# Lost 1.9, "Solitary" (SPOILERS) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371 "2004-11-17T23:13:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/101 "2004-11-18T19:50:23Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Anyone got any wild speculation about the Voices that Whisper in the jungle? > > _whispering_ Braaaaaiiins… Yeah… Rousseau, brilliant though he was, was clinically paranoid, which totally permeated his life and work. He seemed perpetually convinced of a vast, shapeless conspiracy, against folk in general and against him in particular. Anyone who spent any length of time with him at all was eventually suspected of working with “them.” He even turned against David Hume, who went to great lengths to protect him from _actual_ persecution, because he believed he overheard him say “It’s Jean-Jacques” in his sleep. I think the whisperers are just manifestations of Danielle’s paranoia, and Sayid hears them now because he’s been exposed to her delusions. Compare the way conspiracy theories propagate in the wild – People are exposed to the idea of a “them” (Jesuits/Masons/Illuminati/Jewish bankers/Aliens/Whatever) out there, plotting against the rest of us. From then on the impressionable person believes they can make out vague traces of these sinister forces in everything they hear. The voices are just the wind in the leaves, but the perception has changed. I think from this point out we can expect a lot more exposition on the contraries of the political philosphies of Locke and Rousseau, which are both concerned with human beings’ relationship to nature and society. For Locke, the natural rights of men are largely about the protection of individual rights-- when all of the individuals are allowed their natural rights, the collective benefits. Rousseau’s was similar but inverted-- that to benefit the individual, the good of the collective must be placed above all. Danielle wiped out every individual in her collective because she considered their individuality a _threat_ to the collective. The “sickness” she’s so concerned with is the will to dominate or conquer nature instead of returning to a sort of Edenic mentality. She destroyed her society to save it, every time she saw symptoms of the “disease,” and never considering the pathology of her own actions, or that the imposition of her standard for social order was an oppressive domination in itself. The idea of “protective” actions causing a society to self-distruct runs through Sayid’s story, too. For Sayid and his Sunni boys, the bombing that Nadja is suspected of is the symptom of a sickness that threatens society, and they’ve got to treat the situation to protect people. For the people who planted the bomb, Saddam’s regime is the disease, and car-bombs are the solution. What is the disease here, really? Could it be a case of the “Thems”? Anyway, one thing I’d like to know about the Island Links is _how did Hurley trim the greens?_ What the hell? ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/102 "2004-11-18T19:59:09Z")
What about a virus? Danielle’s transmission said “It got out. It killed them all.” Or “He got out. He killed them all.” What if the researchers were working on something contagious, and the virus got out of containment? “IT got out. IT killed them all.” Then you’d have people beyond saving, carriers, and a good motive for killing someone you suspected was a carrier. Like Robert. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/103 "2004-11-18T20:03:43Z")
I still say Danielle may have been a wish fulfillment hallucination. What did Sayid want? 1. To find the French woman who was the voice of the transmission. 2. To get absolution for torturing people. Wish granted on both counts! The test of this theory will be whether Sayid makes it back to camp with the items he pilfered from Danielle’s shack-- and shows them to the other survivors. If he does, then the encounter must have been real. If he somehow “loses” them before getting back to the others, then my bet is on the hallucination theory. (On another point: Am I the only one who gets annoyed with a show that keeps raising questions without answering them? Dammit, I want some resolution. Instead, for every question that gets answered (or even halfway answered), ten more questions get raised. I’m losing patience with that gimmick.) ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/104 "2004-11-18T20:04:57Z")
> [@Trion](#): > > So, let me see if I’ve got this straight. > > Sayid knocked himself out to avoid a brain eating elephant named Alex who is the child of a french scientist marooned 16 years ago along with her tree crushing monster prototype. And now they’re all trapped along with the invisible wispering werewolves. > > That about cover it? > > 😉 You forgot that Hurley Hobbes is god! