ABC’s LOST explained!
Still wondering what the television show LOST was all about? I have answers!
SPOILER ALERT – the following article will completely explain and therefore give away to the most important puzzle pieces from the hit ABC television series LOST. Therefore if you haven’t seen the show and don’t want the end to be spoiled, stop reading this article right here! As for the rest of you who have wondered… what did it all mean? I have the answer for you!
Now that the spoiler warning is out of the way, lets get right to it…
The most mysterious lingering question remaining regarding the television show LOST is… what is the golden light in the cave at the heart of the island?
If only we knew what the light was maybe we could determine what the island was. And if we knew those facts we could piece together all the remaining details. Some might say the question was already answered when Jacob claimed the island was like a cork (when he said that he wasn’t lying which I will explain later) yet saying the island is a cork really only raises another question instead of giving any type of comprehensive answer, after all… if the island is a cork, what does that mean? I for one am glad that the writers didn’t spell it all out for us because if they had, it would have robbed us the opportunity to ponder the larger questions and solve the puzzle ourselves and ultimately that was the fun of LOST.
SO WHAT WAS THE LIGHT?
The golden light in the cave at the heart of the island is the same light that was behind the frozen donkey wheel that the MIB, Ben, and Locke, all were attempting to manipulate or channel to their benefit throughout the show. It also seems to be the same light (or a type of it) that engulfed the island when Desmond flipped the fail safe, when Juliette ignited Jughead, and each time our losties were bounced around when the island was skipping in time.
Most folks assume the light is God, or spirituality, or possibly the personification of goodness, or life, or something similarly vague. None of those solutions help us piece together the puzzle that is LOST.
Drum roll please…
Continue…
I finally got the opportunity to watch the final of Lost (I was out of the country – which broke my heart, because I was a fan from Episode 1)
Your theory about time satisfies and makes sense as to what the light is. The show is, and always was, about the people. Everything else was a vehicle for exploration of these wonderful and imperfect people that we came to love and root for.
For me, the only thing that did not add up, was the presence of Jack’s son in the sideways story (now aka The Waiting Room). At this point, I presume that Jack needed the presence of the son in the world they made for themselves – but I don’t really understand why. Was it just so that he would not be so emotionally damaged? Or was it just an addition to throw us off the scent? Otherwise, everything else made sense to me – and I actually considered it a beautiful ending. And your concept of the light representing time makes the whole story come together for me.
Thanks for sharing!
Hey Eric, well I finally got around to reading your theory! And it was as great as hearing it in person! Thanks for putting so much thought into this and making the show even more fun than it already was! It’s making it a blast to rewatch with my parents and see how it all fits so well now.
Great job,
Nat
All I can say is wow! I’ve been a Lost fan from the beginning, and I was completely satisfied with the ending too. I have studied a lot about storytelling, writing and literature for a few years. And from everyone that I knew that watched Lost I was able to understand & comprehend more about the show. The writers were very careful with what they did at the beginning. Abrams and Lindelof came up with a “Bible” of the show, a lot of the mythology stuff was thought of in Season 1, as far as what the smoke monster really was, the Dharmas’ past on the island, and of course Jacob. The 2 of them mapped out 5-6 seasons before Season 1, or else ABC wouldn’t have picked up the show. Cuse and Lindelof came up with the ending of the series in mid-Season 3. The only things that the writers were making up as they went was the little things, the details.
Now as for the time theory, I believe it fits perfectly. I had thought of it before, but I wasn’t too sure about it. I have also studied physics for a number of years and have always like time-travel in a story setting. I think this theory really fits into the show, you’re details really helped me to understand it more. And with the whole flashback, flashforward and time travel methods of storytelling they used is symbolic of the time/light and what the island holds.
