Welcome everyone to the second edition of Diary of a Madman, the weekly column of one half of the most dynamic blogging tag-team to hit the net since......well....ever. Now that I've got that blatant self-promotion out of the way for Big J and I...the latest installment of DOAM sets its sights on pop-culture and TV as I breakdown and try to answer one of the most complex questions in the history of television, "What the hell is happening on LOST?" So without further adieu.....here we go!
Now, I'm assuming that if you've chosen to read this column that you are a fan of LOST. I'm not going to explain the concept of the show or it's background as if you are a fan you know this would take me at least 4-5 columns and around 500 man hours. I'm just going to assume that you are a die-hard fan that is completely up to date and ready to read my theory as to what I feel the show means.
So last Wednesday (5/9) we finally got a glimpse of the man The Others call "Jacob" and learned that Ben was originally a member of the DHARMA Initiative who turned his back on his people to side with the Hostiles. And siding with the Hostiles meant orchestrating a mass killing of the DHARMA members with poisonous gas that left him in power and control of the island. We also learned that Richard met a young Ben around thirty years ago in the jungle when Ben was searching for his deceased mother and he hasn't aged since. We also learned that Locke could hear and briefly see Jacob which upset Ben and eventually led to the him shooting the former box company manager in the chest and leaving him for dead. And while many new questions were formed in this episode, many others were answered. So last night after a few drinks, the only time to contemplate the meaning of LOST, I can up with a theory that I have to admit is pretty good.
And the theory goes like this:
The island is a portal between the "real" living world and the afterlife. That's why so many Losties have been able to see dead relatives/things that have been important in their lives:
Jack --His dad
Mr. Eko--His brother
Kate---Her white horse
Ben--His mother
Etc...etc...etc...
This island is not, I repeat, NOT, purgatory. This theory has been bumped around by LOST fans for years and I am proposing something completely different. Look at the island as a tunnel with one entrance and one exit. On one side you have real life, on the other you have the afterlife. Everything that exists on the island exists in between these two worlds. And the specific magnetic properties of the island is what allowed this portal to be opened in the first place. The "numbers" are what keeps the portal "door" open to the afterlife and must be reset every 128 minutes or else the door will close. The fail safe key that Desmond turned is a way to bypass the numbers and keep the door open indefinitely.
Now that we have established the theory that the island is in between the real world and the afterlife, let me be the first to tell you that Jacob is GOD. He is a spirit trapped in that shack in the jungle by Ben who has some how figured out a way to manipulate the afterlife to further enhance his power and control in the real.living world. Why? I have no idea. It may be to keep the communication open between him and his mother whom he longed for as a child. Truthfully, I don't know yet. But that the best that I got. Anyway, LOST has always focused on the duality of life and man. The Yin and the Yang. The black stone vs the white stone on Adam and Eve, etc... And with that said, there must be a dual being to compliment Jacob/GOD. In Christianity, that being would be Jesus Christ. Sitting at the right hand of the father, Jesus had the same ability as GOD, however he was born into a human form via immaculate conception. His goal on Earth was to die so that humanity's sins could be forgiven. Remember this as we move forward.
The Jesus character or being in LOST is John Locke. John's ability to not be injured regardless of the severity of his wounds seems to indicate that he's divine in some form. His mother also told him in Season One after stalking him in a shopping mall parking lot that he was immaculately conceived. The most glaring observation that John could be divine is his obvious connection to the island, which has been explored in depth through three seasons, and the fact that he could see and hear Jacob when the spirit asked for help. This occurrence clearly upset Ben and ultimately set up the cliffhanger for this past episode. Remember Ben's parting words as he left John for dead in that ditch were along the lines of waiting to see Jacob saves him.
Since the start of Season Two, many of the Other's have been looking or asking for "him". Desmond asked for "him" when the Losties first broken into the original hatch, Kelvin asked Des the same question when he washed up on shore after being shipwrecked, and Richard and the remaining others asked the same question when Locke was brought to their group after being captured for blowing up the submarine. In fact, one Other said, "we've been waiting for you." It seems as those Ben's followers believe more in Locke than they do Ben right now and are holding out hope that Locke is indeed "him."
And the infertility on the island? Well, only the living can procreate. The dead obviously cannot, but Ben needs to figure out how his utopia can continue to exist on the island since no babies and or their mothers can survive. So, he brings in infertility experts (Ethan Rohm and Juliet) to help him try and defy mankind.
So what does this all mean???
Yeah, I have no idea either. After sitting here for the last few hours typing this out I don't think I believe my theory anymore.
So let's see what you guys and gals can do.....
Please email your LOST theories to bigjandmax@gmail.com and be apart of the yet to be written column based on your feedback. Maybe we can get to the bottom of this show, probably not. But it will be fun anyway.
Stay tuned for Big J's Top 10: Favorite Fights - Part II as I know he's getting ready to churn that badboy out soon.
Also, look for my newest TV column which is going to be called "The Madman's TV Upfront Diary: A look at all the new and renewed shows for next television season. And, yes, it's reputable. I work in the media and advertising industry during the day....I know...I know...my writing is so witty and entertaining that I should do this full-time...I've heard that a million times (that was a joke). But seriously, it will be a first-person perspective on all the upfronts as I attend them all and I'll give you my top 10 best shows to look out for next season and my top 10 shows destined to go the way of Andy Richter's latest sitcom.
Until then......keep coming back!
Max
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