On most TV shows, when a character is told early in the season “You’re gonna die,” you can usually count on hearing the death rattle before sweeps are over. As fans of ABC’s ‘Lost ‘ have undoubtedly learned by now, though, the only thing you can expect on that show is to be thrown for a loop. Famous for killing off main characters with virtually no warning, not to mention bringing others back from the dead—welcome back, Mikhail!—it’s a show that delights in twisting its viewers’ brains into a knot as complicated as those darn island love triangles.
So, whither Dominic Monaghan, a.k.a. Charlie, the ex-rock star, ex-drug addict, surrogate father to island baby Aaron and much-needed comic relief? He’s been saved from certain death several times by the suddenly-psychic Desmond (if you haven’t been watching, don’t ask for an explanation—even die-hard fans don’t understand), but the drumbeat of death pounds on. Previews for this Wednesday’s show feature Desmond sternly telling Charlie, in his inimitable Scottish brogue, “This time, you’ve got to die.”
For a show that loves pulling punches out of nowhere, that’s an awful lot of warning about a beloved character’s death. Which is exactly what makes it so suspicious. As with many of the show’s major developments, the internet fan base is all over it, with some reporting Charlie’s a goner and others (maybe out of wishful thinking) remaining optimistic. The show’s creators have promised more deaths before the season is through, and with a huge battle between the Others and the castaways a-brewing, someone is inevitably taking a sharpened jungle stick to the gut.
But Charlie! Former hobbit Monaghan has carved a decent spot for himself on the show, portraying a drug addict going through withdrawal in season one and also hooking up with Evangeline Lilly, a.k.a. Kate, the buffest of all the female Losties. Rumors are also abound that Lilly will leave the show if Monaghan does, though it seems either could live off their Lost earnings and hang out on a Hawaiian beach while their beloved continues getting the crap beaten out of them in a jungle.
Regardless of Dear Charlie’s or Kate's fate, the final two episodes of the season promise to be full of new information, full-throttle action and, most intriguingly, some major plot twists. Executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof have repeatedly hinted about a season-end shocker called "snake in the mailbox”, a so-called “game changer” that will completely alter the direction of the show. Will they all be rescued? Will they all turn out to be figments of Hurley’s imagination? Given the creative roll that ‘Lost’ has been on since the medicore 6-episode mini-season last fall, anything is possible, and anything will likely be awesome. Even if it takes killing off your favorite has-been Brit rocker.
