Season 5 Episode Titles - What Do They Mean?

As I'm sure you all know by now, the official premiere date for season 5 of 'Lost' is Jan. 21. Can't wait! It'll be a 3 hour extravaganza, with a 1 hour clip show and then the first 2 episodes back to back.

Speaking of those first episodes - the titles of the first 6 episodes have already been released. They're intriguing to say the least. I've got some theories on what they might mean, and what those episodes might be about. Note: I am aware that the producers have said there will no longer be flashbacks or forwards per se, but I imagine each episode will still focus on 1 character (or perhaps a select few) just for ease in storytelling.

Ep 1: "Because You Left"

*Islander-centric. Could be anyone's point of view, or could be several points of view (more likely, I think, since they'll probably show what happened to the those on the island as well as Faraday at sea).

For once, I think 'Lost' is actually going to be straightforward. This episode will, I think, be about exactly what the title implies. It'll probably focus on the group on the island (hereafter referred to as the Islanders), and what happened to them after the Oceanic Six left, and the island ... disappeared? moved? Hopefully, that question will get answered. That word in the title, 'because', implies some interesting ideas. It could be as simple as, since the Islanders don't know about Ben's frozen donkey wheel, to their minds the events of last season's finale happened because the Oceanic Six left. Or ... does it imply that Ben's wheel wasn't the cause after all, or maybe not the full cause? Perhaps the island disappearing was due in part to the Oceanic Six leaving; if they hadn't left, probably something still would've happened but maybe it wouldn't have been so catastrophic.

Ep 2: "The Lie"

*Oceanic Six-centric, probably Jack and/or Kate (unless my theory about Ep 4 is correct, see below) - possibly Desmond-centric, just because we haven't had an episode about him in awhile.

I think this episode will focus on the Oceanic Six, assuming that the first is about the island. Since they will be shown back to back, it makes sense that one would be about the island and one would be about those off the island. Now, "The Lie" is a pretty ambiguous title and could really refer to anything. There are a lot of lies floating around in the Lost-verse. The title could refer to the lie(s) the Oceanic Six have to tell in order to preserve their cover story. I have a theory that it could be about Kate's errand for Sawyer - she'll probably have to lie to Jack to accomplish it. Or it could, of course, be something else that I haven't thought of yet.

Ep 3: "Jughead"

*Not sure; could be Hurley- or possibly Sayid-centric

This title intrigued me. It's just so ... weird. Of course, the immediate association is with Jughead from Archie comics. If that's the association that the producers are going for, I think the episode will probably be about Hurley, as he seems to be the most likely character to be associated with a comic. Also, he's always been a little bit of the goofy sidekick (although displaying more of a serious side as of late). Also, we know from the trailer that there will be a scene with Hurley shooting a gun off a balcony; could this be the episode? However, when I heard this title, it made me think of "Jarhead", a movie that came out a few years ago about soldiers in Iraq. If that's the association to be made (admittedly a bit of a stretch), then I think the episode could be about Sayid's exploits as Ben's personal soldier (plus, he was a soldier in the past). And of course, if Sayid is there, then Ben will probably be featured as well.

Ep 4: "The Little Prince"

*Aaron-centric (which would mean "The Lie" is probably not Kate-centric since this episode would probably prominently feature Kate as well)

"The Little Prince", in real life, is a famous French children's book wherein the narrator meets the titular prince (who is a child) and visits his home asteroid. It's really quite a profound little book; I recommend either reading it or the Wikipedia plot summary. There could be a lot of tie-ins between the book and this episode. Being that the 'Little Prince' of the book is a child, this episode is most likely to be about Aaron. This could be the episode where we see the scene from the trailer where Aaron asks Kate where they're going and she says they're going on vacation (obviously, they're really going back to the island). But, would the Oceanic Six really be returning to the island this early in the season? Perhaps this episode will reveal more about Aaron's growing up between the time that the Oceanic Six leave the island and when we saw Aaron last season as a toddler.

Key lines from "The Little Prince" that could have tie-ins with 'Lost':

"One cannot see well except with the heart; the essential is invisible to the eyes."
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."
"It is the time you have spent with your rose that makes your rose so important."

Ep 5: "This Place Is Death"

*Islanders-centric (could be anyone, my picks are Juliet or Sawyer - Juliet, because she is the resident doctor, and Sawyer because he seems to be the de facto leader)

Perhaps I'm oversimplifying, but it seems pretty obvious to me that 'place' refers to the island. And since it's being referred to as 'death', perhaps someone is going to bite the dust in this episode. I've heard rumors that someone major is going to die in this season. Or, could be several people (probably mostly red-shirts) die due to an epidemic, effects of the island moving, whatever. Another idea is that Claire, if she is in fact already dead as most of us think, finally realizes she's dead and/or everyone else does, too. If I was living in a place where death quite literally walked around, I'd probably say that it was death, too.

Ep 6: "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"

*Locke-centric - duh

This is probably the most obvious title and the least needing of an explanation. It appears we will finally get our answers as to why and how Locke left the island, became Jeremy Bentham, and ultimately died.

So, what do my fellow 'Lost' fanatics think? I'm especially intrigued by the idea of "The Little Prince" coming into play - if you've read it, I'd love to discuss it further.