There will always be a debate on what the characters were on the island: human or spirits (souls).
But a subset of this debate can be the theory that the main characters did not know they were ghosts or spirits, so they lived a continuation of their lives as humans. Another tangent would be that they were spirits but were on the island to redeem their souls to become human once more.
The latter would be an interesting concept. One of the themes were "second chances." What if there newly deceased had a second chance to reclaim their human life?
How would one go about reclaiming one's humanity?
If you were an evil person, would you have to do something "good" as in sacrificing yourself to save another?
But if you were a normal person, would you have to do something different, to erase a haunting "regret" in order to be saved?
The island whispers were said to have been trapped souls, such as Michael, after he died. Trapped souls infer that the island was some kind of purgatory where spirits could not move on unless something changed or they were released from their bondage.
If the island was merely a series of "humanity tests," who were the people that passed - - - and left the island as humans? It is noteworthy that Ben and the Dharma group both had a keen interest in island pregnancies. What is human life more than a fetus? It is the start of human life. But children could not be born on the island because their mothers were not human. But the experiments tried to create humans from ghosts in order to find the key to transform back into their human bodies.
Frank survived the submarine explosion and was found by Alpert and Miles, who had decided to continue as planned without Ben who had joined up with Flocke. Frank suggested that
they escape the Island in the Ajira plane instead of destroying it. Upon
reaching the plane, they repaired its broken windshield and damaged
hydraulic systems. This brought the plane into good working condition,
allowing Frank to prepare for takeoff. As the plane was taxiing down
the collapsing Hydra Island runway, it managed to slow down so that
Ford, Austen, and Claire could be pulled aboard. The Ajira plane safely took off just as the
runway began to crack; its occupants managed to escape the initially
self-destructing Island.
Who were the final survivors? Frank was an alcoholic pilot who should have died in the original 815 crash. Miles was a mystic con man who befriended Sawyer. Sawyer was a vengeful con man who killed the man who ruined his life. Kate was a troublemaker who killed her father and fled from responsibility and justice. Claire was bad daughter (her negligence killed her mother) and bad mother (she abandoned her son and went crazy). None of these characters had any major revelations or changes in their personality or morals to deserve to be "re-born" as humans to travel back to their past lives.
Jack was the one who sacrificed himself so the others could flee the island. He took on the guardian role to defeat Flocke (even though it was Kate's bullet that downed the smoke monster human form.)
The Ajira survivors all had deep rooted mental issues tied to self-esteem problems from events early in their lives. They had a sense of abandonment by one parent; they had family secrets which made their skin crawl. They did not want to take full responsibility for their actions. They wanted to escape in their own fantasy image of themselves.
But everyone dreams about their perfect self. Hurley wanted to be a confident, witty, popular and successful businessman with a charming wife and adoring family. But in the end, he did not achieve that self-image. The same is true with Locke. He also had a strong longing to have a sense of "family" but he had a hard time gathering the trust of even friendships. In the end, he was alone in the church. He never did find the family he was looking for through all the hardships of the island.
What was the greatest "asset" the Ajira survivors maintain during their island ordeals to gather their ticket home? Frank, Miles, Kate, Claire and Sawyer all kept away from making leadership decisions. They were soldiers not generals. They did not want to seize power or control. That fit into their plan of self-survival - - - but in reality, the thing that tied them all together was being selfish. They generally lacked consideration for others; they were concerned chiefly with their own personal profit, pleasure or safety.
If true, then "self-sacrifice" was a death sentence on the island. It would be the opposite of common sense or a normal story trope. If only the selfish survived, that would be a bad moral to the story.
But LOST was never really about morals. Characters did dubious things for strange reasons.
If Frank, Miles, Kate, Claire, Alpert and Sawyer were ghosts who passed the island test to regain their humanity, what actually was the test?
They all did survive the judgment (and destruction) by the smoke monster(s). None of them really wanted to seize the island's magic powers away from the guardian. Some of them did kill other people while on the island so a good-evil, right or wrong judgment seemed not to apply. But all of them really had no one waiting for them when they returned home (except for Claire and her son who may be of the age to know his mother had abandoned him in order to reject her). The LOST main story could have been told without any of these five characters. So why did they get special treatment at the climax of the show?
