Your Voice: Comprehensive Theory for the End of ‘Lost’ - Part 2
Submitted by Tailhook
If you missed part 1 of Tailhook’s theory, check it out here.
To add to the first part of my theory, let me pose the question: what is the purpose of Jacob and the smoke monster? Jacob attracts people to the island, while the Smoke Monster tests them and kills them if needed. But they are two parts of the same entity, that entity being The Island. They are as close a physical manifestation as the island can generate in order to interact with the inhabitants.
What is Charles Widmore after? Here is the kink: he wants the same thing as Ben. He wants himself and the people he chooses to survive the extinction. There is no good reason he wouldn’t know about the Valenzetti equation — both what it is, and when its going to happen. He’s been using all of his resources to first locate the island, second to kill everyone there, and third to install his people on the island so that they form the basis for the new civilization with himself as the head. This is why they are The Bad Guys. They care about using the Island for their own selfish ends, without regard to what makes a good society or picking good people to survive the extinction.
So how does this tie back into Adam and Eve? People have focused on who they were, but not what they represent. Specifically, they are the last two people who stayed on the island the last time Earth was reinhabited. Rather than go to the new Earth, they decided their work was finished and stayed on the island to die. They then went to the cave. Since the island will not allow you to commit suicide, they used the stones to determine who would mortally wound the other first.
This has all happened before, and it will all happen again. The purpose of the 4-toed statue is to be a physical representation of the prior civilizations that have been generated from the island.
Now, let’s breakdown Seasons 4-6:
Season 4, as stated by Cuselof, is about who gets off the island. We now know it’s the Oceanic 6 and who those are. The last 5 episodes should detail not only how they got off, but Widmore successfully taking over the island. There is also a good deal of evidence to think we’re going to see a major slaughter of extras at both camps during the struggle. Most of the survivors of Oceanic 815 (red shirts) will die along with most of the Others. Jin will die during this fight. Those that survive from Locke’s gang will have done so by using the Sanctuary to survive the fight, and in turn using the tunnel system on the island to avoid capture. On the beach, the Widmore crew will then make a deal with the remaining dug-in survivors: surrender and we will arrange for you to leave the island. These then become the Oceanic 6. They then happily leave, as there really isn’t much left for them there.
Season 5, as stated by Cuselof, is about why they need to get back to the island. Ben, as shown, works from the real world to organize killing prominent people in the Widmore organization. Slowly but surely, the Losties will be pulled back in and told the deal with the Valenzetti Equation. They’ll be told that an extinction is coming and the only way to survive it is to get back to the island, and that the only way to do that is to get there and extricate Widmore’s people. I think we can even assume this extinction will happen within 10 years, which is why the prosecutor got a bug in her ear from someone to push for the stipulation that Kate not leave the state. By raising the stakes, they attempt to ensure she won’t come back. Furthermore, the Oceanic 6 are then told that some of the Losties managed to survive on the island via the Sanctuary, and are now using the tunnel system there to keep from being discovered.
Season 6 is about how they get back and remove the Widmore gang from the island. In essence, this is the war for the island they talk about that’s coming.
Here is the interesting part: for the story to hold together, the events of the war have to inadvertantly lead to the extinction of mankind. Thats why the Valenzetti equation works. The fact that the island gets found inevitably leads to the technology from it destroying mankind. At this point, you can wave your hands and talk about a clone being created that meets itself or whatever. The technology from the island is ultimately what kills us, because we are too immature to control it. But the island itself is ultimately what saves us. The Losties succeed and get their people on the island just before the planet wipes itself out.
Our heroes now ride out the extinction and Jack and Kate (or Penny and Desmond, if you like that route) live long enough to see everyone off the island to the new Earth. The series ends with them deciding to become the new Adam and Eve by killing each other in that same cave where they first found the bones so long ago. Kate dies from her wound first, and Jack mopes over her while he lay dying. Last shot is a close up of Jack’s eye as it closes. Their work is finally done. Fade to black.
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"Your Voice" is a new TTS series in which 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.
