(S03E08) I cannot remember the last time two equally awesome episodes of Lost aired back to back, but here we are. "Flashes Before Your Eyes" was almost better than "Not in Portland." At the very least, it was more complex, and left me with even more questions than last week. I would even hesitate to call this a Desmond flashback episode. At first I thought I was watching a flashback within a flashback, but the writers of Lost had something far more mindbending in store for poor, tragic Desmond.
This episode had a serious Donnie Darko feel to it, and I highly recommend that amateur Lost theorists check that film out after watching "Flashes Before Your Eyes." The movie also involves the notion of time travel and free will versus a predestined path. Desmond embodied that debate tonight, with some fascinating revelations.
The opening scene seemed fairly run-of-the-mill given the twists and turns yet to come. Desmond came upon Charlie and Hurley raiding Sawyer's stash for supplies, and led them to Locke and Sayid in the forest. I had completely forgotten that no one at the beach knew about Eko's death; that seems like a million years ago. Locke wanted Charlie and Hurley to present a calm front for the other crash survivors' morale when word of Eko's death got out, an explanation which caused my eyes to roll involuntarily. After all the abductions, deaths, and polar bear attacks that the other island residents have dealt with, are they not fully aware that they are in a dangerous and unstable place? Is morale even an issue at this point?
During the conversation, Desmond suddenly ran for the beach. He arrived just in time to save Claire from drowning, an event that instantly turned Charlie into a possessive jerk. Welcome back, Jerk-Charlie! Haven't seen you in a while. Hurley, putting two and two together, determined that Desmond can see into the future. He and Charlie came up with a hilarious plan to both figure out Desmond's deal and prevent him from "foreseeing" their intentions: get him drunk. No offense to those two, but this seems like the kind of scheme concocted by Marc and Amanda on Ugly Betty. Nevertheless, the plan moved forward.
Desmond initially refused Charlie and Hurley's lame apology attempts, but changed his tune when he saw the MacCutcheon whiskey they brought with them. Flash forward to drunken male bonding, and the following song lyrics: "swore like a docker with a crackin' set of knockers." Sounds like the work of Driveshaft. Charlie went from drunk to confrontational in 0.5 seconds, and sent Desmond into a violent rage by calling him a coward.
Then it got interesting.
Viewers were given another look at the hatch scene of the Season Two finale, in which Desmond deployed the fail-safe. Suddenly Desmond was awake in his flat, covered in red paint. Penny entered the room, apparently having just moved in. At this point it was clear that we were no longer in traditional flashback mode. Desmond began to remember the moment, and was aware that something was off. I hope this wasn't ABC's way of making it up to Taye Diggs after the Day Break fiasco.
Still in the faux-flashback, Desmond noted that the clock in his bedroom read 1:08. Where have we seen those numbers before? Desmond also heard a familiar beep, not unlike the one in the hatch, but it turned out to be the microwave. All signs continued to point back to the island, and Desmond's "interview" with Mr. Widmore was no exception. At the reception desk, the deliveryman had a parcel for 815, which caused Desmond to have a weird hatch-flash again. This episode was full of these Easter eggs, and I have a feeling that many people will be dissecting it all week (including me). Once in Caleb Nichol-Meade-Widmore's office, Desmond spotted a polar bear painting, a model sailboat, and a bottle of MacCutcheon whiskey. This last discovery led to a pretty brutal scene in which Mr. Widmore berated Desmond and denied him his blessing to marry Penny. If you're going to dash a guy's hopes, you should at least give him a drink, right? That's apparently not how the Widmores roll.
Charlie made a brief, but meaningful, appearance in the non-flashback, singing Oasis covers in the streets for money. Desmond began to recognize Charlie, and to understand his psychic ability/deja vu. Fortunately for Dezzie (best new nickname ever) he had a scholarly friend in an octagonal building to consult. Donovan refused to believe Desmond, especially after he incorrectly predicted the future of a soccer match and a subsequent barfight. Donovan's advice? Marry Penny.
Cut to the jewelry store of mystery, run by Fionnula Flanagan, the original Other. I have no decent guess as to her role in the big picture, but she knew Desmond's name, present, and future. Her only interest was getting Desmond to dump Penny, go to the island, and apparently save everyone's lives. Does this mean that Desmond actually saved the world, or was this just Desmond's subconscious, as he suspected? Fionnula introduced Desmond to the notion of "course-correcting" by letting a red-shoed man get creamed by scaffolding right in front of them. This woman possessed a power Desmond now possesses--the ability to foresee the deaths of others. The trick of it is, neither of them can stop the deaths from occurring. Isn't that always the way? She informed Desmond of his unavoidable path, and told him it was "the only truly great thing" he would ever do.
Ultimately, Desmond's attempts to resist his fate failed, and he continued on his path away from Penny, who also called him a coward. It was heartbreaking to see Desmond's realization that his choice would separate him from the woman he loved. Things began to fall into line, including the soccer match and the barfight. This time, however, the cricket bat that was meant for the bartender met Desmond's head. That's what happens when you interfere with fate.
