Group 6 is filled with living and dead characters who have either been involved in the story recently or have shown a knack for making appearances every now and then. We feel that these folk are more likely than Group 7 to show up either at all or on a more constant basis. I'm not going to lie to you- I was very surprised at how this group broke down.
Once again, I'll be comparing these characters' chances given either the Whatever Happened, Happened scenario or the Reboot scenario. Group 6 isn't as split between these scenarios so it will be very interesting to see how our Fantasy Teams balance out when we find out which scenario turns out to be right in Season 6.
From most popular to least popular, here is Group 6...
SMOKE MONSTER
I don't get it. I really don't get it at all. Roughly 48% of you picked the Smoke Monster for your Fantasy Teams, making it the second most popular League Character in the Season 6 LFL. Have you all forgotten that Smokey mostly goes around hurting and killing people?
Whatever Happened, Happened: If Smokey can behave itself, it will benefit from this scenario more because it will mean the story stays on the Island. Smokey has only shown up one or two times each season, so we might see it a few more times than that when it comes down to learning just what the heck it is.
Reboot: This will reduce Smokey's points potential quite a bit. So far we've seen Island Visions occurring off-Island but we don't know with any certainty if they were Smokey. If Smokey can't travel off-Island, a reboot will do nothing but hold you back.
Grade: Bad. I'm sure Smokey will pop up, but given its track record, he is apt to lose you most or all of the points he could otherwise earn if he does his killing thing. Just pray he doesn't kill anybody during a double-points episode.
PIERRE CHANG
Good old Marvin Candle strikes me as one of the best bets in Group 6. I think he has some potential in either scenario. About 26% of you saw the same logic in selecting him. He lost points in Season 4 but had a very respectable score in Season 5, finishing with 235 points. That was more than even Desmond pulled together!
WHH: This scenario does Chang the most good. If we get the WHH, then we'll see the aftermath from The Incident. Chang will be there and need help as his hand was crushed in the Season 5 finale. WHH also opens up some of the DHARMA point categories for Chang- logos and locations. He already sent his wife away, so he doesn't have much hope for romance points but he could score big if the chaos at the Swan leads to discussion of the Numbers.
Reboot: This still allows for Chang to show up, albeit on a limited basis. A reboot won't undo the fact that DHARMA existed and someone might find a few of those old tapes he made. This won't get him many points but he may also survive the blast and somehow get off the Island. Who knows.
Grade: Good. Maybe I'm too optimistic and blockheaded about my belief in WHH but I think Chang has a solid shot at earn a fair amount of points this year. I doubt he'll perform as well as last year but I could see him gaining 50-100 points given the right circumstances.
STUART RADZINSKY
This is another headscratcher for me. Radzinsky has potential for both positive and negative points. Once again, his performance will be tied directly to the scenario that the producers have planned for us. Nine percent of you were willing to risk it though.
WHH: This bodes well for Radzinsky. We could see him after The Incident and possibly even forced into the Swan to push the Numbers. That will be the biggest boost for Stu. On the other hand, he's a bit of a hothead and seems more likely to try and pick a fight. His anger might get a few points docked here and there and keep in mind- we do know that he dies. If that is showed or implied, it will not only be lights out for Radzinsky but lights out for your scores.
Reboot: A reboot will all but kill Radzinsky's chances of getting points. If the bomb stopped The Incident, then thre won't be need for the Swan hatch. This will take away any shot at Numbers points Radzinsky has.
Grade: Shaky at best. It was cool to see Radzinsky during Season 5 but he doesn't strike me as a character that will bring in many points. Had we scored him in Season 5, he probably would have ended up in the negative after all the shooting and beating he did.
HORACE GOODSPEED
The top dog in Dharmaville owned his group last season but that's because he was in a group full of known dead charcters. Lucky for him the show flashed back to the 70s when he was alive. This year, I doubt Horace will get as much play and will probably hit just a handful of point categories. That could be trouble for the roughly 5% who picked him.
WHH: Horace will clearly gain the most from this scenario. If we get to see any fallout from The Incident, we'll see Horace. He did survive until the Purge after all. This opens him up to all of the DHARMA points that helped him out last season.
Reboot: This will all but kill Horace's chances at scoring well because DHARMA simply won't be important to the story.
Grade: Shaky. I want to give Horace a stronger grade but that spawns from my beliefe in WHH. Objectively, Horace is a risky move because he's likely an either or character. He'll either do well or he won't be a factor at all.
