When Blackshirt says to Jacob, "They come, fight, they destroy, they corrupt - it always ends the same." (S5,E16 - The Incident), the "they" in this context is assumed to be normal people - humans - and in its own way supporting the implication that Jacob and Blackshirt are not. It is a natural assumption given the context of the line in conversation - a ship comes to the island, presumably with humans on board, confirmed as being brought by Jacob in an effort to prove Blackshirt wrong.
We as viewers take the line "They come, fight, they destroy, they corrupt" and immediately apply the context that Blackshirt and Jacob are playing an epic game, with humans as the pieces. Blackshirt's line is spoken in resignation and with contempt. It is however a rather awkward way of saying "the human race is hopeless", particularly the last part: "they corrupt". It makes sense for normal people to "come, fight, destroy", becoming "lord-of-the-flies" in a deserted place. But corrupt? If "they" are normal people being put through their paces for the sake of a game, what are they corrupting? It is an out-of-place expression.
Pronouns are tricky things. They can be inherently ambiguous, and this is a show built on ambiguity. Suppose the "they" in Blackshirt's line is not a direct reference to humans. Suppose Blackshirt is thinking of a group that are more his and Jacob's peers, rather than the human pawns. Suppose these Peers become players in the game too - they come to the island, fight for its control, and bring destruction. In this context, the phrase "They corrupt" makes a different kind of sense: humans are the targets of corruption, as in "our Peers come, fight, destroy, and corrupt these poor humans". It may be with sympathy for the plight of these humans that Blackshirt looks at the oncoming ship saying "They come..."
This additionally implies a meaning to Jacob's last words to Blackshirt: "They're coming". Jacob's line is directly connected to Blackshirt's "They come" - each is referring to the same "they".
http://theoriesonlost.blogspot.com/2009/06/another-take-on-theyre-coming-by-misha.html
We as viewers take the line "They come, fight, they destroy, they corrupt" and immediately apply the context that Blackshirt and Jacob are playing an epic game, with humans as the pieces. Blackshirt's line is spoken in resignation and with contempt. It is however a rather awkward way of saying "the human race is hopeless", particularly the last part: "they corrupt". It makes sense for normal people to "come, fight, destroy", becoming "lord-of-the-flies" in a deserted place. But corrupt? If "they" are normal people being put through their paces for the sake of a game, what are they corrupting? It is an out-of-place expression.
Pronouns are tricky things. They can be inherently ambiguous, and this is a show built on ambiguity. Suppose the "they" in Blackshirt's line is not a direct reference to humans. Suppose Blackshirt is thinking of a group that are more his and Jacob's peers, rather than the human pawns. Suppose these Peers become players in the game too - they come to the island, fight for its control, and bring destruction. In this context, the phrase "They corrupt" makes a different kind of sense: humans are the targets of corruption, as in "our Peers come, fight, destroy, and corrupt these poor humans". It may be with sympathy for the plight of these humans that Blackshirt looks at the oncoming ship saying "They come..."
This additionally implies a meaning to Jacob's last words to Blackshirt: "They're coming". Jacob's line is directly connected to Blackshirt's "They come" - each is referring to the same "they".
http://theoriesonlost.blogspot.com/2009/06/another-take-on-theyre-coming-by-misha.html
