"LOST" - Episode Remarks & Flash-Sideways Theories

Mar 9 Episode: Dr. Linus

Okay, for me, this episode wasn't an in-your-face "WOW" episode... I felt a little disappointment at the end, like, "Is that it?" After going over it in my head for a bit, I realized that a lot more happened in more subtle, but just as majorly important, ways. So I watched the episode again believing I may have dismissed important information because I was too busy looking for stuff I wanted to see or have answered.

I noticed there was much about hope, faith, forgiveness:

Miles tells Ben that... right up to the second Ben shoved the knife into Jacob, Jacob was hoping he was wrong about Ben. I think that hit Ben like a ton of bricks. Ben now feels guilt and remorse, understands real importance of life. Ilana shows Ben forgiveness.

Man of science (Jack) is becoming man of faith. Shows Richard faith and possibly restores hope for him.

Hurley is constantly faithful and obedient, has become more of a leader.


Mar. 16 Episode: Recon

Okay, I don't know about you guys, but the whole Sawyer and Charlotte thing was creepin' me out! Don't know why, it just wasn't sittin' well with me. It was so cool to see Sawyer as a cop instead of a criminal, and that Miles was his partner. They have a great 'buddy' chemistry... like Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the "Lethal Weapon" movies... great choice.

Still waiting to see if someone runs into Rose and Bernard while tramping through those jungles! Still thinkin' it's them who are the "Adam & Eve" skeletons at the caves.


JUST A THOUGHT...

I think I'm getting the flash-sideways... the idea struck me like a bolt of lightening! Sort of an, "Oh my gosh! OH MY GOSH!! In all honesty I may be way off base here, but it TOTALLY makes sense to me at this point in time (as a possibility) with the information we have been given. Like little clues that can be easily overlooked or dismissed. Granted, I need to see a few more episodes that surround an individual to be sure if I'm on the right track.

Ok, so here it goes... The flash-sideways are like a mirror image of their lives. Granted, not everything fits just yet... and it's not a COMPLETE mirror image. Here are some notes I made, I started furiously making notes as the thought came to me.

Hurley:
No longer cursed; now the luckiest man alive.

Locke:
Constantly fighting his limitations, all the "shaking his fist at God" tirades; coming to accept his limitations, his paralysis.

Ben:
No longer thinking just about himself (the island and the power trip he was on being the leader); he now protects Alex, even going so far as to sacrifice his wants/power for her future.

Jack:
After returning home, he became quite the drinker and prescription pill popper; now more stable and not drinking.

Sawyer:
Was a con man, a criminal; now a cop.


Tonight I read this blog post...
http://superduperstream.blogspot.com/2010/03/lost-s6e8-recon-analysis.html
...and feel this may be closer on track. It definitely piqued my curiosity!


{excerpt from post}
The flash-sideways are the manifestation of promises made by Jacob and Smokey.

My theory basically states that, if a survivor chooses team Jacob, they will be rewarded in the alt timeline with a happy ending. If they choose team Smokey, although technically they will get their heart's desire, it will be warped and twisted to ensure an unhappy ending.

Lets take a look at the individual characters and see where their allegiances lie:

Hurley - The most pro-Jacob member of the survivors, and also the happiest in his alt life - rich, sane, successful, cheerful.
He is no longer cursed, or at least he no longer feels cursed.

Locke - Pre-death, Locke was also very pro-Jacob/Island. Although he accepted Smokey as part of the Island, his heart was always in the right place. If given a choice, he'd probably have chosen Jacob over Smokey, but he was unfortunately robbed of that choice. He is still paralysed, but he has Helen, his father (who it turns out, may be a con man after all. A retired con man, perhaps?) and above all, his happiness.
He is no longer the man who says "Don't tell me what I can't do!"

Jack - Beginning to come around to Jacob's way of thinking, but was never on Smokey's side anyway. In the future he may still have been estranged from his father, but he can cope better with his shortcomings, he has a son to love and make up for the mistakes of Christian, and he may be able to fully unite and bond with his half-sister soon.
He is no longer pushing away those closest to him in order to 'fix' everthing.

Ben - May have wobbled off the path slightly, and may have often been unaware there was a path, but he has generally been on Jacob's side (besides killing him!). Will probably side with team Jacob in the end. In the alt timeline, although he technically has Alex (alive again!) she is not his daughter, and will probably never visit him after she goes on to bigger and better things. Stuck obeying a lesser man instead of leading, stuck looking after his ill father, but generally seems happy, or at least delusionally optimistic, about his lot in life. Generally a good outcome.
He is no longer killing people like it was going out of style.

Rose - Pretty much the same Rose we always knew and loved. Seems rather neutral in the overall scheme of thing. Just wants to enjoy her life with her husband, however short or long it may be, and whatever location they may currently be in.
She is just herself.

Boone - He died long before he got a choice, but from the start he seemed to embrace the Island's message of change. He seems a good candidate for team Jacob. In the alt timeline, he has managed to seperate from Shannon, and feels a kinship with Locke.
He is just a background character at this point.

Claire - Hard to tell whether her alt timeline is a positive or negative outcome. She has her baby, Ethan hasn't tried to kill her, but how will it all pan out. On Island, she was 100% team Smokey, but I think she may finally be wavering.
She is just a confused young woman.  [This one I'm not buying, but we'll see in time]

Sun & Jin - Nowhere near enough information about these two in their alt timeline, but things do not look good. Seemingy oblivious to Jacob and Smokey on the Island, they are only concerned about each other. However, they have a murky past and their moral compass seems permanently set to gray - a rather cute, lovable shade of gray, but a gray that would kill you if necessary nonetheless.
He is still finding himself involved in violence and the gangster underworld.
She is still seemingly lying about her bilingual status.

