Brian's One Word Review: Art.
Truth be told, I'm having trouble putting into words how I feel immediately following that episode, but I know it was like a work of art. It was puzzling yet revealing, action packed yet quietly beautiful, and almost had me tearing up at the end. Easily the best episode thus far this season, it might just be one of the best episodes of Lost of all time. I loved this episode.
So where to begin with the stream-of-thought writing?
Penny. It's all slowly beginning to make sense - everything from Season Two's snowy finale to Penny appearing on the monitor in the Looking Glass at the close of Season Three. Factoring in last season's "Flashes Before Your Eyes", which should now be viewed as an extended "mind trip" like this episode, as a result of the exposure to high levels of electromagnetism - Desmond visited both Penny and Donovan prior to crashing on the Island, and provided them with enough information to find him. Clearly there are some holes to the story yet to be filled, but it seems that Penny began searching for him (knowing he was on an Island in the the Pacific), attempting to contact anyone who would listen for three years once he disappeared (which was the signal the Freighter kept picking up - and why when Charlie turned off the Looking Glass, she suddenly appeared)... and finally succeeded on Christmas Eve thanks to Sayid being like MacGyver. She was Desmond's constant - saving his life and preventing him from a mental breakdown. It was pretty much the most romantic episode of Lost ever.
Faraday. Likewise, through Desmond's mind trip, he gave Faraday the constant that he was looking for in order to regain his memory. Suddenly, everything about Faraday is starting to make sense as well. Last week's card memory game was a sign that he truly did lose his short term memory thanks to the electromagnetic exposure from his experiments back in the day - but the only question is, has he visited the Island before? This might explain why he knows so much about how this all works, and why he was crying when he saw the downed Oceanic Flight 815 earlier this season.
If you want to take it a step further, maybe he's not so innocent after all. Perhaps he wasn't looking out for Desmond's best interests by telling him to visit him in 1996 - but for his own. By sending Desmond to visit him, it created an anchor for him - something he would know in 1996 and something he would know in 2004... which is going to lead to Daniel Faraday becoming a much more intelligent (and dangerous) character on the show.
Time. So where does this lead us regarding funky time? Well, as Sayid mentioned - they left at dusk, and arrived on the Freighter in the middle of the day - which would coincide with the present time on the Island. Since Jack and Sayid, and Penny and Desmond were able to communicate together - the date and time must be consistent on the Island, on the Freighter, and in the Real World... but time is LOST traveling to and from the Island, when you pass through the Bubble.
Let the record show that the bearing Frank followed was 305... the bearing that Ben gave Michael was 325... did Ben intentionally send Michael in the wrong direction? Or is there some degree of standard deviation in the path through the Bubble?
Black Rock. With everything else going on, the fact that Charles Widmore just bought the Black Rock journal almost seems secondary... but it seems like yet another clue that he is either behind the Freightors, or picking up where Hanso left off with the Dharma Initiative and the Island. Who wants to bet that the reason the Freightors were told not to answer the calls they were getting from Penny was because Charles knew exactly why she was calling and what they might find? I'm thinking we're going to have Penny on Team Rescue and Widmore on either Team Island or Team Freightor - father vs. daughter!
Desmond. After the heartfelt telephone reunion with Penny, I was almost certain someone was going to bust into the room and kill Desmond. It's the Joss Whedon fan in me - when a character finds true happiness on TV, they die shortly thereafter. Keep Desmond at the top of your death watch list... even though this episode reminded us that he is currently the most important character on this show. However, we now have a reasonable explanation for his "Flashes" last season (mini mind trips), an explanation of what happened when the Swan Hatch imploded (lots of electromagnetism), and at least some closure to the Desmond / Penny storyline (he and Penny got to share their love via telephone). I'm afraid.
I'm sure there is so much more to talk about, but I need to digest for a bit. Full analysis sometime, if you guys don't cover it all in the Comments section for me!
http://facethewoods.com/lost/index.php?topic=267.0
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93 comments:
wow. i completely agree, one of the best episodes. maybe ever. one more thing to think about...who left the door open for sayid desmond and minowski? and btw, thats it for minowski? after all that, that little creepy dude is it? and now hes dead...but what a great episode!
Odds are the door was left open by the same person who trashed the communications equipment... who has to be Ben's mole.
Best episode since Walkabout! I hate that we won't see more Fisher Stevens though.
I loved this episode, and this episode itself is like a perfect 42-minute-distillation of why I love Lost. There's action, sci-fi, mystery, mythology, and romance. Wow.
Brian, great instant reactions... I'm sure we'll all have lots to talk about as this simmers over the next few days.
I actually thought that this explained a reason for Faraday crying when he found out about 815 cuz that was the moment when he knew that Desmond's story was "real" and that he too would end up stuck on that Island. That's if we can count on his 2004 memory remembering that visit in 1996.
