LOST has always been a fertile field of conspiracy theorists.
Theories run the gamut from how the show was structured, created, and written with and without trying to decode clues, red herrings and story tangents.
It was one of the things that made LOST interesting and engaging to fans.
But LOST was not alone in creating or reading way, way, way too much into even the tamest of shows.
For example, the simple, iconic comedy series Gilligan's Island. What could be so "hidden in plain sight" about a show about shipwrecked castaways?
Some theorists believe that the setting of Gilligan's Island is not an island, but rather Hell, and that its sinful inhabitants all perished in the crash of the S.S. Minnow. According to this theory, each character on Gilligan’s Island represents one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
The millionaire Mr. Howell represents Greed, while his work-averse wife
represents Sloth. Sexy movie star Ginger stands in for Lust, while
innocent farm girl Mary Ann envies Ginger’s beauty and lifestyle. The
smart Professor is prideful because he can't admit that he is unable
to fix the ship or get them off the island. Skipper, meanwhile,
symbolizes two deadly sins: Gluttony and Wrath, because he’s always
taking something out on poor Gilligan. Not that you should feel bad for
the titular dimwit; these fans believe that Gilligan represents Satan.
He's constantly screwing up the group's plans for rescue, and what's
more, he's always wearing red.
That is quite a theory based upon general traits of the characters.
If you add in the mythology that departed souls travel to the underworld by ferry (boat), and that this shipwreck symbolizes the travel through a purgatory, it is easy to see the premise begin to unfold in the mind of a theorist. In fact, this mirrors the early LOST purgatory theories because it was presumed that no one could have survived a high altitude mid-plane break up over the Pacific Ocean.
And with the unassuming Gilligan cast as Satan is quite the plot twist. On LOST, there were numerous characters who could have been Satan: Jacob, the master mind behind the island; MIB who is a dark mass of shape shifting like the serpent in the Garden of Eden; and even Christian who wound up manipulating people's free will. One could create the ultimate premise by saying that Earth itself is Hell - - - we all are born in a purgatory with our "lives" are redemptive steps from a past we know nothing about.
Showing posts with label satan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label satan. Show all posts
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Sunday, September 22, 2013
DARK MESSENGER
In various religions, messengers from the heavens can be considered good, bad, mischievous or indifferent. The character called Matthew Abaddon fits into all those categories by design or mistake.
He played a hospital orderly, an airline lawyer, a recruiter for the freighter mission, and a chauffeur for Locke in his quest to get the O6 back to the island. It is believed that he was an agent for Widmore who needed to move people "to where they needed to be" like pieces on a chess board.
Chronologically, he was first seen suggesting to Locke (after he was crippled by his father) that he take a "walkabout" in Australia (which he said he had once done) in order to find his "purpose in life." This advice ultimately led Locke to the Island aboard Flight 815.
Later, Abaddon was the recruiter who put together the "science team" for Widmore's freighter crew: Naomi would be the point person, along with pilot Frank, Daniel Faraday, Charlotte and Miles. The alleged purpose of the science mission was to find the wreckage of Flight 815. Abaddon told Naomi that there had been no survivors.
Sometime after the rescue of the O6, Abaddon posed as a representative for Oceanic Airlines when visited Hurley at the mental institution. Hurley had cut himself off from the world. Abaddon coyly asked Hurley if "they" were still alive. This was done to start the "guilt" process to get Hurley to return to the island.
Sometime later, Abaddon was assigned by Widmore to take Locke around the world to convince the people who had escaped the island to return with him. While Locke's attempts to persuade Sayid, Hurley, Jack or Kate to return to the Island were unsuccessful, Locke remained persistent as they traveled to see Walt and "to find" Helen his old girlfriend. Locke was taken to Helen's grave. There, Abaddon posited that Locke's fate, and his death, may be predestined. Locke argued that he didn't want to die, and if it was predestined then that would remove the choice. Abaddon, ending the conversation, simply remarked "Hey, I'm just your driver." As they were leaving the cemetery, Abaddon was in the midst of a pep speech that Locke should keep going when he was assassinated allegedly by Ben's operatives. Ben would later tell Locke that it was he who had shot Abaddon, who he claimed was "extremely dangerous" and would have tried to kill Locke in due time (but that makes no sense within the story since both Abaddon and Ben wanted Locke to succeed in bringing everyone back to the island.)
In all these situations, Abaddon is surrounded by pain, suffering and death. Many people quickly realized that Abaddon's names comes from the Bible as a reference to "the Angel of the Bottomless Pit, " whose job it is to take souls to their destination in the Last Judgment. Many viewers believe that was Abaddon's role in the series.
