What’s in the Box? by Luhks

Decades ago, a young man named Jeffery Jacob Abrams purchased a mysterious package from Lou Tannen’s Magic Shop in New York. The box is modest in size and appearance, covered in a plain wrapping, and marked with a large black question mark. With this simple object in the back of his mind, Abrams would one day become one of the most imaginative and successful auteurs in the television and film industries. Millions of viewers soon discovered their own personal box of infinite mystery, the television show Lost. Abrams claims that he will never open his mysterious package: "It represents infinite possibility; it represents hope; it represents potential... mystery is the catalyst for imagination... maybe there are times where mystery is more important than knowledge."


If these ideas sounds familiar to Lost fans, they should. Time and again, Lost demonstrates the value of mystery over the value of information. The characters on Lost even encounter their own mystery boxes, both literal and metaphorical. The seminal episode White Rabbit reached its climax when central character Jack Shephard opened his father’s coffin, to find nothing inside except misery. Years later, the whereabouts of Christian Shephard's body remain unknown. The second half of Season One chronicled John Locke’s efforts to open a much larger box, the Hatch. Even though this box was anything but empty, Locke soon found himself a prisoner inside it, buried underground the way Christian should have been. In the now-classic episode The Man From Tallahassee, Ben taunts Locke with the prospect of an even larger box of endless possibility: “What if I told you that somewhere on this island, there's a very large box... and whatever you imagined, whatever you wanted to be in it, when you opened that box, there it would be.”


Over three seasons, Lost has sparked audience imagination with many remarkable supernatural occurrences: travelers and creatures that have no place on a tropical island, disembodied voices in the jungle, a deadly monster made of black smoke, mystical visions of the dead, and an invisible man of untold power. This unique combination of otherworldly events has inspired each viewer to imagine a personal vision of how these events might be tied together. While all of these major mysteries push the limits of time and space, one of the most compelling mysteries of the show's history might be the most (literally) down-to-earth mystery of all. In Through the Looking Glass, Jack encountered another box, another coffin, which he could not bring himself to open. Years after the events on the island, this man's suicide pushed Jack to the edge of self-annihilation. The conclusion of Season Three left viewers pondering: just who was the man in the box, and why was he so important?

(Disclaimer: As far as I know, the answer to this mystery may have already been spoiled. In that case, this piece can only serve as an artifact of pre-spoiler thoughts on the mystery.)


After months of arguments, cryptic interviews, and high-definition screen-cap analysis, fans seem to be no closer to a consensus answer than they were during the original airing. For a long time, a minority of viewers (myself included) have maintained that this dead man most likely would be a new character. Although a new character remains a possibility, the emotional impact of those scenes would be much stronger if the victim were an established character from a previous episode. Fans have scrutinized nearly every possible character, with theories ranging from the fairly reasonable (Sawyer, Jacob), to the far-fetched (Juliet, Walt), to the downright bizarre (Christian, Jack himself). Some people have even suggested that Jack might have been so distraught that he attended the funeral of a random victim that he never met. Throughout all of these discussions, though, three names have emerged more frequently than any others: John Locke, Ben Linus, and Michael Dawson. For different reasons, each one of these three characters would blend seamlessly with the events of the episode.


The episode includes three direct clues as to the identity of the deceased. The first clue consists of the actual news item that informed Jack of the man’s death. Although the newspaper clipping was cleverly obscured from plain view in the episode, the wonders of modern technology enabled resourceful viewers to enhance the image from different angles, and piece together a probable version of the text:

The body of John Lantham of New York was found shortly after 4 am in the 4300 block of Grand Avenue. Ted Worden, a doorman at the Tower Lofts complex, heard loud noises coming from the victim’s loft. Concerned for the tenants’ safety, he entered the loft and found the body hanging from a beam in the living room. According to Jaime Ortiz, a police spokesman, the incident was deemed a suicide after medical tests. Latham is survived by one teenaged son.

I applaud the efforts of the people who invested the time and effort to decipher this clue. Although these details add another layer to the episode, this information still offers no definitive answers. The name John Lantham could be either the real name of a new character, or the assumed name of a known character. All three characters would have sufficient reasons to conceal their identities on the mainland. If the character's name was false, then the other biographical information about him (i.e. his hometown) might also be false. The mention of a teenage son would seem to indicate Michael (if accurate), but both Locke and Ben are old enough and complicated enough to have fathered a child many years ago.

