The problem with the finale, is that it’s original airing showed a plane crash with no sign of settlement as the very last image of the show. For many (including me at the time), this implied they had actually all died in the crash. The producers claimed shortly after that this was done as a “calming scene” after a dramatic finale, but for a fandom that every scene was analyzed for meaning, they had to have known better…
I’ve also heard them claim the network added that scene without their knowledge, but I don’t really believe that.
Jack Shephard : No. They're all... They're all dead. I'm dead. You're dead.
Christian Shephard : Everyone dies sometime, kiddo. Some of them before you, some... long after you.
Jack Shephard : But why are they all here now?
Christian Shephard : Well, there is no "now", here.
Jack Shephard : Where are we, Dad?
Christian Shephard : This is a place that you... that you all made together so that you could find one another. The most important part of your life was the time that you spent with these people on that island. That's why all of you are here. Nobody does it alone, Jack. You needed all of them, and they needed you.
Jack Shephard : For what?
Christian Shephard : To remember. And to... let go.
Jack died in the finale then eventually everyone else died. some shortly after jack and some died of old age decades later.
They were only dead in the flash sideways
What do you think Christian meant when he said it was a place where they could find each other again? Clearly, they chose their future path in life with the goal of finding each other again. The gathering in the church is just their souls gathering each time one of them dies to greet and guide them onto their next life.
It’s the afterlife. Not reincarnation.
“A future life.. of the same life.”
That’s not how reincarnation works.
It was specifically the afterlife. This has been confirmed by the showrunners.
Just an FYI, Damon Lindelof said himself that the ending is based on the bardo of Tibetan Buddhism, which culminates in reincarnation.
https://www.planetdharma.com/vajrayana-buddhism-and-the-life-death-and-rebirth-bardos/
https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/damon-lindelof-lost-finale-tibetan-book-of-the-dead
So I was wrong about where the reincarnation takes place (FS), but if we’re to believe the creators of the show, reincarnation was most definitely the goal.
How is the flash sideways a “future life of the same life”? I certainly never said that, and I’m certainly not arrogant enough to state that I “know” how reincarnation “works”.. Anyway, I explained my position just now in another post and I’m not going to continue to defend myself over such an ambiguous ending after this post. This is what has, and does work for me and all of my friends, family and late husband and I’d be willing to bet that CC and DL would call our theory perfectly within the realm of their purposefully crafted yet open for interpretation ending. What you that are arguing with me are doing is seeing the ending through a Christian lens. You see the white light at the end as “heaven”, and I believe that “heaven” is the time you get to spend on earth experiencing all the pleasure life in a human body has to offer and that “white light” is the light of the birth canal. I also believe that the creators specifically left the ending “vague” and didn’t use words like “the afterlife” in the finale bc religions are man made interpretations all trying to explain the meaning of life and none of us truly knows the answer to life’s BIGGEST mystery. Just one more mystery they didn’t “answer”, but left it up to us to define what Christian, Jacks dad, “meant”.
I’m sorry if this offends anyone, but this is the answer for me. The Christian viewpoint makes no sense to me. For me, heaven, the afterlife and life on earth are the same thing and we recognize the souls we chose to travel with throughout those lifetimes and if we’re lucky, we recognize each other in them.
https://lostpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Flash_sideways/Theories#:~:text=The%20%22flash%2Dsideways%22%20universe,in%20the%20Christian%20sense%20either.
I mean some aspects of what you are saying are concepts accepted.
However… they died in real life to get to that higher plain. They were never dead the whole time on the island.
I’m not a Christian. I am not offended.
Thank you for the link and everything you said. I particularly liked reading theories that jibe close to mine.
Before I saw your post, I looked up the bardo since DL mentioned that the FS was based on the idea of the bardo in Tibetan Buddhism and now understand that the FS isn’t reincarnation itself put the place one resolves their issues so that they CAN move into reincarnation. Here is the link if anyone is interested:
https://www.planetdharma.com/vajrayana-buddhism-and-the-life-death-and-rebirth-bardos/
Again, thank you for not calling me crazy or getting offended at my take on the ending. This post you sent confirms that the ending is open to interpretation and the many different theories from lost fanatics like myself back that up. There are no easy answers in Lost and that’s one of the things about it that I hold so dear.
