Image Credit: Mario Perez/ABCOver the past few weeks, I’ve been waffling about the validity of Hurley’s spectral encounters with the castaway dead and other ghosts on The Island on Lost. Some weeks, I think Hurley is a Ghost Whisperer. Other weeks, like in last Wednesday’s recap of “The Candidate,” I’ve speculated that Smokey has been manipulating Hurley by appearing to him as the likes of Charlie, Isabella, and Michael. There now seems to be an official ruling on the matter. In their latest podcast, which you can find many places on the Web including at docarzt.com, exec producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof tell fans that while almost anything and everything on Lost is open to interpretation, it would be safe and logical to assume that the Man In Black isn’t messing with Hurley. Furthermore, the producers also say that The Whispers do not work for Smokey.
The bottom line is that there are four different categories it seems of something I will awkwardly label Experiences With Dead People:
THE WHISPERS The chorus of Island dead, invisible though audible to the living.
SMOKEY MANIFESTATIONS Occurrences in which in The Man In Black has posed as dead people to manipulate the castaways. The Man In Black has only ever copped to being Christian Shephard, and of course, he’s currently wearing the image of John Locke. But yes, he was probably Yemi, too.
HURLEY VISITATIONS Due to a special ability, Hurley can see and converse with Island dead (including and possibly exclusively The Whispers) that are invisible to everyone else.
MILES Due to his own special ability, Miles can hear and converse with the dead, but he can’t see them like Hurley can. Also, Miles does seem to need to be in proximity of the dead person’s body for his super-power to work, though in his first flashback scene on the show, he did make contact with a young, house-haunting spirit via some kind of ghostbuster device. (Miles has been MIA from the show of late along with Ben and Richard. I’ve been wondering: Do you think it’s possible that they were the ones who planted the C-4 aboard Ajira? After all, when we last saw them, they were heading to New Otherton to get explosives to blow up the plane.)
As I stated in my recap earlier this week, I suspect that when Lost is over, many fans and hardcore theorists will be reconsidering the entire series from Smokey’s point of view. It’s clear now that he’s been executing a conspiracy over many years, designed to culminate with the death of Jacob and his candidate-replacements and Smokey’s “escape” from The Island. (I put “escape” in quotes because I am becoming increasingly unclear what escape truly means to the Man In Black. Maybe he wants a shot at life beyond The Island. Maybe he has a specific place in mind when says he wants to go home. Or maybe he just wants to die.) So it’s cool that Damon and Carlton are offering these kind of clarifications here at the end, because it’ll help those of us who are interested in reflecting on the whole of their story to see it clearly.
Cuse and Lindelof also said they will record one more podcast this season before going into “radio silence.” As for when we may hear from them again after the finale, my guess is that they’ll surface when the season 6 DVD drops in late August. As I listened to them talk about working with their editors and “locking” the final and anticipating the dissolution of their “Darlton” identity, I finally felt it—the first sad pang of “This Is About To End.” No more mysteries. No more podcasts. No more Lost. Until a few minutes ago, I had thought I was ready for this to be over. Now, I realize I was deceiving myself. This is going to be hard. Harder than I thought. Crap! As if my end-of-Lost experience wasn’t complicated enough as it is! Which brings me to…
THE DEATH OF DOC JENSEN?
In the world of Lost, “The Sickness” is an elusive Island malady that destroys the mind, corrupts the heart, and even kills the body and soul. (I know many of you are wondering if Lost will ever address if Sayid truly had “The Sickness” now that he’s dead. I wouldn’t mind little more spelled-out elaboration on what was ailing Sayid post-Temple massacre, myself.) But the world of Lost theorizing has its own form of “Sickness,” a toxic taint known as spoileritus. And my friends, I have become infected with it. If you’ve purchased or received the new issue of EW, then you probably know that yours truly was on the set of the series finale. In fact, I visited the production on a night in which the cast was shooting a scene that you will see in the last 10 minutes of the last episode airing on May 23. I am forbidden from describing specifics of the scene. I am also forbidden from characterizing the significance of the scene, although even if I had permission to do so, I’m not sure I’d be correct with my analysis; I was told that the scene required knowledge of other scenes in order to be properly understood. Nonetheless, the implications of the scene were pretty clear. And the upshot is this: I’ve been compromised with inside information. As a result, it would be irresponsible and unethical of me to exploit the secrets I now possess to inform my theorizing about the parts of the saga that I know about.