Greek for "destruction" or "the destroyer," Abaddon the Angel is pictured as a human sized locust, and is known as the lord of pestilence. The root for "Matthew" in Hebrew is "Gift from God." Additionally, in Hebrew, Abaddon is synonymous for Hell or destruction. Very loosely translated "Matthew Abaddon" can be read as "Gift from the god of hell." Jesus refers to God the Father as "Abba" while "-don" is the first three letters of "donate," which comes from the Latin root for "give." The name of the character in the episode referred to by the press release using the spelling "Matthew Abbadon" might be interpreted "Gift of God/Father Gift."
Abaddon as a dark angel makes sense. His first appearance is after Locke should have been killed from the multiple story fall. If Locke had died, Abaddon may have been "collecting" his soul for a trip to the underworld playground called the Island. MIB called Jacob "the Devil." Dogen called MIB "evil incarnate." The island was certainly a living hell for those taken to it.
There is a possibility that Abaddon was a version of the smoke monster as ghost Christian was a version of Jacob when Jack was back at the hospital after his rescue. There is no known rule that prohibits either Jacob or the smoke monster from materializing off the island. Jacob had been seen in many places, in LA, Korea and on the freighter. Immortal spirits such as the devil or his dark angels could haunt the living as well as the dead.
Abaddon's character is a strong clue that LOST was more about death than life. It was about dead souls attempting to cope with a journey to their after life reunion in the sideways realm.
He played a hospital orderly, an airline lawyer, a recruiter for the freighter mission, and a chauffeur for Locke in his quest to get the O6 back to the island. It is believed that he was an agent for Widmore who needed to move people "to where they needed to be" like pieces on a chess board.
Chronologically, he was first seen suggesting to Locke (after he was crippled by his father) that he take a "walkabout" in Australia (which he said he had once done) in order to find his "purpose in life." This advice ultimately led Locke to the Island aboard Flight 815.
Later, Abaddon was the recruiter who put together the "science team" for Widmore's freighter crew: Naomi would be the point person, along with pilot Frank, Daniel Faraday, Charlotte and Miles. The alleged purpose of the science mission was to find the wreckage of Flight 815. Abaddon told Naomi that there had been no survivors.
Sometime after the rescue of the O6, Abaddon posed as a representative for Oceanic Airlines when visited Hurley at the mental institution. Hurley had cut himself off from the world. Abaddon coyly asked Hurley if "they" were still alive. This was done to start the "guilt" process to get Hurley to return to the island.
Sometime later, Abaddon was assigned by Widmore to take Locke around the world to convince the people who had escaped the island to return with him. While Locke's attempts to persuade Sayid, Hurley, Jack or Kate to return to the Island were unsuccessful, Locke remained persistent as they traveled to see Walt and "to find" Helen his old girlfriend. Locke was taken to Helen's grave. There, Abaddon posited that Locke's fate, and his death, may be predestined. Locke argued that he didn't want to die, and if it was predestined then that would remove the choice. Abaddon, ending the conversation, simply remarked "Hey, I'm just your driver." As they were leaving the cemetery, Abaddon was in the midst of a pep speech that Locke should keep going when he was assassinated allegedly by Ben's operatives. Ben would later tell Locke that it was he who had shot Abaddon, who he claimed was "extremely dangerous" and would have tried to kill Locke in due time (but that makes no sense within the story since both Abaddon and Ben wanted Locke to succeed in bringing everyone back to the island.)
In all these situations, Abaddon is surrounded by pain, suffering and death. Many people quickly realized that Abaddon's names comes from the Bible as a reference to "the Angel of the Bottomless Pit, " whose job it is to take souls to their destination in the Last Judgment. Many viewers believe that was Abaddon's role in the series.
Greek for "destruction" or "the destroyer," Abaddon the Angel is pictured as a human sized locust, and is known as the lord of pestilence. The root for "Matthew" in Hebrew is "Gift from God." Additionally, in Hebrew, Abaddon is synonymous for Hell or destruction. Very loosely translated "Matthew Abaddon" can be read as "Gift from the god of hell." Jesus refers to God the Father as "Abba" while "-don" is the first three letters of "donate," which comes from the Latin root for "give." The name of the character in the episode referred to by the press release using the spelling "Matthew Abbadon" might be interpreted "Gift of God/Father Gift."
Abaddon as a dark angel makes sense. His first appearance is after Locke should have been killed from the multiple story fall. If Locke had died, Abaddon may have been "collecting" his soul for a trip to the underworld playground called the Island. MIB called Jacob "the Devil." Dogen called MIB "evil incarnate." The island was certainly a living hell for those taken to it.
