March 25,
2010
LostZone:
Live Forever, Live Alone
By
Louis Bedigian
Richard’s
story was beautiful, memorable…and a sign of things to come?
It was an
episode that left many speechless. Part brilliant and meaningful, part emotional
and reminiscent of The Sixth Sense, “Ab Aeterno” dove into the supernatural,
crossed paths with the unknown, and once again toyed with the popular Season One
theory that the castaways died after crashing on the island. It was
breathtaking, heartwarming, and – despite the tease that the smoke monster is
indeed behind some of the ghosts on the island – gave us hope that seeing is
believing.
After
more than 100 years of waiting, Hurley helped Richard reconnect with his dead
wife.
Live
Forever, Live Alone
For many of
the survivors of Oceanic 815, Jack’s “live together, die alone” speech really
hit home. It forced the castaways to deal with the fact that rescue wasn’t
coming, and that if they continued to fight each other, they wouldn’t survive.
Richard
wasn’t that lucky. He couldn’t simply walk away and die. In fact, there was a
time when he once feared death and the literal Hell that it might bring.
After
signing up to work for Jacob, he asked for only one thing: to live forever. He
would have preferred to have his wife, Isabella, back from the dead, or to be
completely absolved of his sins. Unfortunately, Jacob said he couldn’t do that,
so he asked for eternity and has been suffering silently ever since.
But after
years of working for Jacob, and after giving up all hope, Richard was finally
able to connect with his wife again. He couldn’t see her, but she was there,
speaking to him through Hurley. It was a beautiful scene that instantly took me
back to The Sixth Sense, specifically the final scene in the car with Cole and
his mother.
Though there
is the (very) slight chance that we are still being deceived, I think this
confirms that at least some of the ghosts on the island are real. How is
that possible? When it comes to things that are difficult to explain, the Lost
producers tend to cite The Force (Midi-chlorians) as a reason to avoid answering
certain questions. At best, my gut tells me this may be one such element the
producers will only clarify with loose details that are open to interpretation.
Richard’s
Fate
I believe
that Richard will complete his work on the island and be able to die. He won’t
get a sideways story because his time has passed; unlike the castaways, whose
lives are only just beginning, Richard has finally reached the end. It will be a
sad but beautiful passing that will likely conclude with a scene – or at the
very least some kind of indication – that reunites him with his wife.
Anyone
get the sense that the Black Rock slave massacre
was influenced by the same darkness that overtook Sayid?
“God
loves you as He loved Jacob”
Those words
have been on my mind since we first heard Karl say them on the boat with Kate
and Sawyer during Season Three. At the time I wasn’t sure what they meant, but
now I wonder: why was he taught (via Ben’s brainwashing video) to say “loved”
instead of “love”? Why is it past tense?
If the quote
is correct – if Ben knows something we don’t – there are two logical ways to
explain it. One is that Jacob did something to disappoint God, such as allowing
good people to die while facilitating the death of others. Thus, God once
loved Jacob but no longer does, as if he were a fallen angel.
But wait …
some fans theorize that Fake Locke was a former candidate who had a falling out
with Jacob. What would that make him: a fallen angel’s fallen angel? That being
the case, wouldn’t it make perfect sense that the smoke monster’s real name is
Wallace, the mysterious man who appeared next to the number “108” on the dial of
the magic mirror?
The second
explanation for the quote is that Jacob has always been past tense. All these
years, we’ve been under the impression that whoever he was, he was alive until
Ben killed him. Even the smoke monster thought so. But maybe he’s been a ghost
since before the show even began, and in gathering all of these people, he
wasn’t merely trying to prove that people were good (as he claimed) – he was
also trying to save himself. That would certainly fit with the show’s recurring
theme of redemption.
That,
however, brings us to the third possibility, which will only be logical to those
who still don’t trust Ben Linus.
Who here
believes that Ben actually has faith in God’s existence? Anyone? During the
first five seasons of Lost, Ben seemed to think that he was God. Thus, it is
wholly possible that he concocted the “loved Jacob” quote himself with the aim
of influencing those who have faith in something other than an island ghost
they’ve never met.
Will
Charlie’s flash sideways have anything to do with Hurley?
Hurley’s
Candidacy
Though most
assume Jack is (or will be) the primary candidate, it seems that Hurley is
gradually becoming the perfect man to replace Jacob as the island’s protector.
Long-term, I still believe the sideways world will supersede the island. But
before that happens, someone has to step forward and take Jacob’s place.
While Jack
is confused, a little hotheaded, and maybe a tad freaked out, Hurley is calmly
figuring out who – and where – he’s supposed to be. He’s come to terms with his
apparent (and finally confirmed?) ability to speak to the dead. And it is
through that power – that gift, if you will – that he is doing Jacob’s work, not
only for him but also in place of him. In the island world, there couldn’t be a
better way to conclude Hurley’s story than for him to officially become the
island’s new protector.
But what
will become of his sideways alter ego? Something amazing, I predict. Stay tuned
to next week’s LostZone to hear my full theory and to learn how Hurley’s stint
at the psych ward may have actually been a blessing in disguise.
Follow me @LostZone.
LostZone –
Previous Installments
March 18,
2010:
Sawyer is a Con Man, a Ladies’ Man, but not a Loyal Servant
March 11,
2010:
Dr. Linus or Dr. Dolittle?
March 4, 2010:
Sayid’s Fall to the Dark Side
February 25,
2010:
Claire’s (Freaky? Psychotic!?) Return and Sideways Significance with Jack
Shephard
February 18,
2010:
Giving Meaning to the Numbers, 4 8 15 16 23 42
February 11,
2010:
Season Three Stall Tactics and Claire’s Disappearance Explained!?
February 4,
2010:
Thoughts and Theories From the Mind-Blowing Season Six Premiere
February 1,
2010:
Are Lost and Final Fantasy VII Unofficially Connected?
LostZone is a
ongoing feature on GameZone aimed at discussing the show’s most breathtaking
moments (and, if necessary, its most depressing bombs) while dissecting its most
intriguing mysteries.
