I admit I'm a little dense at time and not as smart as some of you but I can't figure this one out.

Charlie and Sayid find the fire...did the 'others' set it or did Danielle?

Sayid said there were no footprints around the fire.

She said 'they were never here." So does that mean she set it?

Charlie accused her of setting it...but did she confirm or deny?

Did the others set it as a kind of decoy or what? If they were never there....why did Danielle go there...if she lit the fire why light it in that particular place?

Did I miss something?

Help me.......

Hmmm. I assumed the others set it. But you bring up some interesting points. More mysteries. ;)

the others set it, but they didn't want the baby they wanted Walt, which is why they weren't there

The others set it.

So they could find there way back to the beach from the sea after kidnapping Walt.

I am sure there were no footprints because the tide may have washed most of them away. *If I remember correctly, the fire seemed to be set up off the ground.

I think the others set it, but then they needed to capture Walt before he escaped and Aaron is still gonna be on the island, so they can get him later.

The fire was set by the other survivors from the back of the plane as a signal fire after getting the radio message from Boone. *There were no footprints because they were washed away by high tide.

The others set it.

So they could find there way back to the beach from the sea after kidnapping Walt.

I am sure there were no footprints because the tide may have washed most of them away. *If I remember correctly, the fire seemed to be set up off the ground.


I agree.

And there were no footprints when Sceve was killed on the beach, none of the alarms were triggered, and no one heard anything because the killers came by boat.

I agree.

And there were no footprints when Sceve was killed on the beach, none of the alarms were triggered, and no one heard anything because the killers came by boat.


Wouldn't the motorized boat have made so much noise that it awoke the people at the beach?
I still think that particular incident was Ethan doing a bit of swimming.

Edit: Spoiler-ized for those who haven't seen Exodus part 2.

The others set it.

So they could find there way back to the beach from the sea after kidnapping Walt.




But there really wasn't any visible fire...only the black smoke. And it's pretty hard to see black smoke at night.

Also, I felt Danielle sounded surprised herself when she realized the Others were never there. But what confuses me is SOMEONE had to be there to start the stupid fire. Okay. Here's my new theory. Danielle DID light the fire...maybe a signal for the Others to come. And being Danielle, she somehow got rid of all the footprints so she could tell if they had been there. Yep. My new theory. But why?

I think the Others lit the fire.
Footprints could have been removed by the tide or by sweeping something (like a palm frond) across the sand.

If the fire had been set as a beacon, it would only have been visible from the water, so I can see as it might have served as a "lighthouse" for a boat.

I still wonder what they used as fuel to have the fire last so long and to have it generate black smoke.
Were they burning oil?

I thought the Others had lit it, but I couldn't figure out why they would bother warning the Lostaways that they were coming. I guess it makes sense that they would have lit it so they could find their way back, then again they had that big spotlight.

I've been thinking about black smoke all day. And I can't help but wonder why the Other's would build a fire that created smoke that color in particular. It wouldn't really matter what color the smoke was if they just needed the light of the fire to find their way back. What I'm basically trying to say is that in my mind the black smoke of the fire and "tendrils of smoke" in the jungle have to have some sort of connection.

Ok i'm thinking that Ethan was a part of the others but they left him on the island as some kind of spy.Maybe there were more people with Ethan.The people on the boat would return to the sea and wait til' they see the black smoke set by one of the other "others" on the island.In this case they wanted Walt.So the black smoke was already set up and the "boat people others" were on their way to go get Walt, but they saw the flare that Sawyer convinced Micheal into shooting and checked it out.To their luck Walt was there and they took him.(the angry eyes of Sawyer were just too funny for the occasion)So thats my theory.

I thought the Others had lit it, but I couldn't figure out why they would bother warning the Lostaways that they were coming. I guess it makes sense that they would have lit it so they could find their way back, then again they had that big spotlight.



Yeah. Also, I can't see why they would need a beacon - I mean, they've been there for at least 16 years (if they came from Danielle's team), and possibly longer, so they'd probably know how to navigate..

I mean, the passengers have been there for a month, we haven't once heard of one of them being lost, and unable to find their way back to the camp/caves.

Yeah. Also, I can't see why they would need a beacon - I mean, they've been there for at least 16 years (if they came from Danielle's team), and possibly longer, so they'd probably know how to navigate..

I mean, the passengers have been there for a month, we haven't once heard of one of them being lost, and unable to find their way back to the camp/caves.


Good point. And speaking of the passengers getting lost...I've thought about that too. I mean those trees all look the same. But it does seem the only ones who venture out are the "trackers". I still think they'd get lost at least once.

I just watched the scene again and Danielle says "They were NOT here'....not 'They were NEVER here'.

So that leads me to believe she thought they would hang around the fire for whatever reason until it was time to make their move.

I also am getting the impresssion that they kidnapped Claire and decided Aaron was NOT the one they needed...or perhaps Aaron was a back up..someone to take in case the thing with Walt didn't work out. Or perhaps they thought it would be easier to kidnap a pregnant woman. It also maybe they assumed the baby was the one they should take only to find out that they were mistaken.

Ethan snatched her when he thought she was in labor. When it was discovered she was not it may be they either dragged her around through the jungle in an effort to induce labor..or kept her at the Black Rock. What they didn't count on was perhaps everyone, including us, underestimating Claire (we have had a thread concerning how she can suddenly turn from sweet into a fireball) or that Danielle helped her escape. They also didn't count on our castaways having guns and Charlie going ballastic. So they decided to focus on Walt.

