Claire’s not dead. She's in an alternate state of consciousness, because of her head injury, abetted by the island’s strangeness.
She’s temporarily able to perceive and interact with Christian.

Locke and Hurley see Christian because they’re special, and Claire because of the head injury. Christian’s not a vision or a hallucination. He’s not Smokie. He’s dead, but on the island the boundary between life and death is thin and porous. He's very much at home and comfortable in the cabin.


Claire's at a level of mellow awareness, so was open and receptive and able to take in everything Christian told her.
Christian said Aaron’s where he supposed to be … meaning on the island. Before Locke came, Christian probably told Claire about long-standing Shephard ties to the island, and Aaron’s future role there.
Christian is Jacob’s son, and Aaron is destined to be the island’s leader. Claire’s the “queen mum” who, as Malkin prophesized, is supposed to raised Aaron, who needs her good and loving influence.


When the O6 leave the island, it all starts to fall apart. Christian and Charlie are dead on the island, where death is as relative as time. They're communicating with each other - and with anyone living who's "special" or otherwise connected, and is willing to listen.

When Charlie told Hurley to tell Jack he’s not supposed to raise Aaron, what he meant is Aaron belongs back on the island, with Claire.



Claire will probably return to a "normal" state later. My guess is she won't remember the details of her visit with Christian - and might not remember meeting him at all - on a conscious level. But at some level, she'll know, and this will drive her character, in the seasons to come.

Does that mean that Jack was able to see Christian because he also had a head injury?

I disagree... Claire is dead. I don't think Hurley is necessarily accurate about why he and Locke and Ben can see the cabin. I think the cabin chose to show itself to Hurley...however crazy that sounds!

There are others who will die too... to get us full circle.

Claire seemed like the sort of person she might have been before her car crash... and before Christian intervened in her life.

Well spotted, jane. The second I read that I thought "Of course !".

That might have been a deliberate "mirroring", or, at the very least, they were showing that she is carefree now. It reminds me of Cindy the Stewardess. Claire now knows something that the others don't.

Maybe Claire has had a peek at Destiny.

I agree with the OP. Claire is now open to seeing spiritual manifestations, apparitions, because of her head injury. I doubt she's dead. TPTB surely won't want to miss out on her maternal angst when Aaron is rescued.

But what about the fact that Locke looked at her and didn't bother to bring her outside or ask her wtf Claire?

Simone,
I think Locke's attempt at a reality check was bringing up Aaron. When he saw her response he knew he wasn't having a "normal" conversation.

Claire is definitely dead.

"It's ok .. I'm with him"

him = Christian

Christian = dead

soo..

Simone,
I think Locke's attempt at a reality check was bringing up Aaron. When he saw her response he knew he wasn't having a "normal" conversation.

That, and also, Locke didn't know Christian is dead. Far as we know, Locke had never seen Christian before.

I'm curious if he found out anything about Christian other than he can speak for Jacob.

That, and also, Locke didn't know Christian is dead. Far as we know, Locke had never seen Christian before.

I'm curious if he found out anything about Christian other than he can speak for Jacob.

Oooh good point. Locke doesn't know Christian is even Claire's dad. I also feel the "I'm with him" was a bit groggy and drugged out...

so she's either been "collected" the way Cindy and the rest of the survivors we never met were... or she's dead of her injuries from the massive explosion to her bungalow.

Either way why so zombified and Smurf like? ... like Cindy... "Oh hi Jack... oh, no the Others are not like evil or anything... The children and I are here to watch Juliet's trial and potential execution. Sorry, you're in a cage...Well, buh-bye," La la lala la la...

so she's either been "collected" the way Cindy and the rest of the survivors we never met were....

Don't know if I'd put it quite that way, but it's an interesting parallel. In the non-canon but TPTB-commissioned book Evil Twin (or whatever), Cindy's fiance was killed in the 815 crash. Fun spec that she might have spotted him and wandered off.
I think Christian's been following Claire around and Miles has been seeing him all along. That's why Miles has been looking strangely at Claire.

A big big point to me is that Aaron didn't cry at all when Christian picked him up and was holding him.
Aaron's "special"... he cried when Charlie died and he cried when Claire carried him over Karl's and Danielle's burial sites. If Christian was trouble (Smokie or evil), Aaron would have fussed when Christian picked him up.

