Your Voice: Let the Charlotte/Annie Debate Begin
Submitted by Daniel Cornellier
After hearing what Miles had to say in the season finale, it’s obvious (at least to me) that Charlotte is Annie from Ben’s childhood. Who would’ve thought? That is so amazing that they tied that together. I wonder if Abaddon knew? He must have. It’s also quite sad that Ben is now gone, never even learning Charlotte was Annie. I hope that Ben figures it out. I know they seem far apart in age, but the island has an odd effect on people, so maybe something happened to her.
I also thought it was amazing how Ben knew that moving the island would mean he couldn’t come back to it, but he knew it was for the greater good. This also makes me wonder whether Ben moved the island before, because he knew about the huge explosion that would happen if all the metal was put into the chamber and that it would create that huge hole. Someone must have shown him before, but who?
It also appears that Michael has paid his debt to the Losties and is finally dead. I really think it was great what he did to save them, and I will miss him if he’s gone. Did anyone else get reminded of the Black Rock when Ben went down into the chamber with the wheel? I really hope we learn more about Alvar Hanso in the future and of the Dharma Initiative also. I really hope that somewhere on the island, there are still some DI members left.
Also, what’s going to happen to the supply drops now that the island has moved? I believe the island has been moved before, and if so how did the DI know where to look? Anyways, I can’t wait until next season!
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Interesting theory. although Annie didn’t seem British to me. Although I guess she could have developed it if she left the island and moved there. It would also be an eye opener considering Ben tried to blow her away in the second episode of the season.
Comment by Node32774 — June 3, 2008 @ 6:04 am
I think the age difference between Ben and Charlotte is too big to convince me that they were childhood mates.
Comment by CJ — June 3, 2008 @ 6:10 am
Remember that Anne is supposed to look like Juliet. You’d think that Ben would have found this out when running his background check.
For this reasons I’m convinced Charlotte is DHARMA.
Comment by Bill — June 3, 2008 @ 6:25 am
I dont think Charlotte is Annie but I agree that the island has been moved before, I think Charles Widmore was the leader just like Ben and Charles was the one who moved it last time, and so Ben became the new leader of the others taking everything from Widmore and hes desperate to come back… What do u think???
Comment by Marcelo — June 3, 2008 @ 6:35 am
Hmm.. here is a wilder theory. What if Juliet is actually Annie? That would certainly give new meaning to the statement Ben made to Juliet that she was his and also what the other lady said about Juliet looking like her. Maybe Juliet/Annie left the Island but was brainwashed to forget it.
Comment by linkerjpatrick — June 3, 2008 @ 7:19 am
I don’t think Charlotte is Annie. For one, Ben SHOT HER. And, after SHOOTING HER, he seemed to know an awful, awful lot about her (remember the whole list of stuff he rattled off?). Charlotte != Annie
Comment by Ben Fraley — June 3, 2008 @ 7:21 am
In addition I think they meant that Juiet looked like his mother not like Annie.
Comment by TrillianM — June 3, 2008 @ 7:44 am
At the point Charlotte becomes Annie this show officially begins forcing connections. Annie was not British. Charlotte is. Annie was blonde, not red haired. Charlotte is red haired. Now, if Charlotte were to lie about her name, she could easily fake a hair color and accent. If Charlotte were Annie, why would she have so little reaction for seeing Ben? If Annie were anyone, it should be Penny. That would set up the most complex and emotionally charged last two seasons. Ben wants Annie, but he wants to kill Penny to get back at Widmore. Pretty cool huh? Yeah, too bad it isn’t.
In order to figure out where Annie is, we need to figure out what happened to her. We could speculate for years about endless possibilities so we need to narrow down our choices of where she currently is.
Did she leave the island prior to the purge? By force or did Ben help save her? Perhaps she moved the island once?
Did Ben kill her? Against his will or willingly? He is intensely jealous, he might have.
The best choice in my mind from what we have seen on this show is that Ben did kill her, but not intentionally. Ben has strong feelings about Alex and sex. He does not want her to get pregnant at all costs. If you knew that pregnancy would kill you (why they don’t perform abortions on the island is beyond me, I will stop digressing after this last thought, if the island is killing mothers in childbirth it is because they don’t want them to live. It isn’t a natural occurence, from what we know it would have to be the islands will, right? Otherwise it wouldn’t let them die) why would you risk getting pregnant in the first place? Ben is obsessed with his daughters chastity which leads me to believe Annie died from pregnancy. That would explain Ben’s obsession about his daughter not getting pregnant, bringing Juliett in to research the cause (although a case could be made that he brought her in because she resembled Annie and the research may be impossible to discover a cure for because the island controls peoples fate, not nature), and it would fit perfectly with why Ben is such a calculating cold character. He has indirectly killed every woman in his life- Mom, Annie and Alex. Tragic, sad, and if true fantastic writing. This is why I think Charlotte is not Annie.
