Lost - so we're following the leader, but who IS he?

Wow - what a week. Stick with me here for a minute... I think this is big. If you want to skip my theorizing, my thoughts on this episode are at the bottom of the post.

Man of Science, Man of Faith is back?
TIME's Lost commentary noted that this episode brought us back around to the comparison of Jack and John Locke as a man of science vs. a man of faith.Ultimately Jack believes in Daniel's science and the ability to change how things happened.

On the other hand, Locke believes in the island, fate, etc. He's still a man of faith.

Or is he? I actually think TIME's analysis is off. Jack may believe in science, but he's sort of blindly believing a scientist who may or may not be crazy and know what he's talking about. Jack is, in my opinion, a man of faith... in science. Without good basis. Hmm... sounds familiar.

Who IS Locke and what is his goal?
And then there's Locke. He is not just a man of faith, as he was portrayed in the first few seasons. As he said, he has a purpose now. He is the leader. And... in a way, when he says he's off to kill Jacob, in the eyes of the people who have believed in Jacob, Locke is about to in essence kill their god. He's sort of the antithesis to a man of faith because he evidently is going to take down the element that I think Ben and Richard have used to control people so long. They have used fear to keep the people superstitiously following their orders. Locke is about to directly address this Jacob - and I bet that he'll show it's all a fraud.

So, in a sense, John Locke is that "man of science" guy. He's about to do away with blind belief.

However, if god (in Lost) were embodied and walking around looking like one of us, then him cutting down blind belief and acting with purpose would all just be him acting on what he KNOWS to be true, because he knows himself. Right? That is what I think "Locke" is doing right now. I think that he is the monster. I don't believe he's Locke at all, I believe it's the Monster in Locke's body. Click on the link to read more about that theory, which I wrote several weeks ago.

In any case, that's why I think the writers have so heavily leaned on the Christ metaphors and comparisons for Locke this season - because they know that he, like Jesus, would soon be the island "god" embodied and walking among the people as one of them. Not at all an actually Christian plot development, it's just a metaphor that hints and foreshadows using similarities in my Christian faith. It's interesting, because I think the monster will end up being real in the show, not some made up gimmick. And, speaking of Christian metaphors, one commenter mentioned that this week sure looked like Locke was Moses leading the Exodus, with Alpert as Aaron, who will be revealed as the guy that leads the people to worship false gods. Interesting, eh?

So - to lay it out, I think that within Lost:
-The monster is a real, mythical, god-like figure that actually had power and control.
- The monstor has taken over Locke's body, and is using Him to influence what happens
- Science is still true, it still describes what happens with time, and explains the unique properties of the island, and people can use it, but it can't control, it simply describes.

What I don't know:
Who is Richard Alpert and how does he relate to the island and the monster?
Ultimately, can the past be changed....i.e. is there some element of free will?

Best moment of last night:
Dr. Chang quizzing Hurley to see if he's from the future. Hilarious.

Oh, and P.S, this reminded me all over again why Jack has always been one of my least favorite characters and I have NEVER liked the romance between him and Kate. He's never been emotionally open, connected, and stable with Kate. Jerk. She should've stuck with Sawyer.

That said... poor Juliet. The past few weeks I've developed sympathy for her. She seems to think that as long as Kate is around, she can't keep Sawyer. Girl, start fighting for him if you really care!

John Locke is the Monster

** update - also read my theory that the "Shadow of the Statue" gang are the original inhabitants of the island, and that Alpert is one of them, and that they may all be ageless.


Isaac insisted that I write this down so that he can point back to it when he is proved right.

He is absolutely insistant after last week's Lost episode that our current resurrection John Locke is actually the monster.

Hmm.



Actually, after he said it I have to admit that I thought back quickly and thought - DUH, why didn't that occur to me?

Jacob is this shadowy, mysterious persona that we haven't actually seen but that everyone listens to and fears. Once when we saw a flash of him in the cabin, it was the figure of Christian Shepherd. Then there's Christian Shephard himself, who died in Australia and was transported via casket to the island. There his casket is found empty, and he suddenly starts showing up around the island. The producers have confirmed that Christian Shephard is physically dead. So, either there is some weird time warp thing that is playing with us all, or he is a ghost like Yemi was when he appeared to Eko.

It sure seems like the monster uses bodies that are empty of souls to appear to people on the island. He then speaks to them about their own history but also guides there actions. It's CREEPY.



So - our executed friend John Locke is transported to the island on the Ajira flight as the copy of Christian Shephard. He's in a casket, he's dead. Suddenly he's alive again, and that freaks everyone out. Now he seems to know a lot - he knows his own past but he also knows a lot about the island, what's supposed to happen, how to find the monster, etc. He's zen and stoic. He seems to be guiding Ben. During the last episode, the only time Locke disappeared was
1) when Ben pulled the plug on the water in the secret closet of his old house that apparently let the monster loose.
and
2) when Ben fell into a hole in the Temple and is confronted by the monster/the monster embodied in Alex.

AND the monster makes Ben promise to follow John.

So... who's with us? Do you think Ben is actually the monster?

What I don't know is what that means for people like Christian Shepherd, Locke, Alex, Yemi, etc... are they just dead and gone for good? That sort of makes me sad.... but I am really convinced that the Locke we are seeing in these episodes is not actually Locke.

And... is Jacob also just the monster, or is he someone/something else?