Your Voice: Rousseau - Shipwreck Survivor or Rampant Liar? Part 1
Submitted by Rich Handley
When Mira Furlan made her first appearance as Danielle Rousseau in "Solitary," the ninth episode of Lost’s first season, fans were drawn in by the tragedy of "the French woman’s" tale. Shipwrecked, enigmatic, grieving her late husband and abducted daughter, clearly deranged from years spent in paranoid solitude, Rousseau quickly became one of the most fascinating aspects of the show’s mythology. But is her story true? There’s strong evidence Danielle may not be who or what she claims to be.
Much of Rousseau’s self-claimed past has been contradicted in the course of the series. She says the ship on which she arrived crashed on the island—yet Desmond and Sayid each traverse the shoreline without seeing it beached on the sand. She tells Sayid a "sickness" made her people go insane, and that she had to kill them all—but so far, the only illness we’ve seen evidence of actually existing is infertility, which would not likely cause people to go crazy and require execution. (Granted, the hatch doors say "Quarantine," and Kelvin did tell Desmond to take a vaccine every day because of a disease in the atmosphere—but we later found out Kelvin was lying and was, in fact, going outside in a ripped life-support suit.)
Danielle says her people contracted the disease from contact with the Others, who took her baby shortly thereafter. However, she later claims she has never met the Others and only knows they exist because she hears whispers in the jungle. Now, it could be that they took Alex while she was sleeping—but wouldn’t she then know for certain they exist, and are more than just whispers? And if she has never met the Others, why is she certain Ben is one of them after netting him—wouldn’t she assume him to be one of Sayid’s fellow survivors? And how, if she’s never dealt with him before, could she possibly know Ben would, in her words, "lie for a long time" before telling them anything?
Rousseau indicates she found the radio tower near the Black Rock and left a repeating distress call. When she later takes the survivors to the site, however, it appears to be nowhere near the center of the island, where the boat is located. Furthermore, she claims to have given birth to Alex a few days thereafter. However, women do not survive childbirth on the island—according to Juliet, Claire is the first person to do so—and what would a woman on the verge of delivering a baby be doing sailing across the ocean on a "routine scientific mission" anyway?
(A note about the childbirth issue: Juliet does state that only those women who conceive their babies on the island die during childbirth, not those who arrive pregnant, like Rousseau. However, I tend to discount that statement since I don’t believe Juliet is telling the truth. Why would where the baby was conceived matter? If there’s something about the island that kills mothers and babies, it should kill them all, regardless of the conception point. I suspect Juliet lied to get Sun to go along with her. She’s not trustworthy, regardless of the times she has seemed to help the 815ers–just like Danielle–and I suspect that this claim will turn out to be false.)
Danielle states she left the recording after killing her entire team. However, when the survivors arrive at the tower, the full message includes a statement that Brennan, a member of her expedition, has stolen her keys, which would seem to indicate he was still alive at the time. Furthermore, she claims the Others control the tower, but Jack’s team find it abandoned—apparently for 16 years since it’s still playing her message. If the Others had been there in the interim, surely they’d have turned it off. (She also seems to be saying "he killed them all," which could refer to Ben wiping out Dharma.)
Then there’s the map: Rousseau has explored enough of the island to create a detailed blueprint of the area…yet somehow hasn’t found the Barracks or any of the eight known Dharma stations, even though the Barracks are a sizable community of aboveground structures surrounded by a huge sonic fence. How can she have traveled for so long without spotting the Others or their compounds, half of which the survivors found in only three months? And why hasn’t she mentioned Hydra Island, which surely she would have seen across the water if she’d had 16 years to explore the place (unless, of course, it’s invisible)?
According to Danielle, she has stayed alive by avoiding contact with the Others—but realistically, why haven’t they or the Smoke Monster killed her? They know she’s there—they took her baby, after all. Clearly, Rousseau knows a lot more about Ben and the Others than she lets on—or, at the very least, is a lot more connected to them, and to the island, than perhaps even she recalls. She tells the survivors the Monster is a security system—but how could she know this without knowledge of Dharma or the Hostiles?
Amazingly, Danielle claims not to know the Flight 815 survivors are even on the island until meeting Sayid…yet we later see that the plane arrived with a big, loud explosion that filled the sky above the island, visible to the Others all the way in the Barracks. How could she possibly not have seen or heard it?
