Siberia Gets Scary

Siberia has come a long way from its reality competition roots as we find ourselves thrown into a world of scientists, creepy experiments, the local tribe, an unknown beast and a fight-till-the-end survival story.  It has truly captured my eyes, mind and heart as I feel overwhelmingly attached to the characters and immersed in the interesting history and now science threaded into the show.  I find it helpful to re-read some of my previous posts to not only remind me what's happened and how far we've come but also how vast the original theories were compared to now with so much more information not only from the show, but also my research and I encourage you to click around as well!  Let's jump right in to the events of this week's episode, "One by One" which was by far the scariest episode to date, as well as my new research and ideas as I found some very interesting information that culminates nicely into a working theory as to what's really going on!  While the show actually jumps back and forth between the "settlers" and the "hikers", I chose to sum each storyline up individually for clarity and continuity.  So here's a look at this week's Siberia.

• Joyce, Sam, Daniel and Johnny, were no longer trekking through the dangerous weather conditions during this episode as they had reached the Russian outpost.  The group settled in quickly taking advantage of the warm coats, blankets and the strange lime green soda from the fridge.  However, they were also quite eager to finish their mission: to find help and rescue the others from the dangerous situation they have been dealt.  Johnny immediately wanted to search for a radio and he and Daniel began exploring the pitch black building.  In a humorous moment Johnny attempted to instruct the cameraman to turn on his light and the black backdrop finally lit up with Johnny grabbing the camera to do it himself.  They entered into a large garage containing a tractor as well as two adjacent rooms, a security room with video monitoring equipment and much needed flashlights, and a locked room with Russian letters scribed across the door.  Having no luck in their current building, and desperate to contact help, they decided to explore the neighboring structure, while Sam and Joyce held back.  As soon as Johnny was about to break another window in attempt to gain entrance, Joyce suddenly emerged surprising them both.  She informed the two that she had found a set of keys in the pocket of her borrowed jacket.  Daniel was able to unlock the main door and they ventured into what was more terrifying than anything they had yet to encounter on their entire journey, as every misstep had them jumping in fear.  At one point Daniel clumsily knocked into a cabinet and as the clatter echoed throughout the entire building Joyce chided him as they had no clue what lay before them in this mysterious space.  As the three traveled deeper into the building Daniel located an ancient radio that unfortunately only used electricity rather than a newer battery-powered transistor like he'd hoped.  Now they were in search for a breaker to power the massive machinery, but during their search to turn on the lights they discovered bullets scattered across the ground and a map that Johnny quickly began to study.  The empty space was soon filled with Joyce's screams and it was revealed that a dead body lay at her feet, shot with bullets that were scattered around him.  Daniel located the breaker, but as he flipped the switch and the lights flickered to life, Johnny realized that illumination might not be a good thing.  A room sprawled with lifeless bodies laid before him and as he instructed Joyce to stay away and tried to protect her from the horrific sight, the lights shut off as quickly as they appeared and they were left hopeless and shocked at what they had uncovered.
  
  
  
  
  The group reunited with Sam and while he questioned them about the scene in the adjacent building it was clear Daniel was too stunned and unwilling to discuss it further.  Sensing this, Sam quickly changed the subject noting that if there was a breaker in the other structure, there must be one in theirs as well and he playfully encouraged Daniel to help him find it with a sentimental memory from the settlement saying "we're about to go fishing".  Though they searched the same area Johnny and Daniel had explored earlier Sam sensed movement and a loud crash was heard from the mysterious locked room.  While Sam was hesitant as he translated the sign on the door to read "laboratory", now armed with the keys Daniel unlocked the room and ventured inside.  On the opposite side of the door was nothing short of what viewers thought of Dr. Frankenstein's lab: a room filled with creepy experiments, mutated animals, photos of fetus development, charts and tools of every kind.  Daniel also came across a pair of atomic clocks that were four minutes apart and while he was confused by this impossibility, due to the fact Sam didn't understand the importance of this irregularity he dropped the subject.  Another large banging sound was heard and the two realized that it was emanating from a covered cage, Daniel lifted the tarp and uncovered a falcon inside.  While I'm sure this is a valuable clue, all I can make of it is that the scientist understood the need of bird DNA to replicate the beast as Ogdy (see: Siberia Gets Cold) is also represented by the thunderbird and the beast was created when the Evenkis called upon the god to destroy their enemies.
  
