WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE LATEST EPISODE OF LOST.
After the jump: Mini-recap, questions, theories, and predictions!
This week on Lost, Widmore’s henchman woke Desmond up from a 3-day coma just so they could stick him in a room with a giant radioactive super collider to see if it didn’t kill him! Apparently Widmore wants Desmond’s help in saving the island because the rules don’t quite apply to him. Luckily for us, he not only survived the fiasco, but his consciousness was sent to the Sideways World, where Desmond was Widmore’s right hand man! Widmore totally loved Desmond, and also loved his son Daniel and his wife Eloise!
Widmore sent Desmond on an errand to babysit a certain junkie rock star we all knew and loved, who was bring sprung from the slammer. Apparently when Charlie almost choked to death on the Oceanic flight, he had a vision in which he was in love with a blond girl, and I think we all know who he was talking about! So in order to recapture this feeling, he drove Desmond’s car right off a dock – with both of them still inside. When Desmond saw Charlie’s hand pressed against the car window, he had his OWN flash – “Not Penny’s boat!” After rescuing Charlie from drowning, Desmond was given an MRI at the hospital, and almost as soon as it started the Penny floodgates opened up and he had that same rush of love that Charlie had described! Then Charlie runs away, telling Desmond to bugger off and go find this Penny woman!
Then Desmond went to visit Mrs. Eloise Widmore to let her know he’d lost the rock star, and that went surprisingly well – that is until Eloise overheard Desmond asking around about someone named Penny! Then she freaked out, told him to knock it off, and told him he wasn’t ready, whatever that means! Then to make matters even more confusing, Daniel (who is a musician and not a scientist) also has a talk with Desmond in which he explains that he also had those love visions with a chocolate-loving redhead. Not only that, but he recently wrote a bunch of crazy equations down that he doesn’t even understand! Daniel somehow figured out that he set a nuclear bomb off in an alternate universe! Dude is smart, no matter where he is, apparently.
So anyway not only does Daniel confirm that Desmond’s visions are real, but he also tells him where he can find his half-sister Penny! So Desmond finds her and introduces himself, but when they shake hands he is sucked back into the other world, where he then agrees to help Widmore save the island because all of the sudden he understands what has to happen. Then Sayid swoops in and karate chops some of Widmore’s lackeys, lets Zoe run away, and tells Desmond to follow him, which Des does without any hesitation.
Back in the Sideways World, after apparently fainting at Penny’s very touch, Des asks her on a date and she says yes! And then Desmond asks his limo driver (Minkowski!) to get him the Oceanic flight’s manifest so he can tell all the other passengers about this strange phenomenon.
Side note: I almost don’t even want to try and tear this episode apart because I think it’s so complicated and crazy that it wouldn’t make any sense, and we’re going to know the answers soon enough…but still, I thought this episode was AMAZING though. OCH DESMOND BROTHAH, AH LUFF YOO.
Questions:
1. This is so complicated I don’t think any of us can really answer it now, but what exactly is the connection between the two worlds? How is it even possible that anyone can get visions of their other life?? If there is somehow a way that you can get all the lovey feelings out of the island world and stick them into the Sideways World without all the bad feelings from the island world, then maybe it’s like the two worlds will converge and it will be a super happy ending?? Will it be like Harry Potter, love will save us all? I don’t know, guys. I am so confused LOL but I wouldn’t want it any other way.
2. Did anyone see the painting of the scales on Widmore’s office wall?
3. How come Eloise always knows what’s going on?? How come she told Desmond he wasn’t “ready?” HOW DOES SHE ALWAYS SEEM TO KNOW WHEN NO ONE ELSE DOES?
4. And what makes Desmond special? Why is it he can survive these electromagnetic phenomenon? (Although Locke, Charlie, and Eko all survived the last one!) Did the MRI machine with all its magnetism knock something loose in his brain?
5. Why did Sayid let Zoe run away? WHY!? I thought we’d be rid of her for a second haha.
6. And WHAT was that radiation generator thing Widmore stuck Desmond in?? That was crazy.
7. Where are Penny and Baby Charlie? I love that Daddy Widmore just kidnaps her husband.
8. In the Sideways World Desmond is going to tell all the Losties about this other life – but how will they react? Will they seek out their loved ones, or will they start thinking they’re in some kind of Matrix that they need to escape?
9. What causes each Lostie to have the visions? How come it seems like only half of them are having the visions? If the visions are of love, then does it have to be romantic love, or can it be other things as well? I also wonder if people like Rose and Bernard will still have the visions if they’re already with their loved one in the Sideways World?
