Unanswered Questions: Who Was in the Coffin?
My last two "Unanswered Questions" articles have been criticized by some for going over queries that are crustier than day old bread. That’s why this time I’ve decided to tackle a question that none of us were talking about prior to the season three finale: just who was that in the coffin at the funeral Jack attended? There are many possibilities, so let’s take a look at them one by one and see if we can outsmart those crafty writers.
The only evidence we can use to decode who was in the coffin is the fact that Jack said it was neither a friend nor relative, the knowledge that Kate had no interest in attending the funeral, the obituary, and the fact that this person’s death nearly caused Jack to throw himself off a bridge. We don’t have much else to go on, but it’s quite amazing how many possibilities come up just having that information.
Ben: The most common guess seems to be that Ben was in the coffin. It’s quite possible that no one would attend his funeral, because he didn’t really grow up in America and wouldn’t have an abundance of friends. Of course, the real question is why would Jack want to throw himself off a bridge over the death of one of his enemies? Is it possible that he misses the island so much that the thought of Ben dying makes him weep? It’s an idea, but I don’t think this is the correct answer. In a way it just feels too obvious to me, which immediately makes me think it must be wrong.
Sawyer: When Jack arrived at the funeral home, he seemed like he was hoping to see someone there, and also attempted to give somebody a call. The person he would most likely want to see is Kate, and he even asked her why she didn’t attend the funeral, as though he expected her to be there. The fact that Sawyer was hated by many people in his past, and was known to go by an alias, would easily explain why no one attended the service. Could "John Lantham," the name posted in the obituary Jack read, be yet another alias for James Ford?
Most people discount the Sawyer theory, due to Kate saying "he’s going to wonder where I am" while meeting with Jack. Kate easily could have been referring to a son she had since leaving the island, or to another man she married. There’s also the fact that Kate didn’t think about attending the funeral, which we’d assume she would due to her relationship with Sawyer. Of course, we have no idea what their relationship will be like by the time they escape the island, and it’s quite possible that Sawyer will do something so horrible that Kate wouldn’t dream of attending his funeral. I think the idea of Sawyer in the coffin is a strong possibility.
Jacob: We know so little about who, or what, Jacob is that I find it impossible to speculate on whether he was in the coffin. Sure, his name starts with a J, and the name in the obituary started with a J, so if you want to run with the Jacob theory, go for it. As for me, I say there’s not enough evidence to support such a claim.
Juliet: If the obituary didn’t specifically state that it was a man who was found dead, this wouldn’t be a bad guess. Though unless Juliet gets a sex change or pulls a Crying Game on us, this theory is an impossibility.
John Locke: Few people have a more contentious relationship on Lost than Jack and Locke, especially after Locke’s acts of sabotage in season three. Plus John is easily the type of divisive personality that would make one castaway weep for him while the other wouldn’t dream of going to his funeral.
We know Jack desperately longs to get back to the island in the flash forward, and no one represents the power, mystery, and allure of the island more than Locke. John is also the person who always tried to convince Jack that leaving the island was a mistake, and it’s possible that John’s death, which appeared to be a suicide, was a strong reminder to Jack about how they never should have left. John Locke may be the most likely candidate for the role of Coffin Guy.
Michael: Speaking of people with contentious relationships, take a look at Jack and Michael. They were good friends until Michael killed a couple folks, sold out the Losties to the Others, and sailed away with Walt.
We also know for a fact that Michael is returning to the show. Though the details of his return remain unknown, I believe he could be the person responsible for leading the "rescuers" to the island. If he truly did lead these people there, and their intentions actually are malicious, he could easily become a character who the other Losties wouldn’t mourn for a moment.
But where does the name "John Lantham" fit in? Here’s another wacky theory: Ben was convinced that due to calling for help from the rescuers, everyone on the island would die. What if, instead of dying right away, the castaways are being picked off one by one by this mysterious organization after escaping the island? Michael may have entered some sort of Witness Protection Program, changing his name and leaving his real identity known to only a select few.
In fact, even if it isn’t Michael in that coffin, I’m willing to bet that "John Latham" is merely a pseudonym for one of the Lost characters we already know.
John Lantham: This is the theory that the person in the coffin is someone we haven’t met yet in the series. As with any theory, it’s possible, but I find it highly unlikely. The mystery of who is in the coffin seems to have been intentionally left open for us to debate and discuss all year long, and I just don’t think the writers would do that if it were impossible for us to figure out the correct answer. I’m fairly certain it’s someone we’re already familiar with.
After thinking about all of the possibilities, my final bets rest on Locke or Michael, with Sawyer coming in third. I know someone out there is going to wonder why I didn’t mention time travel, or alternate timelines, or the possibility of Jack attending the funeral of his alter-ego from a different dimension, but I’m choosing to stick to more straightforward ideas. At least this time.
Those are enough of my crazy thoughts for this week. Who do you think was in the coffin?
I really think it’s Michael just because:
1) No Lostie would go to because he abandoned them, but Jack would go because they both shared the similiar story of wanting to get off the Island and then they both wanted to get back(I am assuming that Michael will willingly return to the island in Season Four, not against his will.)
2) The newspaper article said the elusive John Lantham was leaving behind a teenage son(AKA Walt)
Comment by Doug — December 19, 2007 @ 12:48 pm
I think that’s a good guess, Doug.
I’ve seen people say that a teenage son is mentioned in the obituary, but I just don’t see it and therefore didn’t choose to mention it. According to Lostpedia, the obit reads:
Los Angeles
Man found dead in
downtown loft
“The body of Jo ~*~ antham of
New York was discovered shortly after 4
a.m. in the ~*~ of Grand
Avenue. Ted [lastname], [a door]man at The
Tower ~*~ heard loud
noises ~*~ antham’s loft.
~*~ [sa]fety, he co[nfessed]
~*~ discovered the
~*~ entered the loft a beam
in the ~*~ mom ~*~ [ac]cordin[g]
~*~
Where do people get the teenage son idea out of that? Maybe I’m missing something.
