Interesting e-mails

[Jack]

Hi. I called earlier and forgot to mention that I am from Mississippi, but living in New Orleans. Honestly, I had never listened to your podcast before today. In the last year I have become obsessed with lost, and I am always telling my fiance my theories. He told me to call you guys. Just listened to the last podcast after I called, and I wanted to restate my theory and talk about another theory submitted.

My theory: Jack becomes the new Jacob. His name is Shepherd, and the Bible refers to Jesus as a shepherd who leads His people; thus, Jack Shepherd is the new leader (or shepherd) of the island. (Also, the name "Jack" is sort of like "Jacob.") Also, Jack is a leader and his tattoos show it. Since the island flip flops through time, I think the island goes back in time before any of them are ever born. Since Jack is the new leader, he decides not to go to 2004 to recruit the people of 815 the way Jacob did. Since he doesn't recruit them, they never go back to the island to throw the bomb into the drill site. Therefore, Radzinsky (I think that's his name) keeps drilling and hits the pocket which makes the island go underwater. That's also the reason why Jack seems a little....weird on the plane. He knows who he (meaning himself) is.


Also, there was a theory submitted that Kate becomes the new Richard. I agree with this theory. Maybe Jack becomes the new Jacob, Kate the new Richard, and Sawyer the new Smokey. I don't know where that leaves the rest of the crew. Maybe they die, maybe they become Others.

One other thing (also my theory): Maybe MIB (also smokey) was alive with Jacob a long time ago, and they were enemies but Jacob killed him. I'm saying that maybe they could once kill each other but Jacob got to him first. This way, whoever is dead cannot kill the other (Remember when he said, "Do you know how bad I want to kill you?"), but the one who is dead can take over other dead people. Now that Jacob is also dead, he can start taking over dead peoples' bodies, like Sayid or maybe even the little boy. The little boy may have been someone that died on the island a long time ago. Anyway, this theory really is starting to sound crazy, and it doesn't go well with my other theory. Just think about it. I would love to know your opinion. I really enjoyed the show. Plan on listening more. Thanks a lot.

K. Morgan

[Jack]

Iain Oliver


I saw this on a Scotland supporters club (Tartan Army) site. (Soccer for you Americans ) in the Lost discussion thread. Thought you might like it.




'The Game' is a simple concept but played on a large scale.

Here are the key points:

Welcome. You 2 are about to enter into a very unique game. Welcome to the island. This will be your playing field.

The island must have a leader that fits the specification perfectly. Whoever finds a perfect candidate for this role is deemed the winner of the game.

This is a game of 2 sides. One is light, one is dark. This does not necessarily mean one of you is 'good' and one of you is 'evil' - it just represents the fact that you are opposing each other and fighting to win the game.

You are trapped here until one of you finds a suitable candidate to act as the island's leader.

The leader must fit the following criteria
i) must not be bound by any emotion/event that occured off island.
ii) must be willing to COMMIT to the island. they must not fear sacrifice if it is in the best intentions of the island.
iii) must seemingly have a communion with this island. this makes them very special.

This game has no time limit. You may be on this island for a long time during its course.

You can bring people to the island. You do this by appearing to them during their past. Use the wheel provided to temporarily access the outside world. Once you touch them they will be drawn to the island - I [destiny] will handle this.

Candidates may die. When they do - they can be claimed (if the bodies are not buried) and used to influence the outcome of the game. Feel free to take charge of bodies on the island and interract with other people in order to manipulate their choices and secure your triumph.

You may need to move around the playing field quickly. To do this, you have the ability to appear as a pillar of smoke. One side will be black smoke, one side will be white smoke. Note: For redundant candidates that do not fit the criteria you may find it easier to remove them from game (death) while in your smoke form. You are very powerful in this form.

While in your smoke form you have the ability to look into the soul, the spiritual core of an individual, access their memories etc. It is down to you to judge and analyse their past and decide whether they are suitable as a candidate.

Once a candidate is deemed unacceptable they can either be simply left to live on the island [the others] or killed and removed from the game. You are not bound to emotion while the game is in progress, your sole goal is to win and leave the island.

You are seemingly invincible. You can withstand physical damage. You can not kill the other player.

You are able to choose one advisor to assist you throughout this battle. You are able to grant this individual long life, as I said, this game may take a while.

You can not pass through your enemy's ash. These are the ashes of a claimed person from the opposite team. These will repel you. Try not to get trapped in a cabin surrounded by ash, you will become furious over time and most likely say 'Help Me [escape]' in a deep voice! If you trap your opponent you have more time to find a candidate yourself and win the game. Your only chance is to hope someone passes through the ash so you can claim them and escape.

*NOTE: Suicide or being killed by one of your claimed 'pieces' (suicide by proxy) is not mentioned, but it is very unlikely. Do not look for loopholes that may encourage such an occurence. (Ben claimed by Jacob via the Spring, can kill Jacob because Ben = Jacob)*

Note: You may be searching for a suitable candidate for a very long time. It is likely that one of you may grow tired of playing. This is unacceptable. The game must end. Please do not attempt to find loopholes to leave the island early. And do not attempt to recruit the remaining inhabitants of the island (previous unsuitable candidates) and leave.

This is a game of faith, my time travelling wheel and the supernatural abilites of the island are all spiritual.

Good luck.

The game has begun.




Few random notes:

PROTIP: Bring some scientists to the island that are working with time travel. They may have something to teach you.

MIB brings Dharma to the island to try and break free from the game using science. (Science vs Faith theme)
Jacob and his appointed advisor, Richard, does not like this. Dharma must be removed.
Ben was claimed by Jacob when he was shot as a child. Richard (instructed by Jacob) passes on the task to purge Dharma to Ben... and it is done.

Dharma sonic fences = Science
Ring of ash = Faith

Both perform the same tasks, keeping the smoke out. Just using different methods. MIB gets closer to understanding the real rules of the game by using Dharma to investigate 1) time travel and 2) repelling smoke forms.

