What Happened to Desmond's Flashes of the Future? - LOST EXPLAINED FAQ

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

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[@obenohnebohne]

I am still blown away by the fact that Desmond’s life prepared him for his time on the island. It was hidden in plain sight until I watched your The Theory Of Everything video.

[@kcchameleonprodz]

Especially his time in the monos teary preparing him for solitude🤯 that honestly gives me chills

[@obenohnebohne]

@@kcchameleonprodz You’re right, Brotha.

[@DexRei]

My belief for why Desmond thought Claire was on the helicopter is that he saw Kate holding Aaron, but just assumed it was Claire, same way he assumed Naomi was Penny.

[@astrovv]

Desmond is by far my favorite, his story, his importance and everything about him makes him an insanely amazing character. Seeing a video about this is awesome! So excited to watch!

[@ritabalmin2771]

the code at the station was created especially for Charlie by Daniel Faraday - also a musician

[@felipealejandro225]

Wait what? Where did you get that information 🤔

[@ritabalmin2771]

@@felipealejandro225 this becomes clear from the entire narrative. Faraday is not only a physicist, but also a talented musician. He worked for 3 years at Dharma, having arrived there from the future. He knew for sure that the Through the Looking Glass station would be decoded by the musician Charlie in 2004, so he encoded the station with a famous musical phrase. it worked.

[@bbt305]

@@ritabalmin2771great insight!!!

[@nathanhawee5373]

​@@ritabalmin2771nice. Makes sense to me

[@Zazzaro703]

I can’t even take the theory about Desmond being tired of saving Charlie so he lied about the vision serious. There is nothing about his character that would suggest that as you covered. To each their own though and it’s good to hear what everyone is discussing. Desmond is a very interesting character that had two of the best episodes in the entire show imo. Great video as always.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Thank you! And yes, totally agree with what you're saying. There is nothing in the show nor the portrayal of Desmond's character to suggest such behaviour. And, even if this was something the writers intended, they would have explored it in a storyline. It would have been a major revelation for his character and given him more guilt to overcome. It would not be some obscure inference that only a handful of viewers might make. I think LOST allows (and often encourages) the audience to read too much between the lines sometimes. We overcomplicate simple plot points. As someone who has gone wall eyed from watching LOST in the past, it is easily done. But some theories spring forth from viewers overthinking it rather than reaching for the most logical answer, or actually watching how the show presented certain characters and events.

[@Eowyn187]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 from what I've seen, over-thinking ruins a viewer's perception every time. It only creates confusion. And Lost is confusing enough without adding more to it.

[@tammym8966]

Desmond is my favourite character on Lost, many thanks for the deep dive! ❤

[@megandufour1013]

i never thought about Desmond's falshes being messages from the island like some character's dream or flashes! i'm such a hardcore fan that i could forgive any pllotholes from the creator but they dont' leave much plotholes when we think about it! Your channel makes me love Lost even more!

[@buddystewart2020]

Another outstanding addition to your channel. I really enjoyed it. I've often wondered if that watertight door to the communications room on the looking glass had external dogs on the door. I don't recall seeing a good look at the outside of the door, maybe there is and I just don't recall seeing it. Now, from my Navy experience, I've never seen a watertight door that didn't have them on both sides of the door, but, the writers could have addressed it by having the only choice be to lock the door, from the inside. I do agree with your view though. I think at least in Charlies mind, he had to die, to allow Claire to leave. So even if the door could have been closed and secured from the outside, he still would make the choice he did.

[@Beth_runs_Disney]

Great point about Desmond assuming it was Claire holding Aaron on the helicopter

[@jamesglandon3737]

I never clicked so fast! lol, it is truly great to see a new upload on a cozy Sunday afternoon. Thank you for your time and efforts in making these videos, please know that you mean allot to us viewers, always look forward to LOST EXPLAINED. Cheers from Canada!

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I really appreciate you saying that, James! Thank you 🙏

[@DonnyDeleto]

Today i started lost again and i searched ur channel because a year ago or something i watched some good videos from you and wanted to replay them - happy to see u make new content and with ur REAL Voice ! I always was triggered from the pc audio :D keep up the work

[@Silas-lc9op]

So beautifully done. You capture the same heart felt feelings that the show itself gives. So perfectly edited and narrated. I am thankfull for your hard work

[@DragonUltraMaster]

So his flashbacks is like Deja Vu. Seeing images quickly, seeing details you don't fully understand until it happends and before they happen, you start to think what was all about.

[@specialagentweener1073]

That's a great comparison... Holy crap.

[@waynetaylor1025]

That got emotional very quick. Superb breakdown of everything 👌

[@kcchameleonprodz]

This makes so much sense that it makes my brain hurt 😂 and I typically consider myself to understand Lost pretty well! But you’ve taken it to the next level here. You’ve got a new fan❤

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Thank you! Really love to hear this ❤

[@Eowyn187]

I always think of Desmond as a, the, catalyst. Seriously crucial.

[@lastpme]

I am grateful you shared your knowledge of the show…it has helped me understand all the connections I missed the first time I watched the show.

[@lateshachurney5965]

Desmond was one my top five fav characters.

[@MrSmegHead]

Another brilliant video. Thank you and keep them coming

[@Choekaas]

Once again, great video. > Desmond's vision Absolutely on point on the Claire situation. It seems like he is actively changing the outcome without realizing it, before the vision starts. I do think that if Desmond wouldn't have gathered Charlie and Hurley into the jungle, Charlie would've heard Claire's scream from Sawyer's tent. (As in, if the group decided to it differently. At this point it was Nikki, Paulo, Des, Sayid and Locke walking back from the Pearl. And then stopping (while Nikki and Paulo likely went back to the beach) and then agreeing on getting a couple of survivors into the jungle to inform them about Eko - instead of the whole group going to the beach and informing them there). That situation is still impossible in the grand scheme of things, since the events had to have happened the way they did. > Swimming abilites. One additional thing is the Fire + Water dream, where he swims perfectly. It's a dream, so it could be brushed aside as him having an ability he doesn't have, but I think he would rather try to find help or the dream would let him drown, when trying to save Aaron. I am speaking as an adult who can't swim at all (unfortunately) and not even in my dreams, do I know how to swim. I always drown.

[@ryanclark1124]

God, this show had so much poetry to it

[@joshshoe5421]

I think the only other person who could have figured out the video was Jack. He knew how to play piano, but obviously he was pretty busy at that time

[@hankquinlan4768]

Antother amazing video! Your job is so incredible! I have un unknown factor that i have been carrying around and i would like if you made a video about it. I'm talking about the Black rock and its origins have never been clear to me: especially when it actually left for " the new world". Sure, we know it arrived on the Island in 1867 but some Lost sites ( and this I think is confirmed in " The constant " said it started travelling from Portsmouth in 1845 and its logbook has been founded around the 50's of the 1800's. So it's not 100% clear to me this aspect. Also it would be an interesting video to discover the origins of the Hanso family. Thanks for your videos!

[@emsleywyatt3400]

In that swimming pool scene at 19:00 you can hear someone yell: "Desmond, come on".

[@specialagentweener1073]

I always got the impression that Charlie lied to jack about his swim championship and holding his breath for multiple minutes... I think he said all that cause he knew his destiny was to go down into looking glass to get claire rescued and didn't want jack telling him no. But you're explanation of why he didn't save Joanna was spot on... lol

[@Sleepmeditation236]

I always thought it was because he didn’t want to get his heroin wet

[@hassanalkhalaf1115]

Late to the party but in his flashbacks you literally saw young Charlie doing his championship.

[@Dhyatt61]

LOVE your videos

[@raeliamrussi2679]

Another beautiful video as usual❤️Would you consider making a video dedicated to Flashes Before Your Eyes? It's one if my favourite episodes but it's also one of the most confusing ones.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I still plan to make an episode guide covering every episode in detail on its own terms, which will absolutely include 'Flashes Before Your Eyes'. But that will be much further down the line. The episode guide is a much bigger commitment of work and time so I'm waiting for the Patreon to gain some more momentum before launching that project.

[@jayscott867]

Concerning Desmond’s flash of Claire drowning. I was always under the impression that Desmond saw what was going to happen but he doesn’t know the precise time it will actually happen. I believe that gets the same flash more than once. He had the vision of Claire drowning at some point. He then removed Charlie from the beach and the vision hit him again at the time Claire was actually drowning.

[@sandal_thong8631]

That makes sense that he saw Charlie drowning, so took him off the beach, only to get a vision of Claire drowning.

