Lost Update – Find Your Way Back

Lost Update – Season V – 02/18/2009

I know its too late now,
But, I wish I could go back in time,
And start all over somehow,
And get it right from the start.
Find your way back.
Find your way back to her heart.

As the song lyrics above say, they found the way back to the island.

Did you notice anything familiar about how Lost opened tonight? A close up of Jack’s eye, him lying in the jungle, in his suit. You, you win the prize. That’s how the series began. Jack had made it back. Ready to resume his life on the island and that falls right in line with my own theory.

Just what is the Grassy Knoll Institutes Lost theory….I’ve been waiting a long time to tell you…..
Although it appears the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 are on a tropical island, they are being deceived. There is no island. The survivors are in a virtual reality laboratory. All the castaways are interconnected to one another sharing each others thoughts, memories, and feelings. While in this virtual reality laboratory, a battery of physical and mental experiments are performed on them. And who is running these experiments? As Juliet stated, the Aliens of course.

Tonight will be a direct get to the point update. I hope everyone is a fast reader. If not, it’s OK, just read slower. Ready.

Ben always lies. When he said he didn’t know about the Lamp Post, (Dharma owned) Mrs. Hawkings replied, he’s probably lying. And he was.

The key to tonight’s episode was when Desmond couldn’t believe that the Oceanic Six willingly wanted to return to the island with the aid of Mrs. Hawkings. Desmond was disgusted and blurted out something to this effect; They don’t care about us. They’re playing a game with us, we’re just pieces to them.

As I stated several weeks ago making the comparison of the Xbox 360 video game my son was playing and how after he lost, he merely reset the game and the parameters and began again from the beginning. Exactly what was happening tonight. The castaways are in there own type of video game, a virtual reality experiment.

Let’s suppose that you were getting pretty good at a particular video game. You keep playing until you get it right and win. You make sure that you have the same parameters that got you to the top level, such as the correct maps, best guns, ammo, med kits, and partners. If you have the experienced people playing with you, your odds get better to win.

That is why Hawkings said that all six needed to be on that plane, or the outcome would be unpredictable. Like the video game if you have a new player and don’t know their personality and game skills.

Also why Jack needed to use Locke as a proxy for his father. He needed to get as close as possible to the previous flight so as to produce the same results. Jack brings his fathers shoes, sort of like selecting the correct map or right ammo.

Flight 316 is the flight they need to be on to get back to the island. That will be key in episodes ahead.

Locke is dead. And next week he’s alive. I don’t care if the island is moving, or a giant electromagnetic field is below or above the island, or if they are traveling through time, or any other explanation and theory you can think up, (Except one, mine) the fact is John Locke was dead and now he’s alive.

Some will say that he died in the past. If he did. Then how was he alive in the future and meet the castaways.

Some will say he died in the future. If he did, then how did he leave the island and go to the mainland and die?

See the paradox here? There can be only one explanation. That’s right, virtual reality.

Tidbits From Tonight’s Episode:

* Ben tells Jack the story of Doubting Thomas. And how he had to see and touch the wounds of Jesus before he could believe.

* Staying with Jesus, Ben also says that Thomas also was the one who said they should all go with Jesus and die together. See what Ben was telling Jack. Yes, Ben is Jesus and the castaways are his apostles.

* Ben was all bloodied when he called Jack to pick up Locke’s body. Methinks he was settling a score with Widmore. Killing Penny perhaps.

* Hey, tonight was yet another plane crash. How will Widmore explain this crash like he did with Oceanic flight 815?

* Jack and Kate do the horizontal.

* Kate tells Jack not to ever ask her about Aaron, Claire’s son who she was taking care of.

* And finally, The song title and lyrics tonight are from the rock band Jefferson Starship, Find Your Way Back. Exactly what was unfolding in tonight’s episode. Yes I know, god choice.

Until next week, Get LOST!

Back To Lost Theories Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Lost Update – Two Tickets To Paraidse

lost Update – Season V – 01/18/2009

Two Tickets To Paradise

Got a surprise especially for you,
Something that both of us have always wanted to do.
We’ve waited so long, waited so long.
We’ve waited so long, waited so long.

I’m gonna take you on a trip so far from here,
I’ve got two tickets in my pocket, now baby, we’re gonna disappear.
We’ve waited so long, waited so long.
We’ve waited so long, waited so long.

We have all waited a long time for season 5 of ABC Lost, the ABC TV Sci-Fi series. On Wednesday, the wait will be over when we’ll find out if Ben really has a time machine, or if John Locke is dead, or if the Oceanic Six gets back to the island. And more importantly, how my Lost theory ties into season five and beyond.