Comment by Don — December 19, 2007 @ 12:56 pm
You can see a full transcript of the newspaper article here.
http://losteastereggs.blogspot.com/2007/05/newspaper-through-looking-glass.html
Comment by James — December 19, 2007 @ 12:59 pm
hmmm. I put something in the TTS forum about this and my thoughts
http://forums.buddytv.com/lost-general-discussion/28179-newspaper-clipping-decoded.html
Comment by hlyons — December 19, 2007 @ 1:11 pm
We also don’t know in what capacity that Michael is going to return. For all we know Michael is strictly in the flash forwards, not on the island.
Also because in the Lost timeline it’s only been a month I think, there’s a possibility that they didn’t make it off the island, and that he’s actually either on the OTHERS island, or on a different part of the same island.
But I think that he’s only in the flash forwards. Just my thoughts though.
Comment by Gary — December 19, 2007 @ 2:10 pm
Also, one more thing. In the coffin it very well could be Ben, because Jack could be crying about it because he wants to get back to the island so bad, and he could view Ben as the one person who could get him back to the Island. As the ONLY person who could find the island again.
That seems to be his driving ambition at the time of the finale, getting back to the island. Ben’s the only one that’s been there that long, unless you consider Richard.
So he could view Ben as being the one person who could get him there, and now that he’s dead, he could be all effed up because he knows now that there is no way he can find his way back to the island now.
Comment by Gary — December 19, 2007 @ 2:12 pm
I think it’s either Ben or Michael mostly because of the size of the coffin. Jack got upset about the fact that this person died because it was probably the only person who could help Jack get BACK to the island.
Comment by bobob — December 19, 2007 @ 2:17 pm
It’s also worth noting that the funeral takes place in what looks to be a fairly depressed, urban area. Furthermore, if my memory serves me correctly, most of the extras involved in the surrounding scenes were African American, as though to suggest the neighborhood itself were an African American one. So when the scene ended, I’ll admit that the neighborhood, combined with Michael’s complicated relationship to Jack and Kate, brought him to mind as a likely possibility. “Perhaps, this is the neighborhood where Michael was raised and thus, would be buried?”, I wondered. But then just as quickly, I realized that I was being awfully reductive to assume that the African American neighborhood implies and African American body in the coffin. And as we all know, the show’s writers are especially good at avoiding reductive thinking, themselves, but great at exploiting our own, as viewers.
So then I got to thinking that perhaps the surroundings are merely there to make a point that the deceased’s funeral wasn’t taking place in a “nice” area… a fact that could lead one to believe either that…
a) the deceased chose to live in that part of the city, specifically, because of its low profile nature, in an effort to hide out from someone(thing),
b) the deceased died poor and alone, without friends nor family, and simply couldn’t afford a funeral anywhere nicer,
or c) some combination thereof: the character was in hiding, out of contact with anyone and thus, died alone and ended up with a no-frills funeral.
Not sure. But again, when I start thinking about the writers on this show, I remember the degree to which they like to punish us for our assumptions and toy with stereotypes. So I can’t help but wonder if the neighborhood is a clue or a diversion. Hard to say. Love talking about it though. And I really like Gary’s idea that Jack’s crying because the deceased was the only person with knowledge regarding the whereabouts of the island. I’m not sure that automatically implies Ben… But I do like that general reasoning as a possible explanation for Jack’s tears.
Comment by Priestybear — December 19, 2007 @ 2:31 pm
messag to GARY… Damon Lindeloff confirmed that Michael would be returning to the show as a regular, not strictly fastforwards/flashbacks but definitely on the island, he said this at this years comic con.
Comment by morty — December 19, 2007 @ 2:41 pm
oh…um….well thanks for killing my credibility, of which I already have precious little of. lol
Comment by Gary — December 19, 2007 @ 2:45 pm
Don’t worry Gary, I award you more credibility to cash in whenever you like. I have that power.
I like the idea that maybe Jack was so upset because the person who died knew the way back to the island. It doesn’t necessarily mean it was Ben, but who knows?
Comment by Don — December 19, 2007 @ 3:08 pm
except for the Teen Son thing I thought at first it could be Walt. Because maybe he felt that Walt could “project” him back to the Island?
That’s an extremely big leap, I know, but still….
I think that whoever it was, the reason Jack is so torn up over it, will be because he views that person as the only one who can get him back to the Island.
I just want to know WHY Jack wants to go back. WHY he feels that “we were never meant to leave” or whatever.
Comment by Gary — December 19, 2007 @ 4:15 pm
Don, just for future reference, here is transcript of the article:
“The body of John Lantham of New York was found shortly after 4 am in the 4300 block of Grand Avenue.
Ted Worden, a doorman at the Tower Lofts complex, heard loud noises coming from the victim’s loft.
Concerned for tenants’ safety, he entered the loft and found the body hanging from a beam in the living room.
According to Jaime Ortiz, a police spokesman, the incident was deemed a suicide after medical tests. Latham (sic) is survived by one teenaged son.
Memorial services will be held at the Hoffs-Drawlar Funeral Home tomorrow evening.”
(Note: This article is from http://losteastereggs.blogspot.com/2007/05/newspaper-through-looking-glass.html which is exact link James posted here on his comment earlier but I think it would be more convenient to have it right here.)
That whole “survived by one teenage son” thing really, I think, just blows the whole Ben idea, unless it’s a lie, I guess that’s the only reason I think it’s Michael. There doesn’t seem to be much evidence in general so I am assuming we really can not deduce the correct answer from five lines of an article but if it is someone who we already know(which at this point, it may not be, do remember we have 3 seasons for them to introduce a John Lantham character that feels like part of the cast) but if it is someone we know I think it’s Michael.
Comment by Doug — December 19, 2007 @ 4:35 pm
Gary, about your Walt idea… SWEEEEET!!! i never wudda thought o that but now that u mention it, it sounds pretty lostified…
Comment by morty — December 19, 2007 @ 4:47 pm
I think this person might be someone we haven’t met yet, even someone from the “rescue team”. Ok, ok, let me explain:
Maybe Jack got desperate because the person who died was the only one who could bring them back to island. He didn’t just woke up one day and thought “Oh, I think I need to go back”. He was trying to go back there for a while.
