LOST Whispers

LOST Whispers

In this, my last "review the clues" post before season 3 resumes, I discuss the whispers that can be heard from time to time on the island, from no obvious direction or location. This post comes with several caveats.

1. People with far more time than I have (and presumably better equipment) have deciphered the whispers. Everything I "know" about them, I found on the internet.

2. I have tinnitis, or a persistent high-pitched ringing in my ears, which means I can't make out 90% of what they claim to have heard.

In other words, this may all be a load of hogwash. Or it may offer some very interesting clues. Lawyers typically must evaluate not only the content of evidence, but also the weight it is to be given, considering the source. Lost loving lawyers are no different.

You can get a glimpse of what I'm talking about at the above link (or by clicking on the title of this post). The information comes primarily from two frequent posters to the official Lost Blog, thefuselage.com, who themselves Penyours and RVTurnage.

Penyours and RVTurnage postulate, and purport to prove, that the whispers are found, not just in the obvious jungle scenes when the sound mixers ramp them up and the characters seem to hear them, but also buried in many of the more climactic scenes of the series.

Some of the more interesting notes from these whisper transcripts are presented here, but I invite you to check out the full panoply at the above link and let me know what you think.

From the season opener, "A Tale of Two Cities," the scene in which Jack could not hear Juliet through the glass of his tank. The whispers appeared (and were followed by Christian Sheppard's voice on the intercom). Here's the transcript (references in parentheses are lines of dialog from the main scene):

Has she tried to talk to him (or) shall we talk to him Look on Has he answered (or) His head is hurtdon't (won't) talk We're not sure if he knows that much (or) We’re not sure if we’ll find out muchThat's what I was thinkingLet him go freeIt's not easy keeping something that secret (sacred) (Jack: If you're trying to talk to me, I can't hear you)What are you gonna do (or) go on and do it Let it go Jack (Christian's voice?)Now I can tell what you're doing Bring it back to her

So who are these voices? In this and several other scenes, they seem to offer a running commentary, not to mention some apparently unheard advice to the characters. This is also evident from last season's finale, "Live Together, Die Alone," in which the voices were clearly audible (though perhaps indecypherable) when Jack's party was ambushed by the Others in the clearing near the pneumatic tubes from the Pearl stations:

This is no good (or) Let's do something (or) We're near themHe's asking him somethingYeah but what happenedThey saw a smoke signal Elizabeth Did (does) somebody see you (or) It looks like her but You' re on her right Behind you I'll have to listen to the dreams (trees) to learn (find) something He'll need to instruct you (or) Do we ambush Why can't you (two) do it (or) Can't you see(Sawyer gets hit with dart) Got to have a team with you Okay crank it up(Kate: Sawyer!) I knew that something bad would happenI assume this is how you would do itDon't tell anyone he wants it done (or) Don't want anyone to dieLets assemble them (or) This is similar (or) What's this symbol of(Jack: Run! Go! Go!) It was herSo she was never taken (or) So she must never take it (or) I'm sure it's just new to youSaid I was about to (or) Someone attacked them Get your butt out of there Try the sequenceHad to be given lessonsTurn it on beside youDon't do it Don't see (Gunshots)You're gonna have to do itYou are too Why can't we choose (or) I can't reach itTwo more people (or) Too young peopleI'm frightenedPleaseCome on it's simpleIntruder alertDo you think I should I lock thisNo , I've seen them beforeClose the doorYou all need me.

I highlight "Elizabeth" because I heard this myself in the scene. In context, in the episode we had just discovered that Desmond's future boat, the Elizabeth, was named by its original owner after his wife, Libby. Because I was able to catch that at the time, I think there may be some credence to these transcripts. That said, they tend to be a bit more abstract than I like my clues to be.

Other whisper sequences give the sense that the whisperers are the masterminds pulling strings on the island. Take for example this transcript, of what the whispers supposedly said the first time we clearly heard them, when Sayid had just fled into the jungle from Danielle Rousseau's bunker in "Solitary":

(Man's voice) Just let him get out of here (Second Man's Voice) He's seen too much already What if he tells (Woman's voice) Could just speak to him (Man's voice) No

Much like Desmond, the whispers also seem to have some ability to tell what is about to happen. See this transcript from "The Other 48 Days," from the scene when the whispers appeared, disoriented Ana Lucia, and she inadvertently shot Shannon (who had been having a tender moment with Sayid before chasing a vision of Walt):

Relax Dude, I think she likes the guy You're life Ich Weiss Nicht (German for 'I don't know')Look out Ana’s the trigger You're gonna kill her Move on (Gun shot) See ya (Like a chorus singing just after the gunshot)------Shannon She likes the guy, she likes the guy Shannon Your life and and time is up Help me Shannon, meet me on the other side Her song('Ana-Lucia' when reversed)(Gun shot)------Relax dude, she likes the guy, she likes the guy Shannon(In the background) I know it all I know it all...(In the background) Dying sucks Shannon I don't think you should tell her when she comes Obviously she likes youWho's the guy?I want to see ShannonEye to eye(In the background) Who's the guy? Fire Lucia The brothers that help us Are you done with it? Her song('Ana-Lucia' when reversed)(Gun shot)Fire

Finally, here is a series of whispers from "One of Them," in a scene in which Sayid was interrogating "Henry," which suggests the whispers may be alligned with, or have some interest in, the Others:

Maybe we should have stopped it / him Try to execute We've got to see if we can get through to him (Sayid: Tell me about this balloon) Get off for a second (Henry: What?) Something's blocking it / It's right beside him (Sayid: This balloon that brought you here with your wife)Go ahead and do it Might have heard from him / My eyes hurt (Henry: What do you want to know) Is he gonna give it away He's interrogating him (Sayid: Everything) Calmly begin speaking and act completely...So it's okay...We can get you through this ordeal We are minding the radio (Henry: She's a hundred and forty feet high, sixty feet wide...) It ain't sixty feet...It can't be much taller than that... maybe a hundred footer (Henry: and when she's up in the air, 550,000 cubic feet of helium...) Clearly he thought you were on top if it / Clearly he's not too on top of it That gives more to do (Henry: And if you could look down on her...)He's on to him Probably blew it (Henry: you'd see a...) So he buys it He played him(Henry: big yellow smiley face on top) It's not quite ready I need help They don't believe him (Sayid: Why would you travel in that way?) Tell him "for my business" Why else would he do it (Henry: Because I was rich...) Any country might have fit Just stay calm and he won't hurt you(Henry: It was my dream) I know you're doing something Screwed something up / He *beep* it up I don't know how else to put it

There are of course other whisper sequences supposedly decoded by Penyours and RVTurnage, which you can find on the page linked above, or by googling "lost whispers." As with the clues found on the map and in the mural (see prior posts below), these transcripts offer more insight into some of the phenomena we have clearly seen: Walt's abilities, and his reverse-speaking apparition to Shannon and Sayid; Desmond's clairvoyance; smokey's brain image download; Locke and Eko's visions and dreams. Again, I don't have any idea if these transcripts are accurate, or what to make out of some of the less obviously contextually-linked lines. The stream of consciousness that seems to be reflected suggests a form of telepathy, as in thoughts not fully organized into language. Either that, or Penyours and RVTurnage just have too much time and imagination, but not particularly good ears.