  
   
  
  As the two had completed their search and Daniel confided that even if they found a breaker in this particular structure it would be useless as the radio was much too massive to transport from the other building they reunited with Joyce and Johnny.  Although they brought up their findings as well as the discrepancy with the atomic clocks, Daniel had no interest in attempting to explain it to the rest of their group.  While Daniel was still feeling helpless, Sam again took the lead, informing them that any power in this remote area would likely come from a generator that would be located outside.  Leaving the others again, he and Daniel continued their search for power.  Outside they were able to find the generators quickly as well as fuel to power them and in no time they had lit up the entire science center.  As the group immediately set out for the radio, they were unable to obtain a signal and while they had overcome a multitude of problems, it had ultimately ended in failure setting a grim tone amongst the hikers.  As they argued amongst themselves about how to get the radio working, Daniel exclaimed that he believed he knew the problem and darted outside with the others following in tow.  In the frozen darkness they located the radio tower knocked over and split in half which Joyce quickly recognized as the beacon that they had followed for most of their trip.  However, just as the men inside had been murdered, it seemed as if someone was dedicated to keeping them from calling for help, or discovering what exactly the scientists were doing in this remote research institute. 
  
  
  
  
  The next day was filled with hopelessness as they attempted to do whatever they could to keep themselves busy and search for answers.  Daniel began to attempt to piece together the busted computers inside the room filled with bodies.  Johnny took another look at the map and stated that they must have been traveling in circles which confused me a bit as they seemed to have made a beeline for the beacon.  He located another town nearby on the map but when Daniel studied the scale they realized it was a whopping 124 miles away, much too far to travel on foot.  Sam took pleasure in the creature comforts the science center gave them and made himself a cup of coffee confessing that though it was horrible it was also the best he had ever had in his life.  Continuing the theme, Joyce also explained that finding herself in the life or death situation had made her take stock in the everyday pleasures we take for granted.  In a search for Joyce, Johnny discovered her changing on a security monitor but blocked it off from the prying eyes of the cameraman in a gentlemanly gesture.  The day flew by with montages and interviews with Joyce expressing concern about the other group's lack of food and hope that they could get back in time to help Irene.  Daniel, clearly feeling run down, claimed he's not a hero, so why is he trying to be one and Johnny commented on the fact that they have made it so far only due to sheer luck.  Johnny informed Sam about the nearby town and his thoughts about getting the tractor working in order to travel the distance.  They searched for the keys and in a touching, but still manly moment, the two who were once at odds connected and thanked each other for saving their lives.  While the search turned up nothing, Sam admitted that when he was young he took cars and might be able to hotwire the tractor.  We also saw Joyce removing the boots from one of the bodies, apologizing and confessing her guilt in stealing from a dead man.  Sam brought up the idea of synchronicity or fate to Johnny and Joyce, confessing that if Esther hadn't removed the flag in the first challenge Sam probably would have been sent home and reflected on how one event could change everything.  Just as the topic of fate had begun, which I find to be an incredibly important aspect of the show especially with the hikers as they have overcome so much and seem to have the perfect skill set along with an enormous amount of luck (see: Siberia Gets Attacked), Daniel ran in exclaiming that he had succeeded in fixing the computer.  As they gathered around his accomplishment he went into the technical aspects he had to overcome but as the others had no idea what he was talking about he simply explained that someone really didn't want them to discover what was on the computer.  He played a black and white video in which Sam translated the Russian subtitles informing them that it was a tape of Kulik's expedition, the same man whose journal Miljan possesses, where they are exploring the area in which a bunch of people went missing - "Tunguska".  I can't help but wonder what the show would have been like had I not done so much research in the beginning as this is the first time we have heard the word Tunguska on the show(see: Siberia: Theories Blown Open!).  Johnny noticed the similarity of the trees on the tape to what they had witnessed in the woods and he asked what the cause had been.  In a mysterious and proper ending Sam explained that no one knows.  
  