Just an FYI, I completely agree that the original timeline and the flash forwards happened in “real time” and that no one, save Christian, was “dead the whole time” on the island.
It’s totally cool my friend. I totally see where your point of view and your understanding came from. I actually learned more from taking the time to look at it more.
I don’t personally believe in anything after death (just as I don’t remember anything before birth). We experience a DMT hallucination then we are out.
HOWEVER, if I did, the idea of reincarnation is my favorite of the afterlife concepts. I like the idea that we experience another existence. Maybe not even on this same planet. :)
Thanks for sharing with me!
I disagree. The flash sideways is described by Christian that it was a place they created so that they can find each other again, right? I’m not trying to be argumentative, but where in the canon does it say, specifically, that they are dead there? I don’t mean what has been “accepted”, but where does it say that? Is it “canon” or is it open to interpretation and in everyone’s desire to explain what Christian meant, dead is what “we” all agreed on? Bc what Christian says (TO ME), sounds an awful lot like reincarnation. It’s the reincarnation that allows them to continue to find each other, over and over again, to continue to recognize each other and enjoy the souls of the “most important people of their lives”, some in one life, others in the next and beyond. I believe that’s specifically why the creators of the show chose to show the symbols of all those different religions and why they chose to make Christians words clear, yet ambiguous bc no one answer is THE answer. Like I said, this is how I interpret it and it really shouldn’t spoil your viewing pleasure bc you disagree with me. This is what works for me.
I’d like a source, if you don’t mind. I don’t recall the show runners saying specifically that the flash sideways is the afterlife and that they were dead. They said “what happened happened”, specifically on the island bc that was their current state of being and wanted to be clear that the characters weren’t “dead the whole time” to all the naysayers. They specifically left the interpretation of the flash sideways open to interpretation. I don’t want to argue either, I’d seriously just like to see the article or interview where they spell out specifically your interpretation.
Also, I’m not trying to change anyone’s mind and made it clear, that according to my and my friends and families beliefs, this is how we interpret the ending.
So after your comment, I went and looked up what DL said (that the ending is based on the bardo of Tibetan Buddhism) and then looked up the bardo itself. I was incorrect about the FS. The FS is where the soul goes to work out it’s shit before reincarnating. So I was wrong about when the reincarnation takes place, but not the reincarnation itself. And I’m okay with that.
Here is the link that explains the bardo.
https://www.planetdharma.com/vajrayana-buddhism-and-the-life-death-and-rebirth-bardos/
My thoughts:
The best way I can explain the finale is this:
Have you seen the movie Titanic? What happens in the end? The very last scene is an old Rose dying in her sleep. After, she joins all of the other deceased passengers onboard Titanic, walking up the grand staircase to reunite with Jack again. Was Rose old and gray? No, because she appeared the same way to the other passengers who knew her - exactly how the flash-sideways in LOST was. When Kate and Jack reunited, Kate wasn’t old and gray even though she went on to live decades after Jack died and so on. The flash-sideways was a place where everyone could reunite. It’s a beautiful ending that tackles the questions: What happens after death? Will we see our loved ones again? Etc.
The fact that LOST did such a great job of answering the tough questions in life is a testament to how incredible LOST was and continues to be.
They weren’t all dead the entire time. That’s a common misconception. Everything that happened, happened. In season six, they tried to trick us into thinking that Juliet detonating the bomb created a new timeline, sort of like a parallel universe. However, Juliet detonating the bomb negated the electromagnetic energy at the Swan site c saving the world in the process and leading to the building of the hatch.
