So, why then, does Jack refer to his father in the present tense in present time? Because, this is Lost and this is what the writers do best. They make us think. They make us wonder. They make us ask questions. They purposefully did this to give us something to ponder over the long hiatus between season's 3 and 4.
Here are some possible explanations:
- Jack is drunk, going through pain killer withdrawal, and is upset about what has happened since getting rescued. He is delusional and thinks his father is still alive.
- The "flash forward" didn't really happen. Either Jack is seeing it in his mind, or the smoke monster or island is making him see what will happen if he leaves the island.
- Christian Shepard is alive. He was healed by the island or he wasn't really dead in the first place. Remember that Nikki and Paulo were paralyzed from the spider bites and appeared to be dead. Christian could have been injected or bitten to make him appear dead. Either someone else did this to him, or he did it himself as part of a greater plan with the Others or Dharma.
I don't know for sure if Christian is alive or dead in present time, but my guess is #1, that Jack is delusional. One thing I do know, we will have the answer by mid 2010.
What do you think? You can post your thoughts in the Is Christian Shephard Alive? blog.
