LOST Predictions, Theories, and Fun Stuff
I have not made a post like this in some time, and it is long LONG overdue. First some housekeeping stuff.
I’ve received a few emails regarding the apparent lack of Recaps here at TheTailsection. For those who have not guessed by now, I’m writing full time at BuddyTV.com and that is were most of the mainstream features are going to be published going forward. This lets me be a little looser with the posts here, as well as focus on the non-mainstream stuff like Spoilers, rants, and, oh yeah, rants.
Now, the highly detailed Tailsection recap can be brought back if there is enough demand for it, you just let me know. Okay, house-keeping is over. Onto the fun stuff.
Last weeks episode, ‘Tricia Tanaka is Dead’ got me thinking, with a little prodding from Lost savant Jeff Jensen. The theme of ‘make your own luck’, which is tantamount to ‘choose your own destiny’, and ‘make your own fate’, seemed like, at first, just a channel of whimsy for Hurly. His fellow beachers were bemused by how starting this car could bring them hope, they didn’t have a life-long project of rebuilding a junked Camaro waiting for them back home, either.
The point Jeff makes is after sitting aside Hurley’s uplifting subplot of finding hope by taking a risk and placing your bets on ‘making your own luck’, you are left with possibly another allusion, one that connects with Roger Workman and his people. One that is a bit more oblique. What if Dharma was doing more than ‘making their own luck’. What if the theme, besides having contextual meaning in the story, was also a clue from the writers to start thinking in a particular direction…
The idea posited is this: what if there never was a magnetic anomaly in the Swan hatch. What if, there is a force on that island that acts on the perception, the faith if you want, and is able to adjust the material fabric of the island to match those expectations. Sound crazy? Consider that we’ve already seen a lot of proof for this. We have seen the island manifest physical visages of people that were important to our beloved character’s lives. We know they are physical, because at time they have left behind signs that they existed.
The final idea? That Dharma was essentially a psychological experiment, thoroughly. That Wickman is our guy, and Candle is a fraud. Will there be confirmation of it this week when John Locke uncovers the truth about the relation between the others and the Dharma Initiative? Tune into find out.
This sounds like the haunted island theory. That perhaps a being with super-paychological ability was being tested and was eventually killed (the incident?). Now he (possibly named Aaron?) is the force on the island. I’m a little confused by the wording in this post Doc. If you could elaborate I’d greatly appreciate it.
Comment by cap10tripps — March 2, 2007 @ 2:11 pm
It’s open ended for a reason cap. Yes it is haunted island… perhaps. Closer examination of the Shambhala references, not to mention the meaning of Dharma itself, might lead you away from that. Particularly if the entire purpose of Dharma, all along, was just to test adaptation to different psychologically stressing regiments. In this case, I’m saying there is a neutral (?) force that acts like a genie with an autopilot, then there are the various ’sides’ trying to protect the balance of who has access….
Comment by docarzt — March 2, 2007 @ 2:23 pm
Since this seems to be the spot to post your best guess let me reitterate the theory I’ve constructed…
We see a 4 toed statue in the season 2 finale. This hints at a civilation that is further evolved. It is widely thought that evolution will eventually cause us to lose our pinky toe. So it would seem that there are other others who are actually from the island (they are probably mixed in with DHARMA/Hanso and Mittelos).
So where is the island? I believe it is located sometime near the estimated date the Valenzetti code has deciphered as the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine). They are using their space/time bending technology to try and go back to change the code (the NY Yankee retired #’s).
So how will they change it? I believe they’re trying to influence our evolution through morphic resonance (an alternate explanation of evolution that basically says that our energy/dna processes info the way a computer does to upgrade and evolve). They are doing this via the cable that Sayid finds that ventures off into the ocean. This cable is transmitting to our TV’s through our present (2007) time. The others have been trying to influence our evolution in order to prolong life past their own time and space. In essence they are hoping to create their own luck.
Comment by cap10tripps — March 2, 2007 @ 2:34 pm
Hey Doc, I was wondering if you have a theory and if you could share it with us.
