Timeline differences

This article describes differences between the two different timelines shown in Season 6, up until the moment that (in the original timeline) the plane broke apart. Note that this article describes circumstances in existence at or prior to the moment that, in the original timeline, the plane broke apart, even if the audience does not learn of the existence of those circumstances until later (such as the absence of the coffin, which is not revealed in the flash-sideways timeline until after the plane has landed).

General[]

Oceanic Flight 815[]

Original timeline: Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 crashes on the Island.
Flash-sideways timeline: Oceanic Flight 815 doesn't crash on the Island. A plane, only later identified as Oceanic Flight 815, experiences a few moments of turbulence but then lands uneventfully at LAX.
Original timeline: A flight attendant announces over the plane's PA system that the flight is experiencing turbulence immediately before Oceanic Flight 815 crashes.
Flash-sideways timeline: After it passes the unseen pilot reassures the passengers over the PA.
Original timeline: Oceanic Flight 815 lost radio contact and was over 1000 miles off course (heading towards Fiji) during the time of the crash.
Flash-sideways timeline: The flight lands uneventfully at LAX without any indication that the plane lost radio contact or was off course.

The Island[]

Original timeline: Thriving with life and multiple inhabitants.
Flash-sideways timeline: Although it appears to have been inhabited at some point (the ruins of the four-toed statue, the Sonar Fence, and of the Barracks are shown, as well as a shark with a DHARMA logo) the entire Island is now at the bottom of the ocean.

Jack Shephard[]

Original timeline: Jack obtains two bottles of vodka from Cindy and remarks that her gift must break some crucial FAA regulation. When Jack looks out the airplane window, the wing of the plane is visible but obscured by clouds. Jack reassures Rose, as Rose is a nervous flier. Jack is sitting in row 23. His hair is cut short in a buzz-cut. He uses the pen in his jacket pocket to make an incision on the injured Edward Mars.
Flash-sideways timeline: Jack obtains only one bottle of vodka from Cindy and remarks that he will keep her gift a secret. When Jack looks out the airplane window, the wing of the plane is not visible. When Jack looks in the bathroom mirror, he notices a bleeding cut on his neck. Rose reassures Jack, as Jack is a nervous flier. Jack is sitting in row 24. His hair is longer. When trying to resuscitate Charlie, the pen in his pocket is missing because Kate stole it when she "bumped" into him outside of the bathroom.
Original timeline: Has no children. Did not have an appendectomy prior to Flight 815 (with the result that he would need one later while he was on the island).
Flash-sideways timeline: Has a teenaged son, David Shephard who does not normally live with him. Had appendectomy when he was 7 or 8 years old (1976-7)
Original timeline: Married once and divorced from Sarah Wagner.
Flash-sideways timeline: Married once and divorced from Juliet Burke, with whom he had David.

James Ford[]

Original timeline: Was self-absorbed.
Flash-sideways timeline: is a little more altruistic.
Original timeline: Was a con man, using the alias "Sawyer" (adopted from the alias used by Anthony Cooper).
Flash-sideways timeline: Is a police officer, working under his true name, James Ford. ("Recon")
Original Timeline: His parents died when he was 8.
Flash-sideways timeline: His parents died when he was 9.

Christian Shephard[]

Original timeline: The coffin containing Christian's body is in the plane at the time that it crashes.
Flash-sideways timeline: When the plane lands, an Oceanic Airlines representative tells Jack that the coffin containing Christian's body which was checked in the cargo hold in Sydney is not on the plane. Jack Shephard is informed by Oceanic employees the coffin was "apparently" never loaded onto the plane in Sydney.

Charlie Pace[]

Original timeline: Charlie goes to the first-class restroom to use heroin. He snorts some of it and dumps the rest down the toilet right before the plane hits turbulence and crashes. His hair is shaggy and unkempt.
Flash-sideways timeline: Charlie attempts to swallow a bag of heroin in a restroom in the tail of the plane, but it lodges in his airway and he almost chokes to death before being saved by Jack and Sayid, much to Charlie's dismay. He is arrested when the plane lands. Charlie's hair is a short buzz cut, the same hair cut he is using when he visited Hurley at the medical institution in The Beginning of the End, season 4.

