After a heretofore Desmond-free season, we were finally treated to a large dose of the unlucky Scot in this week’s episode of Lost. After all the buzz surrounding this week’s episode, including the producers talking it up as a turning point in the season, it was a little disappointing. Not that it wasn’t a great episode, because I really enjoyed it and thought that it was one of the better outings of the year. I was just expecting some bigger revelations. For those of us paying attention up to this point, I think it was pretty clear that there was a connection between the sideways world and the original timeline. That seemed to be the big news here.
It will be interesting seeing Desmond play the Jack/Locke role, running around trying to convince the other characters of these big crazy ideas. I’m not really sure what the outcome of that will be, however. So Desmond will presumably convince all the other 815ers that the sideways world is “wrong.” So what? Does he expect them to form a circle and hold hands and everything will be healed? Even Daniel said that he doesn’t want to blow another bomb. There is still some critical information that we are missing.
This flash more than any before it played like an episode of This is Your Life. Desmond met all the people who had important sway over his life. He discussed destiny with Charlie. He worked for Widmore. Eloise Hawking, or Mrs. Widmore in this universe, tried to keep him away from Penny. Daniel Widmore (not Faraday) informed him about releasing massive energies to change the course of things. Even George Minkowski, the communications officer on the freighter who was taking the same ride through time that Desmond did, was Des’s driver in the sideways world.
Eloise continues to be an enigmatic and endlessly interesting character in my mind. Clearly, she is somehow outside of everything, or at the very least has extensive knowledge about how things “should” go. She was able to recognize something “off” in Desmond during their meeting. It seems as though her mission in life (all her lives) is to keep Desmond away from Penny. My question is: why? Way back in “Flashes Before Your Eyes” she was keen on preventing Desmond from proposing to Penny. The claim back then was that he needed to follow the original course of his life so that he could end up on the island and do his job there. In this timeline, I’m not sure what the thinking is. Is there a bigger reason that she is trying to keep the two of them apart? Is something bad going to happen with a Desmond and Penny pairing? Is this why Widmore did everything in his power, in the original timeline, to keep Desmond away from his daughter?
To further this point, Desmond’s flashsideways reality almost seemed tailor made to be too perfect. Indeed, Desmond had everything that he could ask for, everything that he desired in the original timeline, except for Penny. The approval of Widmore, a successful career, money, power — it was all right there for him. It’s almost as if it were manufactured to keep him from even thinking about needing Penny in his life.
After this week, I’m feeling almost more confused than ever, but in a good way. I’m looking forward to seeing why Desmond was so ready and willing to 1) help Widmore out (just to get back to Penny? To set the timelines straight?), and 2) go with Sayid after his obligatory display of bad-assery. Desmond barely seemed phased by the display.
How did this episode leave you feeling? More confused? Frustrated? Happy to know that the sideways universe is going to be playing a bigger role?
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Apr 06, 2010 @ 22:37 EST5EDT
I loved this episode. Any opportunity to see more of Desmond and Penny together is so worth it; and in addition, we got to see Daniel and Charlie too! I didn’t want it to end. I will be desperately waiting for next Tuesday.
Very good episode – it’s nice to see old faces, particularly Daniel (not) Faraday and an oddly creepy Minkowski, but it kind of hurt to see Charlie so messed up. The parallels between the two realities step front-and-center now, and the importance of them comes a bit more into focus (though not entirely). The alternate Oceanic passengers (and Desmond, who wasn’t one the first time around) have a vague sense that something isn’t right with their world, and Desmond plans to use that to… I don’t know what. Meanwhile, in our reality, Desmond goes with Sayid quite eagerly, probably to stop the Man in Black directly – or maybe he’s just decided that whatever happens was meant to happen, and going along quietly will get him back to Penny (his soulmate, awww) sooner. What I don’t get is why Sayid let Zoe go. Not exactly consistent with his new bloodthirsty self.
Speaking of things I don’t get, this episode raised a ton of questions for me, more than most. The important ones, to wit:
-Okay, Desmond can safely travel through time, space, and dimensions. He is unique in that regard. What does that have to do with stopping the Man in Black?
-What would a “fixed” world look like? Why is it that everything in the “alternate” reality seems to be better for nearly every single passenger (Jin & Sun pending) of 815 than in our current reality?
-What’s so special about Eloise and Daniel that they can sense/know about the alternate reality when nobody else besides 815 passengers seem to? Does everyone in the alternate reality think something is off, and we just haven’t seen it yet? Penny didn’t react to Desmond like she knew he was her cosmic destiny.
I will say that I trust the producers to give us enough information in the time remaining to at least formulate our own reasonable answers to these questions. I love what they’ve done with the flashsideways so far, that we’re getting to see what would’ve happened to people had that plane never gone down (though it’s actually more complicated than that, since their lives were different well before the crash-that-wasn’t). Seeing that the connections between people (Daniel/Charlotte, Charlie/Claire, Desmond/Penny, and probably the Sawyer/Juliet “we can go dutch” that we haven’t seen yet) span realities, not just time. Great stuff.
But I’m still mad that Sawyer went back to Kate after spending a day or so mourning Juliet. He was with Kate for three months, and Juliet for three years! Bah.
I have all the same questions as you.
My thought was that Sayid let Zoe go because he wanted Widmore to know what had happened.
I think the other 815ers just didn’t start noticing because they didn’t have a near-death experience. It was hinted at in this episode – Charlie saw it when he was going towards the light and started to drown again in the car just like Desmond and that’s when he also started seeing the “other side”.
Maybe you just have to go up to the 815ers and start choking them until they are almost dead to make them understand ;-)
Maybe Daniel and his mother hit their heads or something. Who knows :-)
Well, I think some others (Jack and Sun, at least) noticed something was amiss, if not to the degree that Charlie and Desmond did. I don’t know that a near-death experience is quite good enough, though – I think it has to be something similar to what happened to them on the island. Alternate Charlie had his experience from choking (like he did when Ethan hung him back in season 1) and again from drowning (like in Season 3), and Desmond similarly had his flash to the “real” world when he saw Charlie underwater putting his hand to the glass.
yep. i thought it was one of best so far – not only because Des the man, but he is the key.
and, yep. i’m more confused than ever.
One thing crossed my mind when my head hit the pillow;
How would Widmore know Desmond lived through the electromagnet event when he turned the failsafe key?
Just because Eloise and Charles know pretty much everything?
He did say “if everything I heard about him is true.” He was getting information from the island somehow.
Hm.
Why is the new timeline “wrong” Bob? Stumbled over that right at the beginning of your review…
As soon as Desmond shows Charlie Claire it’s all going to be perfect.
I was wrong thinking the timelines weren’t connected but I still hold on to my theory. By the way I still stand on the “Sun didn’t touch her head” thing. She didn’t.
Anyway, I’m still think new timeline will win because that is what all of the 815ers wanted when they detonated the Bomb and that’s what they got right now. The new timeline has time and again proven to be better than the old one (again tell me what’s worse about it than what’s currently going on in the old timeline except Desmond being alive after getting shot?)
I mean Daniel now found his love, she’s alive for Pete’s sake he achieved what he wanted and he now even understands what he did because his friend at Cal Tech explained it to him. All that’s needed is for the old timeline to be eradicated, resulting in all of them “forgetting” it, not being blinded by flashes to the alternate reality and everything will be fine. I mean if you look at it closely:
Daniel found Charlotte who’s not dead
Sawyer found Kate who’s still a fugitive but hasn’t stood trial
Charlie is not dead and found Claire or better he’s going to because that’s what Desmond was about to do at the end of this episode
Locke is married but not dead, can’t walk which is what he was supposed to
Sayid found Nadia, who’s alive and two kids with his brother
Hurley is lucky
Jack has a son, he’s married but divorced and a crappy dad
Sun and Jin are together and alive, don’t have a kid yet
I mean honestly what’s wrong about all this? Is it too good for your personal taste?
Eradicating the old timeline is what is supposed to happen or the universe is going to cease to exist and that’s so friggin “Donnie Darko” it hurts. And I’m betting my ass Widmore is altruistic about it and not trying to save his fortune (which I guessed wrong last time) because he’s still rich in the new timeline, has three kids and is married. I bet he wants Desmond to kill the old timeline and the island and that’s what he’s there for.
Also with killing the old timeline we could get rid of everything that’s mythical about it all. Locke/Smokey/Man in Black, Island, Jacob – everything – and everybody could live on happily in the new timeline. Perfect ending.
Ah wait Sawyer has to find Juliet and Jack has to find Kate, right?
Juliet’s missing from the new timeline as of right now but if we get those four working it would be perfect. And Charlotte simply has to directly meet Daniel and she’ll most likely start to remember her being in love as well.
I mean come on there’s nothing wrong with the new timeline.
Just tell me you meant to say “off” not “wrong” because I understand it as “not right” at the moment :-)
I was referencing Daniel’s notion that the sideways world was not meant to be and that they did something to change things. It seems that when people realize this, they are a bit horrified. See: Daniel, Desmond, Charlie.
I Desmond were so damned happy, I don’t think that he would make it his mission to show everyone on the plane that their lives were not “meant” to be like they currently are. It is unnatural and “wrong.”
To me, the alternate timeline seems like wishes gone wrong. Sayid, you want to see Nadia again? Ok, but now she’s married to your brother. Jack, you want a family? Ok, but your relationship with your son is miserable. Jin and Sun, you want a better relationship? Ok, but you have to live in secret and hide from people trying to kill you. Desmond, you want the respect of Widmore while being wildly successful? Ok, but you don’t even know who Penny is. Yes, he met Penny, but is that only because the other timeline pushed him? Clearly Eloise wanted to push him away from her, but Charlie and his own flashes of the other timeline pushed him to her.
I just don’t see how this timeline is better. I also don’t believe it’s a contest between the two. Things have happened differently. There are going to be good things and bad things. It’s simply different, not better or worse.
One thing I can say for certain: the alternate timeline is in no way, shape, or form perfect. It’s as far away from perfect as the original timeline.
To me, the alternate timeline seems like wishes gone wrong. Sayid, you want to see Nadia again? Ok, but now she’s married to your brother. Jack, you want a family? Ok, but your relationship with your son is miserable. Jin and Sun, you want a better relationship? Ok, but you have to live in secret and hide from people trying to kill you. Desmond, you want the respect of Widmore while being wildly successful? Ok, but you don’t even know who Penny is.
Wow, I really like this way of looking at things. If this is where the show is going, great analysis, but even if not, great theory.
I feel like we’re getting two conflicting stories right now. On the one hand we’ve got Jacob trying to bring people to redemption vs. Smokey trying to get free and spread corruption (possibly destroying the world in the process) – the mythology side – and on the other it’s Widmore, who may or may not be on the side of good at this point, possibly trying to unite the two worlds (or get one of them destroyed in favor of the other) – the science side. They’re both very interesting stories, but I can’t see any way that they work together, or are even related. It’s like being read “The Time Machine” and “Harry Potter” at the same time. I’m thrilled to see how it all comes together.
I agree with Adam – great perspective! I didn’t see it like that. Maybe it’s because for years I wanted the “Zombie season” to happen – and now I got it and I love it :-)
What irritates me a bit is that you regard this alternative as being so bad. So many people who died before are alive now… the things you listed are all so miniscule compared to Shannon, Boone, Charlotte, David, Charlie et cetera not being dead I don’t quite understand why Desmond should chose the old timeline. He would be the only one who’s happy, wouldn’t he?
Let’s take the people you listed
Jack: in the old timeline he was together with Kate and lost her. I even wanted to kill himnself when he found out Locke did.
Jin & Sun: are currently seperated but I have to agree (and didn’t think about it to be honest) Sun runs her fathers (or better: now HER) company. They are married and have a daughter. But: seperated, stuck on the island (again).
But those are the only ones who are better off. Even Kate came back because she knows Aaron isn’t her real son and Smokey clearly indicated that once he’s on his way off the island Claire is free to kill Kate.
The other person who’s left is V’s Elizabeth Mitchell. It’s a pity that we know why she isn’t on the show (even though Dominic Monaghan is also on Flash Forward). It makes me unable to judge whether the new timeline is really better for Sawyer as well. I mean isn’t it possible for Kate to hook up with Jack in the new timeline and Sawyer with Juliet and everything would be picture perfect?
Drat I am again arguing against you it seems. But I understand your point of view and it would be better for me to lose this argument because your ending, the old reality winning would really be the more shocking outcome – at least for me who loves the new timeline so much.
It would be great to find out how many of the viewers think the old timeline is better and how many think the new one is. Maybe I would know then how alone I am with my opinion :-)
Fourth answer to the thread I know ^^;
I think Desmond didn’t react to Sayid because he clearly understands that the old timeline is a remainder of the Bomb explosion, that that didn’t have the absolute clear outcome there should’ve been and that the old timeline has to be eradicated. He didn’t react to what Sayid did because it doesn’t matter anyway.
Desmond has a mission now because I bet (man I’m betting a lot today) he wasn’t in prison in the new timeline, he didn’t sail around the world, he wasn’t on the island in the new timeline (obviously) and guess who friggin extatic he must be about a world in which the island simly is gone?
Don’t you think he would be just about ready to do ANYTHING to get rid of what’s left of the old timeline?
The only thing I see standing in the way is maybe if the fainting was due to a brain tumor in the new timeline but I think it isn’t. If Desmond IS healthy and the flashes/the fainting are just a sideffect of the old timeline “interfering” with the new one, all he has to do is get rid of it and everything would be peachy for him.
Eloise said he got all he wanted in the new timeline and that he was just “not ready”. Maybe he IS ready? Maybe he already started what Eloise thinks he should do to fix things?
Hopefully I’m not sounding like a wise-cracking ass :-)
I’m just so damn sure that I’m right ;-)
I don’t see how Desmond would be so eager to get rid of the old timeline at all. Sure, he went through considerable hardship, but he got his happy ending with Penny after that was done. If anything, I think he’d want to get rid of the new timeline and get back to his wife and child. However, if the story does involve erasing the old timeline (which I don’t really agree with at this point, but I allow for the possibility), perhaps that’s the “sacrifice” to which Widmore alluded.
Exactly :-)
So maybe I missed this from a previous episode, but was that “magical box” that Ben mentioned in past seasons ever explained? He said it gave the person whatever they wanted, like Locke getting a chance to confront his scheming father. Could it be that this same “box” is what gave everyone the flashsideways world?
I think there’s a lot on this show that won’t be explained. Like BSGfan2003 said there’s so few time left and I don’t see how all these things could be answered.
I also remember how Ben was able to conjure up Smokey when the others were still inhabiting the Dharma complex. Back then Smokey was treated like an animal or a device guarding the Temple, now we know that it’s a real being. It all doesn’t really fit together but I think we have to let some of the aspects go because back then it wasn’t clear how long the show would still have to be on the air and how much Darlton had to come up with to fill time.
I mean it’s really clear that many of these things won’t get an explanation. I would love to see that Box explained or the huge pendulum Eloise used to determine which flight to take or the Time Experiments with the bunnies Faraday conducted or why Desmond wasn’t able to alter the timeline in “Flashes before your Eyes” but I so extremely expect for none of this to be explained and Darlton having to explain all of that with fairy dust in countless interviews after “Lost” ended.
The only thing I really hope for is that the show gets a definitive ending and that nobody EVER will talk about a reunion show or a Movie. That would suck so extremely…
That’s a really good point re: Ben conjuring smokey and it being more of a “thing” than a person. What up with that?
I think Bob’s planning to keep writing his “Lost in Lost” column over the summer, as I’m betting people will be wondering about all of these unanswered questions for months or years after the show is over.
Love Desmond? Yes.
My only issue at this point is time left. By my count, there is about 14,000 puzzle pieces left to put together and the clock is ticking.
My questions:
-When the bomb went off and created the alt universe, did the bomb also vaporize Jacob and MIB? Or did the bomb release Smokey? If it released MIB then Desmond must be part of the escape plan for Smokey. Team WTFocke can use Desmond to escape to the other dimension. If the alt universe is one where Smokey was destroyed for good by the bomb, then Team Jacob can use Desmond as a way to move over into the other universe if they fail. That way they don’t all go to Hell. Meanwhile the Other Team Jacob all get consumed by Smokey while they have fantasies about Taylor Lautner.