“You can’t change the future” - Daniel Faraday

So many good things in this episode, despite the majority of it taking place on an unknown freighter and the UK.

I finally have some understanding to the crazy season 2 ending when Penny received a call that the electromagnetic pulse had taken place. At that time, I thought that Desmond had somehow time traveled forward or found a way to message her in the future to tell her where he was and how to find him. It seemed like the only plausible explanation at the time. This episode somewhat confirmed that possibility.

I think the concept of “the constant” was revealing. Because… if the Losties are all unstuck in time, they are like each other’s constant. The majority of them had some type of connection in their pre-island life, and now they are stranded together. Maybe that will make a difference later on.

Thus far, we have seen threads of different “constants” that tie our Losties together in so many ways… If I tried to list them all, it would take me 94 days. Or 96 (depending on whether you’re on the freighter or the island )

Very interesting to find out that Daniel Faraday has a past encounter with Desmond. And, that Daniel Faraday was trying to develop a method of time travel… even if it was only subconscious and not physical. Also interesting to know that Daniel considers Desmond as his constant. The smartest thing that physicist did was to write a note to his future forgetful self (which I’m guessing forgetfulness is his side-effect). Do you think polar bears are side effects too?

Last week I asked why no one on the freighter was answering the satellite phone. Apparently, George Minkowski was having a date with insanity unstuck in time and suffering from the lack of a constant. Count him as another character dying with his eyes wide open.

Speaking of the freighter… why the heck are they there? Who sent them? Who sabotaged their communication? Ben’s mole? Did Ben’s Mole leave the door open so Sayid and Desmond could escape out of sick bay? I wonder if it’s Patchy. He’s the infamous Go To Guy.

I loved the heartfelt moment between Desmond and Penny. He has been lost (no pun intended) for three years and Penny has, ironically, been searching for him for exactly 3 years. She knows about the island. Does her father know about the island too? After all, he did win the auction of the Black Rock captain’s journal which was put up on the block by Hanso. Hmmm… I’m getting a headache trying to keep up with details.

Phones. Cut communication lines. Too bad no one has WiFi out in the Pacific. If it was Patchy on the boat, he’d certainly manage how to disable their communication system.

So, how did Minkowski manage to suffer side effects? I assumed he was always on the freighter. I’ll have to watch that scene again, maybe I missed something…

There’s so much left to talk about, but I’ll stop here. Now that we’re talking potential time travel… I want to go back and watch all the seasons over! What did you think of tonight’s episode??

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By TVJunkie Jenn | 2 Comments »
Filed under: Desmond, LOST, Penny Widmore

Previously on LOST

• Desmond saving Claire from drowning and revealing his visions to Charlie
• “You’re gonna die Charlie”

Notes/Quotes/Moments:

General

• A camping trip? Technically, aren’t they camping?! LOL
• Superman vs. Flash
• Searching for the cable that Sayid and Hurley found earlier
• Doesn’t this cable have something to do with the former communication center?
• Hurley’s getting scruffy LOL
• Whistling while walking across the beach
• Jin telling ghost stories (a camping tradition) in Korean with the flashlight
• “With enough money and determination, you can find anyone.” – Desmond, quoting Penny
• Desmond using Hurley as a step stool (ouch!)
• A Sawyer and Kate moment
• A Kate and Jack moment
• A Kate and Sawyer encounter
• Of course the satellite phone battery is dead upon arrival! (Or, maybe there is interference jamming its use?!? Just speculating…)
• Sawyer figuring out how he got lucky
• “Uhh, that can’t be good” – after seeing a large splash far out in the ocean

Desmond’s flashback

• In prison? No, in a monastery
• “For whatever reason, your path has led you here and now you’re one of us. Welcome, brutha”
• Moriah Vineyards – name reference to the Mt. where God asked Abram to sacrifice Isaac
• Was involved and engaged to Ruth over the course of 6 years and Desmond got cold feet a week before their wedding.
• Became a monk and endured a vow of silence
• “You’re not cut out to be a monk, God has bigger plans for you. You’ve just spent too much time running away to realize what you’re running towards.”
• “Whatever comes next”
• Jewelry-Store-Lady sighting

One-Liners

• “Did you eat those mushrooms Jack warned us about?” – Charlie
• “Do you need me to make you a mix tape??” – Sawyer looking for an ‘afternoon delight’
• “Is my doorbell busted again?”- Sawyer
• “You two arguing over who’s your favorite Other?” – Sawyer
• “It fell out of the purple haze when the hatch went blammo. If we don’t play every 108 minutes, the island’s gonna explode.” – Sawyer to Jack, while playing ping pong
• “Thanks for the heads-up for bring the umbrella, dude” – Hurley to The-One-Who-Gets-Flashes-of-the-Future (Desmond)

Themes or Motifs

• Desmond’s failures: to marry his 6-year girlfriend, to be a monk, to let Charlie die
• Sacrifices: Abraham, Desmond’s choices
• Catch-22: book in backpack (contaning photo of Des & Penny), Desmond’s choice to save Charlie or be consistent with his vision

Good Stuff
The overlay of Desmond’s two story lines – him meeting Penny and the troop retrieving the parachuter – was well dramatized. I was hoping that the parachuter was still alive and that it was Penny, but of course, we knew it wouldn’t be written that way! Now, I’m curious about the back story of how the helicopter got to the island.

Back to the beach: Seeing Jack and Sawyer playing ping-pong – how classic! The abducted lostaways chat about not needing to escape and their return to ‘normal’ island life. Jack is making oatmeal for the group dinners and Kate is even doing dishes (I hope that wasn’t the same water she was using to wash the sweat off her back…).

I always like to see how the characters meet. For Desmond and Penny, it appears to be a chance meeting. But with the Jewelry Store Lady somehow connected to the monastery, you might never know. Things aren’t always as they seem!

Answers
We see more about Desmond’s visions and how he has learned to interpret them. The visions are much like a puzzle – Desmond has the pieces, but without the ‘big picture’ to see how they fit, they are only a jumble. He’s learned that if he doesn’t ‘follow’ them, they change.

We know that Penny is connected to the ‘rescue attempt’ from the dropped backpack. Most likely the action she took after the electromagnetic anomaly (aka purple haze). Is the hula girl figure a clue that she came from Hawaii?

We learn that Desmond met Penny immediately after being fired as a monk.

Questions

• Did Desmond’s failure to allow Charlie to die really change the outcome of his vision?
• Who was the woman/pilot who bailed from the helicopter?
• How did the helicopter find the island when the Others claim it can’t be found? (It had to be from the electromagnetic pulse…)

Next week
“A stranger has fallen from the sky but the promise of rescue is only the beginning. And the fate of this survivor, will be revealed. “

“What happens to pregnant women on this island?”; “I lose either way” - Sun

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By TVJunkie Jenn | No Comments »
Filed under: Desmond, LOST, Penny Widmore