Posted on February 1, 2010 - by sarahsamudre
A “bloop” in time…
Alright, so now that I’ve broken the blog in for 2010, let’s get down to business.
LOST STARTS TOMORROW.
I’m not going to get into the intricate theories until after I see the season premiere. Honestly, since the producer’s said they won’t be focusing on DHARMA and a lot of other aspects, I want to wait to see the first two episodes to even get a feel for what Lost WILL tackle in their final season. There is so much for them to do plot-wise and character-wise, and a good fan will be accepting that not all areas of interest will be explored in the 18 episodes we have left.
But one piece of plot exposition I’m confident of seeing is, of course, the mysterious The Black Rock: how it came to the Island and WHY.
We’re all pretty sure this is the ship we saw on the horizon at the end of season five, as Jacob and the Man in Black discussed the nature of man and an age-old battle waged between them over who was right. But what we don’t know is, if it is the Black Rock, how did it get into the middle of a mountain-filled, densely forested island looking like this:
That ship was not blown there via tsunami or hurricane. It would’ve been ripped to shreds.
Well, I believe the answer came last week during a Lost recap on ABC. You know, those annoying pop-up episodes that say things like, “This is Kate. She is also a survivor. She likes to run away from things” or “This is Jack. He is also a survivor. He likes to fix things.” I know a lot of fans skip those episodes, but if you’re one of those people, you’re making a mistake. ABC throws a lot of redundant information in there, but every so often there is a gem.
Keep reading to find out what…
Last week, during Jacob’s conversation with the Man in Black, aka Hairy Man the information was slightly redundant, “they don’t like each other” kind of statements. However, when Kate’s childhood shoplifting scene occurred a couple minutes later, the green box flashed up on the bottom of the screen saying, “This scene takes place on the island over 140 years before the present day.”
?!?!?!?!?
Listen up, Losties: The Black Rock set sail in 1845 from Britain. We know from the Lost Experience and the fictitious yet factual Rachel Blake that the ship was last seen in 1881. The ship sailed east from Papua New Guinea, instead of west, as it was supposed to have.
What’s this have to do with the ABC factoid?
Kate was born in 1977. She is at least ten in this encounter with Jacob (she would make the time capsule out of the same lunchbox she steals in this scene at age twelve). This encounter must’ve been between 1985 and 1989, when the capsule was buried. I’m guessing 1986, to be conservative.
This means the conversation we saw takes place ON THE ISLAND circa 1867.
It’s definitely not 1845, and it’s definitely not 1881, as Kate, a hundred years later, would’ve only been four at the time.
There’s a temporal difference occurring here. That, or ABC forgot that Lost fans are rabid “check up on that” fans. My theory: the only way to get the Island and the ship to sync up is to do it the same way that Ben got it to disappear at the end of season four.
BLOOP.
That’s right. It gets moved in both time and space. And where it pops back up again, the ship is catapulted up from the surface of the sea onto the middle of the island, all at once in sync with the land and the time of the Island.
It’s the only way to explain the lack of damage to a 160 year old sailing vessel that is smack dab in the middle of a very large tropical island. And thanks to the information on ABC (as well as Lostpedia for its database on Kate and her timeline) we now know there is a gap in the timeline between the last sighting of the Black Rock in 1881, and the conversation on the beach between 1885-1889. When exactly, as in the day and hour, the conversation took place may not be too important.
We’ve already seen ships on the horizon not sharing the same temporal plane as the Island (Widmore’s boat in Season 4) and the way that Jacob manipulates time in order to bring people back to the Island whom he has chosen, as in season five.
So we know, inferring from the Man in Black, that Jacob has brought the ship to the Island. It stands to reason that he is the one that can control how and where the Island appears, considering he summoned Ilana, her team and Hurley, instructing them to be on the flight that would bring them back to the Island.
But that brings me to part two of my theory:
Jacob brings people. His touch in the season five finale was bestowed on members of Oceanic 815 AND Ajira 316. I’m guessing in a Richard flashback, we may possibly see Jacob offshore laying a hand on Richard. But why does he bring these people? We know he’s engaged in a debate about the nature of man with the Man in Black, and bringing people to the Island seems to almost be a contest between the two, with Jacob determined to prove the Man in Black wrong about his pessimistic view of man. This seems obvious, and yet, on Ajira 316 there seems to be another purpose at work. Why, in season five, did some go to the present and some go to the past?
