Interesting e-mails

[Jack]

So, here's a couple of theories I haven't heard yet.

First, I think the reason we haven't seen the people on the Black Rock is because they are the losties. When DWG and Jacob are talking on the beach, DWG makes reference that the same thing always happens, that they inevitably destroy each other. Jacob believes things can change. I'm sure that's not exactly what was said but it's the basic idea. Taking into consideration the heavy focus on eastern philosophies and ideologies, I believe our losties are in a loop of reincarnation. They continue coming back to the island over and over doing battle with the island and it's inhabitants. Jacob believes that the loop can be broken bringing peace to both the losties and the island.

The second theory is that Jacob and DWG are not at odds with each other. Quite the contrary. I believe they are in cahoots working together to bring about the same end. The writers have always tried to lead the viewers to believe one thing then switching it around at the end to suprise us. They try to make things seem cut and dry then give us another reality that we never saw coming. I think DWG and Jacob both knew the only way for them to make things happen the right way was for Jacob to die. When DWG asks Jacob, "do you know how much I want to kill you?" he wasn't wishing Jacob would die because he hated him, he wanted him to die so that their plans would be realized. Jacob had little reaction to the question and seemed to take it as easily as if DWG had asked him if he wanted a glass of water. Jacob was wishing DWG could kill him as well. The problem apparently was that DWG could not simply kill him. The rules of the game would not allow it. When Ben finally does kill Jacob, and Jacob says, "I guess you found your loophole," he was happy about it. It meant the plan could proceed and things would be corrected. Possibly allowing the chain of events to begin that would end the cycle of reincarnation the losties are in causing them to return to the island again and again.

In the end, when all is right with the world, we'll see that DWG and Jacob were working together from the begining.

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

Larry in Maryland

[Uncle Igmar]

I like them both - kind of.

Theory 1 - I took the "same thing always happens" and "things can change" comments were referring to basic human nature - that as much as those who land on the island try to keep their societal structure in tact - it always devolves into savagery and all end up dead.

As far as Number 2 goes - Jacob could just be happy to be able to move on to the next level of existence - and I agree with you in that DWG wanted to help him on his way - but due to whatever rules they live by - evidently made by someone even higher than they are - he is unable to kill Jacob and grant his wish.

[markedman]

Bad Twin: Good Theory

[Jack]

Sarah



Hi Jay and Jack,

It's Sarah from South Africa by way of Washington D.C. South African internet is definitely lacking so I just got around to listening to your live Comic-Con podcast. Your discussion of Jacob being good or bad got me thinking of my very basic 'ethics' knowledge. We know the producers take a lot of philosphoical theories and pit them against each other (fate vs chance, the competing theories about time travel) and I think this discussion of Jacob being good is another area in which they're doing that. From a kantian perspective Jacob is bad because he is not upholding Kant's cardinal rule: respect the dignity of each man. By pulling the Oceanic survivers into his little game with Esau he is not respecting that each of those individuals has dignity, self-worth and their own life-purpose outside of his own use for him. On the other hand, utilitarianism might say that what Jacob is doing IS ok because it's 'for the greater good'. Utilitarianism says that your action is good as long as it brings 'the greatest good for the greatest number of people'. It could be argued that by bringing the Oceanic flight to the island they are preventing something bad from happening (Witmore using the island to gain a profit? Maybe Jacob has better plans than Esau? Maybe something we don't fully understand yet?), so Jacob is 'good' because he is maximizing the good for a greater number of people.

Like in all ethical arguments I don't think we'll have a moment of realizing he is 'good' or he is 'bad', but I think the producers will let the audience know what side they take on the whole 'good or bad' debate and we'll have room to come down on the issue depending on wether we side with 'he's using them so he's bad' or 'he's using them for a good purpose so he's good'.

[Jack]

Hi Jay and Jack,

This is Laura in Kansas City. [I'm emailing in case you don't have access to your voice mails. I left a message last night.]