• Neeko and Sabina had returned to the settlement to find it empty.  Though Neeko continued to yell and search for Esther and Annie, Sabina was certain they would not be returning.  Suddenly a loud cry consumed the area that sounded like a "squawk" and the two raced to the cabin as Sabina readied the bow and arrow to impale anyone who attempted to attack the group.  As the door swung open, a sigh of relief was felt as it was not an unknown beast or hostile locals but Miljan who entered.  He explained to them that he had taken Irene into the forest, guided by a male voice in his head who instructed him that if he did so, Irene would be safe.  However, while in the woods, he had begun to feel as if he was being surrounded by all sides with the fog obstructing his view, he mentioned seeing hundreds of footprints and terrified he chose to abandon Irene to fend for herself in the frozen wilderness.  While Sabina insisted that they needed to arm themselves, locate the gun and create a safe-hold if they wanted to survive, Miljan was confident that no matter what they did the group wouldn't survive the night.  Neeko suggested that fire would be a good deterrent for an animal threat and Sabina agreed claiming it would also allow them to see humans before they get too close.  Miljan still took on the woeful view of there was nothing they could do to help saying whatever's out there is not animal nor human, but Sabina and Neeko remained determined to stay alive.  They created a number of torches and set them up in a circle surrounding the settlement while Miljan continued to make claims such as "they're watching us" and "they're so close".
  
  
   
  
  As the contestants waited and watched it was clear that although Neeko had been a reliable leader in the beginning of the show, the wall he built up by insisting every strange occurrence was a product of the producers was no longer a viable theory.  Realizing that the strange events weren't bring orchestrated by the producers and the fact that there was a real threat they may not be able to overcome, has begun to take a toll on him.  His strained relationship with Miljan continued to cause friction, as Neeko snapped at him and Miljan encouraged Neeko to go ahead and hit him claiming he was not afraid of Neeko.  They continued to bicker, now about Miljan's book in a comical banter in which Miljan rebuffed Neeko saying he didn't need to read Russian to comprehend its content and asking "What are we friends now? Should we go get some coffee and discuss the contents?".  Sabina remained calm and determined, knowing that in order to protect themselves they needed a weapon more powerful than the bow and arrows and studied the map from the Revealer in hope of finding the hidden gun.  She was able to decipher it and found that while they had been running through the woods in search of the rifle, it may have been closer than they realized as she believed it was hidden in the men's cabin this whole time.  While attempting to make a quick dash across the settlement an eerie scene progressed as the torches they had placed around the camp began to extinguish one by one as if a ghost was encompassing the area.  Miljan froze repeating "I knew it" and the others quickly ushered him inside.  They barricaded the doors of the cabin and Sabina quickly began to search the quarters, able to locate a false wall with the coveted gun waiting beneath the faux paneling.  She opened the door and fired a warning shot immediately locking themselves back in.  The group quietly kept guard observing the settlement for any movement.  We heard the personal interviews of the group and while Sabina wondered about the fate of the missing girls, Neeko began questioning if they would make it out alive and whether he would ever see his brother again.  Miljan continued to gripe about being hungry and Sabina informed them that it was clear and just as they were about to venture out of the cabin into the daylight they heard the swift roar of planes overhead.  They ran out to see the cause of the commotion and witnessed fighter jets zooming across the sky.  Though they tried to yell out and signal the jets, Sabina explained that they couldn't see them from the tiny cockpit of the aircraft.  While Sabina and Neeko were outside studying the torches Miljan took the time to make a personal plea to the viewers claiming he's not crazy, that both the others had seen the footprints and heard the noises in the woods but refused to believe him.  We heard Sabina talk about how it was no longer a game and that while they were all in it together to survive, it still was the case of every man for himself.  Miljan also touched on the topic we had heard the hikers discuss; that the world isn't black and white, there is a purpose or a plan behind it all and especially in Siberia nothing happens by accident everything has some hidden reason behind it.  Sabina and Neeko discussed that around the torches there had been the same footprints they had now become familiar with when Miljan called out for Sabina.  He had uncovered the hidden stash of food Neeko had confiscated earlier in the season and tensions were higher than ever.  While he insisted he was going to share, and I want to believe him, it's clear that this group is falling apart at the seams and with death being a real possibility he might have taken the stance of every man for himself as well.  While this was the icing on the cake for Miljan as he called Neeko a hypocrite and nothing more than a bully as they were all starving and Neeko had claimed there was no more food, Sabina was shocked as she told Neeko "not you" and took a stance of disappointment as she had believed he was a friend and someone she could trust.  While Miljan had stormed out of the cabin he suddenly called to the others telling them to come outside now, as they opened the door Sabina was immediately disarmed as they were now face to face with the locals, a group of heavily armed men who surrounded them.  However, perhaps the biggest surprise of this encounter was not the presence of other humans or the threat they might impose, but rather their strange footwear: two-pronged snowshoes consistent with the shape of the deadly beast. 
  
