Chemical power plant?

[tonysee200x]

After years of speculation on how they may be supplying power to the island (remember Ben saying something like, it was a rat running on a tread mill?  ) we get an answer.

But does it make sense?

What kind of Chemical reaction could be providing the amount of power that would be required to power what we have seen on the island?

[Jugdish]

Was it really a power plant? THought that was a lie. Didn't they say he used it to poison the Dharma people during the purge.

[Fenster]

Yeah, I don't think it's a power plant either. 

[tonysee200x]

Hmm, you are probable right.

I took it as, it was the power plant for the island that runs on some kind of chemical, but if the chemical was released it was dangurous and could cause the purge..

[*MaZ*]

Hmm, you are probable right.

I took it as, it was the power plant for the island that runs on some kind of chemical, but if the chemical was released it was dangurous and could cause the purge..

It's the chemical that created the giant mutant hamsters! 

[Cowboy Up]

I think there could be any number of chemicals working in a plant...even a power station...its a far stretch to compare it to an oil refinery, but those refineries also have their own generation stations...any number of chemicals could be on hand..I know forms of acid and cyanide are used in the refining processes...so I think it could still be something like that...but I'm sure we'll find out more soon....

[hyperform]

on a second watch, i paused just as juliet enters the lower level behind daniel and she walks by a machine with a bunch of buttons, and on the top of it says "box maker". what the hell does that mean? production error? or something interesting.

[Maxor127]

They stole it from Locke's old job.

[Cowboy Up]

A better question, is how did it get set to overload?
and how did they(C&D) know?

[hefalumps]

on a second watch, i paused just as juliet enters the lower level behind daniel and she walks by a machine with a bunch of buttons, and on the top of it says "box maker". what the hell does that mean? production error? or something interesting.

Did it really? That's what Ben called the place where Locke's Dad came from - I don't remember the exact line, but he definitely told Locke there was a "box" on the island where things appeared... ugh, wish I had the exact quote.

And it's a funny allusion to Locke's box company job too.

I'll go see if I can dig up a transcript. The "box maker" reference may be nothing, or it may just be an egg, but it's interesting nonetheless.

[hefalumps]

A better question, is how did it get set to overload?
and how did they(C&D) know?

Some people seem to think Ben managed to cause the overload (like the same way he however "summoned" Harper or the image of Harper to tell Juliet what to do), but I disagree. While Ben may have somehow had something to do with Harper's mysterious, whispering appearance to Juliet and Jack, I don't think he caused the overload. I think it's more reasonable that the chemical plant had some kind of failsafe to prevent someone from doing exactly what Dan and Charlotte were trying to do - neutralize the gas and render it inert. I think when Dan tried to neutralize the gas, it triggered the failsafe that would've released the gas if he hadn't been able to disable the failsafe in time.

So that's my theory.

I still wish I could figure out Harper's appearance. I feel like it was a manifestation of Juliet's conscience. Maybe Ben told her long ago that these people would be coming and that she'd have to do whatever she could to stop them, and the manifestation of Harper was just the island reminding her what her conscience knew. We've seen the island manifest a lot of people, and a lot of them seemed to be related to something in the individual's conscience. And just because Jack saw her doesn't mean anything. As someone else pointed out, both Shannon and Sayid saw the manifestation of Walt just before Shannon was shot, but of course Walt manifestations might be completely separate from the other island manifestations.

[Cowboy Up]

[jumbotron]

Funny how Daniel didn't notice that EMERGENCY SHUTOFF SWITCH, would have been much faster than all that computer work.   

[TheGoodPeople]

thats curious

[tonysee200x]

Kind of funny that Daniel can't remember three cards, but is very skilled at using a 1975ish computer to shut down a overload in a chemical plant that is unique to an island that no one has seen before.