Tonight’s the big night! In advance of tonight’s debut I thought I’d do a brief outline of what I’m thinking:

It’s every story in one

I first noticed this when trying to explain the appeal of the show. LOST is not just a survival drama - it’s also a medical drama, a crime show, a cop show, a sitcom, a sci-fi series, a Korean gangster series, and so much more. It just keeps growing in scope as to what genres it includes.

But it doesn’t stop at including all genres. Take a look through Lostpedia for a few theories about LOST being based on other stories or myths: The Tempest, Lost Continent (Atlantis, etc.), The Wizard of Oz, Gates of Hades, etc. Other possibilities include Shambhala.

Numerous literary works are referenced and many of them seem to have parallels with the series.

Then there are pop cultural sources such as Watchmen, The Stand, and, my favorite, The Prisoner.

So my theory is that LOST is an attempt to integrate as many stories as possible into one.

Time travel

I suspect time travel is responsible for most of the paranormal/supernatural phenomena that have occurred - Alpert’s apparent non-aging, the whispers, Walt appearing in places he shouldn’t be, appearances by the dead, moving the Island, etc. The “synchronicities” that occur regularly could be explained by time travels deliberately manipulating certain events.

Some things aren’t quite explained by this though - how can the whole island be physically moved while usually time travel is consciousness only? How does Walt do the bird killing thing? What the hell are numbers? How does the island heal the sick? Time travel might not be the grand unifying theory, but I’m guessing it will explain a lot.

Plenty of unanswered questions remain. Can’t wait for the debut!