What’s more, despite her claim that she was on a medical-scientific mission, she wears military clothing quite similar to what we see both Naomi and the Looking Glass inhabitants wearing. She’s also an expert at setting deadly traps, as well as hunting, marksmanship, using explosives and avoiding capture in a hostile environment, which would hardly be standard training for a scientist.
Clearly, there’s a lot more to Danielle Rousseau’s back story then what she lets on. So how much of what she has told the Losties is true, how much is fabricated—and how much is entirely the product of a delusional mind? Tune in tomorrow to further explore these and other questions.
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"Your Voice" is a new TTS series in which average Tail Section fans submit their articles, theories or reviews to be published on The Tail Section for all their fellow fans to read. Have you spent far too much time pondering the origins of the DHARMA Initiative? Have you alienated your co-workers by rambling about Daniel Faraday’s wacky time anomaly experiment? If so, we want to hear from you. Send your own Lost theories, reviews, or general thoughts to Editor(at)TheTailSection.com. Please keep all submissions between 300 and 1,000 words. We will read through all submissions and contact you if we publish your entry. You will also receive byline credit on our site.
To answer one question you raise, Danielle was familiar with the security system surrounding the barracks, but never had another person to help her circumvent it, as was done. Hence, she never actually “saw” the barracks, which are inside the Big Fence if I recall correctly.
Comment by Bikini — February 26, 2008 @ 12:11 pm
Could Danielle be that little girl Ben was friends with as a kid on the island?
Comment by Dave — February 26, 2008 @ 12:35 pm
Another thing I’ve happened to think: Does anyone notice the similarities between Rousseau and Mikhail? Both seem to have strong military training and survival skills, both experienced liars, both with some strong attachments to either the island or the people on it!
Just sayin’
Comment by roentgen — February 26, 2008 @ 12:46 pm
Dave and Roentgen–Given your comments, I’m interested in seeing what you’ll think of part 2, running tomorrow. And Bikini–Excellent point about her not having had help with the fence. Still, I would think someone with the amazing survival skills Danielle possesses (see my followup tomorrow for more on that) would have found a way over the fence. The 815ers figured it out in about 3 minutes.
Comment by Rich Handley — February 26, 2008 @ 1:06 pm
Dave, thats been speculated about before. Annie is not Danielle. Annie didnt have an accent and Danielles hair is way darker. Its been said by Darlton that there is more of Annie to come in Bens flashbacks.
Good article. I like whats going on here now. Hopefully we’ll see more articles like this. I thoroughly enjoyed this article and agree that Danielle is lying about ALOT of stuff and cant wait for her own flashback.
Comment by Justin — February 26, 2008 @ 2:31 pm
A lot of your ideas and “contradictions” easily go away with the explanation that Rousseau is simply wrong, mistaken, or it was said as an opinion. In particular, her ideas about the Others being the carriers for the sickness, her assertions about Ben when she caught him, and that the sickness even exists.
As for all pregnant women on the island dying, I’m not sure you watch the show. An entire episode (D.O.C.) was centered around the fact that pregnant women on the island die if they *conceive* on the island. Rousseau never said she became pregnant on the island, and in fact said she gave birth only a couple months after arriving on the island.
Your ideas about the maps and location of the radio tower and black rock are more likely production / continuity errors. Some fans spend far more time analyzing every little detail of the show than the producers put into it. Lost as a show isn’t perfect. Just as there is no meaning in the changing picture frames in Inglewood, the pliant cement wall near Ben’s cell, or the missing U in Honour, I really doubt that the island and it’s locations has been perfectly mapped out by the writers.
Regarding the fact that Rousseau has explored the island but not found the things that the 815ers found, keep in mind that the island has a will of its own. We’ve already seen how visions repeatedly tried to lead the characters to the Pearl, and possibly also to the Swan. The island has its own agenda, which probably also has something to do with why Rousseau is still alive. Or, you know, the story would be less cool if she were dead.
I don’t like to shoot down ideas about the show so much, but I really think you phrased these things too strongly. Does Rousseau have secrets? Absolutely, some of which she might not even remember (as you correctly noted). Does that mean she has some nefarious purpose? Hardly.
Comment by hexonxonx — February 26, 2008 @ 3:11 pm
Great article.
