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'Lost': Generational gap
Since the start of the Season 4 of Lost, I've shied away from trying to make big, bold, all-encompassing theories about the show. It's always dangerous to do so under the best of circumstances, but trying to do so in the middle of a season in which the stakes and scenarios seem to alter on a weekly basis seem to me a fool's errand. You could call me prudent, and you could also call me chicken. Heck, you can call me Al. It's all good to me.
That being said, it's hard not to occasionally step back and swing for the fences. And that's what I plan on doing tonight: going all Barry Bonds on Lost. Lord knows I have the swelled head to do so, even though I still don't know what flaxseed oil is. That being said, I couch said swing under the following disclaimer: this is not my über-theory of Lost. I don't think this is the be all and end all explanation for everything that's happened and is happening on the show.
But, it's a potential über-theory for Lost, one of many equally plausible arguments. That's the fun part of making these huge predictions at this point in the game: while it's easy to point out holes in them, it's hard to completely dismiss them, either. Short of saying "The Island is where all the Keebler elves bake their delicious cookies!", you're pretty much guaranteed a CHANCE at being correct. And I'll take the "greater than Keebler elves" odds every time.
Tonight's theory can be called the "Sins of Our Fathers Theory." In essence, this theory states that everything in Lost started literally decades before the crash of Oceanic 815. What we see in the show is the result of careful planning on the part of an elder generation barely seen in the show to date, but whose presence affects nearly everything we've seen on the show.
More than perhaps any show on television right now, Lost is a show of its time. I don't merely mean that it exploits the visual spectacle of high-definition television, although it does. I don't merely mean that it exploits a web-savvy culture through its use of alternative storytelling and the exuberance of fandom, although it does. And I don't merely mean that it thrives in a culture that embraces long-form storytelling as a viable niche of mass-market entertainment, although it does.
When I say that Lost is a show of its time, I mean more than anything its historical time, a time in which baby boomers are approaching the age in which they are close to retirement, close to Social Security payments, and a long, long way from their idealistic upbringing. As they approach these milestones, milestones they perhaps never thought about, their thoughts turn not only to the problems their generation failed to solve, but also turn towards their offspring as the possible salvation to their thwarted, stunted ambitions.
Indeed, genre storytelling has been rife with this theme throughout the early part of this new century. Heroes and Battlestar: Galactica stand at the forefront with Lost as shows that have taken advantage of genre's use of allegory, metaphor, and allusion to comment on modern society, modern angst, and modern issues. It's not that these shows stand alone today in doing so, nor do they stand alone in genre storytelling history in doing so. But Lost, Heroes, and Battlestar all keenly and directly confront the modern dynamic in which the "older" generation looks at the world around them, hates what they see, looks upon themselves as the cause for such failure, and hope that the next generation can clean up their mess.
The "fathers" in the title of my theory, as if pertains to Lost, are Christian Shephard, Charles Widmore, and Mr. Paik (first name currently unknown). These are three figures I believe to be at the core of Desmond's arrival to the Island, the crash of Oceanic 815, and the arrival of the Freighters. in this theory, they are all related to the initial incarnation of the Dharma Initiative, through ties to the Hanso Foundation. All believed deeply in the validity of the Valenzetti Equation, all believed in the good of changing it, and all bought into the DeGroots' methods for changing it.
But somewhere along the line, hope in the Dharma Initiative failed. The Initiative itself can be seen as a byproduct of the baby boomer age: borne of relentless (if perhaps naive) optimism, seeking to change the world through enlightenment and knowledge. I often mock this original version of the Initiative as "hippy dippy," but historically speaking, one can look at the hippie generation as one phase of the baby boomers, until Altamont and the 1970s and good paying jobs and suburban lifestyles sent them on their way through the following decades, ever further from their ideals, but ever closer to the culmination of the Valenzetti Equation.
With age, experience, and perhaps more than a small dose of cynicism that came with the decades that followed the failure of the initial Dharma Initiative, a change took place in the culture of those associated with the Hanso Foundation: a change that moved from DeGroot-ian idealism to Widmorian pragmatism. And much in the way that Adam Monroe and Daniel Linderman sought to save the world through unsavory means in Heroes, these men sought to finish the work started decades earlier through methods that may have been frowned upon, if not downright loathed.
And whom did they use in order to achieve these ends? Their very children. Jack Shephard, Penelope Widmore, and Sun Paik are all heavily involved in the mythology of the show, and stand as central pieces of the chess game being played by their fathers as we speak. Charles Widmore looks to be the leader of the elder generation, working closely with Christian Shephard and Mr. Paik in order to see the original goal of the Dharma Initiative be met. This involved sending two of their children to the Island itself, and breaking the heart of a third in order to use her tenacity and resources to unwittingly aid in their search for the elusive Island.
Such a theory helps explain Christian's many appearances on the show, both on and off the Island. It helps explain why Sun used a Widmore Corporation pregnancy test. (Mr. Paik perhaps knew Jin was infertile, needed an heir to his empire, and agreed to build the freighter in return for Sun's rescue before her pregnancy became terminal.) And most of all, it explains the unique mural on the wall of Charles Widmore's office, a mural that may contain the key to everything known about the mysterious Island itself by the Hanso Foundation's elder statesmen.
Moreover, this theory keeps in line with the show's preoccupation with the strained relationships between the people on the Island and their parents; predominantly, with their fathers. Take these crippling relationships, and couple them with the Island's propensity to allow its inhabitants to start anew, and one could look at the plans of the elder generation to be something akin to compassion. It's a complicated compassion, to be sure, but I'm not sure any of these parents see themselves as evil anymore than Adam Monroe and Daniel Linderman see themselves as evil.
Flawed? Naturally. Proud? Hardly. But these men are past the point of self-glorification. What was once a shining future is but a cold reality, and only in the lives of their children, and in an Island that still holds some promise of hope for the world, can the dreams that have long since eluded them be achieved. If not by them, well, then through them. And if casualties come from this, if suffering comes from it, well, the end justifies the means. Saving the world is all that's important.
The time to save themselves has long gone.
Ryan also posts every 108 minutes over at Boob Tube Dude.
Very interesting, Ryan. Do you think Anthony Cooper might have been involved in some way? He also has a hand in two of the survivor's ending up on that plane (Locke indirectly through the crippling which made him ineligible for his walkabout). Maybe even Kate's dad. A high-ranking Army official most certainly has some knowledge of an organization like DHARMA. Maybe he was more involved with them then we yet know.
Also, you forgot Claire in relation to Christian Shepard.
Blue Sean | Feb 19, 2008 7:36:30 PM | #Blue Sean: Forgot about Claire, good point. That strengthens the Sun angle even more: send a pregnant woman there, plus one who can't get pregnant. Interesting case studies, both.
Ryan | Feb 19, 2008 7:46:32 PM | #I strongly agree with this theory. It makes perfect sense. However, you failed to mention Claire and Aaron, who we have learned are related to Christian Shepard. I'm not sure how Claire would fit into this, but Aaron being 3rd generation may hold some sort of key to things.
In addition to being a father to 2 815ers, I believe Christian was acting as a recruiter to get people on the Island. We've seen him in a few flashbacks, and wouldn't be surprised if he shows up in others. I also believe Widmore used Libby to assist in bringing people to the Island.
Shaggysteve | Feb 19, 2008 7:57:13 PM | #Sorry about the late post on Claire. I must have been writing when Blue Sean posted his entry.
Shaggysteve | Feb 19, 2008 7:58:48 PM | #Definently an interesting theory. However, I can't say I totally buy into it. I have suspicions that Widmore did indeed send Desmond to the Island, albeit indirectly via the boat race. But I dunno if Mr. Paik would send his own daughter into harm's way; although, caring and empathy was never on his plate much during his appearances thus far.
Also, seems to me that Christian Shephard never really wanted Jack to follow him, rather that he was running away and trying to distance himself from Jack; maybe to spare him of his fate to land on the Island and the epic struggle found there? Who knows.