[@drewc.4061]

Hi again. A small point on the "Desmond seeing Claire and Aaron on the helicopter" vision. I've always felt that the real "changing the picture on the box" moment that ultimately caused this NOT to happen was Charlie writing "Not Penny's Boat" on his palm, because this eventually caused Hurley to choose "Team Locke" over "Team Jack", ("I'm listening to Charlie") and Claire followed him in that choice, which changed the future that she otherwise would've had because, as you say, it presented her to the MIB, and she fell under his influence. I totally take the point about Claire being the motivation for Kate returning to the Island in 2007, but if Claire and Aaron being on that helicopter had meant that Kate never had her three years as Aaron's mother, maybe she would have been less resistant to returning anyway,. Either way, I'm sure that Jacob/destiny/the Island would've found a way to bring her back, and thus prevent a catastrophic temporal paradox emanating from 'no Kate in 1977".

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Interesting! So, you subscribe to the option that Desmond's vision was accurate but the picture was changed due to an external element beyond his influence? I feel like everything that happens down in the Looking Glass happens as it should. I mention how "Not Penny's Boat" is essential to sewing the seeds of distrust and doubt over the freighter folk amongst the survivors, which is all part of what places everyone where they need to be and splitting the group. Locke wouldn't have had nearly the same pull of a crowd at that point without Hurley (and Charlie) backing him. I also don't see how Charlie's actions altered the outcome of the vision -- surely that diminishes his sacrifice if you claim that him writing the message is what led to Claire not being rescued? To me, if this "the picture changed" option is the one to go with then the only thing that makes sense that could have changed it was the Man in Black. He is the rogue element in the mix and possess psychic-adjacent gifts, setting his own traps and sabotaging the plans of The Island (or so he thinks). If anything or anyone was going to derail what was supposed to happen based on Desmond's prediction then it could only have been him imo. That said, I am of the mind that Desmond's visions were the source of motive power in his and Charlie's actions, and that the images were a mix of accurate future imagery and false prophecy. Claire being on the helicopter was never going to happen in the way Desmond foresaw it. But Charlie needed to believe it in order to do what he does. When it comes to the notion that The Island might have found a different way to bring Kate back to its shores had Claire left with them back in 2004... I struggle to think what that would have been lol. Kidnap her like Sayid? Then again, that coercion would have changed her dynamic and attitude going into 1977. She would not have been behaving the way that she was in those set-in-stone past events. She's looking for Claire. Which means Claire could never have left the island in 2004, simply because Kate is there in 1977 to find her, if you see what I mean. 1977 happens before 2004 and those events dictate what plays out in 2004. This is why the time loop clears up so many questions and confusions, because everything defers to: *"if it didn't happen then it can't happen."*

[@drewc.4061]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 - good points. So, for argument's sake, are you saying that even if Kate had returned to the Island in 2007 for different reasons, travelled back to 1977, and did all of the exact same things while there, it would still constitute a paradox because she'd have different thoughts in her head, ie, no "I came back for Claire" thoughts? Is there an actual conversation in 1977 regarding Claire (I can't remember) because clearly that would be a conversation that simply HAS to take place because it's already happened.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Kate does keep her cards close to her chest in 1977 but there is eventually a scene in 'The Incident' when she and Jack are discussing the consequences of detonating Jughead at The Swan site: KATE: I came back so he (Aaron) could be where he belongs. With his mother. JACK: If this works, Claire will never come to the island, and they'll always be together, just the way they're meant to be. Also in the episode 'Whatever Happened, Happened', 2007 Kate makes it clear to Claire's mother that she is going back to get her daughter, which feeds into her purpose in the timeline on the island in 1977. So, we know why she is there and what she is looking for. If Claire could have left in 2004 then Kate would not appear in the past at all.

[@drewc.4061]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 - okay, I accept that destiny required Claire to remain, and that Kate had to have Claire as her motivation for returning, in order that 1977 plays out exactly as it did. However, does that actually invalidate my main point, which is that Charlie writing "Not Penny's Boat" ultimately provided Claire with the motivation to not stay around with Jack's team, and change the picture that Desmond saw? I've never felt that Desmond’s future visions were cast in stone - after all, he changed a few of them himself. Maybe what he saw were "most likely scenarios", but in Claire's case, destiny required a different route?

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

But why would you assume that Claire joining Team Locke in Season Four be the trigger point reason for why the picture changed? We know that Hurley is with Team Locke as well and Charlie's message didn't change the picture for him as he ends up on the chopper. The Man in Black could just have easily lured Claire away from the beach if he wanted, like he did with Eko by using Yemi. What Charlie did down in the Looking Glass was how it was supposed to go as far as I'm concerned. I don't view Charlie's actions down there as undermining Claire's potential rescue. That, to me, actually sours Charlie's sacrifice. Because your reading of that sequence of events now indicates that it's actually partially Charlie's fault for warning Desmond. And I don't think that works thematically or narratively when looking back at the Looking Glass. The only literal reason that Claire doesn't end up on that helicopter is because of the Man in Black and his interference, and that interference could have taken place at the barracks, in the jungle, or at beach camp. Her location didn't matter. What mattered was the timing of when he picked her up to take her to the cabin. But I agree that Desmond's visions aren't gospel. They are malleable visions rather than unchangeable prophecy. And we can also consider the possibility that, like Penny being Naomi, he simply misinterpreted what he saw: a brief flash of a woman holding Aaron on a helicopter automatically became Claire in his mind.

[@fridaymorningdanceparty5687]

15:28 I laughed way too hard at this.

[@BellsCuriosityShop]

Desmond is the key, brother.

[@thejeweler9227]

Another, alternative explanation, is that continuity errors -- like Charlie's "I don't swim" in Season 1 becoming "swim champion" in Season 3, with some weird stuff in Fire+Water in between -- are evidence of changes having been made in the timeline which were subsequently "course corrected." At Butlins, just before Charlie jumps into the pool, someone shouts "Desmond" in the background -- perhaps Desmond's influence on Charlie on the Island leads Charlie to jump (instead of not jumping) in FlashBack, and so the picture changes, and the past gets papered over by a new timeline. This is alluded to in Fire+Water with the visual reference to "The Butcher Cover" -- Charlie's dad chopping up meat and doll parts, which is a shout out to the original cover of The Beatles' "Yesterday and Today" before Capitol Records covered it up with a nicer picture of them sitting on boxes. Likewise, the weird continuity errors in The Looking Glass when Charlie dies may indicate that Charlie went back in time after dying there to write Not Pennys Boat on his hand, changing the picture sufficiently to set off a chain of events that leads Kate to taking Claire's place on the helicopter. "Trading Places" is a significant theme in the show, whether it's from biblical references to Jacob, para-textual references to the pilot taking's Jack's place (according to the story that Jack was supposed to die in the pilot, which was nixed by the TV execs, leading TPTB to cast Matthew Fox in the role instead of Michael Keaton), to the comic book Walt reads (Flash and Green Lantern trade places), to the actual character stories of Locke taking Ben's place as leader, Eko taking Yemi's place as priest, Desmond offering to take Charlie's place in the Looking Glass, Jacob taking MiB's place as Island protector, and so on. So perhaps this is why Desmond received flashes, and then stopped receiving flashes. The timeline changed. He was course correcting it, with the help of The Island. A nice bonus feature to this approach of watching the show is that it becomes technically perfect. By making enough "continuity errors" on purpose to indicate time travel shenanigans, the very few inadvertent ones can also be chalked up as such. What a thing, to be able to claim you made a "perfect" TV show! I'm sure some bets were won and lost. The show was their baby, you know. Perfectly perfect in every way.

[@AlexGeh]

A wonderful video! There's so much more about Desmond and his various types of flashes to explore, like how the failsafe key seemingly sent him to the past, whereas a similar exposure to electromagnetism in season 6 let him glimpse into the afterlife instead. One thing you might be able to clear up: You gave a comprehensive explanation as to why Claire had to stay on the island in the grand scale of things. But what was the Men in Blacks motivation to take her with him? Are we assuming he was at that point aware of the timeloop and wanted to ensure Kate will eventually travel to the 70s? Or was there a more immediate goal, like having Claire vouch for him when convincing Locke to move the island?

