Talk: Richard Alpert

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Richard is the Best Character

Yet, nobody has updated his section for the episode "Everybody Loves Hugo"?!?! --SokratesOne 13:33, April 15, 2010 (UTC)

Hmmm...anybody? I think it's good we are looking forward to one week without a new episode ("Ab Aeterno" replay) so that there is a chance that some sections are updated or cleaned. On a strictly personal note I have the impression that many LOST fans are exponentially loosing interest in participating on Lostpedia as chances for "ratiocination" guessing games are decreasing. I thought they'd by now realize that the series is about more than just ratiocination (though I'm definitely an active member of the "ratiocination club"). Richard has been a mysterious character and now that it becomes clear that he doesn't have all the answers, are people starting to loose interest in the character? Richard, and with everything he has gone through and experienced during his lifetime, remains an interesting, tragic character. Suffice to say he had always been the only "Other" showing compassion (remember that scene he congratulates cheerfully Ben Linus on his birthday and Ben only replies in a mean way?). I'm not criticizing, just noting... --SokratesOne 10:24, April 16, 2010 (UTC)

Richard DOES age..!

http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index?pn=connection go here and click on richard's face.. you will see how is connected with john lock.. from the text explaining who they are connected it seems that Richard does age but he can time-travel..! i know that time-travelling richard has been as a theory a long time now, but now that the official site of lost says what you all read i think its time that we stop treating this piece of information as a theory or a spoiler and consider it truth with no further analysis needed.. what do you think??--77.49.115.10 02:46, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

There's an awful lot of asumption here, especially since time travel isn't mentioned at the ABC site.--Jim in Georgia Contribs Talk 04:11, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

well time travel isnt mentioned but when it says that richard met lock thought he was special and *THEN* meets him as 5 year old boy to verify that what can anyone understand from this?? i know it is not mentioned clearly but i think we can use it.. --79.103.33.144 21:44, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

Richard is present near Locke when:

• Locke is several weeks old (flashback).
• Testing young Locke with the six items (flashback).
• Offering special camp opportunity to Teenage Locke (not actually seen) (flashback).
• Giving Sawyer's file to Locke at the ruins (real time).
• Meeting mature Locke after Orchid events (real time).

I may have missed some. We didn't see them in this order, but I don't think having them out of sequence implies time travel. I've suggested elsewhere (I'd provide a link if I could remember where "elsewhere" is<grin>) that the Others don't age unless they leave the Island. My conclusion is that, because of the off-Island travel by Richard that we've seen and not seen, he's a couple of months older now than he was in the 1950s.--Jim in Georgia Contribs Talk 22:10, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

That means Eloise should have been the same age as in the 50s kasajian 04:59, 11 May 2009 (UTC)

Richard?

Was his first name actually mentioned in the episode, or was this information from the hoax site? --Jackdavinci 03:32, 8 February 2007 (PST)

• I can't remember if they said it in the episode, but the first mention of his name to the public was in the ABC press release, so it's fine here. --PandoraX 09:38, 8 February 2007 (PST)

As far as Richard's name, remember Ram Dass? Here is an excerpt from his website. Before Ram Dass went to India in the 60s and became Ram Dass, he was Dr. Richard Alpert. This is from Ram Dass' website:

In 1974, Ram Dass created the Hanuman Foundation, a non-profit meant to embody what he had absorbed from his Guru. Hanuman Foundation developed the Prison Ashram Project, designed to help prison inmates grow spiritually during their incarceration, and the Dying Project helped many cope and transcend, taking the unnecessary sting out of the tail of life and giving people a way to deal with suffering and death.

I think this is extremely interesting as far as Richard's role on the island and what's actually going on with the Losties. --Dani

I removed the reference to him as "Dr Richard Alpert." The real Richard Alpert is a doctor, but we have no evidence that Lost's Richard is a Dr. In fact, given his background, it's unlikely that he's an accredited doctor in either sense of the word.

Richard was seen in 1950, 1960... He was there at John Locke's birth. According to the write up of Further_Instructions#General Further Instructions. The documents Locke had said he was born in 1946. So, Richard was seen in the 1940's too. Right? Unless there's some bit of information I'm missing here... --Gar 09:26, 9 May 2008 (PDT)

I definitely missed the write up on John's page. So I suppose the zip and birth date were incorrect. Ignore my comment above. Thanks! --Gar 09:31, 9 May 2008 (PDT)

DHARMA recruiter?

I think it's pretty clear, from all that Patchy told us, that he doesn't recruit for DHARMA. He and Ethan are recruiting people to join the Others. Catalanowned 15:52, 15 March 2007 (PDT)

If he is recruiting for the Others, shouldnt he be included as an Other? ...and possibly including Diana as well?--Phil 16:09, 19 March 2007 (PDT)

He is set to appear in an upcoming episode. Once that has aired and we have proof one way or another we will edit it. Until then, this is all the info we know about him.-Mr.Leaf 16:10, 19 March 2007 (PDT)

Wheelchair?

The page says he "brought Locke to a room in which Locke's father, Anthony Cooper, was held captive in a wheelchair." I'm fairly certain Cooper wasn't in a wheelchair. And if he was, this detail should be added to the Episode page. --TechNic 15:25, 22 March 2007 (PDT)

I agree, it wasn't a wheelchair. --Sauron18 15:35, 22 March 2007 (PDT)

Double checked screencaps to confirm and have fixed it.--TechNic 10:10, 23 March 2007 (PDT)

--Stripes 09:05, 17 May 2007 (PDT)

Mascara?

It seems to me like he wears mascara. May be a clue to the gay character then. Anyone shares that notice? --Prolinesurfer 15:16, 3 May 2007 (PDT)

Is the actor not simply dark-eyed? If you compare some of his promo pix in "the Tick" as Batmanuel, he has the appearance of being eye-lined. --Frenkmelk 23:46, 9 May 2007 (PDT)

Some people just look like that. I suspect he/the actor has some Indo-Iranian ancestry.C.m. 06:37, 10 May 2007 (PDT)

I had a friend that was Iranian, and he naturally looked like he was wearing black eyeliner.--Stripes 09:05, 17 May 2007 (PDT)

This is Nestor Carbonel's normal looks

Further refutation from here and here. --     [Talk] 00:53, 8 February 2009 (UTC)

Who is Richard?

We first find out about Richard in, "Not in Portland," interviewing Juliet to come work with them on the island, and Juliet says she can't because her x-husband wouldn't allow her. Juliet gets all frantic and says, "I don't know. Hit him with a bus," which is unintentional, and the next day, Juliet's ex-husband is in-fact hit by a bus.

Then in, "The Brig," we see Richard talking with Locke. Richard says that Ben wanted to embarrass Locke. Richard then says that Ben set Locke up because Ben knew that Locke wouldn't kill his own father, and that Ben wanted to show people that Locke would fail. Richard says he knew that Locke wouldn't be able to kill his own father. Then Richard says that Ben has been wasting their time on the island by doing experiments on pregnant women on the island, and that the people have to be reminded that there are more important things on the island. Richard says that this important because when word came to the camp that someone who was in a wheelchair for four years could suddenly walk again, this meant that Locke was extremely special. Richard then tells Locke that if he can't kill his own father, then why doesn't he let someone else do it for him. Richard then gives Locke Sawyer's file, and Richard tells Locke to read it, and Richard leaves. It seemed as if Richard wanted Ben to fail at what he was trying to do.