If I’m right about the Black Rock on the horizon being separated from the Island’s temporal and spacial plan, and the Island has to move, then we can assume that Jacob has powers over time and space (as well as healing, ala Locke, Rose and others, but that’s another post). If Jacob can choose whom he draws to the Island, and we know that he does, and align them temporally and spatially when and where he wants them, then we have to ask, why do some go back to 1977 and others go forward to the present?
A reboot.
My theory is that Jacob got wind of the Man in Black’s plan for Locke early on. Locke chose the knife, as a child, when Richard was sent to see if he was ready. He was supposed to pick the book of laws. As an adult, he felt drawn to the Smoke Monster, a manifestation of the Island, a Caliban-esque monster under the control of the wizard-like Jacob (if you’re not familiar with the Tempest references in the show, check out Lostpedia’s article on it), who sought to drag Locke into its caverns rather than merely mangling it as it does others it kills. By the time Christian, begins to give orders to Locke (alleging he’s acting on behalf of Jacob, but imo, is acting on behalf of the Man in Black instead). Jacob knows that things are moving, but has the ability to rest things. He uses his former chosen leader, Eloise, and the members of Oceanic, and by bringing some of them back, has them engage in a reset.
Though things in this season will play out similarly, there is enough different that I think it will give Jacob the upper hand. And someone who is able to manipulate time and space may just be powerful enough to transcend linear time in a way that allows him to know, in this new timeline, about the reboot, the Man in Black’s plan, and to work things in a way to counter that plan.
So to recap: My theory is that the Black Rock was synced up with the time and location of the Island in a similar way to how Ben caused its shift at the end of Season 4. And the fact that Jacob not only chooses who to bring, can control time and space to bring them, suggests that he planned the intervention of the Incident in 1977. The reboot will allow him to counter the plans of the Man in Black.
So these theories, if true, beg the question: who will he choose to come back to the Island this time? Who will stay alive and who will die? Will the fates of the survivors change in order to combat the plans of the Man in Black?
Remember, the first season warned us of an epic battle of light versus dark, good versus evil. A game of strategy and maneuvering of pieces. And interestingly enough, the man explaining that to us, was at the heart of the first battle we witnessed, and I daresay will be a key to the next one as well.
We start finding out tomorrow…..
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Sarah's Twittering- Loved tonight's #Lost. Also, loved this description- so true: RT @MikeCoogan Tonight was a thinking man's episode.
- @ConclaveJournal Congratulations Valya! It's going to be phenomenal. I can't wait to see the finished product!
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February 2, 2010
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Will said:
That was awesome! What an article! I never noticed that Jacob touches the people! That’s in the season 5 finale, right? I’m rewatching the series in order and I will finish 1 tomorrow, but I will probably watch the end of 5 tomorrow as well. Good stuff, Sarah!!
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February 2, 2010
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sarahsamudre said:
@Will: It is in the season five finale. You have to rewatch it before the premiere tonight! He not only touches the original Oceanic bunch before they come to the Island, but he also touches Hurley when trying to convince him to come BACK to the Island.
Oh, and I’m glad you liked my “bloop” reference!
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February 2, 2010
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Yelwrose said:
Interesting theory, but young Locke was supposed to choose the compass, not the Book of Laws. (IMO, of course)
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February 2, 2010
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sarahsamudre said:
@Yelwrose: Well, actually he does pick the compass. He chooses both it and a jar of white sand. the third item should’ve been the Book of Laws, but Locke code the knife instead.
http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Richard%27s_items
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February 2, 2010
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Claire Salcedo said:
Great great post. The brief glimpses of the argument about humanity are just so intriguing. And as for the Black Rock, it’s hard to imagine any other way it could end up in the middle of the island. Blooping makes a lot of sense.
I am so excited for this season. Zombie Locke versus dead Locke versus Jacob versus who knows what!
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February 2, 2010
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Pauline Hess said:
Oh man… this is more cabrera territory than pauline territory. I’m a bit temporal anomaly simple. As a Lost theorist, I see myself in the Scooby Doo camp of things. If it is mythological, spiritual or involves a Yeti or strawberry flavored phantom… I’m your girl!
