10 Questions the Lost Finale Needs to Answer

The May 23rd series finale of Lost will be two and a half hours long. Fans will be on the edge of their seats the entire time waiting to see if all of their questions will be answered. But with all of the questions Lost has raised in its six seasons, not all can be fully answered. That's fine by me, as most of the smaller questions can easily be explained away without actually being addressed on the show. However, there are a few questions that I want, or rather need, answers to.

1. What is the island?

This question will have to be resolved, since fans have been asking it since episode one. Clearly the island is special, what with its magnetism, glowy gold water, smoke monster, immortal caretakers and, oh yeah, ability to disappear. This is the question that fans will probably be hung up on after the finale, as everyone wants the answer to be something different, and no answer will satisfy everyone.

2. No, seriously, what is the island?

It better not just be "magic" or "energy" either.

3. Why was Walt so important?

Season two of Lost led us all to believe that Walt had some sort of magical powers, which is why the Others wanted him so badly. Then the actor who played Walt hit puberty, and the character become less important (well, okay, he was forgotten about completely) in the story arc. This one probably won't be resolved, but I'm still awfully curious about the Others' plans for him.

4. What is the deal with the Hanso corporation?

The Dharma Initiative has all but disappeared from season six's narrative, but I still would like to know why they were really on the island, as well as more information about the founders.

5. What is Libby's story?

The reason behind Libby's stay in Santa Rosa, and her fascination with Hurley, has been left unanswered since season two, and her recent alternate timeline appearance didn't do a thing to clear it up. And why did she just give Desmond her boat? This one may never be answered, as the actress' DUI meant that her character arc was cut short. This is one that I'd prefer to see addressed in a DVD extra or writer interview, as opposed to taking up time in the finale, though.

6. How will the alternate timeline be resolved?

Now that Desmond is tooling around the alternate/sideways universe forcing near-death experiences onto everyone, the two universes seem to be merging somewhat. This is a question that is sure to be resolved, but I for one can't wait to see what happens to the alternate timeline.

7. Why were the Candidates chosen?

Sure, they all have daddy-issues, but there doesn't seem to be any underlying factor for why these particular people are Candidates for replacing Jacob. Why them, and why now? I get the feeling that this one will be left unanswered.

8. Why did Jacob touch Kate? (And why is Kate still alive?)

Okay, I'm not one of those many fans who seem to hate Kate. In fact, I generally like her when she's not pining after someone or following along when she's explicitly not welcome. But, she doesn't really serve an obvious function any more. She's not a Candidate, but she was still touched by Jacob, which meant that she was brought to the island for some purpose. I'd really like to know how she's supposed to play into everything.

9. Why are the numbers significant?

We know that the numbers are involved in practically everything island-related, and that they are full of bad vibes. But the question still remains -- why?

10. What is the Man in Black's name?

I can't figure out why this one bothers me so much, but for the love of all that is holy, I need to know the Man in Black's name! I thought this one was sure to be resolved in last week's episode "Across the Sea," but it wasn't. In fact, the Man in Black was very pointedly not given a name. He has been called everything from "my son" and "brother," to "Smokey" and "hey you there, in the symbolic black clothing," but never an actual name. That this is obviously intentional is no comfort, and I can only hope that when/if the name is revealed it will blow my mind. But I doubt it.