Keep It Simple
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By risebysin
- Keep It Simple
- Created: Feb 4, 2008
- Last updated: Aug 13, 2008
- After episode: 1.7: The Moth
- Status: Current
- Flag this theory:
I’m bored, I have work to do, but I’m concussed from Super Bowl-related alcohol consumption, so I figured I’d tell you all a story. Feel free to tell me how I overlooked quantum physics & Ockham’s Razor(ironically).
There’s a place on earth where the impossible can happen. It’s an island. People, good & bad, have been looking for it for quite some time, but it’s very difficult to find. The Good People want to use the island for good things, like the advancement of mankind, curing diseases, etc. The Bad People want to exploit the island for bad things, like controlling mankind, inventing advanced weaponry, etc. However, the Good People don’t realize that by finding the island they might be leading the Bad People to it.
Thankfully, there’s a third group of people, the More Gooders, who are even more good than the Good People, and are willing to dedicate their lives to protecting the Island from the Bad People.
The Bad People have found the Island before, but the More Gooders were there waiting in the brush, and they defeated them. Then, many years later, the Good People found the Island, and while they came with noble intentions, they still posed a threat of leading the Bad People to the Island, thus the More Gooders waged a just war and eliminated them and that potential risk.
However, unbenounced to the More Gooders, their efforts are not enough to protect this magical place. The Bad People are coming, and it’s going to take a lot more than the usual More Gooders to protect the special place from the new breed of Bad People.
And then in the distance: a plane, filled with People, crashes on the Island. Some of the People survived.
The More Gooders, following protocol, immediately begin defending the island against the People. After all, no matter their intentions, they are a threat. The More Gooders watch them, analyze them, catalog them, research them, and gauge how serious of a threat they are. Whew, they’re not the Bad People. Predictably though, those selfish People want to ‘go back home’. That could be problematic, so the More Gooders set out to neutralize the People and first and foremost prevent them from accidentally telling the Bad People where the Island is.
However(there are many howevers in this story), the More Gooders are unaware that the People will collectively play a pivotal role in the Island’s defense. Whether by fate or luck, some of the People are upgrades over the More Gooders, but neither the People nor the More Gooders realize it yet. While one of the People realizes the importance of the Island and the stakes of the game, the rest of the People fight to get home. The More Gooders are very stubborn though, and they try everything in their playbook to prevent them from leaving.
Some of the People, let’s call them the 6 People, miraculously escape the clutches of the More Gooders and find their way home, but they’re more aware of the Bad People’s efforts to find the Island. They lie about where they’ve been. They return to their previous lives. But now their past lives seem meaningless compared to the purpose of stopping the Bad People. The 6 People miss some of the People that are still on the Island. They feel bad that they turned their backs on the People. They realize that it’s their duty to protect the Island. Thus the 6 People have a change of heart and decide to return. Problem is, this place ain’t easy to find.
Eventually, through luck or fate(yet again), the 6 People return to the Island. Remnants of the More Gooders + People are struggling to hold off the Bad People. The 6 People help. Everyone of the People makes a contribution, like dominos falling, leading to victory. The Bad People lose. The survivors of the People & the More Gooders re-commit themselves to the worthy cause of protecting the magical island from the dark Bad People. The world never learns of the heroism & sacrifice of these seemingly ordinary People except through a seemingly fictitious television show.
The End
The simplicity of your explanation is probably more in line with reality than some of the more fantastic theories on the site. Though it doesn’t go into much detail on what you think of the supernatural evennts they experience, this is an interesting theory regardless of whether or not you were superbowled over.
Though somewhat simplified, I agree that you are onto something. It’s important to remember that ABC needs to apeal to the internet LOSTies as well as the LOST fans who are not scrambling around in their spare time to learn (or practice) quantum physics. I’m working on a similar theory—not quite as basic as yours…..but one that should appease everyone. To me, that makes the most sense.
