Theory: Vincent the Monster
Vincent has always been sort of an enigma on the show. Constantly disappearing for long stretches of time, then appearing again in somewhat odd places.
Then, there is the popular theory that something bad always happens when he appears. For a long time, my stance on Vincent has been, “He’s a just a friggin dog!”. However, in the season wrap up of the Official Lost Podcast, when asked where was the monster, they said that the Monster may have appeared in the show, and we just didn’t know it. This got the Theory Monger in me thinking, and I started to think about a possible Vincent-Monster connection.
There are a lot of theories on the net that speculate that the Smoke Monster has the ability to shape shift. Among some of the many theories that I have read, people have suggested that the monster has assumed the form of: Jack’s father, a polar bear, Kate’s black horse, the Hurley bird, and even Walt himself. Although I’m sure that I’m not the first person to think this, I’m going to add Vincent to the list.
I surmise that the real Vincent died in the crash, the monster wanted to get a closer look at what was going on, so it assumed the form of Vincent. Now, if you are a believer in the theory that the Monster moved Jack into the bamboo grove away from the crash, then this would explain why Vincent was the first thing that Jack saw when he woke up. The Monster may have placed Jack in the bamboo grove, then hid behind a bush or something, and changed into Vincent.
I also think that, for whatever reason, the monster likes kids (hence the picture which may or may not show the monster following the little girl with the teddy bear. Although I personally think that it’s just a shadow from a plant in front of the camera.), and the monster didn’t want Walt to be sad because his dog died.
Although it may be possible that the monster didn’t know at first that Vincent was Walt’s dog, by assuming the form of Vincent, the monster would be able to keep Walt happy, and have free access to the camp at the same time. This would also allow the monster to come and go as it pleases, and no one in the camp would even know they were being watched.
If the Others do in fact control the monster somehow, then it assuming the form of Vincent could also explain how bad things seem to happen whenever he appears. The Others could have sent the monster into the camp to check up on certain people, or to do some recon before the Others show up.
As for the loud noises, and trees and stuff blowing up, I think that maybe the monster got caught in one of Rousseau’s traps.
If for some reason, the monster does have an affinity for children, and it was in fact following the child with the teddy bear, then maybe whenever the Monster/Vincent comes across one of the dolls Rousseau used to bait her traps, it springs the trap, and the explosions and the loud noises are the monster trying to free it’s self.
Both times that there were explosions around the monster (Exodus, and 23rd Psalm), the smoke monster was sighted before hand. Perhaps, the monster was following the groups, and for whatever reason, assumed the form of Vincent (Perhaps to get closer without scaring them). However, as it was following them, it came across one of Rousseau’s traps, and sets it off. The monster then somehow causes an explosion to free itself, and mayhem ensues.
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vincent was not missing, nor had he wandered off when Locke was pulled into the hole with the dinamite…
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v421/edmorita/normal_exoduspart2-0534.jpg
This is the last scene in which Vincent appears in “Exodus”. He is not seen again until next season in “Man or Science, Man of Faith” in which we find out that he has disappeared, and Shannon and Sayid have to go out looking for him. So, the scinario in my theory is possible.
Cool site. Thanks for keeping us updated.
Walt is the key. The polar bear is a figment of Walt’s abilities. I immediately knew something was up with him when “The Others” began talking about the boy. The writers had wanted us to think they were interested in Aaron, actually as we found out, they were interested in Walt.
In the flashback with Walt, his mother and his stepdad we see Walt looking through a book with birds in it. As he focuses on a specific bird and the tention mounts in the background the bird then appears. Now we know from the book that the birds are not native to where he is at that time, so somehow, this bird just appears.
Likewise, the polar bear is created after Walt sees it in a book. A comic book to be exact. I am not sure of the episode and you can verify the details, but essentially just before we see the polar bear Michael confronts Walt about reading a Spanish language comic book. The only portion of this comic book we see is a giant white bear, which I assume to be a polar bear, or an animal resembling a polar bear. Also on this page is the word “oso”. Now my limited spanish tells me that this translates literally to bear in English.
These two events have led me to believe that Walt is the reason they are on the Island, after all he did not want to go back to LA.
I know this reeks of “wishing them into the cornfield” for all of you Twilight Zone followers but I believe that the story revolves around Walt and his abilities.
I too listened to the last official podcast, and when Damon said we have already seen the monster it got me thinking. I like where you’re headed with this theory. You’re definitely thinking outside of the box. But the whole supernatural taking-different-forms element of your theory has me scratching my head. I still think there may be a reality, natural based explanation for the smoke monster. I don’t think Damon, Carlton, JJ, et al would go the alien route.
I was wondering if Rouseau (sp?) may have something to do with the monster. Where was she when the smoke monster appears, or when the forest makes noises and starts moving? I still think there’s more to her character than we know.
A dog plays a major role in Homer’s Odessey in terms of being able to identify who the master of the house really is.
Also, if Cerebus on the map does refer to the monster? Cerebus is the dog guarding the gates to Hades. A three-headed dog. So maybe the monster can take on three forms: smoke, organic beings, and what else? The flashbacks themselves, maybe. The persistence of the flashback mode is more than just narrative filler. The problem I’ve always had with the flashbacks is “who” is remembering them. We never actually see a character go into “stare at the horizon in solitude and recall how I got here” mode. In fact they tend to be more forgetful than prone to recollections. It is as though “we” the viewers are remembering, as though we are the remote viewers. We see Desmond and Jack pulling into the stadium at about the same time–but they do not see each other. Who is the omniscienist observer remembering/revealing to us how these lives all link up? It’s a question that has bugged me from the beginning of the series…or rather dogged my patience. Hee.
For some reason, this is a common mistake on many LOST Forums and web sites. The name on the blast door map is “Cerberus”, not Cerebus. Also, “Cerberus” guards the the entry to Hades, and “Cerebus” is a Cartoon Aardvark Spoof of Conan the Barbarian.
As for the other stuff, I like the connection that you made between Vincent and “Cerberus”.