I think I figured out the parallel plot lines in LOST

February 4, 2010 By Kyle 13 Comments

So I was thinking about LOST today and probably like you, I’ve been wondering why the dual plot lines. One moment, Jack and crew are still on the island. On another, he’s landed safe in LAX. But why? Here’s my conclusion so far.

In the end, they will go back in time, blow up the shaft again, and the show will end with Jack and the crew landing in LAX. As to the reason why Jack had vague recognition to the other passengers has to do something with him being the hero. At some point, he will have to lead the way and separate himself from the rest resulting in them living a normal life and Jack having recollection.

There. It may be right. It may be wrong. What do you think? (comment below)

Filed Under: Misc Tagged With: lost, season 6

About Kyle

VP of Marketing for Halogen TV, Executive Director of Help-Portrait, 68 Mustang owner, digital marketing enthusiast, blogger, runner, dad & husband to @kristychowning

http://intensedebate.com/people/chownage Chownage

Interesting. Just read this on another site. it's a quote from the producers of LOST:

"…season 6 is not about time travel. It’s about the implications, the aftermath, and the causality of trying to change the past." – http://bit.ly/cV5N6s

http://www.kenedik.com Jeremy

This is basically what I was going to write. The season shows the implications of changing the past etc… We'll see what happens either way I think.

http://www.deppischfoto.com Michael Deppisch

I, for one, will be rather upset if the series ends the same way which was outlined in this first episode. I know your average American TV viewer doesn't get that deep into the Lost world to give two craps about the ending; but the small demographic of rabid Lost fans, theorists, apologists and theologians won't settle for an ending which is logical, easily digestible or accompanied by quality CG. No, sir. They'll need to be fed a supremely clever, logic-twisting, facepalm-inducing ending that has the Lost Wiki pages buzzing for weeks afterward.

I personally think the Fringe world will overlap with the Lost world and the mysteries of the entire series will be summed up in a tidy 42 minute package. Or maybe it was all just Hurley's dream. We'll see.
http://twitter.com/FunnyMelton @FunnyMelton

I think that you are close. I agree that the parallel plot line is the ending. That some how they are revealing what will happen. I don't know about re-blowing up the hatch/shaft. There is no conclusion to the island that way. I think they have to "complete" their purpose on the island, and then the island will send them back to before they ever crashed. And they will leave us with no one knowing anyone… so sad.
Shirley and Carl

We have been thinking about the 2 story lines and, like you, have concluded that they will have to go back to the island. Here are the reasons we think this:

Jack's father's body is missing at LAX, if they really blew up the shaft and changed what happened, he would be on the plane. Desmond was on the plane, and he should not have been because he was on the island before the crash. You will also remember that by the end of the episode, Desmond did not appear to still be on the plane. We believe Jacob is now occupying Jack's father's body. It makes no sense that they will go back to LA under the current circumstances. Nobody's life is any good in LA. They have to go back to the island to save themselves, both literally and figuratively. They will have to go back and defeat the man in black in order to redeem themselves and change their life outside the island. The whole story seems to be a version of the story of Job.

http://twitter.com/cjstevens Carter

I disagree:

1. Any appearance of Christian (Jack's dad) on the Island has been the Black Smoke taking on his appearance, just as it did for Alex (Ben's daughter), and Locke.

2. Boone's life appears to be better, because he doesn't have the burden of taking care of Shannon. Hurley's life is definitely better, because he is now "The luckiest guy in the world." Locke went on his walkabout (and there is a foreshadowing of Jack fixing him) , and Sayid is going to find Nadya.

3. Now to Desmond: He was on the plane because he never entered the boat race around the world. He never entered the boat race around the world because Charles Widmore was not pushing Desmond to prove himself. Charles Widmore was not pushing Desmond because he was on the Island when the survivors detonated the hydrogen bomb, and died along with everyone else on the island. Because Widmore never leaves the Island, Penny is never born. Without Charles or Penny, Desmond's life is completely different, which is why it's feasible that he happened to be on the plane.

Just my two cents.

http://intensedebate.com/people/klreed189 Kyle Reed

More then I got…
I think you might be on to something.

http://intensedebate.com/people/chownage Chownage

I wish I could say I knew all that much, but I don't. Just ask my wife.

Stephanie

I'm just glad you're watching and enjoying LOST! It's a great show!
http://twitter.com/cjstevens Carter

I have something to add in regards to the infinite loop aspect of the time travel. In Jacob's conversation with the Black Smoke (the man in the black shirt on the beach) in 'The Incident Part One', he says something that helped me come to the conclusion that the importance of an infinite time loop is not as great as it once had seemed. When the Black Smoke says, "It always ends the same," Jacob responds with "It only ends once, everything that happens before is just progress." That line seems too important to be overlooked, in my opinion.
Jason

I expect the storyline to ultimately resemble something out of the Matrix trilogy… if only because of the Black Smoke's quote to Jacob: "It always ends the same."
It will turn out that this is the hundredth time or so that this whole scenario has played out… but only this group of candidates will somehow be special.
In the Matrix trilogy, Neo was the sixth or seventh "systemic anomaly" to threaten the machines' existence. Before him, it had always played out the same way… always ending the same way… just to be played out again in a loop… until Neo came along and finally got it right.
Book it.
kat

If the candidates are hooked up to virtual reality, they could take any path!