In your theory, what exactly is the island? Is it natural? Why is it invisible?
Also, I’m confused about the skeletons being from the “last time the earth was repopulated”. Jack said the skeletons appeared to be 40 or 50 years old.
Comment by BobW — March 28, 2008 @ 9:32 am
That was very well thought out. I could totally see that bigthe basis for te rest of the show. If it turns out anything like that, it will be awesome.
Comment by Anthony — March 28, 2008 @ 9:34 am
Wow that is a really great theory.
I think it would make for a great ending, especially the last scene and it ends with Jack closing his eye.
Man, when we first saw this show in 2004 we would have probably never thought of a theory like this lol. I thought the island was like a Jurassic Park thing after hearing smokey for the first time.
Comment by J Zabi — March 28, 2008 @ 9:55 am
Close, but lacking a few key details. Answer these and we may be on to something.
First, why kill off the Dharma initiative people, only to have some of them join the others?
Why would the others, under Ben who is Jacob’s pawn, install a sonic fence to keep the smoke monster at bay?
What about the second island? Is it also in the fold in space?
What about the woman with whom Desmond converses when he goes to buy Penny’s ring? Who is she? How does she factor into the theory? Are she and Widmore part of a cabal that runs the world?
Why the mental jumping through time? Why couldn’t Desmond remember jumping through time mentally in the first place?
How does the island miraculously heal people?
It’s obvious Widmore has plans. Desmond was in love with his daughter–but it seems Widmore detests him. Why save him?
Why does Widmore not come to the island himself if this is an extinction habitat?
If the world is going to die of ice, why bring polar bears to the island? To hunt humans? Because it might be cold? Why not introduce penguins (of which there are many species that are tropical and anarctic varieties) so that humans may hunt them rather than be hunted by polar bears? Isn’t the smokey monster enough of “judgment” to get rid of unworthy?
Why save so few races? There are no more latinos or hispanics on hte island after Anna Lucia died. Why not pull down another plane?
Speaking of pulling down a plane–the plane was pulled to the island when DESMOND forgot to turn the key. Did Jacob, as the island, exercise direct control over the actions of Desmond? Or if not, did it intentionally bring the plane into it’s sphere of influence to pull the people, knowing beforehand that Desmond wouldn’t turn the key?
Why did the island bring in Rosseau’s boat, if the events to the time of extinction were so far off? So that Rosseau would have her child?
Why does the woman find the polar bear skeleton in the desert with the Dharma initiative tag? Was this creature from the island? Why was it so old?
An all-inclusive theory can’t leave out those details!
Comment by TomRod — March 28, 2008 @ 10:02 am
I kinda hope it doesn’t happen like that…
Comment by Dan — March 28, 2008 @ 10:16 am
tomrod- hugo “hurley” reyes is hispanic/latino
Comment by jaime — March 28, 2008 @ 10:52 am
Ridiculous.
Comment by d — March 28, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
1. How are the skeletons already there if they are Jack and Kate?
Even if there is some kind of insane, inexplicable turn of events that lead to Jack and Kate dying and becoming the skeletons, why wouldn’t they just take enough pills to OD or find some sort of poisonous plant instead of one having the kill the other and the one that’s left having to die of thirst? And what other insane, inexplicable turn of events would occur that would lead Jack to be ok with killing Kate?
2. What is this tunnel system you’re talking about?
3. How are Widmore’s freighter folk going to take over the island? Miles, Charlotte, Daniel and Frank certainly didn’t have any luck. There are maybe another dozen people on the boat, which currently has no way of getting to the island. Plus the captain plans to take the boat to “safer waters” once the engines are repaired. The helicopter can probably carry four to six people, including Frank, who doesn’t seem to be a soldier by any means. So we’re to expect that five people (maybe five more if Frank makes another soldier run) are going to go up against the remaining Jack-led beachfolk (who are armed to a certain extent), Locke’s camp (who are heavily armed and probably have more resources in Otherton), and the Temple-dwelling Others, who are probably armed and have intimate knowledge of the island to go along with the mystique they’ve had from the beginning?
