Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Charlie Hume: A Theory

Take this with a grain of salt. It's a theory that I can't get out of my head. And I know it has probably already been tossed around. But here is my version/vision, and I actually hope that I'm wrong. If it weren't for the introduction of time travel elements, I wouldn't have even considered this vaguely possible.

I believe Charlie Hume is in fact Charlie Pace.

And here is why...

When Desmond recently showed up at Hawking's church/underground lair, he inadvertently created a direct path from Ben to Penny. Ben promised to avenge his own daughter's death by killing Charles Widmore's daughter (Penny).

As the Oceanic 5 (minus Aaron) were preparing to return to the island via Ajira flight 316, Ben called Jack because he was 'sidetracked' after he'd visited an 'old friend' to tie up a 'loose end.' Penny was that loose end. Ben was bloodied and calling from a marina, where Desmond and Penny's boat was docked while in LA. Desmond tried to stop him, but Penny was killed and Desmond was injured in the process. Ben then took off on the flight. Desmond will try to find a way to return to the island in order to kill Ben. Leaving baby Charlie behind in Los Angeles...

Charles Widmore took baby Charlie when Desmond went after Ben (likely with Widmore's support and resources, now that they share a common enemy). Figuring that Desmond would never return, Charles took baby Charlie with him back to England. And even though baby Charlie was his only heir (that we know of), he put him up for adoption because a man of his age and in his position of power was not about to raise a small child on his own.

Simon and Megan Pace already had one son, Liam. But they were unable to have another, and looked to adopt. Simon was a butcher, and an associate of Charles Widmore (in the same capacity as Jill, the butcher in Los Angeles for Ben; storing bodies when necessary). Widmore arranged for the Pace family to adopt baby Charlie, and they raised him in Manchester, England.

When he was a young boy, Megan Pace referred to her son as 'special.' Daniel Faraday, whose research was being funded by Charles Widmore, told Desmond that he was 'uniquely and miraculously special." Like father, like son.

As for Desmond being Charlie's real father, consider their brief time together on the island. It seemed his main goal was to save Charlie's life...until it was out of his hands and the island had plans for Charlie's destiny.
  • He used a golf club as a lightning rod to take the hit instead of Charlie's tent
  • He rescued Claire in the ocean because he knew Charlie would have drowned trying to do so
  • He saved a migrating bird for Claire because he knew Charlie would have died trying to do so
  • He prevented Charlie from getting shot with one of Rousseau's arrow traps in the jungle
However, Desmond's vision of Claire getting rescued due to Charlie drowning in the Looking Glass changed everything. Although Desmond intended to swim down to the station instead, Charlie knocked him out to follow his destiny.

In the end, Charlie wound up briefly communicating with his mother Penny (unbeknownst to him) before sacrificing himself so that Desmond could warn the remaining survivors about the freighter and Claire would be rescued.

It is also fascinating that during Desmond's first flash back in time (right before he first met Ms. Hawking), he encountered Charlie outside of Widmore's office. Fate trumps coincidence in this instance.

In a Season 3 flashback, we saw Simon teaching young Charlie how to swim (and yes, I remember him claiming not to know how in S1, but that was because he was a drugged out wuss who didn't want to rescue the woman in the ocean at the time). I believe Charlie was destined to swim down to the Looking Glass to save his biological father and their friends on the island.

It is also not a coincidence that Jill worked at a butcher shop in Los Angeles that shares a name with Charlie's adoptive father (who happened to be a butcher). She works for Ben, but let's be honest...at this point it is still unclear whether or not Ben and Widmore used to work together or still are.

In addition, Charlie Pace's middle name (Hieronmyus) is an anagram for Hume's Irony. And Scottish philosopher David Hume was strongly influenced by another philosopher...John Locke.

So I suppose that in the pilot episode, Charlie Pace should have said, "guys, WHEN am I?" rather than "where are we?" If dad is uniquely special, it should follow that his son is also immune to the rules and effects of time...