Also, remember way back when Sawyer read to Aaron and he mysteriously stopped crying? In Cabin Fever, didn't Aaron stopped crying when Sawyer picked him up from the tree base? (could be wrong, someone else might know.)
Tthen there was that lingering long shot of the two of them. I think Sawyer's 'destined' to be Aaron's island "protector" or something, and Aaron senses it.
It *doesn't* mean a Claire-Sawyer ship, necessarily, that's a topic for other threads, please.
For me, it's about how Aaron reacted to Sawyer and Christian.

.. my initial reaction to that scene was that it was taking place outside of the timeline entirely. Claire is clearly as comfortable and informed as Christian and her ethereal disposition is due to her newly acquired status as a spook.

Hell, it's fine for Horace to rock up outta the blue inside John Locke's nap time and we don't bat an eyelid. Is it so out of place to imagine that Claire is a future echo too?

I think we were witnessing a conversation between past Christian(dead) and future Claire (dead) and present day Locke (living). Not sure if there is any further significance there.

This show really brings out the crazy talk in me.

;P

interesting thoughts,

things to remember that may have a bearing on this

claire lost her memory when ethan took her
she still has the implant (as far as we know) that was used to make her ill before

That, and also, Locke didn't know Christian is dead. Far as we know, Locke had never seen Christian before.

I'm curious if he found out anything about Christian other than he can speak for Jacob.

I don't think Christian is dead in the same way that Horace is dead.

.. This show really brings out the crazy talk in me.

:) I hear ya.

The show's gone way further into some areas (supernatural, sci-fi) that I'd hoped. But I'm hooked into the characters until the end.
As long as the writers keep the characters in the foreground, I can deal with the surreal stuff.
But it does make for crazy talk.

LOL at Claire being "Smurf-like"! I like that! TPTB definitely wanted us to see that she was different than before, but why and how is she different? What happened to her? She seems almost overly content.

I read the other day that TPTB said in an interview regarding Claire, "The question is not whether Claire is dead but 'What happened to Claire?'" It was from an interview that Kristin from E! Entertainment did with them.

Did Claire look into the eye of the Island or something? I feel like she should be dead, but it also seems like the Island wouldn't let her die without getting done what it wants to get done first. Plus, it seemingly would want her around to be with Aaron as he grew up on the Island. Has she somehow not died, but LOST her physical body (even though we can see it) and therefore all her problems?

However...aren't they concerned that Aaron could get abducted by the Freighties? If Christian knows that the Freighties are coming and that's dangerous, isn't leaving a baby in a tree dangerous? He must know that Super Sawyer is on his way.

And speaking of Super Sawyer, what's his deal with the Shephard Family? He and Jack have this weird love-hate relationship, he met CS before and now he's taking care of Claire and Aaron. He's like the family's bodyguard or something...he's like their spiritual bodyguard.

And speaking of Super Sawyer, what's his deal with the Shephard Family? He and Jack have this weird love-hate relationship, he met CS before and now he's taking care of Claire and Aaron. He's like the family's bodyguard or something...he's like their spiritual bodyguard.

In Todell's blog, it's been pointed out that there's an awful lot of similarity or coincidence between Sawyer and Jack. Like, maybe Sawyer's really Jack's brother? And Christian is a father to them both?

Or maybe Sawyer's just returning the favors from Outlaws... it'll come back around, after all.

I'm bumping this thread, because I've decided I may be wrong about one of my basic assumptions about Christian in the cabin.
I still believe Claire's alive and in a altered-consciousness state brought about by her head injury and the island effect.

But now I suspect that it's not Christian who led her to the cabin. It's some force or entity taking on a Christian appearance.

Why the change of mind?
Because I've looked at every Christian appearance - living, dead, on-island, off-island, fb, ff - and we've seen a lot of him.
In every single case, he's always always wears a dress shirt, tie, or suit jacket. He almost always at least two of those, and usually all three.
I think I saw one cap in which he was wearing a dress shirt w/o a tie or jacket.

The only exception was his surgical scrubs in S1's ATBCHDI.

Down-and-out in a Sydney dive, drinking at airport bar with Ana-Lucia, sitting by the hotel pool with Jack, kicking back and drinking in his home office, AA meeting, chatting with Claire at the food court, knee-deep in the island surf - check, check, check, check, check.
Christian doesn't do Casual Fridays.

So - new spec (for me, I know others have already decided so):
that's not Christian who separated Claire and Aaron, then told Locke to move the island thereby thwarting their reunion.
Earlier we saw real Christian, in his suit, in the cabin. After that, something else took over..

