Was Helen part of a Long Con?

[Lost_In_Louisiana]

For some reason, during this whole episode I had the weird feeling that Locke was the mark of a long con. I mean, I had a stong hunch in the beginning that Locke's dad had faked his death for one reason or another, but I mean later on when his dad asked him to get the money is when I felt the con was still going on. And then I had the thought that Helen was part of that "long con".

Think about it. Locke's dad needed Locke to stay away from him so no one would suspect him as an accomplice. Helen steps in, gets close to Locke, then demands that he stop following his dad. They eventually separate themselves from him and what do you know - they actually fooled the goons into thinking they had nothing to do with anything because they had been hurt by his dad and were getting past it. Yknow though, she sure didn't seem too scared that these 2 weirdos were in her house threatening both of them. She even got in the one guy's face and started yelling. It was almost like she knew them and they were just acting out roles.

Maybe the goons were in on it too!

Locke's dad knew he wouldn't help him unless the situation was dire. So he had to make him think his life was in danger. The goons hang around the funeral then appear in their home asking questions. Nice setup for making Locke think these were bad dudes after his dad.

For some reason, Locke's dad couldn't appear in person at the bank and needed someone else to get his money. He concocts this whole deal with Helen and the goons to convince Locke to help him out. Maybe the "separation technique" was arranged so that the authorities wouldn't suspect Locke as an accomplice and he wouldn't be watched closely.

Helen might have even been his dad's girlfriend. Maybe that's why he had such a funny look on his face when Locke said he was going to propose to her.

The more I think about it, the more it makes sense that they were all in the con together.

[agentalana]

I kind'a got that feeling too, when she showed up at the hotel I was like "aha, she's coming to meet Sawyer"... guess we won't know till next time

[lilkitkat]

I don't think she was in on ANY con, at all. I think she's innocent. She was trying to protect Locke by keeping him away from his dad so he won't get hurt anymore. His dad just uses him, and she didn't want that in Locke's or her life.

And I think she was trying to stay calm because it wouldn't do her any good if she was freaking out. They'd probably have hurt her. We don't really know what they said to her when they came in.

When Helen got in the car, the look on Locke's dad's face said, "Sucks to be you." What a jerk!

[Lost_In_Louisiana]

Originally Posted by dangerdork

Really interesting and well thought out post.
I really felt the same way, that it really smelled like a con. Part of why I was put off by the whole flashback... but there's a problem with the theory. Locke didn't get taken for anything. So what was the point of this Long Con? Seems teribly elaborate to have a four-person conspiracy and all the deception to get into a safety deposit box which you already have the key to.

Not if you can't appear at the bank yourself to pick it up. Locke wasn't taken for anything. He was merely USED.

Maybe there were people in the bank or near the bank that were keeping an eye out for him. If they didn't know who our Locke was, they wouldn't pay any attention to him. Just another guy wanting to see his safety deposit box.

Locke's dad could have opened the account months before and put John Locke's name on the signatory card so that when Locke DID go in, his ID matched and he had no trouble getting into the box.

It's certainly not unusual for someone to have faked their own death in order to escape justice, but then needed an accomplice to collect their ill-gotten gains for them.

[cordelia]

Funny how Helen just happen to be reading the obtituaries that day. I thought somthing was strange in the way she asked his fathers name .

[shanzy288]

wonder if Helen and Locke's dad had something going on on the side. did everyone see the Oceanic planes go by overhead. i thought that was cool

[Lost_In_Louisiana]

Originally Posted by cordelia

Funny how Helen just happen to be reading the obtituaries that day. I thought somthing was strange in the way she asked his fathers name .

EXACTLY!!!

That was going to be my very next post! Who reads the obituaries? Mostly older people who are seeing if their friends have passed on. Younger people only read the obits when they are expecting someone's obit to appear in the paper and they want to see what it says about them or find out times for the wake & funeral.

Now according to their conversation, Helen had a habit of reading the obits - - - for no other reason than that it says something nice about a person??? Yet, if she HAD been planted in his life, it would have been a perfectly normal activity for her and wouldn't arouse his suspicion when she called attention to his father's death notice.

Several things just struck me as odd in this episode:

*** When they are at the funeral and Locke notices the goons, and then notices the waiting silver car --- did no one else notice that? It was a VERY small funeral. I think Helen would have noticed that there were 2 people standing near that were watching them.