I’m not so sure that the hatch button stopped time completely, but I do think it reset it. But what happened after the hatch was “blowup” by the bright light when the fail-safe was turned? I think time, for the island, moved at a normal rate, very slowly. I think this is confirmed with a few things in season 4. 1) when Faraday has the rocket from the freighter launched over. When it eventually arrives there is a more than 30 minute difference. 2) When Lapidus gives Desmond and Sayid a ride to the freighter, they left when it was still day on the island. When they get out of the “bubble” around the island it is sunset. The time on the island is slow, it still thinks its day, but off the island it is much faster and is already evening. 3) When Keamy kills the doctor and throws his body overboard, it takes about 2 days for it to wash up on the beach.
As for the few details about the theory, I don’t believe that the time would jump years, months when the plane crashed or when Jack & Locke argued. I believe it was a shorter amount to time. They left the airport on September 22, 2004. And when the Oceanic 6 were rescued by Penny it was January 8, 2005 (108 days, this is confirmed by Locke or Smocke in Season 5).
As far as the “flash-sideways,” we know it’s not a flash-sideways. They confirmed this in the finale, Christian told Jack that they (as in Jack & the other losties) created it for them to be able to find each other in the afterlife. Faraday tells Desmond in “Happily Ever After” that they would need to create a large amount of energy to create it though. Faraday then says that he thinks he already did, meaning when he motivated Jack to use the A-bomb to blowup what was to be the hatch. Blowing up the hatch didn’t do what they intended, to stop all of it happening or creating a new timeline. It created a timeline in the afterlife for them, somewhere where they could find each other and help each other remember each other in the real world. And then they could move on to the next stage of the afterlife.
Jack died at the end of Lost, and various other characters died during the course of the show. But what about Hurley, Ben and Desmond on the island? Or the others on the plane? They eventually died sometime in the future, the afterlife doesn’t have a specific timeline, it’s eternal. Remember when Ben and Hurley talk outside the church, Ben says to Hurley, you were a great #1, and Hurley says that Ben was a great #2. They are referring to their life on the island, after the show takes place. The both of them lived on their lives full and complete on the island.
Also, for hopes for some that have a few questions, on the DVD of Season 6, they’ve announced that there will be an “Epilogue.” It will be about Hurley and Ben as the protectors of the island, and the producers said that they would answer a few major questions there.
Thank you for your theory here! I think it has just muliplied my love for the show. I was already satisfied, but still confused with somethings about the theme, methods, symbolism of the show. This has really helped me to understand and comprehend it even more! Thank you again.
Dude, you nailed it. You know you nailed it.
JoeS, I actually was thinking somewhere along those lines myself about the finale, not completely all you said but that the 2 timelines were both a ‘reality’, not one a purgatory.
But I have to say the theory presented here is the only one that makes the purgatory reality stomachable. Not sure I completely agree with it in terms of the altverse, but I definitely like it as an overall arc for the entire 6 seasons.
Mainly because the time traveling of seasons 4 and 5 just seemed like too convenient of a plot device to further the story. well, we’re in big trouble (Widmore and mercenaries in season 4), I know let’s time travel to get away from our problems. Of course we know the time travel cretaed a whole new set of problems (out of control jumping in season 5), but regardless, it seemed too easy at the time.
Eric – I found your theory very satisfying. No theory is going to hold up 100%. I have put more effort into trying to explain the side-flash universe, since I found the purgatory explanation unsatisfying (I agree with Kevin’s use of “jump the shark.”) Here is what I put together, which may meld easily with your theory about the main time line.
After the bomb blew up, it opened a sort of breech between the two realities. In one reality, everyone was returned to 2010 and the final battle ensued. In the other reality, all the people Jacob brought to the island because they were lost and lonely continued on the same (or similar) paths they would have been on. Details changed since the island sank in 1977. All of the people in Reality B weren’t supposed to be there and were even more out of place than they were at the beginning of the show in Reality A. Through the magic of the island, electromagnetism, and hydrogen bombs, the rift opened and the fullness of everyone’s life in Reality A came leaking through and gave everyone in Reality B the knowledge of what they were supposed to be. Since they weren’t supposed to be there, they all gathered together at the church where Eloise was charting the island (a pocket of energy linked to the Island) and were able to enter into a place in between realities and live happily ever after. That way, the flash-sideways actually happened instead of being a sort of dream.