Just what is my theory….. I’ll tell you in a Lost island minute.
Although it appears the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 are on a tropical island, they are being deceived. There is no island. The survivors are in a virtual reality laboratory. All the castaways are interconnected to one another sharing each others thoughts, memories, and feelings. While in this virtual reality laboratory, a battery of physical and mental experiments are performed on them. And who is behind all this other than the mysterious government men? Aliens of course.

From the pilot episode of season one, I formulated two theories on what was happening on Lost. One is the virtual reality theory. The second is The Rod Serling Effect. This theory concentrates primarily on the Twilight Zone, a Sci-Fi TV series created by Rod Serling that aired 1959-1963 and other assorted works he wrote, produced, and directed. You can read this theory ark here.

I also want to take this time to explain another Grassy Knoll Institute anomaly that many readers have asked me about. Why my Lost update titles do not match with the official titles of the series. There are several reasons for that.

One reason is the tie in of the song and lyrics to that specific episode and how it relates to my theory. For example, tonight’s title, Two Tickets To Paradise. Of course, Lost is filmed in Hawaii, or paradise, but more than that, many Lost inhabitants believe the island is paradise. Also, the third line, “We waited so long,” as in the last new episode aired in May of 2008. That is a long time. Add in the theme that there’s a plane ride, to some place far away and that they are going to disappear, and you have the elements of the series and tonight’s update.

Below is the Season IV LOST DVD insert, the Oceanic “For Your Safety” guide. Check it out, it is pretty entertaining and be sure to check for the clues embedded.

Until Wednesday, Get Lost!

Back To Lost Theories Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Lost Update – Living In The Past

Lost Update Season IV 07/25/2008

Happy and I’m smiling,
Walk a mile to drink your water.
You know Id love to love you,
And above you theres no other.
Well go walking out
While others shout of wars disaster.
Oh, we wont give in,
Lets go living in the past.

Once I used to join in
Every boy and girl was my friend.
Now theres revolution, but they don’t know
What they’re fighting.
Let us close out eyes;
Outside their lives go on much faster.
Oh, we wont give in,
Well keep living in the past.

OK, pretty quiet in here, so let me add another theory to the mix.

Welcome to the first installment of the 2008 Summer of Lost theories. Tonight I am offering yet another wrinkle, another theory, that perhaps, ties into my virtual reality theory, but again, may not. As always, you are the judge, jury, and sometimes executioner.

We start the summer haitus by referring to the lyrics written by Jethro Tull, Living In The Past, and realize that perhaps, that is exactly what the castaways are doing.

Please take a second to reread the lyrics above. Let them sink in. Can you pick out a theme in the song? A certain cast member? Scenario? Look closely, for this song is the key to night’s theory.

And what is tonight’s theory….
In a nutshell, Ben Linus, in present time, has seen the world come to an end. Let it be by nuclear war, global warming, American Idol reruns, disease, or other world ending disaster. (Insert your own doomsday thoughts here) However, the group he headed up, the Dharma Initiative, was working on a time machine before the world’s demise. Ben believed, by studying the past, predicted that he could change the course of history by manipulating certain key events, and thusly, the future itself.

This is the story of Ben Linus, time traveler.

What does this mean to the castaways? Simple! All the events we have witnessed on Lost are from the past. That’s right! The past. No present. No future. Only the past.

Onward to proving my theory. From the season four cliffhanger, we know Ben Linus has a time machine that he uses to go back and forth to manipulate key events. But why would Ben want to do this? My explanation follows in detail.

Although Ben has a time machine, it has not yet been perfected. Hence certain flaws, (Richard not aging, Desmond’s flash backs) prevent a pristine reboot to the past.

Ben, seeing the world come to an end, begins his attempt to save the world by traveling back in time to change history. His early attempts fail as history, despite his efforts, tends to repeat itself no matter what variables are added or subtracted to the equation. Ben realizes that he must be more specific and calculate subtle changes in the time line that would create a chain reaction to change the outcome of the future. Ben has devised a new plan, a new hope, to bring civilization back.

This is when we, the viewer, tunes in. The pilot episode. The plane crash. Ben, by studying history, selects key people (The castaways) that when put together, and changed and manipulated on the island, that when they return back to the mainland, will have a significantly different impact on the world and thus, alter the course of history and prevent the world from coming to an end.

We can all agree that the passenger list of Oceanic Flight 815 is very diverse. We can also all agree that each and everyone of the passengers have been altered. Some bad to good. Some good to bad. Some dead.