Comment by cap10tripps — March 2, 2007 @ 2:48 pm
Wow! Doc, I love this theory that there is a force on the island that picks up on each individual’s perception. And I like cap’s suggestion that it could tie in with the 4 toed statue … although I think the TV tranmission idea might be pushing it. Doc, this is great stuff… if you don’t mind my asking, does BuddyTV pay you to write for them?
Comment by ken — March 2, 2007 @ 3:09 pm
If there is a force picking up on individual perception, then Smokey is the manifestation of the forced (that can also manifest into images from individual perception).
Comment by cap10tripps — March 2, 2007 @ 3:25 pm
I would caution against integrating the Lost Experience/Valenzetti mythos to the show for one simple reason: in the reality of the game, the show exists as propaganda to cover the vile truth of Hanso, Dharma, et al. So things we learned from the game are undependable in the show. To a degree. I asked Javi Grillo Marxuach if the events of the game had impact on the show, and he said yes. But he was out of the loop at the time and the producers said from the beginning that the game was optional and would not be necessary to solve Lost. I’m going to get further clarification of that this coming week by means I will be announcing shortly.
As for a theory of my own. I think there are two things happening, the first is this wellspring of raw creation energy that is influenced by thoughts and beliefs. Be it haunted island, a Gaia wart, or whatever, it is a force that can make anything, even make people live forever.
Enter the sci-fi indoctrinated Dharma subjects. Their beliefs and musings create a force in the island capable of localized shifts in time and space. Not a big clumsy black hole, this is the tweezer of time space anomaly where a worm hole is a broadsword.
Part of this belief system is a sickness which causes madness. So the island creates the sickness. We know from the puzzle code that sickness is not real, or at least wasn’t real.
Now it gets weird…. and a bit Donnie Darko, but that’s okay by me. Desmond time trips and as a result creates a tangent universe built around two events. The first was his turning the key, the second we don’t know yet.
In the tangent universe, things are a little different. The plane crashes but because of minor changes in the order of the universe, different people survive.
This theory is too long to put in comments, so maybe I’ll type it up in its entirety if you want to hear the rest but the gist is this:
In the tangent universe, the 815rs got the sickness. The sickness was a hyper-evolutionary process so they became insane with knowledge and psychic abilities. They uncovered the hatch and were able to discover that they were from a tangent universe which was volatile, therefore their existence was threatened. They used the swan hatch to cross over into the current universe so they could ensure that the second event, which perpetuates the tangent universe, takes place.
The others are an order that evolved on the island and they protect the energy source from being exploited by ‘bad people’. They have no choice but to go along with what the bad 815rs want. Also, they have noted that not all of the bad 815rs got the sickness. One of them, Jacob, made a list of all the 815rs that were not affected. When the plane crashed a second time they sent Ethan and Goodwin to make lists of who survived to compare against the new set of survivors. This solves the mystery of a third list and what it has to do with what is going on.
It also explains why the others perceive the 815rs as murders and dangerous. It is based entirely on the perception of the 815rs that exist in the dark territory. The “Bad Twins”.
So the darker force we are going to meet could be a pack of psychic mutant 815′rs. Why would this make sense? Way back in season one, Lindelof and Cuse said that twins would factor into the future of the story and pointed out the pair of twins on the boat.
Remember that many people also identified the actor playing the twins as a male flight attendant also from the finale. Coincidence? Hardly! Fits my theory like this: The flight attendant was one of the ones that did not become infected. So the others took him during the first day. Also, this guy is among the evil 815rs who crossed through the worm hole, but escaped and is now helping the others. This is why two weeks after the crash, he is colluding with the others in an attempt to kidnap Walt at sea.
If you want more.. I’ll make a longer post…
Comment by docarzt — March 2, 2007 @ 3:42 pm
I forget that they want the ones who were not infected because they think they can cure the ones in the jungle.
Comment by docarzt — March 2, 2007 @ 3:44 pm
Thanks Ken. Hopefully I stressed enough that most of this originated from Jeff Jensen.
Comment by docarzt — March 2, 2007 @ 3:45 pm
I WANT MORE DOC…
By the way, I did not take part in the “Lost Experience” online game. I got my info from research and came up with something that seemed to make sense. I love your ideas and how the “Bad Twins” will come into play, but I want more. Elaborate please my brain stimulating brother…
Comment by cap10tripps — March 2, 2007 @ 4:15 pm
Just an afterthought… “Donnie Darko” was the most thought provoking movie I’ve ever seen. It has garnered a cult-like following and may very well have influenced ideas found in “Lost.”