I think your theory is interesting though. My question was, what happened to all of the people on ship if it was the 2007 island jump that caused the Black Rock to Bloop into the center of the island? Isn’t it possible that some other bloop in the past caused a completely different Bloop? From what I understand, the island is a giant source of electromagnetism and it seems like Jacob and the Man in Black are the ones who decided when it is pulsed, or shut off, or blasted or whatever it does to get planes to fall from the sky and send time skipping around.
See? I told you I was a bit simple on this stuff.
I loved this blog though… it had me thinking about this stuff all day, trying to reason it out. I also liked that you called attention to the fact that Jacob seemed to have touched all those that he visited. I hadn’t noticed that. It’s almost a jesusy thing to have done; laying hands on the sick and healing them. I’ve wondered if he was the god Quetzacoatl and in Latin America this god is compared to if not considered to be Jesus quite often.
Brava!
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February 2, 2010
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Emily said:
YAY!! You finally got this up! After a short 8months of me nagging! Awesome. Can’t wait to watch it on Wednesday night!
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February 2, 2010
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sarahsamudre said:
@Pauline Hess: I may need to ask you to guest blog a post about the strawberry flavored phantom/Yeti sometime before the series runs its course. ;)
So, I may not have written in clearly, but it wasn’t the 2007 island jump that caused the Island to appear beneath the Black Rock, but rather I use that instance to demonstrate that we’ve seen Jacob do this kind of thing before- move the Island not just within time, but space. So if he did it once, what’s to say he hasn’t done it before? We already knew that time was different on the Island. But when Ben moved it at the end of Season 4, it was demonstrating something new. And a specific chamber devoted TO the act of moving the island also suggests it happened more than once. So imo, judging by both Ben’s actions in Season 4 and the presence of the donkey wheel cavern, it makes sense that the Black Rock is in such perfect condition in the middle of the Island (except for a hole in the bottom, also suggesting upward thrust) if Jacob “blooped” the Island.
I’m glad you liked my post. It’s kind of like an unraveling sweater… you tug at it a little and so much more starts to come out. Writing it, I had to keep reining myself in, reminding myself that the point of these theories is to guess what may be coming- but once you get me started on this kind of theorizing, I have a hard time stopping, much like you and mythology- which again- you’re doing a fantastic job at uncovering this Quetzacoatl connection!
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February 2, 2010
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sarahsamudre said:
@Emily: You’re welcome. ;p
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February 2, 2010
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sarahsamudre said:
@Claire Salcedo: I say we make “blooping” a verb. Like “reboot”. Until it catches on. ;)
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February 2, 2010
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Vasant Samudre said:
Great post, bff! (Because I hear you’re okay with some text speech).
I totally agree with you an all accounts… but that’s probably because we’ve exchanged many of these ideas already – you having all of them and me just listening to them… but still, you’ve got sound logic here, I suppose we’ll find out in a few short hours!
I like the thought of Locke being central in the reboot. A pansy from the beginning that will continue in his ways? Or as men of faith are supposed to be – changed in someway by some new revelation? It’s Locke, so I’m leaning towards the first option. It’ll be interesting to see how his character will be re-introduced and what he actually does this time around.
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February 3, 2010
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Pauline Hess said:
Maybe it should have been the chocolate phantom considering smokey… On a serious note… I’d love to have you guest blog at my place sometime. :) Maybe after you’ve done some research on this whole string theory thing.
Okay… now I understand what you were getting at using the 2007 bloop to explain what may have happened in the past. But now I have another question. If the Bloop caused by Desmond when he didn’t press the button caused the Oceanic plane to break up in the air, then why would a wooden ship survive and seem as if it was lovingly placed on the island? Is it that the two actions, moving the island vs. an accidental blip are different? Or perhaps, things just built better back in the 1800’s. I mean, I’ve got furniture from the 30’s that looks better than stuff I bought in 2005 so… ;)
Okay… I must go look up some things. Last night’s ep gave me soooo much to consider regarding my theory.
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February 3, 2010
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Mary Salcedo said:
Your article sparked me to look into the Caliban similarities with the Man in Black. I’ve been delving into the Caliban comparison, especially in regards to last night’s episode. After reviewing “The Tempest” and the Lostpedia articles, the Man in Black as a metaphor for Caliban is becoming more intriguing for me.