  
   
  
  

Overall this episode was much more spooky than its predecessors.  The discovery of dead bodies, creepy experiments, flames extinguished as if by a ghost and finally seeing the faces of the Evenkis we have been discussing for some time now, made for a jam-packed episode that, in my opinion, takes a place next to "Fire in the Sky" as one of my favorites!  It also affirmed some of my theories and opened the door for a clear-cut way to explain exactly what's going on, but as it is still fictional television anything can happen next!  While the hikers are working together and have created a much closer bond, the settlers have been picked off one by one as the tables have turned and they found themselves in a much more stressful situation.  The concept of fate was brought up in both groups and I think it is a topic to think about.  As I discussed in my post for "A Gathering Fog", Siberia Gets Attacked, it is strange how the group of hikers have overcome so much and have the perfect skill set amongst them to overcome all their challenges as well as an extraordinary amount of luck.  In addition, with the settlers they have Sabina who is a trained soldier and Miljan who has an obvious connection to the land with his inexplicable knowledge of Ogdy, his ability to follow the compass symbols and locate the journal and the voice in his head that  saved Irene's life, fate or purpose must play a big part in the mysterious happenings they have found themselves immersed in.  All in all it was an amazing episode and I am anxious to see what happens next week!  Without further ado, let's dive into the questions, facts and theories regarding what's really going on in Siberia.

After the introduction of the tower that zapped Johnny (see: Siberia Gets Attacked), many people asked what I thought about the fact that it was similar to a tower built by Nikola Tesla and how it might fit into the ongoing theories of the show.  While I have knowledge of Tesla and his experiments, I hit the books attempting to find as much as I could about the original "Wardenclyffe Tower".  Unfortunately, because it was never completed due to lack of funding, there is not any concrete proof on what it could do, only what Tesla claimed he would have accomplished.  However, there was enough information based on his descriptions and other technologies to formulate some hypotheses on its potential capability.  The "Wardenclyffe Tower" was built right before the Tunguska event and there are some theories that Tesla's experiments were the cause of the original 1908 event.  This idea lacks a lot of evidence and doesn't really hold water, thus I personally don't believe that it had anything to do with the real life event.  However, with regards to the show, the facts point to the possibility that this tower coupled with other technologies could explain a lot of the strange events the contestants have experienced.  Let's jump into the facts and how they might clarify what's going on in Siberia!