I was shocked that Minkowski (Fisher Stevens) died so quickly. With this much buildup in hearing only his voice for weeks, I thought he'd be a bigger player but that again proves that they can still shock us with the little things as well as the big. And it was a nice touch having someone - the mole... Michael? - open the locked door for our guys.
My only quibble with the Lost producers on this episode... I did laugh out loud when I saw Desmond walking on the "Oxford" campus, since I'm sure we all recognized that's the same location they've used for the abbey and I think at least one other episode in the last few years.
Yep - I have no idea how, or how in the world Walt is going to fit into all this, but odds are pretty strong that Michael is on the Freighter, especially since he "helped" his friends this episode...
Wow, I'm still flabbergasted by this episode, it soooooo lived up to the hype.
I was wondering why Faraday was lying to the Losties, making it seem like Desmond was just confused, when he knew all along. Brian really hit the nail on the head saying Faraday will become a lot more dangerous now.
But I didn't think having a constant was what helped him regain his memory (he started improving before he even talked to Desmond), I thought it was just to remain alive, to prevent your brain from having a seizure.
I could be wrong though.
I *loved* the phone call with Desmond and Penny. It was so beautiful and well choreographed. I agree Desmond will probably die now, because it would be too perfect for them to end up together and happy. By the way, 1996 Desmond with short hair and a tan was rather good looking, compared to scraggly island Desmond.
You stated it perfectly, "It was puzzling yet revealing, action packed yet quietly beautiful..." I was on the edge of my seat when Des was calling Penny & worried his mind would go into overload and he'd die just before she answered. I'm still worried about him but glad that we have more explanation about his storyline & the whole funky time stuff. I almost forgot about the man on the boat until I saw the open door. OH & it totally makes sense why they didn't want anyone talking to Minowski and why he couldn't come to the phone - he was losing his mind. Sad that he died so quickly but his role was fulfilled, giving Desmond someone to relate to & telling them about the radio room which led to the Penny phone call. I'm anxious to see if it is Michael on the boat. And of course still confused about many things - but that's always the case isn't it. I think the oddest thing to deal with is Walt's growing so much in the short time he was off the island, when there's only a 31 min time difference/travel period. Oh and was Ben being sneaky again? I wouldn't put it past him. I'll stop now, looking forward to the full analysis.
Oh & next week's epi looks action packed for sure. I think we'll learn more about the freighters and maybe finally find out why they are really there - first Penny, then Ben's money...I don't fully buy either of those reasons.
Wow! Best episode ever.
I think this is how it will play out...
Penny will tell her dad she spoke to Desmond, that she is not crazy. Widmore will contact the boat people, and have Desmond killed.
My question is though why is Widmore after Ben too?
Walt and Michael are on the boat, although who really knows if they are Ben's Man on board.
Faraday is dangerous. The only way Desmond will live is to be Faraday's constant. This is mind-blowing awesomeness.
Great analysis Brian! This is te best show, ever.
Excellent episode. Huge inspiration from Slaughterhouse 5. They even mentioned the "coming unstuck in time" line from Vonnegut's classic. This should be on everyone's Lost Book Club list!
brian
"Let the record show that the bearing Frank followed was 305... the bearing that Ben gave Michael was 325... did Ben intentionally send Michael in the wrong direction? Or is there some degree of standard deviation in the path through the Bubble?"
I think the correct bearing is the 325 one. That is why Desmond had the problems. Remember Faraday said if they didn't follow the right bearing there would be side effects.
Loved the Billy Pilgrim shoutout, as well as the whole episode altogether. I was so afraid that Desmond was going to kick it after he finished talking with Penny, since we could still see the blood leaking from his nose. And yes, if anyone out there has not read Vonnegut, my god, what are you waiting for?
seriously....the top 3 episode easily.....it is all starting 2 make sense now...and my new favorite character faraday is about 2 get much more dangerous as B stated...Widmore is after Hanso's baby, which is the island, and wants it 2 himself and the benefits that come with it...and next week...looks like the genius Faraday stumbles into some type of Dharma station from the looks of it...just keeps gettin better..
By the way my post says 1.18 am but im in Los Angeles so its really 10.18 am...i love ur instant reaction 2 the episode B cause i always only read the the "ONE WORD REACTION" b4 every episode so i know if its gonna be good or not but i never read the rest of it till after the episode...anyway keep doin ur thing B...
Am I the only one who doesn't think Faraday will be dangerous? He couldn't have sent Desmond back to meet him intentionally (to recover his memory abilities), because he didn't remember! The information that Desmond would be his constant is interesting, and it proves that he met him, but otherwise I don't think it's relevant. Faraday hasn't shown any signs of being time-shifted. He has the memory thing, but it seems to be entirely unrelated.