Maybe he was after that person but couldn’t find him. Perhaps the whole thing about jumping off the bridge has something to do with a person who knew too much about the island and how to get there, and not about someone Jack really cared.
Comment by Allan — December 19, 2007 @ 4:56 pm
Regarding this age-old debate, there really is no conclusive evidence for who it is - only “good” possibilities.
But Don, why couldn’t it be anyone we haven’t met? Lost has done things like this before.
-Remember when Boone radioed in the Nigerian plane? It wasn’t revealed he was speaking to the Tailies until Season 2.
-Or remember Locke yelled at the hatch/Island for Boone falling, and light shown from the hatch? It wasn’t revealed it was Desmond who did it until the Season 2 finale.
-Remember when Juliet appeared upset in Season 3 premiere? It did not show why until later on when the revealed Rachel, and Juliet was being kept from her.
-The reason why they haven’t done certain flashbacks like Rousseau’s is because they need to introduce different parts of the story, or characters first.
It would be just like Lost to reveal the character was someone we have not met yet, Then again, I have no substantiated evidence - I only have a “good” possibility
Comment by sk8rpro — December 19, 2007 @ 5:10 pm
sk8rpro,
I really think it can go either way, I can agree with the idea that “Why did the producers introduce this coffin, arguably one of the biggest mysteries coming from “Through the Looking Glass” if it isn’t someone we know?”. Then again, you did bring up alot of examples where the opposite is true and it’s someone new.
I think right now the chances are 50/50, but all we can do now is focus on one side of the debate and guess that it’s one of the survivors we’ve meet and then deduct the identity.
Comment by doug — December 19, 2007 @ 5:20 pm
Good examples sk8rpro. You’re right, there is evidence on Lost for introducing a mystery with the “who” behind it all being someone we’ve yet to meet. It’s hard for me to imagine Jack meeting anyone in the next three seasons who he would be that torn up over, but of course anything is possible.
Comment by Don — December 19, 2007 @ 6:16 pm
Are you a real LOST fan? I don’t think so. I heard they were going to re-do the new paper article. The producers said it was somebody we knew in a interview and they didn’t hesitate 1 secound. Also
Comment by Pipinowns — December 19, 2007 @ 6:58 pm
Pip, ease up….you’re questioning someone’s fandom (an offense punishable by death, no doubt) because they may not have seen or heard of a specific interview that you yourself heard?
Give me a break, man. And provide some proof of that interview before you start talking trash.
Comment by gary — December 19, 2007 @ 7:17 pm
I think that Ben was the one who died and I think that Jack is sort of sad or pissed cause he died cause Ben is the only one who made it off the island who knows how to get back. So now Jack is trying to get Kate to help him find the island again. I am so pumped to see the first show!
Comment by EKKA — December 19, 2007 @ 7:56 pm
I think what is always the deal with LOST is that they tell us just enough of the story for us to chew on. So even if it is Michael or Ben, there is something big that we are missing, which wont be revealed until later.
On a slightly different note, I am very curious how they will bring Michael back onto the Island, and if he could get back, why can’t Jack?
Comment by Zach — December 19, 2007 @ 11:09 pm
Yeah, the person in the coffin has to be someone with no family or friends, which, if limited to the oceanic 6 would be Saiyd. There has been rumors that Michael kills himself from the guilt he feels and leaves a note for walt, but then that would negate other rumors that michael is bens freighter spy. it could also be walt, he may feel that all of the bad things that happened to the losties was his fault based upon his abilities (that he may not understand himself what they are)
Comment by Josh — December 19, 2007 @ 11:54 pm
I really wish the losties weren’t so limpwristed and tied up and tortured juliet. she deserves it, knows everything about them, yet she can come and go as she pleases in their camp when the losties were only shown what the others wanted them to see. and its easy to throw saiyd and sawyers sins (when going to get claires medicine) in their face when you have a file encompassing their whole life. Shes got the answers to so many questions: the children, the list, why they took who they did from the tailsection, what she knows about cerberus (and how the hell can the losties climb over the pylons and cerberus can’t?)
Comment by Josh — December 20, 2007 @ 12:04 am
@Pipinowns, if the producers said it’s someone we already know in an interview like you say, please provide me a link to it. Lostpedia provides much information regarding interviews. When you do find it, please provide us a link. Thanks.
And BTW, Gary’s right - it’s pretty jacked up to question someone’s fandom. I’ve spent much time with this show, and visited websites such as the Fuselage, DarkUFO, and this site almost every single day. I’ve listened to the Official Lost Podcasts with Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof. To add to that, I got my roommates hooked and then I got my parents hooked. So just because someone misses out on one detail of an interview does not give you the right to give false accusations on someone not being a fan. (Let me ask you rhetorically, “Are you a teenager?”)
Again, if you have proof, please provide us the information. I would be more than happy to look at it - and I’ll keep an eye out for it, too; I just won’t search in vain. Thanks for reading.
Comment by sk8rpro — December 20, 2007 @ 12:11 am
Well one thing that caught my attention was when Jack got to the funeral:
JACK: “Sorry I er. Actually I came, er, is the funeral over?”
DIRECTOR: “There was no funeral, sir, only a viewing. Nobody showed up.”
JACK: “Nobody? You sure?”
Jack seem surprised that no one showed up. Now if it were Ben, he had no family back in the states and not surprisingly probably has no friends so Jack should not have been surprised by the fact that no one showed up.
Now lets say it was Michael. If this were the case then Jack being surprised by the fact that nobody showed up would make more sense because, well, why did Walt not show? However this really does not fit because of the fact that Michael betrayed the lost passengers as well as killed Ana-Lucia and Libby leaving everyone quite upset with him including Jack. So why would Jack show up to his funeral?
My third thought, Sawyer. Now this would make some sense in the fact that Jack was hoping that Kate would show up at the funeral and would probably be surprised that she did not show, but this leaves the question as to who “he” is when Kate says, “I have to go. He’s gonna be wondering where I am” when she is meeting with Jack later on. If “he” is Sawyer then obviously he is not the one in the coffin.
