# LOST 1-21-09 "Because You Left"/"The Lie" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 21, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345 "2009-01-21T19:54:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/141 "2009-01-23T18:30:17Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Time Travel!!??! :eek: > > Gawd, that’s a mistake, it has spelled doom to every show that has gone there. ☹ > > Lost is doomed as a show, Time Travel is the Great White Shark of Jumpness.😛 Well, they featured time travel way back in Season 3, and Season 4 was amazing, so I’m not worried. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/142 "2009-01-23T18:49:24Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Time Travel!!??! :eek: > > Gawd, that’s a mistake, it has spelled doom to every show that has gone there. ☹ > > Lost is doomed as a show, Time Travel is the Great White Shark of Jumpness.😛 No kidding. That stupid show where the whole premise revolved around time travel and some other stupid stuff that only lasted a couple of episodes was aweful. It was so bad I’m having a hard time remembering the name of it. Wasn’t it like “Dr. Time Travel” or “Time Travel Who” or some other stupid name like that. :p\* Seriously though has that statue with the four toes ever been explained? \*I kid. I kid. Please don’t hate me. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/143 "2009-01-23T19:04:05Z")
When they jump through time, what happens to the grass, dirt and air that was in the volume of space they have come to occupy post-jump? This kind of thing always bothers me in these kinds of stories. When I start to wonder about these and other science facts, I have to repeat to myself “It’s just a show, I should really just relax.” -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Dilton\_Doiley\_Philosopher\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f1d935/32.png) [@Dilton\_Doiley\_Philosopher\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dilton_Doiley_Philosopher_King)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/144 "2009-01-23T19:23:31Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > When they jump through time, what happens to the grass, dirt and air that was in the volume of space they have come to occupy post-jump? > > This kind of thing always bothers me in these kinds of stories. > > When I start to wonder about these and other science facts, I have to repeat to myself “It’s just a show, I should really just relax.” > > -FrL- Are some people jumping without the white sky flash? Or does it also accompany a time jump? If there is always the white flash, perhaps “it” is moving the air and whatnot out of the way. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/145 "2009-01-23T19:32:02Z")
> [@well\_he\_s\_back](#): > > Just a thought: Someone snarkily inferred upthread that any characters not mentioned or shown in the recap episode directly before the first new one, well those people must not be imp. to the mystery/mythology. I’m thinking (hoping) that’s not necessarily true, because I don’t think they covered Walt. and he’s got to be important. also Rouseau. > Anyway, perhaps they just didn’t have time to mention Everyone, or pay union wages for a brief snippet of an actor. Or they didn’t want to confuse people they were trying to bring up to speed. > I know I’m not being very clear, but I trust you guys can follow. That was me, and I’m comfortable in my snark, as I feel that they have earned it. It’s like watching a sports team that used to be great but now is starting to drop off, and you aren’t ready to admit it to yourself yet, but you’re starting to bitch about the coaching decisions. I, like you, am hopeful that they will entwine those stories back into the main plot; I’m just having trouble talking myself into it. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/146 "2009-01-23T19:35:02Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > When they jump through time, what happens to the grass, dirt and air that was in the volume of space they have come to occupy post-jump? > > This kind of thing always bothers me in these kinds of stories. > > When I start to wonder about these and other science facts, I have to repeat to myself “It’s just a show, I should really just relax.” > > -FrL- Presumably, it just gets pushed out of the way, same as if they’d walked into it. But, yeah, I doubt Lost is the place to go for really meticulously thought out science fiction. [Though I am pleased that they seem again to be committing to the one consistent timeline model of time travel] ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/147 "2009-01-23T20:05:42Z")
> [@borschevsky](#): > > When Hurley’s dad first appeared, he made a sandwich and sat down to watch tv. The show was the one that Nikki was an actress on. > [@mshar253](#): > > I remember the monk who had taken in Desmond having had a picture of Ms. Hawking, but I don’t remember the Faraday one. How the hell do you people remember this stuff? I mean, how do the damn _writers_ keep it all straight?!? And for that matter, planting a picture of some lady in the room of a monk from one frickin’ episode and having her reappear with Ben two seasons later. It’s a lever of detail that is just insane! And I love it! ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/148 "2009-01-23T20:25:27Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > How the hell do you people remember this stuff? I mean, how do the damn _writers_ keep it all straight?!? And for that matter, planting a picture of some lady in the room of a monk from one frickin’ episode and having her reappear with Ben two seasons later. It’s a lever of detail that is just insane! > And I love it! She also appeared at least one other time with a relatively important role. Desmond was coming unstuck in time and this Lady showed up at one point to explain (hint really) that he had a very important role to play. She displayed knowledge of the Island and seemed to know things would happen in advance of them happening, so it was quite creepy and memorable. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/149 "2009-01-23T20:58:33Z")
