LOST Profile: Mikhail Bakunin

Mikahil Bakunin

Age: Unknown

Home: claims to have been born in Kiev, USSR

Status: No idea. Mikhail has survived numerous near-death experiences so far. I think it is safe to assume Mikhail survived the underwater grenade explosion that killed Charlie.

Profession: claims he was a medic in the Soviet Army, and served in the Soviet war in Afghanistan

In Australia: N/A

On Oceanic 815: N/A

Maggie’s Favorite Moment: When we first saw Mikhail on one of the monitoring screens in the Pearl. Sayid had fixed the wires so that the video surveillance feed to the upper-right monitor worked. Mikhail appeared on one of the screens, however after a frightening glimpse of his pirate patch, Mikhail turned off the camera.

The man that won't die, or the man that can't die?

Wikipedia reminds us that, in Par Avion, Mikhail, Sayid, Locke, Kate, and Rousseau find the sonic defense system that protects the Barracks. In order to test its true purpose, Locke pushes Mikhail through the barrier, causing him to foam at the mouth and bleed from the ears, apparently dying from a brain hemorrhage. His last words are "Thank you."

However, Mikhail reappeared in the episode D.O.C., very much alive, at the landing site of the female parachutist. When Mikhail sees Hurley, Charlie, Desmond and Jin have already discovered Naomi, he immediately runs, but is chased and captured. He agrees to inspect and treat the woman's injuries, but only if he is then allowed to go free. They agree, and Mikhail, with Desmond's help, evacuates the woman's punctured lung, and tells them that she will be better in a day or so. When Charlie expresses skepticism at such an optimistic prognosis for such a serious injury, Mikhail cryptically points out that injuries are different on the island.

In The Man Behind the Curtain, Mikhail runs from the jungle, explaining his death by saying the sonic death fence was not set to a lethal level. He tells the rest of the Others of Naomi, and that the Losties probably took her back to their camp. Ben then says that they will deal with the survivors the night after tomorrow, and that in the meantime, at Locke's request, Ben will take Locke to see Jacob. Mikhail questions his orders and insists that they deal with the situation with the survivors immediately. In response, Locke beats Mikhail to the ground. Ben asks the Others to help Mikhail, but they refuse.

Mikhail is sent by Ben to reinforce Greta and Bonnie at the Looking Glass Station in the Season 3 finale, Through the Looking Glass. Ben had told Mikhail that the Looking Glass Station was flooded, and Mikhail was upset that Ben lied. At Ben's request, Mikhail attempts to kill Charlie, Greta and Bonnie, but Desmond surprises him and shoots him with a spear gun in the chest. While Desmond and Charlie focus on shutting off the jamming signal, Mikhail escapes down the moon pool, apparently having survived being shot with the spear gun. Mikhail appears outside the window of the communication room, which he destroys with a hand grenade that he is holding, causing the room to flood and Charlie to die.

So who is this guy?

The producers have told us the Mikhail's story of his life is true -- but just biased. So did he really just answer an ad in the paper? Will we ever see a Mikhail backstory from the glory days of the USSR? I am intrigued by this man, but also believe that he is creepy beyond reason. The "real" Mikahil Bakunin is known as the "father of modern anarchism." We know the Lost producers chose his name for a reason...so where are they going with this character? Your guess is as good as mine.

Remaining Questions about Mikhail:

1. How long has Mikhail been on the island? He told Kate and Sayid he had been there for 11 years...but do we believe him? And how did he arrive?

2. If it came down to loyalty towards Richard or Ben, who would Mikhail pick?

3. What the heck happened to his eye? Does it matter?

4. Does Mikhail have this inability to die because he is on the island? Or is he special for other reasons?

5. With the explosion of the Flame (Mikhail's computer station), what is his role? It appeared that his job before was to monitor all the world's television programs and gather information for Ben...can he still do that?

Richard Alpert: Friend or Foe?

Richard Alpert
Age: You wish you knew! More on that later in this post.
Home: The Island/Somewhere “Not in Portland”
Status: Alive
Profession: Recruiter for Mittleos Bioscience/Island Inhabitant
In Australia: (never)
On Oceanic 815: (never)
Charlie's Favorite Moment: When he informed John Locke about the Sawyer-Anthony Cooper connection. You sneaky bastard!
Friends: Ethan (sorry, bud) and Ben (or so Ben thinks)
Enemies: Ben (Ben just doesn’t know it yet) and anyone who messes with his business.

