Simply amazing episode last night. I knew a Desmond-centered episode was going to be good... but not this good. There were so many connections; so many things to think about that I only have time to scratch the surface this morning.First of all, ABC finally got the hint and packed away their "V" countdown this week. In fact, we hardly even got that little ABC logo on the bottom of the screen. Nicely done, fellow internet complainers!
OK, on to the episode. We learned that Widmore was desperately trying to save this island his entire life... even after being banished by Ben. He sacrificed his relationship with his daughter, seeing his grandson and much of his life in order to keep the island safe. He and Ben seem to be on different paths towards the same goal. The scale in Widmore's office, balanced towards the side of "white", proves that he's on Jacob's team.
Desmond is the key to saving the island because of his ability to withstand electromagnetism. While Widmore proves this by putting Desmond between two huge electromagnets, Desmond has one of his flashes... this time, it's to the parallel world! This wasn't just a "flash-sideways"... there was no wooshing sound. We're actually seeing where Desmond's mind is in the present.
First, an interaction with parallel Hurley... then Claire. Then it's off to his "big boss' office" in LA courtesy of limo driver, George Minkowski. If he looks familiar, it's because George was on Widmore's freighter and appeared in the episode where Desmond was searching for his "constant" to stop the time sickness he was experiencing. George wasn't able to find a constant, and died on the freighter from the time sickness.
Surprise: Desmond is Widmore's top man! Here, boy, have a McCutcheon. In a reality where Widmore (or Jacob?) isn't trying to push Desmond towards the island, he actually respects and trusts him. Widmore has a special project for Desmond... The way it was presented was a little confusing... for a minute I thought that Widmore was saying that Charlie was his son, or married to Penny... but after watching again, this is how it went down: Widmore's son (Faraday! - now Daniel Widmore) is a talented classical musician (in the parallel world, Eloise isn't pushing Daniel towards the island... he is allowed to follow his passion of playing piano). For some reason, Driveshaft will be playing along side Daniel in a classic music / alternative rock mash up hosted by Widmore's wife (Eloise!). Desmond's job is to spring Charlie from jail and make sure he gets to the concert.
Charlie reveals that when he almost died on the plane, he had a vision of another life... a life where he was in love with a beautiful blond woman (with an annoying Australian accent, no doubt: "Chaaaaalie!"). Charlie is convinced that Desmond is also living the wrong life, and proves it to him by steering them both into the water. While rescuing Charlie, Desmond gets a sense of Deja Vu when he sees Charlie hold his hand up to the window.... After being put through an MRI (which works on electromagnets) his brain flashes to more images of the life he was supposed to live... with Penny.
Since he was in the only hospital in the world that everyone seems to go to, Jack pops up and seems confused that people from the plane keep bumping into him. Charlie eventually convinces Desmond that he needs to find Penny and figure out what life he is really supposed to be living.
Widmore seems extremely upset with Desmond for losing Charlie... a little too upset. He tells Desmond to give Eloise the bad news himself. Is Charles pushing Desmond again... Is he aware of both time lines? Is this why he sent him on the mission to pick up Charlie in the first place? And is this why he wants him to go talk to Eloise?
At Eloise's party, Desmond is surprised that Eloise took the news of Charlie's disappearance so easily. She has a reputation of being a beeotch, and this is out of character for her. Apparently, she just wants to get Desmond the hell out of there before he starts putting everything together. Too late... Penny Milton's name is called out on the guest list (Milton - a shout out to the author of "Paradise Lost" perhaps?). When Desmond starts asking questions, Eloise steps in and tells Desmond that she knows what he's up to... and that it's too soon - he's not ready yet. Eloise seems to still be a "Time Cop" in the parallel universe. Just like in the real world, Eloise is aware of what is happening, and is trying to make sure Desmond does the right thing.