Most theories I've heard represent Jacob as good and "Esau" as bad. However, I think "Esau" (the man who looks like Locke) was overthrown by Jacob way back in time. (In the Old Testament Jacob steals Esau's birthright through trickery, etc.) Esau in LOST says he wants to return to his home which I take to mean his rightful place in the temple with the people's loyalty once again. Esau told the bystanders on the beach that he was disappointed with them. (This reminds me of the Old Testament when Moses comes back down from the mountain only to find Aaron leading the people in idol worship.) I think Esau is disappointed, because the people were disloyal to him, their true god/spiritual leader.

Esau seems to represent to a more eastern/cyclical view of history in which history is not a linear testimony to progress. Instead, things simply happen. Thus, Esau's goal is to liberate the people from their supposed ideas of purpose, task, meaning-making, fear, & violence. Instead, Esau wants them to enjoy the simplicity of life--the moments of eating a juicy mango, squiggling one's toes in the sand, watching the sunset--all things we've seen Locke do throughout LOST.

Also, it's not unprecedented that a god is represented by a pillar of smoke. Old Testament readers are familiar with this imagery of Israel's God leading the people away from Egypt, liberating them from slavery & bondage.

This is my theory, and I'm stickin' to it. I'd love to hear what you think.

Laura in Kansas City

[Jack]

Seth


show details 3:20 pm


Lord help me ease this pain,

It looks to me like we're back on the @#^% plane,

But imagine how my excitement surged,

As we saw the island completely submerged!



Jack is still a drunk,

Boone is still a punk,

Most everything is the same I presume,

Except for the presence of Desmond Hume.



Something else is different as they fly through the air,

I think it's the style of Jack's hair,

It seems dweebier, that's true -

What happened to his old "Adam Sandler" 'do?



Back at the hatch Phil is no longer attached to a pole,

Instead Juliet cries out at the bottom of a hole,

She's not dead yet, but I fear,

At her imminent demise I will surely shed a tear.



Now Juliet's completely dead,

We don't know exactly what she said,

But most viewers would have to agree,

She needs to go finish filming V.



Here's Jacob, looking very un-stabbed,

Hurley's attention he quickly grabbed,

From the writer's room the impression they're giving,

Is that there are more characters dead than living!



Ilana's crew goes to meet with Flocke,

For them there's no time left on the clock,

Apparently their roles never really mattered,

Smoke-Locke makes sure their bones are scattered.



Back in LA, Jin and the customs guy have a tiff,

While Jack seems to be missing a stiff,

The information we have is only partial,

But Kate still knows how to mess up the Marshal.



Smokey-Locke is the boss back at the statue of toes,

What his plans are, nobody knows,

But he's the first guy on this show who didn't pass,

On the opportunity to kick Richard's ass.



Gotta get Sayid some help so he won't die,

What's this, the temple is run by a Samurai?

They may be a bunch of unfriendly mothers,

But they appear to be a group of other Others.



The best way to save Sayid is to make him drown,

In water that looks brackishly brown,

Of course that didn't work,

This Japanese dude is looking like a bit of a jerk.



Jacob's death is no joke,

Apparently it predicts the arrival of Smoke,

Batten the hatches and spread out the ash,

I wouldn't fight Smokey for any amount of cash.



The final scene we just don't get,

As Sayid joins the group of the "not dead yet,"

Of only one thing I can be entirely sure,

My splitting headache no one can cure.

[spinaltumor]

Haha, awesome rhymes.

[Jack]

Mark


show details Feb 3

I believe I may have figured out the loophole.
(note: I subscribe to the theory that the man in black is Jacob's biblical brother "Esau" so I will refer to him as such below)

From the beginning, we have been aware that Jacob and Esau do not see eye to eye and at least Esau wishes to do harm to Jacob. However, we are lead to believe that they are incapable of harming eachother.

In "LA X", we see members of "Jacob's bodyguards" attack Esau. The first round fired clearly hits Locke in the abdomen. However, it doesn't hurt him and we then see the mangled round on the ground where he was standing. It appears that no one else is capable of harming these two people either.

