I've been saying this since the season 5 finale, and a lot people have doubted it, but everything we learned from comic-con backs it up
we know:
a) something new replaces the flashbacks/flashforwards
b) there is some form of alternate timeline factor
c) that the show would not just wipe out 5 years of continuity and start a whole new timeline (off island no less) with only 17 episodes to wrap up over 5 years of mysteries
the simplest explanation is that the answer to all three is the same thing. The incident did not change time, and the story will continue with Ben having just killed Jacob, and most likely the other Losties returning to 2007, but instead of flashbacks, we will flash to the 'its a wonderful life/what if universe' if the jughead detonation had altered history. Whether this will just be for character development ala the flashbacks, or if the characters will be actively aware of the other timeline (similar to desmond conscioussness time travelling in 'flashes before your eyes' or 'the constant'I'm not sure, both have their advantages/disadvantages)
But for the final season you could milk a lot of emotion out of flash alternates, for example you could kill off Sayid on the island, but then in his flash alternate show him happy with Nadia. Giving an episode a tragic death AND a happy ending for a character in the same episode, how often can a show do that?
The reverse could also be true, maybe we'll see that everyone who died, would of died off the island anyways, which would fit with the course correction rules anyway. And this would give a good excuse to have some guest appearances for the old cast who've been killed off to return, because they would appear in the flash alternates.
we know:
a) something new replaces the flashbacks/flashforwards
b) there is some form of alternate timeline factor
c) that the show would not just wipe out 5 years of continuity and start a whole new timeline (off island no less) with only 17 episodes to wrap up over 5 years of mysteries
the simplest explanation is that the answer to all three is the same thing. The incident did not change time, and the story will continue with Ben having just killed Jacob, and most likely the other Losties returning to 2007, but instead of flashbacks, we will flash to the 'its a wonderful life/what if universe' if the jughead detonation had altered history. Whether this will just be for character development ala the flashbacks, or if the characters will be actively aware of the other timeline (similar to desmond conscioussness time travelling in 'flashes before your eyes' or 'the constant'I'm not sure, both have their advantages/disadvantages)
But for the final season you could milk a lot of emotion out of flash alternates, for example you could kill off Sayid on the island, but then in his flash alternate show him happy with Nadia. Giving an episode a tragic death AND a happy ending for a character in the same episode, how often can a show do that?
The reverse could also be true, maybe we'll see that everyone who died, would of died off the island anyways, which would fit with the course correction rules anyway. And this would give a good excuse to have some guest appearances for the old cast who've been killed off to return, because they would appear in the flash alternates.