How else would Dharma know exactly how to keep the smoke out? Someone obviously intervened and gave them a clue.



Hope you like it, and havn't heard it before.

Iain from Glasgow

[Jack]

Hey Jay and Jack,

I'm still so stoked after last night's episode, just awesome.

Anyway, I'm hitting you from every direction over the past 2 days, sorry about that. I sent another email yesterday from my [e-mail] account and I think I might be close on some of my theories.
I also called the hotline last night (I think I had the right number but who knows, I could have left a very odd voicemail on some random person's service) after the episode but I'm afraid it might have been a bit rambling and not as coherent as I had hoped. I'm guessing you thought my idea was so brilliant that you didn't want to share it with the masses in fear of spoiling the entire mystery for them!!! I completely understand.
But, to try and clarify here is my latest maybe crackpot theory.

Free will vs. Destiny

They have been beating us over the head with this for ages and last night it finally clicked for me.
We've all been assuming that it's the Losties destiny to end up on the island and do whatever it is they are supposed to do. I now believe that the flash sideways are actually showing us what would have happened to everyone's lives if they had the free will to make their own decisions and didn't have destiny manipulating them to the island.
Have we ever considered that the destiny of the Losties on the island is bad, like apocalyptically bad. What if destiny says that the Losties go to the island and tragedy ensues. Maybe MIB believes that destiny brought the Losties to the island so he can manipulate them and get them to agree to help him get off the island. I have a feeling MIB getting off the island would be a very bad thing. Maybe destiny as currently written says Oceanic flight 815 crashes on the island in 2004 and in 2007 the world ends because some how the Losties are responsible for enabling MIB to leave the island. MIB might think that destiny says he ultimately wins and gets off the island and he is just waiting for it to happen.

Jacob on the other hand, as they have shown us, is quite the proponent of free will. I believe that the argument/game between MIB and Jacob has simply been that MIB believes destiny, the way things will be is written and you can't change it. where Jacob believes in free will, that people are free to choose their own destiny, regardless of what may be written.
As we saw in last night's episode MIB was trying to convince Sawyer that he was forced to the island, that no matter what he did destiny was actually working against him to ultimately bring him to the island. In the flash sideways we know the plane never crashed, but ultimately I think the purpose is to show us the Losties lives free from the influence of destiny trying to force them to the island. We will see them use their own free will and see if they either destroy or better their lives. Without destiny forcing them to the island we will see Locke finally at peace, perhaps he even calls Jack and gets fixed and can walk again. Maybe Jack and Locke become friends because of it and Jack at long last has his accepting, approving father figure. Maybe Sawyer will meet Juliet and go Dutch over coffee. Maybe Kate really is innocent and her and Jack hook up and live happily ever after.

Ultimately I think whatever MIB has to do to get off the island he has to have help, and despite believing it is his destiny, he needs whoever is helping him to do so of their own free will. He will try to convince them that it's their destiny to do it, that even if they don't want to they have to. But Jacob/the island or whatever will show the Losties their off island lives and they will see that they do in fact have free will and can decide whether or not to help MIB.

OK then, that's my theory and one I'm actually pretty confident in. I may not have it all right but I think I'm definitely on the right track here. Can't wait to hear what you think.
Thanks for your time and keep up the good work.

Thanks
Mike in Boston

[Jack]

Last season, I wrote in and theorized that Desmond would be the key to Season 6 because he was "special" and "the rules didn't apply to him". You responded (a couple of months later) with a disinterested, "mehhhh maybe. They built Walt up in Season 1, then they discarded his character."

Now, you have finally seen the light. You awarded two people "Listener theory of the week" for saying the exact same thing. Way to reward those of us with foresight! Ok, I'm done ribbing you now, obviously I'm not that offended if I'm still listening to your show! Here's my new theory:

Jacob outwitted Man-in-Locke's loophole. Jacob knew what MiL was up to, and that's why he didn't put up a fight when Ben stabbed him (which, incidentally, will go down as the wussiest stabbing in TV history). Jacob outwitted MiL by touching all the people and bringing them to the island. These people not only caused the Incident and provided MiL with a vessel (Locke's body) to get Ben to kill Jacob, but they also created the alternate timeline (Flash-Sideways). We saw in LA X pt 1 that the island is intact, albeit in the bottom of the ocean. New Otherton and Club Foot remain intact, as well as the Dharma Shark. This means that both Jacob and his nemesis could have survived also. By creating this alternate timeline, Jacob created a loophole to his Nemesis' loophole and survived. He will need Desmond to bring him from the alternate timeline back to the original timeline.

This is also reminiscent of the character of Jake in The Dark Tower series by Stephen King (of which JJ Abrams and crew are fans) where (spoiler) Jake is dead in one world, alive in another, and needs to be pulled across worlds to set everything right.

If you use this, please refer to me as Cris from DC Thanks!!

[Jack]

On the Tuesday/Wednesday podcast, you guys were talking about whether everyone's past was the same as in previous flashbacks, specifically regarding Locke's fiance talking about "my parents and your dad" and a shotgun wedding.

I think this is because Locke hasn't told her the truth about his dad, and that we'll see his world unravel in the alternate reality. I actually think this will happen to everyone in the flash sideways world, and that will somehow bring them together to go to the island.

Also, I know you guys are related, but given the conversation about Locke's van this week, when Jay said "your father and my grandfather had one," must mean that you are uncle and nephew. RIGHT?

RJ
Boston

[Jack]

Samantha


Hey Guys,

Thanks so much for your endless musings. I really enjoy the show, I am a relative newcomer to the LOST franchise as well as your show.

First of all, Joan Hart, may be a happy coincidence and indeed allude to the Teenage witch we all know and love. However, I think that it should be noted that St. Joan of Arc is the patron saint of prisoners. Joan of Arc is famous for her visions and Kate seems to have déjà vu experiences several times in the episode, “What Kate Does.”

