Readers Theorize About “Something Nice Back Home”
"Something Nice Back Home" answered some of our questions, but it also left us debating certain points that the writers decided to remain vague on. Is Sawyer alive in the future, or did Kate promise to do him a favor before leaving the island? When Charlie said that Jack isn’t supposed to raise "him," was he referring to Aaron? Did Jack have an appendix scar or no appendix scar? Some of these questions can be answered with HD screen caps, but others need to be theorized about more thoroughly. Check out what TTS readers had to say about last week’s episode:
Submitted by Gabe
1. You might have already talked about it somewhere, but remember Aaron isn’t supposed to be raised by "another." What if the the message is not that Aaron isn’t supposed to be raised by "another," but that he is not supposed to be raised by "An Other"? Now, I don’t know where Jack fits in (according to Hurley/Charlie), but it is a thought.
2. As far as Jack wanting to see/help in his own operation… what if it is not because he is a control-freak, which is what a lot of bloggers are saying. What if he just doesn’t trust Juliet anymore? It is not so much because he has to be in control, but because he wanted to see what Juliet does (after all Jack did "mess" with Ben)? What if he wanted Kate there because he trusts her, even if the pain would be too much and he couldn’t bear to watch?
3. Finally, Ben said (to Locke about the Boat People) something like, "If you kill me, you won’t ever know how dangerous these people WERE." why the past tense? Why not, "You’ll never know how dangerous these people ARE"? Could it be that Ben has played all this out before (time travel)?
Submitted by Devin
One subtle thing that I was shocked by was when Jack said, "You’re not even related to him!" I took that to mean that Jack knew he WAS related to him, meaning they figured out that Christian is father to both Jack and Claire…which would almost have to happen by Jack, Claire, and Christian being in the same place at the same time. Pair that with the appearances of Christian tonight, especially the fact that Miles saw him too and he wasn’t in Kate’s head, and I think Christian is about to explode into Lost mythology in a huge way.
Submitted by Hanto
We don’t know that Sawyer is alive. And even if he were, we certainly don’t know that Kate is currently communicating with on the island. The writers may want us to think he’s alive to set up a shocker. There’s a simple explanation for this: Dead or not, Sawyer could have told Kate (before he died or before she left the island) to do this last favor for him. (I think it probably has to do with Clementine.)
Jack saying "you’re not even related to him" doesn’t imply that Jack knows that he is related to Aaron. And, for Jack to find out he’s related to Claire would not require that Claire, Christian and Jack are all together. Christian could appear to Jack on the island and tell him. (Granted, I think there will be a scene in which Jack and Christian, possibly with Claire, will talk on the island.)
Submitted by Geoff
As for Kate on the phone during this episode, she was probably on the phone with Cassidy, not Sawyer. Sawyer probably asked her to get in contact with his daughter before she left the Island. Let’s not forget Kate and Cassidy have already met each other. Also, I have the feeling the reason Aaron ends up with Kate is because Claire disappears for the rest of this season.
Submitted by Gary
I’m going out on a limb to say that Sawyer stays behind for Claire. I think he begins to have feelings for Claire, and since she apparently is not able to get on the helicopter, Sawyer chooses to stay behind and watch over her.
That’s right folks! I’m calling my shot!
Submitted by Matt
Although "Lost" has often full of red herrings in the past, for some reason, these days, I think many of the things we’ve seen have been actual clues and/or answers to long-asked questions. And in this episode, I think that the smoke detector’s activation was by no means a coincidence with the appearance of Christian Shepherd. I think we are indeed to understand that off-island ghosts, at times, take a smoke-like form… and likewise, I think that’s meant to tell us more about Smokey on the island. Perhaps he truly is a a collection of deceased, lost souls… out to wreak havoc on those who are either attempting to escape their destinies and/or those who are a danger to the peaceful afterlife of others.
