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'Lost': Twelve minutes to midnight
In yesterday's entry, I outlined my "Sins of the Father" theory, in which the actions of Lost can be seen as the result of not only a failed initiative, but also a failed generation. I don't want to rehash the entire column, but I do want to point it out for two reasons. One, it's like, a really good read. I'm serious; I'd get at least a B+ in Composition class for that bad boy, trust me. Two, and more to the point, it serves as a leaping off point for today's entry, a secondary, complimentary theory that takes "Sins of the Father" and looks at a similar timeline but from a totally different perspective.
This theory's working title is "Who Watches the Widmores?" The source of this theory's title may be obvious to many of you already, but if not, a little background is in order. It's a pun on the phrase "Who watches the watchmen?", itself the inspiration for the Alan Moore graphic novel Watchmen. This graphic novel bears a lot of striking resemblances to our favorite serialized drama, but I'm not interested in making a one-to-one comparison between the two bodies of work. I'm neither the first nor the last to point out similarities between Lost and Watchmen. Lostpedia's already done a lot of the legwork in showing the influence of Watchmen.
What I'm particularly interested in is this sentence, quoted here from the Wikipedia site on Watchmen, in terms of its relationship to Lost:
The title, therefore, refers to the idea of superheroes, police, the government, or any group of people who assume the responsibility of protecting others from themselves.
The Watchmen of Watchmen aren't necessarily the superheroes depicted within; rather, it's an abstract term for any organization body that deems itself fit to govern the lives of many, often without knowledge or consent on behalf of those whom they seek to "save." It's in this single idea that I derive my "Who Watches the Widmores?" theory, and in my construction, the answer to the question in the title is Benjamin Linus.
Since this construction only makes sense with at least a little knowledge of the plot of Watchmen, indulge me a short summary of the relevant plot points as it relates to my theory. (Also, Watchmen fans: forgive me in advance for my potentially poor paraphrasing. However, feel free to lavishly laud my awesome alliteration.) The comic kicks off with the death of The Comedian (aka Edward Blake), a superhero/costumed adventurer. The mystery that unfolds surrounding his death leads other costumed heroes (many of whom are the second incarnations of heroes that co-existed with The Comedian) to the headquarters of Adrian Veidt, also known as the former hero, Ozymandias.
Ozymandias' plan may sound familiar to those of you that follow Lost (and Heroes, to boot): soon after retiring as a masked hero, he perceived through his legendary intellect that the world as it existed was marching towards its own destruction through nuclear war and environmental destruction. His solution? To gather an interdisciplinary group of scientists, artists, and psychics on an unknown island to create a monstrous, psychic, psychotic monster that Ozymandias teleports into the heart of New York City. The teleportation instantly kills the monster, leaves thousands dead or insane, and instantly ceases Cold War-esque hostilities between the United States and Russia, having perceived the monster to be extraterrestrial in nature.
As for The Comedian's death, well, he happened to accidentally stumble upon the Island prior to his death. And the final "joke" of his life? That Veidt's plan would work. To quote Veidt, "That's what upset the Comedian, when awareness of my scheme crashed upon him: professional jealousy...Imagine, the perfect fighting man discovering a plot to put an end to war, an end to fighting."
If you're looking for any nearby sharp objects at this point, don't worry: here endeth the Watchmen recap. Put down the letter opener. And trust me, what little I covered doesn't remotely do the story justice. I can't recommend Watchmen highly enough, and neither can the writers of Lost: so go read it! (But after you read this, naturally.) I spent so much time on this particular aspect of Watchmen for a reason: that in the figures of Veidt, the Comedian, and the quote that inspired the graphic novel's title, we have a way of understanding the point of the freighter, the purpose of Christian Shephard, and the actions of Benjamin Linus.
To state once again what I've longed believed: the freighter offshore containing Minkowski, Regina, and a gaggle of yet-to-be-seens is the Helgus Antonius, constructed by Paik Heavy Industries for the sole purpose of achieving control of the Island. The Helgus Antonius appears in the alternative-reality game "The Lost Experience," built by Sun's father at the behest of Thomas Mittelwerk, President and Chief Technologist of the Hanso Foundation in Alvar Hanso's absence. Turns out Mittelwerk himself was responsible for Hanso's absence, having sequestered him while attempting to do what Hanso himself could not: solve the Valenzetti Equation and stave off doomsday.