(I know you know the following, I’m soooo interested!)
Caliban is the bastard child of the witch Sycorax and a “devil”, and though human is “not honour’d with a human shape“ (Prospero, I.2.283), and constantly portrayed as half creatures. Banished to the island via his mother, he finds himself under the rule of Prospero. Throughout the play, Caliban sexually harasses Prospero’s daughter, convinces a servant Stephano to attempt to kill Prospero.
But OH MY GOODNESS! How amazing are these comparisons? The Man in Black taking over Locke’s form, convincing Ben to kill Jacob, wanting desparately to be in control to “go home”???
One of the things, Caliban fails in all of his attempts, to try and kill Prospero, take over the island, and to go home.
Now with the 2 parallel timelines, it will be interesting to see the success of the Man in Black and if Jacob ever wins in the end. I want him to, of course, but it will be very important to notice how Jacob is able to orchestrate the bringing together of the timelines.
Your post brought these thoughts to life!
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February 5, 2010
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Emily said:
Seriously, after seeing the episode and then talking with you, my mind is blown! You need to get that next post up, cause I really need to know more about what we discussed the other night!
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February 5, 2010
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Emily said:
AHH! And Juliet! What about her knowing that it had worked???? I know you must have something up your sleeve regarding that one!
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February 5, 2010
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dumptruck molly said:
The pop-ups did not say that conversation happened exactly 100 years after Jacob and MIB talked on the beach, it said it happened OVER 100 years ago. It also said that the conversation on the beach happened OVER 140 years before present day.
The pop-up during the conversation:
“This scene takes place on the island
over 140 years before the present day.”
The pop-up when Kate talks to Jacob:
“This is Jacob, who has not aged
since his conversation with the Man in Black over 100 years ago.”
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February 5, 2010
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sarahsamudre said:
@dumptruck molly: You’re right- thanks for catching that. I went back and rewatched the Enhanced Episode on Hulu just now and it does say the conversation takes place 140 years ago from present day. But 140 years makes it 1869, which is still a huge time discrepancy from when we know the Black Rock sailed from England or was last seen in 1881. And as I said in my post, either ABC is messing up BIG TIME and the “powers that be” aren’t bothering with fact-checking the enhanced versions, or when the island moved (which is the only feasible way to get the ship into the middle sans damage), it moved in both time and space.
I’ll correct my jpeg so it says the correct time. Thanks for catching that. :)
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February 5, 2010
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sarahsamudre said:
@Emily: I’m going to try and have a revised post up this weekend. Doc told me I had bronchitis, so I’ve been trying to limit myself on going tooooo crazy, but I will try to have it up tonight or tomorrow, explaining how I think my theory about Jacob having a plan, and what my research on string theory, factors into the overall arc and goal of the final season. Glad I’m blowing your mind, sweetie!
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February 5, 2010
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sarahsamudre said:
@Mary Salcedo: Haha, I actually TOLD you the above, but I love that you wrote it out. Other people may not know the similarities, and I’m betting next week, we’ll find out more about the Monster’s “home” and we’ll see how much more the similarities continue!
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February 5, 2010
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sarahsamudre said:
I’m sorry to get back to you so late- apparently I have bronchitis. Blech.
I was watching the episode and when I saw the temple and the island under water and oooooh, about a dozen other references to the mythologies you’ve been investigating, I kept thinking how MUCH you must’ve been freaking out during the episode. Even people who are not theorists at my Lost Party saw the temple and said, “Oh, a Mayan temple. Hmm.” I’m giving you an e-high five right now.
I’d love to guest blog, and I’d love YOU to guest blog about the Mayan stuff. It’s so fascinating to read. I’m still reading through the book An Elegant Universe. Fascinating stuff and very relevant to what I think is going on time wise!
And “bloop” wise… I don’t think what Desmond did was the same as what Ben did. Desmond was at a station distributing electromagnetic energy because of an accident the DHARMA made. Ben turned a wheel that, I’m assuming (and I could be wrong), was placed there by Jacob himself. I’m assuming doing it right and doing it wrong has different consequences. Even Ben didn’t seem to do it completely right, as opposed to Locke, who did, and it fixed the time skips.
And we should compromise… it should be a strawberry-chocolate phantom. :)