[XL]

Originally Posted by wwe2222 Mostly alot of the larger ideas were worked out...crash on an island that is mysterious, there is some band of others, there will be a hatch, etc...but over the course of writing it, they had to figure out who the main players would be and who would fit into where. They can still retain the ideas while changing the interactions between the characters.

I agree with that 100% but the guy I was responding to said that the character connections etc were planned. At least I think that's what he was trying to say.

Additonally it's the "tying together" that we're talking about. Shit, the outline could be as simple as you say above but at the end of the day it's about how these majot events are driven by the characters and the events that happen in their lives both prior to and since arriving on the island.

And yes Jack was supposed to die in the pilot episode, but that was well before they had really cast anyone, so its not like that was a last minute "oh hes good lets keep him"

I didn't say that it was a last minute decision. I fully expect that they had very little planned out past the pilot as, as far as I am aware, the show could have been pulled after the pilot.

And I notice you didn't have a come back for the use of Ben (which was my main point really).

Also, the actor who played Walt didnt want to be on the show anymore. Niether did Mr. Eko, who even requested they kill him off earlier than planned.

As I said (especially in regards to Eko) they were rumours. One of the other rumours was that the kid that played Walt was home sick and wanted to go home and that in true AAA style he didn't wanna stick around on a show too long.

The biggest change the story they made I think is Nikki and Paolo. But luckily they cut the chord on them before they really got invovled.

But the producers could easily claim that that was their plan for them all along. I think N&P were bought in (at least in part) due to the loss of Ana Lucia, Libby and Eko. Once people disagreed with the way they were bought in and the portrayal of the character "The Powers That Be" decided to drop them.

Here's one I forgot...

Apparently once Desmond had ran off after leaving The Swan that was it for him. Due to his popularity he was brought back. Now he has this link with the island and has become one of the integral characters. How's that for an "on the fly" change of ideas?