As a youth soccer coach, I often have to line the fields for play. Sometimes, if I make a mistake in the line, or start running out of paint, I have to go back and repaint that line.
When it comes to Lost, let's just play this one out for fun...
Whatever happened, happened right?
So maybe something happens on the Island in 1977 that requires the hatch to be built and the buttons to be pressed every 108 minutes. And when Desmond fails to press them, it causes flight 815 to crash on the Island.
Now let's add Mrs. Hawkings' premise that the universe will course correct when something does not go as planned.
So if the event that caused the hatch to be built was indeed never supposed to happen (maybe because it was caused by someone from the future trying to change the past), then the universe immediately starts on the path of self-correction. It causes a plane to crash on the island, it sends some of those survivors back in time to the point of the unintended event to prevent it, and once prevented, the universe is back on course. Now the universe can continue on with all of the events that happened from 1977 up until the time when the universal course correction took place (crash of 815), and with no need for that crash on the island, time and the universe continue on the intended course and flight 815 lands safely in LA.
Think of it as a quick loop back to fix a mistake.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Where were they then?
Assuming most of the time skipping Lost characters are in their 30s, all of them were alive and children in 1977 - the same time their adult selves are running around a mysterious island.
First of all, this clearly creates some sort of alternate timeline, something the creators said they would not do. However, it becomes unavoidable in this case as each time skipping character has two versions of himself or herself alive in 1977.
So forget about the inherent paradox this presents and let's explore how one may affect the other.
Could a young Sayid suddenly get a distant sensation that he has injured someone? Could a young Sawyer develop an ability to lie after living a lie for three years?
We haven't seen any evidence of this (other than young Sayid's ease in killing a chicken), but it only makes sense that a single person in two places at one time might somehow share an experience.
Who knows, maybe that's where Hurley first heard the winning lottery numbers?!
First of all, this clearly creates some sort of alternate timeline, something the creators said they would not do. However, it becomes unavoidable in this case as each time skipping character has two versions of himself or herself alive in 1977.
So forget about the inherent paradox this presents and let's explore how one may affect the other.
Could a young Sayid suddenly get a distant sensation that he has injured someone? Could a young Sawyer develop an ability to lie after living a lie for three years?
We haven't seen any evidence of this (other than young Sayid's ease in killing a chicken), but it only makes sense that a single person in two places at one time might somehow share an experience.
Who knows, maybe that's where Hurley first heard the winning lottery numbers?!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Why they went back
Is one of the big themes in Lost going to be redemption - especially Ben's? if so, that explains why the adult members of the O6 had to return.
In my "whatever hasn't happened yet, hasn't happened" theory, I propose that Sayid shooting Ben leads him to the hands of Richard Alpert and the Others. I predict that his healing in the temple will awaken in the 2007 Ben a new sense of spirituality and understanding of the Island - something missing until the shooting and trip to the temple.
If this is the case, the returning members of the O6 played a role in Ben's transformation and redemption (as well as their own possibly).
Sayid had to return to shoot young Ben.
As odd as this sounds, Jack had to return to NOT save his life - leaving to only option to go to the Others
Kate had to deliver Ben to the Others
Hurley - I haven't figured him out yet.
But for the above three, their actions upon returning may offer them some redemption as well.
Kate unselfishly does something to help a young boy, atoning for her selfishly taking Aaron away from his real family.
Jack realizes that he can't save everyone and that sometimes he must let events take their natural course.
Sayid's shooting of Ben actually sets off a series of positive events as opposed to the assumed negative events of his past killings.
Can these, and potentially other, positive outcomes be the hidden story and legacy of the Lost island?
In my "whatever hasn't happened yet, hasn't happened" theory, I propose that Sayid shooting Ben leads him to the hands of Richard Alpert and the Others. I predict that his healing in the temple will awaken in the 2007 Ben a new sense of spirituality and understanding of the Island - something missing until the shooting and trip to the temple.
If this is the case, the returning members of the O6 played a role in Ben's transformation and redemption (as well as their own possibly).