At the same time, there is still a great deal that I don’t know. I feel like I can continue with this column and with the recaps and continue doing the things that I do in good faith and in good conscience. I give you three promises:
1. I’m not going to spoil ANYTHING for you. I’m not even going to be coy about this. No hidden clues, no carefully chosen words, no wink-winks and nudge-nudges.
2. I am not going to MISLEAD you. No games, no misdirection, no deception.
3. I’m not going to be LEADING you anywhere, either. I have no interest in “helping” Lost tell its story; I am only interested in thinking about the story and talking about it with you. I have always come by my ideas fairly. You can trust that this column will remain a safe zone of honestly earned insight… and foolishness.
I can’t wait for you to see what I saw. I can’t wait to share more of the behind-the-scenes experience with you. I’ll be posting a lengthy report about the evening a couple days after the finale.
Okay, enough about me. Let’s talk about you. And let’s talk about grief—and your lack of grief. Most of you were broken up by the deaths of Sayid, Jin and Sun in last week’s episode. Many of you were infuriated by them. And some of you have theories like this one from Don in Indy:
“I may be the only person invested in this show that wasn’t really affected by Sun and Jin’s death….and that is because I am totally convinced that everyone is headed towards Sideways world and none of them will be dead when all is said and done.”
Don’s view raises a good point: it is kinda hard to feel too broken up about Jin and Sayid when their Sideways counterparts remain alive and the possibility exists for their souls to find new life within their Sideways selves. Regardless, Don’s view clashes with many who believe that there’s something profoundly wrong if not evil about the Sideways world. Don doesn’t disagree, but he also thinks that the Sideways world can be fixed. Moreover, he advocates a version of a theory that many of you seem to have—that Smokey is planning to move into Sideways John’s body, that Smokey already has some small measure of control over John and is influencing him to not accept Jack’s offer of restorative surgery because he’s worried the procedure might kill the body or worse activate “Island Enlightenment” within John Locke. (It’s strange how that last sentence is both totally bizarre and yet makes some kind of sense.)
Another theory inspired by this week’s Sideways world story comes from Eddy Rivas, who found it conspicuous/suspicious that “The Candidate” revealed to us that Sideways Locke has a pilot’s license. Apparently anticipating a scenario by which Fake Locke would be able to tap Sideways Locke’s aviation skills, Eddy writes: “I’m calling this right now: Side Locke is going to fly the Ajira plane off the island.”
Interesting theories, guys. I’d comment on both, but wouldn’t you know it, I’ve run out of time and space. I know I promised you some Smokey/Sawyer thoughts, but they’re going to have to wait. I know I also promised you the results of my poll question, “What mysteries would you like see Lost answer before the end of the series?” I think we should take this matter up next week, especially since so many of you said something like “I want more answers about Jacob and The Man In Black!”, and it looks Lost is going give us some of those answers in Tuesday’s episode. I’ll be back on Tuesday myself with more of your thoughts on the Jin/Sun/Sayid deaths and more insights into season 6 from the cast and producers of Lost. Until then, have an awesome weekend, folks!
Be seeing you!
Doc
Marry me, Doc. I’ll support you once you don’t have Lost money lining your pockets
You’ll also need to have a permanent guest room for Dan Snierson.
I know you’ll keep your word about not spoiling anything Doc, but what if you inadvertently allow something to slip? Like Carlton did in the last podcast?
Good point. Dan is actually hotter.
Doc, what happened to your comments a few weeks back that you had a theory about why the time lines do not match up in the Sideways? Sun and Locke arriving at the hospital at the same time although their injuries took place nearly a week apart. This is one thing that is really bothering me and would love some more insight on this. Anything? You seem to have just let this go and as a huge fan of Lost I don’t want to think its just a mistake by the writers. I am hoping there is a reason for this.
Who said their injuries were a week apart? I’m wondering more about the “time” issues with the missiles and bombs on the Island. Remember how a couple seasons ago, there was a weird force field or time delay that made it practically impossible to aim anything toward the Island?
What about the theory that lapedus is a convicted child molester?
That time delay was from the freighter which was outside the island “zone”. Hydra island always seems to move with “the island” so that launching something from Hydra island to “the island” wouldn’t suffer those anomalies.
Instead of theories, give us more of your comedy bits with Dan. Rope in a supporting actor or two to help if necessary.
