The old lady with the shop creeps me out any thoughts on who she really is?

Good question! A spirit guide perhaps? :confused:

she looks familiar, dont know if its from another episode or another show though.

On the press release, her character's name was Ms. Hawking.

Dun dun dun

She was in the movie "The Others" ... that is why she looks so creepy

I think it actually was his subconscious trying to get him on the right path.

She was in the movie "The Others" ... that is why she looks so creepy



How ironic eh?


Maybe is IS an "other"

That was not his subconcious... I mean... she knew stuff... how could his future subconcious dicatate his past?

She has the absolute same surreal blue eyes as Penelope Widmore.

It kind of creeped me out how she got angry in the shop that he wasn't going to do what he was "supposed" to do.

She reminded me of the "Oracle" in "the Matrix". Anyone else?

Wasnt she also the lady(only with straight hair now) in the preview for next week that was talking to Jack while he was in the cage?

my girlfriend thought it was the same chick as in the preveiw too

Wasnt she also the ladyonly with straight hair now) in the preview for next week that was talking to Jack while he was in the cage

No, that woman with Jack is the woman (who was a girl in the film) in that movie with the line "No more wire hangers ever!!!!" I think it's Mommy Dearest? Yes, I believe it is. At least that's one thing I am sure of this evening. :confused:

She was real, but she was connected to Desmond for a reason...to make him go to the island.

She has the absolute same surreal blue eyes as Penelope Widmore.

could it be that she IS penny just many years from now?!

The lady in the cage for the preview next week looks younger and has light blonde rather than white hair. It didn't look like the same person to me.

Wasnt she also the lady(only with straight hair now) in the preview for next week that was talking to Jack while he was in the cage?

i think she was! i saw that too .... creeped me out further

She was really mysterious...a bit cold too, but apparently was on Desmond's "side"...trying to help him

I wonder if the old lady is connected to Dharma at all?

No, that woman with Jack is the woman (who was a girl in the film) in that movie with the line "No more wire hangers ever!!!!" I think it's Mommy Dearest? Yes, I believe it is. At least that's one thing I am sure of this evening. :confused:

Yup, that's her, the one from Mommie Dearest. She is so creepy!!

She reminded me of the "Oracle" in "the Matrix". Anyone else?

That was the same thought I had. What triggered that thought was the tinted lens filters they used to shoot desmonds flash-back/sideways(??) similar to the filming in the Matrix (the green tint).

Wasnt she also the lady(only with straight hair now) in the preview for next week that was talking to Jack while he was in the cage?

No. The woman in tonight's episode was Fionnula Flanagan. She has been a very well known character actress for very many years. The woman in the preview is not her.

No. The woman in tonight's episode was Fionnula Flanagan. She has been a very well known character actress for very many years. The woman in the preview is not her.
well that figures

i got the impression that she was the smokey monster. maybe it can go off the island. She just knew way to much stuff that only desomnd would know. If not smokey than probably she is connected with all the people doing the whispering on the island. This is the only way i can think of how she would know so much about desmond and more specificly the island. She really really freaked me out when she started talking.

. . .was cast in the role of Desmond's subconscious IN HIS DREAM about his past life.

In the REAL past, she was merely a shop clerk who DIDN'T make a sale to Desmond, because he chickened out on buying a ring for Penny. Scorned and belittled by Widmore, he passed the military recruitment office, remembered how Widmore admired military men, and decided to join the army! (We know how well THAT worked out.)

She has the absolute same surreal blue eyes as Penelope Widmore.


That is a very intriguing theory.

Finally some blatant science fiction! Hoo-Ray.

She reminded me of the "Oracle" in "the Matrix". Anyone else?

GL,

Me too :D

could it be that she IS penny just many years from now?!



I had the same thought when I saw her. TPTB have said they pick the actors for their talent and "looks" for specific reasons. If you're right how strange/cool that you would pick out your own engagment ring that you would never get???????:confused: :confused: :confused:

Shopkeeperlady (don't know what else to call her) picked the ring,than gave it to him???

just a thought

i also think that she is a representation of desmond's subconscious, and that the flashbacks were just a concussion-induced dream (perhaps influenced by the island). that would also explain why he "woke up" when he got hit with a bat.

if it wasn't a dream, and he DID go back in the past, he would have to repeat everything he did until he hit the failsafe button, and he would be trapped in an infinite loop.

I was just thinking...could Desmond and Penny be "Adam and Eve"? All the time traveling stuff would certainly explain it! Think about it: Last week we got the Mittelos "Lost time" easter egg and this week we have time travel...

