According to the flashbacks, Shannon's father was killed when she was 18, so 2 years before she landed on craphole island. Jack met Sarah then too, and in Do No Harm, they get married two years later. So everything happened for Jack (not married anymore, father-son relationship breakdown, crashing on island) in at most one year? doesnt seem too plausible to me. Also, Desmond met Jack when Shannon's dad died too, and he was solo-racing around the world 3 years ago when he landed on craphole island. So this whole time thingy is got me confused now

Isn't Shannon 21 or 22?

in the episode where Hurley is taking the census, Shannon tells him she is 20

Yea, and plus in the Baller class she sad she was 18. That was the same day her dad died. AKA Jack met Sarah.

Maybe Shannon lied to Hurley? But also, there's been talk of how time doesn't act right on this island...

According to the flashbacks, Shannon's father was killed when she was 18, so 2 years before she landed on craphole island. Jack met Sarah then too, and in Do No Harm, they get married two years later. So everything happened for Jack (not married anymore, father-son relationship breakdown, crashing on island) in at most one year? doesnt seem too plausible to me. Also, Desmond met Jack too, and he was solo-racing around the world 3 years ago. So this whole time thingy is got me confused now

It could be from her first month of being 18 to her last months of being twenty.That would be almost 3 years

Good point A2M.
Jack hadn't talked to his father in 2 months so if this is correct, the incident with his father took place no more than 9 months after the wedding and what ever happened to Jack's marriage happened less than a year after the wedding.

I always suspected that Jack's wife died of pregnancy/childbirth complications which is why finding out Jack's father's patient was pregnant tipped Jack over the edge. This would certainly fit - but it could be anything that happened to her really. Cancer, suicide, blood disorder...

And also, lets not forget that Boone was born in 1981 -> Shannon born in 1983.

I got out a pencil and graph paper and worked out an explanation:

The crash that killed Shannon's father happened a few days before Jack met Desmond, so we know Desmond hadn't set off yet. At Shannon's father's wake, which was a month at most after Shannon's father's death, she told Boone that she was 18. During Hurley's Day 17 census she said she was 20. On Day 44 (almost a month later) Desmond said that 3 years ago he crashed.

I think she was actually just barely 18 at the wake, a few weeks more then that, maybe. And I think she was 21 when she died in this episode, having had a birthday on the island. That's the only way to get the timeline to fit.

Here's the timeline I've been working on: http://tviv.org/wiki/Lost/Timeline.

Wow...that's a lot of work, stabbey! Thanks for sharing! :)

Three years is actually a very long time when you're living it. In the summer of 2002 my mother was doing great. In December of that year she was diagnosed with cancer, and two months later she was dead.

Also, we saw Jack having what seemed to be doubts about marrying Sarah. Just because it all seemed hunky dory at the wedding doesn't mean that two or three months later it all fell apart.

And Jack and his dad were having issues before Sarah showed up, if you'll recall from her accident episode.

As for the wonky fashion/hair issues, it can be surprising how bad our memories are. Shoulder pads are STILL being worn, as are mullets, in certain circles. :) Jack's hair didn't look so much 80s as drastically different from his current buzzcut.

So I agree the timeline is fine.

I could not open the timeline - help I would like to see it.

The site is down at the moment. I don't know why, I just work there. You'll have to try again later.