Ben, through his research, knew Oceanic flight 815 would crash on said given day. He set to task to create the eclectic group of people that needed to be on board that flight. Going back in time, he manipulated each and every passenger to force them on that flight. (Think back of all the incredible coincidences that each passenger had boarding) This also gives credence to Ben being spotted at the airport with several of the passengers and all of them in somewhere connecting with Ben before they crashed on the island.

Once Ben had the passenger list he wanted, all he had to do was wait for the plane to crash. He would then set to task to manipulate and groom each castaway into what was needed to change history. Just some examples are:

Kate needed to stop running and trust.
Sawyer needed to kill Locke’s father.
Claire needed to keep the baby.
Michael needed to unite with his son.
Ana Lucia needed to die.
Libby needed to die.
Ecko needed to die.
Boone and Shannon needed to die.
Locked needed to learn to trust.
Charlie needed to die.
Desmond needed to learn the truth about Penny.
Jack needed to understand about his father.
Hurley needed to realize he wasn’t insane.
Nicky and Paulo needed to die.
Etc…

On the island, through Ben’s intervention, all these events occurred. When each member was perfectly molded, they would be set free and returned to the mainland in hopes of changing the history of the world.

Perhaps the black rock ship was one of Ben’s earlier attempts in changing the future. And the French expedition. And Richard and the commune. Perhaps all failed attempts. Plenty of variables in the mix that could go wrong. Maybe this time though, Ben has it right.

There it is. A new Lost theory. Your thoughts please…..

Back To Lost Theories Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Lost Update – Old Man In The Cave

Lost Update Season IV 05/22/2008

As promised, the Grassy Knoll Institute is ready to explain the mysterious Jacob, the old man that lives in the cabin. The same man that Ben takes orders from. The same old man that seems to have powers beyond our comprehension.

The answer to this mysterious entity can only be found in the Twilight Zone. For those not familiar with the Twilight Zone, it was a science fiction television program created by Rod Serling that aired in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s with each episode exploring outlandish events and ending with a twist. Tonight’s Lost update will explore the 1963 Twilight Zone episode titled, The Old Man In The Cave. You will quickly see the relevance and similarities between Lost and the Zone.

As usual, we will start with the Prologue. (How each Twilight Zone episode began)

Prologue:

You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension – a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into the Twilight Zone.

Next came the opening Monologue by Serling himself.

Opening Monologue:

What you’re looking at is a legacy that man left to himself. A decade previous he pushed his buttons and, a nightmarish moment later, woke up to find that he had set the clock back a thousand years. His engines, his medicines, his science were buried in a mass tomb, covered over by the biggest gravedigger of them all: a bomb. And this is the Earth ten years later, a fragment of what was once a whole, a remnant of what was once a race. The year is 1974, and this is the Twilight Zone.

Story Synopsis:

In a thinly populated town set in 1974, ten years after a nuclear war, survivors of the town discover some canned food and other supplies. As hungry and desolate as they are, they don’t eat the food. Instead they wait for the old man in the cave to tell them if the food is fit to eat or contaminated with radiation.

One time they didn’t listen to the old man and the townsfolk planted crops where he said not to. (Contaminated soil) The harvest turned out to be a bitter one leaving them with little food to survive on. They learned the hard way to wait for an answer from the old man, and from Goldsmith. (The towns leader) Goldsmith was the only man who went to the cave to talk to the old man and waited on his word whether or not to plant or eat.

As usual, Goldsmith took a can of food with him to the cave and returned a short time later. Goldsmith said the old man declared the food unfit to eat and for it to be destroyed immediately. Just as the people were ready to destroy the food, a group of renegade soldiers pulled into town. They started asking questions on who was in charge, did they have any food, water, supplies, gas. When the towns people said they had no food it angered the soldiers for they saw the crates of food that were deemed unfit to eat by the old man in the cave.

The soldiers asked who the old man was, and did anyone ever see him, how they knew he was alive, and tried to make the towns people believe he didn’t exist. That he was made up by Goldsmith so he would always be in control of the town. To prove their point, the soldiers went to the cave and called the old man out. Goldsmith told them that he is the only one that sees and talks to the old man.

The soldiers stormed the cave and instead of finding the old man, they find a computer. Goldsmith was using the computer to analyze the food and soil to see if it was contaminated or not. The towns people got angry, and as a mob, destroyed the computer and decided to eat the food. All the people for the first time in a long time got their fill of food including the soldiers. They all shunned Goldsmith as he was the only one who didn’t partake in the food.