I think it’s becoming very clear now that Aaron is perhaps the key to the whole show. Just as the Biblical Aaron was a mouthpiece for Moses when he couldn’t speak, I think Aaron is perhaps meant to be the same for the island and/or Jacob. The fact that he’s the only baby to be born on the island (to our knowledge, anyway) makes him a very possible key to its secrets. And the fact that he is now being raised, off the island, by folks other than Claire, is a big problem for the island. And as much as it seems to want Jack and Hurley back, I’ll bet it wants Aaron back most of all. And returning him there may very well end up being one of the final plotlines as the show nears its end.
Submitted by Mo
One thought I had was, is it possible Kate’s call was actually with Ben and her "favor" for Sawyer is like the same kind of work Sayid is doing for Ben? Ben reminds Sayid how he wants to help his friends… Kate has feelings for Sawyer and she’s helping Ben (taking pictures of people like Bakir) It may be a long shot but it could be an interesting twist.
Submitted by Stitchmonger
When Jack is on the island it is actually the second time he’s been there. When he’s in the flash forward at Kate’s he has yet to go back which is why there is no appendix surgery scar. Over time in future episodes we will see that Jack has been hopping onto and from the island trying to get events to occur correctly. But somehow Ben keeps him from getting back on the island, strands him in the past and Jack grows old …. and changes his identity to Christian, has a daughter with a blond-haired woman who resembles Sarah and adopts Jack (his younger self) and raises him. Claire isn’t Jack’s sister, she’s his daughter. Remember when Jack saw Christian with Sarah and it looked like they were intimate? It was because this future version of Jack couldn’t see her and not flirt with her. The alcoholism isn’t a father-son thing. Christian’s alcoholism is the end result of a decent begun by Jack in "Something Nice Back Home".
In the pilot when Jack is trying to get the coffin on the plane. I think then, "Jack" and "Christian" were aware of each other’s nature, and worked out a plan to get "Christian" back on the island. Christian would commit "suicide" but he wouldn’t actually die (as we have seen). Then Jack and Christian, two time displaced versions of the same person, would be on the island at the same time and Christian can finish his work on the island.
Submitted by Gary
I read a theory once that I think is pretty spot on as to what could happen.
To get back to the island, all six of them have to get on the plane using their golden pass. So they have to fly (either from Sydney to LA or vice versa) and all of them have to be on the plane for them to get to the island again.
That could be cool. Of course this came about BEFORE Ben was off the island in the flashforward.
So for all we know Ben could be the one who brings them back.
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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.
something everyone seems to have missed is that when Miles encounters Danielle and Karl’s bodies in the jungle, he hears whispers. Possibly a sign that the whispers are those of the dead, and they haunt/stay in the area they died, due to something to do with the Island, not allowing themto fully leave, etc, fill in the blanks for me. Consdering the general consensus is that the Island is eons old, the whispers in the jungle in many episodes could be the voices of the deceased, the many hundreds of people who have been killed, or died, all over the island, and have formed little ’soul-communities’ to coin a phrase, which accounts for the conversation-like nature of the whispers.
Comment by Uncommon Valor — May 6, 2008 @ 3:13 pm
There is no proof that Miles saw Christian. He said that Claire went off with her dad, but she said “Dad?” So maybe Miles just heard her and never saw him. Probably no point to this, just something I noticed.
When Jack said “You’re not even related to him.” I took that as an implied “At least I am related to him” because of his tone. But I could have been reading too much into it.
I think Sawyer is still alive on the island, or at least Jack and Kate thinks he is. Otherwise why would Jack be mad that she’s doing something for Sawyer? If it was Sawyers dying wish then Jack would probably be okay with it. And I bet it does have something to do with Sawyer’s daughter.
I don’t think Kate was talking to Ben or getting missions like Sayid does. She just seems too cool to be juggling that, a baby, and a paranoid alcoholic boyfriend. She must have just been talking to a friend.
Jack seemed okay with leaving the other Losties on the island, he did say it was Sawyer’s own choice to stay. So I wonder why he changed his mind and tries to go back for them. Maybe Claire is still alive on the island and Kate and Jack start to realize that Aaron shouldn’t be raised by anyone but Claire (if that’s really the case) and try to get back for that reason.