Comment by cap10tripps — March 2, 2007 @ 4:18 pm
I personally thought Donnie Darko was a po-mo-arthouse-wank. But I respect the ideas and themes in the story and how they could be employed to make sense of island goings-ons.
Comment by Dusk — March 2, 2007 @ 5:06 pm
If you like convoluted theories on Lost that sound very similar to this one search Bryan Preston and Lost on Myspace. It’s very similar just a few weeks older, and it goes on for awhile longer.
Comment by B — March 2, 2007 @ 5:26 pm
Through my research travels I have come across something very interesting (with a little nudge from Doc Jensen at EW). There is a book by Umberto Eco (interesting last name) called “The Island of the Day Before.” In this book a man finds himself shipwrecked on a deserted island. He believes that this island somehow controls the date line. On the island he contemplates things like lost love, science, faith, and mostly the existence (or non-existence) of free will. We find out that the man’s path began with a failed seige where his father was killed. Doesn’t all of this remind you of someone on our beloved little island? Could this be a huge clue? Has Des the motion picture set designer constructed a world of intrigue? My best guess is that his path (that begins with a dishonoring event) will be the key in solving this giant riddle.
Comment by cap10tripps — March 2, 2007 @ 6:06 pm
GREAT post, doc!!! I think all us diseluded hardcore fans needed was your perspective on the show’s plot, always well put and inteligent! Cheers to you, dude!
I wonder if the “bizarro losties” will all have “goaties” (South Park, anyone? lol)
Comment by Lost_in_Brazil — March 2, 2007 @ 6:10 pm
Well, as long as we’re playing the “let’s come up with ‘big stretch’ theories like Jeff Jensen does” game, here’s mine: the whole business of time-looping isn’t just related to Desmond’s experience, but rather, it’s what’s happening on the island. According to the orientation sequence of the Sri Lanka film (the one bit of TLE that stands a chance of being worth a damn), DHARMA’s supposed to be trying to run experiments to hold off the end of the world. So, beyond having a poopy-doopy equation merely predicting the future, how do you actually test this? If you could create a separate, smaller-scale world that served as a microcosm for our own, and have it face up against the end of the world again and again and again…well, wouldn’t that be a way? And suppose you had a way of jumping back to the start of the test period just before the end came. Hey, that’d be it, right? Look at the seeming “main” DHARMA logo from the film: a large circle with a tiny circle cut out of it, and the same size piece floating off separately from the rest. Gee, wonder what that means?
Yup, that’s right: it’s vague, it’s a stretch, but say, given the scant few facts included, it makes a bit of sense, and definitely ties back to The Third Policeman (again with the looping). Thoughts?
Comment by Richard Lennox — March 2, 2007 @ 8:02 pm
Ha ha that comment about the “bizarro losties” having goatees made me think of the evil Spock. Heh.
I like your theory, Doc. I want to hear more!
Comment by Marilyn — March 2, 2007 @ 8:16 pm
I live in the UK and we did not get TLE.
Would someone b kind enought to tell me who and what the “bad twins” r please?? Cheers
Comment by Rob — March 3, 2007 @ 4:12 am
I notice you still didnt focus on what everyone else is talking about. This episode sucked, just a rehash of the hurley good luck bad luck thing with no meat. Is this the tone for the rest of the season? A good episode, a bad episode, then another good?
Comment by tyler — March 3, 2007 @ 5:24 am
Everybody else? I haven’t heard much negativity about the episode personally… and as I’ve said before, the worst LOST is still vastly better than anything else on tv.
Comment by docarzt — March 3, 2007 @ 7:44 am
Nice post an great theorey!! Please more episode breakdowns here!! Please!! in fact post everything you post on buddytv here as well!!! PLEASE. i have censourship issues with my work connection.
you can enjoy the episode for what it is rather then be frustrated you have to wait another week in hope of an answer!! People who look and read and post online are doing so because they have theories, and want answers, they’re always going to be the ones who are most vocal when they dont get them, but the show is still a good show in its own right, even without answering everything in 1 episode like everyone hopes! The problem is to much hype, to much expectation of each episode. I have no doubt in my mind, when we get to the end of this and we can look back at all we’ve seen, and finally understand what the mystery was, lost will be hailed as one of the greatest televisual experiences since Quatem Leap!!! 
i sh*t you not.