Random comments;
1. agreed that Michael is on the boat - as for Walt, very doubtful, given how difficult it would be to plausibly explain his growth.
2. i don't see the evidence to believe Faraday will become dangerous.
3. poetic in how the story of Desmond and Donnovan may be the link of Penny finding Desmond after searching for several years. Desmond is clearly the central character in LOST and his story line is probably at the core of the mystery and perhaps how they'll ultimatly get rescued (if they ever do).
Does everyone realize that this explains the sickness that CFL's crew all had and this is probably the sickness that vaccine was for?
This also reinforces the battle between science vs. faith. The freightors think of the magnetism as a scientific phenomenom while Locke belives that the islands soul is doing this.
By the way I still think Desmond is going to die since in his original flashback he was told he will never be with Penny. But with that said didn't Desmond take the vaccine and maybe it will protect him from being killed by the magnetism.
Lastly it seems that either you have have to crash on the island or come by submarine otherwise the electromagnitism effects you.
I do NOT fear for Desmond now. I think ultimately LOST is the love story of Desmond and Penny. She just saved him. This episode proved you can tell a great story with heart without someone dying in the final 20 seconds! It would be a total cop-out to kill Desmond now. That would tear the heart from the show.
have you seen the movie Donnie Darko? I've read about connection bwt it and LOST, but last night's episode really made me think about it. If you haven't seen it, rent the Director's Cut version - it has more time travel info. I think the links to LOST are interesting and I'd love to hear your take on them. It's also just a great movie if you haven't see in yet.
I don't think Faraday is unstuck in time. I think the journal at the end was just to show that what Desmond does in 1996 affects the current timeline. Since Faraday knew there was a possibility of becoming unstuck in time, Desmond was to be his constant since he's the only one Faraday knew prior to coming to the island. His memory loss is simply from radiation exposure as hinted at in the show.
I've also thought for a long time that Lost as a series will end up being the love story of Des and Penny. So I'm very much in the "Desmond lives!" camp, and hopeful that they do end up together in the end.
Brain,
Did you catch the part when Penny's father was bidding on the Black Rock item - they mentioned that the Black Rock crashed in the 1800's (1845?). Danielle was on the Black Rock. I wonder how far off time really is and how long Danielle has really been on the island.
Okay, here's a thought. Suppose that Brian's proposed bubble has a thickness or density to it, but the thickness isn't constant. It fluctuates. And it could work both ways. The examples we've seen have all shown time passing quickly for those traveling. But maybe time could pass slower for the travler at a different bearing. If you pass through the bubble at the right place, everything is fine. If you pass through somewhere else, you lose a day such as the helicopter. If you pass through at another place, you gain years (explaining the aging of Walt). Maybe it took them a year or more to be rescued in their time perspective. Only weeks have passed in the world and on island, but years for Michael and Walt. It may even help explain why the black rock is in as good of shape as it is. There's a lot of possibilities. Kind of related, but not: has anyone thought that maybe the island natives are the black rock's crew? It's a long shot, but it's possible.
Danielle always referred to the other passengers on the Black Rock as her crew. I'm not sure that they were slaves. I would also think that if you go under water as Ben did in the submarine (to go to and from the island) that time is not touched. Juliet came on the sub and time was the same. The exact number of years later she saw her sister on Ben's secret tv camera thing pushing a small child on a swing. I think Penny's dad is in on the whole thing too.
Uh.... yeah - what all of you said! :)
Actually, I DID tear up at the end with Penny and Des. Such a beautifully written/acted scene. This show is SO intense, and this episode was just masterful. Henry Ian Cusick is such a wonderful actor. (And I vote for scruffy Desmond over clean cut Desmond any day! Just make sure you show his arms/chest.... mmmmmmmmmmmm)
Anyway - I don't think Des will die. I think he IS the heart of the show and will survive, but will have to give up Penny in the deal.
Michael is definitely on the freighter, but which side he's on is still unknown.
I think Michael's bearing of 325 was the correct one (hence, he's on the boat, but not wiggy). The bearing of 305 was close enough to get them through, but Faraday obviously had side effects from not hitting the "wormhole" exactly, as did Desmond when they went back through the same way.
So many numbers in this episode! And so many little tickles of things to come. I feel like I just ran a marathon.
CANNOT WAIT for the full analysis!
Perfection.
Did anyone realize what the current date was? And what happened, in real life, two days later, 12/26/04?
Lost has mentioned real life occurances like when the sox beat the yanks before. Do you think the tsunami will effect them? They are on an island in the Pacific.
Danielle's boat was not the Black Rock. That is something she found and stored dynamite in. It was definately a slave boat...remember the skeletons?
random comments;
1. agreed that LOST may very well be the love story between Des and Penny. Donovan is the link that connects the dots after Des's flash back in time last season.