Mittelwerk's methods stood in stark contrast to the Dharma Initiative, funded by Hanso and implemented by the DeGroots in the early 70's. One of Mittelwerk's major endeavors in order to change a core value of the Valenzetti Equation involved something known as the "Spider Protocol," which used a virus to affect a specific percentage of deaths in a given population. This percentage was determined by autistic savants running the Valenzetti Equation in combination with the parameters of said Spider Protocol. Needless to say, such a horrifying solution to the problems inherent to the Valenzetti Equation sounds equally as monstrous (pun intended) as those implemented by Veidt in Watchmen.
Working closely with Mittelwerk and Paik in this endeavor is Charles Widmore, who in my conception of Lost is what Joss Whedon would term "the big bad." He's the Master, he's Angelus, he's the Mayor, he's Adam, he's the First. (We will not speak of the big bads of Season 5+6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, lest I start twitching uncontrollably.) He's the one pulling the strings. At the epicenter of any plan to use the Island to prevent the world's imminent demise, by any means necessary, stems from this individual. While Mittelwerk may have overseen the production of the virus in the Spider Protocol, I have no doubt that the Protocol itself is Widmore's brainchild.
So far, so good. I'm not wading into territory that's too wild and wacky yet. But here's where things require a bit more of a leap of faith, a bit more conjecture, and well, a bit more Lost obsession than the normal person possesses. Keep in mind that I realize the level of supposition this next step requires, as many of you have already openly questioned its validity. But that's OK. I'm fine if you disagree. But I hope you at least admit it's possible. OK? OK.
As I mentioned yesterday, I believe Christian Shephard is one of the central figures in the Hanso/Widmore/Maxwell/Paik coalition. How he fits in, where he fits in, and what his function is? Couldn't really tell you. It's 90% a hunch, 5% the final mobisode of "Missing Pieces," and 5% him hanging out in Uncle Jacob's Cabin. When I originally watched the mobisode "So It Begins," I was as flabbergasted as the rest of you probably were, and instantly developed this whole scenario in which Team Jacob (led by Locke) would battle Team Smokey (led by Jack) in a war over the Island. But since my first instinct is almost always wrong, let me try and look at this another way.
Let's assume, for the purposes of this theory, that Christian Shephard is the Lost version of The Comedian. A man who fought what he believed to be a noble fight, until the day he realized that he wasn't really on the side of the good guys anymore. And that realization? It killed him inside. Maybe even started his drinking. Led him down a darker and darker path. One in which he traveled an increasing amount, to parts unknown by those closest to him.
And whom else do we know know that traveled a great deal, to parts unknown by those closest to him? That's right, Benjamin Linus. And here's the third part of the theory clicking into place: Ben Linus is the one who watches the Watchmen.
In Watchmen, Edward Blake only tells one other person of the horrors he's seen: his old arch-enemy Moloch. But Moloch by this point is old, cancer-ridden, and largely shunned by the world. The Comedian sought to speak to SOMEONE about the atrocities, but also knew the leaking of this plan would in fact ESCALATE the horrors the Veidt foresaw. But in Benjamin Linus, Christian has a potential ally through which not only to purge his burdened soul, but one that can actually aid in preventing the means through which Widmore seeks to "save" humanity.
My biggest clue as to this collusion? The 2004 Boston Red Sox, of course.
You could easily look at the scene in "The Glass Ballerina," in which Ben produces a video of the last out of the 2004 World Series (better known as "THE GREATEST MOMENT EVER" here in Beantown) as a product of research provided by Mikhail after the crash of Oceanic 815. And that's more than likely the reason. But there's a chance, just a slight chance, that this video was prepared due to Ben's knowledge of Jack's love of the Red Sox through his conversations with Christian before the plane crashed on the Island.
Another potential example of Christian's insider knowledge aiding Benjamin? Does "325" ring a bell? 325 was the compass direction in which Ben sent Michael and Walt towards "rescue" at the end of Season 2. And to date, we haven't heard a thing from that duo since. But now we know Ben has a "man on their boat." Could Ben have known about its presence offshore all along, and sent Michael fresh from a stay in Room 23, directly to it as a way to gather intel from the inside, further watching the watchmen? More than possible, no?