There is a possibility that Abaddon was a version of the smoke monster as ghost Christian was a version of Jacob when Jack was back at the hospital after his rescue. There is no known rule that prohibits either Jacob or the smoke monster from materializing off the island. Jacob had been seen in many places, in LA, Korea and on the freighter. Immortal spirits such as the devil or his dark angels could haunt the living as well as the dead.
Abaddon's character is a strong clue that LOST was more about death than life. It was about dead souls attempting to cope with a journey to their after life reunion in the sideways realm.
Friday, July 13, 2012
666 PREVIEW
ABC-TV's press release/web site heralds a new show this fall: 666 Park Avenue, starring LOST alum Terry O'Quinn in a familiar LOST-like setting. The release states:
"What would you do to have everything you desire? Step inside 666 Park Avenue, New York’s most seductive address. We all have some burning needs, desires and ambitions. For the residents of The Drake, the premier apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, these will all be met – for a price – courtesy of the building’s mysterious owner, Gavin Doran (Terry O’Quinn). But be careful what you wish for, because the price you have to pay is your soul. ABC’s wickedly sensual, sexy and spine-tingling new drama about fulfilling our deepest desires, 666 Park Avenue, will air Sundays from 10:00-11:00 p.m., ET.
When Jane Van Veen (Rachael Taylor) and Henry Martin (Dave Annable), an idealistic young couple from the Midwest, arrive in New York City, the glamorous center of industry and media, they are offered the opportunity to manage the historic Drake. Jane, a small town girl with big ambitions, always knew she wanted to be an architect. Henry, a member of the Mayor’s staff, is grounded, intelligent and tenacious. They are lured by the intoxicating lifestyle of New York’s wealthy elite.
Gavin, who has many skeletons in his own closet, is at the height of his world and commands the dark power of The Drake. Olivia (Vanessa Williams), his beautiful but enigmatic, supportive wife, wears her elegance, wealth and position in society as armor… but cracks will slowly be revealed.
Jane and Henry not only fall prey to the machinations of Gavin and Olivia, but unwittingly live in the dark embrace of the building’s supernatural forces which endanger the lives of its residents. These include Brian Leonard (Robert Buckley), a young playwright pining for his early success and promise. Brian’s wife, Louise (Mercedes Masöhn), is a rising hot star in the world of fashion photography. Alexis Blume (Helena Mattsson) is a troubled young woman who is the picture of obsession -- what is her real connection to Gavin, and what part will she play in Brian and Louise’s life? Tony DeMeo (Erik Palladino), The Drake’s doorman, is the eyes and ears of the building. And then there is 14-year-old Nona Clark (Samantha Logan), who has a blossoming psychic ability, allowing her to look into the future of her fellow Drake occupants.
Sexy, enticing and captivating, home to an epic struggle of good versus evil, The Drake maintains a dark hold over all of its tenants in this new, chilling drama, tempting them through their ambitions and desires."
It appears ABC is setting up the premise of 666 as a micro-LOST: an ensemble cast "trapped" in a demonic building manipulated by Satan (O'Quinn).
From Comic-Con, observations seem to play on this free will trade off between mortals and immortality. O'Quinn's character is described as a person who plays hard with money and people's souls. He is willing to grant people their desires (cue, "magic box" from the Island) but for a price.
Like the Island, this apartment building is filled with odd mysteries and horror elements: the building itself, called The Drake, has a sinister past. It seems it has seen a lot of tragedy -- suicides, murders and even darker things. Show elements include a malevolent elevator, and a ghost-girl in the basement. - a mysterious group called the order of the dragon that has sealed off part of the basements for an unknown reason (sounds like The Hatch).
The premise to this series is more upfront than the LOST script. Viewers will know fairly quickly that there are dark elements of the building and its owners, through the eyes of the naive Midwestern couple who comes to the Big Apple and wind up in their own mini-Hell. It all depends on how the creators of the show want to develop the mysteries and horror elements into a reasonable story arcs.
For those who are looking to fill the LOST void, 666 Park Avenue may be the that diversion. Lost alums so far have not fared well in their action-adventure sequels, such as Alcatraz or Hawaii 5-0.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
S6E10 SECURITY
On the Swan blast door, the smoke monster was called Cerberus. Rousseau called it the island's "security system." As the series winds down, it is time to re-examine MIB-Smokey in terms from past seasons:
Cerberus has been described as a three headed monster, with heads of a lion, hound and wolf with a tail of a snake. Cerberus’ three heads relate to the threefold symbol of the baser forces of life. They represent the past, the present and the time yet to come.
