Can Richard Alpert Talk to Jacob?
We've been told that Richard is not the Island leader, he's the Island's No. 2
but how does he know that he's supposed to be looking for a new Number 1? Who sends Alpert after the baby Locke and the young Locke? Who tells him to co-opt Ben? And to get rid of Ben?
Monday, September 15, 2008
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8 comments:
I'm still not sure there is a Jacob. I really want him to be an advanced technology that someone is using to manipulate the island people. Although, I think I'm just in denial probably.
Yeah, you know, there was a Twilight Zone episode about a post-apocalyptic town that got its orders from "the old man in the cave", via one guy in town who visited him. It turned out to be a computer in a cave. It would be funny-weird if TPTB used that for inspiration.
Truthfully, I'm not sure what to think about Richard and Jacob's relationship. Why can't Richard be #1? He's been there longest! But maybe it's a matter of Richard being the spiritual leader or Jacob go-between, and Ben or Locke or whomever, being the managerial, personnel, or project administrator.
Capcom, that device of a computer in a cave giving directions was used in Book 5 of the Dark Tower series. I think there's a lot of Twilight Zone inspiration in LOST. It could also explain Christian's usurpation of the cabin. That reminds me -- whose eye was that in Episode 4.1 in Jacob's cabin? That's something I need to revisit.
As for Richard I think it must be the case that there's something about him that prevents him from being The Leader. Maybe it's his inability to talk to Jacob. Maybe it's something about his lack of a 5th toe (still hoping for that one.) But I think someone had to tip him off to Locke and his specialness. And I wonder if it was his idea, not Ben's to take Walt too. Gee. Lots of Alpert questions. He's replacing Rousseau in my question book.
Interesting that it was in Dark Tower also.
Maybe, to draw on a biblical analogy - Richard is the Samuel to Ben's Saul. Going after Locke is really no different than annointing the young David who didn't actually become king for many years yet. . .
Interesting analogy, but by that standard it should be Richard not Ben talking to Jacob. That's I think what makes Richard's role tricky to understand. It's not quite fitting into any of our standard analogies.
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