Talk: Jughead/Theories

Ellie

The girl with the rifle is young Faraday's mother, she used to work for Alpert --Gubizz 03:12, 29 January 2009 (UTC) Gubizz

Richard Alpert

• Richard Alpert does not, and has never traveled in time. While he may be able to utilize some sort of teleportation, he is merely an ageless man who happened to visit Locke solely because Locke told him to. The evidence indicates that Richard is not aging. This is supported in this episode when Juliet responds to Locke's question of how old Richard is by stating simply "Old".
  • "Merely" an ageless man who teleports? Have we seen any other evidence that there are ageless men or teleporters in the series? What Juliet believes (or says she believes) is not necessarily canon. Ditto Ben, whose veracity is always open to question.
• Also supported by the fact that Ben asks Richard "You do remember birthdays don't you Richard?" in The Man Behind the Curtain.
  • That's a deliberately cryptic remark that could be used to support pretty much anything: Richard's agelessness, or memory problems, or his traveling through time, or some memorable event having occurred on someone's birthday.
• The original reason for believing Richard might be ageless is that he appeared to look the same in the 1950's, the 1970's, and the 2000's. But now that we know time travel is possible on the island and have in fact seen other characters such as Locke and Sawyer at the same age in both 1954 and 2004, there's no reason to think Richard might not just be another time traveler. He pops into various decades for brief spells but doesn't live through them and age, so of course to Juliet and the Others he always looks the same age. Locke giving Richard the compass may have been the impetus that allowed or forced him to time travel.
  • But if Alpert were truly "popping in and out" of various decades, he would have recognized Locke in 1954. Richard does not "jump" when the flashes occur. He appears in the same place he would have been during the original timeline of the island. Therefore, when we see him in 1954, he is where he was in 1954. When he meets Ben in the Jungle in the 70's, that's where he was in the 70's. When he helps Locke after Ethan shot him, that's where he was supposed to be when that happened. His only awareness of time jumping is what Locke told him in 1954 and the fact that Locke has been where he says he will be at the times he says he will be when Richard's life finally catches up to those moments in time.
• Alpert is one of two characters to maintain calm concerning his island status. Hawking is the other. Unlike Ben, Locke and Widmore he is never desperate to claim leadership or ownership. His position is somehow secure. A composed wise sage.
• Richard was the first mate on the Black Rock, so he is at least that old. what's also odd is that he has nice clothes in 1954, but is dressed like a bum in the 70s when he meets young Ben?

• He is undercover like the others were dressed when they invaded the Losties. When the Purge took place all the others we saw were dressed in the same manner as Alpert.

• Richard may be the only remaining 'true' other and the rest were merely brought there like Juliet. This would explain why everyone else doesn't seem as knowledgeable of the island.
• The others may be Roman descendants considering they speak Latin and there's a giant ancient 4-toed foot.
  • They can't be Greek?
    • If we include the fact that they speak Latin as evidence, then they probably aren't Greek.
      • Please note that they speak a vulgar, late version of Latin. It's the sort of Latin spoken at the beginning of Middle Age, not the Latin spoken in Roman Empire. It's not a very good form of cryptic language either: vulgar Latin is very, VERY easy to understand for a modern French, Italian, Spanish or Ungarian man. Not easy to speak, but very easy to understand.
    • The island may not have always been in the south pacific. A time traveling, teleporting island may have come into contact with many civilizations throughout its history.
• Magnus Hanso, captain of Black Rock, is grand grand grand son of St. Albertus Magnus.
  • Alvar Hanso, founder of DHARMA Initiative, is grand grand grand grand... son of St. Albertus Magnus.
• My feeling on the matter is that he was created by some sort of Atlantean society that eventually destroyed itself, and he was created to help ensure that it doesn't happen again. Now that the Valenzetti Equation is pointing to the end of the world, Richard's original task is once again coming to the forefront. The Island is the leftover remnants of the Atlantean society and technology, and was intentionally given the ability to keep another society from forming on its surface due to the pregnancy problem. That way, the only people who live on the Island are those that are CHOSEN to live on it to help protect it. The chosen people (Others/Hostiles) come and go as they all eventually die and are replaced by new Others to carry the torch--with Richard Alpert remaining the one constant who is the flamekeeper. Jacob may very well be the sole "surviving" ghost from Atlantis.
• Richard Alpert is the birth name of spiritual leader Ram Dass. Richard Alpert was at one time a professor at Harvard when he traveled to India and studied under Meher Baba and had a spiritual awakening. He and Timothy Leary were fired after experimenting with LSD on campus. The writers are certainly aware of this allusion.
  • Magnus mean "great", it's the last name of the Philosopher and the first name of the Hanso, this is no proof. With this reasoning Jack is the great great son of the Shepard from the bible because of his last name.
  • Magnus wasn't a last name, just an epithet. His last name would be von Bollstädt.
    • We have these three names that are quite similar: Alvar, Albertus, Alpert. I think we will be meeting with Albertus Magnus's pupil St.Thomas Aquinas in the coming episodes (maybe grand grand... father of Widmore) and we will know about philosopher's stone..
      • Since you mention Aquinas... He was a Christian apologist, just like C.S. Lewis, both of which talk of the relationship between faith and reason. Charlotte's full name is Charlotte Staples Lewis, a direct reference to C.S. (Clive Staples) Lewis.
• Alpert doesn't age, because he is the first human to be involved with/a test subject for the Hanso Foundation's Life Extension Project.
  • St. Albertus Magnus is considered by the church to be one of the Incorruptibles, Catholic saints and beati whose bodies are reported to be in corrupt. If Richard is somehow incorruptible as well, that would fit nicely.
• Age? Meaningless. Richard Alpert is dead, just like Christian Shepherd, Yemi, Horace, Libby, and Claire. A funny joke to ask a dead guy would be "you do remember birthdays, don't you...?"