LOVECRAFTIAN

According to author H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, somewhere sunken in the South Pacific there is a “nightmare corpse-city” called R’lyeh, “built in measureless eons behind history by the vast, loathsome shapes that seeped down from the dark stars.” 

In his house in this city, the great old god Cthulhu waits, dead and dreaming, for his return to power. In a story, a crew of sailors accidentally discover a risen part of the city, an island with a “coast-line of mingled mud, ooze, and weedy Cyclopean masonry,” accidentally wake Cthulhu from his sleep, and are either killed or driven mad.

 Exploring the island, the sailors soon discover that “all the rules of matter and perspective seemed upset,” and they struggle to comprehend and describe their surroundings. “One could not be sure that the sea and the ground were horizontal, hence the relative position of everything else seemed phantasmally variable,” one of the sailors, Gustaf Johansen, wrote in his log. Even when they discover a simple door, the sailors couldn’t tell if it “lay flat like a trap-door or slantwise like an outside cellar-door” because the “geometry of the place was all wrong.”

Of course, none of it—the sailors, the city, the island, the dead-dreaming god—are real. If it was, though, would science be able to explain the weird geometry of the city? Benjamin Tippett, a theoretical physicist and mathematician at the University of New Brunswick, tries to bring fiction into science with a “unified theory of Cthulhu.”

After poring over the clues and descriptions left by Lovecraft’s characters and employing his “mad general relativity skills,” Tippett thinks that the geometry of R’lyeh was all wrong—not because the architecture curves and angles in strange ways, but because of the space the city occupies. R’lyeh, he says, lies in a “region of anomalously curved spacetime,” and the bizarre geometry of the buildings and changing alignment of the horizon are the consequences of the “gravitational lensing of images therein.” 

In a region of curved spacetime, Tippett explains, light doesn’t travel in reliably straight trajectories, so objects beyond the curved region appear warped and skewed, and the relative positions of two objects, or the flatness of a large object, in the region are difficult to discern. A visitor to R’lyeh, he says, would “see the outside world (and other distant objects upon the island) as if through a large fishbowl. Thus, the horizon would no longer be reliably straight, and the sun and moon would swing wildly through the sky depending on one’s position.”

Tippett thinks his “spacetime bubble hypothesis” can also explain the oddities of how time is perceived in R’lyeh, and maybe even address the “central myth of the Cthulhu cult.” Time, he says, passes slower inside an area of curved spacetime than it does outside of it. This time dilation is probably what allowed the sailor Johansen to “survive adrift at sea for nearly two weeks … in a state of helpless dementia.” It could also mean that Cthulhu, whose cultists describe him as dead and dreaming, neither alive nor truly dead, is simply “in a position where it does not feel the passage of time.” At the center of the spacetime bubble, the god could wait, unchanging, for aeons.

As to what caused or created the curved spacetime bubble surrounding R’lyeh, Tippett can only guess. “An exotic type of matter with which human science is entirely unfamiliar is required for such a geometry to exist,” he says. “Indeed, this is the very species of energy which is theoretically required to build a warp drive or a cloaking device. Only a people capable of crossing vast cosmic distances could have constructed Johansen’s bubble.”

Bubble. Spacetime. Time dilation from inside and outside the island. Exotic type of matter.

These are all elements in LOST.

Was the hidden foundation of the LOST mythology from Lovecraft?

As said in Hollywood, nothing is really new.

Is the smoke monster a version of Cthulhu, a dead and dreaming god?

It is a possible explanation. It has tangential elements of exotic powers, unexplained monster, and a time drift that defies conventional science.

The smoke monster is nothing we had ever seen. It takes the form of smoke, then transforms matter into various forms, including humans. It has the ability to read minds, reshape memories, and absorb personalities. It some ways it is parasitic. In other ways, it is intellectually aware.

Or the smoke monster could be the island god's leaking subconscious, a semi-dream state creating or interacting with castaways which shipwreck on its shores, and in turn, disturbs its eternal slumber.

If one part of the island is in actual dream state, the human beings on its surface are the new threads in the island's fantasy world. The castaways don't know that they are real elements in a non-human's dream. And with dreams, they can turn into nightmares. Also, dreams can often overcome the dreamer's normal moral compass and governors, and turn quite dark. 

But this premise does not explain the ending to the series. If the smoke monster was part of the island god's dream state, how could it be "killed?"  Why would even want to be killed?  The only way to stop a dream is to wake up (another strong theme in the sideways world).  So it is possible, that shipwrecked islanders came under a dream like spell while on the island, interacting with the unseen consciousness of the Lovecraftian god. 

Two possible outcomes of killing or waking up a slumbering god: first, it is angry and kills everyone who is on the island, or second, it is benevolent and gives each person their own "dreams" in the alternative afterlife world. Except, not everyone was happy and content in the sideways world. And why keep the island events hidden, repressed and unknown in the sideways world? Was it a final test?

Or was it just another level of the dream?

