Time Loop Theory
i have read in a few other theories and posts that the writers aren’t using time loops as part of the story. the thing is that they already have.
However, we see john skipping through time and then richard removes the bullet from his leg. later we find out the reason of how richard knows exactly where john is – because they a part of a continueous time loop. this more than likely means that the first time we see locke time skipping and richard helping him, the future johne locke/mib is already carrying out his plan to kill jacob. And for all we know, in this future time period, jacob will be killed just like in the current time period.
this is one time loop that is continually repeating on and on and on so why not the entire series?
I_Am_Jacob, there are some theories written by AES and myself regarding time-loops, and our belief in them.
They were written at the beginning of the Season, and if you click on his name, or mine, you will see them. Mine is entitled, ‘Yep, they’re in a Time Loop’.
I am definitely one person who subscribes to your theory, and since the season finale, believe in its existence on a much larger scale.
Part of the purpose of a ‘continuous loop’ IMO is, that it allows the writers to make any alterations in the story and arrive at the desired outcome at the end of the series, and still make it all believable in the eyes of the viewers.
dabiatchishere, thanks for that.
i think that the eye we see at the end of season 5 was jack’s and the 1st episode of season 6 will be a very fast run through of the story up to now (ie. showing the timeloop repeating)starting with the crash. i think however that the time loop repeats will be ones previous to the one that the losties are currently in and this current time loop will be the one where things change correctly.
I_Am_Jacob, please call me dabs!
I like the scenario that you present. It’s entirely plausible that it plays out this way.
I hope that your theory garners the attention that it deserves!
“i think however that the time loop repeats will be ones previous to the one that the losties are currently in and this current time loop will be the one where things change correctly.”
I think that statement may be exactly it! I’m a believer in “Change,” and Jacob’s statement in the finale about “Progess” solidified it for me even more. I think we have been seeing “Change” to the loops all along without being fully aware of it.
Sorry, for the typo on the word “Progress”
Im a new user but i’ve been reading some of these time loop theories and got to thinking that if they were in a timeloop wouldn’t the french lady recognize jin when she met the losties after the crash?
I am Jacob: A time loop must have a beginning and an end. So when does it begin or end?
A time loop means the exact same time is repeated. There is no evidence that this has ever happened. Certainly not in your example above. All we have seen is the same event from different perspectives.
Time travelling into the past during your own life is not a time loop.
This is not to say there is zero evidence of a time loop. To me the most compelling evidence of a time loop is when the picture frames change in “confirmed dead”. This scene may be a meshing of similar events from 2 separate time iterations of a loop. Or it could be something else. Maybe the woman changed the frames while Miles was upstairs.
In Groundhog Day, the loop started at 6 am on February 2nd, 199x and ended when the main character fell asleep or died, usually the same day or following morning. The main character was the only one who kept memories of prior iterations.
I’m not here to say there is no loop. I’m not here to say there is no evidence of a loop. I’m just here to say, what we’ve seen so far may not be a time loop.
The action of the show may loop, the characters may loop, but time itself does not. At least I haven’t seen it yet.
Hi BanLinus,
thanks for the thoughts. please check out my new time loop theory (Time Loop Theory Part 2) which develops my ideas a bit more.
in it, it tackle your Groundhog day point about characters having prior knowledge.
and yes you are right, the time hasn’t looped – Yet. As some of the actions the characters take come from many years back (the flash backs etc.), i feel this loop is over a much longer time frame. i think we are yet to see the end of the loop (it’s outcome) – but maybe The Incident was the end of it? Dont’ know. but i think that this loop may not follow the usual linear format we all expect due to the fact of time travel happening.
i reckon that the finale and the ultimate outcome of Lost will tackle huge events (saving the world etc.) which is why the time loop time-scale is much longer and much more complex than the one Bill Murray was stuck in.
anyway, check out my new theory when it finally gets posted.
Okay, that I could possibly buy into. But what makes a repeating time loop so cool from a fictional storytelling standpoint is actually seeing the iterations over and over. With only a season left, they wouldn’t have time to show things over and over. Also if it’s impossible to escape the loop, that isn’t very interesting either.
The stuff with Desmond may be the biggest clues to time loop iterations.
I just can’t imagine that something this huge could be saved for the season 6 finale.
They would want to tackle this head on and early in season 6.