Resurrected

[bigmouth]

Has anyone considered the possibility that the "surviving" castaways were actually resurrected?

Lots of folks have suggested that everyone died in the plane crash and that the survivors are in purgatory. I think they're partly right--everyone did die but a select few have been brought back to life somehow for some as yet unkown purpose.

Think about it. It explains Locke's miraculous recovery from paralysis. It also explains why there are so many survivors of a plane crash that, by the look of the wreckage, should have killed everyone. It gives added significance to Jack's statement that they all died three days ago. It also plays into the new testament symbolism of 40 days that's been noted by the writers themselevs.

There are at least two problems I see with this theory. First, why were they resurrected? I don't honestly know. My best guess is that it's some kind of alien experiment--primarily because aliens appear in Walt's comic book. Maybe all the survivors share some commonality that makes them valuable to the experiment. Or maybe these were simply the least damaged of the survivors. Note how they all have fairly superficial wounds.

All, of course, except for the marshall, which brings me to the second problem. If Locke was cured of his paralysis, why wasn't the marshall cured of his shrapnel wound? I confess I don't have a good answer beyond speculating that maybe the marshall lacks some quality the other survivors share. I realize that's not very persuasive at this point, but who knows?

[Myzty]

Interesting theory but its kind of faulty.

1) If the aliens or whoever wants to experiment hand-picked these ppl and cured Locke of his paralysis, why couldn't they either kill Marshall or have him cured too?

2) If the criterion was to pick the least injured people, why pick Locke or Marshall?

[bigmouth]

As I said in my post, the marshall is a problem. My best guess is that he lacks whatever special commonality unites the rest of the survivors. Maybe he was the only passenger who actually survived the crash, and the powers that be just decided to let him die naturally.

You make a good point about Locke, as well. The best I can guess is that he either shares the special commonality, or his spinal injury was somehow easier to fix than lost limbs or shrapnel through bodies. In fact, I wouldn't even rule out the possibility that curing his paralysis was a mistake--an unintentional byproduct of whatever procedure was used to resurrect them.

Truthfully, however, I'm not sure.

PS: Here's another possibility that someone just proposed on imdb: maybe Locke's paralysis was cured b/c it happened four years ago, while the marshall's injuries happened during the crash.

[Myzty]

That actually ties in with Philly Experiment theory? Doesnt it? *scratches head* I am so confuzzled! :x

[Whis7ler]

Nice theory - it reminded me of "The Quiet Earth" - a mid '80s mediocre scifi flick. The premise was a Gov experiment that went bad and killed everybody on the earth except for a select few who were at the point of death - they were resurected.

Here is my theory - whatever the strange experiment that involves the island caused the plane to crash. All of the survivors all were at the point of death when they either passed through whatever or some event of the experiment happened and were resurected. All of the passengers who died did so at a different time.

This would explain why Jack woke up in the forest away from the beach. Didn't jack say he does not remember the crash because he blacked out? Also this would explain why Locke can now walk and why all the surviors injuries seem to be superficial. As for the marshall - maybe he was resurected with either the shrapnel in him or the shrapnel got him after the resurection.

If I remember correctly, we did not see anyone get out of the plane they were already on the beach.

What do you think.

[bigmouth]

Mytzy: how do you figure re the relationship with Philadelphia Experiment? Not saying you're wrong, just that I'd love to hear more.

Whis7ler: I agree with a lot of what you say, though I'm not sure the experiment caused the crash unintentionally. If that were so, why would the "survivors" have been revived in the first place? Seems to me it can't have been an accident. I'm betting they were revived for a purpose--we just don't yet know what.

Still, as I say,I'm with you 100% re no one emerging from the plane. That's always struck me as suspicious. Along with the fact that everyone dead just happens to still be in their seats with seatbelts fastened.

