Many moments in this episode made me sit back, gasp, smile in wonder. But for all the mythology revealed to us in “Flashes Before Your Eyes,” I most savored the sight of our old friends. Charlie, Hurley, Locke, Sayid, Sun… I didn’t even know how much I missed them until I saw them on screen again. And when Charlie asks, “What happened?” I actually needed Locke’s cryptic response to catch me up on the main island storyline. Alas, we only see the gang briefly before diving into Desmond’s flashback (if that’s what it was)… but there was more than enough story and clues and easter eggs to fill the hour.
Even though I count myself more a fan of the characters than the “mystery” of the show, “Flashes Before Your Eyes” gave one of the most satisfying, mystifying servings of mythology in seemingly ages. The questions this episode raise go much deeper than who the Others are, and get straight to the fundamentals: choice or destiny, coincidence or fate, free will or futility. Does what Desmond experience prove that the ultimate outcome is predetermined? Or is it actually our first glimpse of the courage needed to change things?The mysterious old lady (with the unspoken but telling name of “Ms. Hawking,” played by the elegantly eerie Fionnula Flanagan) pierces our little “LOST” tableau with a blizzard of assertions. “The universe unfortunately has a way of course-correcting,” says she. “You don’t do it because you choose to, you do it because you’re supposed to.” Desmond, initially and naturally defiant, suddenly comes to believe her, “reminded” of the future by the simple photograph. But he changes his mind twice more: in the aftermath of the hatch implosion, he begs for another chance to change things. Caught up to “real time,” though, he tells Charlie he’s more sure than ever that he can’t.
So which is it? My head hurts. We’re going to have to watch that again, indeed.
Penny sending Desmond to seek a job from her powerful father carried shades of Sun and Jin. But Desmond doesn’t grovel, and Mr. Widmore quite elegantly articulates his contempt for his daughter’s suitor. The humiliation was obviously key to the Desmond we now know… joining the military, racing around the world, seeking to do something important (even if it is pushing a button). I’m not sure whether Desmond ever did have those conversations with Ms. Hawking, but even when we first meet Desmond in the hatch, he’s conflicted about whether he’s saving the world or not. As are we all.
Jen’s theory? The failure to input the numbers resets time. Perhaps they’ll find the balloon again, says she. My theory? The exact opposite. That there has been a time loop of some kind, a distortion at least, but that the failsafe “broke the spell,” as it were. And “LOST” will ultimately be the story of people able to change their destiny who had come to believe they couldn’t.
What if Ms. Hawking is Penny Widmore? Her annoyance at Desmond’s belief that he was going to change, that he was going to propose, sure seemed a little… personal.
But that could just be the whiskey talking.
Both Desmond and Charlie are told they are good people. It’s been a while since we’ve had one of those categorical declarations. And then there’s the red. The half-painted red walls in Desmond’s “rat trap” (“Future” brand paint, in fact). The red shoes of the ill-fated pedestrian. The… well, it was important, anyway.
Even with all the… puzzles (“mindfucks,” suggests Jen), tonight’s episode also brought us lots to smile about. Jen enjoyed the drunken beach scene with Desmond, Charlie and Hurley. “He’s wankered,” Charlie determines. Hurley does nickname duties with “Desmondo.” The football game was sponsored by Apollo bars. Mr. Widmore’s office was dominated by a painting of a polar bear. And his office is 815… a number that was, of course, as familiar to Desmond as it was to us.
That picture of Desmond and Penny at the marina — which goes back to the start of Season 2 — raises an interesting question… if it’s not a continuity error. Desmond apparently cherished that photo, taken on the pier, and kept it with him since that painful day. But if there was only one copy, how exactly did Penny have a copy on her nightstand at the end of Season 2, when we first meet her in “real time”? Or — brain freeze! — was it?
“LOST” Locations: There were a lot of location shoots for this episode. Ms. Hawking’s antique store was the McClain’s Auctions space at 1 N. King (a.k.a. Locke’s Walkabout travel agency). The Widmore lobby was 1132 Bishop Street. The Widmore headquarters was the Bank of Hawaii building on Fort Street, which itself became London (with its London Underground entrance).
