What was the “sickness” that made Robert insane?
I was just thinking about this and, forgive me if this has already been discussed to death and I just don’t realize that there’s a glaringly obvious answer sitting two posts away but–what on earth is the “sickness” that made Rousseau’s companions go insane?
It made it seem before that it was her own insanity that lead to paranoia and that, rather than there being an actual sickness, it was just her own insanity that lead her to believe they were sick and therefore made her shoot them all. But we saw in that one episode from season five that there was definitely something fishy with them. Robert was begging her to put down the gun but then he tried to shoot her! What was up with that? What on earth could that have meant?
I think it has something to do with the Others, well–I guess that’s obvious. But I’m really curious, there really hasn’t been much info on this at all apart from that one tiny little scene where we saw that Robert really was insane.
I used to assume that it was tied in with the smoke monster, given the way Montand’s arm gets ripped off and he goes down the hole.
In view of more recent episodes, however, especially “Dead is Dead” in which we see Smokey judging Ben, I am no longer so sure.
While Montand is pulled under the temple by Smokey to be judged (I guess it was his time, and by the abrasive way the actor played Montand I would guess the guy has a lot of stuff to atone for), the other members of Danielle’s group go down there voluntarily.
We just do not know what else is in that dark basement, do we? With Lost it is dangerous to make assumptions. The writers like to show us only part of the information and let us speculate in the wrong direction.
I have speculated elsewhere that maybe Robert was not trying to kill Rousseau, but baby Alex. If someone or something showed him the future in which his daughter brings about the end of the world, perhaps he would be willing to kill her. Perhaps it is only a sickness from Rousseau’s perspective.
What do you think?
I agree completely about making assumptions, which is why I only create a theory if I think there have been strong clues and enough solid evidence for something.
This whole thing definitely seems like we’re still lacking a lot of vital info.
I like your theory about him trying to kill Alex and not necessarily Rousseau–I don’t know that he saw the future or that Alex’s death would bring about the end of the world, but I think there’s merit to the fact that everything isn’t always as it seems o he might not have been trying to kill Danielle. Maybe they were turned into “Others” in the same way that Ben was when Richard took him into the temple to be saved…? And maybe the island wanted Alex dead then. But then it seems like the smoke monster would have judged Ben harder than it did because that means he really did disobey a direct order from the island. I don’t know.