Wait a Minute. When you rearrange the letters in Mittleos (as in Mittleos Bioscience, Richard's faux employer off the Island) it spells "Lost time"! What else are you not telling me, Richard Alpert?
As the debate rages on over whether The Others are friends or foe, good or evil, it is interesting to look at individual Others and wonder what side they’re on. Minions like Ryan (the leader of the charge on the beach in the season finale who was run over by Hurley’s Magic School Bus) and Tom (the once-bearded Mr. Friendly who happened to get in the way of Sawyer’s bullet of distrust) have (or “had,” as it were) unquestioned loyalty. Tom adhered to Ben’s every word, never questioning the mysterious Jacob and believing in whatever his mission was. Ryan was, seemingly, a soldier following orders. But let’s look at the man who, more than anyone else, seemed pinned to Ben’s side at crucial times: Richard Alpert.

When we were first introduced to Richard, he was a mild-mannered but aggressive recruiter for Mittleos Bioscience, hell-bent on bringing Juliet on board for some wacky head games. Soon, we learned he was something of a mole. He was a member of the Island community, but was dispatched back into “The Real World,” supposedly to bring essential people to the Island. Before he fortified his vitae with his recruiter role, Richard was as primitive as anyone. We learned this when Ben went over the river and through the woods to dead-mother’s house we go (sorry, that was off-color). Ben encountered Richard, a bearded, tattered, primitive, native man who urged Ben to turn around and return to the relative darkness that was his Dharma Initiative life. But Ben persisted, aligned himself with Richard’s people (whoever they were) and ultimately helped plan/carry out The Purge against his own people. Somewhere in that story, Ben’s leadership abilities catapulted him past Richard (and those on his level) to an infallible God-like status. And when we met The Others, Ben was calling the shots and Richard was carrying out orders.

At that point, the character of Richard Alpert seemed calculable. He was a conduit to the outside world and a subordinate to Ben/Jacob. He recruited Juliet like Tom Osborne on a 5-star high school option quarterback. He managed (and very possibly coordinated) the capture and transportation of Anthony Cooper, the “Man From Tallahassee,” who Richard so obediently summoned for Ben in order to manipulate Locke. And all was according to plan.

But then, Locke didn’t kill Cooper when Ben told him to. And Locke went to sit on a hill. And Richard happened upon him with a very important file in his knapsack. He told Locke about the Cooper-Sawyer connection, manipulating Locke into using Sawyer to kill Cooper and slay both of their demons with one stone. Suddenly, Richard was as deviously manipulative as his commander-in-chief. And when he did this to John, he clearly alluded to the struggle for power between Ben and his subjects. After years (presumably) of The Reign of Linus, Richard seemed up to the task of initiating change, and he seemed to be speaking for several people when he did so.

So the question remains with Richard, as it does with all Others (and their tribe in general): which side is he on? He obeys Ben to his face, but why? To earn his trust in anticipation of a potential coup d’ etat? He uses Locke to try to usurp Ben’s power, but why? To supplant Ben with a more vulnerable leader (Locke) whose Island confusion leaves him ripe for the pickin’? Yes, Richard’s treachery blew open the doors of possibility for a character whom we once thought inconsequential.

Here’s what I like about Richard: he’s smart. Really smart. His manipulation of Locke and Ben, his relentless pursuit of Juliet off the island, his tricking her and her sister into believing that he was legit, all good. But his best move: recruiting Ben when Ben was a child. I know, they are going to be (if not already) at odds soon. But when he questioned Ben’s understanding of the term “hostile,” when he made Ben believe that there was a better alternative to his reality – that was ingenious. And you can only assume that he took young Ben Linus under his wing until Ben’s evil had fully blossomed. Despite the current power struggle, Ben served Richard (and Richard’s people’s) purpose: ridding The Island of The Dharma Initiative. Keep your eye on this cat if, for no other reason, his remarkable intelligence.

