Thoughts on the Doctor?

[Lion of Atreides]

My 2 cents:

The Constant: No wound
Ji Yeon: Inflamed, fresh wound, with several small stitches visible
The Shape of Things to Come: Older wound, with stitches very visible, yet fewer in number than in Ji Yeon

I don't think this is evidence of time travel.  More likely, since they filmed these episodes at different times, the makeup artists didn't replicate his earlier size/number of stitches exactly. I.e., a prop error.  Another possibility is that, being in the water for many hours, dead, and decomposing, the wound's appearance was affected.  Perhaps the stitches were stretched as the skin deformed around the wound differently than the uninjured skin on his face.  Maybe those little fishes that eat dead skin were nibbling like mad at the skin around the wound, prior to him washing ashore, making the stitches more visible again.  So many simpler explanations than time travel.

[KateReallyLovesJack]

I want to think that it's just the boaties lying but there's a couple of sticky points that I can't get past...

Farraday wouldn't send a message to the boat, asking what happened to the doctor, unless he had a reason too.

The people on the boat don't realize that the doctor's body has washed onto shore but they do have Farraday asking about him - they don't know the reason Farraday is asking about the doctor, but he IS asking...

So why would the people on the boat lie sooo blatantly? They get clued into the fact that something has happened on the island to worry people about the doctor, but that's all they know.

IF the doctor on board is dead, then they know that Farraday must have a reason to ask about him, so why make such a blatant lie as - what are you talking about, the doctor's ok?

[scotfan13]

The way Daniel answered the question: "When is the last time you saw him alive?" It makes me believe timing on/off the island will be key to the doctor.

He said something in the lines of when doesn't really matter. Daniel knows and just isn't telling us.

I'm on the side that he is killed in a later episode, and because of the time difference washes up ashore before.

[opgelost]

Or he travelled in time like Desmond did, not to a time as far away as 1996 but to a week or two before december 2004.
December 2004, there is no cut in his face.
He flashes 2 weeks back, something causes his cut.
He flashes to december 2004, the cut is healing.
He flashes 2 weeks back, the wound is stitched.
He flashes to december 2004, Daniel asks how the doctor is, he is fine.
He flashes 2 weeks back, has no constant and dies and they throw him in the sea.
The losties find him, he is dead for two weeks, but on the freighter still alive.

Too complicated. That's why I don't like time travel.
I still cannot understand how Eloise learned the maze if she was dead by the time she had to learn it.

[Lion of Atreides]

The way Daniel answered the question: "When is the last time you saw him alive?" It makes me believe timing on/off the island will be key to the doctor.

He said something in the lines of when doesn't really matter. Daniel knows and just isn't telling us.

I'm on the side that he is killed in a later episode, and because of the time difference washes up ashore before.

Welcome to the boards, Scot!

My overall view of the doctor and his role is that he's just a bit part that soon got killed.  Why would TPTB invest him with a convoluted time travel arc, which would only detract from dealing with the main characters & other important answers to be dealt with in the compressed remainder of this season?  There's gonna be a simple explanation having to do with the time dilation effect of him slowly floating through the bubble surrounding the island, like we've seen with the rocket and the helicopter, and/or the freighter people lying.  Remember, the people on the freighter've shown their distrust with Daniel before whenever he's using the sat phone, as he's prone to saying more than he should.  Why, he even admits to Jack that no, they're not going to get rescued; Charlotte would not have abandoned the cover story so readily if she'd been asked point blank like that.

[LouE68]

I still think it has to do with the Orchid experiments and the two bunnies....even though the Doc wasn't at the Orchid as far as we know...it is possible they are replicating experiments...but this is all speculation...but if it is true...you heard it here first!!! You can all thank me and bow down to me later...

[Lion of Atreides]

I think there's more likelihood of the human race oneday having to bow down to our insect overlords!

[jugdish]

After furthor investigation I am going to have to start joing the camp that the Doc may still me alive on the boat. Don't like it and don't understand it. Saw a film clip interview on ew.com and they were hinting at this. Told us to listen carfully to what Daniel said. To me it would be a paradox that they say they are avoiding. How can you be dead and alive at the same time??