10. Desmond holding his hand out to Penny mirrored Jack ‘s hand to Sun and Smokey’s hand to Richard. I wonder if there’s anything to that. Did Desmond look in any mirrors? Thanks, John – Desmond was looking at is reflection in the Oceanic board at the airport!
11. What kind of sacrifice does Widmore expect Desmond to make?
12. The guy at the party said Penny’s last name was Milton, if she was on that guest list. Who is her mother? Could that be a reference to John Milton, author of (fittingly) Paradise Lost?
Thoughts:
So many cameos tonight!
– Charlie is a giant douchebag in the Sideways World, but he awoke the Penny monster in Desmond’s head so it’s all good.
– Daniel’s line about how he had no idea what any of the stuff in his notebook meant cracked me up. And how great was “I’m Daniel Widmore. We need to talk.” asd;fkl;sdk
– Eloise is ALWAYS FREAKY. Also, her hair was enormous lol.
– Minkowski!!! How can a driver get a flight manifesto, anyway?? Last time I checked limo drivers didn’t have much pull.
– Des helping Claire in the airport was adorable despite her heinous wig.
– Desmond hitting Widmore felt good; Desmond hugging Widmore felt WEIRD.
– I’d like to thank the Lost costume person for keeping Desmond in a blue shirt where he belongs. And also giving Daniel a tie.
– Charlie called Jack a sodding idiot. I was pleased. :D
– The song Daniel was playing on the piano at the party was the same song Jack’s son played at his recital (it’s Chopin’s Fantastie Impromptu). Edit: And this was also the song we saw Daniel playing as a kid in his flashback last year.
– The stadium Desmond met Penny was the same place he met Jack in the other timeline – that’s where he first said “See you in another life, brothah!” which makes it even cooler now that he’s literally in another life.
To quote John Locke, I think I’m going to have to watch that again!
As usual, I’ll add more as I think of it.
@lorelaisquared: I am thinking the same thing as well, it’s like a giant Lost Matrix where everything they ever wanted came true, to a degree. Sawyer’s a good guy, Jack has a family, Locke has Helen and his dad, etc etc. I don’t know how or why it exists, but I’m picking up what you’re putting down ;D
@NJ: Valkyrie
3. This one’s easy: Eloise knows what’s going on because she has Daniel’s notebook from 1977. Everything that happened up until Jughead’s explosion is the same–the timelines split in 1977. Eloise had Daniel’s notebook before the explosion.
This makes sense EXCEPT if the timelines split at the time of the explosion, wouldn’t everyone on that island died when a NUCLEAR BOMB went off? How could Eloise, Widmore, Pierre Chang, etc etc all have survived that? I am vexed.
Great synopsis and theories. I’ve only watched the episode once so far, but do we see Desmond in a red shirt toward the end?
@Wintergirl – Des was definitely wearing a wedding ring on the plane in LA X. Here’s a blog that talks about it as well:
http://lost.about.com/
I loved this ep. The last couple episodes had me worried that everything that happened in the first 3 or 4 seasons was basically meaningless. But now I have more faith that everything happened for a reason, and it’s all coming together.
I think Desmond went off with Sayid so easily/quickly, because, think about it -wouldn’t you? Sayid just totally pwned two guys in like 2.3 seconds. I think I’d do just exactly what he wanted so I wasn’t next!! He didn’t kill Zoe, imo, because even though he’s soul-less now, she’s a girl. He doesn’t hit chicks. That’s probably a weak argument, but that was my theory on why he didn’t pwn her as well.
For number nine, I have a few theories. Also, I think Juliet saw the other world like Desmond and Charlie did when she was dieing, and that’s how she knew “it worked”
1) Only people actually on the island have flashed (so not Penny)
2) People are more vulnerable to these flashes when they’re near death (Dessy, Charlie, and Juliet all were)or exposed to a lot of energy (Dessy on the Island; Juliet [after Jughead])
3) People also have flashes when something that’s happening reminds them of something that happened on the Island. Like when Charlie put his hand against the window, or when he was dieing–he was suffocating, so it reminded him of when the others hung him?
So basically any combination of those results in a flash? I’m still not sure why Farry knew he loved Charlotte, because none of that really applied to him, but I guess something happened ’cause they all seem to have flashes of the person from the island that they loved.
Man Desmond episodes are amazing! This is one of the best episodes this season!
Yeah it’s getting crazy how the alt timeline and island timeline are colliding….
I think When Worlds Collide would be a suitable song for this! Ack you should put that into your Episode Recap!!
This was a great episode, I thoroughly enjoyed Desmond’s Urban journey and we even got a helping of MacCutcheon whisky!
