Theory Even when asleep, the mind is still working. Our eyes may be closed to the waking world, but they open upon another landscape, one far more magical and filled with messages from within, one in which everything is disguised as the most profound symbol. However, conventional reality still enfolds this bubble removed from the normal rules of living and can intrude upon it. Any real-world event may puncture the fragile illusion and restore us to consciousness. But if the sleep is deep enough, such an event may be transformed in our minds and the manifested into the narrative of our dream. Thus, the beeping of a monitor at regular intervals, people whispering, a light shone in the eyes to check responsiveness can all appear as something else in the dream state.
Given these hints, I feel we need to reconsider what I call "The Hospital Ward" theory in which the island-bound characters are undergoing some kind of directed dreaming/virtual reality simulation either as a form of rehabilitation or as a means of quasi-ethical social experimentation. The Spooky video on the "Lucid Dream" from Vanilla Sky touches on this very closely.
This theory goes all the way back to the initial crash of 815 and, as Sayid points out, the total improbability of survival. How can someone who was paralyzed now walk? How can past memories impossibly come to life where they should not be? Obviously, one answer is if the whole experience occurs only in the imagination.
Then, in the episode "Dave," Hurley's Ghost of Christmas Past, Dave, directly states that Hurley remains at Santa Rosa and that the reality of the island exists only in his mind. Is this a trial of Cerberus or just Hurley's subconscious mind speaking the truth to him? The Hospital Ward angle is reinforced by the twist at the end in which we discover the affable Libby a near catatonic and also a patient at Santa Rosa.
However, the primary impetus that lead me toward this theory is a physical clue I first noticed in "The Brig" when Locke returns to find Sawyer and that I now have found has been repeated an astonishing number of times. This clue is a light shone directly in the eyes. I was puzzled by the camera work at first because it's not what you would call technically sound production. But from this anomaly came the germ of an idea: what if it was meant to represent the mind's interpretation within the context of a dream of a doctor shining a light directly into a comatose patient's eyes to check responsiveness? Another way to view this phenomenon might be as the probing of an external intelligence into the dream state of its test subjects. Even though the recent literary allusions suggest this, I tend to prefer The Hospital Ward theory due to some other details.
I wish I had screencap capability. I could provide ample demonstration. Instead, consider that on just the first two discs of season one, a light is shone in the eyes in:
THE PILOT as Jack examines Edward Mars
TABULA RASA as Sawyer sifts through the fuselage
THE MOTH as Charlie burrows into the cave-in
SOLITARY as Sayid is interrogated by Rousseau an
RAISED BY ANOTHER as Jack seasrches the jungle for Claire's assailant.
In season 4, it has occurred in all three episodes. It happens so often that I've concluded that it's design and not coincidence.
The other clues that have pointed toward The Hospital Ward theory include the whispers which can be explained as the conversations of observers incorporating themselves into the dream. In addition, I have found certain recurring sights reminiscent of hospital monitors. Can you picture the red light of Naomi's beacon in the night sky actually blinking on a bedside machine. Or when your vital signs crash, the symbolthat appears on the monitors in place of numerical values is a question mark. How about the sound of the microwave oven which is identical to the sound of the early alarm in The Swan hatch? This instance clearly shows that what is perceived on the island may be no more than sensory input transfigured by dream.
Finally, consider the number of characters that share a history of life-threatening conditions. (Michael, Claire, and Anthony Cooper in car accidents. Rose has terminal cancer. Charlie was a heroin addict, a good candidate for an OD. Take your pick with Locke. It could be the kidney transplant or the fall from the building.) Others may have committed themselves voluntarily for therapeutic reasons (definitely Hurley and Libby. I also have my suspicions about Jack who was going off the deep end with the dissolution of his marriage.) Or some may have become involuntary or coerced subjects as a result of their criminal status (Sayid, Sawyer, Kate). Or maybe you had a wealthy benefactor/sponsor who thought it would be good for you (Jin, Sun, Shannon, Boone, Desmond).
There are a few holes in the roster, but it's more than enough to make you wonder.