There are a lot of theories running around about who is in the coffin and people going crazy over making out what the newspaper clipping says and a supposed inside source lifting the vale of mystery on what the clipping said. If what the source divulged is true then the fact that the person in the coffin left a teenage son behind makes all fingers point to Michael. However, we must also keep an open mind that the person in the coffin is someone we have not been introduced to yet giving the producers and writers of Lost a good laugh while we scramble around trying to figure out who is in the coffin when, in fact, there would be no way for us to figure it out since we have never met the character.
When I keep thinking about it my mind leans more towards Michael being in the coffin but to each his (or her) own theory. The one thing I can say for certain is I hope that when it comes down to it, I get it in true Lost fashion and be in shock with my jaw to the ground when I find out what the heck is going on.
Comment by Wes — December 20, 2007 @ 12:23 am
i dont think we’ve met the character in the coffin yet.
Comment by rob — December 20, 2007 @ 12:57 am
sk8rpro wrote: “I’ve spent much time with this show, and visited websites such as the Fuselage, DarkUFO, and this site almost every single day. I’ve listened to the Official Lost Podcasts with Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof. To add to that, I got my roommates hooked and then I got my parents hooked.”
oh yeah…and my “Lost D*ck” is bigger than YOURS! lol
Comment by Gary — December 20, 2007 @ 1:43 am
Welp…I found it. If this interview is legit, and the writers aren’t playing mind games, then it is someone we’ve seen before.
http://www.movieweb.com/dvd/news/96/23096.php
(There’s many questions, you’ll have to scroll more than half-way)
Here’s the quote:
“Was the person in the coffin at the end of Season Three someone we’ve seen before?
Carlton Cuse: Yes.”
Of course, the question remains - Do we know him/her? We may have seen this character, but is it anyone we know enough as a main character? Is it someone in a flashback which we don’t really know?
Then again, I might be reading too much into it - on the other hand, I could be right.
Comment by sk8rpro — December 20, 2007 @ 1:45 am
Also something I don’t know if anyone has brought up….
Where the hell is the teenaged son?
The person is survived by a Teen Son, well…where is he?
The guy said no one showed up…if a guy’s father was dead, wouldn’t the son show up?
Comment by Gary — December 20, 2007 @ 1:46 am
i believe Rose is in the coffin. She died of cancer outside island
Comment by MDL — December 20, 2007 @ 1:52 am
Inside sources (those being, specifically, ones inside my head) tell me that the coffin will be occupied by ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Dr. Marvin Candle.
Comment by evangelical poet — December 20, 2007 @ 6:13 am
This is the first time I have posted, but check out this site often. So greetings to all the Lost fans, I can’t wait until 1/31/08. I wanted to respond to Gary, and this may be way out there, but what if the person in the coffin was Ben and the “reporter” would did the write up thought Alex was his son because of the ambiguous name. That would also be a reason that “the teenage son” was not in attendance because Alex hates Ben
Comment by Aaron Ziraks — December 20, 2007 @ 6:42 am
Hey Aaron, thanks for posting. That’s a tricky idea with Alex being confused for a teen son, but it’s possible. Most of us thought Alex was a boy once upon a time too.
Comment by Don — December 20, 2007 @ 6:54 am
Just chiming in but I also am leaning towards Ben right now- not for the reasons other devotees have mentioned but because we know our Jack…he carries alot of baggage and guilt as it is and we also know that before he makes the call to the freighter, Ben tells him “if you do that, Jack, every single person on this island will be killed”. Perhaps this came true and Jack’s guilt is that his actions- the phone call, the “we weren’t supposed to leave”, his plaintive cry to Kate- caused the deaths of many people. Of course, this leaves unexplained how Ben, Jack and Kate do manage to survive, but as much as we know our Jack, we know that Michael is waaaaaaaaaaay too obvious for writers who plant obscure words in crossword puzzles Locke is doing on the show in the hopes that observant fans will notice them and research! Think about it…its simply too obvious to be Michael! And I do not beleive that its Sawyer, not at all. I think Sawyer’s ultimate redemption will come through his relationship with Kate and the rest of the survivors, which means that he will have to die on the island. (A thought almost unbearable). But right now, I am totally leaning towards the artist formerly known as Henry Gale or a person we have not yet encountered.
Comment by shanerae — December 20, 2007 @ 8:00 am
Would the funeral director ask Jack “Friend or Relative?” if the deceased person was black? Relative?
Comment by Piderhead — December 20, 2007 @ 8:23 am
Piderhead….dude, ever heard of interracial families??! Relative, sure, not a problem. Besides, funeral directors are usually respectful like that.
Comment by shanerae — December 20, 2007 @ 9:07 am
@Don, John K., Oscar
I would have emailed or PM’d you, but can’t find the option at this point.
Is it possible that some of these posts could get deleted because of spoilers? Some spoilers I never wanted to know got posted here and I never wanted to know them.
Thanks.
Comment by sk8rpro — December 20, 2007 @ 9:19 am
sk8rpro, hilarious. whining about spoilers on here? dude, turn off your computer and lock yourself in a closet until march, that way nothing could possibly be a spoiler. ya big baby.
Comment by rob — December 20, 2007 @ 10:01 am
Hi all rabid Lost fans! First time poster, but have visiting too many times to count! Here’s my take on the coffin thing…and boy there have beens some very good ideas/theories thrown out there. But I too was leaning towards Ben being the one in the coffin due to the idea that Jack would think Ben was the only one that could help him get back to the island. But I think we all forget that Michael coming back to the island…depending on how he does it…could mean that Ben would NOT have been the only one that could make his way back to the island. Michael gets back somehow, so I think this coupled with the teenage son tidbit doesn’t necessarily prove it’s Michael but definitely makes Michael being the one in the coffin plausible. And as far as the son not showing to the funeral, if it is Michael, isn’t it possible Walt has been with his mother?