Is it me or have we been treated to some fine hours of television these last few days? Last week’s Fringe was absolutely brilliant, Chuck & 24 were a complete thrill to watch, and now we get treated to this monster of a Lost episode. Good Times, people, Good Times…
Ok, since nobody has thought of it, I’m gonna come out and ask : Are Damon & Carlton stoners? First, we had Dharma hippies and now people in the sideworld are experiencing hallucinations when they are in peril or about to die or more specifically, in a heightened state of mind. Coincidence?? I think not…
Apparently physical things are transferable into the alternate reality, as Jack’s appendix was removed yet he doesn’t remember. Is it possible Desmond had Ben’s bullet in him when he went into the MRI? Why else would the operator ask him something so obscure? Lost has a point to everything and I wouldn’t be surprised if that was part of the reason for his hallucination in the machine.
Good Lord Eloise hair was as big a Texas! How did they do that with all the humidity in Hawaii??
I loved this episode! I just can’t get use to Desmond without his beard. Too weird.
I also wondered if maybe the Oceanic survivors can’t die in the sideways world?
@Ack: “This makes sense EXCEPT if the timelines split at the time of the explosion, wouldn’t everyone on that island died when a NUCLEAR BOMB went off? How could Eloise, Widmore, Pierre Chang, etc etc all have survived that? I am vexed.”
We’re dealing w/a show that features a Smoke Monster, a giant donkey wheel that moves an island & instantly places you in Tunisia, time travel, alternate timelines, a 140-yr-old guy who wears eye-liner, & a guy who can survive the Dr. Manhattan treatment. How did they survive? Same way Juliet, Kate, Sawyer, & Jack did at Ground Zero–they just did. This is arguably the most sci-fi Lost gets: what’s the effect of an atomic blast at the epicenter of an EMP? Maybe it just ripped a hole in the time-space continuum instead of acting like a normal atomic bomb. What happened to the rest of the DI? Why did Ben & his father leave? Maybe the DI was deemed a failure after the Swan collapsed & the project was shut down, sending everyone home in 1977.
In short, I don’t have an answer & am just taking the whole Jughead thing on faith until they explain it. But my theory about Eloise having Daniel’s notebook is still valid. The only other explanation is that she’s as “powerful” as Desmond (if not more so) and can see both timelines simultaneously. I’d be pretty pissed if that’s the answer–too much of a deus ex machina. Better that she just figured it out from Daniel’s scribblings.
“Dude is smart, no matter where he is, apparently.” HAHA
1. I bet the answer we get will be way metaphysical, and not science-fictioney at all. Dreams aside, I sincerely hope something doesn’t happen like Sawyer entering Sideways-world to capture Juliet and bring her back to the real world. It’s been done.
2. Nope! Sweet! Were they sporting racial tension?
3. We will never know.
4. We might find out something small, but mostly, we will never know.
5. The act of showing Zoe mercy betrayed the full extent of Sayid’s plummet into pure evilness.
6. I don’t know, but I could have sworn I read, on one of the control panels that was controlling the thing, the term “Flux Capacitor.”
7. The dream that Desmond had in sideways-world, and his reunion with Penny, was that much more effective because we haven’t seen Penny and Charlie in a very long time.
8. But more importantly, how in the hell are they going to fit all those visitations into FIVE MORE EPISODES?
9. People who have near-death experiences have their WHOLE life flash before their eyes. Or so the saying goes. And also, in the case of Desmond, magnets. I just hope that, at some point, we see Desmond stuck to a giant, red and white U-shaped magnet.
10. We also saw a lot of Desmond’s EYES. Darlton are all about motifs, purely because motifs are all literary and deep.
11. He will be forced to sacrifice himself to save Penny and Charlie. Duh. Desmond is totally going to die. The blue shirt is a red herring.
12. No idea! Probably!
footnote: Minkowski is a chaueffer. All chaueffer’s traffic in blackmail-worthy information. That’s how he can offer to get Desmond “anything he needs.” Also, wasn’t it a little curious that Minkowski emphasized how Desmond is Widmore’s right-hand man, but he’s a lowly chaueffer? Maybe he’s hiding something.
@John they always ask you if you have anything metallic in your body when you get an MRI since it’s a giant magnet and it will rip it right out of your skin!
@Snoop LOL if Darlton are stoners they are the most productive stoners I’ve ever heard of.
@NJ Valkyrie
I’m just as unsure as you haha but although I do know that this show has lots of magical things going on, I feel like an atom bomb going off would definitely kill people, whether it’s in the Lost world or not.
I almost feel like the sunken island in the Sideways World sunk a longer time ago than the 70’s. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough :)
A deus ex machina ending actually wouldn’t bother me, but I feel like I’m in the minority there.
