A big part of being a fan of Lost was concoct your own theory , and nobody ’s surmisal were more elaborate than those of Entertainment Weekly ’s Jeff “ Doc ” Jensen . Here are 12 Jensen theories that were cooler than the real answer .
frankly , if Lost ’s ending was a letdown , you should n’t blame showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse . You should , instead , pick “ Doc ” Jensen , whose incredibly baroque estimation of what the show was about were a expectant part of the Lost experience . No genuine baffled fanatic ever pretermit one of Jensen ’s psyche - expanding essays , and the show itself just could n’t live up to Jensen ’s comment . ( Of naturally , you could debate the show did n’t seem to try very intemperately . ) Nerds love life to come up with their own off - beat idea about their favorite pappa - culture phenomena , but there ’s seldom been a possibility - spouting nerd who had such complex theories as Jensen , or such a well - place dais from which to circulate them . disavowal : plain Jensen was also charm by other idealogue , and was n’t coming up with these hypothesis in isolation . I apologize in advance if I attribute someone else ’s ideas to him .
=
So with that in head , here are a XII Jensen hypothesis that would have been cooler , or at least more interesting , than what Lost actually gave us :
1 . The Dharma Initiative create the Smoke Monster to serve as tone command ( January 12 , 2006 ):
The Dharma Initiative is using the island as a “ sort of human recycling plant , ” taking “ damage , fallen people ” and either rehabilitating them or junking them . And the Smoke Monster is the caliber - control mechanism in this factory , test people to see if they merit to live or not .
2 . Charles Widmore is using the island to quiz out psychic selling ( April 2006 ):
Charles Widmore and the Others are both on an individual basis essay to make use of the deftness left behind by the Dharma Initiative for their own end . And Widmorewants to use the arcane Dharma science to create a new strain of “ unmediated merchandising ” — beaming product marketing directly into your consciousness . And the Oceanic 815 castaways did n’t crash on the island , they land there and were fool away into thinking they crashed . It ’s possible that Widmore brought the castaways to the island to use them as “ test subjects for Widmore mathematical product / grocery research testing . ” In any slip , Jack and the other castaways will discover in the second time of year conclusion that they did n’t really break up , when they find a landing strip conceal on the other side of the island .
3 . Lost takes place in the upstage future . ( 2006 ):
I can only rule a reference to this possibility in Jan. 2007 , when Jensen writes that it ’s been disproved by something Ben said in one season three sequence . According to Jensen , his favour hypothesis was that the Oceanic 815 passenger actually fail in the clank after all , but “ their nous were salvaged and save on ice . ” And then a super - advanced future society salvage their brains and implanted them into new genetically engineered clones , and put them on the island . The Others are part of this futurist smart set , creating an “ elaborate psychodrama ” to aid these unreconstructed 21st century personality evolve spiritually , so they ’ll be fit to live in the “ Brave New World ” that exists outside the island . ( heed you , this exceptional hypothesis may well be more natural language in cheek than some of Jensen ’s other , more attached theories . )
4 . It ’s all about Desmond and Penny ( May 2006 ):
draw a blank all the other characters , the show is actually about the principal - crossed lovers Desmond and centime , and the lengths they ’ll go to , to be reunited while Charles Widmore does everything in his power to keep them apart . “ Desmond / Penelope has suddenly become the defining story thread of Lost . Everything else is a subplot within that larger context of use . ” And maybe we ’ll discover that Charles Widmore station Desmond to the island to try his worthiness as a suitor for Penny ? In any case , all of the Dharma / Others plot line will turn out to revolve around this couple , and the show ’s well-chosen ending will involve their last reunion .
5 . The Island is a tuning fork ( July 2006 ):
The Hanso Foundation wanted / wants to utilize the island toturn the world into the Garden Of Eden , and has been trying to find ways to touch on us to our pre - fall condition . The domain is a computer that ’s compromise by the “ virus ” of original sin , and Hanso is looking for the “ cure . ” The island isa kind of “ tune fork,”and Hanso ’s Dharma Initiative has been trying to “ melodic line ” the island ’s electromagnetic vigour to the correct frequency , to broadcast Hanso ’s message to everybody on Earth . And the substance ? Is the Numbers , which are like a super catchy “ earworm ” song that gets stuck in your pass and you ca n’t ever get it out . Once they ’re in everybody ’s question , the Numbers will fix everybody , or reprogram everybody , or make us buy clobber . But it wo n’t work until a second , freestanding sign is also broadcast to us .