Comment by AnotherOther — May 6, 2008 @ 3:32 pm
For the last time, people, Jack DID have an appendectomy scar. It’s as clear as day on the hi-res caps. Sorry, Stitchmonger.
Comment by Bella — May 6, 2008 @ 4:24 pm
Didn’t the Others have like a full file on all the survivors? So shouldn’t Juliet or Ben know who Claire’s father is? They were able to find out the connection between Locke and Sawyer so why not this? But if Juliet knows why wouldn’t she have mentioned yet? ANd if Ben knows it might be awhile…
Comment by wait a minute — May 6, 2008 @ 5:52 pm
I just had some thoughts before ‘Cabin Fever’-
It doesn’t look like these soldiers are going to have any part in rescuing our 815 survivors. This leads me to believe Penny will be the one to get the “6″ off the Island. Desmond was not on the flight, so he could have made it off the Island as well? I also have the feeling that Faraday and Charlotte will end up either dead or on stuck on the Island, at seasons end. Faraday has been way too good of a character, and I think he will help unlock many of the Islands mysteries during season 5. As for the Promo for ‘Cabin Fever’ (Spoiler if u don’t watch Promo’s) I’m thinking Locke has a special connection with the dead. We see in the promo that he’s talking to someone who has been dead for twelve years. He spoke to Boone after he died. This leads me to believe that maybe we’ve seen him interact with other dead people. Richard Alpert? We did see Alpert appear in the forest after some whispering, before a young Ben Linus. Alpert also appears to be ageless. What about his own father? He did appear on the Island somewhat mysteriously. He also told sawyer he was in some kind of accident and then in the ambulance he lost consciousness. He believed he was dead, maybe he was. The Island has shown us “visions” of other people who have died off the Island (Bens mom).Could Walt be dead? He has been seen by many people on the Island, including Locke, in visions. He also has appeared at different ages. To conclude Locke’s connection with the dead, I’ll mention that he did hear Jacob (Who has to be dead) and he had a face off with Smokey in season two. Obviously he came out unharmed. Oh Yea, I almost forgot Hurley. He is with them to find the cabin. That’s because he also has a connection with the dead. –Charley, Dave, the Cabin, Jacob’s eye. I’m calling it, Dave was once alive and has a bigger role in all this.
Comment by Geoff — May 7, 2008 @ 12:38 am
The only problem with Alpert being dead is that he recruits Juliet in “Not in Portland”
Comment by dt23 — May 7, 2008 @ 2:20 am
Judging from the title “Cabin Fever” it seems clear that we’re going to finally figure out who Jacob is in the next episode. My guess is that perhaps Jacob is Aaron, Claire’s baby. This makes sense b/c Claire left the baby behind, the kind of mistake even she wouldn’t make - if you have seen the “orchid” video you know that it is possible to have two of the same beings together in time, which is different from the time travel that Desmond has completed thus far. Likewise, as we’ve seen throughout the show, certain people can’t die if they have a role in the future - ie, Michael, Jack, Ben (which is why he was never worried about his cancer), etc.
I may be wrong on this theory about Jacob being Aaron, but I do believe we’ll be in for a shock when we learn his identity, hopefully in “Cabin Fever”.
One other quick theory - In the promo for “Cabin Fever” we see one of the original Dharma people telling Locke “we’ve been waiting for you for a long time”. I’m starting to think that Locke’s mother may have been Dharma related.
Comment by THinIL — May 7, 2008 @ 5:52 am
RE: Cabin Fever Promo.
Did anyone notice that Horace Goodspeed (The man who said he has been dead for twelve years) had a bloody nose just like Desmond and Minkowski in “The Constant’?
Perhaps Horace in “unstuck” somehow.
Comment by Alaine — May 7, 2008 @ 6:55 am
I think it’s safe to say that Jack probably knows he’s related to Claire. His comment to Kate certainly implies it. I’ve also heard a rumor that Christian Shepherd wrote a letter that addresses both of his children in his upcoming funeral scene. So, Claire may or may not know, but Jack certainly does.