Even stranger, In Jorge Garcia’s latest podcast on this episode, they say that Penny’s last name in the script was “Mansfield”, not “Milton”.
The island had to sink in the 1970s somehow because all of the Dharma stuff was underwater in the premiere this year.
I was so annoyed the way Charlie talked. It was like he was trying to pull American accent.
WHOA! Am I right? So, so good!
Supercool shots when the car drove into the harbor, and all the water rushing in. Of course, that is nothing compared to all the plot-and-character-related mind-blowiness that occurred, but still.
My viewing companion wondered, would I go out to coffee with some random unknown guy who introduced himself to me whilst I was out jogging at night? I think I’d think him creepy, especially if he passed out in front of me, but b/c it’s Des/Pen, it works.
Not sure how I feel about True Love being the Answer to All, either. But I’m going to try to put aside my usual cynical bitterness and go with it, LOL.
Finally got to watch this episode,
AMAZING!!! I can’t even really think of anything to type. Desmond episodes never disappoint. I thought Charlie was awesome in this epppy but I’m a huge Charlie fan girl so I’ll take him anyway I can get him. The blonde chick he was talking about better be Claire or I’m going to choke a bitch. Same with Charoltte/Daniel.
This timeline is just messing with my head too much. I’m loving it but I have no idea what’s going on. I can’t even think of any theories. Great episode, sad I had to miss it and the ongoing post. Luckily I’ll be done with our musical soon and I’ll be free on Tuesday nights.
Ack – first of all, this was a fantastic ep. Always love Des eps.
Re: “Did the MRI machine with all its magnetism knock something loose in his brain?” I believe so.
Our brains are very much like electrical conductors sending messages from one area to another and those messages can be interefered with and thus produces any number of effects.
Since he can survive an giant EMP (NOT radiation) then his brain and body are very special. I think the whole bit about touching hands relates in that you can have one person touching an electrical current, then have a line of people all holding hands and if the last one is holding on to something metal, the current would be felt through the whole chain of people.
I think that’s a bit like what we are being shown, this large group of people are connected like a chain and their experiences can be effected by touching each other to close the circuit. Wow I hope that wasn’t too Faraday-ish for you. :)
Also to add on to my comment, SO glad Daniel was back. I’ve missed him greatly, I agree with your comment about the tie ack
oh yeah, gonna have to watch that again. I am soooooooo confused!!!
Des looked in mirrors TWICE which is a first for this season (I think). Once at the airport and in the doorway of the police station.
I think we’ve seen two Desmond’s in the new timeline. The one on the plane with Jack who seemed to disappear after a few seconds and I believe was wearing a ring (kinda like Des sent back in this episode who was only out ‘for a few seconds’) and the one we followed through most of the episode who had no right.
One is Alt!Des and one is bounced-around through time Des.
@Ack “I almost feel like the sunken island in the Sideways World sunk a longer time ago than the 70’s.”
I don’t think so. Remember how darling Dr. Ben and his dad had that talk about “what if we’d never left that island?” Which means it was still there back then. Eh?
I just realized something. We don’t know anything about Desmond’s parents do we? Maybe that’s why he’s special and they’re saving that until later. We know everyone else’s family tree. All we get with Des is a father-in-law.
4. And what makes Desmond special? Why is it he can survive these electromagnetic phenomenon? (Although Locke, Charlie, and Eko all survived the last one!) Did the MRI machine with all its magnetism knock something loose in his brain?
Locke, Charlie, and Eko are all dead, SISTAH!!!
I got one….I got one….adlkjakahfiahfkaf!
Desmond’s episodes are the BEST!!!
How will this two alternate universes will colide/merge/explode?????
Awwwww..I was too excited to spell my name right.
Blerg.
I am sad that Sayid did not kill Zoe too. I reckon it is because the writers want to keep at least one annoying character we hate more than Jack on the island.
Yes I know they’re supposed to ask, but when it happens in a show like this and they put even the littlest of emphasis into it, it has to mean something.
I want to see more Charlie. I don’t think he was that douchebaggy. He knows something “more” is going on and he is disturbed. Poor Charlie has died so many times and I have great affection for Hobbits and musicians. Guys, Sideways world scares me more all the time.
BTW Ack I love you a ton!
p.s. I frakin’ hate that song “you all everybody” bloody horrible!
Ughhh…of course the two episodes this season I can’t watch live are the Richard episode and the Desmond episode. It wouldn’t possibly be a character I DON’T love. But now that I’ve watched it and sufficiently flipped out, its time to analyze the fuck outta it.