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Yes, Desmond's consciousness always seems to be sent to wherever the timeline needs him to be. That's what makes him so special. He is unbound from the flow of linear time, therefore The Island can move his consciousness along the continuum as and when needed. There will be more discussion concerning Desmond in future videos for sure. As for why the Man in Black wanted Claire... On the one hand we could argue that she was an easy target at that point. He could quickly gain her loyalty by appearing as Christian and masquerading as her father, so not much effort was required to manipulate her into doing things. She is also Jack's sister and Kate's close friend, which makes her a valuable asset against two prime candidates. More crucially, I think MiB wanted someone to break the ash circle around the cabin for him so he could gain access to it before Locke's arrival in 'Cabin Fever'. I always assumed that MiB got Claire to break the circle so he could physically enter. Now, I know that he technically "appeared" in the cabin beforehand when Ben and Locke go there in 'The Man Behind the Curtain', but he doesn't seem to properly manifest in that sequence. All he can do is use his telekinesis to cause chaos in there, and he could be doing that from outside the ash circle perimeter in the jungle. He just could not physically enter because the ash barrier kept him out. Until Claire came along.

[@AlexGeh]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 That's a great point! I never gave much thought as to how he was able to break the ash, thanks for pointing that out!

[@LtFoodstamp]

The only part I disagree with is the idea that the MIB could change the path for Claire. MIB is caught in the time loop destination paradox same as everyone else.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

That’s a very fair and astute point to make. I do think that Claire’s path was set in stone too, because the only reason that Kate appears in 1977 is because she came back on Ajira in 2007. And the only reason she comes back on Ajira is because Claire is missing somewhere on The Island. Which means that motivation for (and appearance) of Kate is baked into the historical record of The Island and, therefore, Claire being tempted away by Fake Christian was predestined to take place and unavoidable. I come down more on the side that Desmond simply saw a brief and intense flash of a woman on a helicopter holding Aaron and made the assumption that it was Claire. Just as he had mistaken Naomi for Penny. That always made the most sense to me and is the cleaner explanation overall.

[@Bartooc]

There is one problem with Charlies dead scene, the water would not fill the room beyond the window.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Yes, it requires a suspension of disbelief. There are a few things throughout the series that are a bit iffy in terms of real world logic but I tend to let the show off the hook due to the fact it leans into the fantastical.

[@backcenter2]

Perfect timing 👌

[@Mr2guyy]

you all everybody!!!!

[@mooviedude141]

I always wondered how MIB convinced Claire to abandon her baby and become such a cooky follower willing to kill for him without question literally over night.

[@maxim196]

He probably lured her by promising her something great in life (bringing Charlie from the dead maybe ? ) . Just like MIB luring Richard to kill Jacob by telling him he will reunite with his dead wife

[@spinelessdevil]

Clare and Sayyid had the same darkness thing

[@Ireneket]

Amazing! Desmond is by far my favourite character of the show. Still didn't get how his visions are linked to Ben turning the wheel though ?

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Hi Irene! It's not that Desmond's visions are directly linked to the wheel, it's that his visions create a chain of events that lead to the wheel being turned, as described in the video. Without Desmond's visions, they would never lead to Naomi's survival or Charlie's sacrifice: two key events that allow the freighter to locate the island and create a conflict that leads Ben to pushing the wheel. No visions, no conflict. No conflict, no wheel turn. No wheel turn, no time travel. No time travel, no time loop. Ergo, no time travelling Faraday/Jack/Juliet to stop the incident from destroying the world in 1977, etc. It's a causal chain of events that begins with Desmond turning the fail-safe key and being given visions by The Island.

[@Ireneket]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 Hey thanks so much for this! I missed the fact that the freighter locating the island caused a conflict! Is that because it was not meant to be discovered by the freight you mean, hence the conflict? Thanks again for the wondeful content. :)

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

The island was meant to be found by the freighter in the grand scheme of things (because Faraday, Charlotte and Miles are predestined time travellers), but the conflict comes from the Oceanic survivors knowing it's "Not Penny's Boat". Hence why they are suspicious of the freighter's motives when it arrives and that splits them into two groups: Team Jack and Team Locke. And Locke is proven to be somewhat right because the freighter is carrying a team of gun-toting mercenaries aboard.

[@Ireneket]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 Got it! Oh thanks so much for this, feeling better now:)

[@ffallenaangel]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 ty

[@2QAYL1138]

My only issue with this summary is how you talk about destiny, which seems to counter the story's theme of the importance of choice, which downgrades character in my opinion. Charlie knew he was going to die, but there was some flexibility as to how, just like Desmond after meeting Eloise. Desmond rejected her insistence that he doesn't buy the ring, but he does it anyway. Later he chooses to break up with Penny, but nobody had a gun to his head. Yes it all worked out in the end, but his destiny was the result of his choices. The lack of choice that he FELT in the matter was what he helped Charlie to be relieved of, just like Jacob wanted for the candidates: a choice.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Well, there are two themes in LOST that seemingly run counter to one another: choice and destiny. How do you reconcile the notion of free will and choice when you watch Season Five and the time loop story arc? If we take Locke as an example. Nothing he could have done during that time loop sequence could have been any different because it was already part of history. Set in stone. He could not have destroyed the compass or thrown it away. Does that make his character arc and actions somehow lesser? The very fact that a causal time loop exists at the heart of the series actually dictates -- by its very nature -- that these characters were slaves to time and fate to an extent. Because they interacted with and created causality waves in the past that led to their future. Which means -- no matter what they do -- they will always end up making the same choices. But they are still choices. And I would argue that choice still exists within the universe of LOST in the same way it would exist for us in a deterministic reality. Example: we know that the events of Season Five were all predetermined because of the time loop, but does that render the choices of our characters within that time loop inert? Do they have any choice at all? Are they just automatons? I've discussed this many times before on this channel and have even made a video specifically about the notion of destiny, which you might have already seen. So, forgive me for quoting myself here a bit: Fate does not preclude that our characters have no free will to make choices, it's just that the show's embodiment of fate -- aka The Island -- already knows what choices they will make since time has no meaning within the light. We know The Island guides people and events to create causal outcomes, and we know that the past cannot be changed so therefore the present and future are also set in stone from the POV of The Source because time does not exist within it. It might see and experience all time simultaneously in its fourth dimensional reality because it is beyond time as we understand it. But from a subjective human POV on the ground, with a linear perception of time and reality, our characters are absolutely making choices of their own volition, day in and day out. Every second of their lives. They don't know it's part of a larger tapestry or that A will lead to B. Therefore, they must reckon with those choices on a personal level. Michael still decided to pull the trigger and kill two women. That is something he has to reckon with on a psychological and spiritual level as a man. Sawyer still chose to become a better man and redeem himself from his past. But that doesn't mean he won't have to reckon with his own demons, such as shooting an innocent man in Australia. The best question to ask is: "Does it matter if our choices are predetermined if we don't know that they are already predetermined?" Does that take away our sense of free will? Does it take away our sense of responsibility over our own choices, actions and inactions? Let's say that we definitely live in a predetermined world where everything has already happened, only we don't know it. Does that take away our internal sense of agency over what we decide to do today? Do you feel like you didn't make the choice to watch and respond to these videos? Because if we do live in a deterministic universe (and we very well might) then everything you do and say is already set in stone. But you don't know that, so you continue to make your own choices and living your life. This is also true of our characters in LOST. Jacob understands that whatever choice a character makes in a situation will be the choice they were supposed to make at that time. Jacob doesn't always know what someone will choose to do only that it was what they were supposed to do in that moment. And this is what Jack has to reckon with in 'Lighthouse'. It's why he has to sit on a rock and look at the ocean for while. Because he is trying to reconcile the same issues that you are bringing up. He is probably thinking to himself: "Did I ever have a choice in anything I ever did? Did I ever have any control? Does any of it matter?" But we see that Jack does reconcile these truths with who he is and wants to be. He can still make choices of his own even knowing that destiny and predestination is real. Hence why he laughs to himself as he restarts The Source in the cave in 'The End'. He finally understands that he is part of something bigger and has fulfilled his purpose in life. So, LOST characters can and do make their own choices even though those choices feed into a predetermined causality. It doesn't make the choices they make any less significant or any less meaningful to them and others just because a prime mover exists who knows what they are going to do next. Yes, The Island triggers certain events and makes certain things happen (e.g. moving our Losties very specifically through time) but it is not literally moving the characters like pieces on a chessboard at all times throughout their lives. They are not puppets. The Island guides them towards causality by incorporating their choices into the grander tapestry. That's why Jacob's tapestry is such a good metaphor. Lots of threads weaved together over time, crossing one another and creating a grander picture that we, as individual threads, cannot see.

