lost no more?

I've been thinking a lot about "LOST" over the last few weeks. Claire bought me the 3rd season on DVD for Christmas, and we re-watched the whole thing before the 4th season began.

I have a new theory.

One of the most common recurring themes on the show is the contrast between black and white. There are a million examples - here are a few off the top of my head.

• Locke and Walt play backgammon - black and white pieces.
• Two bodies, "Adam and Eve," are found in the caves...and on their bodies was a small bag containing a black and white stone.
• Claire had a dream in which one of Locke's eyes was white, and the other black.
  
• Charlie's shoes are a black and white checkered pattern.
• The DHARMA logos are black on white, and vice versa.
• The 108 minute clock is black and white.
• The "monster" has been seen as a bright light, and also as "black smoke."

The "Dark Planet" Theory

What I am proposing is that the island is part of a alternate, parallel, universe. Or perhaps I should call it a perpendicular universe. Perhaps a mirror universe. It exists in the same physical space as ours does, but it is invisible to ours and ours is invisible to it.

I think this has been indicated to us in a few ways. One is the recurring "Alice in Wonderland" theme, from the prevalence of white rabbits, to the "Looking Glass" station. This may also be the reason we were force-fed "A Tale of Two Cities" in Season 3 episodes.

Though this universe is a mirror, it is not an exact reflection. Indeed, I propose that the island is on a "planet" that is smaller than ours. That explains why you can sail and sail and sail and always come back to the island - it's the only thing there.

We know that it is possible to travel between universes. There are intersecting points (such as where Michael left and the freighter folks' helicopter entered. Ben is clearly able to come and go from the island as he pleases. Perhaps the intersections are only at certain places in our universe, and perhaps at certain times. These intersections are most likely caused by electromagnetic fields - and it's possible that's the reason the whole alternate universe exists.

What if this "planet" is not in one location? What if it isn't tied to the middle of the Pacific where Flight 815 "crashed"? If it floats around, maybe "orbiting" the center of the earth? It seems to me that people have come to the island from different places, and that could be explained by the movement of the "planet." Possibilities of locations of intersection include certain airspace over the Pacific or trench at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean (which is how Oceanic got there), one near Tunisia (which would explain the Hydra's polar bear remains, and how Eko's brother's plane and perhaps the Black Rock got to the island), and one near Florida (where Locke's father was in a car crash that sent him through a wall). Perhaps there is one place that is always open.

Maybe every 108 minutes, a point of intersection opens. That intersection was prevented by entering the numbers and dissipating the electromagnetic charge. Now that this is no longer happening, anything can come in if it knows where to go...even a freighter.

One inspiration for this theory is the Hanso logo.


The O in the logo appears like my "planet" could - a smaller entity that maintains some of the same space as our planet. Also, the contrast of the yin yang could be another indication.

So, to review, the island is the only thing on a small "planet" in a mirror universe that orbits the center of the earth on the edge of the same space earth occupies that intersects at certain points based on electromagnetic phenomena. Phew.

Light and Dark

I thought that the most interesting line from the second episode of this season was when Daniel Faraday said that the light on the island "doesn't scatter quite right." What if that is because the "light" on the island isn't light? What if it is instead darkenss? This would explain why, when an episode begins with a closeup of an eye and the eye opens, its pupil expands. Normally, when an eye opens to light, the pupil should contract.

This is merely adjunct to the theory, but...it's worth mentioning. I think this would mean a lot in the larger scale of things, but I'm not sure what.

Time

Look, I don't know a lot about physics. I do, however, think this theory would help explain why a payload arrives 31 minutes late (Or, 12 hours and 31 minutes late, or more, if they're really messing with us).

Would time operate differently if the circumference of the "planet" were smaller? What if the planet were, while in Earth's orbit, also orbiting around a parallel sun closer to or further away from our sun, or one that is a different size? I have a lot of reading to do if I want to figure this out.

Anyway, I've long held that time operates differently on the island, and the experiment Daniel Faraday conducted indicated that is true.

Conclusion

This theory doesn't explain a lot of things. It does not explain the smoke monster. It doesn't explain Jacob. It doesn't explain Miles' apparent abilities. However, it doesn't contradict any of these things. That's why it's the best I have going so far. Unfortunately, I don't have enough time to really get further into it - but I'm curious as to whether you have thoughts. Comment away!

Unrelated Ramblings

The freighter people are part of a giant evil (?) corporation that combines the forces of the major powers we know of - Hanso, Widmore, and Paik. Pretty convenient that we know the heads of a few major corporations, isn't it?

Electromagnetism could explain the problems with human gestation, the miraculous healing abilities of the island, and any number of things that anybody with a better understanding of the relevant pseudo-science could no doubt explain.

The freighter people are on the island for Ben, sure. But that's not the only reason. Why would they need Miles if they were after Ben? Are they really just looking for Jacob?

The "he" Kate had to get back to in last season's finale may be...a baby?

Ben does indeed have a spy on the boat. His spy is Michael. Ben helped Michael and Walt get off of the island, then traveled to meet with Michael. Ben isn't usually done with people so easily. I'm sure he had a favor to ask.