Flashbacks vs. Flashforwards
−1 7 Votes
Rate it:
By Obscure
- Flashbacks vs. Flashforwards
- Created: Apr 6, 2008
- Last updated: Aug 14, 2008
- After episode: 4.8: Meet Kevin Johnson
- Status: Current
- Flag this theory:
I wonder whether it is really a straightforward flash-forward or whether something more complicated is going on in terms of narrative time
— Obscure
In these scenes, which are strategically placed in juxtaposition with Jack attempting to get off the island via the helicopter and after Desmond’s premonitions regarding Claire and Aaron being lifted into a helicopter, the writers appear to be leading us to believe we are seeing a flashforward- to a time after the anticipated rescue.
But also, I believe,the writers try to confuse us here about what time we’re in- logically we assume this scene is the effect of the cause (rescue) but suppose this scene happens, chronologically, before the pilot episode? Suppose it’s actually a flashback instead? That would explain why Christian appears to be alive in the flash-forwards.
Perhaps Jack and the Losties did land on the island and some (including Jack) were rescued as the oceanic six but then Jack tried to get back, tried to crash again, and somehow managed it (maybe even more than once) and attempted to change events on the island. Maybe our pilot episode was really Jack landing on the island, not for the first time, but again, but with no memory of a previous time or times. Perhaps time plays in a loop a bit like Groundhog day? Perhaps this is why Jack has now lost the plot, unshaven and addicted to sleeping pills because he’s trapped in a perpetual cycle of crash-rescue-crash-rescue. Perhaps after this flash-forward his father dies then he manages to get back on the island, this time with his father’s coffin.
So our flash-forwards are flash-forwards in this narrative chronology but at the same time are flashbacks.
Or maybe the writers are just trying to confuse our sense of time.
I haven’t worked out how this is possible with some characters being dead and I’m sure you can come up with other evidence to debunk it.
Key characters
| Short Name | Full Name | Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Christian | Dr. Christian Shephard | 338 |
Key episodes
| # | Title | Aired | Central character | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.22 | Through The Looking Glass | 5-23-2007 | Jack | 1252 |
Key events
| Theme | Relevant Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|
| Oceanic Flight 815 crashes | 1.1 | 586 |
interesting thought
i think the writers played dirty tricks on us by having jack refer to his father in his flashforward and sun refer to jin in her’s as if they are both alive.
I agree, and posted a theory a while back, where my basic premise is that even the flashforwards are in the past for the person narrating the story. here’s the link, check it out if you get the time.
http://lost-theories.com/theories/2007/jul/22/timeframe-island/
p.s. I like your theory. +1
okay….so le & osscure….I am with ya….but answer 3 questions for me(in your opinion). As we are watching a new episode….when is now? when is the past? When is the future? Are island scenes NOW? Are you sure?
Blonde:
The Present = some time beyond the end of the series
The past = the flashbacks, the time on the island, and the flashforwards
The Future = that’s harder, b/c Flashforwards are the future for the Losties while they are on the island, but not in the larger time construct.
The best analogy that I can think of is that someone is telling us the story of lost. That person, has to be somewhere beyond what we are seeing. That is how I justify the flashforwards. If you have ever read “The Sound and the Fury” Fulkner jumps around from two or three different time lines to tell the story. Then at the end you find out what the present was. That explains the time travel for me.
I forgot to mention that I got the impression the Others were expecting 815 to crash,they weren’t surprised. As if it happens repeatedly. I wonder whether they are building the runway in order to, eventually, allow the plane to land safely and save lives. In this way they are the ‘good guys’, as Ben says.
Blonde,my belief would be the time we have seen on the island is one narrative time line in chronological order but this is just one of the times Jack has been on the island,and it is not his first crash. Perhaps this is why he falls fairly safely-because he is getting practiced at it? The flashbacks to before the flight are distant past and the flashforwards are really flashbacks to a time before Jack crashes in the pilot episode.
The producers have apparently said they are somewhere on a space time continuum, and this fits with that. Also, they have said characters who time travel can not change anything we have yet seen or will see, so although Jack and other characters may be going back and changing things every time we are not being shown those times, only the one time on the island. I think the show finale could end with them landing safely on the runway or something similarly circular in structure.
Lockeko, I read your theory and added a comment. I hope something like you are suggesting will happen.
Blonde, tense is complicated in film and tv. We all understand flashback conventions as being similar to a literary past tense but all visual shots are a kind of present tense as the camera is there as the action takes place. So I suppose I’m less interested in what is present (the last scenes will show what the most present action is, I’m guessing) and more interested in the chronology of events in real time. We won’t know the exact chronology of events until the end, which is one thing that keeps me watching. The writers are playing with my need to make sense of what I’m being shown and that’s what keeps me tuning in!
Obscure, welcome to the site! Your theory is interesting and well written, however I’m on the other side. I believe what the writers have told us, that the flashforwards, while not in chronological order, are real. They are pushing the story forward, while not neglecting the island story and I believe the finale will be on the island. Just my opinion on that one!
Also, respectfully, how can one practice landing safely from an plane crash?? Just wanted to know. :)
lockeko & obscure….I thoroughly enjoyed your comments. Thanks for your insight. So are you both in agreement that “the future” would then be considered anything past the last (in time period, not in order) scene taped throughout the series?
HAHAHA
You’re looking at now.
Everything that happens now is happening now.
What happened to then?
We passed it.
When?
Just now.
We’re at now-now.
Go back to then.
When?
Now.
I can’t.
Why?
We missed it.
When?
Just now.
When will then be now?
Soon.
-I HAD to do it!! Sorry for stepping on your post, but this reminded me of one of my favorite movies!
Hi Annie…Your reaction to Obscures theory was mine initially so I wanted to address it for you how I process it. Obviously no one would board a flight if they knew it was inevitably going to crash, but if you are just “going through the motions” (knowing safety is on the other end and that you have no other choice) it becomes your reality. In the pilot you notice a clear case of nerves and dread in all our losties. In rewatching the pilot we are given every reason to believe the losties know what they are in for. Jacks conversation with Cindy is a prime example. So…..you don’t have to practice it…you just relive it. My best analogy is childbirth. It is the most miserable few hours a human can experience. We experience fear, pain, emotional upset, & it is dangerous. However we continue to do it over & over again because fate tells us we must. It is pure hell, but without it we can not travel on our proper course. The irony is that we do it all over again. Why? Because the outcome out ways the short-term pain. Because we can’t out-smart fate. Because it is our reality
http://youtube.com/watch?v=lrirQ75PCF8
Thanks for the reply obscure, and Blonde, yes, what I propose is that the future is sometime beyond the final scene.
I think there is one continuous timeline, with no time-looping. There is a very easy way to distinguish flashback from flashforward…the WOOOSH sound. There is no WOOSH sound when they show a flashforward. I think the Ji Yeon episode was shown in the manner that it was to not only be a clever plot trick but also to destinctly separate flashback from flashforward.
obscure you would do well to listen to the replies from the other users, they know what they are talking about, you clearly don’t.
try and listen to the odd podcast to learn something.
keep that therapy going.