[@buzzwithdrip6347]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 but the source gives messages or signs for someone to do something in future, doesn't this control people to do what the source wants to fulfil the timeloops ? They aren't all human choices because The source forced them to make those choices, like Desmond saw the flashes of future

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

@@buzzwithdrip6347 Yeah, it's tricky. Where do we draw the line between The Island influencing choices and The Island forcing choices? Although, in regards to Desmond, all The Island is doing is showing him visions. It isn't making him do anything outside of that. It is Desmond's choice whether or not he will act on the visions he receives.

[@2QAYL1138]

Choice is a theme. Destiny is a destructive point of view some of the characters have sometimes. If destiny is part of a theme, it is the result of choices. It is only real in the past tense, after individual choices have been made. The idea that characters are controlled by the past is a philosophy that MiB used to manipulate & exercise control over people. He represents the past and the inability to move on from it. Destiny is not an idea endorsed by the narrator. Locke could've thrown the compass away, but someone would have found it & brought it back to him or some other form of course correction would've happened. But he could've kept throwing away the compass & delayed the end of the time flashes indefinitely. The way it happened wasn't determined until it happened in each character's present. Destiny is an illusion. Trying to destroy the compass would've been like Richard trying to kill himself because there is a guiding force behind everything in this fantasy world, but Richard could've spent the rest of his life trying to kill himself instead of making himself useful, and encountered endless course corrections that he still had the choice to resist. He didn't have to do good in the end, but he did, and HE owns that, not destiny. That's what makes him a good character. Eloise didn't have to traumatize Daniel by telling him he had to get to work & didn't have time to enjoy his life, for him to find his way to the island. Nor did Charles & Eloise have to traumatize Desmond by treating him like scum or getting between him & Penny, for him to find his way to the island. Choices made it happen, not destiny. Had they gone with Miles' "do nothing" philosophy, even and especially knowing what they knew, they still could've been where they needed to be for the best outcome, where they wouldn't have had toxic relationships with their children. It cheapens character arcs to say there was no possibility of alternate paths. Without the wrong choice always being possible, right choices are of no value & character growth doesn't happen. "Claire could never have been on the helicopter" is only true after she decides to go with MiB & moves out of reach of it with the island, not before. Destiny also seems to justify characters' bad behavior because things work out in the end. "The ends justify the means" is what got MiB out of bed in the morning. Destiny coming before choice is the wrong lesson to take from this story. Choice is real, destiny is a point of view.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

But destiny and choice aren't incompatible with one another. I find your reading of this very interesting but I can't say I agree with any of it. Destiny was undoubtedly a core theme (and drive) of the series. I honestly don't understand how anyone could deny that. How the story dealt with the implications of fate gave us Jack Shepherd's character arc, as we saw him go from man of science to man of faith. An arc that -- one could argue -- is the definitive arc of the entire show. Jack literally speaks this aloud and comes to realise how destiny (aka The Island) has shaped his entire life. It's why he stares out at the ocean in 'Lighthouse' because he is trying to reconcile this with who he is/was: "Jacob has been watching me my entire life. I was always suppose to come here. Did I ever have a choice in anything I ever did?" And he eventually comes to accept that yes, destiny is real. And yes, he was always suppose to come to The Island. Sure, there was a manipulation there. A controlling influence over his actions. A prime mover tampering with his life. But there is a difference between forcing choice and influencing choice. I'm not saying The Island makes people do anything. It facilitates choice and those choices lead to the outcomes The Island needs. One of the points of the flash sideways is to show us what Jack's life (and others) would have been like had Jacob and The Island not interfered in the first place. But everything happens for a reason in LOST, right down to the smallest detail. Jack's appendix are removed in 2004, which is the only reason he lives long enough in 2007 to save the world after Fake Locke stabs him in the same spot. This is not course correction. This is *planning* and predetermined. There are no coincidences. And I feel that the show goes to incredible lengths to demonstrate this in almost every single episode. To argue otherwise requires a huge rejection of thematic and narrative evidence to the contrary. I'm not saying that's what you're doing necessarily, but to argue that destiny is merely an illusion or "a bad point of view" on the show is wrong. The show tells us that blind faith is a bad thing, hence why Locke is punished for it. But that's not the same thing. The Man in Black is actually *anti-destiny* and uses Locke's faith in the concept to manipulate him into doing his bidding. But I think the narrator -- aka the showrunners -- are absolutely endorsing the idea of destiny within the show's universe. I don't think they are necessarily saying that destiny is a good or a bad thing per se, only that it exists. It is proven time and time again on the show that destiny is not only a real deal thing, but it is also unavoidable. No matter what characters try and do to change things they always end up doing what The Island needs them to. You can't fight fate. That was literally the whole point of not just the Desmond/Charlie story in Season Three but the entire plot of Season Five. *Whatever happened, happened* remember? The past cannot be changed. Course correction doesn't apply to anyone outside of Desmond (who was uniquely special and immune to the rules) and after 'Flashes Before Your Eyes' the concept of course correction is never mentioned again. We can read that as being Eloise's way of justifying her own choices anyway -- she is essentially saying that *course correction means you have no choice* -- which makes sense when we later learn about her tragic past with Daniel. I agree that some characters use destiny as a crutch, or as an excuse, and that's part of their own methodology for making questionable choices. But that doesn't mean that they aren't part of a grander plan or that the choices they are making aren't already part of the fabric of time and history. Locke couldn't have made different choices when bouncing through time. What you're saying there is fundamentally incorrect. Everything he does in that time loop is organic to who he is and the natural choices he makes from moment to moment. But he could never have done things differently anyway. He could not have decided to throw away that compass because that never happened. Everything he does during that time loop had already happened in history. It was set in stone. Anything that happened in history pre-2007 (before that time loop closed) could not be altered. There were no alterations or fluctuations or course corrections. What we see with the time travel in Season Five is historical record. It only happened once. There is no Timeline A and Timeline B, or off-shoots of multiverses in which Locke makes different choices. That is not the thesis of LOST or its time travel. It's a bootstrap paradox. And Locke was still making choices in that loop because he was living through it for the first time. And those first time choices fed into the causality of this loop. He didn't realise that the effects and outcomes of his choices were inescapably predetermined. He didn't know that destiny had him pegged from birth and that his whole life was inextricably tied to the compass, the Man in Black's loophole and his untimely death. I totally disagree with the notion that the character arcs are cheapened because of the destiny throughline of the story. Just because the characters are part of predestined events that have been coded to the very fabric of time itself, doesn't mean they aren't making their own choices. I think you see choice and destiny as somehow being incompatible like oil and water, whereas I see them as feeding into one another. Choice leads to destiny. Destiny informs choice. You cannot separate the threads of either from the tapestry. They are one. The show finds a way to reconcile the two things together. As we see embodied within Jack.

[@robinluger9424]

when charlie died was the only time durling lost i was yelling at the screen. why didnt he just close the door behind him and then move outside? why did he lock himself in there?

[@Dpate10]

Within the framework you propose, would it have been possible for Desmond to decide not to save Charlie initially, resulting in a paradox? Or are his decisions as we see them what was always going to happen? The latter suggests that choice isn’t really a factor, since he was always going to make those decisions. The former suggests that the Island depended on Desmond making the right choices, which he did.

[@msto1987]

damn... beat by 49 seconds James. you could of at least been 108 seconds ahead, GOSH!!!

[@Michael-eq8th]

There is a connection between this video and the video on Lost's ghosts. The Island doesn't do anything by accident. In the next episode, the Island sends Charlie to visit Hurley. Charlie needed to be in the source and Hurley needed to love him for this visit to nudge Hurley down the path he goes on. Sure, Jacob can just give him a guitar, but there's no way Jacob walks up the that mental hospital and gives Hurley a guitar. If Charlie had lived, he wouldn't be in the source. Also he may have done Charlie things to sour his relationship with Hurley if he died later.

[@OceanSoul1969]

That’s why Christian is the Island, not the MiB. The Island needed Kate to come back. Also, saying you don’t swim doesn’t mean you can’t. I don’t run, but I can.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Christian is confirmed as MiB. He even admits that he was Fake Christian to Jack in Season Six. And everything we see Fake Christian do with Locke plays into the MiB’s long con plan. I agree that Charlie saying “I don’t swim” doesn’t mean he can’t swim, but I think we can read that line in retrospect as speaking to his cowardice in that moment. He’s not willing to risk his life for another at the start of Season One because of his addiction and issues. And it shows you how much of a journey and arc he goes on that by the end of Season Three he is not only clean and sober but also finally willing to sacrifice his life for others, by diving in and swimming no less.