Desmond Hume[]

Original timeline: At the moment of the plane crash, Desmond is in the Swan on the Island. He failed to push the button in a timely manner, causing a system failure which triggered a magnetic surge that caused Flight 815 to break up over the Island and crash.

Flash-sideways timeline: Desmond is on the plane, and moves from his original seat to sit next to Jack while Jack is using the bathroom. Jack returns to find him sitting next to his seat reading and Jack asks whether he knows Desmond from somewhere (they never come to a conclusion that they do). Later, Jack returned to his seat for a second time, following his treatment of Charlie outside the bathroom. Desmond is no longer in that seat, or anywhere within Jack's view. When asked, Rose states that she and Bernard were sleeping, and are thus unaware of Desmond's whereabouts.

Original timeline: Desmond despises Charles Widmore, who regards his son in law as a low-class man, unworthy of his daughter. Charles says that Desmond is not worth the cost of the MacCutcheon whisky.

Flash-sideways timeline: Desmond has a fantastic personal and business relationship with Charles. Charles offers Desmond a glass of MacCutcheon whisky, saying he is worth the cost.

Original timeline: Desmond's one true love is Penelope Widmore, whom he later weds, and has his son, Charlie with.

Flash-sideways timeline: Desmond is unaware of Penny until he meets her while she is doing a tour de stade.

Kate Austen[]

Original timeline: Kate was extremely interested in obtaining the Halliburton case since it contained Tom Brennan's toy airplane. Doesn't deny she is a murderer.
Flash-sideways timeline: Kate does not look at the case and leaves it in the bathroom when she knocks Edward Mars unconscious. Denies she is a murderer.

Rose Nadler[]

Original timeline: She was nervous on the flight; Jack tried to keep her calm. She says to Jack, "My husband keeps reminding me that planes want to BE in the air". She had her husband Bernard's ring, saying she always kept it for him when they flew because his fingers swelled. Charlie ran past Rose on the flight.
Flash-sideways timeline: She was the more calm one on the flight, whereas Jack was more nervous and Rose tried to keep him calm. She says to Jack, "My husband says that planes want to STAY in the air". Bernard was wearing his ring. Charlie does not run past Rose on the flight. She is employed at a temp agency.

Bernard Nadler[]

Original timeline: He never returned from the bathroom, as the tail section ripped off from the rest of the plane before he could make it back to his original seat.
Flash-sideways timeline: He returns from the bathroom safely, but jokes that he nearly died in the bathroom due to the turbulence.

Shannon Rutherford[]

Original timeline: Was on the plane.
Flash-sideways timeline: According to Boone, Shannon refused to return to Los Angeles with Boone and therefore is presumably still in Australia.

Hugo "Hurley" Reyes[]

Original timeline: Frequently remarks on how unlucky he is, how he has a curse upon him and how bad things happen around him. Is not well known as the owner of Mr. Cluck's Chicken Shack.
Flash-sideways timeline: Claims he is the luckiest guy alive. Does commercials as the owner and face of Mr. Cluck's, and is recognized by Arzt. Appears to have a more active interest in the management and promotion of his business holdings, complaining to someone over the phone about another company's hold on the term 'outback', possibly referring to the real-world Outback Steakhouse chain, advertisements for which ran during the US airing of the episode.
Original timeline: Spent an unknown period of time in the Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute following an accident that left him psychologically traumatized.
Flash-sideways timeline: Never spent time at Santa Rosa, making it probable, the accident never occurred.