Kate tells Cassidy that she chooses saint names as her aliases in episode, “Left Behind.” It is also the same name, Joan Hart,” on the envelope she receives in the episode, “Born to Run.” Each saint name taken by Kate is important to its episode.

St. Catherine is the patron saint of young women, authorities attempted to apprehend and execute her, but she eluded them for a long time – Kate/Katherine

Similar story line with Kate throughout the series. Also she was executed on a wheel, often depicted as looking similar to the one used to move the island.

St. Monica is the patron saint of troubled marriages, had a very troubled marriage herself (“I do”) - Lucy Callis

Drugs and leaves her husband, I would say that qualifies as a troubled marriage

St. Lucy seeks divine help for her ailing mother and is betrayed by her in return - (“Left Behind”) Lucy

In this episode, Kate risk everything to see her mother, who promises to betray her if she ever comes near her again.

St. Anne (Anne Catherine Emmerich) is the linked to farmers, and took up refuge in a strangers home to practice her faith ALSO St. Anne is the patron saint of lost things, all things relating to mothers and pregnancy, and against poverty-(“Tabula Rasa”) Annie

In this episode Kate lives with a strange farmer, becomes lost, interacts with Claire, faces charges because of her mother, and the man she was living with turns her in for money.

St. Margaret is the patron saint of falsely accused persons/unwed mothers. She was disowned by her father, there were several unsuccessful attempts to execute her- (“Whatever the Case May Be”) - Maggie

Both St. Margaret and St. Catherine were part of the “fourteen holy helpers,” invoked by Joan of Arc. I suggest you do a bit of reading on these figures, they are interestingly related to the show.
,
Authorities are unable to capture her after she holds up a bank

I have a crack pot theory for the two of you, that will rival any in absurdity.

I think that John Locke is somehow alive in Man in Locke. Here are the reasons:

During the scene where the mysterious boy appears to him, Man in Locke falls to the ground, looking very John-Lockesque. In the same scene we get the consummate Lockism, “Don’t tell me what I can’t do!” at top volume... Twice. This is so significant! In this moment, Locke begins to surface, indicating the internal struggle that is at play here.

Also, though Locke’s body is buried, his spirit is in the great elsewhere. Locke himself points this out in the LA X, when he tells Shephard that his father is not lost, his body is. This highlights the disconnect between the body and the spirit.

I think we will see Locke, as Locke, on the island again.

Thanks,

Sam

Also here is a fun bit of trivia. Charles Widmore’s name is very important. Widmore is the older name for the town-Bromley, England, home to Charles Darwin. In addition to this, all of Darwin’s children’s names are used as characters names through the course of the show.

William (Billy) - A member of Desmond’s Scottish Regiment
Annie – Ben’s childhood friend
Mary – Sawyer’s Mother
Emma – One of the children from the tail section
George – Comm officer aboard the freighter
Elizabeth - Libby
Francis – Father of Charlie’s girlfriend, Lucy Heatherton
Leonard – Mental hospital patient who gives the numbers
Horace – Horace Goodspeed
Charles – Charlie Pace, Charlie Hume, Charles Widmore

[Jack]

Dear Jay and Jack,

I was listening to your podcast on "The Substitute" and felt inspired to write in with some theories on the episode (not so well formed theories I might add).

While watching the interaction between Man in Locke and Sawyer in that cave and listening to some of the calls on the podcast, I've been trying to figure out what is going on with the names, MIL & Sawyer and the purpose of Jacob & MIL. I do think MIL is just playing Sawyer and convincing him to help him so he could leave the island. And I think his intention is to kill Sawyer in the end (which is why the blonde boy in the jungle reminded him of the rules and how he couldn't kill Sawyer). I've been wondering why MIL's been trying to recruit Sawyer in the first place and I wonder if MIL can only leave the island if he is in the body of Jacob's replacement? Neither Jacob nor MIL knew who was the one meant to take over for Jacob but they had to test them in some way to determine that. So maybe MIL is going to systematically test (or take over the body of) each of the candidates that are left until he can inhabit the body of the the acutal successor which is for some reason how he actually gets to the leave the island. And maybe he already knew Locke wasn't the real candidate but took over his body so he could have some human form and he may or may not know about Sawyer. But he definitely wants to use Sawyer to get into the temple and attack the people there and maybe kill or take over the other Losties. I know it's a little crazy but what else is there to do in L.A. rush hour than come up with crackpot theories.

I also was trying to figure out who the blond boy was in the jungle. I think it is Jacob and maybe the reason he is in boy form is maybe that is what he looked like when he arrived at the island. Maybe he and MIL arrived to the island as kids and maybe this is why kids are so important (and were taken by the others) because they try to determine if they are the successors at a young age to train them or protect them to ensure they will take over (kind of like when Richard visited John to see if he was the one). Of course part of me also thinks it might be Aaron because that would be a great twist-though how they would explain that I'm not sure.

Anyway, enough ramblings from me. Can't wait to hear the next podcast about this episode. Keep up the great work you guys do on all your podcasts. And I can't wait for details on the season finale party.

Vanessa

[Jack]

Joshua


k, So I'm feeling that Smokie was brought to the island just like everybody else by the man named Jacob. He probably arrived to the island earlier than the Black Rock, which is the fist time we actually saw him, and even earlier than the Egyptians, as seen by the hieroglyphics. He went through the same types of situations that the Oceanic survivors did and in the end, decided to take the role of the "protector of the island" as Man-in-Locke proposed to Sawyer in the mysterious cave. He either took this role out of manipulation or out of the need to for survival.


Now, time has passed and Smokie has realized that this whole island is nothing but a game with no end in sight. He's seen people come, and they've always done the same; corrupt, kill, destroy, etc.