As such, when "Christian" mentions that Jack has "work to do" in "So It Begins," the work is NOT in opposition to Locke's work; but it doesn't exactly run parallel to it, either. This is why Jack is not on Jacob's list, but is on Ben's list. Ben doesn't seek to protect Jacob, and he's not even necessarily trying to protect the Island. He's trying to protect his status and life on the Island more than anything itself. But he can't simply come out and state his intentions to Jack: in an island in which "mind over matter" is more than a cliché, Jack has to WANT to help Ben achieve his end goal. In this light, the arrival of a spinal surgeon so close to the discovery of Ben's tumor seems a lot less coincidental than previously thought. Ben appeared somewhat surprised by the appearance of Oceanic 815, but since when should we take Ben's appearances (or words) upon face value?
In addition, all the preparation in the world on Ben's part still has not allowed things to go entirely his way. Locke's presence alone has thrown more monkey wrenches into his schemes that he could have possibly foreseen. The sky turning purple made the island more "visible" than ever before. And the Boaties, despite his best efforts, nevertheless have landed on the Island. And at the end of "The Economist," one can see a very different Benjamin Linus stitching up Sayid in a German veterinarian clinic. We see a Ben who not only speaks of an acute loss on Sayid's side, but betrays an equally deep loss not only in his eyes, but his words as well. One can only wonder what he might have lost in the interim.
And thus we have it: by the end of "The Economist," we see a transformed Benjamin Linus, watcher of the watchmen, secret leader of the Oceanic 6, a changed man from his time traveling the world in order to secretly meet with Christian Shephard in order to prevent the impending arrival of the Helgus Antonius and Widmore's Spider Protocol. It's all clear as can be, except for the 86% that involves my fevered brain making connections which the show more than likely never intended. Aside from that? That theory's gold, baby. Pure gold.
Thoughts? Additions? Contradictions? Drop them below!
Ryan also posts every 108 minutes over at Boob Tube Dude.
Ben could very well be the Watcher of Watchmen. It makes sense.
So does this mean we might see a Ben flashback with Christian in it? That would be cool. Why can't we see a Dharma flashback that shows the INCIDENT? Season 6 maybe?
As I posted earlier, I think Ben may have hand-picked the Oceanic 6. Picking those who could ultimately help in in his fight against DHARMA. We'll have to wait and see who the other 2 are.
Shaggysteve | Feb 20, 2008 8:11:57 PM | #I like how deep and how far you take things, Ryan. It may end up being wrong, but at least it spurs debate, and makes people like me rethink their own theories.
Ben is a very selfish man. He may have once had a communion with Jacob and the Island, but by the tumor and Locke's ascension, it's clear he has fallen out of favor with the powers that be. He is so manipulative, so callous, so egotistical, that I have a hard time believing that he does anything for the good of mankind. His desires to stop the Hanso/Widmore faction are just simply out of revenge (maybe they were responsible for whatever happened to Annie); saving humanity is just a bonus perk to Ben Linus.
To me, the Oceanic 6 are still up for grabs. They were chosen by Jacob & the Island (the theory I want to believe), chosen by Ben, or chosen by Ben on orders from Jacob; however, this latter one depends on if Ben still has Jacob's favor, which by now seems to be no longer true. In a way, Ben uses Jacob and the Island as the mask to hide his motives from everyone, revenge masquerading as righteousness.
As for Christian Shephard, well, he's the mystery of the moment. Was he just a man before, a flawed man, who died before his time? I really think so. What I can't decide is whether he's now a ghost, come back from the Afterlife with directives to set things right, mostly via Jack; a manifestation of Smokey, hoping to speed along the Island's destruction by helping the bad guys (and using Jack to do it); a manifestation of the Island, hoping to halt the Island's destruction by the bad guys (using Jack to do it); the physical corpse, possessed by any of the above entities; or Christian ressurected, brought back to physical life because "he has work to do."