BTW, Christian shows up because the catastrophic event that created the split/bridge resurrected him. There’s no clean way of explaining it.
The thing that gave me some clarity on “my theory” was when Eloise asked Desmond if he was taking her son with them. Eloise knew what was going on! ( If everyone was living out some purgatorial dream, that just destroyed any continuity and became unmanageable.) Since Eloise was the connecting point between the Island and the outside world then it makes sense that she should be near the connecting point of the two realities.
I know this flies in the face of the more obvious (and probably “correct”) interpretation. I will be straight forward; I don’t like that view, so I made up my own.
Very nice theory. I think it makes the most sense out of the ones I’ve read so far. The details seem to add up almost perfectly. I’d like to think the writers really presented us with every detail you mentioned to back your theory (from season 1 to 6) with a purpose, even though it’s bit of a stretch. I especially like your theory on how Jack was chasing his past (smokey), while some other characters were running from it in season 1.
@los
2) Richard was surprised at Locke turning out to be the smoke monster, he had no idea about that until Locke said “good to see you out of those chains”.
3,4) The monser never acted like a mindless cloud, it always seemed to have a purpose since day one.
But however I have a few questions.
1) Can you expain the cabin incident when ben took locke to see ‘ jacob’ . What the heck actually happened in the episode ?
2) Since the smoke monster has been roaming in jungle for a long time . Why was richard alpert shocked and surprised when he realized it was actually mib who came out of statue.
3) If smoke monster absorbed mib and started acting like mib , the n why does it act like a mindless cloud in season 1 , 2 ,3 and then in season 5 , smoke monster acts like a mib.
4) Idon’t know i am right . But smoke monster acted ike mindless monster in first few seasons . After cabin incident , it acted more like mib.
This is brilliant. Wow! I feel embarrassed that I didn’t get it. I was disappointed with the show after season 6 and felt lost was awesome idea gone wrong.
But after reading your explanation , my love for the show has been revived.
Thank you for the wonderful explanation. Now , I appreciate the show even more better than before.
I don’t understand why some people believe that a TV series can only be truly appreciated if everything progresses according to the writers’ intentions. Someone creates a piece of art with a certain inflection, but everyone is free to add their own perspective and this, in turn, inspires other people to increasingly appreciate and treasure its value as a work of art. That being said, this theory is the most satisfyingly unifying one I’ve encountered. Great post!
Boomer, thank you for thinking you “got me” *rolls eyes* If you have any questions for me, ask, and I will respond. The matter of fact is that a friend of mine that is a huge Lost fan sent me the link to this site. That is that.
TheDream, you are one stupid pretentious fanboy spewing out clichés. Obviously you would swallow sh!t if Darlton were to feed it to you. I didn’t care about answers. That is not why I disliked it. Now you are stumped, huh? You brain can’t fathom how one can dislike this show if not for the lack of answers (the only thing your puny brain can think of). Put that in your pipe and smoke it! HAHAH.
Wow!
I wish you were one of the show’s producers!
Wow! There are some fantastic responses in this thread. I want to thank all of you for taking the time to read my blog post. I am currently vacationing out of state but I have been reading your comments on my iPhone as the come in. I plan to make some responses when I get home.
After reading this, I would like to respectfully disagree. Your argument is cohesive and very well thought out and due to the beauty of art/media being that the viewer’s interpretation is ultimately the truest to themselves, I can’t say that your theory is wrong. I, instead, would like to put forward my own, simplified theory as a rebuttal to yours.
Personally, I believe that the Island is simply the Garden of Eden. This was hinted at subtly in the episode when mother said “Life, death, rebirth. It’s the source” referring to the light. I believe that this means that the Light is almost God in regards to how humans would describe it. That, I believe, is why the 2 bodies found in season 1 are referred to as Adam & Eve. The reason why it is so imperative that the light doesn’t go out is so that it does not go out in each one of us. Smokey was simply formed by the pure hatred that Jacob had for his brother and is almost the Anti-Light, the darkness. Where Jacob was merely a protector, Smokey actually became the darkness and in doing so, was given his purpose; to destroy the island and thus life itself. The use of water is similar to the methods and practices in baptism and we all know the writers have referenced religion a lot over the years.
