After years of speculating otherwise, it looks like Rousseau was actually telling the truth.

You might want to be more specific. I know what you are getting at, but you should probably spell it out if you are starting a thread.

I think the OP means that there has been a lot of speculation on if Danielle was an Other, or part of Dharma, or any other such story. It seems at least so far as she was part of a French crew that crashed on the island, she was telling the truth

Yeah, sorry I wasn't clear. But wentwj is correct. It seems like alot of people thought she was an Other or Dharma. But this episode seems to indicate that she was telling the truth.

But this doesn't clear up one thing for me. She should have arrived before the Purge. How did she survive, and how did she not know of Dharma?

I think the OP means that there has been a lot of speculation on if Danielle was an Other, or part of Dharma, or any other such story. It seems at least so far as she was part of a French crew that crashed on the island, she was telling the truth
I knew she wasn't lying back when she pulled the rifle trick with Sayid-removed the firing pin. They crashed on the island alright, because they started following the signal that was transmitting the numbers from the Flame back to Hanso Foundation. They intercepted it and pursued it where of course, they got shipwrecked like Des shipwrecked. The place is hard on boats...(<>..<>)

Perhaps she was honest about how she got on the island, but due to the fact that's she's met Jin wouldn't it follow that she recognizes him when he shows up further down on her timeline? I wonder why she never volunteered that info.

Perhaps she was honest about how she got on the island, but due to the fact that's she's met Jin wouldn't it follow that she recognizes him when he shows up further down on her timeline? I wonder why she never volunteered that info.

But has she really met him. As I'm typing this I realize it's kind of ridiculous, but have they ever had any one on one interaction on camera?

I never thought she was lying. People question information given in this show too much and then turn around and claim that no answers are ever given.

I also cannot recall one time when Jin was near Rousseau.

Perhaps she was honest about how she got on the island, but due to the fact that's she's met Jin wouldn't it follow that she recognizes him when he shows up further down on her timeline? I wonder why she never volunteered that info.
Why are people asking why Danielle didn't mention she'd met Jin? Are people suddenly forgetting what kind of character Danielle was? She kept her cards close to her chest. She didn't volunteer a great deal of information about herself. And what information she did volunteer often depended on the question she was asked. And, have you seen anyone in our camp say 16 years ago when you arrived on the island, wasn't one of the questions the losties would have thought to ask. The other factor is that Danielle and Jin never communicated a great deal. They appeared in crowd scenes together but never communicated in the same way that Danielle spoke with Sayid, Jack, Locke, or Kate. It's entirely possible given Danielle's personality she did recognize Jin but didn't say anything.

Great. Now that they've cleared up Danielle's arrival to the island, they have 5 more questions to answer.

Why are people asking why Danielle didn't mention she'd met Jin? Are people suddenly forgetting what kind of character Danielle was? She kept her cards close to her chest. She didn't volunteer a great deal of information about herself. And what information she did volunteer often depended on the question she was asked. And, have you seen anyone in our camp say 16 years ago when you arrived on the island, wasn't one of the questions the losties would have thought to ask. The other factor is that Danielle and Jin never communicated a great deal. They appeared in crowd scenes together but never communicated in the same way that Danielle spoke with Sayid, Jack, Locke, or Kate. It's entirely possible given Danielle's personality she did recognize Jin but didn't say anything.

It's also entirely possible that she did recognize Jin and maybe other Losties who were time-travelling so that when she does start interacting with them she's kinda freaked out. After all, this might explain some of her confused craziness and reclusiveness . She's coulda been seeing "ghosts" from her past...(<>..<>)

Yeah, sorry I wasn't clear. But wentwj is correct. It seems like alot of people thought she was an Other or Dharma. But this episode seems to indicate that she was telling the truth.

But this doesn't clear up one thing for me. She should have arrived before the Purge. How did she survive, and how did she not know of Dharma?

I'm sure she knew all about Dharma, but her method of survival was to stay far away from anyone else on the island unless she could subdue them and grill them about the whereabouts of Alex. The Others weren't concerned to purge a crazy loner on the other side of the island; they wanted to wipe out Dharma. Danielle lived underground and the gas probably never reached her, as it didn't reach Radzinsky and Kelvin in the Swan either.

