Opposite to popularized understanding, liposuction cannot make your undesirable fat vanish just like that. Undergoing plastic surgery makeover can be an ideal option for most. Of course, that does not mean that if your skin is not where you want it to …

But in the grand scheme of things in regards to the bigger picture/endgame and present goings-on on the Island with Jacob, MiB, the Others and the Losties – Dharma are insignificant. Jacob and MiB’s cosmic war is what is central to the whole story of LOST. Jacob is the reason the Losties are on the Island, not Dharma’s hatch (which we learned in the S5 finale). Sure, the hatch is the direct cause of 815′s crashing but Jacob’s touch of fate is what brought them on Flight 815 in the first place. Even if there wasn’t a hatch, I’m pretty certain the Losties would’ve somwhow found themselves on the Island anyway. They were always meant to crash on that Island. Jacob’s magic touch would have made sure of that. This is my point.

Finally, concerning Hanso, I wouldn’t hold your breath in regards to his possible appearence in Season 6. Firstly, there has not been any confirmation of his appearence in Season 6 by anybody so you’re basing this on your own expectations rather than fact. Secondly, Lindelof mentioned in a interview that Dharma would not play a big role (both story-wise and screentime-wise) in Season 6 as most people are expecting, but he said to watch out for Dr Chang and Radzinsky. I’m not saying Hasno won’t appear in Season 6 – I’m just saying it’s not certain that he will appear. It’s 50/50 at this point. Personally, I thought the Season 5 70s Dharma setting was the perfect opportunity and scenario to bring in Hanso.

Also, I totally agree about the time travel aspect. I think the story could’ve worked perfectly without it. There was no need for it really. It seems the time travel aspect was used merely because Darlton were big fans of time travel stories not because it could actually advance the story in any way.

You have hit the nail on that one. There is this almost fanatical defensive attitude of the writers’ development of the story without thinking about whether particular developments hurt or advance the overall direction/story. This is common on forums across the Internet. Difference here is that nobody will attack you here. On other forums, you’ll get attacked for merely making a constructive criticism.

But anyways, that is some good points you make, slimchicken. I’m totally with you on this

As I implied above, I think the advancement of MIB is a perfect example of this. With his introduction, the general reaction seemed to be, “Oh, my God. What a great twist!” Mine was, ugh, another new character that’s apparently vital to everything. It’s Hanso. It’s Ben? No, it’s Widmore. Or is it Jacob? Oh, it’s Jacob and another guy we’ve never heard of before! I joke, but I think you understand me.

I guess, I struggle because there was so much there there already that they didn’t need to introduce many of these things. I mean, was time travel necessary? I guess, we’ll find out, but my gut instinct tells me, no. The basic story hasn’t benefited from it in my opinion.

It’s just the further afield we get, the less important many of the formative elements of the show become. DHARMA becomes little more than a plot device as you say – a means to give LOSTIES food and some cool sets to hang about in. They turn out to be of no more significance than the Tailies.

Much of the reflexive love feels too much like what those of us weened on Star Wars had for George Lucas. We imagined that all the myths were true – that Lucas had plotted some 9 part masterwork. That if only he were given the chance, we’d be treated to a great Homeric epic for the computer age. Only to find later, of course, that, no, he was really making it up as he went along and for the original installments that was mostly great – for the prequels, well, not so much.

I guess some here might think that the LOST we’ve been given is the LOST as imagined by the writers from the start, but I’m not one of them, I guess. It feels in the end a great deal like the X-Files. I’ll sit back and enjoy what happens, but I suspect I’ll end up pining for what might have been if the writers had only stuck to what was essential – to what was established early on – rather than constantly introducing new characters and new ideas and new mysteries and ultimately constructing little more than a house of cards.

I hope I’m proven wrong. But I’ll be pretty shocked if I am. Shocked and delighted.

