Jeff Jensen Weighs in on the ‘Hamster of Mystery’
It was only a matter of time. I laid down the challenge to LOST theorist extraordinaire Jeff Jensen: explain the Hamster of Mystery, and in true Doc Jensen form, we now have a string of possibilities to consider! Let me turn the mic over to Doc J.
I saw your challenge–and I’m taking it on!
Did you know hamsters are also known as bears?
And did you know that there is a kind of hamster known as… Polar Bear Hamsters?
Other interesting hamster thoughts. The Blast Door Map indicates there used to be tunnels that connected the Hatches. If they were connected… don’t you think the whole compound would kinda resemble one of those interlocking hamster cage things?
But the other thought I had is this: hamsters are known for their breeding habits. They tend to replicate rather quickly.
What’s Juliet’s are of specialty? Fertility doctor. What are the Others suspected of having troubles doing? Reproducing. And hamsters are know for being prolific breeders…
Now, with that in mind… the symbolism of the picture seems to attain meaning, although I’m still not sure why anyone would paint a portrait like that.
Well, there you have it! See, I’m not so crazy after all. I promise you, this is just the beginning. It won’t be long before the Hamster of Mystery is at the center of every water cooler pow wow and theory board on the planet. Remember, not too long ago we all heard that strange new animals would be appearing on LOST. This is it my friends, this is it.
(Disclaimer - After a week of basically awesome exposition, its just too hard to find a minute detail to pick over, so i thought the hamster of mystery would make a good diversion. Please stop emailing me asking if I’ve LOST my mind.)
If I remember correctly, Juliet once impregnated a Male Field Mouse. I’m not sure what a male field mouse looks like… but isn’t it most likely that’s what the picture is referencing?
Comment by freeman — March 23, 2007 @ 9:01 pm
When the others were recruiting Juliet didn’t they ask her if it was true that she had inpregnated a male hamster? I’m pretty sure they did, and that is probably why she is holding one in the picture.
Comment by eaglejoe — March 23, 2007 @ 11:14 pm
It seems obvious to me that if this is a portrait of Juliet, the hamster in her lap is symbolic of her work in fertility.
Comment by Lance — March 23, 2007 @ 11:26 pm
Again, not Juliet - RACHEL, and yes, the hamster is looked upon as their ’savior’, in a sense (but we know he’s not Jacob, since Him has been repeatedly referred to as a man - while we’re on the subject, I’m not 100% convinced that the third group oversees the Others is malevolent as DocArzt speculates; more likely, the real terrors may lie in DHARMA experiments gone horribly, horribly wrong, a la ‘The Island Of Dr. Moreau’…..still, if he’s right, then we’ve got a story VERY similar to a certain H.G. Wells tale, complete with would-be Deros and Teros…..)
Comment by ogam5 — March 24, 2007 @ 6:22 am
Doc - Jeff - would like your thoughts about these suppositions…..
Hmmmm…..there are 2 burning questions that arise with this painting: One, how old was Karen deGroot when she started DHARMA (say, 1969) with Gerald at the University of Michigan? We already know that, etymologically, the names deGroot and Magnus Hanso are related…..but my guess is that she was somewhere between 30-40, using the few pictures we’ve been given of her as a measure…..if we presume that she was closer to 40, then Ben could very well be her (and, PRESUMABLY, Gerald’s) son, in which case she’d be anywhere from 70-75 and Ben somewhere between 45 and 50.
Two, while there has been a persistent habit of the blonde women in this show (Sarah, Penny, Juliet, Claire, even Shannon - but not Libby) resembling each other at least slightly, we now have to wonder if both Juliet and Rachel are somehow also deGroots, and well look at that, Alvar’s daughter was ALSO named Rachel; possibly after a beloved aunt or common ancestor? To the best of my knowledge, we’ve never been provided with Juliet’s maiden name, only her married name of Burke - since it is not difficult to see either of them as the painting’s subject (depending upon how skilled we presume the painter to be at accurate replication of facial features) it’s hardly unreasonable to strongly suspect that it was their destiny to visit, if not return to, the island.
Comment by ogam5 — March 24, 2007 @ 6:57 am
I’m feelin’ ogam5 on Karen Degroot possibly being the woman in the picture. Makes a little more sense than it being Juliet.
So…Could Locke’s dad be the original Sawyer? Has there been any evidence to confirm or deny that?
Comment by Jimmy Zero — March 24, 2007 @ 10:01 am
those interlocking hamster cage things = habitrail!
Comment by downthehatch — March 24, 2007 @ 11:39 am
Is it me, or does the painting resemble something by Frida Khalo? I think there is a painting of Frida where she is holding something in her hands similar to the painting.
Comment by downthehatch — March 24, 2007 @ 11:43 am
“Again, not Juliet - RACHEL”
Again? Must’ve been on another thread.
I appreciate the authoritative declaration. Now I know! Based on… what?
Comment by Lance — March 24, 2007 @ 9:38 pm
Super. This sounds like a “chase your tail” Easter Egg from the creators… though it would be funny if the ONLY truthful thing Ben said all episode was about the two hamsters powering “Club Other”. Giant Polar Bear sized hamsters/rodents.
I want to know why no one is looking at the map on the other wall (between closet and hallway door) in Bens bedroom. It is the “Map of the Universe” AND cost $24.99, plus tax & shipping. See it at http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/SPA/1363~Map-of-Universe-Spaceshots-Posters.jpg
Don’t know if FedEx delivers that far out - maybe they handle map drops along with the food drops.
(Ben also mentioned that the kids that were taken are alright - perhaps they are using them to feed the giant hamsters).
