"Hatch"-ing a theory for the Swan

In case you haven't noticed by now, I'm a bit of a Lost mythology freak. Sure, I cried along with many of you when a certain main character bit the dust at the end of Season 3 (actually, many of you might have actually cheered, come to think of it), but as we work together in order to dull the pain of a Lost-less existence, you'll find me delving more into the story than the people. Today, I want to take a bit about everyone's favorite imploded Dharma station, The Swan.

I spent a lot of time during Season 3 wondering why the Swan was left alone by The Others during The Purge. Was this due to an inability to conquer those within? Was this in fact a tactical move? When Ben Linus conjures up a plan to enter the Swan, it's clear (at least to me) that he's never set foot in there before. The Others, as led by him, have unfettered access to The Pearl, the Hydra, the Arrow, and the Flame: why didn't Locke, Jack, and Kate discover a member of the Others inside The Swan upon dynamiting the hatch's hidden entrance?

The Swan, for reasons unclear, seems to have remained hidden from the Others at the time of the Purge. There's no reason to think any of them had ever entered the Swan until Ben's incursion there during Season 2. Was he doing recon work on behalf of the Others? After all, we still don't know precisely what he did during the lockdown as Locke lay helpless beneath the blast doors. We assume he pressed the combination (he would have not had a hard time remembering The Numbers, as a former Dharma-ite himself), but what if he did something else entirely? What if he saw something that fomented the plan to kidnap Jack, Kate, and Sawyer at the end of Season 2?

What I think we'll learn, if not in this season than in one of the final two, that the "incident" in question that forces Hatch members to press a series of buttons every 108 minutes is intimately tied into why the Island needed to be the place for the Dharma Initiative's work. Surely such conditions did not exist previous to their arrival upon the Island: while the natives could build statues as tall as skyscrapers, I'm fairly sure they couldn't build a geodesic dome replete with the finest electronics 1979 could buy. Just doesn't seem their style, is all I'm saying.

In any case, while Ben Linus shared all intelligence about the Dharma Initiative with the Hostiles during his formative years, it seems The Swan was not part of his intelligence briefing. Given how swiftly and effectively they struck the Dharma Initiative, it stands to reason that 1) Ben never knew the true nature of the Swan, or 2) kept it from them for strategic purposes yet to be learned. Option 2 is much cooler, but Option 1 is simpler and thus more likely to be right. They would have to do some ENORMOUS narrative lifting in order to explain why Ben would know about the Swan and yet. (I mean, he would never leave a hatch that could ultimately cut off the Others' communication to the outside world, would he?)

The most likely explanation was that the Swan, after the "incident," was nominally "shut down," as far as most of the Dharma Initiative was concerned. Only a few people knew of the "incident," and thus wanted to ensure that the people on the Island did not panic if they learned the true nature of the ticking time bomb they inhabited. Such secrecy could also explain why the Orientation film gives strict instructions NOT to use the computer for communications. As far as the majority of the Island knew, nothing important going on at the Swan. Thus, the fake orientation video at the Pearl: this would put aside any curiosity as to the true nature of the number pushing. This combination of cutting off communication and stilting any inquiry into the true nature of the Hatch proved as effective way to isolate the Swan from any prying eyes.

Which makes the true nature of the "incident," in my mind, all the more important in the overall mythology of Lost. And what's holed up behind the hastily made wall inside could be the ultimate reveal in the show's history.

Why do you think the Swan remained so hidden? What's behind the hastily made wall? Of all the stations on the Island, which do you think is the most vital to the work of the Dharma Initiative, The Others, and the Hanso Foundation?

Ryan also posts every 108 minutes over at Boob Tube Dude.

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