Cardie

Why are people asking why Danielle didn't mention she'd met Jin? Are people suddenly forgetting what kind of character Danielle was? She kept her cards close to her chest. She didn't volunteer a great deal of information about herself. And what information she did volunteer often depended on the question she was asked. And, have you seen anyone in our camp say 16 years ago when you arrived on the island, wasn't one of the questions the losties would have thought to ask. The other factor is that Danielle and Jin never communicated a great deal. They appeared in crowd scenes together but never communicated in the same way that Danielle spoke with Sayid, Jack, Locke, or Kate. It's entirely possible given Danielle's personality she did recognize Jin but didn't say anything.

Actually, I think Danielle did not mention that she had met Jin because she had not actually met him before, just that simple. I think it's similar to Desmond not remembering Daniel, it's due to the string theory. You can not change the past because it has already happened, all you can do is change the future, that's why Desmond did not remember Daniel until later in the future. If Danielle had remembered Jin, that would have changed the past.....

I suspect if Danielle was alive, she would have had a sudden memory of the Jin in the past similar to what happened with Desmond.

Actually, I think Danielle did not mention that she had met Jin because she had not actually met him before, just that simple. I think it's similar to Desmond not remembering Daniel, it's due to the string theory. You can not change the past because it has already happened, all you can do is change the future, that's why Desmond did not remember Daniel until later in the future. If Danielle had remembered Jin, that would have changed the past.....

I suspect if Danielle was alive, she would have had a sudden memory of the Jin in the past similar to what happened with Desmond.

I don't think that's it. I think Desmond is the only one that can change anything at all, even inconsequential things. I think it always happened this way for Jin and Danielle. I cannot recall a scene they were in together. I obviously don't have total recall of every scene in Lost (though I've watched every episode minus the newest season at least 5 times each), but I can't recall a time when they were in even close proximity. I think this is why the writers choose Jin to be the one to participate in Danielles story.

I'm sure she knew all about Dharma, but her method of survival was to stay far away from anyone else on the island unless she could subdue them and grill them about the whereabouts of Alex.

Well.... according to the transcript from Solitary:

SAYID: Have you seen other people on this island?

DANIELLE: No, but I hear them. Out there, in the jungle. They whisper.


Now I always wondered how she could possibly have been on the island that long and not run into someone, but that's what she said. Of course she could be lying, or crazy... :redface:

I don't think that's it. I think Desmond is the only one that can change anything at all, even inconsequential things. I think it always happened this way for Jin and Danielle. I cannot recall a scene they were in together. I obviously don't have total recall of every scene in Lost (though I've watched every episode minus the newest season at least 5 times each), but I can't recall a time when they were in even close proximity. I think this is why the writers choose Jin to be the one to participate in Danielles story.
Jin has been in the background during some of Danielle's scenes for instance he was there for the tree bombing demonstration but they never interacted or spoke to one another like Sayid, Jack, Kate, or Locke interacted with Danielle.

I think the OP means that there has been a lot of speculation on if Danielle was an Other, or part of Dharma, or any other such story.
And the ones about how Ben was actually the one who impregnated Danielle, etc. My first thought on seeing the frenchies was, "finally, no more of THOSE theories." ;)

Jin has been in the background during some of Danielle's scenes for instance he was there for the tree bombing demonstration but they never interacted or spoke to one another like Sayid, Jack, Kate, or Locke interacted with Danielle.

Exactly, they have been in proximity to each other. I even believe that leading up to and after the bombing demo, Danielle spent a considerable period of time at camp (well, considerable for Danielle). And I don't care what you say, if you see someone show up 16 years later looking exactly the same, even if it's just a face in the crowd, there's a recognition. Coupling this with the fact that we still haven't seen the end of Danielle's interaction with Jin in this time period, and I wonder how vague the recognition is.

As for Danielle not remembering Jin in 2004... well if Alpert can remember Locke then why can't she remember Jin? I might be able to believe that there are several roads down which this island can travel on the way to meet its fate, roads in which Jin and Danielle don't meet when her boat crashes, but if that's the case then the rule must hold true for everyone, and it doesn't seem to for Locke and Alpert. Alpert has known Locke since 1954and he always has. So the same must be true for Danielle.

Actually, I think Danielle did not mention that she had met Jin because she had not actually met him before, just that simple. I think it's similar to Desmond not remembering Daniel, it's due to the string theory. You can not change the past because it has already happened, all you can do is change the future, that's why Desmond did not remember Daniel until later in the future. If Danielle had remembered Jin, that would have changed the past.....

I suspect if Danielle was alive, she would have had a sudden memory of the Jin in the past similar to what happened with Desmond.

I think this is spot on and is consistent with the TT rules they have set forth.

