what was the institute that John was told by his science teacher?

I have no words. My favorite episode of the season so far, though I can't wait to see what's left to come.

So.....I Claire Dead!?!?

this show just blows my mind.. awesome

again, showing us why Lost is such a great show. This was a great episode which gave a lot of new information about Locke, but also about certain characters that we didnt know much about. It will be interesting to see how Christian ties into the story and what is going on with Claire. Also about Richard Alpert and that guy who told Locke about the walkabout. I can't wait to see more next week!

I love the scene with Ben and Hurley sharing the Snickers!! pure genius

Julio, that was the cover name the Others use for bringing people to the island. They did the same thing with Juliet.

What confuses me is Horace died 12 years ago (I believe), and Rousseau crashed 16 years ago. I just find it odd that she would've never seen any of the DI members walking around during those 4 years. Oh, and turns out Jack was actually seeing Christian, lol.

The institute was Mittelos - the same company Richard and Ethan worked for when they recruited Juliet.

Did anyone else notice the logo on the "secondary protocol" Keamy read from the safe had a DHARMA logo?

The institute was called Mittelson.

Great episode, top 3 of the season. It episodes like this that you can't wait for next week in hopes they answer some of the new questions broached! I can't even comprehend what happened so much info was being thrown out. Definitely will watch this one again.

I was really hoping it was gonna end with the Apollo Bar scene. I would have been disappointed to not see more, but it would have been so funny to see Hurley and Ben sharing a chocolate bar, no dialogue, and then "LOST" that it would have more than made up for it

I was wondering the same thing. i think claire might be dead. Sawyer has Aaron does he? I can't even remember that now.

And Christian said he isn't jacob...i wonder what he is then? And the guy that was pushing locke around in the wheel chair - who is also the guy that came to see hurley at the mental hospital - AND the guy that told naomi to go to the island with the scientists. Who is he going to be, i wonder? i guess he works with or for Charles Widmore?

What about Richard?? He doesn't appear to age at all. i think he will be a fairly crucial character in the end.

What about the time difference between the freighter and the island? the doc? weird

Christian said, move the island?

I am a huge fan of this show, and this was probably the one episode that I was anticipating most out of any other so far....I have to say, I was utterly and completely disappointed. That's not to say it didn't start out strong...the Locke back story was incredible. The payoff however, terrible. I predicted (sarcastically) before the show started that we wouldn't get any actual cabin time until the last 10 minutes, and it ended up being the last 8. And did we learn anything else about Jacob? No. We ended at the exact place last week ended at - Christian and Claire are hanging out - grrrrrrreattttt.... I have been reading this site for a long time, and I usually am the guy who screams at my monitor when I read the negative comments, but this was inexcusably anti-climatic. I am probably being way more critical that I normally would be - and maybe tomorrow I'll feel less strongly, but for an episode that promised so much mythology, all we got was more confusion and questions. I completely expected some insight into Jacob and his origins.

Now that I've had a few minutes to cool down from the ending of this episode, I think I can sum up my feelings more appropriately. The side story portion of this episode was actually pretty spectacular. The early Locke material was shocking and truly eye opening. We finally know that Locke was destined from birth to play a huge role in everything. It was the payoff at the end that I am having such a problem with. The name of the episode was "Cabin Fever" and maybe I was being a little presumptuous thinking that we'd get a little Jacob mythology, but to me it seems that they completely dodged the issue.

It also appears to me that the setup for the finale is going to focus on the extraction of the Oceanic 6 and I highly doubt we'll learn anything else about Jacob this season. I am not losing faith in the show, and I have already decided that I'm in this until the end, but I already know I'm not alone in thinking that this season could end in disappointment. If we end up only seeing how the flash-forwards from season 3 came to be, its going to be a long wait until season 5.

I apologize if my thoughts are fragmented and hard to follow, I'm just a little upset with tonight's episode which was the one I was anticipating the most so far. Maybe on the second viewing I'll be able allow the Locke back story to overshadow the let down of island mythology....

So if all the dead people chill with Jacob and the island what does that mean for claire? Is she dead? The sad thing is that it will be such an easier thing to get through if she was dead. And that pshycic said claire no one else can raise that child but her. Then he sees Mr. Eko and says he is a fraud (? episode). Then Charlie tells Hurley to tell Jack that he shouldn't raise "him" Whether that means Aaron or something else I don't know. Good episode since hey I am questioning everything!
PS- HOW EXACTLY DOES ONE MOVE AN ISLAND!!

"PS- HOW EXACTLY DOES ONE MOVE AN ISLAND!!"

With an Orchid, of course.

No. Richard does NOT age! Ive been calling him "the guy who wont die" this whole time. I think Richard was "the chosen one" before Ben. That is why Ben said that destiny is fickle. Now the torch has been passed on to Locke. But Ben aged.....so.....I dunno.

The black dude....I'm sorry that is what i call him.....I think he too doesnt age. I BELIEVE he is also the same guy who Rose went to see in Africa....the healer? Does anyone remember this episode? Season 1 I think? I think Richard and the Black Dude work for Hanso/Wyndmore.....

The time difference is throwing us all off....its really hard to follow what is going on. It doesnt work in one direction.... the missel that Daniel (the scientist) tracked to island from the ship got there late but the dead doctor was early.....what is up with THAT?

If Richard can time travel does that mean that Ben has the same ability?

Jacks dad being in the cabin is no surprise..... he has been wandering the island since day one. He didnt even die on the island....... Claire being with him confuses me, I too wonder if shes dead...

