Before I pat myself on the back for my insight into the flashes, specifically how they relate to Desmond’s past experiences, I want to ramble about why this episode was so great.
In our most recent episode of LOST, Happily Ever After, we were presented with something that has been missing for most of the season: Interesting sideways stories. In the Substitute, Recon and Dr. Linus we were given sideways stories that could hang with the island events, but for the most part I haven’t given a hoot about these diversions. And that’s really what they are to a lot of fans, who are annoyed by these seemingly meaningless escapades that haven’t been that entertaining. Detractors of the sideways stories attack them because there is no context for them and the viewer is left without any way to quantify what they’re seeing.
My problem isn’t with the fact we’re getting a narrow snapshot in each sideways. My problem stems from the fact that these pictures don’t hold my attention. A majority of them have relied solely on the show’s mythology to drum up any interest and lack the episodic enjoyment of previous flashbacks and flashforwards.
Yet while I don’t love this plot device, I do enjoy it. My complaints are really just nitpicking, as I have enjoyed the experience on the whole and have faith the writers will provide meaning in the end.
In HAPPILY EVER AFTER we have a break from the rest of the season, excluding Richard’s back story, in that the sideways story appeared to be initiated by a catalyst in the episode. Desmond is back on the island, when he is thrown in a leftover Velociraptor cage from Jurrasic Park that exposes him to an electromagnetic field (EMF). The exposure, or incident, brings his consciousness to the sideways reality.
Immediately we learned that Hurley saw Desmond on the plane. This is an interesting reveal, in that we couldn’t confirm that our first Desmond sighting by Jack wasn’t all in his mind.
Although I say this with the conviction that there is still something funky about that plane ride, which was hinted at by Desmond’s request for the flight’s passenger list at the end of the episode. Not sure what he plans on revealing, but I think it’s either about the time they all share on the island. This could all culminate with some big meeting, possibly at the charity event. I’ll come back to this, since there is still a lot of ambiguity surrounding the possibilities. (What we can be sure of, though, is the fact that Desmond is still one sexy Scotsman.)
I wasn’t too happy to see that Widmore and Desmond are so chummy, even if I did get a little dose of George Minkowski to calm my anger. Seeing Desmond in the role of Widmore lackey was sort of predictable, as he had applied for a job with him previously and the sideways flashes appear to offer a variation on history that could have been. What was depressing about it was that Desmond appeared a shell of a man. He had the hot exterior, but didn’t have any heart. This was something Charlie recognized immediately. He could tell that Desmond was a man lacking fulfillment and devoid of real purpose.
The interplay between Charlie and Desmond was entertaining and revealing. This was particularly surprising considering my genuine hatred for Charlie during most of his time on the island. He was an annoying sod who basically just whined on and on about “Claire’s baby” and suffered from withdrawal. Apparently he was redeemed in death, and has been pretty cool ever since. Probably shouldn’t have been surprised by his recent awesomeness, since during a brief cameo with Hurley in season five he showed glimmers of the brilliance he exuded tonight.
When Desmond and Charlie are in the bar Desmond waxes about Charlie’s choices. “There’s always a choice, brother,” says Desmond, who never actually seems to have a choice. His speech actually reminded me of the Man in Locke (MiL), who has advocated freedom of choice.
Charlie rejects the options proposed by Desmond on the basis that they’re meaningless propositions. “None of it’s real,” contends Charlie. (We’ll come back to this mantra in a bit.) He was so confident that it was all meaningless that he tries to kill himself in Desmond’s car, and ends up recreating the scene from his death on the island. This sparks the first of a series of flashes for Desmond where he is reminded of his normal life experiences. During all of this it is unclear whether Charlie had the same sense of déjà vu that Desmond clearly experienced, but I’m inclined to believe he did.
My hunch is derived from Charlie’s ruminations in the hospital, when he reveals to Desmond that he was trying to show him “something.” He is confident that Desmond saw something and “felt it,” which is all that really matters according to Charlie. Because nothing matters to Charlie in the aftermath of his near death experience that revealed to him a reality that made him content.
In the hospital we also get a run in with Dr. Jack, who looks quite grizzled (maybe that means something). Jack is intrigued by the discovery that three people from the plan are randomly meeting at his hospital. I think he’s right to question this coincidence, because it feels like something is pushing our heroes together in their sideways journey.
Desmond leaves the hospital with an inkling about his fate with Penny, but lacks any real direction as he goes to meet Mrs. Widmore and break the bad news to her that Driveshaft won’t be reuniting for her charity event. Mrs. Widmore, who we know as Eloise Hawking, doesn’t appear too bothered about this news, which she takes in perfect stride. It’s almost as if she knew it would happen or that she knew that fate was keeping Driveshaft apart and she knew that you don’t mess with fate. Because fate always finds a way… “What happened, happened,” exclaims a nonchalant Eloise.
But her relaxed attitude disappears when she hears Desmond looking into some hussy named Penny. She warns him to stop, as he is committing “a violation.” She lambasts him for trying to upset his “perfect life.” Eloise even goes all Dr. Phil on Desmond’s ass and tells him he’s already got what he really wants, which is Charles Widmore’s approval. (How does she know this? Because she bloody well does. She knows everything!)
This conversation sparks the interest of Daniel Widmore, aka Daniel Faraday, aka Dr. Strangelove, who pontificates about love at first sight with Desmond. These two kindred spirits bonded over their self-awareness, with Dan revealing that his sighting of Charlotte felt “like [he] already loved her.” This reveal serves as the first confirmation, aside from the double takes we’ve seen, that our heroes are in their flashsideways with some hidden knowledge and sense of a previous life.
Dan takes this even further, suggesting “What if this wasn’t supposed to be our life” and that “we changed things.” How could this happen? Well, Dan the music man thinks it is because he blew up a nuclear bomb.
All of this will come into play later in the show, and I look forward to further explanation, but it was the next knowledge bomb that Dan dropped that had immediate meaning. Penny is his half-sister and he can get Desmond to her.
Finally, the reunion I’ve wanted! I love Desmond and Penny together. Sure, Jin and Sun are great, but at this point I wish they would just start dating other people. I’m looking at you Frank Lapidus and Zoey. And yeah, Juliet and Sawyer are sweet together, but those two were designed to be single and ready to mingle. It’s Desmond and Penny that the fans swoon for.
They’re great together. They have a genuine rapport that leaps off the television. (Sonya Walger (Penny) needs to leave FLASHFORWARD immediately and become a regular on LOST. While we’re at it, let’s grab Dominic (Charlie) too.)Desmond ‘s consciousness breaks from his sideways story when he shakes hands with his Penny. He wakes up on the island, now a willing participant in Widmore’s plan. This is a little shocking, considering Desmond had rejected Widmore’s contention that Desmond still had work to do. I’m not sure why he is willing to go along, except that it might have something to do with fate and his belief in fate.
At the same time, I think he might not give a damn about what’s going on at the island. I found it really strange how they switched back to the sideways story after Desmond agrees to follow Sayid. This technique has marked all the other transitions, but not his. I think the alteration within the episode represents that Desmond is fully conscious of his island life in the flashsideways. I think he wants the passenger list because he knows he’ll recognize almost every name on it.
And now let’s rewind a bit. Let’s go back to season three, in an episode titled FLASHES BEFORE YOUR EYES. This episode presented Desmond’s fate in the aftermath of the Hatch exploding and gave us a peek at what I contend was the first flashsideways. (I first posited this idea in my SUBSTITUTE summary: http://bit.ly/b16rWB )
In that experience Desmond is keenly aware that he lived on the island. It manifests itself in little ticks and signs at first, much like the double takes we’ve seen in the flashsideways and his recognition of “the button” during his MRI.
Both his recent sideways adventure and his experience in season three were the product of an EMF. Most likely all the flashes have been the product of EMF explosions, whether the hatch exploding, the incident or the recent one sparked by Widmore’s crew. I don’t know what any of this means, but I think it’s all related, especially based on Eloise’s actions in Desmonds flashes. Both times she has warned him to follow a certain path. She says things have to be one way and that’s it.
In the recent episode she reminded me of the kid who scolds MiL. She basically accuses Desmond of breaking the rules with his violation, which is akin to the mysterious kid laying down guidelines for MiL. I think she may have a larger role in this then we might think. She appears omnipotent, almost on par with Jacob. Here’s a crazy idea, maybe she’s Jacob’s mom. Maybe she’s the crazy mom of the Man in Black? I know that’s nuts, but I wouldn’t just write the idea off as nonsense.
It seems like the sideways stories have a purpose. The way Eloise talks about Desmond’s fate makes me think that these stories are preparation for some big challenge to come.
Before my head explodes, here are some random thoughts:
• I thought Desmond’s Hannibal Lecter moment in the MRI machine was funny
• Why do Dan, Eloise and Charles all have different names in island reality? We’ve got Faraday, Hawking and Widmore. I get Hawking and Widmore, but where did Faraday come from????
• Charlotte loves her chocolate.
• Charlie also appears in Desmond’s experiences in FLASHES BEFORE YOUR EYES. Remember, he’s singing Wonderwall?(Video link: http://bit.ly/YJQFX) THAT WAS TOTALLY A FLASHSIDEWAYS! I WILL BE VINDICATED!!!!
(Yeah, i understand that Desmond's life in FLASHES BEFORE YOUR EYES was his old life and not some variation. I don't care. IT's important. Maybe. I hope.)
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