Comment by b — March 28, 2008 @ 4:05 pm
whatever the case in my opinion, as there is less and less on-island action-it gets worse:( i LOVE seasons 1,2 and 3 but 4 just isnt doing it for me as much…im still the UKs biggest fan, but im dreading season 5 where we will see hadrly any on-island action:( I’m just hoping the rest of season 4 is as promising as it seems its gonna be…with random people like claire and jin being gunned down by Keamy etc…i think the last 3 or 4 episodes will be amazing and will not like the day they all leave the island:(
Comment by Graeme Lee — March 28, 2008 @ 4:30 pm
i hope that you’re wrong…..
sorry its just too convaluted…..and not in a a good way…!
TomRod i completely agree…the complete scope of the show is to immense to tie it neatly with a bow like that.
the whole jack/kate/cave/adam and eve theory…..its too easy and cliched..the writers wouldnt be cheestatic like that……
Comment by eliceo — March 28, 2008 @ 11:32 pm
I like the story you tell almost more than the story the writers may be trying to tell. Seriously, but really only almost. It would allow for the finest of special effects and high drama. But it’s also a tad too bombastic. There’s just too little evidence after three and a half seasons to suggest that the writers will accelerate the storytelling to that kind of fever pitch. Also, it’s far too contrived. I can’t fathom why retribution is necessary for the entire biosphere if it’s really only mankind that is to be put in its place. Or, if a cataclysm is called for, and if mankind as we know it and indeed most of the biosphere is born of wave after wave of radical culling and re-emergence of the species, why should we imagine that “romeo and juliet” are at all recognizably human? Wouldn’t the process of evolution have likely generated wildly different forms of life after each wave? I’m reminded of the great character “the cat” from the British series Red Dwarf.
Comment by locke_look_alike — March 29, 2008 @ 12:17 am
Nah, I don’t care too much for all this gobledeegook
Comment by DeGroot — March 29, 2008 @ 2:09 am
b - the skeletons that are already there are not Jack and Kate. They are whoever it was who survived the last extinction. Tailhook’s theory says that this has happened before. He’s postulating that it will happen again and Jack and Kate will be the two who leave their skeletons waiting for the next time around.
My thought about the Dharma people who joined the Others is that they did that because they were meant to. They are good people who should be saved, in the island’s estimation…or maybe its programming.
And do we really need to KNOW how the island heals people? The fact that it does is more than enough for me anyway. If the function of the island is to save people from extinction than the way it does that may include healing powers.
Comment by Vampry — March 29, 2008 @ 6:37 am
If there is one thing I have learned from watching Lost, it is that I can always expect the unexpected. I think that Tailhook’s theories were interesting and well put. I particularly like his vision of the final scene of the show. The ending with Jack closing his eye is brilliant. With that said, I can’t say that I agree with every one of his theories; however, I can’t discount them either. Who would have thought that the first episode this season would be Hurley’s flash forward? Who would have thought that Kate would end up raising Aaron? The beauty of the show is that it is full of surprises in episodes that manage to answer some questions while giving us more questions to ask. As long as a theory can be backed up with examples from the show (as Tailhook did), it cannot be brushed off.
Comment by BCD — March 29, 2008 @ 7:22 am
If the Oceanic 6 find out about the “end of the world”. Wouldn’t Kate want to get back to the island with Aaron?
Comment by Kathy — March 29, 2008 @ 5:24 pm
What a load of crap… People, the writers of the show will show us the way, they are the experts, they are more subtle than this. TAILHOOK is incredibly off in this theory, he’she is proably not older than 18 years old. Extinction by ice? ha ha, this is so not the case…
Comment by koohlait-skcus — March 29, 2008 @ 6:54 pm
I really don’t dig ‘Jacob and smoke-monster are physical manifestations of the island’ bit. Explanations for those two bits of the mythology cannot be described in less than a sentence.
I prefer Time-Loop theory so much more.
The Valenzetti Equation will never come up again in Lost. It was a device to make the Lost Experience relevant.