MILES POWER

To be honest, I always thought Miles' "power" to read the last thoughts of the dead was pretty much a stark naked con to comfort family members (for a price).

But in the world of pseudo-science, there is now an article allegedly explaining this power.

In the Australian Journal of Parapsychology, June, 2013 issue, there is a paper which deals with the subject matter of  Psychological phenomena in dead people: Post- traumatic stress disorder in murdered people and its consequences to public health.

The journal abstract states:  

The aims of this paper are to narrate and analyze some psychological phenomena that I have perceived in dead people, including evidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in murdered people. The methodology adopted was "projection of consciousness" (i.e., a non-ordinary state of consciousness), which allowed me to observe, interact, and interview dead people directly as a social psychologist. This investigation was based on Cartesian skepticism, which allowed me a more critical analysis of my experiences during projection of consciousness. There is strong evidence that a dead person: (i) continues living, thinking, behaving after death as if he/she still has his/her body because consciousness continues in an embodied state as 'postmortem embodied experiences'; (ii) may not realize for a considerable time that he/she is already dead since consciousness continues to be embodied after death (i.e., 'postmortem perturbation' - the duration of this perturbation can vary from person to person, in principle according to the type of death, and the level of conformation), and (iii) does not like to talk, remember, and/or explain things related to his/her own death because there is evidence that many events related to death are repressed in his/her unconscious ('postmortem cognitive repression'). In addition, there is evidence that dying can be very traumatic to consciousness, especially to the murdered, and PTSD may even develop.

In order to have a scientific truth, the author's conclusion needs to be repeatable by his peers. I cannot fathom how one could set up an experiment to duplicate these conclusions.

But in an extremely odd way, this paper hits on various science fiction points contained in LOST.

Projected consciousness could relate to Desmond's flash forward premonitions in a time altered world.

One of the ideas I had early on is that no one survived the plane crash, but those lost souls on Flight 815 failed to realize that they were dead. This is the paper's "postmortem embodied experience." Their consciousness continued to live on as each person survived the crash - - - living, breathing, interacting with other consciousness streams united by the same ending experience.

The manner of death, such as a plane crash or murder, would somehow heighten the duration and post-traumatic stress of a dead person's consciousness.

The main characters continued to repress their past actions, but the island projected to them symbols of their pasts (like Christian or Kate's horse) so they could remember that they were dead in order for their souls to move on.

And the author's claim that he can interview the dead by extending his own consciousness could be the method that both Miles and Hurley used in order to communicate with the dead. However, Hurley had the additional strange attribute to physically be with people he knew were dead, and to have physical contact with them (Charlie and Ana Lucia).

EXPECTATIONS

Expectations are a difficult thing to manage for a series showrunner. Fans may get ahead of the writer's curve. It also depends on the "set-up" of the series itself - - - the massive build up of story line, cliffhangers and hints at massive plot twists.

We were aware that there were great expectations for LOST's final season. There was even more expectations for the finale, which the producers wrangled more air time to finish their story. The finale pretty much split the fan base.

Last weekend, the television expectation game went into a global frenzy with the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special. For any television series to last six seasons is unique, but to last 50 years (with some interrupted periods) is improbable. The British series has survived the decades since the first airing by a clever concept of replacing the main character with new actors (an alien regeneration).

Science fiction has always been a niche market. But its fan base tends to be more loyal and rabid. The Doctor Who premise is actually quite simple. It is the story of a Time Lord, a man who can manipulate both time and space, to travel the universe to fight foes and observe historical events. The premise of this series was clear. It stated its story rules early on in the series. Fans accepted the notion that a blue box was bigger on the inside; that alien technology was more advanced than Earth's; and that one man with almost infinite knowledge can stop global invasions or disasters. Fans are not caught up in the how or why the Doctor can manipulate time, space, elements, or physical objects such as locks with a sonic screwdriver. Just as with Star Trek, the in-story concepts such as warp drive are taken as the explanation for impossible physics of the series, so the story can move forward with the characters not being bogged down with explaining the world around them.

The foundational elements of a science fiction show are critical to its viability and credibility. The canon on how the show's universe works is as important as the characters interacting inside that universe.

Which gets us back to two points on LOST.

First, as the series unfolded, it is hard to imagine that it could have kept going for decades with new incarnations as Star Trek or Doctor Who. We don't know what the LOST universe is; or what or where the island is located (Charlie's first insightful question from the pilot episode).

Second, the series could not be rebooted without answering all the unanswered and conflicting questions from the original series. This is something the creators have adamantly decided not to do.

Reviews of the Doctor Who special have been quite positive, as it seemed to pack various elements of fan service into existing story line canon. A few fans still question what the special's reveals means to the future of the show, but their expectations were met by the episode.

AN EPIC JOURNEY

Literature must mimic real life events in order to make the entertainment compelling and believable to the reader. The same is true for visual media.

