Lost Mysteries: Colleen's Funeral

Today's mystery is one that caught my attention at the time, but it hasn't really been discussed or focused on much since. In season 3, one of the Others, Colleen, is killed by Sun and despite Jack's efforts, she dies. What follows in "The Cost of Living" is a bizarre funeral practice.

Jack is taken to the funeral site on the beach, where everyone dons loose white clothing. Colleen's body is placed on a raft and set afire. She is then pushed off to sea while the country song "I Wonder" by Brenda Lee is played. Can you say Wha?

While this may technically not be one of the big mysteries on the show, its one that I wondered about, and with all we've learn about Ben and the Others, stuff like this sticks out to me. The funeral practice is similar to those in Viking, Roman, Buddhist and Hindu burial traditions. But why do the Others employ this method? We've seen many Others killed since, but this is the funeral that they've had. So why was Colleen's death different?

Colleen is sent out to sea, so where does her body end up? Does it do like Desmond did when he tried to leave and just float around the "snow globe" or does it head for the correct bearing and leave the island's field? Is there something to the Other's connection with the island that they feel that they can't bury their deceased on the island and have to send them out to sea? And what's with the Brenda Lee song?

This is a mystery that will likely go unsolved. I'm sure we'll learn more about the Others, but I doubt they specifically address this funeral practice. This doesn't fall into the big mysteries on the show like the smoke monster, the numbers or what is the island. But its still a fun and interesting one to discuss.