A-Flash Sideways Theories - Thinking through the mechanics of traveling in time and space and between realities on Lost

Do the Flash Sideways in Lost Season 6 represent an aknowledgement of alternative realities, a multiverse, a convoluted (perhaps loopy) time theory or simply a new story telling technique. This is my first of several blog posting to try and uncover what evidence there is for alternative realities and how such a connection might work in Lost.

Alternative Realities / Multiverse with a twist of Dark Tower

When is a door not a door? When it is ajar to an alternative reality.

A multiverse or multiple reality world theory needs one indespensible element, a way to get from one reality to another. The possibilities are magic, sci-fi natural phenomona (like black holes, worm holes, natural ability of certain races aka Dr. Who) and technological explanations.

The simplist is a door.

The Dark Tower series had doors of both a magical and technological basis. Quite often the doors from one side looked exactly like a regular door. Sometimes they needed a 'key', magical artifact or in other word, some kind of device, power or enchantment for the door to open to another reality.

On Lost there are several possible methods for traveling in time and space and possibly between realities.

Within the Orchid is a chamber reputed to allow travel in time and space (but don't put in any metal trash cans). Ben talked about a 'magic box', the Medical Station appeared to have a 'escape hatch', there are several 'secret' doors with heiroglyphs whose destinations are unknown.

The Island itself has show the capacity to create a 'effect zone' that caused the Losties (or the Island) to travel in time. This effect appears to be controlled by the 'Donkey Wheel'. But, if individuals were brought to and from the Island, then the Donkey Wheel is not a very good explanation. Richard Alpert left and returned to the Island many times more than could be explained by someone turning the 'Donkey Wheel', which seemed to have some very observable and serious side effects.

And just how does the submarine work anyway? And why do you need to be unconscious? Another point deserving of some reflection is Faraday's statement "either we are moving in time or the Island is". Just how might this difference affect the Losties on the Island?

The Swan supposedly is a source of nearly unlimited energy that the Orchid Station used on a more limited capacity for their experiments. Is there an artifact or station to use this energy? Is there a yet undiscovered station? (If there is my money is beneath the "Black Rock"). Are there artifacts or stations which can be powered to open doors in time, space and between realities. Perhaps the beacon on the Looking Glass allowed the sub to travel over or through just such an artifact.

But the simplest answer is the one that has already been dismissed:

The Door Hatch.

What's to say that the Door Hatch is just such a gateway, when it's turned on that is? Of course it still needs a power source, some kind of atunement, activation code (know any more Beach Boy songs?) or a key to get it to work. If the Swan powered the Door Hatch perhaps the pushing of the button focused the energy to a controlled release opening a doorway in time, space and between worlds. Given that the button had to be pushed every 108 minutes and could only be pushed in the last 4 minutes of the cycle, the other disregarded station, The Pearl, might have been a key way of monitoring and communicating when the button would activate the Door.

If the Door Hatch is a portal to other realities and into time and space, it certainly would be a marvelous feat of misdirection. The other time/reality changing stations (The Swan & The Orchid) were built underground and were supposedly top secret. The Orchid even had a fake green house built as 'cover'. And the Door Hatch is right out in the open amid a 'decoy village', meant to draw your attention away other more 'hidden' secrets. What better way to hide such a secret on the Island (other than hiding it beneath an 19th century sailing ship in the middle of a mountain top jungle).

Well, 13 minutes to a new episode. But I will be following up on this thread to review the mechanics of various explanations for the flash sideways and just how our Losties might move through reality itself.

take it easy, it ain't all half bad

mr badd