Daydream Believer
+7 13 Votes
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By Irocz28
- Daydream Believer
- Created: May 4, 2008
- Last updated: Aug 14, 2008
- After episode: 4.10: Something Nice Back Home
- Status: Current
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Dreaming of something nice back home
— Irocz28
I am probably going to get torn apart for this, but here it goes anyway. If nothing else, it is an original idea. While I was watching the “flashforwards” in Something Nice Back Home I kept asking myself, “There is no way this is actually happening”. Did anyone else find these “flashforwards” too good to be true? Didn’t it seem all too perfect? Didn’t it seem like it would be (gulp) Jack’s perfect dream?
I think that these “flashforwards” were not flashforwards at all. I think Jack was dreaming of all this, but at the same time, some of his dreams are actually him seeing the future, almost Desmond-like. He sees that Kate will end up with Aaron. He sees Hurley will end up in a mental institution. He even sees himself becoming an addict. Maybe Jack is starting to have flashes, like Desmond. Maybe this could be what pushes him into becoming Bearded Jack. He starts seeing things in his dreams that he doesn’t want to see. It is kind of like Widmore sleeping with a bottle of Whiskey and saying he started doing it “When the nightmares started”.
We have seen flashforwards that were actually flashbacks. We have seen flashbacks that were actually flashforwards. I think they threw us another curveball. I think we saw Jack having flashes of the future mixed with what he wants the future to be. Here are some reasons why I think this whole idea is a possibility.
1) Jack is constantly passing out, being knocked out, or just sleeping during most of the episode. If there were ever an episode in which there were Dreams, instead of flashforwards or flashbacks, this would be it. I can see a few episodes down the road, Jack saying to Kate, “When I was sick, every time I was passed out, I dreamed of you. We were living together. We were engaged. We were happy. But, in the end, even in my dreams, you still pick Sawyer. Even though I saved you and he stayed on the island, you always pick him.”
2) The O6 have been a mess in every flashforward. Bearded Jack is trying to commit suicide. Kate is on trial for murder. Sayid is an assassin. Hurley is a mentalcase. And Sun is a wreck over her lost husband. But then in between all this chaos we have the episode “Something Nice Back Home”. Jack and Kate living in Suburbia, being perfectly normal. They appear to have zero celebrity status. Jack is back to work and Kate is being the typical housewife. I don’t buy it.
3) Jack continues to deal with his own insecurities even in his dreams. These are insecurities about his addictions, his father, and the fear that he will always be second-best to Sawyer. Even in his perfect dream, Kate is still drawn to Sawyer.
4) There were also a few lines in the episode that struck me as odd. The first was Hurley telling Jack, “Living with Kate… taking care of Aaron… it all seems so perfect… just like heaven.” Well, it might not be heaven, but I don’t think it is reality either. Even more convincing was Bernard’s line to Jack, “Wouldn’t you rather be dreaming about something nice back home?” I think that was exactly what Jack was doing the entire episode: Dreaming of something nice back home.
I know this theory has more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese, but I think it would be pretty cool if this were the case. I just can’t picture Jack and Kate leaving all those people on the island behind, including Sawyer and Claire, and end up being as happy as they appeared in this episode. The “Jack” and “Kate” we saw in previous flashforwards were Real People. Famous. Paranoid. Remorseful.
But in this episode, we have bedtime stories, steamy shower scenes, and romantic bedroom proposals. Please. I wasn’t buying it. I know this is a reach, but I had to get it out there.
Be gentle…..
Key characters
| Short Name | Full Name | Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack | Jack Shephard | 1.1, 1.5, 2.11, 1.11, 1.16, 1.20, 3.9, 3.22, 3.1, 4.10, 4.12, & 3” href=”/episodes/theres-no-place-home-parts-2-3/”>4.13 | 1459 |
Key episodes
| # | Title | Aired | Central character | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.10 | Something Nice Back Home | 5-1-2008 | Jack | 140 |
Key events
| Theme | Relevant Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|
| Jin attacks Michael | 1.6 | 59 |
Key locations
| Theme | Relevant Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|
| Flash-Forward: Off-Island | 4.9, & 3” href=”/episodes/theres-no-place-home-parts-2-3/”>4.13 | 205 |
Totally agree. The episode seemed disjointed to me — a big pregnant pause. I would think a dream too, but I would also think the writers would have lots of reservations about using a dream sequence — so I don’t know what it was. Here’s my post coming out of the same conclusion of “I’m not buying it.” Thanks for sharing the head shake. +1
http://lost-theories.com/theories/2008/may/03/without-these-answers-we-dont-/
You give good evidence for it, and almost turned me. However, I still disagree, just now it is less. -1 Sorry. Valiant effort
I like this one. It seems very plausable. I dont think they have used the concept of daydreams to much on this show, and leave it to the writers to think up of something totally new to mess with us. +1
i’ve come to believe more and more that jack is either living in a parallel time, or is having desmond-like flashes. i posted my first theory the other day about this
http://lost-theories.com/theories/2008/may/02/first-theory-please-be-kind/
i definitely think that dreams, or daydreams could be another element that hasn’t been addressed on the show yet! +1 for you!
