Could everyone be falling for a red herring?

[Zeebadaboodee]

It's just a hunch, but my guess is that Desmond isn't the guy we saw at the beginning in the bunker.

I'm guessing that Desmond was on the tail section of the plane, and he will be used to introduce the new survivors. He is in the bunker at the end because he was investigating the explosion.

ksb

[NeillT006]

Zeeb:

I am wondering the same thing.

N.

[LostInWilderness]

So the tail section people found another way into the hatch. That sounds like the kind of misdirection Lost likes to use.

[Nightchill]

Just had a quick look. The clothing and hair seem to be about right for the starting character and Desmond.

[Spriggan9]

Someone who's a gun nut should check if the pistol that Desmond picks up at the beginning is the same one he's holding at Locke's head at the end.

And yes, he does pick up a pistol in the beginning, not just the machine gun.

[Badger]

The pistol he picked up off the table was a Makarov. The gun he held to Locke's head is also a Makarov.

I'm not saying I think it means anything, although it could, but a Makarov is a Russian made pistol.

He also picked up an AK-47 and by the looks of the stock and its finish, also a Russian built weapon vs a Chinese copy, as the Russian AK's are usually better made.

There was also what appeared to be a Dragunov with a scope (another Russian weapon) on the rack above the AK along with another unidentifiable long rifle with scope, as well.

The other three pistols I have not yet positively identified but they have characteristics similar to another Russian design

[LostBoy]

The problem with theories like this is, you have to consider it from the point of view of the writers and film makers. If they wanted to do a red herring like this, at some point they are going to have to reveal that the person at the beginning wasn't Desmond, after they took steps to make it clear that the person WAS Desmond. They could do this in a flashback, showing the scene again, this time showing his face to reveal someone other than Desmond... but that would just confuse a lot of people. There probably wouldn't be many people who aren't confused who would think it would be a mind blowing plot twist or anything. I know I would find it convoluted and annoying, unless there was something essential to the story that could only be best be told by making people think the guy was someone Jack knew and then flipping it around and saying "actually, it wasn't".

[G-Man]

good point LostBoy.

i still like the idea that the tail section survivors are involved somehow, whether they found a different section of the hatch and havent made their way over to what we have seen or desmond found his way down there after the crash and made it his home. his personality from what we saw doesnt make it seem like he would stary from the other survivors and take it for himself though....

[RullDawg]

my 2 cents....watch the beginning and see the clothing that the guy in the Bunker puts on. Same jump suit that the guy at the end has....

[mzsandeestar]

The same music plays at the beginning and when Jack is in the hatch.
The beginning is not a flashback


So far LOST has only done flashbacks on the past lives of the major characters.

They have never done a flashback to an earlier time on the island.

I hardly think they would change that for the opening episode.

[LostBoy]

They have never done a flashback to an earlier time on the island.

The one exception so far is Locke's flashbacks to the aftermath of the crash, when he discovers he can walk. But I agree that the opener of season 2 is not a flashback. So far, they've made it very clear when we're watching a flashback, even for Locke's island flashback. It goes back to what I was saying earlier... I don't think they'd disguise a flashback because it would be too convoluted.

[chriskzoo]

So far LOST has only done flashbacks on the past lives of the major characters.

Well, I think we can be sure that Desmond will be a major character so it could be good to throw in a flashback to show how Desmond first found the hatch. The one thing that, in my mind, clearly shows the two are in separate time periods is Desmond's dirty hands and fingernails.

They clearly show the guy in the hatch at the beginning showering and typing with clean hands. Then they make a point of showing Desmond's hands at the end of the episode with dirt and grime under the fingernails. There have been theories of a struggle to explain that, but it doesn't make sense. Desmond pulled Kate into the hatch and he had a gun - would she really try to fight him at that point? Secondly, Locke is shown at the end and does not appear to be overly dirty, which would have to be the case if he and Desmond were in a struggle. Unless it is just a mistake by the director (clean hands one scene, filthy hands the next) the first and last scenes simply cannot be continuous.

My theory is that the first scene is a slashback to how Desmond found and opened the hatch.