Rousseau is crazy and has been for a while. I want to get more information about her, and hope to see a flashback to explain her contradictions.
Comment by Blackrock Bob — February 26, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
Hex–Thanks for your feedback. I’m glad you took the time to read and respond to my writing. That said, to be honest, I don’t see much constructive about comments such as “I’m not sure you watch the show.” And I’m not trying to pick a fight when I say that, mind you. We’re all fans here. But that comment, let’s face it, is a just as strongly phrased as you descibe my article. Why would someone bother writing an article like this if they didn’t watch the show? I do watch it–religiously–and have rewatched the entire series through several times, most recently right before the season 4 premiere. Otherwise, believe me, I’d not bother submitting, writing or conceiving an article about the show. Between my family, my day job and my writing career, fan writing would take a back seat if not for my love of the show. This two-parter is merely a presentation of my theories about Rousseau, written for a fan site, for free. It’s not a scholarly thesis, and it’s not a paid gig. By all means, feel free to debate me and prove me wrong–sparking conversation is why I wrote it in the first place, and I’m all for being told I got something wrong or overlooked something so that I can refine my theories. In any case, this is only the first half of the article, presenting the contradictions as I see them. The theories as to why those contradictions exist are in the second part (it was originally written as a single piece but had to be cut in half due to length). I hope you’ll again respond after reading the rest of it. (And I have to disagree with you, by the way, about the changed picture frames–I am positive that will be important later. There’d be no reason for the crew of the show to change the frames unless on purpose.)
Comment by Rich Handley — February 26, 2008 @ 6:11 pm
Don, I enjoy reading the interesting tidbits on thetailsection. But it turns me off from the site, almost upsets me, when such small yet important facts are screwed up by supposed lost fans. We now know, almost for sure, that the women die when CONCEPTION occurs on the island. (i.e. D.O.C.) Hence the suspense of finding out wether or not Sun’s baby belonged to Jin, because it would be the determining factor on wether she lived or died. i understand this is only one fact that you pointed out among many, and when it comes down to it, it doesnt discredit any of the other points you have made. However to make such a misinformed statement is a little disappointing. I come to thetailsection to get ideas from people who have a little more time to think than I, and it sucks to have it ruined by misinformation. This is not an attack, and i will continue to visit this site (as well as others). But lets get the facts (or fictions as it may be)about the show correct. Thanks.
Comment by MEBABYME — February 26, 2008 @ 7:14 pm
I apologize, I had not seen what hexonxonx had posted. But ya know, this isnt the first time I’ve quietly questioned wether or not you actually watch the show either.
Comment by MEBABYME — February 26, 2008 @ 7:18 pm
about the military training stuff, shes been on the island for 16 years, i mean what would you do on an island for 16 years? she prob tought her self
Comment by Bob loblaw — February 26, 2008 @ 7:20 pm
I’m wondering if she’s both a shipwreck survivor and a liar. My theory is that she was on the black rock. Which would explain her old looking clothing.
Comment by Ian — February 26, 2008 @ 7:58 pm
I have some info in the Theoris section of the forums that kinda point to this. I honestly think she was part of an expidition similar to the NPB freighter.
Look at her skills on the island; tracking, hunting, making shelters, explosives, traps, map making ect… She seems like Namoi from the NPB mayby her crew got them selves killed and she managed to survive.
From her cover story I would imagine her survival did depend on avoiding the Others
Comment by nemesise1977 — February 26, 2008 @ 9:26 pm
That’s a pretty big mistake to make about giving birth to Alex, but that aside, I agree with the rest of what you said. It does seem like Juliet did say that Claire was first, which initially makes one wonder, “but what about Danielle?” I’m not absolutely sure about that though and would have to go back to my DVDs and watch it again. In any case a likely answer (if that were true) is that Ben just never bothered to mention that he stole a baby that had already been born on the island. He’s a master in lies and manipulation. I could easily see him deliberately leaving out that important fact.
I agree that Danielle’s expedition is likely similar to Naomi’s. It is very odd though that she would go out that pregnant. Danielle is the one who called Smokie a security system first. She knew about it and because she was still alive, where many of the crash victims were not because they succumbed to it, is proof that she knows how to get around Smokie. I’ve wondered too how she could possibly never have found the others’ camp. The passengers found it within a matter of a couple of months, why did it take her sixteen years and STILL not find it?
