Who was the REAL Henry Gale? - LOST EXPLAINED FAQ

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

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[@travisc7722]

"For a long time he will lie" might be the biggest understatement in the show lmao. Also that montage of Ben's plans failing was hilarious. Another great video!

[@dutawe]

god benjamin linus was a beautifully written character. and portrayed incredibly by michael emerson

[@Lost.History-]

Micheal Emerson is so great

[@kasiopeusgordon-clane110]

One of the few actors on the show who can actually act. Now, don’t get me wrong, the show is quite well written, it’s certainly intriguing, but the actors suck big time. I know we are supposed to dislike Ben but I swear he doesn’t get on my nerves nearly as much as let’s say Kate, Jack, Locke, Charlie or Claire.

[@Aheadofthecurve1]

I always thought Ben got kidnapped on purpose but you're definitely right,

[@Musicandlyrics2400]

The attention to detail they had is INSANE. They used a dollar bill that was issued at a timeframe that lines up with when Henry would have received it, that’s CRAZY!!!

[@chin5983]

The show was made during that time…

[@ePICS8]

@@chin5983agreed, is not really attention to details but the way it was supposed to be

[@ClarkBK67]

@@chin5983still there are millions of bills in circulation produced before and after.

[@melrupinski88]

Having just recently discovered this wonderful channel, I know this comment is late, but an interesting interview just popped up in my timeline. It is an interview with Michael Emerson from about 4 years ago. In it he states that when he was cast for Lost, he was cast as a character named Henry Gale…so at that time, he had no idea that his actual character was Ben Linus. In fact, he said at one point he was talking with the director and said something like “wouldn’t it be fun if this guy turns out to be the leader of the opposition?” To which the director blinked at him several times and replied “I’m not able to talk about that” 🤔 Just one of the reasons the Henry Gale story was so convincing in the beginning (not to mention Emerson being an exceptional actor).

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Yes, that is a wonderful bit of trivia!

[@dolucasduarte]

i need a new Lost spin-off show and I need the owner of this channel to be in the writer's room

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

That's a very kind endorsement! Thank you, sir! In an ideal fantasy world, I'd gladly participate in developing such a spin-off. Dream job.

[@cakemckelvie1739]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 I think the writing room would definitely need someone with your knowledge and understanding of the show for it to truly be a success and loyal to the original

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

That is the highest possible compliment I could imagine. Thank you :-)

[@yamnayaseed356]

What makes you think he wasn’t?

[@ocara50000]

Hey I commented about the auto generated voice months ago and just passing by to say this narration is great! Thanks for the work

[@Erikthedood]

Loving these new FAQ videos you’ve been putting out; man. So happy that you keep us hardcore Lost fans fed with this amazing content!

[@kjjh4449]

I've watched lost 4 or 5 times I think and I've never laughed at Alex's death scene before. Bravo.

[@troubleondemand7703]

If there is one character who gives John Locke a run for the most tragic character award, it's Benjamin Linus.

[@drakenfist]

Agreed. I often view them both in a similar light as they both have similar histories to a point: both were born premature, both have a mother named "Emily". Both had a tragic life that arguably came about because of time travel/Island Hijinks, both were thought to be "Special" but at different points. I cannot hate Ben and feel genuine empathy for him cause most of what he went through and ended up doing was because of Sayid judging him as a kid, based on his actions as a adult and shooting him.

[@jamesglandon3737]

Wow! 1st comment!! I randomly woke up for a reason lol thank you for the early morning surprise! And thank you for taking the time to make these wonderful videos, truly a wonderful sight to behold. Cheers from Canada!

[@JHallenbeck]

Another absolute banger of a video! I particularly loved your montage of Ben's failed plans at 10:05 lol.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

That was a really fun bit to edit lol.

[@water8970]

I've learned so much more abt my fav show from this channel, thanks

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

It's an absolute pleasure to share these videos with fellow LOST fans. Very pleased to read that you're finding them illuminating!

[@sunset-luver]

Long time lurker!!! I’m currently on my second series rewatch of the year & would love to know more about the bad luck Hurley faced after winning the lottery. Love your channel and immediately click on every new vid I see. You have helped me see the show in such different ways that just keeps my mind wandering!!!

[@Silas-lc9op]

My new favorite channel... for my favorite show. Great job!!

[@coffeeandpies]

This channel is amazing. Thanks for putting so much effort into these videos.

[@EvilVacuum]

Another well-researched video with interesting theories & good clips. Keep up the good work!

[@waynetaylor1025]

Great insight and analysis as usual 👏👌 I do remember lindelof stating that Ben and Henry Gale 'had words' suggesting a direct scuffle between two but that's no confirmed in Canon Adding Ben's theme when you starting unravelling your main theory around 11mins, was perfect editing lol

[@asmrtpop2676]

I tend to forget I’m subscribed to this channel, then you upload, and it’s like Christmas morning. ☺️☺️

[@ffallenaangel]

MY NAME IS HENRY GALE i can hear it in my head

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

No one delivers lines quite like Emerson!

[@cipher7744]

I love your videos, as always. Maybe im the only one, but your channel and the electronic voice you used before are like two sides of a coin to me that gave this channel the mystical. Still love your videos and I'm a big fan. Please keep up the great work ❤

[@marinabassi3767]

Another brilliant analysis... What more can I say ? i learn so many things with each new video, and not only about Lost in this case. As I was born and raised in a French speaking part of the world, "the wizard of Oz" was not really a "cultural reference" there. So thanks very much for pointing these links to it, I had never made the connection before.

[@jamesglandon3737]

Would you possibly be able to cover the last episode " The new man in charge " from 2010? It would be much appreciated and something lovely to look forward to. They actually used drones to deliver the pallets on the island. Cheers!

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I actually will be addressing the pallet drops in my next video, so you'll be seeing Epilogue-related discussions very soon.

[@ATMyles]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 I’m looking forward to this. The pallet drops were the one remaining mystery about the show that nagged me, until TNMIC, which was satisfying. Still, if the instructions came from the Lamp Post, why hadn’t Eloise Hawking, who’d been using the LP, turned them off? And what happened to the LP staff and other mainland DHARMA Initiative people? And how did Ben establish all of his off-Island contacts, and make all of his money? … Ok, maybe a few mysteries still nagging me. 😉

[@DaisyChaine]

i can’t wait for more content but we need robot voice…..

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

@@DaisyChaine I'm afraid the robot voice is resting in peace. I won't be returning to the old format. It's my real voice all the way going forward. I have to make the channel accessible to everyone, and too many people were complaining about the robot voice and not watching the videos as a result.

[@Dody-dp7rk]

Is this video a robot voice or yours??? I love the voice in this video (British accent?)...I would be surprised to hear it's a robot!

[@Vobbybalentine]

Great video, as always! I've always thought it would have been extremely risky for Ben to have purposely been caught. The only thing I can't square in this explanation is the way he was dressed when he got captured. His clothes seem like he'd be trying to pass as "Henry Gale" or any other survivor. When he and Juliet go the the Pearl, and all the other Others leave the barracks they wear the raggedy costumes. I also do sort of buy Ben's story that he was coming for John, or at least some version of that. He didn't kill him when he had the chance during the lockdown, so maybe his intention was keeping his enemy close? He's afraid Locke will take his place as leader, but he's giving himself the opportunity to make first contact, before Richard can (Ethan spent time with John on hunts, and could have reported info back to Ben, before Ben began observing him via the Pearl). This makes sense if Ben wanted John to believe he was taking him under his wing while actually plotting to sabotage his candidacy for leadership. Love the point about Ben's plans not actually going to plan! On rewatches I keep in mind that although he seems three steps ahead, Ben is absolutely unravelling in 2004. Regardless of any holes, the Fenry arc will always be one of my absolute favorites!

[@standardgrapes]

Great video as always!

[@NBFL]

Yet another great, well thought out and informative video. Keep it up!!

[@JonnyPStone]

Just discovered your channel the same day I started re watching lost for like the 10th time, the Island was sending me a message. Consider me subscribed, I'm watching all your stuff tonight please keep uploading, LOST was epic and the amount of questions and theories still floating around deserve attention 💪

[@dinosauced2988]

Great video as usual 👍

[@ATMyles]

Yet another excellent video. Thank you.

[@levitucker507]

“One of Them” is episode 14 of season 2 ❤ Only caught this cause i’m rewatching after watching a lot of your videos! Made me wanna rewatch and super analyze lol Love the content cant wait for the episode guides :)

[@DragonUltraMaster]

Thanks for yet another wonderful episode!

[@Silas-lc9op]

I would love it if there was a book series of Lost. I know there were several book stories around the first season when it came out about stories of some other passengers on 815. Which I did read and enjoy. It would be cool if there were more

[@lanac2750]

Logical, well explained and so much fun to watch :)

[@Silas-lc9op]

I though of another possible topic, Rose and Bernard could be an interesting one as well. The two that made it all the way to the end, not being canadates and or just being good people. Once again, live your channel

[@KillerStar565]

wake up babe new LOST EXPLAINED

[@bionicallychallenged7290]

Well, this made logical sense. Thank you!