I like the idea that the sideways-world is a facade, but an imperfect facade. So people see through the cracks when they’re close to death, and some things (like **TRUE LOVE**) can get through…also, if they can feel a connection to the other reality, it could explain why cop!Sawyer helped Kate escape even though she was blatantly a criminal. He felt the connection with her…and possibly with himself in the Island!universe.
I’d kinda assumed/hoped that at some point the 2 timelines would have to merge, like one day the characters would all wake up safe in their beds and suddenly remember everything that happened on the Island (like Connor in Angel when he got his memory altered & then un-altered). And then they’d all try to seek each other out & whatnot (And maybe have another “WE HAVE TO GO BACK” breakdown)…but I dunno. I’m just along for the ride at this point.
Also, don’t forget that before he died, Minkowski was having flashes too. Maybe this effects him in sidewaysland too? And perhaps he’s Widmore’s left hand man if Desmond’s his right ;)
And I don’t think that Charlie is inherently douchey in this world, I think he was just kinda acting like a douche because he’s so desperate to find Claire & he wanted Desmond to let him go find her. Maybe that’s just me not wanting my adorable little Charlie to be a huge dick. And at the end when he wanted the flight manifest, I didn’t think that he wanted to find EVERYONE, he just wanted to find Claire & get her together with Charlie.
(Also, Jack once again proved that there is only one hospital in LA, and Jack LIVES there because you know, he definitely DOESN’T have a son to take care of or anything.)
OH! Also, we still don’t know how Charles & Ellie ended up on the Island way back in the 50’s, do we? I kinda feel like that’s important, you know? Part of me REALLY wants to see a Charles Widmore episode ^_^
…ok, I think I’m done now…Voldemort out Bitches.
Re. the MRI, yes, they really do ask whether you have bullets or other metal in your body. A surprising number of veterans, for example, are still carrying bullets or shrapnel. It might sound like a strange question to us law-abiding (or not!) civilians, but on Lost probably half the characters have been shot at least once. I tried to count how many times Sawyer’s been shot or stabbed but I lost track.
Am I the only one who’s finding Widmore strangely handsome in the past couple of episodes? Also, Des cleans up nice. Was good to see him in a suit, freshly showered. Yum. I would be okay with being stuck in that boardroom with those two and the whisky… *grin*
You know you’re getting mature when you start looking twice at rugged grey-haired men… witness all the love Terry O’Quinn gets (as Island Locke, not with his dopey brown wig).
All of the people getting flashes except Des are dead.
@LithiumRox
I feel your pain. I’ve missed these last two episodes and I’ll have to miss next week as well. I refused to miss the Richard ep though, I lied my way out of our musical practice just to see it.
We must keep our priorities straight!
@Sharon Rose
I’m laughing over your Widmore comment. I turned to my husband and said that Widmore looked much younger than he looked in the past. His eyes were also extremely blue. So, yes, I did find him strangely handsome.
when people look in the mirror at themselves are they actually looking at their other self? i know this has already been in like a zillion books but didnt jack first notice hed had his appendix taken out while looking in the mirror?
and now one of my HUGE questions for the characters’ plotline is what makes certain people special. desmond, hurley, locke, walt, ELOISE (?)… yeah that NEEDS TO BE ESSSPLAINNED.
oh yeah and so does the frakkking NUMBERS!??! ADAM AND EVE?!?! and ughh whenever i think of the holy crapping *epicness* of the jacob/mib stuff i get way to hyper and nervous :/
@NJ Valkyrie- “Maybe it just ripped a hole in the time-space continuum instead of acting like a normal atomic bomb.” i agree with you but like srsly how many effing HOLES ARE IN THAT THING BY NOW???? if there was a hole for every time desmond’s conciousness traveled that thing wud collapse!
Anyone notice how Penny’s a voluptuous attractive woman. It’s good to see some variation from Kate/Sun/Juliet/Shannon/Charlotte, etc. brand of stick figure beauty. Cf. Ilana, who falls in more of the “athletic” attractive.
lol @TheAbstractor Penny’s one of the only women on this show who has legit boobs. The only other one is Rose. Possibly Alex.
@LaurenM I was so excited when I heard about the Richard episode that I literally jumped up off the couch. And then I just about fell over when I realized my leasing meeting for the apartment I’m gonna live in next year was Tuesday at 9. It was basically miss Lost or don’t get on campus housing next year. It sucked so hard.
SidewaysWorld!Desmonds’ last line was so cool!
I hope he gets to show Sawyer that feeling somehow and he remembers Juliet!
“We were on the same plane and now we’re on the same hospital” Oh, Jack, so skeptical…
A humankind begins cutting his insight teeth the senior without surcease he bites out more than he can chew.