The "guy" with Locke at the rehab clinic is Abaddon, and yes, he is the one who visits Hurley and recruits Naomi.

I don't think Claire is dead. She is "undead" at worst, whatever that means. She may be in the same "state" as Christian. (For comparison: Boone is dead. Shannon is dead. Ana Lucia is dead. Eko is dead. Arzt is in pieces - dead.)

We do know at least one small thing about Jacob. He isn't Christian.

Max: The faith healer Rose went to in "S.O.S." was Isaac of Uluru. He's white. Definitely not the same person as Abaddon.

Whoops, my bad.

I remember him black.

Great episode...
Locke Is The Man

Richard doesnt age because he went back in time to visit John and Ben using the time machine. He is altering the course of the future.
Obviously the black guy in the hostpitol works for current dharma (naomi's buddy)and in the future has acces to this time machine too. Why else would he tell john to go to the walkabout.

Claire = Cutest double-chin in the history of double-chins.

"Speaking of the freighter, what was with that DHARMA document that Keamy found? He said that it would tell him exactly where Ben was going. If Ben is able to teleport, which we all know he can, could this document have laid out the locations where he might teleport to? Or is it simply a detailed map of the island, pointing out all of Ben's secret hiding places?"

I'm gonna go with...a map to the Orchid.

"The one scene that will leave us all theorizing about Locke's ultimate destiny was the moment when Alpert visited him as a child. Alpert pulled numerous items out of his backpack and asked John to identify which already belonged to him. John chose the knife, but apparently that was the incorrect answer. To paraphrase Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, he chose. . .poorly.

"What did this scene mean? Is Lost introducing the notion that John Locke may have been reincarnated? Was he one of the original inhabitants of the island? This idea seems out there, even by Lost's standards of weirdness. Just about everything on the show can be explained scientifically, but reincarnation would throw the show right into spiritual waters. Perhaps there's another explanation for how Locke would recognize one of those items, but I'm not sure what it could be.

That's exactly the test they use to find the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. I think this definitely means John is a reincarnation of someone, possibly Jacob. Hell, could even be Magnus Hanso himself, although I wouldn't lean to that. Maybe Hanso and Jacob are one and the same?

"I am a huge fan of this show, and this was probably the one episode that I was anticipating most out of any other so far....I have to say, I was utterly and completely disappointed. That's not to say it didn't start out strong...the Locke back story was incredible. The payoff however, terrible. I predicted (sarcastically) before the show started that we wouldn't get any actual cabin time until the last 10 minutes, and it ended up being the last 8. And did we learn anything else about Jacob? No. We ended at the exact place last week ended at - Christian and Claire are hanging out - grrrrrrreattttt.... I have been reading this site for a long time, and I usually am the guy who screams at my monitor when I read the negative comments, but this was inexcusably anti-climatic. I am probably being way more critical that I normally would be - and maybe tomorrow I'll feel less strongly, but for an episode that promised so much mythology, all we got was more confusion and questions. I completely expected some insight into Jacob and his origins."

I think they intentionally avoided showing us Jacob. Why? I think, just maybe, Locke IS Jacob, either in reincarnated form, or something else. Whatever happens, I think Jacob isn't just going to be some new face. It's gonna be a big WTF reveal, and it wasn't time for it yet.

As for what I said earlier, about the Dharma document Keamy had information on finding the Orchid, I think I was right, because as one of DocArzt's screenshots shows, the document had the same Dharma symbol as Ben's/"Halliwax"'s Dharka in TSOTTC

Devin's right.

"Lineages of tulkus may be interlinked—for example the Panchen Lama traditionally recognizes the new incarnation of the Dalai Lama and vice versa. In most cases there is no such relationship, but the potential candidate is always vetted by respected lamas. This often involves tests such as checking whether the child can recognize acquaintances or possessions from his previous life or answer questions only known to his former life-experience. According to the book Magic and Mystery in Tibet by Alexandra David-Neel, “A number of objects such as rosaries, ritualistic implements, books, tea-cups, etc., are placed together, and the child must pick out those which belonged to the late tulku, thus showing that he recognizes the things which were his in his previous life.[1] This process was portrayed in the movie Kundun."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulku

This episode has finally explained how Locke was able to track boar and throw knives and generally perform like a highly trained survivalist when he was nothing even close.
The island allows John to literally self actualize. He is what he wants to be. He has always wanted to be a hunter tracker. So he is. Like when he is teaching Walt to throw the knife, and tells him to just visualize hitting the target.

Three scenes were key. 1)The scene where Locke chooses the knife. Which is resting on a comic whose cover shows a story about a "secret land." Young Locke just wants adventure of the comic and the empowerment and action of the knife. As we see in adult Locke. Young Locke may not have even thought that the knife belonged to him and just wanted it. Bc he likes knives and imagining himself as a man who wields them. 2)Take that with the scene in which teenage Locke angrily storms out on his teacher who says he can't be a superhero screaming that "You can't tell me what I can be." This is someone whose will is so strong that he will avoid his destiny for half of his life. 3) The 3rd scene is the drawing that young Locke did of the smoke monster; it is possible that Locke is able to make things happen but is not aware of it. That the smoke monster only started to exist when young locke started drawing him. Or that simply Locke has always been able to see things and always had a connection to the island that transcends everyone else's.

