Lost, just watched the finale...... spoliers....

[R1Geezer]

Can someone sumerise please. Are they all dead already in the timeline where they make it to LA? It is implied that Hurley in this time line is the Jacob type character but how does that work? They split the time line when Juliet set off the Nuke right? What about the smoke monster surey shoving him off clff would kill him? Confused? Can some lost devotee explain, thanks!

[Aquariel]

Basically, yes, the "alternate" timeline wais a sort of limbo/purgatory created by their collective consciousnesses after they had all died. Jack's dad said that they had all died at different times and then come together to "ascend" as a group. I think the bomb going off was a red herring really in that sense. At least that's how I saw it, others have different views.

When Desmond pulled the plug out of the island, the smoke monster became mortal again, allowing Jack to kill him, which appeared to be the case. Then Jack put the "cork" back in the bottle so that the evil couldn't escape again...

Having said that, I'm still confused as well!

[trionam]

thats exactly as I saw it too just to add that I had to watch it twice before it all started to come together for me you miss so many things the first time.I was confused as to why only certain characters were in the church but noticed eloise said to desmond are you going to take my son and he said no not with me or something so I took that to mean the other characters charlotte miles ect where not ready to go.

[R1Geezer]

But that Timeline was created when Julliet exploded the bomb and therefore the flight made it to LA, fair enogh but what about the timeline where they where still on the island ie the whole of S6? and why did Desmond run over Lock in the LA time line what was that all about?

[chelle7272]

The timeline where they remained on the island was real, not sure about Desmond or indded any of the storylines in the other timeline as yet myself!

[trionam]

I believe the bomb was just a red herring and never detonated the other timeline was the afterlife or purgatory an existence created by each of their subconscious so that they could find each other and move on desmond realised this when he connected with charlie under the water and then set about finding the others to show them what he had seen himself alot to swallow I know have a read of this and see what you think http://www.ew.com/ew/...3460_20387946,00.html

[trionam]

so the reason why desmond ran over locke was because he already knew they were on the other side if you like and he used it as a way to bring them together.locke ends up in hospital jack fixes his legs and locke then remembers.

[R1Geezer]

so how did the lot in the LA time line all die?

[Aquariel]

Desmond ran over Locke knowing that Locke would be taken to the hospital to meet up with Jack and therefore remember his life on the island.

There's no evidence to suggest that the bomb exploding actually created the alternate timeline. That was just an assumption made by everyone watching (me included). When we found out what the alternate timeline was, it made more sense. The bomb was just that - Juliet was next to it when it exploded, and she died, the rest survived.

Some of those in the LA timeline you've already seen die over the course of the series. For the rest, we don't know how they died, i.e. Kate, Sawyer, Miles, Frank, etc. Presumably they got home and lived normal lives. We know Hurley was the island protector and Ben was his lieutenant, if you will, but we haven't seen any of that either. Although there will be an extra on the DVD, apparently, which shows some of Hurley's time as the island's new guardian.

[R1Geezer]

right so the LA and he Island timelines are not concurrent, the Island one is pre the LA one and at some point they all die. So the death of jack on the island sort of triggers the gathering. What about those that flew off as jack is dieing next to the dog?

[supersuezy24]

Kinda explains why hurley never lost weight then if he was dead haha

[LeMarchand]

Christian explained that time in the alt-verse wasn't the same as in the real world.

So Kate, Sawyer, Frank, Richard and Miles presumably got safely off the island and lived out their days. After they died most of them ended up in the alt-verse where Desmond (when he remembered) made it his mission to bring them together and help them remember their time on the island so that they could all move on together, which they did when Jack was ready to go. So although many of the characters died after Jack did, they all "moved on" at the same time.

I'm amazed that the Militant Atheists haven't been up in arms about the (admittedly non-specific) religious tone of the ending.