Smokie is now sick of being on this island serving as it's "security system" against people who would only do harm to the island, and has found the measure necessary to release him from his bind. This loop hole was to kill the one in charge of the island, Jacob, and release everyone from their jobs thus sending everyone back home.


Alas, Smokie was just like everyone else, and was turned into the smoke monster, a security system, to protect the island as delegated to him by Jacob. He was sick of this never ending role and decided to take matters into his own hands. He is now trying to go home and the necessary procedure to do this is 1.) find a replacement or 2.)End the game and release everyone once and for all


This island is all just a big game and Smokie is sick and tired of playing it. This may also explain why the island is under water, because somehow someone found a way to end the game by sinking the island thus ending the game!

--
Joshua

[Jack]

Thomas


show details Feb 22

Hey Jay & Jack

I've attached my theory as both a Microsoft Word Document and also as a PDF file, which is laid out better to make it easier to read for you guys (as you can see...what I have put below looks like a pain in the ass to read). Also, there are a couple of pictures missing below. Instead of making the file size of this email larger by adding the pics in the email, you can view them in the PDF or Word documents. Please please please read!!! I spent a while putting this together.

P.S. Love the podcast.


To Jay & Jack....


Hello to all of you! I love all of your shows! I listen to them every week. Really gets the mind going. I often listen to them on the train on the way to and from work. The only problem is, so often I want to just butt in and say something...but then I realise you guys won’t hear me! Anyway...I have a fairly well thought out theory. I’m not often available when you guys do your podcasts, as I live in Australia and have a different time zone. So I am emailing you. I hope you guys get a chance to read this and hope that you can discuss some of it in your podcasts. I’d love to hear your opinions, even if they just shoot holes all through my theory. I obviously don’t expect you guys to read it out because it’s huge.


This theory isn’t in regards to the mythology behind things, but more on how I think the story will play out. By the way guys/gals...I am terribly sorry this is so long...I really am! At the end of this email I will put an overview of this theory in point form, for those of you that need to have an idea of what you are reading first, and whether it is worth the read. So I am putting it at the end, just in case people don’t want it to be given away before they get a chance to read it.


Sorry in advance for any grammatical errors and stuff. I ran a quick spell check...but didn’t have time for much else. I’ve stayed up to 2am to try and put this together so that it makes sense to read (gotta get up for work in just over 4 hours! That’s what Lost can do to you!) I want to get this out to you guys before the next episode.


By the way...this is not a spoiler...just a fairly detailed theory that I conjured up after the episode “The Substitute”.



Intro


The alternate timeline is a result of the battle/game finally being won. It is the happy ending (even if a lot of people don’t want it to be). What we are seeing now are flash forwards. I think we will see certain 815er’s and other losties interact with each other in the alt timeline because it is their destiny/fate. I believe these interactions are mainly being used as a storytelling device to show that the characters will still progress off island similar to the ways they have on island (and probably progress for the better). I think part of the reason for that is just to keep the audience happy when they find out they have no memory of the island experience in the alt timeline. I’ll return to this towards the end, as the progress of what I am about to say leads up to it.



Who is the right candidate?


This led me to a new theory. If that is the case, seeing as how those who are listed as candidates (on the cave wall with the numbers) are all shown on the plane, I don’t think any of them could be the replacement for Jacob. For a second I thought it could be Hurley, due to his cheeriness and good luck. But then I thought...why would he need to win the lottery, or own a hummer or big company? Then it hit me. I think the candidate who will replace Jacob will be none other than Desmond Hume. I believe that is why he is on the plane one second & then disappears the next. Jacob seemed to have the ability to do the same thing around those he touched in the flashbacks.


What makes him the right candidate?


· I believe that Desmond corresponds with number 108. I believe that as 108, he is metaphorically the sum of all the 815 candidates.

· I think the fact Desmond coincidently bringing the 815ers (particularly 4 8 15 16 23 42) is something symbolic.

· Desmond believed he had a calling to become a monk. He became a novice monk, and if I remember correctly, that is when he developed his fondness for the term “brother”. However, after drinking the wine from the monastery vineyard, Brother Campbell told Desmond that he did not think that he should be a monk, and obviously was meant for a greater purpose.

· When Desmond spoke to Jack at the stadium before he entered the race (episode man of science/man of faith), Jack was worried about a patient who was “inoperable” (aka Sarah). Desmond pointed to the possibility of miracles. Desmond is the man of faith (which would make him a good candidate to replace Jacob).

· When on the island, Kelvin Inman (who des replaces in the hatch) tells Des that he outside environment is contaminated by a mysterious sickness. He gives Des a vaccine labelled with 4 8 15 16 23 42 (which he had to repeatedly inject every 9 days). This could be another metaphor for Des being 108 (the sum of the numbers)

· When Daniel Faraday met Desmond at the hatch, he told him he was "uniquely, and miraculously special", and that he was the only one who could save them.

· Eloise tells Desmond that the island isn’t done with him yet (ep. “316”)

· The fact Des was in the hatch for 40 days alone (between Kelvin’s death/815 plane crash & being joined by survivors of 815). 40 is the number of probation and trial in the bible. Examples include Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil, Moses was on the mountain with God for 40 days + plenty more.

· I don’t know whether or not this is symbolic, but Des was a “substitute/replacement” for the guy who entered the numbers in the hatch.

· I also think that it is possible that Jack’s tattoo “He walks amongst us, but he is not one of us” could be referring to Desmond, as he was often with them, but was never an 815er. However, I feel that is a bit of a stretch, as it’s on Jack and it seems too simple.



How will Des get back to the island?


I believe Desmond will get back on the island. I still think Charles Widmore will get there too, so Des might possibly go with him, whether it be against his will or by his own choosing. However, I don’t think Des will go without Penny, as he was adamant about never leaving her again. So I think she will be accompanying him to the island.



What about Penny?