And i agree the worst lost is still alot better than everything else. A few people have said already the best way to watch it is wait an watch whole seasons in a week
Comment by Stu — March 3, 2007 @ 8:41 am
And i really liked the hurley episode. even before considering this theorey!!
Comment by stu — March 3, 2007 @ 8:43 am
i agree with the post about watching a season a week, it does make a lot more sense, after all there are many subtle questions within each season which people have not noticed, like when Michael went to rescue Walt, why were Tom and Pickett waiting around. And why did the others want Hurley only to let him go?
Comment by Paul uk lost fan — March 3, 2007 @ 11:19 am
I think that the producers have so many different solutions for the entire plot of the show… as soon as they find that one has been predicted, they trash it, and work with another… this way when the series is over, they can say that no one saw it coming….
Comment by Juan Batista — March 3, 2007 @ 12:14 pm
I think that the producers have so many different solutions for the entire plot of the show… as soon as they find that one has been predicted, they trash it, and work with another… this way when the series is over, they can say that no one saw it coming….
If that’s the case, I’d like to go on record as suggesting that the series is in fact a clandestine sequel to the motion picture Killer Clowns from Outer Space.
There. That’s one crap ending that won’t happen.
Comment by Richard Lennox — March 3, 2007 @ 12:17 pm
Does anyone else wonder if Sawyer’s “moment in the woods” with Ana Lucia will come out into the open?
Comment by lela — March 3, 2007 @ 4:31 pm
Doc, add me to the list of people who would like to see the return of your detailed recaps (if you have time)!
Cap’s reference to “Des the set designer” put me in mind of WATCHMEN again. And I know the Desmond/Dr. Manhattan parallels have been discussed before…I don’t have a theory of my own, but I’m liking the direction of Doc’s latest.
Comment by Felicity — March 3, 2007 @ 6:26 pm
Yo Doc, I’ve got some interesting info that backs up your theory (bad twins). I was watching deleted scenes from season 1 and two things really popped out at me. The first was a scene where Kate says to Jack something to the affect of, “we’re in a soap opera.” Jack’s reply was, “it’s not a soap opera till the evil twin shows up.” The second (and most interesting to me) was a scene where Jack asks Claire shortly after she’s back in camp, “do you remember anyone yet?” Her response was, “bits and pieces but it’s like their from a past life or something.” This has me wondering if the Claire we are currently watching is “bizarro” Claire. Maybe bizarro Claire was not carrying the baby they needed and the original Claire (the one from the pilot episode) was. Or maybe original Claire was killed. This brings more questions of the psychic’s actions. It
It seems that in the season 2 finale when the arctic dudes refer to “missing it” they are probably referring to “the incident.” The incident could be the original magnetic takedown of flight 815, while Desmond’s being late on the button could have been perpetuated by the others to create a tangent universe on the island (possibly to cure the sickness?). So what is this dark territory (perhaps the tangent to the universe we’re watching)? New possibilities for Smokey (deciding which twin to keep around)? Doc are you there? Thoughts? Anyone???
Comment by cap10tripps — March 4, 2007 @ 6:49 am
anybody ever think science vs faith ?
Comment by islandluver — March 4, 2007 @ 1:58 pm
Well here we go. This took a lot longer than I thought and hoped it would but here it is. Finally: Jalocke’s Over-arching, all encompassing theory on LOST. Now before we all rush for the weapons I will explain what I mean by theory. Obviously I am trying to figure out LOST however; I don’t expect this is right. In fact I hope its wrong. What I am trying to do is answer all the questions and explain it in a way that would blow my mind.
I went through all the seasons and all the episodes and I tried to work on this theory to make it comprehensive and as encompassing as possible.
So now first let’s start with a Timeline.
1-Long time ago…
- An ancient civilization, seafaring, possible aboriginal, crashes on the island and
Discover the weird properties of the island.
- Ancient civilization constructs temples and statues to honor this mystical island.
- Ancient civilization is wiped out by some property of the island.