Yes! You and Dan need to focus your skills on another series after LOST ends. What’ll it be, Doc? Flashforward? Justified? Please just don’t say V….
Fringe
Agreed! Fringe!!!
Flashforward please!
Flashforward! So many arcs and interpretations, unfortunately not as many pop art references, but that’s ok. Still a LOT to think about – and you could be Totally Forward….
Happy Town!
Fringe or Supernatural
Flashforward won’t be around next season, so that would be a waste. Would have to be Fringe…
Breaking Bad. Plenty of twists, complicated characters ….
Flashforward is probably dead. I would have loved to read your recaps of Supernatural since the beginning of that series though.
Supernatural. I want to hear some Doc Jensen analysis on the Winchesters. Fringe would be great too.
Flashforward please!
You could do Fringe for ten minutes every week and then open up a window into the FlashForward universe for another ten, and maybe even do a musical episode when Walter or Walternate gets high again!
Excellent idea!
I think F*Locke had the C-4 on him the whole time. We never see him discover the C-4 in the plane–only following the wires that he uses to construct the bomb (also attached the watch he grabbed off Widmore’s dead guard). I think he always intended to get them on the sub–just needed to get the explosives onto Jack before he did it…
If he hadn’t found the watch on the body, how would he have made the timer for the bomb?
Megan…I have always thought MIB did the planting of the bomb. (no bomb.)
Why would Miles,Ben or Richard do it, when they would have killed the candidates? So many posts are saying this. (that they planted the C-4) Also, Richard knows this wouldn’t kill the MIB.
yea, they only wanted to blow up the plane so NO ONE could leave the island. If Miles, Ben, and Richard planted it, it should have been destroyed by the time Flocke and the Candies found it.
Where would they have found the C-4 anyway? The only explosives we’ve ever seen before was the dynamite from the Black Rock, which Hurley blew up a few episodes back and the explosives on the freighter from the end of season 4.
Not true – just rewatched the episode & Flocke clearly follows the wires, opens the overhead compartment & removes the C4.
Yeah, but is it really the C4, or something that looked like it? The wire’s could have been for the lighting, etc.
What plane have you been on that the wires for lighting are exposed and running on the outside of the overheads? Remind me never to fly that airline.
Yes…I thought it was strange that he grabbed the dead guy’s watch BEFORE he even got on the plane. So he obviously had a plan for making a bomb before he even “found” the C4 on the plane.
Another thought….remember when Flocke sent Sawyer on his “scouting” mission?? All those dead guys around the plane…Flocke later told Sawyer that he had killed them (probably in Smokey fashion). So obviously he had been there before, and could have planted the C4 right then and there.
He could have simply watched whoever planting it..
Flocke seems to just know things. I don’t think he has to witness it directly.
Are you on drugs? Having watched the episode twice I can tell you emphatically he pulls the C-4 out of the overhead baggage compartment.
I can’t believe Doc’s abandoning us too! What— no more crazy theorizing? Please don’t tell me we won’t be getting 12-page epic recaps and columns until after the finale ends? I’m going into serious Doc Jensen withdrawals… Do something to tide us over until the finale, Doc. I’m planning to get my hands on the LOST EW issue tomorrow. funny, It’s only available in B&N and nowhere else where I live.
Maybe there is this sideways world where Lost hasn’t ended and Doc Jensen will continue writing awesome columns. Maybe we can connect with this Sideways world. Shall we all go get hit by cars?
I’m in! But we should all have get hit by cars in the same town so we could all go to the same hospital.
Hit by cars in Sideways world sends you to island enlightenment. I think we need to detonate a jughead!
I love Doc, but…..generally, his theories are virtually never actually accurate. I mentioned this to my wife the other day, that Lost deserves credit for its masterful ability to disguise the obvious. By and large, the obvious answer has always been the correct one. The MIB was evil all along, Sayid would redeem himself, Jack will be Jacob’s replacement. I’m probably going to catch heat for this (and keep in mind, I’ve loved this season) but there have been very few true SWERVES to the core ideas of the shows. Even the whispers are pretty much exactly what you would have thought they were.
Amen, brutha. I totally agree
Yep. Sad, but true. Of course Darlton/Lindecuse has mentioned several times that their viewers find meaning and theories in things they never even considered.