[@bebop0511]

I've been binge-watching your videos for days and I feel very happy to see that you still find interesting questions to address! I like how methodical you are, and I appreciate the efforts to extract "logical" conclusions based on what the show has presented. I would really like to know your opinion on some topics which I personally find difficult to respond in a logical way: 1) When Jacob explains Richard what the Island is, I believe your interpretation is that Jacob is trying to give an easy explanation that an 1800s super-religious Spanish farmer such as Richard could understand. However, I find that metaphor to be very misleading: his explanation is explicitly focused on the Man in Black (i.e., "containing malevolence/darkness in the Island, because if it left, it would spread")… but this is not the actual purpose of the Island at all, because we know that the MIB could not really escape from the Island, the problem would be the Island being destroyed while he tries to escape. That leads me to the question: does Jacob really understand what he is doing? Does he understand what the consequences of turning off the light would be? Why not telling Richard (which is the only chance the writers had to give us an actual explanation of what the Island is) an explanation that fits better with what the show presents later: "the Island contains the light which makes live possible, and my job is to keep it safe; the man who sent you to kill me is trapped in this island and believes that turning that light off would set him free, but he is wrong: doing that would destroy the world"? 2) Is Jacob smart/wise? Or is he just a lonely, confused person who is trying his best to save the world and repair his own mistake (i.e., turning his brother into the smoke monster)? I find it hard to believe that he had not concluded that the MIB would try to convince people to kill him, and that Richard must tell him “If you don't step in, he will". Jacob knows that the MIB is desperately trying to leave the Island; he even speaks to him from time to time and MIB is honest about his plans ("do you know how badly I want to kill you?"). And then Jacob is surprised that a man tries to kill him? He even needs to ask Richard "have you met a man dressed in black in the jungle?" Of course, he has, dude! I honestly think Jacob was not very clever, nor wise; he became the guardian accidentally and he was not really prepared for a job that he didn't understand very well. What do you think? 3) Still Jacob-related (sorry, I know these questions are not related to this video): why wouldn't he tell Richard who the MIB was and his plans? "Look, the black smoke can replicate dead people's bodies and also appear as some of your memories: he will try to manipulate you into either killing yourself or killing me, but remember: he is doing that because he wants to destroy the Island, and as I have already told you, if he did that the world would disappear". But no, apparently Richard knew nothing about the MIB; didn't he even meet him again since that first encounter in 1867? Didn’t he ask Jacob about him? "Hey, now that I work for you, the guy in black told me that he is black smoke, and that you stole his humanity: what about it? who is he, should I be worried?". Why wouldn't Jacob just give them more information so they could be better prepared to deal with him? This does not make much sense, since the reason for Jacob to give Richard that job is “counterbalancing” the MIB’s influence on people in the island, right? 4) And subsequently, have the Others interacted with the black smoke? They don’t have a name for it, Widmore refers to it as “noises in the night and ghosts’ stories”. Ben only knows about it what he could translate from the hieroglyphics. Noone ever asked the question: “what the F is that” to Richard? And Richard never asked Jacob? Jacob never gave an answer, and everyone was fine with that? Why would the MIB don’t want to infiltrate the Others, who are the closest people to Jacob? On the other hand, he interacts a lot with Oceanic 815 survivors, who don’t even know that Jacob exists. Richard is very surprised to meet the MIB in the form of John Locke, which means that Richard was unaware of MIB's powers or that he thought that he was inoperant. Is it possible that they had not interacted since that first encounter, 140 before? I say this because of how surprised Richard is: didn't he remember that there is this guy in the island, who can turn into black smoke and kills people? The guy who was influencing people into behaving badly, and the reason why Jacob gave you your job? How could you possibly forget about that? 5) And what about Dharma's knowledge on the MIB? I have always believed that the sonar fences around Dharmaville were exclusively designed to keep the smoke monster away. If it was only thought to keep animals or humans (I mean, the Others) away, why not using some much cheaper and equally effective technology, such as electrified fences? If they used the sonar fences, I think, it is because they somehow got to learn about the smoke monster. Maybe they captured it at some point? 6) Maybe the Temple's others (Dogen or whoever was in charge of the temple before) got the black smoke caught in a circle of ashes? If the black smoke had been literally trapped for some time (years? decades?) that could explain why he interacted so little with the Others, and why Richard seemed to have forgotten about him. Could he had been trapped in the “dark territory”? Maybe there were ashes all around it and that is why the Others were “not so bothered” about the smoke monster, as long as they didn’t get into that region of the island… until someone or something broke the circle and it got free (by the time the Oceanic 815 crashes in the island, or maybe earlier). (Continues on another message)

[@bebop0511]

(continuation) 7) The MIB needed people on the Island so he could manipulate them into turning off the light (by killing Jacob first, and the candidates to replace him). Why not simply not bring anyone to the Island? Thus, the risk of turning off the light equals 0. I guess you could say that some people come the Island without Jacob's permission, so Jacob would just assume that there will be people around and preferred to have more pawns with which to play his particular "chess game" with the MIB: "you may manipulate someone into killing me, but there will always be at least one candidate in the Island so if you find a way of killing me, you still won't be able to turn off the light". Do you agree with this? Or could it be that Jacob wanted people to come to the Island for the benefit of humanity (e.g., "I will bring scientists and smart people so they can learn how to use the light to cure illnesses")? 8) What do you think is the process of creating a rule for the Island's guardian? Just curiosity, could it be some mystical ritual such as the "drink from this glass of water" thing? Can the rules be modified by the same guardian (“oops, this rule is tricky, let me change that”) or they are valid until they die and the next guardian applies their own rules? Are there some rules that are valid for every guardian (e.g., "the source of light can only be found by the guardian")? 9) Does the MIB "know" Jacob's rules? Does he merely sense them? Or does he learn them from experience? I think it could be this latter option, and that would explain why it took him so long to come to the conclusion that he had to kill Jacob (around 1800 years, since he became the smoke monster until the Black Rock arrived). Maybe the MIB tried different things before (we know that he made the Egyptians build the wheel, but that didn't work), and by failing he understood the rules. Then he was left with only one last possible way off the Island: killing Jacob and all his candidates. 10) The MIB is able to scan people's memories and learn about their personalities; why would he kill so many people before "reading" them and seeing if they were people who could kill Jacob? I mean, why killing all the members of the Black Rock crew? We know some of them were not precisely "kind people"; the captain killed all the slaves and was about to kill Richard, so why not trying to convince him to kill Jacob? It was so easy for the MIB to tell Richard "hey, just go there and kill him with this knife"; Richard was vulnerable because of his religious beliefs and the death of his wife, but probably others were also good "candidates" to kill Jacob. Even more, why not asking more than just one person to do it? "Hey, you guys, if the three of you go there and kill Jacob I will... [get you out of here, give you back someone who died, or whatever lie he could tell]". Why not doing that? 11) Why would not Jacob tell Richard to recruit his candidates as members of the Others? Or maybe some previous candidates were actual members of the Others? Then why is it only some of them and not all? Jacob seems to trust Richard, they have a "safe" Temple, they lived in Dharmaville protected by the sonar fences... wouldn't it be easier for him to tell Richard: "hey, these guys are good fellas, get them into your group and keep them safe"? 12) I don't really understand the whole "Jacob's cabin" thing. Illana and his team go there, I assume thinking that Jacob was living there. Jacob had left a piece of rope indicating that he was in the statue. But he had been in the statue, at least, until 1867, when the Black Rock arrived, right? Why would he leave the statue to live in the cabin, which was built in the 1970s or 1980s? Why would he surround it by ashes, if the MIB could not kill him directly? What is the point of keeping the MIB away from the cabin? And once the ashes are broken, he decides to go back to the statue? Couldn't he simply repair the circle of ashes? 13) If being the leader of the Others requires presenting special attributes since a very young age (Richard visited Locke when he was a kid to test him), how could Ben become the leader? Did Richard perform the test on him too? When he took Ben to the temple, did they test him and realized that he was leader-material? Maybe he wasn't and he just occupied the role of leader in the absence of someone who was really special, and maybe that is why Richard never took Ben to see Jacob. On the other hand, he took Locke (MIB) immediately when he asked... but again, shouldn't have Richard asked Jacob first? "Hey man, we have Locke alive again, was that something you did? Because he is self-proclaiming the leader now and wants to see you, is that fine with you?" 14) My last question has to do with the wheel the MIB (and later, the Egyptians) builds: I ain't no engineer, but I assume that the wheel should be connected to something on the other side of the wall so that it could produce an effect on the light, right? I believe the MIB talks about "mixing light and water" to produce the effect that would transport him out of the Island. So how could someone get to the other part of the wall (the part in which the light is) and install some water-based mechanism that gets activated when the wheel gets turned without dying because of the direct exposure to the light? Thanks once again, I would be super happy to know your opinions on these topics!