The next morning, all the towns people and soldiers are dead laying in the street and yards, killed by contaminated food they ate the previous night. Goldsmith was the only one left alive.

Epilogue:

Mr. Goldsmith, survivor, an eye witness to man’s imperfection, an observer of the very human trait of greed and a chronicler of the last chapter—the one reading ‘suicide’. Not a prediction of what is to be, just a projection of what could be. This has been the Twilight Zone.

Go ahead, take a breather. I’ll let it all sink in. Let me know when you are ready to continue. (tick, tock, tick tock, all the time I need)

Before we begin comparing the Old Man in the cave and the Old Man in the cabin, lets look at what this Twilight Zone episode was about.

The story is set in a post nuclear war future, the human race almost completely destroying itself. As fate would have it, the survivors finish the job that nuclear war started by a lack of faith, greed, and a dependence on technology that may lead them to ruin one day.

Onward to the comparisons of this Twilight Zone and Lost.

This Twilight Zone episode depicts isolated survivors from a horrific event. Lost begins with a horrific plane crash leaving a small group of survivors stranded on an unknown island.

This Twilight Zone episode has the people relying on Goldsmith, the town leader, for survival, guidance and direction. The Lost castaways also rely on Jack for the same. But when Ben is introduced, he becomes the focal point, the man in charge, with their very lives hanging in the balance.

In the Twilight Zone episode, people found food and wondered if it was good to eat. The Lost castaways also found food in the jungle with Dharma decals all over it and wondered the same, if the food was good to eat.

In the Twilight Zone episode, the townspeople were arguing about what to do, how to proceed. There was a distinct split of opinion between them. So can be said about the Lost castaways. In fact, they split into two groups as some decide to stay on the beach and the rest moved further inland.

In the Twilight Zone episode, only Goldsmith sees and talks to the old man in the cave. On Lost, only Ben sees and talks to Jacob, the old man.

in the Twilight Zone episode, the old man lives in a cave. Is mysterious, intelligent. On Lost, the old man lives in a cabin. Is mysterious, intelligent.

In the Twilight Zone episode, what Goldsmith tells the people is the law, handed down by the old man. No one questions that authority. On Lost, Ben commands the people, handed down by Jacob, the old man in the cabin.

In the Twilight Zone episode, renegade soldiers enter the town with an agenda all their own. On Lost, renegade soldiers land on the island from the freighter with an agenda all their own.

In the Twilight Zone episode, the towns people force Goldsmith to reveal who the old man in the cave is. On Lost, the castaways force Ben to reveal who Jacob, the old man in the cabin, is.

In the Twilight Zone episode, the townspeople revolt against Goldsmith and the old man in the cave. On Lost, the castaways revolt against Ben and Jacob.

In the Twilight Zone episode, all the townspeople died failing to heed the warning by the old man leaving only Goldsmith alive. On Lost, Ben was the only survivor as all the “Others” were killed. Seems to be going in the same direction once again with the new castaways.

For the Twilight Zone episode, the twist of the episode was that the old man was not a man, but a computer used by Goldsmith to analyze soil and food for contamination. The computer, or old man, kept the townspeople alive. On Lost, it has yet to be revealed who Jacob, the old man in the cabin, really is. And, it appears that Jacob is being used by Ben to keep the castaways alive, using Jacob’s knowledge to hide the island, control the smoke monster, and defeat the renegade soldiers.

Twilight Zone episode, a look into the near future and the horrors of man being left to his own vices, and devices. Annihilation of the planet and human race. Goldsmith was attempting to keep humanity alive and rekindle it’s spirit. He failed. On Lost, perhaps Ben is attempting the same. Wide speculation has it that the Hanso corporation and Dharma Initiative are involved in time travel, genetics, and several other medicines strange to a private group and island.

I think this is the part where Rod Serling appears on screen saying, “Submitted for your approval” and explains the evenings offering.
After watching the pilot episode of Lost way back in 2004, I formulated two theories, Virtual reality experimentation which is the main theme of this section or a remake of the Twilight Zone.

For tonight only, staying in theme with the Twilight Zone, Lost is a modern day remake of the Twilight Zone. Each and every week, Lost mirrors a unique Twilight Zone episode sans the Rod Serling narration. Each week, the Lost characters confront their inner most demons, horrific events, twists of fate, and supernatural entities just as the original Twilight Zone episodes did.

One final tidbit. The Twilight Zone was written allowing the audience to be privy to supernatural events unfolding on the screen but at the end, twisted the story offering a logical natural explanation leaving it up to the viewer to decide.

Until next weeks season IV finale, Get Lost!