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/105 "2004-11-18T20:08:04Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > **Really farfetched question:** > When Sayid was knocked out, we saw that in extreme close-up right? Was it so close-up that it _could_ have been Sayid knocking himself out My mental picture from it is that the camera was angled slightly upwards and we saw his shoulders, and he was looking down at an instrument. The posture/muscles from the shoulders didn’t look like (from memory) they were in any position for him to whack himself in the head… of course, they didn’t have to actually have the actor do it in the scene, but I think it’s sort of a ridiculous line of thought anyway… I’m sure if this ended up being the case, viewers everywhere would give out a collective “WTF?” ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/106 "2004-11-18T20:16:06Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > My mental picture from it is that the camera was angled slightly upwards and we saw his shoulders, and he was looking down at an instrument. The posture/muscles from the shoulders didn’t look like (from memory) they were in any position for him to whack himself in the head… of course, they didn’t have to actually have the actor do it in the scene, but I think it’s sort of a ridiculous line of thought anyway… I’m sure if this ended up being the case, viewers everywhere would give out a collective “WTF?” I know it’s preposterous, but I couldn’t remember how much we saw in the shot. A chunk of wood being swung like a bat, of if the shot was a lot closer. Sayid was clearly too exited about seeing the bars of the signal to have whacked himself. It only occured to me because of an Agatha Christie book, and I just wanted to be sure it was as ridiculous an idea as it seems. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/107 "2004-11-18T20:16:28Z")
Did anyone feel like the flashbacks last night weren’t as long as previous episodes. I have been critical of the flashbacks lately and I was pleased with this episode. It SEEMED to have much more present day story than the last few episodes. Put another way, this episode seemed to advance the plot better and not just serve as a vehicle to tell a LIVES PAST tale. Until this week, it was starting to feel like a clip show episode of a sitcom. A thin setup and then a flashback. “Boy, I really don’t want to let people down. It was like my dad always said. I couldn’t handle the loss!” (Fade to flashback). This one really played well. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/108 "2004-11-18T20:30:17Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > (On another point: Am I the only one who gets annoyed with a show that keeps raising questions without answering them? Dammit, I want some resolution. Instead, for every question that gets answered (or even halfway answered), ten more questions get raised. I’m losing patience with that gimmick.) I don’t think Danielle was a hallucination. She spoke languages Sayid didn’t know. As for the whole “raising more questions than it answers” idea…I **like** it. Questions are good. It’s when shows start to **answer** the questions that they get lame and boring. Now, off to re-read _An Essay Concerning Human Understanding_! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/109 "2004-11-18T20:45:28Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > As for the whole “raising more questions than it answers” idea…I **like** it. It would bother me less if they didn’t studiously ignore the questions they raised. For example, the polar bear thing. Jack finds out about the polar bear, and his reaction is “polar bear?” and then we move right along to another subject. A normal reaction would be more like: “POLAR BEAR? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WAIT! THAT DOESN’t MAKE ANY SENSE! SCREW EVERYTHING ELSE FOR A MINUTE! THERE ARE POLAR BEARS ON THIS ISLAND? SHOW ME! TAKE ME TO THE CORPSE! LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS!” But they never seem to talk about, or even think about, all the weird shit that’s going down. Instead they play golf. Bugs me, man. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/110 "2004-11-18T20:50:36Z")
Well, they really didn’t ignore it, so much as string it along. Danielle mentions bears as she exits her hooch, after all. 😃 Now, if the series ends without some of these being answered, or at least sortof answering them, **then** I will be pissed! ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/111 "2004-11-18T21:06:52Z")
I just assume that the lengthy dialogue is performed off camera. Why would they waste our time rehashing old plots? Let them do that while I am fast forwarding through commercials. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Illinois\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Illinois\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illinois_Boy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/112 "2004-11-18T21:21:43Z")
Big fan of this show, and I really appreciate these threads. After last night I had just assumed it was the French lady who conked Sayid, but now it’s back up in the air for me. One little thing that bothered me from last night - (Best Chris Rock voice) On a island full of people, why’s it got to be the \*\*black \*\* man who hands the golf club to the doctor! (Chris Rock voice go away) I would propose a Lost drinking game, with a shot for every Hurley “Dude” but a) when it’s Hurley’s flashback episode, we’d all die, and b) you gots to stay sharp watching this show. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/113 "2004-11-18T21:24:45Z")