Now the thing that bothers me most is what was Ben doing in the middle of the jungle, by himself, to have been caught by Danielle? Ben is notorius for sending everyone else out to do his dirty work, so what was he really doing? He said he was going to get Locke, but was he? Why HIM? Ben didn’t need to go and get Locke. He would’ve sent someone else, or if we follow his previous pattern he would have.
Danielle took Aaron to try and make a trade with them for Alex. Could it be that Ben had made some kind of deal with Danielle? There are two ways this could have gone. 1. He tells Danielle if you do this and this I’ll give you Alex. Ben doesn’t keep his end of the bargain, so she gets mad, she traps him and then turns him over to Sayid). Depending on the deal she made (say for example she is spying on Sayid et al., or she is supposed to lure Locke away), she might not be able to tell Sayid how she knows Ben is one of them and Ben thinks (and rightly so) that Sayid likely believes Danielle is off her rocker, so he just denies being one of them altogether. 2. Ben makes a deal with Danielle and allows her to trap him, just so he can get to Locke.
Personally, I think #1 sounds much more plausible and follows Ben’s normal character traits than #2. He’s sending someone else to do the dirty work and gets someone mad at him. That seems to be the case with many of his people. Either way, there is something there between he and Danielle because Ben made a clear statement that he was there not because Danielle trapped him, but because he wanted to be. Whether or not he was really wanting to be is questionable, but the indication there is that Danielle’s capture of him isn’t what it appears to be… or so it seems.
I totally disagree with Hex though on continuity issues. TPTB with Lost are so incredibly careful that there have been very few instances of mistakes. They learned early on (Michael’s car, for example) that people were watching very closely and have since tried to keep things absolutely correct. There are enough questions to make this more than continuity issues. If they are, then it’s sloppy writing on their part, so I think we can nix that theory right here.
Comment by magnoliasouth — February 26, 2008 @ 10:25 pm
Hexonxonx……..did you even read his article?
Comment by Skinny Puppy — February 27, 2008 @ 1:19 am
Regarding the D.O.C. question–I simply don’t believe Juliet regarding the difference between babies conceived on the island and those conceived off. Why would it matter where the baby was conceived? That makes little sense. If there’s something that kills mothers and babies, it should kill all mothers and babies. I suspect she lied about that to get Sun to go along with her. She’s not trustworthy, regardless of the times she has seemed to be on their side–just like Danielle. As such, I think it’s significant that Rousseau says she gave birth on the island, which is why I noted it. If it turns out I’m wrong, then so be it–that’s all part of the fun…just as it will be for Hex when the TV show eventually addresses the picture-frame issue.
Comment by Rich Handley — February 27, 2008 @ 4:11 am
I find it interesting that Rousseau seems to have learned English on her own. The message she sent was in French if she knew how to speak English already she would have made the message in English. Maybe she didn’t leave the message herself, she hasn’t been alone this whole time or she’s just a really quick study. You can’t say that the show hasn’t had a non-English speaking person on the island- Jin?
Comment by Good — February 27, 2008 @ 6:56 am
magnoliasouth and good:
I address several of these points in the second part, which I believe is being posted today, so I look forward to seeing what you think a bout my conclusions. (And see my followup post about D.O.C–I hadn’t forgotten the distinction about where conception takes place…I simply don’t trust Juliet is telling the truth about that. I should have noted that in the article.)
Comment by Rich Handley — February 27, 2008 @ 7:29 am
About Ben in a net: I’m pretty sure I read that this will be addressed in the future. (Where Ben was going, why he was the one going there…)
We really don’t know at what point a pregnancy will kill the mother. Obviously Claire was pretty far along when they crashed. If Sun were to leave the island, right now, would she live? All we really know is that a full term, from conception to birth on-island, will kill the mother at some point. So…. Frenchy could have been just like Claire. Maybe she was only a few weeks in the pregnancy. We really don’t know.
Personally, I don’t know what to make of her. She hasn’t done anything out of character yet, that might imply she was lying. At the moment, I’m willing to give her a lot of slack after being alone so long.
I did enjoy the article though. There are lots of good points there, kudos.
