The Whispers - some thoughts

[Reed]

Again a theory that has probably arisen several times since S1 but I am not sure if this has been touched upon.

After watching "Outlaws" yesterday I began thinking about the whispers. In this episode Sawyer repeatedly hears "it'll come back around". To begin with the voice sounds like Sawyer, but later in the episode we hear Frank Duckett say those exact words when he is murdered by Sawyer. I am unsure of whether the voice was that of Sawyer or Duckett. Ultimately the whispers play on Sawyers mind, reminding him of his Duckket flashback which affects his actions on the island.

With this in mind, is it possible the whispers are deriving from a past life, an alternate life, pre-island life or even the future? With theories that the island sits in between worlds/dimensions, is the island picking up these "signals". Why must we assume ANY of these whispers are created/repeated ON the island? Could the whispers be travelling through the time and space continuum?

I remember reading some S2 transcripts a long time ago which have never made much sense to me. [I am assuming these transcripts were genuine so if anyone has read them also, please confirm the following are in fact real]. The whispers appeared to be commentary to events on the island.


Snippets of other whispers include:

• *When Ben was held captive in the Swan, whispers seemed to offer Ben advice on his alibi to Sayid, whether Ben could hear them or not remains to be seen. I would not bet against it.

• *When Sayid chased after Shannon prior to her death, the whispers were heard repeating "relax, she likes the guy". Seems as though there were TWO or more people involved in these whispers, almost as though they were talking to each other.

Could the whisperers forsee her death, in turn using Shannon's death to make Sayid more determined to help the survivors leave the island? Her death seemed to fuel Sayid as he became a very serious and motivated survivor post her death. Though of course this is assuming the whispers have the ability to change events like a video game - can they change Fate/Destiny?

Can anyone recall any other significant whispers?

Another idea is that the whispers are the "subconscious thoughts" of the survivors OR the creation of Jacob. The latter supports the whispers Ben heard in the Swan, though why Jacob would be helping Ben is beyond me. Perhaps Jacob was at peace in S2. Strange thing is I have watched this episode with headphones on, yet did not hear ANY whispers.

If anyone has seen De-Ja-Vu staring Denzil Washington [*MOVIE SPOILERS BELOW*], what if someone is using a similar contraption seen in the movie to view and change the past?

The movie involved a surveillance device which allowed the past to be seen on a projector/tv screen and be physically changed through viewer interacteration. Not sure how well I have explained this part but hopefully those who have seen the movie understand.

What if the survivors are watching their lives over trying to un-do mistakes, or perhaps "someone" else is changing events. Though for good or for better?

Who is responsible for the whispers and are these whispers changing the present before our very eyes, and for what purpose?

[D-Roc]

(EDIT) Yeah this has been brought up several times over the past 2 or so years, but there's no harm in re-examining them and/or throwing new light on them, since we have just had another season undfer our belts.

I think my original theory on thw whispers was that they were from the dead. As in people who had died eother in the real world or on the island..and that they had manifested themselves in the subconcious (as you mention) of the survivors duing critical or familiar moments on the island (eg Sawyer's boar moment..was very similar to his actual execution of Duckett..). Btw, it was (i beleive) Duckett's voice which 'whispered' to Sawyer in that scene - almost as if the spirit or memory of Duckett was testing Sawyer to see whether he would make the same mistake ("it'll come back around..").

I think that the island's properties are so power and special that they tap into the subconcious of those who are on the island. As we've seen with the visions/dreams, the island almost magnifies peoples memories and seems to extract their hopes, their fears and their dreams (literally)..the best examples include Eko's past being extracted by the black smoke, Charlie's dreams about 'saving the baby' and Jac's visions of Christian..all of these could be argued to be extracted from their subconcious..which is also connected to their hopes, dreams, fears etc (imo).

I LOVE what you said about the whispers being from the future losties trying to undo the past..this is facinating as it makes me thin of desperate Jack in that flash-forward and what he'd do to 'change' the past. I mean if there was a way to hack into the past and EDIT certain actions/events..

Also, I have watched Dejavu (v.good film)..and so I know what you're talking about..and it's a great example to use. A few of us spoke about this in some depth a few months back..i'll see if I can find the thread..tho it might have been in lost in the server crash we had around about that time

Also, there are some more whisper transcripts in the Transcript forum, if you're interested

I'll add more later..good thread.

[hundredand8]

I remember that discussion about "Deja Vu" fondly

There is a lot to be said for that idea that the whispers occur when the people on the island notice the outside world (or the future) watching them. As opposed to what happens in dreams, where the same or a different entity tap into their subconscious.

Whispers transcripts? I've never read any, and would take them with a pinch of salt anyway because the whispers are deliberately made difficult to understand. With a few exceptions, like "It'll come back around". Question is, if we can't understand the whispers, can the people on the island?