2. not sure that underwater travel is to avoid becoming unstuck in time. the other passengers on the hellicopter appear NOT to have been affected. Interesting how Charlotte is entirely hip to what this phenomenon. Do they show the other crew members know what is going on as well? The time issue is shown to affect those exposed to high levels of electro-magnetism/radiation or something.
". I did laugh out loud when I saw Desmond walking on the "Oxford" campus, since I'm sure we all recognized that's the same location they've used for the abbey and I think at least one other episode in the last few years."
In reality, I am pretty certain that is University of Toronto, since I went there and clearly remember that walkway. I even walked it during my graduation!
Did I miss something or did Sayid have no business saying "Now you've just got to remember that number" when Desmond came out of it the last time. How did he know?
Does this mean that Sayid is ALREADY working for Ben?
Outstanding. It felt like this episode raised the LOST bar to an all-new high in terms of storytelling. I feel sorry for people who are *not* watching this show. The poor souls don't know what they are missing out on!
A few random comments:
1) I think Faraday's memory loss issues are a side effect of his long-term radiation exposure, rather than his arrival on the island. Remember, when he put the radiation vest on before the experiment with Eloise, Desmond asked, "what do you use to protect your head?" and Faraday just shrugged. I think that's also why he keeps such detailed journals -- he has to write everything down or he "loses" that knowledge.
2. I'm also not sure Faraday is about to become "dangerous." He definitely understands the properties of the island better than anyone else, but he seems to have kind of an innocence about him, where all he really cares about is scientific understanding.
3. The ship that brought Danielle and her crew to the island was *not* the Black Rock. And yes, it makes perfect sense that when her crew all got sick and died, it probably happened just like it did to Minkowski. (But why didn't it happen to Danielle?! She was pregnant at the time -- did that somehow protect her?)
4. I loved, LOVED the phone call between Desmond and Penny. Pure perfection.
5. I'm not convinced it's going to be Michael on the freighter, either as Ben's "man" on the boat, or as the guy who left the door open for Sayid and Desmond.
Did I mention how much I love this show?!
I hope we can trust the writers not to kill Desmond off. But as he got scruffier and scruffier on the boat, he started looking like the eye that Hurley saw through the window of Jacob’s cabin. If that’s true, he has other travails to suffer before being reunited with Penney. (Did Minkowski say to Desmond something about “You’re already looking older?” Have to go back and rewatch).
Really interesting idea that Danielle's shipmates were killed by “unstuck in time” sickness. Maybe since Danielle was pregnant, she was kept insulated from whatever heavy electronic equipment was being used, and so she was not affected like the others.
Drudo—I like your idea about funky time being really funky, so the difference between time on the Island relative to time outside can change.
So maybe the black Rock really didn't crash as long ago as everybody in the outside world thinks. And maybe Alpert manages to exploit the time difference during his many travels on and off the Island so he remains young. This could also explain why Walt grew older--because he took a particular path off the Island. Maybe Ben gave him that particular heading, because he wants Walt to grow up quickly and come back to join Team Island.
It seems like we may have a time loop going on here—I’m thinking that Future Desmond’s interfering visits to Past Desmond created the reason he screwed up in the army. That put him on the path to the Island, so that future Desmond could travel back to past Desmond….
I’m still wondering exactly how Desmond’s various phenomena relate: He’s had flashes in which he has momentary visions of another relatively close time but keeps his identity, he’s had flashes back into his own earlier life where he didn’t lose track of his identity in either place, and finally he’s had getting “unstuck in time,” where the person he was popped into the time occupied by his future self.
Faraday seemed to be very clear that bodies don’t move through time, just consciousness. So I wonder about the rabbit popping into existence in the Orchid video…
"conscience sliding"
slice of bread anyone?
jlove - Sayid was telling Des that he needed to remember her number before he traveled back and got it from her so it makes sense that he would still be saying that when Desmond was 'back on the boat'. If I'm remembering the scene correctly.
Thanks for the reply rebecca... figured it was probably me as I do enjoy a cocktail or two during LOST.
The 305 bearing is the correct one, if you noticed Sayid and Lapidus weren't affected, neither were any of the other members who arrived on the island, except for Faraday.
But that was only because of his past radioactive exposure, which is the same reason Desmond was affected, because of the electromagnetic exposure when the hatch imploded.
This means that the 325 bearing Ben gave Michael is highly suspect, and I don't think he's the man on the boat, it's too predictable for LOST.
If I had to bet on somebody, I'd bet on Lapidus, he already told Sayid he's trying to help them.
I'm just wondering if Faraday already began time traveling after meeting Desmond in 1996 or is he waiting. He wrote down that Desmond "will be" his constant, if anything goes wrong.
Any thoughts about the fact that the seller of the Black Rock first mate's journal was mentioned to be "Tovard Hanso"?
Excellent episode. I cried at the end, of course.
