PopcornTreeCt

I don't know if there is already a thread for this but I wanted to put it out there. So here I go, I subscribe to the theory that on the show Lost the survivors of the Oceanic 815 crash are stuck in purgatory. Now, just hear me out, I think I have some valid points.

I think the entire plot is to show each character's attempt at salvation. The flashbacks on each show are little hints that reveal what these characters were like when they were alive. Most of the characters seem to being carrying around some sort of guilt or unresolved issue that prevents them from crossing over. If this is the way it is, it is certainly a fascinating idea and worth pursuing as a storyline.

Next up, let's look at some little points on the show that helps support this theory. Most recently, the babies. Juliette states that all pregnant mothers die on the island. Well, this makes sense, as spirits or ghosts if you will, cannot bring in new life to the world. Those who were pregnant before they got on the island, well that can be explained because the babies died with their mothers.

Let's talk about that black smoke. Ah, what on Earth can that be? Demons. The black smoke are demons trying to drag those condemned ones down to hell. It got Mr. Eko. Mr. Eko was a bad, bad man. This leads me into my next idea about The Others. Who are The Others? The Others are quite simply spirits who are aware of their presence. Aware of their own deaths. They built the electric fence to keep the demons out because they are condemned. I believe some of The Others want to be saved (Juliette) but others like Ben want to stay permanently in purgatory. His tumor is a punishment for doing so.

The characters all believe the island heals quickly. Well, the island doesn't heal at all. They are all dead, they cannot be hurt. It's in their head.

I would also say the show's writers decided to call them The Others based on the Nicole Kidman thriller of the same name but that is pushing it.

So, to break it down. The characters are all in purgatory, each character is individually working towards their own salvation. It is the only true way off the island.

That is my theory. Thanks for reading. Post yours if you'd like.

mmconhea

nice theory, but that doesn't explain:
How those in purgatory can bring people in from the real world (to work on their fertility problems)
Why people have died.
Ecko is not the only one who killed, why did the smoke take only him?

My theory is that the Darhma project is very much alive... well its product is. It created a god out of a test subject, and the others took over the island to warship it. The chaotic energy and humanity of this god is toying with the inhabitants. Kate is hot and needs to get naked. That's my theory.

TheGodfather

I agree.

beavis69

Good theory, but producers have stated outright numerous times that this is not it. I for one believe that everything can be explained logically. The only thing that i think is going to take some explaining is the smoke, and im afraid thats where they may have backed themselves into a corner.

Double Down

Huh?

It "makes sense" that spirits or ghosts cannot bring new life into the world? So, spirits or ghosts can have sex and get pregnant on the island, but when it comes time for that spirit or ghost to give birth, it "makes sense" that they die because spirits and ghosts cannot bring new life into the world???

So, the lesson to be learned here is that, if you're dead, don't try to have a baby otherwise you'll die? This would make a great after-school special.

And, for those who were pregnant before getting to the island, those babies can be born because they already died???


I think the blood thirsty polar bears might be a tad difficult to explain, too.

RoyalTea

Maybe if the writers introduced some sort of zoological research station with empty bear cages ...

GoldenJCJ

Hasn't that already been explained to some extent?



I kind of like the theory that everyone is travelling through a "loop" of their lives trying to put right what once went wrong (sorry Quantum Leap ), only so far Desmond is the only one to start figuring this out.

Of course I believe that's only a part of it. It doesn't explain the island, Smokie, the three-toed statue, etc...

Double Down

I don't want to get too far off on this tangent since this thread isn't about polar bears, but the existence of the cages explains, at best, the existence of bears. It certainly doesn't explain how a polar bear can survive in a tropical climate, nor does it explain why the polar bears have turned into blood thirty monsters.

Altimus Prime

Nope. OP's theory doesn't work. The survivors are not dead, I believe the show's creators/writers have said as much.

As for The Others - after being fooled by Juliette's little charade, only to get the truth of her "mission" at the end of that ep - I'm holding to the notion that any time they see an Other, our survivors should kill them on the spot. These people have done nothing but terrify, torture, abuse and kill the survivors, with no apparent reason, given or otherwise. They are not to be trusted, or allowed to live.

