The Tail Section

Damon Lindelof attended the Comics on Comics event at Meltdown On Sunset. (Search me. I’m not a comics fan. But it was a public appearence, in any case.) He gives some startlingly direct answers to some huge questions including what the purpose of the DHARMA Initiative originally was and what the numbers really are, whether Libby will return and whether the series will have an open-ended conclusion or a clear cut conclusion. Read at your own risk. Seriously.

On What We Will and Won’t Eventually Learn
There are certain questions about the show that I’m very befuddled by like, ‘What is the Island?’ or ‘What do the numbers mean?’ We’re going to be explaining a little more about the numbers, maybe significantly more about the numbers, but what do you mean by ‘What do the numbers mean?’ What is a potential answer to that question? I feel like you have to be very careful about entering into Midi-Chlorian territory. I grew up on Star Wars; I’ve seen the Star Wars movies hundreds of times; I can recite them chapter and verse, and never once did anyone ever say to me or did it occur to me to say, ‘What is the Force, exactly? Can you explain that for me, better than Alec Guinness does?’ I understand, ‘When are we going to find out about Libby?’ That’s a very finite question. ‘Who is Jacob?’ OK, yes, we’ve been talking to this guy named Jacob, so those questions then should have answers, but ‘What is the Island?’ That starts to get into ‘What is the Force?’ It is a place. I can’t explain to you why it moves through space-time—it just does. You have to accept the fact that it does.”

On Why Fans Will Be Displeased With Next Season
“There isn’t a perfect way to end the show, but the end inevitably approaches, and so the show has to start answering more and more questions. To me, the greatest thing about Lost, just in terms of writing it, was that [over the years] the show could ask a question, and everyone [watching] could say ‘Here’s what I think the answer to that is.’ And next year we’re basically going to spend the entire season telling you you’re wrong. ‘Here’s the actual answer to that question.’ And you’re going to say, ‘S–t, my answer was actually much better!’

On What His Favorite Series Finale of All Time Is
M*A*S*H*

On Whether There Will Be a Sopranos “Cut To Black” Ending
“All of the character resolutions will be very defined. There is going to be no cut to black. The show for me and Carlton [Cuse] and J.J. [Abrams] and all the people writing it—it’s not about the Island. The Island is where it takes place. It’s about this group of people who crashed on the Island on Sept. 22, 2004 and how they influenced the history of the Island in some ways and had a very significant and pivotal role to play there. You’re going to see that role play out, and their fates will all be resolved by the end of the series—that’s the story that we’re telling. In terms of every little bit of minutiae about the Island itself…There will be questions [left unanswered] after the show [ends].”

Will Libby Ever Be Explained
“I have learned that if you kill someone off the show, they are less likely to cooperate with you.” Basically, Cynthia Watros is busy until further notice, and they can’t explain Libby without her, at least not in any way that shows her story rather than annoyingly tells her story.

What Are The Numbers
“Here’s the story with numbers. The Hanso Foundation that started the Dharma Initiative hired this guy Valenzetti to basically work on this equation to determine what was the probability of the world ending in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Valenzetti basically deduced that it was 100 percent within the next 27 years, so the Hanso Foundation started the Dharma Initiative in an effort to try to change the variables in the equation so that mankind wouldn’t wipe it itself out.” This information, in more convoluted form, was leaked out via the online games rather than explained on the show itself, said Damon, because, “That would be the worst thing ever. We have to make the show for the hard-core fans who care about the numbers, but we also have to make it for my mom, who just wants Sawyer to take his shirt off.”

The Bottom Line
“At the end of the day, you can do anything you want [as a storyteller] so long as it’s cool.”

Okay. Wow. Discuss.