Comment by snickers — May 7, 2008 @ 8:34 am
I don’t think Jack knows that Aaron’s his nephew, how would he found out if Claire has disappeared? And also how does he leave his OWN sister behind and save Kate??
I don’t like ctrl freak Jack but I can’t see him choosing Kate over his own blood (even if they didn’t grow up together). And I think Jack would have said to Kate (knowing how self righteous he can be when it comes to Kate) that you’re not related to him AND HE’S MY NEPHEW! but he didn’t which leads me to believe he does not know abt Claire being his sister.
The irony is that Claire’s big bro currently is Sawyer.
Comment by Sbujero — May 7, 2008 @ 8:56 am
Gabe, I like your theory of “another” versus “an Other.” If Kate is indeed “an Other” than that will set up some great shows in the future detailing how she worked with Ben. As for the “were” dangerous versus “are” dangerous comment Ben made, I don’t think it involves any time travel, I think it is more playing on the comments of the work Dharma was doing. Let’s not forget the magnet machine that was supposed to destroy the world if the button wasn’t pushed. If that is just the tip of the iceberg than Ben did put a serious dent in the capabilities of Dharma/Widmore’s ability to be dangerous thus the past tense “were” dangerous.
Right now Jack’s comments are 50/50 for if he knows that he is related to Aaron or not. I am in the camp that thinks he said “You aren’t even related to him” not because he knows he is(otherwise he would say something like “He’s more mine than yours, I’m related to him), but because he was upset with Kate over the Saywer incident and was trying to push her buttons. This was a good double meaning by the writers and I think they have gotten a lot of fans to fall for it. I feel the biggest pay-off for something so well set-up will be towards the end of the series and that’s when Jack will discover he is related and that may possibly be his motive for returning to the island (save his family member).
Why do people keep saying we don’t know if Sawyer is alive? We have heard NOTHING to suggest he is dead people! Are we going to speculate that Rose, the Dentist, Juliet, Ben, Sayid and all these other people are dead as well because the writers haven’t finished the story? Where is your basis for speculating that he is dead? Sawyer tells Kate himself that there is nothing back in the real world for him and the island offers all the comforts of home. So based on what the writers have set-up, Sawyer has more motivation to stay on the island than to leave. I still don’t know where you get the idea he is dead because a guy who didn’t want to leave the island didn’t leave the island?
Matt,
If the smoke detector going off when Christian was in the room was not a coincidence, then why didn’t it go off when Christian was in the exact same spot earlier that day? Jack sees Christian once in the waiting room during the day and once at night. The detector only goes off once. If it were not a coincidence then the detector would go off anytime Christian got close to it.
Stichmonger,
I like your theory, but I wonder if it might be to complex for the writers of the show to have designed.
Comment by blutoschmooto — May 7, 2008 @ 9:33 am
I just had a thought. We’ve been told that this next episode (tomorrow’s Cabin Fever) is the only FlashBACK left in this season.
And the rumors have said that it’s a flashback belonging to Locke, given the information about Alpert being at his birth, and the different kids playing Locke at various ages.
But what if it’s not a Locke flashback?
What if it’s a flashback for Richard Alpert? And the whole thing just happens to involve Locke to a good degree. It flashes back to Richard Alpert at various stages of Locke’s life, perhaps stepping in when something potentially would happen that would knock Locke off his path that leads to him being on the island.
In that way, Alpert could have been John Locke’s guardian all those years, and he just didn’t realize it.
And when they met on the island, John just didn’t remember or recognize him from his youth.
I haven’t seen that mentioned anywhere and wondered what people thought about it.
Comment by Gary — May 7, 2008 @ 3:27 pm
“Jack saying “you’re not even related to him” doesn’t imply that Jack knows that he is related to Aaron.”
Actually, Hanto…that’s exactly what it implies…yes, it could be misdirection on the part of the writers, but those seem to be very carefully chosen words…why didn’t he just say, “He’s not even your son”? Say the “related” part IMPLIES that he knows he is…
Comment by AlienX42 — May 7, 2008 @ 4:59 pm