I wonder if the old lady is connected to Dharma at all?Man, I truely hope so!!!

i got the impression that she was the smokey monster. maybe it can go off the island. She just knew way to much stuff that only desomnd would know. If not smokey than probably she is connected with all the people doing the whispering on the island. This is the only way i can think of how she would know so much about desmond and more specificly the island. She really really freaked me out when she started talking.That would be fantastic is she's a 'whisperer'!! Great theory! :thumbsup:

She is the one trying to keep people enslaved to time and space. LOL

That goes out to anyone who heard the brainwashing audio backwards.

Holy cow...I had to edit five posts for spoiler information...

Fast rules refresher...if you are discussing ANYTHING PERTAINING TO A FUTURE EPISODE...you must spoiler font. Previews are considered spoilers so please spoiler font out of respect to those who don't want to find out ahead of time what is going to happen...

The lady was the Island entity

I thought that was quite clear. I wrote a post on this and some other stuff

could it be that she IS penny just many years from now?!

Ya know, I wondered the same thing. I am not too keen on the idea of the story going that direction with its characters, nor do I have any idea how that would be addressed narratively and satisfactorily, but she did look like she could be an older Penny.

She reminded me of the "Oracle" in "the Matrix". Anyone else?

me to, me to, me to!!!

Her name was "Hawking". A reference to Stephen Hawking perhaps? Author of "A Brief History of Time", which Aldo was reading in last epi????? Was this mentioned elsewhere already (so hard to be on Pacific Time)?

I wish I knew :(
But I don't, and I don't even know if the producers will answer that one.

The old lady with the shop creeps me out any thoughts on who she really is?

She creeps me out, too! Sort of a "Betty White goes Satanic" look to her.

Get back, Jack!!
100%
could it be that she IS penny just many years from now?!

Whoooo hooooo! THAT is a good one. Whereas I believe the Losties (and possible the island itself) are able to be lost both in space and time, this makes perfect sense. If Desmond doesn't do what he's supposed to, she will never have the life she did (ostensably with Desmond...??)

She makes me think to the oracle of Matrix!

I was just thinking...could Desmond and Penny be "Adam and Eve"? All the time traveling stuff would certainly explain it! Think about it: Last week we got the Mittelos "Lost time" easter egg and this week we have time travel...

That was my speculation in the spoiler section last week. Penny gets to the island and her and Des live out the rest of their days there and are buried in the cave.

This might be going completely out on a limb, but what if the lady in the shop is somehow related to Dharma and/or the Others and made it look like she was all-knowing in order to get him on the island?

In the last episode, when the Mittelos people wanted Juliet to work for them, they had her ex husband hit by a bus (we don't know this for sure, but what are the chances of that crazy of a coincidence?). What if the lady for some reason didn't want Desmond to marry Pene, so she orchestrated the whole event of the man with the red shoes getting killed in order to seem like she knew these things were going to happen?

Just a thought, though I'm not sure if I believe it, but I suppose it's possible.

This might be going completely out on a limb, but what if the lady in the shop is somehow related to Dharma and/or the Others and made it look like she was all-knowing in order to get him on the island?
idk but that could most def be the case.... also there must have been more that happened to them like lock loosing his voice and stuff and being all weird there, eko crazy after he got back too, but the way des just kinda skiped the part where he went back in time when telling charlie makes me think theres alot more that happened to them if not des then locke and eko.

I actually think Des told us: she's a projection of his subconscious not unlike Dave. I'm not referring to the Smokey manifestation of the latter -- I mean Hurley's imaginary friend from the mental hospital who wanted to eat tacos. Dave was the voice of Hurley's subconscious, including his appetites.

Notice how the jeweler played on all of Desmond's doubts about himself, echoing his subconscious feelings of unworthiness (e.g., "that's the only great thing you'll ever do"). Consider as well her claim that "we'll all die" if Des doesn't go to the Island. Mirrors his preoccupation of the past three years -- saving the world.

When Des accused her of being a figment of his subconscious, she didn't deny it, asking simply "Am I?" Shortly thereafter, she abruptly disappeared from his life -- just like Dave did from Hurley's. I'm guessing as well that Dave first appeared after Hurley's traumatic experience with the deck.

I'd say the implosion of Swan was a pretty traumatic event for Des...

I actually think Des told us: she's a projection of his subconscious not unlike Dave. I'm not referring to the Smokey manifestation of the latter -- I mean Hurley's imaginary friend from the mental hospital who wanted to eat tacos. Dave was the voice of Hurley's subconscious, including his appetites.

Notice how the jeweler played on all of Desmond's doubts about himself, echoing his subconscious feelings of unworthiness (e.g., "that's the only great thing you'll ever do"). Consider as well her claim that "we'll all die" if Des doesn't go to the Island. Mirrors his preoccupation of the past three years -- saving the world.