While I don't think Locke or Walt are actually creating any events we have seen (simply bc that would be horrible storytelling), there are so many curious loops in their two storylines specifically that just make me wonder. Things that they have seen or thought that basically have come true. Locke's smoke monster drawing. The comic of the secret land. His claiming the knife forty years before he gets to use one. His seeking a way to walk and crashes on an island that does that.
But we already have been given causes for many of these things. Smokie is a pre-existing and indepedently controlled security system. The island already existed before locke conceived of it (clearly). Desmond brought the plane down.
Walt and his polar bear comic preceding the polar bear's appearance. We know the polar bear was part of zoological experiements by the DI.
A lot of cyclical things. It is possible that people like Walt and Locke are special in the sense that they are partially unstuck in time. Which lets them seem to see the future or know the future and also seem to control things to a certain extent.
I don't know.

"I think they intentionally avoided showing us Jacob. Why? I think, just maybe, Locke IS Jacob, either in reincarnated form, or something else. Whatever happens, I think Jacob isn't just going to be some new face. It's gonna be a big WTF reveal, and it wasn't time for it yet"

Honestly, I'd have no problem with this - I just feel like tonight's episode was another lead-on. If Jacob ends up being Locke, I think the writers will have a wonderful explanation for all of it. I just really thought we'd get some sort of big reveal tonight, and I don't' think we got it. A lot of "shocking" moments were presented, but it seems that all of them were things we already knew or at least were expecting. Tonight's episode felt like just a bunch of confirmations.

I'm not upset about anything that we DID find out, I'm upset about what I thought we'd find out, but DID NOT. I'm not crucifying the show, because I still love it more than anything, I'm just disappointed by the ending of tonight's episode.

Did anyone else expect Locke to walk in the cabin and see Abaddon sitting there saying that he is Jacob? I thought the flashback was totally setting us up for that.

My theory for the things young Locke had to choose from to see what was his lies in that book. The book had some funky colors and almost looked holographic. I was thinking that Locke was supposed to see text in it like a color blind test and that would mean he can see other things (like Jacob).

I liked how the comic book on the table was about a "distant land". Makes me think that also could have been what he was supposed to choose and maybe it was a story about him travelling to the island.

Anyhow I too was slightly disapointed with this episode. I thought there would be lots of Jacob explanation and there wasn't. Personally I don't really care how everyone gets off the island. I assume someone rescues them. I'm more interested in what is going on with this island and I too fear that we may have to wait until next season for that.

I was thinking about whether or not Claire is Dead. I could understand Locke having a conversation with a "dead" Claire, (we are talking about Lost after all) but why would Sawyer and Hurley carry Claire into and around Ben's house when the Keamy attacked New Otherton. If Claire was really dead, I believe Sawyer would have reacted to it, not just carry her off without a word.
I was confused by Horace's nose bleed, so the dead can be unstuck in time too?
My newest theory is that Jacob has taken many shapes, one of which is Richard Alpert.
I haven't thoroughly thought that through yet.
There certainly was a lot going on in this episode. Hurley's "mallowmar" line was perfect comic relief!

"I just feel like tonight's episode was another lead-on." = "I just feel like tonight's episode was a big lead-on"

I don't have a 'lead-on' problem with the rest of the season so far. Just a correction to my last post

One thing everyone is failing to ask about is what did Keamy have strapped to his arm that they went to such pains to point out. They even highlighted it when the freighter capt had him at gunpoint and he seemed to reference it when he said it was a bad idea to shoot him. I am thinking deadman switch. Does Keamy have a nuke? He did reference torching the whole island, how else would he do that?

Just a few little things...

1) Geronimo Jackson poster in Locke's locker.
2) Smoke monster drawing in Locke's room.
3) The compass is the one Locke gave Sayid.
4) The Book of Laws is the book that Eko found the tape in.
5) The knife MIGHT be the one Ben gave Locke to kill his fatehr with (against Richard's wishes)

And let me just add...hooray for the return of traditional flashbacks! Sure this flashback had some mythology to it, but they sometimes do. Hell, the third episode ever revealed, through flashback, that the island healed Locke, so they weren't only about character development before.

I mean flashbacks are cool and all, but I was starting to feel like they were relying too heavily on them to tell the story.

This is totally irrelevant to tonight's episode but remember that enormous foot that was on the island when they tried to escape on the boat a while back. Has anyone ever thought about where that came from or what it is?

"Destiny is a fickle bitch."
So what's with Benjamin's attitude man? Does he really think that Locke will become the next Benjamin Sinus?

What do you think Locke was SUPPOSED to choose? Was the salt/dirt the stuff that was around Jacob's cabin? I was pretty sure it was... Do you think any of the objects would have been the "right" one?

Someone pointed out that Locke's choice of the knife showed that he was still clinging onto the dream of being different than what he was destined for... rather than accepting who he was, he decided he wanted to be a tough adventurer, hunter, etc.

I think the salt or the Book of Laws could have been the "right" choice. MAYBE THERE WAS AN OBJECT INSIDE THE BOOK OF LAWS?? Tom pointed out, apparently the Book of Laws was what Eko found the tape (Dharma film?) in.

Tom: Went back and watched that scene from "The Brig". The knives are different. Ben's knife had brass on the handle. Nor is it the same knife that Locke teaches Walt to throw with in "Special". That knife had an elaborate wood-carved base.

Eko found the film strip in a Bible, not the Book of Laws, at the Arrow.

In "Hearts and Minds" Locke gives Sayid a compass. It's gold, fancy, and opens with a clasp. This could be the same one Richard Alpert had.

I'll end with some amusing tidbits:

Some funny anagrams of "Geronimo Jackson" (the comic book in John's Locker"
=
Monk Join Cargoes (Desmond joining Freighties?)
Jack Ignores Mono (another sickness)
Macro Ones Joking (The "Gods", Ben and Widmore, are having a laugh with them.)
Marine Jock Goons (Keamy & team?)
Airmen Jock Goons (referring to Frank flying them back)
Scion among Joker (Aaron with ?? Sawyer)

I just love these and I could go on.

