Damn Those Flash-Forwards!

[PaulineMRoss]

Originally Posted by Audio Pineapple

I don't mind waiting for answers but with almost everything now answered I'm worried that the writers will just decide that there's been enough about the past and leave it as is.

Almost everything answered? Wow, do you really think so? Sure we've been given some details (what Kate did, Locke's 'accident'), but we're nowhere near finding the big answers: where is the island? why is it so hard to find and to leave? why is Ben so keen to keep it that way? why was the crashed plane found near Bali? how did a small Nigerian plane end up on the island? who/what is Smokey? who/what is Jacob? what's with all the dead people popping up? what is the issue with time on the island? how do people get healed so quickly? what were Dharma really doing on the island? what was the incident? (I could go on...)

As for the flash-forwards, I felt that the flash-backs were really running out of steam. They worked quite well for the new characters, like Ben and Juliet, or where there was still something to say (eg Locke), but for many of the main characters (especially Jack!) there really seemed to be nothing new. Those episodes were just filler (need I mention Stranger In A Strange Land?).

I thought the first flash-forward (in Through The Looking Glass) was a bit clunky, because of the need to be ambiguous and keep the big reveal that it *was* a FF till the final scene. But Hurley's worked really well, I thought. It's intriguing to know something of what's going to happen, but not *how* or *why*. I hope there are more (and soon - I want to know all about the Oceanic Six).

[The_abbott]

Well Lost isn't unique at using the flashback trick. I can think of Highlander and Forever Knight for example that used it effectively.

I don't really miss the flashbacks. Some characters coughKatecough were getting extremely dull. Maybe Kate will get a new dimension if she gets a flash forward. I mean isn't she a fugitive or is she living under another name like poor Joanna using her ID LOL!!

I still expect to see flashbacks from characters like Ben as there is more to tell. Probably more from Desmondo and Sawyers tampa job. There can really only be 6 flash forwards (well Jack is bound to get 50 FF's).

And of course like Desmondo and Juliet in previous years, we have new characters arriving so who's to say we get flashbacks for them.

Basically, I just think they have opened the flashback up to stop it from getting stale.

[Audio Pineapple]

Originally Posted by PaulineMRoss

Almost everything answered? Wow, do you really think so? Sure we've been given some details (what Kate did, Locke's 'accident'), but we're nowhere near finding the big answers: where is the island? why is it so hard to find and to leave? why is Ben so keen to keep it that way? why was the crashed plane found near Bali? how did a small Nigerian plane end up on the island? who/what is Smokey? who/what is Jacob? what's with all the dead people popping up? what is the issue with time on the island? how do people get healed so quickly? what were Dharma really doing on the island? what was the incident? (I could go on...)

As for the flash-forwards, I felt that the flash-backs were really running out of steam. They worked quite well for the new characters, like Ben and Juliet, or where there was still something to say (eg Locke), but for many of the main characters (especially Jack!) there really seemed to be nothing new. Those episodes were just filler (need I mention Stranger In A Strange Land?).

I thought the first flash-forward (in Through The Looking Glass) was a bit clunky, because of the need to be ambiguous and keep the big reveal that it *was* a FF till the final scene. But Hurley's worked really well, I thought. It's intriguing to know something of what's going to happen, but not *how* or *why*. I hope there are more (and soon - I want to know all about the Oceanic Six).

I meant that things that can be answered in flashbacks have almost all been answered; thankfully, like you say, there are lots of mysteries left onisland, just not really offisland.

It's mainly the fact that we could so quickly find out the rest of the Oceanic Six that I think I don't like, we already know half in two episodes worth, if it keeps up at this rate then there will be two more episodes and that particular mini-mystery will be solved.

Hopefully there will be a mixture between FFs and FBs - even if to just get very confused until the end of the episode as to which they are

[PaulineMRoss]

Originally Posted by PaulineMRoss

Almost everything answered? Wow, do you really think so?

