In Defense of Henry Gale: Rousseau, The Unreliable Narrator of LOST

Rousseau is the primary source of information for many of the island’s mysteries. It was she who claimed that the black smoke was a security system, that the sickness is incurable and that once infected a person needs to be killed, that the numbers are cursed, that the Others use a pillar of black smoke as a signal, and that Henry Gale is an Other. Much of this information has proven to be of questionable value. Rousseau may be innocently making misinformed educated guesses at subjects she has no real expertise in, but she is more likely telling people what she believes they need to hear in order to achieve her objective of reuniting with her daughter.

Her actions demonstrate that she is willing to lie to achieve her own purposes. In episode 1x24, Rousseau conducted a massive fraud in an attempt to kidnap Aaron. This included telling the story that the Others lit a black smoke signal when they were preparing to take people. However, the castaway’s experiences on both sides of the island have not supported her story. No signals of any kind were set before either of the kidnapping attacks on the tail section passengers, nor before Ethan kidnapped Claire. All of the evidence indicates that the Others operate without any signals at all.

Rousseau’s other stories have been equally suspicious. She has repeatedly said that she had to kill her team members because they were infected with the sickness, yet she has never provided details about what the sickness is. She conveniently appeared when Aaron became ill and was quick to diagnose him with the sickness even though he exhibited no symptoms save a rash and a fever—symptoms that are associated with many diseases, few of which justify mercy killings. Once again, Rousseau’s story was self-serving. By claiming that Aaron had the sickness, Rousseau was able to persuade Claire to lead her to the place where she believed her missing daughter might be.

Rousseau’s response to Aaron’s illness also demonstrates that she is quick to jump to conclusions, which casts doubt on her other major accusation, telling Sayid that Henry Gale is an Other and needed to be taken to the castaway’s camp. In both cases, Rousseau tried to establish trust with the castaways. She assisted Claire and Kate in their trek through the jungle (at one point permitting Kate to hold a gun to her chest) and she allowed Sayid to carry her gun when she led him to Henry Gale. In both situations, she adamantly reiterated her claims before disappearing into the jungle. To Claire—under the guide of expressing compassion, she suggested that Aaron would have to be killed. To Sayid, she empathically accused Henry Gale of being a liar.

Given that her previous actions have all been motivated by her desire to be reunited with her daughter, it would be foolish to assume that she assisted Claire or handed over Henry Gale out of a newfound sense of generosity. While episode 2x15 shows that Rousseau generously rescued Claire from the Others, she returned shortly after Aaron’s birth to kidnap him and exchange him with the Others for her daughter. Rousseau’s two contradictory actions, rescuing Aaron only to kidnap him later, indicate that she views the castaways as expendable tools in her quest to find Alex.

Rousseau’s very involvement with Henry Gale is likewise highly suspect. Her previous tales about the Others have included no more detail than hearing whispers in the jungle. For 16 years she has set traps, yet until capturing Henry Gale, she had never even seen an Other. Since the Others are obviously skilled at evading her traps, it is more likely that Henry Gale is who he claims to be. (Marooned millionaire businessmen are probably more susceptible to getting snagged in nets.)

When Rousseau captured Sayid in episode 1x9, she demonstrated that she was fairly proficient at torture. There was no real need for her to surrender Henry Gale to Sayid since she could have questioned him herself. Rousseau turned Henry Gale over because she had a high personal stake in insuring that the castaways detained him. She likely did not know of Mr. Friendly’s warning to Jack that “crossing the line” would exasperate their “misunderstanding,” but she may have believed that if the Castaways held an Other prisoner (or someone she believed to be an Other) that it would force a confrontation between the two groups which would bring her daughter into the open. Such goals would be consistent with her previous actions.

There has been much speculation about the meaning of Henry Gale’s suspicious looks at the end of each episode he has appeared in, but these glances and smirks do not prove that he is affiliated with Dharma. His actions, including trying to manipulate Locke against Jack, are consistent with a very smart man trying to talk his way out of a prison that is run by—from his perspective—insane persons.

Another heavily discussed topic is the Wizard of Oz allusion in his name and his description of reaching the island. These references are often perceived as clues that he’s lying. However, it is important to remember that the show’s writers have already used names and character back stories as red herrings. Nathan, the perceived Other among the tail section passengers, had a name similar to Ethan’s and both men called Canada home. At least until Goodwin snapped his neck, most viewers believed that the name and country coincidences were giveaways that Nathan was an Other. Henry Gale’s story also makes sense within the parameters set by the show. The Black Rock, Oceanic Flight 815, the Nigerian drug smuggling plane, and Desmond’s boat have all crashed on the island. Why not a hot air balloon as well? Also, LOST adds a new literary reference every week; is it that difficult to believe that Henry Gale’s name could be just one more?

Given that the first stone cast against him was from a self-serving character of dubious integrity and that the LOST has a history of false leads, we should believe that Henry Gale is telling the truth until we are given more compelling evidence to the contrary. The evidence so far serves to exonerate him far more than condemn him.