The Mysteries: The Others (as bad guys)

This is Others Week. Unlike the just ended Jack Shepherd week, the Others discussion aims to be more focused. It will concentrate on the Others’ war with the survivors and how that relates to the Others’ history and the Others’ relationship with Jacob and his adversary. It is one discussion broken up into five daily entries.

One way to learn about the Others is to go straight to the source. According to the Others, the Others are, of course, the good guys. The Others tell us that several times. But I don’t think their protests can be anything but a ploy to instill doubt in the survivors. Because the Others are bad guys.

During the ferocious fighting between the tail section survivors and the Others during the formers first month the island, the tailies’ leader Ana Lucia asks Goodwin why the Others kept attacking them. Goodwin, an Other pretending to be a survivor, replies “maybe they’re not attacking us.”[1] Which is a possibility only if one forgets all the times the Others attacked them. The tailies are attacked their first night on the beach and three members of their camp are kidnapped.[2] About two weeks later, nine more people, including the two children, are violently dragged into the jungle. Later when Ben is the survivors’ prisoner, he tells Ana Lucia that the survivors killed two of them “good people who were leaving you alone.”[3] Again, that’s only true if one ignores the kidnapping, attempted murder and actual murder the Others committed on the survivors.

This is important because it relates to the good vs. evil theory of Lost. Back in the 1800s when Jacob brought the Black Rock to the island, Jacob’s adversary complained that no matter how many people Jacob brings to the island, it always ends the same: they come, fight, destroy, and corrupt.[4] So this is all just a game, or really, an experiment. But it’s not a valid experiment if residue from prior rounds affects the newest results. The Dharma Initiative catches a lot of flack for not being able to get along with the island’s native population. But how can we blame the Dharma folks when we have seen the Others attack the Oceanic 815 survivors without any prior provocation? The castaways do not even know the Others exist before Claire has been kidnapped[5], Charlie strung up by his neck[6] and Steve killed in retaliation for Claire’s escaping the Others’ clutches.[7]

While the castaways are not perfect, the Others’ list of sins is staggering. There is the attempt on Charlie and murder of Steve mentioned above. They also murder Juliet’s ex-husband Edmund, whose crimes include wanting to profit on medical advances at his medical research company, pointing out legitimate breaches of research ethics, and inconveniencing the Others’ plans.[8] That the Others’ have not killed more is not from lack of trying. Pickett tries to kill Sawyer[9], Mikhail shoots at Desmond[10], Ben shoots Locke where is kidney should have been[11] and Ben shoots Charlotte, who is luckily wearing a vest.[12] The Others’ are also experienced at turning on each other. Mikhail shoots Ms. Klugh to death, granted on her own request[13], and also kills loyal Looking Glass workers Bonnie and Greta on Ben’s orders.[14] Obviously a common dominator in most of these crimes is Ben. In addition, Ben personally gassed his own father to death[15], stabbed Keamy to death resulting in the death of everyone on the freighter[16], executes both Matthew Abaddon[17] and Ajira survivor Caesar[18], nearly kills Desmond and Penny[19] and finally strangles John Locke to death.[20] Recognizing as always that the island is a morally relative place, I still have to ask, with good guys like the Others, who needs evil?

[1] “The Other 48 Days”
[2] Id.
[3] “Two for the Road”
[4] “The Incident”
[5] “All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues”
[6] Id.
[7] “Homecoming”
[8] See “Not in Portland”
[9] “I Do”
[10] “Through the Looking Glass”
[11] “The Man Behind the Curtain”
[12] “Confirmed Dead”
[13] “Enter 77”
[14] “Through the Looking Glass”
[15] “The Man Behind the Curtain”
[16] “There’s No Place Like Home”
[17] “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham”
[18] “Dead is Dead”
[19] Id.
[20] “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham”