The Lantham Article is not what Jack Tore Out on the Plane: What We Know, and What Might Be
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By karmavore
- The Lantham Article is not what Jack Tore Out on the Plane: What We Know, and What Might Be
- Created: Sep 7, 2007
- Last updated: Aug 14, 2008
- After episode: 3.22: Through The Looking Glass
- Status: Current
- Flag this theory:
I hypothesize that two articles were written about the same event.
— karmavore
In Through the Looking Glass, drunken Jack finds and tears out a newspaper article. Later, we see him reading a newspaper article (“Man Found Dead in Downtown Loft”) outside the funeral parlor. These scraps of paper are not the same! What can we definitively conclude, and what is just speculation?
Kudos to THELOSTTRUTH for making a very astute observation. See him make it, and his ambitious theory, at http://www.lost-theories.com/theories/2007/sep/06/truth-whos-casket/
If you’re unfamiliar with the paper-scrap-size-debate, take a look at these two screen caps:
One: http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage-1300-1077.html
Two: http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage-1300-1096.html
While it is difficult to tell from the scene on the plane where Jack tears a section out of the paper, it seems likely that this scrap is Number One. After this moment in the show, Jack crumples it up and puts it in his right pocket.
The now well-known article “Man Found Dead In Downtown Loft” is shown in Number Two. We can’t tell where Jack pulled this from, but it is both smaller than Scrap One, and it does not contain the upper-left corner of Scrap One.
Now, taking as given my photo analysis above, what can we infer about Lost — specifically, the mysteries of “Who’s in the Casket”, “Why is Jack suicidal?”, “Why didn’t anyone go to the viewing?”, etc.?
What can we conclude? Precious little, I’m afraid, but we can speculate until the cows come home. THELOSTTRUTH thinks that Scrap One is an article about Walt’s death, and Scrap Two is about Michael. Hence, Walt is in the coffin, and Michael has already been killed. (See link above.) Here’s what I would guess, and it’s quite a bit different, but still fits the two-article observation. I stress that we’re entering a “pure speculation zone,” though I do draw evidence from the show.
The first article Jack finds on the plane. It’s a bit longer, and we do not know what it says. I speculate that this was a “breaking-news” article that contained information about an event, but no resolution, other than a man’s death. Knowing this, Jack went looking for other information, and he found Scrap Two. Though shorter, it contained the name of the funeral parlor. This explains why he would concentrate on a long article (Scrap One) and then get quick confirmation of his location (Hoffs-Drawler) from the second upon arrival.
The fact (if you’ll let me call it that) that we’ve got two different articles does nothing to illuminate any of the other mysteries surrounding our favorite show. Two articles do not necessarily mean two different deaths.
I, respectfully, perfer this theory to the THELOSTTRUTH’s leap to two funerals. While I suspect that the Losties are getting massacred by a violently course-correcting universe when they leave the Island, I think we’re only experiencing one death here. Additionally it seems that trying to give a two-death explanation for this episode would be too confusing for the viewer, as THELOSTTRUTH probably discovered while trying to explain it to me.
Could this maybe be bad prop-work? Maybe. I heard one person speculate that the “Man Found Dead” text was CGI’ed on afterwards. This would allow the special effects department to control exactly what text was visible for the certain months of parsing to follow. If the scrap was put in Jack’s hand with computers, well, maybe those nerds screwed it up. (Full disclosure: I am a nerd who often screws up. :) )
I want to end by throwing Mad Props (tm) to THELOSTTRUTH for a truly excellent visual catch, and by predicting that the two-article storyline will be a non-issue going forward.
Now what I really want to know is: What is written on the back of Scrap Two?
Key characters
| Short Name | Full Name | Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack | Jack Shephard | 1.1, 1.5, 2.11, 1.11, 1.16, 1.20, 3.9, 3.22, 3.1, 4.10, 4.12, & 3” href=”/episodes/theres-no-place-home-parts-2-3/”>4.13 | 1459 |
Key episodes
| # | Title | Aired | Central character | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.22 | Through The Looking Glass | 5-23-2007 | Jack | 1252 |
I also agree it was only one death. and also, like i pointed out on thelosttruths post, what about the phone call jack made when he was holding the paper!
LOSTinTN, I don’t follow. What about the phone call?
just to back up the theory of one death, he made a call to someone in his car(i think before he goes into the funeral home i cant really remember but he was in the car) and he is paying his respects to someone, I think micheal could be in the casket and he tried to call walt, but he doesn’t finish the call he starts crying and hangs up, if both micheal and walt are dead who would he have called?
i just think the person in the casket had a family member jack knew and he called them, so i believe its a “pair” we already know! But the time on the island we know isnt over yet so we dont know what new relationships were made so again it could be anyone, i just think that phone call was important!
I see where you’re coming from. Here’s a devil’s advocate take: Jack didn’t say anything more than “I just heard…” and “I’m sorry…” (right?) The “I’m sorry” is reminiscent of the bridge “Please forgive me.”
What if… :) :) Jack’s decision to be stubborn and make the call is getting everyone killed, just as Ben predicted. If that’s the case, he could still be calling Kate here. Jack loves her, and she knows that the Universe has her scheduled to die, too. Kate would think it all hogwash, of course.
Interesting discussion Karmavore…I agree the two articles are probably the news story and then the obit with the funeral details.