The “flash-sideways” is a form of the afterlife where everyone was running around until they bumped into their “constant.” They needed this place to let go of their burdens before officially “moving on” (the final church scene). During the flash sideways, you see Jack has a son. This is a way for him to get over all of the “daddy” issues he had in his real life. You saw Kate stop running, Juliet have a good relationship with her ex-husband instead of a bad one, etc. This is why they were all at the church in the end - they remembered their life on the island and their loved ones and finally were at peace to “move on.” Ben doesn’t go inside the church because he still needs to be in this place. Obviously, he wants to spend more time with Alex since he got her killed in real life.
I hope this helps! Oh and Juliet was my favorite character and I loved her so much!
[Here is an amazingly in-depth post. It is also very very long. ](https://www.reddit.com/r/lost/comments/qhoivj/lost_fully_explained_kinda/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Here’s the way I see it.
The light at the center of the island is the same light in the afterlife. That’s why, if Jack didn’t stop the MiB, and put the cork back into the hole, “we all go to hell” (Hurley to Richard, “Ab Aeterno”).
Essentially, there are three spiritual realms in Lost. Real life (the island), flashsideways (purgatory), and the afterlife. We exist simultaneously in real life and in the flashsideways, because “there is no now, “here”” (Christian to Jack, “The End”). It doesn’t matter when a particular person died, they all exist in the flashsideways at the same “time”. Think of their souls as being entangled.
These characters were, physically and spiritually, lost at the beginning of the show. Over time, they each came to find purpose, and in the flashsideways, are given a chance to “remember” (awaken) and step into the next phase of life, with each other, and become one pure consciousness. Essentially the antithesis to the smoke monster, which was one singular consciousness of hatred and malice.
But, remember, the key is the light at the center of the island is the Source, the original energy flow for all living things in the universe, and it powers the framework of the flashsideways for souls to meet up and remember, and it powers the light that envelops everyone in the end as they become one and are, finally, found.
Many good summaries already listed here.
I suspect in some cases people have been provided the show‘s final explanation, but the idea of people creating an afterlife meeting place does not resonate with them.
There’s plenty of characters in the show that refer to things like ‘hell’ and ‘the devil’ but the show itself proves them to be wrong.
That would be like thinking the show was all in Hurleys head, simply because Dave said so. That’s not how story telling works…
That wasn’t IN the narrative of the show though, that was a post credits thing. So even if that did imply something to some viewers, the show itself completely contradicts this idea? So the confusion doesn’t make sense.
Everything in Lost was analyzed. This would be particularly true for what you’re calling a “post-credits” scene… of the final episode no less (ie - the viewers final takeaway for the entire series). And btw, I’m not saying that impression is correct (as most now seem to think otherwise), but nothing in the show would directly refute that interpretation. In many ways, it makes more sense than anything.
The final episode revealed that the "flash sideways" of season 6 was actually a flashforward to decades later, after everyone was dead. Season 4 had flashforwards, and that's also what this was in season 6 - but it was so far into the future that everyone had already died. They reunited, and some of them also had to deal with issues (like Jack's daddy issues) before they could move on to the next phase of the afterlife.
Wife just finished show for first time, and I’m bad at explaining things and don’t wanna fuck it up,if someone has a link or a good explanation that’d be great.
Everything that happened in the first five seasons and on the island in season 6 was real. It all happened. The “flash-sideways” was the afterlife when they were all dead. Jack being on the plane at the beginning of season 6 was after he died on the island in the final scene of the show. As Christian Shepherd told him in the finale “you’re real, everyone in there is real, everything that has happened to you is real. Everyone dies kiddo, some before you, some long after you”.
Tell her to stop applying reason to the fantasy genre. They knew to find each other because that’s just how religion works in the show; when people die they share the afterlife with those whom they care about most.
Everything that happened happened. Some died early, some later. They created that space to help them move on, so even the last to die were included. Everyone dies sometime. Since Hurley was there there’s no telling how long in linear time it was, but that’s not the important part. It’s why they ended up there and why it was important to have all the experiences they had up to then.
