Miles and clues to the show's concept of death...
It's long been observed that "the Others" have an unusual perspective on death. On one hand, they seem to abhor murder... in particular "cold blooded murder"... but on the other hand the dominance of "the Others" on the island emerged from mass murder and we watched with our very own eyes as Goodwin murdered a tail-section survivor in a manner that was obviously premeditated.
Now notice in episode 4.2 that Miles charged a woman extra for sending her son's ghost away because he'd found out that he'd been murdered. The spirit of a murdered person, apparently, is NOT something you want to be messing with. If ghosts are part of the LOST mythos (and given all of the other paranormal themes we shouldn't be surprised if they are) then surely ghosts can be a problem on the island, of ALL places.
And think about it... if you knew for a fact that spirits liberated from their mortal coils by an act of cold blood become poltergeists, wouldn't you consider such a death even more tragic than you already do? And if you had to live on an island with restless spirits, would you want anyone to show up and give you a lot of them to contend with? Would you not execute, or at least shun, a cold-blooded killer in your ranks? And would you not adopt burial rituals that you'd learned assist in quieting the disquieted dead?
On the other hand, if you knew of a way to control such spirits, you might find it useful to kill once in a while. You might even find it useful to kill a large number of people all at once. You'd have to take care that such a thing wouldn't backfire on you, though.
The device that Miles used in the room... it seemed as though its main function was to creat a noise. Was it a sonic method of control?
The smoke monster is subject to sonic control. It can't even go OVER a sonic fence. Is the smoke monster a ghost? Or is the smoke monster, as some have already suggested, a collection of angry spirits? Is the smoke monster the souls of the Dharma Initiative?
It seems that we were meant to understand that Charlie was a ghost. But Hurley (oddly called "Hugo" by ghost-Charlie) related to Charlie AND the cabin in the same manner. Are we to understand, then, that Jacob is also a ghost? And that what makes Ben special is that he can talk to dead people (like his mother who died off the island)?
Miles released the boy's soul by finding something the boy had hidden. Did he know about what was hidden because the boy told him in the room? Or did Miles visit the boy's corpse and extract that information in the same manner he extracted information when near Naomi's corpse? Was that Mile's angle in his work... he knew that ghosts only haunted people when they were hiding something, so when he was called for a job, he'd visit the corpse or grave and find out if the thing being hidden was valuable and, if it was, he'd take the job, liberate the soul, then keep the valuable object for himself?
If we're to draw conclusions about ghosts based on this scene with Miles, many of our crash survivors would certainly have become ghosts had they died. Nearly all of them had something hidden that they would need to reveal in order to move on to the next life. We know the crash survivors aren't dead. But it's interesting that each of them have something they're hiding. The married couple who died in the crash... happy... starting a new life... nothing dark going on there, apparently. So off the island if you die and have something hidden, the cosmos imprisons you as a ghost until you rectify the situation. Crash on the island, though... a place of considerable paranormal power... well, then your life is spared completely in order to give you a chance to correct things. The cost, though, is that you're never allowed to leave.
That is to say... SPIRITUALLY speaking you're never allowed to leave. You may leave physically, but your spirit will be vexed in the process because your soul belongs to the island (in return for it sparing your life). "The island" will make it difficult for you to physically leave because it "knows" that leaving will be very bad for you. But you CAN leave it if you try hard enough. And you WILL be sorry if you succeed.
Thoughts?
Sayid's concern for the dead
Dude, Prof... in light of your post, you totally rocked the synchronicity with last night's episode!
The Island and Life/Death
"Crash on the island, though... a place of considerable paranormal power... well, then your life is spared completely in order to give you a chance to correct things."
Got me thinking if perhaps the island decides who lives or dies (as in "the island demands a sacrifice") then, did the island allow Ben to kill at the time of the purge, but has now taken that right away from him? (He's had his license to kill revoked, Mr. Bond?) And that's why when he shot Locke, he shot him in a place that didn't kill him? And when he tried to kill Charlotte she was wearing a bullet proof vest?
"Tell my sister I love her"
One other thing I want to point out... the code "tell my sister I love her." After Jack, Kate and Daniel find Miles where Kelvin was killed, he points his gun in Jack's direction in an attempt to explain to Daniel what the code is used for - uh, why wouldn't Daniel know this code?
... So he says Jack would say "tell my sister I love her" if he was being held at gunpoint... but Jack DOES have a sister... Claire... so I wonder if that is foreshadowing some kind of misfortune between Jack and Claire within the time that the six Losties get "rescued"?
Oooo...
Kat...I think you are spot on about Claire. And here's a follow-up idea, remember when Kate was trying to get off the island on the raft and had adopted the identity of the woman who drowned? What if that's why she's free in the flashforward...she's taken Claire's identity (and is caring for Aaron)?