2-Mid to Late 1800’s…
- Magnus Hanso, the owner of the slave ship, the Black Rock, crashes on the island.
3. 1960’s…
-Alvar Hanso goes searching for his missing great-great grandfather and discovers the island and its weird properties.
-DeGroots come up with their idea of the Utopian society and look for financial backing.
-DeGroots and Hanso team up to serve their mutual interests
-The Incident
4. A Couple Years Ago
-The Losties crash on the island
So there is my timeline of what has happened. And now for the explanation…
The Island:
Faith
The Island is a gateway on Earth to the afterlife. The island is Eden. In the Christian Bible there is no refrence to Eden as such a gateway however, one could assume that if Eden exists that it would have some strong ties to Heaven and God. There have been so many refrences to religion; Ben and Jacob, Charlie’s Dream, Eko’s faith, the Virgin Mary statues, and many others that it seems possible. This connection to the afterlife is what gives the island its mysterious powers of healing, and the Black Smoke. The Black Smoke is a literal manifestation of the dead. It is a manifestation of all the souls who have died on the island.
Science
The island is home to an electromagnetic anomaly at the center of the island. This electromagnetic anomaly is what gives the island its “powers.” The healing comes from the ability of the electromagnetic pulse to heal the energies in one’s body. The Black Smoke is a weird phenomenon which was created by the huge increase in magnetic energy.
Actually…
Its both. The electromagnetic anomaly is the connection to the afterlife. If one were to assume that Heaven existed, or some other kind of afterlife, then a scientific assumption would be to assume it exists on some higher plane. The anomaly is the connection to that higher plane/afterlife.
The Ancient Civilization:
The ancient civilization came to the island to worship the gateway. They realized the power of it and came to worship it. They created huge statues, the four-toed statue, to commemorate this god of the dead, the island. The ancient civilization grew to comfortable on the island and sought to use the powers of the island for themselves so the island destroyed them for their transgressions. All that is left are a few ruins, and the four-toed statue.
Dharma:
Dharma is the combination of the DeGroots goals with Alvar Hanso’s goals. The DeGroots wanted to study humanity in order to perfect it. They wanted to evolve the human understanding and capacity of the brain. Hanso wanted to change the numbers. He was one of the few people who knew of the Valenzetti equation and his burning goal was to stop the apocalypse. When he found the island his ancestor had crashed on, Hanso found the perfect place for the research but he needed some scientists. So the DeGroots and Hanso teamed up. They sought to at the same time change the numbers, and perform psychological experiments. However, upon arriving on the island, the scientists split. Some seeing the powers of the island wanted to use that power for themselves while the remainder wanted to keep doing their research. When the corrupt scientists tried to unleash the island’s powers the island reacted by destroying the facilities and killing many of the scientists. The remaining corrupt scientists figured out how to contain the anomaly and its powers. The explosion of energy the island wanted to release was instead released incrementally every 108 minutes. The DeGroot faction of the scientists also decided to make this part of a psychological experiment in order to continue their research. The Hanso foundation while saying that the scientists were killed, in fact continued to send supplies. One problem with the release of the island energy however, was the sickness.
The Numbers:
The Numbers symbolize fate as well as the Valenzetti equation. The Valenzetti equation is the part of the numbers which symbolizes the end of the world. These numbers predict when the apocalypse will come about. Interestingly, since Dharma was studying the numbers and trying to change them, they created the Hatch and all the rest of the Dharma equipment, however through the creation of the hatch and the Dharma Initiative the energy of the island was released and the end of the world began. See The Hatch for more information
The Sickness:
The sickness is a by-product of the incredible amount of energy being released by the island. This radiation poisoning not only caused the people infected to go crazy and slowly die but it also sterilized the population. Eventually a vaccine was discovered that stopped the craziness involved however, a cure was never found for the sterilization.
The Hatch:
The Swan Hatch was created to regulate the release of the anomaly’s energy. The Dharma Initiative used the regular supply of people who were crashing on the island to operate the hatch so that they could continue their experiments. When Desmond crashed on the island and took over the Hatch, this was his destiny, as well as it was the destiny of every other button-pusher. When the Hatch was exploded the immediate destruction of the island was prevented, however, very slowly the island’s power is now destroying the island, and the world. This is why Desmond was told he was going to save the world.