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Wow, that's a lot of questions in one comment! I shall try to answer them as concisely as possible. 1) Jacob explains the essential dilemma of the island to Richard. Yes, he dresses it up with religious pageantry and simplifies it so it is understandable to a man who thinks he is literally in hell. For Jacob to explain the specifics of everything would be, frankly, incomprehensible to Richard. And Richard doesn't need to know anything more than: the island is the only thing standing between life and total destruction. Jacob is very selective in what he tells people for a reason. He only ever tells them what they need to know. Remember, Jacob is subservient to The Island and defers to its will. More on this in a bit! 2) Jacob *is* flawed and he describes himself as such. He likely spent many centuries in arrested development, like we see in 'Across the Sea'. He is limited in his understanding of human behaviour because he grew up so sheltered and isolated. He is lonely, yes. He feels guilt over what he did to his brother and is trying to reckon with his own mistakes. Just like our Losties, hence why he chose them. Because they were just like him. Any wisdom was acquired over time. The longer he lived, the more he came to understand his own powers and The Source. He spent a long time trying to save his brother's soul; that was the point of the game. To convince the Man in Black that the island and its community was worth protecting. The first time the Man in Black threatened to kill Jacob was in the scene we see in 'The Incident'; shortly thereafter Richard arrives on the Black Rock and tries to kill him. It is only in that moment that Jacob realises how serious his brother is and that there is no chance to redeem him. And this is the day in which he begins his plan to find a replacement. The candidates. 3) See my prior answer. Jacob doesn't explain everything to everyone. He wants people to figure things out for themselves and to let The Island do its work in shaping the world and the future. A protector has an inherent understanding of this. People need to have choice and The Island needs to facilitate those choices. Jacob is an emissary not a puppet master. 4) We don't how many times Richard encountered the Man in Black since their first meeting, if ever again. It's a big place and Richard became a Jacob acolyte (protected by Jacob's touch), and therefore no longer an easy target. We can presume many of The Others over the years were candidates too, similarly protected. It's likely the Man in Black tried manipulating different people and played them off against one another. There was over a century of unseen events between Alpert's arrival and our Losties, so there was bound to have been other conflicts/manipulations. The Man in Black's methods became more sophisticated over time and he may well have tried to infiltrate -- but this is why The Others are required by Jacob to burn their dead. At some point in the timeline, Jacob becomes aware of the time loop and understands that The Island needs things to play out in a particular way. So he only steps in when he has to, i.e. when The Island needs him to. 5) DHARMA did build the fence to keep the smoke monster out; more so than anything else. They definitely encountered him. The blast door map even has references to "Cerberus", which appears to be their name for MiB. They also have access to the summoning chamber in the barracks and no doubt decoded the hieroglyphs. They would have some comprehension of the smoke monster, but we never find out how much they understood beyond some of the physics of how it operates. It's feasible they caught him once in an electromagnetic field, but that's just speculation. 6) The Temple Others (Dogen, Lennon, some of their acolytes) are portrayed as being somewhat separate and independent from Ben's group. There is a clear split between the barracks Others (who are science based and no doubt recruits of Ben) and the Temple Others (who are mystic based and no doubt recruits of Dogen/Jacob). Dogen has knowledge that both Ben and Richard lack. Jacob was preparing Dogen for this day: the endgame with MiB. He was setting up the pieces on the board on behalf of The Island. 7) People have to come to the island because of the bootstrap paradox. Everything happens the way that it does because of the causality loop in time. The Island is weaving the threads of our existence to make sure that the world doesn't end and humanity goes on. Jacob *has* to bring people to the island to form the causal chain. No candidates means no time loop. No time loop means a paradox and the world ending in 1977. I explain this in my videos on The Time Loop and The Candidates. He is a slave to time itself. The Man in Black is also a significant part of this time loop. In order to keep the light on forever, the light has to be risked in both 1977 and then again in 2007, and all roads must lead to these outcomes. This is destiny. These events ensure our existence remains intact. Again, I discuss this in great detail in my videos. 8) I discuss how The Rules work in my video on The Rules. The Island chooses its protectors -- they are preordained. I've explained that the drinking of the wine or water has nothing to do with someone becoming a protector. Every time the ritual is performed it is slightly different beyond two consistent factors -- the protector touching the candidate and the candidate making a gesture of acceptance of the role. It is a transfer of power through touch and will. For more on the rules, watch my video on it. 9) Yes, the Man in Black knows the rules. Yes, he senses them. He knows what he can and cannot do. The rules are enforced by The Source, which powers both men. Jacob and MiB both have this intuition. We see it demonstrated on multiple occasions. 10) By the time the Black Rock arrives, the Man in Black is at the peak of his frustration. It has been demonstrated that he used people before to help him -- the Egyptians -- and that there were warring ideologies on The Island for possibly centuries with groups split between Jacob and MiB. But by 1867, the MiB had enough and knew that every new arrival would mean the cycle starting over. So he started killing indiscriminately in anger. He is full of anger. He picks Richard because he is chained up and not a threat. He scans him. His strong religious beliefs make him amenable for coercion. But after Richard joins Jacob, the next batch of people coming to the island become "The Others", handpicked exclusively. They are Jacob diehards. The Man in Black would struggle to get these devout followers to turn against their "god". He needs a more involved plan to turn someone. Enter Ben. And once the candidates are created and start arriving, he can't physically kill them. So, if he comes across people who aren't protected by Jacob's touch, he either kills them or sees if they could be useful to him. Such as Eko. 11) There were surely many Others that were candidates. We see some familiar names on the lighthouse dial. 360 candidates over 140 years. Some would have been Others, some would have been DHARMA, and so on. As for the whole "why doesn't Jacob just tell Richard everything?" Well, why doesn't he just explain everything to everyone? Jacob understands The Island has to work things out for itself and guide everyone accordingly. He steps in only when necessary. He makes this paramount to Richard. Jacob says: "I wanted them to help themselves. To know the difference between right and wrong without me having to tell them. It's all meaningless if I have to force them to do anything." The point of installing Richard was so that Jacob could provide a guiding hand to people indirectly, without compromising the free choice of people or, more importantly, the island's influence. This is his way of running things. It's not the best way, as other characters later point out. Jacob was flawed in his planning and ideology. But he was also a slave to destiny and had little choice himself. 12) I explain The Cabin in detail in my video on The Cabin. Jacob did live inside the statue the whole time, yes, but the cabin was clearly a place he used for meets with Richard/Dogen because both Ben and the Man in Black knew it was related to Jacob and a place where orders could be given from. And it was protected by an ash circle so the Man in Black could not spy on the meetings that took place there. Jacob didn't want to repair the circle of ashes, he needed the Man in Black to step in. It was all a part of the time loop and the demands of destiny. The Island's master plan. 13) Ben saw his mother's ghost in the jungle as a boy. He tells Richard this when they first meet. Richard believes this is a sign that Ben is special, and he might very well have been. He was then later healed in the temple spring, further cementing that The Island wants this boy. Ben overthrows Widmore later in a power grab after The Others lose faith in him. Jacob was the one refusing to meet Ben because he knew that Ben needed to follow a certain path. Ben appears to have been the only leader that didn't get to meet Jacob, which is why he felt so slighted. The reason why Locke gets marched up to Jacob "like he was Moses" is because Richard and The Others have been manipulated into seeing Locke as a second coming-type of leader, whose legend has been in the making since 1954. That was the whole point. Locke has been preordained to be leader since before he was born. He was seen as extra special, but this was part of the MiB's very long con. 14) Watch my video on 'Moving the Island' as I discuss how the wheel works in a lot of detail. And there you have it. Most of your questions are addressed in my videos. I know there is a lot of content to trawl through and it's easy to get lost in the details. Not sure if you've watched everything yet, but it's worth checking out the videos I mentioned in this thread for further info.

[@slaughter4365]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 Thanks both for taking your time bringing up lot of questions and givin anwers and explonations to them

[@bebop0511]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 You made my day by answering to my questions, thank you very much! In case you want to continue the conversation, here are my comments to your answers: 1) Then I find it hard to understand Richard Alpert’s character. He is a very religious person, who believes he will go to hell because of being a murderer. He is so afraid of this that he asks Jacob to “live forever” so he doesn’t go to hell… and after 140 years of having direct contact with Jacob, interacting with people in the Island (actually, managing them), he has no evolution? He always believed the “cork” story, never asked more questions about it so he literally thought that the smoke monster could leave the Island and “impregnate” the world with malevolence? Richard wants to blow up the Ajira plane and justifies: “if that thing gets off the island, everything is over”. And, by the way, Illana, who was specially trained for the occasion, seems to believe the same: “if that thing gets in that plane, we’re all dead”. Why would Jacob let them think so? The “thing” could not possibly leave the Island, they should not be worried about it getting on a plane! It is the light in the cave they should be worried about, and as long as the protector doesn’t tell anyone where it is, it will be fine, right? So why would Jacob give such misleading instructions to his most loyal friends? 2) Okay, but in the conversation Jacob and his brother have when the Black Rock is arriving, the MIB literally says “one of these days, sooner or later, I am going to find a loophole [to kill you]”, and Jacob does not react surprised at all, he just says “well, when you do, I will be right here”. That is way different to his reaction when Richard actually tries to kill him, so you are telling me that Jacob was not taking his brother seriously when they were talking about it? And it is an actual murder attempt what makes him say: “damn, he was not joking about killing me!” Then Jacob would reflect very little knowledge about his own brother and the smoke monster: he would literally do anything to leave the Island, it does not seem that difficult to imagine that he would also try to kill the guardian. And after that moment, correct me if I’m wrong, you believe Jacob started hiding from the MIB. But he hides in the same exact spot where the MIB knew he used to be: the statue. The MIB knew where Jacob was when the Black Rock was arriving, and he gave clear instructions to Richard to get there, so that doesn’t seem a great hiding spot. The only explanation that I can come up with is that Richard’s job includes being the only one who can reach the statue (in a similar way as the Guardian is the only person who can find the heart of the island), but this would not make sense considering that Sayid finds the statue when he is navigating (I think season 2). Any thoughts on that? 3) I see what you mean, although I find it a little bit hard to understand why is it that “Sometimes, you can just hop in the back of someone's cab and tell them what they're supposed to do. Other times, you have to let him look out at the ocean for a while.” If the Island really wants people to find their own path, why is it that sometimes the Guardian has to literally tell them what to do? 4) So Jacob can tell the Others “hey, burn your dead”, but cannot tell them why? Or he does tell them why, and therefore they are aware of the transformation powers of the smoke monster? If that is the case, then Richard (and the rest of Others) should have been very suspicious when they saw Locke alive again, but instead of suspicious they are confused… because Locke is a time traveler, a very special individual who got healed by the Island, and thus it is possible that the Island would make the ultimate exception and resuscitate him? Again, I can’t understand why Richard would not ask Jacob about it first, before taking Locke-MIB to see him. 5) So, you believe that they built Dharmaville in that spot because they found the tunnels or that it was just a lucky coincidence? When they found the ancient door leading to the “summoning system”, they probably used it (they were curious scientists, after all). I believe your opinion about this system is that it was connected to the underground chamber which the Egyptians built for the smoke monster, and that by using that “cistern”, the water produced some pushing effect on that chamber that made the smoke monster get out of it (I may be wrong and that might not be your actual interpretation, please correct me if that is the case). But, by now, we know the smoke monster is not always in that chamber (actually, he seems to be moving around and not in one single spot), so how could he know that someone activated the summoning system? Is it something “light-related” and therefore he just knows when someone produces some alteration in the light? 6) Dogen’s character is confusing to me. What is exactly his function? What would have happened if he had not been in the show at all? He seems to have some knowledge about how the spring works and how to detect if someone is a manifestation of the smoke monster… but eventually that is not very useful, is it? Why would Jacob recruit him, even more when he seems not to trust him that much when he (as a ghost) speaks to Hugo in the temple? If he trusted Dogen he could simply have told Hugo to tell him: “hey, I am a candidate, I can talk to Jacob’s ghost, and he needs us to leave because the smoke monster is coming and he will be able to enter the temple and kill you”. Is it just that Dogen had already accomplished what Jacob needed from him and therefore he could die? Then, what is it that he had accomplished exactly? 7) Then, would it have been possible that something (anything) would have happened against the Island will? I believe this deterministic theory would imply that such thing is not possible: the Island would always find a way to make things go as planned. Does the Guardian know this? Is his job that important in that case? Couldn’t he decide to behave neglecting his responsibilities and letting the Island do its thing? (Such as Jack understanding that he cannot die yet in the Black Rock scene with Richard, and just assuming that the Island will not let the dynamite explode) (continues)