So, if they can't harm eachother and no one else can harm them, what else is there? What about self inflicted harm?

This theory revolves around the healing pool at The Others temple. We have seen Jacob's healing powers before when he healed Locke after he fell out of the building. What if the healing power of the leader of the island is what powers the healing pool? Sayid shoots little boy Ben and the Losties take him to The Others to be saved. When he gets there, Richard informs them that Ben will no longer be himself if he is saved. At the time, Jacob is the leader of the island. So, Ben gets placed in the healing pool and is revived through the healing powers of Jacob. When this happens, Jacob becomes part of Ben.

Esau realizes this and through years of planning and manipulation, he arranges for Ben to be with him when he confronts Jacob in the temple. Because Ben is part of Jacob, he is able to stab him with the knife.

The story doesn't end there, however. Jacob seems to know pretty much everything that goes on on the island (he knew the French took Jin to the temple wall, for example). Jacob is aware of what Esau is planning. In fact, he decides that either a) he needs to let it happen, or b) he can't do anything to stop it. So instead of stopping it, he decides to use Esau's loophole against him.

Jacob arranges for Sayid to be returned to the island with the other Losties (1. he distracts Sayid, which causes Nadia to stop and turn around and get run over by the car; 2. he finds Alani in the hospital and tells her that he has a task for her to accomplish, and if you recall, it was she who had Sayid in handcuffs on the Ajira flight). Additionally, knowing that Sayid is going to be injured, Jacob meets with Hurley and provides him with what he needs to save his friends from the others and get Sayid saved in the healing pool.

But, as you are aware, when The Others bring Sayid to the pool, the water has changed. They don't know what's going on but they proceed with attempting to save Sayid. It appears their attempt has failed, (though we know he's not dead through the look Miles gave Hurley when Hurley was saying his goodbyes). So, about that 'changed' water... the change happened immediately following the death of Jacob. As I said above, the healing pool draws its powers from the leader of the island. Now that Jacob is dead, Esau is the leader. Sayid is now infused with the essence of Esau.

Jacob in his infinite wisdom has created the only weapon capable of defeating Esau.

As we know from the producers visit to the Jimmy Kimmel show, they stated that Jacob did not take over Sayid's body. In fact, it seems that neither Jacob nor Esau actually take over bodies, they just manifest themselves as people (or horses...). But, what they did say was that something strange was going on inside Sayid's body.

If you think about this, it ties everything together. It explains Esau's loophole. It explains what the producers meant by something going on in Sayid's body. It explains why Ben was able to stab Jacob but a bullet couldn't hurt Esau.

Let me know what you think.

-Mark

[spinaltumor]

I really don't think Esau will actually be THE biblical Esau, or named such. Same goes for Jacob, but...I do rather like that theory.

Sayid the "killer" being the one person who can defeat MIL? Interesting. And I like Ben being a part of Jacob.

[Jack]

Hi Jay and Jack,


Like most of the world my mind has been full of LOST today and I have been rolling a theory around in my mind that I think has finely gone somewhere.


Begin with the "flash sideways" (as they are being called). They offer a similar feeling but a distinctly different experience from the original flight and crash. Most importantly, they show a storyline with changes that originate before the plane ever begins to crash. Among many others, Locke appears to have gone on his walkabout, Desmond is on the plane and Shannon never boarded the plane. And of course, the Island is underwater.


If the Island had only begun to influence their lives at the moment of the crash, none of these changes would be present. This is not Cindy giving Jack one drink instead of two. This is characters motivations shifting, their outlook on life altered. These changes mean the Island has been a force in their lives well before Oceanic 815's fateful demise. And of course, we have already seen this.


We have seen Jacob, at various points in the past, interacting with some of the Losties. Sawyer, Kate, Jack, Locke and Sun and Jin all received visits before the initial crash. These visits are consistent in their seeming insignificance. A throwaway phrase here or there and a touch by Jacob. While people suggested he was marking or influencing them somehow, it's hard to say definitively what (if any) difference this would have caused.