And finally… I don’t like to delve too far into “Island Phenomena/Theory,” but let’s talk about the aging issue. The only difference between the Richard that encountered Ben in the forest (some 25 years, give or take, before the crash of Oceanic 815) and the Richard that tied up The Man From Tallahassee was a beard. It didn’t seem to most that he had aged at all, and most of us would assume that it wasn’t just laziness on the part of the LOST makeup department. Is this part of the “secret” that The Island is protecting? Is there a fountain of youth? Or is Richard just the Island’s version of Dave Coulier (TV’s Uncle Joey on Full House, a mostly meaningless but endlessly entertaining supporting character)? Questions to ponder, and questions we may not be able to examine too closely until we know just what this Island is capable of. But if something about this place can cure cancer and shattered leg bones, is it too much to imagine that it can’t act as a spiritual Botox for its inhabitants?

Remaining Questions about Richard Alpert:
1. What (or more importantly, who) is in his best interest? What master does he serve, if any?
2. What does he see in John Locke that is so superior to Ben Linus? Both men are blinded by their mystical connection to The Island, so why is Richard so eager for change?
3. Why can’t Richard age? Or was it just a mistake in costuming? Again, my theory leans toward the spiritual Botox side.
4. What does Richard know that Ben doesn’t? In the same way that Ben relied on Mikhail for outside information, he must’ve relied on Richard for some outside connections. Were those connections with anyone we knew (i.e. The Widmore Coporation, Paik Industries, whoever staged the plane crash)? I await your theories on that loaded question.


To end, the quote that first raised eyebrows on today's character-in-question:
“Well actually, we’re not quite in Portland.”
-Richard Alpert


.charlie.

LOST Profile: Bernard and Rose Nadler

Rose (Henderson) Nadler
Age: 50s
Home: Bronx, NY, USA
Status: Alive
Profession: Unknown
In Australia: on honeymoon with Bernard
On Oceanic 815: to return home
Maggie’s Favorite Moment: Season 3 finale when Rose said to Jack "If you say Live together, die alone, I'll punch you." Hahaha
Friends: Everyone
Enemies: No one

Bernard Nadler
Age: 56-57 (He told Jack "I was a bachelor for 56 years before I met Rose.")
Home: Buffalo, NY, USA
Status: Alive
Profession: Dentist
In Australia:on honeymoon with Rose
On Oceanic 815: to return home
Maggie’s Favorite Moment: The Rose/Bernard reunion in Season 2 was very moving!
Friends: Everyone
Enemies: No one

Rose and Bernard: Everyone’s Island Parents

From the beginning of Lost, Rose and Bernard Nadler has captured the attention of almost every Lost fan. The first shot we saw of Rose...calmly staring out into the ocean...was touching, but also very intriguing. Who was this woman, and why did she not seem to be completely freaked out by that plane crash she was just in? As Season 1 progressed and she shared her faith and hope with Jack, the picture of a possibly senile woman began to emerge – did she really think her husband was still alive?

Of course, we all came to love Rose and the maternal role she played for our survivors who were slowly slipping into Lord of the Flies mode. When Rose and Bernard were reunited, well...let’s just say there was probably not a dry eye in the house. Bernard had his fair share of drama following the tail crash – like when the children were kidnapped and many of the survivors were killed. It is very important to point out, however, that Bernard is the only surviving member of the tail section who has not been kidnapped or killed.

Here we stand, on the brink of Season 4. Bernard and Rose are still pillars of strength for our survivors, bringing them back down to earth when things get tense. But there are still many questions about Rose and Bernard. I will outline a few, but there are many more.

Remaining Questions about the Nadlers:

1. Little is known about Rose's early life before the crash. However, a deleted Season 2 scene indicated that she had a daughter who passed away (read: Maggie is a nerd). If this is true (which is hard to say, since we can’t confirm the "truth" of a deleted scene), who is her daughter and how did she die?

2. Is Rose special – or as Ben puts it "important," like Locke – because she has apparently been healed by the island?

3. How did Rose "know" that the tail section people were alive?

4. When Rose leaves the island, will her cancer return?

5. Where and how did "Rambo Bernard" learn to shoot so well?

6. Is there a reason why Bernard is the only tail section survivor not captured or killed?

Waiting patiently for Season 4,

-Maggie