We know that Jacob/Him wants Ben to fail because in, "The Man from Tallahassee," Ben tells Locke his two options about what he could have done to Jack. Ben then ends on both statements saying, "that would be the end of me."

Therefore, I believe that Richard Alpert and Jacob/Him are the same person on the island because Jacob/Him wants Ben to fail, and it seems that Richard Alpert wants Ben to fail as well.

I would like it if someone would read this and that they would be able to respond to my theory. I would like to know other people's theory about Richard and Jacob.

Thank you,

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by MArko14126 (talk • contribs) .

Or he could just be one of many people who do not support Ben. Juliet didn't either, does that make her Jacob?

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by L.G.S (talk • contribs) .

Richard, in fact, is not Jacob. Very much not Jacob. Piccolo113 03:08, 31 May 2009 (UTC)

Age

Any guesses as to Richard's age? He's a lot older than he looks is all I know.C.m. 00:33, 10 May 2007 (PDT)

• Early in 'Man Behind The Curtain', Ben says to Richard, "You *do* remember birthdays, don't you Richard?". Ben seems to be implying that birthdays have no significance to Richard, supporting the idea that he isn't aging.--Artdeco 21:22, 10 May 2007 (PDT)

Ben could simply be reminding Richard about the mass murder at the barracks,w hich took place on Ben's birthday, i.e. "You do remember that day you slaughtered all those people, don't you Richard?"

I wonder if Ben, as the leader of The Others, has got rid of Birthdays, considering the negative experiences associatted with his own.Liquidcow 07:15, 23 May 2007 (PDT)

Many fans are convinced that Richard does not age. I feel that, without additional evidence, it would be premature to come to this conclusion. He could have been in his 20s when he met Ben. He may now be in his 50s or early 60s. When he first appeared some fans thought that he wore a lot of makeup. Richard also had access to the outside world and advanced medical procedures. Even if you dismiss the He-Ages-Gracefully point of view I don't think it woul be unreasonable to suspect he may have undergone cosmetic surgery, esepcially considering his position as Mittelos recruiter.--Puddin Tame 14:41, 11 May 2007 (PDT)

I don't think any amount of plastic surgery could make a 50 y.o. man, much less a 60 y.o. man, look like Richard. I prefer the idea that time and aging are drastically slowed down, perhaps even stopped, for Richard, who is effectively immortal. C.m. 16:16, 17 May 2007 (PDT)

Is it possible that in the story he's aged, but there's only so much you can do to make a late thirtysomething actor look like he's in his early twenties? I thought his long hair and haggard appearance were the stereotypical "signifiers of youth" that were meant to convey that he was actually younger, with a little audience suspension-of-disbelief required.

I really think the stuff about his age is pure speculation. It is hard to make an actor in his forties look like he's in his twenties, and they have clearly tried to at least make him look somewhat younger in the flashbacks. I definately think that references to his 'seeming not to age' should be removed from the article until there has been something more obvious to show that he does not age.

Also removing this:

In "The Brig" Richard states "no matter how much time you spend on the island, you never get tired of this view". This implies that Richard has indeed been there for a very long time.

We know that Richard has been there since the late seventies regardless of whether he ages or not, therefore this is pointless information.Liquidcow 12:15, 20 May 2007 (PDT)

I decided to alter/remove the stuff about age. At the moment the idea of him 'not aging' is pure speculation, and not particularly well-founded at that. I think it's clear that some effort has been made to make him look younger in flashbacks, but there's only so much you can do with makeup/costume. Until something is shown to make it clear that there is some anti-aging phenomenon at work, or the producers answer the question themselves, I think the idea should be stated to be highly speculative, or completely removed.Liquidcow 07:29, 23 May 2007 (PDT)

The writers and producers of the show intentionally made Richard Alpert appear to be ageless. If the producers wanted to convey a time difference they simply could have used another character, such as Goodwin or Danny Pickett, etc. (who can be made to appear either older or younger) to meet young Ben in the jungle. --Katnap24 14:53, 29 May 2007 (PDT)

Have you noticed that Horace Goodspeed also seems not to age? See my point in the discussion page of that character.--Cclerici 14:49, 1 September 2007 (PDT)

I don't get what you're saying. Do you mean that they could have made the actors who played Goodwin or Danny look younger, but not Richard? How would that be the case?

I'm pretty sure the reason for using Richard was for story reasons rather than which actors could look younger, it's not like the writer's just thought 'you know, it doesn't really matter which characters interact with each other here'.Liquidcow 03:24, 31 May 2007 (PDT)

• The question in the article about why Richard doesn't age is based on theory, and is therefore not a true UA, so I've removed it. Regarding the theory, they make all sorts of attempts with beard v cleanshaven, hair length, etc. to convey that there is a difference between past-Richard and present-Richard (and the two Horace timeframes for that matter). Ben obviously ages appropriately, so that should be sufficient to stop any speculation that the island somehow inhibits aging. The same actors are playing the same parts in past and present (or far past and more recent past; that's all there is to it. -- LOSTonthisdarnisland 12:46, 20 March 2008 (PDT)
• After seeing Richard in 'Cabin Fever' I think we can agree that he appears to be the same age in different time periods. Either he does not age or he travels through time.--DeepForestGreen 05:48, 11 May 2008 (PDT)
• I think that Richard is time traveling because we already know that Faraday, Desmond, and several people on the freighter are experiencing time travel. There really isn't any evidence that he doesn't age. I believe that when Richard first met Ben in the Jungle he was younger, and the show's creators tried to show us that. Every other time he appears to be the same age because it is either the present time or he has traveled back in time. --Xanthmode 21:59, 17 May 2008 (PDT)

Umm, I think we're pretty damn certain that he doesn't age. Due to Locke saying "I've never seen a man that doesn't age" and Richard replying "I'm this way because of Jacob". BelleMacFarlane 19:27, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

It's possible Richard is just playing along, though I doubt it. --Crash815 Talk 19:45, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

conjecture?

"Richard is clearly disturbed by the actions he and his people have taken", I don't think this is evident, and should be removed(although im sure by the time anyone reas this the article will have changed:))--moss ryder 04:32, 10 May 2007 (PDT)

• Agreed. Just watched again and he was not at ALL disturbed. In fact, he comforted Ben with a pat on the back.--Artdeco 21:23, 10 May 2007 (PDT)
• Richard--- apparently, anyway--- also has no compunctions having people run over by busses to get what he wants.

I concur. Ricard slowly removes his mask to try and sense if there was any gas still left. There wasn't, so he and his people removed their masks. The pat on the back shows a lot.The-room 09:34, 17 May 2007 (PDT)

hottest character on the show?

