Minority Opinion
After some of the weaker episodes of the series, LOST once again pulled off an awesome season finale last night, though it hasn't sunk in that there are only 17 episodes left (probably because last night continued the time-honored tradition of few answers, and a shit-ton of new questions).
I've been going through some discussion forums and Lostpedia today, trying to get a handle on what everyone else is guesstimating about what happened in the shadow of the statue, and as far as I can tell, I'm part of a small minority, meaning my take on things isn't getting a whole hell of a lot of attention. So here I go with the dissenting opinion:
All right, since you clicked on the cut, you've either seen the finale or don't give a fuck. Welcome aboard.
After meeting finally meeting him and learning he's not Jack or anybody else we've met over the past five seasons, I'm not really convinced that Jacob is the "good guy" that most people seem to be viewing him as. I just didn't get good vibes from him during his conversation with Nameless Bearded Guy before the credits, and I hold him responsible for Nadia getting plugged by that Mountaineer in L.A. Nothing has pegged him for a benevolent being yet, aside from his white island clothes at the beginning. Until the writers reveal that Jacob really is the series' equivalent of Jesus, I won't buy it.
Which brings me to Nameless Bearded Guy and Locke, and I'll admit that it may be my five-season-long attachment to Locke's character that is coloring my point-of-view here. Locke's body was undisputedly in Ilana's box, and the dialogue between Jacob and Locke certainly seemed to convey that Nameless Bearded Guy has taken Locke's form, but this is LOST. There always seems to be more than what we're told at first. Take the purpose of the people on the freighter in Season Three, or Locke showing up stone-dead at the end of Season Four. In both instances, the truth was a bit more complicated than "Hey, we've made contact with a boat," or "WTFBBQ, Locke's dead."
So, Locke's body lying on the beach aside, I don't think it's as simple as Nameless Bearded Guy shapeshifting into Locke. While that body is probably the biggest threat to my interpretation, I'm suspecting reincarnation might be at work here. In short, Nameless Bearded Guy was reborn as John Locke in 1956, and grew up with no concept of who or what he was, only that he was somehow special. This would mean that Locke's soul-searching journey on the Island throughout the series was in essence a path to Enlightenment, which he has achieved with his death.
It plays in well to the Buddhist concept of reincarnation, as I understand it from religion courses. Supposedly, when a person reaches Enlightenment, he or she is supposed to be able to recall their past lives, as Buddha was said to have done. Knowing who he once was would have been enough to have given Locke the sense of purpose he seemed to suddenly have after his resurrection on the Island.
I've had the feeling for a few years now that Locke has been on a path mirroring the Hero's Journey archetype outlined by Joseph Campbell, and I think Locke could still be on track for that. Part of the later stage of the Hero's Journey involves the hero venturing into an otherworld of some sort and receiving some knowledge or object that he or she can use to fulfill their destiny when they return to the physical world. Locke death seems to have taken him to a place where he attained his Enlightenment, his knowledge of himself and his purpose, part of that purpose being to kill Jacob.
It's been reiterated throughout the series that Locke is special, has a destiny, and possesses some sort of connection to the Island. If Locke is truly dead and Nameless Bearded Guy is just playing him on TV, that would mean Locke's journey of self-discovery didn't mean a thing. He was a compelling character, sure, but ultimately not that significant. If Locke is Nameless Bearded Guy reborn, then it makes things interesting.
It also explains quite a few things about Locke; for starters, why he was drawing a picture of the Smoke Monster when Richard visited him in the 1960s. Or how about his being spared by the Smoke Monster shortly after arriving on the Island, and his subsequent talk about having seen into the Heart of the Island? Or his cryptic explanation of Backgammon to Walt, pointing out the game's dualistic undertones as its most important characteristic? Nameless Bearded Guy would almost certainly have a deep connection to the Island and an understanding of the conflict between he and Jacob (whatever that entails), and both could have been subconsciously reflected by Locke at varying points in his life.
Still, Locke's body just fell out of a fucking box. That seems to point at the shapeshifting explanation, but it would also mean that Nameless Bearded Guy has been on the Island with Jacob all along. He knew where to find Jacob in the beginning of the finale, and yet Locke has to have Richard guide him to the statue in 2007. Why wouldn't he know where to go, unless a few details are still being kept from Locke after his Enlightenment?
As for the motives of Locke/Nameless Bearded Guy, I still don't get a very sinister feeling about them, but that could again be my attachment to Locke coming through. We'll find out in January, I guess.