[PrincessLeia]

After furthor investigation I am going to have to start joing the camp that the Doc may still me alive on the boat. Don't like it and don't understand it. Saw a film clip interview on ew.com and they were hinting at this. Told us to listen carfully to what Daniel said. To me it would be a paradox that they say they are avoiding. How can you be dead and alive at the same time??

Like.....Charlie?  & Christian?   

[LouE68]

After furthor investigation I am going to have to start joing the camp that the Doc may still me alive on the boat. Don't like it and don't understand it. Saw a film clip interview on ew.com and they were hinting at this. Told us to listen carfully to what Daniel said. To me it would be a paradox that they say they are avoiding. How can you be dead and alive at the same time??

Like.....Charlie?  & Christian?  

No no no....LOL

But to make it the simplest more explainable would be that surgery happened again on the wound...but this is Lost...not General Hospital. Aaaaaaaaand, TPTB did say awhile back the Orchid video would play into things more now....or something to that affect....

[jugdish]

After furthor investigation I am going to have to start joing the camp that the Doc may still me alive on the boat. Don't like it and don't understand it. Saw a film clip interview on ew.com and they were hinting at this. Told us to listen carfully to what Daniel said. To me it would be a paradox that they say they are avoiding. How can you be dead and alive at the same time??

Like.....Charlie?  & Christian?  

THey are different because they were dead already and have been seen in "vision". To me they are claiming that the doc has not been killed but we are seeing him already dead. It appears backwards to me.

[KateReallyLovesJack]

I still think it has to do with the Orchid experiments and the two bunnies....even though the Doc wasn't at the Orchid as far as we know...it is possible they are replicating experiments...but this is all speculation...but if it is true...you heard it here first!!! You can all thank me and bow down to me later...

But where could they be replicating the experiments? Unless the doctor has been off the boat, to the island, replicated and then back to the freighter... I dunno, where else would they be doing it?

[LouE68]

I still think it has to do with the Orchid experiments and the two bunnies....even though the Doc wasn't at the Orchid as far as we know...it is possible they are replicating experiments...but this is all speculation...but if it is true...you heard it here first!!! You can all thank me and bow down to me later...

But where could they be replicating the experiments? Unless the doctor has been off the boat, to the island, replicated and then back to the freighter... I dunno, where else would they be doing it?

It's just speculation...I don't have ALL the answers...lol...I'm befogged...

[Lion of Atreides]

After furthor investigation I am going to have to start joing the camp that the Doc may still me alive on the boat. Don't like it and don't understand it. Saw a film clip interview on ew.com and they were hinting at this. Told us to listen carfully to what Daniel said. To me it would be a paradox that they say they are avoiding. How can you be dead and alive at the same time??

How about this:
  Conveyance          Speed         Time to cross Island's Bubble
  -----------       -----------       ---------------------------
  Rocket            few 100s mph     30+ minutes (Daniel's experiment)
  Helicopter               60  mph      half a day (Sayid)
  Drifting body             10 mph     72 hrs

The logic, however, does not support a scenario in which the doctor washes up on shore while still living. Just the opposite, that he shouldn't wash up for at least three days after getting dumped overboard.

[jugdish]

After furthor investigation I am going to have to start joing the camp that the Doc may still me alive on the boat. Don't like it and don't understand it. Saw a film clip interview on ew.com and they were hinting at this. Told us to listen carfully to what Daniel said. To me it would be a paradox that they say they are avoiding. How can you be dead and alive at the same time??

How about this:
  Conveyance          Speed         Time to cross Island's Bubble
  -----------       -----------       ---------------------------
  Rocket            few 100s mph     30+ minutes (Daniel's experiment)
  Helicopter               60  mph      half a day (Sayid)
  Drifting body             10 mph     72 hrs

The logic, however, does not support a scenario in which the doctor washes up on shore while still living. Just the opposite, that he shouldn't wash up for at least three days after getting dumped overboard.

Right, again someone said what I wanted to say in a better way!!

I lacks total logic even for a tv show like LOST.