Other Sean | Feb 21, 2008 3:34:59 AM | #Ryan-
I like where you're going with this. What if Ben & Mittelos Bioscience were the group that constructed the Spider Protocol. It was only after he found out what Widmore planned on doing with it that the split began. This could be where Annie comes. Widmore somehow used her as leverage to get what he wanted from Ben and in the process killed her with the virus. That would be all the motivation Ben would need to exact revenge on Widmore/Paik/Maxwell etc.
Thought I'd post this here in case you don't check yesterday's comments...
Ryan, you mention liking my theory about Ben but believe the Maxwell Group planted the wreckage and not Ben.
If you read the latest Doc Jensen interview with Damon and Carlton, they explicitly point out that the specifics of the 815 story, especially the Maxwell Group itself, which was created by Hoodlum, AREN'T canon.
Link (spoiler warning): http://spoilerslost.blogspot.com/2008/02/damon-and-carlton-talk-to-doc-jensen.html
Jeff | Feb 21, 2008 7:01:56 AM | #Jeff: Thx for the clarification. Boy, it's not like they couldn't have said that BEFORE the game and you know, saved a few million of us sleepness nights pouring over clues and applying in-game material to the world of Lost. *bangs head against wall*
That being said? The article contains this:
Lindelof: To actually have characters traveling through time has to be handled very deftly.
*does a happy dance knowing time travel is canon*
Ryan | Feb 21, 2008 7:22:19 AM | #For sure! Can't wait for Desmond's eppy :)
Jeff | Feb 21, 2008 7:27:37 AM | #I dig this theory. I have never read "The Watchmen" (going to look for it on Amazon after I post this) but from the details you have left and hearing Darlton mention it as inspiration on one of the podcasts, I think this is plausible.
Though, couldn't have Ben got the information about the Red Sox from Kate when they had breakfast on the beach? She seemed pretty upset and we still aren't sure why (I don't buy the "rape theory"). Maybe he had did a remote "Room 23" on her and she spilled the beans on Beantown (I SLAY me!)
Blue Sean | Feb 21, 2008 7:30:39 AM | #That really pisses me off about the 815 game. So now everything we learned means nothing? If so then why did they use the end scene of the game as the beginning shot of "Confirmed Dead"?
As far as the Red Sox video goes, I think it is quite possible that Ben knew that the point of the Sox winning a world series would seal the deal for Jack believing what Ben had to say about the real world since they've been on the island. Perhaps it was the hatch implosion that caused a rift in the spacetime continium that would allow the Red Sox (the perpetually cursed franchise)to win The World Series?
Mike in RI | Feb 21, 2008 8:11:19 AM | #Mike: If by "hatch explosion" you mean "David Ortiz and stellar post-season pitching", then yes, I'm with you.
I knew something was askew with Find815 when the intro to "Confirmed Dead" featured none of the people in the game and featured two ROVs, not one, finding the wreckage. But I chalked this up to a minor continuity error, not "Ignore everything in the game, except what we tell you is canon, after the fact."
If this equally applies to "The Lost Experience" I might seriously lose it.
Ryan | Feb 21, 2008 8:19:15 AM | #Well, there are a couple of things about Find815 that are canon:
- There are families of the victims that want to know what happened to their loved ones
- There is a salvage vessel named the Christiane I that's looking for the remains of the Black Rock
- Oceanic 815 is found by the crew of the Christiane I
And really when it all comes down to it, that's what the ARG was about. The niggly little details were there for the hardcores to chew on, but the overall story was what was important.
Jeff | Feb 21, 2008 8:38:46 AM | #I was one of those people who rolled their eyes at the absurd detail porn in Find815. The detailed analysis and derived meaning of the compass in the Maxwell logo is a shining example of fanboys reading WAY too much into something that's not even important.
Jeff | Feb 21, 2008 8:42:35 AM | #Ryan-
Don't forget one incredibly lucky bounce for a ground rule double.
I guess that's true about the game. The overall story was more important. That being said, was The Maxwell Group canon?
Mike in RI | Feb 21, 2008 8:48:58 AM | #Jeff- Is detail porn anything like furniture-porn? Just a bunch of details hanging out and making bad decisions together?
Blue Sean | Feb 21, 2008 8:49:21 AM | #Jeff: if they were simply there to chew on, that would be one thing. But they are now saying to straight up IGNORE them. That to me is different.