Am I delusional; is at least some of this feasible?

28 comments:

Joie Mayfield said...

Absolutely brilliant. I love it. :)

arbitrary said...

I thought about it for around 10s, but didn't have some of the facts you've laid out - like Charlie's dad's name and the butcher and stuff.

Let's just say it's fantastical but I would LOVE it to be true. I'd also not be surprised if it wasn't though :-)

Anonymous said...

bam!

i totally agree

Patrick T. Sheridan's Creativity Blog! said...

thiiiiiiiiiiiis doesn't make any sense.

maven said...

I don't know, Jo. It seems a little out there for me. Sure, Desmond and Charlie seem to have a connection (some even thought the name Desmond was yelled out at the swimming pool scene with Simon and young Charlie), and Desmond did feel a strong need to save Charlie's life over and over. And we have seen Daniel meeting up with (supposedly) a young version of his mother. But I find the Charlie Hume=Charlie Pace a bit of a stretch.

Although I have a feeling that most of these people will be somehow related to each other one way or another when everything is said and done.

Nurby said...

I love it.

I just can't put the time pieces together in my head to make sense. It's definitely something I need to think about.

I do think it's a really cool theory.

Hillary said...

I totally follow your logic here, except for one point:

[Widmore] put him up for adoption because a man of his age and in his position of power was not about to raise a small child on his own.

He could easily afford a nanny to help raise him, like many wealthy people do. And if he arranged for a family to adopt him, why the Pace family? They're not very well off. I'd assume he'd place him with a family who could provide him with more.

Other than this, I love this theory!

Anonymous said...

Cool idea, but i just can't stand the thought of Penny being dead! They just found their way back to each other! :)

Anonymous said...

I can understand Widmore putting up Charlie for adoption to protect him from Ben(in case he ever wanted to hurt Widmore again). And I should see him giving him to Simon, no money, last place Ben would look.

But I have no clue how Charlie would've been able to end up on the original flight 815.

Anonymous said...

What doesn't make sense is that Charlie Hume was born at some point after the O6 returned... most likely in 2006. So Charles Widmore would've had to take Little Charlie BACK IN TIME in order for him to then be in his twenties when it reached the Oceanic 815 flight in 2004. We haven't seen any proof that Widmore can time travel off of the Island. Maybe I missed something in your post, but it seems you left out the crucial point about the timing.

Anonymous said...

That is really cool!!! Not sure how realistic it is but I love the idea!!!
I just really want Charlie back! :) THANKS!

Anonymous said...

Absolutely right on the money!! I believe all the Oceanic 6 were either born on the island and are the kids of either the American soldiers (1954), the Others or the DI. They are all connected with the island's past. They left with one parent or was given up for adoption and "raised by another" off the island.

Also, it is sad about Penny but I believe she is getting ready to star in a new TV series once LOST ends. (it is called "Fast Forward" but this needs to be confirmed).
I think your theory is brilliant. Thanks

Anonymous said...

Hi - love your work - however...... on this one ????? Like time - it's 2008 how does Widmore get Charlie back to the 1980's to adopt him out so he can grow up enough to get on 815? Has he got a TARDIS on hand? If Widmore can jump about in time how come he hasn't gone back and claimed back what is rightfully his long ago?
How about they just named Charlie after Charlie coz he died helping them get together again - full stop?
Keep up the good work - love your tongue in cheek approach. Thanks

Anonymous said...

Figuring that Desmond would never return, Charles took baby Charlie with him back to England. And even though baby Charlie was his only heir (that we know of), he put him up for adoption because a man of his age and in his position of power was not about to raise a small child on his own.

And that's why he would do what all very rich people do in this situation - hire a nanny.

Honestly - sometimes a rose is just a rose. They named the child after Charlie because he brought them back together. It's a lovely gesture and nothing more.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jo, opps, the series is called FLASHFORWARD not "FastForward".
Here is the article referring to Penny...
http://flashforwardtv.com/?p=7

N/A said...