• The Wardenclyffe Tower was built between 1898 and 1907 in Long Island, but was shut down and abandoned before the Tunguska event.  The idea behind it was to create wireless communication, basically what we have today, that would consist of a series of towers using Tesla's famous coil as an energy source. 
• Based on this, it made no sense why the tower that shocked Johnny (see: Siberia Gets Attacked) would have anything to do with the strange occurrences in Siberia.  However, I dug deeper into Tesla's later inventions as well as other technologies in use today and was able to connect them into a working theory.
• Tesla's work in the 1930's was on a high energy particle beam called Teleforce that was dubbed the death ray.  It worked by creating a stream of charged mercury or tungsten powered by the famous Tesla Coil that directed a beam of energy into the ionosphere.  In addition, to create the necessary equilibrium the tower must be firmly supported in the ground.  This connects the presence of a similar tower in Siberia, and while the Wardenclyffe Tower was created for telecommunication, it was a unique power source that could be utilized for various reasons.  The Teleforce, powered by the Tesla Coil, is an example of a directed-energy weapon which have been known to cause physical, physiological and psychological effects.  This technology is known by the Russian Armed Forces.
• The fact that the Teleforce was not created until the 1930's, and we only have Tesla's word that he had successfully invented it even then, raises more doubts with me that the 1908 Tunguska event was caused by this death ray.  However, it makes perfect sense that the Russian scientists at the outpost were attempting to recreate the event and/or the beast using a directed-energy weapon which was activated in the episode "Fire in the Sky" (see: Siberia Gets a Little Stranger).
• Due to the fact that this type of weapon can cause psychological manifestations, it would explain Johnny and Joyce's confusion when the tower was activated and they were alone in the woods without cover.
• In addition the fact that it needed to be firmly planted in the ground would explain the earthquake the group experienced before the lights appeared.
• I also found information regarding the use of directed-energy in order to modify the weather.  In addition to HAARP (see below), there is knowledge of a Russian company that has been using this technology since at least 1992.
• I think it's obvious that the Russian Science Center the hikers found has been in operation since much earlier than the nineties.  Based on their equipment, it seems like it was possibly the test center for the creation of such devises starting around World War II.   
• HAARP is a household name amongst conspiracy theorists and refers to the "High Frequency Active Auroral Research Project" in Alaska.  It also uses energy to create a beam that heats up a portion of the ionosphere and is able to direct this energy to a specific area of the globe.  So here we have again, very similar to the particle beam created by Tesla that is powered by his tower, a directed-energy device that heats up the ionosphere.  However here, unlike with the Teleforce, the main purpose is to cause atmospheric changes that effect the weather rather than obliterate a location. 
• This could explain how the contestants of Siberia went from sunny hot weather to freezing foggy snow.
• Another HAARP possibility is the fact that it is believed to be able to block signals such as satellite, TV and radio frequencies.  However, since we saw the radio tower destroyed I'm not sure if that is the current case on Siberia, but possibly why Sabina was unable to use the radio at the producers' camp as it was being blocked by the station.
• There are a plethora of similarities between HAARP and the Teleforce as they use the exact same methods.  This means the center found by the hikers could be capable of causing the lights in the sky from the heated ionosphere, the decimated area from a directed-energy beam, the change in weather, and the psychological effects experienced by Joyce and Johnny during this process.
• Another interesting fact I learned while researching, was that HAARP can create a protective dome over a specific area of Earth.  While I don't think this is what's going on in Siberia, Under the Dome lovers can take pleasure in the idea that Stephen King's science fiction is not fiction anymore! 

left: Tower found by the "hikers" in Siberia;  right: 1904 image of the Wardenclyffe Tower

In conclusion, the basic idea I was able to ascertain through the electrical engineering technical aspect, is that the tower was built to utilize Earth's natural energy field, more specifically the balance between the ground conduction and the ionosphere to charge particles.  This has the ability to send a directed-energy beam to other areas of the Earth with the power to decimate people or a habitat, alter the weather and deliver psychological effects to the people within the radius.  The ignition of such an energy beam could also cause the ground to shake and the sky to light up, all events we have seen over the last few episodes of Siberia.  However, while this Tesla Tower and its powers explain a lot of the ongoing mysteries, there are still some lingering questions I'd like to address:

1. What caused the original Tunguska event?
• As I explained earlier, it's unlikely that the Tesla Tower or the Russian Science Center was the cause of the original Tunguska event.  While that mystery remains to be solved, I don't think it's a pertinent question regarding the current events.  Whether a curse from Ogdy, a meteor or an alien spacecraft something happened in 1908, but I'm not so sure it's what's happening in Siberia now.  I do think that the original Tunguska event caused the beast and is related to the Evenkis current goals as I will go into below. 
2. What is affecting Miljan?
• In this episode my thoughts about Miljan being guided (see: Siberia Gets Cold!) were affirmed as he spoke of a male voice instructing him by implanting commands in his head.  I think this tells us that Ogdy is still in play and I'm sticking with my original hypothesis: Miljan has been inhabited by a previous shaman's spirit.  The progression of events showed Miljan discovering the Ogdy totem pole and instinctively knowing his name, followed by the quake and lights in the sky when Miljan's character changed and he returned to the Ogdy statue during the event and subsequently vanished from the camera.  While I'm not sure where he went, it was likely to the Evenki tribe and his character has bounced back and forth since between the fun jovial Montenegrin of which we were first introduced and the sinister sarcastic possession of later episodes.   
3. What is the purpose of the Russian Science Center?
• Overall it seems to me that the Russian scientists are attempting to recreate the 1908 Tunguska event as well as genetic manipulation of the beast.  The proof comes from both the materials in the lab as well as the fact that they were studying Kulik's expedition tape in which he researched the Tunguska event.  I believe they were using the Tesla Tower as an energy source for the directed-energy weapon which would explain the lights in the sky, the decimated forest area, Joyce and Johnny's confusion and the sudden shift in weather.  I also wonder if they purposely effected the weather to ensure the demise of the contestants as they began to seek out the beacon and came closer to discovering their experiments.
4. Who killed the scientists?
• I believe one possibility is that the Evenkis were angry with the scientists for attempting to recreate what they believed were the powers of their god, similar to worshiping false idols in Christianity, and felt the need to stop them.  This would explain the shots Sabina heard in the woods in the episode "She Said It".  The other possibility is that a greater power realized their experiment was about to be discovered and attempted to cover their tracks.  I am leaning more towards the former as we now know the Evenkis are armed and also the disconnect between the time in which Sabina heard the gunshots and when the beacon was destroyed.  This tells me that they were either two separate events or a time loop was in play.
5. Who attacked the producers' base camp? 
• While this question has bothered me for quite some time now, with the progression of events I feel confident that the beast was responsible.  Possibly incited by the fire in the sky, it attacked the camp that was within its territory and removed the bodies.  We have seen the beast remove the tiger and possibly Natalie, so it is plausible that it takes its kills back to a lair of some kind which would explain the lack of bodies.  I do not think the Evenkis are violent and I will go into the reasoning behind that idea more below.  
6. What knocked over the beacon and why?
• While the shots Sabina heard was during the episode "She Said It", the disappearance of the beacon didn't occur until "A Gathering Fog".  This leads me to the idea that they were two separate acts, likely committed by separate parties.  If the Evenkis were responsible for the death of the scientists, it's likely that whomever wishes to cover up their experimentation destroyed the radio tower as well as the other equipment in the lab.  A plausible scenario is that the scientists used the tower to manipulate the weather in hopes that it would kill off the remaining contestants, when they continued to persevere and became close to uncovering the outpost the persons behind the Science Center were forced to destroy the equipment and the radio tower in hopes the contestants would be unable to discover the nature of their testing and more importantly leak it to the world.  This might have all been precipitated by their experiment as they discovered the beast's attack on the producers' camp and the angry locals as products of their testing.  Why this worries me for future episodes is because it paints a clear picture of scientists who will go to any lengths to keep their testing a secret and may very well intercept any transmissions the group is able to get out and send in their own strike force to eliminate everyone with knowledge of their acts. 
7. What created the original beast?
• After seeing the Evenkis' beast-like snowshoes it brings up the question if there ever was a real beast to begin with.  Have the Evenkis perpetuated the tale to keep the land to themselves by scaring the neighboring tribes?  I personally still believe there is a real beast looming the woods who attacked Tommy and the producers' camp, mauled and transported the tiger and consumed Natalie's intestines.  I think this can be explained by my previous theories that the Evenkis are trying to capture this animal hybrid as we witnessed their elaborate trap as well as the cave paintings depicting them attacking the creature and simply took on boots similar to its foot structure after witnessing how much more efficient the beast was.  There is some doubt lingering as it is possible the cave paintings aren't as old as one would assume, therefor the beast could have been a repercussion of the original 1908 Tunguska event rather than thousands of years old.  At this point I'm not sure, it may be from a wormhole created by the event, radiation or an age-old creature that has inhabited the Siberian wilderness for hundreds of years.  The time loop idea is still a possibility and as many facts still don't add up it could be a prehistoric creature for all I know, but I feel pretty confident that it is related to the Tunguska event as the cave paintings depict a second sun, similar to the descriptions of the 1908 event, and it appears the beast appeared simultaneously.  
8. Are the Evenkis good or bad? & What is the significance of their snow shoes?
• While all this science washes away a lot of the Ogdy ideas, I believe some can be salvaged to fit Siberia's scenarios.  Like I previously stated, they believe a wicked shaman (see: Siberia Get Cold!) called upon Ogdy to destroy their enemies in 1908.  This still makes sense to me because the technology wasn't available or even in Russia in 1908 as well as the fact that the voices in Miljan's head also fit into this theory that Ogdy is real and that a shaman has inhabited his body an directs him as to what to do.
• I believe that the Evenkis are overall good-natured people.  They live in peace in this remote area and we have seen them attempt to warn the contestants to leave rather than attacking them (e.g. the spear saying "Get Out")  I don't believe they are responsible for the destruction of the base camp, Tommy's death or the disembowelment of Natalie and the tiger.  I think a likely scenario is that they believe a wicked shaman called upon Ogdy to destroy their enemies and caused the Tunguska event.  However, with this misuse of power came a curse, the beast, and they have attempted to thwart others away from the area and capture or kill it themselves hence the trap and the cave drawings.  It's very plausible that they fell as if the beast is their responsibility and a reminder that their power shouldn't be used for evil.