Unless they were always humans trapped in a spirit world. All the other characters on the island were spirits. We know Alpert, who left with them, was a spirit. He became immortal by the gift (or curse) of the guardian to serve him as a go-between with the people he brought to the island. But once Alpert cleared the confines of the island, he began to age. He regained his humanity not by serving the new island guardian or fighting for the black smoke monster - - - he got lucky enough to find himself with an opportunity to leave the island.
And this is why LOST will always have mixed commentary and two sides to any issue. There was no clarity in character traits and story line answers. The ambiguity weaved throughout the series fed the imaginations of the viewers to the point where fan theories were more canon than the show runner's scripts. The stories themselves cast ghosts into the mythology of the series.
The idea that no one survived Flight 815 break up and crash was probable. The idea that the deceased souls could not pass over in the after life because of unresolved personal issues was plausible. The idea that the island ghosts could have a chance to reclaim their humanity is possible.
Showing posts with label ghost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ghost. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
WHEN YOU CAN'T SLEEP
There is a Japanese legend that states that if you cannot fall asleep it means that you are awake in another person's dream.
How interesting.
LOST had several key trigger words or concepts: awakening, dreams, alternative reality, changes in time and space.
But what is a better representation of an alternate reality or change in time and space than dreams?
Even another person's dreams that affects you.
It is not that the person who cannot sleep knows about, or controls the other person's dream. It is probably the exact opposite. When one tosses aimlessly trying to get to sleep, you are restless and not in a dream state. It is like the actual dreamer has pulled the mechanism for your dreams, your subconscious REM dream state, from you to power their vivid imagination with your appearance, words, character and personality.
Would this be a dream thief in action? No, because they are not "your" dreams since you are still awake.
The idea that a heavy, deep thinking dreamer can attach their mental thought waves to other people to harvest and extract "better" more lucid dreams is a fascinating collision of philosophy and science fiction.
Through the series, we rarely saw any of the main characters actually sleeping. They were constantly on the move, in day light and at night. And over time, they did look tired. Their mental faculties were low. (How many times did we complain that the characters failed to ask basic questions to people coming back from a mission?) The island characters were the ones who were sleep deprived for a reason.
It still could be associated with a Dharma experiment on weaponizing dreams for the military. Or it could be that the stress levels and electromagnetic properties of the island interfered with anyone getting REM sleep (the biological basic need to rest and recharge one's internal batteries). Prolonged non-sleep can make people forgetful, irritable, and psychotic.
But what does the original legend mean?
It may be a philosophical means to explain how being awake can be expressed on different levels of reality. Being in another persons dream for example can simply mean that person has interest in you or it can actually be a theoretical idea that you exist many different places at once.
In LOST, we presume that the main characters were in two different places (island world and the sideways plain of existence) at the same time. The sideways people could not "remember" their island pasts until "they were awakened." Since the sideways world was the after life, it could be equated that the main characters were "restless ghosts" who could not come to terms with their pasts.
Or it could mean that in each person, we have many people: we have our biologic human form that is transfixed to this planet. We may also have a spiritual form which rests inside our body, but it can be released into a different plain of existence. Perhaps, people whose "soul" has left their living body are suddenly defenseless against the temptations and evil urges that plague mankind.
In the sideways world, the characters did not reunite with their bodies. Their souls "remembered" their past - - - their island past and their friendships, the missing pieces in their lives.
How interesting.
LOST had several key trigger words or concepts: awakening, dreams, alternative reality, changes in time and space.
But what is a better representation of an alternate reality or change in time and space than dreams?
Even another person's dreams that affects you.
It is not that the person who cannot sleep knows about, or controls the other person's dream. It is probably the exact opposite. When one tosses aimlessly trying to get to sleep, you are restless and not in a dream state. It is like the actual dreamer has pulled the mechanism for your dreams, your subconscious REM dream state, from you to power their vivid imagination with your appearance, words, character and personality.
Would this be a dream thief in action? No, because they are not "your" dreams since you are still awake.
