Charles "Jacob" Widmore

This theory is still in its infancy, and any number of things could happen in the coming weeks to shoot holes in it. But I think it's interesting, and even if it's not 100% true, I will cling to the belief that something is up with Penny's dad, Charles Widmore. Without further adieu...

Theory
I believe that the “Jacob” whom Ben so greatly fears/respects is none other than Penny’s father, and here’s why.

The Biz
Widmore is the great entrepreneur and purveyor of a convenient array of LOST-related goods and services. Witness his commercial contributions to the show (taken from Lostpedia, I believe):

• Sponsored or manufactured the balloon of the real Henry Gale.
• Was the maker of the pregnancy test used by Rachel ("Not in Portland"), Kate ("I Do"), and Sun ("The Whole Truth").
• Widmore Industries is seen on the London building where Charles Widmore has an office. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes").
• The Photo Stand where Desmond and Penny had their photo taken had a sign above it with a very similar shape to the Widmore logo.

So obviously his presence is evident in many different episodes, appearing in the flashbacks of a variety of characters. And it seems that the puppet-master of the island would certainly be privileged to have assets and holdings in different markets, industries and locations, so as to keep a watchful eye on his future island test-subjects. Hey, I think I know a guy who fits that description, yep, “Charles”.

The Race
Don’t you find it odd that Desmond could get so far off course in a sailing race that he would be marooned on a desert island? I mean, if it’s a race, there would be other people around him, right? And if they saw him going astray, surely they or “race officials” would save him (or “course-correct” him, if you will), right? Well they didn’t. Somehow, in the middle of a sailing race, Desmond veered far enough off course to lose his way, and nobody came to his rescue. Something’s off there.

The Baa Baa Black Sheep
We know Charles didn’t approve of the Desmond/Penny (or Desny, if I were writing for a trashy supermarket tabloid) relationship. What better way to preemptively rid your family of a black sheep than deserting him on a remote, untraceable island?

The Penny Factor
I think Penny is partially aware of her father’s goings-on. I doubt she knows everything, but who does? She knows enough to know that there is a distant island on which her father conducts some sort of possibly sinister operation. She even knows or suspects that Desmond is there. So she contracted the Arctic cartographers to try to detect the electromagnetic anomaly and then triangulate the island’s location in hopes of finding Desmond (by the way, reread that last sentence. It’s amazing what kinds of things this show leads you to say – and somehow it makes sense). But all of these efforts must be done under the radar, away from the watchful eye of her father. Because of that — and probably because the arctic poles would provide some sort of ultra-clear detection of an electromagnetic anomaly — she has outsourced the search mission to these two Portuguese guys.

The “Brutha”
Brother Campbell’s picture with Ms. Hawking, combined with his longstanding relationship with winery patron Charles Widmore, would suggest (as you noted this morning) that the monk is somehow a pawn, or a signpost if you will, in the master plan for Desmond’s life. It begs the question, what other characters in Desmond’s life did Widmore have a connection to? My guess: Libby. Perhaps she was planted into Desmond’s life after being cured of her mental illness by an island concoction. Believe it.

The Flashes
I believe these were somehow imprinted in Desmond (via the hatch implosion) to ensure that he’d follow the path, and that he was incentified to do so by the hope of reuniting with Penny. Perhaps this is an invention of one of the Widmore companies or a product of island research.



These are my thoughts, I’d love to know what you think.

See ya in another life brutha,
Charlie.