Remember that "magic box" been talked about with Locke that supposedly brought Anthony Cooper to the island? What are the chances that is going to be addressed in the finale?

I want to know what Ben was talking about! Was it the light in the center of island? I thought been was kept in the dark about those things...

"The Brig"
LOCKE: [Sarcastically] Oh oh oh, the, magic box, OK Ben, how about you show me...
BEN: The magic box is a metaphor,

I know it was a metaphor. But a metaphor for what? That was never explained.
100%
Also, the "magic box" was referenced by Locke in a much later episode after The Brig in "There's No Place Like Home."

LOCKE: Is this the magic box?

BEN: No, John, it's not.

Obviously up until the Season 4 finale they intended for this metaphorical magic box to be a mystery.

You don't think the light was the magic box?

You don't think the light was the magic box? If the the light is the magic box, how did Ben know about the light?

What are the chances that is going to be addressed in the finale?

Slim to none.

-steve

I took the submarine to be the magic box.

I know it was a metaphor. But a metaphor for what? That was never explained.



Well, the only time he ever really referenced it was in explaining the appearance of Anthony Cooper right? And, as we know from Cooper, he was in an accident and woke up on the island. Sounds to me like Ben's magic box is the drawer he keeps his cash in and the submarine he uses to get to and from the Island to kidnap Cooper.

I cannot believe it. Season 3 Ben was making *mod edit* up???? How dare he.
100%
I took the submarine to be the magic box.

LOL I should have read the entire thread before posting. Glad to see I'm not the only one of this opinion.

Well, the only time he ever really referenced it was in explaining the appearance of Anthony Cooper right? And, as we know from Cooper, he was in an accident and woke up on the island. Sounds to me like Ben's magic box is the drawer he keeps his cash in and the submarine he uses to get to and from the Island to kidnap Cooper.

The only other time the 'magic' box is mentioned is in 'There's No Place Like Home':

[Whirring]
LOCKE: How deep is the station?
BEN: Deep.
[Clank, squeak]
[switch clicks, electricity powers up]
[switches and knobs clicking]
LOCKE: Is this the magic box?
BEN: No, John, it's not.

We won't have answers to half of the questions, so I doubt if the box is addressed. I never thought there was an actual magic box. It just sounded cool.

***mod edit***

The only other time the 'magic' box is mentioned is in 'There's No Place Like Home':

Yeah, and Ben pretty much rolled his eyes at that lol. I think we know now the moment Ben decided to kill John.:biggrin:

If the the light is the magic box, how did Ben know about the light?

He knew about the FDW that was connected to the light.

I think the whole show is about how the light makes things happen if they believe in it. Which was pretty much the description of the magic box given by Ben.

I know it was a metaphor. But a metaphor for what? That was never explained.What's the sense in using a metaphor if you're then just going to turn around and explain it? And that was the beauty of the line, too -- Ben was using a metaphor, and was showing his frustration that Locke didn't get it. And Locke, of all people, should have -- Ben's magic box metaphor represented the island, itself, which can make great things happen, like John regaining his ability to walk.

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The problem with the whole "it was only a metaphor" and "Ben was lying" explanations is that it doesn't explain how exactly Anthony Cooper got to the island. Maybe it's not important in the grand scheme of things, but why introduce something as a mystery that could easily have been explained in that episode?

I still think there is a possibility that it might be explained in the finale, but I guess we have one more day to wait and see.

I don't think the writers originally intended the "magic box" to be purely a metaphor with no answer.

Cooper explained it himself in 'The Brig':

SAWYER: [Inaudible, sounds like “Your his...”] How did you get here, to the Island?
COOPER: Island? OK. I'm driving down I10 through Tallahassee when bam, somebody slams into the back of my car. I go right into the divider at seventy miles an hour, the next thing I know, the paramedics are strapping me to a gurney, stuffing me into the back of an ambulance and one of them actually smiles at me as he pops the IV in my arm. And then, nothing. Just, black. And the next thing I know I wake up in a dark room tied up, gag in my mouth, and when the door opens, I'm looking up at the same man I threw out a window, John Locke. My dead son.

