OK, folks. We're all outdoors in the fresh air. Pretty soon a couple of us are gonna toss gas bombs into a couple of enclosed dwellings and we're all going to run far away. Most of the gas, if not all of it, will probably remain inside the buildings. BUT... everybody put on these gas masks, please.

Can anyone tell me why?

I was wondering the same thing. Safety first, I guess.

Maybe they were heading through underground tunnels and leaving gas canisters to prevent anyone following them - they can't be totally certain that Kate, Sayid and Locke are the only ones that showed up. Just a thought...I don't know but it's a theory.

Maybe they gased that outdoor swingset area where Sayid was shackled. But wouldn't the gas disperse enough to be harmless from a relatively short distance?

Oh... and I just noticed. Please forgive the mispelling of the thread title. :undecide:

Oh... and I just noticed. Please forgive the mispelling of the thread title. :undecide:

Don't sweat it. Your spelling has a nice poetic touch to it :)

2 related questions:

1. Does anyone have scereencaps of the gas canisters? I don't think they were Dharma brand gas.

2. Kelvin's hazmat suit had some sort of a breathing apparatus. Was it a gas mask, or did he have scuba tanks? I've forgotten. Do you think that might be significant?

2 related questions:

1. Does anyone have scereencaps of the gas canisters? I don't think they were Dharma brand gas.

2. Kelvin's hazmat suit had some sort of a breathing apparatus. Was it a gas mask, or did he have scuba tanks? I've forgotten. Do you think that might be significant?


1. Don't have a cap, but I think the canister read something like "ALS" with some other text underneath. - definetly didn't say Dharma, at least the part we could see.

2. I believe he had an oxygen tank. I think it was all just to keep Desmond thinking there was a horrible "sickness" - remember Des saw him take the equipment off when he followed Kelvin out...

Maybe the gas masks weren't for the gas cannisters they threw into the buildings, but they actually need gas masks to travel in the underground tunnels?

Maybe the gas masks weren't for the gas cannisters they threw into the buildings, but they actually need gas masks to travel in the underground tunnels?

2 related questions:

1. Does anyone have scereencaps of the gas canisters? I don't think they were Dharma brand gas.

2. Kelvin's hazmat suit had some sort of a breathing apparatus. Was it a gas mask, or did he have scuba tanks? I've forgotten. Do you think that might be significant?


The cannisters read ALS technologies. I looked them up http://www.alslesslethal.com/

I'm not sure how the others got stuff from them. Maybe they deliver to the Island.

I worked in an enviroment wher gas was used regularly (though not by me, thank heaven). However, the officers always wore protective equipment even if the gas was dispersed behind a closed, locked door. I think unless the buildings are airtight, there would be a slight risk of exposure. Plus, it looked cool and spooky. :grin:

Interesting reading the ALS website. Their cannisters similar to those we saw this evening seem to disburse either colored smoke or "tear gas." Nothing is mentioned that makes you go to sleep for 12 or so hours. I didn't see Kate choking or tearing. Smoke doesn't put you to sleep.

(OK... it's a TV show! Still.....)

hi, im new here. i just had a thought regarding smokey ( i have many) while reading this thread. maybe he is a swarm of mosquitos or some other insects, and the gas masks are used to go undetected while venturing outside of the fence. mosquitos are attracted to cabon dioxide amongst other things. from wiki :

The females of blood sucking species locate their victims primarily through scent. They are extremely sensitive to the carbon dioxide (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide) in exhaled breath and exuded through the pores, as well as several substances found in sweat. Some people seem to attract mosquitoes more than others. Empirical studies of mosquito bites suggest that the risk of being bitten follows an approximately negative binomial distribution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_binomial_distribution). Being male, being overweight, and having type 'O' blood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_type) may increase the risk of being bitten. Mosquitoes can detect heat, so they can find warm-blooded mammals and birds very easily once they get close enough.i know its pretty farfetched, it stil doesn't account for many of the important aspects of smokey (light flashes (if that REALLY was him, im sort of leaning towards a 2nd monster) and forming solid forms).

jack also has now been revealed to have type O blood. and lockes encounter seemed to be more of englightening experience instead of being fearful resulting in less sweat. im now just digging myself a hole..
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The cannisters read ALS technologies. I looked them up http://www.alslesslethal.com/

I'm not sure how the others got stuff from them. Maybe they deliver to the Island.

haha i was just looking at the client list and at the very end it says "AND MANY OTHERS......." after a long list of police stations

I wondered the same thing and then attributed it to "literary license" to build the drama.
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I also wondered why they had to gas them and not just lock them all up unless they needed them to be unconscious for something, but even then you would think they could have just locked them up.

I assumed they were GOING somewhere that required the gas masks, not that they had anything to do with gassing Kate and co.

Perhaps it's just the others being thorough with the gassing. They wanted to knock the losties out and so they used a high powered gas. If they were moving around in otherville, even with the doors closed it would probably leak out and it wouldn't help them move if they accidentally had some of the others collapse due to the gas.

Presuming they are going to be gone for some time, if they just locked them up then the losties would end up dying in confinement.

I assumed they were GOING somewhere that required the gas masks, not that they had anything to do with gassing Kate and co.

Or maybe they just want to look more scary and intimidating like Stormtroopers.
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I wondered the same thing and then attributed it to "literary license" to build the drama.
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I agree.

I also wondered why they had to gas them and not just lock them all up unless they needed them to be unconscious for something, but even then you would think they could have just locked them up.

Who knows, I'm getting tired of trying to figure this group out. Lets have some answers already and then maybe we can look back on all their strange and secretive behavior with a new light.

A. they had to do something to them while unconscious(like moving Kate to the jungle or implanting them with something)

B. They didnt want them to see how they were leaving and which direction they were going

I'm sure if I give a few more minutes of tought I can come up with a few more logical reasons for doing it this way. I didnt think it was a mystery at all.

All you have to do is open up a few doors ( like they did ) and shoot it in the houses, then close the door. So my question is why was "everyone" gearing up with the masks? How would they come in useful for their tunnel evacuation?

Maybe I'm just over analizing things or overlooked a simple explaination. Let me know what you think.

it didn't make sense, so I presumed it was for visual effect- you can't deny that the cinematographer on the show has a job to make it look visually cool.

I think Juliet would have needed help carrying Kate that far into the jungle, so some of them may have put them on for that reason. Also, if Jack's "house" was ransacked after he was knocked out, they may have needed it for that.

Just some thoughts on the gas. These little canisters are made for outdoor use, and can blanket an area in CS or colored smoke pretty quickly. I think the masks were added protection because we probably need to assume that they gassed the four of them at the same time and the houses don't exactly look airtight.

As for Jack's house looking ransacked, it could just be him grasping for anything as the gas took effect, and the only issue I have is the time he was out, but perhaps being left in the house made the effect last longer where Kate was removed and left in the fresh air.

Either way, the company ALS and their product (ALSG27 either 2/3/8) is a nice smoke bomb.... http://www.alslesslethal.com/SpecsHtm/psg272.htm

Continuous Discharge CS Smoke - perhaps they overlooked that the label is pretty clear in the shot?