[@melrupinski88]

Sorry to put this here, but there’s something I’ve been thinking about quite a lot recently, and since you mentioned Christian and it’s a relatively recent comment, I thought this might be the best place…so apologies in advance for being a bit off-topic. I definitely believe that the MiB did take Christian’s form, but I’ve come to conclude that not every appearance of Christian on the Island was the MiB. My first difficulty is with the idea that the MiB as fake Locke confirmed as much to Jack about leading him to water. The reason being is that the MiB lies to every single person he interacts with in order to manipulate them (he told Richard that Jacob had Isabella, Sayid that he could get Nadia back, Claire that the Others had her baby, and so on). One of your videos even dedicated a great deal of time to the MiB’s lies and deceptions. As a result, I have a hard time believe that he was being honest just this one time to Jack in order to manipulate him. I think that goes against pretty much everything we know about the MiB. Also, if we look at Christian’s appearances, he’s either wearing a suit or an old-looking button down shirt with no jacket or tie. The manifestations in each outfit are qualitatively different. “Suit Christian” only appears at a distance, never speaks to or touches anyone (except at the Church in the flash-sideways), moves fairly unnaturally, and only Jack can see him. “Shirt Christian”, on the other hand, appears in the midst of groups of people who can all see and hear him, directly interacts with them, touches them, holds material objects, and moves and feels things like an ordinary person. Even more, every time Christian appears and we are certain it’s Christian (Jack’s waiting room, the church), he’s wearing a suit, while every time we are certain it’s the MiB (excepting the contested appearances), he’s wearing the button-down shirt. We know that Jack has a sensitivity to supernatural phenomena even though he denies and tries to suppress it, so it’s notable that every time Christian manifests in the suit, he thinks it’s a hallucination. I can’t think of a time when the MiB manifests as “Shirt Christian” and interacts with Jack, but he doesn’t think fake Locke is a hallucination, even though he’s seen Locke body in the casket, so even he can discern the qualitative differences. Ultimately, I don’t think it makes that much (if any) difference to the plot or timeline, but it’s still been eating at me for a while. Anyhow, sorry again to write so much while going off topic. I’m still catching up on your library of videos and have learned to much, and I’m eagerly awaiting the future episodes guides. Thanks again.

[@mrjimjimjimmyjim9824]

27:23 the other problem is that water wouldnt very likely fill the entire control room up. it will have exposed rushed in to a certain point until a pocket of air near the ceiling is compressed to a certain point. at which stage despite the pressure pushing against the door inside the control room it still would have been able to be opened far enough to open the door for him to escape thru still

[@pandakicker1]

I thought the same thing.....

[@geektoys370]

in " Flashes before your eyes" this didnt really happen, right? i mean charlie did not recognize him after all, it was the source telling him that this is his destiny

[@bluesrock4035]

Excellent video, like a new episode of Lost 👌. I agree what you say about the flashes. Little bit off topic but I would like to say this anyway. You mentioned that Kate came back to island only because of Claire. I think the other reason was Jack. In season 5 she said to Jack something like she is angry as he made her come back to island. Kind of saying that she had to follow him. Earlier she refused to come back when Bentham asked about that. She asked him if he had ever been in love, meaning that she wants to stay with Jack even they had serious issues. This whole thing is often forgotten due to the stupid love triangle which was practically over at the end of season 4. Writers opened that theme in season 5 to create insecurities to Juliet and Sawyer which at the end led to the events in the incident. Anyway, Jack was part of the reason Kate came back to island.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I get what you're saying and I agree that Kate does follow Jack's lead to a large extent. He is the one who pushes for her to go back after Locke's death. However, we know that Jack's plan to get Kate aboard doesn't actually work. She walks away from him, incredibly hostile and angry at the idea. It is only when she has her own personal reckoning about Aaron not really being hers -- and the fact that Claire is still lost on the island somewhere -- that she finds the motivation to go back and agrees to Jack's plan. She is trying to right a wrong from her own life. I feel like if Claire had not been left behind, Kate would never have gone back at all.

[@bluesrock4035]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 The first reaction to come back to island was naturally aggressive. And at that point she was not ready to leave Aaron. The light sent the vision about Claire to Kate and that one nailed Kate’s decision.

[@notoriousbmc1]

We're the shows 'flash forwards' just the Island showing viewers, visions of what MIGHT occur?🤔

[@louisazhou5271]

Should be the third time that Charlie being a hero. Second being the time he pulled Jack out when Jack was stuck under the cave.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Excellent point. He was a hero thrice over, at least. Saving Nadia in the alley. Saving Jack from the cave. Giving his life in the Looking Glass to save his friends.

[@ffallenaangel]

ty

[@saigoud3885]

And also make an video on desmond flash past when he meets that scientist

[@ZombieZuperZero]

Does anyone think when Kate hit Desmond with the gun in the beginning of season 2 and looked at Jack he got sent back to the stadium and remembered Jack when he was disarmed (hence the "do I know you from somewhere?") Similar to getting hit with the bar in season 3 it sent him back to the stadium.

[@Xtariz]

Desmond timeline is the main timeline watch LOST from Desmond perspective... and it all makes sense... He doesn't see visions he is experiencing what already happen in another timeline...

[@Snakie747]

While I am respectful of your in-universe explanation of Charlie's "I don't swim!!" line from season one, I do think the out of universe explanation is that this is a simple retcon- either they forgot that they had written that no-swim line in or they just hoped viewers would forget (I'll admit I didn't notice it until my first big rewatch of the series about a year after it ended).

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Yes, I fully agree with what you're saying. The behind the scenes reason for the discrepancy in Charlie's swimming ability was either the result of an oversight, a continuity error, or a simple retcon. When that original line "I don't swim" was written way back in Season One, the writers didn't know anything about where the story was headed at that point. And they certainly didn't have any sense that Charlie would have this epic death arc in a couple of seasons time. But I do think this is one of the continuity issues that we can more easily explain away using in-universe logic.

[@sandal_thong8631]

Funny, but people who can't swim, say "I can't swim," or "I never learned to swim." Who says, "I don't swim?" Maybe a drugged-up coward?

[@RustCole01]

What I wanna know is how the "Looking Glass" station is able to have an open floor, but the water somehow doesn't fill the whole station. Charlie swims right up thru an opening that forms the pool.... no air-lock or anything.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Because the station is pressurised. The moon pool that Charlie swims up through is actually a real thing that features in various underwater habitats and vessels. You can watch some videos on KZbin that explain in detail how the physics work.

[@RustCole01]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 You just have the answers for everything don't ya smart guy? Jk. I figured there was some real-world explanation for that. I think there are even some oddities, like old school scuba helmets that are basically just glass bowls.... I forget why, but I thought it had something to do with water/air displacement. It doesn't make sense to my little pea-brain, but I'm also like, "Yeah science... yeah, Mr White!"

[@hyperpotion232]

One of my biggest criticisms of the show - You ever feel like Anthony Cooper's behaviour feels a bit out of character during his encounter with Locke and Sawyer after he arrives on the island? He believes they're in hell, but he to me he always seemed overly antagonizing in the name of provoking Sawyer just to create an excuse to get him to want to kill him.

[@dinosauced2988]

Another great video 👏 👏 👏 Random question though, what was up with Eko and Charlie's church? Is it just that the actor who played eko left too soon? Or did it help Charlie further understand the idea of faith and fate? Or was it part of Jacob's tapestry in some way? 🤔 Either way, thanks for the vid 👍

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I think the church becomes (intentionally or unintentionally) representative of Eko's unfinished life. He was just starting to make good on his redemption as a bonafide man of faith, but the Man in Black cut his journey short. The church never gets finished as a result. Just like Eko's story. It ends up being symbolic for that in many ways. That said, Charlie was always drawn towards the spiritual/mystical characters on the island. First, it was Locke. Then it was Eko. And finally it was Desmond. All men of faith in their own ways with supernatural connections to The Island. Charlie was looking for his own faith the whole time he was there. The faith he really needed to find, as corny as it sounds, was faith in himself. And I think getting help from Eko and being of use to him in building the church (after being rejected by the rest of the camp) is what ultimately leads him to throwing those Virgin Mary statues into the sea towards the end of Season Two.

[@dinosauced2988]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 ah brilliant, thanks for the answer :)

[@Jerome_92]

whats the name of soundtrack used in this video please?

[@brianduffy2000]

Charlie is not the namesake of Desmond’s son, Charles Widmore the kids grandad is? Ya I’m sorry everyone

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Desmond and Penny hated her father, so there is no reason to assume that they would name their child after him. The clue is in the fact they call the kid Charlie and not Charles.