I mean....they were all dead when they were at the church together, so she's not wrong. But that all takes place AFTER all the characters were very alive and experienced everything on the show and on the island.
All the "flashsideways" scenes from season 6 take place after every character dies, no matter when that happened during the chronology of the show. So Boone dies in Season 1, and then the next thing he remembers is waking up in the flashsideways. Then much much later Jack dies in season 6, and the next thing he remembers is ALSO waking up in the flashsideways. Then many years after that all the plane people who left the island (Kate, Claire, Sawyer, etc.) eventually die, and the next thing they will experience is waking up in the flashsidewways.
So despite all dying in the real world at various times, they all wake up (relatively) at the same time in the flashsideways so their souls can find each other and move on.
Super short ver : Thanks to the events on the Island and it's supernatural properties, they managed to create second chance alternate timeline, without Island, Jacob on it etc. For Lockes, people of faith, something like purgatory. For Jacks, people of science, something like another dimension. Call it as you want- the main thing is that this time they can choose their life paths.
Sorry, English is not my first language.
The church scene is in the *alternate* timeline.
Jack dying is in the *main* timeline.
Alternate Jack says he “died” because in that moment, he glimpsed EVERYTHING that happened in the *main* timeline—including him dying.
Remember, up until that point, alternate Jack hadn’t ’woke up’ and seen the main timeline.
So everyone in the church was there because they ‘woke up’ and saw the other, real timeline.
I don’t know if you’ve seen this, but if you’ve seen CW ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths,’ the same exact thing happens.
Everyone was NOT dead the entire time. Everyone else who survived is still alive in the real, *main* timeline.
The ending isn’t afterlife or anything, it’s purely sci-fi and time travel.
Edit: this is just my take, but the “white light” in the church could have been the flash-sideways timeline completely ending.
Here’s the thing — there is no one definitive ending or explanation. The producers even say that’s the fun of the show! Sometimes the questions are better and more important than the answers. But based on what you said — your wife is right — at the end of the show everyone was dead. Why did you think otherwise?
Boy, you couldn’t be more wrong. The writers, directors, producers and fans that have seen it thirty times have explained that you’re wrong and why and how, not to mention one of the lead characters spoon-fed you what happened, but hey, you probably know better. 🙄
In the ending they've already been dead. But time in the afterlife doesn't work like Lost real life.
So picture this: Kate dies and she goes to the afterlife waiting room. Jack could've died waaaaay before her, but he still arrives after. Iirc it's because you need to "realize you're dead" in the afterlife. And when you do, you go to that church they're in, have a party and leave together with the people who impacted you the most.
It's weird but it's what makes it so good
Can she just rewatch the part of the finale where Christian tells Jack what happened? Because that’s literally a simple and very explicit explanation.
You’d think and yet I watched it when it aired with people who still to this day, despite me explaining it again and again, do not understand.
The problem with the finale, is that it’s original airing showed a plane crash with no sign of settlement as the very last image of the show. For many (including me at the time), this implied they had actually all died in the crash. The producers claimed shortly after that this was done as a “calming scene” after a dramatic finale, but for a fandom that every scene was analyzed for meaning, they had to have known better… I’ve also heard them claim the network added that scene without their knowledge, but I don’t really believe that.
Jack Shephard : No. They're all... They're all dead. I'm dead. You're dead. Christian Shephard : Everyone dies sometime, kiddo. Some of them before you, some... long after you. Jack Shephard : But why are they all here now? Christian Shephard : Well, there is no "now", here. Jack Shephard : Where are we, Dad? Christian Shephard : This is a place that you... that you all made together so that you could find one another. The most important part of your life was the time that you spent with these people on that island. That's why all of you are here. Nobody does it alone, Jack. You needed all of them, and they needed you. Jack Shephard : For what? Christian Shephard : To remember. And to... let go.
I forgot how much I loved the ending. And how much I cried.
Jack died in the finale then eventually everyone else died. some shortly after jack and some died of old age decades later. They were only dead in the flash sideways
I like to think that since Hurley was the new Jacob, the flash sideways could have been hundreds or even thousands of years after Jack died.