Comment by Angela — December 20, 2007 @ 10:23 am
@rob
There’s a reason why sites as this have a Spoilers section. sk8rpro has voiced an opinion that they would prefer to not be subjected to a spoiler unless they choose to- this isn’t unheard of. The concept of someone else having a worthy opinion might seem alien to you, but it takes all kinds, and a respectful question is hardly whining.
@”Someone we know”
The list of cast for people that we’ve seen is pretty long. Theoretically it could be anyone we know from any flashback. Granted, some are highly unlikely (why would Jack go to Leonard’s funeral?) but the possibility is still covered in the wording.
@”The teenage son”
Who is Karl’s dad? I haven’t checked Lostpedia yet and so the answer may be easy to obtain, but I’m trying to get all the questions out right now.
@Kristin - Sun/Jin’s kid
Though I undestand you’re thoughts on the size of the coffin- this child would be 3 years old so no teen age son. This also doesn’t match with the obituary in really anyway at all.
@Gary - where’s the kid?
Not all families get along (some may say especically the teens). Anything’s possible and a child can lose the love for its parent.
@Angela
Walt’s mother passed before the show started- that’s how he ended up with Michael.
I should have jumped into this conversation earlier.
P.S. Please fix the RSS Feed.
Campaign To End the Strike Calls out the AMPTP is the most recent post I can see on it.
And please fix the Comments section. I haven’t posted a comment in days and it says I’ve attempted too many to frequently.
Comment by futziii — December 20, 2007 @ 10:32 am
LOL…I totally forgot about that! Sorry…must go back and watch dvd’s for refreshers! Damn the long periods between seasons!
Comment by Angela — December 20, 2007 @ 10:43 am
I think Leonard Simms is in the coffin. If he was part of Dharma (or even if not), he is one person that both Jack and Penny would want to get ahold of in their search to find the island’s location. I think Penny got to him first and got him released from the hospital. When he refused to help her, being terrified of the island, or those associated with it, he was left destitute and possibly living in a poor neighborhood in southern California. When Jack got off the island he may have somehow found out about Leonard and began relentlessly pushing him for info. This drove Leonard to suicide, leaving Jack feeling both guilty and frustrated. He went to the funeral because of his guilt but also in the hopes of bumping into some of Leonard’s friends or family who may have some info. Kate, unaware of Leonard and/or not wanting to go back, would have no reason to go to his funeral.
Comment by simmsbox — December 20, 2007 @ 11:50 am
I think there could be different explanations:
First thing, the producers know for sure that Lost fans would work even 24/7 to get to read that piece of newspaper in jack’s hand… then they may have put in some false or ambiguous information.
When the first debate started about the “who is in the coffin?”, right after season 3 finale, some people got to mesure the the lenght of the coffin, comparing it to jack’s hand on it. They found out something really interesting.. that the coffin was way too small for an adult person !
So who could it be ? Walt is the most instinctive answer… of course.
It could be Aaron ! But why kate wouldn’t show up.
It could be Locke !!!! Imagine if he gets back to real world, los angeles, maybe aigainst his will, and his legs don’t work anymore, and he’s back on a wheelchair… what if he cut his legs off ????? Ok, that’s creepy as much as it is crazy… but isn’t lost all about that ??
most of the time the answer is very hard to get, because they’re keeping an extensive secrecy, and because many of the “clues, hints, eastereggs” may be done in order to deviate the theories far from the story line.
Comment by diego — December 20, 2007 @ 12:25 pm
You want to know who’s in that coffin? I’ll tell you who’s in that coffin:
This Topic is in that coffin, because it has been discussed to death!!!
Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
Comment by imfromthepast — December 20, 2007 @ 12:57 pm
I think Benard is in the coffin. I know it seems like a stretch but hear me out. There is a theory that Rose and Benard are Dharma, if this is true it would make sense why no one is there and why Jack wouldn’t call him a friend. Also, since it’s easy to get pregnant on island, maybe Rose does. Fearing for her child, they leave island before birth and when she gets back her cancer kills her. That would explain how there is a teenage son.
Comment by Justin — December 20, 2007 @ 2:14 pm
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the painting leaning on the wall outside the HD funeral parlor. IIRC Jack Bender is the actual artist behind the “works” of all the artist characters. You can see one of his distinctive paintings in the trash to the left of the building in the scene where Jack crosses the street. That combined with the news clipping (ref NY and teenage son) and the changed name makes me believe that it is Michael in the coffin. I also believe that TPTB have said that the coffin person is a character we have met but I can’t remember where I heard that. Michael was my initial instinct when I first saw the epi – before any easter eggs, commentary or anything, so I am sticking with that.
Comment by pocket — December 20, 2007 @ 2:29 pm
hey, first time for me posting on here. Some absolutely waesome theories going on here dudes, especially the one about the guy in the coffin being leonard. As soon as the episode was over my first guess was that it was locke in the coffin purely because all his flashbacks are miserable and having nobody turn up to your funeral is the sorta thing that would happen to that guy
I must admit I dont do a whole lot of digging as far as trying to read the newspaper article goes buit being as it says survived by a teen son it must be michael and maybe the reason walt was not at the funeral is because he doesn’t leave the island? afterall he was seen standing above the dharma pit when locke was gonna blast himself and I’ve always suspected walt to be one of the others anyway. think about ti. in season one it seemed that he had some kind of secong sight gift. when michael said to walt we dont have to leave walt respopnded yes we do. Myabe it was all a set up, walt knew he would get taken off the raft which would lead to michael going after him which would lead jack to helping him and then they all get abducted. maybe i’m nuts but to be honest there have been worse guesses lol. oh and one more thing, will we ever find out how calvin inman, the guy in hatch before desmond, came to be on the island??? more questions :S
take it easy dudes and have a good christmas
Comment by Jez — December 20, 2007 @ 3:11 pm
it’s Walt. Black community, coffin is his size, and Walt is who brought everyone to the island. He is an entity and not really a human, which everyone understands except the people who put him in the coffin. his human form died off, and Jack will believe that Walt wont be able to bring him back to the island, but Walt will find another body. John Lantham is probably Walts alter ego.