Please, go to the link and take a listen. Let me know what you think.

Next week, before "Not in Portland," my rundown of spoilers of hints for the rest of the season...

LOST - The Final Episode Revealed

Some of the cast members had some fun shooting this video bit for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that took place earlier this month in Las Vegas. It depicts the ending of "Lost." It isn't side-splitting funny, but it is cute.

Lost - The mural page

Lost - The mural page

After the six-part series LLL just completed on the blast door map, I considered doing something similar with the less obvious but equally intriguing wall mural for the Swan hatch's library. But as it turns out, someone in Iowa has already done a fantastic job of this, so I'll direct you to the site at the link above.

Some highlights that jump out:

1. The mural apparently changed over time. It could have been modified by John, Jack, and the other button-pushers. Or it could have changed itself. In any case, the precise meaning of the changes is hard to decipher.

2. Stylistically, it is very similar to the abstract artwork created by Claire's ex/ Aaron's father, the artist. The simple explanation is that the Powers that Be hired only one background artist. The more interesting explanation, and more in keeping with Lost, is that Aaron's dad has had some greater connection to the island after leaving Claire (or before)...

3. Symbols found on the mural include boats with people falling off (Sun?), recurrences of "108", fish biscuits, separate islands with water in between, houses (a-la Othersville from this season's opening sequence), a one-eyed man (Mr. eyepatch?), a plane crash, an arrow at the precise heading along which Michael left the island, references to Walt, etc.

So look at this exceptionally well-done website, and think about the content. We're only two weeks away from episode 307 ("Not in Portland"). If it seems odd that so many Lost plot points would appear on this mural before they took place, bear in mind that whatever forces are at play on the island that gave Desmond his new clairvoyance may have done so with someone else in the past...

The Future of Lost

This weekend, at the Television Critics Association tour, the Powers that Be (Lost producers Damon Lindeloff and Carlton Cuse) again brought up their hopes that Lost will be given a definite endpoint in the not too distant future, allowing the writers a roadmap to avoid the appearance of creative stall while they wonder how long they have to string out their master plan. Unlike prior such comments, which seemed to be an attempt to rally the public behind the idea of a firm end date, now the network has gotten involved and a decision seems likely to come soon. As reported by Entertainment Weekly:

"ABC confirmed that discussions were ongoing, but nothing has been finalized. Obviously, a lot rides on the strength of the net's current crop of shows and whether its 2007-08 dramas can someday take the place of a strong performer like Lost, which remains ABC's third-most-watched drama behind Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy. Lindelof has said he hopes Lost will sunset after 100 episodes (they're producing No. 62 now). 'We look at The X-Files as a bit of a cautionary tale,' adds Cuse. 'That was a great show that probably ran two seasons too long. Lost has a much shorter shelf life.'

Meanwhile, it appears likely that ABC will avoid rerun breaks next season and run back-to-back episodes of Lost in either the fall or spring of 2008. The network had considered running the current season without an (interminable) down period over the holidays, but it needed the show in the September to launch The Nine, which bowed with critical acclaim but still faltered in the ratings. (Ultimately The Nine was yanked and canceled after 13 episodes, some of which have yet to air). 'Now our Sundays and Thursdays are really strong, so we'll run 22 straight through either in the fall or the spring,' said ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson."

So at some point next year (either from May 2007 to January 2008 or from February 2009 to September 2009), we'll have a very long Lost break, but, a la 24, it won't be midseason. You can read EW's full coverage by clicking on the title to this post.

My take? As much as I love Lost, this is a good thing. A story is only as good as its ending. If the Powers that Be can determine when that ending will come, they can more effectively pace the plot points and big reveals to get to their rumored pre-planned finale. I'll miss Lost when it's gone (my guess would be after Season 6, in a compromise with the network, but the writers seem to prefer Season 5 for the finale), but better to have it end well than run too long.

Of course, given the scope of the mythology and the world-shaping nature of the Dharma Initiative and the Hanso Foundation (not to mention the Lost Experience, which in story time takes place two years after the crash of flight 815), I see no reason the Powers that Be couldn't work in a jump-off point for some sort of spin-off...

Tour of the map - part 6 of 6

Finally, fellow Lostophiles. Together over the past several weeks, we have walked the length and breadth of the island map that was spotted by John Locke on the back of the blast door in the Swan Hatch. Today, finally, we finish this expedition with the notations made by Kelvin, Radzinsky, and who knows who else in the lower right corner.

"CV IV?"

Decoded: Well, see prior posts about these references (and, please, if you have any ideas, send them my way.)

Mysteries: What does "CV" stand for? Why the Roman numerals? Why is the mapmaker so unsure of this location?

Degree of Certainty: Not a lick.


"The Pearl?"

Decoded: By now we know quite well that the Dharma Initiative's two-person video monitoring station, codenamed "The Pearl," is actually located under the giant "?" both as drawn on the map and as seen from the cliff face above. What is interesting from this notation, way off to the side is that the mapmaker knew 1) that there was a station called "Pearl" and 2) that something important lay beneath the central spot on the map, but didn't manage to connect the two. On the other hand, this could be a notation suggesting that The Pearl is located beneath the "?", but I prefer the interpretation that the island (as manifest to both Eko and Locke as Yemi) felt these two were worthy of finding The Pearl while the mapmakers were not.

Mysteries: How did the mapmaker know about the Pearl if he or she had not been there? What key to the facilities is out there that we have not seen? And what provided the clue to place it here, off to the Southeast of the actual Pearl?

Degree of Certainty: This is one of those rare situations where I feel like we the viewers actually know more than the mapmakers.


"Hic Sunt Dracones"

Decoded: "Here there are dragons." Dragons, mystical monsters from all sorts of mythologies, are sources of wisdom, solitary guardians, and dangerous beasts. In this Southeastern portion of the map, we have encountered the whipsers (both Rousseau and Sayid heard them here), and got our first Smokey sighting. Either or both of these could be the "dragons."

Wikipedia has this to say about the phrase: ""Here be dragons" is a phrase used to denote dangerous or unexplored territories, in imitation of the infrequent medieval practice of putting sea serpents and other mythological creatures in blank areas.
...
In another context, software programmers sometimes use it to indicate especially difficult or obscure sections of code in a program so that others do not tamper with them. [2]
The title of a short science fiction story by Ray Bradbury, 'Here There Be Tygers' is an allusion to this expression."

