Did Locke Know?

[Artuskan]

Other people have remarked on the fact that Locke looked very unhappy when Hurley revealed that there was an outsider among them. Now, this may have been due to being upset that they had been infiltrated, but what if he already knew that Ethan was an outsider?

When Locke spotted something on his boar hunt, what if it wasn't the 'monster'? What if it was Ethan? Up in a tree, perhaps, so that Locke would have had to look upward. Ethan could have given him the boar or helped him hunt it down.

The question then becomes, "Why would Locke aid him in the deception?" Why not tell the rest of the castaways? Did Ethan tell him that he would lose his ability to walk if he exposed him? What would convince Locke to keep it quiet?

Danielle warned Sayid to watch the other passengers, implying that something would change them in some way. We certainly know that Locke has been very profoundly changed by the crash. What we don't know is if this is what she was referring to.

There are hints that the show is heading toward some kind of good versus evil confrontation. Which side will Locke be on? Personally, I hope he's one of the good guys.

[SaphiraSilverDragon]

Ah, now you see I'm a bit confused with Locke's unhappy look. I thought that he was unhappy that Sayid came stumbling into camp. But you 're probably right.... if he really is in cahoots with Ethan, then it would make sense that he would look unhappy at the revelation that Ethan wasn't on the plane.
Personally, I think Locke's the one who attacked Sayid in the forest. Someone on a different website said that Locke did and said everything for a reason: Meaning, that I think he told Sayid that you could use a cigarette to set off a rocket at any given time to make Sayid think that Sawyer was the culprit- Let's face it, the two were never all that friendly in the first place. I think Locke wanted all attention drawn away from himself so that he could operate secretly without anyone suspecting him.

~Saphira~

[drabauer]

OK, one possibility: Locke did meet Ethan while boar-hunting, Ethan recognized his susceptibility, and inculcated him into his cult of island as universal mother goddess. He also cautioned him to keep this on the down-low until the rest of them could be convinced as well.

Now this may all be wrong, but I too was freaked by Locke's constant wordless staring throughout the ep. My guess, for Locke lovers, is that he simply suspects an awful lot (ergo, his appearance as the psychic in Claire's dream), and may have had an inkling about Danielle and some 'evil' on the island. Of course, then one would assume he had an inking about Ethan as well.

[bigmouth]

I agree with doc: it's far more likely that Ethan recognized Locke as a an ally (or vice versa) and approached him on one of their boar hunts together.

[killbuckner]

awsecond- I think that is the most likely situation, but keep in mind there is also the possibility that Ethan is working against Locke. That Claire was kidnapped specifically to keep her away from Locke and thats why Locke looked so unhappy when hearing the news. The producers are going to play around with the idea that we don't really know who is good or bad so I think this is a very real possibility.

[azteclady]

Locke could just be aghast at the sudden revelation that there's other people in the island right now- as far as the audience knows, and in fact the show takes pains to ensure we are clear on *that* point at least, he wasn't privy to the French distress call.

There's no explicit finger-pointing at Ethan as our 'not in the plane' person, though the previews *do* hint at that. Then again, the previews have been misdirecting the audience since day one, so I wouldn't bet anything expensive here...

But if Ethan is indeed the one 'not on the plane' and this is revealed unequivocally to him (and to the other survivors and the audience), Locke may be having a little crash with reality. After all his posturing to Jack and Charlie as the mentor-type, how come he didn't feel anything odd in Ethan? Particularly since, from a previous scene, Locke and Ethan had spent some substantial periods of time together - hunting and presumably then dressing the game.

Of course, this is assuming Locke is not part of any conspiracy, just a tad insane and out of touch with reality.


Beto
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[Stu1961]

azteclady,

These are men on the hunt together. They're not going to be sharing their inner-most feelings for both reasons: men & hunting. I can go golfing with three other guys, spend four hours walking around a course (where conversation wouldn't scare anything off) and we rarely speak. When we do - it's usually to make fun of one of their attempts at a shot. I think that ability, to not force what many guys equate to useless small talk/chatter, is what makes them some of my best friends.;)

As for Locke's "look", I thought that was his serious/pensive look of concern.

[azteclady]

Stu,

who said anything about talking???


Just saying! Observation and conversation... I don't take them for the same thing.

And I agree, Locke looks concerned to me - it's the why we may disagree on.


Beto
member of STOP - Society To Oust Purgatory (theories)
official member of the fund raising committee
(become an ezsupporter - donate to the community chest)

[NotWithoutStilts]

Or it could be that Locke was upset that everyone around Sayid seemed to understand his comment about the French woman and Locke didn't - he likes to be the main hunter, he'd think he should know everything on the island.

[Zambini Stardust]

There's no explicit finger-pointing at Ethan as our 'not in the plane' person, though the previews *do* hint at that.

I thought Hurley told Jack that one name was not on the manifest and it was Ethan's.

I agree it is possible that when Locked "looked into the eye of this island and what I saw was beautiful," he could have been referring to an encounter with Ethan. Not that he thinks Ethan is beautiful *ew* but something about Ethan's existence on the island excites Locke. Maybe Ethan told Locke that he (Ethan) had been on the island for many, many years and have survived well because the island fed him, or some such nonsense.

Remember, we've never seen the monster. It is probable that Ethan = monster in some other form.

[Clementine Kruczynski]

Hurley did say that one person's name was not on the manifest but did not say who it was. The scene then cut to a shot of Ethan looking menacingly at Claire and Charlie, making it easy to conclude that Ethan's is the missing name. Which leads me to believe that it is not Ethan who isn't on the list but someone else.