WAlt is not really Michaels son
Comment by preztige — December 20, 2007 @ 7:12 pm
I believe it is Michael for many of the reasons already listed here but also for the following. I think the original plan was for Harold Perrineau to be signed on for the final episode but TPTB could not make it happen in time. The final scene was probably going to be Jack opening the coffin and seeing Michael. I think that is how we would have realized it was a flash forward. Because they could not seal the deal with Harold, I think they kept the coffin closed and came up with the final scene with Kate instead. Just a thought.
Comment by Bazaja — December 20, 2007 @ 9:02 pm
WHAT IF….
One of the surviving members who make it off the island (no promises that those who make it off the island, do so alive….) lost their legs, or portions of their legs.
Then the size of their coffin might be a bit smaller than normal. No?
So say (for sake of argument) that it’s Sawyer. If he lost portions of his leg, he’d fit in the coffin.
Not saying it’s him, just saying….
That’s an angle I don’t think anyone has thought about yet…
Comment by Gary — December 20, 2007 @ 9:14 pm
Actually Gary, if you Ctrl+F “legs” you will see that diego from December 20, 2007 12:25 PM already posted that option. It was a good suggestion, though.
Comment by sk8rpro — December 20, 2007 @ 11:19 pm
All I can say is that it can’t be Sayid. He’s a Muslim. Muslims have no viewings as such.
Comment by Madally Wurlpiz — December 21, 2007 @ 2:12 am
Jin is in the coffin…
Think about it. Initially though Micheal, but Sawyer would upset me too much. Rather see Sun die. It’s Jin.
Comment by hopsing2 — December 21, 2007 @ 3:46 am
From my first viewing of TTLG, I have believed that Michael is in the coffin. All the clues are there: funeral parlor in poor African American neighborhood; deceased from New York; survived by teenaged son; neither friend or family; no one attending; etc.
The primary argument against such a conclusion seems to be that it is too obvious…that TPTB are trying to misdirect us, etc.
To that I say: not always.
Sometimes they do telegraph answers. The two examples that readily come to mind are: 1) We all KNEW that Anthony Cooper was the real Sawyer long before it was officially revealed/confirmed and 2) We all KNEW that Claire was Jack’s sister long before it was revealed/confirmed.
Now, seven months later, I have still not heard/read anything that has caused me to waiver in my belief that it is indeed Michael in the coffin.
Comment by gusteaux — December 21, 2007 @ 6:43 am
Sadly, i think it’s Ben. Even tho he’s the bestt actor on the show, and it would be a hugggeee loss, i think its him. The Missing Pieces mini episode King of the Castle is the biggest clue.. Ben talks about how he wants Jack to remember this conversation about Jack NEVER wanting to get back to the island. Jack DOES indeed remember the conversation and is verry verrry upset about it. GO WATCH IT AGAIN… then just picture Jack remembering and it all fits.
Comment by Jimyy — December 21, 2007 @ 7:53 am
“It could be Locke !!!! Imagine if he gets back to real world, los angeles, maybe aigainst his will, and his legs don’t work anymore, and he’s back on a wheelchair… what if he cut his legs off ????? Ok, that’s creepy as much as it is crazy… but isn’t lost all about that ?? ”
its not Locke, he’s toooo important!!!! beside, ur telling me that locke got off the island/ lmaoo NEVER! he would never ever leave! even if the dragged him off, he’d eat the sand and kill himself long before his body ever made it off the island. cmon people, Its effing LOCKE! no shot.
Comment by Jimyy — December 21, 2007 @ 7:57 am
I have to believe in the size theory. If you measure handspan by handspan when Jack touches it. It is a very small coffin. Now why would the producers and crew go through the trouble of procuring such a small casket if it didn’t mean anything? It seems like it would be a lot easier to find a normal size casket for such a short scene. I believe that this means it is either a teen or a small woman. I don’t know who it is but i know they must be pretty short. What do you all think about the size of the coffin?
Comment by Isomc24 — December 21, 2007 @ 9:45 am
I’m confused, so what if one of them lost their legs, they still wouldn’t get a midets coffin. My uncle lost his legs and when I went 2 his funeral they still gave him a regular sized coffin.
Comment by morty — December 21, 2007 @ 10:35 am
*midget my keyboards like 25 years old so some of the buttons need to be pushed extra hard
Comment by morty — December 21, 2007 @ 10:37 am
I have to chime in here though I agree that we are beating this topic to death.
My first instinct was that the person in the coffin was Michael. The teen son, the link to New York, and I read somewhere that John Lantham was actually an artist.
The finale made it obvious that Jack is in ruins and wants to return to the island. This is proven when it shows Jack in (what I guess is) his apartment surrounded by maps. He is obviously trying to figure out where the island is and how to get back.
Michael (I believe) will return with the “rescue” team. Therefore, Michael knows how to get to the island. Jack believes that Michael can take him there. Furthermore, this adds to Jack’s disbelief that no one showed up at his funeral (where’s Walt?). As for the funeral director asking if Jack is family, he easily could be related to Michael through marriage. I have a nephew-in-law who is of another race than myself.
As for Ben…at first I debunked this theory until I read someone’s brillant post on here about the reporter for the obit. thinking the name “Alex” was for a boy. Great point. What also adds fuel to this fire is Ben telling Jack that they will all die if he contacts the “rescue” crew. Perhaps not being on the island brings Ben’s cancer back. Jack feels guilty and upset because Ben could get him back to the island.
Comment by Your Mom — December 21, 2007 @ 11:25 am
Ok, thats not annoying.
Comment by Wes — December 21, 2007 @ 12:28 pm
and to go a bit farther, Wes, what if the Island has done something to all of them, meaning that once they leave the island, the sickness kicks in. And they’ll get sicker and sicker until they’re dead. Jack’s starting to be affected, perhaps Kate isn’t yet….maybe it already hit whoever’s in the coffin and drove him mad, making him kill himself?
Just thoughts…
Comment by Gary — December 21, 2007 @ 2:51 pm
I was thinking about something…
Why would jack kill himself after learning about “mister x” death ?
