Joanna's death--was Ethan involved?

[TallHobbit]

People have mentioned before that the circumstances surrounding Joanna's (woman who drowned in "White Rabbit") death were mysterious because she was supposed to be "an accomplished diver."

In "Homecoming" shortly after Scott/Steve was killed, Kate said something to the degree of "Locke said it didn't matter; Ethan came in from the water." Could Ethan have been responsible for Joanna's death? I understand that a riptide can be dangerous for even the strongest swimmer, but the combination of the island's creepiness plus Ethan's apparent Aqua Abilities makes me wonder if he was somehow involved. Let me know what you think.

[Hodgepodge]

TallHobbit103 asks:
...Could Ethan have been responsible for Joanna's death?...
That happened so long ago, prior to Ethan's appearance, that I never thought of it. But, what you propose is a definite possibility. Although, I can't understand why he'd want to kill her?

[Raven Day]

I seriously doubt ethan had anything to do with this. I think this whole accident of killing a red shirt was to show Boones weakness and made Jack look like a hero. Character development at the expense of redshirts.

[Kastor Brightstaff]

No, there was no reason for him to be. She just drowned. It happens.

[TallHobbit]

It just strikes me as odd that an experienced diver would go diving alone in an unfamiliar area. Granted, she could've been extraordinarily stupid and her resulting death could have been natural selection at work, but I still feel that something doesn't quite add up. Perhaps she saw something that caused her to go in the water? She should have known better, but curiosity could have gotten the better of her. And Ethan was creepy enough to have his own underwater hide-out. I know it sounds far-fetched, but it's been bothering me for a while.

Maybe it's just me...

[Kastor Brightstaff]

An undertow can take the strongest of swimmers

[azteclady]

There are a couple of older threads discussing whether it is possible for an experienced diver to drown - riptides, exhaustion and exposure, etc. You may want to check in both Boone's and Jack's forums.

Personally I doubt that Ethan, the Others or the monster (whatever it turns out to be), have anything to do with Joanna's death, at least directly. Mostly I'm in agreement with Raven Day: "Character development at the expense of redshirts"


Beto
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[anarane saralonde]

I agree with Raven. Besides, I don't think she was swimming alone - wasn't Boone swimming with her too?

[Hodgepodge]

anarane saralonde asks:
...wasn't Boone swimming with her too?No, she was swimming alone. Boone was actually trying to save her. But, with Boone's involvement, she was destined to die!

[anarane saralonde]

Ah, thanks for the clarification Hodge.

[Ida Monster]

No, she was swimming alone. Boone was actually trying to save her. But, with Boone's involvement, she was destined to die!

It would seem more believeable if she was the one who was trying to save Boone's sorry butt.

[susie1967]

An-y-one can drown.

An accomplished diver is not synonymous with accomplished swimmer.
Expert divers and expert swimmers are worlds apart. IMO, a diver swimming is more likely to drown than a swimmer that is diving. (Assuming the diving is done without equipment)

I also think it was just character development at a red shirt's expense.

[azteclady]

For those interested in reading more opinions/arguments both in favor or agains the actual 'realism' of having an accomplished diver drown, there are a couple of old discussions in both Boone and Jack's forums which touch on this.

I am not including links here because Joanna's death is only part of the debate in those threads, not their main topic, though they make interesting background reading.

[DontWannaBLost]

For more controversy of the actual cause of Joanna's drowning, I suggest checking out the diary at abc.com and dsera's compilation...throughout it there is mention of something in the water...maybe a whale...but maybe not...

I don't have answers to what's in the water, but do think Joanna's death serves both the plot and Boone's character development, although we may not see how it fits into the plot/island mystery until much later...

Also, I think the importance of the water has been over looked both by our survivors and this forum...granted the water is much more difficult to explore than the jungle, but how about building a canoe to explore?

[deelsee7]

I don't think Ethan was involved, but I think whoever (or whatever) killed Scott/Steve contributed to Joanna's death, too. Especially with the hint from the diary about 'something big' in the water, and Locke's comment that Ethan came from the water. Again, I don't think Ethan killed Scott/Steve, but I DO believe who/whatever did, came from the water. But then, I don't think Ethan hung Charlie, either...:eek

[Jake Survivor 17]

Jeez, why is everyone so hard on Boone? That guy goes out to try to save him and now ur gonna crucify this man! Boone was a great character and Ian is a great actor. He will be missed.

[imamiamigurl]

Jake Survivor - I think we all love Boone - In a sick - sort of - White Wedding Day way - Just look at my avatars! I lurve Boone!

[Inkast]

Previous posts have made good arguements to back up that "anyone can drown" and that "Ethan had no reason to kill Joanna", but I'm still not going to rule out the possibility that Ethan could've been involved.

[scottq74]

I can't think of any motive in Ethan killing Joanna. To date, his (or any of "The Others) interest has been only in Claire and her baby.

Walt, on the other hand, doesn't really need a motive when someone gets hurt or dies around him. He's not fully in control (or even aware) of his special powers... a lot had happened to him in a short amount of time.

If Joanna's death is at all important, I strongly suspect we'll be told why (or at least given more clues) in Exodus.