Unanswered questions by episode

From Lostpedia

For remaining unanswered questions from the Lost Experience, see here

This is a list of all the unanswered questions that have been asked in Lost, both explicitly and implicitly. Once a question has been officially answered on the TV show or by some other source, it will be removed from the list.

This list is organized by episode, in the order that each mystery is first introduced. For a list of unanswered questions by topic, see Unanswered questions.

Note that these questions should be directly tied to the narrative of the show, and specific mythological unanswered mysteries.

1 Season 1
2 Season 2
3 Season 3
4 Season 4
5 See also

Season 1

Episode	Questions	Theories
1x01 "Pilot, Part 1"	How did Jack end up in the jungle, so far away from the crash site? When and why did Jack take flying lessons? Why did he stop? Why did the plane lose all radio contact? What is the "Monster"? Why did the Monster kill the pilot?	Jack Shephard Oceanic Flight 815 The Crash The Pilot The Monster
1x02 "Pilot, Part 2"	Where is the Island? Who is Brennan, and why did he take the keys? What were the keys for?	The Island Distress signal Brennan
1x03 "Tabula Rasa"	How did they know Kate was in Australia?	None
1x04 "Walkabout"	How was Locke's paralysis cured? Why did the Monster go after Locke? Why didn't it attack? What did Locke see when he encountered the Monster?	John Locke Healing properties The Monster
1x05 "White Rabbit"	Where is Christian's body? What caused Jack's visions of his father, Christian Shephard? Why did they stop?	Christian Shephard Christian's coffin
1x06 "House of the Rising Sun"	Who were Adam and Eve? How and when did they die? Why did they have black and white stones in their pockets? What happened to the stones?	Adam and Eve
1x07 "The Moth"	None	None
1x08 "Confidence Man"	None	None
1x09 "Solitary"	What exactly happened to Danielle and her group? What are the whispers?	Danielle Rousseau Science expedition The Sickness Whispers
1x10 "Raised by Another"	Why did Richard Malkin insist that Claire must raise her child by herself but then changed his mind? Why did Malkin insist that Claire fly on Oceanic Flight 815? Who were the couple in Los Angeles?	Claire Littleton Richard Malkin Aaron Littleton
1x11 "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues"	None	None
1x12 "Whatever the Case May Be"	How did Kate get the key to the safety deposit box?	None
1x13 "Hearts and Minds"	When was Shannon married and why did it end?	None
1x14 "Special"	How is Walt special?	Walt Lloyd
1x15 "Homecoming"	None	None
1x16 "Outlaws"	What was the Tampa Job?	None
1x17 "...In Translation"	None	None
1x18 "Numbers"	None	None
1x19 "Deus Ex Machina"	None	None
1x20 "Do No Harm"	None	None
1x21 "The Greater Good"	None	None
1x22 "Born to Run"	Who sent Kate the letter telling her about her mother being treated for cancer in hospital? How does Walt know about the hatch Locke is trying to open? Why does he warn him not do it?	Kate Austen Walt Lloyd
1x23 "Exodus, Part 1"	How did the Black Rock come so far inland?	Black Rock
1x24 "Exodus, Part 2"	Why did the Monster become aggressive toward Locke, instead of letting him go like last time? Where was the Monster taking Locke?	The Monster John Locke