Sayid and Hurley were visited after returning as part of the Oceanic Six. These visits carried deeper significance, with Jacob helping to cause Nadia's death and giving Hurley significant information and the ankh.


I think it is significant that the flash-sideways begin to happen only after Jacob is dead. Or is it before Jacob is dead? Flight 815 is in 2004 and Jacob's death is sometime in 2007. Chronologically he should be alive. Logically, with the Island now underwater, Jacob either has a great set of scuba gear, he moved on to a new piece of real estate (LA anyone?) or he didn't make it. It's hard to argue either way without running smack into a paradox.


But "only fools are enslaved by time and space" and let's assume that Jacob is no fool. From the distance and years covered by his visits he certainly seems to be able to skip around time on a whim. And we know that Jacob was patient, willing to make the thread to weave his own complex tapestry. But we also know "dead is dead" and I think Jacob is no exception to this rule.


What I think is that Jacob's death not only killed him but also unraveled the careful tapestry he had woven in the Losties' memories and experiences. Even pulling a few threads from a tapestry can significantly change the picture. All of the Losties have a different life now, a life without the repercussions from meeting Jacob. This is what we see on Oceanic 815 now in the "flash-sideways".


Why do events persist on island? The Locke Ness Monster thought he had won by killing Jacob but he failed in unraveling just one thread, the thread that I feel will prove to be the most important. That is Hurley, who alone among the Losties received a visit from Jacob where he was not only touched, but also addressed by name and given something he carried with him. These memories persist for Hurley, who recognizes Jacob after Jacob's death and talks to him. Hurley is able to save his life by referring to Jacob and the list hidden in the ankh provides some indication of what Jacob's will is. Hurley's unique ability to talk with Jacob will continue to provide Jacob a way to influence the Island and preserve the original storyline as it was "meant to be".


Thanks for reading!


Mark from Ames, Iowa (where Kate's from!!!)

[Jack]

United Stationers

I have some theories that were created thanks in part to the producers answering questions on the show, check it out guys and I’d love feedback !

-What/Who is the smoke monster ?
While we don’t quite know why that dude can turn into smoke, we do know for sure that the guy who has duplicated Locke’s body is indeed the smoke monster... But I believe that also means that Christian Sheppard is also the smoke monster. The question this raises though is why are there two Locke bodies in one place ? Remember, when Christian Sheppard’s coffin was found empty in season one, his body was running around the island.

By this basis, there should only be one Locke body on the island. Why are there two ? My theory is, the dead Locke body is just a transformed Christian Sheppard body that the smoke monster has disregarded now that he has the Locke body. I have no idea why he'd transform Christian into Locke but for now it’s the only thing that makes sense. And yes I do know the smoke monster guy can shape shift, but since Christian Sheppard’s body disappeared I assume he needs the actual body. Especially since he’s able to access memories and such.

-Did Jack's plan work ? Apparently yes, but how the heck did Juliet know ? She doesn’t have powers and dying shouldn’t give you the ability to know something you shouldn’t...Unless as she passed, this version of her slipped into my psyche of her alternate reality self, which might actually explain what she was rambling about right before her dying breath.

Also how did detonating the bomb in the 70’s cause so many changes ? I mean how the heck does the island get under water because of that ? I understand now why Desmond was on the plane, it’s because he couldn’t be in the swan hatch working, because it either was never built or because at this point it’s under water. I still don’t get how detonating that bomb caused seemingly unrelated changes, like Shannon not coming with Boone, Walt, Mr. Ecko, Vincent, Michael, Anna Lucia, and a host of others not being on the plane. I can swallow the idea that detonating the bomb created a change of events for Desmond but for everyone else things should be about the same. Jack should still get his two vodka’s (not one), and Charlie should still be trying take heroin, not commit suicide. My best guess is since these characters have already lived that life now that their are two time lines, the ones in the alternate one have a strange intuition kind of like deja-vu that might make them make slightly different choices.... This goes for everyone in the world, not just our Losties. In some cases though the differences don’t have anything to do with choice, like Christian Sheppard’s coffin disappearing, so is it possible that the world itself is slightly alternate and not just the characters ? I mean for all we know in this world, Canada is part of the United States. It’s very interesting but also very vexing.

