Lost Video Island

HobbitRockGod · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 7:14 pm Post subject:

On his name, it's not just that he's called "Christian" that gets me, but "Christian Shepherd"....this is something my mom and I have been talking about since the S4 finale when he led Ben to the frozen donkey wheel (lol).....do you think he's trying to lead people in the right direction? Like how he led Jack to the caves as well?

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Brooke · Expert Vidder Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 24129

HobbitRockGod · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 11:31 pm Post subject:

Ooooh, maybe the "Shepherd" on the wall DOES mean Christian! Because Jack said the house he saw in the mirror was the house he grew up in....presumably his PARENTS' house!

I never thought of that....
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thefilmchick · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 11:41 pm Post subject:

As someone who is non-religious, I will be highly annoyed if 'Christian Shepherd' turns out to be the good guy, particularly if, per 'Sundown,' the only visible representative of any other Big 5 religion (Sayid) turns out to be the traitor/a scion of evil, particularly given the current US divisiveness over wars in Muslim countries.

I am fine with religious symbolism, but I do not watch the show to be preached at. Given the caliber of the actors, and the general intelligence of most of the cast (save one who admits to not even reading the scripts!), I have to believe that it is not going to be that forced and biased.

(Obvious note: Please understand, my disagreement is not with Christianity or any other religion; it's with the obviousness of such a choice. 'Christian Shepherd' was definitely a deliberately chosen name, but I am hoping it's a red herring.)
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HobbitRockGod · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 11:52 pm Post subject:

Well, his name could end up being a coincidence, but religious symbolism aside, don't you think Christian Shepherd is a good guy?

I think I always felt that way even before all the religious stuff started.
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thefilmchick · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 11:55 pm Post subject:

Not particularly.

His jaunt with Ana; his finding Sawyer in the bar in Sydney right before Sawyer shot the wrong guy? Not buying him as the good guy, really, given that evidence.

I still think the eleventh-hour twist is going to be that the sides are either both evil in different ways, or that Flocke is chaos and Jacob is order, not the bad/good dichotomy.
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HobbitRockGod · Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 12:02 am Post subject:

Ooohhhh - I guess I meant the version of him on the island.

Because he seemed different on-island. I don't know. Maybe I'm weird. But death makes people different....look at Booniekins. (That's Boone for all those who are unfamiliar with my sister's habit of calling him Booniekins.)
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thefilmchick · Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 12:09 am Post subject:

Boone post-death (thinking specifically of Locke's airport vision here) seemed like an unsympathizing jackass; Boone pre-death was kind of clueless, but generally well-intentioned. So yeah, death makes people different... but what we've seen of CS pre-death hasn't been favorable. On-island, I don't think he's been particularly benign, either; he's just been there and hovering. To me that's different than outright benevolence.
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Polarbear · Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 8:39 pm Post subject:

Christian showing up on the boat in season 4 telling Michael he can go makes me think he's not a physical Christian. This also goes against my theory that he is the smoke monster but I still believe this because too often when we have seen him he has been pushing Locke towards his ultimate death and 'possesion' by smokey. Also the scene in season 5 when he shows up just before Flocke does and tells them to follow John Locke is pretty striking. I suppose it's possible he's a manifestation of the 'island' in some way we don't understand yet trying to get it's ultimate wish or something.. or hey who's to say more than one entity has been pretending to be Christian at different points.
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Brooke · Expert Vidder Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 24129

I think Christian on the island is supposed to be his redemption.

The guy obviously wasn't the nicest guy in the world to either his wife nor son as we have seen he's a cheater and abusive towards Jack, not a physical abuse an emotional one. He was also not a nice guy as a doctor either, going into a operation drunk was careless and he didn't seem to care. IE, killing the young pregnant girl and trying to get away with it by forcing Jack.

But Christian on the island seems to want to be helping Jack. IE, he helped Jack locate the caves.

Christian knew he wasn't the good guy he was just too stubborn to admit it, until his talk with Sawyer. It's easier to tell a stranger your issues rather than talking to those closest to you.

But just because he was on the boat with Michael doesn't mean he isn't Christian. It reminded me of when Hurley saw all those dead people. I believe he saw those dead people, I don't believe they were the smoke monster.

The show is mythologically religious. I doubt the name Christian Shepheard is just a coincidence.