[bluecord13]

Hello this is my first post so here it goes...
Remember this is a showed based on known facts as of this day. Nothing fictional, not saying there are other beings out there its just there is no solid proof.
I was reading another thread that stated this is all in Locke's head...I am going to go with that theory...Think about the show thus far, anything good or "miracle" has happened to him. 2 examples are he made the dog whistle, which made the boy happy. Of coarse the big one he can walk now. In the flash back to the "real world" his boss dogs him, his only close relationship is with a 900 # girl....
I don't know but I think the show will revolve around Locke somehow

[akg]

as talented as everyone says these creators and writers are, they would never have this show take place inside this guy's head. way too unoriginal of an idea. i think too many people would be way too disappointed in this show if they took that turn with it.

[Lizard]

I agree that this show wouldn't take place in Locke's head. First of all, it's a cop-out, and I don't think any self-respecting author would actually *plan* on basing an entire series on this premise. Also, it doesn't really seem to fit: while Locke indeed shows signs of playing an important role in the setup, he doesn't strike me as pivotal. He would have to interact with way more people than he does right now, and would have to benefit from each of these interactions - I just don't think that this will happen. Still, I might buy into that theory if he manages to hit it off with Shannon :D
BTW, if anybody has seen the move "Identity", it features a similar concept, but didn't really work out in the end (at least for me). Every character in the movie turned out to represent one facet of some guy's mind, which seemed interesting at first, but quickly came to a dead-end once the basic idea was revealed. Anyway...
I'm still feeling kind of ambivalent about Locke. True, he is delusional and seemed a bit of a loser in 'real life', but there were signs of something else. Effectively, he has accomplished quite a bit: Foremost bringing back that boar, but also smaller things, like the way he threw that knife, or how he managed to carve a working dog flute - and he is the only one to survive a face-to-face meeting with the monster, whatever it may turn out to be. Also, his delusions seem to have driven him to gather quite a bit of knowledge about certain things, like how to carve that flute, or the facts about boars (which sounded as if he got them out of some book, if you're asking me), and don't forget about how he talked about Backgammon.
I don't know if it's me, but did Helen sound as if she thought of him a little differently than of her other customers? It might be part of how she has to treat her callers, but I don't know... I thought it was a bit odd, like the way she really didn't want to charge him another 89$ (or maybe she just wanted out of the conversation, who knows). Oh well.
By the way, did anyone else think that his 'orange smile' in the epilot was really creepy? At first, I didn't even recognize what it was and just thought it was part of his face...
Anyway, that should be enough for a first post. Please feel free to post any thoughts about my interpretations, I'd really like to hear them!

[bigmouth]

Lizard, I think you make some great points. I totally agree that Locke is very creepy, going back to that orange smile and his Gordon Jumpesque "Do you wanna know a secret" to Walt. The writers have implied in interviews that they are not misleading us about this, and I think last night's episode was meant to confirm those feelings - in part.

But I think it was also meant to highlight the transformation Locke has undergone. He was strong willed but pathetic back in civilization. Remember, he'd only been paralyzed for four years. Plenty of time before then to have done the walkabout. I get the sense he grasps that he's been given a second chance, and is taking full advantage of it.

I also think the backgammon conversation is significant in still another respect. I've predicted elsewhere that the castaways will eventually split allegiances between Jack and Sawyer. Note that one has dark hair, and one has light. Some mock me for dwelling on such minutiae, but I truly think that's the significance of the backgammon speech.

[jobbermanlost]

I just want to give props for the Gordon Jump reference.


I swear to God, I thought turkeys could fly.
Arthur Carlson
Owner of WKRP

[Baron X]

if the group splits up they will draw way too many comparisons to earlier stories. They are doing a good job of being original so far.

[JacksGirlfriend]

If the group splits, it won't be along the lines of Jack and Sawyer. They're a team whether they like each other or not right now. It was evident to me in the way Sawyer immediately began to follow Jack toward the fuselage. It wasn't a macho "I'm the one for this job" movement. He was following him as backup. You don't act that way in a situation, then abandon him later.