I mean when he looked shaggy. Sure he is handsome when he is cleanshaven but the 5-o'clock shadow makes him look ravishing, amiright?    Mr Vain    talk    contribs    email   16:53, 10 May 2007 (PDT)

I'm so pleased to find someone who agrees with me on this!I've been asking everyone who I know who watches the show if they think he's hot and they're like 'Eww, what's wrong with you?'. I think he's totally hot, cheanshaven or otherwise. I sort of think he looks like he's wearing eyeliner. But that's a good thing. --LostCat 11:33, 23 May 2007 (PDT)

I absolutely agree, he's one of the top tier. Anyone know a good website where we can vote on this (admittedly shallow) subject? I'm sick of sites where you have to choose either Jack, Sawyer, or Sayid. I'm more of a Desmond-lover myself, but there's plenty of male hotties on this show (girl's too, I'm sure, if you like that sort of thing). I even thought Ryan Price was pretty sexy! Sithboy 13:30, 19 May 2008 (PDT)

Yeah, totally! I like Daniel Faraday too.... He's dreamy...--LostCat 07:18, 7 June 2008 (PDT)

Absolutely!! I personally think Sawyer is ugggllly! It's all about Richard and Sayid!! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Found509 (talk • contribs) 2010-03-24T01:14:19.

What does this have to do with the article or improving the article?--PSC Soap 05:47, January 19, 2011 (UTC)PSC Soap

Hanso/LEP = Richard

Could Hanso and the Life Extension Programme have any thing to do with Richards apparant lack of ageing? or was it specifically put in as clue by the prodceres? --KevGGrif 13:50, 11 May 2007 (PDT)

Well, considering he was there before Dharma I'd say it probably has to do with something else, but who knows...--Sauron18 14:04, 11 May 2007 (PDT)

On the contrary, I am guessing that the LEP probably grew out of Richard's (and other native's) lack of aging and not vice versa. I wouldn't be surprised if Ethan, Tom, Goodwin, etc. aged extremely slowly also... I'm sure DL and CC won't disappoint in addressing the topic. ...--theteacher 12:53, 2 June 2007 (EDT)

This is brilliant theory. Richard has been ageless - I'm betting he goes as far back as the Black Rock. --Devinma 20:40, 16 May 2008 (PDT)

I'm inclined to think this is something much bigger than DHARMA. The best the initiative could do was try to examine the phenomenon. Remember Ben's sarcastic comment about time-traveling bunnies. --Jim in Georgia Contribs Talk 06:00, 27 June 2008 (PDT)

Hostile leader?

He seems to me to have been the leader of the Hostiles before Ben (or Jacob) if there was a leader. I don't know why, but he's obvious pretty important in terms of the Others heiarchy (recruited Juliet with Ethan, the Other's surgeon, had the file on Sawyer, though Ben may have given him that or anyone can access the files, and is with Ben a lot) He also doesn't seem to age, and ran into young Ben pretty quickly when they ran, even though the when the scene changed it could of been a lot later and not just right out of the Barracks, as if he knew. Does anyone agree? --Sykasa 18:34, 11 May 2007 (PDT)

I would go further. I think that while Ben is the leader of the Others, that Richard is still the leader of the Hostiles (or native) sub-group within the Others. We now know that the Others are a combination of the Hostiles, ex-DHARMA and people recruited by Ben from the outside. The non-hostiles are obsessed with fertility because the issue blocks them from building a perminant community on the island. Richard doesn't care possibly because Richard doesn't age and isn't human. The most interesting question is what Richard's agenda really is. Dharmatel4 01:01, 12 May 2007 (PDT)

How do we not know that Dharma tested on the natives? And that is then why they began to rebel against them.

Richard leaving?

I just read that Nestor Carbonell filmed a pilot for a new series "Cane" and that pilot was just picked up by CBS for the fall 2007 schedule. I hope that doesn't mean he'll be one of the casualties of the finale as I'm starting to really like his character.

• Not necessarily, especially now that the dates of the last three seasons have been set he should be able to work around it in his schedule. I imagine he can do Lost half the year and this other show for the other half. In any case, he's not even in every episode of Lost and he usually gets like one or two scenes so I doubt it takes up that much of his time.
  • Only it's not just a time scheduling problem, Lost is on ABC, his new show on CBS, and the final decision comes from the networks. Guess what? CBS aren't so much for letting him appear on Lost anymore, claiming it would confuse the audience...
    More here: http://88.191.26.34/i_watch_tv/2007/07/18/did-lost-just-loose-alpert/

I could've sworn that I read somewhere that Lost asked Nestor Carbonell to become a regular cast member, but now I can't find it anywhere? Do you know what I'm talking about, or am I delusional? (ps. yes, I know he's going to be in Batman).

I have heard about both the Batman movie and becoming a series regular (really hope so). BETTYFIZZW (Talk) 12:11, 29 May 2007 (PDT)

He's playing the Mayor in the new Batman movie, so he may only be in a couple of scenes for all we know.Liquidcow 03:26, 31 May 2007 (PDT)

The writers might kill him off early Season 4. I hope not though. --Blueeagleislander 03:31, 31 May 2007 (PDT)

• Sure seems like that's gonna be the case. TTS's Comic-Con post said "richard might not be on next season or limited at all". KAB 06:10, 27 July 2007 (PDT)

• • Now that just sucks. I mean he's a pretty cool character and I'm sure he'd have GREAT flashbacks. BETTYFIZZW (Talk) 09:42, 27 July 2007 (PDT)

I agree with you Betty, but it is the sad truth. Now he is starring in the TV show Cane. I will miss this Other as he was always my favourite. Goodbye Richard Alpert, we hardly knew ye. --Countdown 04:51, 3 December 2007 (PST)

Hopefully he'll turn up some time later in Season 4 or Season 5. --Dharma-815]

• In the aftermath of the strike, it was reported that Cane will not be producing any more episodes this season. [1] So I think there's a pretty good chance we could see him sometime in the last five eps this season. It's still up in the air though as to whether CBS will pick up the show next year. -- Graft   talk   contributions  15:41, 16 February 2008 (PST)

Removed aging theory criticism

The section on Richard's aging had been editing to suggest that the aging discrepancy is only conjecture by "some fans" and that it could just be from make-up people not being able to make Nestor Carbonell look 30 years younger in the 1970s scenes. I took it out because

• A) It's mathematically challenged. Nestor/Present-Day Richard looks like he's about 40, and yet Richard was already a full-grown adult (i.e. at least 20) in the 1970s. If the writers meant to depict Richard as aging naturally, then either 1970s Richard should have been a child or Present-Day Richard should look like he's 50+ years old. Neither is the case, though. So no matter how good the make-up was, there would still be a discrepancy of at least 10 years.
• B) I kind of feel like conjecture about make-up limitations etc. should be under theories, discussion, or trivia and not in the main article. Maybe I'm wrong about that, though.--Timmythegreek 16:47, 4 June 2007 (PDT)

It should stay as it is, if at all. There is not enough decisive evidence either way, and the article is accurate in stating that some fans think he doesn't age, while some think it's just a case of not being able to make him look young enough. Personally I think the whole issue should be taken out, it belongs on the theories page, but inevitably people will keep coming back and adding it again so I think the way it is now is best.

