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Since Lost's final season starts airing this week, the buzz writers want to re-articulate some questions that need to be answered. Before this season even starts, Lost boasts more than 100 episodes, a cast with almost 30 main characters, and a universe with a dense mythology. It's unlikely the writers will answer every question but they better try their hardest. Before you keep reading be forewarned, this article will be dealing with some massive spoilers. So, if you still need to finish watching your $120 copy of Lost: The Complete Fifth Season Dharma Initiative Orientation Kit, come back to this later.

What happened at the end of season 5?: Blowing up a hydrogen bomb always has big consequences. When Juliet smashed one with a rock in the final seconds of last season's finale the screen went atypically white: was that just an artistic choice, or does that signify something huge? Does time get rewritten? Does the plane land safely at LAX? Does everybody die? Was everything that already happened erased?! I expect this question to be answered in the season premier, and I also expect the explanation to be confusing and deal with complicated metaphysics.

Who are Jacob and the Man In Black?: Jacob might be dead before we ever got to know him! Is Jacob ruler of the island, and the Man in Black his nemesis? Everything surrounding these characters has been a mystery, but they may be responsible for the events that set the whole series in motion! Obvious color symbolism aside, who's good and who's evil? Why does Jacob look like the drug-addicted wife beater from the first season of Dexter?!

What's the deal with the Smoke Monster?: We've seen it eat a pilot, we've seen it kill Mr. Eko. It's been around since the first episode but nobody knows what it is! Even Ben claims ignorance to the origins of the murderous dark cloud. Some fans speculate that it may be self-replicating nanobots like the ones in Michael Crichton's novel Prey. Whatever the smoke monster is, hopefully it eats more people.

How are people rising from the dead?: Jack saw his dad's body in an Australian morgue, yet Christian Shephard walks the island (and the real world) unscathed. We watched Ben strangle John Locke last season, but he seemed fine when he came back to the island (unless it wasn't Locke at all!). Does the island grant eternal life? Is that why everyone wants it so much? Does this also mean other characters who've died (like Daniel Fairday and Rosseau) might come back too?

What happened to Walt?: Walt played a big role in the show's first two seasons. What happened when Darma to him after he got kidnapped? Does he have special powers? What has he been doing while everyone else stayed on the island? For that matter, where the heck has Claire been? Are the characters who haven't been around much going to come back with new urgency and relevance?

Overall Resolution: Does anyone have free will, or is fate predetermined? How much does the past matter and can you change your life in the present? Do negligent father figures (of which there are many) signify an apathetic God? How does a serial narrative hold up in today's post-modern infosphere? Most importantly, will Katie pick Jack or Sawyer?!

We demand a satisfying conclusion! After giving us hours and hours of free entertainment and pioneering a cross genre drama on network television, the creators are obligated to finish Lost right! Otherwise, nerds everywhere will refuse to buy DVDs and comic books.