John Locke[]

Original timeline: Locke's knives are in the checked luggage on the plane. He was told in Australia he could not go on the walkabout. When he boarded the plane, Locke began reading the safety pamphlet but dropped it and could not reach it.
Flash-sideways timeline: When the plane lands, the airline baggage handlers cannot find the case containing Locke's knives. It is not clear whether the knives disappeared from the plane in-flight, whether they were never loaded onto the plane, or whether they have simply been misplaced by the airline. On the plane, he talks to Boone about his experiences on the walkabout; however, Locke leaves the plane in a wheelchair.
- In the 2/4/10 podcast, Damon and Carlton reveal Locke was lying to Boone; he never went on the walkabout and was instead rejected because of his disability.1
Original timeline: Had a dysfunctional relationship with Anthony Cooper (his biological father), who had thrown him from a tall building. Helen Norwood broke off her relationship with him after she caught him attempting to engage in a deal with his father.

Flash-sideways timeline: Is engaged to Helen and (based on Helen's comment that Locke's father be invited to the wedding) apparently has a healthier relationship with his father.
Original timeline: Locke was paralyzed when his criminal father pushed him out of a window.
Flash-sideways timeline: Locke was paralyzed when the plane he was going to fly crashed.

Jin-Soo Kwon and Sun-Hwa Kwon[]

Original timeline: Jin and Sun are married, both wear wedding rings and both have the surname Kwon. Sun intends to escape from Jin.
Flash-sideways timeline: Jin and Sun are not married, but are carrying on a romantic affair which they do not believe Mr. Paik is aware of. Sun intends to escape, with Jin, from Mr. Paik.

Michael and Walt[]

Original timeline: Michael and Walt are both aboard the plane.
Flash-sideways timeline: Neither Michael nor Walt are shown aboard the plane. [1]

Sayid[]

Original timeline: Was from Iraq, and presumably had an Iraqi passport.
Flash-sideways timeline: Held an Iranian passport, but marked "Iraq" as Country of Citizenship on the U.S. Customs Declaration Form.
Original timeline: Does not know Nadia's fate or location. Was in Australia as part of a CIA sting operation to expose his former roommate Essam Tasir, in exchange for information about Nadia's whereabouts. ("The Greater Good")
Flash-sideways timeline: Knows that Nadia is married to his brother Omer. Tells Omer, Nadia and their children that he was in Australia working as a translator for an oil company. ("Sundown")

Ethan Rom[]

Original timeline: Born in July 1977 to Horace and Amy Goodspeed. A few days after his birth, Pierre Chang ordered all women and children to be evacuated from the island because of the Incident. Presumably, Amy and Ethan were in the evacuation but later returned to the island. At some point before 1988 (the year when Alex was born to Rousseau), Ethan began living with the Others, as he was with Ben the night Alex was taken. After the Purge, he lived with them exclusively, although he also traveled to the mainland and became a doctor. At some point in time, he changed his name to "Ethan Rom" for an unknown reason.
Flash-sideways timeline: As an adult, he went by his birth name of Ethan Goodspeed. In 2004, he was working as an obstetrician at a hospital in Los Angeles.

Benjamin Linus[]

Original timeline: Is on the island, as leader of the Others.
Flash-sideways timeline: Works as a European History teacher at a high school.
Original timeline: Had a dysfunctional relationship with his father. They went to the Island with the DHARMA Initiative, where Ben killed Roger.
Flash-sideways timeline: Has a somewhat healthier relationship with his father. They went to the Island but left.
Original timeline: Killed his father using a grenade filled with poisonous gas.
Flash-sideways timeline: Keeps his father alive with an oxygen tank.

Dogen[]

Original timeline: Is among the Others, apparently normally resident in the Temple. Previously lived in Osaka and was in a car accident, which left his son in critical condition; Jacob promised him that his son could be saved if he came to the island, but he would never be able to see his son again.
Flash-sideways timeline: Apparently lives in the United States and has a relationship with his teenaged son, who is about the same age as Jack Shephard's son, David Shephard.

Martin Keamy[]

Original timeline: Worked as a mercenary for Charles Widmore, and was sent to the Island on the freighter to capture Ben.
Flash-sideways timeline: Is a loan shark, extorting money from Sayid's brother Omer. Keamy was also engaged by Mr. Paik to murder Jin.

