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Twitter'Light vs. Dark' in 'Lost': Richard Malkin's change of heart
With the dust now settling from the fallout from the "Lost" panel at Comic-Con, it's time to revisit the "Light vs. Dark" series. Many of the moments described in this series are theoretical exercises designed to see if we can retroactively detect the influence of either Jacob or The Man in Black during key moments in the show's history. But today's iteration? I'm going to go out on a limb and say the show will definitively answer it one way or another come Season 6.
Why? Because the producers insist that the show will come full circle in its final year. Part of closing that loop involves seeing characters we haven't seen since Season 1. One way to do that? Revisit old moments from a new perspective. Fill in gaps in existing narrative. And today's moment cries out for the connective tissue between one of the most mysterious changes of heart in the show's history.
The Episode: "Raised by Another"
The Scene: Two scenes, really. Richard Malkin, a self-described fraud of a psychic, gets a jolting vision when Claire Littleton's friend takes her to see him on a lark. When Richard takes her hands, he intuits that she's pregnant, and then gets a horrific vision that prompts him to return Claire's money and ask her to leave. Later, he reveals that she, and only she, can raise her unborn child. "It can't be another. You mustn't allow another to raise your baby," he tells her. But four months later, he offers her $12,000 to offer up the child for adoption to couple of "good people" in Los Angeles, completely contradicting his 16-week plea to raise the child herself. He insists she HAS to take Oceanic 815. So, why the change of heart, Richard?
The Case for Jacob: Without the intervention of the Island, Claire would have never raised Aaron herself. Her inherent fear of single motherhood would have pushed her into an Australian "Juno" scenario, only instead of giving the child up to Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman, she would have given it up to The Man in Black's pawns. For some reason, this child is key in Jacob's master plan, and so he gave both Richard and Claire the "little push" for which he's so famous.
The Case for The Man in Black: How to separate Claire from Aaron? Bring her to the Island. Through what method? Her father. How to bring her father to the Island? Break his spirit off the Island, lending him down the path to a bender that lands him in, you guessed it, Australia. Get Christian's body on the same plane as Claire, and use his visage to lure her away when the time is right. Overly complicated? You betcha. But in the centuries' old chess game betwixt himself and his adversary, this is relatively only two or three moves in the grand scheme of things.
The Zap2it Opinion: The Man in Black's separation of Claire and Aaron via Cabin Christian in "Something Nice Back Home" was opportunism, not the result of long-term planning. We've seen two Christians after his death: the blue-suited version that represents the good half of his psyche, and the brown-shirted version that represents the darker side. The message? Within everyone always are both sides. Jacob and The Man in Black take bets on one particular side winning out. Without Claire's influence over Aaron, The Man in Black will win. And for some reason, this victory is possibly more important than any other in the show. More than Locke. More than Ben. More than Christian. Why? The answer may lie in the shadow of the statue. A statue of a fertility god.
What do YOU think?
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I recently finished rewatching Season 1, and Malkin's two readings of Claire were among the creepiest scenes of the season. I think (and surely I'm not alone in thinking) that while Malkin may generally have been a fraud, with Claire he got a genuine reading--hence his shock at the first encounter. As for his change of heart, I vote for Jacob. The change of heart was one of the things that made little sense in the first season, but the pieces are beginning to fall into place.
Whoever was involved in all of these happenings, I hope they don't actually show their influences on screen. The season finale with Jacob meeting the O6 was fine, but I don't really need to see these people pop up in scenes we've already gone through. To me, I could see it play out like and extended version of Nikki/Paulo "crashing" on the island or being there for Jack's speech. So, while I'm for Jacob or MIB guiding these events (at least some/ but not all), knowing it and seeing it are two different things. That being said, I think Malkin was working for good forces. I don't believe he found people to raise Aaron, but knew Claire had to crash on the island. Plus with his relationship with Ecko, we've gotta see more of him in S6.
With all the effort that went into getting and keeping Turnip Head off of the Island, it's hard to see Malkin as anything but Jacob's tool...
Next week on "Light vs. Dark" - who sent Dr. Arzt on his date with dynamite? Stay tuned.... ;)
Malkin's daughter almost drowned which seems to be in line with the "daughter's life in danger" theme in S5. Perhaps he knows some island force would kill her again if he doesn't get Claire to do what the force wanted. And you make me think of this: Why else did some island force get Claire Littleton out of a coma except to go have her retrieve Aaron? Wonder if that bodes well? I am not convinced as to which island force is good and which is evil. I guess I need to see what is in the guitar case that Jacob gave to Hurley. :o)
For me, I never thought of it as a change of heart. Similar to what A-Rob said, I always looked at it as Malkin having another vision, one of the plane crash, and using that as a new way to kind of force Claire to raising Aaron by stranding them on the Island. Because he was so adamant about that specific flight, it just seemed to be the most logical conclusion to me...which probably means I'm wrong.
I think Jacob was responsible for the unexpected visions Malkin had, which were a way to keep Claire and Aaron both together and on the Island. But then going along with Ryan, I think separation was the result of TMIB seeing an opportunity to use Christian to convince Claire to leave Aaron behind and follow him. Either that...or Claire never survived the explosion in Season 4 and by abandoning Aaron, found a perfect way to manipulate the 815'ers to get Aaron off the Island and out of the way.
I am thinking that Richard's "Change of heart" had nothing to do with a change at all. I believe part of the vision he had was that Aaron HAD to be on that island. The only way to get him there.. Flight 815, thus the ploy about putting him up for adoption, in order to make her take that flight! It's looking more like a Jacob plan to me, than a MIB. As others have pointed out, the MIB may have had something to do with removing Claire from Aaron's up bringing in an attempt to mess up Jacob's plans.. Who knows, I guess we have to wait and find out.
He might also have been part of the Others global network; something about the way he described the parents-to-be in LA as "good people."
Your thesis here brings out a good point.
"We've seen two Christians after his death: the blue-suited version that represents the good half of his psyche, and the brown-shirted version that represents the darker side."
Are the two that we saw in season six actually Jacob and the Man In Black? Or are they Jacob?
Oops, I meant season 5 :)
Jacob's all about free choice. It's not his style to work behind the scenes to coerce people.
I've always wondered who gave Malkin the money to give Claire. Not Jacob, imo; that's not his style, either.
Jacob would have paid Claire a personal visit and given her a gentle push at just the right time, just like he did the others.