Josh Randall as Nathan in 'The Other 48 Days'
I'm asking the question... Who is Nathan really?
On several re-watches of the episode, I started to realize there was a lot 更多 going on than I originally thought.
One thing that's important to remember is LOST's Canada deception!
It's well known that EVERY other reference to Canada 或者 being Canadian on 迷失 (and there are many), is indicative of deception.
It stands to reason that Nathan may not actually be Canadian at all, 或者 if he is (making him the only true Canadian in the entire series), then he was being deceptive in some other way.
The Canada deception was used quite effectively in Season 1 - so much so that when he first says that's where he's from, we became instantly suspicious.
This does not mean he wasn't on the plane. There is little evidence either way. But one 问题 that comes to mind is, is he 'Widmore's victim'? (The man that is seen in the video that Ben shows Locke later on).
See: link
Other characters make reference to him being on the 海滩 during the rescue so we know he was there (as was Goodwin 由 the way). Yet, despite seeing every other Tailie survivor, there is not a single frame from those scenes with him in it.
Viewers first see him exactly 10 分钟 into the episode, 下一个 to Ana Lucia and 秒 before several Others are heard nearby waking up the survivors as Eko kills two of them (triggering his 40 days of silence).
WE do however see all the other characters, Eko, Libby, Ana Lucia, Cindy, Bernard (even Goodwin) etc in the initial crash scenes but not Nathan. This seems a deliberate act on the part of the writers to connect him with the Others that infiltrated the camp 由 展示 him to us at the same time they appear.
This then leads to the question...
IS IT POSSIBLE NATHAN WAS PURPOSELY DEFLECTING ATTENTION AND/OR COVERING UP FOR GOODWIN SO HE WOULD NOT BE CAUGHT OUT 由 AN INCREASINGLY PARANOID ANA LUCIA?
Watch very carefully at the looks that Goodwin and Nathan give each other thoughout the episode. It seems as if they have a 前一个 familiarity with each other. Over time these turn into looks of frustration (with each other and/or the increasingly difficult/dangerous Ana Lucia). Even before he's put into the hole, Nathan seems scared, possibly worried he's about to blow his cover. The frustration with Goodwin palpable for having to take all the flack for protecting him. He's clearly scared for his life!
This is where I get most suspicious...
GOODWIN: Ana Lucia's -- I think we all think that she's going to hurt you. Now, 你 need to get away from here. There's some 水果 in there, now just go.
NATHAN: Which way's the beach?
Why would he ask that 问题 when he knows the 海滩 is 更多 dangerous than where they were at that time? Afterall, it was on the 海滩 that the Others attacked them. None of the other Taily's in his predicament would CHOOSE to go back to the 海滩 after what they went through. (Also, it was Nathan's idea to light the 火, 消防 there in the first place, leading the Others rAfterall, it was on the 海滩 that the Others attacked them. None of the other Tailies in his predicament would CHOOSE to go back to the 海滩 after what they went through. (Also, it was Nathan's idea to light the 火, 消防 there in the first place, leading the Others right to them!)
Consider this also; the Others knew that the 海滩 was the safest place from the Smoke Monster. There is not a single scene in all six seasons where we see the monster on the actual 海滩 itself (not in smoke form anyway). Only in the woodland nearby. The Tailies however weren't threatened (or even knew of) the Smoke Monster at that point. Their only threat were the Others who attacked them on the 海滩 time and time again.
So then why was Nathan referred to as a bad person 由 both Goodwin and Ben?
Is it possible that (while previously living amongst the Others), Nathan took a liking to Juliet? As Goodwin was having an affair with her at the time, and Ben's affections for her well known, their individual jealousy would explain their animosity.
或者 did Nathan somehow conspire with Widmore in some way. If he was Widmore's victim, he may have divulged information to him that he was not supposed to (perhaps under duress/torture).
Or was he sent 由 Widmore ahead of the mercenary team that was sent weeks later to assist them in locating Ben once they got there? This would definitely explain why he's called a 'bad person' 由 both men. The common goal of not blowing each others cover would also explain the cat and 老鼠, 鼠标 game between them.