[iluvlocke]

They clearly show the guy in the hatch at the beginning showering and typing with clean hands. Then they make a point of showing Desmond's hands at the end of the episode with dirt and grime under the fingernails...the first and last scenes simply cannot be continuous...My theory is that the first scene is a slashback to how Desmond found and opened the hatch.

i'm afraid i can't agree with you here. this idea that the first scene was a flashback makes no sense to me. i think the writers/producers would realize that confusing the audience about what is or isn't a flashback would only cause frustration. desmond's area of the hatch does look different, as does he, between the first and final scenes, but remember there's a significant piece we're missing. we didn't see what happened to kate right after she fell. we didn't see locke going down into the hatch at all; he saw kate fall and then didn't show up again until desmond had the gun to his head. so between the explosion which clearly caused dirt and debris to get stirred up down there and the pieces we're missing which could easily have included at least one struggle, it makes perfect sense to me that the guy simply got a little messy during this course of events.

[Pieces of Arzt]

desmond's area of the hatch does look different, as does he, between the first and final scenes, but remember there's a significant piece we're missing. we didn't see what happened to kate right after she fell. we didn't see locke going down into the hatch at all; he saw kate fall and then didn't show up again until desmond had the gun to his head. so between the explosion which clearly caused dirt and debris to get stirred up down there and the pieces we're missing which could easily have included at least one struggle, it makes perfect sense to me that the guy simply got a little messy during this course of events.

I agree. Also, as Nightkill pointed out, the clothing and hair of the character at the beginning seem to match up with Desmond at the end of the show.

[lostmio]

We almost need our own forum for this theory. I've already posted on it in both The Book Theory and Locke Was the Man in the Hatch threads.

[acovell]

I'm guessing that Desmond was on the tail section of the plane, and he will be used to introduce the new survivors. He is in the bunker at the end because he was investigating the explosion.

I agree with this part of your statement. However, I do think the guy in the beginning and Desmond are one and the same. I think the "red herring" might be that so far Desmond has been set up to appear to be connected with the island for some reason -- like he's part of whatever's going on, or at least that he's been there a long time. This is just the kind of misdirection TPTB love to throw our way.

It's just as possible that he's one of the survivors from the tail section who happened to stumble on another entrance to the hatch and has been hiding there. Remember how the part of the spin about the new season has been about how the experience of the tail section survivors has been much different from that of the rest of the survivors. This could be what they mean. Perhaps the other person down there with Desmond is Ana Lucia and that's where they're hiding from the Others.

[*Saint*]

When I first watched the episode, after seeing the beginning scene in the hatch (totally perplexing) and then meeting Desmond with Jack, I was thinking "hmm, is that the same guy?" so by the time we got to the end, I already knew who would be pointing the gun to Locke's head: Desmond.

[lostmio]

This could be what they mean. Perhaps the other person down there with Desmond is Ana Lucia and that's where they're hiding from the Others.

ooohh, I like this a lot. It works whether Desmond is Faceless #1 or not.

[Sybia]

As far as the flashback theory goes....has anyone considered that this wasn't the first time survivors found and blew into the hatch??? And maybe the underground base, or tunnel network, expanses a great area of the island and there's another entrance somewhere else? Maybe it was that entrance that was blown in the beginning, since the ending underground area and the beginning area look very different (which you could argue the darkness played a part, but I don't think so).

And yeah, maybe it was the tail survivors who blew it open first?

I don't know, I just don't think we should take the size of this place for granted when we have no real idea how big it is.

[Max Power 79]

I guess Desmond could be one of the survivors from the back of the plane, and he found his way into the hatch by himself. I doubt it though.

[BooneWasABoar]

I think the reason we dont see Hatchboys face in the beginning is because it made for a better cliffhanger in the end of the episode. If we saw his face in the beggining then when Jack meets him in the stadium THAT would be the reveal to Jack finaly seeing the Destiny that is the island. Wouldnt be so good. As far as the dirty fingernails and such go there was a struggle we missed when locke descends down into the hatch. Look at Lockes head before he goes in the hatch and then after when the gun is held to his head, theres a big bruise mark on his forehead, like he was knocked out.