Are We All Just Players on the Shadow Stage? by Drax21

A few nights ago I dreamed of another life. Nothing special about that, except that I've had versions of this dream before. Things aren't right, in this other life. My wife is there but not my children. There seems to have been a destructive event that has caused a lot of property damage. The light is all wrong; dark and murky. There is confusion and a sense of chaos and perhaps I'm not thinking clearly in this other life because my wife mentions that I've been...away, and at some point it becomes clear that I've suffered a head injury or perhaps had a stroke and have just returned to awareness in this version. There is unhappiness and anger and in most versions of this dream I find myself pursued by dark men.

This time, when I awoke to bright morning sunlight, lying in my comfy bed with my love beside me, for whatever reason, the dread did not melt away. For a few moments my eyes were drawn to the shadowy corners of my bedroom and the black line at the bottom of the closet door. Its as if I expected the light and warmth to be sucked out of the room; for this safe reality to evaporate. I turned to look at my sleeping wife and wondered, is this real? Or is this the life I wished for in the dark other side?


See what watching too much Lost can do to you?

"Happily Ever After" told us that the Alt is a fairy tale. Everyone is happy...except when they're not. As with any dream, your subconscious stress points bleed through and spoil the party. The ice cream melts, a fly lands on the cake and, damn it, it's just not right. Desmond is successful but lonely. As Widmore's first lieutenant he has authority and access to all the coolest perks but he's still just an errand boy. He's in a velvet box; comfy but constricted. It's a pointless dream where nothing ever happens...unless you meet a deranged rock star.

We focus on the people we know but I sometimes wonder about the background characters, all those people walking by on the street, sitting in restaurants, picking up their luggage at the airport. What were they doing before the Alt? Is this time line constructed just for the entertainment of our Lostie friends, or did everyone on Earth get moved in to this new life? In other words, are those REAL people or just automatons dressing the set in this not-quite-perfect dream world?

Is Alt Widmore a player or a pawn? His island persona has secret knowledge and a devious plan and is willing to kill and destroy to achieve his goals. LA X Charles seems clueless and actually kind of sweet. Why would he bring Desmond and Charley together if he knew that connection would put the Alt at risk? Why send Des to the mansion to meet Eloise...and inevitably, Daniel...if he actually wanted to preserve the illusion? This Widmore is either a zombie or a much more subtle manipulator than the other version.

Why would Eloise break the third wall and speak directly to Des about "the rules"? Unlike Charles, she left no doubt that she is aware of the fabricated construct and, in fact, has plans for Desmond. But why did she "slip" and pull back the curtain? Eloise was in character and all the props and extras were in place. She had already deflected Desmond away from the truth with her giant white hair shield but as soon as he goes off-script and starts ad-libbing with the hired help, Eloise loses her composure and starts lecturing about the time line. How does that help maintain the illusion?

This wasn't just a matter of the dead speaking to Desmond about Lost love. Everyone he met in this episode seemed to be guiding him to revelation, if for different reasons. Charles and Eloise seem to have conflicting agendas and I suspect that "sweet" Charles knowingly sent Desmond to screw with her plans, triggering her frustration. Daniel and Charley, finding themselves in a pleasant but empty earthly-afterlife, are drawn to Desmond as the key to opening the gate to their true desires.

And what about that coffee shop? Down at the mall there's one of those "On The Wall" poster shops and they always feature a print called "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" which shows us an all-night cafe inhabited by James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis. The damn thing is kinda creepy and sad because the city seems dark and empty of people, other than our dead diners. Is this purgatory for troubled stars; an eternity of bitter coffee and stale pie?

Desmond asks Minkowsky for the OA 815 passenger list. He says he wants to show them something, which we assume is the truth he's just discovered about this time line. But he's also made a date to meet Penny at that coffee shop. Are we about to see the "Broken Dreams" cafe filled with Losties? Didn't Juliet promise to meet Sawyer for a cup of coffee?

Questions:
How many days have passed for the various characters in the Alt? It seems like Des just had one very long day, but Ben and Locke have been active for a week or more and its not clear how many days Jack has seen at the hospital. Are they all in sync so that Des can track them down or will it take, say, six more weeks.

By the way, we didn't see Desmond actually get off the plane. He just appeared at the airport.

Why weren't any of the island babies brought back? Everyone left their children behind. Do they represent a possible future that isn't part of the island time line? " I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way." Okay. I'll stop.