LAYERED DREAMS

It was not one of the best Doctor Who Christmas specials, but this year's did have an interesting concept at play: dreams within dreams where the characters believed they were dealing with real time, interactive events, even though they were not even in the same location.

In LOST, dream theorists believe that the characters were all hooked up on machines that criss-cross neuron-impulses to create a fabricated, collective dream matrix. It is run by the subconscious mind, like running through levels of a video game. Nothing is real, even though your brain and your senses think it is real.

But the application of dreams within dreams can explain the problematic sideways universe. In essence, the characters mental comas or sleep states could have created the following layers: background stories; the flight from Sydney; the crash onto the island; the island events; the off-island events like the O6; the inconsistent time travel events; and the sideways world. Even when someone died on the island, like Libby, she was still an illusion in the next layer of the complex dream state: the sideways arc.

The dream state explanation is one of the true unified theories to LOST. Since dreams are not reality, basic tenets of fact like time and physics (such as a moving island) do not matter so there is no continuity errors. Vivid dreams can take the place of actual events in minds that are broken, drugged or fragmented - - - which are traits in most of the characters who landed on the island.

TO HIS OWN DRUMBEAT

"If a man does not keep pace with his companion, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer"? - - - Henry David Thoreau

Companionship is the keystone to the foundation of human relationships.

It is often taken for granted by couples.

One's compassion and passion are the mortar that sets companionship to the solid foundation of the relationship.

In all of the LOST relationships, only one truly met the requirement for a lasting love affair: Rose and Bernard.  All the rest of the main characters were missing some real compassion or passion for their partner. For example, Sayid may have felt sympathy for Shannon after losing Boone, and had a passionate spark for her, but Shannon's M.O. was to find a man, anyone, who would support her. Her only asset was her good looks. That was not a solid relationship in any sense of the term.

The same goes for Jack and Kate. Kate used her charm to bounce around from man to man in order to get something from him: protection, money, a hideout, or escape. Jack did not seem to have the passion to hold on to Kate, and Kate was never head over heels in love with Jack during their island time. If she was, she would have never left a bleeding Jack after they defeated MIB/Flocke.

Besides Rose and Bernard, the main characters of the show walked to their own drummers because they were loners, lost in their own fears, self-esteem issues and social awkwardness that stunts human growth.

PRESENTS

In the holiday season, if Jacob was the magical Santa, what gifts did he give the islanders?

Santa is an immortal character passed down for centuries. The lesson was that if little boys and girls were good, they would receive presents in their stockings. Some consider that the first parental mind control game. The holiday gift giving traditions corresponds to the bounty of the harvest and cultural imprints to share with those in need. Noble concepts, indeed.

But there were few, if any, noble concepts in LOST.

What Jacob gave most visitors, including his followers, was pain and suffering.

What present did Jack get from the island? Death. He died fighting an immortal smoke monster which we still don't know what it was, what it was made of, and what purpose it truly had on the island.

What present did Locke get from the island? Death. He was murdered by Ben who in a sudden fit of rage subconsciously thought he was protecting the island from Eloise Hawking.

What present did Michael get from the island? Death and imprisonment. His soul became a trapped island whisper. Was Michael's sins any different from the lives that both Jack and Locke took on the island? The answer would be no - - - they were senseless acts of violence.

What did Charlie get from the island? Death in a senseless, but noble way. Charlie sacrificed himself to contact a rescue boat, but then warned Desmond it was not Penny's. Charlie only wanted to save Claire, but by dying he lost that opportunity.

What did Jin and Sun get from the island? Death. When Sun was trapped in the submarine, Jin stayed with her knowing that their decision would leave their only child an orphan. Normally, a parent would do anything to help their child, to protect her and support her. Jin's death was really a senseless suicide.

What present did Kate get from the island? She got the marshal killed, and she got the chance to continue to run away from responsibility and accountability for her actions. She never got punished for the men she killed. She got a free pass and a Get Out of Jail Free card.

What present did Walt get from the island? He got the status of being an orphan after Michael died, and he lost his dog, Vincent. At best, he got a normal life living with his grandmother, but he was still haunted by his island memories.

