Use of color in the Sideways world by Alex

Ever since the "LA X" episode I have noticed a difference in the use of colors in the Sideways world. Basically everything is black or white or shades of gray along with reds, purples and a small amount of muted blues. Really all the colors in general are quite muted. The only other color I remember seeing aside from some very muted earth tones would be the taxi cab in "What Kate Does" which I think was yellow, but I don't remember for sure.

I think the purpose of that is to show that the characters in the Sideways world are not "awake" or "enlightened". Something isn't right.

However, with the latest episode "Happily Ever After" the color scheme seems to be changing in the Sideways world. We are seeing the addition of greens into the mix. This is seen in the trees, the grass at the charity event - the places Desmond is going. It is also seen at the bar where Des and Charlie had their drink and in addition to that the bar was an Irish bar.

So what is with the use of new / brighter colors? My theory is it is to show that enlightenment is happening. It is symbolizing the bleed through of the changes the characters have made in the Island world coming through to the Sideways world.

According to Wikipedia for "green":

1: In some cultures, green symbolizes hope and growth.

2: Green is the opposite color of Magenta and as I have mentioned there is a heavy use of Reds in the Sideways Universe.

3: In Catholic religion, Green is the color of Pentecost which is the commemorating of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ. You could say that perhaps Desmond is feeling the Holy Spirit and wants to bring it to the other Survivors.

4: In some other cultures, Green is the color of love and lust. What is this last episode about? Love!

5: Green was symbolic of resurrection and immortality in Ancient Egypt.

6: In contrast, green can also be used to portray death, decay, and evil, although this doesn't seem to be the case or support the themes in "Happily Ever After".


As the show progresses I think we will start seeing more colors in the Sideways universe to support the "bleeding through" of the worlds.