Persistent rumors
From Lostpedia
Rumors are often circulated on internet sites as facts when in fact there is no basis for them or they have been debunked. Below are a list of common persistent rumors: rumors that have been debunked or proven false, yet remain persistent in fan discussions.
Smoke monster appeared in Pilot episode
- There is a rumor that a wisp of the Smoke Monster appeared in the Pilot episode, just prior to the turbine engine exploding (and that the Monster thus made the explosion happen). This was debunked in the Official Lost Podcast when Damon Lindelof said that the Monster does not appear on-screen in the first episode. The wisp was likely an artifact of bad CGI effects or smoke from the wreckage.
The pilot
- Another frequently repeated rumor is that the name of the pilot of Oceanic Flight 815 (portrayed by Greg Grunberg) was Kelvin.
- This was finally debunked for good in "Confirmed Dead", when the pilot's name was explicitly confirmed to be Seth Norris.
DHARMA logo on the aircraft
- In the episode "Tabula Rasa", markings that look like the DHARMA logo can be seen on the wing of the wreckage of Oceanic Flight 815 when Walt is walking to his father.
- However, this particular set of markings has been debunked as being markings that can actually be found on planes in real life, and were thus most likely already present on the retired Lockheed L-1011 the producers of Lost used to create the wreckage of Oceanic Flight 815, not part of any large DHARMA-related logo.
- Damon and Carlton have said in the podcast that the DHARMA logo was not fully conceived as a symbol until Season 2.
- The same marking can be seen again on a plane piece in the caves in "White Rabbit" (image). It's clearly not a full DHARMA logo.
Steve is dead and Scott took his place
This persistent rumor is more difficult to quench, though debunked by writers some fans have screencaps that they think demonstrate it. They speculate;
- Scott has taken on Steve's identity -- but it could also be that even the extra who played him was confused (hence, saying that "Steve" was the one who really died), or that the writers are mixing us up just to ignite conspiracy theories where there really are none. But it's most likely just a running joke for us longtime fans to elicit a chuckle.
- Steve was killed by Scott, not by Ethan. Scott then assumed Steve's identity, which was easy enough to do as they looked similar and people kept getting them confused in any case.
- It was Steve who died, not Scott. Scott and Steve were traveling buddies, and as the surviving member becomes more prominent, we'll get a flashback episode that will clear up the confusion.
More in The talk page for the Scott and Steve entry
Snowman joke
It's often been claimed that the "What did the one snowman say to the other snowman" joke was told in the first season. Various versions differ as to who told the joke, and to whom. Usually they name Hurley, Walt, Michael and Locke as either the joke teller or tellee. Note: the actual answer is: "Smells like carrots".
- Example found in lost-forum.com:
This Joke was actually told in 1x14 "Special". When Michael was in the hospital he wanted to send a card to Walt but didn't know what to write. So the Nurse told him to draw a picture and put in a joke "what did the snowman say to the other snowman?" The answer was Freeze.
- The joke was actually "What's black, white, and red all over? A penguin with a sunburn."
Special transcript NURSE: How about a joke? MICHAEL: What kind of joke? NURSE: How about what's black, white, and red all over? MICHAEL: Yeah, a newspaper, right? NURSE: A penguin with a sunburn. MICHAEL [laughing]: That's really dumb. NURSE: Trust me, mother of 4 talking here. He'll get a kick out it.
Dr. Candle = Lenny's psychiatrist from Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute
- Dr. Marvin Candle (& Wickmund) are played by Francois Chau, a Cambodian-American actor. Dr. Curtis (Leonard Sims' psychiatrist) is played by Dann Seki, a Japanese-Hawaiian actor who is different in appearance.
Surfaced Orientation videos
There are a couple of fan made orientation films which have been confused as being canon:
- A "new video" listing all 6 Dharma Stations has been found by fans of the show, but proven to be a (very well made) hoax. Same applies for the logos in that film, of course.
- Another fan-made video called "Procedure" shows another so-called "new Logo": the Goblet. This is of course also not relevant since the film is not associated with the show.
* For a more complete listing of fake videos, see the list of Youtube videos.
Incorrect information told by the Show's Producers
Sometimes the misinformation comes from the shows producers themselves. There have been several instances where Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have made claims which have turned out to be completely untrue. Some examples:
- In the April 3, 2006 podcast, Damon and Carlton answered a fan question about the non-main cast survivors by stating that a minor character named Neil Frogurt would make an appearance in a similar fashion as Leslie Arzt in the previous season. Although it's unclear whether they had been joking, Frogurt was briefly mentioned by Bernard in "S.O.S." (which first aired on April 12, 2006). Frogurt was never seen or heard of for the rest of the season, however, and neither throughout season 3. Possibly because fans kept inquiring about him, he did eventually appear in the Missing Pieces mobisode "The Adventures of Hurley and Frogurt", almost two years after his name had first been conceived.
- In a Sci-Fi Wire interview[1], Damon Lindelof stated that "There isn't any time travel". Following "Flashes Before Your Eyes" and "The Constant", however, many fans argue that Desmond did travel through time. It remains unclear whether this is a direct contradiction of Lindelof's original statement, or whether there is a loophole, as it was only Desmond's mind that travelled through time, not his body.