The other two clues come in the form of puzzling dialogue about the deceased. At the Hoffs-Drawlar building, Jack and the funeral director briefly discuss his relationship to the dead man.


DIRECTOR: Can I help you?
JACK: Sorry I …. Actually I came, …, is the funeral over?
DIRECTOR: There was no funeral, sir, only a viewing. Nobody showed up.
JACK: Nobody? You sure?
DIRECTOR: Just you. My deepest condolences. Friend or family?
JACK: Neither.

Later on, Kate also expresses another peculiar reaction to the dead man.

JACK: I was hoping that you'd heard. That maybe you'd go to the funeral.
KATE: Why would I go to the funeral?


Whatever the dead man’s identity, Jack was the only person in the outside world who cared enough to attend the viewing. Even so, Jack did not consider the man a friend, and (apparently) neither did Kate. Once again, though, this information does not exclude any of the three main candidates. Locke and Michael both held few attachments off the island, and Ben most likely had even fewer. Jack and Kate have a long list of reasons to dislike all three men.


These shrewdly ambiguous clues do not provide any definitive answer for the man’s identity. No one can answer this question with certainty, unless that person uncovered inside information about Season Four. At best, all of us can only offer a subjective assessment of the relative probabilities of each character. While these direct clues in the episode are very important, Through the Looking Glass also offers an indirect path to reach a conclusion. Every episode of Lost draws thematic links between the on-island events and flashback events. Even though the flash-forward scenes changed the format, the storytelling style should remain consistent. One can watch the episode with an assumption about the man's identity, and examine the implications for this particular story. Although this approach does not lead to any clear solution, it does offer three compelling interpretations of the Through the Looking Glass narrative.


1. Locke is in the coffin.


Suicide represents a recurring theme in Through the Looking Glass, from the opening scenes to the climax. The episode begins with Jack ready to jump literally off a bridge; it incorporates a song from the famous, suicidal musician Kurt Cobain; it renews the question of whether Sawyer wants to die; and it includes a kamikaze attack from Mikhail (which leads to the demise of another vaguely suicidal musician, Charlie). Halfway through the episode, our beloved John Locke also put a gun to his head and prepared to pull the trigger. Locke was driven to the ultimate act of desperation, because he believed that Ben's gunshot wound would leave him paralyzed.

Past epsiodes suggest that Locke would again become a paraplegic if he ever abandoned the island. This particular story not only introduces the possibility of rescue, but also establishes that a renewed paralysis would drive Locke to kill himself. With these two elements, suicide seems like a realistic possibility for Locke's future. It should also be noted that the assumed name of the suicide victim, John Lantham, is only a minor departure from the name John Locke. The most obvious issue to overcome with this explanation is that Locke would never leave the island of his own free will. If Locke eventually arrived in Los Angeles, then most likely he was taken there by force. In this case, Jack would hold himself responsible, whether directly or indirectly, for Locke’s paralysis and death.


The final two scenes in Through the Looking Glass call attention to a mirroring between on-island Locke and post-island Jack. Locke warns Jack not to make the phone call by claiming, “You’re not supposed to do this.” In the final scene, Jack agrees, “We were not supposed to leave.” Jack's complete reversal of perspective recalls Locke's famous prophecy from Exodus ("I don't believe in destiny"; "Yes, you do. You just don't know it yet"). In this interpretation, the Season Three finale essentially depicts how Jack evolved from Locke's greatest nemesis to become Locke's spiritual successor, the man to carry on Locke's work after his death. Even Matthew Fox's physical acting in the flash-forward scenes is so strong that he seems to be chanelling Terry O'Quinn. Off the island, Jack became an emotionally crippled man, who believed that there was only one destination on earth that could make him whole again. Essentially, Jack Shephard became the new John Locke. (As much as I love the John Locke character, and as sad as it would be to deal with Locke's death, I have to admit that this version of the story would be both extremely satisfying and true to the tone of both characters.)