Mysteries: As we know from Rousseau, this area is what she called the "Dark Territory." What is so mysterious or dangerous about this part of the island?

Degree of Certainty: Hey, if it's on Wikipedia, it's gotta be right!


"CV III"

Decoded: See above - but note that "CV III" is not followed by a "?".

Mysteries: See above.

Degree of Certainty: See above.


"Primary Nexus of Cerberus-Related Activity"

Decoded: As we've speculated before, "Cerberus" seems to refer to the Smokey monster, referred to by Rousseau as a "security system." The presence of this notation near other sightings of Smokey serve to confirm this connection.

Mysteries: If Cerberus is smokey, why is this a primary nexus in this spot? Why the name "Cerberus," i.e. Greek mythology's underworld guardian? What is being guarded?

Degree of Certainty: I'm feeling pretty comfortable about this one.

"Sightings Coincide with Emergency Shutdown of Intranet Services of Heightened Security."

Decoded: This one is rich. Given the location on the map (i.e. next to the prior note), I will go out on a limb and say this refers to sightings of Cerberus/Smokey. The map is riddled with references to "emergency shutdowns" and "intranets." Is there some phenomenon we have not yet seen that predicts the appearance of Smokey, something link to the various computer and telecommunications networks put in place by Dharma?

Mysteries: The bad grammar alone begs some questions. What emergency causes the shutdown of intranet services? How on Earth was this correlation spotted?

Degree of Certainty: Rife with speculation, but if the Cerberus fits...

"Known Final Resting Place of Magnus Hanso/ Black Rock"

Decoded: After many strange references to a "black rock" in the first season (Charlie's dream, the black and white stones found with the skeleton's, and Rousseau's French-language recording), we finally saw "The Black Rock" was a wooden tall ship somehow marooned in the middle of the jungle in what Rousseau called "the dark territory." During this Summer's "Lost Experience," we learned that the Black Rock was a slave ship bound for Africa from England owned and captained by Magnus Hanso, ancestor to Alvar Hanso.

Mysteries: How did the mapmaker know that Magnus Hanso was aboard? Why did Magnus die in this ship? For that matter, how did a tall ship full of unstable explosives make it so far inland without getting pulverized or blown up?

Degree of Certainty: High. We don't the "how" of this, but we do know the "what."

"Activity Minimal During Lockdown and Restocking Procedures."

Decoded: As we know from the episode entitled "lockdown," from time to time the Swan hatch would go into a secure, shut-in mode, with the blast doors dropping and keeping the hatch's inhabitants locked inside. In fact, it was just such a lockdown that gave us our glimpse of the map. During the one lockdown we witnessed, a huge plat of food and supplies seemingly was air-dropped, which the Losties used to restock the beach. And we learned in the Lost Experience that the Dharma Initiative was set up with perpetual food drops. Again "activity" seems to refer to Cerberus, and, indeed, if Cerberus is the Dharma Initiative's security system, it would make sense for it take a break during these restocking procedures.

Mysteries: Why is the lockdown necessary? Does it prevent the Swan inhabitants from seeing the "man behind the curtain?" Did Dharma really control Smokey? Or is this just a coincidence? For that matter, if stuck in lockdown, how did the mapmaker know that Smokey's activity was minimal?

Degree of Certainty: Pretty good, given what we know. But we don't know about this is intriguing.

"Rev - 4-2-02 Possible Location of Zoological Research Facility"

Decoded: Perhaps, as with the weather notations North of here, the mapmaker assumed from the Swan orientation film that there must be a zoological station somewhere. We don't know where the mapmakers may have thought it was before this, but apparently in April of 2002, they decided it must be near the Black Rock. April of 2002 is during the three-year period when Desmond and Kelvin were in the hatch, so perhaps Desmond will be able to shed some light on this. In any case, this is another situation where we know more than the mapmaker - the zoological facility is about as far from this spot as possible in this island chain - it's all the way around the island to the North West, then a mile or so offshore on a second island. And it's called the "Hydra" facility, where Jack, Kate and Sawyer were taken by the Others.

Mysteries: Is there another facility here that was mistaken? What did the mapmaker detect in April, 2002 that misled him to this conclusion? Is it wise to take the orientation film at face value.

Degree of Certainty: Both what this note refers to, and that it is mistaken - very high.

"Stated Goal Accelerated De-Territorialization of Ursus Maritimus Through Gene Therapy and Extreme Climate Change."

Decoded: As has been discussed on this blog in the past, ursus maritimus is the Latin name for a polar bear. We all know how odd it is to have found at least two polar bears on a tropical island in a jungle. It should be too hot, and too hard for them to feed without their usual ice-shelf surroundings. But, aha! A purpose for their presence in the Hyrda station and on the island - some Dr. Moreau-esque attempt to alter the polar bear genetically and by altering its environment. Why do this? If Dharma is meant to stave off humanity's imminent demise at its own hand, perhaps the polar bears were brought to the island to experiment in breeding the aggession out of one of the most viscious animals on Earth, to see if such a change could be made to humanity, as well. Note to theoreticians - from the polar bear sightings we've seen, they've been successfully deterritorialized, but they're still mighty nasty buggers.

Mysteries: Who stated this goal? Seriously, why would we want to adjust polar bears to tropical climates (since global warming wasn't really an active theory in the 1970s and 1980s)? And what went wrong, since the bears are now free and Sawyer has been living in their cage?

Degree of Certainty: Hey, unless this note refers to some other polar bears on the tropical island, I'm pretty sure I nailed this one.

And speaking of things, I've nailed, that's it for the map. This was a prett exhaustive (and exhausting) look at one "Lost's" most intriguing clues. There's still so much left to uncover, and that's just what the mapmaker thought to tip us off to. I hope you've enjoyed reading these posts at least half as much as I've enjoyed writing them (in which case I will have had twice as much enjoyment as you, so there!)

Next Week: A look at the mural that formerly resided on the wall of the Swan Hatch.

And we're only a month away from new Lost episodes!!!!!

Tour of the map - part 5 of 6

Greetings, Lostophiles. Before we hit the home stretch in the map tour (and get to some really interesting notes), a couple of asides.

As you may or may not be aware, most episodic TV shows go on "hiatus" during the Christmas/ New Years holidays. While the cast and crew of Lost spend their "work" weeks mired in Oahu, during this recent holiday season, they got out and saw some other hot spots. Matthew "Jack" Fox's film, "We Are Marshall" opened, and Fox was on-hand for the premiere at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in L.A., where he was joined by fellow cast members Harold "Michael" Perrineau and Josh "Sawyer" Holloway. But for a bigger break, Daniel Dae "Jin" Kim took his family skiing in Park City Utah, where my brother, another Lost Loving Lawyer named Carl (who lives and works in D.C.) spent New Years with his wife, Kate, and friends from law school.