After tonight's episode here are a few thoughts :

1 Since Locke is Ben's successor, Aaron could be Locke's successor.

2 Maybe Ben is the one in the casket. His destiny has been fulfilled

Forgive me if this is old but, Mittelos spells "Lost Time" if you change the letters around.

"I mean flashbacks are cool and all, but I was starting to feel like they were relying too heavily on them to tell the story."

Sorry, meant flashFORWARDS

Watching Young Locke pick up the knife, he never actually said the knife was his until Richard suggested the idea. On the surface, Richard's reaction showed him getting upset that Locke chose poorly, but his reaction also showed that he had (possibly intentionally) pushed Locke in a direction he was not meant to go, and Locke allowed himself to be susceptible to suggestion. Locke sure pays his dues in order to grow up to be an independently minded and intuitive man.

Mittelos anagram is Lost Time

Interesting note: the guy on the freighter that told the doctor about the morse code message, only received the message minutes before (remember the scene after the chopper just landed, he was looking at his sat phone). However, we know the message was sent 1) in the day and 2) at least a day or two before that.

The question is are they going to move the island physically from point A to point B OR temporally from Time A to Time B?

hmmm im still trying to take in this episode and I dont know what to think yet.. not bad.. I was expecting ALOT more time in the cabin.. but I love lost so I cant wait till next week!

my only input on this would be.. What if by MOVING THE ISLAND, it actually means in TIME, not SPACE.. move it to a different time? possible?

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this but the "Test" Richard gave to young Locke is exactly like the test given to young children to discover if they are the Dali Lamma. Heres how it works: After his death the Dali Lamma's soul is moved into a yet-unborn baby. According to tradition, the small child version of the Dali Lamma would be able to pick out his former possesioins from a stack of items.
So What was the significance of the knife? Knives are clearly interwound with Lockes mythology which leads me to believe that Lockes soul is some Richard views as an Antagonist, someone destined to kill something on the island. But this leaves me with two questions:
1. Who is Lockes predecessor
2. Who was Richard Looking for?

The problem with moving the Island to a different time is that it still exists in that timeframe, so there would be 2 Islands, and that just won't work.

During conversations between Locke and Ben it almost seemed like Locke was Alpert's first choice, but after failing to recruit Locke he went with his second choice Ben. Maybe thats why Ben shot Locke after he heard Jacob, he realized he wasn't the only "Chosen One".

RE: Claire --

She's dead (well, as dead as people can get on the island) -- i think she died during the explosion when her house was blasted -- that is why miles (ghost boy) was SO interested in her and chatting her up so much...

you should check out this time travel theory i found -- i think whoever came up with this has it right -- it explains the no aging, people dying, etc. -- the link is: http://www.timelooptheory.com/index.htm

As this goes on I think the last episode of the series will be very St Elsewhere ish.....Maybe a story for Walt s English Lit class.

Crazy stuff last night.

They are going to create an earthquake which is going to shift the island just a hair to the left or right to change the bearing at which they are using to locate the island as of right now.

I would say that Charles Widmore was once the leader of the island and we'll see that in future flashbacks involving Ben. Did Ben kick Charles so hard he landed in Tunisia.

So you can't die once you leave the island or after arriving at the island. So if you can't die off the island, then there is a good chance that you can't be conceived and born on the island. There something hidden there about God and Heaven.

If it is a wormhole, then the corpses souls can't leave the island because Ben himself said in Season 2 that not even God can see this island. If so that explains why Horace and every other ghostly souls pop up every now and then.

That device on Keamy's arm is either the detonator ala' Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator or that device that is going to keep away the "black plume of smoke".

Where are all the others? Let's go to the temple and find out.

The whole Richard Alpert and his highlander self seems to take a note out of the 12 Monkeys script. His he going back in time to shift the future or somehow guide it to save the island and humanity itself?

Locke is Jacob. Which is why Christian was his "representative" in last night's episode. Claire is dead. Which explains her not having a scratch on her body despite being in the middle of a home while it exploded.

Destiny, in Lost, cannot be changed, no matter how many times you go back in time. This is evident through Richard trying to get John early in childhood. As Horace says "We've been waiting a long time for you".

Why was the knife ON the comic?
All the other objects were laid out alongside each other. Anyone else find it odd that it was put on top? there was room enough to lay all the objects out seperatly. Was the knife partially concealing a clue below maybe? Not watched it back yet to check.
Also i noticed that the 3 quick shots of the knife on the comic showed the knife in a different position each time. This is probably down to a continuity error in the filming of the scene tho and it being replaced in different spots between takes.

Still find it odd tat it was placed on top tho. Almost as if they are supposed to show they are both 1 and the same object.

The name Abaddon is straight from the Holy Bible

"And they had a king over them, which is the angle of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tounge is Abaddon, but in the greek tounge hath his name Apollyon." Revelation 9:11

He is the king of all of the weapons of war that are unleshed during the end times. Chapter 9 describes them all as being animals and insects but the hermenuitics usually says that they helicopters, tanks, missles and such.

Brian

SA,

You are dumb. This episode was competely amazing and one of the best of the entire series.

You will get your Jacob answers in due time. Don't be so amateurish to think that they are going to payoff the Jacob mystery while there are still over 30 episodes left over the next 2 years. geez.

Abbadon referring to John as "Mr. Locke" while he was pushing him in the wheelchair sounded eerily familiar to the way Walt always referred to John on the island.