[@brianduffy2000]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 or.. maybe them naming their baby Charlie was the first step to Charles’ eventual salvation in trying to stop The Man in Black? Nah I’m just kidding, I came up with that theory to mess with my pal Jude who was a big Desmond fan and I had to share. 😀 Great channel, I’m making my way through all your videos while working from home. I watched Lost about 7 or 8 times back in the day and loved most of the show. One mystery I always wondered about was who is the long haired figure in the rocking chair in the cabin/guy peeking out the window. I’m sure it’s Smokey, but who was he inhabiting, definitely not Christian at that stage. Maybe it’s Horace?

[@hyperpotion232]

Why is that, despite his considerable strength and power, the smoke monster is repelled by Banyan trees, even going so far as to stall and retreat when characters hide within the confines of their branches, even though he can apparently rip entire trees out of the ground on other occassions? Also, are we to assume that Mr. Eko was not a candidate, as he is able to kill Eko? I think you may have already answered this elsewhere, but i can't quite remember...

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Is it the banyan trees holding him back? Or is it the fact that there are candidates hiding behind those trees? Therefore, the reason Smokey could not penetrate the banyan trees was because the people he was trying to get to were un-gettable. In the scenes where he is chasing candidates around the jungle, he is mostly trying to intimidate and create chaos than actually attack/kill. Maybe even drive them into doing something desperate that might risk their lives. Also, after 2,000 years trapped on the same island, it probably provides good entertainment for him. Yes, Eko was not a candidate. He might have been pre-candidacy like Sayid and Hurley (who weren't ordained as candidates until *after* they left The Island). The Man in Black found Eko to be a person of interest though, since Eko had a violent past and his brother's body was on The Island, indicating that Jacob had an interest in this man. If Jacob was interested then the Man in Black was interested. I made a video on Eko explaining why he was killed, which you can refresh on here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIPPnKWsmciBq7c

[@hyperpotion232]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 Makes sense actually, well done..

[@cirjaonisim1113]

I have a burning question concerning the episode Flashes Before Your Eyes. Did Desmond actually live (or relive) the events from the episode or was everything that happened in the episode only in his head after turning the key? As in, did his 2004 conscience went back in time and relived those events (and that was how it always happened, his conscience going back in time) or was that how it always happened and he only relived those events slightly different but redoing the same key events?

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I explore that very subject in this video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJS3i2dua7Z9qZo

[@cirjaonisim1113]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 Thank you! Problem solved!

[@GFXKwake]

I disagree with your comment about desmond flash of claire leaving the island was about the plane instead, I think like you said desmond mistaking claire with kate is more feasible

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Yes, that’s the version I subscribe to as well, I just wanted to offer up some alternative explanations for people who don’t like that particular answer. 👍

[@GFXKwake]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 Your content is amazing, even now I love watching them and learning something new

[@Rocky2418]

Another amazing video, very informative. The only thing I disagree with is the Charlie's ability to swim thing. Based on Charlie's helpless facial expression and the way he says "I don't swim!" - as well as the fact that no one could probably even hear him the second time he said it (Jack had run off and he said it a bit quieter the second time, as if just to himself) - I believe it was just a straight up discrepancy, an oversight. Considering the intricate tapestry of this show's plot, a discrepancy here and there (such as Charlotte's date of birth) is absolutely understandable, so it's not a big deal. You could be right, mind you. But based on his tone, facial expression, and timing/volume the second time he said he didn't swim, that's just what I believe is more likely. :-) Edit: Also, I was just thinking that if the writers had intended the explanation that he was just scared / being a coward when he said that - as in, if they remembered that scene - they probably could've anticipated confusion on the fans part if not addressed. So what they could've done is this: When Charlie later tells Jack that he was a swim champion or whatever, Jack could've remembered what Charlie had said a couple months prior (not that he absolutely would remember a little thing like that - I'm just saying he could have, and the writers could use that), given how important that had been with a person's life at stake, and demanded that Charlie explain himself. At which point Charlie could've been honest and explained that he had been scared and was still in a bad place with his addiction at the time. But the fact that nothing was addressed regarding the first season scene, again, makes me personally believe it was just an oversight. Just my opinion.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I don't disagree with you that the behind the scenes reason for the discrepancy in Charlie's swimming ability was the result of an oversight, or a continuity error. Absolutely. I don't believe the writers had any plans or intentions for Charlie's Season Three death arc when writing the fifth episode of Season One. They didn't know anything about where the story was headed at that point, certainly not to that degree of detail. However, that's not a satisfying in-universe explanation. And, unlike some other continuity issues in the show, Charlie's swimming ability is easier to reconcile using the internal logic of the story. We later see that he can swim, and swim very well. Which means that his statement in Season One is the anomaly and, therefore, the result of his cowardice in not wanting to risk his life for anyone else. And that plays nicely into Charlie's whole arc as a character. This might not have been the original intention of that scene when it was first written, but the retcon of Season Three certainly makes it so.

[@drewc.4061]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 - thanks for another great video, my friend. I actually disagree with you (which I'm always a little reluctant to do) on Charlie's swimming ability. We see nothing in-show from his past other than him jumping into a pool at Butlins as a boy. There's no evidence that he's a decent swimmer. In fact, I believe that it's precisely his inability to swim well that makes his actions in diving down to the Looking Glass so heroic. It tends to be calmer down there than on the surface, so I don't think that making that dive is suggestive of him being a good surface swimmer. Desmond's earlier flash where he sees Charlie dying in the sea is, for me, another "clue" of Charlie's limited swimming ability. But it's a fairly minor plot point that we can probably make work either way.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

​@@drewc.4061 Hi Drew! You can always feel free to disagree with anything you like on the channel! But I'm going to try and convince you otherwise 😂 The evidence that Charlie is a decent swimmer is based on the fact that we see him *swimming* beneath the Looking Glass station lol. That's not diving anymore. He is literally using his arms and legs to swim to the moonpool. People who can't swim could not do this. The moment they dropped the weight and had to move in the water they would flail and then drown. We don't see him using the underneath of the station to crawl along either, or use it as a crutch or for support. Charlie is physically (and by any definition of the word) swimming in that sequence. The other unavoidable fact that you have to explain away is that Charlie writes down on his "Greatest Hits" list the following: #4 - Dad *Teaching Me To Swim* at Butlins Now, you might argue that he was lying to Jack about his swimming competence, but why would he make this claim on a very personal piece of paper intended for Claire after his death? Think about it on the level of the words he uses. He literally writes "Dad Teaching Me To Swim". If he simply spent a day at Butlins in which he jumped in the pool and played around in the shallow end, but never actually learned true swimming competence, then why would he claim it as being taught to swim? And why would this moment even be on his list of greatest hits at all? Because, in your reading of that scene, he didn't actually learn to swim at all. So, surely he would simply label that moment as: "Dad taking me to Butlins" or something more general like that. Again, Charlie's words are very specific. As are his actions. Okay, Charlie might not have been the "championship swimmer" he claimed to be; that could easily have been an embellishment to help sell his pitch to Jack. But that's the only wriggle room on the whole swimming question as far as I'm concerned. Because we have all the evidence we need to know that *he could swim* based on the aforementioned points. We watch Charlie learning to swim as a kid with his dad; we see him stating this fact in both dialogue and on paper to reinforce that flashback and its meaning/intention within the story; then we see him actually swimming beneath the Looking Glass. Not diving, not flailing... real deal swimming. I just don't really understand how this sequence of events could be read in any other way. I get that Charlie's declaration in Season One creates a bit of decoherence and opened up these doubts, but it's clear that the writers decided to override that declaration in Season Three. Therefore, Season Three info supersedes Season One info. And it is actually far easier to explain away that one scene in Season One versus everything else that we see in Season Three.

[@drewc.4061]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 - thanks, as always for your time and for the detailed response, but I'm afraid that this will be one of those rare occasions where you can't persuade me of your argument. My dad actually taught me to swim in an indoor pool as a child, and turned me into a pretty good swimmer, but if I hadn't returned to swimming in my twenties and thirties, as I did, then what he taught me wouldn't make much difference now. And sea swimming is an entirely different animal, particularly on the surface, where waves are bobbing you around and the tide is pulling you. It becomes much slower, harder work. I'm sure that Charlie could swim within limitations, but, as I said previously, I believe it was important to the heroism of his actions at the Looking Glass that he wasn't well equipped for sea swimming, but chose to do it anyway. And I believe that the writers were giving us a big fat clue about his swimming shortcomings by having Desmond save Claire because Charlie would've died trying. If I'd seen him do any meaningful sea surface swimming, I might think differently, but as it stands, I believe that his swimming skills were basic at best.

