He that dies pays all debts.
The Tempest. Act iii. Sc. 2
So, this is just a theory, nothing more. I am not sure even I think it is valid, it is just an idea that has been in my head since I watched the pilot. So, I share it here only to seek opinions and thoughts. Perhaps this idea has already been shared. Forgive me if it has.
What if the 48 survivors are actually the only ones who DIDN'T survive
the accident? What if the island is just a representation of life that
these dead share? Or a holding place before passing on to the final resting
place?
Could the fact that the unborn baby seemed lifeless at first, then suddenly
alive be a sign that the infant had outlived the mother, and then eventually
died?
And what of the pilot? Could his suddenly being ripped upward from the
island be because medical rescuers had revived him?
Maybe the sounds they are hearing are rescuers cutting and digging through
the wreckage on a hunt for survivors?
Just a thought....
Nenra
thats an interesting thought....hmmm *deep thinks*
ilovelost
Nenra: That is a truly interesting theory and it would make an excellent
short story. You should start writing it now before someone else does.
If this show had been a movie, or a mini-series, I think I would tell
you right now you might be right.
We have some purgatory theories on the board. I personally haven't subscribed
to them because I don't think the producers would allow a show to run
for say four years and then say "Oh, by the way, they've been dead
all along." Not that I don't think it's an intriguing concept because
I do, and I also think it offers a realm of possibilities, but I just
don't see it here.
Write it down now. Of course it will have to be different people, circumstances,
events. But you can make it yours.
JacksGirlfriend
But why is there so much blood flying around when the pilot is lifted?
I heard about the purgatory theory, but I don't like it very much.
Sincerely hope it's not true, because I'm an atheist.
Abraxas
Explain the bodies of the people who survived and how the man and the
engine play into the theory and I might believe. Right now to many flaws.
CatchFoundAlias
Well, following this theory along, the blood would be a manifistation
created in their minds, like the bodies. I watched the pilot again last
night, and found it curious that the way the pilot wakes up, and jolts
forward is similar to how a body reacts to the paddles when they are being
revived.
Anyway, to reply to the earlier comments about sustaining a show for four
years... I seriously doubt they can create a believable premise around
these characters on this island to last that long anyway. Since we know
we will be losing characters as we go, it would seem doubtful that this
cast, and this premise will go beyond this season. Even if the show returns,
I would expect them to have to re-invent the story at that time, so this
theory would still work for this season. Either way, it will be curious
to see what the truth is.
Lastly, and this hit me as I was watching last night... aren't yellow
labs used to locate victims in wreckage? If one follows this theory (and
again, I am not sure if even I do... yet) the dog might be a glimpse into
the reality outside their state. It might explain why the dog would choose
to remain in the dangerous brush rather than to join the people, where
the food, and his master is. Just a thought.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK, my point was what if the entire island, the wreckage, the bodies,
all of it were a creation that all of the 48 survivors were sharing. The
bodies are how their reality would manifest the living world. The survivors,
who, in this theory are really the dead ones, see the living as dead,
as they are not in this altered reality. In the case of the guy in the
engine, or the pilot, one can argue that they have been brought back from
death or the brink of it. The baby, as it was in a dead state, was alive,
then kicked to life when it died in the real world. The lady who sat across
from Jack, who was revived on the beach by Jack, would be an example of
somebody who survived the crash, but died on the beach. (again, just a
casual theory)
The monster, possibly the dog, these things are glimpses of things from
the real world, which they don't yet understand.
Nenra
Nenra, I think that is a very interesting take on their situation on the
island. I'll keep your ideas in mind as the next few episodes play out
and hopefully set up what is going on....
Colonel Sanders luvs Lost
I keep picturing the Sucked-in-Engine Guy (now known as SiEG) walking
towards the light (as it were) then getting sucked away from the light,
and... er, yeah.
BTW, Damon Lindelof said that the concept has been plotted out for four
seasons (IIRC), so you bet they've got some twists and turns ready.