I know it is not possible...but it just felt very familiar

It occurred to me that maybe "Little" John chose the knife on purpose, because he didn't want to go to the school. He seemed to study the book and the knife, then go with the knife. Maybe he knew which items belonged to him, but he knew more than Alpert thought and he also knew who Alpert was.

Another thing is that it seemed like Claire was made aware of the bigger picture, and maybe that's why she didn't care. Maybe she and Jack are like the heirs of the island or something.

Phenomenal episode.

Oh, and what about the guy pushing Locke around the hospital? We say him a lot before, and he is creepy. Do we know his name?

As to my above comment: Abbadon. That's his name. Forgot. I don't think he's an Other, but he is going to be crucial.

Grant: great observation that the "test" was exactly like the Dalai Lama test. Darlton said is their 5/7/08 podcast that this episode would rely more on Buddhism.

T: Don't even bother responding to haters or impatient fans. It's not worth your brainpower. :)

DaveM: Darlton debunked the whole St. Elsewhere ending specifically and any other "all in someone's head" ending in the March 10, 2008 podcast.

"Eko found the film strip in a Bible, not the Book of Laws, at the Arrow."

EKO: At that time the temple where the people worshipped was in ruin. And so the people worshipped idols, false gods. And so the kingdom was in disarray. Josiah, since he was a good king, sent his secretary to the treasury and said: "We must rebuild the temple. Give all of the gold to the workers so that this will be done." But when the secretary returned, he had no gold. And when Josiah asked why this was the secretary replied, "We found a book." Do you know this story?

LOCKE: No, I'm afraid I don't.

EKO: What the secretary had found was an ancient book -- the Book of Law. You may know it as the Old Testament. And it was with that ancient book, not with the gold, that Josiah rebuilt the temple. On the other side of the island we found a place much like this, and in this place we found a book. [Eko unwraps the book and pushes it toward Locke] I believe what's inside there will be of great value to you.

T--don't be a jerk. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn't make them dumb. Grow up.

Let's all remember what Locke FIRST picked. The sand. Then Locke, always wanting to CHOOSE his path decided that he WANTED the knife.
Thoughts?
:-)
GOD I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!

Claire was so creepy. I'm sad she's dead.

Moving the the island to a different time instead of a different place is interesting but I don't think that's what they'll do.

One thing i've been wondering is if the person who ran over John's mom is of any importance. Maybe Richard was the person behind the wheel of the car? Someone's gotta check a screencap of that scene and see if they see anything.

If there is some truth to that it reminds me of M. Night Shyamalan's movie "
Unbreakable" where Samuel Jackson created a number of disasters to find the person who was special, who was actually the "superhero" to his "supervillain"

I don't think Claire is dead. Why would Sawyer, Hurley and Locke not acknowledge her death? Why would Sawyer tell Locke that "Claire is ok, she just had her bell rung" while carrying her dead body through Ben's house? I don't think the writers would let Claire die without any reaction from the other characters.
Perhaps the Claire in the cabin was just another manifestation of the smoke monster? At the very least, you can't assume a stinking thing with Lost!

I find it the time skip thing between the island the boat interesting.

How is it that things like the doc floating up on shore and Faraday's rocket can be so off but phone calls and the morse code work out just fine?

If so, is it possible for the Oceanic 6 to call people on the island? How far off are their times?

Maybe this has come up before but has anyone noticed that Mittelos is an anagram for Lost Time or Time Lost?

I think that Horace Goodspeed is a huge clue. As we know, the names always mean something. Horace is a homonym for Horus, Egyptian god of the sun and sky, who was born of Osiris and a "golden phallus." The conceptions of Ben and Locke will be a big part of this show.

Tim--Yep, old news.

Sorry, I just read up in the threads and it looks like some people had already figured the anagram out.

Regarding the test: what if John didn't fail at all? What if he just wasn't ready to go with Alpert. It doesn't make sense that Locke would fail and then 10-12 years later Mittelos (obviously connected to Alpert as this is the same company used to lure Julia)asks John to join them for an internship without any follow-up test.

Who is Locke's father?????? The man who is double his mother's age (which would make him 32 by my estimate)

T - Calling me dumb and amateurish was simply not nice :( I wasn't expecting a Jacob mystery payoff - but I was at least expecting some information directly relatin (In my opinion, there have been 2 far better episodes in this season alone), but I certainly wouldn't call you dumb for enjoying it as much as you did.

Hanto - I'm not a 'hater' or an 'impatient fan'. I was feeling the bitter taste of disappointment after the ending of the episode, that's all. My post started with "I am a huge fan of this show" after all. I tried to make sure my post didn't have the same tone that many other 'didn't like it' posts on this site tend to have.

After having some more time to reflect, I do want to clarify that I don't think the episode last night was terrible. In fact I can't think of any episode in the series that I felt was terrible. Now that my disappointment over the lack of Jacob info (seriously - it was a stinker of a dodge imo), I am able to realize how completely awesome the Locke material actually was.

There were a few 'holy crap' moments from 'Cabin Fever' that I think will stick out when this season is said and done. First being Alpert's appearance at young Locke's house. We already knew the guy gets around, but to me this was a huge shocker. In the same vein, seeing Abbadon wheeling Locke around was equally shocking. He's quite an intimidating character, which they not-so-subtly reinforced with him pushing John towards the staircase. Finally, despite my disappointment with the ending, I do have to admit that seeing Claire in the cabin was a biggie (Christian didn't surprise me at all).