We really need some word from the producers or someone official to clear this up, it is rather irritating.Liquidcow 03:04, 14 June 2007 (PDT)

Well, we know that at least Michael Emerson also thinks he doesn't age, and while that certainly isn't proof of anything it certainly implies that that's the idea we're supposed to get, considering he might know if it was just a makeup goof. --Sauron18 17:10, 17 June 2007 (PDT)

Where did Michael Emerson say this? Can you provide a link?Liquidcow 03:12, 18 June 2007 (PDT)

He said it on a podcast [2]. He said it as someone who watches the show more than knowing any inside information, but given the fact that he was heavily involved in the episode, you'd think he would know if it was just a makeup goof. --Sauron18 07:57, 18 June 2007 (PDT)

Even Nestor Carbonell himself thinks his character doesn't age.--Jabadibah 00:07, 26 September 2007 (PDT)

Considering Michael Emerson is what 53 and we're expected to believe that Richard is twenty years older than Emerson's character that really seems to indicate the character is in his 60's or 70's...not his 40's. I can buy Ben is in his 40's but I refuse to buy he's in his 30's and Richard only in his 50's. --Meteor

Now that we've seen Cabin Fever we know that since Richard was present when Locke was born, that makes him at least 68 years old in present time. At this point, there's no question that his lack of visible aging is intentional and not a mistake on the part of the makeup people - there's no way they'd cast a 40 year old to play someone almost 70 and do nothing to make him look older. There's definitely something going on with his age, either he's not aging, he's time traveling, or something along those lines. --Minderbinder 09:29, 12 May 2008 (PDT)

mittelwerk

Is it just me, or does anyone else see a connection between Alpert and Mittelwerk. I mean, I know they're two different characters on almost two different shows (Lost and the Lost Experience), but the first thing I thought of when I saw him was Mittelwerk. They kinda look alike (Mittelwerk could be an older version) and Alpert worked for (or pretended to work for) a company called Mittelos. Coincidence? --Eridani 16:54, 10 December 2007 (PST)

Appearances error

The source looks fine, to me, but Season 3 in the appearances part of the box is crossed out, indicating that he has never appeared in Lost. I don't know how to fix it, as the source says "Season 3 = yes" --The Smiley-Faced Balloon 10:10, 11 February 2008 (PST)

I think that's because he's not yet been added to the "Character appearances" page. --Dharma-815]14:43, 23 February 2008 (GMT)

He was on the "Character appearances" page, although he was listed as "Alpert". I've corrected this, together with some other minor discrepencies with his name (some say Richard Alpert, some say "Dr. Richard Alpert). This appeared to be causing the appearances problem; anyway its now fixed! --Dharma-815]15:11, 23 February 2008 (GMT)

Native Islander?

I wonder why Richard is listed as a native islander. This has not been confirmed or even implied anywhere on the show. In fact, the commentary track for "The Man Behind The Curtain" seems to suggest the opposite, when Damon and Carlton compared the Island to the United States of America where everyone claim to be native while none or only a few actually are.--Lauridsen77 15:45, 22 March 2008 (PDT)

It's unclear just what constitutes a "native Islander". Clearly, he was one of the Hostiles, i.e., the group of people whose habitation of the Island preceded that of the DHARMA Initiative. As far as Ben knew, these were "the Island's original inhabitants" (see his speech to Locke in "The Man Behind the Curtain"). Robert K S (talk) 18:10, 22 March 2008 (PDT)

People aren't conceived and born on the island. Richard is an immigrant just like everyone else except Aaron and Alex. Danielle's crew, Eko's men, Desmond, the real Henry Gale, Oceanic 815, the freighter folk, the crew of the black rock all crashed on the island. This is what the island does to get new people because no one can reproduce on the island. Richard comes from another group we know nothing about...their are probably several groups who have been stranded on the island that we know nothing about (Adam & Eve, the people who built the four toed statue etc). Personally I think this matter should be put to a vote. ----Meteor

Exactly. I think Richard actually comes from the Black Rock of which the survivors probably formed the original Others/Island Guardians. That's also where the old compass and the old knife come from with which he tested John as a child. Will48 14:53, 17 May 2008 (PDT)

Confirmation that 'Alpert does not age'?

After the events of Cabin Fever I don't think anyone could disagree that Alpert either doesn't age at all, or ages extremely slowly. I reckon there's a few things that could be rephrased in this article, such as the Unanswered Question "Why does he not appear to age?". Also, the debate in the Theories section could do with a cleanup, since much of it has now been confirmed or debunked. Chester Kilburn Talk | Contributions 09:55, 9 May 2008 (PDT)

For the sake of argument, it is possible that Richard does age, but that he is also able to freely travel through time - until we know for sure, I think it remains an unanswered question. --LOSTinDC 12:05, 9 May 2008 (PDT)

Just as long as it is phrased so as not to present a theory. "Not aging" and "not appearing to age" are two different things. I'm thinking something like "Why does Richard appear to be the same age in many different time periods?" Robert K S (talk) 09:08, 11 May 2008 (PDT)

Agreed - there should be some clarification that he does not appear to age across decades of time. --LOSTinDC 08:36, 12 May 2008 (PDT)

Richard is the Smoke Monster

Or vice versa.

Notice how this season every time a manifestation of smokey appears, there is a reference to it before hand? In episode one Hurley sees Charlie in the window. A minute before hand we see "NO SMOKING" on the door. In episode 9, right before Jack's father appears the SMOKE alarm beeps. In episode 11 right before Richard appears the nurse says "Excuse me, you can't SMOKE in here"

Although it is assumed Smokey can't leave the island maybe it's "true form" is Richard and uses this guise to leave the island. That's why Richard doesn't age or have a birthday. MeatyDoughnut 13:36, 11 May 2008 (PDT)

Wow. I don't really think the smoke monster can leave the Island, but your evidence is convincing. If nothing else, it's a very odd and intriguing series of coincidences that I had never noticed before. I'm curious...does this apply to the previous seasons as well? I'll have to go back and watch Smokey's scenes and see if there are any similar references. Or, for that matter, look at other mentions of smoke or smoking in the show and see what events immediately follow. Good observation! Jacob&#

39;s Lather 09:12, 12 May 2008 (PDT)

Then how come he was not even careful when he approached Kate and Sayid as he surely would not be killed if they shot? --Acolyt3 10:21, 16 May 2008 (PDT)

At the point when they were going to shoot, three million Others cocked their guns and surrounded them... --Jackdavinci 10:47, 16 May 2008 (PDT)

No, no, no... i mean, why did he approach so slow? If he can't die he would just run up to them and disarm them BEFORE the others came. Acolyt3 18:15, 28 May 2008 (PDT)

Why do we assume some of these People can't die?--Jim in Georgia Contribs Talk 12:20, 28 May 2008 (PDT)

