First up then, try this 'advert' on for size.
The very simple message being delivered here, courtesy of Oceanic's claim of 30 years safe flying, is that the crash of Oceanic didn't happen. History has apparently been re-written, eh? Now, of course, this feeds into the cliffhanger of Season 5 regarding 'the incident' and whether the detonation of the bomb had somehow destroyed The Swan Station and so prevented the crash from ever happening.
This is what the videos are implying - that the history of the characters and events on the Island as we know them are no longer viable. Take this more amusing 'advert', for example.
So there's Hurley, apparently having been and returned to Australia without a plane crash and an Island getting in the way. Except there's a little more of a twist. . . Note how he says that he has been blessed with good luck? This is not the same Hurley that went to Australia that we saw. That Hurley was riddled and panicked by the sense that he was cursed. Not so here. Here he can't believe his good fortune and wants to tell the world about his lottery win and amazing luck.
Brow furrowed yet? Then check out this last one - the perhaps more infamous 'Kate: America's Most Wanted' clip (the quality isn't as good as this was recorded on camcorder at Comic-Con):
Here is a more overt example of how even the history of the characters before the crash of Oceanic 815 doesn't tally with what we know. She didn't kill Wayne and then get apprehended by Agent Mars and put on Oceanic - here she killed some other guy by mistake and has been on the run ever since.
You may have noticed at the end of that last clip there was a brief glimpse of the Lost Comic-Con panel, with Jorge Garcia about to step up and ask a question. I've seen the whole thing and can state that it was all scripted, humourously so, which might just be our first 'don't panic' piece of advice: they might be pulling our legs.
Just a bit of teaser fun from the Lost creators for their one last time at being able to do so before the show closes completely. I'll be honest, if I was them, I'd be tempted to do the same. Messing with the mind of a fervent Lost fan, baiting them with impossible scenarios. . . Yeah, I'd be very tempted indeed!
So let me lay out what I think. I think that history as we know it has not been re-written. As Jorge jokingly asked at Comic-Con, how could they change everything that had already happened without it being a massive cheat? Fact is, I don't think they can. But what I think these videos may indicate is that the 'new flashback' for this season might be characters receiving visions or flashes of these alternate histories or futures for themselves that may force them to consider what the Island, and being brought to it, means to them all.
Like Desmond received glimpses of a future where Charlie died numerous times after he turned the Fail Safe, maybe the likes of Jack and Kate and Hurley, being at the site of the hydrogen Swan explosion, will receive different kinds of flashes - flashes of lives they could have had, or could still have - which will inform their destiny and purpose about what life they should have. Carlton Cuse stated at the Comic-Con panel that they had a new device in mind to tell their story for the final season - with flashforwards done, and the time travel season over - and I think this 'alternaflash' (you heard it coined here first!) might just be the manner of it.
This is completely my own thought, mind - I've heard or read nothing else that could confirm or deny it. So whilst I don't think we should take the above videos too literally, I think thematically they may be a major indicator about the direction the sixth and final Season of Lost may be taking us into.
Perhaps now your brow is a little less furrowed?
17 comments:
I really believe they will try to deceive us, at least during the first episode, about what happened to the charecters. This alternate flashes would be a way to do it...
INTERESTING IDEA and very plausible
Bravo AC - I'm at ease ..... for now. I like what you're saying here and I really do think what you're saying is plausible.
I will say though, out in the lost webisphere....there seems to be a lot of people that like the alternate/second timeline. Unbelievalable...but...for now, I'm sticking with the AC Coined phrase "Alternateflash".
Has a good ring to it
I'm with you, AC. Good observations and extrapolation.
Perhaps this ties in somehow with the rumored return of some of the dead characters.
I think we have already seen what the island means to "them" and why they need to be on the Island. I mean Jacob's appearance in certain Losties backstory is enough. These flashes your talking about would be distracting and somewhat pointless. They would not serve the story nor the series ending. With so little time left in Lost and so much to cover I think the "flashes' would be a needless distraction. There is no joke here but neither is their a total and singular "reset". Most likely what we are dealing with here is the creation of a parallel or tangent universe. Where we have two different timelines happening simultaneously. Over the first 3 to 4 episodes we will see the Losties trying to merge these two timelines back into one "true" universe. With this we get a reason to revisit old characters and I even think their is a answer for the whispers in this scenario. I highly doubt a fan appreciation themed comic-con would be highlighted by a joke on the fans.
Neoloki - Not sure I agree with you that the Losties have reconciled why they are on the Island. (Examples: Jack merely formed the belief he was there to prevent them from ever being there; Kate is there to reclaim Claire to redeem herself.)