[@Rocky2418]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 Ah, gotcha. Sometimes I forget that a big part of the goal with these videos is to find a way to make everything work and be true within the context of the show itself, to the extent possible. And I agree that your season 1 explanation is indeed possible, even if we both agree that it's likely an oversight.

[@ffallenaangel]

beatifull

[@notoriousbmc1]

I just wish we got an episode showing Claire in solitude on the island. Slowly going mad, and finding the Drive Shaft ring for her squirrel baby. Instead, Sun found it, and it was a pointless plot point that was probably forgotten about.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

You're not alone in wanting that Claire-centric flashback episode for Season Six. I really wanted to see that, and we could have had more clarity on the "sickness" and how MiB operates. I agree that the writers missed a huge trick in not having Sun give the DS ring to Kate before her death, and when Kate is trying to convince Claire to come with them in 'The End', she presents the DS ring to her. And it is this moment with the ring that reconnects Claire with her humanity and convinces her to leave. Such a missed opportunity to call back to Charlie in a meaningful narrative way for Claire.

[@nathanhawee5373]

I figured Desmond lied to Charlie so he would be ok with sacrificing himself. Because the first time Charlie dies he's with Claire, and I can't imagine Ethan hanging Charlie without a haggard fight! And since ur always talking loops it would be the same reason he dies the first time to save Claire

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I discuss this "Desmond lied" theory in the video at 14:42 and explain how and why that is not the case.

[@nathanhawee5373]

Ya I'm done commenting. Clearly you did, I watched the damn video... but to me u never Gave a suitable answer. And instead of being like ya kewl idea. Ur just a dick

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

@@nathanhawee5373 Well that escalated quickly! 😆

[@mateusztondera7049]

Hello! Thanks for amazing content you make! There is one question that still bothers me and maybe you could share your opinion about it. Years ago I ran into the theory that Island was personificated in the show by some appearances of Christian Shepherd. Author of course agreed that many Christian's appearances was MiB yet he claimed that in context of the church scene in finale it just doesn't make sense that Christian - guy who was shifty father with almost no important connection to any other losties, guy who was the villain-face of the story for so long as MiB - is somehow this angelic figure, Christ-like father of all. So this guy assumed that when Christian shows himself in suit his actually an Island and when Christian is in rags he is MiB. What do you think about it? It seems convoluted and yet it always made sense for me because it gives Christian any significance other than being a shell of the shitty guy used by an evil guy to end up as good impersonated right in the end... I would love to hear your thoughts about it! Keep on doing a good work!

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

An upcoming video is going to address all of the apparitions and ghosts on the island, and sort out who was who and when, including Christian. Every appearance of Christian on the island was the Man in Black. Christian in the flash sideways was real Christian, as he is presented without malice or malevolence, and is the key relationship that Jack needed to reconcile before he could move on. Don't worry, I will delve into all of this very, very soon.

[@mateusztondera7049]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 thanks, cool, can't wait!

[@danieln3771]

Why did the members of the dharma initiative from outside seek out Dharma members from the island after the purge?

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I speculate in my videos on both The Others, DHARMA and The Purge that DHARMA HQ was in the dark about the purge on the island, and that Ben continued the masquerade that DHARMA was still operating there. So, HQ might still have been sending recruits to the island after this event, including possibly Kelvin Inman. After Ben became leader of The Others, he took over the DHARMA barracks and, sometime thereafter, he took over operations on the outside too.

[@danieln3771]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 thank you Man :)

[@OpenSoullium]

Can I ask you a question about what happened to Desmond after he destroyed a hatch. Is he really mentally time travelled in past? Cause I don't understand, if he remembers all events that days, he should remember Eloise and her words or how it works?

[@OpenSoullium]

And how Eloise predicting things in this flashes

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I explore that very subject in this video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJS3i2dua7Z9qZo

[@OpenSoullium]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 thanks, the video is interesting and answers a lot, but what about eloise? how did she know that the man would die, if for her it was the present and this is a conversation that always happened

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

It’s implied that Eloise had either visions/flashes like Desmond or that she had psychic gifts like Walt. It’s never confirmed but her prediction regarding the death of the man with red shoes heavily hints to the idea that she could see glimpses of the future. Whether that power came directly from Jacob (like the way he gifted Richard) or whether it came as a side effect following the fallout from The Incident is open to speculation.

[@OpenSoullium]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 oh my god thanks, I love ur channel, u opened my eyes to a lot of things, keep doing videos about Lost!

[@jsly621]

2 things: 1. I think there’s a difference between believing Desmond “conned” Charlie into dying and just getting exhausted at the prospect of having to constantly save Charlie’s life. And 2. I’m sorry. It doesn’t take a trained musician to plunk out Good Vibrations on a keypad.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I understand the first point in terms of the logic behind that theory’s view on Desmond’s motivations; that he was tired of saving Charlie so conned him into dying to avoid saving him anymore. However, Desmond lying to Charlie has no basis in anything we see on the show (we are actually shown the opposite and that Desmond can’t bring himself to trick Charlie a few episodes prior and then we see him offer to take Charlie’s place before he makes the dive) and if it was intended to be a lie designed to “get it over with” then the show would have dealt with it in story, as it meant serious consequences to Desmond’s arc. Quite frankly, to knowingly lead Charlie to his death on the false promise of Claire and Aaron being saved then behaving without any guilt for the rest of Season Four would make Desmond into a sociopath. That is not at all what is portrayed nor was it intended. It’s just some fans way of trying to reconcile why his vision never came to pass, but rather than putting it down to other factors - such as him only seeing, you know, *a flash* of this event and getting it wrong as we’ve seen him do already - they create a bogus motivation to give to Desmond that neither fits his character nor the story that is being told about him. As for your second point, you might not have to be a trained musician to remember and improv the notes to Good Vibrations, but you need to first of all know the song well, secondly you need to understand how to read music, and thirdly you need to have the skills to be able to translate notes from memory into musical values on a keypad. I’m sorry right back at you here, but almost none of our Oceanic survivors could have done what he did. Hell, ask a random person on the street to do what Charlie does and they wouldn’t even come close. Unless they are musicians who know the song.

[@animal245533]

So I have another question. Why did the island show the MIB his mother starting his desire to leave the island?

[@msto1987]

At the time the mib should have been able to leave with no problem, it was mothers selfishness keeping him there. That all changed when Jacob threw him into the source. Then he and Jacob became a mess the island had to clean up

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Because Mother's time was coming to an end and The Island was cueing up the fundamental components needed to replace her: a guardian and a smoke monster. And MiB-smoke monster was a crucial part of the time loop that all of existence would be dependent upon playing out. Remember, there is no "now" within The Source. It is beyond time, therefore it sees everything.

[@animal245533]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 That does make sense. You could say the island is doing it to ensure Hurley is ready along with Walt to lead the island further. Always appreciate the answers you give.

[@msto1987]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 This is in direct contrast to what you say in the Jacob and man in black video. You state that the island's ultimate goal is to destroy the man in black. if time is not relevant because there is no "time"in the source then ultimately the island knows that it will want to destroy the man in black So why would it queue up events to make the man in black? It could just as easily manipulate someone else to become the protector and guardian of the island.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

@@msto1987 No, this is not in direct contrast. I've even delved into this specific plot point in other videos. The Man in Black's transformation into the monster and his ultimate destruction are inextricably tied to The Island's continued existence. He is needed for the time loop (because he technically sets it in motion) and that time loop is what prevents the end of the world. The MiB-smoke monster has to exist. Once that "patch" has been made in the timeline, the smoke monster can be destroyed.

[@olanordmann7836]

In S5E14, what's wrong with Daniel Faraday?

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Lol, could you be more specific?

[@olanordmann7836]

​@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 When we get flashbacks of him being visited by Widmore and Elloise before he came to the Island, it's as though he's mentally retarded or something.

[@hyperpotion232]

Is it just me or it Jacob kinda...oddly incompassionate towards Ben during their final confrontation before Ben stabs him? Jacob was generally calm and understanding towards his candidates, but he's just like..."what about you?" to Ben, a man whom he knows is twisted, but also a man he knows has been through hell?

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

I think Jacob pities Ben to an extent; he most likely always wanted Ben to become his best self only to get continually let down by the terrible choices that he makes. And after everything Ben has done, Jacob finds his "what about me?" statement somewhat... selfish. I mean, Ben killed Locke and has literally opened the door to "the devil" to inhabit Locke's body, which might end up destroying the island and the world. To hear Ben -- the man who made this potential apocalypse possible -- still only thinking of himself probably did provoke a bit of cold indifference in Jacob.

