Watching the last few episodes of the season to me, solidified a lot of what I've been theorizing on this board and to other ppl for a long time about Richards role in Lost. If we look at all of his actions and encounters, Richard is the most enigmatic character, even over Ben and Eloise, cause simply put, all we really know about him is that he's been on the Island for a LONG time according to Juliet, and that he acts as emissary to Jacob.
In all honesty though, the fact that Richard has given us clues to his origin (Black Rock is pretty much irrefutable, but as to what role he serves in the endgame i.e slave or officer on the black rock to being a puppet/leader for Jacob, will determine a lot more of what he really WAS) with the scene in the beginning of the Finale along with the scene with him building the model ship, he also said something that bothered me. his analysis of Locke and saying how he's seen so much in his time on the island, yet was truly shocked and claimed he'd never seen anyone come back to life before, to me is complete and utter bull. Let's be honest, Richard not aging and being "immortal" is obviously either truth or a mislead onto what Jacob is capable of. Richard doesn't age cause he either could be a) zombie, b) looping, c) product of Jacob's "power", or d) smokie (d being the most unlikely).
To me though, I still like the theory that he's supposed to me some type of constant for the Island. Richard could very well be the anchor that allowed the cast to not suffer the fate of Charlotte (or at least not nearly as quickly) cause all of them had encountered him before, but Charlotte wouldn't equate him as a constant cause she was too young to probably have ever seen or remember Richard and saw him on the island during the jumps. Richard and the Island have to be intertwined...I KNOW IT. There is something way to off about what we've seen with him. Imagine if Richards very existence is based on him simply being with the Island and jerked around every time he's needed. It's not that he's immortal per say, but whatever "casimir" effect something like the Swan or Orchid can create, Richard seems to be the byproduct of it.
Imagine almost if Jacob took Richards conscious and throws it all around in time or actually physically plucks him into other eras in order to fulfill his role. So let's say in one time line Richard dies. Well Jacob course corrects and then takes Richards pre-existing consciousness and puts it into a fresh Richard and jumps it through to the proper course. I'M NOT SAYING RICHARD'S A CLONE BEFORE YOU FLAME ME! I'm saying that he could be in theory like the bunnies in the orchid. His mind is where it needs to be for Jacob to use him, but his body is either a zombie Christian like entity or a looping copy of the Richard that Jacob meets right when he lands on the island. Jacob, the moment Richard encounters him, decides to use him the way he does in his grand experiment on the human condition.
Let's also face the fact that the other's role as well has been kind of switched up lately. I'm not saying it's poor writing, but I don't know...something's really been bugging me in terms of how they've been portrayed in the present. It's like in the past (ie flashbacks and time jumps/70's) and in season 3 we got a real look into their lives and operations. They're functioning normally, they wonder, change lifestyle's (which bugs me the most in terms of the yurts/decoy village being actually used in Dead is Dead coupled by the fact that Tom dressed up). It really makes no sense except that Richard obviously seems to be a living hypocrite of the system as well. He's gone to the real world as a representative of Mitellos-Bio with Ethan on the sub, so obviously he hasn't forsaken technology. Then this whole deal with Widmore and Ben, and hell almost all the main others all have personalities and motivations, but in all honesty the rest of them don't seem to do anything but wo! nder after the freighter arrived. Does anyone else find this a bit weird that the J Crew others have completely vanished? They almost all never speak or even seem to do anything but camp and eat. It's like they don't even think anymore they just do whatever the hell the show isn't willing to tell us until the sixth season. Then Locke comes and there's no power struggle, no "oh my god Ben's back", or anything...that's SO NOT NORMAL. Come on Richard aside....there's something seriously wrong with this picture. Even the people with Illana and Bram seemed like they were just zombies carrying the casket of Locke, but at least they have personalities. I know this could just me criticizing the background cast and all, but in all fairness to me, the red shirt losties at least had a purpose...and so did the others up until recently...but now it's so far into the end and there's so little explanation still it's maddening.