The idea that a heavy, deep thinking dreamer can attach their mental thought waves to other people to harvest and extract "better" more lucid dreams is a fascinating collision of philosophy and science fiction.
Through the series, we rarely saw any of the main characters actually sleeping. They were constantly on the move, in day light and at night. And over time, they did look tired. Their mental faculties were low. (How many times did we complain that the characters failed to ask basic questions to people coming back from a mission?) The island characters were the ones who were sleep deprived for a reason.
It still could be associated with a Dharma experiment on weaponizing dreams for the military. Or it could be that the stress levels and electromagnetic properties of the island interfered with anyone getting REM sleep (the biological basic need to rest and recharge one's internal batteries). Prolonged non-sleep can make people forgetful, irritable, and psychotic.
But what does the original legend mean?
It may be a philosophical means to explain how being awake can be expressed on different levels of reality. Being in another persons dream for example can simply mean that person has interest in you or it can actually be a theoretical idea that you exist many different places at once.
In LOST, we presume that the main characters were in two different places (island world and the sideways plain of existence) at the same time. The sideways people could not "remember" their island pasts until "they were awakened." Since the sideways world was the after life, it could be equated that the main characters were "restless ghosts" who could not come to terms with their pasts.
Or it could mean that in each person, we have many people: we have our biologic human form that is transfixed to this planet. We may also have a spiritual form which rests inside our body, but it can be released into a different plain of existence. Perhaps, people whose "soul" has left their living body are suddenly defenseless against the temptations and evil urges that plague mankind.
In the sideways world, the characters did not reunite with their bodies. Their souls "remembered" their past - - - their island past and their friendships, the missing pieces in their lives.
Monday, July 20, 2015
HARD WIRED BRAIN NET
A recent story in WIRED shows how close science is to science fiction. And the sci-fi is the Star Trek collective mind think called the Borg.
The premise is simple. Brains work better than computers. They’re faster, more creative, and can store a vast amount of accessible memory. So computer science has tried to emulate the brain to create faster, better and near human computers. One way to do this is to network brains.
Researchers at Duke University announced they have wired animal brains together so they could collaborate on simple tasks. Network monkeys displayed motor skills, and networked rats performed computations.
Lead researcher, Miguel Nicolelis, is a neurobiologist who has been wiring animal brains to machines since 1999, when they connected a rat to a robot arm, says this is the first time that anybody has directly wired together multiple brains to complete a task—a so-called brain-to-brain interface.
To build the monkey network, Nicolelis’ team first implanted electrodes in rhesus macaque brains, positioned to pick up signals from a few hundred neurons. Then they connected two or three of the macaques to a computer with a display showing a CG monkey arm. The monkeys were supposed to control the arm, directing it toward a target like a boat crew rows forward. When the monkeys got the arm to hit the target, the researchers rewarded them with juice. The monkeys don’t think “move my arm” and the arm moves—they learn what kind of thinking makes the arm move and keep doing that—because monkeys want the juice reward.
The rat study was even weirder as it involved the transfer of data. The neuroscientists directly wired four rats’ brains together—using the implants to both collect and transmit information about neural activity—so one rat that responded to touch, for example, could pass on their knowledge of that stimulus to another rat. Then the researchers set the rats to a bunch of different abstract tasks—guessing whether it might rain from temperature and air pressure data, for example, or telling the difference between different kinds of touch-stimuli. The brain collectives always did at least as well on those tests as an individual rat would have, and sometimes even better.
The goal of the research is see if networking brains might help accelerate medical rehab in people who have neurological damage such as relearning motor skills after a stroke or brain injury. Normally, this rehabilitation is a long, painstaking process. Nicolelis wants to learn if a healthy person’s brain could help a stroke patient re-learn how to move a paralyzed leg faster than current therapies do.
A few LOST theories speculated that the real premise of the show was a vast neuro-network linking various individuals together in a vivid, digital universe like Ghost in the Shell. Memories, emotions, experiences, goals, aspirations, fears and knowledge combine to be one's ghost in an alternative, cyber-reality.
