"Lost"; Dominic Monaghan - Beware, spoilers!

I thought I'd share what I've learned from Kristen at E! Online about what we can expect for season 2 (beginning Sep 21 in the US). It's going to be all jumbled because I had to go back in the archives a few weeks, so stick with me. It's not specific stuff like naming a person who dies, but it does tell you if someone IS going to die, so if you don't want to know details like that, don't highlight the text

*The Raft Stuff Is "Gnarly": That's how Harold Perrineau describes the upcoming scenes for his group, which I hear take place beginning in the first episode. Word is, the first episode is on land, the second is on sea, and the third is back on land with a very cool reveal.

*Locke's Getting More Backstory: Terry O'Quinn is shooting another flashback episode. And once again, we'll be seeing Locke in a "different light."

*Michelle Rodriguez has joined the cast as a regular (she played Ana-Lucia, who had a brief meeting with Jack in the airport bar)

*Jack Gets a New Love Interest: When asked if there might be a romance with new series regular Michelle Rodriguez, Matthew Fox tells me: "I think that there's probably plans for that. You know, they had a really cool first meeting in the airport, and I think for 40 days, Jack has thought that she passed away on the flight. So, when and how they meet and what that means to the both of them is very exciting."

Q: How many new characters are there going to be this season of Lost?

A: I hear five to eight, and some (most?) of them are buddy-buddy with Ana-Lucia, who's living a harsh existence elsewhere on the island. I also hear that our raft friends are separated from the rest of the bunch for the first third of the season but are interacting with others (possibly the Others, or other others). Also, Kate is going to run into a bit of life-threatening peril.

Q: Can you give us one clue on the Lost death?

A: Female. October--I think, at least that was the original plan. Not at the hands of the "monster." And another one bites the dust: A male castmember is leaving the show for good. But this one won't be a death.

There has been some talk of the female NOT leaving though - I guess we'll have to wait and see for sure.

Q: What's in the hatch?

A: I can tell you it's nothing at all that I had thought of, nor anyone else I know had thought of. And it's good. From Damon Lindelof: "What's in the hatch is so intense/cool/complicated that it actually takes three full episodes to fully understand it. Fortunately, these are the first three episodes of the show, so the wait is over!"

Q: Do you know anything about Michelle Rodriguez's character?

A: I'm told it's "more Lord of the Flies-ish." My sense is that she's going to be something of a female lead for the storyline that's been going on on the other side of the island. As Damon Lindelof said in this week's column, she has her "own show going on." And I'm guessing this means we're going to see a tad less of some of the others we now know.

*"Omigod!" That's what Jorge Garcia (Hurley) promises in the first few episodes of Lost when the survivors go down the hatch. "It's on the level, of like, Locke in a wheelchair," he says. "The great thing about it is you learn a little bit about what's in the hatch, and as you go through the first few episodes, more comes together, and you realize that it's a much more significant thing than it was at the start of the show. It's a really cool reveal."

And according to Dominic Monaghan, we won't miss a beat. "I think between the end of the first season and the start of the second there's about 35 seconds," he told me. "So, you're right in the midst of this action."

Meanwhile, executive producer Damon Lindelof (still one of the nicest people in Hollywood) is a teensy bit nervous about what the fans will think. "Basically, we were like, 'Are we crazy? Should we do this? Is the network gonna let us do this?' " he said about the second-season reveal. "And everybody's been tremendously onboard with it. A lot of people might think it's weird, and a lot of people might hate it. But we think it's really, really cool, and we had to execute it and take it seriously because we did not want to go into the hatch and just find another hatch or some maps or, like, a toilet."

*Quote from Dom Monaghan: "Charlie and Locke are going to reexplore their relationship. They kinda started doin' that in the early part of the show. Locke kinda became Charlie's mentor a little bit.

"And I think Charlie's obviously gonna be struggling with the fact that there's now heroin on the island, and kind of a huge supply of heroin, so he has to deal with those demons. Also, the baby's gonna play a big part in his life, as is Claire. So, Charlie's gonna start to actually contribute to the group a little bit more, I think."

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