[@bebop0511]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 8) I understand your interpretation of the “becoming protector” ritual, but I still wonder what your opinion is about the rest of rules. Does Jacob have a list of them somewhere? Do all the rules stop to apply when the guardian dies, or are there some eternal rules? 9) If the MIB had that deep understanding of the rules, why did he not know that turning off the light would turn him human again (he seems very surprised when he bleeds)? And why did he not know that destroying the Island would imply having nowhere to go, because everything would cease to exist? If Jacob knows that, why not the MIB? Or is it that he just doesn’t believe in that, as for instance, Locke once believed the button in the hatch was not useful at all? 10) Why would someone who is not chained up represent a threat to the MIB? He is literally immortal. I would have thought that he wanted Richard to become very close to death so he could manipulate him more easily by helping him and getting him to return the favor. He could have waited for Richard to be almost dead and claim him, as he did with Claire or Sayid, although I think you believe that such “illness” that Rousseau and Dogen talk about is not a real infection produced by the MIB, and that Sayid and Claire are therefore not “claimed” or “infected” by the smoke monster… but the show gives a lot of clues to make us believe that these people, who were close to dead, are actually somehow related to the MIB. There is a very significant change in Sayid’s character after “resuscitating” that, to me, is hard to attribute to just character development. I know he eventually is a good guy because he sacrifices for his friends, but the whole being almost dead --> coming back to live --> becoming a “mean” version of yourself… too many hints in my opinion to just think that this is unrelated to the MIB. 11) I agree that is not actually a very logical way of running things. As they say in a Rick and Morty episode, “it sounds like slavery but with extra steps”. If Jacob really doesn’t want to intercede, and the Island is able to move the threads, then why does he even care? Just let the Island do its thing and everything will be fine. If what Jacob actually wanted was to prove the MIB that people are good, then having an intermediary who he could manipulate was not a very honest way of playing that game, because he is eventually “forcing them to do some things”, although not directly. I preferred to think that Jacob wanted to stay away from his people for the same reason Dogen speaks in Japanese: to stablish a distance that makes it easier to take difficult decisions. 12) Okay, my question would be, once again: is there anything that could have happened that was against the Island’s plan? If this is not possible, why is Jacob so concerned about the light? The Island would never let it go away, right? 13) I agree with you that Ben could have been seen as a special person ever since he arrived to the Island. I still find it very hard to understand why Richard would not ask Jacob first whether he has something to do with Locke’s coming back to live. We know that Richard does not know much about Jacob’s plan, so such a surprising event should have made him suspicious, don’t you think? Again, after living 140 years in the Island, hasn’t Richard learnt anything? Isn’t he more curious and smarter than when he arrived as a young farmer? 14) I have watched it (and liked it very much), but I still have trouble visualizing the whole mechanism. When they were building it, was there ever a moment in which the light was completely exposed? Or there was always a wall between those who were building the mechanism and the light? If there was no wall between them, wouldn’t they have died because of the direct exposure to it? And if there was a wall, how could they build such mechanism that filtered water into the light? Maybe there was just a whole in that wall, through which a pipe was installed, and the wheel was connected to that pipe from a previous wall? It is hard for me to explain this, a sketch would be much easier 🤣

[@drewc.4061]

Hi old friend. Thanks for this. I've often banged my head trying to persuade the LOST fandom that Ben didn't get deliberately caught by Rousseau. So many believe that he's always "one step ahead", so it's good to know that you concur. On the subject of burial, I've often wondered why Amy Goodspeed was so insistent that the bodies of the two Others who murdered her husband had to be buried. It clearly wasn't simply to hide them. I've often wondered if it's connected to my (unproven) theory that the MIB cannot take the form of any dead body that's been "reclaimed" by the Island through burial. Yes, I know some will name Alex as an exception to this, but I honestly feel she was just conjured from Ben's mind due to that scene's many similarities to the 1867 scene where the MIB conjures Isabella from Richard's memories. Thoughts?

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Hello Drew! Long time no speak! I’ll jump straight into it. I disagree with your reading on the Amy Goodspeed scene. I think it’s strongly implied that Amy wants the bodies buried simply to avoid The Hostiles discovering them, since she knows the truce is a fragile peace that might be broken if murdered Hostiles are found. There isn’t much evidence to suggest that DHARMA understood much more about the smoke monster than The Others. They even call it “Cerberus system”, which suggests they believed it to be a machine of some kind. Which also indicates that they would have no concept of the smoke monster being able to become the dead. I certainly don’t think Amy Goodspeed would have such knowledge anyway. What’s more interesting about that whole sequence of events is that Richard wants the bodies back. In part because his people demand their dead be claimed, but it can also be inferred that The Others wanted the bodies back because those were part of Jacob’s rules. They have to burn their dead, for reasons they don’t understand beyond the ritual itself. But we know Jacob would want the bodies of his people burned and sent out to sea so the Man in Black could not infiltrate their ranks. As for the scene from ‘Dead is Dead’, regarding Alex’s appearance, I seem to recall us discussing this before somewhere on the channel. I think it’s a perfectly valid interpretation that MiB conjures Alex from Ben’s memory. Although I don’t think it demonstrates anything beyond that possibility. The theory that the smoke monster cannot take on the form if the body is buried has no real supporting evidence to concur with it. We also know that Locke’s body is buried in ‘The Substitute’ and this does not affect the MiB in any way. I know you could argue that the MiB is stuck as Locke regardless since Jacob’s death, but I feel like the writers would have drawn attention to the notion of burial interfering with Smokey’s powers if that was an intention, and we actually see the opposite happen in season six. Also, if burial was enough to put the kibosh on being copied then I doubt The Others would need to ritually burn their dead. So, I agree that Alex could have been manifested from memory, but I disagree that burial makes a difference to whether or not the Man in Black can become that person. It’s an interesting take that I feel can’t be easily proven or disproven. I do plan to explore some of these elements in an upcoming video around the rules of who MiB can and cannot become, and why… stay tuned! 👍

[@drewc.4061]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108- thanks for the quick and detailed response. To clarify, I'm not suggesting that Amy, or any of the D.I. have any knowledge re the MIB or burial. I was thinking more in terms of Amy being aware that the Others insisted on the D.I. burying any Other bodies that they came across (or caused the death of) perhaps as part of some obscure clause in their peace treaty. Perhaps burial was a temporary "protection" against the MIB until such times that the bodies could be recovered and disposed of permanently. But I agree that there is scant evidence to back up my theory. It is noticeable though that the MIB doesn't initially "copy" any body that's buried, so I've always wondered if that was significant.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I think because the terms of the truce are kept vague (unless you count the truce document from the Lost Encyclopedia as semi-canonical) we don't know too much about the ins and outs of the agreement beyond: "Stay out of our territory and don't cross our red lines". We can assume some of the other details that might have been in there such as "hands off the ancient structures" and "no digging", simply due to the amount of secrecy and subterfuge with the constructions of both The Swan and The Orchid. But I don't think The Others would have had such specific demands on DHARMA as to burying any dead they come across. Why would DHARMA come across dead hostiles if they are sticking to their truce and staying within the lines? Amy acknowledges that she and her slain partner were already breaking the rules by being outside of the "safe zone", so it's not like following those truce terms were being adhered to properly (as we see demonstrated with all of the other sites being built in secret). She wouldn't insist they are buried for that reason is basically what I am saying. She mentions the truce in a flurry of panic because she realises that these hostiles have been killed in "Hostile territory". That's a big problem. As for the Man in Black not copying someone who is buried, I think the ambiguity behind Alex's appearance to Ben (and arguably Locke's later burial) are significant enough to cast reasonable doubt over this theory. There are get-out clauses for both of those aspects as discussed -- Alex being a memory capture and Locke being buried *after* Jacob's death. But because there is no way to know which manifestation technique MiB used for Alex, it remains a big question mark. At least, for me.

[@bill.godwin-austen]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 One difference that occurs to me is that by the time Locke was buried, the MIB had already "claimed" his appearance, so if burial was some kind of deterrent, it was already moot by that point. But that still leaves the manifestation of Alex as an argument against the burial theory.

[@elenahauser6617]

I would love to see one episode about the life of Henry Gale as an exposé. Especially what got him to the island and how he lived there/what happened to him.

[@Ireneket]

Just came back from the beach and happily watching! Ps. You could amplify your voice volume, I blasted it all the way up to be audible :)

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Thanks, Irene! My audio levels are all the way up on my edit suite and the sound comes through at a normal level for me, so I'm not sure if there is a way I can make it any louder. But I shall check future voice audio when I record to see if I can tinker with the volume levels before exporting the WAV file 👍

[@Ireneket]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 oh I see! Might be KZbin normalising the volume or something. I'll keep blasting your videos to 11 then 😎

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I’ll keep an eye on it as it could very well be an issue at my end.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I should have said “keep an ear on it”. Missed opportunity lol. 😆

[@Ireneket]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHA nice one 🤣

[@TW-fs3fj]

Fun fact, Heinrich(Henry) means 'House Ruler'. The irony that Ben was lying about being Henry to Locke, the true leader of the Others. Looking up names really adds depth to the writers choices and I recommend everyone do so

[@obenohnebohne]

Interesting thought process. Love these videos. What came to mind: If they (Ben and his people) interogated and killed the real Henry Gale to use his story, they wouldn’t have left him unburried, right? Otherwise the story would have been gone too quickly. Maybe Alex/Carl added the cross? Everything else makes sense. I love to dive into these mindgames to get more LOST. It is LOST but from another/fresh perspective.