Please, if you have any thoughts, let me know. I'd love to discuss them!
I've been going through some discussion forums and Lostpedia today, trying to get a handle on what everyone else is guesstimating about what happened in the shadow of the statue, and as far as I can tell, I'm part of a small minority, meaning my take on things isn't getting a whole hell of a lot of attention. So here I go with the dissenting opinion:
All right, since you clicked on the cut, you've either seen the finale or don't give a fuck. Welcome aboard.
After meeting finally meeting him and learning he's not Jack or anybody else we've met over the past five seasons, I'm not really convinced that Jacob is the "good guy" that most people seem to be viewing him as. I just didn't get good vibes from him during his conversation with Nameless Bearded Guy before the credits, and I hold him responsible for Nadia getting plugged by that Mountaineer in L.A. Nothing has pegged him for a benevolent being yet, aside from his white island clothes at the beginning. Until the writers reveal that Jacob really is the series' equivalent of Jesus, I won't buy it.
Which brings me to Nameless Bearded Guy and Locke, and I'll admit that it may be my five-season-long attachment to Locke's character that is coloring my point-of-view here. Locke's body was undisputedly in Ilana's box, and the dialogue between Jacob and Locke certainly seemed to convey that Nameless Bearded Guy has taken Locke's form, but this is LOST. There always seems to be more than what we're told at first. Take the purpose of the people on the freighter in Season Three, or Locke showing up stone-dead at the end of Season Four. In both instances, the truth was a bit more complicated than "Hey, we've made contact with a boat," or "WTFBBQ, Locke's dead."
So, Locke's body lying on the beach aside, I don't think it's as simple as Nameless Bearded Guy shapeshifting into Locke. While that body is probably the biggest threat to my interpretation, I'm suspecting reincarnation might be at work here. In short, Nameless Bearded Guy was reborn as John Locke in 1956, and grew up with no concept of who or what he was, only that he was somehow special. This would mean that Locke's soul-searching journey on the Island throughout the series was in essence a path to Enlightenment, which he has achieved with his death.
It plays in well to the Buddhist concept of reincarnation, as I understand it from religion courses. Supposedly, when a person reaches Enlightenment, he or she is supposed to be able to recall their past lives, as Buddha was said to have done. Knowing who he once was would have been enough to have given Locke the sense of purpose he seemed to suddenly have after his resurrection on the Island.
I've had the feeling for a few years now that Locke has been on a path mirroring the Hero's Journey archetype outlined by Joseph Campbell, and I think Locke could still be on track for that. Part of the later stage of the Hero's Journey involves the hero venturing into an otherworld of some sort and receiving some knowledge or object that he or she can use to fulfill their destiny when they return to the physical world. Locke death seems to have taken him to a place where he attained his Enlightenment, his knowledge of himself and his purpose, part of that purpose being to kill Jacob.
It's been reiterated throughout the series that Locke is special, has a destiny, and possesses some sort of connection to the Island. If Locke is truly dead and Nameless Bearded Guy is just playing him on TV, that would mean Locke's journey of self-discovery didn't mean a thing. He was a compelling character, sure, but ultimately not that significant. If Locke is Nameless Bearded Guy reborn, then it makes things interesting.
It also explains quite a few things about Locke; for starters, why he was drawing a picture of the Smoke Monster when Richard visited him in the 1960s. Or how about his being spared by the Smoke Monster shortly after arriving on the Island, and his subsequent talk about having seen into the Heart of the Island? Or his cryptic explanation of Backgammon to Walt, pointing out the game's dualistic undertones as its most important characteristic? Nameless Bearded Guy would almost certainly have a deep connection to the Island and an understanding of the conflict between he and Jacob (whatever that entails), and both could have been subconsciously reflected by Locke at varying points in his life.
Still, Locke's body just fell out of a fucking box. That seems to point at the shapeshifting explanation, but it would also mean that Nameless Bearded Guy has been on the Island with Jacob all along. He knew where to find Jacob in the beginning of the finale, and yet Locke has to have Richard guide him to the statue in 2007. Why wouldn't he know where to go, unless a few details are still being kept from Locke after his Enlightenment?
As for the motives of Locke/Nameless Bearded Guy, I still don't get a very sinister feeling about them, but that could again be my attachment to Locke coming through. We'll find out in January, I guess.
Please, if you have any thoughts, let me know. I'd love to discuss them!