Flashsideways (Speculation, "Sundown" Spoilers)

[Campe]

Honestly, I don't know anything beyond the promo for "Dr. Linus" in the way of spoilers that I actually trust. However, I have a thought on how things are going to go down. This comes from a Facebook group that I operate where I write a review for every episode. This is from my write-up on tonight's episode:

I’ve become a little obsessed with more than a few things on this show. First it was Shannon, useless for every reason perhaps except for the imagery of her running around in a bikini. Then there was the mystery of the Others, a mystery that was solved a little disappointingly, but it did lead to my obsession for the campaign of nominating the brilliant Michael Emerson for every award known to man. Then there was Charlotte. I always have had a thing for redheads. Now, my obsession has become asking questions. It’s funny. I thought that we were supposed to be done with mysteries and questions and on to answering what we have already asked. Well, we’re six hours into the season and I’ll be damned if I don’t have one hundred more questions that I’ve asked this year. I’ve seen a lot of criticism of the series this year, mainly on small things like David from last week. If I have one concern this season it’s that the mysteries keep opening new doors and that the onion is being peeled back and as opposed to getting closer to the center, it seems like there’s just more onion.

However, today all of this has changed. Following Smokey’s line about Sayid getting to see what he wanted to see again and Dogen’s line about Jacob telling him that he would never see his son again despite the fact that he’d be alright brings this all into perspective. I‘m starting to get an idea of what’s going on here though. At least I’m ready to posit a good theory on how things are going to resolve. People being frustrated with the flashsideways just need to hang on for a little bit longer I think. Stay with me for a second. In a sense, the idea of the island being purgatory may just be right… but only to a point. The two worlds do exist and the island is a gateway between them. What we’re seeing in the flashsideways is actually a flashforward… kinda. The reset didn’t happen when Juliet detonated Jughead. It’s yet to happen. As has been said before, the core of a hydrogen bomb detonating would not sink an island. But, the events of the rest of the season on island need to happen first. What makes me think this? Jack and Kate recognized each other in “What Kate Does.” Sure, they ran into each other on 815, but I think it was deeper than that. Charlie thought he was supposed to die because it was what he was supposed to do in the regular universe. What this indicates is that people are remembering what has happened before. Everyone’s life on the other side is seemingly better in the Flashsideways. I explained a lot of that in last week’s review, so I don’t want to repeat that here. The thing is, you have to die to move into the Flashsideways. Jack’s cut on his neck from “LA X” is very important. It’s his mortal wound. So, whatever’s going to happen is going to reset everything and the beginning point of that for our characters is Oceanic Flight 815 on September 22, 2004.

I get Smokey’s promise, but Jacob’s rationale for someone staying on the island is still a little vague. Smokey’s promise, perhaps even his home, lies where the Flashsideways is. It’s going home, but it’s going home to a far more welcoming world, where things are right. This, while maybe not heaven, is a sort of ideal existence – a world where Dogen’s son is still alive, where Locke and Helen can be together, where Kate enjoys being on the run, where Jack has a son, a world where Nadia is still alive for Sayid but they’re not together on HIS terms. It’s not the most ideal world, so it’s not heaven (hence the purgatory theory being out of the water for the most part)… but it is a better world for all of these people. I have no regrets in my life. I do, however, know people who do regret a lot. If me following a black smoke monster around a mysterious island to make something happen and would make their lives better… I would.

So, now why does Smokey need to go to such ends to make this happen? What is Jacob’s ideology that is so different than Smokey’s that he needed to kill Jacob to get off the island? And what on the island is worth protecting? And why do Claire and Sayid need to go all crazy? And where’s Sawyer been for the past few episodes? Well, we still have some mysteries to uncover.

Now obviously, I could be completely wrong here. There are twelve hours left this season. I reserve the right to addend my theory as it goes. It’s still a work in progress after all.

Ooooh! And the reason that dead people are appearing to Hurley is because they lie in between the two worlds, waiting for whatever is going to happen. And THEY are the whispers. Hurley is some sort of a conduit between the two worlds.

And I’ll just say this, even though I had an idea of what was going to happen with at the end of the episode (not spoiled so much, just my own speculation), my jaw was on the floor for the last act of the episode. And even moreso when I figured out my theory.

I’m not sure who’s ideology is right. I need to hear more. And its possible that neither of them are right. But at least things are starting to make sense. At least in my world.

Whatcha think?

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

By golly I like it. This all sounds pretty plausible. Although I dunno if I dig the concept of reset endings, just seems like such a cop out. How is it some characters are able to in the back I'd their minds have that sense of familiarity towards some people while others don't. We shall see. I hope some of the people coming back aren't completely relagated to off island/flash sideways status

 

[Mallet]

I think the Island is a nexus point between infinite realities. A "door" if you like. Jacob was guarding the door to prevent people from abusing the power and creating chaos. The MIB wants to escape through the "door" to get to a reality he feels will be his "home".

The alternate reality we are seeing in the flashsideways are just an example of millions of other realities that exist. the De Ja Vu feeling the characters are having are because they recently knew each other strongly in the other reality.

