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“I had no choice. They were already lost. What would have happened if we were rescued? I couldn’t let that happen. I won’t.”

— seedy

I would like to present a possible explanation for what has happened to Rousseau during her time on the Island. Since we don’t have a lot of hard facts about Rousseau, it seems sensible to start with the parts of her story that don’t seem to add up.

Firstly - her boat. It supposedly ran aground stranding her team on the Island. If this is the case, where is the boat? Secondly, her arrival on the Island seems to predate the purge. It doesn’t seem likely to me that the DI wouldn’t have been aware of this and would have tried to make contact. Thirdly, why would the Others allow such a loose cannon to live on the Island undisturbed for so long? I could go on!

I think a possible explanation for Rousseau’s existence may be found in the dealings of Thomas Mittelwerk. We don’t know much about this guy, but we do know a) he was involved with the DI, b) he has developed a virus that causes some kind of genetic change but also with a high mortality rate and c) is involved with ‘mental programmes’ that he believes are central to his future plans. So, in a nutshell, a killer virus (to reduce the world’s population by 30%), that induces genetic changes (presumably to enhance the individual’s chance of survival) that MAY also be supposed to enhance ‘mental function’.

So, finally, onto the theory. I believe that Rousseau is the end result of exposure to an early version of the virus. A killer virus, that causes genetic changes in the survivors that enhance ‘survival’ skills, but unfortunately was not successful in terms of mental outcomes!

Rousseau was part of a science team that was recruited by the Dharma Initiative to the Island. Rousseau remembers that they travelled from Tahiti and changed course to investigate the numbers - why would you change course to investigate the numbers? I think this signal was simply the means by which DI recruits approached the Island. Rousseau and colleagues joined the DI and set to work.

We know that the ‘Others’ are made up in part from members of the DI. What if Danielle and her team decided to defect to the ‘Others’, very unhappy with what the DI were attempting to do. It is at this point that Mittelwerk decides to deploy the virus. I’ve always been very interested in Mikhail’s comment that it was the DI who initiated the ‘purge’. We know that trying to oust the ‘Others’ by force does not work, so what about a viral purge. Mittelwerk’s chance to test the virus. Infect a group of defectors and hope that they infect the rest of the ‘Others’. The DI remains relatively safe within the ‘sonic fence’ but could still instigate quarantine procedures and the use of protective suits outside of the sonic fence. Meanwhile, Danielle’s team become infected before they reach the ‘Others’. Maybe Danielle’s bunker was actually the meeting point? During the infectious stage of the virus, it is easy to imagine individuals suffering hallucinations, paranoia, confusion etc. This may explain why Danielle turned on her team, particularly if she felt she was protecting her baby. Maybe the virus killed some and she killed some?? Anyway, at some point Danielle recovered, and would now be immune to the virus. In addition, she would have undergone genetic changes that make her more likely to ‘survive’. Although, the viral induced ‘madness’ might have passed, the end result would be altered mental/cognitive function.

The ‘Others’ consider her one of them, but it quickly becomes clear that she is too unstable and confused to be integrated into the group. They decide to leave her in peace - but perhaps help where they can e.g. a conveniently placed food drop. The decision is taken that Danielle’s daughter cannot stay with her, since it is unlikely the child will survive. So the ‘Others’ take her daughter and raise her as one of their own.

Whilst the ‘Others’ have been in conflict with the DI for many years, this blatant attempt by the DI to ‘purge’ the ‘Others’ forces them to retaliate in kind. This takes a considerable amount of time to set up (3-4 years), but results in Ben helping the ‘Others’ to gain access to the Tempest and release the toxic gas that wipes out the DI. Danielle’s altered genetic code allows her to ‘survive’ the toxic gas attack. It is possible that the ‘toxic gas’ is actually the virus to which she is immune.

The end result is that the DI are wiped out. Danielle survives, but remains very confused and volatile. I’ve never thought that Danielle was a fake. Her reactions to the various situations always seem very genuine. Her stock response to people is to not trust them e.g. Ben, Mikhail, Sayid but she can never explain her distrust.

Any questions??

Key characters

Short Name	Full Name	Episodes	Theories
Alex	Alexandra Rousseau		52
Ben	Benjamin Linus	3.20, 4.9, & 3” href=”/episodes/theres-no-place-home-parts-2-3/”>4.13	1714
Dr.Mittelwerk	Dr. Thomas Werner Mittelwerk		111
Mikhail (“Patchy”)	Mikhail Bakunin		28

Key episodes

#	Title	Aired	Central character	Theories
2.15	Maternity Leave	3-1-2006	Claire	118
2.14	One of Them	2-15-2006	Sayid	88
1.23	Exodus: Part 1	5-18-2005	Jin	101
1.18	Numbers	3-2-2005	Hurley	113
1.9	Solitary	11-17-2004	Sayid	87

Key events

Theme	Relevant Episodes	Theories
French woman radio trasmission discovered	1.2	99

Key locations

Theme	Relevant Episodes	Theories
Radio Tower	4.1, 1.9, 3.22	30
The Tempest Station	4.6	35

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