BTW #2... how will this theory explain deaths by cast members deep into
the season? It's understandable that SiEG and the pilot were revived,
while the baby and Rose were lost shortly after the crash... but how about
late in the season, when for a Shocker!Sweeps!Stunt!, someone bites the
big one? They can't revive someone who's been dead for 21 days (for example),
right?
Master Xander
I don't really buy into the "they're dead" theory, but I will
comment on the point that Xander made about people dieing in the middle
of the season. What if everyone were in a coma instead of dead? Then if
they died in the middle of the season, they woke up. Just a thought.
jprez98
I totally agree. The deaths later on would pose a problem. That is why
I am anxious to see how they are handled. If there is anything odd around
the deaths that might explain "going into the light" or something.
If not, then that pokes a possible hole in the theory.
Good point about the engine guy also being sucked upwards when he dies.
Two deaths that we see, and both are being sucked upwards-ish.
Nenra
I like this theory...I actually had a glimmer of the same thoughts cross
my mind, but not this well thought out.
I would say it's a good possibility but like others can't figure out how
this would play out for 4-5 seasons...especially when people are going
to die later on.
ETA: In a plane crash of this nature...The entire back end of the plane
broke off...and the rest of the plane was in pieces on the island, I would
expect far fewer survivors than 48. This to me gives credence to the theory
that the cast is dead and the weird things they are experiencing is the
real world coming through.
But...what of the flight crew? They were not buckled in when the plane
started breaking apart, surely they were "lost". Then why aren't
they in the cast?
Ha! "Lost" is a play on words..."Lost" can also mean
dead, as in, "My father had cancer and we lost him." Something
to think about...
NCBBQ
Maybe we're speculating too much
I'm a simpleton, so I subscribe to the simple "dramatic Gilligan's
Island" theory of this show. That is, these folks really are alive,
they really are stranded (Lost) in a strange possibly uncharted island,
and they really do have to struggle to survive. If this turns out to be
a cheap "Dallas"-like dream sequence, then I will throw the
remote at the TV
Maybe we're reading too much into a guy being sucked UP into an engine.
The engine was elevated, after all. And the pilot did stick his head out
of a hole and looked up.
As for Rose and the baby being revived but really representing just the
opposite (i.e., initial survival then death), the "opposite"
theory is not necessary or even attractive for either of these. My wife
has had 5 count em 5 babies, and there were times in every pregnancy late-stage
where we couldn't feel the baby move for at least several hours. It's
a natural thing - even a fetus has to sleep periodically It's also a great
relief to Mom and Dad when the little guy/gal kicks again
Anyway, this whole idea is unattractive to me, so please don't let it
play out this way. The only good "long dream haha we fooled you"
in TV history was the final episode of "Newhart."
Now, back to Gilligan's Island...
Zambini Stardust
Re: Maybe we're speculating too much
I agree with Zambini. No everyone's dead stuff. That would be just too
weird.
BUT, if that's what you want to believe, then you're entitled to your
own opinion. That's why there are MANY threads on this board.
Have fun with your "They're all dead" theory.
I, personally hope that's not it, but that could just be me.
jprez98
Amen, at this point they're all just theories at this point.
I guess, my main reason for looking to the more mysterious would be fundamental.
There is so much wrong with the basics of this show, that if there isn't
something mysterious or supernatural about it, then it is just bad storytelling.
For example: the entire physics of 48 people surviving this crash, most
of them with only minor scratches, seems totally unrealistic. It doesn't
happen that way. The layout of the actual crash site is also suspect.
If the show truly is about people simply being stranded on an island,
and trying to survive, then why not make the means for their being stranded
more believable? Add on that the bizarre creature in the woods, the odd
distress signal, the polar bear.... it seems obvious to me that the show
is build around a more unique thread. Something out of the ordinary is
going on here, at least in my opinion.