The “Research Library” where Desmond found his friend Donovan was Aliiolani Hale, home of the Hawaii Supreme Court. The pub was O’Toole’s on Nuuanu Ave., which is where Desmond later spots the military recruiting poster. And the pier with the souvenir photographer? Bishop Museum, of all places… a landmark that’s far, far inland.
- The return of “Make Your Own Kind of Music” had me beaming. And Charlie’s performance of “Wonderwall,” Jen notes, gives us a convenient time frame (after October 1995).
- The bartender that doesn’t get hit with a cricket bat is Michael Titterton, president and general manager of KHPR, the local public radio station. Locals know that British accent anywhere.
- Claire has bangs now? And speaking of Claire… did you spot Hayden Panettiere (cheerleader Claire on “Heroes”) in the commercial for Neutrogena?
- Desmond in the rain: Shawshank Redemption? Ring tossed in the ocean: Lord of the Rings?
The show breaks from it’s kidnapping story to get us back into probably the best mythology episode we’ve seen since season one.
Well done. I was riveted. And the end , just absoultely cool.
Now we’re talking!!!!!Time travel, signs and portents, and a prophecy of an upcoming death! Desmond is a great character!
THAT WAS AWESOME! my head hurts, but it feeeeeeels so good!
I’m like LEX, my head hurts from this episode, but it was awesome though. This was the best mythology episode since at least the since finding Desmond in the hatch IMO
“So, is it the future’s past or the past future that he’s seeing?”
“This show takes the space time continuum and turns it into a squiggly line”
-Some quotes about tonight’s show from me and the family
….our heads hurt too.
“And maybe, you’re gonna be the one that saves me,
and after all, you’re my wonderwall…”
Pretty interesting that’s the song Charlie was singing as Desmond walks up to him in London…
Wow…That was such a great episode, I’m probably going to have to watch it 3 or 4 more times before next Wednesday.
I don’t think that Charlie singing Wonderwall really meant much of anything. It was probably just a nod from the writers towards how Charlie and Liam’s relationship is really similar to that of the Gallagher brothers from Oasis.
My head hurts….alot to wrap your head around…..the jeweler was in the movie “The Others” and wasn’t the guy who took the photo of Desmondo and Penny the same one in the ice station at the end of season 2?
OK, I think it’s time that all of us who have carped and nitpicked and whined and talked about “jumping the shark”, etc etc, to symbolically join hands and shout together: “LOST RULES!!!!” Ladies and Gentlemen, that was one hell of a television episode!
Just tossing a stupid theory out there
We will find out that there are two Desmonds now. The Desmond that time traveled back and changed the past by getting hit in place of the bartender will stay with Penny and never go to the island, but since Desmond is already on the Island in the future…this will make two Desmonds exist. This is how Penny has the picture…Next to her in the bed will be Desmond
Interesting episode. It’s nice to go back to the mystery of the island itself to compliment the mystery about the Others.
As far as Penny having the same photo as Desmond, one possible explanation is she went back to the photographer (they were still at the marina) after Desmond left and asked for another copy. He would have the negative.
I was inches away from never watching another LOST episode when yesterday’s gem fell upon me. It was great. I hope that the writers realize that the more they give us, the more questions it opens up. I liked the package delivery “for (four) 815”. That really threw Desmond for a loop. I also liked the Sarah McLaclan song being played in Desmond’s flat “Building a Mystery” that came out in 1997 on her Surfacing album telling us that it was at least 1997 or later. I really thought that Desmond was trying to save Claire but to find out that he was looking out for Charlie blew me away. The story had flashes of Back to the Future with the taking of the picture at the marina. I was half expecting it to start fading away unless he broke up with Penny again. Lastly, the friend in the pub that Desmond confided in brought yet another “Heroes” connection using Shishir Kurup who was the guiding force for Mohinder Suresh. All in all a great episode and as always a great re-cap by Ryan.
We know that if you play the Clockwork Orange video backward you hear a woman saying over and over “Only fools are confined by time and space.â€
What does this mean. Does that mean that the intelligent person can move around in time and in location?
That being said, what if all of the flashbacks in Lost were not flashbacks at all, but real time events? When we see Locke, for example, in a flashback, he has literally jumped back in time and space to the time and place of the “flashback.†Prior to last night all of the characters have merely re-lived their flashbacks as if they were memories and not real time events. What will happen when they all realize that they can do things differently?