As for who’s in the coffin.?…maybe its John Lantham….a character we havent seen yet,or one of the random losties.I thought the call Jack made on the bridge was to Kate and he was saying sorry because he knows she doesnt want him calling.The impression i got was that she might be the only person who will talk to him.
karmavore: how would you feel if everyone on the show dies in the end? hmm.. yes, I would probably feel the same. If Lost was a Chinese / Korean production it could be a possible outcome, but this is a US production. It HAS to have a good ending, so I don’t believe they all will die.
Just my opinion :)
From the screencaps: how can you conclude that they are not the same? In the second one we don’t actually see the end of the paper. It could easily extand down below his hands. And look at the top right corner - same wedge missing. I’m sorry but I do not buy into this theory.
I agree with WTF.
Hex , Im not concluding this because of the length of the paper but more because the top of the second piece is torn through the words Los Angeles. As for Karmavore, THX for the props, I like your ideas and that you actually checked into my theory before bashing it like others. As for the whole casket thing, I have read other theories on the casket and have actually found no theories at all. Just lots of speculation on it being small which there is no way to prove. (these are not theories nor are they mine) My theory is about the two obits and that Walt not Michael is in the casket. The size of the casket is just one more clue leading me to believe that It could be Walt. Its not like Im concluding its Walt just because of the size, read the rest of my post, check it out like Karma and draw your own conclusion. Focus on the Obits and not that Im trying to rehash some discusion about the size of the casket. (like I said, No way to prove, just backs up my theory further. As for Jacks actions while holding the obits, while holding the first one hes obviously using it for directions and the second he seems to be remenicing before the phone call. (could be wrong) THX for the imput.
karmavore: Was unable to get into the links provided, my webtv turned off every time I tried. So I went straight to Lost-media and searched though the Gallery there (took a looong time). Didn*t jot your screencap #s down first duh…. but did get quite close. Cant do a link on this thing but heres the info:
Screencap File name: 3x22-glass 1079.jpg = longer piece of paper
Screencap File name: 3x22-glass 1098.jpg = shorter piece of paper and does show end of paper in Jack*s hand.
In picture #1 of mine, it is outside the funeral parlor, it appears readable if blown up and has been viewed 1307 times since May 24, 2007. So, my question would be if it has been viewed so many times, why haven*t we seen the transcript yet?
The smaller piece of paper seems to me to be much more of a challange to transcribe.
THE-LOST-TRUTH: If youre just checking Theories then I assume you must have missed my comment in response to the casket “rehash” on another thread. I am unable to post theories at this time due to the system I am using, but I am having a new computer hooked up tomorrow and will post what I have learned about caskets from the horses mouth, so to speak. :)
Annie, Sorry, Its hard to read everything on a subject on this sight, so I must have missed your comments on the casket. But like I said the theory is about the obits. The casket thing is just a supporting clue, Im not trying to convince anyone its small just that it would support my original theory. Im am eager to check your casket info when you post it! Thanks!!!
P.S. In Picture #1 do you mean hes parked in front, or driving to the parlor. If you mean in parked in front, thats the one thats legible. As for the Pic while driving, It looks like it would me more legible than the other but have seen nothing of what it says either.
TRUTH: I understand that you can’t possibly read every comment, and I apologize if it sounded like you should have. But I did go to great lengths to learn about caskets, not to disprove your theory, but the whole casket thing in general just bugged me from the start. What I learned doesn’t affect your theory one way or another, in my opinion.
As for the news clipping, I saw both, but was referring to the one where Jack was sitting in front of the funeral home.
Do you agree that it seems odd that no one has transcribed that one yet?
Annie, The one in the scene in front of the parlor “IS” the one that has been transcribed and reads…
“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 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 (sic) is survived by one teenaged son. Memorial services will be held at the Hoffs-Drawlar Funeral Home tomorrow evening.”
Heres a link to a great inverted shot of it. http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/Newspaper_clipping
Now that you know that, go back and read the original theory once more. It might make more sense now. Sorry about the confusion!!
TRUTH!!
Excellent theory, and very well written! Outside the box thinking is always appreciated here…
BUT
My own personal thoughts differ in one aspect of your theory: I still dont think that the losties are being killed by a “course correcting universe”. I still think that Dharma and/or Hanso are responsible for the deaths to come…
i agree thinker. I don’t think (TM) that the universe has an agenda
Jack calls someone whom he thinks will be at the funeral. Then jack talks to kate and wonders why she wasn’t there. isn’t it logical to think the person is someone already linked with kate or someone who will be linked to her eventually?
TRUTH: No, still wrong one. The one I was referring to is the long piece of paper and does appear readable. The screencap I’m using is 1079, yours is 1077. I saw both when I was going through them and just chose the clearer one.
But they’re both basically the same, Jack was still holding it when he parked. Then he put the longer one back and took out the smaller one.
Sorry I confused you. But my question remains the same. It’s been viewed 1307 times since May 24, 2007 and appears readable. Why do you think no one has bothered to transcribe it??
TRUTH: Just went back and reread your comment #12 that you haven’t seen it transcribed anywhere either.
But why do you think that is? Jack is obviously using it to find the funeral home. And yet he takes out the other paper that has been transcribed…
errrggh I think I’m either talking in circles or agreeing with you!!!!! I’ve got to find a way to blow that pic up to read it. :-(
I am in agreement with WTF and Shamballa on this one. Good thoughts, Thinker and Annie.
karmavore: My apologies, in my comment to you I was in such a rush to get all that info down, I failed to tell you what a great job you did expanding on TRUTH’s theory.
I just went back and read all the comments and realized it. Also gave a well deserved +1