Here's something to think about; what if Jacob, whoever or whatever he is, was once a part of this "Cabal of Fathers"? That the event that turned him into the mystical cabin dwelling list maker is what caused him to break away from this cabal, and in fact, do everything possible thus far to thwart them, including becoming a messiah to Ben and the Others.
I think, if we learn the true identity of who/what Jacob is, or used to be, we might also find out that someone on the Island, from any of the factions now colliding with each other, is his child.
Other Sean | Feb 20, 2008 12:08:24 AM | #I see where you're going, I'm just not sure about a couple of points.
When have we ever seen a connection between Christian Shephard and Charles Widmore? For this theory to really work all three need to be in cahoots to plan their childrens arrival on the island. Also, wasn't it that psychic who was more to blame for Claire being on 815? I agree with Other Sean that it seemed that Christian was off the reservation, not trying to lure Jack to Australia. While there he did seem to be riddled with guilt over how far south his relationship with his son has gone. I don't think he was going to make it up to him by crashing him on a mysterious island in order to save the world.
I do think you are right on about the Widmore/Paik connection and they are an integral part of the mythology, I'm just not sure it was there plan to use their children to clean up their mess. Perhaps it was more of fate punishing them for thier involvement by making their children crash with 815. Just a thought.
I'm with Mike on this one. I've really been keen on the generational aspect of the show, but I don't think Christian Shephard is one of the key players, mythologically speaking. While I agree with the concept of the Sins of the Fathers, I believe there are only two fathers - Widmore and Paik - who orchestrated the events on the Island.
As for Christian, Anthony Cooper et al, they shaped the characters themselves, but I don't think they had a hand in shaping the events leading up to and following the crash of Flight 815.
Jeff | Feb 20, 2008 7:03:59 AM | #I don't believe Mr. Paik would have put Sun in harms way either. However, originally she wasn't supposed to be on the plane. She was planning on leaving Jin at the airport and start a new life.
Shaggysteve | Feb 20, 2008 7:15:03 AM | #Mike/Jeff: Until the final mobisode and brief glimpse of Christian in the first ep this season, I wouldn't have lumped him in to this group. But the signs are pointing to much larger involvement in the show's mythology.
Shaggy: I'm not sure any of these elders think of the crash as putting their children in harm's way. In addition, how was he supposed to know she was supposed to leave him? I'm not suggesting they view the Island as a happy getaway for their kids, but not as simple as "sending their kids to their death". As I argue above, I bet getting Sun to conceive a child on the Island benefits Sun as much as Mr. Paik, even if Sun would be horrified that her father viewed the Island as a tropical version of Cialis.
One more morsel for thought: we've known seen a staged crash of Oceanic 815. This suggests a connection between Team Abaddon and Oceanic (heck, Abaddon claims to be their rep to Hurley at one point). If Team Abaddon could have access to Oceanic parts in order to construct the crash site, is it impossible that they could have tinkered with Oceanic 815 itself to ensure its flight directly into the path of the Island?
Ryan | Feb 20, 2008 7:31:06 AM | #Ryan, you wrote:
"You could call me prudent, and you could also call me chicken. Heck, you can call me Al. It's all good to me."
How about I just call you "Sean"? (Ah, I crack me up.)
One question I have about this whole Great Conspiracy theory - not (just) your specific theory here, but the whole idea of 815 being intentionally crashed on the Island: Was Kelvin in on it, too, then? Because it was his actions, over a period of time, that led to Desmond following him out, which led to the button not being pressed in time, which (so we are supposed to believe, or at least Desmond believes) led to the plane crashing.
That's a whole LOT of ifs and maybes to base a plan on, if crashing THAT specific plane with THOSE specific people was the Dharmarati's great plan. Or do they have some uber-psychic telling them how to move the chess pieces to bring about an inevitable checkmate in the otherwise uncertain future?
Not saying you are wrong, these are just some things I'm thinking about, quite aside from all the coursework at Temporal U.
