Response to "Third Party" Theories...why I agree by DaveTheKlone

With all the as of yet unanswered questions regarding everything from why the Losties all wound up on this island to how the Dharma Initiative found the island and began their experiments, it seems more and more likely that there is a 3rd player, or 3rd combatant in this game between Jacob and MIB. I wonder if the Dharma HQ in Ann Arbor was ever compromised by this "third party", which could explain why someone like Radzinsky was sent to the island and given so much authority. Horace and the majority of the DIs seemed to be a lot closer to peace loving hippies, designing their utopia than mad scientists, but Radzinsky seemed to be more than capable of manipulating them with the threat of a call to Ann Arbor. Hmmm...

It seems to ring pretty true that The Others were charged with making sure no one else ever finds the island, which would be why Ben had Mikhail jamming all communications to and from the island. Could this have been a defensive measure put in place after the purge? Could the purge have really been a necessary evil to keep the compromised DI at bay? Does this put Widmore in the ring of suspects regarding this "third party"?

There would definitely seem to be more characters in play than we know about. The Economist, Alvar Hanso and the DeGroots would be the biggest ones that we ALL know about from the show...but what about some of the other characters hinted at by some of the ARGs and the extra non-cannon stuff the producers saw fit to come up with. (I know they claim it's not cannon, hence not part of the true storyline or mythology, but how else do any of us know what the Valenzetti equation is?)

When you look back at all the things that have never been confirmed, but yet are still hinted at...

Sun's father...Paik Heavy Industries...a company that does business with Charles Widmore and Widmore Industries. Mr. Paik has several LCDs in his office that display a picture of an island, which is most likely The Island. Stands to reason that if Widmore knows about it, so does Paik. Does The Economist work for one or both of these wealthy industrialists who both have ties to the island?

In the post Season 2 ARG "The Lost Experience", we learn that Paik Heavy built some kind of suped up submarine or sea-vessel. Where do you think it was designed to travel to? In the same ARG, we learn that Alvar Hanso is being held captive against his will in Switzerland. Alvar Hanso is the founder of the Hanso Foundation, which funded the Dharma Initiative under the direction of the DeGroots. We also learn in this ARG that there was an internal coup of sorts within the Hanso Foundation, by someone named Thomas Mittlework (close to Mittelos Bioscience much?), who began to use some of the technologies the foundation was discovering for evil purposes. From what I remember, it seemed pretty clear that he was responsible for Alvar Hanso's imprisonment in Switzerland. Is it so far fetched to think that something similar happened in Ann Arbor as well, thus taking out Alvar Hanso AND the DeGroots at the same time?

We see Widmore buying the diary of Tovard Hanso, the first mate of the Black Rock, at an auction in Season 4. He is a direct ancestor of Alvar Hanso, as was Magnus Hanso, the captain of the Black Rock. Magnus Hanso's final resting place is on the island, and is noted on the Blast Door Map in Season 2. The incarnation of "Jacob" that we see in Season 3's episode "The Man Behind The Curtain" appeared to be in something of an 1800s sailor garb. We know Widmore has been trying to find his way back to the island since being exiled by Ben, so his purchase of the book makes sense, and I doubt he would be the one imprisoning Alvar. (Note: It's interesting to note the parallel between Alvar Hanso being imprisoned in a remote location, held their against his will, and whoever was in the cabin in Season 3, being held in the cabin/protected in the cabin from MIB/Smokey. The identity of this person would seem to be ultimately critical to the mythology of LOST when looking at a para! llel like this.)

This all leaves a "third party" vying for access to and the powers of The Island. I think MIB/Smokey has simply grown tired of protecting the island, and by killing Jacob, he tips the scale in the "Third Party's" favor to end this charade once and for all, so he can just go home. This could be the possible end that only happens once...the "Third Party" finding the island, abusing it, sinking it, and making the iteration that finds our Losties back on a flight from Sydney to LAX that does not crash...the final one.