The one problem with the theory is after you say "Ben then took off on the flight. Desmond will try to find a way to return to the island in order to kill Ben. Leaving baby Charlie behind in Los Angeles...
".

The baby hasn't been exposed to time travel and remains in modern LA. How can he grow from a todler to be the Charlie Pace who ages through the 70s,80s,90s and 00s with his adopted family and to eventually die on the island in 2006?

My thought is that some of the underlying hostility between Charles expresses towards Desmond is 'father/son' resentment. I think Desmond's son may in fact be his own father in law. Much of the manipulation that Charles Widmore puts Desmond through may be a means of Widmore trying to preserve his own existence.

synchrobrarian said...

YES! FEASIBLE! INTERESTING!!!

good catch on simon (charlie's adoptive father) = simon the butcher with jill

synchromystic librarian

Rachie said...

You just BLEW MY MIND!!!

Andy B said...

I've just watched the latest episode and noticed a VERY interesting little clue...
Charlie Hume is referred to as "Young Charlie" in the closing credits.

Now why would they do that? After all Aaron isn't listed as "Young Aaron" is he..?

Hmmmmmmmmmm...

Anonymous said...

Charlie Hume was born after Charlie Pace died. That's a tough one to explain. Other than that, it's a decent theory.

Benjamin. said...

Okay.
I have always had this same theory.
ONLY ONE THING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I also realized that if charlie didn't sacrafice his life in the looking glass, that Desmond would never meet Penny. And if he and Penny never met, Charlie never would have been born.
So des knew Charlie had to swim down there and die, or he would never live at all....



OH YEAH!

Ryan Glowienka said...

It sounds very cool, but one thing you didn't touch on (or maybe I overlooked it) was how Charles Widmore got Charlie Hume/Pace back into the past to be adopted by the Paces?

Also we know now that Ben did not succeed in killing Penny, but Desmond might still be upset about getting shot.

Personally... I think Charlie Hume is actually baby Charles Widmore. But that's just a wild assumption and I don't really have any theories to back that up with.

DS3M said...

Unfortunately, your theory, while intriguing, fails to account for Penny and Charlie being fine, and visiting a recovering Desmond Hume in the hospital.

Aside from that though, I could see it, but it would mean charlie Pace's mom was in on it.

(And one final note, Charlie Hume's hair is curly. Young Charlie Pace's hair is straight.)

kk_dtv said...

incredible thinking! it rocks!
but i think is gonna be simple, its a tv show (my favorite!)

i miss charlie, even that i kind of hate im when he was alive, sorry charlie
haha

rock

Kati B said...

If the 2007 Charlie Hume somehow gets back to the island in 1977 where Jack and Kate are now, then makes it off the island in the past (like on the sub) and gets adopted, he would be 26/27 in 2004 when the plane crashes. Totally plausible. But how will Desmond and Baby Charlie make it to 1977 island when Sun & Locke only made it to 2007 island? I'm not saying the writers won't go there (it would be cool) but I don't have their imagination to think of a way (Unless Eloise Hawking tells him how).

METROCATPISS said...

So how would "baby charlie" hume get to the past to become Charlie Pace?

This is THE only problem i have with this theory.

i REALLY do like it.

Unknown said...

So I took this fun trivia quiz the other day. You can find it here to verify.http://www.braingle.com/trivia/quiz.php?id=25735&e=450df675056324143f2ccff357c44238 It asks you to answer the characters last names, when I got to Charlie I typed in Pace, and the answer says that Hume was also acceptable. What do they know that we don't???

Unknown said...

My theory is that it's Charlie who programs the Looking Glass code. Not Farraday. I feel certain that Charlie has traveled through time at some point because I think he is in the band Geronimo Jackson. Charlie's middle name is Heironymous which is a latin variation of the name Geronimo.