I've figured out the flash-sidways (spoilers up to Dr Linus)

[Hunter X]

The producers have said that they're not an alternate universe. And in this theory, they're not. The producers have pulled a fast one on us. After denying all that time that the Island wasn't purgatory, they still snuck it in there. The flash-sidways are purgatory.

I realized it with tonight's episode, when Dr. Linus chose to "save" Alex over gaining power by taking the principal's job.

The flash-sideways show us where the characters are going to end up in the battle between good and evil. In each alternate scenario, they're faced with a choice that's symbolic of a choice they've already made in their lives, and have a chance to do better.

Kate feels like she took Aaron and left Claire behind on the Island, so she's gone back to the Island to look for her. In her flash-sidways, she leaves Claire behind on the side of the road, but goes back to her and they make friends and everything turns out okay. Kate coming back will eventually save Claire on the Island as well (where she'll be airlifted off the Island by helicoper, right Desmond?)

Locke continually chases his need to be greater in life, to go on his walkabout, to have a destiny, to be special. Alternate Locke eventually comes to accept his position in life and starts this with his substitute job. What this means, exactly, I'm not sure of because Island Locke is dead.

Jack has a broken relationship with his father, one he struggles with all his life. In his flash-sideways, he has a breakthrough with his son and begins to form an actual relationship with him, perhaps redeeming the string of broken relationships in his life (father, wife, Kate, etc). He made the right choice, he will stay on team Jacob.

Sayid is a killer who tries to reject this way of life. In his flash-sidways, he makes the choice to kill again. It's always for what he would think is a good reason at the time, but the cycle isn't broken. He ends up on team Man in Black.

And now Ben was once faced with the choice of letting Alex die or keeping the Island. He chooses the Island and his daughter dies. In his flash-sideways, he chooses Alex's future over the power of the principal's job, keeping her future alive. He redeems his first choice and joins team Jacob.

Whatever moral or relationtional choice a character makes in the flash-sidways, it reflects their ultimate fate on the Island and whether they're on the side of light or dark.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

Hmm interesting I just hope it's not actually purgatory though, but good comparisons. These alt timelines remind me of that Angel episode where Gunn us trapped n a Hell dimension of a suburban life, as a form of redemption for letting Fred die

 

[RoJoHen]

My brother's theory is that the writers are trolling us, so they're giving us this weird alternate universe just because they know it'll piss us off.

 

[gh4chiefs]

My brother's theory is that the writers are trolling us, so they're giving us this weird alternate universe just because they know it'll piss us off.

That's actually the best theory yet.

 

[Chess Piece Face]

Just because you are describing what happens in each flash, it doesn't mean that the island is purgatory in any way. I don't see the correlation. Yes, each person is making better choices, how does that make the island purgatory? I guarantee it's not.

 

[Chess Piece Face]

Or make the flashes purgatory? it doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Mr Awe]

Nah, don't think it's purgatory. I fall in the camp who thinks that the characters on the island will somehow choose to merge with that reality. The flashsideways show how the characters would be without the manipulations of the island forces (which really symbolize the manipulations of any person who pretends to know more, be more spiritual, etc.).

All of the flash sideways focus on the ways, large and small, that the characters have created meaning in their lives, often by looking after and taking care of others. They do this without having to follow some manipulator type person/power/entity. You don't need that to live a meaningful life, you can do that by yourself. You just have to figure out what is important and then nurture that.

Mr Awe

 

[propita]

I think it's in some way a test of their character--when it comes down to it, are they good or evil?

Jack put aside his own Daddy issues to clear things with his son--good

Kate put aside her running to help Claire and Aaron--good, though it took her awhile to figure it out

Ben put aside his love/quest for power to help Alex get into Yale--good

Hurley is Hurley--good

Locke seems to have put aside his anger, but still encouraged Ben to seek power--split

Sayid killed to save his brother and family, but rationalized it and killed Keamy--split

Claire loves her son Aaron, but on the island is lost to evil--split?

Charlie was the same (self-destructive) and sought death--but he was good when he died so that's kinda settled

Not sure of Sawyer or Jin/Sun, but looks like we'll be getting news on them soon

If the two realities actually merge, maybe they're each given the choice of which one to be in.

 

[coolghoul]

I am now almost certain that what we are seeing in the flash-sideways is the future that will come to pass after the events of the series finale.

i.e. once the series finale ends - with whatever big climax, the resulting reality that will occur is what we've already been seeing in the flash-sideways. This way, we are actually getting "closure" on what will happen to each of the character that we love.

I think this because, the flash-sideways while not showing a perfect universe actually see most of our characters eventually end up with good/reasonable things that will happen to them. Jack is becoming a good parent. Kate will stop running (well-she did that in a way turning back to save Claire, tho' she's still on the run). Ben will stop manipulating for selfish ends but instead do a good deed and so on...

So what we are seeing is how things eventually will end up for our Losties. Yes, Rose will probably die of cancer but she still had a good life etc. etc.

At least that's my current theory.