Great creativity but i dont think the writers are that cruel.
Wow. I am getting surprisingly good feedback for this one. Thanks everyone for the comments. Apple and Coopsta, I will read your posts now.
bballfan: Remember that the flashes are destined to come true and the universe will course-correct to this end.
Great theory. +1
I think if I’d have posted this exact same theory I’d have been slayed! I disagree with it entirely, of course. (And I think you do, too!) Still, it has been given a surprisingly tolerant and even warm reaction. . .
AC, judging by your profile and the ratings of your posts, it is safe to say that you don’t get slayed for anything…..
But you are right, I am not 100% sold on the theory myself. I just found the whole eposide (especially the flashes) to be inconsistent with everything we have seen so far with the O6.
i saw that you had commented on my theory that it was a reach that jack was the guy in the arctic tent…and i agree, it is a stretch, but doesn’t this cat look exactly like jack!
http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/lost/images/thumb/6/6c/Man1.jpg/270px-Man1.jpg
doesn’t it seem plausible that jack just might do anything to find it?
anyway, i still like your theory and find it interesting! thanks for the comment!
hi, i’m going to be nice about it, but i completely disagree. i am 99% certain day dreams is something the writers wouldn’t explore, because what would be the point of it? just to confuse the fans even more? No.
I know the episode was strange because they were both happy, but this is clearly set before Jack was getting ready to kill himself (we know this because a while ago when visiting hurley in the institution he said “i’m thinking about growing a beard”) and so seeing Jack and Kate together and happy for once in the show, makes the fans even more sympathetic towards the characters because we all know that it doesn’t work out.
Coopsta, you are right. It does look like Jack, but unfortunately, it is not him. Some people say I look like Brad Pitt, but that doesn’t mean I am him.
Actually Irocz, you might be onto something with this theory. Team Darlton has stated that the viewers would also be seeing some “Flash Sideways”, in addition to the Flashbacks and Flashforwards.
I agree with your observations about Hurley’s statements to Jack. That did seem surreal to me, so perhaps, this is what was being implied. I also found it odd that Hurley emphasized to Jack that he was not supposed to be raising Aaron, and Jack immediately asks Kate to marry him.
I am uncertain if I would be inclined to describe it as a dream, but perhaps another state of consciousness might be a more fitting term to describe it.
Great thoughts! +1
A screencap of someone may look like them, but when you watch the scene you actually see how that person moves, how they talk etc etc and it’s definately not jack.
i do like this theory though. i didn’t like this ep, it all seemed really relatively boring, until claire disappears and then the ep ends… also if a time line can be established, this flash forward is suppose to be August 2007, and Jack being bearded and off the rails is supposed to be april 2007, so maybe this wasn’t a flash forward maybe it was a dream flash/subconscious scene etc etc.
Iroc, I think if it was a dream, we would have been told it was a dream by the end of the episode, ie: Jack wakes up and says “wow, what a nice dream” or something more subtle than that. I know the writers have duped us before, but remember the first flashforward episode? we are supposed to think they were all flashbacks, until the big ending when Jack tells Kate they have to go back to the island. That’s how the writers introduced the flashforward. When Desmond was having his flashes, we found out in the same episode that it was in Desmond’s head. Looking at it from the real world, I think the writers would have let us know quite clearly that this was a dream. Remember that the far majority of Lost viewers don’t analyze every last detail like we do here.
So why so nice an episode? I think this was the calm before the storm. Jack and Kate are going to fall apart, just like Jack’s previous marriage did, just like Kate’s previous marriage did, just like Jack’s previous career did. They both had happy lifes in the past that they managed to screw up
Now, from the Lost world. I totally agree with everyone of your points. I even made a comment in a post last night about the pictures in their house about them being black and white. A lot of people think we dream in black and white. Was that a subtle hint? +1
Thanks for the compliment dab. A “flash sideways” huh? Interesting. I am not sure if it was a dream, nightmare, vision, whatever. But, I am also not sold that is was a definite flashforward. It just seemed out of place with what the O6 have been experiencing. That is what prompted me to post this.
MidnightDraven, can you tell me where you saw that this took place after the TTLG episode? I know Lostpedia assumes that this takes place in August 2007, but the post below makes a good argument that it is August of 2006.
http://www.lost-theories.com/theories/2008/may/02/yankees-sweep-red-sox/
Irocz, I wish the writers had described what they meant by a Flash Sideways, because that is a new one on me. The only thing I can think of, is it a possibility of what might happen, as opposed to what did happen (past) or what will happen (future).