Considering that his only tought is to get back on the island, it must be someone, and probably the only one, that could help him get back on the island.
Now, how many persons do know how to get to the island from the real world ??? not so many.. for all we know locke doesn’t (his presence there is still as casual as the rest of the losties).
Michael and Walt ? We don’t know for sure (if i didn’t miss some info) that they even got back to the real world.
Therefore, none of the losties…
And almost for sure, one of the others.
Considering kate’s choice not to go to the funeral… it’s with most probabilties Benjamin Linus. Remember all those paintings inside his house ? he probably did them himself, the in the real world he would introduce himself as an “artist”, and with that nickname…
am I wrong ? I know somebody already started this theory, but i would like to discuss it some more !!!!
Comment by diego — December 21, 2007 @ 5:41 pm
Sorry about the comment. To those who don’t know someone posted and ad for shoes and the post was filled with about 100 links, quite annoying. Thanks to the admins for removing it.
Comment by Wes — December 21, 2007 @ 6:25 pm
Maybe John Locke faked his death so he could con Jack into going back to the island
sorta like this:
Anthony cooper fakes his death so that the 2 men leave him alone so he can get the money and escape
John Locke fakes his death so he can con everyone back into going into the island
John Locke may have inherited cooper’s fortune and had a very good fake body made.
Comment by Ron_mccarl — December 22, 2007 @ 8:28 pm
one more note
alot of people say it looks like In-something
Joe Kelvin Inman may be the man in the coffin
the producers said that he has been seen before maybe kelvin is the man in the coffin
maybe he comes back and plays a larger role than we thought
maybe the island healed him and kept hime around and maybe he became a new kind of defender of the island.
maybe after he was healed he showed a turned into a man of faith similar to john locke and he killed himself after what jack had done.
Comment by Ron_mccarl — December 22, 2007 @ 8:45 pm
If i was a LOST writer, and I saw this message board, I would change it to make the coffin empty!
Comment by hopsing2 — December 23, 2007 @ 12:15 am
hey ive never posted before because i useally like to just sit back and read what people have to say but just something i thought was worth mentioning.
the islands obv very very unique and the people illegidly in charge will go to any extent to protect it.
e.g wen juliet mentiond she wanted her X out the way, the people blatently set up for them to be killed.
which is what im getting at.
oceanic flight 815 crashed to stop people looking for that they made a fake crash set up with NO survivors to stop the search which could have led to people finding the island,
which brings me to the point of whos in the coffin,
when the people eventually get off the island be the oceanic 6 or whatever goes down, they could be assigned with different identitys to stop more people looking for the island as the oceanoc flight was already covered up. and knowing there are people flight survived that could start a search party for the people who didnt get off the island.
who knows wat goes down in the flashforwards of lost
but what “doug” said at the top of the page
2) The newspaper article said the elusive John Lantham was leaving behind a teenage son(AKA Walt)
well john latham could indeen be a false identity for michael.
Comment by Kain Derrick — December 23, 2007 @ 5:51 pm
what about christian sheppard?
Comment by cfarryon — December 23, 2007 @ 6:04 pm
A. Michael is too obvious. They wouldn’t pick him because that would be the obvious pick.
B. regarding the following comment:
when the people eventually get off the island be the oceanic 6 or whatever goes down, they could be assigned with different identitys to stop more people looking for the island as the oceanoc flight was already covered up. and knowing there are people flight survived that could start a search party for the people who didnt get off the island.
That doesn’t hold water, because the season 3 finale has a doctor referring to him as Dr. Jack Shepherd. Plus they said on the news that they woman and her child were pulled from the wreckage by “Dr. Jack Shepherd”
Plus he said that Oceanic gave them “Golden Passes” for him to fly whenever and wherever he wanted forever.
Comment by Gary — December 24, 2007 @ 5:44 pm
time may prove me wrong, but i think the newspaper clipping contains NO important info. i dont think we were meant to study that prop in freeze frame. maybe i’m an idiot…
michael seems like a safe bet. hoffs drawlar was in a black neighborhood.
Comment by joe blow — December 24, 2007 @ 6:13 pm
“Remember when Juliet appeared upset in Season 3 premiere? It did not show why until later on when they revealed Rachel, and how Juliet was being kept from her.”
I know people will be very upset and possibly kill me when I say this, but those with open minds read on about my theory on who the person in the coffin really is:
I studied “A Tale of Two Cities” and “One of Us” the other day and compared them. I saw something weird. In “ATOTC”, right after the plane crashes, Ben says “So I guess I’m out of the book club”, right after his line, he immediately turns around and leaves.
In “One of Us”, Ben says “So I guess I’m out of the book club”, and stays, continuing his conversation with “Take a walk with me, I need to show you something”, then they BOTH walk away together.
Weird huh? I am not one of those cynical “they make it up as they go along” Lost fans, but I am also not one of those naive “they planned the whole thing before writing the pilot” fans either. I accept that the show is well written and interesting even if they came up with some of the big mysteries as the show progressed. I am not saying this is the case, but if Damon and Carlton wrote “Through the Looking Glass” without knowing exactly who was in the coffin themselves, I wouldn’t be pissed off.
Now kill me and burn me at the stakes. I’m not saying this happened, it probably didn’t, but it is certainly possible and should not be overlooked.
Comment by lfandacdky — December 24, 2007 @ 10:43 pm
I would say it was Jack’s coffin. He is surprised because nobody went to his own funeral. Most likely the body looked like Jack when he was on the plane in the
first episode and the guy didn’t identify “another” jack with a thick beard. The reason Kate didn’t go to the funeral is because she knows he is alive… he’s standing right in front of her. Jack’s only friends… and life were on the island. For some reason he is not supposed to be back. He has already died. There was a mention of this by the girl with the satelite phone who said that everyone on that flight died… And I’m pretty sure there was a mention of the bodies being discovered… So if Jack and the rest of the islanders are able to go back, they must some how be breaking a law of physics or something that would otherwise maintain that they were actually dead. Jack and Kate’s last conversation eludes to this “secret” that they have to keep. Happy Holidays!… And lets hope the writers get what they want and the strike ends soon!
