"Lost" Loses Two More?

Let this be a lesson to all would-be Lost castmembers: Get busted by Hawaii Five-0 and you're not long for the island.

In a twist of, well, Lost proportions, two castaways were apparently killed off Wednesday night's episode, titled "Two for the Road," in a shocking last-minute double shooting.

(WARNING: If you TiVo'd Lost and don't want the ending ruined, stop reading and start watching right now.)

Coincidentally or not--depending on whose story you're buying--the two casualties were also the same two actresses who made headlines last year for their law-breaking extracurricular activities.

Michelle Rodriguez (the show's tough-talking ex-cop Ana-Lucia Cortez) and Cynthia Watros (psychiatrist-psych patient Libby Last Name Unknown) were both rung up minutes apart on Dec. 2 for drunken driving. Both eventually pleaded guilty, and Rodriguez, who had a longer rap sheet, wound up serving jail time last week.

As soon as news of the arrests hit, there was intense rumor-mongering that Rodriguez's character was expendable. When questioned about whether Rodriguez's now notorious offscreen antics would lead to her being permanently lost, executive producer Damon Lindelof told TVGuide.com that certainly wasn't the case.

"It's all huff and puff and speculation," he said. "Lost's story is the star and no actor would ever be killed off for any other reason than supporting the story."

Wednesday's story focused on Ana-Lucia's past and ended with her unable to shoot the imprisoned Other who calls himself Henry Gale. She instead handed off her gun to the recently returned Michael (Harold Perrineau Jr.), who said, "I'm sorry," before shooting her point blank in the chest. Seconds later, Libby walked in and Michael wheeled around and unloaded on her before shooting himself in the arm, apparently to frame Henry.

Already, the fanatics are filling up the message boards at the show's top fansite, lost-tv.com, and many aren't buying the double death.

The episode has already spawned a thread titled "Libby is NOT DEAD!" Posters cite several clues that Watros' character isn't done for--at least right away. Their main evidence is the promo for next week's episode, which features a castaway saying "She's dead," in apparent reference to Ana-Lucia. Had Libby also perished, they claim, it would have been "They're dead."

Nitpicky, perhaps, but all part and parcel of being a Lost fan.

Several viewers predict the Tailie managed to escape death thanks to the picnic blankets she was holding in front of her stomach, hypothesizing that they blocked the bullets, or at the very least slowed them down. Besides, they noted, Libby is the only major castmember who hasn't had an episode devoted to her backstory, indicating that she'll stick around for at least one more show. She was briefly seen as a mental patient in one of Hurley's (Jorge Garcia) flashbacks.

One fan, however, posting under the name GenCobra, had no time for figuring out how she would survive: "Libby is dead...her contract is up...get over it."

Watros' impending departure was first hinted at last month, after it was announced that the actress had signed on opposite Tom Cavanagh for the CBS sitcom pilot My Ex-Life. She was initially described as "guest star," but sources indicated that was a ruse to keep from spoiling the Lost storyline.

While the fate of Watros' character has yet to be seen, Rodriguez's is far more certain, as evidenced by her making the requisite rounds on the talk-show circuit Thursday morning.

"It was planned from the beginning," she told Good Morning America of her character's death. "I feel bad 'cause I didn't even tell the castmembers."

Rodriguez also tried to put to rest the rumors that the show's writers were engaging in a little moral grandstanding by deep-sixing her, saying her contract was always meant to be for a year, no more.

"No, no, no, not at all," she said, when asked if her offscreen troubles led to her onscreen demise. "I knew when I signed on."

Two of the show's executive producers, Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, seconded Rodriguez's remarks in an interview with TVGuide.com.

"A lot of this is going to sound like spin, so all we can give you is our word that this is exactly what happened," Lindelof said, reiterating that Ana-Lucia's death had been plotted from the start.

As for the victims of the joint shooting coinciding with the actresses' joint arrests, Lindelof said it was just bad timing.

"Both Michelle and Cynthia were busted the same night for DUI and we've got this story point coming up where they essentially both get shot at the same time, so it's going to look like this is the Lost producers' attempt to say, 'Don't drive drunk!' " Lindelof said.

"We thought about altering our plan, but [this] was, in fact, what was best for the show," said Cuse.

Rodriguez also addressed her recent jail stint, stemming from last December's arrest for a DUI, while chatting up the morning hosts, saying, "You know, it's tough because it's a learning experience. It's like time to grow up, kiddo. You have to be an adult about things."

Despite being officially off the show, Rodriguez may not have as much free time on her hands as she thought. The actress is due in a Los Angeles court Friday morning for a hearing to determine whether her recent arrest violated her probation, which she has been serving since 2004 after pleading guilty to three misdemeanors, including drunken driving, stemming from two separate traffic accidents.

Should she be found in violation, she could face up to 18 months in jail.