What present did Sawyer get from the island? He got only a short glimpse of a wonderful, normal relationship with Juliet. But then the island killed her off in a bizarre incident at the Hatch construction site. So he left the island still a bitter man.

What present did Sayid get from the island? He got an even shorter glimpse of a physical relationship with Shannon. But then the island killed her off in a senseless accident. The island turned Sayid back into the dark torture monster of his past; a self-loathing character with nothing to live for (even though he had pined for decades over his lost Nadia) and eventually perished only to be reincarnated as a evil minion. He would die trying to do something noble, but wound up killing more of his friends.

No, Jacob's and the island's graces to the castaways were not holiday presents. It was a struggle; a lot of pain and suffering; and death.

THE BACKGROUND CHARACTER

There was one thing that moved through the island stories in stealth mode: Vincent.

Walt's dog was the first to find and wake Jack after the crash.
Vincent was also the reason Michael tried to bond with his son by going into the jungle to find the lost dog.
Vincent was the one character that no one suspected of doing anything wrong.

But one clue that everyone missed first time around was this:

if Walt was so attached to Vincent, why did he not bring the dog with him on the raft?

If the one true rule of the island was that the smoke monster could not leave it - - - that could lead to an assumption that Vincent was NOT real, but a smoke monster in disguise. Which makes perfect sense if the smoke monster wanted to learn about the new humans on its island. What better way to gather intelligence than roaming through the camp listening to what everyone was saying. Vincent would have been the perfect spy.

We were introduced to Vincent in an odd way. Shortly after the crash. Vincent was searching the jungle. While doing this, he heard a whistle. It was Christian, who we would know later, was dead. And this Christian form was actually a smoke monster. He called Vincent over and told him to go wake up "his son." As Vincent ran off towards Jack to do this, Christian stated that Jack "had work to do." Vincent then continued running until he found Jack, who had just regained consciousness. As Jack awoke, he saw Vincent running towards him through the jungle and stopping to look at Jack. Vincent then continued exploring the jungle.

But since he had a "light" coat, perhaps Vincent was a manifestation of Jacob, who some believe was also a smoke monster due to his immortality and his inability to kill another smoke monster, MIB. Perhaps, both smoke monsters needed to awake, reincarnate or "save" a dead or dying Jack in order to fulfill their mutual desire to "die and leave the island."

We know that many "lost" souls remain trapped on the island (the whispers) including Michael. In the end, Vincent returns to the bamboo jungle to curl up next to dying Jack. Was this Jacob comforting Jack for taking the leadership role on the island - - - to direct his soul to the afterlife reunion?

Likewise, was Jacob in Vincent form attached Jack's dying soul from the plane crash into the island realm so it could be prepared for the after life?

BLACK & WHITE

It was a simple analogy: black and white.
It meant there are two things in the world: darkness and light.
It also means that the two represent many things, like good vs. evil; moral vs. immoral; trust vs. distrust; caring vs. apathy; friendship vs. enemy.

When you look at Locke's face above, you notice that he is scarred above and below his right eye. In Egyptian mythology, the Eye of Horus was a scar on the left eye of a sky god. In one story, Set and Horus fought over the throne after Osiris' death. Set gouged out Horus' left eye, which was restored by the magic of Thoth, the moon god. So the dark piece could be the moon and the light piece the sun, Ra, the most powerful god who had to traverse the dangerous underworld each night.

For the left eye of Horus represented "protection, royal power and good health."

But since it was a mirror image on Locke's face, would it represent the opposite?
"Insecurity, servitude and poor health."

In many ways, insecurity, servitude and poor health was Locke.  He was clearly insecure in his own self, his skill set, his dreams and his handling his own expectations. He thought of himself as a great man, but never had the drive to be his own boss or leader. He was boxed in various meaningless tasks like a clerk at a box company, or a pest control specialist. And his poor health, his disability, was direct result of mistrusting his con man father and his inability to defend himself.

In many ways, Locke was set up from the very beginning to be the series Fall Guy. He would never be the true leader. He would never have any true power over other people. And he would not live a happy or healthy life.  He embodied the dark fears of most people's subconscious. Even when things are going well, there is a hint of pending doom, despair or questioning in the back of one's mind. "This has to be too good to be true."  Self-doubt at times turns into real doubt on the road to failure.

