Dr. Richard Alpert is one of the Others. He seems to be a native of the Island. In the outside world, he presented himself as a doctor and recruiter for the Mittelos Bioscience Corporation. On the Island, as evidenced by Ben's flashbacks, Richard appears to either not age or age differently than normal people.
On the Island
Many years ago, Richard encountered a young Ben in the Jungle. Ben asks Richard if he is a hostile, and Richard asks him if he even knows what that term means. Ben tells Richard that he is looking for his mother, and has had visions of her. Ben then asks to go with Richard. Richard tells Ben that if he really wants to come with him, it might be possible, but that Ben should think about it, and be very, very patient. Ben then returns to his camp. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
Several years later, Richard participated in The Purge. It is revealed Ben had been secretly working with him. When Ben and Richard reunite after committing the purge, Richard is clearly disturbed by the actions he and his people have taken, murdering the members of the DHARMA Initiative. He asks Ben if he wants them to get his father's body, and Ben tells Richard to leave him. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
Off the Island
He worked with Ethan Rom to recruit Juliet into their facility, which he claimed to be located near Portland. However, later he took this back and said that the facility is "not quite" in Portland. ("Not in Portland")
With Ethan Rom, he brings Juliet to an airport and the sitting area of Herarat Aviation. In the air terminal Richard and Ethan administer to Juliet a tranquilizer mixed in a glass of orange juice that she knowingly drank. ("One of Us")The day Flight 815 crashed, Alpert was apparently in Miami, where he filmed Juliet's sister and nephew. Alpert was not seen, but Ben referred to him by name. ("One of Us")
Back on the Island
It was revealed that he was in the Barracks, and was told by Ben to fetch "the man from Tallahassee." He later accompanied Ben to get the captured Locke, and escorted them to a room in which Locke's father, Anthony Cooper was held captive. ("The Man from Tallahassee"),
Alpert speaks with Locke.
About a week later, after Locke fails to execute his father at Ben's request, Richard confronts Locke and explains to him that Ben knew he would not kill his father, and was trying to embarrass him in front of the all the Others, so that they would not think that Locke was "special" as they had previously thought when they heard that a paralyzed man was healed when he arrived on the Island. During his conversation with Locke, he questions Ben's leadership, saying that Ben is wasting time with his work on the pregnant women, and tells Locke that there are other more important reasons that they are all there on the Island. He encourages Locke to go through with murdering his father in order to speed up the process, and suggests that if he is not willing to, he should recruit someone who is. He then gives Locke Sawyer's file, and encourages him to read it and convince Sawyer to kill his father instead. ("The Brig")
A day or so later, Richard asks Ben if he should take the recorder back to The Staff station for Juliet. Ben is alarmed, and says that he thought Richard had already completed this task. Ben then realizes that his tape recorder is missing. Later that day, Richard is present when Locke arrives at The Others camp, and when Locke claims that Ben is taking him to see Jacob. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
Aging Mysteries
Richard at some time around the 1970s.
Richard in 2004.
During the 30 years in which Ben grew up, Richard doesn't seem to have aged at all. In "The Man Behind the Curtain" Ben asked him if he even remembered what birthdays were, and while referring to the Island, Richard told Juliet that "you're gonna be amazed at how time flies once you're there". ("One of Us").
Name reference
Real-life Dr. Richard Alpert (a.k.a. Ram Dass) is a noted psychologist and Hindu spiritualist. In 1963 he was dismissed from Harvard University for his research (in collaboration with Timothy Leary, Aldous Huxley, Allen Ginsberg and others) into psilocybin, LSD-25, and other psychedelic chemicals. Later he traveled to India where he was given his Hindu spiritual name "Ram Dass" which translates as "Servant of God". See Bio and Wikipedia entry
Unanswered questions
| Unanswered questions |
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- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Richard Alpert/Theories
- Was Richard born on the Island?
- Why does Richard not appear to age?
- Does it have anything to do with the Life Extension Project?
- How did Ben achieve a higher ranking than Richard in the Others' hierarchy?
- Why does he not know Jacob?
- Was he responsible for the accident that killed Juliet's ex-husband?
- Why is he allowed to leave the Island and return to it?
- Was his talk with Locke an attempt to undermine Ben or was he doing it under Ben's orders?
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