If the main characters were not "real" in the sense of being humans surviving a plane crash on a mysterious island but virtual selves caught up in an illusion of surviving a plane crash on an island filled with the collective memories, emotions, experiences, goals, aspirations, and fears - - - that could create a very real looking, complex world. It would also explain how certain continuity errors, mistakes and criss crossed fantasy, science and sci-fi elements could co-exist in the same main story line.
The idea that the characters are actually institutionalized individuals connected by brain electrodes is not a new theory. Some speculated that this set up would be found in a mental institution (where Hurley went) or a medical research facility (like DHARMA) or even a prison hospital ward where illicit medical experimentation on mental patients used to be performed in secret.
If this was the true premise, sedated or coma patients were linked together to share their dreams and nightmares in shared space, would this make the show experience any different to you? Would the ending make more sense to you?
The premise is simple. Brains work better than computers. They’re faster, more creative, and can store a vast amount of accessible memory. So computer science has tried to emulate the brain to create faster, better and near human computers. One way to do this is to network brains.
Researchers at Duke University announced they have wired animal brains together so they could collaborate on simple tasks. Network monkeys displayed motor skills, and networked rats performed computations.
Lead researcher, Miguel Nicolelis, is a neurobiologist who has been wiring animal brains to machines since 1999, when they connected a rat to a robot arm, says this is the first time that anybody has directly wired together multiple brains to complete a task—a so-called brain-to-brain interface.
To build the monkey network, Nicolelis’ team first implanted electrodes in rhesus macaque brains, positioned to pick up signals from a few hundred neurons. Then they connected two or three of the macaques to a computer with a display showing a CG monkey arm. The monkeys were supposed to control the arm, directing it toward a target like a boat crew rows forward. When the monkeys got the arm to hit the target, the researchers rewarded them with juice. The monkeys don’t think “move my arm” and the arm moves—they learn what kind of thinking makes the arm move and keep doing that—because monkeys want the juice reward.
The rat study was even weirder as it involved the transfer of data. The neuroscientists directly wired four rats’ brains together—using the implants to both collect and transmit information about neural activity—so one rat that responded to touch, for example, could pass on their knowledge of that stimulus to another rat. Then the researchers set the rats to a bunch of different abstract tasks—guessing whether it might rain from temperature and air pressure data, for example, or telling the difference between different kinds of touch-stimuli. The brain collectives always did at least as well on those tests as an individual rat would have, and sometimes even better.
The goal of the research is see if networking brains might help accelerate medical rehab in people who have neurological damage such as relearning motor skills after a stroke or brain injury. Normally, this rehabilitation is a long, painstaking process. Nicolelis wants to learn if a healthy person’s brain could help a stroke patient re-learn how to move a paralyzed leg faster than current therapies do.
A few LOST theories speculated that the real premise of the show was a vast neuro-network linking various individuals together in a vivid, digital universe like Ghost in the Shell. Memories, emotions, experiences, goals, aspirations, fears and knowledge combine to be one's ghost in an alternative, cyber-reality.
If the main characters were not "real" in the sense of being humans surviving a plane crash on a mysterious island but virtual selves caught up in an illusion of surviving a plane crash on an island filled with the collective memories, emotions, experiences, goals, aspirations, and fears - - - that could create a very real looking, complex world. It would also explain how certain continuity errors, mistakes and criss crossed fantasy, science and sci-fi elements could co-exist in the same main story line.
The idea that the characters are actually institutionalized individuals connected by brain electrodes is not a new theory. Some speculated that this set up would be found in a mental institution (where Hurley went) or a medical research facility (like DHARMA) or even a prison hospital ward where illicit medical experimentation on mental patients used to be performed in secret.
If this was the true premise, sedated or coma patients were linked together to share their dreams and nightmares in shared space, would this make the show experience any different to you? Would the ending make more sense to you?
Sunday, April 13, 2014
HURLEY'S WAKING DREAMS
A focal point to the Hurley character were several things that could be interpreted as dreams.
For example, his ability to interact with ghosts. One place that happens in normal people is in dreams.