What am I really getting at to sum up my Richard rant...well you can decide. I think the show's weakest aspect in all honesty is how a lot of the others have been portrayed even though they're so important and interesting. The moment we get to see them we get so much information, yet at the same time there's a few really odd things that might not even be important that make it all very inconsistent. Even the whole cabin thing is so poorly introduced if we look back in the sense that Ben had never seen Jacob and stuff, yet he knows where the "moving" cabin is...? And Ben had the line to Locke about "I used to have the dreams" or something, implying that the island sent him visions like Locke with Horus Goodspeed building the cabin. Once more it makes no sense. Ben's amazing at strategy and stuff, but like, really the Ben in the finale also was kind of on one level brilliant but on the other, completely out of character or realistic to what we've seen. If Ben was making up his! wonderful invisible Jacob scene then it beyond nullifies so much of the character's acting and personality. Ben's the best written character, but the finale tore him a new plot hole. It's like Juliet as well. If I where Sawyer wouldn't you have asked her WHAT REALLY WAS GOING ON? I mean the writers nod to the fans with Miles and Hurley talking about time, but how about a line in the finale where Jack asks Sawyer in the three years that they've been living together and stuff, if some other secrets possibly came out during pillow talk (like he turns over to see her in bed and says..."So Juliet...about that whole Latin thing" or "Hey Juliet, what's the Temple, or why do you never tell us a GODDAMN THING". You know I'm right. If she's gone (or only has a few more episodes) then they better fix her character's glaring development flaw fast, cause she's such a great character that probably only needs like a total of three LOST moment revelations to let her die without complaints! .
Then there's the whole deal with the lamp post, Widmore getting or finding the island, and the fact that they all get off a lot and then can come back on. COME THE HELL ON! This also makes no freaking sense plot wise...THIS is a screw up whatever might be introduced down the road. I was already mad enough over the fact that a mercenary team sent to the island consisted of only FIVE GUYS, but in retrospect, budget aside, maybe they're only purpose was to kill ALEX so Ben would do x,y,z...that would be smart to explain the obvious budgeting problem. But five highly trained mercenary's and a captain who's motivation makes no sense, along with crazy inconsistent freighter folk, plus the science team...do you see where I'm getting. I LOVE THIS SHOW MORE THEN ANY I'VE EVER WATCHED, but damn it if towards the endgame are the flaws starting to catch up.
In all honesty though, the fact that Richard has given us clues to his origin (Black Rock is pretty much irrefutable, but as to what role he serves in the endgame i.e slave or officer on the black rock to being a puppet/leader for Jacob, will determine a lot more of what he really WAS) with the scene in the beginning of the Finale along with the scene with him building the model ship, he also said something that bothered me. his analysis of Locke and saying how he's seen so much in his time on the island, yet was truly shocked and claimed he'd never seen anyone come back to life before, to me is complete and utter bull. Let's be honest, Richard not aging and being "immortal" is obviously either truth or a mislead onto what Jacob is capable of. Richard doesn't age cause he either could be a) zombie, b) looping, c) product of Jacob's "power", or d) smokie (d being the most unlikely).
To me though, I still like the theory that he's supposed to me some type of constant for the Island. Richard could very well be the anchor that allowed the cast to not suffer the fate of Charlotte (or at least not nearly as quickly) cause all of them had encountered him before, but Charlotte wouldn't equate him as a constant cause she was too young to probably have ever seen or remember Richard and saw him on the island during the jumps. Richard and the Island have to be intertwined...I KNOW IT. There is something way to off about what we've seen with him. Imagine if Richards very existence is based on him simply being with the Island and jerked around every time he's needed. It's not that he's immortal per say, but whatever "casimir" effect something like the Swan or Orchid can create, Richard seems to be the byproduct of it.
Imagine almost if Jacob took Richards conscious and throws it all around in time or actually physically plucks him into other eras in order to fulfill his role. So let's say in one time line Richard dies. Well Jacob course corrects and then takes Richards pre-existing consciousness and puts it into a fresh Richard and jumps it through to the proper course. I'M NOT SAYING RICHARD'S A CLONE BEFORE YOU FLAME ME! I'm saying that he could be in theory like the bunnies in the orchid. His mind is where it needs to be for Jacob to use him, but his body is either a zombie Christian like entity or a looping copy of the Richard that Jacob meets right when he lands on the island. Jacob, the moment Richard encounters him, decides to use him the way he does in his grand experiment on the human condition.