Your idea intrigued me for a minute, but why would Ben need to go to that creepy secret room to summon the Monster, if he could just give Richard a phone call and ask him to change into Smokey? No, I think Richard is a person, a weird person, but a person. I think there might be a link between Jacob and the Monster though.--Lauridsen77 15:22, 16 May 2008 (PDT)

Maybe no one knows what or who the Smoke Monster really is. Still though even though I like this theory there are two things that made me think twice about it. When Kate and Juliet were handcuffed together and running from Smokey Juliet got them back to the barracks just in time to turn on the sonic fence and repel Smokey. "We don't know what it is but we know it doesn't like our fence". In 1974 the Dharma Initiative always kept the fence on and only turned it off when one of them left or came back. While Sawyer and the bunch are waiting for the sub to come take them off the island Richard appears at the barracks. So if Richard is the smoke monster and we know the Sonic fence repels the smoke monster then how did he get through it in order to confront the Dharma Initiative on the two dead others.--Darquan223 21:23, 4 April 2009 (PDT)

• I think this has been offically disproved because how could MiB manifest himself into two people at the same time and then beat the tar out of a part of himself and put him in a bag hanging from the tree. Just a thought.--Phryrosebdeco23 21:31, March 11, 2010 (UTC)

Main Character

Will Richard Alpert become a main character in Season 5, like he was supposed to in Season 4?01lander 09:12, 12 May 2008 (PDT)

• Well, Nestor could not film his part in season 4 beacause of scheduling conflicts, but since he now is back and the other show he was acting in is now cancelled as far as i know i seriously hope he will be a main character in Season 5. acolyt3

Actions

• Drove the car that hit Emily Locke, causing her to have her son premature.
• Personally engineered the bus accident which killed Edmund Burke.
  • Richard drove the bus that killed Burke.
  • Reverse temporal engineering. Richard made sure it had already happened.
  • One notices that other cars are honking at the bus as it waits for Burke to walk out onto the side walk.
• He is able to bend time & space. That is how he can travel to and from the Island at will. This is why Ben asked him to go and get the man from Tallahasee and how Anthony Cooper magically appears on the Island.
  • Explains how he happened to be in the area of Juliet's sister so quickly when she has her violent outburst to Ben about her sister being dead already.
    • This can also be explained by that Ben had figured it all out earlier (as usual), and therefore had sent Richard to Juliet's sister.
      • In fact, Richard had recorded the video earlier, faking the newspaper using an image processing programme, all on Ben's order.

These are all theories. -- Sam McPherson  T  C  E  06:56, 1 July 2008 (PDT)

Richard Alpert-- Richard Fannin

Richard Alpert could be the Lost writers' version of Stephen King's Richard Fannin/Randall Flagg/Ageless Stranger (along with numerous other aliases). Although he lacks the characteristic "R.F." initials, he shares several other characteristics with King's character.

• Both appear to be ageless
• King's character has been described as having captivating, attention grabbing eyes. This would explain the apparent eyeliner that alpert wears.
• Flagg often acts as an institagtor, someone who appears to be a lackey, but is really the one pulling the strings. This fits with Alpert being the one who orchestrates the extermination, while Ben is seen as the one who did it.
• Also, Alpert is featured in the episode "the man behind the curtain", which is a reference to the wizard of oz. King featured Fannin in the chapter of the Dark Tower series that was also a reference to the Wirzard of Oz. All of this is connected.

The writer's have said that they have been greatly influenced by King, could Alpert be a tribute to King's most frequently used character? ---Patrickb

Alpert is very much the Randall Flagg type of character. Its not certain though. --Plkrtn 11:16, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Helping Locke.

I noticed that in this article it suggests that Richrd removed the bullet from Lockes leg at a indeterminant time in or around 2004. This is wrong, it is at least 2007 when Richard removes the bullet as he tells Locke that the Oceanic 6 "are back, they're fine" so it obviously after they have returned and most likely that is how Richard knows John has to die. ---D Toccs

No, there is no date set as to when the O6 return. Just because three years has passed off the island, it doesn't mean the same amount has ON it... --Plkrtn 11:15, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

It was, however, at least 2005.--Jim in Georgia Contribs Talk 15:47, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

2001 Alpert / Juliet

Can someone explain this line

Ben, obsessed both with Juliet and with the problem of pregnant women dying on the Island, had sent Richard to recruit her in the name of Mittelos Bioscience.

Considering Ben wasn't obsessed with her yet at this point, at least as far as we know anyway. We haven't seen Ben's interactions regarding Juliet before she arrived... This should be removed shouldn't it? --Plkrtn 11:13, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Yes the obsessed part should be taken out because at the time that wasn't prevalent. Ben hadn't even met Juliet yet. --     [Talk] 01:00, 8 February 2009 (UTC)

That one tripped me, too. How about, "Ben, obsessed with the problem of pregnant women dying on the Island, had sent Richard to recruit Juliet in the name of Mittelos Bioscience after noticing that she resembled his mother."?--Jim in Georgia Contribs Talk

The mother appearance similiarity is speculation so I don't think that should be added. It should simply read something like, "Ben sent Richard to recruit Juliet in the name of Mittelos Bioscience in his attempts to find the reason and cure for pregnant woman dying on the island." --     [Talk] 01:00, 8 February 2009 (UTC)

• Harper told Juliet that Ben was smitten with Juliet because she looked just like "her," explaining that referred to Ben's mother ("The Other Woman"). However your sentence is better than mine!--Jim in Georgia Contribs Talk 01:28, 8 February 2009 (UTC)

Alpert's assistant referred to him as "Dr. Alpert;" however. Juliet addressed him as "Mr. Alpert," suggesting that he might hold a Ph.D. but not be a doctor of medicine.

Historically speaking, PhDs have a stronger claim to the title "doctor" than MDs: the use of "doctor" for PhDs goes back more than 1000 years but is much more recent for MDs, who have historically been called "physicians". If Alpert was introduced to Juliet as "Dr." and she subsequently referred to him as "Mr.", there are three possible reasons: 1) blatant disrespect; 2) social cluelessness; 3) writers' error. I'm betting on 3. DocAlpertz

Or maybe he just asked her not to be called "Dr." in a scene not on screen... Some Ph.D.s are more comfortable with the title "Mr.", finding it less imposing. In any case, it was all a front for Alpert, anyway, whose stature is such that I'm sure the formalities of title are unimportant to him, on Island or off...  Robert K S   tell me  02:38, 12 April 2009 (UTC)

Agree 100% (and in my experience, most Ph.D.s prefer to go by their first name). But then the article should not say "suggesting that he might hold a Ph.D.", since it doesn't actually suggest that at all. It only suggests that there's a scene we didn't see or that Juliet screwed up. DocAlpertz 17:02, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

Earhart

The Earhart for Herarat anagram is on record as having unconfirmed significance.--Jim in Georgia Contribs Talk 15:28, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

Richard is part of the Island

Richard could be part of the Island like the Black Smoke, the Black Smoke is a security system an Richard could be its protector who gathers special people to the island to protect it.

