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"Frozen donkey wheel" redirects here. For other uses of "Frozen donkey wheel", see: Frozen wheel

Code names have been used by the producers and writers of Lost to refer to the cliff-hanger season finales, often containing plot twists.

The code names seem to follow two patterns: the first two were both types of breads and had no relation to the final scenes; the second two were odd phrases that initially seem like non sequiturs until seen within context of the final scene.

Season 1: "The Bagel"

"The Bagel"

The code name for a final scene in Season 1 was "The Bagel", in which Walt was abducted by Tom and the Others. ("Exodus, Part 2")

This code name appears to have no direct relevance to the final scene; however, a bagel is a type of bread just like "The Challah".

This was the first code-named finale scene not to refer to the last scene of the finale, but was actually seen several minutes before the final scene.

Season 2: "The Challah"

"The Challah"

The code name for Season 2's final scene was "The Challah", which revealed Henrik and Mathias in the listening station, at a desolate, snow-blanketed location. Upon receiving a computer notification of the detection of some sort of electromagnetic anomaly, they phoned Penelope Widmore to tell her that they had "found it". ("Live Together, Die Alone")

This code name also appears to have no direct relevance to the final scene; however, a challah is a type of bread just like "The Bagel".

Season 3: "The Rattlesnake in the Mailbox"

"The Rattlesnake in the Mailbox"

Season 3's ending code name was "The Rattlesnake in the Mailbox", also known as "The Snake in the Mailbox", where Jack, drunk and depressed, meets Kate at an airport, pleading with her that they have to go back to the Island. The scene revealed that the episode's flashes have actually been flash-forwards, as opposed to flashbacks. ("Through the Looking Glass")

While not a literal reference to the final scene, the code name shares two similarities with the feeling and mood of the episode's final scene. First, the scene was surprising like a snake in a mailbox; and second, it was a plot twist, being that the audience had up to that point been accustomed to seeing stories told only in real-time or in flashback.

The code name may be a reference to the cult Synanon, which attempted to assassinate an enemy by putting a live rattlesnake in his mailbox. The cult was based in Santa Monica, CA, where Bad Robot Productions is located.

Season 4: "The Frozen Donkey Wheel"

"The Frozen Donkey Wheel"

Season 4's finale scene code name, "The Frozen Donkey Wheel", was revealed to refer to a literal frozen wheel used by Ben to move the Island. ("There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3")

It was the second code-named finale scene not to refer to the last scene of the finale, but was actually seen twenty minutes before the final scene.