The classic format for story telling is the epic journey. It is based upon man's innate desire to move about the world. Humanity's survival depended upon its population movement to new places, new climates, and new knowledge acquired along the way. Exploration and discovery are keystones to the human experience.

It could be as simple as ancient man learning to harness fire. Fire allowed groups to settle in camps. Fire allowed the groups to cook and preserve meats, which some medical researchers believe allowed man's brain to develop beyond its animal instincts. In turn, the settlements allowed man to begin to fashion the first agriculture: the cultivation of plants and domestication of animals. Tribal travel became folk lore. They would not need to move unless the environment or food resources changed; meaning that the group would have to leave their "home" in order to survive.

Survival is a great motivator. It is a built-in human mechanism in order to deal with the stress, anxiety, fear and physical demands of a desperate situation. A person gets a massive dose of adrenaline, testosterone and endorphins which in some cases create superhuman feats of strength or endurance.

So the basic roots of the epic journey story go back as far as the first human settlements.

In most epic journey stories, the main character(s), the hero, must suffer hardship, conflicts, difficult choices and possible unintended consequences of his actions, in order to personally grow as an individual and to resolve the main conflict that blocks his path to his destination.

These basic elements are hard to fit into the story line of Jack.

He was brought up in a middle class home. He had a better life than most people. He was estranged from his successful father, so he appears to be a lonely child. He was bright enough to become a spinal trauma surgeon. He would have the respect of his colleagues and staff. He was young, rich, and very good at his profession. But he was still trying to get acknowledgement from his father. He was still a lonely person.

If one believes Jack's journey "begins" with his over-the-top "miracle" cure of Sarah, for which his father told him not to give his patients "false hope," then what was it for?

Jack and Sarah became engaged. At their wedding rehearsal dinner, Sarah gave a speech about how she met Jack through her accident and how, because of him, she would be able to "dance at her wedding." She ended the speech with a toast to Jack, her hero. Later that night, she came downstairs to the hotel's bar and joined Jack at the piano. Noting that there were some girls checking him out, she and Jack played "Heart and Soul"together. On their wedding day, the two of them shared their prepared vows and were pronounced husband and wife.

Sarah was the representation of the pinnacle of Jack's profession. He was her literal Knight in Shining Armor who saved her from a life of misery. In any fairy tale, this would be the happy ending. Jack was no longer alone. He had bested his father's skill and performed a true miracle. Jack had arrived.

But Sarah and Jack ultimately got divorced; one can assume that Jack's family history of alcoholism could have been a factor as Jack began to drink. Jack bitterly contested the divorce, and eventually began stalking Sarah trying to discover the identity of her lover. Jack eventually accused Christian and assaulted him in public, after finding his father's telephone number in Sarah's cell phone call records. Jack's life turned into a paranoid trail of accusations. Instead of having hope, he has personal despair. Jack fell a part, professionally and emotionally.

When a remarried and pregnant Sarah Wagner arrived at the emergency room where Jack was being treated (after he saved a woman from a car wreck which he caused by his attempted suicide on a bridge), she said she was still as his emergency contact person. She was cold and distant. She did not want anything further to do with Jack. She was aware of his recently-developed drinking habit and was highly disturbed by it, as she asked if he was "drinking again." At this point, Jack could never turn back the clock. His wife was gone. His father was gone. He was again alone.

Jack's journey to the island did not change any of those critical facts. He performed no miracles on the island. Two of his patients died in gruesome, painful deaths (Mars and Boone.) In fact, it was Boone who told Jack to let him go. Jack had a problem of rejection and failure. The island did not change those factors as Jack's leadership was always questioned (by Locke, Sawyer, Kate, and the Others). If he believed in the hope of the survivors rescue, Jack did little to make that happen in the end. It was Frank who piloted the few survivors off the island. It was Sawyer who got Kate to the plane; and it was Kate who got Claire to the plane. Jack's decisions actually hurt more people than helped saved.

Yes, Jack suffered numerous hardships on the island. He had multiple conflicts within his own group and the Others. He made difficult decisions on the safety of the survivors, which led to many lives lost.  Jack was not punished for the consequences of his actions. He did not personally grow as an individual since he was a leader prior to the plane crash, and assumed the vague guardian role in the end.  The guardian role did not save anyone, including Jack.  If the main conflict of LOST was Jacob and MIB's escape from the island, Jack was a pawn in that play. If Jack had to sacrifice himself so others could live, that was undetermined at the end.  Jack's destiny was to die. But all humans are destined to die. There is nothing unusual or compelling about that fact. And in the LOST mythology, we don't actually know "exactly" when Jack died or why.

Jack had a lot of island adventures, but they were twists and turns on a path which resolved very little. If you take Jack's character out of the LOST saga, not much would be missing or be the catalyst to the end in the sideways church. There was no grand revelation of what Jack did that made a great change in the outcome of his life, or the lives of his friends. They explored a strange island, but discovered nothing about themselves. No one changed. Their destinies were fixed before they arrived on the island.