In other "Lost" news, Jeff Jensen's column on ew.com returned this week, with some minor new theories (not a fan of the "Dharma films are red herrings planted after the initiative went bad" idea) and a chance to email in the one big question you want him to pose to the Powers that Be. Mine was "who were the 'Others' before Danielle Rousseau started calling them 'the Others'?"

But now, on to this week's somewhat late post, where we look at the Northeastern corner of the Swan hatch map...

"Possible Manufacturing Facility with Light Industrial Equipment"
Decoded: Hey, the Dharma Initiative was meant to last as long as it took to get its job done. We know they had a pretty good infirmary, and food supplies literally fell from the sky from time to time. We know (though presumably the map maker did not) that an entire suburban oasis exists on the far North shore of the main island. It stands to reason some machinery to build and replenish these facilities would be present. Alternatively, maybe the Dharma Initiative went bad before the building phase was completed, with some equipment inadvertently left behind.

Mysteries: What's with the "possible?" And can we be more vague? Professional sewing machines and car-manufacturing robots could both be described by this note. Also, unless I'm mistaken, geographically this note is not far from the thick cable leading to Rousseau's former bunker from the ocean. What was going on there?

Degree of Certainty: When even the mapmaker says "possible," I can't be too sure.

"Or Other Route of Travel"
Decoded: As we know by now, some spots on the island are less accessible than others, and the Others certainly like to corral the stowaways into confined areas. But ideally, the people who designed the island facilities would want multiple ways to get around.

Mysteries: Travel to where?

Degree of Certainty: Folks, something got cut off here. If even the freeze-framed internet geniuses couldn't see the entire map, maybe we're just not meant to know...

"Suspected Shutdown Date 10.28.84"
Decoded: This is a later date for the "incident" than we've seen in other references. And it seems the mapmaker is uncertain. As this note is at the extreme corner of the map, perhaps different parts of the island continued to function for different lengths of time. In any case, these dates are all more than 20 years old (which explains the old-school computers in the hatches).

Mysteries: Why the different date? The mapmaker seemed certain at other points on the map when things were discontinued, so why "suspected?"

Degree of Certainty: Something ended on October 28, 1984. Or it didn't. It's hard to say.

"Mountainous Terrain Most Likely Used by D.I.H.G. for Meterological Research Due to..."
Decoded: From the Swan orientation, recall that "meteorology" was one of the phenomena studied by the Dharma Initiative. We've seen stations clearly devoted to other prongs of the initiative (psychology, parapsychology, zoology, electromagnetism), and we know there are undiscovered stations out there. Also, odd weather could explain smokey's cloud-like form, a plane that gets seemingly pulled apart in mid-air, and a sudden rising tide that carries away the plane's remains.

Mysteries: So this spot is still "D.I.H.G." and not "D.I." or "H.G." Again, why the split? What weather-related phenomena were being studied? Why is "mountainnous" a sign of weather? And "due to" what? Could this station be the Flame? If so, why so far away from the other supposed location on the map?

Degree of Certainty: We saw the Swan film, and know there are mountains. The rest will have to wait until someone takes a stroll in that direction, which seems out of the way from the current plotlines.

"Geogological Composition Likely to Cause Magnetic Interference with Weather Project."
Decoded: More evidence that the multiple prongs of Dharma may have accidentally collided to form smokey. What happens when you have funky weather mixed with crazy electromagnets? A semi-sentient, telepathic, electric cloud? If the mound that Rose and Bernard visited in Australia was though to have geological properties that heal, and the island clearly does, perhaps its geological makeup explains Locke's walking and Rose's remission.

Mysteries: Well if the geology is bad for the weather project, what mook stuck it in this location?

Degree of Certainty: Things are beginning to take some shape here...but a lot remains to be clarified.

"Interference Might Also Prevent Location from Use as Listening Station Cryptography Research or Analysis."
Decoded: Well, clearly the magnetic issues on the island, and in this corner of the island in particular, caused problems. This notation suggests secret messages or bugs were involved during the Dharma days. This is hardly a surprise, in light of what we've seen in The Pearl. But again, why put so much stuff on a bad island, and in particular, a bad spot on the island?

Mysteries: What cryptography? What has been encrypted? Who is researching and analyzing? Listening to what?

Degree of Certainty: Afraid we're still in in the dark on this one, and not just because of the interference.

"High Potential for R.V.S./ K.V."
Decoded: Well, a part of the problem here is lack of consensus about what this note says. Is it "R.V.S." or "K.V.?" I suspect the former, because the "R" can stand for radio (as in the broadcast tower that sent the numbers and, later, Rousseau's message) and "S" could stand for "station."

Mysteries: In either situation, what is the "V?" Could it be like the Latin version of "U"? Does the island have Rodents of Unusual Size? (bonus points if you get that reference).

Degree of Certainty: Minimal. Don't know what it says, and only know the mapmaker thought there was high potential.

So that's it for this week, folks. Not the busiest section of the map, but perhaps the most telling. The combined magnetic and weather-based smokey theory springs from this corner. Next week, we finish the tour in the Southeast corner.

Tour of the Map - Part 4 of 6

Merry Christmas, Lostophiles (or, more accurately, Happy Boxing Day). Before we get to this week's piece of the map (the bottom of the middle third, from the "Swan" hatch down), a preview of what's to come down the home stretch of LLL's posts during the Lost hiatus:

Week of January 1: Tour of the map, part 5.
Week of January 8: Tour of the map, part 6.
Week of January 15: A look at the Swan hatch mural.
Week of January 22: What the whispers are saying.
Week of January 29: Recapping spoilers leaked during the hiatus.
Week of February 5: Lost returns on Wednesday! A new episode recap!

Please note that, with Lost moving an hour later on Wednesday nights, the weekly recaps will probably come a bit later (between afternoon Thursday and Friday morning).

So back to the map:

"CV I"

Decoded: As discussed last week, there appears to be no context from which we can ascertain what "CV" stands for, or determine why the "CV's" on the map are numbered with Roman Numerals. What's interesting about "CV I" (and "CV II" and "CV III") are the rectangular shapes in which they are found on the map. These rectangles are situated in very close proximity to the Swan hatch, discussed below, and suggest actual structures that the map-maker(s) may have uncovered. Although Locke and co. are no longer spending much time at the Swan (since the hatch imploded), this proximity suggests we may get some stumbled-across answers soon.

Mysteries: As discussed last week, the acronym "CV" is itself a mystery. Until we figure that out, any further mysteries remain unidentified.

Degree of Certainty: Not much at this point, but since we're in the most detailed portion of the map, I believe the mapmaker was pretty certain about something.