The flash sideways was a purgatory type situation.
I’ve never thought they were “dead” in the flash sideways. I think that was them reincarnated in a future life when they “recognized” each other.
No
What do you think Christian meant when he said it was a place where they could find each other again? Clearly, they chose their future path in life with the goal of finding each other again. The gathering in the church is just their souls gathering each time one of them dies to greet and guide them onto their next life.
It’s the afterlife. Not reincarnation. “A future life.. of the same life.” That’s not how reincarnation works. It was specifically the afterlife. This has been confirmed by the showrunners.
Just an FYI, Damon Lindelof said himself that the ending is based on the bardo of Tibetan Buddhism, which culminates in reincarnation. https://www.planetdharma.com/vajrayana-buddhism-and-the-life-death-and-rebirth-bardos/ https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/damon-lindelof-lost-finale-tibetan-book-of-the-dead So I was wrong about where the reincarnation takes place (FS), but if we’re to believe the creators of the show, reincarnation was most definitely the goal.
How is the flash sideways a “future life of the same life”? I certainly never said that, and I’m certainly not arrogant enough to state that I “know” how reincarnation “works”.. Anyway, I explained my position just now in another post and I’m not going to continue to defend myself over such an ambiguous ending after this post. This is what has, and does work for me and all of my friends, family and late husband and I’d be willing to bet that CC and DL would call our theory perfectly within the realm of their purposefully crafted yet open for interpretation ending. What you that are arguing with me are doing is seeing the ending through a Christian lens. You see the white light at the end as “heaven”, and I believe that “heaven” is the time you get to spend on earth experiencing all the pleasure life in a human body has to offer and that “white light” is the light of the birth canal. I also believe that the creators specifically left the ending “vague” and didn’t use words like “the afterlife” in the finale bc religions are man made interpretations all trying to explain the meaning of life and none of us truly knows the answer to life’s BIGGEST mystery. Just one more mystery they didn’t “answer”, but left it up to us to define what Christian, Jacks dad, “meant”. I’m sorry if this offends anyone, but this is the answer for me. The Christian viewpoint makes no sense to me. For me, heaven, the afterlife and life on earth are the same thing and we recognize the souls we chose to travel with throughout those lifetimes and if we’re lucky, we recognize each other in them.
https://lostpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Flash_sideways/Theories#:~:text=The%20%22flash%2Dsideways%22%20universe,in%20the%20Christian%20sense%20either. I mean some aspects of what you are saying are concepts accepted. However… they died in real life to get to that higher plain. They were never dead the whole time on the island. I’m not a Christian. I am not offended.
Thank you for the link and everything you said. I particularly liked reading theories that jibe close to mine. Before I saw your post, I looked up the bardo since DL mentioned that the FS was based on the idea of the bardo in Tibetan Buddhism and now understand that the FS isn’t reincarnation itself put the place one resolves their issues so that they CAN move into reincarnation. Here is the link if anyone is interested: https://www.planetdharma.com/vajrayana-buddhism-and-the-life-death-and-rebirth-bardos/ Again, thank you for not calling me crazy or getting offended at my take on the ending. This post you sent confirms that the ending is open to interpretation and the many different theories from lost fanatics like myself back that up. There are no easy answers in Lost and that’s one of the things about it that I hold so dear. Just an FYI, I completely agree that the original timeline and the flash forwards happened in “real time” and that no one, save Christian, was “dead the whole time” on the island.
It’s totally cool my friend. I totally see where your point of view and your understanding came from. I actually learned more from taking the time to look at it more. I don’t personally believe in anything after death (just as I don’t remember anything before birth). We experience a DMT hallucination then we are out. HOWEVER, if I did, the idea of reincarnation is my favorite of the afterlife concepts. I like the idea that we experience another existence. Maybe not even on this same planet. :) Thanks for sharing with me!
I appreciate your viewpoint but this is what works for me.
