Richard Alpert – Good or Evil?
Going along with the whole “nothing is what it seems” idea I started wondering if Richard is in fact one of the good guys. A few key points I have is when he was asked how he lived for so long he said he had “Jacob to thank for that” but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he meant it in a good way since he had no emotion as he said it. Maybe Richard feels cursed. Supposedly Richard has been the ambassador between the Others and Jacob (although we never see the two talk) but who’s to say that Jacob is one of the good guys? There are many theories suggesting that maybe Jacob isn’t as pure and innocent as he may appear. If Jacob turns out to not be an evil guy, then would Richard be guilty by association and dubbed a bad guy as well? I think, perhaps, that the most crucial piece of evidence suggesting that Richard isn’t as innocent as he appears is shown in the episode “Dead is Dead” or “some like it Hoth”. It’s when Ben is shot and is taken to the others to be healed. He agreed to take him but warned that he would never be the same again and that Ben’s “innocence would be lost”. Doesn’t sound like a guy who has the best intentions. Not exacatly a gound breaking theory but I am curious as to what other people think of Richard and his persona.
Th strangest part of the Richard Alpert character is that his own actions are governed by some set of rules and boundaries, but he seems to know a lot more about the Island and its inhabitants and history than almost anyone else. I think he is either a gatekeeper of some sort or he is really the MIB biding his time until he can fulfill his plans (which need to be moved along indirectly by other characters for some reason).
Richard knew the correct answer to Ilana’s question, so I don’t think he is associated with Flocke/MIB.