2. Ben is in the coffin.


The case for Benjamin Linus is very similar to the case for John Locke. He too would never depart the island willingly. Ben would seem to be a stronger candidate than Locke to be forcibly removed from the island: Ben will begin Season Four as a prisoner, and forces outside the island may be looking to bring him to justice as a mass murderer. Although Ben has no medical reason to remain on the island, all of his actions revolve around protecting his leadership position and furthering his cause. Without the special attention that he receives from his followers and from Jacob, Benjamin Linus would revert back to his former state of impotence as Ben Workman. Ben killed his pathetic father without mercy, and he might not be able to forgive himself if he too became a failure. If Ben lost hope of ever returning to the island, then he too would have a pretty strong reason to end his life.

Jack might experience genuine guilt if he caused Locke's death, but he would barely bat an eyelash at Ben's funeral. Rather than guilt, though, Jack may have tried to kill himself out of despair: Ben might have been Jack’s only hope of finding the island again. By his own admission, Jack was obsessed with returning to the island, and Ben likely would possess as much relevant information as anyone. Ben's stunningly accurate predictions of Jack's post-island life indicate that he possessed more than just practical knowledge of the island, but deeper insight into Jack's destiny. After his showdown with Ben, Jack's next flash-forward scene ends with the words, "You can't help me!". Reflecting on his past, Jack might have come to see Ben as the only man who could help him find his way.


If Ben eventually ends up inside the coffin, then this development would bring another brilliantly ironic reversal to the episode. During the on-island scenes, Jack expresses his desire not only to defeat Ben, but to kill him immediately afterward. Years later, Jack comes to need Ben's help so desperately that Ben's death leads him to kill himself. In this interpretation, Through the Looking Glass shows how Jack brought about the downfall of Ben's regime from the outside, alongside the parallel story of how Ben managed to bring about the collapse of Jack's world from within.


3. Michael is in the coffin.


Although Ben and Locke feature prominently in the episode, the newspaper text most strongly indicates a main character not shown at all in Season Three. Michael meets the biographical description of John Lantham: he originally comes from New York City, and his son Walt is entering his teen years at the time of the flash-forward. Michael resorted to very drastic measures to ensure the release of himself and his son Walt: he murdered Ana-Lucia and Libby, released Ben from captivity, and then led four of his friends to capture. Michael conceivably might have killed himself due to guilt from these actions (provided that Walt was no longer around). The final episode of Season Two depicts Michael's escape from the island, while the third finale details Jack's exodus. Rumor has it that Harold Perrineau may have been offered a chance to appear in the Through the Looking Glass as well, which could have made these parallels more direct.


If Jack tried to kill himself after learning of Michael's death, then Jack's journey off the island probably bears a strong resemblance to Michael's. On the island, Jack and Michael were equally obsessed with finding rescue, but Michael fixated only on his son Walt, while Shephard took responsibility for the entire flock. In the finale, Jack refers to the group as ‘my people,’ in the same fanatical manner that Michael spoke of ‘my boy’ over the first two seasons. If this comparison holds true, then expect to see Jack commit at least one murder during Season Four to secure their escape. Also, this comparison suggests that Jack will leave behind several friends in great danger on the island, just as Michael did. In this version of the Through the Looking Glass narrative, Jack attempts to kill himself upon realizing that he had become another Michael. (As with Locke's suicide attempt, though, fate intervenes in time, because he still has work left to do.)


What's in the box?



The coffin question is unique among the major myteries on Lost. On the surface, it is deceptively simple. Unlike many other unanswered questions, this mystery will conclude with an objective, straightforward solution. The facts will say that there is only one man in the coffin. However, there is always an important distinction between fact and truth. In the truth of the scene, Jack was not mourning just one man, but all of the people he lost. By obscuring the facts and by leaving the box unopened, the show allowed its viewers to discover the truth for themselves.

DIRECTOR: Would you like me to open it up?
JACK: No.
DIRECTOR: Take your time.

The funeral parlor scene serves as a microcosm for the entire show. We are presented with the outside of a box. The contents of that box promise to answer all of our questions. We want to open it. We’re dying to know what is inside. We know we’re ready to see it. But then, a character intervenes. The character is not ready to open it up, not yet ready to face the answers inside. The keeper of the box patiently tells him take all of the time he needs. Because the question remains unanswered, we have enough time to ponder all of the possibilities, and reflect upon the deeper truths at hand. J.J. Abrams did the right thing by keeping his mystery box intact. The majority of viewers are hoping that Season Four of Lost will finally show us the inside of the box. I, for one, will be hoping that Season Four offers us more and more boxes to scrutinize. Maybe there are times when mystery is more important than knowledge.



Article by Luhks