Dante described Cerberus as “il gran vermo inferno” thus linking the monsters with the legendary worms and orms.
Cerberus is the watchdog of Hell. He is often pictured with Hades (Satan), his master. He can be found on the banks of the river Styx, where he had the task of eating any mortals who attempted to enter, and any spirits who attempted to escape.
Cerberus was notorious for not allowing mortals who were still alive to enter the Underworld, with the exception of a handful of mythological characters. Ancient Greeks and Romans placed a coin in a small cake in the hands of their deceased: the coin to pay the ferryman who ferried souls across the River Styx, and a cake to pacify Cerberus.Cerberus has become an archetype for a protector, particularly the protector of a gate, door or boundary (as opposed to a personal protector). In this guise Cerberus features widely in fiction and cultural works from the Middle Ages (in Dante's work, in Canto VI of Inferno (third circle)) to the modern time (as in Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone, in the character of Fluffy) and a number of modern security and warfare-related artifacts named after it.
So what is MIB-Smokey? In Season 6, he is getting into a groove of being a lying, manipulating con-artist mass murderer. In prior seasons, it appeared as an uncontrollable beast (in smoke form) who destroyed just about everyone in its path. If MIB is Cerberus, its job was to eat any humans who attempted to get through the gate to Hell. There were only a few exceptions to that rule. This rule makes some sense from S1E1 forward.
He also stood at the gate to stop any spirits from leaving Hell. If the island is Hell as Richard bellowed last week, then MIB should never have allowed any of the O6 to leave, let alone allow them to return.
There is nothing in the literature that states how one destroys Cerberus. It can only be pacified by drugged cakes, or lulled to sleep by music.
So the conclusion is that MIB as the smoke monster may not be the same smoke monster-Cerberus-security system from past seasons. Did MIB somehow fuse Smokey and himself into the Flocke form? Or does MIB (as Satan) merely "call" his smoke monster guard beast whenever he needs a destructive force?
Saturday, March 13, 2010
ROOM 23
Alex's boyfriend, Karl, was punished by the Others in Room 23. It was a brainwashing room that flashed images to a prisoner in order to indoctrinate. I recall one of the parts proclaimed that:
GOD LOVES YOU AS HE LOVED JACOB ( superimposed on yellow carpeted stairs.)
With all the good and evil team concepts floating about cyberspace, Room 23 may be the best circumstantial evidence of who and what we can make of Jacob.
Room 23 was in the Hydra station. It was Dharma's room for psychological experiments. Apparently, it was taken over after the purge by the Others to indoctrinate new island arrivals. We think Walt was the only 815er to be held in that room. This could explain why the Others follow their leader without much discussion.
Now dissecting the reference to Jacob in the indoctrination tape:
God must represent the highest being in a pantheon.
Loves You: is directed toward the captive watching the video. It is used to comfort the person, to let their guard down, so as to reconfigure the person's core beliefs.
As He Loved: this is in the past tense, not the same present tense to the watcher. The screen could have said "as He loves Jacob" putting the person in the same category with God.
Jacob: Is a person/entity that has taken human form on the island and off the island. He has touched many people, and brought them to the island. One of the oldest touched people was Richard, who first thought the touch was a gift, but learned it was a curse.
Jacob could then represent the most famous person who lost God's favor: Satan.
Satan is an embodiment of antagonism that originates from the Abramhamic religions, being traditionally considered an angel in Judeo-Christian belief, and a Jinn in Islamic belief. Religions have used "Satan" as a name for the Devil. As the embodiment of evil, and plays a major role in Christian theology and literature, as well as in many other religions. He is the tempter and spiritual enemy of mankind. He is the adversary of God although subordinate to him and able to act only by his sufferance and is represented frequently as the leader or prince of all apostate angels and as ruler of Hell.
For most Christians, he is believed to be an angel who rebelled against God. Before his insurrection, Satan was among the highest of all angels. His pride is considered a reason why he would not bow to God as all other angels did, but sought to rule heaven himself. His ultimate goal is to lead people away from the love of God — to lead them to fallacies which God opposes. The Book of Revelation describes how Satan will be cast out of Heaven, down to the earth, having "great anger" and waging war against "those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus." In mainstream Christianity he is called "the ruler of the demons," "the ruler of the world" and "the god of this world." Ultimately, Satan is thrown into the "lake of fire"not as ruler, but as one among many, being tormented day and night for all eternity.