I would also argue that the portrayal of a parallel reality played out alongside the 'regular' reality is already happening in another show: Fringe. (Given the creative closeness, I just don't see them stepping on each other's toes like that.)
I don't see how the flashes would be a distraction if they were used like how the Season One flashbacks were; as narrative illustrations that informs the character's state of mind. It would be the same principle, just taken up a notch.
It works - really well, actually - the way I can imagine it. But I can't know if I am close to right until S6 arrives. I think we can all agree that an out and out reset is, surely, not an acceptable nor viable outcome.
Hey AC
I've had a few breakthroughs recently with regards to figuring out the entire show. I think I know the precise ending of the show, the future of each character, and can categorize and explain a healthy percentage of the first 5 seasons.
Come into the Losties.net chat room, I'd love to discuss things with you.
-RiseBySin
Rise - Nothing personal, but I'll be steering clear of the chatrooms. The time-swallowing properties of such places are a habit I broke for other more meaningful pursuits. Like PS3! :o)
However I just noticed you have your own Lost blog on here. If you set out your thoughts there I'll check out your stuff when I'm feeling less afflicted with ADD.
I think parallel reallities would also be a great distraction from the main point of the series, "with so little time left in Lost and so much to cover"...
Hey AC
I started a blog but realized by explanation in blog form would be about 50,000 words, 75 pages. Got through 5 chapters of 20 and had to stop.
It's much easier to tell it conversationally, so if you change your mind, come by that chat. It's empty anyways just me and 1 other person.
Well, lets say these "flashes" contain views of another time line. According to you there sole purpose would be to give viewers insight into the motivations for the characters to come back to the island. This would be a legitimate plot device in lets say in season 4, but I think we are past the point of any real character development. It just seems their is something missing with your theory, unless these flashes contained some sort of problem the Losties needed to resolve, ie, correcting a false time line in order to save Jacob. If they make it a tangent universe that sprung from the explosion of Jughead, a la Donnie Darko and the plane crash, this would not step on the toes of Fringe. We already heard from Mathew Fox that the current difference in past and present between the Losties will merge within the first 3 or so episodes. Now you could argue that fox is talking out his arse, but I don't think so. whatever plot device they use I doubt will go very far into season 6, maybe a few episodes. This would be another reason they would not worry about what Fringe is doing because the merging of the time lines would take up such a small part of the overall story line of the final season. In the end I don't think we should underestimate the importance of the comic-con video's nor should anyone worry about a singular reset of the entire story.
Check out the comment section at the EyeMSick blog. Great Lost blog, by the way. Actually, you are mentioned in the comment section of the Comic-con post and that is how I found this sight. Please readposts on tangent universe and Schrödinger’s cat.
I've come up with a solution that explains and solves the following aspects of Lost:
what really happened during the purge
-richard alpert's lack of aging
-amy & paul
-Ben's mother
-fertility issues
-the sickness
-every dream
-every apparition
-ben's tumor
-the lists
-dharma
-ilana's group
-the others
-why jacob hates technology
-what happened to claire
-why claire and christian were in the cabin
-the end of the show
-jack's fate
We gotta talk somewhere because you're the only source that can debunk this solution!
-risebysin
Check out my blog for 'Lost SOLVED'...did my best to keep it focused, had to take a lot of tangential explanations out.
Rise - Had a look. Left a comment. I'd encourage others to take a look and comment, too. Even if you don't agree, it's worth challenging your own assertions and debating WHY you disagree.
Neoloki - Had a look at the post you describe. Never been to Eyemsick before, but it looks like a good place of intelligent discussion. I checked the comments and liked the discussion, but I always tend to withdraw from the too-complicated answers.
Tangential and parallel timelines? For me, they exist as potential, but they don't feel like they should be pivotal. (My argument: If there are other timelines then why are we being shown THIS one? Fringe is basing it's entire show on that principle - Lost would struggle to justify the same.)
Well, it appears that they just revealed the title of the premiere for season 6 "LA X" yeah the space is supposed to be their between LA and X.
It was revealed as part of this Ronie Midfew Arts viral thing going on right now.
Seems to be a little more evidence that we are dealing with a multi-verse at the beginning of season 6.
Neoloki - I'm still not sold on the multiverse angle. (It's kicking around my head enough to probably write a post about why.)
Depends how it's played, ultimately. If they expect us to get involved in divergent timeline plots at the expense of Original Jack and the rest I think I, and most Lost fans, will be pissed off.
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