Mirrors

For other uses, see Mirrors (disambiguation).

Main characters in the flash sideways frequently confronted themselves in mirrors or reflective surfaces. According to Jack Bender, these scenes showed the characters figuratively and literally "confronting their images and the reflections of themselves." The visual metaphor expressed the flash sideways' theme of introspection, and also represented how the flash sideways showed "what you wish for or what you're scared of." (Lost: The Complete Sixth Season (DVD))

Episode instances

"LA X, Parts 1 & 2"

• Jack looks into the plane's lavatory mirror, noticing a wound on his neck.
  
• Agent Mars looks at himself in the mirror before Kate escapes.

"What Kate Does"

• Upon arriving at the garage, Kate catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror before leaving to give Claire a ride.

"The Substitute"

Original timeline

• The Smoke Monster passes through the barracks and pauses outside the window of the house that Sawyer is trashing.
  
  

Flash-sideways timeline

• After John wakes up and gets dressed, he sits at the bathroom sink in front of a small mirror before deciding to try and call Dr. Jack Shephard.

"Lighthouse"

Original timeline

• Jack gazes at his reflection in the pond near the Temple entrance.
  
• Hurley sees himself in the lighthouse mirror.
  
• Jack sees his own reflection as the mirrors in the lighthouse move.
  
• Jack sees his childhood home in the lighthouse mirror, then smashes it.
  
  

Flash-sideways timeline

• Jack notices an appendectomy scar in the mirror before calling his mother to ask how he got it.
  
• Jack notices a strip of photos attached to a mirror in his son's room.
  
  

"Sundown"

• One half of Sayid's face is reflected in the door to Nadia's home before she greets him for the first time.

"Dr. Linus"

• Ben sees his reflection in the door of the microwave when cooking dinner for his father.

"Recon"

• Following an argument with his partner Miles, James looks into a mirror before smashing it in the police station locker room.

"The Package"

• Sun looks in a mirror and pauses, although there is a repeating knock on the door.
  
• Jin's reflection is shown while being held prisoner at the restaurant, although he himself does not see it.

"Happily Ever After"

• Desmond sees himself in the airport flight screens before encountering Hurley, Claire, George, and Widmore.
  
• Desmond's reflection is shown outside of the police station before he meets Charlie.
• Daniel Widmore's reflection is shown in the car window before he meets Desmond.

"The Last Recruit"

• While prepping surgery, Jack sees Locke's reflection as well as his own in the mirror below Locke's face. Locke does not see his own reflection, however, as he is unconscious.
• Claire's reflection is briefly seen in the glass door as she and Desmond enter the law office to see Ilana.

"The Candidate"

• Jack and Claire look at each other in the mirror of the music box given by their dad.

"What They Died For"

• Jack examines another cut that has appeared on his neck in the same spot as the cut he had on Flight 815.
• Ben looks mournfully at his reflection in the school nurse's office after being beaten up by Desmond.

Other instances

• Kate and Charlie see the pilot's dead body reflected in the water below them. ("Pilot, Part 1")
• Jack's reflection is seen in the window while it is raining outside. ("White Rabbit")
• Jin cries as he looks at himself in the mirror. ("...In Translation")
• Desmond looks through a system of mirrors via the Swan telescope to see Jack and Locke peering down the hatch. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")
• A close-up of Locke's eye is shown with the blast door map reflected in it. ("Lockdown")
• Juliet looks at herself in a mirror while preparing for the book club. ("A Tale of Two Cities")
• Eko sees the smoke monster reflected in the stream. ("The Cost of Living")
• Charlie's face is reflected in a small mirror while he is looking through Sawyer's stash. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")
• Hurley's face is reflected in a mirror that Charlie is using to shave. ("Tricia Tanaka Is Dead")
• Miles' eyes are shown through the rear-view window of his car. ("Confirmed Dead")
• Sayid throws an object against the mirror of a bathroom door before shooting Elsa. ("The Economist")
• A consciousness-traveling Desmond from 1996 looks at himself in a mirror and sees his 2004 face. Sayid leans in and examines the shared reflection. ("The Constant")
• Kate holds a mirror for Jack so he can see Juliet perform his appendectomy. ("Something Nice Back Home")
• Jack looks at his appendectomy scar in the bathroom mirror. ("Something Nice Back Home")
• Emily Locke applies lipstick in the mirror. ("Cabin Fever")
• Ben uses a signaling mirror to communicate with someone. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 1")
• Hurley sees a vision of Ana Lucia approaching in the side mirror of his car. ("The Lie")
• The Island lighthouse is equipped with an array of mirrors in the signal room. ("Lighthouse")
• In a promotional video for "What They Died For", mirrors are seen over water with various clips from the show.

See also

• Juxtaposition, literary technique which compares or contrasts two objects or ideas
• Black and white, recurring theme on the show which often symbolizes the concept of "mirror" opposites
• Proxy
• "Through the Looking Glass"
• The Looking Glass