Long time reader, first time poster. Forgive me if I am not following any rules, but this season has been awesome and I have to share this awesome theory!

"Extremely well-thought out compelling theory" - SPOILER below!!

I am shocked no one on this post has heard of the "Timeloop" theory. This has been out there awhile on other boards but is all coming together this season, especially in the last few episodes. In a nutshell, the island is in some sort of "time-bubble" and some people (i.e. Richard, Ben) are moving back and forth between time. I was blown away when I found this theory and it has made watching things unfold this season even more exciting. Go to the following link to read it. I encourage you to read all of the Q an A and other sections too. It is extremely detailed with a lot of evidence to support it. As complicated as it may seem at first, it makes a whole lot of sense.

Enjoy!

Lost Timeloop Theory: http://timelooptheory.com/

Oops, somehow cut a part of this one out...

'I wasn't expecting a Jacob mystery payoff - but I was at least expecting some information directly relating to him. I disagree that this episode was among the best in the series (In my opinion, there have been 2 far better episodes in this season alone)'

I don't think Claire died during the explosion. I think when Christian came and "got her" from the woods is when she may have "died". Could have been from trauma due to the explosion. But I do think she is dead now....but that she died in the jungle.

First off... Claire= NOT DEAD.
Christian's ghost (now that we know there are dead people communing with the living) sought out claire for a specific (read: IMPORTANT) reason. Do we know yet why? no. But aaron is involved and it seems that christian and claire want aaron off island. Claire has been let in on some secrets - meaning very little of claire at least until season 5... maybe longer... we'll see. but she's not dead. that would just be stupid. there is more going on. anyway...

Second, Abbadon is not an other in the sense where we know them, as Ben's people... now Locke's people. If he is of the old others, I could see him be the "bad" side of the same coin as richard. They seem like the lieutenants of good and evil... or maybe abbadon was cast because they didn't know if nestor would be back.

Third, this episode may have had an anticlimactic ending but... jesus christ! do you need every episode to end like a hardy boys chapter? was the episode chock full of reveals and questions and direction towards the final chapter not enough! there will always be complaints. Lost isn't perfect, but this was one of the better episodes this season, if not the whole series.

Fourth, thanks to the new tidbits of info... i'm starting to generate some new theories... if the doc from the boat ends up on the island dead at roughly the same time the same doctor is alive on the boat, then that means that the island is in the future compared to real world time... meaning that, leaving the island acts as a time machine... perhaps the bearing effects how far back you go. Or maybe it's a set time. Regardless, that ability by itself may be what everyone is fighting over. Also, when returning to the island, like Jack and Kate probably will, I'm curious if a bad bearing would set them onto the island well away timewise from current island events... like getting shot way into the past or the future on the island.

Also, the emphasis on this episode being about Locke is very funny to me. Sure they showed locke's childhood to show that he was possibly getting recruited by richard. but he picked the knife. that really pissed richard off. maybe locke isn't the chosen one they needed. Maybe Aaron is. Also, there does seem to be an emphasis on fathers in the series, but also on mothers. It's so important that Aaron be raised by Claire, and not by Jack and Kate... Locke's mother never even touches him... Ben's mother dies in childbirth. Does Jacob/Island want Aaron to have no real motherly upbringing? Because Charlie's ghost/the island told hurley that Jack shouldn't raise Aaron. Meaning he should go back to Claire. It is sort of convoluted figuring out who wants what... but regardless, maybe this is all about Aaron to a certain degree. This is all about destiny but there are people who lead our players all to the same plane. I think that plane was going to crash on the island regardless.

Sorry... Too Many Thoughts All At Once. Great Episode though.

Widmore is a power player. that is for sure. I'm pretty convinced that Abbadon, the psychic in Australia, and Libby are all WIDMORE Associates. Especially Libby.

so here's my thought... the whole John reincarnation thing is good and may be the course the show takes but I have another theory.

Remember what Faraday said in The Constant about 'becoming unstuck in time?'

I think part of the deal with the island is that time is only relevant in the human-mind to keep everything from happening at once. Essentially, as evidenced in The Constant by Desmond's time-traveling- You are You, You are both the past and present 'You' all at once. Alpert might be testing how Locke is special by testing his tendency toward 'time unstuckness.'

I don't know, I guess it's a stretch but I like it.

-PB

PS, why is it that I see people with like 3 or 4 posts on here and I get a message that says I'm posting too many in a short period of time even though I haven't posted anything in weeks? Perhaps the website too is unstuck in time.

Since Christian and Claire are both in the cabin, could it be possible that Jack could be "Jacob"? Maybe some sort of family connection.

I had the feeling that Abaddon is Jacob.
But a grown up Walt would make crazy sense too.
What if Abaddon is really Walt in the future?
We have already seen him at different ages. That would be one hell of a twist.
Yes Abaddon is creepy, but he hasn't ever done anything bad. Yes he asked Naomi to go with those scientists to the Island, but so far it’s pretty safe to say the 4 scientists seem to be there for good reasons. Last night we saw Abaddon giving John Locke direction. Obviously Locke was meant to be on the Island. Why would someone who is evil or part of Windmore’s crew want Locke to find direction? This tells me that Abaddon doesn’t work for Windmore.
One could even argue that when he visited Hurley in the mental ward, he was there for good reasons. He wanted to know if they others were alive? Either he is genuinely concerned, or better yet, he’s trying to motivate Hurley in the right direction. It’s all part of the path, in which the Oceanic 6 go back to the Island.
Remember that Locke and Walt have a special connection; they have from the beginning of the show. Last nights episode would solidify that bond. Also of note is the fact that everyone who is considered special on this Island has father issues. It’s Obvious for Locke and Ben, but also Walt. I’m thinking that they all were raised by someone other than their real father. There may have been more to Ben’s back story. I believe his father, Roger “Workman,” was not his real father. Just as the real Anthony Cooper won’t be Locke’s. So far we know that Walt was not raised by his true father and rather by his mother and Brian. Does this somehow all connect with the fact that Aaron must not be raised by another? I think so.
This brings me to my last issue- Abaddon sends Locke to the Island, and he also sends Naomi. Then Locke kills Naomi. Was she just another sacrifice the Island demanded?
Walt appeared before Locke and told him he had work to do. Was it just Abaddon sending him on the right path again? What do you think?