Ghost dreams:
In general, seeing ghosts in your dream symbolizes aspects of yourself that you fear.
This may involve a painful memory, guilt, or some repressed thoughts. You may be anxious about your ability to achieve something in real life. Or, you may be afraid of death and dying.
If you were frightened by the ghost or it spoke to you, this is a warning that some powerful pressure will be put on you to join in a scheme or activity which is against your principles. Resist the temptation with all your strength, and if necessary get help from a trusted friend or adviser.
If you dreamed of being a ghost, this symbolizes a feeling of disconnection from life and society.
This dream may be a calling for you to move on and abandon your outdated modes of thinking and behavior, and make a positive change in attitude.
Another aspect of the Hurley character was called the "Hurley Bird." It sounded like it called his name when in danger, near danger or avoiding danger on the island.
Bird dreams:
Birds represent physical and emotional freedom.
They can also represent religious feelings.
Some more meanings: Dreams of black birds represent the “dark side” of the dreamer’s personality.
To dream of bird poop is a lucky omen, foretelling good fortune.
To see bird eggs in your dream symbolizes money.
To see birds hatching in your dream means you will be successful in your goals, but not for a while.
To see a bird nest in your dream represents independence and the need for allies.
To dream of dead or dying birds foretells a period of coming disappointments. You will find yourself worrying over problems that are constantly on your mind.
To dream of aggresive birds (if they were attacking you, or killing people, in your dream) is a warning to be careful with those around you.
Take notice on who you know in your waking life that could remind you of a bird, or who has a name that sounds like a bird’s name – this is the person to watch out for.
To dream of a cooked bird, suggests that you’re feeling guilty about something. You fear that someone will “find you out”, or believe they already have.
Of course, Flight 815 was a big part of Hurley's life.
Dreams of airplanes are also common, and follow a similar tact as bird dreams.
Airplane dreams:
Escape from the mundane exigencies of the lower world.
Freedom.
The search for higher consciousness.
Travel into the higher realms.
Hurley also was consumed with his personal curse of his lottery winnings.
Wealth dreams:
Wealth for a poor person in a dream means trouble, because wealth can divert a poor person from the straight path. Wealth in a dream also denotes a righteous wife, a successful business, imposing one’s conditions upon his enemy, or subduing the evil of a jealous friend.
These standard dream interpretations mirror the character traits of Hurley in the series. So is it possible to link these dream states to what was the series to conclude that LOST was set inside Hurley's own dreams?
For example, his ability to interact with ghosts. One place that happens in normal people is in dreams.
Ghost dreams:
In general, seeing ghosts in your dream symbolizes aspects of yourself that you fear.
This may involve a painful memory, guilt, or some repressed thoughts. You may be anxious about your ability to achieve something in real life. Or, you may be afraid of death and dying.
If you were frightened by the ghost or it spoke to you, this is a warning that some powerful pressure will be put on you to join in a scheme or activity which is against your principles. Resist the temptation with all your strength, and if necessary get help from a trusted friend or adviser.
If you dreamed of being a ghost, this symbolizes a feeling of disconnection from life and society.
This dream may be a calling for you to move on and abandon your outdated modes of thinking and behavior, and make a positive change in attitude.
Another aspect of the Hurley character was called the "Hurley Bird." It sounded like it called his name when in danger, near danger or avoiding danger on the island.
Bird dreams:
Birds represent physical and emotional freedom.
They can also represent religious feelings.
Some more meanings: Dreams of black birds represent the “dark side” of the dreamer’s personality.
To dream of bird poop is a lucky omen, foretelling good fortune.
To see bird eggs in your dream symbolizes money.
To see birds hatching in your dream means you will be successful in your goals, but not for a while.
To see a bird nest in your dream represents independence and the need for allies.
To dream of dead or dying birds foretells a period of coming disappointments. You will find yourself worrying over problems that are constantly on your mind.
To dream of aggresive birds (if they were attacking you, or killing people, in your dream) is a warning to be careful with those around you.
Take notice on who you know in your waking life that could remind you of a bird, or who has a name that sounds like a bird’s name – this is the person to watch out for.
