False Memories

[jefmoret]

A vague notion occured to me...I looked through the theory archive and didn't see this, but if it's been addressed, my apologies in advance.

SOOOO....what if everyone has been supplied with false memories? Everyone went unconscious after the crash, giving a window for someone (possibly Desmond, possibly someone else) to brainwash everyone. This would account for the numbers being repeated through multiple memories, as the nubmers are "residue" from during the brainwashing. Additionally, this would account for other survivors making "guest appearances" in peoples flashbacks.

Somehow, Locke was supplied with the memory of being in a wheelchair, but his ability to use his legs a)wasn't/couldn't be manipulated or b)was left as an avenue for the survivors to start piecing together their situation (if part of the reason for the whole scenario is to determine how long it takes everyone to realize what has happened).

Claire, for some unkown reason, had her "programming" damaged or inserted improperly in the first place; hence her kidnapping, as a way for whomever to instate her amnesia, thus alleviating the problem.

Obviously I haven't fully explained everything, but this seems to me like something worth examining, and welcome any additions/criticisms/rejections of this train of thought.

[Homer Noodleman]

Well, it could explain Charlie... they emptied his head and forgot to fill it back up.

Seems kinda far-fetched, plus it doesn't explain Lostzilla.

[Brian]

Homer said:,
...they emptied his head and forgot to fill it back up.
I don't think there was much to empty so why bother filling it back up again? :)
Seems kinda far-fetched, plus it doesn't explain Lostzilla.
Agreed Homer!

[blakgumz]

makes sense to me. there is too much coincidence to explain away...until the Desmond incident, the character crossovers/cameos that took place before the flight were used to move the plot along...ie: Jack's dad/Sawyer (gave jack closure), Hurley on t.v., Shannon's dad/ex or whatever dying in the E.R. next to Jack operating on Sarah, etc. you also make a good point about the numbers being EVERYWHERE.

Jack knowing Desmond from a random meeting about "miracles" and then Desmond being in the hatch doesn't fit if the mysteries of the island are based in science...except for brainwashing. i'm probably wrong, hell...that's the main reason i love this show...it's unpredictable.

[jmb3rg3r]

I've also thought that their memories might be falsified, for many of the same reasons mentioned above. Certainly, it would be the twist of all time to get to the end of the second or third season and find out that everything we thought we knew about all of these characters was a lie.

"They're not the survivors they thought they were," you know...

-j
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www.egoplex.com (http://www.egoplex.com)

[drabauer]

Those threads that deal ONLY with the notion of false memories have been archived. But I would really appreciate it jefmoret if you could add your ideas to one of the following threads, each of which weaves this idea into a larger theory of what may be happening on the island:

Freud meets the Matrix (http://p073.ezboard.com/flosttheunofficalforumfortheabcseriesfrm29.showMes sage?topicID=800.topic) explores ideas of virtual reality and psychological manipulation

Memories and Forgetting (http://p073.ezboard.com/flosttheunofficalforumfortheabcseriesfrm29.showMes sage?topicID=1245.topic) explores fals memories and the increased importance of totemic objects to the lostaways a mnemonic cues

Branwashed special ops team (http://p073.ezboard.com/flosttheunofficalforumfortheabcseriesfrm29.showMes sage?topicID=2315.topic) explains both memory loss, false memories and the exceptional abilities exchibited by Locke and others

Coma (http://p073.ezboard.com/flosttheunofficalforumfortheabcseriesfrm29.showMes sage?topicID=2433.topic) is the latest version of a long-running but umpopular theory that claims the castaways are experiencing this all in their heads