• Along with this idea comes the fact that according to Miljan they wished to help Irene and likely took Annie and Esther to protect them from the beast before they endured the same fate as the producers and Natalie.  I think that coming to scoop up the remaining settlers, Miljan, Neeko and Sabina, is an attempt to save them and aid in their escape from the territory as even if they are peaceful, they have no interest in outsiders on their land. 
• Finally I believe that they have created their unique footwear after years of observing the beast and noticing how its anatomy gives it the ability to traverse the Siberian land with much more ease.  It explains why the original prints left at Tommy's attack site and the ones we saw in "A Gathering Fog" differed so much.  The gait was clearly much smaller, while a beast with such size and strength would surly have a bigger stride.  In addition to the number of footprints it seems clear that it was the locals rather than the beast who abducted Annie, Esther and the cameraman.
9. How does the skeleton with Sabina's locket and Sam's bracelet work into all of this?
• This is where I'm stumped.  Before it seemed so clear and all the pieces could be put together to paint a picture of time disrupted.  However now with the idea that the Tesla Tower has caused many of the strange events, this one seems out of place.  The fact that the atomic clocks Daniel found in this episode weren't functioning supports the idea of a bubble universe that I have stated in previous posts.  In addition, the information I researched above supports the idea, like in Under the Dome, that the directed-energy weapon is capable of disconnecting an entire area from the outside world.  So it is still possible that this is another effect of the tower and there is a time disruption within the area.  There is really no explanation for there to be a skeleton with an exact replica of Sabina's necklace in the Siberian wilderness except that it is her own decomposed body.  I suppose the producers could've come up with this elaborate stunt knowing about her son and her necklace from her interviews to become a contestant on the show, but the likelihood of her being the one to find it in this vast expanse of land is implausible.  The time loop makes so much sense and I want so badly for it to be the case, but I cannot work it into the other events.  However, if the tower is not responsible for the weather changes the idea of a time disruption fits right in!
• As for Sam's bracelet, I think a simple plausible scenario is that one of the 1908 settlers fled and the Evenkis scooped "Anne" up to aid her.  It is possible that she mated within the tribe and the bracelet was passed down to her child.   It takes away the idea of fate, which I have a big problem with as this idea was discussed in detail in this episode as the hikers pondered about whether they were meant to be there.  As Sam said, if Esther hadn't moved the flag he would have been kicked out on the first episode.  It also goes against the idea that one of the contestants being named "Annie" is more than a coincidence and the fact that the hikers were guided as they came across far too many obstacles that they were either perfectly suited for, or simply by luck were able to overcome.  I still believe that they are meant to be there, whether by lineage or cosmic intervention and hope to see this idea come to fruition in the final episodes.
• Finally, I'd like to take a brief moment to mention that the tribe we saw were similar to Native Americans in appearance and exactly what I expected for the local tribes of Siberia.  However, the blonde girl Sabina saw seemed to be more Norwegian which takes me back to the idea that she is somehow special.  Her similar look to Berglind or even Natalie rather than to the other locals is strange to me.  Along these lines, I also find it odd that the beast doesn't devour its kills whole but rather only consumes their stomach.  I'm not sure why this is and it seems like a big leap without enough time to fully develop this line of intrigue left in the season, but is it possible that the beast is able to live for such long periods of time and seems to be unstoppable because it is consuming the reproductive organs?  Just an idea to consider as there must be some reason that it doesn't eat the entire bodies and the fact that it removes them as well.  This also goes along with the idea that there seemed to be a large amount of time that passed between when Natalie left and her body returned, showing signs of frostbite and not at all decomposed as if she had been kept alive for some time.
10. What's the significance of the falcon and the jets?
• While this was brought up in a comment, I wanted to address my thoughts on the falcon found in the research laboratory.  As we know Ogdy is not only the god of thunder but also the representation of the thunderbird. (See:Siberia Gets Cold for more information on Ogdy and the Evenkis' beliefs) I think the most logical explanation is that the scientists realized they needed the falcon DNA to replicate the beast that is a materialization of the god Ogdy thus the birdlike features.  It goes along with the theory that with the misuse of power by the shamans came a curse that is the beast. 
• While I'm not sure to make of the jets, possibly passing over as they saw the activation of the tower as some kind of attack against Russia and sent them to survey the damage.  A reader brought up the fact that the jets were "thunderbirds" and I can't help but wonder if this is a symbolic clue or actually related to the strange events.
11. How does fate play into this?
• I have talked about the idea of fate before (see: Siberia Gets Attacked) as it seems to good to be true that the hikers posses the exact skill set needed to overcome their obstacles as well as an extraordinary amount of luck.  Add that to the idea that Miljan seems to be guided and the voices in his head match up perfectly with my research on the Evenkis and the possibility that a shaman has possessed his body. (see:Siberia Gets Cold) In addition, the fact that both groups brought up this idea of fate, purpose or synchronicity in this episode makes me believe that it is a factor in the strange events we have witnessed.  In my early theories I discussed the idea of the group, or at least some of them, having a connection to the land that they aren't aware of and that this group of people are here for a reason.  Sam having Russian lineage, the bracelet with the name Anne coupled with a character named Annie, Sabina being an Israeli solider whose culture has a long history in Siberia and the fact that the shamans posses the bodies of decedents, connects at least these contestants to the area.  If it is all an experiment, maybe these people were picked for a reason. Possibly they are relatives of the initial settlers and to recreate the event the scientists selected subjects related to those who disappeared.  Either way, no matter why they are there I think it's important to notice these points as well as the fact they discuss fate and believe they are there for a reason.  I will leave the how and why up to your imagination!      

