cracksky

Current is 2008. Flash-sideways are 2007 and/or 2004.

hardercore

It could be that the flash sideways ARE 2004 but also ARE the endings for the characters. The island stuff is what happened after Juliet denoted the bomb. Shit transpires through Season 6 on the island, and their final act results in the island sinking and them being blown back to 2004 where they started, while their consciousnesses have faint traces of events which had transpired in the past/future -- hence the moments of déja vu that both Jack and Kate have now experienced.

DarkestPhoenix

Tell that to Rousseau.

DarkestPhoenix

Would make sense b/c Jacob was dead.

Would not make sense b/c knows about things that only Jacob knew.

Would make sense b/c MiB knows what Locke was thinking, so can read thoughts of dead people, at the very least.

DarkestPhoenix

I've thought about this, too, and there has to be more than one part of the MiB. Even when Locke disappeared in the premier and smokey came and killed those folks, smokey came from OUTSIDE the statue...even though later Locke apologized that Ben saw HIM like THAT. Dunno why Richard and the gang didn't notice this.

Another time they were seemingly separate was when Christian told Sun that she had to go with Locke-ness, who was standing right outside as they were talking. The smoke monster could also be seen as they were talking, moving outside the door.

DarkestPhoenix

She would only have to remember one to associate them all as a group. Not only the fact that adrenaline 'locks in' memory and a plane crash being somewhat significant, you also have the fact she had a 'moment' with Jack and Kate was in handcuffs. I don't care how long she's been a stewardess, that had to be odd for her to see and smthg she may well remember.

cracksky

Interesting how Danielle tortured Sayid by shocking him with batteries because she thought he was infected by the same thing her team was whom she ended up killing. The Others from The Temple probably assumed he was infected because the only way he could come back from the dead (other than the healing water) was probably Jacob. Danielle said The Others were the carriers. Most likely since they are indigenous to the island. Sayid and the others on the list are important and cannot die but he was never dead. When Hugo was talking to him, Miles had a confused look on his face because he couldn't hear his dead thoughts. He hadn't passed on yet. He must've been in limbo.

Boba Fett

If it's really that obvious, what a letdown the ending will be, unless the explanations for all the oddness are really top notch.

JTH182

I'm almost thinking it's going to be a situation like CONTACT where Jodie Foster went thru all that wormhole stuff and talked to her father/the alien, but all the spectators of that giant machine saw was her falling straight thru.

The passengers have gone thru all 6 seasons worth of this stuff, only to end up right back on the plane with slight differences, but still ending up in each other's lives.

But, knowing this show, I am WAY off

hardercore

Eh, well, my brain hurts trying to think of ways in which the timelines can come together without one canceling out the other. Knowing these writers it will be something we do not expect and therefore more awesome.

maxfisher

I don't think the show's said that Rousseau was infected, has it?

extreme2700

I don't believe so, I think it's just speculation at this point. Don't remember it at least.

RoyalTea

The dialogue explicitly mentioned Sayid's "infection" and how the exact same thing happened to "Jack's sister." They then cut to a shot of Claire acting just like Rosseau.

Do we really need explicit dialogue that says Rousseau was "infected?"

Maybe it was an intentional misdirect that will be fleshed out in future episodes, but if Rousseau's never mentioned again, I think it's pretty safe to assume that she had what Sayid and Claire have.

Superman07

So what about Locke's gunshot wound and miraculous healing? He was running around for a season without being infected. Or was he?

Also, I noticed as well that Kate gave a weird look to Jack while they passed him in the cab. Why though? When Jack first saw Desmond he knew there was something familiar. So if there was going to be some significance placed on the Jack/Kate connection wouldn't it have happened when she was coming out of the bathroom in the premier?

dsa_shea

Locke's gunshot scenario became very ambiguous because of the fact that he was shot where one of his kidneys once was. It was an in and out and likely intentional by the writers so that we wouldn't question it too much.

spainlinx0

Other than the ending I was rather bored with the episode. It felt like the first 40 minutes just dragged with a bunch of "we will tell you everything" dialogue followed by "you promised to tell me" followed by silence. Basically the show was blah, blah, blah, HOLY SHIT, credits. Sorry, but this episode did feel like filler. If you spend 40 minutes running in place, and then for 2 minutes you sprint, I consider it mostly filler.

I enjoy character driven episodes, so it wasn't that. I just didn't think the scenes with Sawyer, Kate, or Jack were that great. That didn't leave much else for me.

The one thing I did get from this episode is that the creators finally realized it's annoying that the characters never ask questions. To counter that, they decided to annoy us by having the characters finally ask questions, and the people being asked just ignoring them.

Raul3

Guys, the scenes outside of the island are not flashbacks or flashforwards, so don't expect a direct connection with what's happening in the island. The producers said they are flash-sideways, so they are going to be related to what's happening in the island but not in a direct way. Meaning, NC losties are in the future (or past) of what's happening in the island. Of course that can be a red herring from the producers, but that's what they are saying right now.

johnnysd

OK here is my crazy theory:

1. We have seen that when travelling in time the same person can be in the same physical space as their future/past self

2. The bomb created two timelines: 1 NC and 1 crash, both exist at the same time temporarily

3. In the NC timeline, eventually all of the characters will meet up again and around 2007 will wind up on the island.

4. The crash versions will work towards a solution to the "eternal" fight between Jacob and MIB, with the NC versions coming just before the end

5. NC and crash versions work together and truly reset the island and end the war and the island sinks

6. Time resets one final time to 2004 and all the losties are on the plane with the exception that this time they retain all the memories from both the NC timeline and the crash timeline

7. Series ends in 2010 with some sort of reunion showing who wound up with whom, etc...

Matthew Ackerly

The whole single timeline theory is ridiculous, imo.

They are separate timelines. Plain and simple.

If I'm wrong, well, I'll be extremely disappointed in the writers.

pinata242

They have to be separate timelines.

The only way O815 didn't crash in 2004 was because the bomb was exploded in 1977. The only way the bomb exploded in 1977 was because Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Sayid were pulled off A316 in 2007 with Faraday's plan.

If what happened in 1977 simply prevented what happened in 2004, what happened in 1977 would never have happened and O815 would have crashed again in 2004.

A single timeline makes no sense. Those on the island have essentially martyred themselves to save their 2004 selves. Unfortunately, they're not aware that "It worked". Unfortunately for the O815 passengers that did land in "LA X", they don't know what they're missing and won't have the choice to go to the island since it's submerged.

Only we, the viewers, will be able to tell which outcome was better for which player.

Or, if any of it matters because of

dsa_shea

One timeline would equal bullshit just as Rose and Bernard = Adam and Eve would be ridiculous.

Raul3

Yeah. Wait, what?

pinata242

Exactly!

Deftones

*yawn*

I'm riding it out, but I've been sorely disappointed in the lack of answers thus far this season. all we have now are more questions.

Timber

Sorely disappointed by the lack of answers after 2 episodes?