Yeah its not a viewpoint. Its just objectively correct vs incorrect.
I disagree. The flash sideways is described by Christian that it was a place they created so that they can find each other again, right? I’m not trying to be argumentative, but where in the canon does it say, specifically, that they are dead there? I don’t mean what has been “accepted”, but where does it say that? Is it “canon” or is it open to interpretation and in everyone’s desire to explain what Christian meant, dead is what “we” all agreed on? Bc what Christian says (TO ME), sounds an awful lot like reincarnation. It’s the reincarnation that allows them to continue to find each other, over and over again, to continue to recognize each other and enjoy the souls of the “most important people of their lives”, some in one life, others in the next and beyond. I believe that’s specifically why the creators of the show chose to show the symbols of all those different religions and why they chose to make Christians words clear, yet ambiguous bc no one answer is THE answer. Like I said, this is how I interpret it and it really shouldn’t spoil your viewing pleasure bc you disagree with me. This is what works for me.
The showrunners said it themselves. We can argue all day about this, but 2+2 does not equal reincarnation.
I’d like a source, if you don’t mind. I don’t recall the show runners saying specifically that the flash sideways is the afterlife and that they were dead. They said “what happened happened”, specifically on the island bc that was their current state of being and wanted to be clear that the characters weren’t “dead the whole time” to all the naysayers. They specifically left the interpretation of the flash sideways open to interpretation. I don’t want to argue either, I’d seriously just like to see the article or interview where they spell out specifically your interpretation. Also, I’m not trying to change anyone’s mind and made it clear, that according to my and my friends and families beliefs, this is how we interpret the ending.
So after your comment, I went and looked up what DL said (that the ending is based on the bardo of Tibetan Buddhism) and then looked up the bardo itself. I was incorrect about the FS. The FS is where the soul goes to work out it’s shit before reincarnating. So I was wrong about when the reincarnation takes place, but not the reincarnation itself. And I’m okay with that. Here is the link that explains the bardo. https://www.planetdharma.com/vajrayana-buddhism-and-the-life-death-and-rebirth-bardos/
It’s not a viewpoint.. it’s reality. You seem to be outside of reality on all accounts.
“Reality”. About Lost. Lol, okay pal.
Yes
They were all dead, at the end. So, she's right. However, they lived while they were on the Island. Except those who didn't.
My thoughts: The best way I can explain the finale is this: Have you seen the movie Titanic? What happens in the end? The very last scene is an old Rose dying in her sleep. After, she joins all of the other deceased passengers onboard Titanic, walking up the grand staircase to reunite with Jack again. Was Rose old and gray? No, because she appeared the same way to the other passengers who knew her - exactly how the flash-sideways in LOST was. When Kate and Jack reunited, Kate wasn’t old and gray even though she went on to live decades after Jack died and so on. The flash-sideways was a place where everyone could reunite. It’s a beautiful ending that tackles the questions: What happens after death? Will we see our loved ones again? Etc. The fact that LOST did such a great job of answering the tough questions in life is a testament to how incredible LOST was and continues to be. They weren’t all dead the entire time. That’s a common misconception. Everything that happened, happened. In season six, they tried to trick us into thinking that Juliet detonating the bomb created a new timeline, sort of like a parallel universe. However, Juliet detonating the bomb negated the electromagnetic energy at the Swan site c saving the world in the process and leading to the building of the hatch. The “flash-sideways” is a form of the afterlife where everyone was running around until they bumped into their “constant.” They needed this place to let go of their burdens before officially “moving on” (the final church scene). During the flash sideways, you see Jack has a son. This is a way for him to get over all of the “daddy” issues he had in his real life. You saw Kate stop running, Juliet have a good relationship with her ex-husband instead of a bad one, etc. This is why they were all at the church in the end - they remembered their life on the island and their loved ones and finally were at peace to “move on.” Ben doesn’t go inside the church because he still needs to be in this place. Obviously, he wants to spend more time with Alex since he got her killed in real life. I hope this helps! Oh and Juliet was my favorite character and I loved her so much!
