The "Lost" panel has always delivered. It hasn’t always delivered answers to burning questions, but it’s always entertaining. I started my Saturday by getting into a line at 7:30 a.m. to attend a panel that didn’t start until 11 a.m. Hall H holds almost 7,000 people. If I had gotten there at 9 a.m., I expect I wouldn’t have gotten in. I have attended every Comic-Con "Lost" panel to date. The first was a sneak peak of the whole first hour of "Lost." Dominic Monaghan caused all of the 14-year-old girls to scream. Every year since, there’s been new video content premiered, numerous cast members, gifts for those who ask questions, and really interesting ways to not really answer those questions. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse know how to work a crowd. This year was no exception.
If you are at all worried that you’re not caught up with the show, there are spoilers ahead.
The video content started with a show reel, some great fan films and a fan-created peppy new theme song. There were a couple of videos that implied that what Juliet did at the end of Season 5 worked. Damon and Carlton both emphasized that IF the big plan worked, the plane never crashed. Everything would be different.
I’m not sure how the plan working could make Kate’s intended victim escape his fate or let Hurley win the lottery without the whole number problem.
Jorge Garcia (Hurley) made his entrance by cutting into the fan question line to get to the bottom of a few things. When he asked too many questions, Michael Emerson (Ben) interrupted him to remind him that the rule is one question per person. Jorge accused Michael of still being upset that he didn’t land the role of Hurley on the show. Damon and Carlton then showed Michael’s audition reel. Josh Holloway (Sawyer) and Nestor Carbonell (Richard) later joined the panel. Everyone got an opportunity to answer a fan question.
FAN QUESTION: I really just want to know if Jacob’s nice friend at the beach, if his name might be Esau.
MICHAEL EMERSON: We sometimes deal in biblical imagery, but we tend to sort of dance in and dance back away from it. So that might be too much, but I like the way your mind is working.
DAMON LINDELOF: You’re good at this. He said absolutely nothing.
FAN QUESTION: Has Jacob ever appeared to our "Lost" castaways as any other image, other than himself, such as Claire or other characters?
DAMON LINDELOF: No.
My favorite part of the panel was the promo for a 1980s five-part documentary called "Mysteries of the Universe: The Dharma Initiative."
There’s always scripted material in the "Lost" panel. This year it seemed almost totally scripted. I doubt more than three or four people got to really ask a question. Bob Stencil showed up again. I love that guy. At the very end there was a surprise visit from Dominic Monaghan (Charlie). The girls all screamed. I headed upstairs quickly. I had another long line to wait in.