DanC | Feb 20, 2008 8:32:04 AM | #DanC: Definitely a whole lot of "maybe"s in here, which I why I tried to couch all this in a "hey, this is plausible, cool, but far from definite".
As far as uber-psychics: I mean, honestly, you might not be far off. I'd say Ms. Hawking knows a thing or three. Maybe Brother Campbell (from the monestary) might as well.
This is exactly why I love this show.
Ryan, I understand completely. That final mobisode really made me think about my view of Christian and his relationship to the big picture. However I chalk that scene up to being the same Christian who appears to Jack early on in S1. He speaks to Vincent in the same manner Yemi spoke to Ecko. I believe it is the Monster/Jacob being able to inhabit the bodies of dead people on the island. That is why only those two flashback characters ended up on the island.
I just can't agree that he had some larger plan before he died that involved his two children ending up on the island. Also, none of Widmore's kids ended up on the island. His daughters boyfriend did and that would have been after he began dealing with Hanso/Paik. I could also be completely off base.
Mike in RI | Feb 20, 2008 8:59:59 AM | #It'll be interesting to see how they play the Conspiracy card on this show. On one hand, we know the missing flight is important enough to cover up with a fake crash site; on the other hand, the plane crash on the Island itself was solely Desmond's fault.
What is the reason someone might want to end the search for Flight 815? Here's my best guess:
Somehow someone with power knows flight 815 crashed on the Island. Let's say there's no possible way anyone in the outside world can know this. So then, let's say that this someone is in fact Benjamin Linus – the self proclaimed protector of the Island. In an effort to deflect any possibility the search for 815 would lead to the discovery of the Island, Ben uses his extensive resources and devious genius to set up a fake crash site in the exact opposite direction of the plane's flight path. This could potentially protect the Island's location indefinitely.
Now, the wrench in the plans, as it were, is Penelope Widmore, who is unrelenting in the search for her true love, Desmond - who through a delicious twist of fate (i.e. the detonation of the Swan) is the exact reason why the Island is ultimately found.
So now let's say that Penny's father, Charles Widmore, who happens to be one of the founding partners of the DHARMA Initiative and whose company helped construct the Initiative's Island infrastructure (which gives him a historically vested interest in the Island) finds out that the remarkable, special and ultimately exploitable secret Island he thought was lost forever since DHARMA mysteriously disappeared (although through time he learns about the Purge and who's responsible for it) has unwittingly been found by his very own daughter (who of course knows nothing about her father's past and maybe even asks for his help).
Armed with the coordinates for the exact location of the lost Island, Widmore asks one of his most trusted advisors - let's say his name is Matthew Abbadon - to assemble a super secrect black ops task force comprised of five members (including Naomi) who are the most talented experts in their respective fields and send them to these coordinates on a freighter. These people don't know each other or what their mission is. All they know is that they must find a man named Benjamin Linus and bring him back to the ship.
From here, your guess is as good as mine, but I have a feeling Ben will somehow turn the tables and prevent Widmore's mission from being fulfilled. He allows the Oceanic 6 to leave the Island and go back to the outside world with the promise that they will never return and they will lie to the rest of the world about the fate of their fellow survivors. Ben then uses Sayid to hunt down and exterminate anyone linked to the freighter mission and the ultimate search for the Island, including Widmore's top advisors and perhaps even Charles Widmore himself and his partners.
Here's a question that popped into my head while I was reading this: How did they know who would survive?
How many people on Flight 815 were also associated/siblings/offspring of Hanso/Dharma/Widmore (et.al.), but didn't survive the crash?
Did the island 'protect' the ones that were supposed to survive in order to do what they needed to do?
Has all this been forseen (a la Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars) by Jacob or whatever force controls the island, and the right people have been assembled to ensure what needs to happen happens?
Was what was supposed to happen actually happening? Or were things not quite supposed to happen that way, hence Jack's (and Charlie's ghost's) 'we have to go back to the island' rants?