It’s the level of detail that makes us love the show (or at least one of the reasons). and that’s why we fans get angered if the writers seem to forget or leave us hanging about a details. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/150 "2009-01-23T21:00:15Z")
Okay, so why are the Losties unstuck in time, but the Others aren’t? Both the Losties and the Others were on the island when Ben turned the frozen donkey wheel. But we can see that Locke, who was with the Others, became unstuck but they did not. What is The Deal with the Others has always been the most confusing mystery to me. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/151 "2009-01-23T21:03:30Z")
Pyper - perhaps the others are not unstuck in time because they are native to the island (or spaceship or Atlantis, or whatever it is). ---
**Author:** ![Peanut\_Gallery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/838e76/32.png) [@Peanut\_Gallery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanut_Gallery)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/152 "2009-01-23T21:10:59Z")
> [@Algernon](#): > > I feel pretty dense about this. So, if Desmond and Faraday met in the past, why didn’t Desmond recognize Faraday in last night’s episode? Desmond actually said to him: " Do I \*know \*you?!" Fun show, and fun episodes, but I’m also fearing the major time-travel plot holes to come… ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/153 "2009-01-23T21:14:04Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > I mean, how do the damn _writers_ keep it all straight?!? FYI, [here](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/arts/television/18wyat.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink) is an article about the script coordinator for Lost. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/154 "2009-01-23T21:19:16Z")
HelloNinja: > [@](#): > > This has been my theory since they showed up. My guess is Penny and Desmond, but we’ll see. My personal theory is that it’s Aaron and Ji-Yeon. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/155 "2009-01-23T21:36:25Z")
> [@Peanut\_Gallery](#): > > Desmond actually said to him: " Do I \*know \*you?!" Yeah, but wasn’t it in Desmond’s personal future that he travelled back in time and met Daniel in Oxford? -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/156 "2009-01-23T21:54:03Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Yeah, but wasn’t it in Desmond’s personal future that he travelled back in time and met Daniel in Oxford? > > -FrL- No, it was the other way around. “The Constant” showed Desmond’s mind travelling forward to 2004 from the past. At the start of the episode, Desmond starts freaking out in the helicopter, because from his perspective he just arrived there from the past. It hasn’t been made clear exactly how this works, as far as I know. Back in about 1996, Desmond’s mind comes forward to 2004, and Daniel tells him to go to Oxford. So Daniel and Desmond meet at Oxford back in 1996. You’d think that they would remember each other on the island. It looks to me like they are setting up different time travel rules for Desmond and for everyone else. Daniel says that they can’t make changes in the past, but then he tries to do just that with Desmond. He also says something to the effect that Desmond is the only one who can help them. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/157 "2009-01-23T21:57:29Z")
> [@borschevsky](#): > > It looks to me like they are setting up different time travel rules for Desmond and for everyone else. Daniel says that they can’t make changes in the past, but then he tries to do just that with Desmond. He also says something to the effect that Desmond is the only one who can help them. He also seemed unsure about whether he’d be able to talk to Desmond until Des opened the door, which suggests he doesn’t fully understand how time works for Desmond. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/158 "2009-01-23T23:21:53Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > That was me, and I’m comfortable in my snark, as I feel that they have earned it. It’s like watching a sports team that used to be great but now is starting to drop off, and you aren’t ready to admit it to yourself yet, but you’re starting to bitch about the coaching decisions. > > I, like you, am hopeful that they will entwine those stories back into the main plot; I’m just having trouble talking myself into it. You’re likely right. On the positive side, though, maybe one reason they’re skipping 3 years into the future is so that Walt will be appropriate-sized. (but I doubt it) -Joe ---
**Author:** ![flex727](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@flex727](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flex727)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/159 "2009-01-24T00:01:03Z")
> [@Tahssa](#): > > No kidding. That stupid show where the whole premise revolved around time travel and some other stupid stuff that only lasted a couple of episodes was aweful. It was so bad I’m having a hard time remembering the name of it. Wasn’t it like “Dr. Time Travel” or “Time Travel Who” or some other stupid name like that. :p\* Not the show you were thinking of but, [The Time Tunnel](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060036/)! ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345/160 "2009-01-24T05:22:32Z")
> [@Ring](#): > > It was a Foucault pendulum. > > [Foucault pendulum - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucault_pendulum) Ahhh, shit. I mainly meant that Galileo part as a joke (not that he invented it… just built it, cuz it looked centuries old). But, of course, you’re right… 'tis a Foucault Pendulum! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-21-09-because-you-left-the-lie/482345.md?page=9)