Season 2

Episode	Questions	Theories
2x01 "Man of Science, Man of Faith"	How is Walt able to appear to Shannon?	Walt Lloyd
2x02 "Adrift"	None	None
2x03 "Orientation"	How did Marvin Candle lose his arm?	Marvin Candle
2x04 "Everybody Hates Hugo"	None	None
2x05 "...And Found"	None	None
2x06 "Abandoned"	None	None
2x07 "The Other 48 Days"	None	None
2x08 "Collision"	None	None
2x09 "What Kate Did"	What is the nature of Kate's horse?	Kate's horse
2x10 "The 23rd Psalm"	Why didn't the Monster attack Mr. Eko? How did the Monster flash the memories of Mr. Eko? How did the Beechcraft came to the Island?	Eko The Monster Beechcraft
2x11 "The Hunting Party"	None	None
2x12 "Fire + Water"	None	None
2x13 "The Long Con"	From where did the WXR transmission come?	WXR
2x14 "One of Them"	What was "Henry" doing or where was he going when he got caught by Rousseau?	Benjamin Linus
2x15 "Maternity Leave"	None	None
2x16 "The Whole Truth"	None	None
2x17 "Lockdown"	Why are supplies still being dropped on the Island after the purge? How was the supply drop accomplished without anyone noticing it? What were the loudspeakers trying to say? Does "Henry" have knowledge of what the button did, or what was behind the wall? Did "Henry" kill the original Henry Gale?	Periodic resupply drop Lockdown incident Benjamin Linus Henry Gale
2x18 "Dave"	Why was Libby a patient at Santa Rosa?	Libby
2x19 "S.O.S."	How did the island heal Locke's paralysis and Rose's cancer?	Rose Nadler Healing properties
2x20 "Two for the Road"	None	None
2x21 "?"	None	None
2x22 "Three Minutes"	None	None
2x23 "Live Together, Die Alone"	Why was Desmond dishonorably discharged from the British Army Royal Scots regiment? What is the origin of the four toed statue? If the rest of it was made, where is it? Why are the pneumatic tube containers from The Pearl dumped in the middle of the jungle? Why did the sky turn purple? How did Penelope know to look for a magnetic anomaly?	Desmond Hume Four-toed statue Discharge

Season 3

Episode	Questions	Theories
301 "A Tale of Two Cities"	None	None
302 "The Glass Ballerina"	None	None
303 "Further Instructions"	Who are the skeletons in the Polar Bear Cave? Where did the toy truck come from? How did Locke and Eko escape the Hatch implosion? Why did Locke go temporarily mute? What happened to Desmond's clothes after the implosion?	Polar bear cave Discharge John Locke Desmond Hume
304 "Every Man for Himself"	None	None
305 "The Cost of Living"	Why did the Monster kill Mr. Eko? What is the nature of Eko's visions of Yemi? What did Eko mean when he said "You're next"? What happened to Yemi's body?	The Monster Eko Yemi
306 "I Do"	Who is Jacob? What is Jacob's list? Who is on it? Why wasn't Jack on it?	Jacob Lists
307 "Not in Portland"	None	None
308 "Flashes Before Your Eyes"	Who is Ms. Hawking and how does she know the future? Why does she describe pushing the button as the "only great thing" Desmond will ever do?	Desmond Hume Desmond's Flashes Ms. Hawking
309 "Stranger in a Strange Land"	What does Juliet's mark mean?	Juliet's Mark
310 "Tricia Tanaka Is Dead"	None	None
311 "Enter 77"	What is the significance of the Russian letter in Mikhail's typewriter? Why were the override functions in The Flame hidden behind a virtual game of chess? Who were the previous DHARMA employees of this station?	Mikhail Bakunin The Flame
312 "Par Avion"	Will anyone find the note Claire attached to the sea gull?	Sea gull
313 "The Man from Tallahassee"	None	None
314 "Exposé"	None	None
315 "Left Behind"	What were the flashes of light as the monster approached Juliet and Kate? How did Juliet's shoulder get dislocated 3 times before?	The Monster
316 "One of Us"	Why do pregnant women die on the island? Did Jacob really cure Rachel's cancer or did Rachel's cancer never come back in the first place? How is Mikhail able to access all the information about Flight 815 passengers?	Pregnancies Jacob Mikhail Bakunin
317 "Catch-22"	Why does Naomi have a picture of Desmond? What is Brother Campbell's relationship to Ms. Hawking? What is the relationship between the monastery and Penny's father?	Naomi Dorrit Brother Campbell Ms. Hawking
318 "D.O.C."	What kind of "samples" does Juliet plan to obtain from Kate and the other women? Why is the room in the Staff hidden? What equipment was Mr. Paik providing to the Hanso Foundation?	The Staff Mr. Paik Hanso Foundation
319 "The Brig"	Where do the Others get the files on everyone? What caused the instruments on Naomi's helicopter to malfunction?	Helicopter
320 "The Man Behind the Curtain"	The Past What was the shaking during the incursion by the hostiles when Ben was in class? Do the Hostiles have ties to the outside world prior to the purge? What was the manifestation of Ben's dead mother? Who initiated the Purge? What happened to Annie? How did Ben become the leader of the Others/hostiles? Why do DHARMA Initiative supplies continue to drop on the Island? Why does Richard appear not to age; how old is he? Why is Richard subordinate to Ben? The Island Who or what is Jacob? Why couldn't Ben hear what Jacob said to Locke? Why does technology enrage Jacob? How does Jacob contact/summon Ben?	The Hostiles The Purge Annie Richard Alpert Jacob Jacob's cabin
321 "Greatest Hits"	None	None
322 "Through the Looking Glass"	The Island What is the Temple, and why are the Others going there? What was Bonnie and Greta's supposed assignment in Canada? Who is the musician that programmed the jammer? The Future Why is Jack contemplating suicide?	The Temple The Looking Glass Jack Shephard