Like most commenters, I hope for Lost turning out to be among many other things the great love story of Desmond and Penny. From now on, I'm from now on terrified that the writers will kill either of those characters to give the story a monumentally tragic ending. Don't do it! Because Lost could become one of the greatest (happy ending) love narratives in modern times.
Getting back to my theory that that CFL's crew all succombed to the same sickness that Faraday and Desmond have, the only reason CFL did not die of it was because her daughter was probable her Constant.
I still bet the ranch that Desmond dies in the end without seeing Penny
Guys. I have one thought. Remember when jack and sayid had the compass and were trying to figure out where north was, a few seasons ago. Well they decided that North was actually 20 degrees away from where it should be, according to the sun. I dont now if this has anything to do with the the 20 degree difference in the berrings, but it seems too good to be true. Any thoughts?
Watching this episode, I started wondering about the population on the boat. Any guesses as to how many "freightors" there are?
Naomi - deceased
Minkowski - deceased
Brandon? (Minkowski mentioned him)- deceased
Michael - questionable
Walt - questionable
Abadon - probably not on the boat
Miles - on island
Charlotte - on island
Daniel - on island
Frank - boat
Omar - boat
The doctor - boat
That other goony looking dude with the name I can't remember - boat
Ben's mole, who could be anybody we've seen or haven't seen yet - boat
Regina - boat
The captain - I'm assuming there's a captain
Am I missing anyone that's been mentioned?
I think this is relevant, because the people on the boat are clearly some sort of threat. Part of the terrifying thing about the Others was that it was never clear just how many of them might be on the island. The freightors add a new dimension to that problem, because there's a finite number on the boat, but worldwide...
A small point, but could Desmonds expulsion from the army seen in series two but down to his time hopping?
lol...hobbes
Truly a work of art, this episode! I cried along with Des and Pen, it was so wonderful to see these two talking to each other after this long time! And NO, they can´t kill Desmond, it would be terrible! I have another one on my death watch list, and it is someone you wouldn´t think of - I think...;-)
Daniel seems to me not the dangerous person to watch out for - I´d rather go for Charlotte, she seems cold and heartless.
I really liked the end with Daniels journal. Maybe Desmond brought this idea to Daniels mind when Des asked if the constant might also be a person. And Daniel chose Desmond as his contant - great writing!
lol..ill take a slice hobbes
Just a thought. I am new here although i have read the blog for a while. Could the Tsunami of 2004 throw the freightor into the island? It is probably too far out but it could put everyone on the island.
Its nothing about the 325 or 305 bearings like everybody said.. in the episode Faraday ask if Desmond was exposed to a high source of electomagnetism.... and its happen when he turn the key... and that why he's the only one affect by the funky time.. and not Sayid and Lapidus.. sorry my english is poor .. I know
Real quick thought is it possible that Farraday didn't know that Desmond was his constant (meaning that Desmond going back in time changed the future) until after he told him back in 1996 about the specifications for the machine that sent Eloise (the rat) back in time. I don't remember seeing that written in the journal before Desmond left for the freighter and things got freaky for him.
I wonder if Desmond and Penelope could be "Adam and Eve" in the cave...?
Desmond and Penny are not Adam and Eve because there is no physical time travel it only mental.
P.S. I think Alex is the Constant for CFL. Thats why survived when the rest of her crew "got sick."
After the rat crossed the maze, and Faraday explained to Desmond how it just time traveled, Desmond asked "how does that help me?" Faraday responded with "you? I don't understand, didn't I send you back here to help -me-?"
Faraday also lied very easily when Jack asked him what's wrong with Desmond, and he replied saying he's just confused, when he knew all along he was time traveling. Before this he could barely lie to them.
This tells me that Faraday was at the very least being selfish (who wouldn't though, upon given the chance to time travel) and at most that he is becoming dangerous. The fact that he went from a horrible liar to deceitfully lying to Jack and the rest of the Losties around him shows there's something going on with him.
BTW, has anyone else wondered why would Tovard Hanso be selling the Black Rock journal? The rest of Hanso family (http://lostpedia.com/wiki/Hanso) must be filthy rich, perhaps this relative isn't.
"I actually thought that this explained a reason for Faraday crying when he found out about 815 cuz that was the moment when he knew that Desmond's story was "real" and that he too would end up stuck on that Island. That's if we can count on his 2004 memory remembering that visit in 1996."
I don't think that is why Faraday was crying, simply because Desmond hadn't went back in time & met him yet! I think if they would have showed that page from Faraday's journal before & after Desmond time travelled, we would have saw a blank page turn into the page we saw, kind of like in Back to the Future when the newspaper headline changed.
strike my previous comment! I just listened to the podcast, & I am a moron. D & C were talking about how 1996 Desmond traveled FORWARD in time, not the other way around, as I was thinking. I really think my brain is mush from thinking about this episode too much! They also said that in "Flashes Before your Eyes", Mrs. Hawkings explanation of time travel/course correction is significant to how we should be viewing things. I'll have to try to figure out what that means later. Right now, I think I need a nap:)
Simply loved it.