[@hyperpotion232]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 true, lol.

[@itssparky7757]

Shit I saw the spoilers I'm in s4 starting 😢😅😢😢😢😢

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

If you haven’t finished watching the show, don’t watch this channel. I spoil the entire story from start to finish. I also mention how it ends in multiple videos. This channel is for people who have completed the series in its entirety, not people who are still catching up with it. Hopefully, I’ll see you back here after you finish the epic that is LOST and any lingering questions you have can be covered then. Enjoy! 👍

[@itssparky7757]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 yah man i stopped the video right away and went on to grind

[@maverickmace9100]

Leaving 2 women right before a wedding and joining a monastery and the army... This guy deserves to be stuck on an island, pressing a button every 108 minutes lol

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Technically, Desmond didn't leave Penny before a wedding. He left her just before he was about to propose. But he then later finds out she is getting married (after he has been in prison) and makes her feel guilty about that fact lol. So, yes, Desmond being punished by fate is certainly one way of looking at it! 😂

[@maverickmace9100]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 the wedding was bought and paid for with the first girl and he joins a monastery. Once is bad enough 😆

[@hotcrazycatladyme168]

Charlie wouldn't have had to have seen Claire in the water to then die drowning trying to save her. Eventually when he did make it back to camp people would have told him what happened and he would have died trying to find her/body in the water.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Desmond specifically says that he saw Charlie drowning trying to “save” her. If she was already dead, that wouldn’t make sense. Plus, Claire couldn’t die in any of these scenarios because her destiny was already written. She’s the reason Kate goes back to the island (and back in time), therefore Claire was never at risk of dying in that sequence. She was always going to be saved. The point is: without Desmond’s vision in that scene, Claire would have drowned whilst Locke and Sayid caught Charlie and Hurley up on events in the jungle. There is no way Charlie would have been in the situation Desmond foresaw happening.

[@sleepydreepy6472]

I always assumed that Desmond lied to Charlie about seeing Claire get on the helicopter because he was desperate to see Penny again (and to be rescued from the island), and wanted Charlie to be motivated enough to sacrifice his life so that what he saw would actually happen. There was something about the way he was telling Charlie that he had to flip the switch and die in order to "save Claire" that seemed disingenuous to me for some reason, even though like you said in the video he had no reason to act nefariously. Just the way he kept insisting that Claire would be saved and then obsessing over Penny coming to the island came off as suspicious to me personally. And then offering to take Charlie's place to swim to the underwater station could have been him feeling guilty because he is a good person at heart.

[@lindsaykania106]

jeez im early

[@ryleycarroll9486]

I always thought Desmond lied about Clair going on the helicopter because no body would get saved otherwise and he knew he would fail to save Charlie one day anyway, than on the boat he couldn’t go though with it, after watching this I think he might of just saw Aaron in Kate’s arms and the door of the helicopter and assumed it was Clair

[@ryleycarroll9486]

Kinda like how he was going to sacrifice Charlie with the arrow

[@hotcrazycatladyme168]

How could Claire have made it onto the helicopter? Sawyer had to jump off to relieve the weight. If Claire had made it there with them then Sawyer jumping off wouldn't have saved them.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Claire was never going to be on that helicopter. As I discuss in the video, her destiny was pre-written. Either Desmond’s vision was wrong or Desmond misinterpreted it.

[@msto1987]

I hate to parse words but honestly anyone could have shut off the jammer. bonnie literally says the code outloud. Charlie tells her to start again but had anyone paid attention she wouldn't need too repeat herself or to relate the code to the beach boys . this is an inconvenient truth, since Charlie didn't pay attention at the start his musical background did help but if he listened at the start it would have been unnecessary

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Well, we'll split hairs on this because the only reason that Bonnie gives over the code in any form is because of the way Charlie interacts with her before her death. She is seconds from dying and has no intention of giving up the code until Charlie says the following: "OK, Bonnie, we're both gonna die down here. All right, let's be perfectly honest. A one-eyed maniac just killed your friend, he shot you in the back. It would appear that your glorious leader, Ben, put him up to it. Are you a sodding idiot? You have the opportunity to make Ben very, very angry. Why would you not take that?" And that's when she starts unspooling the code. You have to think that if it was Desmond down there alone and in the same situation, none of that would have played out the same. Even if he had somehow managed to get the code out of Bonnie some other way, if he misheard or missed out even one number from the code sequence then he could not have unjammed the comms. Charlie didn't actually need the numbers in the end. It didn't matter if she had told him the full sequence. He just needed to know what the numbers were coded to. In this case, it was music. And he knew music better than anyone else on the island. So, I disagree that simply anyone could have turned off the jammer. The circumstances were so specific to Charlie and his actions down there (and his musical knowledge) that it could only have ever been him.

[@msto1987]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 Well I disagree with that explanation. Being a musician had nothing to do with anything when it comes down to it if the island wants a musician to turn it off a musician will turn it off if an island needs a doctor to turn it off then a doctor will turn it off. I just don't like talk talk that involves absolutes when it's completely up for interpretation you stated if clair left the island Kate would have no reason for wanting to come back to the island but that completely ingnors the fact that if the island wanted her to come back it would contrive another reason for her to want to come back. Thanks for the engagement, And honestly I openly admit that you know a billion times more about this show than me and I feel I know this show pretty well

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

But being a musician did have *everything* to do with it. The only reason why the jammer could get turned off in that sequence of events was because Charlie had musical knowledge. Like you say, he missed the actual code sequence so had to rely on his musical knowledge to save the day. A big deal is made of the moment when Bonnie says the keypad was programmed by a musician. It is significant because it's another example of the god in the machine. Fate weaving its tapestry. Events being predestined to take place. Things happening when they need to happen. Because everything happens for a reason. This is the very core theme of the show and is proven time and time again within the story. Charlie being destined to turn off the jammer is just one of many examples. I know what you're trying to argue here. That Bonnie could have told the numerical sequence to anyone and they would not need any musical knowledge whatsoever. But the only reason Bonnie offers up the code is because Charlie convinces her to. Not Desmond. Not Jack. Not Sayid. Not anyone else that could have been down there. Charlie. It is his personality, his thought process, his decision making that leads to that moment. It happens the way that it does because that is the only way that it could have happened. The simple truth is, either way you slice it, the code would never have been cracked if Charlie had not been down there.

[@msto1987]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 even if it wasn't cracked like you said it was predestined the island would have course corrected and eventually the signal would have shut off. Now while I actually have "the mans" (with all respect) ear, can u tell me how Eloise knew about the fate of the man in the red shoes? It wasn't in the journal which is how I assume she knew all she did and nobody short of desmond knew it was a timey wimey effect in play. Also why couldn't I get a heart from lost explained. I think I was pleasant and furthered the conversation but I can't get no love?

[@buzzwithdrip6347]

@@msto1987 I think Eloise could also see the flashes like Desmond maybe? She was over LA lamp post station another big electromagnetic hotspot?

[@askidar267]

Will you re-make 5 hour explanation video with normal voice? I wanted to watch it but that bot voice is just too much.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Yes, I plan to remake that video piecemeal (might have to be done across six different parts). It's a lot of content to reproduce so it will take me some time to complete, but I will get there!

[@askidar267]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 Thanks. What do you think of yt/Veloud 8 parts of Lost review?

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

Sorry, I don't understand your question. What is yt/veloud?

[@askidar267]

@@LOSTEXPLAINED108 He did 8 videos on reviewing Lost in very depth, type his channel and you will see videos. I am just asking if you know about those videos?

[@buddystewart2020]

@@askidar267 ... Ok, so I had to go out there to check that out. I shut it off as soon as I heard him bitch about the ending, because I just don't agree with that. I love the ending. If I already have such a basic disconnect, it's not worth it for me to listen to the rest of him.

[@alexandruseizu5465]

im tired of explanation like "is the path to fulfill the destiny the island and jacob decided". the cheapest way the plot works: because! like shannon astma that disappear after is not needed for the story. an island miracle! and your explanation for the plothole of charlie the swimmer? pathetic.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

The show was all about destiny and pretty much talked about this consistently for six seasons.

[@LOSTEXPLAINED108]

P.s. Shannon didn’t suffer with asthma on The Island afterwards because Sun created a herbal remedy that she could use whenever she got a flare up. And your edit to include an insult calling me pathetic is totally unnecessary. Don't act like a child.

[@shauni9774]

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