I'm not convinced this theory unifies the entire field of events in the Lost universe, but the clues pointing this way are evident to me. Just don't be surprised if somewhere down the line a major character suddenly starts awake to find himself in a hospital room hooked up to some unorthodox equipment.
Theory by Boz
Given these hints, I feel we need to reconsider what I call "The Hospital Ward" theory in which the island-bound characters are undergoing some kind of directed dreaming/virtual reality simulation either as a form of rehabilitation or as a means of quasi-ethical social experimentation. The Spooky video on the "Lucid Dream" from Vanilla Sky touches on this very closely.
This theory goes all the way back to the initial crash of 815 and, as Sayid points out, the total improbability of survival. How can someone who was paralyzed now walk? How can past memories impossibly come to life where they should not be? Obviously, one answer is if the whole experience occurs only in the imagination.
Then, in the episode "Dave," Hurley's Ghost of Christmas Past, Dave, directly states that Hurley remains at Santa Rosa and that the reality of the island exists only in his mind. Is this a trial of Cerberus or just Hurley's subconscious mind speaking the truth to him? The Hospital Ward angle is reinforced by the twist at the end in which we discover the affable Libby a near catatonic and also a patient at Santa Rosa.
However, the primary impetus that lead me toward this theory is a physical clue I first noticed in "The Brig" when Locke returns to find Sawyer and that I now have found has been repeated an astonishing number of times. This clue is a light shone directly in the eyes. I was puzzled by the camera work at first because it's not what you would call technically sound production. But from this anomaly came the germ of an idea: what if it was meant to represent the mind's interpretation within the context of a dream of a doctor shining a light directly into a comatose patient's eyes to check responsiveness? Another way to view this phenomenon might be as the probing of an external intelligence into the dream state of its test subjects. Even though the recent literary allusions suggest this, I tend to prefer The Hospital Ward theory due to some other details.
I wish I had screencap capability. I could provide ample demonstration. Instead, consider that on just the first two discs of season one, a light is shone in the eyes in:
THE PILOT as Jack examines Edward Mars
TABULA RASA as Sawyer sifts through the fuselage
THE MOTH as Charlie burrows into the cave-in
SOLITARY as Sayid is interrogated by Rousseau an
RAISED BY ANOTHER as Jack seasrches the jungle for Claire's assailant.
In season 4, it has occurred in all three episodes. It happens so often that I've concluded that it's design and not coincidence.
The other clues that have pointed toward The Hospital Ward theory include the whispers which can be explained as the conversations of observers incorporating themselves into the dream. In addition, I have found certain recurring sights reminiscent of hospital monitors. Can you picture the red light of Naomi's beacon in the night sky actually blinking on a bedside machine. Or when your vital signs crash, the symbolthat appears on the monitors in place of numerical values is a question mark. How about the sound of the microwave oven which is identical to the sound of the early alarm in The Swan hatch? This instance clearly shows that what is perceived on the island may be no more than sensory input transfigured by dream.
Finally, consider the number of characters that share a history of life-threatening conditions. (Michael, Claire, and Anthony Cooper in car accidents. Rose has terminal cancer. Charlie was a heroin addict, a good candidate for an OD. Take your pick with Locke. It could be the kidney transplant or the fall from the building.) Others may have committed themselves voluntarily for therapeutic reasons (definitely Hurley and Libby. I also have my suspicions about Jack who was going off the deep end with the dissolution of his marriage.) Or some may have become involuntary or coerced subjects as a result of their criminal status (Sayid, Sawyer, Kate). Or maybe you had a wealthy benefactor/sponsor who thought it would be good for you (Jin, Sun, Shannon, Boone, Desmond).
There are a few holes in the roster, but it's more than enough to make you wonder.
I'm not convinced this theory unifies the entire field of events in the Lost universe, but the clues pointing this way are evident to me. Just don't be surprised if somewhere down the line a major character suddenly starts awake to find himself in a hospital room hooked up to some unorthodox equipment.
Theory by Boz
