One word for this episode: trippy! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, flashing back and forth with Desmond's consciousness from 2004 to 1996 and back. Knowing every time it happened he was closer and closer to death from a brain aneurysm.We learned for sure what was already hinted at; the island exists in it's own time portal where a day and a half amounts to only an hour or so in the "real world" (which makes me wonder if they've really been lost as long as they think they have). The reason for this is supposedly the island's abnormal magnetic properties, that can cause people to time travel if exposed to a large amounts of the magnetism. This happened at the end of season 2 when Des turned the island key to relieve the extreme magnetic force set off by not entering the computer code. His time traveling, which foretold of Charlie's death last season, became accelerated aftering being on the chopper that went through the storm front and came out in the "real" time. Desmond's memory from the last 8 years was suddenly erased and he had no idea what he was doing on the boat or who anyone was, including Sayid. Going back and forth between his time in the military and being in the sickbay on the freighter, Des had to make his way to Oxford to find the physicist Dan in 1996 and learn how to stop the time traveling. Dan said he had to find something (or someone) his consciousness could emotionally attach to in both time frames, and thus keep him in the present. This "constant" ended up being Penny (shocker), who he was finally able to call from a phone Sayid constructed on the exact date he promised her in 1996. They declared their love for each other and Penny swore she would find him as his power source ran out and the phone died.
For all of the excitement this episode contained, I was actually a little disappointed w/ the ending. I just wanted something more, somehow, I don't know, maybe it was a little too "Disney" for me. Considering the previous two episodes had awesome surprise endings this one was just kind of, eh... Next week's looks exciting though!
7 comments:
Nice summary!
In spite of the "clean" ending - this was one of my favorite episodes ever actually! I love the time travel aspect, and I thought they did an amazing job of cutting from one time to another - it was shocking each time Des switched!
Who do you all think opened the sick bay door? That was a rather odd piece that seemed sort of contrived to me...
I try not to watch previews for the next show, so hopefully, I'll be surprised!
Loved this episode! This will go in as one of my favorite episodes of lost ever! The writers for this show are amazing!
Desmond's "flashes" began in season 3 AFTER he tried to use his sailboat to get off the island in season 2. Clearly, he didn't use the proper heading, and "side effects" happened to him. His time flashes began last season, and finally became a serious problem when the storm bumped them off course!
Yet another example of something unexplained that finally gets an incredible answer an entire season later! Sooner or later we may even find out what the black cloud is.
Regarding the door being left open: Ben's spy, possibly? The pilot? Very interesting...
Side note: At first, I really was hating the flash forwards, but now they seem to be getting more and more intense, and raising just as many questions! It's almost as if now we are watching Lost off the island, and the actual island scenes are the "flashbacks." I am thoroughly enjoying season 4!
Yeah I thought it was the pilot who opened the sick bay door as well. Who do you think is Ben's spy? I'm assuming that's who destroyed all the satellite equipment.
I agree the direction of this episode was stellar, every time Des switched times it was smooth yet shocking to the audience (and Des). I'm also really enjoying this season, the flash forwards bring a new level of intrigue to the story, wondering how the survivors got to where they are and if that fate can be changed.
Can fate be changed?
That's a great question. I personally hope so because the endings we've seen for our castaways on the whole, are depressing. Jack ends up a drunk. Kate ends up a mom to a boy she showed no interest in on the island. Sayid ends up Ben's lap dog assasin. And Hurley voluntarily goes to an asylum to escape his ghosts. Not to mention the other characters who don't make it off. Regardless of last week's episode, there's no gaurantee that Desmond and Penny ever meet again.
I hate to think that the Oceanic 8 (I thought it was 6 - am I wrong?) will look back at the days on the island with fondness for a better life.
Wait!! I just had a brilliant thought. Perhaps the entire series is about living in the moment and being happy with what you have. Stop worrying about getting off the island and just be grateful for being alive, having food and shelter and friends. We can all agree that each character had a hard life before that fateful flight. Perhaps the flight was a divine intervention, a chance to make a new life. One where they can choose to be who they want to be without the "baggage" they brought with them on the plane.
Thoughts?
Bonkers - no you were right, it's Oceanic 6, so not many of them make it off. I think your idea is very true for many of the survivors, which is why the Losties are being split into two groups: those who want to get off and those who don't. Locke, Sawyer and Rose are just a few who have realized how their life is better on the island and aren't in a hurry to leave. But honestly if the whole point of the show is to teach the viewer a lesson in how to enjoy the moment, I'll be pretty pissed. There's GOT to be more there, at least one huge event takes place that we don't know about, resulting in only 6 survivors, most of whom want to return to the island. I'm hoping there's still a huge revelation to be made in what mysteries the island has and the effects it has on its inhabitants.
I just had a crazy idea! It started after I read on Wikipedia that Michael has signed on for season 4...what if Michael is the spy?!? It isn't like Ben to let people off the island, but he has to make his people believe he keeps his word. Ben gave Michael a very specific heading to follow to be rescued, and wasn't that the same heading the helicopter used to get back to the freighter? Could the spy be Michael?
That's a great theory Paul! I wonder when/if we'll find out who the spy is...
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