Now, I thought....there’s no way Jacob will convince Des to replace him if it means he would be without Penny. The only way I can see around that is if Ben finally gets his revenge against Widmore, by killing Penny (as he threatened he would as retribution for the death of his daughter Alex). Let’s face it. Ben has a heart of darkness after being saved in the pool as a child. I don’t think he will ever redeem himself on the island.


I kind of feel that Penny may have somehow always been a fork in the road in regards to Des following his destiny. I think that it’s possible Charles and Eloise knew this too. Widmore constantly pushed des away from penny. He even possibly pushed him to the island. Eloise told Desmond not to buy the engagement ring for Penny. She said that he was supposed to have second thoughts and abandon her. Maybe because they knew she could hold him back?



How do the island timeline and the alternate timeline come together?


There will be a battle, and unfortunately, I think that a lot...well, almost all of our favourite characters are going to die on the island. Pretty much all of them with the exception of Jack and possibly Desmond (depending on whether he needs to die to be Jacob). It will be very sad...but hey, this show has often been very emotional...so I’m sure there are plenty of tearjerkers to come.


I think the very final scene on the island will most probably be the turning of the donkey wheel by Jack (because I believe he is the hero at the end of the day...the sole survivor). I believe that final will end it for good.


This will result in the typical island flash, which will cause Jack to flash back to his seat on 815 flight in the alternate timeline. However it’s not an alternate timeline now, it has actually REPLACED the timeline we had previously known (possibly as far back as Jacob’s influence on anybody).


Another reason I will believe it will be Jack that turns the donkey wheel (and also a clue to why everyone else may possibly be dead) is that only Jack shows bleeding, one of the danger signs of time travel.



Why is Desmond on the plane though?


Now, as I said previously...I think Des is on the plane as Jacob, which explains how he can be there one minute and gone the next. But WHY is he there? I have two possible explanations. One is that he is just checking up on things to see that everything worked out. However, I think my second idea is more likely. I think Des was on the plane because he was serving as Jack’s constant (something familiar and meaningful in both time periods), so that he wouldn’t suffer brain aneurysm and die due to time travel. This would tie in with the blood on Jack's neck and him time travelling from the island to the 815 flight and would also serve purpose for Jack’s Déjà Vu with Des.


Also, if Jack did flash through time, it would be possible that he could have some déjà vu in regards to other members on the 815 flight ...just like des was having with his mind-time-travelling thing that he does.


Desmond may only be being a constant as a temporary quick fix to keep him from dying from the effects on time travel. Jack may need to find a more solid constant in the flash forwards to come.



How will it end?


Therefore, the alternate timeline (more specifically scene 1 of the season 6 premiere) being the end of the show should satisfy most viewers. Unfortunately, yes...there is a brutal battle and we lose most of our faves on the island. But knowing it has all worked out & WILL all work out (as we will see in the flash forwards) for our faves, will leave most of us so emotionally satisfied that we can accept this ending. All our faves get a second chance, and they saved the day.


The final scene will be them getting off at LA-X. They may even show it side by side with how they were in the first episode right after the crash OR it may be mixed in with some sentimental/reminiscing scenes from throughout the entire show. With that typical, sad, slow, string/piano music they do. And then...the final touch...will be the same as every other episode...that cut to black with the one deep sound and the LOST title (although...it could possibly say FOUND & there is a good chance it could cut to white instead of black).



Other tie-ins?


I also had a theory that Jack turning the donkey wheel at the end causes the island to move under water. The theory tied with this was that the island never moved in time or location. Turning the wheel would:


a) only move those currently inhabiting the island through time (or only those who seemed important to the story lol)

b) Move the island either above or below water at certain points of the timeline.


E.g. When the island just disappeared when Ben first moved the island, it didn’t go back in time. It disappeared because it was underwater. However, those who travelled in time went back to a time previous to Ben turning the wheel, thus the island was still above water. Then Locke turns it and so forth....

I gave up thinking about it when I was reminded that Eloise had told Jack & co that the island is always moving. Kind of blew a hole in that theory!





Some other things to think about


Through my rummaging for clues I found this.


Christ is Three Shepherds (Christian – Jack – Claire/Aaron)


The Good Shepherd (John 10:14-15) - speaking of His death
The Great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20) - speaking of His resurrection
The Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4) - speaking of His glory


Also…theories about the little blonde boy on the island


At first I believed it was Aaron. Possible tie-in with the book, The Little Prince (which shares the title of Season 5 Ep 4). In that book, the little prince is a young blond haired boy. When MIB first saw the little boy, I thought it looked like he had stigmata, like Jesus on the cross. Jesus is commonly known as the Prince of Peace. And if what I wrote above about the three shepherds is true...could Aaron be a version of Jesus Christ?

However...visually...I found connections to another big character...take a look!


To Locke. If it was a young Locke, then I could believe the theory that this young boys is in fact Jacob taking on a form of Locke. So it could be a Locke (MIB) vs Locke (Jacob) situation…which ties in with Locke’s one white eye and one black eye.

That could even be a metaphor for Jacob and MIB being the same person, with his good side fighting against his bad. I’ve heard a few people mention this idea that Jacob is fighting himself…but I’m not sold on that one.


The clothes...





The facial expressions (especially the eyes). These two shots are almost identical. The close-up. The angle of the shot. The harrowing eyes. I am sure that this isn’t just coincidence, this has to be done on purpose. It even looks as though they made one dark and one light (from the lighting and the hair colour).





Also…I think young Locke was blonde at one stage. I didn’t really get a chance to have a thorough check…but here is a photo.










Contents

1. Intro

2. Who is the right candidate?

3. What makes him the right candidate?

4. How will Des get back to the island?

5. What about Penny?

6. How do the island timeline and the alternate timeline come together?

7. Why is Desmond on the plane though?

8. How will it end?

9. Other tie-ins?

10. Some other things to think about (Christ is three Shepherds/The mysterious blonde boy)



Point Form

· Desmond is number 108 – the candidate that will replace Jacob

· The first scene of the Season 6 Premiere will be the final scene of Lost, but with some reminiscing moments.