[@MegCazalet]

10:29 The moment Keamy shot Alex undid me. It was so sudden and the lack of gore made it seem more real, somehow. Plus she was pleading to her daddy. Absolutely awful standout moment in all the heartbreaking moments in the show. So when it happened, I jumped up off the couch, screamed something like “I AM NEVER WATCHING THIS FUCKING SHOW AGAIN!”, ran into our bedroom which was immediately to the left of the tv, slammed the door, and threw myself on the bed crying, which everyone could hear because it was a small apartment and they were all sitting just feet away in the den. You see, this happened to be the night we were hosting a viewing party that included some of my husband’s new coworkers I’d just met that night. (We usually just watched with just another couple of close friends and we traded hosting duties. Busting into tears in front of them would be normal and even expected, considering LOST.) Well, they met the real me, I guess. I was mortified afterwards but I just had to explode after the tension and stress and intensity and adrenaline and then the rising suspense hadn’t quite risen enough that I was ready, if that makes sense. That’s how it took me by surprise. They executed that moment in storytelling and psychology and performance and direction outstandingly. (No pun intended but I don’t think that was a random word to pop into my brain.) Fortunately they were very under and my husband came into the room, helped me calm down, and I went back out and finished the episode and being a hostess. We even became friends with the new people. Also, OF COURSE I WATCHED THE ENTIRE SHOW!

[@mutantlabor]

Would love an explainer on why the Others were so hostile and secretive to the Oceanic survivors for so long when they could have just introduced themselves and made life easier for all.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I honestly think The Others were probably quite welcoming to outsiders in the beginning, but after the U.S. military's arrival in the 1950s, and then later DHARMA in the 1970s, their good will and hospitability was all but used up. By the time our Losties arrived in 2004, they were hostile to any new arrivals that they didn't bring in themselves because most of their experiences throughout the 20th century with outsiders had been bad.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

@@FutureCable34 Richard sums it up pretty well: "Jacob isn't telling us what to do because Jacob *never* tells us what to do." And in Jacob's own words: "Because I wanted them to help themselves. To know the difference between right and wrong without me having to tell them. It's all meaningless if I have to force them to do anything."

[@buckdancer8916]

Pretty sure Lost technically exists in the universe as the british Office in the episode S01E015 Lucy says "my dad is buying a paper company in Slough" the setting of the show.

[@DerrickGortman]

I love your work! Have you done an episode on how Daniel Faraday was able to travel back to 1977?

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I made a whole video on the science and time travel of the show, which dives deep into how and why the time travel works: LOST Explained - The Theory of Everything: Part Four (DHARMA, Desmond, Jughead, Loopholes & Numbers) kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqvLfHmbrtaJoNk

[@sethhallahan6418]

He’s from Minnesota!

[@Theothesleeper]

Ahahhahahahaha 😂😂😂

[@thechad5764]

Thank you for explaining something I have always wondered about.....Ben didnt plan to get caught, I never considered how they approached Michael about this I have always questioned why he started playing John while he was captured I think it was his means to an end after getting caught by accident Henry Gale....that's a horse of a different color, never got that reference before either, I noticed the others at least 💚😂💚

[@johnlocke5728]

I've always wondered who Henry was

[@hyperpotion232]

Another cool video, well done! Couple of things here : In relation to John being special because he was in a wheelchair and then regained the ability to walk, and hence the other being aware of him being special, wouldn't Ethan also have known about John being special for having magically appeared before him after the time jump by the beech craft in season 5 where he gets shot in the leg? Surely this is something Ethan would have reportred to Ben and the other others afterwards, which would have made Ethan suspect Locke was special even without the magic leg healing? -Also, why does Ben try to convince Locke not to push the button during his hatch imprisonment? Wouldn't that have just increased the chances of the island being destroyed which would have made him even worse off still?

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Very astute, sensible questions! In regards to the part about Ethan seeing (and shooting) John during the beechcraft crash, I agree that Ethan would have reported this information back to The Others. The name "John Locke" would have meant very little to Ben at that point, but it would have meant a lot to Richard, who had already met Locke in the 1954 and encountered Locke's friends throughout the 1970s. By this point, Locke's legend was fully taking shape. I actually think the point of this particular scene was two-fold: to feed into the series of events that sees Locke unintentionally creating his own legend (a time travelling, predestined leader of The Others from the future). But also to demonstrate a similar scenario comparable to Henry Gale's arrival: a flying mode of transport crashes onto the island; The Others see it and rush to the scene; they interrogate the new arrival and are willing to use swift and lethal force. As for your last question regarding Ben's lie to Locke in the hatch in Season Two, your timing is fortuitous. Because my next video (due out in a couple of weeks, or tomorrow if you're on Patreon) will answer that very question and explore many of the mysteries that went down in The Swan during that period of time. So, I shall reserve the explanation for that video. Stay tuned!

[@hyperpotion232]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 awesome, cheers!

[@hyperpotion232]

I always kinda thought that the appearance of Locke at the beechcraft coupled with the revelation he could walk again was what made the others try to kill Ben by having Juliet hold up the title cards to Jack when he was held captive in season 3. Ethan told Juliet about Locke, and then it again became apparent John Locke had returned with the 815 crew, and now Ethan and Co are like, damn, we need to get rid of Ben and give this new guy some spotlight.

[@hyperpotion232]

also, these are just tid-bits and perhaps not worth mentioning, but maybe something to consider for future videos, but have you anything to say about the cigarettes in the pearl station ash tray, and Paulo being on nicotine gum, and if that meant anything, and also the fact that Eko says "I saw the devil" and not "You're next" as Locke claimed he said after the smoke cloud killed him. (Sorry if this has already been pointed out, i have a shit memory llol)

[@Vivivofi]

@@hyperpotion232 he didn’t say ‘you’re next.’ ?????

[@ClarkBK67]

The inclination to think Ben planned his own capture comes from wanting to see him as always a master manipulator. But you made an excellent case it was just an accident. He’s still a master manipulator because he quickly improvises a plan to not only free himself but to sow division among the Losties.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I agree with that assessment 100%. Some fans wanted Ben to be the great strategist who was always ten moves ahead. That is how he is portrayed in Season Three in particular. As the show went on to reveal that he had very little control over anything at all, those fans still wanted him to remain the guy playing 4D chess. As you say, he was really just a great improvisor.

[@GWGMJ]

Actually we need to know who's the real Juliet Burke. Why am i saying this ? Well, during Ben's surgery she ordered the killing of both Sawyer and Kate, which didn't make much sense with her character. I guess she needs a dedicated episode discussing her character .

[@tappajavittu]

God damn I miss this show so much. It might be a total train wreck but I'd still be open for some sort of continuation of LOST, Hurley/Ben/Walt centuries of shenanigans on the Island type of miniseries of whatever.

[@johnlocke5728]

Does anyone know anything about the Dharma station known as the doorway it was featured in the episode where lostes go to the others fake camp and there's a door with a symbol on it that leads to nowhere

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

That was setup by The Others as a decoy door to fool Michael, just in case he reneged on the deal or told our Losties about it. It was intended to be a distraction, which Jack and Sayid fall for when making their attack plans. There is no real DHARMA station called “The Door”.

[@CoachLan]

more videos!!!!!!!!

[@KurtisC93]

I have yet to watch this video, but I'm reasonably confident that the real Henry Gale was either an agent of Charles Widmore, or a hapless pawn. The whole "hot air balloon around the world" thing was for the same purpose as Desmond's race around the world-he wanted to regain a foothold on the island. However, I look forward to hearing your conclusion. This show is in a league of its own in terms of attention to detail.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I discuss the real Gale’s connection to Widmore in the video 👍

[@KurtisC93]

6:27 "Did Ben get caught on purpose?" By Rousseau, maybe not. But he absolutely _did_ intend to get caught by the 815 survivors. He mentioned to Juliet that he would use Michael to get them where he wanted them to be-that's why Michael was given the very specific list of people to bring in exchange for Walt and being taken off the island. It was entirely orchestrated.

[@KurtisC93]

@LOST EXPLAINED It’s also not out of the question that when Henry Gale died (either killed by the Others or discovered dead in the jungle), they would read and record his information for further investigation re. Widmore's connection. And then Ben would either use the information gathered from his outside sources, or just make up a back story for Henry Gale.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I don’t think he was intending to get caught by anyone, as explored in the video. He didn’t need to go to the camp to poach Michael. The Others were communicating with Michael via the hatch computer and drawing him into a trap, remember? Ben’s capture by Oceanic survivors only complicated the plan. All they needed was to draw Michael out into the open, kidnap him, work on him and run tests, then send him back to the camp to draw the selected members out. Ms Klugh makes it pretty clear that Ben getting caught was unexpected and unintended when she tells him what they need him to do now. They improvise in Ben’s absence and get Michael to stage a jailbreak whilst trying to execute the original plan.