–Fish
Comment by fish — February 27, 2008 @ 8:49 am
i think she is an other
Comment by austin — February 27, 2008 @ 9:15 am
I actually don’t think Rousseau is much more than she says she is. As she said them coming to the island was not a planned stop but rather they picked up the beacon and decided to check it out. As far as anyone saying why would she be out on an expedition that pregnant. She states that her boyfriend/husband was on the freighter with her maybe she got pregnant while on the expidetion sometimes people are out for months at a time. I also have to say why wouldn’t she go even if she was pregnant? Most woman in todays world work up until they are nearly due before they take leave.
As for Rousseau setting traps and such we don’t know what her scientific field is yet and no matter what it is she would be an intelligent person and be able to figure that stuff out for herself. I think people sometimes forget we are still animals at heart and when we get put in situations like Rosseau’s we start running on our survival instincts. I’m a computer tech and have never had any kind of military training but I can guarantee you I have seen enough movies to know how to create booby traps and delayed fuses and such.
Not to mention if your were stranded on an island and everyone you knew died(in her case she killed them), your daughter was taken from you and you spent 16 years in a jungle alone hiding from the others and the smoke monster you’d be a little mixed on a lot of the little things that happened to you in that period.
Comment by seeweda — February 27, 2008 @ 10:44 am
Thanks, Fish. I hope you enjoy the second part, which is up now.
Comment by Rich Handley — February 27, 2008 @ 1:16 pm
The problems with mothers giving birth on the island happens at conception. So yeah, it does matter if the baby is conceived on island or not.
Comment by Matt — February 28, 2008 @ 5:06 am
Rich, I liked your article a lot. Rousseau needs to be addressed, because her stories just don’t add up.
Personally, I like the theory about Rousseau being in the same league as Greta, Bonnie and Mikhail — all military types.
While we’re on the subject, I’ve often wondered what “mission” Greta & Bonnie were supposedly on in Canada — more of Ben’s list of assassinations?
Back to Rousseau …
The pregnancy thing — hmmm. According to Juliet (not to be trusted!) Claire only survived her pregnancy because she received Juliet’s injections. Now, Rousseau did not receive Juliet’s pregnancy shots — and gave birth to Alex anyway. Hmmm.
Somebody’s not telling the truth — perhaps both of them.
I can’t wait to read your second part about Rousseau.
Comment by Matt-DC — February 28, 2008 @ 11:05 am
Much of Rousseau’s self-claimed past has been contradicted in the course of the series. She says the ship on which she arrived crashed on the island—yet Desmond and Sayid each traverse the shoreline without seeing it beached on the sand. She tells Sayid a “sickness” made her people go insane, and that she had to kill them all—but so far, the only illness we’ve seen evidence of actually existing is infertility, which would not likely cause people to go crazy and require execution. (Granted, the hatch doors say “Quarantine,” and Kelvin did tell Desmond to take a vaccine every day because of a disease in the atmosphere—but we later found out Kelvin was lying and was, in fact, going outside in a ripped life-support suit.”
In a podcast the producers confirmed that the sickness and Desmond and Minkowski’s time-jaunting problems are the same thing. Sayid also crossed only a small part of the Island and Desmond sailed in big circles around the Island at a distance of several miles, a lot of the time whilst drunk and belowdecks, so neither of them would have seen the boat. It’s also possible that after 16 years that Danielle completely scuttled the boat, or the tide would have washed away the wreckage, like it did with the Fuselage of 815.
“Danielle says her people contracted the disease from contact with the Others, who took her baby shortly thereafter. However, she later claims she has never met the Others and only knows they exist because she hears whispers in the jungle. Now, it could be that they took Alex while she was sleeping—but wouldn’t she then know for certain they exist, and are more than just whispers? And if she has never met the Others, why is she certain Ben is one of them after netting him—wouldn’t she assume him to be one of Sayid’s fellow survivors? And how, if she’s never dealt with him before, could she possibly know Ben would, in her words, “lie for a long time” before telling them anything?”
Agreed. The latest episode points to a closer connection between the Others and Danielle than what we have seen before.
“Rousseau indicates she found the radio tower near the Black Rock and left a repeating distress call. When she later takes the survivors to the site, however, it appears to be nowhere near the center of the island, where the boat is located. Furthermore, she claims to have given birth to Alex a few days thereafter. However, women do not survive childbirth on the island—according to Juliet, Claire is the first person to do so—and what would a woman on the verge of delivering a baby be doing sailing across the ocean on a “routine scientific mission” anyway?”