· Jack is still the hero

· The donkey wheel will get turned again

· The timelines will come together, only one will exist.

· On the island, pretty much all our favourites will die except for Jack and Desmond (yes...that means Hurley too!)



From Trixx_D (aka The Real Tom Sawyer)

Sydney, Australia

[Jack]

Hi Jay and Jack,

I have a theory about Jacob and Man-in-Locke:

Jacob and MIL - do we know for sure that they are the original TWO on The Island? I mean, what if they themselves are replacements? I draw a parallel between the TWO spiritual beings protecting The Island and the TWO people put in charge of the Hatch and pushing the button every 108 minutes. What if Jacob was brought to The Island as a replacement for the previous Jacob by the previous MIL? And when the previous MIL died/left, Jacob brought in the new MIL and told him that this Island was "special" and that he had to stay in order to "protect" it, much like Kelvin Inman brought Desmond in and told him that the Swan Station was important and that he had to stay and push the button every 108 minutes to "save the world". After Inman died accidentally, Desmond was desperate to find someone else to replace Inman. And when more than one person showed up - jackpot! Not only did Desmond have his second guy, but he could leave now that he had a replacement for HIMSELF. All he had to do was fool these replacements into believing the same story he was told to believe - that pushing the button was saving the world. Like the guys pushing the button, Jacob and MIL were tricked into doing something that ultimately was not as important as they were TOLD it was - that they needed to protect The Island at all costs. Here's another parallel: remember the joke/secret question that Inman asked Desmond to determine if Desmond was Radzinski's replacement?: "What did one snowman say to the other?" (The answer, of course, being "Smells like carrots.") Well, didn't Jacob/MIL have a similar secret question?: "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" So, long story short, Jacob believed he had to stay and protect The Island because he believed in the myth that The Island is special, and MIL just wants to go home, like Desmond, because he no longer believes. But, in order for MIL to actually leave, he's going to either have to find a replacement for both Jacob and himself, or he's going to have to turn the equivalent of the failsafe key, which this time instead of destroying just the Hatch, will destroy the entire Island. All of these people -- Jacob, MIL, The Others including Widmore and Hawking and Ben and Locke -- have been fooled into thinking that this Island is special and that they have to protect it at all costs. But, in reality, just like the Swan, we'll find out that after it is destroyed that it wasn't really special afterall...that destroying it ends the myth of it being special and that everyone is better off for not being "trapped" by the fable.

--
Michael

[Jack]

Hi Jay and Jack,
While listening to the latest podcast for The Substitute I came up with the following theory. I haven't finished the 'cast yet, so I don't know if something similar has been said, but here it goes:

We saw MiL last night see a little boy (twice), look confused, and chase after him into the jungle. He ends up shouting "Don't tell me what I can't do" as the boy goes away. I don't believe this was just a fairly-obvious reference to Locke, I think it's the sign of something important- I think Man in Locke is becoming Locke. I don't mean that in a few episodes he'll be fully Locke and we'll end up with the two-Locke thing going on, but rather he is picking up his characteristics and maybe just slightly more. This was also hinted at when Illana said that he couldn't take any other faces- that he was stuck that way. Obviously he can at least still take the smoke form. However, I think the process of becoming Locke changed him, more than he&nb! sp;realized it would. Because of this I don't think Jacob will take over someone- I think he knows it will be too much of a change, he'll get trapped, etc and so he will remain completely dead.

This then has major implications for the "game" MiL and Jacob have been playing- from my theory above, as well as some other comments MiL made last night it seems that he is not quite on top of things as a lot of people have originally assumed. I think that's the case for both MiL and Jacob. It's a game to them, and while there are rules and seemingly some sort of goal, neither really knows how it will end. Up until now fans have been saying jacob is the one who hopes for change/to save the island or the world (partly because of the fact that he is bringing people to the island), and MiL is the one who doesn't think that will happen; essentially Jacob is "Man of faith" and MiL is "Man of science". However, even while MiL basically said as much to Sawye! r in the final scene last night, his actions and speech imply ! that he's actually playing the game the OTHER way- he believes he can get off the island or go home or win or whatever and attempts to do so by taking the form of Locke, getting Sawyer on his side, manipulating other people etc. So the second big part of my theory is that Jacob (who does play much the same way, through manipulation- using pieces is somewhat inherent to any game) doesn't believe everything can change- he thinks his and MiL's positions/fates are stuck- this is their destiny, to carry out the game, and it is everyone else's fate to be a part of it. "It only ends once" also might refer to him believing that it only ends once because there's only one way it can end; every iteration/cycle occurs because it hasn't happened the way it is fated to yet. So MiL might think people will never change, but still seems to have faith, while Jacob possibly believes in fate but in the sense that there's no changing what will happen (kind of a! reverse of the positions that they claim or even think they are taking).

Just some thoughts I'm throwing out there- Thanks for being a great break from the routine for about 2 or 3 hours a week, keep up the good podcast!
-Dustin from Seattle

[Jack]

Stephan


show details Feb 10

After watching the latest episode again, I just had an epiphany of sorts. I think I know at least part of what causes the "darkness" to start reaching your heart; someone you love has to die.

Here's a list of the people who have shown "dark" tendencies after a loved one died:

Ben - He became even more homicidal after Alex's death, killing multiple people easily in cold blood. Even Penny, an innocent woman. He definitely took a darker turn, but it seemed natural for Ben to take this turn.

Sun - After she thought Jin had died, she definitely got darker than usual, becoming someone who also became more willing to do things she wouldn't normally do before.

Claire - After Charlie died she randomly walked off into the jungle, and three years later she's the new Rousseau.

Syed - After Nadia's death, Syed does something dark even for him and becomes a cold-blooded assassin, and he even attempts to kill a child. Not normal behavior if you ask me.