[@KurtisC93]

@LOST EXPLAINED So, I went ahead and revisited the relevant episodes: "One of Them", "Exposé", "Three Minutes", and "Live Together, Die Alone". And I still think Ben intended to be captured, although it is vague enough that different people can have any number of viable interpretations. First, with regards to this: "Ms Klugh makes it pretty clear that Ben getting caught was unexpected and unintended when she tells him what they need him to do now." I disagree. I think Ms. Klugh was following through with instructions that were given to her by Ben. She says to Michael, "There’s been a development since you came here, Michael. One of our people was captured by yours." I don't think this was unintended at all-I think this was all part of the plan, and what she told Michael is exactly what Ben instructed her to tell him. Basically, what I think happened was that the Others abducted Walt on Ben's orders for his... "specialness". Afterwards, Ben came up with the idea to use the boy as bait, and concocted an elaborate plan. Like you said, they used the Swan's computer to trick Michael into going to look for his son, specifying the "huge rocks with a big HOLE in the middle" so that he'll find their decoy camp. Whether through getting caught in Rousseau's trap or being found wandering around in the jungle, I believe the ultimate goal for Ben was to get captured by the 815 survivors, and for Michael to go and "rescue" him. Ms. Klugh was instructed to give Michael the specific list of people to bring back with him-Jack for the surgery, Kate and Sawyer to manipulate him into doing it, and Hurley to send word back to the other survivors. He was told to bring them to the Pearl Station's capsule dump, where they were ambushed, gagged, bound, and had their heads bagged until they arrived at the docks. Ben claimed that he "wasn't happy" with the arrangement made, but then again, he "wasn't happy" with Locke blowing up their submarine either. So... make of that what you will. 😉 Either way, what happened, happened. I get the sense that Lost's creators intentionally left certain things a little ambiguous, to let viewers fill in the blanks themselves. One of many reasons why Lost is such a masterpiece.

[@hyperpotion232]

What do you think of all this talk about the island being the axis Mundi, and the reverse big dipper being visible in certain episodes? Also, i have to ask if you think the image on the top left hand corner of the hatch mural is a direct reference to the dharma grave, or just hell itself, as it leads down to a red fissure, and a lone white stick figure who looks like he could represent Jacob stands above them outside the brown pit..

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I agree that the island is an axis mundi, especially since there is a direct connection between life and the afterlife within the show, with the island acting as the connective tissue between planes of reality. Not familiar with the reverse big dipper theory though. As for the hatch mural, it's a vague and interpretative piece of production art art and was intended to be so. If you believe that Radzinsky painted it then you could interpret several features as being related to him: the sun with 108 in the center is the light beneath the island (like an unlimited, harness-able ball of sunshine energy); the figure in the top right corner resembles Pierre Chang (Radzinsky's own antagonist); and the houses could very well be DHARMA barracks. So, the stick figures could well represent the DHARMA grave, but they could also represent DHARMA in general, or even The Others. It depends on how you choose to interpret the drawings, and who drew them. If you believe Kelvin or Desmond painted the mural then everything takes on a different meaning.

[@hyperpotion232]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 I think maybe Desmond was having prophetic dreams due to his living in close association to the hatch energy, or that the island was giving him visions of it's own past and future and he painted them onto the wall. To me, Yemi is the black priest with the white eye scratched out, but it's the version of Yemi that was possesed by the smoke monster. The white eye scratched out represents the man in black's soul, with the light removed. Similar to how Locke had one eye black and one eye white during Claire's dream in season 1. His arm reaches down to a yellow shape with "M Sick" written on it, and an eye before it. "I am Sick". The sickness is associated with the monster's influence over people. This yellow shape (I think) is supposed to represent the monster. His arm is a part of the monster. He controls the monster, or he IS the monster. The two are connected or are one and the same. It could also be Desmond's vision of himself, how he feels in this moment. Like a priest who's soul has been blackened, with the open-mouthed woman next to him representing Penny who he longs to be with. Or, it could be the man in black's dead mother, calling back to the island's past..

[@oliverpersona8792]

Can you do an explanation on Nathan, the weird guy seen in the other 48 days episode, whos killed by one of the others whose name im forgetting rn? Ive always wondered about his story!! 🙏🙏

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I don't think there was much more to him than meets the eye. He was a red herring in that episode, designed to make us think upon first time viewing that he was going to be the "ringer". His name is Nathan (sounds like Ethan), he says he's from Canada (like Ethan did), and he has a shifty look about him. His purpose in that episode was to draw our attention away from suspecting Goodwin until the reveal. I don't think he had any deeper connection to, or history with, The Island. It's implied by Goodwin that he is probably a bad person (Goodwin would have known all about Nathan's past based on data received by Mikhail at The Flame on the surviving passengers), so maybe Nathan was a criminal back in the world. There was a sense that he was hiding something, which Ana Lucia picked up on, possibly his true reasons for being in Australia.

[@ryleycarroll9486]

I kinda think it was his intention to get caught but just by Sayid or someone from the flight cause the others knew exactly who they wanted to help Ben, he may of actually just been there for lock though and insisted on getting lock by himself so something could “go wrong” and lock wouldn’t “make it” and than couldn’t take over as the leader

[@Silas-lc9op]

How did Ben use the Pearl station if the plane was covering the hatch? Another entrance maybe?

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

In Season Three episode 'Expose' we actually hear Ben and Juliet discussing this in the background as they enter The Pearl. The following lines are this: BEN: Who left this open? JULIET: Tom was down here a couple of days ago. BEN: Have him cover it up with the plane. They were still trying to keep the entrance hidden from our Losties, even after the plane fell.

[@Silas-lc9op]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 Excellent!!! 😁

[@tikvision]

Those Jacob lovers are definitely such good people.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I know you mean this comment to be sarcastic, but The Others certainly view themselves as "good people" simply because they are Jacob's people. But we know their morality is malleable when it comes to how they treat outsiders. Jacob doesn't tell them what to do in terms of how they deal with the day-to-day running of the island, only that they follow their chosen leader and any messages he hands down to them via Richard.

[@charlesmcsweeney1152]

Hey fellow lost fans. Just completed another rewatch of the series tonight. I have a question. A potentially dumb one. What, in fact, /was/ the incident? Was the incident the Dharma Initiative drilling to far? Or was it the bomb being detonated? Both? Also, the pregnancy issues the women experienced after the second trimester…did this happen before the incident or was it always present?

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

You're in luck, sir! I have two videos on those very specific questions, neither of which are dumb to ask. They are both totally legitimate and sensible questions. Here's my video on Jughead and The Incident: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZW6doWAfs-sh6c And here's the other video about the pregnancy problems: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aH2saI2Ed8mqgq8

[@charlesmcsweeney1152]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 thanks I have watched them! They’re brilliant. I’ll give ‘em a second viewing and pay closer attention. Eko voice: I think we should watch that again John.

[@mikejabbur508]

Yet another great video! Thank you, I’ve been watching these obsessively the past few weeks. I find the topic of who buried Henry interesting. I had always assumed Ben buried him after killing him. This seems logical, as it allows him to claim Henry’s identity and say he buried his (Henry’s) wife should he ever need a cover story. After all, why would Alex or Carl put a cross? There’s no indication any of The Others are Christian. The only likely non-815 Christians on the island would be Desmond, Kelvin, or Danielle, and I agree they seem unlikely. Just my 2 cents. Thanks again, and stay LOST.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Really pleased you are enjoying the videos! Do we think Ben would go to the trouble of digging a hole then burying Gale's body and then making a cross though? Just seems out-of-character for him. He is hardly the most compassionate man, especially when it comes to potential agents of Widmore. He literally left his own father's body to rot in a van up on the mesa and the bodies of his entire DHARMA family in an open pit. So, why would he bury a total stranger/potential enemy like Gale and give him a tidy headstone? I always viewed the cross less as a Christian symbol and more as a non-denominational marker of respect, just like at the Oceanic beach camp graveyard. To me, the only reason to give someone a gravestone marker like that would be out of compassion or guilt rather than any religious reason. The only characters among The Others that made sense to me would have been Alex and/or Karl. They are simply copying what they think normal society does with the dead.

[@mikejabbur508]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 Thanks for responding! Yes, I do think Ben would go to the trouble to bury the body and make a cross. It’s actually not a very deep grave or elaborate cross, and the cross at the end would only take minutes to construct. But I don’t think he did so out of compassion for Henry. To the contrary, I think he did so to support a cover story he may need in the future…that he is Henry Gale, and that he buried his dead wife. (Remember, Ben, “always has a plan.”) I agree that he didn’t intend to be captured by Danielle, but I think any time Ben sees a scenario play out on the island, he thinks ahead as to how he’ll twist it to his advantage down the line. I also think LOST is all about symbols, and the cross is definitely a Christian symbol. It makes sense that the “Losties” would use basic crosses for their grave markers b/c they’re a predominantly white Christian group who would likely see a cross as you describe it (a non-denominational marker of respect). But as an atheist, I can’t see a cross that way-especially on LOST, where symbols all have such significant meaning. And we know The Others don’t mark graves with crosses-even of their own…they burn their bodies. And we have no reason to believe Danielle and/or Karl are dabbling in Christianity. It could be part of their rebellion against Ben, but that would need to be supported with a scene showing Danielle hiding a cross she wears, or hiding a bible in her room, or something like this. Instead, we know The Others are a group, most of whom don’t have/maintain contact with the outside world, who have their own deity figure-Jacob. And I don’t see Jacob’s followers marking graves with crosses. I think it makes a lot more sense that Ben would anticipate a scenario where he might use Henry Gale’s identity as a cover in the future, and all anyone would need to see to believe he’s telling the truth is the balloon and the grave, and his whole story would lock into place. As you say in the video, who would expect someone to dig up the grave? Ben’s clever, and there’s no way he would have left the unburied body out there knowing he might want to create an alternate identity at some point. Adding a simple cross at the end would take 5 minutes and go a long way to support his possible identity theft. It’s 0% compassion and 100% strategy. Anyway, that remains my read. :) Stay LOST!

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

You make a convincing argument, sir!