Very true in all aspects. I for one LOVE Jack, but I would love to see the writer’s throw us a curve ball and have Jacob’s replacement be someone other than the obvious. Just don’t kill Jack! I cried when Jin and Sun died without even realizing I was crying! I don’t know what I’d do if they kill off my beloved Jack!!!!
so true. The storytelling this season is so horrendous and I feel that the series couldn’t support another season. We have all hung on in two camps the “Love Boat” camp and the “Mythology/Answers” camp and neither side can say that they are satisfied. Even if they tie everything up for both camps which is as unlikely as Ben inheriting the island it will be at the cost of having wasted 2/3′s of season six with their cardboard machinations and maneuvering of characters geographically.
Hutchy, the story isn’t over yet. I have a feeling there are many more surprises in store. If not it will be a let down for many Lost fans.
Yeah, the simplest answer is usually right. I can’t believe he thought Smokey was manipulating Hurley. Or that Charlie was thinking about heroin while dying.
@ Moonwvr- Jack HAS to be the replacement for Jacob. It makes the most sense. He is the one who is always “taking one for the team”, his name is SHEPHARD, and lastly, the show’s first scene started with him opening his eye. He is obviously the savior of the island.
Speak for yourselves haters. I LOVE this Season of Lost and think they are doing a great job. The storyline is masterful and the acting is incredible. Best show on TV ever. It hurts to think there are only a few left and that this show will soon end forever.
I’ve really really disliked that everything is exactly what you’d predict–what a child would predict in fact. What?!? You mean the Man dressed in Black who turned into smoke and murdered people, and who a saintly Temple man called Evil was…EVIL? You don’t say! What a twist! What a shocking revelation! And you say the Whispers, which used to creepily appear every time the Others came are…What’s that? Ghosts who are ‘stuck’? Wow, Scooby Doo. Good answer! So inventive. So creative. I think what Doc Jensen and others are looking for is a teeny tiny bit of complexity and depth. That’s what we had the first five seasons. Now all we have are comic book Good Guys and Bad Guys. People are moved around like badly played checkers pieces. Honestly, this season could be written better by high school students. It’s a sad commentary when hundreds of fans – as well as Doc Jensen – can come up with fascinating interesting deep theories that also fit the facts…But the producers give us the simplest, 3rd grade level ‘solutions.’ Either they have contempt for our intelligence or they themselves cannot come up with anything. Or their judgment is way off. Every time I hear an ‘answer’ from them this season I want to scream-it’s just so silly.
So you’re the type of person who likes M. Night Shymalan movies. I was wondering who that was. Oh, and could you also give us a list of the comic books you’re reading? Because building an entire mythology around lost souls governed by century-old deities is unlike any comic book I’ve ever read (save Gaiman’s Sandman).
People like you are a little weird….so they give you an answer that makes sense within the context of the show and you complain because it is what you thought it was? Um isn’t that the whole point of the show that things generally make sense or lead in a certain way? The “whispers” were mysterious four seasons ago and yes as you’ve watched more and more episodes or more of the picture gets revealed it starts to make sense what the whispers are and they you complain when yes it makes sense what they are?? So you would prefer some completely random answer to what the whispers are…people are so whacky…complain when they’re are no answers and then when you get an answer that makes sense in the big picture you complain that it’s too “obvious”. Riiiight. By the way I hate to ruin it for you but Lost is a show about Science vs. Faith, Good vs. Evil, Free Will vs. Fate…so yeah it’s probably going to involve that in the end. Hate to disappoint you. Maybe they should make 3 million different endings to try and make 3 million different people happy…
I think the poor doc’s hands are tied…he knows to much. ( after seeing part of the final scene.) He’s probably trying to figure out how to word his recap now.
Very true. Nice of him not to spoil us, though!
I would so love to know what Doc saw in the last 10 minutes of the finale! He must have super-human strength to keep it to himself. Doc you are a good guy for not telling anyone…though I would so love to know now!!!!
Yes… he sounds…. contained and restrained like Smokey was until Jacob’s death set him free. Hey….
Thank you! I can’t find the EW mag ANYWHERE but I haven’t been to B&N yet. I might go all Claire crazy if I can’t get a copy!
It’s in B&N. I called them- haven’t gone yet.
Why isn’t EW sold at more stores? I had a subscription that ran out and can’t seem to find EW most places I look. The bookstore at the airports always have it I’ve noticed.
I had the same problem, Craig. I went to 3 local stores and finally found the last copy at Target. But it was worth the search.