Nowhere is it said that the Black Rock is in the middle of the Island, only that it is a significant distance inland.
“(A note about the childbirth issue: Juliet does state that only those women who conceive their babies on the island die during childbirth, not those who arrive pregnant, like Rousseau. However, I tend to discount that statement since I don’t believe Juliet is telling the truth. Why would where the baby was conceived matter? If there’s something about the island that kills mothers and babies, it should kill them all, regardless of the conception point. I suspect Juliet lied to get Sun to go along with her. She’s not trustworthy, regardless of the times she has seemed to help the 815ers–just like Danielle–and I suspect that this claim will turn out to be false.)”
I think the rules have been set out pretty clearly. Claire conceived off the Island, arrived whilst eight months pregnant and gave birth safely. Danielle conceived off the Island, arrived whilst eight-and-a-half months pregnant and gave birth safely. Same deal.
“Danielle states she left the recording after killing her entire team. However, when the survivors arrive at the tower, the full message includes a statement that Brennan, a member of her expedition, has stolen her keys, which would seem to indicate he was still alive at the time. Furthermore, she claims the Others control the tower, but Jack’s team find it abandoned—apparently for 16 years since it’s still playing her message. If the Others had been there in the interim, surely they’d have turned it off. (She also seems to be saying “he killed them all,” which could refer to Ben wiping out Dharma.)”
Agreed that there is more to this story than meets the eye. I’m of the opinion that Danielle is either a member of DHARMA who returned just after the Purge and was trapped after the Others wiped out the rest of her team and damaged her boat. As for the message, with all radio transmissions being jammed by the Looking Glass, what was going on at the tower was probably deemed irrelevant by the Others.
“Then there’s the map: Rousseau has explored enough of the island to create a detailed blueprint of the area…yet somehow hasn’t found the Barracks or any of the eight known Dharma stations, even though the Barracks are a sizable community of aboveground structures surrounded by a huge sonic fence. How can she have traveled for so long without spotting the Others or their compounds, half of which the survivors found in only three months? And why hasn’t she mentioned Hydra Island, which surely she would have seen across the water if she’d had 16 years to explore the place (unless, of course, it’s invisible)?”
The Hydra Island is shown on the maps that Sayid took from her. This is confirmed by the podcasts. As for the rest, good points.
“According to Danielle, she has stayed alive by avoiding contact with the Others—but realistically, why haven’t they or the Smoke Monster killed her? They know she’s there—they took her baby, after all. Clearly, Rousseau knows a lot more about Ben and the Others than she lets on—or, at the very least, is a lot more connected to them, and to the island, than perhaps even she recalls. She tells the survivors the Monster is a security system—but how could she know this without knowledge of Dharma or the Hostiles?”
I suspect that the Monster either is a direction creation of DHARMA or something on the Island that DHARMA learned to control. The Monster’s MO seems to be to ’scan’ people and then kill them if they are ‘bad people’, like Eko. My guess is that Danielle has passed the Monster’s test and is now safe. Danielle also established her base of operations in the Dark Territory, where the Monster seems unusually active, perhaps deliberately as a way of avoiding the Others, whom the Monster may consider hostile (hence their use of the Sonic Fence to keep it out).
“Amazingly, Danielle claims not to know the Flight 815 survivors are even on the island until meeting Sayid…yet we later see that the plane arrived with a big, loud explosion that filled the sky above the island, visible to the Others all the way in the Barracks. How could she possibly not have seen or heard it?”
The Others saw 815 as its flight path took the plane directly over the Barracks when it broke up. Danielle’s base is on the far side of the Island, possibly 10-20 miles away. Whilst it’s likely she would have heard something, she may have put it down to the Monster or some other source.
“What’s more, despite her claim that she was on a medical-scientific mission, she wears military clothing quite similar to what we see both Naomi and the Looking Glass inhabitants wearing. She’s also an expert at setting deadly traps, as well as hunting, marksmanship, using explosives and avoiding capture in a hostile environment, which would hardly be standard training for a scientist.”
This is why I think she was with DHARMA: a scientist trained in the use of weapons and other things that would help in survival on the Island.
Comment by Adam Whitehead — March 24, 2008 @ 9:05 am