[@mikejabbur508]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 Thank you! I always imagined Ben “stumbling upon” Henry (maybe he saw the umbrella overhead before it crashed, as with 815, and he/The Others tracked it down. Or maybe the island guided him to it to trigger a series of events), presenting himself as a fellow crash survivor of some sort, seeming friendly to get Henry’s backstory out of him, then murdering Henry a la “Jeremy Bentham” once he learned what he wanted to know. But after watching your video and being blown away by the fact that the umbrella was marked “Widmore Industries,” I now think there would have been a violent interrogation, much like Sayid would soon put Ben through at The Swan station, to learn of any possible involvement from Widmore himself. Of course, Henry could never convince Ben he is innocent and good, and so he’d be murdered regardless. Thanks for humoring me!

[@oceanic815survivor]

i think ben was gonna wander towards the camp as henry gale because he had the i.d. but i agree getting caught wasn’t part of the plan

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

But what would have been Ben’s plan from there? How could he have gotten Jack to perform the surgery? There is no way Jack would have willingly operated on an “Other” and no way that Ben could still pretend to be Henry Gale and lead Jack to Hydra Island. Remember they ultimately needed Jack in The Hydra’s operating room so the whole Henry Gale ruse was pointless to do in that context. Ben heading to the beach camp makes no sense to me. Also, worth noting that Ben didn’t have the actual Henry Gale ID on him. Sayid found it after digging up the real Henry Gale’s grave. The ID is ultimately what exposes Ben’s lie.

[@oceanic815survivor]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 oh you’re right i forgot the id was with the body!! but how did he know the name henry gale

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Well, you could also ask how did Ben know so much about Henry Gale's life? It's because clearly Ben (and his people) encountered and interrogated Henry after he crashed. That's the thesis of this video anyway.

[@echoesofmalachor3700]

I have to admit I don’t completely agree with parts of your breakdown of Ben. I think hubris is his achilles Heel. Ben demonstrates time and time again his supreme confidence in himself to be able to talk, lie and cheat his way out of anything while also routinely taking monumental risks on behalf of anyone including himself. I think my point is best illustrated by the complete shock on his face the moment Keamy executed Alex. His face turned from utter disbelief to guilt over the next 2-3 seconds. Up to that point Ben was confident, but admittedly apprehensive during the scene, taking an enormous risk by betting on himself and in his abilities to manipulate the situation. I just find it rather hard to believe Ben wouldn’t be keenly aware of Russo’s traps. I think Ben ended up being exactly where he wanted to be which was in a position to manipulate the survivors. I doubt he expected to get shot by Russo but I think he took a calculated risk and again bet on himself. As far as who killed Henry Gale that’s anyone guess. But from what we know of Ben I would bet 10-1 odds he didn’t allow anyone else to interrogate or question Henry because of Henry’s unknown relationship or knowledge of Widmore. No way Ben allows anyone else to gather information and then receive it second hand on a subject he tends to keep very close to the vest. But if I had to guess I’d say Ben gathered the information and Mikhail broke Henry’s neck. Mikhail would have probably seen the balloon on radar and radio’s Ben. Ben would have followed his preferred SOP by limiting first hand knowledge to others so he can manipulate the situation by selectively disseminating information as he’s see fit. Just my 2 cents. did enjoy the video though. Something I hadn’t thought about in some time.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I agree that Ben’s Achilles heel was his hubris. My video does mention that. But I just can’t get on board with the idea that Ben would risk his own life by intentionally getting caught in Rousseau’s trap - the one person he has every reason to believe will torture and kill him on sight. He has absolutely no reason to expect that she would go to the Oceanic camp for Sayid. He’s smart but he’s not psychic! What was the point in him doing this anyway? If he wanted to contact the survivors then he could have just set-up them finding him somewhere in the jungle or simply walked into their camp and told them his story. There is simply no benefit to him being captured by Rousseau. Also, if this had all been part of the plan then why does Bea Klugh imply to Michael that this was an unexpected development and that they now needed him to bust Ben out. It simply doesn’t line up at all. Ben gained nothing from being caught - he already knew he wanted Jack to do the surgery and Kate and Sawyer as leverage. As for who killed Henry Gale, I’m flexible on which Other did the deed. What interested me more was who buried him with a headstone.

[@echoesofmalachor3700]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 I hear you. And I may have insufficiently made my point on the Russo trap. Remember when Russo told sayid about bens capture she said it was close to where the survivors were camped. The calculated risk may have been whether or not the survivors or Russo found/heard him first. No psychic abilities needed for that. I’m pretty sure sayid said he walked for a few hours before finding the cable that led him to Russo’s bunker. That’s would put the trap, based on Russ’s description of where Ben was, much closer to the survivors than to Russo. And I would also point out the one aspect of Ben’s scheming that almost always goes according to plan is the set up. And considering how ridiculously resourceful he is on the fly I always considered the possibility Russo’s trap may have been a moment of opportunity. Also playing the victim of Russo trap and not being an “other” as Henry was an angle that would definitely would be easier to garner empathy. Of course that didn’t go as planned. But Russo definitely didn’t torture and kill him on sight and instead told the only person on the island to which she had any semblance of a relationship with, sayid. I’m not saying you’re wrong. You very well maybe right. I’m just not completely convinced enough to dismiss the possibility the trap became part of his plan, not knowing he’d get shot of course. I think there is enough circumstantial and character evidence to leave the possibility open. Anywho. It’s still fun after all these years to bounce ideas and theories back and forth.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Yes I absolutely agree with you that it’s still a lot of fun to discuss and debate these little details, even after all this time. One of the many reasons to love and cherish this show 😊

[@nemesimusic1291]

"My name is Henry Gale. I'm from Minnesota and I crashed on this island just like you." :')

[@suraj-ug8mj]

this video was really good

[@kennypowers1945]

So is Ben a “bad guy” because of when Richard alpert helped him and he “lost his innocence” ? Happened in season 5 when they were in the 70s

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I explore this very question in my video on "Good vs Evil", which you can watch here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnWrdaueftCaa5Y

[@martinofenzi858]

AWESOME❤

[@kylemarshall2593]

if alex buried henry as you suggest how did ben know there was a grave by the balloon? Maybe alex witnessed henry's death and ben not wanting to appear to be a total monster in front of his daughter ordered the others to at least bury the man.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

That’s a fair point to make. Although in this scenario I simply saw the grave as having been there long enough that it would have eventually been seen by someone and reported back to Ben, if not seen by his own eyes. He could have even seen it before being caught by Rousseau. There are many potential solutions there. But I can also see your reading of events in which Ben has the real Gale buried in order to save face with his daughter. It’s just nice to imagine a more direct source for their conflicted relationship in Season Three and why she hates him so much and is willing to rebel against his program, so to speak.

[@DaisyChaine]

why does sayid close his eyes when he shoots that’s like rule #1 of hit man theory you don’t close your eyes when you shoot

[@Rachel-ek9sd]

Just realized if Richard didn’t bury Alex Jacob wouldn’t have died most likely bc the MIB wouldn’t have been able to become her and manipulate Ben. Ugh Richard!!! I love you but you should have sent her out to sea!!

[@specialagentweener1073]

I feel like it wouldn't have been alex behind Ben's back because Ben knew that there was a grave dug there and claimed it was his wife.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Ben knew there was a grave (and key parts of Henry Gale's life story) because he was obviously there when his people interrogated and killed Henry in the clearing. Ben added the detail of the wife being buried in the grave because he knew the Losties would find a grave if they went looking for the balloon to confirm his story. He was covering his own ass. In any case, none of that precludes the idea of Alex going back to bury the real Gale after his murder. And we see Alex going behind Ben's back multiple times throughout Season Two and Season Three. She not only jailbreaks Claire, she also helps to jailbreak Kate and Sawyer, and betrays Ben on several occasions. She is the most likely candidate to have buried Henry imo.

[@jimmybailey7198]

Almost like Ben "downloaded his memories"(whatever methods he used to extract the life story, intentionally or otherwise) and impersonated him. like how the man in black "downloads someone's memories" then has the ability to impersonate them. And the real Henry gale IS dead, thus making it even more similar in theory to the man in black.

[@Theothesleeper]

Ethan probably killed him and buried him and told Ben where it was incase he ever needed to know to use it to advantage

[@guyledouche7939]

It really was no mystery, what happened then was this: The wind began to switch...

[@Choekaas]

Cool video! I myself like the idea that it was Henry Gale who lit the black smoke fire in the season 1 finale and that is how the Others found him, interrogated him and then murdered him. Mainly because The Others never did the "lit a black smoke and then kidnap"-routine. It's quite a random event. I can also get behind the Widmore-connection theories. Even though Widmore wasn't the only one sponsoring his race. Mr. Clucks and Nozz-a-la Cola as well, so it doesn't have to be a connection there. But I can see how that is the reason why he got killed. That logo was visible on the gondola. Ben's capture: If you take the showrunners' word for it, then Ben got caught by accident (Official Podcast - Aug 7th, 2007). I can also get behind this idea. He got into the trap during night time. Even as smart as Ben is, it is very easy for absolutely everyone to fall into a trap in a pitch black jungle.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Yes, I've heard the "Henry Gale lit the fire" theory before and it is an interesting way to view that part of the story. It also means that he crashed while our Losties were already on the island. However, I don’t agree with the theory for several reasons. The first being that it’s a very elaborate signal fire to build. Are we to believe that Henry Gale found and carried that huge black volcanic rock and constructed the brassier for it to sit on by himself? That rock was not indigenous to the beach, it would have been carried there from far inland. And then for no apparent reason he erased his footprints around it and returned to the balloon site and got killed? He would have no reason to leave that beach after building the fire. Alternatively, for argument's sake, let’s say that he did manage to haul that big rock to the beach and build the brassier and set up the fire. And let's suppose that The Others spotted it and went to the beach to see what was up. They find Henry there and order him to take them back to the balloon site. Although I'm not sure why they would need to take him back there... to prove his story? I take it this version of events is closer to your interpretation, right? But then why would they erase all the tracks around the signal fire? And then, more importantly, why would they leave the signal fire burning? Surely they would tip it out into the surf. There is no reason they’d keep the fire going or clear the tracks away. The other problem I have with this theory is the timing. On the same day that they plan to kidnap Walt, Rousseau overhears the whispers in the jungle warning: “they are coming for the boy”, which prompts her to go to the beach camp to warn our Losties. And it just so happens that Henry lights the fire a few hours later, which just so happens to mirror the exact same pillar of smoke effect that Rousseau claims to have seen the day that Alex was kidnapped? That’s a lot of coincidences lined up in a row, even for LOST! We know that The Others, at this point in ‘Exodus’, are interested in getting Walt but are aware that the raft has launched with the boy on it. They will need to intercept at sea (knowing that the raft will simply go in circles within the bubble). The pillar of smoke provides a distraction to the Losties on land and makes them run around like headless chickens in fear of what it means. I believe that Henry Gale crashed on the island weeks or months before our Losties ever arrived. And that he was discovered shortly after writing his note to Jennifer and never made it to the beach. The Others must have seen his balloon going down and sent out a search party quick smart; just like we see happen with Oceanic crash and even the beechcraft -- remember how quickly Ethan arrived on site with a rifle and shot Locke. They would have found Henry in the clearing and interrogated him there and then killed him. And then someone went back to bury him; in my video I suggest Alex and Karl. This is a cleaner explanation for me. I almost touched upon this Henry Gale-signal fire theory in the video, but I found that it was too convoluted to explain once I tried to logic out, especially due to Rousseau's story about seeing the same thing back in 1988. On the surface, it’s a cool tie-in with Henry Gale, but on closer inspection it doesn’t make enough sense to me, no matter which way I try to logic it out. Any thoughts on these points? Do you have a version of this theory that cleans up any of the issues I have?