Comment by Finchmeister — March 29, 2008 @ 10:15 pm
Well done on this theory, I think it is probably the closest to how it will unfold that any one has come up with. I think there will be a lot more to it though, you left out explanations for how Desmond ties in and also the wierd poeple whjo Desmond meets, i.e the lady who he tried to buy the ring off in his time travel adventure.
Apart from that, this is awesome, I really enjoyed reading your theorys.
Comment by LostFAn01 — March 30, 2008 @ 2:15 pm
No.
Comment by NO.NO.NO! — March 30, 2008 @ 5:22 pm
This is why I love Lost. People can get so creative with their theories. Is Tailhook right on? No, but its fun to read other people’s ideas. I don’t understand the people who come on here and bash other people’s theories. If that is what we should do then why post at all?
Theories like this are why i would love to see the final season DVD have alternate final episodes. There are just so many cool possibilities and I know the writer’s have their vision, but it would be cool to shoot a couple of episodes that incorporate viewer’s theories.
Comment by Tanner — March 31, 2008 @ 9:16 am
If the Valenzetti Equation will never be relavent, why was it even written on the blast door? It wasn’t just for the Lost Experience. Why does everyone keep referencing that the island’s work is of the utmost importance, that the things like the hatch all contribute to “Saving the world”. There is obviously some greater purpose to the island than we’re privy to, yet, and I think it does involved saving the world on some level, and most likely in the immediate sense, not in the “betterment of mankind” sense.
I don’t agree with most of TAILHOOK’S theory, but I do think the island has some greater purpose, and it might very well be tied to the Valenzetti equation.
Comment by SuperMario — March 31, 2008 @ 1:04 pm
Further, the Lost Experience has been confirmed as Canonical, and the blast door showed the Valenzetti Equation in Season 2, and the Experience didn’t run until Season 2 was OVER.
Comment by SuperMario — March 31, 2008 @ 1:06 pm
I always thought the island was a new garden of eden it’s just with all those stations, and the fact that it’s so secretive. If everyone in the world knew what was going on; there would be no survival.
Comment by nomadius — March 31, 2008 @ 3:15 pm
have any of you guys seen the lost mini episode series. Most of them dont really have too much to do with answers to the show, but the last one is of vincent going to up jacks father on the island. Jacks father then tells vincent to wake up jack because we have work to do. So do you think that jack is part of the islands master plan?
Comment by MikePDT — March 31, 2008 @ 7:24 pm
Whether I buy into Tailhooks theory or not I don’t think anyone should be flaming here. I mean cmon, the guy is just thinking something out and posing a possibility. Is it really necessary to be derisive or abusive? I don’t agree with his theory, I see several problems with it but hey, it’s HIS theory.
Give the guy a break.
Thanks Tailhook for sharing. Even when I don’t agree with other’s theories I still like to read them.
Comment by Voice of Reason — April 1, 2008 @ 5:36 am
First off, applause to Tailhook for taking the time to think things through and post a very good theory (and kudos to Don for encouraging these types of submissions). This is what makes this show so much fun.
Overall it’s probably the closest thing to a likely explanation I’ve heard. I think one thing people are not commenting on is that in part 1 Tailhook makes the most important statement that the answers to all the big questions cannot be outlandishly scientific in nature or campy - like a Ben clone or a Hurley dream. They have to be plausible - they may well have science in their core - but the reasons will overall be somewhat traditional and/or classic. This is American TV after all - it may be the most refined and elegant American TV I’ve seen in awhile - but the writers cannot create a final third that is too sci-fi.
That said I think Tailhook leaves some holes, but come on, one has to at this point - anything is pure speculation. I personally believe that the island clearly possesses some magnetic/electrical power that is totally unique on the earth. It also appears that exposure to this power allows one to free their consciousness to travel along the continuum of their life (the equation explained by Faraday). Some master this (Ben, lady in the ring shop), some struggle with it (Desmond), and some succumb to it (the dying freighties).