Can each of the losties figure a way to fix the past, correct the things that they all regret, perhaps never get on the plane at all? Will we sometime soon see a character flashback where the character so changes the past that he or she literally disappears from the island forever? I bet we do
Great episode. Was the mis-spelling of honour (i.e. they used the American ‘honor’) just a cock-up by the art department? Could they have made that basic an error?
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As soon as the old woman in the jewellery store made it clear that she was “in” on Desmond’s situation and was trying to ensure that he continued on the path that he was supposed to; it brought back to mind Libby very fortuitously bumping into Desmond in the coffee shop at the end of season two to very casually donate a boat so he could enter the race around the world. Certainly makes me believe that Libby and the jewellery store lady (and possibly others) were following Desmond all along to make sure he was able to follow the path the universe has pre-destined for him.
Lee – I think it was just a cock-up. The British characters’ flashbacks continue to be set in a magical land where England is an island, honour is spelled without the ‘o’, Union Jacks are seemingly compulsary and half the people have wandered out of Oliver. That said, I’m sure there are errors with Korea, etc, that I have been completely blind to.
I enjoyed the episode though I wasn’t sure about Mrs Hawking – a little too Architecht for me – but it was great to be back on the island (no pun intended) and Desmond really is going from strength to strength. I’m so glad it’s a continuous run until May!
The picture was a Polaroid, so I don’t know how Penny is going to get a copy. Maybe she scanned a copy of Desmonds picture?
I think Penny is somehow reliving her past, that’s how come she’s searching for the Island and the Lost Desmond. I think we have two forces at work here, Hanso who is trying to get history to turn out “right,” and individuals who are trying to control their own destinies now that they have a second chance. Who will win, and if the individuals win, will all of humanity lose?
Fight the future!
http://www.tvscifi.com
The whole “Course-correcting” idea really threw me back to the movie i watched the other week: Final Destination. The man was destined to die, and no matter what the ‘oracle’ woman told him about what he should avoid, death would eventually catch up to him…
Other instances of red. Desmonds shirt in the pier photo. The label of the Mccuchins scotch bottle. And I may be wrong, but was Clair wearing a red shirt when Desmond fished her out of the sea?
Great episode…. definitely one of my favorites. Here’s my theory based on what we learned last night:
I believe it was established in the Lost Experience that the numbers represent the Valenzetti equation which calculates “doomsday” and that the work on the island is to change these numerical certainties and therefore change or postpone doomsday. Well what if the time loop that was eluded to in last nights episode is intentional in order to give the work on the island more attempts to get it right and postpone the end of time? I hate to say it but it reminds me of daybreak, where the main character was reliving the same day over and over and continually trying to learn from his previous mistakes in order to get that one day right. The stakes in Lost are much higher, if they can’t get it right dooms day comes. Charlie living may be the change that is needed, which is why the “Universe” is trying to self correct and kill him.
We’ve all been intrigued to find out how all of the Lost Characters are somehow connected. I think their connection is that they all play a role in somehow finally setting the correct sequence of events into action to change or postpone the end of time. Desmonds role was to push the botton.
When they succeed, time will continue on outside of the time loop and they will be free of the island.
I’m really worried about Charlie! If Charlie is for sure fated to die, I’m going to really miss seeing Dom around on the show. It freaked me out when I realized it was Charlie Desmond was saving. WAAA!!!!
But if there was only one copy, how exactly did Penny have a copy on her nightstand at the end of Season 2
Smacks of “A Sound of Thunder” (Ray Bradbury). Desmond isn’t supposed to have the picture… and because he does, things happen.
Also… Season 2, two guys in the artic notify someone (Penny, I think it was) that “something” happened after Desmond realizes he crashed the plane by not pushing the button in time. Penny is expecting the “something” because Desmond told his friend what was going on, and the friend no doubtedly told Penny what was said after Desmond disappeared.
What does it all mean? No idea. heh.
But I do enjoy the ride!
Did anyone else
on the West Coast /Bellingham /Seattle area get last weeks episode and NOT the Desmond
“Flashes Before Your Eyes”?