I agree with many of your points on the characters and other things and would like to thank you for taking your time to write this. I’m actually drunk so I gave up halfway to explaining myself. As and when i get the time to flesh out my theory, I would love to discuss with you as it seems you understand a lot more than many of the people I have spoken with in person. Cheers man
Yep, I think that this theory is tight. It also (loosely) explains why women who are pregnant before coming to the island have the baby just fine, but if they get preggo on the island, the result is always miscarriage. Also, the missile taking so long from the freighter to hit the island. Also, I would have sex with Charlotte until my penis needed a skin graft.
I came here hoping for it to all “click” but what I and so many others have realized is that the sometimes compelling show ultimately became LOST in its own ambiguity. Eric’s explanation might work for him, just like other explanations work for others, but they all massage the story a bit to suit their viewpoints.
Let’s start with what we know is almost certainly a fact – the LOST writers didn’t have any idea how the show would end when they began writing it for 2004’s first season. Like most shows, they likely sat around a table plotting the course for the season’s episodes, not knowing how it would all end, which can be both the fun and sometimes the downfall of a series like LOST. Obviously, they wanted to end the show with a “WOW” moment, but having them all be dead only muddled everything they had been building to.
The “sideways reality” as Eric called it could have been explained easily by saying that when Juliet blew up the drill site and prevented the plane from ever crashing, it created another path. They didn’t just disappear as they thought they would, because maybe that’s not how time works. Instead, they also existed on another path, one on which the Oceanic flight never crashed. Because of the this, they were able to remember like deja vu their experiences on the island, subsequently bringing them all together on the path where Oceanic 815 never crashed. It was a good idea. You could have both a happy ending full of “awakenings” and an ending on the island where the smoke monster is killed. Instead, they went for the “WOW” moment and jumped the shark in the final episode. Maybe they weren’t sure how to explain the two paths (they could have had Faraday do that) or they thought making them all dead would make it more mysterious, I don’t know, but in any case people like the writer of this blog will forever make cases for their theories, and like John Locke or Jack Shephard themselves, they will gain their own groups of followers desperate for the meaning to it all.
Amaze-amundo dude! Seriously – I think you’ve hit the nail on the head – gonna have to have a relook at all this and chew your theory over with my wife. Any thoughts or explanations for the ending of season 6/the alternate timeline?? I’d love to hear what you have to say!!
Wow, this was really good. I knew there was a unifying theme to the whole show, and the creators wanted us to figure it out by ourselves. But you figured it out! Good job!
lol, I’ve wasted at least an hour at work today reading and absorbing this theory. It is really well thought out and seems to fit the story as a whole.
I too was never completely satisfied with the good/bad aspect of the show and jacob/MIB representting that in humankind, etc etc etc. One, it seemed too easy, and Lost was never easy and two, it didn’t completely make sense based on several things you mentioned (MIB not being truly evil, Jacob not alwyas being such a good person) This theory kind of puts a new face on that debate.
One question, how does this theory explain the altverse in season 6? Do you think it was truly a pergatory dimension as has been widely accepted? I never particularly liked that theory either and had come to accept tat the church scene was the island manipulating them to correct the timelines, not it being purgatory. I’m curious to see how your theory explains it?
Hey and Jonas you are totally wrong! OMG Lost was great. Just because they didn’t answer all your stupid little questions does NOT mean it failed. Infact in my personal opinion you are the pathetic one. If they answered every single question you would have nothing to think about. That is why Lost is such a wonderful well thought out show, but of course you and many other people are too thick in the head to realize this. The “writers” of Lost left us the viewers to guess and theorize these questions, and that is just what Eric the writer of this amazing article did.