Probably, the most effective way to convert followers of God is to subvert God's teachings. Hijack the belief system, so to speak, to become the spokesman of "good" while really using the power being gained by the followers acceptance of you for an "evil" uprising against God. If Jacob is Satan, he has used the mind games of good to con the Others and Candidates into believing he is good when in fact he is evil.
And what were the characteristics of the Devil in religious texts? Satan could shape shift into different forms on Earth. He was a serpent you tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of knowledge, which led to the banishment of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. That first sin against God's word evolved a world in which Satan could have influence - - - temptations, sins, crime, murder, pain, suffering . . . but maybe Satan's days of messing with humans has grown tired, and he wants his ultimate revenge: the war to retake heaven.
That last paragraph sounds more like the motivation of MIB. It could be. Satan had a band of rebellious angels who were cast out of heaven. His henchmen or minions could be his followers doing his dirty work (with lower beings like humans). Maybe MIB is tired of being a demonic gangster, and wants to return to heaven not to overthrow it, but to seek forgiveness.
This would put the story clearly in the lines of the Nexus Buffer Theory, where the island is a nexus point between heaven and hell, and the potential final battlefield between the forces of good and evil.
GOD LOVES YOU AS HE LOVED JACOB ( superimposed on yellow carpeted stairs.)
With all the good and evil team concepts floating about cyberspace, Room 23 may be the best circumstantial evidence of who and what we can make of Jacob.
Room 23 was in the Hydra station. It was Dharma's room for psychological experiments. Apparently, it was taken over after the purge by the Others to indoctrinate new island arrivals. We think Walt was the only 815er to be held in that room. This could explain why the Others follow their leader without much discussion.
Now dissecting the reference to Jacob in the indoctrination tape:
God must represent the highest being in a pantheon.
Loves You: is directed toward the captive watching the video. It is used to comfort the person, to let their guard down, so as to reconfigure the person's core beliefs.
As He Loved: this is in the past tense, not the same present tense to the watcher. The screen could have said "as He loves Jacob" putting the person in the same category with God.
Jacob: Is a person/entity that has taken human form on the island and off the island. He has touched many people, and brought them to the island. One of the oldest touched people was Richard, who first thought the touch was a gift, but learned it was a curse.
Jacob could then represent the most famous person who lost God's favor: Satan.
Satan is an embodiment of antagonism that originates from the Abramhamic religions, being traditionally considered an angel in Judeo-Christian belief, and a Jinn in Islamic belief. Religions have used "Satan" as a name for the Devil. As the embodiment of evil, and plays a major role in Christian theology and literature, as well as in many other religions. He is the tempter and spiritual enemy of mankind. He is the adversary of God although subordinate to him and able to act only by his sufferance and is represented frequently as the leader or prince of all apostate angels and as ruler of Hell.
For most Christians, he is believed to be an angel who rebelled against God. Before his insurrection, Satan was among the highest of all angels. His pride is considered a reason why he would not bow to God as all other angels did, but sought to rule heaven himself. His ultimate goal is to lead people away from the love of God — to lead them to fallacies which God opposes. The Book of Revelation describes how Satan will be cast out of Heaven, down to the earth, having "great anger" and waging war against "those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus." In mainstream Christianity he is called "the ruler of the demons," "the ruler of the world" and "the god of this world." Ultimately, Satan is thrown into the "lake of fire"not as ruler, but as one among many, being tormented day and night for all eternity.
Probably, the most effective way to convert followers of God is to subvert God's teachings. Hijack the belief system, so to speak, to become the spokesman of "good" while really using the power being gained by the followers acceptance of you for an "evil" uprising against God. If Jacob is Satan, he has used the mind games of good to con the Others and Candidates into believing he is good when in fact he is evil.
And what were the characteristics of the Devil in religious texts? Satan could shape shift into different forms on Earth. He was a serpent you tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of knowledge, which led to the banishment of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. That first sin against God's word evolved a world in which Satan could have influence - - - temptations, sins, crime, murder, pain, suffering . . . but maybe Satan's days of messing with humans has grown tired, and he wants his ultimate revenge: the war to retake heaven.
That last paragraph sounds more like the motivation of MIB. It could be. Satan had a band of rebellious angels who were cast out of heaven. His henchmen or minions could be his followers doing his dirty work (with lower beings like humans). Maybe MIB is tired of being a demonic gangster, and wants to return to heaven not to overthrow it, but to seek forgiveness.
This would put the story clearly in the lines of the Nexus Buffer Theory, where the island is a nexus point between heaven and hell, and the potential final battlefield between the forces of good and evil.
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