We who get Canada’s CBC(CIVT Ch 21) were able to Get “Lost” an Hour Earlier ….But the ABC feed was Repeat of Last weeks “Not Portland”
this gaff
Turned off my work groups “Lost WaterCooler Chat Time’ and may have Killed the Love for Lost. for good…??
Thoughts out there??
As for “Flashes”
Good stuff ,I knew TimeTravelLoop was at heart of this …But GroundHog Day still comes to mind…….Desmond is Nothing BUT Courage and Honour/Honor…What a Great Role/EmmyBaby EMMY!!..The Pause at the Recriuting Station that “Almost” lured the LostScot to the “Scots Guards” Might he actually Become a Good Soldier in another Life time …Eventually ending up in Iraq???
a posting of those same Scots Guards.
Layers upon Layers…
MontaukJimbo
There are some things I’ve been trying to figure out.
1) When Carl’s video is played backwards it says “Only fools are trapped by time and space” (or something similar). That seems to imply that the Others are trying to mess with time and space. Yet Ms. Hawking pretty much argues that we are destined to do what we do. It seems to me that there is a conflict between the two ideas, which makes me believe that there is a conflict between the Others and some other group, perhaps a splinter Dharma and a fundamentalist Dharma. Perhaps that explains the Others’ need for all their weapons.
2) Ms. Hawking’s white hair reminded me of the black and white theme that keeps popping up. Will there be a black counterpart to Ms. Hawking espousing a different view?
I may be wrong, but it may also be interesting to note that Desmond seems to be the only one who has crossed paths with other people from the island on more than one occasion. His encounted with Jack, his meeting Libby in the coffee shop, and, assuming it was “Real”, his meeting Charlie on the streets of London. I suppose we can also include meeting Kelvin, even though he was on the island already at that point.
Awesome, Awesome episode!!!!! Lost is back!!!!!
My friend just had a great theory over our lunch break. Desmond not only traveled back in time when he turned the failsafe key, but also FORWARD in time. That’s how he’s been able to “see the future” on the island since the hatch blew up — because he had already been there, he just can only remember it in flashes.
Let’s compare Desmond’s moments of realization in the “past” and on the island. When he’s in the pub in London, he swirls around, taking in all of his surroundings, sharply listening to what’s going on around him. Then it all clicks and he states what’s going to happen next (the winning goal, the guy walking in with the cricket bat, etc.). He’s just remembered a flash of a moment he’s already experienced. Compare this reaction to the moment right before he runs off to save Claire (and Charlie). His actions are very similar.
Also, remember when Desmond told Hurley that Locke “just gave that speech”? Note that Desmond didn’t say, “Locke’s GOING TO give that speech”, as if to imply he can forsee the future, but instead said, “JUST GAVE that speech”, implying he already experienced hearing Locke’s speech.
I was really intrigued by the painting hanging in Mr. Widmore’s office. There was a Budda upside down. I remember seeing a Buddha during the scenes when Carl was rescued. Buddhism centers around the belief of impermanence and reincarnation. I think it’s the writers way of giving us some obvious clues as to what is unfolding.
It is HIGHLY interesting that Desmond was selected for this sort of information. If you read up on David Hume, some of his biggest ideas was that we can only be part of what we experience… that one thing does not relate to another if we didn’t experience it.
Basically, that we are dealing with some pretty deep philosophical ideas with this episode.
I think Desmond keeps getting caught in a series of time loops- and what we saw in the episode was him jumping from one loop to another by finally exercising his free will over the fate he’d accepted up to that point.
Loop 1
Over and over Desmond lived the loop between waking up after falling in his apartment, meeting with Mr. Widmore, deciding not to marry her, joining the military, joining the yacht race, ending up on the island, meeting the Losties and turning the key.
This loop went on for who knows how many repetitions- until he finally decided he was going to change things and ask Penny to marry him.
Transition from Loop 1 to Loop 2:
This transition starts when Desmond meets the weirdo-woman in the ring store. I think on all other occasions of the loop, Desmond almost buys the ring and then decides not to. By trying to actually buy the ring he “breaks” the loop. Maybe this has happened before- the fact the woman is there to push him back on his familiar track seems to indicate it has. But from this point onward- we know Desmond isn’t going to just keep spinning his wheels in the rut he’s created for himself.