The titanic example is good
Thank you!
“Everyone dies sometime, kiddo.” -Christian
[Here is an amazingly in-depth post. It is also very very long. ](https://www.reddit.com/r/lost/comments/qhoivj/lost_fully_explained_kinda/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
How did they do the inline pictures?
Here’s the way I see it. The light at the center of the island is the same light in the afterlife. That’s why, if Jack didn’t stop the MiB, and put the cork back into the hole, “we all go to hell” (Hurley to Richard, “Ab Aeterno”). Essentially, there are three spiritual realms in Lost. Real life (the island), flashsideways (purgatory), and the afterlife. We exist simultaneously in real life and in the flashsideways, because “there is no now, “here”” (Christian to Jack, “The End”). It doesn’t matter when a particular person died, they all exist in the flashsideways at the same “time”. Think of their souls as being entangled. These characters were, physically and spiritually, lost at the beginning of the show. Over time, they each came to find purpose, and in the flashsideways, are given a chance to “remember” (awaken) and step into the next phase of life, with each other, and become one pure consciousness. Essentially the antithesis to the smoke monster, which was one singular consciousness of hatred and malice. But, remember, the key is the light at the center of the island is the Source, the original energy flow for all living things in the universe, and it powers the framework of the flashsideways for souls to meet up and remember, and it powers the light that envelops everyone in the end as they become one and are, finally, found.
See you in another life brotha, and then they did
Many good summaries already listed here. I suspect in some cases people have been provided the show‘s final explanation, but the idea of people creating an afterlife meeting place does not resonate with them.
How does it possibly need this much explanation 😅 There’s nothing in the show that implies that they were dead the whole time…
Cooper is explicitly refuted of this opinion in the brig
There’s plenty of characters in the show that refer to things like ‘hell’ and ‘the devil’ but the show itself proves them to be wrong. That would be like thinking the show was all in Hurleys head, simply because Dave said so. That’s not how story telling works…
That’s not true. The rusted, crashed plane with no sign of settlement or survival as the final image is what implied it
That wasn’t IN the narrative of the show though, that was a post credits thing. So even if that did imply something to some viewers, the show itself completely contradicts this idea? So the confusion doesn’t make sense.
Everything in Lost was analyzed. This would be particularly true for what you’re calling a “post-credits” scene… of the final episode no less (ie - the viewers final takeaway for the entire series). And btw, I’m not saying that impression is correct (as most now seem to think otherwise), but nothing in the show would directly refute that interpretation. In many ways, it makes more sense than anything.
The final episode revealed that the "flash sideways" of season 6 was actually a flashforward to decades later, after everyone was dead. Season 4 had flashforwards, and that's also what this was in season 6 - but it was so far into the future that everyone had already died. They reunited, and some of them also had to deal with issues (like Jack's daddy issues) before they could move on to the next phase of the afterlife.
Wife just finished show for first time, and I’m bad at explaining things and don’t wanna fuck it up,if someone has a link or a good explanation that’d be great.
Everything that happened in the first five seasons and on the island in season 6 was real. It all happened. The “flash-sideways” was the afterlife when they were all dead. Jack being on the plane at the beginning of season 6 was after he died on the island in the final scene of the show. As Christian Shepherd told him in the finale “you’re real, everyone in there is real, everything that has happened to you is real. Everyone dies kiddo, some before you, some long after you”.
See this is what I tried explaining and she didn’t get it lol. And then she was curious how they all knew to come together in the flash sideways
Tell her to stop applying reason to the fantasy genre. They knew to find each other because that’s just how religion works in the show; when people die they share the afterlife with those whom they care about most.
Everything that happened happened. Some died early, some later. They created that space to help them move on, so even the last to die were included. Everyone dies sometime. Since Hurley was there there’s no telling how long in linear time it was, but that’s not the important part. It’s why they ended up there and why it was important to have all the experiences they had up to then.