Images

It seems like someone tries to change all the edits I make, so yet again, I'm going to leave it to the rest of us to decide. Yesterday I changed a bit the images of the season 3 section, as it can be seen here. It shows better character moments than the ones depicted currently. Please let me know what you think.  ODK  Talk  Sandbox  16:18, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

I don't know if it is you or not, but someone has repeatedly deleted the image I posted of Richard building his ship in a bottle. I think that this must have at least some significance, or they wouldn't have focused so heavily on it. I think it should go in the article.--Linus2342|talk|contributions 01:36, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

AKA

Richard is the english "version" of Ricardus (Ricardo in spanish). Alpert could be the english for ¿Albertus? (Alberto in spanish). --Metalpotato - Talk - Contributions - ✉ 16:07, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Forget about this. Alberto (and, by the way, Albert, wich I forgot) comes from old Germanic "adal" (noble) and "berth" (bright, famous). It just looked beautiful, some 2 millenium old Ricardus Alpertus still alive thanks to Jacob... --Metalpotato - Talk - Contributions - ✉ 16:27, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Wait a second, Richard comes from old Germanic too (Ricardus could be the latinized form as Roman lived the same time old germanics did)... And look at this: Richard comes from "ric" (power) and "hard" (hardy, brave, strong). We could have something here!!! --Metalpotato - Talk - Contributions - ✉ 16:35, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Indeed, Ricardus is NOT a latin name. Not a "classic" latin name, at least: it's a latinized form of a germanic name, as you said (as far as I know, "Richarde" meant "strong ruler" more than "strong power", and was a name reserved for leaders/kings). But this sounds reasonable: after all, the Hostiles (and the Others) did not speak "classic" latin (the latin spoken by Cicero and Caesar) but a late, vulgar latin (the latin that was spoken after the barbaric invasions and the dismantlement of the Western Roman Empire).--Lo Zeno 16:53, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

• It could mean something around the origins of the first natives of the island (the pre-hostiles or whatever they call themselves) --Metalpotato - Talk - Contributions - ✉ 00:25, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

His involvement in the death of Edmund Burke

Nestor Carbonell, in a recent interview, confirmed that Richard had Edmund (Juliet's ex-husband) killed.

Nestor Carbonell on the challenge of playing such a mysterious character: "My first episode was as a recruiter to get Juliet to come to the island. I ended up killing her ex-husband who was stopping her from leaving [for] the island... When I read the material I thought it'd be interesting if I didn't play him - I've got to convince her, so I can't tip her off that I've got some other surreptitious ideas, I've got to be genuine and honest and kind and probably have a good reason for doing this, for killing her ex-husband. So that was always my mantra was just don't play the villain, play him as a human being and to this day I don't really know if he's good or bad or evil or how much of him is good or how much of him is [evil]. Just when I've figured out the character, I open up another script and I say, 'Oh my God, now I'm completely thrown!'" --LOST-The Cartographer 20:36, 28 July 2009 (UTC)

Script excerpt

Not sure how to cite it, but it was at the end of the Lost magazine in their script feature-the issue called "The Beginning of the End" with Juliet and Locke on the cover. --Golden Monkey 21:32, September 2, 2009 (UTC)

I just cited it as the magazine. I read it in my magazine earlier and wondered if it would be mentioned here. It's interesting to think about why they pictured Richard as a black character, because as we know there is a black and white theme running through Lost. Would the fact that he is black have any significance? It reminds me of Mother Abagail in Stephen King's The Stand, leader of the "good guys".--Baker1000 00:03, October 4, 2009 (UTC)

I think that he was originally conceived as a black character because they knew that he had arrived in a nineteenth century slave ship, and a lot of the slaves traded in the 1800s were black Africans. I wonder how under that scenario they were going to approach the religious themes. They worked exceptionally well with Richard Alpert's Catholic background. I think they dodged a bullet there by avoiding the Magical Negro cliché. But if Richard Alpert is playing that role, we can expect him to die right after he has helped to win the day. Preferably, from my point of view, also after a priest has given him the absolution he has sought for so long. -PolarBearSkull 23:55, April 3, 2010 (UTC)

Richardus

I've changed the spelling from "Ricardus" to "Richardus", based on the ABC episode recap. [3] -- Graft   talk   contributions  09:45, January 12, 2010 (UTC)

• I changed back the spelling from "Richardus" to "Ricardus" because the second one is the correct latin for the name. ABC official documents got wrong many times along the years so IMHO they're not supposed to be taken as strictly correct source of information. --Dottorcere 00:46, January 21, 2010 (UTC)
  • Actually, either one (Ricardus or Richardus) is fine, but Richardus is MORE correct. In ancient Greek, the forbear of Latin, the name is spelled "rho iota chi alpha rho delta upsilon sigma." That "chi" becomes "ch" when Latinized: thus, Richardus. -- Managerpants  Contribs  Talk  13:25, January 21, 2010 (UTC)
    • Greek is absolutely irrelevant in this context. The name "Richard" is ultimately a Germanic name, not a Greek one. Tsunomaru 21:36, July 31, 2010 (UTC)
  • And there are many references to back up "Richardus" being an acceptable spelling (i.e. [4][5][6][7][8]) so there's no reason to just say that "Ricardus" is the "correct" one. Also, we know that the ABC episode recaps are based directly off of the scripts, so that is how the writers intended it to be, at least in the Lost universe. -- Graft   talk   contributions  08:31, March 15, 2010 (UTC)
• Well tonight's episode recap of "Ab Aeterno" 6x09 has it spelled "Ricardus". Just sayin'. Hatchbanger 04:09, April 28, 2010 (UTC)

Sawyer

How did he regonized Sawyer, while he didn't regonize Daniel? Daniel was 23 years later from 1954 - 1977. Sawyer was 30 years later from 1977 - 2007. I see this as a blooper.--Station7 14:23, February 17, 2010 (UTC)

• Richard read Sawyer's file in "The Brig". Also, he might have met him more than twice (they met the day Sawyer joined DHARMA in "LaFleur" in 1974, and later when Sawyer brought Ben to them in "Whatever Happened, Happened") during Sawyer's life as LaFleur (1974-1977), making Sawyer more important in Richard's life than Daniel whom he only met once and probably never even thought about him prior and during the few seconds that Daniel held him at gunpoint in "The Variable". --Orhan94 15:09, February 17, 2010 (UTC)
  • Okay Station7 I did some research - 1954 when Dan/Miles/Charlotte get found by the creek, Richard comes into the tent they are held (duh) but he doesn't know Faraday's name. Ellie finds out they were from the future, she could have told Richard. (Jughead). In LaFleur (1974), Daniel is in the house when Sawyer comes out to talk to Richard and asks him if they buried the bomb. So he would have remembered that. (LaFleur). When Daniel comes into the camp in 1977, he says "Have we met?" to Daniel and he replies "It doesn't matter". Then Eloise shoots him (duh)and Richard asks "Why did you shoot him?" (The variable + Follow the leader). So I would venture to guess he did recognise Daniel. That is what my research has come up with.--Phryrosebdeco23 21:28, March 11, 2010 (UTC)