We know already everyone there is connected in some way, even if it's in small ways. Hurley owns the box factory Locke worked for, etc. So, how do their pieces fit together and why are they all significant? Hurley, for example, doesn't have any apparent ties to Hanso, Dharma, Widmore, etc., but was still spared the crash, presumably by the island or the 'force' controlling the island. For what purpose was he spared? To live out the rest of his days in an institution? I doubt it.
I think something was supposed to happen, didn't, and now they know they need to go back and make it happen the way it should have or the excrement is going to hit the wind generator.
Or, ya know? It could all just be a dream like the 'Who Shot JR' season of Dallas, and Jack is pleasantly asleep in his seat when they land at LAX, dad's still dead, the island doesn't really exist and the world is safe... except from the people that inhabit it.
I dunno. What do you think?
AdSlinger | Feb 20, 2008 10:49:33 AM | #I think this is a great theory though its a dotted line from Christian Shepherd to Widmore or Paik. However, I disagree with one premise: Widmore wants to find the island. Widmore more fits the archetype of the aging king who knows the flaws of his kingdom and is hiding from them, rather than trying to reach for it again. I think he wanted Desmond there because he has no intention of that place being found and he's bad for his daughter. If Widmore wanted to find the island he would find the island.
David | Feb 20, 2008 11:31:50 AM | #Jeff I think you are right on. I agree that Ben would be the most likely to set up the fake crash from a motive standpoint. Judging from the secret room we saw last week he must have extensive resources off the island. However I do believe he has to have some accomplices off the island to accomplish his goals. Supposedly they have a faction based in the real world Mittelos Bioscience. I don't remember if there was any other info about them in Juliette's flashback to give us a clue as to who they may be allied with.
I also agree that Abbaddon is the head of the militant wing for Widmore. He believes that with the crew he has assembled he can solve the mysteries of the island and bring Ben back.
I'm still not sure what he did off island thought that makes them want him so bad.
Mike in RI | Feb 20, 2008 11:44:15 AM | #Mike,
My only guess is that they know Ben is responsible for the Purge and they want him. He's also arguably the most well versed individual in the intricacies of the Island.
Totally agree that Ben would need help off-Island with the fake crash site. He's probably got a whole group of people in Mittelos that do his clandestine work.
Jeff | Feb 20, 2008 11:53:13 AM | #All this stuff's great, y'all. Really interesting.
I'm starting to formulate part 2 of this theory, entitled "Who Watches the Widmore?", based on your feedback. (Think "Watchmen.")
Make sure to keep checking back tonight for updates, in addition to an abberviated version of "Letters from the Flame". (Still taking emails for that, btw.)
Ryan | Feb 20, 2008 12:06:50 PM | #Cool, a Watchmen reference! Totally ties into the generational thing, too :)
Jeff | Feb 20, 2008 12:12:04 PM | #What if all of these different factions were once part of a larger umbrella corporation and it was something Ben did to splinter the group into Hanso/Widmore/Mittelos/Paik?
Mike in RI | Feb 20, 2008 1:05:15 PM | #I've always wondered about the AH/MDG incident of 1985 on the blast door map. Sounds like a falling out between two groups.
Jeff | Feb 20, 2008 1:10:52 PM | #Nice catch, Jeff.
MDG on the blast door, and RG on the bracelets...hmmm....
Ryan | Feb 20, 2008 1:18:04 PM | #Regardless of with whom Alvar Hanso was squabbling in 1985, the issue at hand seems pretty clear: Hanso thought "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" was the superior Wham! song of that year, whereas MDG clearly favored "Careless Whisper".
That's why Locke couldn't walk. I mean, guilty feet have got no rhythm. Well, that and the fact that Anthony Cooper pushed him out of his eighth-floor apartment. That might have had a small part in the whole paralysis thing too.
Ryan | Feb 20, 2008 1:23:24 PM | #That's a definite possibility.
Mike in RI | Feb 20, 2008 1:26:46 PM | #Zing! LOL
Jeff | Feb 20, 2008 1:28:26 PM | #
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