Then there’s the idea that the timelines might converge (combine), but how ? And which versions of the characters will survive. Will everyone that died in Time line A, die in both time lines ? Do some of the characters even exist any more ? I mean by the logic of the alternate time line, Michael might not exist and thus neither does Walt and it’s sad if that’s the loop hole they’ve created for themselves to not have to deal with the issues raised by those characters. You teased us about Walt being special for years and now there’s a chance that he just never happened. I hope I’m wrong. Ha. It’s funny, this is the same concept of the new Star Trek movie and I loved it there but I think since we’re seeing both time lines at once it’s harder to love and easier to pick on.

[Jack]

Gaspar so here is where I am at Lost Theory wise: I have tried to figure out wha...


Gaspar


Reply |Gaspar E Sciacca to me
show details Feb 3 (5 days ago)

Ok, so here is where I am at Lost Theory wise:

I have tried to figure out what explanation of time travel Lost is following, ever since the time travel aspect to the show was introduced.

There are, as far as I know, two accepted schools of thought in the sci-fi universe on time travel.

The first was utilized in Back to the Future which is that of a single stream of time. One time line, in which you may move back and forth from past to present to future. In this theory, anything you do in the past has a direct effect on what you know to be the present and what will be the future. Thus your actions in the past will always play out as benefits or consequences to your future self.

The second was utilized in Star Trek. This theory is the Many Worlds theory, or many streams of time. It states that there is a single stream of time that we know of as our lives. Our past and our present. The future is unwritten. You are able to travel into the past and can return to your present, provided that you change absolutely nothing. If you follow this rule, known in Star Trek as the Prime Directive, then the present you know will remain unchanged. However, if you violate this rule in the slightest, you will veer off into a new time line and changing what you know to be your own. Your actions in the past create a new time line where events play out as based on the benefits or consequences of your actions in the past, much like the Back to the Future theory. Yet simultaneously, your normal time line will also play out. Essentially there are now two realities. In this theory each action you take and every choice you make creates a new stream of time resulting in an infinite web of time lines. In Star Trek the characters are able to jump from one stream to another due to a tear in the space time continuum.

I believe that after tonight I can safely assume that Lost is, in effect, following the Star Trek Theory of time travel with one minor improvement. The characters, and subsequently the audience, cannot ever leave the stream of time they are on regardless of how they travel through time.

Assume that Season 1 is the present, our present. We see it through the eyes of the characters - it is our reality. In that reality we have a past. In 1977 the Dharma Initiative conducts experiments on the island and "an event" (the bomb) occurs. This leads to the DI building the Swan, which leads to our characters crashing on the Island in 2004. On this time line we follow these characters to the present that we know. Some leave the Island and continue their lives for the next few years. Some go back to 1977. Here is where the veering off happens.

The 1977 that the characters travel to is not the same 1977 of their past. It is a new 1977. It creates a new time line, which veers off from the original 1977 but is more of a loop back for our characters who then follow this new timeline.

When the Oceanic 6 travel back to the island, and also end up in the 1970's, they in effect create yet another new time line which we then follow along with. They cannot change the future, as we are told by Faraday, because that future hasn't happened yet. The future we know about does happen exactly as we remember it but on a different stream which we can no longer access. We are now on this new stream and thus a new future based on the actions that are taken and their subsequent benefits and consequences.

This can some what explain the scenes from tonights episode on the plane. For the first time, we are viewing two different streams of time. One stream where the island did not exist (likely due to the Swan never being built to control the anomaly on the Island) in 2004, allowing the plane to safely land in LAX. The other where the characters jumped back to present day (though it be a alternate present day) on the Island. The two happen at the same time and are independent of each other.

