Ben and Rousseau = Parents?
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By chrisleerooks
- Ben and Rousseau = Parents?
- Created: Apr 15, 2008
- Last updated: Aug 14, 2008
- After episode: 4.8: Meet Kevin Johnson
- Status: Current
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There have been a number of instances where Alex has called Ben father, or Ben called Alex daughter, right in front of Rousseau, and I can’t help but wonder why this hasn’t been stopped by anybody.
If we believe Rousseau is the mother, which I don’t believe anybody denies, then Ben could not be the father, could he? All we really know about Rousseau actually is that she has been living by herself for 16 years, and that I believe. She also said that she lost her daughter after her ship landed on the island, and that I believe too, but perhaps she was involved with the island before those events. Perhaps she knew Ben, was impregnated by him off the island, and was outcast from the others for some reason after she had the baby. If that’s the case, she would have no loyalty to them after 16 years, and thus everything you know about her character up until this point would still make sense. There wouldn’t be any contradictions that would make to her character. And she wouldn’t have any reason to suddenly help the others. It just makes me wonder how she couldn’t belt Ben right in the teeth for calling Alex his daughter after he stole her for almost 2 decades. Maybe he is the father. I would really love to see a Rousseau backstory to find out. Afterall, if everybody else on the Island is there for a reason, then what the heck is she doing there anyway?
Key characters
| Short Name | Full Name | Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben | Benjamin Linus | 3.20, 4.9, & 3” href=”/episodes/theres-no-place-home-parts-2-3/”>4.13 | 1820 |
If Rousseau’s story is true (and I believe it is) then Ben absolutely cannot be the father. To recap:
Rousseau stated she was seven months pregnant when she was part of the science team, with her ‘true love’ (and possible husband) Robert. Robert was later killed by Rousseau, along with the rest of the science team, when she shot them, believing them to be infected with ‘the sickness’.
Rousseau does have a music box that Robert gave to her - that Sayid fixes in Solitary - that is a tangible piece of evidence related to her memory of this truth, which is why I think that if her story does turn out to be untrue then the writers are going to have to work extra hard to pull that off.
(I have a longer exploration of Rousseau’s character and why I believe the validity of her backstory here: http://lost-theories.com/theories/2007/oct/25/rousseaus-motivation/ It’s fairly long, but pretty thorough.)
To answer the “what the heck is she doing there anyway” question. In most basic terms, she was lured to the island (heard the numbers on a radio signal or something?) and she was currently pregnant, enough of the way through her preganancy that she would be fine. so she was basically there to give the others her child (obviously not willing). And because she has no way of getting off the island, she’s just been hanging out in a relatively safe part of the island.
alex now knows that ben isn’t her father but e has raised her as her own so why wouldn’t she call him dad
That all sounds great, and I understand. I also believe Rousseau, but it still seems like something needs to be explained.
In regards to why she’s on the island, yes I know she was looking for the signal and crashed, but it doesn’t seem that people just happen to land there. The losties are all there for a reason, so it would seem Rousseau might have a higher purpose that what we’ve seen so far. I mean, do you really believe she’s just hanging out and that’s it.
As far as Ben being the biological father. No I don’t really believe he is, but still why hasn’t there been an outright denial of this. That’s what makes me curious.
Lastly you brought up the sickness for the reason Rousseau killed her crew, and I’d forgotten about it. Is this sickness thing real. It keeps going back and forth with people claiming to be sick, or needing a vaccine, and then at other times it seems to be a joke or a hoax. But if Rousseau killed her team, she obviously believed it to be real. I wonder how she learned of it, or what she has seen teh effects to be?
Remember what Desmond went through in “the constant”?
Those are the effects. I think.
Then there’s always the theory that dANNIElle is a Room 23 brainwashed Annie from Ben’s childhood. Guess we’ll just have to wait for a Crazy French Lady flashback for more info.
Co sign with chirpey1987, Ben raised alex her whole life, like a step parent, so although it might be clear to Alex now that ben is not her father she would still call him father, and ben call her daughter
DSD - I had heard others suggest that Rousseau might acutally be Annie, but never considered the ol’ Room 23 trick to accomplish it! I like it!
I understand that Alex would still feel like Ben is her father even after the revelation that he probably isn’t, but my question is why Rousseau doesn’t react more strongly to it. Her actions just seem as though Ben is the father and she just kind of doesn’t like him all that much. If he had really stolen Alex so long ago, wouldn’t she want to kill him the moment she saw him?
Rousseau can’t be Annie. It has been stated that Juliette looks just like Annie by Harper. Explaining why he is so fascinated by her. Rousseau doen’t look anything like Juliette. Rousseau does lash out at Ben for calling Alex his daughter when they have Ben tied to a tree. It was by the radio tower when they are first calling the freighter. I would like to know if Ben had a mother for Alex when she was adopted.
I believe this is possible. I even put a theory out that was greeted with no comments to speak of on Feb. 27th. Here is the link http://lost-theories.com/theories/2008/feb/27/was-danielle-other/ if anyone would like to take a look. My theory was thought out, but a little fantastic and not too long. I could totally see something like this being the case and it would be NO suprise to me. I can also se where it could be way off base. That is why I say again “I love this show”.
Vincent, don’t you think after 16 long years in the jungle with no means to take care of her appearance that she would possibly look different? Yes- Harper said that she looked like her- but Juliette had access to soap, creams, etc. It isn’t completely impossible for Danielle to be Annie.
I personally don’t think she is…but there is always a slight chance anything is possible on the show.
Vincentfan,
“Rousseau can’t be Annie. It has been stated that Juliette looks just like Annie by Harper.”
Actually, Harper only says that Juliet looks like “her”, referring to any number of women from Ben’s past. For all we know Annie died in the purge and Harper is referring to Olivia who was both present at Ben’s birth, later became his teacher at the Dharma school and is possibly the real Karen DeGroot.
Just as likely, Harper could be making reference to Ben having an Oedipus complex in which Juliet reminds him of his mother Emily. Ben’s father did, afterall, spend 20-30 years belittling Ben and suggesting that Emily’s death was caused by Ben’s birth.
Also as likely, Ben had been seeing Jack’s wife Sarah off-island. Ben specifically chose Juliet to manipulate Jack because she looked like Sarah, suggesting Ben could have known Sarah personally.
Also as likely, though ridiculous, is that Harper is Annie.
None of those scenarios suggest that Rousseau is or is not Annie. We simply don’t know.
Who is Harper? I don’t recall anybody by that name, and there’s nobody listed in the lost characters page with it either. Help please.
Harper is an other. a shrink. Juliet was her patient. ” I believe the episode is THE OTHER WOMAN” :-)
Harper
No, i don’t believe Rousseau is simply hanging out, but she doesn’t have a largely active role in the others, the losties etc up until recently, and she may have simply been surviving on the island in hopes of rescue, or seeing her daughter again. But for those 16 years, she was simply hanging out not doing anything but trying not to get herself killed.