A few remarks:
1. I completely agree with the comments, that the electromagnatic radiation is "the sickness". Since it was shown that the "purge" was just a c-weapon attack and not related to any virus, we have no evidence for any illness. This makes it quite ironic, that Desmond took the cure (perhaps vitamins to bind the "radicals", don't know, if that's the correct term in English)in order to protect himself from the outside, while it was the radiation in the hatch he needed to be protected from. The dude before him seemed to know about that because he took off his suit outside.
The only sign for illness left is Danielle's story about her crew. I'm really looking forward to her flashback, I bet, she will perform her own little purge, Ben-style.
2. Alpert as a Member of the crew or of the slaves of the Black Rock? Love it!
3. When I watched the episode I kept thinking "Now we have the key to it all!". I'm not sure about that anymore. But let's just presume that Desmond is the most sensitive guy regarding the speciality of the island, due to his absorbation of high doses of radiation - the island's 'essence'!- over three years in the hatch + the one large amount of radiation when the hatch exploded. The long term influence seems to be important, since Locke and Mr. Ecko were in the Hatch too, when it exploded, but weren't as affected as Desmond. But his visions differ only in there grade from that of the other (people on the island). Everybody sees things from his past (Kate's Horse in the jungle), hears voices from the past, and Smokey seems to mirror such visions, too. There mind travels too, and perhaps that might be the explanation for the flashforwards/backwards in the end.
4. Farraday has the same sensibility as Desmond, since he absorbed the same radiation over the years - just without the injections.
Did he shrug in 1996 about protection for his head, because he already had cancer or just didn't care?
Is his memory loss due to a braintumor or a side effect to his mind travelling just like Desmonds's who also didn't recognize Sayid. The Choice between Science and Faith seems to be the Choice between Science and Science Fiction in that case.
And for the record: I would LOVE an evil time traveler!
5. I think, we'll see Minkowski again. Either in a flashback of one of the freightours, where he will tell some odd stuff, or even in a flashforward of one of the losties. Remember? Eloise travelled into a future she never reached. Maybe Minkowski's mind will find it's way through the ear of a medium, say Walt or the dude, who sent Claire to Australia or the psychic who wouldn't cure Rose.
Desmond's sickness is not from being in the hatch but from his around the world sailing race where he crossed the magnetic field and got shipwrecked on the island. This is the same way that CFL's crew became sick. This is also why Faraday and Minkowski got sick and I would Imagine that maybe Michael will have the same illness when he returns. Only those people that make it by sub or crash down from the air seem to be immune
Good point, anonymus!
305...325, they were leaving from different points on the island, right? Michael & Walt from the dock and the helicopter from elsewhere on the island...so they would each need to take different bearings to reach the same point, right?
Also found interesting that Faraday told 1996 Desmond that he was gone for 75 minutes but Desmond only experienced about five minutes in 2004 during that time. Unless I heard Faraday wrong and he said 5 minutes, not 75 minutes like I thought I heard.
We never found out if Faraday taught Eloise the maze before she died...
Even though our Lost writers are brilliant and I enjoy the way the show mirrors real life, I hope they don't use the 2004 tsunami in the story line. It would be very hard to remain sensitive to what a tragedy it was, without it just looking like a plot device. Maybe they're better than anything I can imagine, but I still hope they don't do it.
Sheryll,
I heard "75 minutes" as well.
Did anybody notice when Desmond said, "I have to go back?" It reminded me of Jack saying that in the season finale. I wonder if he was talking about going back the same way Desmond was? I don't remember if he specifically said back to the island though.
One of my favorite episodes.
Good point on the sickness!
Of course! But if you have a 'constant' you can survive.
It makes sense! I had forgotten.. back and forth through time, then you die.. but why not the people on the crash? Because the others came by boat or by air. Desmond WAS taking the medication but stopped.. and perhaps the failsafe set it all off again.
Just a thought
Did anybody notice when Desmond said, "I have to go back?" It reminded me of Jack saying that in the season finale. I wonder if he was talking about going back the same way Desmond was? I don't remember if he specifically said back to the island though.
One of my favorite episodes.
I do question why faraday doesn't suddenly remember his encounter with desmond. If he wrote that desmond was his constant in the journal, then perhaps...
But then again, we know that he probably keeps a journal becaus he has bad short term memory.. desmon would be long term, but he may not make it that far... right?
I really don't think the creators would include the tsunami storyline in the show. In the EW interview from after "The Economist" they said something along the lines that Lost is should be able to survive without being dependent on real events, i.e. the 2007 Red Sox winning the World Series. The average viewer isn't supposed to read too much into the Jack/Frank convo that much. Plus, the episode was written before they won last fall (or so I've heard).