GoldenJCJ

The only thing that makes me second guess this is that Ben said "We are the good guys" and as of yet all we know for sure about Ben is that he is a man of his word.

GoldenJCJ

S1 was leading somewhere with this in regards to Walt's powers. There's still a piece of me that believes the writers wouldn't possibly let this storyline disappear completely. Dare I suggest Walt will make a return...

Altimus Prime

Ben? A good guy? No f'in way. He is evil, evil, evil.

her34

but what if that was the correct theory. would the creators say during season 1, "yes you guys guessed correctly but please keep watching"

RichC2

No but I don't think they'd blatantly say "No."

her34

although you make logical points i think that for the show's tv logic, bear cages are enough of an explanation.

and if the creators were so inclined to address your points they would just add 2-3 lines for an other to say. "we did qrs to make them survive, we did xyz which made them more aggressive and they escaped and roamed the main island"

her34

he is a man of his technical word. not the spirit of his word

TheGodfather

Yet we've seen him lie more than once so we know he's a man of his word unless he's lying...

DthRdrX

Thats the catch of the title being called "Lost".

The people who have had and will have flashbacks are both lost physically, and moreso lost as human beings. That is the large connection everyone has been trying to figure out and why they all seem to have similiar ties to each other in the past/present/future.

I think just about any theory at this point, including yours, can be backed up by the Smoke Monster. They supposedly live in a world similiar, if not the same, as our own and have crashed in 2004. Considering that information, why then do we have something roaming around the island that is pretty unexplainable without be given any narrative as to what it is by the writers?

DthRdrX

I personally never go by what someone who is a creative force behind a film or show says anymore. Look at Sam Raimi admitting he claimed he hated Venom and would never use him. He just wanted to throw everyone off of what he was really looking to do with the next film.

As for TPTB behind Lost, I don't think I have ever seen them admit that the fans caught on to a major storyline twist though they certainly have shot down a lot of questionable things which have been brought up. I wouldn't be surprised if they were changing stuff as the fans keep shooting ideas out.

ravan

Here's my theory.. They're making up as they go along, then once in a while try and answer a few things because people get frustrated.. Then they finally start to figure out themselves what the overall plan is; at which point they will ignore a bunch of earlier consistencies.

(i do subscribe to dharma is ongoing still.. they succeeded in creating long life, but at the cost of infertility). Others are the original inhabitants and test subjects of dharma. they probably cant leave the island, cause then they will die).

A-aron

I figured that Dharma was still at work, and that was why they needed to children - to bring them up to continue the program. Since it would be easier to teach a child than it would be to teach an adult the same process.

As for Michael/Walt, I find it very hard to believe that they allowed them to get home. After all, Ben is a man of his word, but not necessarily whose word is the same as his intent. So, Michael/Walt were probably allowed to get off the island, but likely never made it home. Does that mean we will see someone wash ashore? I would like to think so.

I still at a loss as to where this show is going. Unlike "Heroes" where every episode seems to push us closer to the grand moment, this seems to kinda float along in hopes that there will be enough people left watching to care about the finale.

And as for the smoke monster .. I'm sure that it is part of another Dharma program - just like the polar bears and the shark. The Others are not OD - Original Dharma - but came to the island to continue the program. The nanotechnology portion was never taken over by these Others, and thus ran rampant on the main island. Why else has this "being" never just crossed the water and taken them out?

Cardiff Giant11

the polar bears were explained by the blast door map. There's reference to adapting polar bears (their scientific genus/species name appears on the map) to tropical climates or something.
http://lostpedia.com/images/9/9f/Dharma_stations.jpg look in the lower left corner. The text was enhanced soley to make it easier to read. The same thing appeared in EW so it's legit.

fernsita

didnt the producers say that the characters were not dead?

Double Down

Oh my .... things are being "explained" on this show via images that appear on the screen for 2 seconds and are impossible to read without being "translated" by EW magazine???? Son of a bitch. Maybe the whole show has been explained already but nobody caught it.

Thanks for the link.

P.S. If anybody else is looking at the image, it's in the lower right corner, not lower left.

porieux

It's not a religious show. Purgatory doesn't exist.

Plus, your crackpot theories are not spoilers ;-)