Sawyer - After Juliet dies, he's initially not much different, he's just very, very angry. But he progressively gets more and more uncharacteristically depressed, and after being a good leader for a little over three years and taking care of his people, he decides he no longer cares about these people and goes off to sulk alone.

Rousseau - After Alex was taken, she became... well, she became Rousseau as we know her. But she actually showed some hope beyond killing people. When she was reunited with Alex, she became less crazy. Unfortunately she was shot in the head soon after.

And I'm thinking Kate may possibly fit into this as well after she lost Aaron. But she's not showing any of the signs, so we'll see.

[Jack]

What's up guys? My first email of the new season, I'll try to keep it short.

But before I start, first congrats to Jay and Colleen on their engagement. Secondly, thanks for doing such a great job covering your trip to Hawaii, made it seem like we were there with you. Although it sounds like I could have handled the entire Mai Tai situation a bit better than some. I mean really, you're in a dream situation with an open bar and the cast and creators of Lost surrounding you. Man, you have to Nut up or shut up in that situation. (sorry, just watched Zombieland this weekend, great movie.)

Anyway, here's what I have for the week.

Question - In last weeks Wednesday podcast when talking about Ethan I believe it was mentioned that the purge took place in 1992. I'm pretty sure I saw that date as well myself recently when the NY Times did a timeline of Lost and I didn't question it. However, we know that Rousseau crashed on the island in 1986 and gave birth to Alex soon after. We also saw a flashback in one of last years episodes that actually showed Ben stealing Alex. But in the flashback we saw that Ethan was with Ben and presumably also one of the Others in 1986. The boy with Ben was definitely called Ethan and looked the right age seeing as Ethan was born on the island in 1977. So what's the deal? How could Ethan be with the Others in 1986 if the Dharma Initiative was still up and running until 1992. We know Horace was there for the purge but that would mean that he did nothing for the more than 6 years his son would have been missing on the island. Either the dates are wrong or there is another big piece that we are missing here.

General Theory - The Losties at the Temple with the exception of Jin and Sayid are also the same people who were put on Jacob's list at one point of another. I think this indicates that they are special in a way the other survivors are not (sorry Locke). Jacob either needs them for something in his struggle with the MIB, or, perhaps even more importantly they all posses some quality that Jacob needs to keep from MIB. I think that is why they were so insistent on getting Sawyer back when he left in last weeks episode, they don't really care about any of our Losties but are terrified at the thought of any of them falling into Fake Locke's hands. Obviously this theory needs more fleshing out but on the surface I think it has some merit.

My Crackpot Theory of the Week - has to do with Hurley. I've been racking my brain wondering how he went form the cursed Hurley we know to the luckiest guy in the world, in his own words no less. My theory is that things happened pretty much the same as they did before with one major difference. In this timeline Hurley actually meets Libby in the mental hospital, they fall in love, get married. So naturally, Hurley would think of himself as the luckiest guy in the world after a bunch of seemingly random, unrelated events lands him in a mental hospital where he meets the woman of his dreams. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it (unless you reply to me and make fun of it and then I'll blame Jay - assuming Jack is replying to this email. If Jay is responding then we'll blame Jack)

Oh well, so much for keeping it short.

Thanks guys

Mike

[Jack]

Ilya


show details Feb 17

I seriously think that LOST is a phenomenal show, being made by the group of individuals who have balls of the size of melons.

The latter is the only explanation of the confidence they exude when faced with necessity to further develop the convoluted story lines of the plot which
a) never existed
b) collapsed several times already during previous attempts to develop what never existed to start with and
c) still not coming together (really? alternate reality is the cheapest cop out there is, next to the person waking up and realizing that all of it was a dream...).

I can only admire the commitment of that team, and extend my deepest sympathy to the writers who actually have to put words on paper, and make them sound natural without conveying any sense (which looks more and more like a policy of the show, like "no direct question should be dignified with an answer, ever" or "if in doubt, make a character tell a random lie or cry")—amazing writing indeed. I am serious.

So, final season.

Is it just me, or it looks like the show resets itself every once in a while? Or, rather, every time it reaches a critical mass of conflicting logic? And it does so by blowing up stuff, like a hatch.
A submarine, or another station, or two.
A ship.
An island (that's a big one, how are we gonna get out of this one? Oh, oh, I know: alternate reality!!! Where everybody is happy, except for Locke, who is still a loser. Is that the plan—to explore this new "side-flash" story and end up in the mere 100 years old O'Henry Roads Of Destiny's way of coming to the same point, just in a different way? They have to resolve this new wisp of plot lines somehow, haven't they? I suggest waking up randomly selected main character, but it's just me.)

So, the bomb went off (in one reality?), causing the island to appear sunken in 2004, and all the characters carry on with their lives as if nothing ever happened. Story resets once again, but I am not sure I want to follow the alternate reality, I am being force-fed now for the lack of better entertainment. I kinda like the island better, you know, all the isolated environment stuff, characters, forced to deal with each other quirks, and so on... up until a certain reset of a story, which threw us into the bliss of 70's suburban soap opera of the last season, that was annoying.

I am not amazed nor excited to see Kate in handcuffs again. Who cares if she might even be allegedly innocent in this life? There are an infinite number if alternate stories which could be written about any of the losties, and they all can be made to look believable, and they all can be played out in a very convincing way by the talented cast (I am not sure I like Ben as a school teacher, after he was so endearing as a cult leader of the Others and an assassin handler on main land), so what?
Imagine a really good band stop playing suddenly after two verses and a chorus, and say "err... oops. wrong key. have to start over... hope you don't mind...".
And again.
And again, bit without "...hope you don't mind...".
That would take away a bit of the entertainment value, wouldn't it?

It also reminds me of the all the cons on Leverage: you know, when the first well-planned con doesn't ever goes as planned, something terrible wrong happens, and the crew needs to improvise to get out of the situation, and it always works out?

Except on Leverage IT'S DONE ON PURPOSE, and that's why it works!!!