So - new spec (for me, I know others have already decided so):
that's not Christian who separated Claire and Aaron, then told Locke to move the island thereby thwarting their reunion. Earlier we saw real Christian, in his suit, in the cabin. After that, something else took over..

Sartorial choices make the man? Hmmm....

Sloppy drunk Christian in Australia doesn't seem the same man as the one who sets Vincent to wake up his son, or the man lecturing his son in various hospital settings, or the one in the Cabin, or the one who tells Michael (rather coldly) that he may go. They all seem kind of different to me.

People can change more than their clothes...

Sartorial choices make the man? Hmmm....

Sloppy drunk Christian in Australia doesn't seem the same man as the one who sets Vincent to wake up his son, or the man lecturing his son in various hospital settings, or the one in the Cabin, or the one who tells Michael (rather coldly) that he may go. They all seem kind of different to me. .

Jane, I love ya but I don't buy your theory that the writers were rotating various souls/consciousnesses through Christian's body throughout the last 4 seasons.

Prior to these last two appearances, Chrisian imo was the rocking-est, real-est guest character to ever grace a TV series.
His last two scenes - in the cabin and on the ship - don't fit with all the earlier stuff, though. Hence my theory that the writers are using the clothes to shoot us with a clue gun.

Satorial choices don't make or break any man but, used judiciously, they work as a screenwriting device...

lostmio, I like your observations about Christian's clothing changing when we see him with Claire and in the cabin. Something is obviously up with this dead-ish guy, and something changed with him since Jack first saw him on the beach in Walkabout. Is he the same entity? Like you lostmio, I'm not so sure about that.

I've just re-watched Walkabout and White Rabbit, and I have to say, Christian's appearance when he shows himself to Jack initially is very creepy and probably significant in some way, though I'm betting exactly how it is significant is something we won't find out for sure until later on the show.

When Jack follows him into the jungle, Christian looks odd: stiff, strange posture with back sort of hunched and arms seemingly stuck at his sides. Kind of as though he's in the position he was in when he was in the coffin. (Or maybe, remembering back to Men In Black, as though something is wearing Christian as a suit. :lipsseal:) It's like Christian isn't quite fully formed yet, or as though whatever took his form/is "mimicking" him, hasn't quite figured out how to move yet. Or as though the robot/clone hasn't been programmed correctly yet. ;) Just thought I'd throw that out there.

It's a big difference from the relaxed, very much more alive-ish version of Christian in Cabin Fever!

Interesting too that in the mobisode "So It Begins", which seems to be set right after the crash, Christian appears much less odd and stiff than he does when he later appears to Jack, he even talks to Vincent! Is this just a choice by the writers? Or does it mean that (like I sometimes suspect) "So It Begins" and the very first scene in The Pilot when Jack wakes up and runs to the beach is really a FF to Jack coming back to the island in some future time? (I swear this show fries my brain on a regular basis, but in a good way! Right?)

Another thought I had when watching Walkabout: it has to be significant somehow that Locke and Jack both have "visions" on the same day. Jack sees his father for the first time, while Locke comes face to face with what would appear to be Smokey. Both are affected by what they see, but Jack eventually seems to reject any wider implications of what he has seen, while Locke sees his encounter as further proof that the island is special and that they all have a special purpose there.

Could it be that Jack and Locke see two different manifestations of the island that day: one as Christian, one as Smokey? Two different entities? Or the island wearing to guises? The light and the dark?

Hope I didn't go off the topic of the thread too much, but I'm really thinking a lot about Christian after watching those S1 eppies. Can't wait for the mystery of his "resurrection" to be revisited on the show.

Jane, I love ya but I don't buy your theory that the writers were rotating various souls/consciousnesses through Christian's body throughout the last 4 seasons.

Prior to these last two appearances, Chrisian imo was the rocking-est, real-est guest character to ever grace a TV series.
His last two scenes - in the cabin and on the ship - don't fit with all the earlier stuff, though. Hence my theory that the writers are using the clothes to shoot us with a clue gun.

Oh, see, here I was thinking that you were suggesting rotating souls! I was trying to suggest that Christian's character has changed, just as the character of any other human being can change. As I see it, the different choices in wardrobe reflect different iterations, as do the differences we see in his character... and in the "consciousness" he exhibits.

Ram Dass, formerly known as Dr. Richard Alpert, experienced a tremendous change in consciousness after his trips to India (as well as to inner space.) One might say he became a completely different person. Likewise, Charlie at the end of Season 3 does not seem the same person he was at the beginning of Season 1. In other words, the "continuity" of a human being isn't always as "fixed" as we often conceive...