This is genuinely the BEST comment on Lost I have ever read (and I’ve read quite a few)
‘Keep it Simple’
Risebysin - I have a thread on another site, which I’m not sure I can mention. It’s basically ‘the numbers’ from Lost and then .com. I’d really appreciate it if you’d write your comments there, even if you just cut n’ paste what you’ve already put on this website. Its called ‘A General Theory’ and my sign in is HDM.
I think you just about hit the nail on the head.
I agree. I posted a similar concept about 20 posts back called “Simplicity”.
I think people should read risebysin’s previous posts - can’t help but think you’re lost-theories.com’s John Locke big man.
You know this island! (dude, post on my bloody board) The hind-sight with Charlie and near-death experiences I’d never noticed.
great theory. One of the alltime best.
Risey, Awesome work! +1
I remember the days on LT where we actually plussed theories, the good ones, that is!
good call dab, +1 from me
risebysin - I hope you don’t mind but I’ve posted your theory on my own board at the previously mentioned site. Obviously I’ve given you all credit for it. I’m trying to create a thread for common sense thinkers when it comes to lost theories and your’s was perfect.
Here is the link -
http://www.4815162342.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=45408
I love the simplicity, but I wonder if thats the direction they go in. Obviously the six people want to go back, but I have to remember Hurley’s comment that going with Locke was a bad idea. I hope they do something like this with the show, but I feel like Locke may not be so perfect as everyone on this site seems to think he is.
what about desmond s travel, the button, smokie, and the 2 bunnies on casimir effect?
I love your theory.
To define is to destroy, to suggest is to create.
The problem (or grace, I think) with watching Lost is, as the producers have said, there is either too much mythos (and this would include any scientific explanation), or their is too much drama (the verisimilitude of the characters and their alchemy). Now I know this is really more meta-theory, but Lost will continue to suggest its solutions rather than DEFINE them — which is, I think, the secret to all classic, timeless literature. I remember when Twin Peaks was tantalizing us with its mysteries — who killed Laura Palmer? What does Cooper’s dream mean? On and on. I consider Twin Peaks to be an experiment that never completely worked (although it was, compared to most television, a brilliant, ingenious failure) but Lost is working, I think, where Twin Peaks failed, primarily because it extends its mysteries into polyphonic layers — we are given answers to our questions, in part, but then the narrative shifts and our questions have to change, too. I don’t think there will be some text at the end of season VI that says “Well, here is what was going on…” That’s not like Lost. Like Desmond says, we will be given the pieces, but I don’t think we will ever have the picture on the box. That’s up to us.
Good post, risebysin. +1
excellent post, risebysin. the writers have stated that lost is about the characters and the mysteries are secondary. this leads me to believe that most of the answers we here at lost-theories are looking won’t be revealed in the show. perhaps in podcasts or arg type media, we will come to know the nature of the island, smokey, etc. but lost is about the characters and their struggles, internally and externally. the show is not simple, but it is at the same time not terribly complex. whenever i think of the complex simplicity of lost, i cannot stop thinking about einsteins elegant yet profound equation of E=mc2. like this equation, lost is a simple story about a very complex set of characters and their circumstances. in short, lost is story with many layers, but its elegance is achieved through its simple storytelling…
praise be to j.j., damon, carlton and that guy who gets credit but really didn’t do much except attend the initial lost meeting…
(by the way, +1)
If the producers can explain all the supernatural happenings all while keeping the story as simple as you’ve expressed it I think everyone would be very happy…well almost everyone. +1 excellent post!
This is great but do you think Ben is good? Or is he just a different sort of Bad, like, he uses Jacob-who is a More Gooder?- and seems to be helping with blocking all communications while in fact he has his own plans to benefit from the island- which may even include inviting other bad people from the outside world to make evil deals?
Einstein would be proud - simple is king. Love it. +1
I agree this just seems like it has to be the basic premise of Lost, the base storyline that the writers would have to first plot down. From there, they can add sub-story plots as they choose, for both explanation and interest. Sometimes we get so bogged down in the details we lose track of what the story is about.
Good theory, it cuts through a lot.
I’m not sure about the others being goodies though. They’re pretty free and easy with killing people. I think I remember Ethan killing one of the unknown Lost characters by breaking about every bone in his body. Also Goodwin snapped that poor guy’s neck like he snapped the chicken’s neck earlier in that ep. With about as much feeling too.