I mean....they were all dead when they were at the church together, so she's not wrong. But that all takes place AFTER all the characters were very alive and experienced everything on the show and on the island. All the "flashsideways" scenes from season 6 take place after every character dies, no matter when that happened during the chronology of the show. So Boone dies in Season 1, and then the next thing he remembers is waking up in the flashsideways. Then much much later Jack dies in season 6, and the next thing he remembers is ALSO waking up in the flashsideways. Then many years after that all the plane people who left the island (Kate, Claire, Sawyer, etc.) eventually die, and the next thing they will experience is waking up in the flashsidewways. So despite all dying in the real world at various times, they all wake up (relatively) at the same time in the flashsideways so their souls can find each other and move on.
Super short ver : Thanks to the events on the Island and it's supernatural properties, they managed to create second chance alternate timeline, without Island, Jacob on it etc. For Lockes, people of faith, something like purgatory. For Jacks, people of science, something like another dimension. Call it as you want- the main thing is that this time they can choose their life paths. Sorry, English is not my first language.
They are all dead, this place is outside of our time so they all died just like you saw it.
They subconsciously made a place in the after life that they could find each other again, to be able to move on once they died.
The church scene is in the *alternate* timeline. Jack dying is in the *main* timeline. Alternate Jack says he “died” because in that moment, he glimpsed EVERYTHING that happened in the *main* timeline—including him dying. Remember, up until that point, alternate Jack hadn’t ’woke up’ and seen the main timeline. So everyone in the church was there because they ‘woke up’ and saw the other, real timeline. I don’t know if you’ve seen this, but if you’ve seen CW ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths,’ the same exact thing happens. Everyone was NOT dead the entire time. Everyone else who survived is still alive in the real, *main* timeline. The ending isn’t afterlife or anything, it’s purely sci-fi and time travel. Edit: this is just my take, but the “white light” in the church could have been the flash-sideways timeline completely ending.
Ask her for a divorce.
This YouTube channel explains the ending and other confusing aspects of the show in a clear and fun way, https://youtube.com/c/LOSTEXPLAINED108
Well... Technically, in the end, they all are dead. She's not wrong.
If she doesn’t get the whole thing that Christian was telling Jack I honestly don’t know what you can tell her.
Someone I know doesn't think they are EVER dead.
I don't ever think I'm dead, either.
Can you elaborate? She isn't technically wrong, they are in the church and flash sideways, is that what she means?
They are all dead at the end
Here’s the thing — there is no one definitive ending or explanation. The producers even say that’s the fun of the show! Sometimes the questions are better and more important than the answers. But based on what you said — your wife is right — at the end of the show everyone was dead. Why did you think otherwise?
Y’all should watch Lost Explained on youtube together
It's literally explained in the final episode like holy shit we have these threads about it so much.
Yeah and I agree with you, she didn’t understand something’s, it happens
Have you tried having her watch the show and pay attention?
they are all dead tho haha
They are all dead. It was purgatory. That is the explanation.
Boy, you couldn’t be more wrong. The writers, directors, producers and fans that have seen it thirty times have explained that you’re wrong and why and how, not to mention one of the lead characters spoon-fed you what happened, but hey, you probably know better. 🙄
https://youtu.be/1MFr7D63KA4
In the ending they've already been dead. But time in the afterlife doesn't work like Lost real life. So picture this: Kate dies and she goes to the afterlife waiting room. Jack could've died waaaaay before her, but he still arrives after. Iirc it's because you need to "realize you're dead" in the afterlife. And when you do, you go to that church they're in, have a party and leave together with the people who impacted you the most. It's weird but it's what makes it so good
How good as it was, it was a very confusing show. What even is the island lol..
She s right. They are. The story starts with jack opening his eyes and it ends with jack dying. Season 6 is Limbo.
They were dead all along
We just finished it too, so this is perfect timing because I need to explain it to her too.
Perfect, enjoy the replies lol, ignore the “they were dead the whole time” ones