"MS(?)"/ "H3"

Decoded: Various versions of annotated images of the map unline have alternatively labelled this section "MS(?)" and "H3". The question mark seems to denote the annotater's uncertainty, so I'll go with the "H3" at this point. "H" certainly seems like it could stand for "Hatch," and we know that the Swan was "station 3 of 6." The "H3" is located in a diagram-like room at the end of a forked corridor, with both forks Xed out by the mapmakers. We know that the ladder leading down into the Swan from "quarrantine" hatch was damaged even before Locke, Jack, Kate and Hurley blew the hatch open. Perhaps that inaccessibility is what is marked off by the terminated corridor.

Mysteries: If "H" is not "hatch," or if "H3" is really "MS," this is wide up for grabs as to what can be going on here. Also, if my interpretation is correct, what happened in the Swan to cause the ladder to be broken off, and is related to the "quarrantine" label on the hatch? For that matter, why make the station so inaccessible from the hatch when there's an easily-discovered door to the Swan (or, there was, until the station imploded).

Degree of Certainty: In light of the way different versions of the map read differently in this spot, not a lot of certainty. But the explanation seems plausible.


"The Swan/ [logo]/ ?"

Decoded: A great deal of Season 2 was spent in The Swan, which unfortunately imploded in the second season finale before most questions about the station were answered. Given the relatively detailed diagramming of the rooms and corrdiors of The Swan on the map, it would seem this portion of the map is meant to be a fairly literal representation of this piece of the island. As discussed above, several of the corridors are Xed out at their ends, and the mapmaker made an extra notation, a "?" on the other side of the X that cuts off the northern corridor leading out from the main chamber. This could represent the powerful electromagnet that those walking the halls of the hatch felt. As Sayid commented to Jack, areas in the hatch were sealed off in much the same way the Chernobyl nuclear plant was. This could explain the Xed out corridors.

Mysteries: For all the time we spent there, the implosion of the Swan got in the way of so many of the characters' (and our) ability to solve the hatch's mysteries. For example, if button-presses were needed every 108 minutes to prevent the overcharging of the magnet powering the hatch, why tie that to entry of the Numbers, and not just program the simple terminal to vent the charge itself every 108 minutes? What was the "incident" (alluded to in several spots on the map)? And why on Earth did the Pearl orientation video suggest the activities in the Swan were meaningless and meant as just a psychological experiment?

Degree of Certainty: As certain as we are about some aspects of the Swan, its backstory remains a mystery. Fear not - the Powers that Be have promised that the truth about what happened when the Swan imploded will be revealed this season.


"CV III"

Decoded: See "CV I," above.

Mysteries: See "CV I," above.

Degree of Certainty: See "CV I," above.


"CV II"

Decoded: See "CV I," above.

Mysteries: See "CV I," above.

Degree of Certainty: See "CV I," above.


"Ut Sit Magna, Tamen Certe Lenta Ira Decorum Est"

Decoded: Translated, the Latin phrase means "The wrath of the gods may be great, but it certainly is slow." At first blush I attribute this to some depressed stinkin' thinkin' on the part of the mapmaker, who (as discussed last week) has several such choice words to describe his fate to be stuck in the Swan pushing the button. However, "wrath of the gods" suggests more than just torture - it suggests the mapmaker somehow felt he was being punished for something he had done before. Certainly these thoughts could apply to Kelvin, the former CIA spook and map editor who truned Sayid into a torturer, and by now it seems to be no coincidence that many of the island's unfortunate visitors had some dark episodes in their pasts (with the apparent notable exception of Jack, who we know was "not on Jacob's list.")

Mysteries: Is the phrase just a metaphorical bit of lamenting, or is there indeed something spiritual about the torment of those consigned to the Swan? How exactly is the "wrath" manifested? And who wrote all the darn Latin phrases on the map?

Degree of Certainty: I'm putting a lot of faith into these online translators, but without more context concerning when and by whom the phrase was written, I reserve judgment.


"I am Here"

Decoded: This simple phrase, in a circle from which an arrow points to the Swan (discussed above) may be something of a rosetta stone to the map. By clearly identifying a point on the map that is meant to be geographically accurate, the mapmaker suggests which of the map's notations provide direction and distance, and which may be just idle thoughts.

Mysteries: Isn't the mapmaker's location fairly obvious? "The Swan" logo is all over the hatch where the map was located, and the map was going nowhere. In other words, why bother writing this? More to the point, if the hatch is meant to be a 2-man operation, why "I" and not "we?"

Degree of Certainty: The directness of the message is hard to get around. I'm pretty certain of this. But as mentioned above, there are potentially more questions to ask.


"Multiple Escape Conduits Blocked After Incident"

Decoded: Another reference to the "incident." Sure do wonder what that might have been. The good thing this tells us is that a number of discrete island backstory mysteries are tied together. If we learn what the incident was, we will presumably learn why so many tunnels in the Swan are sealed off, and why the "multiple mouse-hole" design of the Dharma installations no longer seems to exist.

Mysteries: But what was that incident? And why did it necessitate the blocking off of escape conduits? Or was the blocking off of the conduits an unforeseen consequence rather than a remunerative measure?

Degree of Certainty: That these issues relate, pretty high. What actually happened back in the day, before the Swan film was made? None whatsoever.


"The Swan: (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42)"

Decoded: Discussed ad nauseum elsewhere, there is little "new" information to be found in this notation. It again suggests multiple mapmakers, as there is no good reason to list "The Swan" in the bottom of the map while drawing its location and layout in the middle. Given the releative inaccessibility of the map most of the time (i.e. except during a hatch lockdown) it does not seem the numbers being written down here serve as a cheat sheet so much as random doodling on the part of the mapmaker.

Mysteries: Why write it down? Was there no better medium for jotting notes in the hatch than fluorescing ink on blast door? For that matter, why are the numbers so linked to this one station?

Degree of Certainty: Not a lot of serious wiggle room here. Call this pretty certain.


"Home (?) of H. G. Delegation Inspection of 12.07.81"

Decoded: Jackpot! In an earlier post, I suggested that the "D.I." of "D.I.H.G." stood for "Dharma Initiative." Here we have the "H.G." segregated out, suggesting a separate group that sent a "delegation" to inspect in December of 1981. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the "incident" predates 1981 according to the orientation films. If that's the case, it could be that the "incident" involved the Dharmaites breaking off from another group ("the Hanso Group?") that was then forced to send a delegation to investigate. Geographically, this seems to be around the beach where our flight 815 survivors have their camp. Coincidence?

Mysteries: Again, "Hanso Group" is purely supposition, though a fairly astute guess (if I do say so myself). If I'm wrong, this whole thing is wrapped in mystery.

Degree of Certainty: Again, we're in "educated guess" territory here. Some confidence, but far from total.


"System Wide Failure of Dharmatel intranet 4.08.00, 8.15.01, 01.06.03"

Decoded: Again, we don't know specifically what "Dharmatel" refers to. What we do know is that it failed on multiple occasions in the past 4 1/2 years (of Lost time). Assuming the number sequences are dates, the last one, and possibly the last two, would have occurred with Desmond on the island. Perhaps our newly-clairvoyant Scotsman will be able to offer some insight? Indeed, perhaps these failures are of the same button-not-timely-pushed type that brought down flight 815, and the 8.15.01 (see the connection?) date is roughly the time Desmond arrived on the island. Also, we know that, in the wake of the Swan implosion, the Others lost their communication network. Could that be the most recent occurrence?