Let's also face the fact that the other's role as well has been kind of switched up lately. I'm not saying it's poor writing, but I don't know...something's really been bugging me in terms of how they've been portrayed in the present. It's like in the past (ie flashbacks and time jumps/70's) and in season 3 we got a real look into their lives and operations. They're functioning normally, they wonder, change lifestyle's (which bugs me the most in terms of the yurts/decoy village being actually used in Dead is Dead coupled by the fact that Tom dressed up). It really makes no sense except that Richard obviously seems to be a living hypocrite of the system as well. He's gone to the real world as a representative of Mitellos-Bio with Ethan on the sub, so obviously he hasn't forsaken technology. Then this whole deal with Widmore and Ben, and hell almost all the main others all have personalities and motivations, but in all honesty the rest of them don't seem to do anything but wo! nder after the freighter arrived. Does anyone else find this a bit weird that the J Crew others have completely vanished? They almost all never speak or even seem to do anything but camp and eat. It's like they don't even think anymore they just do whatever the hell the show isn't willing to tell us until the sixth season. Then Locke comes and there's no power struggle, no "oh my god Ben's back", or anything...that's SO NOT NORMAL. Come on Richard aside....there's something seriously wrong with this picture. Even the people with Illana and Bram seemed like they were just zombies carrying the casket of Locke, but at least they have personalities. I know this could just me criticizing the background cast and all, but in all fairness to me, the red shirt losties at least had a purpose...and so did the others up until recently...but now it's so far into the end and there's so little explanation still it's maddening.
What am I really getting at to sum up my Richard rant...well you can decide. I think the show's weakest aspect in all honesty is how a lot of the others have been portrayed even though they're so important and interesting. The moment we get to see them we get so much information, yet at the same time there's a few really odd things that might not even be important that make it all very inconsistent. Even the whole cabin thing is so poorly introduced if we look back in the sense that Ben had never seen Jacob and stuff, yet he knows where the "moving" cabin is...? And Ben had the line to Locke about "I used to have the dreams" or something, implying that the island sent him visions like Locke with Horus Goodspeed building the cabin. Once more it makes no sense. Ben's amazing at strategy and stuff, but like, really the Ben in the finale also was kind of on one level brilliant but on the other, completely out of character or realistic to what we've seen. If Ben was making up his! wonderful invisible Jacob scene then it beyond nullifies so much of the character's acting and personality. Ben's the best written character, but the finale tore him a new plot hole. It's like Juliet as well. If I where Sawyer wouldn't you have asked her WHAT REALLY WAS GOING ON? I mean the writers nod to the fans with Miles and Hurley talking about time, but how about a line in the finale where Jack asks Sawyer in the three years that they've been living together and stuff, if some other secrets possibly came out during pillow talk (like he turns over to see her in bed and says..."So Juliet...about that whole Latin thing" or "Hey Juliet, what's the Temple, or why do you never tell us a GODDAMN THING". You know I'm right. If she's gone (or only has a few more episodes) then they better fix her character's glaring development flaw fast, cause she's such a great character that probably only needs like a total of three LOST moment revelations to let her die without complaints! .
Then there's the whole deal with the lamp post, Widmore getting or finding the island, and the fact that they all get off a lot and then can come back on. COME THE HELL ON! This also makes no freaking sense plot wise...THIS is a screw up whatever might be introduced down the road. I was already mad enough over the fact that a mercenary team sent to the island consisted of only FIVE GUYS, but in retrospect, budget aside, maybe they're only purpose was to kill ALEX so Ben would do x,y,z...that would be smart to explain the obvious budgeting problem. But five highly trained mercenary's and a captain who's motivation makes no sense, along with crazy inconsistent freighter folk, plus the science team...do you see where I'm getting. I LOVE THIS SHOW MORE THEN ANY I'VE EVER WATCHED, but damn it if towards the endgame are the flaws starting to catch up.
