Lost: Flash Sideways Explained (& How They Led To Season 6’s Big Twist)
In its sixth and final season, ABC's Lost shifted from its flashbacks and flashforwards formula to introduce a new device that hinted at the show's biggest twist yet: the flash-sideways. Lost was a groundbreaking series with a devoted following and blockbuster viewing figures. It featured an ensemble cast of characters trapped on a mysterious island after a plane crash left them presumed dead. However, beyond this central story, the series became notorious for its varied and complex narrative techniques, including the unorthodox flash-sideways.
Much of the mystery of the show centered around what the island truly was, why the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 were drawn there, and whether escape was truly possible – even after some of the characters made it back home, each was fated to return, spawning the popular fan theory that the Lost island was purgatory. Lost used flashbacks from the first episode to inform the audience about how the characters' lives before the crash influenced their current situation, focusing on one character per episode, and weaving together a deeper understanding of the full ensemble over the course of entire seasons and the series as a whole. At the end of the season three finale, Lost introduced the flashforward when protagonist Jack Shepard was shown off the island, insisting to fellow survivor Kate Austen that they had to go back. The flashforwards juxtaposed the survivors' desperate escape attempts with their lives after leaving the island as they slowly realized their time on the island wasn't over.
Related: LOST Secretly Hinted At Its Time Travel Twist In Season 2
The flashes sideways were used for a very different purpose. Flashes sideways were introduced in the sixth and final season,
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