Finally, Daniel Faraday (Now Daniel Widmore, since his father didn't abandon him and his mother) approaches Desmond and tells him of his strange experience... He saw a beautiful redhead at the museum (Charlotte! We know from Sawyer's episode that she's working in the museum with Dr. Chang!) and knew that he was meant to be with her... that night he wrote down scientific notes that has led him to believe that he set off a nuke and changed his real timeline (In one night he figures out what it took 5 seasons for us to learn?!?!?). He enlists Desmond to help figure out what is happening, and how to fix it! But first, he needs to see Penny... Daniel's half sister. Luckily, she's running at the stadium tonight, here's the address.
Desmond approaches Penny in the same stadium he met Jack back in the real timeline (See ya in another lifetime, Brotha! - That makes total sense now!). After shaking her hand he passes out and joins back up with the real life timeline. Desmond understands what needs to be done now... and is ready to get started!
The Desmond back in the parallel world also wants to get started... he's going to assemble the Oceanic passagers and "show them" something. Will his demonstration be as violent as Charlie's? He's not going to try to almost kill all of them, is he???
Awesome episode... until evil Sayid comes and takes Desmond away. Damn. Lots to re-watch... what did I miss?
http://io9.com/5511351/15-things-we-learned-in-last-nights-lost
ReplyDeleteI don't believe you missed anything. Actually you were right on with everything. So this test with the extreme electromagnetic has to be successful or "we all die". So is Widmore going to set off another huge blast, that could possibly kill smokey? But he needs desmond to be able to survive and maybe push the button to set it off?
ReplyDeleteAlso, are we supposed to just assume that if Desmond has never crashed his boat on the island years before the flight, that he would of just gone about his normal life sailing the world, and ended up working for Widmore? Then he just so happened to take the same plane flight as everyone else?
Great summary Boris! What's the difference between the parallel universe and a flash sideways though?
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention. One of the first flashbacks we saw of Desmond seasons ago was him sitting in a coffee shop talking to the waitress(Libby) about the boat race. In the world where the bomb doesn't go off, Desmond still meets Penny, but Widmore tried to buy him off. So he decides to go on the boat race therefore ending up on the island. So now he hasn't raced the world, but also hasn't met Penny until the stadium?
ReplyDeleteThis was a great episode but I feel like time is running out and will everything really be explained? I still don't get the significance of pregnant women/babies on the island. I think Smokey's mom is Elloise. She seems nasty enough to be the horrible mother Smokey described. As for the "love" story Jin and Sun are the only ones to find love and eachother in any universe but still trying to figure out why she lost her english?
ReplyDeleteMike, their sideways lives are different starting from the 70's, NOT from when they would have arrived on the island.
ReplyDeleteI totally missed the scale part in Widmore's office. You pick up on so much!
ReplyDeleteI think every time Desmond says "Brotha" you should take a shot ;)
I think that Desmond doesn't care about who he goes with because it's the alternate Desmond who is going to do the work to save the island...
ReplyDeleteWe also see that a near-death experience can show what the other life would've been. Except of course, for Desmond and Faraday, but they're enigmas anyway.
I was doing some more thinking- The flash-sideways isn't an alternate timeline, it's a coexistant one. What if both are happening simultaneously? The island has a lot of crazy properties, as we have seen- what if one of them is to exist and not exist at the same time? When the bomb went off, it trapped those who were on the island (throughout all time periods) on the island, since you cannot truly change time. However, since some people (and events, possibly) can alter time, it also changed the past.
ReplyDeleteOk- so we KNOW that Ben was shot by Syed in the 70s. We also know from the sideways timeline that Ben wasn't shot in the 70s. So, Ben both WAS shot and WASN'T shot. How does the Universe make up for this paradox? It makes another Ben. Now Ben was shot, and he also wasn't shot, and time doesn't suffer. Desmond and Faraday can both alter (and be altered by) changes in time, so it makes sense that they would feel the differences and know things from both of themselves. Why did Charlie (and apparrantly Juliette) gain insight when close to death? Who knows- most likely it was just a way to get that part of the story across.
How this all pans out with the other characters, I don't know- as Widmore's was off the island when the bomb blew, and we see him through Desmond's sideways, but its just an idea.
I'm still holding fast to my theory that Jacob/Locke is a bible type story of god and the devil and classic good vs. evil.