Charlie - Claims he was 'supposed to die', yet is alive. His brother seems concerned enough about him to fly out to bail him out. There's hope for him yet. On the Island, he tried to be at one with the Island's will, but cynical sarcasm and drug addiction made it hard. In the end, he may have enabled Jacob's downfall by flipping the switch, so who knows what side that counts as being for.
He is still a junkie.  [I think his story will be like Sawyer's... some change in his life, but still dealing with his demons.]

Kate - Poor Kate, seemingly wrapped up in things she has no hope of understanding. She generally wants to do well, but is oblivious to other people half of the time. She'll most likely just go with the flow and do whatever Claire, Sawyer, Jin and Sayid do, until she is forced to choose between Jack (Jacob) and Sawyer (Smokey), again. In the future, she technically hasn't killed Wayne, unsure on the status of Tom, and may have helped Claire out, but she does not seem happy in the slightest.
She is still on the run and still a killer.

Sawyer - Eternally playing every side against each other in hopes of ending up the ultimate winner, Sawyer's role on the Island has been undefined from the very start. However, at present, he will happily hand Smokey the head of everyone on the Island, except the purely innocent, if it means he can escape. While not technically pro-Smokey, he sure ain't trying to stop him either. In alt world, Sawyer may be a cop, may have an awesome sidekick partner, but he sure ain't happy, still chasing his past demons, still drinking alone and his parents are still dead.
He is still alone, angry, unhappy, but trying to change.

Sayid - Sayid is a torturer. Sayid is a killer. Sayid has tried to change, but every time he ends up back at square one with no emotional growth. He could have been a great leader, but has now resigned himself to playing the villain. I don't think he has embraced this role, but he sure has accepted it, and now he has killed viciously in cold blood, there is no turning back. In the alt world, again technically Nadia is back in his life (alive!), but he can't have her, and although he has changed, the people around him, those he loves and wants to protect, force him back into his animal side.
He is still a killer.


Mirror Mirror, On The Wall

In all the 'flash-sideways', we have seen our centric characters glance at, or study themselves, in a mirror. Jack clearly pondered a strange blood mark in 'LA X', then studied a strange scar in 'Lighthouse'. Kate was caught in a mirror in 'What Kate Does'. Locke then clearly studies himself in a mirror in 'The Substitute'. Sayid's reflection is caught in Nadia's door, half in darkness, half in light. Ben was then caught in the microwave door of 'Dr Linus'. Finally, Sawyer takes time to clearly study himself in a mirror, before smashing it in 'Recon'.

By my theory, everyone who clearly looked at themselves in a mirror is in team Jacob, and those who were caught are in team Smokey. The wildcards are Ben, who may not have fully redeemed himself yet, and Sawyer, who may be sliding further into camp darkness.


MAN IN BLACK (MIB)/SMOKE MONSTER/LOCKE LOOK-A-LIKE


Man In Black (MIB): now am convinced that MIB appeared as many former characters over the last five seasons. I now believe he can impersonate the living as well as the dead. All in effort to confuse and manipulate people/situations.

Christian Shephard
- When he caused Jack to almost fall over the cliff as Jack was chasing him through the jungle.
- when he persuaded Claire to leave her baby in the jungle & come with him. Locke talked to him as Christian in the cabin with Claire. Locke also saw him in that underground place where he had to turn that "donkey wheel" looking thing.

Alex Rousseau
- To Ben when she threatened to kill him if he didn't do as Locke says.

Mr. Ecko's brother (Yemi?)
- To Mr. Ecko after the hatch blows up. "You must help John." "You need to help John."

Horace
- The "Dharma dude" building the cabin in Locke's "dream". Saying to "find" him... back when Locke dug through the Dharma bodies in the pit.

Charlie Pace
- When dead Charlie visited Hugo in the mental hospital, was that MIB deceiving Hugo into coming back?

Ana Lucia
- Appeared to Ecko. Appeared to Hurley after he got rescued.

Boone Carlyle
- To John during sweat lodge trance after hatch blew up.

Walt (?)
- Appeared to Shannon, thus leading to her death.


Ilana said at the cabin: Jacob hasn't been there for quite awhile, someone else has been using it. MIB posing as Christian to confuse Locke and Claire?

I believe MIB/Locke cannot kill Jacob, Ilana or the "candidates"... he has to manipulate and deceive others to do it. That's why chasing ghost Christian almost cost Jack his life. Appeared as Walt to Shannon, leading to her death... because as we now know, Shannon was also a candidate (#32). MIB was setting up Ben to kill Ilana with the escape and gun, impressing upon Ben "not to hesitate, she won't". Curious as to whether Charlie Pace or Boone were candidates also.

Unknown blonde boy/Jacob said to MIB when he was "recruiting" Sawyer, "You can't kill him."

Mr. Ecko was not a candidate, that's why the smoke monster could kill him.

Smoke monster retreats when John approaches?? Three different times when confronting/killing Mr. Echo.

Ilana said that the MIB/Smoke Monster/Locke whatever... Stuck this way, can't change it's appearance anymore. Why now?? Because people saw and know that it was not Locke... they had possession of Locke's body? Or because now Jacob is dead?? Kind of a ying/yang thing?



MORE QUESTIONS

What about Aaron? Claire was supposed to raise him. MUST NOT be raised by anyone else! What about Walt? His special gift? Early on in the show Walt & Aaron both seemed to be very important??

During Ben's spinal surgery, that Other dude (Danny) said Shephard wasn't even on Jacob's list. Was that because although he was a candidate, he didn't make the final cut? Or because that list really wasn't Jacob's list... it was Ben's?

Karl being mentally tortured. 'God loves you as He loved Jacob' on one of the flashing screens.