ETHAN ROM
Ah the Duke of Disturbing! Ethan has managed to pop up in just about every single season. I'm not sure that we saw him in Season 4, but we saw quite a bit of his back story explained throughout Season 5. But what does this mean for his chances in Season 6? Just over 4% of you are going to find out the hard way.
WHH: Amy wasn't shown getting on the submarine, so little Ethan should still be somewhere on that Island. That makes sense considering he becomes an Other down the line. In the present, Ethan is dead, so we may need flashbacks to see any more of him.
Reboot: This depends on what would happen to DHARMA and the Others after the explosion of the bomb. Would Ethan and his family head back to the mainland? Or would he still be on the Island. This makes a reboot a very risky situation if you've got Ethan on your team.
Grade: Good because actor William Mapother has been great about keeping up with the producers and being willing to come back now and again. We may also see younger versions of Ethan via flashbacks. The Reboot poses a threat to his score but I think we'll see him a couple times for nostalgia's sake.
ROUSSEAU
She's a classic Season 1 character but her story has been told in its entirety. Is there any need for her to come back? Just over 3% of you all decided that she was a safe bet, so it doesn't seem like there's much love for the crazy French chick this year. Rousseau earned a respectable 40 points last season and tied for first place in her group with Ethan. Will such luck prevail again this year?
WHH: I don't see any need to include Rousseau in the current story line. Having Jin stumble upon her during the time-hopping last year got the job done and filled out her story. She's dead in the present anyway.
Reboot: This only helps her if a reboot somehow alters the conditions of her team's science expedition. I really doubt they're going to try and pull that kind of stuff on us.
Grade: Bad. Rousseau is a lost cause. Her story is done and she was killed off because the actress was itching to get away from Hawaii. Putting her on your team was probably done out of optimism. Sorry to burst your bubble.
CINDY CHANDLER
A mere 3% of you chose to fly the friendly skies with Cindy and I think that may come back to bite the rest of us in the butt. Sure, Cindy has been a lost cause over the past two seasons but I think she's about to have her moment in the sun.
WHH: Have they explained what happened to the Others that went to the Temple yet? No. Have they explained why the kids were stolen yet? No. Who is involved with both of these things? Cindy. I can't fathom them not including her if this is the route that is taken.
Reboot: Who was a flight attendant on 815? Cindy. This route does less for her than WHH but she's still all but guaratneed to show up if we see Flight 815 again.
Grade: Better than average. The reboot will pretty much nix any on-going involvement for Cindy but I'm an optimist and believe in WHH. Either way, you're all but guaranted to get some points out of her, which means she's worth having around.
TOM FRIENDLY
Mr. Friendly was a bust in Season 5 but I still think there is a chance that we'll see him again. Only 1% of you picked him for your Fantasy Team roster though. There are admitedly better choices in Group 6 but there are worse ones too.
WHH: We don't really know how Tom ever came to be with the Others. We haven't seen a younger version of him mixed in with the Hostiles yet and we haven't spotted him in the DHARMA Initiative either. This makes me think that a WHH story would have room to show us the origins of Tom. He is dead, so he'll have to appear in flashbacks or the past.
Reboot: This will hurt Tom a lot. Maybe he'll pop up somewhere else as a lackey for someone related to the Island. Or perhaps we'll see him connected to DHARMA, if any of it is left. Further still, we might just see him randomly. It's possible but more likely to be a one-time thing for him.
Grade: Pretty good because actor M. C. Gainey has a good relationship with the show and seems like he would be receptive to coming back for one last go at it. I think most people gave him the short end of the stick just because he's dead and hasn't been around.
ROGER LINUS
I have a lot of reservations about Roger's points potential and it seems like most of you did too! Barely half a percent of you selected him. Perhaps it was optimisim. Perhaps it was idealism. Perhaps you just like Roger Linus.
WHH: This keeps the door open for Roger to stick around as a supporting character, which left him with zero total points at the end of last season but we're not docking points for absenteeism this year. This means Roger could benefit from logos and DHARMA locations.
Reboot: Don't expect to see Roger. At all.
Grade: Poor. There were better choices but we do appreciate you guys involving every single character available. Roger just isn't a key player in anything so don't expect him to be a sideline hero this season.
OVERALL
Most of these characters will benefit from WHH, which is perfect because Group 7 will more likely favor a Reboot. This might mean one of these groups has a very crappy turnout but it's not like that hasn't happened before. I think that a game-changing performance is more likely to show up in Group 6. Here's how I think all of these fine folk will stack up on the scoreboard at the end of the season:
1) Pierre Chang
2) Ethan Rom
3) Tom
4) Cindy
5) Horace
6) Radzinsky
7) Roger
8) Smokey
9) Rousseau