I think that the root of Widmore’s desires to reach the island is to gain access to this environment to allow him greater control of the world - the classic powerful industrialist. Or, perhaps, he already has this power and he wants to prevent Ben and his crew from using it against his aims.
I’m not sure, but I thought I had to put out there that the massive consciousness time traveling piece is not addressed here and any solution must factor it in.
Comment by Dav — April 1, 2008 @ 7:18 am
Wow, that is one of the worst theories I have ever heard. I don’t want to be mean, but I am not sure where to start. I don’t see how you could be so knowledgeable about Lost, and come up with something so far off base. For a theory to qualify as good it should not only be internally consistent and have no contradictions with the current cannon of Lost, but it needs to be grounded in what we know. This theory accounts for little of what has happened and simply makes up fiction for what will happen. This is not how stories work. If this theory were true, most of the first half of the story of Lost would be irrelevant. I am disappointed in the editors of this site for posting a theory so far fetched and irrelevant to what we have experienced so far in Lost.
Comment by scott — April 1, 2008 @ 1:14 pm
Scott,yes yes yes.
Comment by NO.NO.NO! — April 1, 2008 @ 1:30 pm
Scott (and all you other ‘dissers)- we’re dissappointed with you and the black smoke monster you’ve got stuck up your butt. I mean seriously, if you don’t have anything constructive to say, ‘don’t click ‘post.’ We’re hear to read different points of views and the theory posted here, on base or not is a much more interesting read than your blatant insults.
-PB
Comment by Polar Bear — April 2, 2008 @ 9:54 am
Re: Adam and Eve.
Isn’t it more likely that they were two Dharma Initiative team members who got caught in Ben’s killerific gas bomb? Occam’s razor, people.
Comment by kaen — April 3, 2008 @ 3:32 am
“Isn’t it more likely that they were two Dharma Initiative team members who got caught in Ben’s killerific gas bomb? Occam’s razor, people.”
Not when the shows creators have already confirmed that they were an extremely important device and will have some relation to a big revelation at the end of the show.
Comment by matt — April 3, 2008 @ 5:44 am
I really enjoyed reading this, i don´t think that will end just like you´r telling but hey…who cares, this is what makes the show go round and round the world.
Thanks
Comment by Frederico V. — April 3, 2008 @ 8:47 pm
I really enjoyed this theory. It took themes and mysteries from the show, tried to explain them using only what we have to go on or only what the writers have given us and tried to figure out how things are shaping up. A year ago, nothing like this would have been thought of, and a year before that…who knew what was going on. As we come closer and closer to the end, ideas, theories, and speculations are attempting to be more precise and meaningful, while trying to tie everything together. In season 2, someone theorizing would never had stated “and there will be a man in the woods who will be invisible to all those whom he doesn’t want to be seen”. But to land blast theories because you don’t agree with them is like kicking a dead horse. It’s not going to do anything. Agree or not, enjoy peoples ideas. What,have you got a better one? PROVE IT!!!
Comment by lost survivor — April 6, 2008 @ 10:12 am
This theory is terrible. Contradictions, doesn’t hold water. way to go
Comment by not happy with this theory — April 10, 2008 @ 7:26 pm
This theory is terrible. Contradictions, doesn’t hold water. way to go noob
Comment by not happy with this theory — April 10, 2008 @ 7:27 pm
This is quite stupid. You contradict yourself so many times, and the “answers” you try to give us, don’t hold up in any way what so ever. You lack evidence. You lack any solid ideas. It all sounds like you tried to take a bunch of random theories that you thought sounded cool and string them together. Adam and Eve? Come on. Most Lost theories contradict, but this is one of the worst. What are you trying to do, make this show work under religion? Fucking ridiculous. You claim that this show could never be based around science, it has to be “approachable” to the casual viewer. How do you figure? This shows written in such a vague way, that it attracts people solely from curiosity. What happens when it is based on science? What are you gonna do, freak the fuck out? That will be fun. Please refrain from doing this again. No one will figure out what the writers have planned, so just give up.
Comment by This is a pile of shit and contradiction — April 10, 2008 @ 7:45 pm