If this is all correct, then tonights episode gives some interesting insight into the Boon/Shannon story line. I sadly do not remember why Shannon chooses to leave Australia with Boon and get on the plane in Season 1. If my theory holds water then that particular episode can help prove me right. There would have to be an event or influence that emanates from the Island or an Island inhabiter that influences Shannon to leave with Boon. In tonights episode we learn that Shannon remained in Australia and Boon returns alone, which is why Shannon is not on the Plane in our new reality stream. I plan to go back and find the reason she stays. I hope it supports all of this craziness.

I suspect that we will also learn of reasons why Ekko, Libby, Anna Lucia, Michael and Walt were not on the plane in this new reality in episodes to come this season. There must also be an island related influence that puts them on the plane in our reality, that is unable to in our new reality due to its subsequent destruction. The characters that we do see on the plane can already be explained for the most part. Jack was going to get his father, Kate was running from the law, Sawyer was looking for his Father/Mothers killer, Charlie was trying to get his brother to reunite Drive Shaft. Hurley on the other hand is a bit harder to explain, but there are many episodes to come still.

The appearance of Desmond is a wrench in the works, but I think it can be explained by the fact that Desmond does leap through time at one point, perhaps he also leaps from one stream to another and is an exception to the rule. I believe we were told he was different from the others at one point no?

As for the question(s) who is Jacob, Smokey, and Locke/Fake Locke - We have always been told that one of the shows underlying themes was Light vs Dark. Perhaps Jacob and Smokey are like a Yin-Yang. Both are trapped on the Island. Jacob is the light side and Smokey is the Dark side. They balance each other out. They keep each other in check. There is essentially a stalemate between good an evil. Jacob (like John Locke) wishes to remain on the Island and keep everything in balance. Smokey wishes to leave the island and perhaps reek havoc on the "real world." They are deadlocked, because there is a rule of protection, neither can hurt the other, and nether can leave the temple in a mortal form. That is until Smokey tricks Ben into killing Jacob, utilizing the loop hole we have heard about in previous seasons. Once Ben kills Jacob, Smokey is able to take a mortal form and leave the temple.

I believe all that remains for Smokey to leave the Island is to be killed at the hand of another. Like a genie being released from a bottle. For some reason not yet known to us, Richard may be aware of this. He specifically tells his people not to kill Fake John Locke (or Smokey.) I think he says this because he knows what has happened. Smokey could not be killed inside the temple but now that he has taken a mortal form, killing him could set him free.

This leaves me with a few questions: 1. Was Claire on the plane? We never see her on the plane, only in the cab. 2. What is up with the four toed statue? 3. Will we ever find out why Walt was special? 4. Has Sayid's body been taken over by Jacob? (this is Greg's Theory - credit where credit is due, I like it and believe that it may be true)


Well thats my two cents, plus a bit more - Gaspar, Queens NY


"Raise a toast to St. Joe Strummer" - The Hold Steady

[Jack]

Ryan



Hi Jay and Jack.

My name is Ryan from Philadelphia, PA. I'm a long time listener and this is my first time contacting you guys. I love the podcast. With this being the last season of "Lost", and the fact that I really think I discovered something, I just had to contact you guys to get your thoughts. I have a theory on why the title is what it is("LA X"), why the island is under water, and what's going on with the alternate reality Oceanic 815 that lands safely at LAX. Just walk through this with me and I think you'll agree I have something. Here we go.

The title of the season 6 premiere is "LA X". I think we are supposed to link this to a trilogy of comics called: "Earth X", "Universe X", and "Paradise X". "Earth X" came out in 1999. The "X" is meant to symbolize an alternate reality. The trilogy is about an alternate timeline for the Marvel universe characters. From reading "Earth X" someone might initially believe that they are reading about an alternate future, but apparently from what I've just found out, it was revealed in "Paradise X"(the last of the trilogy) that people had been reading about an alternate present not future. So my first theory is that the new Oceanic 815 storyline that was introduced is not happening in 2004 when the original Oceanic 815 crashed on the island, but is happening in 2007 concurrently(happening at the same point in time) with the on island storyline that's being told. I know what I've just said is insane and you'll probably need to read it again

The producers have always been smart with not showing us dates. So it's first instinct to believe that since we are seeing our characters on Oceanic 815 again that we are in 2004(in the past). But with the connection I made to "Earth X", I believe we are actually in 2007.