After meeting the woman however, Desmond has fooled himself into thinking he’s still stuck. Then, when he is in the bar the second time and he sees his soccer precognition coming true- he decides he can in fact change things. His last words before the altercation starts are exactly that- “There’s still time for me to change things” Then he gets whacked in the head and his consciousness skips out of Loop 1 and pops into Loop 2.
Loop 2
Loop 2 starts with Desmond post hatch explosion and goes to some as yet revealed point in the future- probably Charlie’s death. In Loop 2 new things are in the works that have never happened before (Or at least haven’t happened outside of what I think is now a second loop). Penny actually finding Desmond may be part of this loop- or maybe she won’t be able to actually find him again until he successfully negotiates his way through Loop 2 in the same way he couldn’t experience Loop 2 until he did Loop 1 correctly.
But since the point of this whole plot line is to illustrate the fate vs. free will argument. I figure Desmond is going to have to keep pulling Charlie’s butt out of the fire until he can click into a new Loop 3- or stop the time looping entirely.
Adding to the important appearances of red in last night’s episode- Charlie’s guitar had a lot of red on it when he and Desmond “met” and were talking on the street corner.
Something else I noticed/wondered…. As Ms. Hawking was telling Desmond he doesn’t buy the ring, she tells him that after he gets to the island, he will spend 3 years pressing the button in the hatch until he turns the failsafe key. Last episode, Juliet says that it has been just over 3 years since she has been on the island. Were they “brought” to the island at the same time? Are they connected at all??
I don’t know if anyone knows this but Penelope the name comes from a combination of the greek word for eye and face. I thought That was interesting. She was our eye to the outside word at the end of season 2.
I thought it was cool to see that in the apartment of desmond and penelope that desmond woke up at 108 and that the microwave sounded like the button.
I was very confused now with this Mrs. Kawkings character. It sort of felt a bit like the Matrix with Mrs. Hawkings and Desmond sitting on the park bench.
I also find it interesiting and it might not have anything to do with anything, but Penelope’s fathers name is Charles…so charlie…why is it charlie that desmond has to save.
Also I find it funny that Clair with this whole thing of precognition and Presentiment (future events which is perceived in the form of emotions….also reminded me of the word Clairvoyance. Clair(voyance)remembered being on the island as well. Also David Humes the philosopher is linked with causality (relationship of cause and effect. I found it interesting also that hume wrote his own epitaph.
Just a couple of things… So we all knew that Ms. Hawkings knew the man in the red shoes was going to be killed by the building (or whatever it was), so is she stuck in a loop as well? As if she has seen that happen before? And going against some’s theory of a “loop” Desmond could have only repeated history once due to the fact that the hatch is now completely gone and he has know way of going back again, because it seems as though the failsafe key was his “portal”… just some more food for thought for out starving LOST brains
To add to what Nadia said, Penelope was also the wife of Odysseus who waited faithfully for his return to Ithaca while he was off fighting the Trojan War. On his return he had to battle many humans, Gods and creatures to return to his wife.
Ok heres one for you… I was checking out the Official LOST site on ABC, and you have the capability of watching clips from the past of how everyone is connected, well if you watch how Jack and Desmond are connected, it will take you back to the stair running scene that we all know… Well watching it now, knowing what we know from this episode, things make sense. Jack is talking to him about Sara, and how he made a promise he couldn’t keep and that he didn’t fix her, and Desmond responds with “Well, what if you did fix her” meaning that because he has been through this all before, he knows that she was going to be fixed… and all of this is followed by the famous line… “See you in another life, brotha” also showing that Desmond knew what he was talking about.
So now that hopefully everyone went to go check out what i was just talking about…
Do you think that just because it shows Desmond waking up back at the island after being whacked in the bar, it doesn’t mean that he really continued out life in his flashback and just woke up with a headache in the bar?…. anyone follow me?
Hey guys, you all have very good ideas. I like all of your ideas. I also liked this episode very much. I would like to add a few things. First: I think Mrs. Hawkings might be part of the Dharma Initative. My reasons why are because how would she know to begin with that Desmond was going to be there for 3 years pushing the button and turning the fail-safe. Also that she said that “we will all die” this made me think that it was even more possible. To possible answer why there will “global consequences” for not pushing the button and turning the key was because Desmond changed what had happened at the bar after he said that he can still “change or fix the problem with Penny”. Because of this something could result or it will still have to do with eletromagnetism. Overall a very awsome episode to an awsome show. Talk to you later.
