As Lock came in close proximity with his other self (leg repair) could it be that at some point the island losties will come face to face with their other sideways selves and face some sort of choice?? ...perhaps...either stay off island and in some way helplessly destroy their sideselves, or return to the island (go down with the island) and save their sideselves...does that make any sense??

...I am currently of the opinion (especially since Darlton are so insistent that neither reality is the "real" one and stop using the the term "alt" timeline/reality) that the events in the sideverse and Islandverse are part of the SAME timeline/reality!

I know that sounds crazy; how could that be with the island sunk? ...I fix this with the "time" on island being offset from real time. At some point close to the finale they will jump back to the island (by choice) and die with the island underwater. Its the only way to end the loop...Just my wild idea of the moment :p

Whatcha think??

As Lock came in close proximity with his other self (leg repair) could it be that at some point the island losties will come face to face with their other sideways selves and face some sort of choice?? ...perhaps...either stay off island and in some way helplessly destroy their sideselves, or return to the island (go down with the island) and save their sideselves...does that make any sense??

...I am currently of the opinion (especially since Darlton are so insistent that neither reality is the "real" one and stop using the the term "alt" timeline/reality) that the events in the sideverse and Islandverse are part of the SAME timeline/reality!

I know that sounds crazy; how could that be with the island sunk? ...I fix this with the "time" on island being offset from real time. At some point close to the finale they will jump back to the island (by choice) and die with the island underwater. Its the only way to end the loop...Just my wild idea of the moment :p

Whatcha think??

Damon did not say that neither of the timelines was real. Scroll down to my post and you can read what they said.
http://forum.thefuselage.com/showthread.php?t=122063&page=8

And I agree, it's the same timeline. Just future events running concurrently (sideways) with the on island timeline.

What I meant is that neither is "alternate" ...glad you like the theory :)

Go down with the ship/island! :D

What I meant is that neither is "alternate" ...glad you like the theory :)

Go down with the ship/island! :D

I agree that it's one timeline, but, no, not with the theory. :) I don't think there is any offset time or jumping back to the island. I believe the term "flashsideways" describes a literary device, similar to the literary devices of flashbacks and flashforwards that have already been used to tell much of the LOST story in the first few seasons. In those flashbacks, no one literally flashbacked - we just saw what happened to them before they came to the island. Same thing for those flashforwards - no one literally flashed forward. We were just being shown what happened in some of their futures. I believe we're seeing in the flashsideways what happens to our Losties and others when they finally are reset and off the island at the end of this season, but we're seeing the events concurrently, sideways, with the on island timeline. Think of it as a bonus season 7. We get to know what happens to our Losties and others instead of being left hanging and guessing.

..perhaps...either stay off island and in some way helplessly destroy their sideselves, or return to the island (go down with the island) and save their sideselves...does that make any sense??
If the Island has already sunk when the NON-CRASH passengers flew over it, how can they return to it? They would somehow have to travel over to the other universe where the ORIG.CRASH Losties currently are.

...I am currently of the opinion (especially since Darlton are so insistent that neither reality is the "real" one and stop using the the term "alt" timeline/reality) that the events in the sideverse and Island verse are part of the SAME timeline/reality!
I think their adversity to the word "alternate" is the connotation of it being "either or" when it's really both. Two real "whatevers", that we should be invested in equally and realize that they are both actually happening.

Around the time of FBYE, TPTB spoke about avoiding any type of event or time travel where someone's actions could wipe out everything we have seen. I'm pretty sure that's still the message.

I know that sounds crazy; how could that be with the island sunk? ...I fix this with the "time" on island being offset from real time. At some point close to the finale they will jump back to the island (by choice) and die with the island underwater. Its the only way to end the loop...Just my wild idea of the moment [/quote]

Damon did not say that neither of the timelines was real. Scroll down to my post and you can read what they said.
http://forum.thefuselage.com/showthread.php?t=122063&page=8Podcast - 2/3/10 - audio
Thanks for the link, I have cut out a bit of the Darlton banter to make it a quicker read. The follow is what TPTB said about the Flash-sideways before the season started. Are pod-casts always considered spoilers?
Flash-sideways

....Carlton, will you definitively now answer, please, the mystery of the flash-sideways? We can’t, it’s unfair to make people wait another week to find out any more.

Carlton: That is true. Ok, so, we have two distinct timelines, that are, that we are showing you on the show. One timeline seems to be derived from a theory that when the bomb went off exactly what Faraday was postulating occurred. There was a reset and basically 815 flew over what was once the island, landed in L.A., and these people never experienced the crash, never met each other by crashing on the plane and there’s a timeline going forward.

The other timeline, obviously, is on the island. Juliet hit the bomb, it basically jumped them, you know, forward in time, but they’re still stuck on the island, and they’re dealing with the consequences of the fact that they’re still marooned there.

.....basically, the narrative in these so called flash-sideways seems to be different than the narrative in the flashbacks.

Damon: Right, ...and just one clarification, I think a lot of people are referring to these things as an alternate timelines. And we are, we want to go out of our way to basically not use that word. We’re not interested in alternate anything - alternate realities, alternate timelines.