The shocking twist? Desmond's premonitions were not of Claire's impending death, but of Charlie's, a fact that Desmond was kind enough to communicate to Charlie. I will not even pretend that I saw that coming. As with Juliet, Desmond became far more intriguing with his flashback. A couple of side notes:
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Hurley called Desmond "Desmondo" in the opening scene. I believe that Kelvin first gave Desmond that nickname in the hatch.
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"Bearded wonder" is my new favorite phrase.
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Was Desmond lying when he told Widmore that he had no military experience, or had it simply not happened yet? Desmond wandered by a military recruiting station later in the episode.
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Charlie's street musician sign listed his name as Charlie Hieronymus Pace. Hmm.
Just some food for thought. See you next week!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
2-15-2007 @ 1:35AM
Akbar Fazil said...
I am pretty sure Desmonds military career was after this incident in the original time line.
For those who watch it, did anyone else get a little Life on Mars feel to Desmonds story here?
Also, when did Claire get bangs?
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2-15-2007 @ 1:41AM
thereapist said...
this was a FANTASTIC episode!!! i actually cheered at the end and said YES, AT LAST!!!!! I think the popularity of HEROES is something that will be good for LOST, HEROES has been really pushing the story-lines forward and keeping the audience at the edge of their seats...i think Lost is going to take from that at try to regain some supermacy in battle of the epic sitcoms...
hope they keep the momentum going!!! i still have faith, after a slight drop in quality,,,
one thing though does HURLEY have to say DUDE during every sentence??
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2-15-2007 @ 9:08AM
JennyC said...
Did you get the song Charlie was singing in the streets, Oasis' "Wonderwall"?
The lyrics: "Maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me."
I loved it. The subtle clues.
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2-15-2007 @ 1:44AM
tom said...
I love the fact that you understood this episode. I expect a lot of bad feedback from this episode. I loved it this is totally lost to blow your mind with such an episode. There is a writer who drives me crazy he writes for the suntimes in Chicago he drives me crazy with his reviews and yet sometime I question TvSquad after reading his garbage I realize why I keep coming back. Keep up the good work even though I don't always agree.
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2-15-2007 @ 1:56AM
Sam said...
"I cannot remember the last time two equally awesome episodes of Lost aired back to back, but here we are."
Couldn't agree more.
Also, i really wish I'd put charlie on my list for the death pool now.
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2-15-2007 @ 1:55AM
BigTed said...
I agree, this was a fantastic episode. It displayed the kind of creativity and imagination that I think we were all hoping the show would find again.
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2-15-2007 @ 2:02AM
Stigmata said...
great stuff, keep it up writers!!
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2-15-2007 @ 2:41AM
JRMCRIP said...
I have a love/hate relationship with this show, because after going on three years, they have posited so many great ideas yet never seem to "pay off" or deliver on them. While this episode continued in the tradition of not explaining or offering closure for anything that has happened, it definately has "posited" some very cool possibilities; now that time travel and past life experiences are without a doubt part of the fold, I am sure the show shall continue to offer mind-benders and reality-shifters that are worth coming back for more.
However, I truly believe the writers are coming up with it as they go, and in the end there will be no coherence from season to season. I'm talking big picture here: there is no big picture. There is no ultimate agenda or self-realizing for any of the cast. They are just pawns in the writers' attempts to keep us coming back for more every week and buying more from their sponsors. Sorry.
That's why I love "24" so much more: they may not have as much time to deliver characters that you want to get behind and love (some will disagree; I'm just appeasing those who salute character dev. on Lost), but there is a bigger picture, the conspiracy always gets explained, and there is at last some sense of closure.
It's like perpetual foreplay versus actually getting the real deal.
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2-15-2007 @ 2:33AM
BigTed said...
In addition to "Donnie Darko" (which doesn't make a lot of sense, although there was an explication of it on Salon.com a couple years ago), the best "X-Files" episode ever -- "Clyde Bruckner's Final Repose, guest-starring Peter Boyle -- also involved the idea of being able to foretell people's fates without being able to change them.
And if you're looking for a really obscure reference? "Desmondo" was also the name Harrison Ford's character took in "The Fugitive" when he posed as a hospital janitor and saved a kid's life while the marshals were searching for him. (Tommy Lee Jones: "Where you at, Desmondo?")
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2-15-2007 @ 2:34AM
RedStarRevolution said...
Wow, freakin'....WOW. Amazing episode.
There's not much more to say than that, other than I am more amped up than ever for the rest of this season. The first six episodes were such a downer after waiting three months for it to come back. But this 3 month wait, well well well worth it.
And I'm glad I DIDN'T pick Charlie for the death pool. If I know Lost, and I think I do (most times) , this is way too easy and simple for the writers. Because Charlie has been marked for death, I think it's a pretty safe bet he'll be around for a while.