That being said, it wouldn't make sense in the Lost universe to include the tsunami. Plus, I doubt they are geographically close enough to have it make a difference anyway.
Unlikely possibility for mind/time travel:
All the connections between the Losties might provide each person with a potential constant on the island (unless, that person has died already). But, I don't want to read too far into this.
Your opening paragraph sums it up perfectly, brother. It is one of the best episodes of Lost. It did make me teary too.
Science and Faith lovers, it is confirmed: We have Time-Shifting on Lost. The Bubble Theory is well depicted as a thunder cloud! Hobbes bread-slicing is also back on the table! Yippeeeeeeeee!
I was transfixed. Was Desmond going to leave us Joss Whedon-style in a nose-bleeding fit of time-ripping insanity? Did I mention I love the time-shifting concept .......
Desmond's exposure to Electro-mag. made him a prime choice for these Dr. Who type journeys. Love it! Thank goodness his pseudo-hallucinations are actually apart of his uncontrollable time-travelling episodes. This means it is one of the few things I got right! Sigh.
Prof. Daniel's comment to past-Desmond that you can go back in time but cannot change anything is interesting... or did I hear that wrong?
jonny - to me the location of "Oxford" looks just like the UCLA campus ... complete with a blooming Chinese Flame Tree.
- web buffy
WOW!
THIS IS THE BEST LOST EPISODE I'VE EVER SEEN!
love desmond :)
xxx
Faraday's memory problem may have developed slowly as a result of years of experiments with radiation. Remember after he put on a protective smock and Desmond asked, what about your head?
Desmond and Faraday's conversation about 'I remembered this meeting in the future and sent you here' 'No you didn't, maybe you forgot' 'Yeah, how would that happen' I believe ties into the whole Faraday memory issue. Faraday was correct, you can't change the future. The future was the same, Faraday just couldn't remember the past. His note about Desmond being his constant in the notebook was probably something that he had written and forgot the meaning of. Now he knows what it means.
And.. purple light coming from the device was the same color that the sky turned when the hatch imploded.
And.. there was too much freaking buildup to Minkowski for that to be it. He may not be in any future episodes, but I'm sure that we will find out more information on the character.
Something I haven't seen mentioned yet is Widmore's aution #. He was bidding with id # 755. The camera placement on the scene clearly emphasizes that number.
Has anybody tried calling Penny's phone number?
After this episode I rewatched "Flashes before your eyes". Mrs. Hawkings is clearly a time traveler, and she refers to Des not going to the island as having an impact on "us", so there are others too. Maybe Ben?
Faraday says you can't change the future and Mrs Hawkings says the universe makes corrections.
But what if they are wrong? That would explain how Ben was able to cure Julliet's sister, by preventing her cancer. I think time travelers are changing the future.
In the official podcast this week, they mentioned something about how they didn't want to use the conventional "paradox" of time travel - like in Back to the Future, when changing something in the past affected the outcome in the future. Here's the paradox, though: if the future was corrected for in the past, why would someone in the present have to go into the past to get it fixed? Didn't it already get fixed? Hope that makes sense. Anyway, I love the consciousness-time travel idea. And I wonder if now that Desmond is linked back to the present because of his Penny constant, if he will regain his present consciousness as well. Because he obviously didn't recognize Saeed when it first happened. Is he going to be all better, or does his mind still think he's in 1996?
lol thx thedon
art? that's a stretch....
not as romantic as charlie's list of Greatest Hits if you ask me.
We know that the consciousness of 1996 Desmond time traveled into 2004, but has anyone wondered what happened to his 2004 consciousness?
Because whenever the 1996 consciousness time traveled to and from 2004 he was catatonic in the other year.
Another question, did his 2004 consciousness ever return to him?
Some people are saying that when Penny picked up the phone that was 2004 Desmond speaking, but 1996 Desmond smiled when Penny picked up, so there's no way he can know that in the past.
Any ideas on this?
victorc: After Des got off the phone with Penny, he said something like, "Thank you, SAYID," with what I thought was a look of recognition in his eyes-- I figured we were meant to understand that he was back and knew who he was.
come on..where is it!!!??
i need my full analysis fix :(
Agreed that it does seem evident that we were meant to understand that Des is OK now (2004) and at peace. That is why he called Sayid by name at the end.
As for Ms Hawkins....and according to the podcast.....it seems that "the universerse self correcting" itself refers to the major "arcs" of life but the smaller episodes leading up to them can be altered. In other words, the ultimate outcome can not be changed but events leading up to them can be. (ie; Charlie dying....Desmond saved him several times but ultimately, he died, as Des predicted he would).