The Others have been seen in medical contexts off-island, and we know they tranquilize people in order to bring them to the island (Juliet). I don't think they'll explain it in any greater detail than what's set out above.

Cooper explained it himself in 'The Brig':



The Others have been seen in medical contexts off-island, and we know they tranquilize people in order to bring them to the island (Juliet). I don't think they'll explain it in any greater detail than what's set out above.

I agree. ;)

My money is on the cabin. the cabin is the magic box. =) does not make sense for how Anthony got there, but is an even bigger unanswered mystery.

Jacob, Clair, Christian/Smokey were all in the cabin and were all seen outside of the island.

They better cover SOME of this...

Vaughn

Jacob, Clair, Christian/Smokey were all in the cabin and were all seen outside of the island.
Claire is not dead and when Kate saw her off the Island it was a dream.
We only have one confirmation of Smokey being Christian and that was when he appeared to Jack when Jack was looking for water. NotLocke never confirmed that he appeared as Christian at any other time.
We know Jacob can get off the Island but how he does is a question that hasn't been answered.

You are also leaving out some important other dialogue from The Brig.

LOCKE: Dad? What is this?

BEN: You tell me. You brought him here.

LOCKE: I didn't bring him here.

BEN: I'd be careful about getting too close to him, John.

[Tom holds a tazer as John steps nearer]

LOCKE: (Mumbles) Where did you find him? Why did you bring him here?

BEN: I already said. We didn't.

LOCKE: You want me to ask him how he got here?

BEN: Be my guest.



Of course, Ben is a liar and yadda, yadda, yadda. But it seems like a rather pointless mystery to introduce and a mystery that accomplishes nothing. Even from a character development standpoint, by that episode we knew Ben was a habitual liar. So again, why introduce it as a mystery if it was never intended to be one, or if Ben simply kidnapped him?

At the end of The Man From Tallahassee, Ben basically alluded that it was Locke who brought him to the island using the metaphor of a "magic box."

BEN:Let me put it so you'll understand. Picture a box. You know something about boxes, don't you, John? What if I told you that somewhere on this island, there's a very large box... and whatever you imagined, whatever you wanted to be in it, when you opened that box, there it would be. What would you say about that, John?

Bottom line is the cabin is a mystery. It has a special purpose and they have not revealed what it is. They have not revealed how Jacob/Christan appeared off island either, so until their is a resolution on either, the Cabin remains a strong contender.

My primary piece of evidence for the cabin is that there were blueprints for it. A shack made out of slates on the middle of an island does not get blue prints made for it unless it is special. And when Illana burned it so "No one else can USE it", you think she was worried if someone else was getting out of the rain? No, she was stopping someone else from USING the special abilities the cabin provides.

the cabin was built on a pocket of energy, for the purpose of using that energy... Projecting off island is such a purpose.

I have threads on this and there are no points to argue against it, except Clair was a dream. Dreams are more than dreams on this show though... And some people go to the "horace built it for his wife" which is silly... If he went to the trouble to blueprint his wife's vacation spot, you think maybe it would have been built where the spaces in the walls were not big enough for animals to have free access to it???




Vaughn

I do think, 'the box," is simply a metaphor for the island itself, a vortex, a spiritual hotspot, an electromagnetic anomaly where if you wish it, it appears, if you are the right person, etc. Sayid's cat and Kate's horse are also potential manifestations of this. I don't think this is a mystery that needs to be answered any further.

The cabin is another story. I think it mattters simply because one of these immortal god-beings was being kept there, austensibly against his will. When did they trap MIB there and why wasn't Ben told about this?????

When did they trap MIB there and why wasn't Ben told about this?????

I'm still unsure if it was MIB or Jacob. Was the circle of ash here to emprison someone or was he here to protect someone....the only time we saw a circle of ash in lost it was Bram's and it was to protect himself...again Illana and Bram found the piece of tapestry with the statue in jacob's cabin...so who left it? Probably jacob!??