Second thing is that the producers are calling this new story telling a "flash-sideways". Well, you can interpret "sideways" as meaning side by side.

This is the hardest part to follow, but stay with me. Third, I believe Daniel Faraday was correct in saying that whatever has happened in the past cannot be changed. If anything, changing something in the past will only create an alternate(new) timeline, but the original timeline will always continue to exist because the events have already happened. So when Jack and company detonated the hydrogen bomb in 1977, the energy "leap frogged" them forward in time to the point in time that they really should be(back in 2007). Keep in mind what I said earlier, since the original events of 2004(Oceanic 815 crashing on the island, the Swan hatch having already been built, the Swan imploding, etc.) have already occurred this is why it looks like the bomb exploding didn't work with resetting time. Little do they know, something else occurred from the hydrogen bomb exploding in 1977, the resetting of the Oceanic 815 flight occurred, but in an alternate(new) timeline.
Once again since the past cannot be changed, this new timeline was created(starts) in what would be the present(2007) for our on island people. When the hydrogen bomb exploded it sunk the island in 1977 while "leap frogging" the new Oceanic 815 alternate reality to 2007 which explains why the island is under water in this new occurrence of the Oceanic 815 flight. We can see the electric fence pylons, Dharmaville, and the foot of the 4 toed statue so we know certain events of the past still took place. It's a lot easier following this with a diagram(which I did draw to help me walk through this insanity).

The show has always dealt with the theme of determinism versus free will. I think that what we will see is that even in this new Oceanic 815 storyline, although they did not crash on the island, events will unfold in a way that they will get to a point in time that mirrors what is happening with our on island storyline...trying to show us that what is meant to be will be regardless of the road you take to get there.

Well, those are my "crack pot theories" and I'm sticking with them. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Have a great day guys. Can't wait for the next episode of "Lost" and your podcast.

Ryan

[Jack]

Mike




This is not mine, I read it and think it deserves your attention!!! I love your show, it has helped me enjoy LOST even more...Keep up the great work.

The off island flashes we see this season will turn out to be the true ending of Lost. Everything else was just progress.

It has been argued by others that:

*Every season of lost has started by showing us how the flashes of each season end. Season 1 flashbacks show how they end up on the beach, Season 2 flashbacks show how Desmond ends up in the hatch, Season 3 flashbacks show who the others are, Season 4 flashforwards show how Jack concludes "We have to go back", the Season 5 time flashes show how Daniel was at the Swan construction site and met Dr. Chang.
*Season 6 will be the same. The first thing we saw was how the season ends. This time there is a new story telling device. Now we are seeing flashforwards of flashbacks. The off island LA X stuff IS NOT an alternate reality created by Jughead. We are seeing the reset timeline that has not been created yet.
*Jack looks older in the season 6 premiere. That's because he is.
*In the same way that Charlotte mumbled about chocolate when she was dying, Juliet talked about coffee and going dutch. Her mind is flashing to another period of time... I think in the off island scenes, we are going to see a lot of character resolutions. Juliet will meet Sawyer, they will flirt with each other, and she will ask him if he would like to go get a cup of coffee, for instance.

Basically the idea is that the off island alternate we are seeing right now is going to be the result of what happens on the island this season... not the result of Juliet hitting Jughead.

What I want to add to this theory is this: I think I know how Jack will reset everything AND how the island ends up at the bottom of the ocean.
We know this is the final season and the writers have promised us that all of the major questions that are important to the characters will be answered. One major question that is of obvious importance to the Losties is how the island can move through both time and space.

I predict that at some point in this season, probably somewhere around episode 12-14, Jack will learn what the island is and how it can be moved and the nature of time travel. In the mean time, I predict many of the characters on Lost will die. In fact, I would not be surprised if by the end Jack is the only one still living.