They have problems dealing with one another because their personalities are different and each has his own way of dealing with trauma. Chances are their backgrounds are as different as night and day, as is the emotional baggage that haunts them. But Jack and Sawyer are both stand-up guys and stand-up guys stick together, protect the group and look out for each other.

JacksGirl

[Baron X]

Touching......but why is Sawyer bogarting the peanuts?

[JacksGirlfriend]

I know how much you like Sawyer, Baron.

I think he's over protective of that bag because his letter's inside and that letter is the key to what kind of man he really is.

JacksGirl

[Baron X]

you two just need to get a room.:D

[Lizard]

I think a split between the survivors will definitely occur. "It's been done" is not an argument, because well... if it's been done, it's been done for the reason that it is the perfectly logical thing to happen, and the writers are not going to miss that. And really, who hasn't already been reminded of Lord of the Flies or something like it? I don't think they'd shy away from splitting the group just to avoid references.

As for reasons for the split, I believe it's going to happen because of differences in motivation for the characters, although I don't think it would necessarily have to be Sawyer to lead the split-offs; could as well be Sayid or even Rose.

By motivation I mean the driving force of the character's desire to stay alive on the island. One group is going to do it in order to 'just' survive, quite obviously led by Jack (maybe even to obviously, but I don't think so), the other group is not going to abandon hope and believe that rescue is going to come. Based on this differing beliefs, there will be various conflicts of interest, which leads to the problem that while i.e. Jack might think it would be in the best interest of the group to fully chart the island, Sawyer would say that it was not safe enough and they should all stay on the beach. Both would ultimately be right from their perspective, both would act out of a desire to protect the group (although Jack would be right in thinking more long-term, but of course that's only for us as the audience to know), and both would find some supporters for their respective causes.

I'd love to stay and speculate who is going to be in which group, and for which personal reasons, but I have to go now... catch you later.

[JacksGirlfriend]

Baron: I don't think there are any rooms on the island... but I'll look into it.

JacksGirl

[bigmouth]

Thanks, jobbermanlost, though just to be clear to those not in the know, that wasn't a WKRP reference. Rather, I was referring to Jump's notorious guest appearance on Different Strokes where he played a creepy guy who molests Dudley.

BaronX: I think it's a stretch to expect anything to be completely original in this day and age. It's all been done before--plane crashes, castaways, monsters. I actually give the show props for not giving in to the anxiety of influence, and striving instead to combine old elements in new ways. That's the path to originality these days.

Jack'sGirl: I actually agree with you to a point. I think Jack and Sawyer will start out as a team, much as Jack and Ralph start out as a team in Lord of the Flies. (I know, I know--I read too much into these things...) But the tension between them is palpable, all the moreso since Sawyer seems to have an eye for Kate. Ironically enough, I think Sawyer and Sayid may actually develop the strongest bond.

Lizard: Once again, I agree with a lot of what you say. I particularly like your point about Jack and Sawyer having a genuine, good faith conflict. I want to be absolutely clear: I do not think this is a good vs. evil kind of split. That's why I think analogies to the Stand, while interesting, have limited value. When the group splits, it won't be along simply manichean lines. Just as light and dark do not represent good and evil in backgammon, neither will they on Lost.

[Lizard]

awsecond, thank you :)
I agree with your posts, too (not very surprisingly, I should add), and I liked the thought about backgammon. Obviously, the scene has a high significance to the show (just look at the way it was presented), so I'm guessing they wanted to tell the viewer what he should expect from the show - which is, a portrayal of conflicts. And I just love how many conflicts the writers have already introduced... starting with the obvious people vs. monster thingy, which I think might very well subject to twists later on, and going on with things like conflicts of interest (or motivation, like I said - truth vs. hope, as discussed in another thread), racial conflicts (think Michael vs. Jin, but on a deeper level), Jacks reluctance to lead as witnessed in the last episode vs. the group's need for him, everyone's history vs. the new status they have acquired on the island (Locke!), and so on. Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing it all played out.