[Reed]

Originally Posted by KoR-evo

(EDIT) Yeah this has been brought up several times over the past 2 or so years, but there's no harm in re-examining them and/or throwing new light on them, since we have just had another season undfer our belts.

I think my original theory on thw whispers was that they were from the dead. As in people who had died eother in the real world or on the island..and that they had manifested themselves in the subconcious (as you mention) of the survivors duing critical or familiar moments on the island (eg Sawyer's boar moment..was very similar to his actual execution of Duckett..). Btw, it was (i beleive) Duckett's voice which 'whispered' to Sawyer in that scene - almost as if the spirit or memory of Duckett was testing Sawyer to see whether he would make the same mistake ("it'll come back around..").

I think that the island's properties are so power and special that they tap into the subconcious of those who are on the island. As we've seen with the visions/dreams, the island almost magnifies peoples memories and seems to extract their hopes, their fears and their dreams (literally)..the best examples include Eko's past being extracted by the black smoke, Charlie's dreams about 'saving the baby' and Jac's visions of Christian..all of these could be argued to be extracted from their subconcious..which is also connected to their hopes, dreams, fears etc (imo).

I LOVE what you said about the whispers being from the future losties trying to undo the past..this is facinating as it makes me thin of desperate Jack in that flash-forward and what he'd do to 'change' the past. I mean if there was a way to hack into the past and EDIT certain actions/events..

Also, I have watched Dejavu (v.good film)..and so I know what you're talking about..and it's a great example to use. A few of us spoke about this in some depth a few months back..i'll see if I can find the thread..tho it might have been in lost in the server crash we had around about that time

Also, there are some more whisper transcripts in the Transcript forum, if you're interested

I'll add more later..good thread.

That is very plausible re: the dead. Have you ever seen White Noise the movie? The main character picking up voices/messages from the dead via electrical equipment? Perhaps the island is acting as a piece of electrical equipment because of it's position in the Universe - between dimensions.

Well the whispers are not in the subconscious because we [at one point] bared witness to two Survivors hearing them at once - cannot remember who was involved. My idea at the end of the post was that their subconscious thoughts were being heard out loud - beyond their control.

It sounded very much like Sawyer at one point imo, but Kate's father inhabiting Sawyer's body in S2 would indicate the whispers were in fact Duckett. It is already confirmed the real world is playing a role on the island. However in the grand scheme of things how would killing the boar affect Sawyer? Perhaps not killing it tought Sawyer a valuable lesson - restraint, letting go, thinking before acting etc.

It is interesting as to just how powerful the island is - what are it's limits? Interestingly though, to my memory Aaron was not in danger when Charlie had those dreams or perhaps he really did NEED baptising. With your "island paragraph" in mind, is it possible the island is whispering? Quite a terrifying thought actually - a talking island. Perhaps the island is powered by the living and/or by the dead? Or quite simply - Jacob.

Thank you, yes the idea about "undo'ing their past" is very interesting indeed. Though if true, it makes you wonder what happened to the Survivors in the dimension in which they are trying to change the past. What went wrong and what are they trying to make happen? Time will tell.

I am sure Jack would do ANYTHING to change the past. I have never seen a more desperate man - wishing the plane would crash every week, just hoping to return to the island. I was thinking about that scene recently upon looking at the S3 quotes on www.tv.com. Very nice Lost section btw.

I think Lost's explanation of "time travel" and "eveything changes" etc, will be far more inventive that what De Ja Vu cooked up - as clever as that was. I have faith that the producers will blow us away.

Thanks, I may have a look at those transcripts just out of interest.

[Reed]

Originally Posted by hundredand8

I remember that discussion about "Deja Vu" fondly

There is a lot to be said for that idea that the whispers occur when the people on the island notice the outside world (or the future) watching them. As opposed to what happens in dreams, where the same or a different entity tap into their subconscious.

Whispers transcripts? I've never read any, and would take them with a pinch of salt anyway because the whispers are deliberately made difficult to understand. With a few exceptions, like "It'll come back around". Question is, if we can't understand the whispers, can the people on the island?

What do you mean notice "the outside world (or the future) watching them"? Are you saying if the concept from De Ja Vu is currently present in Lost? I do not think the Survivors would ever contemplate this, being that the island is a weird enough place anyway - random whispers would fit in nicely with the other strange events that seem to happen.

As I stated previously, I NEVER heard any whispers wearing Headphones in the Ben scene with Sayid. Very strange. Interesting to think whether Sawyer heard the words being said by the whispers or not. We would have had an answer to this had he conversed with Sayid when he asked him. If only these people had the intelligence to share their individual wealth of information they might actually get somewhere.