Charlotte, Daniel and Miles all have previous histories involving the island. Frank was probably previously on the island in the Dharma Initiative
Frank flies planes and helicopters. It's likely that if he worked for Dharma he'd be a pilot
Frank is not on the Island in 2004 and knows nothing about what's going on there. Depending on how long he's been away from the island, he may not know that the Purge happened. It's likely that he's been continuing his duty as a supply dropper, just as Kelvin Inman continued his duty of pushing the button.
Frank is the only major character left from season 4 without his own flashback episode.
Frank Flies 815 in the Alternate Timeline
Since Frank didn't fly the plain in the Original Timeline, it's likely that he did fly it in the Alternate Timeline
You can hear Seth Norris wishing a good flight to all passengers in the Alternate Timeline.
Plus, while on his speech, he states that he is in control of the plane.
Frank is Sawyer
The two look quite similar
They look nothing alike.
Sawyer has southern accent and Frank doesn't. Frank doesn't swear as much. Frank is not Sawyer. If he was Sawyer then he would have known that the pilot was not set norris and that the plane was a fake, instead he looked really hard at the footage of the plane and noticed the ring finger of the pilot. That is how he knew it wasn't Seth Norris.
Debatable. Look at Jeff Fahey's younger pictures. He looked strikingly similar to Josh Holloway, let alone their current similarities.
Frank would be about the right age, although maybe a bit too young
If Sawyer was to continue his life from the 1970s, it is unlikely he would not come up in the 'present'
Frank sounded the same as Sawyer when he was talkıng to Jack on Ajıra 316 as Sawyer dıd when he was talkıng to Jack when they fırst met ın 1977.
Frank may not have flown Ocıanıc 815 because he knew ıt would crash because he ıs Sawyer.
The only way this would be true is if Sawyer was stuck in 1977. But we know it's not the case because... whatever happened, happened. And what happened in Sawyer's 1977 is that his father killed his mother and then himself. If Frank is an aged version of Sawyer, then that would either put him in his mid-60's in 2007 or Sawyer in his mid 20's in 2004. I don't believe either to be the case
The actor who portrays Frank is 57; the character being in his mid-60s is quite plausible.
Faraday, Charlotte and Mıles had reasons to be on the ısland, possıbly Frank's ıs that he ıs Sawyer.
Frank never talked to Sawyer, possıbly because he would be talkıng to hımself.
This is incorrect. They spoke to each other in "There's No Place Like Home." Sawyer wound up freeing him from handcuffs before they flew off of the island.
Sawyer doesn't trust Ben just as Frank doesn't.
No-one trusts Ben
Sawyer also didn't initially trust Frank before being told by Jack that he was OK.
There appears to be a bookcase above Frank's TV ın hıs flashback ın the epısode Confırmed Dead, thıs may show that Frank reads as Sawyer does.
Interesting coincidence, but not a firm connection.
Frank's middle initial J stands for James (Saywer's real name) or Jim (Sawyer's alias in 1977). Sawyer adopted the name Frank in honor of Frank Duckett, whose death has haunted his conscience. Also, "Lapidus" and "LaFleur" share the "La" prefix.
Interesting coincidences, but not a firm connection. The J could stand for Judas for all we know.
When Frank notices that the Oceanic Six (excluding Aaron) are on-board Flight 316, he automatically assumes that they're "not going to Guam". If Frank IS in fact Sawyer, then that assumption would make sense, since Sawyer meets up with the people on-board 316 in 1977. If Frank and Saywer are two different people, then there is much less of a reason for Frank to assume that 316 will crash.
Frank seeing ANYBODY from Oceanic 815 on Ajira flight 316 would cause that response, given his past experience with them, and given the way the island seems to work.
Frank can't be Sawyer. In "Confirmed Dead" we see Frank watching footage of the crash of flight 815 on the news, prompting him to act surprised. When they show a closeup of the pilot(s) in the cockpit, we can clearly see Frank's legitimate confusion and outrage at what he's just THEN realizing is a fake. Sawyer would have to be really committed to the lie to stay in character with no one around to be playing (except the cameras, maybe)...