The Time-Travel:
Desmond’s time traveling experience is a direct result of the Hatch explosion. Since the explosion of the Hatch will result in the end of the world, the island has sent Desmond back to stop the events leading up to the Hatch explosion. Desmond’s job is to put all the people who were on Flight 815 there. That is why he was in Jack’s flashback. He is there to push people towards the plane. Desmond is quite literally the hand of fate. The only way to prevent the end of the world will be to have the Losties on the plane. This is why everyone appears to be fated to be there. We will slowly begin to see how Desmond’s actions push the survivors to their destinies. As a note this is also why the numbers appear everywhere. They symbolize fate, and fittingly since Desmond now represents Fate, Fate manifests itself through the numbers.
The Monster:
The monster is a manifestation of the island’s dead souls. Since it is also tied to fate and death it can see into the survivor’s lives and experiences. The island is testing them for the tasks ahead. The survivors will need to be able to know themselves and accept their past in order to save the world. Vincent died in the crash and is a manifestation of the monster. The monster had to gather information about the victims first and so it disguised itself as Vincent. This is why in the first episode Vincent comes running out of the jungle. As well as manifesting as people dead on the island, the monster can manifest as something from the past, ie Kate’s horse.
The Deaths:
When the Losties pass their test, come to terms with their past, they are taken by the island for some purpose. Boone is sacrificed in order to find the Pearl and the plane. Eko was sacrificed to help Locke find what he is supposed to find. Shannon, Libby and Ana Lucia were not sacrificed. They were murdered and as such the island will take vengeance on those who killed them.
The Psychics:
As a part of Dharma research they are studying psychic kids. They are trying to find ways to remove the sickness and control the islands powers. The psychic tendancies generally appear in children as they are the next phase of evolution in humanity. Taking the kids serve a dual purpose as it allows Dharma to create new Dharmaites, and it allows them to do more research on the anomaly.
Phew… that was a lot. I’m sure I missed something so I strongly hope that you point out anything I may have missed and I will include it. Please comment and tell me what you think. I have tried to balance faith and science and I hope I have done so. Please discuss constructively.
Comment by jalocke — March 5, 2007 @ 6:45 am
I don’t know if this has been mentioned before, but I was rewatching the series premiere and the sounds coming from the jungle sound extremely similar to the sounds of the plane breaking and exploding. Maybe that was the island learning how to mimic them. Or since the crash was their fate, and what they believed was happening to them at the time that’s how it showed itself to them.
Comment by AnotherOther — March 5, 2007 @ 7:19 am
Doc - I love the recaps here. I for one am married, 46, two kids with swimming, piano, baseball, basketball, karate and has a job, I do not have the time to scour the net for multiple resources of my fav shows. This is my place for LOST….I have no idea what Buddy TV is nor do I have to get to know it…
JaLocke - All I can say you really need to get a job as secretary if you can type all that in one sitting. You make some compelling sensible cases.
However I have to say (with respect, no sarcasm here or personal attacks) do you or Doc have jobs or kids or a wife? How can you possibly have ANY time to devote so much thought process if you did? If so someone in your life is suffering a lack of attention.
Have a good day…..
PS …..Doc, I have not seen the redo, but I like the older site better than this. To many click and sub forums to get the complete scoop….Again my issue is time. the more one stop shop to get spoilers, recaps and thoughts the better.
Comment by thirdflr — March 5, 2007 @ 8:09 am
Hi! Just posting my vote to bring the detailed recaps back. I really love them and the discussions that they stimulate.
Thanks!
Comment by TrillianM — March 5, 2007 @ 10:59 am
jalocke: interesting and plausible theories. Honestly, a lot better than Doc’s. I mean, tangent universes? “Psychic mutant 815ers?” Evil Twins? zzzzzzz.
Let’s all keep in mind that this is a TV show. It’s supposed to entertain, not melt your brain.
Lastly, why hasn’t anyone thought about the Losties families back home? (Other than Desmond’s girlfriend)? I’d think Jack’s ex would look for him. And I’d bet Hurley’s mom would be looking for his wallet …
Comment by Dan — March 7, 2007 @ 8:26 am