew.
Since her initial dissing by LFL contestants, it seems to have been a wise choice to pick anyone else in Group 6. The actress playing Rachel, Robin Weigert, is currently on the NBC show “Life,” which was recently picked up for a full season. I don’t know how significant her character is on the show, but the major networks aren’t typically fond of sharing.
So it would seem that Rachel is going to be a bust for the Fantasy League, but I have learned to never say never with Lost. Rachel need not show up in just a Juliet episode though. She could appear in anyone’s flashforward, maybe asking about her sister. This of course would require her to find out that Flight 815 crashed on the same place her sister disappeared to. Although an unlikely player, an appearance by Rachel could be a huge spoiler for most of the League that counted her out and, depending on how many points she would earn, a huge boost to those few who dared to include her.