I have to mention the "timeloop" theory again. If you haven't heard about it or read it check it out!

I think one of the main concepts key to the story is this concept of time travel and the repercussions of trying to change the course of the future. It may not be the only major theme at play, but after this season you can't deny that it is at least plausible. The island is in a different time than the rest of the world (say around 1996). The island is or has something on it that allows for time travel, but when you time travel you relive your life with some knowledge of what you have done in the future. (Richard and Ben and other may have figured out a way around this) Young Locke may have some knowledge of what he has done (the smoke monster drawing, things that belong to him, etc.) He may have personally chose the wrong things to tick Richard off knowing who he is. Hard to say. People and babies dying is "Time's" way of correcting things not meant to happen. If you didn't have a baby in the main timeline, on the island you can't have one because you were not supposed to. Also, they reference traveling on very specific bearing from the boat to get to the island. That might mean that path allows you to slip in and out out of the "timebubble" between the present time (2007-ish) and 1996 (island time).

Also, the likes of Jacob and others (specifically people supposed to be dead) may further support this timeloop theory in that they are only "half-dead" due to timetravel and some weird time paradox created from people mucking with altering events through timetravel. Glitches like dead people talking to people and the whispers in the forest might also be a result of this. Jacob may be a manifestation of the island itself ... hard to say.

Anyways, I can hardly do this theory any justice in a single post. It may sound confusing at first but it makes a lot of sense to me. Check out the site: http://timelooptheory.com//index.htm and read for yourself. This is also mentioned in the forums in the Theory section. It has a lot of merit. Whether it is right or not, kudos to this dude for putting so much effort and thought into it. It's fun and exciting to think about nonetheless.

I still think Claire is dead. Living Claire would never leave her baby there, even if her ghost dad told her to. That's just too out of character, in my opinion. And she acted very creepy calm, as do the rest of the dead characters - remember how high-strung Charlie was on the island but very calm and peaceful when visiting Hurley.

Also, (possible SPOILER) in the previews for next week someone asks Sawyer where Claire is and he says "we lost her" or something like that. Of course that doesn't necessarily means she is dead, but I think she is.

I know I'm not coming up with anything new with this, but it's worth mentioning simply because I haven't seen it mentioned yet - Jacob could very well be someone completely new. I don't have anything to really back up the idea, but I just have the feeling/hoping that this is the case.

If Jacob is someone we already know, it is going to be a shocking and huge reveal, but personally I think it would be even cooler if he was someone we haven't met yet.

hurleybird - again, I'm not attacking the show or the writers or anything. I was just stating my dislike for the way it ended last night. I also wasn't trying to convince anyone who loved it that they are wrong for doing so. And no - I don't need every episode to end a certain way for me to still be in love with the show. I think looking back, my biggest problem was that myself and everyone I was watching it with were expecting something different. I will however go on the record and retract my statements about being completely disappointed.

Polar Bear - The same thing is happening to me, and probably everyone else. All I've done to get around it is hit 'back' on the browser, refresh the page (to get a new security code) and post. It's worked every time.

locke and ben are brothers. That would explain alot

Geoff - nice theory, but i truly believe Abbadon has Widmore's interests at stake (finding the island). He is a 'recruiter', like Alpert, but playing for the other team - he visited Locke and Hurley because he understands they are key to finding the island's location. It's the old 'good versus evil' motif - Alpert recruits those who are key to protecting the island's location. Obviously from time to time, they will fight over the same 'pawn' :)
Two sides of the coin - Abbadon/Alpert - Widmore/Linus.
A neverending game of one-upmanship played through time. For every aggressive move Widmore and Abbadon make, Alpert and Linus must counter for the sake of good.
How this is gonna play out will be real interesting....

I agree. Ben and Locke are brothers. Locke's mother's name is Emily who gave birth to Locke 3 months premature and screamed that his name is John. Ben's mother's name is Emily and she gave birth to Ben 2 months premature and screamed that his name is Ben. This theory would explain much about the connection between Locke and Ben.

Put me on the list of those who think Locke purposely chose the "Wrong" object.

Also, I have a question.

When the doctor gets his throat slit and thrown overboard there is no cut on his face... no stitches nothing. We see him with stitches when he shows up on the beach. ?? How ??

I like the theory about Abaddon and Alpert being the rival recruiters for their two masters... I think it makes sense that Widmore would want Abaddon to get Locke to the island, since he is basically a replacement for Ben. Now that Locke is on the island, Ben has fallen out of favor, and does not exert the same power and invincibility which he once had. This plays into Widmore's hands in a way.

But at the same time (as the executive producers have stated), Alpert is the one who grooms the new "chosen one," just as he did with Ben. He most likely hopes to have a peaceful transfer of power, so that the island can remain stable and guarded from Widmore.

Mikeopedia, I think we get it that time travel is part of the fabric of Lost. It's been discussed on this site and many others for some time now. Not quite sure what point you're trying to make...