When Des accused her of being a figment of his subconscious, she didn't deny it, asking simply "Am I?" Shortly thereafter, she abruptly disappeared from his life -- just like Dave did from Hurley's. I'm guessing as well that Dave first appeared after Hurley's traumatic experience with the deck.

I'd say the implosion of Swan was a pretty traumatic event for Des...


i did not notice that but i do now and i like it!

I actually think Des told us: she's a projection of his subconscious not unlike Dave. I'm not referring to the Smokey manifestation of the latter -- I mean Hurley's imaginary friend from the mental hospital who wanted to eat tacos. Dave was the voice of Hurley's subconscious, including his appetites.

Notice how the jeweler played on all of Desmond's doubts about himself, echoing his subconscious feelings of unworthiness (e.g., "that's the only great thing you'll ever do"). Consider as well her claim that "we'll all die" if Des doesn't go to the Island. Mirrors his preoccupation of the past three years -- saving the world.

When Des accused her of being a figment of his subconscious, she didn't deny it, asking simply "Am I?" Shortly thereafter, she abruptly disappeared from his life -- just like Dave did from Hurley's. I'm guessing as well that Dave first appeared after Hurley's traumatic experience with the deck.

I'd say the implosion of Swan was a pretty traumatic event for Des...

Ms. Hawking gave me the creeps as much as Yemi did. When she said "Am I?" it reminded me a little of when Yemi said to Eko, you speak to me as if I was your brother...so that while she didn't deny being Desmond's subconscious it seemed like she was saying she wasn't what he thought she was. I thought her to be some kind of twisted guardian angel until I remembered that Smokey can manifest as people. I think she's Smokey.

I'm still thinking why she wanted roasted chestnuts..hm

She makes me think to the oracle of Matrix!

I agree, definitely reminded me of The Oracle from The Matrix, almost to the degree of corniness, I thought. I have nothing against The Matrix at all, but I feel like Lost could have been much more original in the creation of this character.

I

When Des accused her of being a figment of his subconscious, she didn't deny it, asking simply "Am I?" ...

Then you turned the show off..haha:biggrin:

Because if you kept watching the guy got killed and Desmond asks her why she didnt stop it. So he was asking his subconscious? First of all she scoffed "Am I"

The writers still plant doubt though as a device--as all "dream or no dream" sequences do in movies and finally debunk those doubts in the Bar--desmond shows up naked at the hatch--and asks to go back in time again so he can change it--and do it right. WHY does he ask that???

Because it took till the very end when he saw the soccer game and the guy with the cricket bat to finally confirm he was back in time.

I just keep reading post after post of people denying what was on the screen. This has to be very frustrating for the writers.

I'm still thinking why she wanted roasted chestnuts..hm
Because the roasted chestnut cart was right by where Mr. Ruby Sneakers gets whacked by the scaffolding, and she wanted to take Des out to see that.
100%
Consider as well her claim that "we'll all die" if Des doesn't go to the Island.
Y'Know, I got a very chilling vibe when she told Des that if he didn't go back to the Island, "we'll all die." The natural assumption is that she's talking about all humanity, including herself, Des, and everyone else. But somehow, I don't think she was. I got the distinct impression that the "we" she referred to was a vastly smaller group. I have no idea who she might be talking about, but I just have a strong hunch it is some specific "we," not everyone.

Also, why would she try to *convince* Des to go back by explaining how important it is that he do so, only to later tell him that it's impossible for him to change his course? If he can't change course, why the need to convince him? Something doesn't jibe there...

This is a great thread... I have another take on just who the shop lady is

I think she is a guardian or program of a huge master computer, which is protected by the monster(security system) on the island. Widmore, Hanso or Degroots built this computer and it has all the past present and future in it due to it's location on the island. She comes across as a flash or memory, but this computer has the power to manifest people (Yemi, Jack's Dad, Boone) in real time or in dreams.
If Desmond dosent go to the island and push the button, she says we all die.... The programs die not real people.

The computer was the link to the outside world for the others, like Julliet having a complete folder on Jack. How about Ben's statement to Jack that a plane fell out of the sky with a surgeon on board. Ben thinks the computer is God and controlling everything.

Thoughts???

I agree, definitely reminded me of The Oracle from The Matrix, almost to the degree of corniness, I thought. I have nothing against The Matrix at all, but I feel like Lost could have been much more original in the creation of this character.


I'm not a huge Matrix fan either, but that's all i could think about during her scene. In the Matrix, doesn't the Oracle meet Keanu on bench? I even believe she has a bag from a vendor feeding pigeons? Also, the speech patterns are quite similar.

This has to be very frustrating for the writers.


Actually, I think they're loving it--all the confusion, discussion and theorizing. It's just what they were going for!