TVSquad

(S05E03) "Because... he's one of my people." - Locke

I really need to get in the habit of taping my mouth shut while watching Lost because my jaw is always on the floor by the end of every episode. Time-traveling has added an entirely new dimension (literally) to the story-telling techniques of this show and the first three hours of this season have been some of Lost's best. The flash-backs always lacked a certain amount of tension because they already happened. On the flip side of the same coin, the same can be said about the flash-forwards because you know they're going to happen. But time-traveling has created this new ripple where nothing has permanence anymore, whether it happened, is happening, or will happen. This is mesmerizing stuff to watch unfold because everything becomes new the second Faraday, Locke, and Co. make a new jump. They may not be altering the ultimate outcome, but they are altering the moment.

The Oceanic Six took a back seat this week as the action shifted to Desmond's quest to assist Faraday. With his new memory serving as the blueprint for his plan, Desmond returned to Oxford for the first time since his"flash"-y visit in "The Constant." The only problem? The university had no record of Daniel ever working there and his old attic laboratory - rat maze, chalkboard, and kooky radioactive memory helmet doohickey included - were all boarded up and covered in burlap tarps. Only a lazy janitor who used the room to sneak a quick nip had the info Desmond needed. Apparently Faraday wasn't doing his experiments on just rats like Eloise.

So here's what I'm thinking about Desmond's findings:

• Clearly whatever Daniel did to Theresa Spencer all those years ago is very similar, if not exactly the same, to what's happening to Charlotte on the island. He obviously recognizes the symptoms, saw that she was approaching a critical reaction, and it explains why he used "I love her" as his excuse to Alpert. Obviously he could have said something else, but knowing that Charlotte might not have much time left, he went with love. That being said, I'm not sure what he'll be able to do for Charlotte. He wasn't able to do much for Theresa. Although, that could be due to the fact that he was apparently run out of Oxford once word of his experimentation and the results got out.
• Desmond's discovery that Widmore funded all of Faraday's early research was both shocking and logical at the same time. As far as Penny's father goes, I think she sometimes gives him too much credit. She seemed genuinely worried that he would know she and Desmond were back in Britain, but when Desmond stormed in, Charles actually seemed surprised to see him. This raises one important observation though - for as clued in about the island as Charles is, he seems to have no idea how critical a role Desmond might play. On a lesser note, I'm glad that we found out Ms. Hawking is in LA. That makes her meeting with Ben much easier to understand.

Moving on to the island happenings. I already mentioned Faraday and Charlotte's predicament - all the jumping finally caught up to her. The question is why does it seem to only affect Charlotte? What makes her susceptible? I still think we're going to find out that it has something to do with her origin. Anyway, Locke, Juliet, and Sawyer had an equally intriguing plot. The discovery that their attackers were indeed Others (Latin! "Others 101!") came as quite the surprise along with the discovery that one of them was a young Charles Widmore. My thoughts:

• How did Widmore get to the island and more importantly, why did he leave? I think it's safe to assume that he didn't leave by choice and I'm guessing that there is some sort of falling out between him and Alpert, who was clearly the leader of The Others back in 1954.
• Locke's meeting with 1954 Richard was brilliant. It explains so much. Locke essentially told him that I'm your leader now and if you don't believe me, go to the hospital on 5/30/56 - and 1954 Richard did just that. Two years later, he watched through a window as young John Locke was born in "Cabin Fever." However, he made it a point of telling Locke that the selection process was intricate and when John was four or five years old, 1959/1960 Richard presumably didn't have a reason to select a new leader yet. But 2004 Richard did and I think that's who visited young Locke via a time jump. This whole time we've thought that Alpert was monitoring Locke since birth and it seems that wasn't the case. Locke is looking more like he was just the best available candidate. This would also suggest why Richard is OK with John having to die. He's meant to be a fix, but not a long term solution. Just a theory, but I think it makes a lot of sense.
• With her intimate knowledge of The Others and their history, it's starting to look like Juliet is going to play a huge role as they continue to jump. As they enter a new year, she'll be able to help them stay one step ahead of whatever The Others were up to at that point in time.

Final thoughts/observations:

• What happened to Jughead? Is it actually buried on the island as Daniel suggested? An H-Bomb can't just be forgotten about - it has to play a role again at some point. Especially if it's still unstable. Although, I'm guessing the US Military wouldn't have just left a bomb... well, maybe they would have.
• Daniel mentioned to Ellie (the gun-toting female Other) that she looked like someone he knew. Any chance Ellie is a young Ms. Hawking?
• Sawyer's "I'm an Other, you're an Other reunion" line was classic.
• How great was it when young Widmore said that Locke was a just a "sodding old man" who couldn't possibly know the island better than him? Hilarious.
• Juliet said that Richard had always been there. Anyone want to bet he's got only four toes?
• While I appreciate what the Desmond/Penny relationship means to many fans, the opening flash-back showing how their son Charlie (nice tribute) was born fell a little flat for me. So they had a kid. That was to be expected, right? However, the kid's formal name would be Charles Widmore right? Assuming that Penny and Des head back in time at some point this season and the baby gets left behind on the island, what are the chances that she just gave birth to her own father? Chicken or the egg indeed!

That's all I've got this week. See you back here next Wednesday for my review of "The Little Prince." Here's the official release:

"The Little Prince" - Kate discovers that someone knows the secret of Aaron's true parental lineage. Meanwhile, the dramatic shifts through time are placing the lives of the remaining island survivors in extreme peril, on "Lost," WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 (9:00-10:02 p.m., ET) on ABC.