The Island is the center of all these alternate realities. There is an alternate reality where Dogen's son is fine and lives. Where everyone on the plane lands safely. Where Juliette's sister safely had her baby, etc... From the Island you can travel to these alternate realities, if you use a certain heading or other means. So anything is possible.

This ties in to Ben's "magic box" metaphor. Anything you want is possible, because there are an infinite number of realities to choose from.

The MIB says he will get Sayid and Sawyer what they want. Probably by moving them into one of these realities when they "escape".

I think the flashsideways are us seeing what happens to the Losties who make that "jump" to an alternate reality at the end of the series. But only some of them. I think that Jack will stay behind and take over for Jacob. Maybe Kate will stay as well.

The Sawyer & Sayid we've seen so far are the ones who have switched over (but of course don't remember it). The Jack we've seen is the Jack from that reality already. But it's so close to the "main one" that there is some transference.

or something like that.

In the end I think some of our Losties will get "home" and some will remain behind on the Island to take over for Jacob.

I also, if this is correct, think the writers might be borrowing heavily from Roger Zelazney's Amber book series. In those books there is a place called Amber, which is the one "true" place. But it casts millions of shadows, and in each shadow anything is possible. Every reality exists if you look hard enough for it. In the books certain people have the power to travel between these worlds and take others with them.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I think the Island is a nexus point between infinite realities. A "door" if you like

I've liked that theory for a couple seasons now (I think it started to crystallize, when, was it when they first made a fuss about arriving at the correct heading or you won't reach the island at all?)

But I'm starting to think the regular and sideways realities will never literally intersect. The regular reality is getting so dark and dire that I think they're all headed for a bad ending there, and almost everyone will die. The sideways reality is where we will see our traditional happy ending.

 

[Hober Mallow]

Unlike many here, I think, I'm enjoying the flash sideways stories. I'll say, though, they are getting to be a little too "Where's Waldo?" for my taste.

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

I think the fact that we're in the dark about what the 'sideways' stuff means, kind of robs the sideway-stories of their power a little bit. For instance, if we knew that these were, say, happy ending epilogues of where our characters end up, that makes it easier to sit back, and enjoy the stories for giving our characters nice endings.

 

[RoJoHen]

^Indeed. It's hard to care much about the sideways flashes because we have absolutely no context for them. They just kind of exist.

The previous seasons' flashes at least gave us an understanding of where our characters had been and/or were going. It jumped around a lot, and there were often pieces missing, but at least it could be pieced together into some kind of relevant, linear order.

 

[Hunter X]

^Exactly. Even the most pointless, repetitive Michael or Hurley flashback involved a character that mattered on the Island. We don't know how these sideways characters matter, they're not even "our" characters really. The sideways stories could be a lot more compelling when we know their context, they may end up being a waste of time. I'm hoping that, ultimately, we'll be able to appreciate how they add to the series when watched as a complete whole.

I'm starting to get the bad feeling that these really are flash forwards of what happens to our characters at the end of the show, given a sort of heaven. I say bad feeling because it's too much of a reset for my liking. However, the fact that these characters seem to have flashes of remembering each other should be leading somewhere. Perhaps the end of the season will involve our characters choosing to go with Locke and his promises of everything they wanted, ending up in this alternate timeline. Only, they start remembering what really happened and the real timeline and make the final decision to reverse what they've done, give up the alternate timeline, and give us a real, final showdown with Locke, Jacob, or whoever else ends up being the real bad guy.

 

[The Evil Dead]

Yeah, I get the feeling the sideways flashes will be more tolerable on a 2nd viewing when we understand their context.

For the last couple of years I'd kind of hoped the final season would not feature flashes of any kind, that the story would have reached such a fevered pitch as we rush toward the climax that they just wouldn't have time for flashes anymore.

I also think the sideways flashes are a narrative excuse to give us a happy ending, that say, Hurley and Sawyer will due on the island but "Don't worry audience, there's another Hurley and another Sawyer who are just fine in the alternate reality!"

 

[Agent Richard07]

Here's a reposting of my theory...

I think we're seeing the end in the flash sideways. Thats how it ends.

That's a possibility I'm working on too. Maybe they'll stop Jocob's beach buddy and/or Jacob himself and the island will get destroyed in the process for good in the finale. And maybe what we've been seeing in the flashsideways is the end result where everything's been fixed. If that's the case, it's a pretty good move as far as story structure goes... Dole out the long and happy ending little by little throughout the season. Makes more sense than trying to figure out how the two timelines will converge. I don't think it'll end in a traditional reset either because the losties back in LA X will somehow become aware of what happened.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

I prefer the flashsideways right now to the main mystery of the island because I feel that we're getting more character out of it than from the constant teasing out of the same repetitive questions.

I also, if this is correct, think the writers might be borrowing heavily from Roger Zelazney's Amber book series. In those books there is a place called Amber, which is the one "true" place. But it casts millions of shadows, and in each shadow anything is possible. Every reality exists if you look hard enough for it. In the books certain people have the power to travel between these worlds and take others with them.

Or from Plato's Parable of the Cave, which, according to wiki, was also an influence on the Chronicles of Amber.

 

[Plomeek Broth]

Do you think when we eventually see Vincent in the flashsideways he will be slightly altered as far as his on-island character development goes or more of the same?