THE ENIGMA OF WALT

We were constantly told that Walt Lloyd was "special." So much so that the Others kidnapped and allegedly did experiments and tests on him. His father, Michael, went murderously insane trying to get his son back. There was a lot of action around the Walt character, a lot of blood shed and tears - - - but for what end?

Walt was born on August 24, 1994 to Michael Dawson and Susan Lloyd. In some respects, Walt came from a broken home. His parents never married. Michael went from job to job while Susan became a highly paid professional. After Walt was born, Susan took him to Europe. Two years later, Michael was in a car accident after they had an argument. At that time, Susan told Michael that she was going to marry her boss and she wanted his consent so her husband could adopt Walt. This would terminate all parental rights to his son.

Michael tried to fight the process, but in the end he gave up. He thought Walt would have a better life with his mother.

We were shown that Walt has some unexplained spooky powers as a child. The prime example was that he would think about birds and suddenly they would smash and die against the nearby window. It was so weird that his step-dad Brian freaked out and sent 10 year old Walt to live with Michael when Walt's mother died of "a blood disorder." Brian told Michael that "there's something about him (Walt). Sometimes, when he's around, things happen."

We are never told whether Walt's special powers are real, imagined, coincidental or magical.

On Flight 815, Michael is bringing Walt back the United States to start a new life.

Walt's character was the flash point in the first four season finales:
1) he was kidnapped by the Others;
2) he escaped the Island;
3) he appeared as a ghost to John Locke;
4) he was visited by Locke on the mainland.

Walt had special abilities to see or control nature. But he also may have had the ability to appear as a ghost image after he left the island.But he did tell Shannon not to "press the button." He had knowledge of the Hatch, but did not warn Locke about not opening it. (One could argue that ghost Walt was merely another ruse by the smoke monster to manipulate Locke).

It could be said that Walt was the spy within the group. Who would consider a young boy as a dangerous smoke monster? But that would assume that Walt was not alive, but we were shown Walt leaving the island with Michael after Michael betrayed his friends.

For a boy who never wanted to leave the island, Walt had no indication that he wanted to return to it. Did the Others traumatize him when he was kidnapped? Did Ben want him off the island because Walt's special abilities would lead to a coup like Ben achieved against Widmore?

Or was the real problem with Walt is that the actor grew up during the first four seasons which did not fit the script time line of the island. That may be why the mulligan of Time Travel was introduced into the series as a Hail Mary pass to keep the character of Walt relevant. But that failed. All the build up about Walt being a central character, a major clue to unravel the mysteries of the island, were scrapped when he left the island.

When he was captured, the Others said he was safe, like Emma and Zach. But the children taken to the island were never truly safe; especially when Flocke was on its rampage in Season 6. We have discussed the treatment of children by TPTB throughout the series. 

Walt makes no appearance in the sideways world. One could assume that he was alive. Or one could assume that he was not ready to move on, reconcile with his father who was trapped as a whisper on the island. But Walt never wanted a relationship with Michael. Walt probably wanted to punish his father for abandoning him as a child. As a result, some theorize that if LOST was about the a mental world of anger, abandonment and punishment, then the series could have been found in the vivid imagination of a special child like Walt.

Walt turns out to be an early captured pawn, and a discarded piece on the island chess board. He has no role in the conclusion of the island 815 saga. Walt was built up to be a central pillar of the answers to the island's mysteries, but he literally out-grew his purpose.