Comment by DocH — March 25, 2007 @ 12:28 am
OGAM5 - Alvar Hanso has a daughter Rachel Blake. Juliet Burke’s sister is Rachel. Perhaps Juliet’s maiden name is Hanso.
Comment by Other216 — March 25, 2007 @ 12:37 am
This goes out to Lance…..yes, the striking resemblance to Rachel, and not Juliet, was referenced in the Easter Egg thread by me and others - hadn’t earlier ruled out Karen deGroot at all, but between the sisters, if it’s a painting of Jules, it’s a decidedly clumsy one…..and Other216, I agree that there’s a good possibility of both Juliet and Rachel being related to Hanso but it would be odd that 2 sisters had the exact same name (and even more so that Juliet was married to Alvar before Edmund; her demeanor doesn’t suggest it at all and Rachel Blake is wayyyyyy too old to be her daughter) different last or not. Something else to ponder: don’t know if anyone else had pointed it out previously, but even PENNY bears a strong resemblance to Karen deGroot - HANSO/DHARMA/Widmore may have liked to, as the saying goes, ‘keep it in the family’…..
Comment by ogam5 — March 25, 2007 @ 4:05 am
Juliet daughter of Hanso… sister of Rachel. What about the NotInPort Xrays of 70 yr old uterus in 26 yr old? I like the keep it in the family remark a lot. They have a “core” DNA/gene pool that they want to perpetuate, but they can’t with out science or fresh meat (losties) on the island.
Hope they don’t wind-up looking like the royals. That gene pool is getting kind of shallow too.
Comment by Other216 — March 25, 2007 @ 11:07 am
Here was an idea which popped into my head today and it draws a lot of things together.
What if Jacob is the Box? Jacob is a living, breathing, person who has the abilities of the box been described. I think Jacob is a psychic. He is such an advanced psychic that he can literally manifest whatever he wants into thin air. He has attained this power through spiritual enlightenment. The Others are a group of people who are the disciples of Jacob. Jacob is a very old being and is connected with the island. He can manifest as the black smoke when he wishes to travel quickly or look into the souls of people. Jacob brings those people he believes have the potential to be like him from around the world to this island. He manipulates and bends space and time to bring them to his location. This is why Walt was so important. Walt was a natural psychic and Jacob wanted to study him. Jacob’s list is the list of people ready for the next step in understanding. Eventually all will be ready but for now only a few. Locke is one of those few. He has a strange connection to the island we can only guess at for now. He is ready for the understanding Jacob is willing to give him but he must be introduced to it slowly.
On a side note I heard a rumour once that Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) will be appearing on LOST. Wouldn’t it be cool if he was Jacob.
This theory is in the beginning stages so sorry if it sounds confusing or crazy. Just thought Id take a shot in the dark.
Comment by jalocke — March 25, 2007 @ 11:37 am
Here was an idea which popped into my head today and it draws a lot of things together.
What if Jacob is the Box? Jacob is a living, breathing, person who has the abilities of the box been described. I think Jacob is a psychic. He is such an advanced psychic that he can literally manifest whatever he wants into thin air. He has attained this power through spiritual enlightenment. The Others are a group of people who are the disciples of Jacob. Jacob is a very old being and is connected with the island. He can manifest as the black smoke when he wishes to travel quickly or look into the souls of people. Jacob brings those people he believes have the potential to be like him from around the world to this island. He manipulates and bends space and time to bring them to his location. This is why Walt was so important. Walt was a natural psychic and Jacob wanted to study him. Jacob’s list is the list of people ready for the next step in understanding. Eventually all will be ready but for now only a few. Locke is one of those few. He has a strange connection to the island we can only guess at for now. He is ready for the understanding Jacob is willing to give him but he must be introduced to it slowly.
On a side note I heard a rumour once that Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) will be appearing on LOST. Wouldn’t it be cool if he was Jacob.
This theory is in the beginning stages so sorry if it sounds confusing or crazy. Just thought Id take a shot in the dark.
Comment by jalocke — March 25, 2007 @ 11:38 am
I didn’t find the picture too good a likeness of Juliet either. However, the hamster thing for me simply indicates someone who works in a scientific setting, using guinea pigs, not necessarily referring to Juliet’s specific work.
Considering the photos Ben has of Alex, I guess family mementos are important to him. So I’m guessing it’s his mother. I don’t really see the Dharma/Other connection. I’m guessing the Dharma people didn’t fit the “flawless” list.
Comment by Odette — March 26, 2007 @ 11:30 am
I didn’t find the picture too good a likeness of Juliet either. However, the hamster thing for me simply indicates someone who works in a scientific setting, using guinea pigs, not necessarily referring to Juliet’s specific work.
Considering the photos Ben has of Alex, I guess family mementos are important to him. So I’m guessing it’s his mother. I don’t really see the Dharma/Other connection. I’m guessing the Dharma people didn’t fit the “flawless” list.
Comment by Odette — March 26, 2007 @ 11:30 am
I don’t find the painting to be a good likeness of a human being… but if it were one, I’d have to say they were going to Juliet. But maybe not. Where do you guys get Rachel from? That doesn’t even make sense. Oh, wait a minute… forget that… this is LOST, it doesn’t have to
Comment by docarzt — March 27, 2007 @ 1:30 pm
Since this is the MFT posting place I’d like to throw something out there to see if it sticks. What if Locke didn’t scuttle the sub? What if he took Alex’s information and just made the explosion coincide with the sub losing ballast and settling a few feet below the surface?
Comment by PurdueBen — March 28, 2007 @ 9:19 am