Mysteries: If my suppositions are correct, what about a late push could make a boat toss its passenger and beach itself? On that note, what happend in 2003? Might that be the date the real Henry Gale crashed in his balloon?

Degree of Certainty: Pretty much the same as the last one - an educated guess. No more, no less.


"No Connection to Islandwide E.E.P. Network"

Decoded: There may be more than one network on the island - the "Dharmatel" and the "E.E.P." Whatever E.E.P. is, it does not seem to be connected anywhere near the Lostaways' beach.

Mysteries: Why a second network? How is it distinct from Dharmatel? And why not connect that part of the island just to the Southeast of the Swan?

Degree of Certainty: Certain of what? We don't know what E.E.P. means. Period.


"Complete Shutdown in Effect"

Decoded: This seems to be a message out of time. It could refer to the end of the Dharma Initiative, or perhaps a shutdown of some specific aspect of Dharma or some other mechanisms on the island. Still, it would be odd for this to be a notation of just an apparently temporary state without some sort of date or time reference. Whatever it means, the mapmaker suggests a condition that was not subject to change.

Mysteries: The lack of a reference to any particular time, place or thing makes this one big mystery.

Degree of Certainty: Not much.


"P.R.D. Every 6-8 Months Fatalities: 5"

Decoded: I can offer little insight into this one. Something occurs every 6-8 months, and the mapmaker is aware of this event killing 5. It could stand for "positive radiation dispersal" or "polar bear rapid destruction" or even "pretty red dress."

Mysteries: What does "P.R.D." stand for? Did the 6-8 month cycle begin on the mapmakers' watch, or has it been the case for longer? Did the 5 people die at once, or each time there is an occurrence?

Degree of Certainty: Eh?


"Possible CV II - Inactive Since Accident"

Decoded: This provides further evidence that the map was not made all at once. As discussed above, there is a pretty confident placement of "CV II" right next to the Swan. Whatever CV stands for, the mapmaker in question at one point suspected a location (right near the beach). The "accident" may refer to the "incident" or it may be another occurrence altogether. Whatever the "accident" was, though, the "CV" designated "II" stopped doing whatever it was doing at that point, which may have made it hard to locate.

Mysteries: If it seems like I just winged it with this one, that's because I did. I have no idea what remains a mystery about this, since there's no clear way to know what it means.

Degree of Certainty: Not a lick.

So that's it, folks. Over the next to weeks, we'll look at the Eastern third of the island. I beg and implore you to post or email you thoughts about these mysteries and what these vague references may mean. Until next time, have a safe and happy new year.

Tour of the Map - Part 3 of 6

In this week's section of my series exploring the blast door map from the Swan Hatch, we look at the upper portion of the middle section of the map. Specifically, this post deals with the interior of the octagon from the top down to the section marked off by what looks like a river (and which contains the logo for the Swan).

The Shape - Octagon with Circle in the Middle
Decoded: The mapmaker appears to try to arrange the Dharma installations geographically in some layout that corresponds with the Eastern-religion themed Dharma logo. Implicit in these assumptions is that something key is located in the middle of the map, and the roughly eight prongs of the logo are associated with bunkers. However, the mapmaker (or mapmakers) made the decision to cross out some of the bunkers. This could signify that the placement of the facilities is less deliberate than the mapmaker would have thought.

Mysteries: Given the rugged geography of the island, could Dharma really have placed its installations so geometrically? Why the revisions and cross outs? Was the logo actually selected to correspond with the labs that Hanso and the de Groots had built?

Degree of Certainty: Not much - the inconsistent mentions of the installations elsewhere on the map suggest this feature is more conceptual than geometric or geolographic.


"Sursum Corda Sursum Corda Sursum Corda"
Decoded: Again, I trust others online with the Latin translations, which tell us this means "Lift up your heart Lift up your heart Lift up your heart." This could be a reference to Alvar Hanso's claim in the Sri Lanka video that Dharma also means "the one true way."

Mysteries: Is the Initiative seeking enlightenment and inspiration? Is the mapmaker, separate from the Dharmaites? Does the placement in the top-left portion of the octagon have separate meaning? Is our mapmaker just seeking for some sort of meaning in a fairly bleak existence in the bunker?

Degree of Certainty: Little at this time.


(Crossed out) "C1?"
Decoded: Your guess is as good as mine. Seriously. Could stand for "cave," which we know the island has, but there's no context here at this point.

Mysteries: Everything about this (and its' related "C#" references) remains mysterious.

Degree of Certainty: Certainty about what?


"Credo Nos In Fluctu Edden Es"
Decoded: In Latin, "I think we're on the same wavelength." This could be metaphorical, but it could also signify a few things. For example, we know there are radio broadcasts on the island (i.e. the numbers transmission turned to Rousseau's repeating message). There are also extra-sensory mental phenomena, such as Walt's ill-defined powers, Desmond's newfound clairvoyance, and the whispers. The emergence of Desmond's abilities after some time on the island suggests the mapmaker may have "tuned in" to something he previously could not detect. Plus, Smokey has been able to download thoughts and memories.

Mysteries: At this point, the metaphor can relate to any of these ideas. The biggest mystery is who wrote this and what was going on at the time.

Degree of Certainty: As with many metaphorical statements, not much certainty at this point.


"The Staff"
Decoded: A visible reference to the Caduceus hatch, with logo to match. We've seen this hatch in operational form (in Claire's flashbacks) and abandoned and picked clean when visited by Kate, Claire and Rousseau.

Mysteries: Is the map accurate about placement? Is the medical hatch really so close to the Swan (talked about next week)? It seemed oppressively far away and hard to reach when explored. What was the actual purpose for this hach in the Dharma Initiative?

Degree of Certainty: Pretty darn sure. Been there. Seen it. Nothing is still there, and precious little really seems left to learn with this one.


"Mallum Consillium Quad Mutari Non Potest"
Decoded: "It's a bad plan that can't be changed." This could refer to Dharma as a whole, or to the handling of "the incident." It could refer to the attempt to stave off whatever event brought the Dharma Initiative down (and freed the polar bears).

Mysteries: What is "it?" Whatever "it" is, why could the bad plan not be changed, even after the flaw in the plan was detected?

Degree of Certainty: Very little. We need more backstory. Fingers are crossed.

"C3?"
Decoded: See above ("C1")

Mysteries: See above ("C1"). Also, why is C3 not crossed out?

Degree of Certainty: ?