It is ironic that Locke was trying to teach Walt, a young black child who had no mother and a stranger as a father, the symbolism of backgammon. Walt would wind up with a better fate than most island castaways: he would find some security with his grandmother, he would have a chance to control his own future, and he was in good health the last time Locke saw him. The time Locke could have tried to convince Walt to give up his new life and return to the island with him. But Locke did not even try to convince Walt to return to the island. It really was the clearest black and white decision Locke ever made in the show.

ALTERNATIVE LEADS

If one was going to shift the main focus of LOST to two different lead characters, then the "bad" chemistry between Boone and Shannon could have been a good alternative.

Through a roundabout way, Jack and Kate became the lead-romantic figures in the series. Jack was saved from being axed early on for dramatic effect (which ironically Boone would serve that role) while Kate was originally to be the lead lead character, but got downplayed to partial secondary lead (on the missions as surrogate for the fans).

Boone and Shannon could have leveraged their rich arrogance into strong willed aristocratic rule upon the beach survivors.  Shannon was quite the manipulative rich girl who was used to getting her way. Her wiles were downplayed in the series to only be a doting, spoiled, lazy brat. Her character could have been written in a more bold fashion. She could have used her sex appeal to bond loyalty with various male characters, such as Sawyer, Sayid and even Locke. Once she got muscle behind her, she could set herself up in island luxury (almost in the same mold as Ben).

Boone was smart enough to run a large business for his mother, he should have had the skill set to "manage" the castaways in an efficient manner where they would look up to him for their survival, instead of Jack. In fact, Jack was still afraid of authority figures due to his father's belittlement of his skills. Boone could have been the skilled politician who cut the deals to keep everyone in line.

Such a cutthroat couple was not foreign in the writers, since they used that concept with the misguided introduction of Nikki and Paulo, who conspired to kill a wealthy man for his diamonds and wealth.

A ruthless Boone-Shannon couple, linked by their dark secret of a sibling affair, would have added a new layer of darkness to the series. It could be used to keep them together, or later, pull them a part.

THE LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE

Throughout human existence, mankind has been aware of a few absolute truths: people are born and people die.

It is how one perceives life is what has changed over the tens of thousands of years.  In the past, ancient cultures mostly saw their lives in the cycles of Nature. Every year, like the seasons, would follow birth, harvest, death and rebirth. But in modern societies, the view is that life is a linear plane where each year of existence is another marker on a ruler.

Also, it is interesting that ancient cultures believed that there were present gateways from their creator gods to themselves on Earth. Ancient people looked to the stars in the heavens as the source of their own lives, including seeing the Milky Way as a portal to everlasting life.  Modern religions have adapted some of those past beliefs into a system of morality, where the human spirit lives on after mortal death on Earth, to be transported to a new realm of existence (heaven or hell).

But in this modern view, there is debate on whether there are intermediate steps in the transition from human to soul spirit. The ancient Egyptians believed that a human soul is divided at death so one part has to suffer judgment through a long, dangerous journey through the underworld with the hope to be reunited with its other part in paradise. Modern theology tends to state that if a person is good in his or her life, they will be rewarded in some fashion: external bliss in heaven in angelic form or reborn as another person or life form on Earth.

It is the transitory nature of life to death to potential rebirth that keeps the human mind from going completely mad at the prospect of nothingness at the end game.

So how could LOST fit into this existence time line?  The island was supposed to be the place of life, death and rebirth. It did not have the physics of an actual Earth island, so it is assumed that it is either a supernatural place or overlaps into another dimension of time-space. In other words, the island could be the space between human life and death.

For some viewers, that intermediate place makes sense. The characters pre-815 back stories show edtheir lives, troubles and sins. The sideways world showed the waiting room in the after life. The bridge between the two different existences had to be the island. It goes to show then that the characters could still be "alive" on the transitional island realm, but not able to "move on" to the after life unless certain conditions were met.

If you then view the island as a land of make believe, not of Earth but its own unique sphere of existence, it is easier to gloss over the factual inaccuracies or inconsistent story plot points because none of those really matter in a place which has no normal rules.