I formed it a few eps back but was not sure since another theory I had was that the flash-sideways is now the true-timeline in the rest of the world outside the island. And somehow 3-years after the Oceanic flight, all these flash-sideways versions of the characters would be coming to the island (Jacob mentions somebody's coming to the island - and I thought it would be a character from the flash-sideways universe (of course, 3 years later than the time of the Oceanic flight) and meet their alternate island selves.

 

[Hunter X]

Or make the flashes purgatory? it doesn't make sense to me.

It's not necessarily a literal purgatory, as in the characters have died on the Island and now they're being judged for heaven or whatever.

But I do think that it's a testing ground that will determine where the characters will end up on the Island. Jack wanted to set off Jughead to reset all of their lives. Most of all, he selfishly wanted to give himself another chance at Kate. In other words, a do-over to get redemption this time. And that's exactly what he's done. All of the characters are getting to make the decisions they made on the Island again, albeit in more mundane, real world scenarios. If they choose right and break the cycle of bad decisions, i.e. Ben, they have a chance at redemption. If they don't, i.e. Sayid, they fall to Locke's side.

Sure, the writers could just be using the flash-sideways as a symbolic parallel to the characters' Island lives, and it will turn out to be something else in the literal sense (like their futures). But for now, I think I'll hold onto my theory that it's also a literal testing ground for their souls...somehow.

 

[RoJoHen]

Ooh...maybe...just maybe...the flash-sideways are actually somehow Jacob's/Smokey's way of judging the Losties. Not a purgatory per se, but a way to see how they would respond in certain situations to determine their future role on the Island.

 

[Hunter X]

^Exactly what I'm trying to say. Just better and more concise.

A sort of purgatory, as it's a judgment ground for their souls, but not quite the Catholic idea of it, where they died to get to it and are now being purified for heaven.

 

[Jenee]

I don't think the flashsideways are anything more than a storytelling tool. It's just a 'what could have been'.

 

[RoJoHen]

I don't think the flashsideways are anything more than a storytelling tool. It's just a 'what could have been'.

And if that turns out to be true, I will be royally pissed.

 

[Mr Awe]

I think it's in some way a test of their character--when it comes down to it, are they good or evil?

I suspect that's it's not a test of good an evil. It's a test of whether they can discover what is important to them, discover how they can make a difference, and then nurture that.

The alternative is to adopt someone else's agenda, assume it's good, but in reality you're just being mislead and used.

So, the test? Are you being true to yourself or manipulated for someone else's benefit.

And, yes, I think that collectively the group will decide to be true themselves and somehow merge with the alternate timeline that is untainted by outside manipulation.

Mr Awe

 

[Checkmate]

I'm not sure where people are getting the "it's not an alternate reality" comments from. I haven't read those first hand from anyone on the show myself. I have read that the alternate reality is the writer's demonstration of why fucking around with the timeline is a bad thing; how such selfish reasons affect more than just those responsible for the changes.

It may not be a "real" reality, but that doesn't change the latter point at all.

 

[Jenee]

I don't think the flashsideways are anything more than a storytelling tool. It's just a 'what could have been'.

And if that turns out to be true, I will be royally pissed.

Really? I hadn't given them that much thought.

 

[RoJoHen]

I give them thought only because these are the writers of Lost we're talking about. Nothing they have done has been meaningless. The flashbacks and flashforwards of previous seasons have always been, in some way, relevant to the present-day story on the Island.

If the flashsideways are just "what-if" scenarios with no real connection to the Island story, then that's really lame.

 

[label]

If the flashsideways are just "what-if" scenarios with no real connection to the Island story, then that's really lame.

You've got nothing to worry about;

http://spoilerslost.blogspot.com/2010/03/lost-producers-say-flash-sideways-are.html

The flash sideways are connected to the island storyline.

And how does that reason relate to the "sideways" world, the alternate universe in which Oceanic 815 landed safely in Los Angeles? We've seen some things have changed significantly there (um, Jack has a son), while for others, salient details remain the same (Locke is still in a wheelchair, even though he also appears to be on speaking terms with the man who we know to have put him there). So who's David's mother and how was Locke paralyzed in this universe? "These are all the right questions," producer Edward Kitsis says. "Those questions that you're picking up on are things that when we made those episodes, we very consciously wanted you to wonder about that," adds producer Adam Horowitz.

While many fans have griped that the sideways story lines have been an unnecessary distraction this season, Lindelof emphasizes that they're very important. "People are saying [they] don't need these stories and all we can say is they're absolutely 100 percent necessary to tell the story of Lost, and hopefully by the end of the season it will be more obvious as to why," he said.

Personally, I think the Sideways stories will merge back into the island story at some point. My guess is they'll start remembering somehow or someone will tell them, they'll get on Ajira 316 and that will merge the two storylines.

This is mostly because I really don't like the idea of them showing us the ending that doesn't involve them being on the island.

 

[Starbreaker]

I'm not sure where people are getting the "it's not an alternate reality" comments from.

Damon and Carlton have said the timelines are going to merge and that neither one is an "alternate". You can check out DarkUFO. There's at least a Q&A a week with them.