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‘Lost’ death surprises by being predictable

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< Prev | 1 | 2Just too obvious
They had ammunition for that way of thinking thanks to multiple feints in last week's episode. As the episode focused on Locke's past, viewers saw him pre-wheelchair, and witnessed numerous falls and moments that could have caused Locke's paralysis. Yet each time, he got up and walked, the mystery of what took his ability to walk remaining just that, a mystery.

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"Boone won’t die — they did the same thing a couple of months ago, advertising that somebody was going to die, and it turned out to be someone we barely knew, if we’d known them at all," wrote one reader to MSNBC.com.

Said another "Boone being hurt so badly as we are nearing the season's end makes him a blatantly obvious choice. And there is nothing blatantly obvious about 'Lost', except the continuing mysteries of the island."

Ironically, the obvious choice ended up being — well, not so obvious.

It's of course still possible that Boone might not be dead. Viewers are still clucking that evil Ethan, who was shot multiple times by Charlie earlier this year, is just too evil to be killed by regular bullets. And the island might have healing powers — it apparently gave Locke back his ability to walk.

With the birth of Claire's baby son at about the same moment that Boone slipped away, it's also possible there could be some kind of soul transfer or rebirth cycle going on. Although it's more likely that Claire's son has his own well-developed plot planned out — rumors abound that he's either the savior or the antichrist, based on the ominous behavior of an Australian psychic.

Killing off a main character, even a secondary main character such as Boone, is jolting for any show. Still, on a show like this one, it's likely that such a monumental event will only open up more and different directions for the plot to go.

It was apparent from the preview that Jack blames Locke for Boone's death, and it's obvious from his wrenching tears last week that Locke also blames himself. The two have been island leaders up until now, their confrontation is certain to shake and divide the island.

Earlier in the episode, not knowing her brother was dying, Shannon told new love interest Sayid that she would always feel something for Boone, but that she didn't love him in a romantic way. She's sure to be devastated by the loss regardless, but those words are likely to ring through her mind as she grieves.

Even characters that barely interacted with Boone are sure to be affected, as his death brings home the danger of the island to all of the survivors.

Maybe by creating a fairly straightforward death, the show's creators are reminding viewers that anything really can happen on this island. After all, in a world full of twists, the ultimate twist is a straight line.

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper is MSNBC.com's television editor