The question about Daniel--I was thinking about that and all I could come up with first is that they had to have some kind of plot exposition to explain the code. But Daniel does seem exceptionally clueless. Another thing that occurs to me is that Dan and Miles are another Man of Science/Man of Faith divide, and yet the other personality features of Jack and Locke--like a demand for proof vs. idealism tipping over into gullibility--seem to go the other way.
Maybe they both actually represent more of blend of the two sides.
Oooo...
HMM... that's interesting, re: Kate taking Claire's identity, though if Kate's taking care of Aaron then what happened to Claire that she couldn't take care of him herself? Plus what Malkin told Claire (some more paranormal territory) that she has to be the one to raise him. And I still don't think she and Aaron get off the island despite what Des "saw". Foreshadowing an even later event between Kate (after taking Claire's identity - as she can easily do that if Claire doesn't leave the island) and Jack off the island?
Man of science, man of faith - I agree. The parallel is undeniably there. In fact, I think it would do the show well if Miles and Daniel turn out to be important characters in terms of the Lost mythos... key characters that aide in closing the gaps between the science and paranormal island mysteries. Daniel being a physicist - throw some quantum physics in there... heh no, then we'd never get answers! But really, I think we'll see these two characters act as expositions to illustrate (to the general audience) the science and paranormal mysteries going on on the island.
And if not... I still believe Daniel is an important character. If you look up his name, you could go on forever about him.
Ooooo
Yeah, kat, what Malkin says about Claire needing to raise him--that's just why I think they'll wind up separated. And my guess is that Claire gets killed--which would fit with how Kate assumed the other woman's identity and also would add to the state Jack is in (and presuming in addition that he finds out Claire is his sister)--plus what you said about the foreshadowing of Naomi's code.
You're so right about Daniel. Just one allusion, the Biblical Daniel a dream interpreter--so even in Daniel Faraday's name you have faith and science merged.
Hmmmm...
Jammin' Jazzy Jas, I love the idea of Kate assuming Claire's identity but the media (and certainly the authorities) would have pictures of the passengers and someone would notice that Claire and Kate look nothing alike. I think it's far more likely that she makes a deal with the freighter people/ Jacob/ Dharma/ Hanso/ etc. who arranges for her past to be expunged.
Just thinking out loud now, but since Ben has the ability to create passports could HE be the "him" Kate was referring to in the TTLG flash forward? Did she make a deal with Ben to gain her freedom? Sayid seems to be working for Ben out of a sense of revenge. Is Kate also under Ben's control for other reasons?
Hmmmm......
Yes, I believe "everyone" (The Oceanic 6, perhaps Desmond, perhaps Ben) made some kind of deal with "someone" in order to leave the island ALIVE. Included in their deal must have been an agreement of absolute secrecy regarding the remaining survivors of 815. Ben's objective is still to protect the Island's location and identity at all costs. Sayid's objective (in working for Ben) is to protect the lives of the remaining 815 survivors. Jack's objective is to get back to the island for the same reason, to save the remaining 815 survivors. Their lives are in jeopardy. His mission becomes paramount once he learns Claire is his sister and Aaron is his nephew.
Jukin, I agree; Kate's past is history as part of the deal.
Re: Hmm...
Now the Kat is out of the bag!!!
The Economist
Slam...
...dunk!
Just running thru for now but wanted to say that was awesome and I totally buy it.
edit -
Smokey sounds mechanical. How do you get a ghost that sounds mechanical? I've always thought the mechanical sounds were undeniable clues that the smoke monster was created by man. But in the end I do believe we'll find out that Smokey is liminal--man-made (science) and spiritual (faith), so maybe under that context he is "ghostly"?
Smokie's Noise
Miles to go before we sleep...
Wow, don't have much to add Prof except fantastic job, and I agree with all of your speculations--smoke monster makes complete sense, and the reason why they can't leave the island. Minor point about Miles--I think the idea that he has a friend in the police department backs up the idea that he probably extracts information from the corpse.
I read that the device that Miles uses is a replica of devices ghostbusters actually use and it sets up currents of cold air. Which is not to negate the sonic idea...I think it's in addition to that. Vibrations as ways to open thresholds between worlds. Again thinking about the hydra collar on the bear and hydra as a guardian of the underworld--does movement on and off the island require some passage through the underworld, some contact with death, a sacrifice? I think that when Odysseus travels to the underworld, he has to make a sacrifice to speak to the dead (did Ben's getting in touch with Jacob require the purge?).
Just thinking about those Losties who have killed on the island--is this a way the island binds them? And even though Kate I would say is the most premeditated killer off the island (Sawyer kills Duckett after being directed to it by Christian)--she hasn't killed anyone on the island has she?
Smokie=the souls of the Dharma Iniative