Miles staying on the island? What motive? He is definitely related to Hanso or Halliwax. It seems like the island is lining up either the progeny of famous island players, or the reincarnated players from the islands beginnings. Will history repeat itself?
Comment by blutoschmooto — June 3, 2008 @ 7:51 am
The fact that Ben SHOT Charlotte shoots a huge hole in this therory. There is no way that Ben would have missed the connection during the background check. There has to be more to the Annie story, but I don’t think the answer is Charlotte.
It is interesting though that Charlotte hints that she was born on the island. How long have pregnant women been dying on the island? Was this something that has always happened, or something that the island started doing somewhat recently? Could it be a type of punishment given by the island, maybe because of the purge?
Comment by Kelly — June 3, 2008 @ 8:43 am
Bluto is dead on - no way does Annie = Charlotte. Couldn’t agree more that if it is than they have resorted to forcing connections.
I love the scenario that Bluto outlines for Annie - Ben got her pregnant than had to watch her die - turned him bitter yet committed to figuring this out - hence bringing Juliet and the attachment he had. Would love that he indirectly killed all the women he loved - brilliant!
One thing I’ve been thinking of writing a Your Voice segment on is the naming conventions. If Locke is his name on the island, but Jeremy Bentham is his name off (and Ben uses a similar convention - uses a name from Kerouac) than what is to stop us from thinking that Christian Sheppard is simply an off-island name and his on-island name is…..Jacob? Not sure, but something tells me Christian Sheppard is his alias - what’s his on-island name!!??
Comment by Dav — June 3, 2008 @ 8:45 am
I second Bluto’s theory. That sounds like something that would happen to Ben. Its just too forced to be trying to find an ‘Annie’ or a ‘Jacob’. I think it won’t end up being someone we know.
Comment by AnotherOther — June 3, 2008 @ 11:24 am
Charlotte IS NOT ANNIE. STOP IT PEOPLE! This is getting ridiculous.
Comment by T — June 3, 2008 @ 12:05 pm
Bluto, if your theory and what it hints at is indeed the case, then it would be beautiful writing alright. It fits perfectly and fits in with the underlying plot-webs of epic tragedies from all over the world. Big Up Yerself
Comment by Colz — June 3, 2008 @ 12:18 pm
Great post bluto. I’m with you. Of course, if that’s right, then Juliet is a goner.
Dav: Christian is not Jacob. That should have been confirmed in “Cabin Theory” when Locke entered the Cabin and the following dialog ensued:
Locke: Are you Jacob?
Christian: No. But I can speak on his behalf.
That seems pretty clear to me.
Comment by Hanto — June 3, 2008 @ 12:21 pm
She is 26 years old (not 40something like Ben), she is a red head (not blonde), she has either a British or Australian accent. She was 10-12 when we saw Annie in Ben’s flashback. You don’t develop and accent at that age, even if you move to a country where people speak with it.
MY THEORY is that Charlotte is the daughter of some DHARMA members and she’s looking to see what happened to her family. She may have been born and raised on the island and then left at some point. Why? Who knows? That’s my theory. She’ll find her dad or her mom in that purge pile of dead bodies.
Comment by MikerMan — June 3, 2008 @ 1:01 pm
OK here’s my theory, Charlotte is the daughter of Annie and Ben. Now it fits the time line. Ben is in his 40’s and Charlotte is in her twenties and she could have born on or conceived on the Island, Now Ben would have been on the Island at that time. It’s possible that Ben got Annie pregnant and her parents (there may be some connection here) forced for to leave. Ben is then involved with the purge. Annie has the Baby in London and now it’s Charlotte trying to get back home. Also explains Ben need for a daughter with Alex to replace the one taken away from him. Doesn’t explain if Ben this knew this when he shot her, He may have known she had on a vest and wouldn’t died.
p.s. When Ben confronts Widmore he said “you killed my daughter” he didn’t name her. Could it be the flash forward we seen is farther in the future than want we though.
Comment by Paulfathy — June 3, 2008 @ 3:22 pm
I don’t think Charlotte=Annie but I do think we were meant to ponder if she was. They always slip things in there like that.
Hey by the way did anyone notice in Confirmed Dead when she’s hanging upside down from the tree, how much she resembles Richie Cunningham?
Maybe Charlotte = Richie Cunningham and Ben is really THE FONZ.
-PB
PS this site never lets me post if you are reading this it’s a true Lost miracle.P
Comment by Polar Bear — June 3, 2008 @ 3:28 pm
Just a thought…
Kate said her name was Annie in her 1st flashback, and her middle name is Anne.
Maybe Kate’s “parents” know something she has yet to find out?
Comment by Brian Imig — June 3, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
I think Charlotte is Annie and Ben’s daughter who was sent away when she was young. Annie probably died after giving birth…
Comment by tom108 — June 3, 2008 @ 5:37 pm
Haha, that is so sick. The introduction up top is mine. Anyways, I think it’s her, because Miles seemed to be convinced that she had been there before.