Originally Posted by Audio Pineapple

I meant that things that can be answered in flashbacks have almost all been answered; thankfully, like you say, there are lots of mysteries left onisland, just not really offisland.

OK, I see what you mean, but I still think I disagree. We can't possibly know everything there is to know about each character's history. Someone like Locke, for example, has a *lot* of history, and we've only seen little snippets of it. And although there are hints about some things we don't know (the Tampa job, Hurley's deck accident), we obviously don't know what else there might be that hasn't been hinted at.

To put it another way, we don't know what we don't know. There's still the possibility, for example, that one of our main characters might be working secretly for Widmore/Hanso/Dharma/whatever. Never underestimate the ability of the Lost writers to surprise us. And quite a lot of the island mysteries *could* conceivably be revealed by flashbacks (on or off island) for existing characters, if the writers choose to do that.

But it certainly *feels* as though we know everything there is to know about some of the Losties. And the whole flashback formula was getting tired and, to some extent, predictable. Much more fun to have flashforwards, especially when we may not know straight away whether it's past or future (although I suppose we will have the state of Jack's beard to guide us - is he going to turn up in *all* the flashforwards, do you think?).

[Audio Pineapple]

Oh dear crimety I hope he doesn't! It's hard enough having him turn up in every episode as it is - never mind FFs!

[Reed]

We could also have ON-Island FF's which take place in the time period that the Ocean Six have left. That would be great.

I think if the writers are creative we could still have great FB's as there are many gaps to be filled - more so for characters like Locke and Ben.

There is plenty of material as far as FB's on the Island go in regard to Desmond, Ben and the Original Inhabitants' [Alpert] pasts. Perhaps a Jacob FB?

Originally Posted by Audio Pineapple

It's mainly the fact that we could so quickly find out the rest of the Oceanic Six that I think I don't like, we already know half in two episodes worth, if it keeps up at this rate then there will be two more episodes and that particular mini-mystery will be solved.

This storyline is not the end of the road, it cannot be - it is just the beginning [of the end]. I think the mystery is not that big in the grand scheme of things and is simply the big plotline of S4. The big mystery really is "why" and "how" they left, and "will" they return and "what" happens when they do.

I agree with what you are saying Pauline

[misspiggy]

I know that everyone is assuming that Hurley's flashforward occurred before Jacks at the end of season 3, but we don't actually know this for a fact.
It is possible that Jack had his mini breakdown soon after getting off the island, and then by the time he goes to visit Hurley he is feeling a little better and has got over his obsession for getting back to the island.
His comment about growing a beard could just be Jack being ironic because he has recently shaved his off.

In a program like lost I think it is wrong to assume that we know what is going on.

[master-casanova]

well i think hurleys was before jacks becus he wudnt have mentioned the beard
and plus wen hurley wass sayin we gotta go bck he didnt exactly agree
which means that he changes into a drunk crazy man sayin we gotta go back

xx

[Reed]

Originally Posted by misspiggy

I know that everyone is assuming that Hurley's flashforward occurred before Jacks at the end of season 3, but we don't actually know this for a fact.
It is possible that Jack had his mini breakdown soon after getting off the island, and then by the time he goes to visit Hurley he is feeling a little better and has got over his obsession for getting back to the island.
His comment about growing a beard could just be Jack being ironic because he has recently shaved his off.

In a program like lost I think it is wrong to assume that we know what is going on.

Nice thinking - we cannot expect FF's to be in chronological order.

Of course his beard comment could be to throw us off - though my money is probably on the S4 FF being AFTER the S3 FF, because unless Hurley is living on past glory he seemed to sound like the Oceanic Six were "hot news" so to speak.

[master-casanova]

i agree
i dnt think they would be in order either
jus cus they fb's never were so i dnt see why they wud do it now
x

[Reed]

I do like the idea that Jack recovered from his depressed state and came to terms with leaving the Island.