Back To Lost Theories Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL

Lost Update – Old Man

Lost Update Season IV 05/08/2008

Old man look at my life,
I’m a lot like you were.
Old man look at my life,
I’m a lot like you were.

Old man look at my life,
Twenty four
and there’s so much more
Live alone in a paradise
That makes me think of two.

Love lost, such a cost,
Give me things
that don’t get lost.
Like a coin that won’t get tossed
Rolling home to you.

Old man take a look at my life
I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me
the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes
and you can tell that’s true.

Lullabies, look in your eyes,
Run around the same old town.
Doesn’t mean that much to me
To mean that much to you.

I’ve been first and last
Look at how the time goes past.
But I’m all alone at last.
Rolling home to you.

Old man take a look at my life
I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me
the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes
and you can tell that’s true.

Old man look at my life,
I’m a lot like you were.
Old man look at my life,
I’m a lot like you were.

I usually only post a verse or two of the song lyric but tonight, Neil Young’s Old Man needs the entire treatment. It speaks volumes about the mysterious old man Jacob and how the island replenishes itself. Read the lyrics slowly and you will begin to understand what course Lost is heading on. And it touches on my Lost theory as well which is a nice touch.

Just what is my theory….. I’ll tell you in a Lost island minute.
Although it appears the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 are on a tropical island, they are being deceived. There is no island. The survivors are in a virtual reality laboratory. All the castaways are interconnected to one another sharing each others thoughts, memories, and feelings. While in this virtual reality laboratory, a battery of physical and mental experiments are performed on them. And who is behind all this other than the mysterious government men? Aliens of course.

Destiny is a fickle bitch!

Richard is on the mainland when John Locke was born. Lets say John is 40 years old. That’s a conservative guess. Richard looks exactly the same forty years ago as he does today. Either time travel, virtual reality, or a race of people that do not age is in effect here. I’m opting for the second one. In a nutshell, Richard doesn’t age.

We have to ask the question why he doesn’t? My answer is virtual reality of course. In VR controlled by someone else, the parameters of the concept of time are can be changed. You may think that 100 days or 100 years have passed but in reality, only a few moments have ticked away.

The doctor was dead on the island, washed ashore, but on the freighter, he is still quite alive. Only later when Kheeme kills him and tosses him overboard does it make sense. Remember, time is different on the island and the freighter. In VR, time has no real value. The doctor is alive in one time sequence, and already dead in another.

Tonight we were introduced to Horace, a character that has been dead for 12 years. John sees him chopping a tree down in preparation for making a cabin. It’s actually a dream John is having. Horace continues to cut the same tree down time after time as he speaks to John. He tells John that he has to find him, and afterward, then he will be able to find Jacob. (In the mass grave pit on the island where Ben shot John, lies Horace’s remains) In the pocket is a map to the cabin.

John Locke needs his ego stroked. We learned this from his flash back as a child. Abandoned by his mother at birth, bullied in high school as a geek, or nerd, and of course pushed out a window by his father after his kidney was taken. In steps Horace. He tells John that they have been waiting for him for a very long time.

John now has a strong connection to the island. It needs him. Unlike back on the mainland. John is being manipulated without his knowing. Just like he did to Hurley when he told him he could leave and Hurley chose to stay. Ben even tells John that he manipulated Hurley into thinking it was Hurley’s own decision. Exactly what the VR lab is doing to John.

Locke finds the cabin, goes inside alone, but instead of finding Jacob inside, he spies Christian, Jack and Claire’s father. And hey, Claire is there as well. She looks different, a little demonic, devious, not herself. Christian tells Locke the copter is coming and will kill them all. He tells John to ask the question. John asks how to save the island?

When John comes out, he tells Ben and Hurley the news. To save the island, they have to move the island!

This could mean several things. One, manipulate the coordinates of the island making it seem that it has moved. Or, simply change the parameters of the VR experiment and literally move the island. that is the real reason it is so difficult to find the island. Because it doesn’t really exist. Onlt in the minds of the people in the VR experiment.

Significant Tidbits from tonight’s show:

The comic book Richard gave John as a little boy was about a hidden land. As in the Lost island.

Michael cannot be shot. Kheeme tries to shoot him several times tonight but his gun does not fire. Just like on the mainland when Michael tried to kill himself.

Everything’s going to hell on the freighter.

The captain agrees to help Desmond and Sayid escape. heading 305 to the island. Desmond stays behind.

Just wait until you read the Twilight Zone tie in to this episode. It” blow you away.

Until next week, Get Lost…

Back To Lost Theories Archives

LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL