Others off the Island

If you’re reading this, you’ve survived last week’s crackpot theory about a global corporate conglomerate bent on Island exploitation and manipulation. I’ve had many discussions with Dharma Blog readers about that theory, most of them concluding with, “I don’t see how that would be possible, but that’s sweet if it its.” Apparently 8 months away from LOST has allowed my insanity to fester.

But that’s neither here nor there.

In my day, I’ve converted many a non-believer into a LOST fanatic and, eventually, a reader of this blog. I’m like a Jehova’s Witness and John Locke is my own personal Jesus. All of these converts have commented on the possibility of there being people off the Island who are plopped into the lives of our main characters in order to guide them to their destiny. Today, we’ll discuss who these "plants" might be, who they’re working for and what their purpose is.

There are a few possibilities here. Some obvious, some not. So I’ll include a “probability of deviousness” rating next to each of their names.


Richard Malkin (80%)
Also known as “Claire’s wigged-out psychic friend.” Like an older, whiter, fatter, male Miss Cleo, Malkin tugged on the heartstrings of a newly pregnant and very vulnerable Claire. Claire reluctantly visited Malkin at the behest of her friend Rachel, who reassured her that the psychic would give her answers and comfort.

Well remind me not to take advice from Rachel. Turns out Malkin had a screw loose. He read her palm, freaked out and kicked her out of her house. He condemned her to indentured motherhood by threatening that the child, raised in anyone else’s care, would be in great danger. Then he changed course, pleading with her to let a couple in L.A. raise the child, assuring Claire that the child would be safe there. Crippled by sheer exhaustion, utter confusion and intense fear, Claire acquiesced and accepted a ticket on Oceanic 815 from Malkin. Thus raising the question: Did Richard Malkin purposely put Claire onto the Island?

It certainly seems so, doesn’t it? He preyed on her naïveté and vulnerability by insisting she get on that flight, to that city. But here’s the thing. Unlike Others on the Island – who operate very meticulously, with an unwavering dedication to both their purpose and their methodology – Malkin was confused and flustered, repeatedly questioning what Claire should do.

So maybe, if Malkin is working with someone from the Island, he is doing so reluctantly. He did seem to struggle internally with balancing Claire’s best interest with some sort of otherworldly purpose (getting her on Oceanic 815).

It seems like Malkin owes something to somebody, hence his struggle of conscience and his always hurried, terrified demeanor. Here's one idea: perhaps that somebody is a Ben Linus, or a Richard Alpert. Maybe, as a young boy, someone like Richard Alpert noticed that Malkin had a powerful mind, so he recruited him and brought him to the Island to experiment with his abilities (like Walt). But after a few years of futility or some sort of "incident," Malkin may have cut a deal with Ben to recruit/direct people that Ben needed to the Island. In exchange, perhaps Malkin was promised he’d never have to go back to the Island. Or, he could've been promised a chance to return.

And what did Ben need on the Island? Try a pregnant woman who conceived off the Island, who they could use to test the extent of the fertility crisis. Obviously, that gives us Claire. And if Malkin was trying to balance the child’s best interest (being raised by Claire) with his own (keeping Ben happy, for whatever reason), that would explain his struggle of conscience.

Also, remember this: in true LOST tradition, Malkin popped up in the flashback of a different character. While researching a possible miracle, Mr. Eko visited the home of a girl who reportedly came back to life on an autopsy table after having drowned. Malkin, the father of the girl, stormed out of the house, hell-bent on convincing Eko that no miracle had taken place. Most interestingly, he explains that the resurrection of his daughter was a farce perpetrated by his wife to spite him and expose him as the “fraud” that he admittedly was. But if Malkin is admittedly a fraud, why did he place such importance on his visions and order Claire to fly to L.A.? Kind of makes you think he had an ulterior motive.

It's just an idea. The point is that Richard Malkin’s story doesn’t add up. A psychic with powerful visions is haphazardly ordering people around with a sense of urgency and purpose, but he never seems to know what that purpose is. It’s as if he’s being controlled by, say, a power-that-be on the Island (or off of it) who has some leverage with which to force Malkin to do their bidding.


Christian Shepherd (40%)
Obviously, the story of LOST is heavily impacted by Jack’s father. He formed Jack into the reluctant leader he is today, he traveled with Ana Lucia, he fathered Claire, he had a heart-to-heart with Sawyer one fateful night , etc. One would argue that someone who had impacted the lives of so many LOSTies might’ve had a hand in getting them to the Island. He also seems to know more than he lets on.