Season 4

Episode	Questions
401 "The Beginning of the End"	The Future How much time has elapsed since Hurley left the Island? Who is Matthew Abaddon? Why does Abaddon offer to move Hugo to a different institute? What is the motivation behind his offer to move Hugo to a different institute? How can Charlie be dead but also at Hurley's institution? How is Lewis able to see Charlie?	Matthew Abaddon Charlie Pace Lewis
402 "Confirmed Dead"	The Past Why was Daniel upset about the discovery of Flight 815? What is the nature of Miles' abilities? How did the polar bear get to Tunisia? Did Charlotte know what she was looking for when she was digging around the polar bear's skeleton? Why did Seth Norris replace Frank as Flight 815's pilot? Why did Naomi believe there would be survivors of Flight 815 on the Island? Why does Abaddon insist that there are no survivors? Why were Daniel, Miles, Charlotte, Frank and Naomi selected for the operation? The Island Why doesn't the sunlight scatter quite right on the Island? When and where was the photo of Ben taken? Why did Naomi claim to be looking for Desmond?	Daniel Faraday Miles Straume Charlotte Lewis Frank Lapidus Matthew Abaddon Benjamin Linus Seth Norris
403 "The Economist"	The Island Who is the R.G. on Naomi's bracelet? Why was there a 31 minute, 20 second difference between the timers? Why does Frank tell Daniel to hang up the phone if Minkowski answers? Why is Jacob's cabin not where Locke expects it to be? The Future How much time has elapsed since Sayid left the Island? Who are the people on Ben's list? Whom is Sayid protecting and what is he protecting them from?	Identity R.G. Sayid Jarrah Elsa's employer The Island
404 "Eggtown"	The Island Why does Miles want exactly 3.2 million dollars? Why is Daniel having difficulty remembering the three cards?	Miles Straume Ben Linus Daniel Faraday
405 "The Constant"	The Past What is contained within the ledger of the Black Rock's first officer? The Freighter What is the nature of the time differential between the Island and the outside world? How does Minkowski know Desmond's name, and that Penny is his girlfriend?	Charles Widmore Kahana
406 "The Other Woman"	The Past What was the cause of Goodwin's 'chemical burn' injury? Why did Goodwin lie about his injury? The Island How does Harper suddenly appear and disappear into the jungle? What is Charles Widmore's true interest in the Island? How did he find out about the island? What does Penny know about his research? Who is the man being beaten by Widmore? Who shot the video? How is Harper in contact with Ben? How did Ben know where Charlotte and Daniel were heading? How does Charlotte know the history of the Island and the Purge? Who made Daniel's map?	Harper Stanhope Charles Widmore Kahana The Tempest
407 "Ji Yeon"	The Freighter Whose blood was on the wall of Desmond and Sayid's new room? Why does Ray have a wound on his cheek? Why were Sayid and Desmond warned not to trust the captain? Why does Gault believe Ben had anything to do with staging of the fake Flight 815 crash? The Future Why is Hurley so glad to hear no one else is coming?	Ray Captain Gault
408 "Meet Kevin Johnson"	The Past How was the Island "not allowing" Michael to commit suicide? Who placed the fake 815 wreckage? Who are the "innocent people" among the freighter's crew that Ben intends to spare? The Island Why is the Temple only for the Others?	The Temple Freighter
409 "The Shape of Things to Come"	The Future Why is Widmore sure Ben can't find Penny? What are the Rules that have changed? Why does Widmore say it's his island? What is the relationship between Ben and Widmore? The Island What did Ben do in his secret room? Who wrote the hieroglyphics on the wall in Ben's hidden bunker, and what do they mean? How did Ben summon the smoke monster from the hidden room?	Benjamin Linus Charles Widmore The Monster
410 "Something Nice Back Home"	The Future What was Kate doing for Sawyer? How is Christian appearing to Jack? What is meant by, "You're not supposed to raise him, Jack"? Why did Jack change his mind about Aaron? The Island Why does Christian appear to Claire?	Kate Austen Sawyer Christian Shephard
411 "Cabin Fever"	The Past How did Richard get to the mainland? How does Richard know about Locke's existence and his whereabouts? Why did Richard think Locke was special? What was the purpose and meaning of each of the six items? Which were the items that belonged to John already? Why was he disappointed in Locke's choice? Why did they want to recruit Locke for Mittelos Bioscience Science Camp? Why is Abaddon interested in Locke? What happened during Abaddon's walkabout? The Island Where is Jacob, and why are Christian and Claire in his cabin? Why was Claire so calm and nonchalant? Why did Christian ask Locke not to tell anyone that he saw Claire in the cabin with him? Who was the Others' leader before Ben? Why is Horace cutting down the same tree over and over again? How did the helicopter get to the island so quickly when Ray's body arrived before he had been killed? The Freigther What causes the time fluctuations that allowed for Ray's body to wash ashore before he was killed on the freighter? What is the secondary protocol?	Richard Alpert John Locke Richard's items Matthew Abaddon Jacob Jacob's cabin Christian Shephard Horace Goodspeed
412 "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1"	The Island Why are the Others wearing their rustic garb? How did Daniel know about the "Secondary Protocol" and the Orchid? The Future What plans does Sun have for her father's company? Why are Charlie, Boone and Libby named as the three other survivors? Why are the Oceanic 6 given so much money by the airline?	Daniel Faraday Sun-Hwa Kwon
413 "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3"	The Island Where and/or when did the Island go? Why does Miles decide to stay on the Island? What is Charlotte's previous experience with the Island? What is the nature of the frozen wheel? Why does the Orchid tape begin to rewind itself? Why can the person who "moves the Island" never return? How is moving the Island potentially dangerous? What has happened to Faraday and the people on the raft? What has happened to the people who managed to abandon the Kahana, if any, before it blew up? What has happened to the survivors left on the Island? The Future What "bad things" happen after the Oceanic Six leave the Island? Where does Sayid take Hurley? What is Sun's agenda in regard to Widmore? Do Frank, Desmond and/or Walt have to return to the Island as well? Why do the Oceanic Six, as well as Locke, have to return to the Island? Locke How does John Locke die? How does Locke get to the mainland? Is Locke able to walk after leaving the Island? Why does Locke use the alias Jeremy Bentham? Why does Locke contact Walt, Hurley, Kate and Jack on the mainland? Why must Locke's body be returned to the Island? If Locke is Bentham, who is his "son" referenced in the obituary Jack had?	The Island Miles Straume Charlotte Lewis Frozen wheel The Orchid John Locke