Also not sure if anyone's mentioned this, but Mittelos is an anagram for Lost Time. KIDDING! Just wanted to be the fourth or fifth person to post that.

OK, enough bashing on the fellow posters... My favortie parts of the episode were any scenes with Ben and Hurley. They were all so deadpan and classic, like Hurley asking Ben if that's where he shot Locke, while they were standing over the pit, and Ben responding, "Yup, I was standing right where you are."

if claire is dead then how did sawyer see her?

once again we see no jacob

and time travel seems yo be apart of the show now ''he wants us to move the island''

so its kind of going on heroes style now isnt it.........

My Theory .... BEN is Locke's father

comic book is Mystery Tales # 40 April 1956.

nice cover photo can be seen at

http://www.atlastales.com/sI/2898

I'm assuming Sayid makes it back to the island before it's moved because he's part of the O6, but I was thinking how the move might impact him, and no one else mentioned that.

Also, everyone's talking about how Locke and Ben are the special ones, but what role does Walt have in all this? Walt was called "special" too. How will he re-enter the storyline?

Did any of you guys notice christian wasn't wearing his white sneakers??!

I wonder if it really was christian, I have a feeling theres a twist heading our way...

im pretty sure jacob wants locke to save the cheerleader.

Aaron is *so* the next Island Guardian v3.0 after Locke, Ben, and whoever came before.

i dont get why arron cant be brought up on the island or as christian says.(HES WHERE HE NEEDS TO BE and thats not here)

ALSO WE SEE NO JACOB AGAIN,

AND CLAIRE IS GOING TO BE A TOTAL BADASS IN THE NEXT SEASON..

o and another thing i really wish people would stop sayin

christian is jacob,locke is jacob,arron is jacob..

the lost producers have already stated months ago that -

JACOB IS JACOB ..

END OF WE STILL DONT NO ANYTHING ABOUT JACOB

did anyone else notice the look on desmond's face after the doctor's throat got slit, and when the one guy told him that's the people on the beach said.

this seemed to indicate, at least to me, some hint towards the whole charlie scenerio "no matter what i do, you are going to die".....ie, the doctor had to die, but there was the paradox, he wasn't dead yet....but to the island folk/time he was....

something there i can't figure out, but seems like something about changing the future off the island is where things are headed .....ie, if someone on the island who saw the dead doctor got on that helicopter, they could have changed the future "off island time", which would mess up island time events?

maybe that is some dharma protocol where if people come to the island NOT on that specific heading, they can never leave the island, because they got there through some anamoly that could screw up things...

Back in Season 2, Desmond asked both Jack and Locke "Are you him?". And in Desmond's flashback Kelvin asked him the same question. We know a great man was supposed to come to the island but it has never been revealed who that man is. Back then the obvious guess was Jack. But I always flip flopped on that because of the obvious connection that Locke has with the island. After watching Cabin Fever I'm back to thinking the great man is Jack.

I think the island brought Locke and Jack to the island at the same time because Locke is supposed to make Jack believe in fate, in his destiny to become the island's greatest leader. Jack has shown the ability to preside over and protect the 815 survivors and to maintain peace and order amongst them. And if he had Locke's committment to the island, he would not be corrupted by its power. It's just not in Jack's nature, he always does the right thing. So Locke is going to ultimately fail his task when Jack leaves the island. Back in Season 2, Jack told Locke that he doesn't believe in destiny and Locke retorted that he did and just didn't know it yet.

So when is Jack going to realize it? Not until he's off the island living miserably on booze and pills. Hopefully the next two seasons will show us Jack's commitment to make it back to the island. Maybe the island will even make itself easy for Jack to find.

i think it have something to do with locke's father. Thats why Richard and everyone else believe that locke is special. Also, if Richard can travel through time, maybe he's trying to change the past? for somehow a better future. So thats why he show locke all of the stuff and try to recruit him etc. but apparently, locke's true nature is still overpowering, IMO. but i do like the theory of the DALI LAMA thing by Grant.

has anyone ever thought about the possiblity of jack maybe being jacob? like a future jack? or his ghost even?! or maybe, his grandfather, christian's dad? i feel like there has to be some connection with their family and jacob and thats all i cant think of. my friend actually thought of it. i guess that family has some weird connection to the island, if you think about that mobisode of christian being there at the beginning saying jack has work to do, it was great foreshadowing for this... also, did this episode tell us that matthew and richard and sort of on the same level? and working for the same people? he does send the chopper people to get ben. but if hes working for widmore there and widmore's people are going to burn the island, why is he getting locke to go there early on? any thoughts? PLEASE WRITE ONE! thanks!

fantastic episode, and completely points towards my prev posted theory that time travel is possible but only in your own lifetime so you can shift between your own time, but you need a constant to stay routed.

I think the tests Locke had to do where he was asked to identify objects was more to do with his relationship with the object to see if theres a connection, Locke also did this with the island itself. I also think the objects relate to personality trates, the compass - an explorer, the knife - a hunter, the comic book - a scientist. Locke was told that the knife didnt belong to him, and we already know hes not really a hunter, perhaps that Alpert knows what kind of person hes looking for, and also what Locke will be like. Perhaps Alpert is unstuck in time, and knows Locke, traveling randomly through time, or possibly backwards, all within his very long lifetime.

With regards to Christian - a great twist! I need another episode before i can theorise!!

Maybe the Island is Jacob

Do you guys realize that the dharma logo that was in Keamy's book is the same logo from Ben's jacket from 4x09? My bet? The Orchid Station logo.