JJ is far too good at keeping things real to base a show on an unrealistic
foundation unless he is making a point with it. I think all of the things
that seem out of place are important, and I am loving the search for the
answers.
As for the baby, true, pregnant women often have periods where the baby
doesn't move. And food often causing kicking. However, when you have to
create a show, and fit several plots and characters into under an hour
a week, you have to keep only things that serve a purpose. There is a
reason we have a pregnant woman, there is a reason why she thought the
baby was dead, beyond the usual. Just as there is a reason the black lady
said the "monster" sounded familiar, there is a reason we gave
Jack a tattoo... so on, and so on. I'm just having fun trying to figure
out what those reasons are.
On the other hand, I could be crazy, and Gillagan could be just over that
hill..... or Richard Hatch, now that would be scary!
Nenra
Tribulation
You folks ever read Revelation? You familiar with the concept of Tribulation?
Don't worry about pre-millenial vs post-millenial or pre-trib vs post-trib
rapture, let's just keep it simple. The Christian doctrine of tribulation
goes something like this: Christ returns and takes his flock home with
him to Heaven (the Rapture), leaving all others to live in a turbulent
period on earth - the Tribulation. Think "Left Behind" series
of novels.
So, the Rapture occurred in an instant in time, causing a rift in the
fabric of space, tearing the plane apart and crashing it. Lots of people
got sucked out of the plane, or died upon impact. Some of them were "raptured"
because they were believers and they were taken home; some just plain
died.
Everyone who survived is now living in the Tribulation; their own semi-private tribulation on a distant island - i.e., none of them were believers. They'll never get "rescued" in the human physical-world sense because that world is now in the midst of a great battle - Armageddon. Some of them MAY get rescued in the spiritual sense - the whole purpose of Tribulation is to give people one more chance for redemption.
You don't have to accept the Christian version of Rapture and Tribulation
to consider this plot line. Most major religions of the world have some
sort of end-of-the-world scenario. Maybe this really IS the end of the
world, and these people were spared it by being stranded on this distant
island.
I only like this idea a little bit for two reasons: (1) I'm a Christian,
so I don't want my beliefs to be bandied about recklessly by a TV show,
and (2) I can't imagine liberal Hollywood putting that much empasis on
a fundamental interpretation of the Bible. But it does open possibilities...
Zambini Stardust
Re: Tribulation
Zambini?? I like it. I like it a lot. I like it a WHOLE bunch. I don't
think it's what is happening here. But I like it. I REALLY like it.
cccourt
Who's to say Time is constant across both realities. The survivors could
be dead like said above. They are planning 4 seasons, so perhaps that
entire run could be 5 minutes in our time. So as people die on the show,
it could very well just be the immediate time after the crash in our reality
pirate23
OK, so the air marshall's death does put a dent in this theory, there
were still two things last night that are interesting if one entertains
this theory at all.
#1: and I paraphrase - Jack says to Kate, we all died 3 days ago, we should
get a fresh start.
#2: again, paraphrased. In the promo for next week, the black lady says
her husband is not dead. Jack says everyone in that tale section is gone
(could be a metaphore for dead), and she says "maybe their saying
the same thing about us".
True, both of these could mean many things, but also could fit this theory
well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
And one more point... LOL
I find it curious that every flashback has dealt with good or bad decisions/actions
the characters have made.
Jack flashs back to a moment when he provided comfort to the black lady.
Kate flashes back to a time when, even though he was her captor, she helped
the marshall by putting his air mask on.
Charlie flashes back to a time where he did drugs.
Then Kate flashes back several times to an event where she sacrificed
her own freedom to save Ray.
Could this (according to this particular theory) indicate that they are
in a place between redemption and damnation? Their actions can and will
determine where they go? This could play into Locke's statements. Just
a thought.
Nenra
You could interpret it that way, but I really think the flashbacks are
there to reflect the people's character and as a nifty feature.
Abraxas