Comment by Nick Dillon — December 24, 2007 @ 10:49 pm
In A Tale of Two Cities, Ben did not walk away. It cut to black and the Lost logo after he said “I guess this means I’m out of the Book Club” and it showed his face (and then maybe hers).
Think you’re reading too much there.
As for it being Michael in the coffin, I keep telling people (and maybe I’m wrong here) but it is WAY too obvious a play that it would be Michael. Lost is not a “predictable” show in that manner. They’re not gonna make a big deal out of “who’s in the coffin” if they give obvious clues like A. Black neighborhood (it’s not possible that the person was white and was LIVING in a black neighborhood?), and B. had a teenage son.
Walt is the only person in the show that is a teenager and has a father who’s ALSO a prominent person in the show.
So what kinda mystery would that be for it to be Michael in the coffin? Not a very good one. And not a “Lost” one.
Comment by Gary — December 24, 2007 @ 11:22 pm
“In A Tale of Two Cities, Ben did not walk away. It cut to black and the Lost logo after he said “I guess this means I’m out of the Book Club” and it showed his face (and then maybe hers).”
Either you rewatched it on the DVD or you are just trying to remember. It is edited out on the DVD (just like they edited out the original Desmond-Penny picture with another actress on the Season 2 DVD)
Download the episode on iTunes to see the original version……you can’t miss it. I am not lying buddy. I just watched it again.
Comment by lfandacdky — December 25, 2007 @ 1:28 pm
Just watched it on DVD, so maybe they DID edit it. That’s weird though…why would they do that?
Comment by Gary — December 25, 2007 @ 2:22 pm
has anyone read the spoiler about some1 major dieing but iits in a flash forward so they wont dissapear from the season, and then their was another rumor saying it was michael comiting suicide and leaving a note for walt. just summit i read on the spoilers a wile back im not saying this happens btw. but if this turns out to be true then it could possibly well be michael in the coffin.
think it wont be real tho as michael doesnt get off the island and isnt in the oceanic 6.
Comment by kain Derrick — December 25, 2007 @ 4:06 pm
I doubt these guys(writers, creators, producers…) know who is in the coffin and if they do they are bound to change it anyway. The rumor is that they had one person in mind as the occupant of the coffin and decided later to change it. It may be a rumor but it sounds like something these people would do.
Comment by Mick — December 25, 2007 @ 5:19 pm
I thought long and hard about the last chapter of season 3!!
All I can say or contribute is that it is no doubt one if not the key scene of the entire lost experience, pun intended. Jack is truly lost, but he is not on the island anymore. Its the first flash forward but we don’t know whether it’s a glimpse of the future or just a parallel possible future.
The introduction of the flash forward segment is a mind blowing addition and it could mean that we are able to even question the flashbacks as mere facts.
“Lost” in time and space comes to my mind!
On this note, I could even trow in a possible answer to the “coffin scene”. The person in the coffin could be Jack himself.He is lost on a “different island” now.
Maybe I just lost it myself…
Comment by P.G — December 25, 2007 @ 7:55 pm
Hello everyone! I am finally getting my first post here after a very long time of coming to this site. In episode 109 - Solitary, Sayid refers to Alex, as a male, a few different times while talking with Rousseau. So as for the idea of the reporter mistakenly thinking Alex was a boys name theory, the writers have already put that idea on the table. Making Ben in the box a little stronger imho.
-Kier
Comment by Kier — December 26, 2007 @ 8:53 am
Locke.
Comment by Jessica — December 26, 2007 @ 11:02 am
It is sawyer. kate is pregnant
Comment by chris bonifanti — December 27, 2007 @ 11:48 am
Christian, ultimately dead… (once the bad dad & good dad(s) are linked-up properly in the story, currently, they’re not); not sure about the Jeremy Bentham, (John Lantham on this site)… see http://www.lost.cubit.net for the best screencaps on this per Sledge.
But yeah, Christian Shepard, once they finally get his cadaver back to the states, confirm death and not some smoke manifestiation, and tag a toe or two.
(”You guys have been seeing the monster and not even realizing it.” -C. Cuse/D. Lindelof for the best screencaps on this per Sledge.
But yeah, Christian Shepard, once they finally get his cadaver back to the states, confirm death and not some smoke manifestiation, and tag a toe or two.
(”You guys have been seeing the monster and not even realizing it.” -C. Cuse/D. Lindelof <–explanation of wierd Vincent occurences!)
Comment by BoxCompanyInTustin — December 27, 2007 @ 7:35 pm
It might be SARAH…. Jack’s Wife… LOLzzz
Comment by CapriciousMind — January 1, 2008 @ 7:47 pm
look! john lanthem could be anyone, to me its pretty obvious that after leaving the island, most of the losties had to/ chose to change their names, so it could be any male
Comment by mart356 — January 2, 2008 @ 8:09 am
I agree with Diego who posted a while back that it could be Ben. If he was forced off the island, he would never have forgiven Jack and probably would have held over Jack’s head the fact that he alone may have known the secret of getting back to the Island - or the secret of who could have gotten them back to the Island (Richard Alpert perhaps).
Ben would never have told Jack how to get back. And with Ben dead, Jack would be in despair believing that the one person who could show him the way back was now gone. And if it was Ben, that would explain why no one else attended the funerl and why Kate would be like “why would I go?”
Just a thought.
Comment by Zoofaluse — January 2, 2008 @ 5:20 pm
Just to clarify for everyone, this was a news article and not an obituary.
Comment by Adam — January 5, 2008 @ 1:07 pm
It is me in the coffin. I was previously known as “The Good Doctor”.
Comment by John Lantham — January 11, 2008 @ 3:46 pm
The “Hoffs-Drawlar” funeral home is an anagram for “Flash Forward”.
Not very revealing, but a good reminder to run everything through an anagram site when trying to figure out Lost.
Comment by ptom — January 21, 2008 @ 11:05 am
Good call with Locke!
Comment by Tom — May 31, 2008 @ 7:36 am