*** What was with the silver car suddenly speeding up and nearly screeching out of the cemetery? Whoever the driver was (Cooper) definitely wanted to call attention to themselves. Otherwise they would have driven slowly and silently, attracting no attention at all.

*** Did the goons not notice the silver car either? If they thought Cooper had faked his death and came to eyeball Locke, don't you think they would have noticed this one lone car sitting, waiting, and watching the funeral? ESPECIALLY after it zoomed off so obtrusively?

*** Helen's first words to Locke following the harrowing incident in their home wasn't "Oh my God, I was so scared!" or "Those guys are NUTS! The man is DEAD!" or "How could they even think you would be involved in something so crazy?" Nope. She grills him instead with "Have you seen your father?" This conveniently sets up her subsequent temper tantrum regarding his "LIE" to her face and lets her drive off and meet Cooper at the airport. (I'm assuming!!!)

Think about it, if she had disappeared right after Locke gave Cooper the money, he would have thought, "What? How weird?!! This doesn't make sense!" And shortly thereafter would have been assaulted by the odious aroma of RAT. Then he could have alerted authorities to the con and told them Cooper was still alive. Cooper would have no peace after that - always looking over his shoulder.

But if Helen leaves for another reason, Locke has no reason to rat out his dad and as far as the world is concerned - he's dead and gone. Case closed.

*** THE BIGGIE - If the goons thought Locke knew where the money was and had access to it, why weren't they following him? They would have followed him to the bank and seen him come out with this giant stuffed bag. Then they could have run him down in the parking lot and grabbed the bag. That's what I actually thought was going to happen and that would have explained Locke's paralysis. That or either they shot him in the spine getting the bag from him.

Ok, let's say they missed him at the bank because they were busy harrassing the missus. Wouldn't they have kept a vigil on him and at least followed him to the hotel where he handed off his big fat bag o' money? It doesn't make sense. They make their presence known and then they disappear. WTH?


A subtle little connection I thought was amusing was the key. The only thing Cooper ever gives his son is one little key which he slides across the table to him. Helen's first gift to Locke was a key (to her apartment) which she wrapped in a box and slid across the table to him at the restaurant. Call me crazy but I think that was the telltale sign that these 2 (Cooper & Helen) are connected.


Yknow, thinking back on the episode, it becomes even more clear to me that there was a CON happening. Henry's wife was supposed to be in that grave but when Sayid dug it up, there was someone else in it, proving that Henry was lying and playing all of them in his own little con.

Locke's dad wasn't dead (obviously) but someone was probably in that casket. So, the wrong person is buried under his headstone while the living players keep going with their own con on Locke.

Hmmmm - that's pretty cool ........

[Sam G]

http://forum.thefuselage.com/...ad.php?t=24923

Locke's downfall is the color red. He was completely played.

[QuinceTheCarpenter]

Perhaps the amount of money $700K was a hint or a connection? Cooper called it a "retirement con" - not sure if he meant money to retire on? Odd that he would need the money since he had quite a nice house, cars, etc. before.

Wasn't that the same amount that Sawyer conned away from the woman in "The Long Con" ?

I thought she (Sawyer's mark) got it from her husband who had passed away, so possibly that was Antony Cooper? That would make sense since Sawyer's initial con attempts on her were easily detected by her... possibly indicating a history of loving a con man.

I'm not sure I have it worked out exactly, but I think the $700K connects Locke and Sawyer through Cooper somehow. I hate to think Helen was Cooper's accomplise, but that does make a certain amount of sense.

I would like to know if that $200K stack in the motel room were fakes. If so, that would parallel what Sawyer did in the Long Con, switching out the bags.

[Lost_In_Louisiana]

Originally Posted by Sam G

Locke's downfall is the color red. He was completely played.

Thanks for the support, Sam G!!!

Poor Locke has a history of getting conned, eh? His parents & the kidney, Helen & the money, Sawyer & the guns. Do you think this relates back to the show's main theme of learning through your mistakes? Locke just doesn't seem to learn, does he? He keeps making the same mistakes over and over.

I had likened Hurley's comment about being in the loop to a Moebius loop in an earlier post - where people experience the same events over and over again. Is that the point of the LOST series? That we are doomed to make the same mistakes perpetually?