Doc I don’t know what watching Lost would have been without you-thanks!
I’m actually with Don. I’ve never really seen anything dramatically wrong with Sideways-ville. Right now I’m thinking that death on the island frees them of their past transgressions and moves them completely to the Sideways reality. It was the flashback world that seemed evil to me. Glad to hear I’m not alone.
Why will the dead be alive?
I’m totally with you. I am happy that the castaways are happier in general in their sideways world. I also agree that the flashback world seemed much more evil and wrong (which makes me wonder just how well Jacob’s plan of keeping the cork on evil was going, after all.) I am totally going to get rotten tomatoes to the face from everyone, but I love that theory that sideways is their post-death world. Because in Doc’s season 6 mirrors season 1 theory, shouldn’t all we breathless posters now be theorizing that sideways world is… PURGATORY? (wink wink, nudge nudge…)
For those of who are practicing or former Catholics, purgatory never had an upside for anyone. It’s like an endless study hall…no change…no bell…no talking to your friends. No redemption, unless someone intercedes from somewhere, somehow, on your behalf. Never heard if anyone ever got out.
I still think sideways world is a smoke screen. And I think that its future will be dependent on a decision Jack has to make once he is the last one standing. I think that at th end, Smokey is gonna offer Jack a choice. Stay and rot alone on the Island as the new Jacob, OR step into fantasy land where all your little friends are alive and well and let me (Smokey) leave. It’s less Purgatory and more Matrix. Too bad the Darlton have already said it will be neither of those things–but hey, what do they know.
To wordgames: As I Catholic, I can tell you Purgatory has a HUGE upside, which is that Heaven is assured. For those of us who have not led perfect lives, Purgatory is the place to pay for our sins and get cleaned up before meeting the Big Boss. Intercession from others (not The Others!) helps, but EVERYONE gets out eventually. 99% of fans who have said that LOST is Purgatory have been using the term incorrectly.
@Abomb…I like everything you said. (in fact I have posted pretty much the same thing, on other boards.)
However, when did Darlton say it had nothing to do with Matrix?
Must have missed that.
I think everyone is still some how forgetting that Desmond knows everything while in his own sideways world. Thats why he went to kill Locke. I think whenever Jack finds Desmond is going to be the key to figuring out the Sideways world and the Island world, whether they find each other on the island or sideways world will be what determines it.
If the sideways world is the right one, then why is Desmond running around trying to wake everyone up to the island timeline?
While I’ll miss Doc’s ramblings it was nice to follow everything he wrote and not be completely confused. But where is my Namaste? Long live Doc Jensen.
Thank you for not spoiling this epic show for us. Your awesome
Yes, thanks so much for always keeping this a spoiler-free zone for the true fans.
I was more upset about lapidus…Although I still think he might just emerge from the water and save the day! Thanks for all of your hard work doc!
Thanks, Doc, for all your hard work, research, and creativity. I’ll miss your columns as much as I’ll miss LOST! All the best to you!
I noticed that the music box Christian left for his kids’ refection is playing “Catch a Falling Star”. We can’t forget the significance of Aaron in this as it plays out. Ji-Yeon either. Also, at the end of the episode in the hospital, Locke pulls some damn funny faces incl. that unsettling (for Jack) laugh. Almost MIB-like.
If we find out MIB is an alien (fell from a “star”) I will be…perturbed.
Couldn’ agree with you more. Might they actually be the candidates?
Let us not forget that boxes similar to this one have been seen over and over again on Lost!!!
I love you Doc.
Hmmm….I was just thinking about the flashback world being evil, as rickstarmom said, and maybe there’s something to be said for that. I wonder if MIB somehow influenced the castaways to make poor decisions in their pasts (the flashback scenes we saw during the first few seasons), in order to set in motion the life events that would lead each of them to the island. I also wonder if Jacob’s touch was supposed to shield them against making poor choices in their lives, in order to prevent their exposure to MIB on the island. Kind of the opposite of what we’ve been led to believe up to this point. Maybe the sideways world is one in which the MIB didn’t get to influence the castaways.
Doc,
Your columns are essential to my “Lost” experience. I am sad thinking about the end of all of this and hope that the finale will be cathartic, if nothing else. Please make sure that at some point you will let us know what projects you intend to pursue when “Lost” concludes. Seriously, I am not sure you will know what to do with yourself.