Sayid had to return to shoot young Ben.
As odd as this sounds, Jack had to return to NOT save his life - leaving to only option to go to the Others
Kate had to deliver Ben to the Others
Hurley - I haven't figured him out yet.
But for the above three, their actions upon returning may offer them some redemption as well.
Kate unselfishly does something to help a young boy, atoning for her selfishly taking Aaron away from his real family.
Jack realizes that he can't save everyone and that sometimes he must let events take their natural course.
Sayid's shooting of Ben actually sets off a series of positive events as opposed to the assumed negative events of his past killings.
Can these, and potentially other, positive outcomes be the hidden story and legacy of the Lost island?
Whatever happened, happened
I've had a lot of trouble coming to terms with the "whatever happened, happened" concept used to explain the interaction of the Oceanic survivors and other "time skippers" with the DI and Island Originals.
I think most people take that phrase to mean that:
1- the time skippers cannot change the course of events and
2- anything that the time skippers do in the past has already happened.
Even in the carefully crafted conversation between Hurley and Miles, that is the basic explanation that Miles gives. To paraphrase...the conversation we are having right now has already happened, even though I can't tell you what you'll say next because it hasn't happened for us. I'll admit, that is confusing.
But then Hurley asks the question we all have asked - why didn't Ben recognize Sayid as the man who shot him when he was younger? And this stumps Miles, he doesn't have an answer.
Some point to Richard Alpert's remark when he takes the dying Ben that he won't remember anything as an explanation. But I give the Lost writers more credit than that. They may as well hit him on the head and tell him he had amnesia if they are going to resort to that kind of explanation.
But I think there is more to it than that. I don't believe that in 1977, an adult Sayid shot a 14 year old Ben Linus. But I do believe that in 2007, Sayid traveled back in time to 1977 and shot Ben. I'll explain the difference.
Whatever happened, happened. What that means it that all of the events that occurred between 1977 and 2007 - from the Purge, to the crash to the freightor to the skips in time - they all happened. No event or action taken by the time skippers in 1977 can unravel those events and that timeline. They all happened. But...
Whatever hasn't happened yet, hasn't happened! Those events or actions from 1977 CAN AND WILL affect those things that have not happened yet - from 2007 and beyond. A good example of this is Desmond remembering a visit from Daniel at the hatch door only AFTER it happened to Daniel. In other words, because that event occurred on two separate time lines (pre-crash Desmond and post-crash Daniel), it only really happened when it happened to both. That is what triggered or released the memory for Desmond. That set in motion a new set of events for Desmond who went off looking for Daniel's mother. This event did not change the past (Desmond didn't search for Daniel's mother as soon as he got off the island), but it did change the future.
This same theory can then be applied to the Ben/Sayid shooting. Sayid shooting Ben did not change the past. Ben still initiated the purge, led the others, met the survivors of flight 815. But that gunshot, and the effects of the gunshot may affect Ben in 2007 and beyond - because now it has happened to both Ben and Sayid.
Consider that after the Ajira crash, Ben was up and walking around. He had removed his arm from the sling and was ready to row to the main island. After a knock on the head with an oar from Sun, we next see Ben unconscious on a cot with others who were injured in the crash. Ben was not injured in the crash, and I doubt Sun could have knocked him out for that long.
But what if, at that very time, a 14 year old Ben was shot and nearly killed by Sayid. According to the "whatever happened, happened" theory, young Ben cannot die. But according to my "whatever hasn't happened yet, hasn't happened" theory, a 2007 Ben can die. To take it one step further, 2007 Ben feels the same effect as 1977 Ben, thus his unconscious state in 2007. But just as we see Richard carry young Ben into the temple to be healed, we see older Ben wake up and regain consciousness! Could the former have led to the latter? I believe so.