The problem here: his influence on most characters (other than Jack) was fleeting at best. He is contained to mere cameos in most of the characters’ histories.

That said, you could argue that Christian has some Locke-like communion with the Island. He appeared to Jack early in the series, and when his coffin was found, he wasn’t in it. He also operates with that same internal sense of greater purpose, kind of like Ben.

My guess? He’s not involved directly with the Island. Rather, he serves as an emotional catalyst, exposing in people the qualities that will eventually challenge them on the Island. I think the writers use Jack’s dad to shows us how one common element can affect different people in different ways. People like Jack and Sawyer gained a sense of purpose from him. People like Ana Lucia and Claire, on the other hand, were rendered only more confused by his presence.

Charles Widmore (20%)
I know, I know. And I’ll save you the regurgitation of last week’s theory, suffice to say that this would play a part in it. But think about this: it was ole Chuck Widmore (Penny’s dad) who sponsored the sailing race that eventually marooned Desmond on the Island. I’ve always struggled with how it might be possible that Desmond could get so far off course, how he could “accidentally” enter the Island’s “snow globe” atmosphere. And I’ve said it before: what better possible place to get rid of a potential black sheep than the Island?

We’ve talked about someone like Richard Malkin owing someone like Ben Linus. But to whom does someone like Ben Linus answer? Well, if you buy into the corporate conglomerate theory, he’d owe someone like Charles Widmore. Did Ben Linus open up a secret portal to the “snow globe” to allow Desmond in as a favor to Widmore? He certainly didn’t bother Desmond during his three years in the Swan Station, even though he knew he was down there. Why was Ben was shocked by Oceanic 815’s arrival on the Island, but seemingly not by Desmond’s?

But what interest would somebody like Charles Widmore have in the Island? Again, last week’s theory would have you believe that Widmore could be looking to capitalize on the Island’s mystical abilities. And maybe that’s it. Maybe he used his influence on the Island to get Desmond there and away from his daughter, after his failed attempts to bribe the Scot away from his family.

Really, I put Widmore’s probability at a low 20% because his status as an “off-island plant” is contingent on what we learn about the freighter crew, in my opinion. But if there is a tie between the two entities, I’d boost that 20% to an 80%. Widmore’s daughter might have said it best: “With enough money and enough determination, you can find anybody.” Perhaps, with enough of those things, you can lose them just as effectively.

Other possibilities (10% each)
Isaac of Uluru. Rose’s faith healer. Remember this conversation with him and Rose?
ISAAC: There are certain places with great energy -- spots on the Earth like the one we're above now. Perhaps this energy is geological -- magnetic. Or perhaps it's something else. And when possible I harness this energy and give it to others… It's not that you can't be healed. Like I said, there's different energies. This is not the right place for you.

ROSE: Where is the right place?

ISAAC: I wish I knew.

Maybe he did know. After all, “psychic abilities” do seem to be something of a prerequisite for Island inner-connectivity.

Leonard. The tortured loony whose incessant rote recital of the numbers subconsciously caused Hurley to win the lottery. That windfall, of course, eventually led Hurley to the Island. Leonard is another long shot. But let’s not forget, his old partner Sam lived in the Australian outback and the numbers were relayed to them when they were confined to a listening station in the South Pacific. That’s quite a bit of coincidence to completely ignore.



Libby. Again, a possible influencer of Hurley. The problem here is, Libby died before we could learn if and how she influenced Hurley off the Island. It’s a safe guess that she at least knew who she was, and when he told her she looked familiar, she was a little too quick to brush it off. But until we know more about her, we can’t peg her as a “plant.” Oh, and who did Desmond get his little boat from? That’s right, Libby. Maybe she was just delivering it to him from her boss, Charles Widmore. Muah ha ha ha.


What do you think? Is it possible that these plants exist? Who do you think they might be? Feel free to discuss in the comments section.

9 days until the return. Tune in Thursday as Maggie recaps and predicts the fate of our most important Island-dwellers: the folks at the radio tower. And next week, the Dharma Blog returns in full force with a Thursday morning preview and a Friday morning review of Season 4, Episode 1: The Beginning of the End. Something about that title makes me think this rescue isn’t gonna be easy. But then again, I’m the crazy one.

See ya in another life, brutha.
.charlie