"Why So Many Dharmatel Relays in Such an Untenable Location?"
Decoded: The term "Dharmatel" is new to us, but we know the island has plenty of wired-up and wireless communications methods (the broadcast tower, camera feeds, linked computer terminals, etc.). We also know the island has some rough patches to reach and traverse, and from this it appears the Dharma folks used such an area for some infrastructure.

Mysteries: What exactly is "Dharmatel?" What do the relays do? And as the mapmaker pointed out, why in a bad spot?

Degree of Certainty: Well, the mention is itself a question, so not much.


"? Designation Uncertain? Purpose Unknown? Relation to D.I.H.G. Unknown."
Decoded: These are the labels in the circle over the "?" on the map. This is the one salient feature, in the central spot, that John Locke was able to remember from his brief, leg-impaled look at the map. When he heard Eko (and later "Yemi") say they had to go to the "question mark," they found a natural vegetation free patch of ground that, from high above, looked like a "?" in the area in the jungle near where Eko's drug plane went down. What we know, but the mapmaker never seemed to discover, is that this spot marks Dharma's "Pearl" hatch, with its video screens, camera, bathroom and pneumatic tubes.

Mysteries: The mystery here is why the long-time residents couldn't find the Pearl. Of course, the "Yemi" visions led John and Eko there. Perhaps the mapmaker was not judged "worthy" by whatever "Yemi" really is. Also, there is the remaining mystery of what the Pearl is really for. It's apparent purpose seems incorrect - I've discussed this in prior episode recaps. Of all the installations we've seen, the Pearl is still the most mysterious.

Degree of Certainty: That this is the Pearl? Pretty high. What the Pearl is all about? Not much.


"The Flame"
Decoded: SPOILER ALERT!!!!! Skip to the next note if you're particularly sensitive to coming attractions, but if not....
The Powers that Be have positively stated recently that we will see another Dharma installation, called "The Flame," this season. There is some speculation that this may be where Mr. Eyepatch, spotted on-screen by the viewers at the Pearl, was lurking.

Mysteries: Until we get there, it's all a mystery, including what the mapmaker knew about the flame. While we're at it, why did Dharma chose the names it did for these installations?

Degree of Certainty: That this is a hatch, pretty high. What goes on there? None whatsoever.


"Nil Actum Reputa Si Quid Superest Agendum"
Decoded: "Don't consider that anything has been done if anything is left to be done." We all know the Dharma Initiative failed in its attempt to save the world by changing the Valenzetti Equation. That could be what this refers to. Of course, without more background on the Swan's prior inhabitants, and the fate of Dharma, this is pretty up in the air.

Mysteries: Other than being some sound advice, everything about this is open to interpretation.

Degree of Certainty: This coda smacks of uncertainty on its face. Why should I be sure what it means?


"A Mouse Does Not Rely on Just One Hole"
Decoded: I can't find the original latin (it's obscured in the map to the bottom right) but I've found this translation. Sayid pointed out that part of the Swan had been blocked off by concrete. With all these hatches mysteriously embedded on the island, it stands to reason there would be multiple access points. Given the "rats in a maze" lifestyle of hatch residents, perhpas Dharma had some secret passages in and out of the hatches, which the mapmaker either discovered or began to speculate about.

Mysteries: Who is the mouse? Where can we find the other hole(s)? Are the hatches interconnected?

Degree of Certainty: Only mouse-sized certainty here.


"CV IV"
Decoded: Another abbreviation without a reference. This is found in a box on the map. This seems distinct from the "C" references, in that there is no question mark and the "IV" seems to be a roman numeral.

Mysteries: We just don't know. I like the idea that either "C" or "CV" refers to "cave." But there is a lot to learn about this.

Degree of Certainty: Somewhere between a "I" and a "II" on a scale of "I to X/"


"C4?"
Decoded: See above.

Mysteries: See above.

Degree of Certainty: See above.


"[Square Root of] 16, [Squre Root of] 64, [Square Root] of 225"
Decoded: Well, mathematically this refers to 4, 8, 15, the first three of "the numbers." Perhaps the square root notation offers some insight into the actual Valenzetti Equation.

Mysteries: Why take square roots of the squares of three of the numbers? Why just the first three?

Degree of Certainty: Moderate. The numbers themselves are still so mysterious, but this seems a pretty clear reference to some of them.


"Cogito Ergo Doteo"
Decoded: "I think therefore I am depressed." "Thought" itself may be a growing theme on the show, in light of Desmond's new abilities and Locke's visions. Also, it's pretty clear that life in the Swan hatch was pretty bleak (it sure seemed to make Radzinsky, Kelvin, Desmond and Locke pretty miserable."

Mysteries: Not a lot of uncertainty here...other than why the Latin, and who is our dead language scholar?

Degree of Certainty: Sigh....trying to nail this down is depressing.


"X4 Y8 Z15 Subterrranean Conduit"
Decoded: Again, the first three numbers. Here they seem arranged as 3D Euclidean geometric coordinates. We know there are underground tunnels, both obviously in the hatches and in the unseen areas under and around the hatches.

Mysteries: What do these coordinates indicate? How does the conduit relate to the numbers? Which conduit is this? And what is 0, 0, 0 point from which we find this conduit?

Degree of Certainty: It is what it is, which may not be much.


"Liberte Te Ex Inferus"
Decoded: "Save yourself from hell." Again, we know that the Swan was no picnic. This reference is close to the Swan on the map. I assume this follows from the depressed Latin ramblings above.

Mysteries: Same as above. Also, does this indicate that there is a way to save oneself from the hell of the need to push that button? And does the author think others can save themselves when he or she could not?

Degree of Certainty: It's just a hell of a guess.

Well, folks, not a lot of illumination in this section, other than the general sense there's a lot left to learn about the island on "Lost." How odd that most of these mysteries are so close to the spot in which the map was found. What do you all think? Any suggestions of explanations I may not have thought about? Send me your emails (link to the right) or post your comments.

Break in the Action

Lostophiles -

While there is a break in the schedule this week on "LLL," I promise to return next week with the third installment of the tour of the map.

In the meantime, I want to refer to you a better-than-average bit of speculating from EW.com's Jeff Jensen, who tackles the mystery of "Jacob" in this week's column (which you can read at http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,1566980_3_0_,00.html).

Jensen notes that, while there is some speculation that Jacob replaced Ethan as an infiltrator (I doubt this - once Hurley detected Ethan's absense from the passenger manifesto, I doubt he would have let another slip by), Jensen briefly teases the idea that Jacob is new character Paolo, someone who supposedly was there all along. After a lengthy and thought-provoking discourse on Jacob, the biblical third patriarch of Judaism (who had a son named, (pause for effect) Benjamin), he offers another more-than-interesting suggestion of which of our Lostaways may actually be Jacob. I have my reasons to disagree with his last suggestion, but it is a thought-provoking one.