Manifest Memorization
Frank memorized the manifest so that when he arrived on the Island, he would know if he met a survivor of Flight 815.
Frank memorized the manifest because he was guilty about Seth Norris crashing the plane where-as Frank feels that he could have made it to L.A.
Frank is On Charles Widmore's and Eloise Hawking's "Team"
Frank says to Sun "they say they're the good guys... I know, I'm not buying it either." This line is significant. Either, the producers are telling us that we shouldn't assume that Ilana and Bram (and incidentally, Jacob) are "the good guys" just because they say they are, or, Frank is undercover and actually on the side of Charles Widmore/Eloise Hawking.
This could be the case because (1) he flew Widmore's helicopter to drop the freighter crew onto the island and (2) he was somehow substituted as the pilot on the Ajira flight to fly the Oceanic 6 back to the Island. Oddly, he always seems to be the guy who flies people into the island- an island that shouln't be that easy to fly into.
Widmore and Hawking aren't necessarily the same "Team"
Frank was arranged to be on Flight 316 by Widmore, possibly via Sun. This would give rise to the idea that Frank and Sun have left together on one of the three outriggers on the beach near the Hydra Station where they landed. These two are likely plotting against Ben on behalf of Widmore.
Frank said he makes the run to Guam all the time.
Candidacy
He is a candidate to become the new leader of the others.
He is a candidate to become the new host for Jacob's soul.
An episode in Season 6 will focus on his "candidacy" and give insight into Frank's life before the Freighter and between the rescue and Ajira 316, including the reason he didn't fly Oceanic 815.
He is a candidate to become a member of the group Ilana/Bram belong to.
Ilana knows that John is dead, so she thinks Frank could be a Candidate for the new Leadership role of the others. Frank was supposed to fly 815, but he didnt. When the monster found out the pilot wasn't Frank, it became angry and killed Seth Norris, because it knew that someone else would become the new leader of the others instead of Frank. That someone is Locke.
Frank is a candidate for a Jacob-level position with total power over the island.
Jacob was the one who ordered the runway, so he clearly wanted Flight 316 to land. Flight 316's landing was what ultimately led to Jacob's death (due to Locke's possession by MIB), so he knew he was going to die. He instructed Bram and Ilana to find a successor and he brought Frank back to the island as a 'candidate' for this position.
How could Jacob have ordered the runway if Ben had never spoken to him?
Through Richard
Just a pilot but essential for the escape of the Man in Black
Frank Lapidus is the only one who might be able to start the Ajira plane and take off the island, after the plane has been turned around.
He is thus essential for the physical escape of the Man in Black. Ilana is fully aware of that, which is the reason why she makes sure that Frank stays with her group so the Man in Black won't be able to get off the island.
If that were true the Man in Black shows an alarming, irresponsible lack of interest in Frank Lapidus
Or Frank is not the one necesary to later help the Man in Black get off the island but Ilana and her companions
All things considered, that plane is not a viable means of transportation. If it was, Widmore's group would have dismantled it.
The Last Recruit
Flock's goal is to fly everyone off the plane. This will require a pilot. Lapidus is the Last Recruit (the last person needed by Flocke). The episode on 4/20 will be Lapidus-centric.
Frank is not the only remaining survivor who knows how to fly a plane. At some point Jack 'took a few flying lessons' but it 'wasn't for' him. (Pilot, Part 1) He may know enough to fly the plane off the island if it came down to it.
A "few flying lessons" hardly qualifies Jack as being able to fly a commercial airliner off a hastily-built run-way. We know that it wasn't long enough to accommodate the planes landing.
The last recruit is Frank but in reference to being Jacob's last recruit. Frank is going to have been talked to by Jacob, but has never been talked to by The man in black. This is essential to his ability to kill him, just as it was with Jacob. Ben was able to kill Jacob because he never let him speak to him, and every other character has been spoken to (and decided to go talk to) the man in black. They are, as Claire put it, "with him" - except Frank.
Ben DID let Jacob speak to him beneath the statue: Jacob tells Ben that he has a choice on whether or not to kill him.