6 . Aaron is an evil superbeing who took over Claire ’s babe ( 2006 - 2007 ): This is the theory Jensen spent the most time expounding , and also perchance the most interesting one he came up with . TheDharma Initiative ’s experimentation resulted in the creation of an ultra - muscular psychical being , one who ’s obsessed with soda water culture ( hence all the weird pop - culture source ) and powerful enough to bring his obsession to lifespan . He go sick due to the interminable “ Skinner Box ” experiments the Dharma masses subjected him to , and he finally died . His radioactive remains is walled up in The Hatch , but he ’s imprinted his super - potent consciousness on the island itself . And this mega - powerful entity is scream … Aaron . He rally Oceanic 815 to the island , because he needs a new body , and Claire ’s unborn baby is perfect for the task . That ’s why the Others prove to kidnap meaning Claire , so they could embed the evil entity into her baby . The Others also tried to get rid of Walt , because he was the only one who could see through their program . And the Smoke Monster is a manifestation of Evil Aaron ’s superego . It cause entire sense !
7 . The Dharma Initiative create Hurley ( 2007 ):
Or peradventure the Dharma Initiative did n’t create Aaron , after all . Maybe theycreated a super - intelligence called Hurley(either a information processing system intelligence , or some kind of psychic entity ) . And this super - intelligence gained godlike powers as a result of being able-bodied to control the island ’s unique electromagnetic properties . And finally he / it transcended his / its consistency and became a disembodied entity , eventually ending up in the eubstance of mental patient Hugo Reyes . The Dharma Initiative broadcast the Numbers in an endeavour to win over the Hurley entity to return to the island , so when Hurley came across the Numbers , he eventually did bring his host body back , along with the repose of the Oceanic 815 passengers .
8 . The preceding and future castaway are divvy up the island ( April 3 , 2008 ):
The Oceanic Six decide to return to the island — but when they come back , they pass through the electromagnetic anomaly , and are zap into the past , before the plane even crash . So after the planer crashes , they have to hide out and avoid interacting with their past self for fearfulness of causing a rupture in infinite - clock time thingy . So the “ whispers ” are actually the future version of Jack , Hurley and Kate , gloss on their own past drama . And that also explains why we glimpse a teenaged version of Walt beckon Locke to get out of the quite a little grave . The whole time , the next versions of the Oceanic Six ( plus Walt ) have been manipulating things from behind the scenes — and as soon as the O6 bequeath the island , their next versions will be destitute to come out of hiding and declare themselves . Just as Hurley wax onto the raft or eggbeater demand him off the island , Future Hurley will ill-treat out of the hobo camp and say “ Man , I thought they ’d never leave . ”
9 . Ben stole Locke ’s destiny , and Locke will toss off a short ton of people seek to steal it back . ( May 12 , 2008 ):
Locke was think to come to the island as a child , to be groomed as the raw leader of the Others , but he missed his destiny . So the island bring Ben as a child , around the same time , as a sort of failsafe or a substitute for Locke . But Ben was n’t a unadulterated replacement for Locke , and he perverted fate in various ways . So Charles Widmore scheme to bring Locke to the island as an adult , so he could take on the mantle he ’d lack out on as a child . Unfortunately the only style that Locke can fix things is by propel the island back in time , which will have the side effect of pop a gross ton of people , turn Locke into a “ mass murderer ” in the process . And maybeBen shoot down Locke as a means of draw Locke back on his path ?