I predict that Jack, the man obsessed with fixing everything all the time, will come to the conclusion that blowing up the swan's pocket of energy was not sufficient to change everything. I predict the major battle we are all predicting for season 6 between "Good" and "Evil" will involve Jack deciding that the island itself has to be destroyed.

Jack is going to move the island. This time he will move it to a place where it can't possibly cause 815 to crash. He will move it to the bottom of the ocean (space) and at some point around 1970 (time).

This explains why the island was at the bottom of the ocean, yet everything seemed to be basically normal there. It didn't look like a nuke had exploded. It didn't look like a volcano had erupted. It simply looks like it ended up there.

I predict it was placed there around 1970 because I think Ben will be seen off island, which means he never made it to the island in 1973. Yet the New Otherton was seen, so it was moved to a period in time after The Dharma Initiative arrived.

Because Jack moves the island to the ocean floor at this point in time, all of the people Jack cares for will be saved, including Juliet since she will never go to the island. Heck, he might even realize he can save Ben by ensuring he never goes there and is never shot by Sayid. Heck, Ben might even be a decent guy when we meet him off island.

The show is going to end with Jack, who's neck was scratched up in the final battle, on Flight 815 headed to LAX. At this point, I think Jack remembers everything that happened. That is why he was frightened this time at the turbulance, That is why he was looking at everyone so curiously and why he looked confused when we first saw him. I think he asked Desmond if he knew him simply to try to gauge whether or not he was the only one who remembers what happened.

This is also why Jack told Locke, "Nothing is irreversible."

The off island flashes we see this season will turn out to be the true ending of Lost. Everything else was just progress.

[Jack]

Hey Guys,

First off, sorry for the long e-mail, but if you're able to read it and you haven't heard it from someone else, I have a pretty interesting theory. Normal butt-kissing, I love the show, have been listening for about two years now. I follow your V and Flash Casts too and you guys are amazing. I'm glad you guys got to go to Hawaii for the premiere, and from the look of it, met a lot of the cast. You guys deserve it for how much time you put in to the podcast, so congratulations.

My theory is regarding what the Man in Locke said to Alpert and The Others. Once he mentioned the chains, you guys immediately mentioned the Black Rock, which I first thought of too. Then, he turned to The Others and said he was disappointed in them. That got me thinking, and I came to the conclusion that maybe the Man In Locke was in Jacob's position, kind of the main Island spirit guy, before somehow being overthrown by Jacob. The Others followed him, but maybe it was more against their will. They had no choice but to follow him, even though they knew he is evil and maybe didn't agree with his views or actions. With Richard being Second in Command or an Advisor to the Island like has been said in the past, maybe he was that to the Man in Locke, but against his own will. The Chains being either literal or just a metaphor for Richard being trapped to serve the Man In Locke. I mentioned this to my friends while watching the show, referencing of all things "Aladdin" when Jafar captures the Genie. Robin "Genie" Williams had no choice but to listen to everything Jafar wanted, no matter how bad it was. After sometime, The Man in Locke was somehow overthrown by, Jacob, and the Others and Richard willingly followed any and all of his commands. Now with the Man in Locke back in power, he is disappointed with how the Others and Richard willingly followed Jacob.

I also wanted to mention the conversation between Man In Locke and Ben. When Man in Locke was describing Locke's pathetic life to Ben, it was amazing to see Ben's reaction to it, which I feel was almost just as important as what Man In Locke was saying. I almost got the sense that for the first time Ben almost felt truly sorry for Locke and what he had gone through. He also for the first time might have felt regret for killing him. Although I may not be happy that the real Locke's story ends with him dead on the beach, it was amazing to watch that scene with Ben's reaction to the story being told. You both said how it's gold whenever Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn have a scene together, and with the way Ben reacted, it almost made me feel a little better about real Locke's story; that someone like Ben was so moved by how tragic Locke's life was. Kind of a mini form of Redemption for Locke.

Anyways, thanks for the amazing podcasts, keep up the good work. Jack, you're hilarious, and Jay, being a musician myself, your a pretty awesome musician.

Danny from New Jersey