And the ones about how Ben was actually the one who impregnated Danielle, etc. My first thought on seeing the frenchies was, "finally, no more of THOSE theories." ;)

Unless you subscribe to the theory that we saw the real Danielle Rousseau for the first time in this episode.

And the character played by Mira Furlan was someone else who assumed her identity, just like Ben claimed being Henry Gale.

Of course, that doesn't really make sense considering Ben explicitly told Alex that Rousseau was her mother.

Well.... according to the transcript from Solitary:

SAYID: Have you seen other people on this island?

DANIELLE: No, but I hear them. Out there, in the jungle. They whisper.


Now I always wondered how she could possibly have been on the island that long and not run into someone, but that's what she said. Of course she could be lying, or crazy... :redface:


Just what I was about to say. But Jin will disappear eventually, possibly right in front of their eyes, so maybe after all that time she doesn't count him as a living person she met... As for how come that she never ran into anybody on island, when so many had walked around on it, it's still a mystery. Maybe Ben brainwashed her in his horror-chamber. I can't possibly imagine that in 16 years she never once came to that level of desperation as to go right into Otherville after Alex...

There has always been a burning question for me with all of this. Danielle lands on the island 16 years before 2004 when the plane crashes. That makes it 1988. Alex, is born on that date, and presumably Ben kidnaps her while she is still an infant.
BUT, the Purge only happens four years later, in 1992.. which means that Ben has already had Alex for 4 years. How does Alex not die during the Purge.. and did Ben's father know that Ben had stolen a child and was fathering her?

The Others kidnap Alex while Ben is still working as a mole in the Dharma camp. As soon as the Purge has been implemented and Ben gets to settle into Otherville, he takes on Alex to raise. She's four by this time.

Cardie

The Others kidnap Alex while Ben is still working as a mole in the Dharma camp. As soon as the Purge has been implemented and Ben gets to settle into Otherville, he takes on Alex to raise. She's four by this time.

Cardie
Are you just guessing this, or was it shown/explained somewhere?... and if the latter, where? tks

Are you just guessing this, or was it shown/explained somewhere?... and if the latter, where? tks

Ben actually says onscreen that he got Alex when she was four--I think when he's telling Keamy she isn't really his daughter. The rest just seems very likely in view of what we know about the Purge.

Cardie

You all may be right and Danielle has nothing to do with Dharma or the Others, but presently, you're making an assumption that Danielle wasn't part of Dharma out on an expedition when her crew lands on the island. We don't know where she came from yet, really.

There has always been a burning question for me with all of this. Danielle lands on the island 16 years before 2004 when the plane crashes. That makes it 1988. Alex, is born on that date, and presumably Ben kidnaps her while she is still an infant.
BUT, the Purge only happens four years later, in 1992.. which means that Ben has already had Alex for 4 years. How does Alex not die during the Purge.. and did Ben's father know that Ben had stolen a child and was fathering her?

We've got the date for the Purge wrong... and Kelvin was recruited by Dharma post-purge. as revealed in the last audio podcast.

If Rousseau lands in 1988, and is accurate about being on the island for 2 months, then this may be a clue as to when the Purge happened, if that is what "killed them all."

Ben actually says onscreen that he got Alex when she was four--I think when he's telling Keamy she isn't really his daughter. The rest just seems very likely in view of what we know about the Purge.

Cardie

from Lostpedia

BEN: She's not my daughter.
KEAMY: Eight...
BEN: I stole her as a baby from an insane woman. She's a pawn, nothing more. She means nothing to me. I'm not coming out of this house. So if you want to kill her, go ahead and do it--

From Alex's bio on Lostpedia:

According to Danielle, she arrived on the Island seven months pregnant and Alex was taken by the Others when she was one week old............Regardless of the exact circumstances of her adoption, Alex was raised by Ben as one of the Others, and she was told that her mother was dead.

Lostpedia even lists as one of it's unanswered questions: How long did the Others have her before Ben adopted her?

But of course Lostpedia is certainly not cannon, so take it as you will.;)

I hate to bring this up but Rosseau probably never mentioned meeting Jin because the writers hadn't decided yet to make this happen. That said, there's another explanation within the reality of the story; if you were in Rosseau's shoes and you saw a Korean man who doesn't speak english amongst a group of people you would probably think "That guy kind of looks like that guy on the beach 16 years ago" , but you wouldn't assume that it was the same guy who must be destined to travel back in time at some point. You would think that it can't be the same guy and he doesn't speak english anyway so it's just some guy who looks like him. Now it is true that they realize that he isn't part of their crew and at some point he's going to disappear without explanation so it would be a weird experience, but it's possible that Rosseau is going to meet with Locke or the other Lefties and they'll explain some of what is going down and tell her not to reveal anything when they meet her in the future.