Overall it seems as if the tower, the beast, the Evenkis, and the scientists can answer almost all of our questions as to what's going on.  Basically the 1908 event created or brought the beast into the Siberian wilderness, the local Evenkis saw this as a repercussion for misusing their power and have been attempting to capture the beast or at least minimize its destruction by scaring off anyone who enters the area.  Russian scientists wanted to recreate the event and the beast through science and it didn't work, they were then killed off by either the Evenkis for trying to harness the power of their gods or an overseeing party to cover up what they'd done.  To further eradicate any evidence, they attempted to destroy their work and any communication out of the area in order to ensure the contestants wouldn't get out alive and leak their secrets to the world.  Hopefully we will see fate and time added to the mix in the final two episodes as it would be a powerful ending to this amazing journey I'm glad to have been a part of.  I think that basically sums everything up into a working theory that explains almost everything we've seen so far in Siberia!

I would love to hear your thoughts and I reply to all comments so please start a discussion!  I'd also like to point out that a few people asked me about the static images at the end of each episode and I created a post dedicated to those, with stills of each image and what they appear to be.  They give us an insight on the following week so be sure to check that out at Siberia Secret Images Revealed!  You can catch Siberia Mondays on NBC and as always check back here for my weekly recap and theories, but I have a feeling we will know exactly what's going on all too soon!  Keep up the momentum by tweeting #SiberiaSeason2 and you can find me on Twitter here!  As well as the petition for season 2 has been re-opened and you can sign it here! Thanks for reading and I look forward to your thoughts!


References:

Wardenclyffe Tower. (2013, August 28). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 4, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardenclyffe_Tower

Directed-energy weapon. (2013, September 2). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 4, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directed-energy_weapon

Particle-beam weapon. (2013, July 23). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 4, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_beam_weapon

Rich, M. M. (2011, September 9). Weather Warfare. In Revolutionary Methods for Political Control. Retrieved September 4, 2013, from http://newworldwar.org/weatherwar.htm