What is really amazing is a cult following this show has, and the level of blind trust people put in it's production team (I have heard some internet comments like: "Don't you remember Mr. Eko saying to Locke that he is next, and now he is dead, so THEY DID HAVE A PLAN FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!"—nope. If it only was that simple, or proved anything, it'd make me happy. In reality it just means that you can't see the story cracking at the seams, or don't care, because you finally found your alpha, and now your muzzle is glued to it's tail, and you are ready to believe that one loaf of bread feeds one thousand people under right circumstances, give or take a few. Too bad it's just a TV show, and not a real cult, so you can't wait for a second coming of Jacob in the remote campground, while leaving your earthly possessions to your leader).

And yes, I do watch the show. I am ashamed to admit that, but I still hope that they will find an elegant way of tying all the loose threads and making everything come together at last, but the hope is fading away with every new cope out.

I am less and less convinced everything will work out, ad we all know what to do if you are not sure.

Press "77".

P.S. And for those of you who gets really excited about characters randomly quoting Star Wars or anything else for that matter—watch Psych, they do pop-culture quotes half a dozen times per episode, and it's actually funny there.

[Jack]

Karl


show details Feb 17


Jay and Jack,



I stammered my way through a voicemail to you guys earlier today, but I was so excited to call that I think I called before I had a full theory clearly formulated. As I wrote out my theory for my own mind to put together, I decided to send it to you guys as a supplement/replacement for my voicemail.



~~~~



LOST SEASON SIX: A ‘CONSTANT’ STRUGGLE



The season four Desmond-centric episode, “The Constant”, is the key to the whole thing. In “The Constant”, Desmond and Minkowski (the communications officer on board the freighter) both became unstuck from time and experienced flashes of increasing severity. These flashes happened because of the electromagnetic properties of the Island. (For Desmond, it was turning the fail-safe key when the Swan imploded. For Minkowski, it was taking the wrong path when sailing to the Island from the freighter.)



That was a minor case of only two individuals, on separate occasions, becoming “unstuck from time” separate from each other. We have already seen a more significant example of it when Ben turned the Frozen Donkey Wheel to move the Island at the end of season four. As a result, the entire group of Losties within a certain radius of the Island became “unstuck from time” – not just a few individual people. Again, this happened because of the electromagnetic properties of the Island. (The wheel in the pocket of energy was turned and became stuck.)



What we’re seeing now with the whole flash-sideways is the MOST extreme version of this same phenomenon. We’re not talking about one or two people. We’re not talking about a group of people. With the Crashless Timeline and the Islandbound Timeline, we’re seeing that time itself has become “unstuck from time”. Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof have been very specific about the fact that the Crashless Timeline seen during these flash-sideways is NOT an alternate timeline. These are two unique timelines existing at the same exact time. As before, this is a result of the electromagnetic properties of the Island. (Jughead’s detonation in the pocket of electromagnetic energy during the Incident.)



Time has become unstuck from time itself.



In order to correct this, the Losties are going to have to do the same thing Desmond did to correct his flashes – they have to find their constants. For Desmond, it was Penelope, because she was someone he knew in both timelines. For the Losties/the Island/the Universe/time itself (whatever you want to call it), the Losties themselves are their own constants. Jack, Kate, Sayid, Hurley, Sawyer, Jin, and Sun.



I think there’s evidence of this.



· When Jack and Kate (in the Crashless Timeline) pause and act like they have this sense of déjà vu when they see each other, it’s not really déjà vu – it’s the Universe telling them, “This person is your constant. Stay with this person.” That’s why Locke and Hurley didn’t experience this feeling when they met during last night’s episode, “The Substitute”. Locke is dead in the Islandbound Timeline and can’t be a constant.

· When the Losties in the Islandbound Timeline bring Sayid to the Temple and Dogan breaks open the giant Ankh and reads Jacob’s note, the reason he says Sayid must live or they all die is because Sayid is one of the constants. If Sayid dies, all the constants can’t come together, and the Universe rips itself apart like Minkowski’s mind ripped itself apart when Minkowski couldn’t come together with his constant.

· In last night’s episode, “The Substitue”, when the little boy tells Jacob’s Nemesis (posing as Locke) that “he can’t kill him”, the ‘him’ he’s talking about is Sawyer because Sawyer is one of the constants.

· Juliet was in the center of the Jughead detonation much like Desmond was in the center of the Swan implosion and the Discharge. Desmond had flashes as a result. Juliet flashed to the Crashless Timeline and saw herself making plans to meet up with Sawyer.



My theory is that those constants are going to have to come together in both the Islandbound Timeline and the Crashless Timeline in order for time to correct itself. Perhaps this is what Jacob’s Nemesis is trying to prevent by taking Sawyer and trying to use him to escape the Island. Maybe this is really what Jacob was tracking on the Cliffside Cave wall. I’m not 100% positive about every aspect of my theory.



· Will the Crashless Timeline just go away and everything that happened there just vanishes into nothing? That seems kind of cheap.

o Will it somehow merge with the other timeline and create one true timeline with elements of both? (i.e. Locke will still be alive but in his wheelchair.)

· Is Desmond one of the constants? Probably. This could be what Eloise Hawking meant when she told Desmond in “Flashes Before Your Eyes” that he had to fulfill his destiny of going to the Island or they would all die.

o Ben? I don’t know.

o Claire? Maybe, but if she’s infected and “claimed”, does that keep her from being a constant? Is that why they can’t allow Sayid to become “claimed”?



Cuse and Lindelof told us that after the season six premiere, we’d have the building blocks we need in order to put together a rough idea of how the series will end. I think this theory makes a lot of sense, and I hope that I somehow got it right. (At least a little bit.)



~~~~



I enjoy your show a lot and look forward to it every week. Thanks for staying up late on Tuesday nights to satisfy our insatiable appetites for LOST discussion and analysis.



-Karl

Minneapolis, MN