Though that wasn’t the only reason the writers created them I believe. Throughout the Island’s history and the show, there’s been this theme of conflict and corruption on the Island. So I believe that the Others needed some kind of nemesis to play off of so the writers pitted them against one another. MiB in the S5 finale supports my point, he talks about how every time people come to the Island there is conflict and corruption – so obviously there was a need to play on this theme by having Dharma and the Others be enemies. And this theme continued with the Losties and the Others conflict that we witnessed in the first 3 seasons of the show.

Dharma have a huge hand in the Island’s history and mythology no doubt, but in terms of the central plot involving Jacob and MiB’s war and the Losties’ fates – I don’t think they are important. We will most probably get a few guest appearences from a few Dharma members such as Dr Chang and possibily Radzinksy. I think Dr Chang will play a key role in the final season if he does appear, because of his connection to Miles as his father, his knowledge of the time travel properties of the Island, the true purposes behind the hatches and his general knowledge about Dharma as an organization.

Also regarding your negative feelings about some of the story aspects, I feel the same as you. I get what you were trying to say. You’re not alone believe me. While I have enjoyed this show immensely like you have and doubt I will ever enjoy another show like this again – I will admit I’ve been disappointed slightly with some story elements/threads. There is always room for constructive criticism even for a nearly flawless show like LOST.

I do agree though that it could be interpreted that it was all a charade (but one with real meaning for the participants who will come out better people). The fact that it might all be an illusion might explain why they had episodes titled like “The Man Behind The Curtain,” “The Looking Glass,” “No Place Like Home,” “White Rabbit,” etc. They’ve put the answer right in front of our noses and for that reason we can’t see it.

But this is also another reason why I’m not totally ruling it out: I remember reading a theory on a forum a year or so ago about the glass eye the Tail Section survivors found in the Arrow station in “The Other 48 Days”. In that station was also a radio and part of the Swan station’s orientation film hidden inside a Bible (all of which I’m sure you already know). Anyways, I forgot most of the theory now, but basically the poster theorized that the glass eye was somehow related to a hidden mythology in the show and integral to the end game of the show involving Jacob and the Others, and thus the reason why many episodes opened with eye close-ups. The poster also cited a Darlton S2 Podcast as evidence of his theory. In that podcast I’m talking about, Darlton stated that each object in the Arrow station was significant and not randomly chosen.

I’m not sure the podcast provides good evidence for his theory other than the possibility the glass eye may play some sort of a part in the future. And I’m not too sure about the glass eye being part of some hidden mythology and important to the endgame of the show. What could be so important about a glass eye? Unless it has some sort of a hidden supernatural power which I highly doubt. But there you go anyway. Thought I should mention it.

So while I’m not totally convinced of the idea that there is a meaning to the eye close-ups – I’m keeping an open mind.

That’s what has frustrated me about the increasingly supernatural aspects of the show. They’ve pushed many of the interesting plot points to the side or towards total irrelevance.

That to me should be one of Marc’s questions. Not why there was DHARMA-branded food or who flew the shipments after they disbanded. Or what Ann Arbor’s all about. The question should be:

Why should a give a wit about DHARMA at all?

I, mean, you notice how all of the DHARMA questions would be “nice to know.” That’s not because LOST answered them but because they changed the whole story as to make the whole initiative totally meaningless in the greater context.

As for The Wizard of Oz and Alice, I’d argue their endings are the weakest points in their story. And if they were made for adults I’d complain about it.

Sure there may have been hints from which you could construct elaborate theories as to why this particular storyline makes perfect sense, but you could take other “clues” from the show and do the same for pretty much anything. That’s what makes LOST so compelling but also very frustrating in my opinion (and also allows for there to be this list of 50 some questions that have yet to be answered or sufficiently so).

I guess what frustrates me is that there was/is so much rich material in the actual plot of the show that introducing these essentially external elements seems like a distraction and then making them the crux of the story going forward seems a shame.

I recognize I’m struggling to adequately express my concerns. And I don’t mean to suggest I haven’t enjoyed the show and am not interested in seeing how it all plays out. Just frustrated that it seems to have gone so far astray.

Maybe if someone could answer this question I might feel better about everything…

Is DHARMA even important in LOST?