From Alex's bio on Lostpedia:

According to Danielle, she arrived on the Island seven months pregnant and Alex was taken by the Others when she was one week old............Regardless of the exact circumstances of her adoption, Alex was raised by Ben as one of the Others, and she was told that her mother was dead.

Lostpedia even lists as one of it's unanswered questions: How long did the Others have her before Ben adopted her?

But of course Lostpedia is certainly not cannon, so take it as you will.;)

This has been unclear, just like how Ben interacted with Richard and the Others leading up to the Purge, did he become their leader after the Purge or was he the leader before the purge. He may have led a "double life" and raised Alex when he visited the Others,wherever they were camped. Explain Ben's relationship with the Others while he was betraying Dharma and you explain the early parenting of Alex. She was not at the DI village because he would have asked when he met up with Richard or Richard would have told him Alex was safe and secure.

I hate to bring this up but Rosseau probably never mentioned meeting Jin because the writers hadn't decided yet to make this happen.
I actually believe that. I think in the early seasons the writers had a general outline for what was going to happen but filled in the details later. They probably had the time jumps planned from the beginning but didn't know which character would meet young Danielle. I would think one of the factors in the decision would be it had to be a character who hadn't interacted with her much.

The mystery surrounding Danielle's story isn't about her origins, but more like what happens between now and 16 years later. It's always been "shrouded" in secrecy and perhaps "deceit" because it involves interactions with the time-traveling left behinders.

I agree that the writers probably didn't have Jin pinpointed as that guy all the way, but I'm sure they've always had the idea that her backstory involves interaction with Losties.

I never doubted Danielle's story the way we heard it back in 'Solitary'. Nice to finally see it playing out.

I wonder what happens between them landing onthe island and Danielle giving birth that Bens decides she is crazy.
I know she loses her crew and I guess her husband, but I wonder what else.

I hope they still explain the scene where she catches Ben in a trap. There's more to that than we've been shown. Why was she so adamant that he would lie if she'd never met Ben?

And I wish they'd explain how she lived on the island for 16 years and had never seen any of the Others. Unless she was lying about that.

I hope they still explain the scene where she catches Ben in a trap. There's more to that than we've been shown. Why was she so adamant that he would lie if she'd never met Ben?

And I wish they'd explain how she lived on the island for 16 years and had never seen any of the Others. Unless she was lying about that.

When she says she never saw any of the others. Does she mean the Others or any people in general?
Because she seemed to know excatally who Ben was when she trapped him.
Plus why set traps if you think your alone?

I wonder if she ran in to smokie? Thinking your alone on an island with that thing would be enough to push someone over the edge.

I'm just excited for the next episode about the french research team. We know that Danielle knew that the smoke monster was a "security system" so therefore she must have run into the smoke monster before, and gained some sort of knowledge on it.

Therefore we can deduct Smokey will make an appearance in her story, which is next episode i think, and i love me some smokey!

:confused:What I want to know is her team crashed there in 1988 The Purge happend 1992, how did Danielle manage to live through the purge? Who raised Alex in those four years between when Ben was still with Dharma and when he joined the Others/Hostiles

I'm sure the Others initially raised Alex, since they probably sent Ben to kidnap her and gave him custody when there was no more DI to infiltrate. The Purge was aimed at killing off Dharma. Rousseau was way outside that radius and living underground. The inhabitants of The Swan survived the Purge, and so did she.

Cardie

I wonder what happens between them landing on the island and Danielle giving birth that Ben decides she is crazy.
I know she loses her crew and I guess her husband, but I wonder what else.

Keep in mind that it makes it a lot easier to justify stealing someone's child if you convince yourself that the person is "crazy"...

- mnw

I'm sure the Others initially raised Alex, since they probably sent Ben to kidnap her and gave him custody when there was no more DI to infiltrate. The Purge was aimed at killing off Dharma. Rousseau was way outside that radius and living underground. The inhabitants of The Swan survived the Purge, and so did she.

Cardie

That could be, but untill we know for sure your just guessing

If Ben was going to gas the Island the same way they did when the purge happend then I don't think she was outside of the Radius because we don't know how big the Radius is.

Yes thw Swan people survived BECAUSE they were in a hatch that was sealed off from outsiders. Plus the Others/hostiles knew that they needed people to push the button and so they just left them there.

That could be, but untill we know for sure your just guessing




My guess is as good as yours, as they say. ;)

Cardie