I do think, 'the box," is simply a metaphor for the island itself, a vortex, a spiritual hotspot, an electromagnetic anomaly where if you wish it, it appears, if you are the right person, etc. Sayid's cat and Kate's horse are also potential manifestations of this. I don't think this is a mystery that needs to be answered any further.

The cabin is another story. I think it mattters simply because one of these immortal god-beings was being kept there, austensibly against his will. When did they trap MIB there and why wasn't Ben told about this?????

I do think the magic box is the island and specifically the light. It does need more explanation though even if just to say and this is my theory that the island let you manifest your dreams, nightmares and wishes if you had faith in it.

I do agree with you that the cabin is very nebulous and a satisfying answer has not been given for it. I too consider it important.

Nothing more than a Ben mind game.

I'm still unsure if it was MIB or Jacob. Was the circle of ash here to emprison someone or was he here to protect someone....the only time we saw a circle of ash in lost it was Bram's and it was to protect himself...again Illana and Bram found the piece of tapestry with the statue in jacob's cabin...so who left it? Probably jacob!??

Yes, Jacob left the tapistry there. Jacob was "using" the cabin. the ash ring was Not to imprision anyone, it is to keep smokey from "using" the cabin. But the ash ring was broken (By Claire!), and Smokie took Christian's form and he "used" the cabin to project out to Jack, and Claire manifested in a dream to Kate, per Christian's instructions (It is his grand daughter BTW, he has a logical reason) in his effort to battle Jacob's manipulations of these people.

Once Jacob had finished with his projections, he went home to the foot. When Jacob talked to Illiana, he was in the cabin, cuz that is how it's done =) So that is why she said he wasn't there anymore, and someone else had been using it (obviously someone else using it was worth mentioning). So to stop that dangerous act of someone else "using" it again, they burnt it. If it did not have a purpose, why all this?

I am not saying the Cabin is the magic box, I tend to agree the whole island is, but I believe the Cabin is just like the Orchid, Swan, MiB's well, and many other special locations on this island. It had a unique magical property, and was used by Dharma, Richard, Jacob and many others who knew its secret.

And sorry for calling you a "He" =)

Vaughn

There is no spoon, um, Island .

I'm still unsure if it was MIB or Jacob. Was the circle of ash here to emprison someone or was he here to protect someone....the only time we saw a circle of ash in lost it was Bram's and it was to protect himself...again Illana and Bram found the piece of tapestry with the statue in jacob's cabin...so who left it? Probably jacob!??
It had to have been Jacob who left the piece of tapestry. Not only was it his tapestry the piece came from but it was also his knife holding the piece of tapestry to the wall.

Jacobs Knife 1 (http://getlostpodcast.iimmgg.com/image/223fa1bd40cf9f2aadb19585eb9aeb93) 2 (http://www.losttalk.net/gallery/fullpicture_80859_o.html)
Someone posted a better cap of Jacob's knife from when he was on on the beach but I can't find it.

Greg - The additional dialogue comes across as nothing more than additonal setup for the metaphor, which is what both Ben and Darlton have said it was. Remember also that Locke had lost faith in the island by season 3, and IMO Ben was attempting to restore that faith for his own nefarious reasons.

Remember also that Locke had lost faith in the island by season 3, and IMO Ben was attempting to restore that faith for his own nefarious reasons. That's not how I remember it at all. Locke lost his faith in the island a little more than half way through Season 2, when he started doubting pushing the button in the Swan Station. When he realized he was wrong and his actions caused the Hatch to implode, at the start of Season 3 he was more driven than ever. Remember? The Locke in Season 3 had NO crisis of faith and I challege you to show me otherwise. He was even planning on blowing up the submarine to keep everone on the island, long before his talk with Ben.

How Anthony Cooper got to the island hasn't been explained. People in this thread have created fan theories that might make sense to some, but they are certainly not canon.

I want to know how much of Ben's talk prior to this season was complete and utter bull. How did he make Anthony appear back then anyhow (I always had issue with whether or not that was ACTUALLY Anthony and whether or not he really died... and why. If Ben knew about the light then it would make for some pretty interesting twists.

I don't know WHAT to expect though!!! So mysterious still.