Comment by Dan — June 4, 2008 @ 1:23 am
yes tom 108
cant beleive it took so many posts for someone to write that. what if charlotte is annie’s daughter? it explains how she could have been born on the island, it explains why shes not annie. why ben wouldn’t recognize her, or maybe even why he did shoot her, she “killed” annie. what if ben was the father, curious teenager?
Comment by hazey — June 4, 2008 @ 12:15 pm
Though it is completely plausible that Charlotte is Ben’s daughter, I don’t buy it. With the supernatural and financial resources Ben has access to he could have easily found his daughter (assuming he wanted to, maybe he knew his daughter would get killed so he sent the real one away and staged Alex as his daughter, but this doesn’t seem to fit with the devasted reaction Ben had when Alex died. He was heart broken. If Ben cared that much about a daughter, he would have found Charlotte at all costs. Plus Ben wouldn’t have sent his daughter away when he was under the impression Widmore was playing by the “don’t kill family” rule), but he did not search for Charlotte.
Charlotte as Ben’s daughter would be another forced connection I would prefer to not see. Sure Annie could have left the island for child birth, but why wouldn’t they take any of the other women off the island for child birth if they could? If Ben knowingly had a daughter, he would have found her plain and simple. You can’t paint a picture of someone who is as brilliant as Ben and not have him be able to conduct a simple familial search. The island people/spirits can find everyone else.
I think Christian Shephard has a better chance of being Charlotte’s father then Ben, he already fathered one kid out of wedlock, but I don’t endorse either of these theories. The island is currently devoid of bad guys, right? Season 1, 2 and 3 baddies, the Others, are now friends with 815. Season 4 nemesis, the freighter crew or rather Keamy’s men are all dead. Who is the antagonist that will foment the chaos in season 5 on the island? It has to be Charlotte. She has returned for redemption or revenge with revenge being the more powerful choice. If it was redemption, Ben would have had to have known her and therefore remember seeing her. My choices are either she was a baby who somehow (don’t ask me how) made it off the island as 1 or both or her parents were Dharma purged or perhaps she may have been related to Rosseau’s expedition somehow, but she needs to avenge someone’s death because we don’t have any eveil people on the island right now
Comment by blutoschmooto — June 4, 2008 @ 3:38 pm
I think the island was moved before, a long time ago. That would explain how the Black Rock went to the middle of the island.
What do you think?
Comment by musefanatic — June 5, 2008 @ 6:58 am
Annie actually at red hair and green eyes, so those claiming she was blond should check again. http://www.lostpedia.com/images/2/2a/3×20_annie02.jpg
Comment by Mike — June 15, 2008 @ 6:28 am
Charlotte is definately Annie. Age differences between ben and charlotte now can easily be atributed to the time difference effect between on island and off island time, with charlotte spending less time on the island, where time appears to go quicker.
The only reason ben knew all that stuff about her was because it was stuff michael, his spy, had found out on the boat. It wouldn’t exactly be hard for Annie to change her name and make a new persona for herself once she was off the island, particularly if she thought she might of been in danger from Widmore trying to find the island through her.
The only decent argument against was bluto’s, but really we don’t need for there to be another maternal death from pregnancy to explain why ben is so uptight about alex not having sex - he killed his mother during birth, and pregnancy kills women on the island. surely thats enough to make him want someone he cares about to maintain her virginity, and thats without including the whole fatherly protection thing trying to maintain her innocence
I think it fits perfectly, without adding extra complexity. the whole charlotte is Annies daughter thing is just adding a whole unneccessary level of complexity.
Comment by Doug — June 16, 2008 @ 4:02 am
Charlotte being Annie would also tie in well with her previous experience with the dharma initiative as a child, and so it would make sense for Charles Widmore to use her for a mission back to the island - she has some previous experience of the island. Widmore would also have wanted her to use an alias as a defence against ben finding out who she really was, hence the name change, which would also give her some kind of last card to play against ben at the opportune moment.
I think it’s too perfect to not be right, but i guess time will tell…
Comment by Doug — June 16, 2008 @ 6:40 am
Any other problems with the annie = charlotte theory? come on people, this is supposed to be a debate, not a one sided i’m right and your wrong rant… Give me your problem with the theory and i’ll try to answer it. If i can’t come up with a plausable answer then my hat will go off to you. (I don’t actually wear a hat, but you get the idea…)
Comment by Doug — June 18, 2008 @ 2:49 am
Sorry, I’m french and I don’t talk english very well… I don’t think Charlotte and Annie are the same woman. Maybe she is the daughter of one of the Dharma’s… but everyone knows that pregnant women can’t have babies on the island. So, is Charlotte a miracle ? Or was she born outside and came to the island when she was young ? I personaly think that she’s really born on the island so she’s a kind of miracle. It could be very interesting for the serie. But why did her mother not die ? And how Miles could know this is not the first time she came to the island ? Maybe a corpse told him…
Comment by ethnos — August 6, 2008 @ 5:08 pm