Amelia Earhart

Reaching deep into my treasure trove of hair-brained LOST theories, I have decided to tackle a question that occasionally nags at me: is Amelia Earhart on the Island?

I know, I know. Hear me out. It's not actually theory, perhaps, as much as it is a "did you notice...?"

Remember the first scene of Season 2, where Juliet is listening to "Downtown" while burning her muffins (not a metaphor) in preparation for a book club meeting (also not a metaphor)? In this series, one character shows up a little early. And she is credited as "Amelia."

You may also remember her from the scene where Juliet is debating the merits of Stephen King's "Carrie," which was the selection of the week (chosen by Juliet) for the Others Book Club. Amelia flashes a coy smile in Juliet's direction, as if silently supporting her defiance of Adam. That argument's relative calm is shattered by what they think is an earthquake, in what later turns out to be the early stages of the discombobulation of Flight 815.

Okay Charlie, what's this old bag have to do with LOST and Amelia Earhart? Hey, jerk. That "old bag" is my grandma! Not really. But here's what it has to do with Earhart.


Herarat Aviation
Herarat Aviation is the name of the "airline" that takes Juliet from Mittleos Bioscience (where she was recruited by Richard) to The Island (where she was recruited by fate).

My entire life, I've had a weird little ability where I take the letters in phrases and rearrange them into new phrases. When I do this, my sister calls me "A Beautiful Mind." She's cruel. While I can't take credit for the following anagrams, I do respect the nerd that did solve them:

• Mittleos = Lost Time
  
• Herarat = Earhart! (exclamation point added by author for emphasis)
  

What in the name of disappearing female aviation pioneers is going on here? Well, Amelia Earhart disappeared when her plane went down over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. In 2004, an elderly woman is living on an Island of mystery, which just happens to have the propensity to act as a landing pad for doomed airplanes.

Still not convinced? If this theory is accurate, LOST's casting director deserves an award. Here are closeups of Amelia the Earhart and Amelia the Other.
Now the aging is an interesting question. These photos are 67 years apart (roughly), and Amelia obviously hasn't aged that much. But remember, this is the Island where Richard Alpert never ages, only shaves his beard.

Alright, You've Convinced Me. Also, You Need a Life.
Point taken.

But Why is Amelia Earhart on the Island?
That's an outstanding question. Perhaps it's just a little plot point, neatly tucked away among much bigger issues (Others, Dharma Initiative, Deadbeat Daddy Dearests, Kate's general hotness, etc.). Amelia's name wasn't used in the episode, that's just how she's credited in the official ABC release. Also, in one of the Missing Pieces (if you haven't seen this, click the link there, it's some good stuff), Amelia and Juliet have an ominous discussion, leading nerds like me to believe that Amelia's placement on the show is more important than her brief Season 2 cameo would have the casual viewer believe.

But maybe there's a bigger story here. And that's where I'll let you chime in. Your homework (and by "homework," I mean "Way to kill a few hours while waiting for Thursday night at 9/8 CST") is to look up Amelia Earhart and see if there's a possible connection to what we know about the Island and LOST. Then, post your ideas in the comments section below. Come on, it'll kill some time before Thursday. So go, talk amongst yourselves. I've given you a topic. And to help out, here's the Wikipedia article on Earhart. You're welcome.

Go forth, nerds! Just 3 days until the return.

Wishing I had paid better attention in junior high social studies classes,
.charlie