Damon: To basically imply that one of these timelines, that either the island or off the island, is less than real is, is just borderline offensive to me, Carlton. They are both equally real, and hopefully will reconcile in some way.

Carlton: So explain to me, what exactly are these differences?

Damon: So here’s the thing, Faraday basically said if you blow up this bomb the hatch never gets built, of the hatch never gets built Desmond never forgets to push the button, and if Desmond never forgets to push the button then there’s not an electro magnetic event that crashes 815. What he doesn’t take into account is that as a result of detonating a nuclear device in 1977 that might create some other changes in peoples’ lives. If you step on a butterfly and there are like massive changes, imagine what would happen if you were to detonate a nuclear bomb, on top of a butterfly.

Damon: And all we can say is this - you think that not that many things have changed but a lot more things have changed than you probably think. And that’s going to be the exploration of the season.

Carlton: But the characters are essentially the same. I mean, Kate’s still a fugitive, Hurley’s still a lottery winner, Jack’s still a doctor. I mean, the archetype of the characters haven’t altered have they?

Damon: Right. But it’s a nature vs nurture thing where you basically say Hurley’s a lottery winner but this time around he thinks he’s the luckiest guy in the world. So you basically say, he’s still the same guy but what series of events have led him to believe he’s lucky.

If the Island has already sunk when the NON-CRASH passengers flew over it, how can they return to it? They would somehow have to travel over to the other universe where the ORIG.CRASH Losties currently are.


I think their adversity to the word "alternate" is the connotation of it being "either or" when it's really both. Two real "whatevers", that we should be invested in equally and realize that they are both actually happening.

Around the time of FBYE, TPTB spoke about avoiding any type of event or time travel where someone's actions could wipe out everything we have seen. I'm pretty sure that's still the message.

I know that sounds crazy; how could that be with the island sunk? ...I fix this with the "time" on island being offset from real time. At some point close to the finale they will jump back to the island (by choice) and die with the island underwater. Its the only way to end the loop...Just my wild idea of the moment


Thanks for the link, I have cut out a bit of the Darlton banter to make it a quicker read. The follow is what TPTB said about the Flash-sideways before the season started. Are pod-casts always considered spoilers?
Flash-sideways

....Carlton, will you definitively now answer, please, the mystery of the flash-sideways? We can’t, it’s unfair to make people wait another week to find out any more.

Carlton: That is true. Ok, so, we have two distinct timelines, that are, that we are showing you on the show. One timeline seems to be derived from a theory that when the bomb went off exactly what Faraday was postulating occurred. There was a reset and basically 815 flew over what was once the island, landed in L.A., and these people never experienced the crash, never met each other by crashing on the plane and there’s a timeline going forward.

The other timeline, obviously, is on the island. Juliet hit the bomb, it basically jumped them, you know, forward in time, but they’re still stuck on the island, and they’re dealing with the consequences of the fact that they’re still marooned there.

.....basically, the narrative in these so called flash-sideways seems to be different than the narrative in the flashbacks.

Damon: Right, ...and just one clarification, I think a lot of people are referring to these things as an alternate timelines. And we are, we want to go out of our way to basically not use that word. We’re not interested in alternate anything - alternate realities, alternate timelines.

Damon: To basically imply that one of these timelines, that either the island or off the island, is less than real is, is just borderline offensive to me, Carlton. They are both equally real, and hopefully will reconcile in some way.

Carlton: So explain to me, what exactly are these differences?

Damon: So here’s the thing, Faraday basically said if you blow up this bomb the hatch never gets built, of the hatch never gets built Desmond never forgets to push the button, and if Desmond never forgets to push the button then there’s not an electro magnetic event that crashes 815. What he doesn’t take into account is that as a result of detonating a nuclear device in 1977 that might create some other changes in peoples’ lives. If you step on a butterfly and there are like massive changes, imagine what would happen if you were to detonate a nuclear bomb, on top of a butterfly.

Damon: And all we can say is this - you think that not that many things have changed but a lot more things have changed than you probably think. And that’s going to be the exploration of the season.

Carlton: But the characters are essentially the same. I mean, Kate’s still a fugitive, Hurley’s still a lottery winner, Jack’s still a doctor. I mean, the archetype of the characters haven’t altered have they?

Damon: Right. But it’s a nature vs nurture thing where you basically say Hurley’s a lottery winner but this time around he thinks he’s the luckiest guy in the world. So you basically say, he’s still the same guy but what series of events have led him to believe he’s lucky.

[/quote]

But let's hope the whole season 6 is not intended as a remake of "The Butterfly Effect". Been there, done that. We get the idea, TPTB, change the past you affect the future in ways you can't imagine .... Surely there must be more to the concept behind the last season of Lost than that. I think (and hope!) the reveal in the finale will be more dramatic than that!

^^ You're not alone in your hoping. I think the ALT is being set up story-wise to play an important role with what is currently happening on the Island and in concluding the one overall story.