Flashes Before Your Eyes
Original
Airdate: February 14, 2007
Writer:
Damon Lindelof and Drew Goddard
Director: Jack Bender
Of the mini-season, the biggest mystery brought
up not connected to The Others was Desmond’s sudden precognition. While the Swan explosion seemed to return
both Locke and Eko to their original paths, it threw
Desmond on a different journey altogether.
Of course, Desmond’s character wasn’t developed to the point where Locke
or Eko were last season. With this new gift, he has a new foundation
to develop his character now that his old reference point is gone.
Turning the failsafe key in last season’s finale
caused Desmond to see his life flash before his eyes. Not only did he see moments from his past,
and experience several days leading to the day he broke up with Penny in 1996
(even with a song from 1997 creeping in to the mix), but in current time he can
see the future. Unfortunately for him,
the journey he undergoes in the lucid flashback negates this gift, making him
believe that no matter how many times he prevents things like Charlie’s death
and breaking up with Penny, they will eventually come to fruition. These moments explain Desmond’s despondent
behavior at the end of “Further Instructions”.
Some have criticized “Lost” since the second
season for flashbacks that offer little to the story or retread moments already
covered. While this wouldn’t be a
problem for Desmond, who has had only one flashback, they try something
different from the formula by having him lucid during his flashback. What works favorably in this is that
Desmond’s memory isn’t complete. Only exposure
to things from the island or reminiscent from it jogs his memory. It isn’t until he encounters Charlie after Widmore’s brutal rejection that things start to fall in
place. It also solidifies Donovan’s skepticism
and validates the Ring Lady’s authority later.
Why is it that whenever someone in a movie or TV
show deals with time travel/alternate reality/dimensions, they happen to have a
friend who is a physicist? Perhaps the
most obvious answer would be to explain to the audience what is happening
without having the layperson suddenly become way too smart. Also, it is to reinforce the notion that
whatever the hero is going through is impossible, leading to the reveal that it
is.
The Ring Lady, appropriately named Ms. Hawking,
is an interesting character. She could
be just another person who is in a similar ordeal to Desmond’s and is well
aware of what to expect. She may have
tried to prevent something from happening so many times and the eventual defeat
wore her down. Or she may not be a
person at all. There have also been
comparisons to The Oracle of The Matrix films, an older woman who seems to know
a lot about this alternate reality, including Desmond’s story. Some have theorized that The Monster
manifested as her, possibly to sabotage Desmond.
This episode recalls, among other things, Kurt
Vonnegut’s masterpiece “Slaughterhouse Five”.
In it the protagonist has become “unstuck in time” and spends the book
flashing forward and backward through his life; reliving his marriage, duty in World
War II and alien abduction. Desmond similarly
goes back to when he broke up with Penny back to the island where he lies naked
among the hatch ruins. If it has happened
after this flashback, we can only assume that it happened to be the moments he
saved Charlie from dying.
Time travel is a tricky narrative device. One can go far with elaborate scenarios of even
a small alteration of the past. Someone
goes back in time and kills a bug, then in the present the world has been
annihilated by nuclear war. If Desmond
really did travel backward, did he do something in the lucid flashback that
changed current events? You could argue
that Desmond traveling back in time was what caused him to break up with Penny,
but for that to work, he had to get on the island, which he wouldn’t have done
had he not broken up with Penny. This
type of circular logic can be extremely confusing and will be kept to a minimum
in these reviews, same as how an electromagnetic discharge could cause time
travel.
As we saw in “Live Together, Die Alone”,
Desmond’s issue with facing his fears is his major flaw to overcome. Because he doesn’t confront Widmore directly, he tries to impress him by achieving
things Widmore values. It is hinted that the break up is what made
him go into the army, which is something we assume Widmore
admires. This is why he participated in Widmore’s race, which resulted in his shipwreck on the
island. What these events have in common is that both acts fail miserably. Using this timeline, Desmond’s time in the
army was less than three years not including his prison sentence.
Desmond’s mission to save Charlie could
be a major stepping stone for him, as some have cited the “Wonderwall”
(which Charlie sings in the episode) lyrics as foreshadowing. As he has found it so hard to face his human
problems, he is now facing a battle with fate, the outcome of which may finally
give him the courage to face his fears.
Like Jin’s story, class plays a big role. When Desmond checks in and during his
interview, his Scottish accent is noticeably toned down. Even in
Charlie’s suspicions of Desmond, which have been
evident in the last few episodes, appear to be rooted in the belief that Desmond
was moving in on Claire. There have been
hints as Desmond saving her life twice, looking like Claire’s Knight in Shining
Armor. The image of Desmond carrying
Claire out of the water while Charlie helplessly stands with the rest of the
castaways is certainly one that would make him feel insecure about his newly
found reconciliation with Claire. While
that wouldn’t explain how Charlie would think that Desmond orchestrated these
events, jealousy can easily overpower logic.
Assuming “the universe” as Ms. Hawking called it
can course correct, is the universe trying to prevent something by killing
Charlie? Is saving Charlie setting up
someone else to take his place or something worse that would happen with
Charlie around? It could be that the
universe is neutral and without an agenda.
While this flashback takes up about 75% of the
episode and doesn’t offer a major reveal into the mythology, it doesn’t feel
wasted at all. Instead, it offers ruminations
on the fate vs. free will debate, a big piece of “Lost”. At times, it recalls moments from “The
Twilight Zone”, with most of the episode taking place in this weird
flashback. It also gives two characters
major pushes for their stories.
Overall
Score: 9/10
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