I've already hit one person in the death pool, (thank you Juliet for offing Mr. Pickett) and only Nikki and Sayid separate me from those sweet, sweet action figures...*drool*
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2-15-2007 @ 2:47AM
Frank Mills said...
Erin didn’t specify that when the delivery guy brought in the parcel and said that is was for 815, it was deeper. Just think, he said it was “for 815”, but the Easter egg was not just 815, but 4, 815. Not a big issue, but I thought I would mention it. I’m sure that Desmond hadn’t been in the military yet because the ring lady said He’d go off on the boat race a few years down the road. Something else I noticed was that Desmond ended up on the island right around the same time as Juliet. I can’t remember who, but someone mentioned in the episode that Des had been on the island for appx. 3 years. I wonder if there is more than just a coincidence between Juliet’s arrival and Desmond’s. Something else I found really funny is that the guy who played Desmond’s friend, Donovan, is the same person who played Mohinder’s friend, Nirand, in Heroes. That guy must be doomed to play a doubter of abilities and circumstances. Great episode, I can’t wait until next week!
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2-15-2007 @ 3:07AM
Catherine said...
This episode was totally kick arse!
What I love about Lost are the two reactions i get: 1) my emotions go crazy over the heart-wrenching / heart-warming moments 2. i say "WTF! OMG!" over the shocking events/comments.
This episode and last's had both 1 & 2!
Number 3 will be awesome with the kidnap victims showing up. did anyone else completely forget about the flight attendant?
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2-15-2007 @ 3:07AM
scott said...
I'm one of the seemingly few who never thought lost had lost it (especially after rewatching the last few episodes before it started back up) but this episode was just awesome... mindblowing tv, just like the S2 premiere.
seems like desi=lost gold
i think that flashback was his near death white light experience with his subconcious talking himself thru it... but because his ENTIRE life passed before his eyes, and the universe knows its gonna be dumping him back into the middle of his life, they have to give him some kind of instruction to help him deal with the fact that hes going to have these flashes for the rest of his life. hence the albino oracle on the park bench teaching final destination 101 with the man with two red shoes.
but i gotta watch it again. and probably again...
and the charlie bait and switch sucker punch at the end!!?!?!?!?!!!!!
wow.
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2-15-2007 @ 3:12AM
TJ said...
I get the 815 but 4, 815? also 1:08? Don't get that one although when somebody clarifies it for me I'll probably smack myself in the forehead. Also apparently in last weeks episode there was supposed to be some hidden tie-in with the skeletons in the cave from season 1. Any body catch it. Yes both Juliet and Desmond have been there for just over 3 yrs and I am not a big fan of Donnie Darko.
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2-15-2007 @ 3:19AM
TJ said...
And what about the flight attendant? Did I miss that too?!
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2-15-2007 @ 3:41AM
Chronotic said...
1:08 = 108 minutes = 4 + 8 + 15 + 16 + 23 + 42
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2-15-2007 @ 4:26AM
Frank Mills said...
Hey TJ, the 4, 815 line is wordplay. The delivery guys lines were,
"Got a parcel here for 815." -Delivery Guy
"Ex, Excuse me. What did you say?" -Desmond
"I said, delivery for 815." Delivery Guy
So he was saying he had a delivery for someone in room 815. The 815 Easter egg was blatant, and I'm taking it deeper. I think there was deliberate wordplay between the whole "for 815" and the numbers 4 8 15, to make the Easter egg have more magic.
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2-15-2007 @ 4:50AM
Frank Mills said...
I'm wondering who on the show is a huge Oasis fan? Tonight was another Oasis nod. I mean, the music behind the melody line in the Driveshaft song "You All Everybody" (as if there were more), is blatantly Oasis' "Rock and Roll Star". The Driveshaft behind the music from the flashbacks shows that the two main members of the band were brothers, who fight, who were messed up by drugs, one who demanded the rest get clean....on and on. Too funny for a big Oasis fan like me. Then tonight's clip of Charlie playing "Wonderwall" (which he ended on the wrong chord). I just wonder, who behind the scenes is the Oasis fan? *******Ok, I dont know why I never searched this before, but I found the Driveshaft "officialwebsite", hahaha, and they consider Charlie dead. Check here:
http://www.driveshaftband.com/charlie_remembered2.htm
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2-15-2007 @ 6:44AM
julie said...
As noted in the review, we had a reference to Hieronymus Bosch. But did you catch Desmond's full name - Desmond David Hume. One more philosopher to add to the list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume
Good episode - interesting to the extreme and Ian Henry Cusik is now my favorite eye candy on the island...
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2-15-2007 @ 7:00AM
Angela said...
When the psychic was sitting next to Desmond and she didn't stop the man from dying, were the red shoes sticking out from beneath the debris another Oz reference?
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