I’m not sure if I should admit this, but I thought Danielle’s last name was “Cousteau.” And so I thought she was part of some oceanic research team funded by Jacques Cousteau. Once again, where the hell is Rose? I thought she was a regular, not a red shirt! Why is it that Jack’s shirt never dries? I find it completely implausible that Sayyid would leave nutso woman behind without getting more answers. I also find it implausbile that she would allow the first human she’s seen in umpteen years to just walk away. Especially a sinewy, handsome man. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/114 "2004-11-18T21:35:46Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > I just assume that the lengthy dialogue is performed off camera. Why would they waste our time rehashing old plots? Let them do that while I am fast forwarding through commercials. 🙂 Let’s see, 48 castaways, there were 7 (?) who originally saw the bear… Michael: "What polar bear? Charlie: “Didn’t you hear about the polar bear? Well, when we were looking for higher ground to use the transmitter, a polar bear charged us in the woods…” Hurley: “Polar bear? What polar bear?” Michael: “When Charlie was charging through the woods with the transmitter, he saw a polar bear!” Mr. Itchy: “What are you talking about? Polar bear???” Hurley: “Dude, Charlie saw a polar bear that was using a transmitter! I think he charged it!” Mr. Itchy: “Charlie bought a polar bear! He charged it to the transmitter!” ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/115 "2004-11-18T21:40:57Z")
[QUOTE=Illinois\_Boy(Best Chris Rock voice) On a island full of people, why’s it got to be the \*\*black \*\* man who hands the golf club to the doctor! (Chris Rock voice go away) [/QUOTE] He wasn’t the caddy. I think they were playing in teams of two: Jack and Michael vs. Hurley and Charlie. Hence their goofy hula dancing trying to distract Jack. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/116 "2004-11-18T21:53:33Z")
I liked the way Hurley’s bits jiggled when he swung into the ground. The betting on the shot was a nice touch. Jack should take a dive just to get the sun screen for Shannon’s luscious, yummy body. Ooh, come here, baby. Doctor will take care of you. Oh yeah, that’s what you need. How’d you get burnt there? Yeah, that’s it… Relax. The Doctor is here to please… Sorry. What was I saying? ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/117 "2004-11-18T22:16:16Z")
I went back to my DVR to see the “elephant” (although it was definitely French Cat Lady, it really looked and moved like an elephant trunk!). When I rewatched the scene, something occured to me. This is the second time I can recall that a danger has followed the conversation. The first incident was the tunnel collapse that mirrored Charlie’s anger. This time, the woman says the island isn’t safe and we hear a roar. Either it is wish fullfillment or Mogo Doesn’t Socialize! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/118 "2004-11-18T23:43:29Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > This is the second time I can recall that a danger has followed the conversation. > > The first incident was the tunnel collapse that mirrored Charlie’s anger. > > This time, the woman says the island isn’t safe and we hear a roar. Yeah. > [@John Locke](#): > > There comes, by constant use, to be such a connexion between certain sounds and the ideas they stand for, that the names heard, almost as readily excite certain ideas as if the objects themselves, which are apt to produce them, did actually affect the senses. Remember, what Charlie screamed was “I AM A ROCK GOD!” He and Jack then had their senses affected to a certain degree by falling rocks. Maybe we _do_ have a kind of Philip K. Dick thing going on, and the apparent reality the castaways are experiencing is artificial and just a bit flaky. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/119 "2004-11-19T00:24:02Z")
You guys have pretty effectively hashed out all the revelations and added mysteries of this latest hour (this show just gets better and better, doesn’t it?), so I’m posting only to observe one tiny little production detail that impressed me and that hasn’t been mentioned yet: When Sayid was looking at the photographs at the beginning, his fingernails are quite long. Apparently the fact that clippers are prohibited from carry-on baggage is more than a little inconvenient for our castaways. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371/120 "2004-11-19T00:57:09Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > When I rewatched the scene, something occured to me. This is the second time I can recall that a danger has followed the conversation. > > The first incident was the tunnel collapse that mirrored Charlie’s anger. > > This time, the woman says the island isn’t safe and we hear a roar. > > Either it is wish fullfillment or Mogo Doesn’t Socialize! What about when Walt was reading that comic book with the polar bear in it and then… suddenly there’s a polar bear attack? Does that count? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-9-solitary-spoilers/275371.md?page=7)