Natasha Henstridge
In 2006, there was briefly a persistent rumor that actress Natasha Henstridge (of Species fame) was set to join the cast in Season 3. The rumor began when an image claimed to be a clipping from page 19 of the Phildelphia Metro was posted by the TheTailSection.com, and then reposted on July 25, 2006 on the LostTV forums by user "princeofamerica". The clip reads:
- "Unfortunately, due to a producer fall out, "Commander in Chief" is not going to be re-comissioned by ABC. It's a shame as we all had fun making the show but they didn't want to make another season. I have a deal with ABC, though, and will be working on the next season of 'Lost'. Filming starts in September and they are creating a character especially for me." - Natasha Henstridge Revealing her fall work plans to us Exclusively".
- The rumor was debunked on August 1 by the administrator of Thetailsection.com (link), who cited an inside source by in Lost's casting, but by then the news had been picked up and circulated by the mainstream media [2].
- It is possible someone mistakenly believed Elizabeth Mitchell was Henstridge.
Hurley saw Locke fall
- In "The Man from Tallahassee", we see Anthony Cooper throwing Locke out of the window of a large house, which results in his paralysis. In "Numbers", Hurley and his accountant see a man falling down outside the window of the office they're both in. Several fans keep suggesting that this man was Locke.
- However, the timelines don't match up: Locke spent four years in a wheelchair, whereas Hurley's lottery win occurred one year prior to the plane crash.
- Various details for the two buildings don't match up either: Locke fell down eight stories onto grass surrounded by palm trees, whereas Hurley was looking down more than twenty stories onto a busy street.
- The man Hurley sees is clearly falling face-down, whereas Locke is seen falling face-up.
- Furthermore, in "Tricia Tanaka Is Dead", Hurley told Tricia Tanaka that a man jumped off his accountant's roof.
- Carlton Cuse also explicitly debunked this theory in the March 30, 2007 podcast, pointing out that the timeline doesn't match up. It was debunked yet again at the 2007 Comic Con convention by Cuse and Damon Lindelof.
Jack's new tattoo
- Ever since the ending of "Par Avion", fans have kept pointing out a "new" tattoo they believed to have spotted on Jack's upper left forearm. Occasionally it's even suggested that it might be a plot point to be addressed in a future episode.
- However, this is one of actor Matthew Fox's real tattoos. As a matter of fact, the tattoo was seen in several previous episodes, starting with a scene in "Pilot, Part 1" where Kate is stitching up Jack. It's just not as commonly noticed as Jack's other tattoos due to its position.
Transmission on the Beechcraft's radio
- After "Deus Ex Machina" first aired, there was a lot of debate about the exact content of the transmission Boone picked up on the Beechcraft's radio. A lot of people claimed having heard "There were no survivors of Oceanic Flight 815" rather than "No, we're the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815", which was backed up by closed captioning also spelling it out as "There were no survivors". The debate was finally laid to a rest when the exchange was shown from Bernard's perspective in "The Other 48 Days" and he clearly said "No, we're the survivors".
- A subsequent version of the argument claimed that the original airing of "Deus Ex Machina" did indeed feature the "There were no survivors" version and it was changed to "No, we're the survivors" for all subsequent airings. An often cited explanation is that the producers originally planned to end Lost's first season (and the show as a whole) with the revelation that all the survivors were already dead ("Purgatory" theory), but changed that plan when the show was renewed for a second season. There is no evidence that the radio transmission was actually changed to a different version, and neither has there been any official confirmation on the theory for the alleged reasons behind such a change.
- Other instances also insist that the transmission on the episode itself was always "No, we're the survivors", but the "There were no survivors" version was featured in an early trailer. However, the official ABC trailer for this episode ended right before Boone actually picked up the transmission.
Major hint in the Pilot episode
- One rumor claims that there was still a major hint or a mystery hidden in the Pilot episode which none of the fans have discovered thus far.
- Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof explicitly referred to this as a "false rumor" in the April 16, 2007 podcast, and gave a rundown on all the big mysteries from the Pilot and when and how those had been answered. The only real remaining mystery would be Charlie's last line from the end of part 2, asking "Guys, where are we?".
- However, the Missing Pieces mobisode "So It Begins" recently suggested that the white tennis shoe might be of some importance after all.
- Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof explicitly referred to this as a "false rumor" in the April 16, 2007 podcast, and gave a rundown on all the big mysteries from the Pilot and when and how those had been answered. The only real remaining mystery would be Charlie's last line from the end of part 2, asking "Guys, where are we?".
Producers said Mikhail was dead post-Par Avion
- A frequent Lost urban legend is that Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse stated Mikhail was dead after his injuries from being pushed through the sonic fence by Locke in "Par Avion". These fans use this as "evidence" that Damon and Carlton are lying about Mikhail's death after the grenade explosion in "Through the Looking Glass", or about other producer comments such as nanobots.
- This never actually occured; in fact, the opposite happened, as Damon and Carlton strongly implied that either Mikhail or Ms. Klugh might still be alive in the March 26, 2007 podcast.
See also
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