To dream of a cooked bird, suggests that you’re feeling guilty about something. You fear that someone will “find you out”, or believe they already have.
Of course, Flight 815 was a big part of Hurley's life.
Dreams of airplanes are also common, and follow a similar tact as bird dreams.
Airplane dreams:
Escape from the mundane exigencies of the lower world.
Freedom.
The search for higher consciousness.
Travel into the higher realms.
Hurley also was consumed with his personal curse of his lottery winnings.
Wealth dreams:
Wealth for a poor person in a dream means trouble, because wealth can divert a poor person from the straight path. Wealth in a dream also denotes a righteous wife, a successful business, imposing one’s conditions upon his enemy, or subduing the evil of a jealous friend.
These standard dream interpretations mirror the character traits of Hurley in the series. So is it possible to link these dream states to what was the series to conclude that LOST was set inside Hurley's own dreams?
Saturday, February 27, 2010
S6E5 VERSIONS OF LOCKE
There is some doubt on Ilana's statement that somehow MIB/Smokey is now "trapped" in a duplicate body of John Locke. When Claire's "friend" shows up at Camp Crazy, Jin says thinks it is Locke while Claire says he (it) is not Locke but her "friend."
There appears to be several different "versions" of Locke:
1. Regular boy Locke who grew up in a frustrated way.
2. Handicapped Locke who was betrayed by his con man father.
3. Miracle Locke who crash landed on the Island then who could walk again.
4. Time traveling Locke.
5. Strangled dead Locke (who turns into ripe Locke on the island who then is buried).
6. Flocke (MIB/Smokey) who takes the lead of the Ajira and Others.
7. Claire's unnamed friend.
We have seen that Flocke can change forms when he turned into the smoke monster and killed four of Jacob's guards. So afterward, when Ilana says he is trapped in that form, that cannot be the case because there is no intervening event (Jacob was already dead when the change happened in the statue.)
>>>>> Interruption tangent: looking at the various Locke characterizations, they can be imprinted on other characters in a similar fashion:
Ben:
1. Regular boy Ben who grew up in a frustrated way, without his mother.
2. Vengeful Ben who was betrayed by his alcoholic father during the purge.
3. Miracle Ben whose spinal surgeon crash landed on the Island so he could be cured.
4. Time traveling Ben.
5. Dead Ben (young Ben taken to the Temple after Sayid's gunshot wound to the chest).
6. Ben who takes the lead of the Others.
Jack:
1. Regular boy Jack who grew up in a fearful way with his father.
2. Surgeon Jack who was betrayed by his alcoholic father.
3. Miracle Jack who survived a plane crash.
4. Time traveling Jack.
5. Dying Jack who gave up everything to return to the Island.
6. Leader Jack who takes the lead of the 815ers.
>>>>>> I guess this can be filed under "Misery Loves Company."
The concept of "versions" of Locke reminds me of the uncanny ability of Patchy to die in episode after episode until the Looking Glass explosion. I always thought it was strange, like there were multiple Patchy guys running around like the robotic gun slinger in the old movie, Westworld.
It appears that MIB can shape shift into various forms, including the smoke monster and Flocke. If that is the case, then there is no restriction we know of that he cannot split into multiple beings like two Flockes. From a location standpoint, it is unrealistic to have Flocke and Sawyer in the Jacob cave on the other side of the Island, then Flocke and Sawyer show up at Claire's camp. The indication is that Flocke is alone.
Now, another explanation could be that Claire is under a spell. She sees a different person than Flocke, while the rest of the world sees Locke's appearance. When Flocke leaves the statue after killing Jacob, Alpert recognizes or sees a different "person" than Locke - - - he never says him name before getting beaten unconscious. It has been a hard push back from the TPTB that whomever Alpert or Claire has seen remains unnamed. Perhaps his name is Lucifer or Satan.