If Des really has relived this ‘loop’ over, and over and has picked up on things, and has come to the realization that he is stuck in this continual loop…why then was he so surprised when he realized that it was him who may have brought down the plane on 9/22/2004? Or why was he so surprised to hear Locke banging his head against the hatch the night he nearly killed himself?
If he was really stuck in this Groundhog Day type sceneario…wouldn’t he have already known the plane was going to crash and Locke was going to find the hatch?
Here’s a theory. Desmond is in a time loop. Every time he turns the key he goes back in time 3 years. He doesn’t know the future, he has done it already. Also, Charlie has already dies twice. First, he got struck by lightning. Desmond went through the loop and saved him. Then he drowned trying to save claire. Desmond turned the key, went back through the loop and saved him again. Then, Desmond told Charlie he can’t keep doing it.
Oh, and yes, Penny somehow knows and is trying to look for Desmond.
Damn, I’m good.
Here’s a theory. Desmond is in a time loop. Every time he turns the key he goes back in time 3 years. He doesn’t know the future, he has done it already. Also, Charlie has already dies twice. First, he got struck by lightning. Desmond went through the loop and saved him. Then he drowned trying to save claire. Desmond turned the key, went back through the loop and saved him again. Then, Desmond told Charlie he can’t keep doing it.
Desmond forgets a lot because after he turns the key, he wakes up in the “real world” after suffering a cuncussion.
Oh, and yes, Penny somehow knows and is trying to look for Desmond.
It’s predetermined.
i follow you taren.. check out this from wikipedia entry on david hume:
When one event continually follows after another, most people think that a connection between the two events makes the second event follow from the first (post hoc ergo propter hoc – after this, therefore, because of this.). Hume challenged this belief in the first book of his Treatise on Human Nature and later in his Enquiry concerning Human Understanding. He noted that although we do perceive the one event following the other, we do not perceive any necessary connection between the two.
Quite a good episode! More Hurly please, my current favorite character.
Not sure how to explian the whole Mrs Hawkin thing, but I think that this will all end up being some kind of explanation revolving around some crazy experiment gone wrong on the island – probably one that impacted the on the fabric space time (or sumfink like that – lets face it the writers aren’t physics professors, but I bet they’ll throw some pseudo-dark energy science at us before the end).
As it stands, we need more good character development for the show to stand a chance of holding peoples attention.
Oh, and I know I’m being picky, but it is unlikely that an army recruiting center in London would have a Scots Guards poster outside. AND the soldier posing on the poster ( and the one standing outside the office itself) was wearing US issue clothing and was armed with a US weapon. I’ll forgive them though 😉
I not sure a really care about Desmondo’s struggle with needing to feel like a real man before being able to ask for Penny’s hand in marriage. As far as I’m concerned, Penny was right in calling him a coward. Frack him and his poor sense of priorities.
And am I sorry Charlie is good to cop the big one? Nope. Let just hope he manages to go out on some style. Throwing himself on a grenade would be favorite – boom! – Charlie strips!
R.
I was kinda pondering… .if Desmond hadn’t gotten whacked with that cricket bat, would he still be in England?
Whoaa its the best episode ever.. But am I drunk or I saw the blonde oldgirl of the jewlery ask Jack about his tatoo in the preview ?? If she’s on the island and with Desmond at the same time..that mean everybody have a double of himself …I dont know what that mean .. but its weird lolll sorry for my english.. im from Quebec..
Hi Ryan, Jenn and Lost fans!
This is an excellent site and forum, and well done to you all for your analysis of a really enjoyable show.
Hawaiiup.com is, a lot of the time, as enjoyable as the show!
As for this weeks episode….. I personally am disappointed.
Now Desmond is a time traveller….. I feel this takes an interesting story line into the sublime, heading for the ridiculous.
Dunno if you agree, but this episode had a very Matrix feel. The Oracle, guiding the One who has the destiny of saving the world. And the theme of destiny vs choice.
