The Purge Problem

During John’s “looping” encounter with Horace Goodspeed, he alluded to the fact that he might not “be making much sense” as he has been “dead for 12 years.” This statement causes a serious problem for our timeline.

We know that the purge took place at 4 PM on December 19th. We all witnessed Ben closing Mr. Goodspeed’s eyes. We all assumed he was dead.

The problem is that Mr. Goodspeed’s statement of 12 years places the purge on December 19, 1992.

Danielle arrives in a science expedition in 1988 and gives birth to Alex, who is kidnapped one week later.

Clearly, Ben didn’t have Alex when he gassed his father in the Dhamra van. Which brings the following questions:

1. How did Danielle survive the purge?
2. Who was minding 4 year-old Alex?
3. Is Danielle a liar or a loon?
4. In either case, can her story be trusted?

Of course, this could be one huge production error. And if so, I am deeply disappointed.

it has to be a screw up. The purge takes place around the time of (and slightly before) Danielle's ship got to the island. If her ship got there before the purge, the Dharma people would have heard the distress signal coming from the tower, the signal wouldn't have been jammed and Dharma people probably would have been manning the radio tower station anyway.

But we have to give the Lost makers a break...the strike screwed up everything and they have been busting ass to get the shows done so it prob slipped by the continuity people.

I don't buy that its a production error, they know that people examine the detail so to be out by 4 years...nah.

It was only a dream to point Locke in the right direction so every detail of the dream does not have to be accurate.

That said I've never trusted Danielle, so I hope it turns out that she has been lying all along. It will make AC so very cross and me so very happy.

coincidence?...since 12 years from the 1988 purge would Horace in 2000, isn't that the timeframe (4 years prior to the series start) that Locke had his spine snapped? Just curious, probably not related, just curious

MSHL Sounds about right timeline wise.

Lojozz - I am with you on never having trusted Danielle's story. I hope, as well as you, that we either find out she was either lying or giving us half-truths.

Yeah and the producers have said things about the purge, so I don't think that this is something that the producers would screw up. I mean it was an important scene.

My guess is that the purge was in the mid eighties and Horace was not put in the loop imediatley after his death.

It seems to me that the writers are messing with the timeline on purpose. but why?

OK... I have the answer to this one... sort of... but I need to rely on 2 of my own prior theories to explain it. Simply put, since the island is moving backward and forward in comparison to "normal" time, the purge could have occured anywhere from 12 to 20 years ago, depending on both individual perspective and the Island's current point in it's occilation.

Yeah yeah. . . Juliet's not to be trusted, Danielle's not to be trusted. . .

LJ, don't start getting all Charlie Big Potatoes on this argument when you and I both know you've withered away from banging the drum about Danielle being wrong a long time ago. And Juliet's to follow, I am sure.

Anyway, Horace trapped in a time loop from a point after he has been dead 12 years is the only way I can reconcile this poll query - so that's the option I am going for.

Perhaps it is 12 years from Horace's point of view. maybe his 'incarnation" is time traveling in the same way others have and, by his frame of reference, it has only been 12 years since the purge.

Or, going out on a limb here, perhaps the date of John's spinal injuriy 4 years earlier (12 years after the purge) holds some other kind of significance to the island as well as to Locke.

Perhaps the date of John's injury was traumatic for the island as well (MSHL now getting further out on the limb) and sort of "awakened" the island to John's presence, begining the long chain of events which eventually led Locke to be on the island and starting the end game which would see Locke replacing Ben as the island's guardian.

SNAP!!! There went the limb I was on.