As of now, the majority view is that Claire died in the Keamy soldier attack in Dharmaville. Her house was exploded to pieces, and Sawyer came in to retrieve her groggy self. It was afterward that she saw Christian in the jungle, and she abandoned her baby and vanished with her ghost father. Dogen says Claire has the same infection as Sayid, a darkness that continues to grow inside. Claire says she was captured and "tested" like Sayid, except she indicated that they used needles on her (maybe the electric shock). The only reason that Sayid "failed" the test was that he did not react in pain when the ash was put on his body. The ash would have caused a severe reaction in the smoke monster (evil spirit) inside him. Of course, there may be no logic in the test protocol. Example, during Salem witch trials, the elders set forth a test whether a woman was a witch. She was thrown into the water weighted down: if she sank and drowned she was not a witch; if she floated and lived, then she was a witch who would be burned at the stake. In either situation, the end result is the same. An accused witch, proof or not, or an innocent woman, would receive the same fate, death.
The only apparent governor on MIB's actions has been "free will" choices of individuals. If MIB was an all-powerful being, then he would not need to take the form of John Locke in an attempt to influence, trick or push characters into choosing a course of action. Ghost Jacob is doing the same thing by pushing Hurley to push Jack into some final free will choice.
But if we are talking about versions of Flocke, meaning versions of MIB, we have no real proof that what we have been seeing is consistently a single Jacob, or a single MIB. If MIB can take the form of Locke, then why can't MIB take the form of Jacob? Likewise, if Jacob can turn from man to ghost, why can't he take the form of MIB, Jacob or anyone else? Ghost Christian once claimed he worked with Jacob (as a new form of Jacob or MIB?). It can be a huge game of misdirection on the viewer.
There appears to be several different "versions" of Locke:
1. Regular boy Locke who grew up in a frustrated way.
2. Handicapped Locke who was betrayed by his con man father.
3. Miracle Locke who crash landed on the Island then who could walk again.
4. Time traveling Locke.
5. Strangled dead Locke (who turns into ripe Locke on the island who then is buried).
6. Flocke (MIB/Smokey) who takes the lead of the Ajira and Others.
7. Claire's unnamed friend.
We have seen that Flocke can change forms when he turned into the smoke monster and killed four of Jacob's guards. So afterward, when Ilana says he is trapped in that form, that cannot be the case because there is no intervening event (Jacob was already dead when the change happened in the statue.)
>>>>> Interruption tangent: looking at the various Locke characterizations, they can be imprinted on other characters in a similar fashion:
Ben:
1. Regular boy Ben who grew up in a frustrated way, without his mother.
2. Vengeful Ben who was betrayed by his alcoholic father during the purge.
3. Miracle Ben whose spinal surgeon crash landed on the Island so he could be cured.
4. Time traveling Ben.
5. Dead Ben (young Ben taken to the Temple after Sayid's gunshot wound to the chest).
6. Ben who takes the lead of the Others.
Jack:
1. Regular boy Jack who grew up in a fearful way with his father.
2. Surgeon Jack who was betrayed by his alcoholic father.
3. Miracle Jack who survived a plane crash.
4. Time traveling Jack.
5. Dying Jack who gave up everything to return to the Island.
6. Leader Jack who takes the lead of the 815ers.
>>>>>> I guess this can be filed under "Misery Loves Company."
The concept of "versions" of Locke reminds me of the uncanny ability of Patchy to die in episode after episode until the Looking Glass explosion. I always thought it was strange, like there were multiple Patchy guys running around like the robotic gun slinger in the old movie, Westworld.
It appears that MIB can shape shift into various forms, including the smoke monster and Flocke. If that is the case, then there is no restriction we know of that he cannot split into multiple beings like two Flockes. From a location standpoint, it is unrealistic to have Flocke and Sawyer in the Jacob cave on the other side of the Island, then Flocke and Sawyer show up at Claire's camp. The indication is that Flocke is alone.
Now, another explanation could be that Claire is under a spell. She sees a different person than Flocke, while the rest of the world sees Locke's appearance. When Flocke leaves the statue after killing Jacob, Alpert recognizes or sees a different "person" than Locke - - - he never says him name before getting beaten unconscious. It has been a hard push back from the TPTB that whomever Alpert or Claire has seen remains unnamed. Perhaps his name is Lucifer or Satan.
