TVSquad

There is probably a fansite that keeps track of these things, but I am willing to bet that 'Flashes Before Your Eyes' had the greatest number of Easter eggs than any previous Lost episode. For my part, I have never had to pause-rewind-pause so many times in my life. The entire episode seemed like one giant clue for viewers, and there are more than enough fan theories about what the primary message was.

I have no doubt that this list will be incomplete, but here is a list of the major Easter eggs that have been discovered so far:

The Numbers: Numbers played a huge role in Desmond's understanding of his abilities. During his revisit to the pre-island past, Desmond glanced at his bedroom clock, which read 1:08. These numbers connect back to the hatch, of course (Desmond entered the numbers every 108 minutes). Later, at the Widmore reception area, Desmond saw a deliveryman arrive with a package for 815 (the doomed Oceanic flight, as well as the numbers 8 and 15).

Reading Material: The Lost survivors always seem to have books handy. This week, Hurley was seen leafing through Laughter in the Dark by Vladimir Nabokov. The book's plot, which centers around the relationship between an older man and a younger woman, is perhaps less relevant than last week's appearance of A Brief History of Time.

Art Appreciation: Viewers would do well to examine the art in the background during Desmond's non-flashback. Desmond examined a painting in Widmore's office that contained both a polar bear and the word "namaste" written backwards. "Namaste" was Dr. Marvin Candle's sign-off in the DHARMA Orientation videos. Art History students likely noticed that Charlie's middle name was listed as Hieronymus on his cardboard sign. Hieronymus Bosch was a Dutch painter whose famous works included "The Garden of Earthly Delights." Bosch's subjects included sin and mankind's moral shortcomings. In addition, the second painting in Widmore's office was identical to one painted by Claire's baby-daddy, Thomas.

Corporate Sponsorship: The soccer match that Desmond was watching contained ads for Mr. Cluck's (Hurley's old employer), Gannon Car Rentals (seen in previous episodes), The Hanso Foundation, Apollo bars, Oceanic Airlines, Butties Diapers (Driveshaft appeared in one of their commercials), and Kronos. Kronos could have several meanings. Kronos is the name of 1950's science fiction film about a giant machine that crashes into the Pacific Ocean and begins taking energy from nearby man-made resources. KRONOS was also a computer operating system in the 1970's. Chronos is the god of time.

Seeing Red: The color red featured prominently in "Flashes Before Your Eyes." Fionnula Flanagan helps Desmond learn about his "path" by predicting the death of a red-shoed man (whose shoes were visible under the scaffolding, in another homage to The Wizard of Oz). When Desmond wakes up in the past after deploying the fail-safe, he is covered in red paint. The paint can also had the letters "FUTU" on the front, which may indicate the "Future." Finally, a red car passes by behind Charlie during his flashback encounter with Desmond.

Please feel free to post any other eggs in the comments section below. Happy hunting!