Movement in Dr. Linus

When he appeared mysteriously to Jack and Hurley in Dr. Linus, where there any whisper like sounds? Sorry if this isn't the best place to ask - I couldn't think of a different way, please let me know on my talk page if there's a better way. Thanks Hawkdeath 13:19, March 11, 2010 (UTC)

• No there were no whispered, I checked, you can hear his feet crunch on the brush but thats it.--Phryrosebdeco23 19:57, March 11, 2010 (UTC)
  • That is a shame. I was hoping his method of movement was similar to what Harper used in The Other Woman. Hawkdeath 20:11, March 11, 2010 (UTC)
  • I agree! That was cool! I thought for a minute she wasn't real but a manifestation. But she wasn't. Very cool. --Phryrosebdeco23 21:34, March 11, 2010 (UTC)

Meeting the survivours

Is the "Meeting the survivors" table necessary still? It seem useless to me. Permission to remove it?--Joshm1995 05:47, March 14, 2010 (UTC)

- I vote to keep it in.--Phryrosebdeco23 05:24, March 15, 2010 (UTC)

- Ditto, keep it in the article. Evil-pineapples 02:23, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

Rename

Should we rename the article to Ricardo Alpert since that's his real name? I know he's known as Richard Alpert to most of the characters, but it doesn't seem encyclopedic to keep it that way on Lostpedia because it's simply not his real name. Thoughts? Evil-pineapples 02:22, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

he is introduced as Richard and called Richard throughout the series Omggivemaafningusername 02:28, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

As was the Man in Black introduced as the Monster and called by that name for five seasons. What's your point Evil-pineapples 02:31, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

The point is that although he was once known as Ricardo, he now (in present day) goes by Richard. In all likelihood, no one has called him Ricardo in over 100 years. Even he now calls himself Richard, not Ricardo-- that's how he introduces himself to Juliet in Not in Portland, and probably to other people in other episodes that I'm forgetting. So to put it simply, he changed his name between the 1800s and the present. He's not Ricardo anymore, he's Richard. Wstonefi 02:43, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

So where's the rename to "Katherine Austen"? How about "Jonathan Locke"? ShadowUltra 02:35, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

James Ford? Evil-pineapples 02:47, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

James "Sawyer" Ford (OT)? or James "Jim" Ford (FST)?Jdray 02:49, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

So how about Ricardo "Richard" Alpert? Or something like "Ricardo Alpert, later known as Richard..." Evil-pineapples 02:50, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

I agree with EP. We did the same with Sawyer so how about we just name him Ricardo "Richard" Alpert? However it doesn't really matter since Ricardo is just the latinized version of Richard. --LOST-The Cartographer 03:05, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

Because we didn't do the same with Sawyer. Sawyer is not his real name. Ricardo is the latin form of Richard. It would be like renaming every article to things like Daniel "Dan" Faraday or Alexandra "Alex" Rousseau. There's no point and it sounds stupid.--HaloOfTheSun 05:58, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

Ricardo is not exactly the latin form of Richard, it's the Spanish form. Latin form is usually Ricardus. --KaiShi 17:09, March 25, 2010 (UTC)

Alexandra "Alex" Rousseau? Benjamin "Ben" Linus? Jdray 03:08, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

When Alana asks for Ricardo, he corrects her by saying "It's Richard, actually." --Jspitzer221 03:12, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

• She does not ask for Ricardo. She asks for Ricardus.Jdray 03:22, March 24, 2010 (UTC)
• He's clearly gone by Richard instead of Ricardo for at least a few decades. As noted above, he answers to and is addressed as Richard, not Ricardo, by 2007. --Golden Monkey 03:21, March 24, 2010 (UTC)
• The fact that he corrects Ilana when she calls him ricardus and refers to himself as Richard not Ricardo is enough. -- B1G CZYGS  Talk  Contribs  03:24, March 24, 2010 (UTC)
  • She says "Ricardus" NOT "Ricardo." Also, I'm pretty sure he was never addressed as "Ricardo Alpert" in the episode, meaning we don't know what his original last name was, and "Alpert" (like "Richard") could be an invention or anglicization of that last name.--Tim Thomason 03:27, March 24, 2010 (UTC)
    • What Illana calls him is irrelevant. The fact remains that Richard himself said that his name is now RICHARD. I think he would know. --Carter
    • Good point Tim. --LOST-The Cartographer 03:32, March 24, 2010 (UTC)
• His given name is not an issue. We know him as Richard, he identifies himself as Richard, that's good enough for me.--Emissary23 03:49, March 24, 2010 (UTC)
  • Sawyer's given name is James Ford, we know him as Sawyer, he identifies himself as Sawyer, and most people call him Sawyer, and his article name is James "Sawyer" Ford. Irockman 05:50, March 24, 2010 (UTC)
• He prefers to be called Richard, by his own words. How about "Richie", though?--Pittsburghmuggle 06:05, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

• Richard. He's basically legally changed his name on the island. Let him embrace his new identity! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Found509 (talk • contribs) 2010-03-24T01:11:41.
• There's no obvious reason to believe that his name was ever Ricardo Alpert. Alpert isn't a particularly Spanish name - he may have adopted it when he became Richard. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by ElessarTom (talk • contribs) 2010-03-24T07:00:56.

I agree. Alpert is not a Spanish last name, and less in Canary Islands. --KaiShi 17:09, March 25, 2010 (UTC)

• I suggest doing the same thing as on the Hurley page. Richard "Ricardo" Alpert or Ricardo "Richard" Alpert - —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Jedimasterfisher (talk • contribs) 2010-03-24T08:49:37.
• Umm I'm pretty sure If anything It should be Ricardo "Richard" Alpert. We were introduced to Elizabeth Smith as "Libby". No one has ever even called her Elizabeth on screen - only herself. Yet we refer to her on the page as Elizabeth "Libby" Smith, because Elizabeth is her real first name. Same goes for Hugo "Hurley" Reyes. Hugo is is real first name, Hurley is his nickname. Ricardo is his real first name. Richard is a nickname. Therefore he should be called Ricardo "Richard" Alpert. Falldownboy91 10:37, May 14, 2010 (UTC)
• "Richard" isn't a nickname. It is an adaptation of his name into a different language. Quotes around his name would be inappropriate.  Robert K S   tell me  15:52, May 14, 2010 (UTC)

Age

Based off Nestor Carbonell's age of 42 and the present day scenes happening in 2007, I have calculated Richard's age to be 182. Can this go on the article? cgmv123TalkContribsE-mail 11:31, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

I'd say no, because it's only an estimate. An actor's age has very little to do with their character's age. -- Managerpants  Contribs  Talk  13:25, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

Absolutely not. That is speculative and guess work, and you should really know better cgmv. Sun is 27. Yunjin Kim is 36. -- Plkrtn  talk  contribs  email  18:50, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

And Locke 48 oquinn 57 I would assume richards in his late 30s but thats an assumption not fact. -- B1G CZYGS  Talk  Contribs  03:14, March 25, 2010 (UTC)

• From what we saw, it's mostly possible that Richard is at some age between 20 and 30 in 1867. The actor's actual age shouldn't be a criteria for a this kind of assumption. I think we should set his birth year to 1837-1847 and his current age to 160+. Cultural references tell that people of the rural areas in the old world usually get married when they reach 20s until the 20th century. Of course we cannot know how long they had been married in 1867, but it can be said that Richard would be too old for emigrating or being a slave if he were older than 35. Anyway please note that this is another assumption--Paintbox 10:25, April 5, 2010 (UTC)

Age post 1867

We don't know Richard's true age during the events of Ab Aeterno, but we can use that as an anchoring point:

1867=zero year; 1954=87 years later; 1973=106 years later; 1992=125 years later; 2004=137 years later; 2007=140 years later

While I don't know if this info is worthy of putting in the article, it gives an idea of how many years have passed at pivotal Lost points.--Pittsburghmuggle 23:05, March 24, 2010 (UTC)

Why would Richard Agree to Mass Murder?

