Torches of Ethan and his partners were odd

[DCUltrastar]

They seemed to be without a branch or without people holding them, just bare fires almost like floating like when Jack, Locke, and Sawyer met Zeke and his gang

This may have been mentioned before

[Fickle Fascination]

I just thought that it was odd that we have these super-secretive Others who are able to move through the jungle barefooted without leaving the damnedest bit of a trail... But when one of their test subjects goes missing, they're off into the jungle with torches ablaze and voices calling to the heavens. Subtle, eh?

[mcdope]

I too think the ring of fires was Zekes trick he was probably there just by him self, perhaps smokey lit up since we see fire and nothing but black

[BigBlueEyes]

Well, now that you mention it, it is odd that they should be yelling out for Claire in broad daylight to find her, when at any other time they never make a peep. Even when they drag people away, they do it very quietly.
They could have been afraid that she'd remember what she saw in that other hatch...
which might also explain why when Claire returned, everything was gone...

[metallidevils]

if you look at the fire-circle-torches scene carefully, you can see people lighting the torches

now in the last episode, why use torches when we know they have flashlights?

[madameripper]

Originally Posted by BigBlueEyes

Well, now that you mention it, it is odd that they should be yelling out for Claire in broad daylight to find her, when at any other time they never make a peep. Even when they drag people away, they do it very quietly.
They could have been afraid that she'd remember what she saw in that other hatch...
which might also explain why when Claire returned, everything was gone...

I agree! That would definitely explain the disappearing act.

I thought the torches looked a little strange too, I don't know what it was about it though. Perhaps it was supposed to be sort of wierd looking because Claire was just waking up, still drugged and perhaps a little out of it when she was looking at the torches? I definitely thought they were strange looking, like they were floating and the voices weren't with them...

ETA: Good point metallidevils! Why the torches? It would suggest that they were trying to keep up the costume facade for the Losties.

[BigRedCube]

Originally Posted by DCUltrastar

They seemed to be without a branch or without people holding them, just bare fires almost like floating like when Jack, Locke, and Sawyer met Zeke and his gang

This may have been mentioned before

no....trust me, the fire is just fire....not floating....I bet you a Jay&Jack tally point on it

[ommadawn]

They had excellent flashlights (as we saw), why use torches? I do agree the torches seemed very odd, like separe fire sources floating in the air.

[fak]

Looked like regular flaming torches to me (the gloom would make it hard to see the body of the torch).

As to why they used them instead of the battery powered torches - maybe those were only for emergencies that required the use of the excape hatch.

Remember, we don't know for sure that the Dharma others are the same that Ecko said didn't leave a track. Claire had been reasonably drugged/brainwashed that she did actually shout out to them when they were calling for her. I'm guessing they realised this was their best chance of finding her if she was close and would maybe stop yelling once they got further from their bunker (which you'd expect to be far enough way from the losties that they weren't worried about being heard).

[CitrusGrin]

I think that the others, unaware of Alex's betrayal, assumed that
Claire maybe wandered off on accident. Not knowing where she
was they figured that shouting and being visible (torches opposed
to flashlights) had the best chance of her hearing and running back
to them.

If Danielle hadn't knocked her out, thats exactly what she would
have done....