So should Charlie and Sayid have tried to put the fire out? It will be interesting if we tune in in September and find one of the raft people adrift on a piece of wood trying to make his way back by honing in on the 'black smoke.'

Elfdream, I don't see it that way. For one, why would Danielle help Claire escape if she's trying to buy back Alex from the Others using Claire's child. Wouldn't she want to help the others?

Perhaps we will find out something different next season, but for now it seems like Danielle and Ethan were working together. If not, then I think Claire escaped from Ethan and that Danielle tried to recapture her.

how would she have lit that fire? she was at the lostaways camp when it started to appear.


or did she used the cigarette time delay fuse that locke hinted sawyer may have used?

Elfdream,* I don't see it that way.* For one, why would Danielle help Claire escape if she's trying to buy back Alex from the Others using Claire's child.* Wouldn't she want to help the others?

Perhaps we will find out something different next season, but for now it seems like Danielle and Ethan were working together.* If not, then I think Claire escaped from Ethan and that Danielle tried to recapture her.


She helped Claire escape because she didn't want Ethan to have her....she wanted to use Claire/baby for her OWN ends. If Ethan took her/baby then Danielle would have no bargaining chip to get Alex back.

So, you think Ethan wasn't one of the others?* Or that he was but didn't bring Claire to them yet?

So, you think wasn't one of the others?* Or that he was but didn't bring Claire to them yet?


I'm not really sure. The writers have said that his name was an anagram for 'OTHER man' so that makes it seem likely..I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't more than one group of 'others' on the island but I'm holding that theory in reserve...

My thoughts are a repeat of my post above. They wanted the baby, she wasn't in labor. Perhaps he had been warned "Don't come back without the baby!" so he was going to wait it out. During that time she either escaped on her own or Danielle helped her.

Well, that could make sense then. This episode seemed to imply that Ethan and Danielle were connected, but that didn't make sense because Danielle apparently didn't know anyone else on the island. I don't know, I'm so confused. ??? :lol2:

the others needed black smoke so that they didn't accidently end up on the beach with our survivors who all have little cooking fires that give off white smoke... ie, so they could tell their own fire.

Does anyone else think that the black smoke was a lure the Others used to draw survivors to them? If they didn't know that Danielle would have issued a warning, it would make sense. The Lostaways are waiting for rescue, still new to the island and unaware of most of it's mysteries. If they saw a signal fire coming from the far side of the island they'd have probably gone to investigate.

Otherwise I agree it was a beacon they used to return to their own launch point.

what I would like to know is, what was burning to make the smoke? it looked like some sort of stone...

how about charcoal. :) ;)

No, actually if it is a volcanic island, which it looks like, you could probably find some natural charcoal sources or something similar.

what I would like to know is, what was burning to make the smoke?* it looked like some sort of stone...


I agree. I thought it looked like a light colored stone though not dark like charcoal would have been unless of course it was so hot it was white hot?

(the angry eyes of Sawyer were just too funny for the occasion)So thats my theory.


Awww Man. If looks could kill...

I also am getting the impresssion that they kidnapped Claire and decided Aaron was NOT the one they needed...or perhaps Aaron was a back up..someone to take in case the thing with Walt didn't work out. Or perhaps they thought it would be easier to kidnap a pregnant woman. It also maybe they assumed the baby was the one they should take only to find out that they were mistaken.

Ethan snatched her when he thought she was in labor. When it was discovered she was not it may be they either dragged her around through the jungle in an effort to induce labor..or kept her at the Black Rock. What they didn't count on was perhaps everyone, including us, underestimating Claire (we have had a thread concerning how she can suddenly turn from sweet into a fireball) or that Danielle helped her escape. They also didn't count on our castaways having guns and Charlie going ballastic.* So they decided to focus on Walt.


When reading this, I thought of a whole other thing. What if Claire escaped from Ethan, like we always had to assume up till Exodus? I think she might've done that on her own if it was just Ethan. But what if she did escape herself and then ran into Danielle? Maybe Danielle then realized she had a baby and tried to grab her, to take her along with her. And in the end change Aaron for Alex?
Because when I looked at a (blurry) screencap of the flashback Danielle does look kinda angry/determined. That doesn't have to mean she had bad intentions, but maybe she was trying to do back then what she's been trying to do in Exodus?

The whole kidnapping thing still has me dazzled though.
Because I somehow think Ethan is not part of "the others" as "the others" on the boat. Because we've never seen them in the daylight, in the sun. And we did see Ethan in the sun/daylight.

As for the black smoke: I think that was really lit by the others. I like the ideas floating around of liting it so they know where they can return back to.

I think that the urn that contained the fire was made of stone, but I assumed that it was burning oil (which burns black & sooty) brought by the others to serve as a beacon to find their way back to their launch location.

They went through too much trouble to make note of the fact that there were no tracks, and then Danielle said they were "never" there. I think that the others are the middle men working for whoever actually lit that fire with the black smoke.

As far as the others lighting that fire so they could find their way back... anyone with a compass and a general sense of direction wouldn't need something like that to lead them back. Plus, that fire wasn't something that you'd ever see at night, it was mostly just smoke.