Leslie Arzt[]

Original timeline: Was a junior high (Expose) Earth science teacher in the New Jersey public school system.
Flash-sideways timeline: Is a high school biology teacher in Southern California (Dr. Linus).

Alexandra Rousseau[]

Original timeline: Born on the Island and lived there her entire life, believing Ben was her father and her mother was dead.
Flash-sideways timeline: Presumably born off the Island and lives with her mother, Danielle Rousseau in Los Angeles. She is also Ben Linus' student at the high school where he teaches. She considers Ben a father figure but does not believe him to be her real father.

Miles Straume[]

Original timeline: Works as a spiritualist.
Flash-sideways timeline: Works as a police officer (partner of James Ford).
Original timeline: His mother was last seen bed-ridden, in poor health. His father worked for the DHARMA Initiative but is presumed killed in The Purge. Miles never knew his father.
Flash-sideways timeline: Asks Ford to go on a date "as a favor for my parents". His father works at a museum and has a relationship with his son. The whereabouts of his mother are not known, but she can be presumed alive from his comment to Ford, which used the plural tense of parent suggesting two.

Charlotte Lewis[]

Original timeline: Works as an anthropologist.
Flash-sideways timeline: Works as an archaeologist.

Mikhail Bakunin[]

Original timeline: Former Soviet soldier who joined the Others. Speaks at least Russian, Latin, English, Italian, and Portuguese. Lost his right eye in an unspecified incident.
Flash-sideways timeline: Associate of loan shark Martin Keamy. Speaks nine different languages including Korean. Both eyes are intact, but he gets shot and killed by Jin and the bullet blows out his right eye.

Daniel Faraday[]

Original timeline: Daniel spends his entire life studying physics, and is a scientist. At the insistence of his mother, he did not pursue the remarkable talent in music he possessed.
Flash-sideways timeline: Daniel is a musician and knows nothing of physics.
Original timeline: Daniel apparently is unaware that Charles Widmore is his father, or of the existence of his half sister. His mother, Eloise Hawking, changed his surname to Faraday to make it harder for Charles to find him.
Flash-sideways timeline: Daniel is aware of his father, as well as his half sister. He carries his father's surname, Widmore.

George Minkowski[]

Original timeline: Is the communications officer aboard the freighter, working for Widmore.
Flash-sideways timeline: Is a limousine driver, working for Widmore.
Original timeline: Helps Sayid and Desmond in an attempt to get Desmond in contact with Penny, his constant, before dying.
Flash-sideways timeline: Serves as Desmond's limousine driver, ultimately helping him to get in contact with not just Penny, but also many of the passengers of Flight 815.

Penny Widmore[]

Original timeline: Went by the surname Widmore, now married to Desmond Hume.
Flash-sideways timeline: Goes by the surname Milton, previously never met Desmond.

Pierre Chang[]

Original timeline: Worked for the DHARMA Initiative. Superior of Hurley in Dharmaville. Is middle-aged in the 1970s.
Flash-sideways timeline: Works at a museum. Hurley is one of his main benefactors.

Libby Smith[]

Original timeline: Claimed to be a clinical psychologist, was a former patient at Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute.
Flash-sideways timeline: Is a self-admitted patient at Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute.

Ilana Verdansky[]

Original timeline: Was recruited by Jacob while recuperating from burns in a Russian hospital to act as a bodyguard. It is not clear whether this recruitment occurred before or after Flight 815 crashed. Thick accent.
Flash-sideways timeline: Is an attorney with a Los Angeles firm, and has a professional relationship with Desmond Hume. No thick accent.

Ana-Lucia Cortez[]

Original timeline: Former officer in the LAPD who quit because of a fear that her mother would expose her for a murder she committed. Accompanied Christian Shephard to Australia as an escort/drinking buddy.
Flash-sideways timeline: Unknown if she accompanied Christian, as she was not visible on the plane. Helped Desmond, Sayid, and Kate escape police custody. Presumably never quit/re-employed with the LAPD.