I can’t believe the others are good, but the people coming to the island may be worse.
Rise, that was the best thing I’ve read on this site in quite some time. +1
The genius is in it’s simplicity.
I’m not sure 6 will return, but hey… one can dream.
Amazing clarity despite your being “concussed”.
Rise I’m with almost ever poster on this theory - you suck.
Lol fooled you - this is brilliant. Just one criticism. You forgot to TM ‘More Gooders’. You really oughtn’t to have!
+1
In every explanation that has come from “Lost” so far, it’s always been the simple answer.
Great job.
Thanks for the kind words guys, although obviously I’m over-simplifying things.
Yes, I do think the Others are the good guys. When there are great stakes killing is justified. Seems to me they’ve always operated with a respect for life and tried to minimize death. They didn’t tell Michael to kill anyone, he did so spontaneously out of panic. The only time I’ve seen them openly discuss killing anyone is when Ben said ‘if they try to escape, kill them’ at the end of season 3, when there was an obvious major threat to the island’s secrecy. Beyond that, there seems to be more to dying than we know, i.e. Ms. Klugh choosing death, and it didn’t sound to me like she thought her time was coming to an end by dying. That said, when did Ethan break all the bones in someone’s body?
I also never said Locke was perfect, far from it. I think he’s been fumbling around with his ‘awareness’ like a child with his first bicycle, falling on his face most of the time, but now the training wheels are off. He’s still vulnerable to being misled by what he thinks is the ‘source’, but I doubt it will be as frequent as the first couple seasons.
This is, by far, the best “theory” I have read on this site since I started reading here. I am sorry I didn’t see it earlier. I have one little tweak to the story… not sure where it fits in… but it is important:
It appears that the People may not have ended up on the island accidently. It is unclear why they are there and whether they have been sent there (withouth their knowledge) by the Good People, the Bad People or some other “interest” or group of people (with a small “p”). What is clear is that the People are connected to each other and the island in ways they were never aware of.
I think this season will boil down to us learning who the Bad People are and what the People and the More Gooders can do to protect the island from the Bad People.
I agree with your overall premise of keeping it simple.
I’d like to know why Ben and Co. are going to such extreme lengths to protect and keep control of the island. If the island itself is responsible for miracles such as Locke’s moving legs, Jin’s “functioning,” and even the survival of those aboard Oceanic 815 (people seem to forget how extraordinary this event was in light of even crazier mysteries), isn’t it fair to assume it is capable of protecting/sustaining itself?
It at least appears that the island, or something on it, can “make the impossible happen,” and furthermore, choose when it does. (If the island’s magical properties were fixed and simply triggered, then all of the islanders would receive equal treatment. But we’ve got multiple characters being killed all over the place, while others live when they should have died- re: Locke, Mikhail). I’m sure Smokie somehow fits into this, though I don’t know how, and I’m absolutely sure that finding out more about Jacob is key to finding out more about the island’s secret(s). (I wonder if Ben knows as much as thinks he does about the island, or if he’s as much of a pawn as Locke seems to be.)
I hope we get to know Richard Alpert better this season, along with all the “Bad People” and their motives for finding the island. What does the island have that people want? Is it something purely material, or something more? If Ben’s people are protecting it rather than selling it, I’m thinking its value is priceless.
I’d also like to know what really happened to Michael and Walt, if the “More Gooders” are so adamant about keeping the island a secret. That and 80,000 other things… but I’ll stop there.
“the More Gooders are unaware that the People will collectively play a pivotal role in the Island’s defense. Whether by fate or luck, some of the People are upgrades over the More Gooders, but neither the People nor the More Gooders realize it yet.”
I found that part of your theory to be the most intriguing by far.
I love the NY Giants
This sound like a good idea for a tv show. Maybe you could condense it into one short paragraph so that a room full of suit wearing bureaucrats could understand it and pitch it to CBS for their summer lineup. :)
Right on, rise ‘ol pal. Right on.
Cuts through all the jibberjabba