New LOST theories

So, I was watching LOST tonight, and suddenly had an epiphany. Here’s some of what I think is going on.

1. There are three groups involved in the battle for control of the island. Group 1: the "Hostiles, aka "Others." These are the aboriginal people, probably descended from the crew of the Black Rock, who remained on the island after the shipwreck. Some of those characters, like Richard, probably ARE members of the Black Rock crew, as is/was Jacob the Invisible.

2. Group 2: The DHARMA Initiative. We now know that the Hanso family, who funded the initiative, are descended from the Hanso who wrote the Black Rock’s log that was auctioned off to Charles Widmore. Alvar Hanso probably knew about the island, and deliberately placed the DHARMA group there to research its phenomena.

3. Charles Widmore. Widmore owns Widmore Pharmaceuticals, and he wants the power of the island for his own profit.

Now, the Losties are Group 4. It seems, from the flash forwards, that many of them stayed behind, and only 6 left for the mainland. My guess: the final episode of LOST will conclude with the Oceanic 6 returning to the island and reuniting with the rest of the castaways.

So anyway, here’s my BIG epiphany, which suddenly dawned on me tonight while watching Jin’s flashback and Sun’s flash forward. EVERYONE ON THE ISLAND is "unstuck" in time. Some, like Desmond, have become aware of it. Others are experiencing the same phenomenon, but are not (yet) self-aware. I’ve always wondered why the writers chose to tell the story via flashbacks (and no flash forwards). Flashbacks are normally static, and don’t propel a story forward. They just backfill. And yet, LOST does progress, because it’s essentially a mystery, and the revelations drive the mystery.

Time passes "differently" on the island. The island is out of synch with the local universe. The passengers on 815 are now experiencing, in each episode, what Star Trek once called Amok Time.

More later.

2008 Republican Convention Schedule

6:00 pm Mike Huckabee Salutes Confederate Flag
6:15 pm Group Hug and Cross Burning
6:20 pm Ann Coulter Bares Adam's Apple
7:00 pm OPENING REMARKS: "HONESTY IN GOVERNMENT" - Randy "Duke" Cunningham
7:25 pm Log Cabin Republicans Induct Sen. Larry Craig into Stall of Fame
7:45 pm CEREMONIAL LIGHTING OF COAL FIRED POWER PLANT
7:55 pm Rush Limbaugh Lecture: "Anal Poisoning and John McCain"
8:00 pm John McCain leads convention in rousing chorus of "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Bomb Iran."
8:10 pm "Why All Scientists Are Wrong," Talk Given Posthumously from Hell by Jerry Fallwell and Grand Inquisitor
8:15 pm Rick Santorum Addresses Convention: "The Secret Man on Dog Agenda."
8:35 pm George W. Bush re-ups for the National Guard
8:40 pm Ronald Reagan's corpse re-animated, still can't remember Iran-Contra
9.00 pm MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR BILL OF RIGHTS
10:00 pm WARRENTLESS WIRETAPPING ETIQUETTE – Alberto Gonzales
11:00 pm BILL O'REILLY SALUTES HOMELESS VETS
11:05 pm COLLECTION FOR CHILDREN WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE
11:15 pm Keynote Speech: "Why We Fight," by Fred Thompson
11:30 pm National Proclamation by the President: "Nucular Is Now an Official Word"
11:45 pm Glenn Beck Kicks Keith Olbermann onto Subway Tracks
11:50 pm "Abstinence Only Education, Do As I Say, Not As I Do," by David Vitter
12:15 am TRUTH IN BROADCASTING AWARD - Presented to Rush Limbaugh by Animatronic Joseph Goebbels
12:20 am Ceremonial Assassination of Foreign President by Pat "Ninja" Robertson
12:25 am Ann Coulter French Kisses Lynne Cheney in Ladies Room
12:30 am SATELLITE ADDRESS – Dick Cheney, live from Secret Bunker
12:45 am NOMINATION OF JOHN MCCAIN – Swiftboat Veterans
1:00 am Laura Bush Hands Out Free Xanax
1:05 am "Reagan Republicans" Mass Mooning of John McCain
1:30 am Reagan Reanimated Corpse Proposes a Toast: "To the Youth of America"
1:40 am Closing Remarks: "Why Strom Thurmond Was Better than Harry Truman," by Tom "Hammer" Delay
1:50 am George W. Bush Celebrates End of Term in Cloud of Suspicious White Powder