Perhaps I have to watch the episode again to appreciate. I guess I always enjoyed the implied mystery in the events, and then having them being assigned a rational logical explanation. But just assigning the reason for Desmond’s ability as “time travel” is (in my opinion) getting sloppy.
I have thought about Desmond’s time travel, and there are some holes in the notion.
For example, if he returned to the island to a futuristic point where the events he is forseeing have already occured, then given that he has saved Charlie twice means he has time travelled more than once.
To explain, when he realised he has experienced/ witnessed events before, he decides he wants to change them. But according to the “Oracle”, self correction occurs, and the event is realised, in another way.
So, if he realised Charlie was going to get struck down by the lightning, he would have been able to save him then, and not been able to predict that he would still have to save him again in the ocean.
Unless he then time travelled again after Charlie drowned, and then returned again to now rectify both occurences (the lightning bolt and the ocean).
So, if this is the case, is Desmond a regular time traveller? If so, how many returns has he made to the island? And if the theme is focussing on destiny vs choice, does this indicate a swing towards spiritual path type themes again?
My thoughts are open to question and debate.
I had thought this was obvious and confirmed, but from reading some comments i can now assume that this is more of a theory than a anything else…
Anyway, the way i saw the whole time travel thing is that
1. Desmond lived his life once normally, he got hurt while painting, he did not get the job with Penny’s father, he didn’t think twice about charlie, he had second thoughts about Penny and did not buy the ring, he took the picture (although that one is up for debates), he went to the pub and saw the football team win before the bartender got hit in the head (not him). then he joined the army, he went to jail, he got out and joined the race around the world, he met jack, he met penny, he met Libby, and he crashed on the island. He then pushed the button and activated the failsafe. But then…
2. He flashed back to when he fell of the ladder while painting and relived his life untill he got hit by the criquet bat. things that would have, in his first runthrough, been insignificant such as 1:08, the sailboat, the painting, charlie, ect., he now remembers in dejavu’s because it already happened.
3. After he wakes up in the island ( does he rember just his last runthrough, or both? i’m thinking both) he gets his picture back and regrets not asking her to marry her. anyway, he then live up untill, at the earliest after loche says his speech, and at the latest after charlie get electricuted and before he drowns.
4. Some time then he will flash back to before loche says his speech and have a dejavu about loche’s speech. now, depending on whether or not he flashed back before or after Charlie’s first death, there could be another flashback (get it? sortof?) anyway, let asume there is not and that he flashes back after charlie dies the second time. Assuming this, he would have also set up the lighting rod before flashing back the 4th time.
5. He will flash back to some time after saving charlie the first time. He will then have a dejavu of charlie drowning, and will then go and save claire first. He will then live life normally (although he could have also flashedback to after this as well,) when Charlie and hurley get him drunk and charlie calls him a coward. He will then strangle Charlie and flashback to his MEMORIES of activating the failsafe. (as in the flashbacks we saw in the first season.) This flashback was him remebering his first experience of time travel. after he has remebered all of that, he tells charlie he will die.
That brings up one very important question, do penny and Donnovan remeber Desmonds FIRST runthrough, or his SECOND runthrough. Charlie not remembering Desmond does not help us, because that memory may not be very important to him ( like the other crossovers). but there is one event that leads me to think they remember the second: the ending of the season two finally. i think Donovan told Penny about all of the things Desmond said to him at the pub and, after Desmonds dissapearence, they both beleive it. She then finds out about the Dharma Initiative and sets up people in the artic looking for the island, where they see it.
Anyway, sorry for the length and thanks to anyone who’s actually reading this far (i’m not sure i would…) any comments?
Cheers Tyler, made it a bit clearer now as after watching that episode 8 my head was well blagged. Even if my head was about to blow off I still thoroughly enjoyed the mythology which was brought in throughout the episode, so bring on the rest of the series sky one!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lost, by far, the best show on television!!!!!!
tyler, you have a confusing theory. type correctly next time!!!
Desmond must have gone back in time more than once.
Time 1. He was aware of Charlie being killed by being struck by lightning.
Time 2. He stopped Charlie being killed, but then knew he was drowned.
Time 3. He stopped Charlie being drowned and told him about the 2 incidents.
So it can’t be a one-off occurance because of the fail-safe key.