Episode

Questions

401
"The Beginning of the End"

The Future

How much time has elapsed since Hurley left the Island?
Who is Matthew Abaddon?
Why does Abaddon offer to move Hugo to a different institute?
What is the motivation behind his offer to move Hugo to a different institute?
How can Charlie be dead but also at Hurley's institution?
How is Lewis able to see Charlie?

Matthew Abaddon

Charlie Pace

Lewis

402
"Confirmed Dead"

The Past

Why was Daniel upset about the discovery of Flight 815?
What is the nature of Miles' abilities?
How did the polar bear get to Tunisia?
Did Charlotte know what she was looking for when she was digging around the polar bear's skeleton?
Why did Seth Norris replace Frank as Flight 815's pilot?
Why did Naomi believe there would be survivors of Flight 815 on the Island?
Why does Abaddon insist that there are no survivors?
Why were Daniel, Miles, Charlotte, Frank and Naomi selected for the operation?

The Island

Why doesn't the sunlight scatter quite right on the Island?
When and where was the photo of Ben taken?
Why did Naomi claim to be looking for Desmond?

403
"The Economist"

The Island

Who is the R.G. on Naomi's bracelet?
Why was there a 31 minute, 20 second difference between the timers?
Why does Frank tell Daniel to hang up the phone if Minkowski answers?
Why is Jacob's cabin not where Locke expects it to be?

The Future

How much time has elapsed since Sayid left the Island?
Who are the people on Ben's list?
Whom is Sayid protecting and what is he protecting them from?