This 链接 directly to another bit of evidence I'd like to throw into the mix... ie: what Goodwin says to Ana Lucia when she catches him out. He says that Nathan wasn't on the 列表 (of names she found on the Other that was murdered) because he wasn't a good person. But hold on. Everyone else was on the list, including Goodwin himself (obviously to reduce suspicion on himself) - so were the Others setting Nathan up out of spite (we know Ben didn't like him for whatever reason).
Remember, Ben also didn't like Goodwin which is why he sent him in the first place. He kept him there long enough to arouse Ana Lucia's suspicion leading directly to his death - making Juliet his again.
Ben also later tells Juliet (in one of her flashbacks) that Goodwin was "making a case" for Ana Lucia to 加入 them. But the obvious 问题 here is - when the hell did Goodwin have time to talk to Ben at all? If he had ever gone away, Ana Lucia would've noticed. They have a 'system' for that! Goodwin was doing all he could to avoid suspicion.
Who does dissapear though? 你 guessed it. Nathan. For over 2 hours. We're never shown why. We only know that someone possibly made contact with the Others at some point to make the case for Ana Lucia.
And then there's the accent...
He does not sound Canadian!!!
When first caged, he yells 'let me out' several times. There's absolutely no evidence of accent! (Most Canadians have a very distinctive way of pronouncing the word 'out'). This could be put down to poor 表演 由 Josh Randall - but I doubt it very much. His 表演 is flawless throughout the episode.
Remember... This is LOST. It's unlikely the director would have let this pass. After all, Evangeline Lilly (who plays Kate) is Canadian in real life and she spent six seasons masking her accent quite effectively - even, and this is key, when she masqueraded as a Canadian while in Australia to fool the Aussie farmer... the actress maintained her American accent. Adding credibility to how much attention accents receive on LOST, the producers discuss the matter on the commentary track for the Pilot episode (DVD and Blu-Ray). They had to work very hard with Eve to remove her Canadian accent which at the start of Series 1 was very strong - despite the fact her character was pretending to be one in several scenes.
Nathan says 'out' three times and each time it sounds 100% American with not even a hint of anything else. I can't help but think this was deliberate.
Of course we could just accept the story on face value that he's indeed the only Canadian on the show, in Australia for a work conference, and that he is just naturally belligerant, even though he knows Ana Lucia is dangerous, and chooses to put himself in harms way with his behavior because he doesn't like taking orders. This is possible...
But - 迷失 in my experience is never ever that simple.
Any normal person would have heeded the warning signs if only to protect themself. Instead, Nathan defies Ana Lucia to the point of death. Indeed she was hours away from killing him before Goodwin beat her to it (perhaps feeling that he was about to take him down with him)!
Are we really to believe Nathan is the only real Canadian in six seasons of 迷失 when the writers have been so consistent with the oft used 'Canada Deception' (both before and after this episode)?
I believe there are compelling arguments that there is 更多 to this enigmatic character than meets the eye. It's not just me either...
PEARSON MOORE: "We don't know with certainty that Nathan was one of the Others, though particulars of circumstance indicate that he was."
- 迷失 HUMANITY [1] (2011) Kindle Edition, Page 220
To recap, Nathan;
- says he is Canadian (on a TV 显示 where all references to Canada involve deception)
- is devoid of any obvious Canadian accent
- is belligerent to the point of death
- asks where the 海滩 is when he's freed 由 Goodwin despite the fact that everyone from his camp believed the 海滩 was the most dangerous place of all, (a true Other would know that the 海滩 is the safest place from the Smoke Monster)
- is killed 由 Goodwin seemingly unnecessarily if he really is who he says he is...
...to name but a few things on the 列表 of evidence that cast doubt on this character.
Was he an Other, Widmore's victim, a member of one of Jacob's many groups 或者 Widmore's spy? What I'm least convinced of however is that he's Canadian. Which of course leads back to the original 问题 I posed...
Who is he?
The rabbit hole that is LOST, I think you'll find, goes way way deeper than any of us think!
One of the last times we see Nathan alive