Sorry for the delay! It turns out that buying a new home is the enemy of Blogging, since I have spent every waking hour of the past three days painting.
The good news is that it gave me a lot of time to think, and I've got a full fledged analysis pent up in my head... I just need to find the time to type it all out.
Hopefully today!
I found another issue in a Lost-Forum:
Why did no one on the freighter or Frank mention Naomis body? I mean they put her on the helicopter, they landed and not one word about Naomi...
-Was there just not enough time in this Desmond-Episode for the writers to metion it?
-Is she not really dead? (Time Travel like Minkowski as no one ever looked at her pulse)
-Forgot her?
Walt is the Sixth survivor.
Bringing Naomi to the freightor was not a big deal. Remember that it was only done at the request of Sayid. I don't think the writters failure to address this was either a big oversight or an 'easter egg' leading to a deeper mystery related to if she is in fact dead. In other words, I propose minor sloppiness in not mentioning anything about her body being onboard.
If you want to assume taht CFL's crew died of this time-travel disease,I would say it seems probable that as a ship team of scientists they may all have been exposed to some kind of radiation-part of daily experiments like Farday. CFL would have avoided the radiation, being pregnant. Thereby not being affected by the island's bubble.
I don't believe Rousseau's crew sickness was what happened to Desmond... If you read about Rousseau in lostpedia (http://lostpedia.com/wiki/Danielle_Rousseau) you will see that her crew got sick about a month after being on the island.
If they had been exposed to radiation before and started time-traveling upon getting to the island, it would have happened immediately (not a month later), just like it happened to Desmond, Minkowski and his "body bag" friend.
I don't think anyone could describe Desmond's behavior as being sick, but more as acting erratically, or losing his memory.
You can also read how Rousseau believes her crew got the sickness from the Others.
Why do some of you call Rousseau CFL though?
Dear Vitorc
The reason that Desmond did not get sick righ away is due to the vaccine that he had been taking. As for the disease it appears to be progressive, and it is unclear when exactly Minkowski and Faraday took the boat to the island. As for Rousseau's crew I think the fact that went "crazy" fits with the time traveling illness. As for name CFL I don't know who coined that but my guess is it stands for Crazy F-cking Lady. I could be wrong. I also didn't coin the phrase "funky time.'
One Last thing, you have to remember that there are only about 40 episodes left. With that being said I don't think there is going to be any more new mysteries. We are now at the point where the mysteries start to get solved, consequently the the magnetic bubble causing the illness is most promising explanation.
Larry M. a/k/a anonymous
victorc - I'm guilty (responsible) for most of the gibberish phrases on this Blog. I pretty much use them until they stick and other people start using them. It's the same way with nicknames for co-workers.
CFL = Crazy French Lady - started because I wasn't sure of her name, and then found that spelling "Rousseau" was kinda hard.
Funky Time = for so long, we had no idea what the deal with time was (and still don't fully), but only that it's weird - or "funky".
I also think I started using "Patchy" before that was "cool" since it was too hard to spell Mikhail - but it looks like everyone else uses that name now as well.
What vaccine? Desmond didn't allow Ray to inject anything in him.
If you remember in Flashes Before Your Eyes, Desmond turned the fail-safe and got blasted with tons of electromagnetism, I know it was a high concentrated dosage, but the effects started immediately.
Minkowski said his friend started getting the flashes right on the boat, when they went to the island, meaning very fast. Minkowski's started once he got back on the freighter, maybe his friend was exposed to more radiation than him, and that may be a clue.
Also remember that Rousseau said she had "no choice" but to kill her crew, you could never say that about Desmond if he was your crew member. You would instead be trying to help him remember things.
Brian, I'm cool with your phrases, they usually apply well, lol. I just couldn't figure out CFL, thanks.
Re: the gibberish phrases -- I noticed on the Season 3 DVD set, disc 7 (bonus features) there was one section where Cruse and Lindeloff were talking about Mikhail and referring to him as "Patchy." It made me wonder if they read the blog!
The last "Lost" episodes the Constant, and the episode last evening finally made some sense to me. I don't think it is brainwashing like so many theories on Lost I have just now read on the web, I believe the scientists are experimenting with Chronesthesia. I think all the crash survivors volunteered for the experiment and were chosen because the survivors had a strong incentive to change their past. Ben is a threat because he evolved as a child on the island to use this Chronesthesia ability to a new level, and made sure he took out any competition by gassing the others he grew up with. Obviously Ben has used his ability, he knows what is going to happen and he is a very wealthy man in the future or, is it real time scenes? Ben also has control over other children on the island, maybe to make sure these children don't evolve with abilities like Ben's? I also think Ben has a vested interest in babies being born on the island because their Chronesthesia abilities may be more evolved then their parents, a sort of super race. On the island so far, fetuses cannot cope with having no past and their mental functions implode like Eloise the rat.
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