This isn't really a theory, so thats why I'm putting it here. I'm just having a difficult time reconciling the fact that Richard went along with the Purge, and yet seeks penance for accidentally killing a man. He was even taken aback when he learned from MIB that it was MIB himself who killed the officers aboard the Black Rock. Then, after his conversation with Jacob in which Jacob stated that he wanted people to know the difference between right and wrong....it just doesn't make sense to me. It seems like a glaring character contradiction. MattC867 04:52, March 25, 2010 (UTC)

One can hope that there would be some fill in of background on the Others since 1867 (since Richard was apparently the only one on the island at the time). But I suppose some of it can be explained away by Jacob's hand's off philosophy. While he gave some instructions to Richard to pass along to the rotating leaders of the Others, he still wanted their morality to be mostly free chosen. Jacob's influence seems to have consisted mostly of giving them tools (knowledge of the wheel and smoke summoning drain and Temple healing hot tub) and lists of people that might be candidates. --Jackdavinci 06:53, March 25, 2010 (UTC)

Isabella

I changed the wording about Isabella in the article. It can't be said conclusively that the version of Isabella who appeared to Richard immediately after the Black Rock crash was a manifestation of the Man in Black. The producers have been careful in the past to distinguish that there are "Island visions" that are NOT the monster. A good comparison would be Ben's mother. Like Isabella she was someone who did NOT die on the Island, and we do not have any evidence that MiB can appear as people who are dead and off-Island (otherwise why the elaborate plan to get Locke's body back to the Island?). Richard himself also made a direct reference to this by asking young Ben if his mother died off the Island, like Isabella. Finally, I think it's fairly evident that the Isabella who appeared to Hurley and Richard in 2007 was not the Man in Black, so it's just as likely that she was the same kind of entity as the Isabella on the Black Rock. Rodimusben 09:36, March 25, 2010 (UTC)RodimusBen

• • Moved the discussion to the ("Ab Aeterno") page, and if there's a consensus it should flow to the Richard/MIB/Isabella pages. Duncan905 15:57, March 25, 2010 (UTC)

Time Traveling

I realized the other day that when we see Richard in 1954, he is cleanly groomed as we see him now in 2007. But when he meets Ben for the first time in 1973, his appearance is very similar to that of 1867. Could it be that shortly after Jacob recruited him, Jacob either sent him to the future briefly or Richard was accidentally sent forward? I know people have brought up the topic of the difference in his hair/grooming/etc. but I think this is a different take on it. Unless I missed something on the talk page. If I did, mea culpa. Uzerzero 03:18, April 3, 2010 (UTC)

Accent

I'm Spanish and Canarian. All Spanish characters on Lost speak with Latin American accent, not Spanish or Canarian accent. Yes, it's absurd...--Lolifer 13:28, May 10, 2010 (UTC)

Death

I hate that they aren't showing death scenes anymore. I don't know if he should be marked as unknown or not. Dbarts21 02:32, May 19, 2010 (UTC)

Someone's put here and elsewhere that Richard was slammed into a tree, but I swear he was just carried offscreen by smokey.--Pittsburghmuggle 12:43, May 19, 2010 (UTC)

-I also did not see Richard get slammed into a tree. It looked like he just got carried off into the jungle.

-I was the one who put that Richard was slammed into a tree. I could swear I saw that happen. The smoke monster came, grabbed him by the throat, slammed him against some tree limbs, and then threw him into the jungle.Ben Barrett 18:59, May 19, 2010 (UTC)

- I watched the scene again and it just looked like Richard grazed some leaves and small tree limbs as he flew backward. Saying he was "slammed" against some tree limbs sounds more damaging (and more like Eko's death) than what we actually saw. I'd be curious to have some of you watch the clip again (which admittedly goes by very fast) and hear what you saw. DetectiveFork 19:05, May 19, 2010 (UTC) DetectiveFork

- As soon as Richard said he was going to talk to Smokey I knew that was the end of him. I knew he was going to die. --Integrated (User / Talk) 13:32, May 20, 2010 (UTC)

- It was extremely obvious, so if they were going for the surprise factor, they failed. Back on topic, Jorge, Beth (along with guest Henry Ian Cusick) talked about what happened to Richard in their latest podcast and even they were unsure. According to them, the script said something like "Richard is thrown 30 feet into the forest and that's that," whereas the scripts are usually clear about if a character has died. --DetectiveFork 13:39, May 20, 2010 (UTC)DetectiveFork

After the island

The section currently just states "we have no idea what happened to him after the island." The earlier history section already states that he began aging and that he left the island. Why add the extra section at all? --- Balk Of Fame ♪ talk 04:18, February 15, 2011 (UTC)

Yeah it does seem pointless to have a section for it. If we want to say that it is not known what he did after he left the Island, that could be added to the end of the previous section. Or we could just leave it at that, since no information means no information is available.--Baker1000 13:13, February 15, 2011 (UTC)

I'm removing the following section about Richard being dead in the flash sideways world. It doesn't mean anything, knowing what we do about what that world actually was. --- Balk Of Fame ♪ talk 03:09, April 14, 2012 (UTC)

The reason for his absence in the flash sideways world is unknown, but in a world where The Island is under water, Richard would have lived and died in the 19th century.

Richard would not have necessarily lived and died in the 19th century in the flash sideways world. When the Island is shown underwater, the Statue of Taweret only has the foot remaining. This means that the Black Rock carrying Richard did, in fact, land on the Island. We also see underwater the DHARMA Initiative Barracks, the Sonar fence, and a Dharma shark. This means that, while Richard may be dead in the flash sideways, he likely died when the Island sank, after Dharma arrived.

• Agreed. Considering the flash sideways world was what the characters lives were if Jacob never brought them to the Island (with an exception of Ben), who's to say that Richard didn't make that fateful choice to snatch the medicine from the doctor, and end up in prison? (leading to becoming a slave on the Black Rock) Maybe Isabella never got sick. Perhaps Richard would meet Jacob by chance and become awakened. But really, this is speculation too and we can't use it on the article.--Baker1000 12:11, April 14, 2012 (UTC)

Leaving the Island

Why did Richard decide to leave the Island?--Makarov29 02:56, May 30, 2011 (UTC)