[@Choekaas]

​@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 Thanks for the long reply! Just to make it clear. I am very open to other ideas though. I mention in my LOST Journeys video on "Exodus" that the Others theory is perfectly reasonable and heck, they could've even lit the fire using a flaming arrow from the boat before setting off. The Henry Gale-theory is a very fan-fiction headcanon, and it also exist to cover up a slight annoyance in "The Whole Truth" with the map Benry made and to connect that map with the events seen on the show. Therefore the area with the black smoke, the balloon map and the already existing Island map. But I think it's a bit cool and my idea is kind of a combination of some of your points. I think that there's several of these volcanic rocks areas on the Island, mainly just to tie in the weird treks on the show, as well as them being present in caves and all. The construction he built is a brassier, boy scout type of fire - which is one that would not get washed away by heavy waves and would create a long-lasting plume of smoke ideal for creating signal fires. > Although I'm not sure why they would need to take him back there... to prove his story? I always saw it as a group of Others joining him on their way there, offering to help him salvage the balloon or the gondola - It looked intact and being a group could work together to take it down. Although the Others had other motives. > No footprints I took that the Others removed the foot prints, but kept the signal fire burning to do it like you mentioned: Trick and let the group get there by land - a distraction. > The Others must have seen his balloon going down and sent out a search party quick smart; just like we see happen with Oceanic crash and even the beechcraft I don't think so. If it came there during a thunderstorm at night, then the Others were in the barracks. They never seized Desmond's sailboat and Ben was even surprised that there was a sailboat on the island after three years. > And it just so happens that Henry lights the fire a few hours later, which just so happens to mirror the exact same pillar of smoke effect that Rousseau claims to have seen the day that Alex was kidnapped? That’s a lot of coincidences lined up in a row, even for LOST! I don't think so. If we're going by hours, we have stuff that happen within minutes. Bernard turning the radio on for a few minutes a day and it happens to be at the exact same time Boone uses the radio in the beechcraft is as crazy of a coincidence in my opinion.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I don't completely dismiss this theory outright -- I like it -- I just remain unconvinced by it being an intended part of the story because of the logistics involved. I find that too many other things overlap to make it a clean explanation, if that makes sense. So, you think The Others presented to Henry peacefully and offered to help him get his balloon back? In order for him to lead them there? I don't know if I can picture that lol. They always seem super hostile to any strangers who arrive. The only reason that the Oceanic beach camp isn't targeted is because of their large numbers (and The Others learned the hard way with the tailies that attacking big groups of people is a bad idea), but a solo man on his own? They would just put a gun to his head and interrogate him, surely? No need for subterfuge. I would argue that your example of Bernard turning on the radio and receiving Boone's mayday isn't the same kind of coincidence that I'm talking about. Those types of coincidences are standard LOST moments that tie into the operating system of fate and causality. We don't have to explain away that coincidence because of other contrary details in the story. What I'm talking about is that Rousseau described the exact same pillar of smoke in the distance back in 1988 and that night "The Others came" and took her child. Why did The Others make that pillar of smoke back then and not this time? It seems unlikely to me that Henry Gale just happened to accidentally create the exact same effect at that moment after Rousseau delivers her warning about a pillar of smoke being a sign of The Others. And it also happens to be a night when The Others *do actually* come and snatch a child again, just like in 1988. That's not coincidence in the same way that we see "coincidences" happen on LOST imo. Because of the nature of the brassier, the size of the rock, the lack of footprints around it, and the timing of Rousseau's warning and Walt's abduction, I have to conclude that the pillar of smoke was started by The Others. Although I would love to find a way to make the Henry Gale theory work because I do actually prefer the idea of that tying in to those events. I just can't get past the aforementioned issues to accept it.

[@michaelcorcoran8768]

You actually have concocted a better story for Lost than the actual writers did. At least in terms of the early early days of the island. It's pretty interesting!

[@1000000man1]

Ben must have known Henry was buried though. So it must have been someone affiliated with him.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I agree that Ben would have known that Henry had been buried. We know that he was aware of this because of the way he describes the burial site to Sayid. If it was Alex and Karl who buried the real Henry (which is what this video hypothesises) then Alex surely would have told her father what she did, since she was openly rebelling against him at this point.

[@airyshark324]

Love lost but the flash backs get old imo

[@Bartooc]

He always has a plan but it's never a good plan.

[@RandyBaumery]

Henry Gale was a character from Wizard of Oz.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I mention that in the video at the end.

[@RandyBaumery]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 I found it interesting that he arrived in a mysterious place in a hot air balloon. Didn't the Wizard arrive in Oz and even leave in a hot air balloon?

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Yes, I discuss the connection at the end of the video 👍

[@davidesperanza5413]

He is from Minnesota ❤😂

[@ThePremierFootballComputer]

For the first time, I think you’re wrong. Ben when pretending to be Henry mentioned his ‘wife’s’ grave. Therefore he knew there was a grave. I think he buried Henry so he could pretend to be him. I also think he got caught on purpose after just burying Henry. He was desperate to speed up his plans at that point because of the tumor. He wanted Jack to want to do the surgery not to be forced. He wanted to get to know them all quickly to learn how to manipulate them

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

If Henry Gale was killed some months prior to Oceanic 815 crashing then Ben could have discovered the grave in that time or, more simply, Alex told him about what she did. After all, no point in rebelling against Daddy unless Daddy knows about the rebellion. So, there are any number of ways Ben could have found out about the grave. However, I concede that it is also possible Ben was just involved with the burial of Gale for whatever reason, even if I cannot think of any reason why he would care to bury "an agent of Widmore" and give him a respectful gravestone. I mean, he left that death pit of his DHARMA friends wide open, and he clearly had affection for Horace Goodspeed. The place where I cannot meet you halfway is about Ben getting caught on purpose. I take a hard line on this one. As I discuss in the video, if he wanted to get closer to Jack and the beach camp then he could have just wandered into camp with his Henry Gale story. Sure, he would have been treated with the same suspicion anyway, but at least he would have been guaranteed to be amongst them. However, he doesn't do this. Instead, he gets caught in Rousseau's trap. The woman whose baby he stole, who might remember his face or voice and kill him on sight. Why would he think it would go down any differently? If there was even a 10% chance she might remember him, it's not worth the risk! He also has no idea that Rousseau would seek out Sayid and get him to bring Ben into the camp. Ben is smart but he's not psychic. There is no possible way he could predict nor rely upon that slim chance. And, as far as we are aware, Ben doesn't even know that Rousseau has met any of the survivors yet. Worst still, Rousseau has traps all over The Island. It could be days or even weeks before she came to check this particular one and Ben would be long dead. Jack and Kate talk about this later when they get "caught in a net". Basically, it makes no sense as an infiltration plan at all. In fact, it's the worst possible plan one could have if the goal was to try to get Jack to do the surgery. At this point, Ben could simply have had them kidnapped in the night anyway. He didn't need to go into the camp at all as he already knew Jack's pressure points based on his time watching them from The Pearl, as shown in Season Three episode 'Expose'.

[@ThePremierFootballComputer]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 I think the other others would have been keeping a very close eye on the situation and would have intervened if necessary. They could monitor the hatch station and would have been keeping a watch on the net. Someone like Ben is far to clever to get caught like that

[@tsukie11]

How sickening. And how could her Co stars shun her?! She was a child and they were adults. It breaks my heart to think how she suffered making that movie.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I think you posted this comment to the wrong channel and video.

[@tsukie11]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 yes you are right! I’m so sorry! It was a grunge story about how Judy Garland was treated while making the wizard of oz. I can delet this if you would like me too!

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

It's okay, I just wanted to make sure you knew that your comment was in the wrong place. Although you coincidentally posted it under a semi-relevant video because I discuss The Wizard of Oz in this video too!

[@tsukie11]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 omg that’s right! Thank you so much for your channel. I love it so much. You keep Lost alive for me and you’ve shown me things that I never thought of or understood. You are so knowledgeable and just amazing!

[@encognitusmaximus7598]

Benjamin Linus learned something with most of his plans, how to take an a$$ kicking and keep on ticking.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Fair point!

[@Geojr815]

This show really didn’t know how to name black people. Henry, Walt, Rose

[@MCRAIDER40]

Lost is definitely the series that kicked off the great modern era of TV series