If anyone has any ideas what this term means, I would love to hear their thoughts.
What is a flash sideway? Do tell! Where did this come from?
Dab, I think I have an idea of what the flash sideways means. Let me start with this. The Red Sox newspaper article indicates that the “flashforward” in SNBH takes place 8/31/07. But, the obituary date in TTLG indicates that that takes place on 4/5/07. How could this be?
I was hoping I would never have to ask this question on this website, but have you ever seen Back to the Future 2? In this episode, Marty creates an alternate 1985 by events he changes in 1965.
Could something similar be happening with these flashforwards? Maybe the Through the Looking Glass episode and the Something Nice Back Home episode occur in alternate 2007s. In other words, Jack has some decisions to make. He can make decisions that will lead him to become Bearded Jack in TTLG or he can make different decisions that will lead him to become happy, family-man Jack in SNBH.
Which “Jack” we will see depends on the decisions he will make in upcoming episodes.
Irocz,
Your “which Jack” question harkens to the recent Jimmy Kimmel interview with the writers: Carlton Cuse talks about the Jack of Something Nice Back Home being different from the bearded, pill-popping Jack we saw before.
Honestly, it was too much for me to process — so please process :)
Irocz, No problem at all with the Back to the Future reference. This offers a plausible alternative to The Red Sox series as well. It lessens the confusion, IMO.
You have confirmed in my mind what I thought the Sideway Flashes might represent. It makes sense to me then that we will see some alternatives to events based upon decisions and choices our losties make. Good stuff!
Apple, The information about the Flash Sideways came from one of the recent Podcasts from Damon and Carlton. You can find them on DarkUfO or at ABC Lost website.
Irocz,
The argument for the dream is very convincing; I especially like the idea that even in HIS dream he won’t allow himself to be happy. The dream begins well, but then falls apart when Hurley questions him about raising Aaron. Things go downhill for Jack from here.
But here’s the thing; if it is a dream, how would Jack know (in his dream) that Hurley’s been speaking with dead Charlie? Hurley’s conversation with Charlie only takes place AFTER he leaves the island. Jack would not know this at this point in the story (ON the island) and therefore, logically, would not be part of his dream.
I don’t buy it. I Agree with abstractarzt that it would have been revealed by episode’s end. Its too much like the “it was all a dream” ending on the TV show Dallas…that went over like a turd in a punchbowl.
Also agree with Iroc on the comparison to (gulp) back to the future-2. The sideways flashes are alternate timelines which, while not written in stone, are possible depending on a person’s choices.
I disagree Irocz, I think on the surface things looked perfect and like a dream, but Jack had already stopped shaving, was doubting his ability to raise a child and the bedroom proposal scene, “am i good at this - yes youre good at this” was hardly romantic :P
This was more of the same Jack trying to fix things by hooking up with Kate and taking care of Aaron and more of Kate trying to be ‘better’ and ‘good enough’ for Jack, but still there were secrets and lies all the way.
That said though, there was something odd about the flashes and Kates and Juliets voices were overlayed in a couple of scenes, where Juliet was trying to wake Jack and when Kate was in the shower.Very strange episode,
If this show ends up with alternative futures, I am so done with it!
I agree that this is a possibility but if it’s true then the writers have lost the skill and creativity they’ve been using on the show thus far…
i dont htink the timeline indescrepancies are that important. remember that the newspaper clipping in TTLG was “just a prop” and that if its referenced again it would be rewritten more accurately, so i’m assuming that TTLG takes place after SNBH regardless of the newspaper dates.
It’s cool for everyone who has disagreed with me. I am not offended as even I will admit this theory has lots of holes, but it still could happen. It started with one thought and the dab threw in his two cents, and next thing you know, I am winging out ideas off the top of my head. I’m just trying to get those creative juices flowing.
Irocz, There will always be naysayers, but I do like what you have said, and the manner in which you took the criticism.
BTW, “He” is a “she” And, my nickname is “two cents” LOL
Sorry dab. The females are few and far between on this site. I guess I am just use to saying “he” or “his”. I’ll have to remember your a “she”.
This now expanded theory is more “wishful thinking” than it is “most probable case scenario”. I do love the Back to the Future movies and I actually think it would be kind of cool if it panned out like this.
Intriguing. I’m re-watching the ‘sode right now, and I just noticed about 15 minutes in, when dream-Jack sees Christian for the first time, his assistant woman has him look at a patient’s file.
Assistant: “Jack? Will you have a look at this x-ray? It’s in the L-4…”
The L-4 vertebra… Just like Ben’s tumor. Sounds like one of those weird, random moments in a dream that obviously came from a real-life situation.
Just my $.02…
Almost forgot…
+1.