So where do we go from here? 2007 Ben is almost reborn as it were. There is speculation that by taking Ben into the temple to be healed, Richard has warned that Ben will never be the same. Does this mean that the temple has had a negative impact on Ben and led him to become the overzealous manipulator we know? This seems plausible, if we believe that the Others are evil. But what if the opposite is true, what if the temple heals not only Ben's body, but his soul and he turns away from the "dark side"? Since it has now happened in both young Ben's time line and the time skippers' time lines, it has now "happened" and 2007 Ben might transform right in front of our eyes! Ben can now live the rest of his life doing what is right and truly in the best interest of the Island.
We've seen whatever happened, now we get to see whatever happens next!
I think most people take that phrase to mean that:
1- the time skippers cannot change the course of events and
2- anything that the time skippers do in the past has already happened.
Even in the carefully crafted conversation between Hurley and Miles, that is the basic explanation that Miles gives. To paraphrase...the conversation we are having right now has already happened, even though I can't tell you what you'll say next because it hasn't happened for us. I'll admit, that is confusing.
But then Hurley asks the question we all have asked - why didn't Ben recognize Sayid as the man who shot him when he was younger? And this stumps Miles, he doesn't have an answer.
Some point to Richard Alpert's remark when he takes the dying Ben that he won't remember anything as an explanation. But I give the Lost writers more credit than that. They may as well hit him on the head and tell him he had amnesia if they are going to resort to that kind of explanation.
But I think there is more to it than that. I don't believe that in 1977, an adult Sayid shot a 14 year old Ben Linus. But I do believe that in 2007, Sayid traveled back in time to 1977 and shot Ben. I'll explain the difference.
Whatever happened, happened. What that means it that all of the events that occurred between 1977 and 2007 - from the Purge, to the crash to the freightor to the skips in time - they all happened. No event or action taken by the time skippers in 1977 can unravel those events and that timeline. They all happened. But...
Whatever hasn't happened yet, hasn't happened! Those events or actions from 1977 CAN AND WILL affect those things that have not happened yet - from 2007 and beyond. A good example of this is Desmond remembering a visit from Daniel at the hatch door only AFTER it happened to Daniel. In other words, because that event occurred on two separate time lines (pre-crash Desmond and post-crash Daniel), it only really happened when it happened to both. That is what triggered or released the memory for Desmond. That set in motion a new set of events for Desmond who went off looking for Daniel's mother. This event did not change the past (Desmond didn't search for Daniel's mother as soon as he got off the island), but it did change the future.
This same theory can then be applied to the Ben/Sayid shooting. Sayid shooting Ben did not change the past. Ben still initiated the purge, led the others, met the survivors of flight 815. But that gunshot, and the effects of the gunshot may affect Ben in 2007 and beyond - because now it has happened to both Ben and Sayid.
Consider that after the Ajira crash, Ben was up and walking around. He had removed his arm from the sling and was ready to row to the main island. After a knock on the head with an oar from Sun, we next see Ben unconscious on a cot with others who were injured in the crash. Ben was not injured in the crash, and I doubt Sun could have knocked him out for that long.
But what if, at that very time, a 14 year old Ben was shot and nearly killed by Sayid. According to the "whatever happened, happened" theory, young Ben cannot die. But according to my "whatever hasn't happened yet, hasn't happened" theory, a 2007 Ben can die. To take it one step further, 2007 Ben feels the same effect as 1977 Ben, thus his unconscious state in 2007. But just as we see Richard carry young Ben into the temple to be healed, we see older Ben wake up and regain consciousness! Could the former have led to the latter? I believe so.
So where do we go from here? 2007 Ben is almost reborn as it were. There is speculation that by taking Ben into the temple to be healed, Richard has warned that Ben will never be the same. Does this mean that the temple has had a negative impact on Ben and led him to become the overzealous manipulator we know? This seems plausible, if we believe that the Others are evil. But what if the opposite is true, what if the temple heals not only Ben's body, but his soul and he turns away from the "dark side"? Since it has now happened in both young Ben's time line and the time skippers' time lines, it has now "happened" and 2007 Ben might transform right in front of our eyes! Ben can now live the rest of his life doing what is right and truly in the best interest of the Island.
We've seen whatever happened, now we get to see whatever happens next!
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