404
"Eggtown"

The Island

Why does Miles want exactly 3.2 million dollars?
Why is Daniel having difficulty remembering the three cards?

Miles Straume

Ben Linus

Daniel Faraday

405
"The Constant"

The Past

What is contained within the ledger of the Black Rock's first officer?

The Freighter

What is the nature of the time differential between the Island and the outside world?
How does Minkowski know Desmond's name, and that Penny is his girlfriend?

Charles Widmore

Kahana

406
"The Other Woman"

The Past

What was the cause of Goodwin's 'chemical burn' injury?
Why did Goodwin lie about his injury?

The Island

How does Harper suddenly appear and disappear into the jungle?
What is Charles Widmore's true interest in the Island?
- How did he find out about the island?
- What does Penny know about his research?
Who is the man being beaten by Widmore?
- Who shot the video?
How is Harper in contact with Ben?
How did Ben know where Charlotte and Daniel were heading?
How does Charlotte know the history of the Island and the Purge?
Who made Daniel's map?

407
"Ji Yeon"

The Freighter

Whose blood was on the wall of Desmond and Sayid's new room?
Why does Ray have a wound on his cheek?
Why were Sayid and Desmond warned not to trust the captain?
Why does Gault believe Ben had anything to do with staging of the fake Flight 815 crash?

The Future

Why is Hurley so glad to hear no one else is coming?

Ray

Captain Gault

408
"Meet Kevin Johnson"

The Past

How was the Island "not allowing" Michael to commit suicide?
Who placed the fake 815 wreckage?
Who are the "innocent people" among the freighter's crew that Ben intends to spare?

The Island

Why is the Temple only for the Others?

The Temple

Freighter

409
"The Shape of Things to Come"

The Future

Why is Widmore sure Ben can't find Penny?
What are the Rules that have changed?
Why does Widmore say it's his island?
What is the relationship between Ben and Widmore?

The Island

What did Ben do in his secret room?
Who wrote the hieroglyphics on the wall in Ben's hidden bunker, and what do they mean?
How did Ben summon the smoke monster from the hidden room?

Benjamin Linus

Charles Widmore

The Monster

410
"Something Nice Back Home"

The Future

What was Kate doing for Sawyer?
How is Christian appearing to Jack?
What is meant by, "You're not supposed to raise him, Jack"?
Why did Jack change his mind about Aaron?

The Island

Why does Christian appear to Claire?

Kate Austen

Sawyer

Christian Shephard

411
"Cabin Fever"

The Past

How did Richard get to the mainland?
How does Richard know about Locke's existence and his whereabouts?
Why did Richard think Locke was special?
- What was the purpose and meaning of each of the six items?
- Which were the items that belonged to John already?
- Why was he disappointed in Locke's choice?
- Why did they want to recruit Locke for Mittelos Bioscience Science Camp?
Why is Abaddon interested in Locke?
- What happened during Abaddon's walkabout?

The Island

Where is Jacob, and why are Christian and Claire in his cabin?
- Why was Claire so calm and nonchalant?
- Why did Christian ask Locke not to tell anyone that he saw Claire in the cabin with him?
Who was the Others' leader before Ben?
Why is Horace cutting down the same tree over and over again?
How did the helicopter get to the island so quickly when Ray's body arrived before he had been killed?

The Freigther

What causes the time fluctuations that allowed for Ray's body to wash ashore before he was killed on the freighter?
What is the secondary protocol?

412
"There's No Place Like Home, Part 1"

The Island

Why are the Others wearing their rustic garb?
How did Daniel know about the "Secondary Protocol" and the Orchid?

The Future

What plans does Sun have for her father's company?
Why are Charlie, Boone and Libby named as the three other survivors?
Why are the Oceanic 6 given so much money by the airline?

Daniel Faraday

Sun-Hwa Kwon

413
"There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3"

The Island

Where and/or when did the Island go?
Why does Miles decide to stay on the Island?
What is Charlotte's previous experience with the Island?
What is the nature of the frozen wheel?
Why does the Orchid tape begin to rewind itself?
Why can the person who "moves the Island" never return?
How is moving the Island potentially dangerous?
What has happened to Faraday and the people on the raft?
What has happened to the people who managed to abandon the Kahana, if any, before it blew up?
What has happened to the survivors left on the Island?