Saying "a bracelet is a bracelet" is fine. I get how fans could get in a lather over something that the producers meant to only be a small thing. But to introduce a subsidiary group of the Widmore Corporation in-game, only to casually dismiss it after the fact, isn't them doing right by fans or hardcores.
Now, I complete agree with Cuse when he says, "It's unfair for the audience to go to ancillary sources in order to really understand the show. Even the things like the mobisodes, which are in canon, aren't essential to your understanding of the show. These things are just added bonuses." I'm 100% in agreement with that. But putting in things into the ARGs like the Maxwell Group actually CONFUSES one's understanding of the show. And that's a big problem in my books, and I imagine in a lot of other people's books as well.
LOL @Blue Sean: yep :)
Mike, the Maxwell Group was not canon, it was created by Hoodlum, the marketing agency that created Find815.
Jeff | Feb 21, 2008 8:55:57 AM | #Count my book as one of them.
Mike in RI | Feb 21, 2008 8:57:15 AM | #Ryan, I agree and disagree. If you're a hardcore and try to dissect everything LOST related, it can confuse your understanding of the show. On the other hand, because you dissect everything LOST related, you're prone to becoming confused. Whoa, is that like a catch-22?
I'm as detail-happy as the next LOST geek, but I always take those details with a grain of salt because I know the larger plot points are the most important ones.
Jeff | Feb 21, 2008 8:59:24 AM | #The Doc Jensen interview is revealing. When speculating on Lost, first think of Occam's Razor.
Cherokee | Feb 21, 2008 9:00:08 AM | #I just wish they would have said something before the game started. That way you know to take it with a grain of salt. Otherwise it's a complete waste of time.
Mike in RI | Feb 21, 2008 9:01:07 AM | #I agree, Mike. I think sometimes the producers underestimate the fervor of the show's fans.
I also think, however, that a lot of the time our speculation can create relationships and correlations that aren't really there (i.e. the bracelet).
Jeff | Feb 21, 2008 9:04:14 AM | #See, I take _theories_ with a grain...heck, a silo of salt. When Find815 revealed Maxwell Group as a subsidiary of Widmore Corporation, what it IMPLIED was unclear. But it did establish a link between the two, and moreover, established that the crash was in fact constructed and planted by this group.
Now we're told that Lindelof/Cuse don't even approve of The Maxwell Group. Which, essentially, means that Find815 is fanfic involving one small piece of approved canon information. Am I wrong?
Ryan | Feb 21, 2008 9:09:36 AM | #Yeah, you're right. They approved the larger plot points, which were important, and left the rest up to Hoodlum. Much like how Via Domus was created.
Establishing that Maxwell created the fake crash site is conjecture, though. I found the ending to be completely open for interpretation.
Jeff | Feb 21, 2008 9:12:23 AM | #The main difference between Find815 and the videogame is definitely the fact that all along we've been told the videogame isn't canon.
I wonder if the writer's strike prevented the producers from talking about the ARG until now.
Jeff | Feb 21, 2008 9:13:48 AM | #The strike was probably to blame for alot of the confusion. Oh well.
The bracelet is another thing though. When you have a show that asks you to look for the understated clues it's hard to tell fans that they are looking into things too much. We've been conditioned to do that by the writers in the first place. I know you would like us to adhere to The Ockhams razor credo, but at the same time it's one of the things that I love about hte show. Attention to detail and searching for clues. Live and learn.
Mike in RI | Feb 21, 2008 9:29:16 AM | #Maybe this is because I'm Type A, but I'm not sure I'd want non-canon stuff put into my ARGs and other forms of media. I'd want approval over everything in order to make sure things were kosher. I've seen clips where the makers of "Via Domus" talk about being told EXACTLY what the smoke monster is, in order for them to put it into the game accurately.
But if I have to sit there during the game and wonder what's canon and what's not, I mean, what's the point of playing it? Because I'm not playing it to hear someone who's not Matthew Fox portray Jack. I'm fine with the videogame and ARG being unessential to understanding the overall story of Lost, but I don't want them to be out-of-canon, either.
At this point, I'm half-expecting the second layer of the Blast Door Map to have "All your base are belong to us" written on it at this point.
Ryan | Feb 21, 2008 9:34:03 AM | #
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