As of now, the majority view is that Claire died in the Keamy soldier attack in Dharmaville. Her house was exploded to pieces, and Sawyer came in to retrieve her groggy self. It was afterward that she saw Christian in the jungle, and she abandoned her baby and vanished with her ghost father. Dogen says Claire has the same infection as Sayid, a darkness that continues to grow inside. Claire says she was captured and "tested" like Sayid, except she indicated that they used needles on her (maybe the electric shock). The only reason that Sayid "failed" the test was that he did not react in pain when the ash was put on his body. The ash would have caused a severe reaction in the smoke monster (evil spirit) inside him. Of course, there may be no logic in the test protocol. Example, during Salem witch trials, the elders set forth a test whether a woman was a witch. She was thrown into the water weighted down: if she sank and drowned she was not a witch; if she floated and lived, then she was a witch who would be burned at the stake. In either situation, the end result is the same. An accused witch, proof or not, or an innocent woman, would receive the same fate, death.
The only apparent governor on MIB's actions has been "free will" choices of individuals. If MIB was an all-powerful being, then he would not need to take the form of John Locke in an attempt to influence, trick or push characters into choosing a course of action. Ghost Jacob is doing the same thing by pushing Hurley to push Jack into some final free will choice.
But if we are talking about versions of Flocke, meaning versions of MIB, we have no real proof that what we have been seeing is consistently a single Jacob, or a single MIB. If MIB can take the form of Locke, then why can't MIB take the form of Jacob? Likewise, if Jacob can turn from man to ghost, why can't he take the form of MIB, Jacob or anyone else? Ghost Christian once claimed he worked with Jacob (as a new form of Jacob or MIB?). It can be a huge game of misdirection on the viewer.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
S6E4 THE OTHER OTHERS
The bloody arm blond boy in jungle who told Flocke he could not kill "him" (a reference to Sawyer) brought to mind a very old observation about the "Other" Others. When the Tailies were setting up their camp after the initial crash, they were infiltrated by Goodwin on the direction of Ben. His order was to get in with the survivors and make lists. There were several kidnapping attempts, with one ending with Eko killing some unknown people. However, the first one where Cindy and the children, Emma and Zach, were gone can be easily explained since we now know Cindy was an Other.
In the jungle, Ana Lucia hid from a group that was terrorizing her people. As the camera panned, there were only shots of legs . . . of children, marching through the jungle. It gave me a Lord of the Flies vibe. Shipwrecked children spar over how to create their new island society splits them a part into rival factions. This was during the time that it was believed that the Others were a bunch of native hostile humans at war with outsiders. We have to add the possibility now that anyone on the island could be human, dead, undead, a spirit or a smoke monster.
Ghost boy appears to be quite familiar with Flocke and "the rules." Flocke runs after him as if to silence the ghost boy from telling his parents something bad, like he is breaking the rules. Or not playing fairly. Or abusing lesser life forms like humans.
Ghost boy adds another layer of groups into the power structure of the Island. If the Other Others are spirits taking the form of children, and Richard's Others are spirits taking the form of adults, there could be a clear distinction on how each group perceives itself and its role.
In the jungle, Ana Lucia hid from a group that was terrorizing her people. As the camera panned, there were only shots of legs . . . of children, marching through the jungle. It gave me a Lord of the Flies vibe. Shipwrecked children spar over how to create their new island society splits them a part into rival factions. This was during the time that it was believed that the Others were a bunch of native hostile humans at war with outsiders. We have to add the possibility now that anyone on the island could be human, dead, undead, a spirit or a smoke monster.
Ghost boy appears to be quite familiar with Flocke and "the rules." Flocke runs after him as if to silence the ghost boy from telling his parents something bad, like he is breaking the rules. Or not playing fairly. Or abusing lesser life forms like humans.
Ghost boy adds another layer of groups into the power structure of the Island. If the Other Others are spirits taking the form of children, and Richard's Others are spirits taking the form of adults, there could be a clear distinction on how each group perceives itself and its role.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
S6E1 THE REAPER
It looks purposefully placed for a split second as Sayid stops struggling in the healing spring. It has to represent the Grim Reaper and Death.
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