The column also analyzes the notion that Lost is in a "stall" in that the producers know how they want to end but don't know how long they have to wait or if they will actually be allowed to be the ones to end the series. And it points out an important change to the Lost schedule - it will air an hour later (10 pm on the Coasts) when it returns February 7 (to get it out of the way of American Idol....sigh).

Tour of the map - part 2 of 6

I write this post from the Cedar Rapids/ Eastern Iowa airport, where I've just been rerouted to L.A. off my flight from Dallas onto a flight to Chicago. This was after rerouting part of my Thanksgiving travel from Iowa to Chicago and back again to make it to an unexpected funeral. These sorts of familiar but upsetting complications and tragic losses remind us what matters in life (family and home, and the need to get to both), and serve as a reminder of just how extreme surviving a plane crash on a desert island is, how much danger the lostaways are in, and why they don't spend the kind of time solving the mysteries around them that the audience does. With that in mind, it's on to the Southwest corner of the map...

"Activity Unsuitable for D.I.H.G."

Decoded: This blurb sits without much context in a fairly remote area on the map. It may be safe to assume that "D.I." stands for "Dharma Initiative" and the "H" may be Hanso, but this set of initials together probably can't be fully understood with our current knowledge. The notion that on some of the island, some sort of "activity" may not be "suitable" suggests something that by now we know - the island was not under the complete control of Alvar Hanso and the Dharma Initiative.

Mysteries: What activity was going on in this area to the West of the beach? What made that area or its activity unsuitable? What does "H.G." stand for? And if this all suggests the island's mysteries pre-date Dharma (which the Black Rock, to say the least, certainly suggests), is the unsuitability a result of some inherent quality of this patch of land in the middle of the ocean?

Degree of Certainty: Next to none. Too short, too abbreviated, and too out of context (for now).


"Alleged Location of Aborted #7 Large Number of Underground Springs Heavy Water Table"

Decoded: Despite the location in what should be a fairly accessible region of the island, the mapmaker can only claim this is the alleged location of something. Can we trust anything these people wrote? As for "Aborted #7," that leads us to recall the "six" that was analyzed in the prior post. If the six is the previously disclosed number of Dharma stations, it would seem they tried to build a seventh, which was never completed. The underground springs may be connected to the cave oasis from season 1 - the lostaways' fresh water source. As you can see at this link (http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/public/D2O.html), "heavy water" is composed of the same "H two O" formula as regular water, but the hydrogen atoms are the deuterium isotope, which includes a neutron (regular water is made with regular hydrogen, which does not contain a neutron in the nucleus). Heavy Water is associated with nuclear power plants because of its unique electrochemical structure.

Mysteries: Again, "7" of what? If it's installations, what made Dharma change the plan? Or was it a change? Did they originally intend seven stations but then reign it in to six before making the orientation films? Is the seventh station nuclear-powered? Did some accident with the fissile materials lead to the end of Dharma? Is the heavy water naturally-occurring? If so, what implications does that have for the island?

Degree of Certainty: Not much, but some. At least "heavy water" is susceptible to googling.


"CV 1 Highly Unlikely"

Decoded: This is a tough one, and it recurs throughout the map. "CV" could be short for "cave" but there is little reason to assume that's the case, particularly since "likelihood" is not something we associate with geographic features - they are either there, or not. The "CV" reference recurs throughout the map. Whatever "CV" means, it does not seem likely we'll find out on the Southwest corner of the island.

Mysteries: Everything about this is mysterious. Even if we knew what "CV" meant, we have no inkling of what makes this potential location "unlikely."

Degree of Certainty: Not a lick.


"No Safe Location for Dharmatel Servers/ Hub/ Cabling or Infrastructure"
Decoded: By now we know that Dharma has several communications media built on the island - the signal tower repeatedly broadcasting the numbers (replaced by Rousseau's message), the computer terminals in the various hatches, the alarm claxons that seem to signal outside events, and the cameras feeding the monitors in the pearl station are some of the obvious ones. We also know the island has hazards - rough terrain, occasional bad weather, violent animals (though the polar bears were probably not a problem when Dharma built its intallations) and smokey. Again we have a suggestion that Dharma was not in complete control of the environment. The new information here is that somebody seems to have partially analyzed the infrastructure of the Dharma network(s), and may be able to explain it to us if they're ever encountered...

Mysteries: Exactly what is referred to as "Dharmatel?" What is its function? How did the mapmaker (Kelvin, Radzinsky or someone else) know this terms or the component parts of the network? What makes it unsafe?

Degree of Certainty: Slight. We've seen a lot to which this could refer, but the only guy who seemed to investigate the "hows" of the Dharma infastructure was Michael, and he's off on the Pala ferry.


"Possible Recreation Area for D.I.H.G. Teams"
Decoded: Since this appears to be something in the part of the island we've seen the most of, this could refer to either the beach where the lostaways have camped, or, perhaps more likely, the somewhat inland field where Hurley built a golf course. Again we get a reference to "D.I.H.G." and learn that, whatever it is or was, it included teams. This further supports the idea that "D.I." stands for "Dharma Initiative" since we know that the various stations were staffed by at least two people each. From the TLE Sri Lanka video, we know that the Dharma scientists were supposed to be able to stay on the island indefinitely because of their frequent resupply drops. It stands to reason they would need something to do when they were not pushing buttons every 108 minutes or sending diaries of observations on button pushers to pneumatic tubes to nowhere.

Mysteries: Have we seen the rec area? What sets it apart as being Dharma-related? Again, what's the "H.G."? And did Alvar really care if his world-saving scientists had a good time?

Degree of Certainty: Slight. Some definite "could bes" but nothing that screams out "yes, that's it!"


"Low Priority Zone for Exploration. Possible Site for Above Ground Relevance to Valenzetti-Related Research Activity"
Decoded: The map maker believed that whatever would be found on the island would not be found in the most Southwesterly point. Whatever was here was also not likely contained in a subterranean cave or hatch, acording to the mystery cartographer. Most important is the last phrase: this reference to "Valenzetti" is the only in-show reference to the mysterious mathemetician about whom the late 815 passenger Gary Troupe once wrote and upon whose eponymous equation the Dharma Initiative is supposedly based. With this clue, the TLE Sri Lanka video takes on additional weight and believability. Also, as Kelvin suggested in Desmond's flashback that he was "recruited" by the Dharma Initiative, maybe he or Radzinzky actually knew what it was about and how it was meant to change the numbers. Hopefully Desmond got a few good looks at this map over the years, because Locke's fleeting glance while his leg was impaled by a large metal bar probably did not provide a lot of time to process the bad grammar of this phrase.

Mysteries: What makes an area relevant to Valenzetti research? Why is this area so low-priority to explore, and is that just a fake-out by the Dharmaites? Exactly how is Dharma research and experimentation supposed to alter the Valenzetti factors of 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42?

Well, folks, that's that for the Western third of the map. Next week we'll look inside the octagon.