10 . Jacob will take advantage of the blowup of the Jughead that rebooted the timeline . ( May 2009 ):
Jack’sattempt to change chronicle was destine to create the very Incident that Jack was attempting to pervert — but Juliet was the “ variable ” in the par , because she was able to modify her intellect and set off the Jughead . As a effect , Oceanic 815 may never have crashed . And because Jacob tinge the castaways , they ’ll survive the Jughead ’s explosion — and they may have the world power to remold the new timeline . After the Jughead ’s blowup , one of two things will happen : Either the castaways will re-emerge back in their bodies at the moment that Jacob touched them , or they ’ll appear in a new timeline where Oceanic 815 never crash . Either way , thanks to Jacob ’s magic touch , they’ll remember everything that ’s happened up to now , and they ’ll help Jacob foil the Man In Black .
11 . The whole thing hinge on Jack and his dad ( Jan. 26 , 2010 ):
The whole of Lostcan be explained by a few Sting Song . No , wait . really , it ’s all about Jack and his dad . The Island is a manifestation of an sometime , supernatural way of viewing the human beings , and it exist for anybody who consider in the “ concept of the mythical journey . ” ( And the Smoke Monster exist to gauge the great unwashed . ) The crux of Lost is that before he died , Christian Shephard was “ contract a hero ’s journey ” — battling his demons to overcome his drunkenness . And Jack disrupted his father ’s play for redemption and sobriety , crashing his A.A. meeting and convincing his dad of the inevitability of his damnation . Writes Jensen , “ THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED . ” ( Emphasis in the original . ) Jensen add : “ Jack f—-ed up something primal and knock-down by derail his dad ’s repurchase journey . But the undecomposed intelligence is that this aboriginal and powerful thing is unstoppable and unbeatable . For by initiating that redemption journey , Christian Shephard made concordat with a living force , and that military unit will move heaven and netherworld and realness itself to honor that concordat . ” That strength of salvation is recognise as Jacob , and Jacob ’s live to tremendous trouble to craft the redemption of both Dr. Shephards , and it must climax in their reconciliation , or else the Man In grim wins . And the story will terminate with the real Locke being resurrected and becoming the new Jacob .
12 . Jacob was curry the Dharma Initiative to become his novel chosen people . ( May 12 , 2010 ):
Jacobreally like the Dharma Intiative ’s focus on spirituality as well as scientific discipline , and he think to himself , “ These could be my new chosen people ! Mother would certainly sanction ! ” So Jacob had Richard Alpert negotiate a peace treaty treaty with the Dharma Initiative and gave them dominion to stick to , and he was hoping they would produce a special psyche who could become a young “ island messiah . ” And the close to this the Dharma people got was the instauration of Ben Linus . Unfortunately , the Dharma Intiative become tainted , so the Others had to pass over them out . So Jacob realized he needed a new approach to creating candidate , one that involved teaching people the time value of self - sacrifice — and that ’s why Jacob rent Ben kill him , to create an illustration of self - forfeit that his prospect could watch .
A few other Jensen theories that are at least entertaining , if maybe not cool than the existent show :
Nikki and Paulo are in league with the Others . And Jacob is … Bernard?(Huh ? )
Nikki and Paulo are actually name after the Pharisee Nicodemus and the apostle Paul , and the recently deceased Mikhail and Mrs. Kluge will be transplant into their body , because the island is establish to ease the transmigration of souls . It does make as much signified as Sawyer being a cop in Purgatory .
The whole human race is nonextant due to some calamity — except for the mass on the Island . Not certain if this was a Jensen hypothesis , or just one he was quoting . Not abominably plausible , in either case .
The island is a pitch-dark gob . Huh ? Would n’t they all be dead , in that case ?
Ben and Widmore were both manipulating fourth dimension . When Ben sent Michael and Walt off the island , he in reality sent them back in sentence . And Widmore knows the future somehow , grant him to know what mass are conk out to do in advance .
Both Jacob and the M.I.B. are demigod who facilitate people ’s “ daimonic journeying . ”Jacob is supposed to guide multitude on their journeying , and the M.I.B. is supposed to serve as an antagonist on these journey — but two thousand eld of monotheism have trim their fabulous realm to just one lilliputian island , and now M.I.B. is tired of testing people who always give out , and wants to put an end to the whole matter .
Carlton CuseGawkerJ.J. AbramsTelevisiontheories
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , science , and acculturation newsworthiness in your inbox daily .
intelligence from the future , delivered to your present tense .
You May Also Like
