My Lost Theory

SPOILER ALERT:

So, I've been rolling around my Lost theory, and I thought I'd see what you think:

What if Lost is one giant videogame?

It makes sense, if you think about it. There are impossible coincidences and connections amongst all the characters --their pasts, presents, and futures are all intertwined in mind-blowing ways that have spiritual, political, and psychological connotations. Also, the creators of Lost love to play with our expectations, time-wise....I often find myself thinking: "Am I in the past now? The future? Is this an alternate reality?" It seems that the show is possibly hinting -- if I'm reading this right -- that different parts of the Island lead to different parts of one's history, almost as if this Bermuda Triangle-inspired hot spot has some form of magnetic energy that makes you leap between various parts of your consciousness (and the key here is "consciousness": characters don't seem to actually physically leave their bodies when they "time jump").

I have a few tidbits about my videogame theory:
*The videogame these "players" exist in is so real, so advanced, that Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Sayid, and the rest don't even realize they're playing a game. Think The Matrix meets David Cronenberg's eXistenZ.
*Each season seems to be one "level" that the characters "beat" or advance out of. The Tailies in season 2 -- those who were in the back end of the plane that went down -- are like new players that have decided to "plug in" to the game and "fight" the characters from Level One. Interesting, as well, how each season is constructed around one group of major players -- the mainstays from season 1/Level One, the Tailies, the Others, and now the Rescuers in season 4. Who's next?
*My videogame theory helps explain all the "icons/symbols" that show up as guides and "stopping points" along the way, to let the characters/players know they're on the right track or wrong track. Remember the Gold Coins and Mushrooms, for instance, in Super Mario Brothers? Lost's cases in point: Walt's Polar Bear; Kate's White Horse; Sayid's Cat; the Smoke Monster; the Dharma Initiative's Branded Shark....How else to explain these cameo appearances at key moments?
*It goes without saying that the videogame world incorporates many, many elements from the characters' lives outside the game -- thus, Jack's troubled marriage, Juliette's bond with her sick sister, Sun's haunting relationship with her father, all are brought into the game. Thus, the Island is the game and people's pasts & histories are the fodder to keep the game running 'til the end....All the cures for people's illnesses fit in with this, too. Rose is no longer sick; Locke can walk; the list goes on.
*That all being said, it wouldn't surprise me in the least to have the creators flip everything on its head -- maybe the Island's reality and all the OTHER stuff is "game plot"!
*Finally, while getting off the Island is (was, I should say) the main goal of the game, videogames often have one tangible figure that you must rescue and bring to safety. In Super Mario Brothers, it was the Princess (you just have to get past that dragon). In Lost, of course, this figure is Aaron, Claire's son that was born on the Island. It's been hinted time and again little Aaron has a huge, almost messiah-like purpose in the mysterious web of the Lost universe.

I may be totally off with all this....I think about Walt, his psychic intuitions, and game or no game -- the bad guys (whoever those ultimately turn out to be!) sure are looking to exploit people, use their gifts for their own benefit. Ben is such a wicked, human villain -- and I fear that, no matter how much I love Juliette (she's one of my favorite characters), she's ultimately going to turn out evil, as she was first introduced, and she'll betray Jack right in the thick of things at the end. I also fear that Juliette won't live through Lost's final episode. What if the characters don't even know whether they're the villains or the good guys? You have to keep playing to find our your role....

In the end, just give my theory some consideration: Charlie comes back from the dead in season 4's opener, acting all casual. What if he got "killed" and was unplugged from the game? -- he LOST the game (get it?) -- but he was able to plug in (while clued in to the game's intentions) and give some advice and guidance like a cyber guardian angel.

I may just be right. Of course, I'm hoping that the creators of Lost read this, get a hold of me, ask me to immediately delete this blog post -- and then promptly hire me to write for the final two seasons of the show. My first mission? Beef up the gay characters! I have some cool ways to do this, guys....

If you'd like to share your thoughts, write me a comment or email me in my "Contact" section of my profile.

Best Wishes,
Nathan