The Last Recruit

So, we didn't get a lot of character development and we didn't get a lot of mythology in The Last Recruit. Instead, we got a lot of chess moves as the characters in both timelines became aligned.

First to address - the reunion of Jin and Sun. I found it beautiful and nicely understated. This has never been a flamboyant couple - they are relatively low-key, unlike the flashy Desmond and Penny. Don't get me wrong, I love Desmond and Penny, but Jin and Sun were the real romance to watch, because of all the betrayals, heartbreaks, and separation they have endured. We know their relationship at a far greater depth than we do Des and Penny. The reunion didn't make me cry, but it made me intensely happy. And it was meaningful that Sun's aphasia was cured at the sight of Jin.

We also had a number of parallels between the timelines. I'll list them:

• Jack and Claire met for the first time with the knowledge they were siblings
• Jin and Sun have happy news
  

Well, that's two. But we saw two things we've seen in the past. It wasn't Sawyer who swam in the ocean for a purpose but Jack. That was pretty cool. And Jack's hearing impairment after the bomb went off reminded me of Kate's impairment after Jughead went off.

I'm going to do this a little differently, since the episode was all over the place, and with the exception of notLocke, we really didn't learn anything all that new.

Sideways Timeline

The whole purpose of the sideways timeline in The Last Recruit was to bring the Oceanic non-survivors together. John and Sun arrived at the hospital at the same time, and Sun could see something in John when she looked at him - she's afraid of him. Was she remembering John Locke or notLocke? Jin, of course, is with Sun. Jack eventually arrives at the hospital to operate on John. Jack even recognizes John.

Jim Ford questioned Kate about how odd it was that they met again, "It's like someone's trying to put us together." She, in turn, answers a question a number of my readers had (but not my ignorant self) - why he didn't bust her in the elevator at LAX. She figured it out: if he busted her, then everyone would know he had gone to Australia.

Miles interrupts their tete a tete to get Jim in on the bloodbath at a nearby restaurant, where two Koreans were found alive, but unable to speak English. So, with three dead bodies, they had to rely on ATM cameras to identify their suspect. Meanwhile, Sayid rushes to Nadia's home to pack up and explain things to Nadia, but Miles interrupts (he interrupted a lot last night). Sayid runs back, to be tripped with a garden hose by Jim. Jim's now arrested two of his fellow passengers.

Before Jack gets to the hospital, Claire meets Desmond at a building where she's to meet with an adoption agency. Just by coincidence, Desmond has an appointment with his own lawyer, and encourages Claire to meet with the attorney before going to the agency. Desmond was more than a little creepy-stalker in his interactions with Claire, and his eyes had that same Messianic gaze we saw at the end of Happily Ever After. But Claire went along, and met with Ilana Verdansky (at last! A surname). It turns out Ilana has been looking for Claire. Because Ilana must be Christian Shephard's estate attorney. When Jack and David Shephard join the meeting, Claire reveals to Jack that his father is also her father.

2007 Timeline

There was a lot of moving on the Island too. Zoe demands the return of Desmond (but Widmore's people never returned Jin) and shows off Widmore's firepower. notLocke's response after she left? "Well, here we go." He sends Sawyer off to bring a sail boat to a certain point. Sawyer takes Kate with him, but not before conferring with Jack. notLocke then sends Sayid to shoot Desmond to death. Sayid looks reluctant, but notLocke reminds him of his promise. Sayid looks at him with his bat-shit crazy eyes (his eyes are either blank or bat-shit crazy - there's been no in between).

Sayid finds Des, who looks back at his would be assassin: "So, what did he offer ya?" When Desmond finds out that Sayid's prize is dead, he responds, "What will you tell her?" Sayid pauses...

Sawyer tells Kate his plan for Jack, Hurley, Sun, and the pilot (who looks like he could be in a Burt Reynolds movie) to join them at a different place from where they were supposed to meet up with notLocke. Kate is justifiably horrified at the idea of leaving Claire (but she never mentions Sayid) behind. They join up with Jack, et al, to discover that Claire followed them. And Kate talks to her, convincing her to join them, reminding her that Kate should have never raised Aaron - Claire should have. It's one of Kate's finest hours. Claire joins them, noting, "He find out we're gone, he's going to be mad."

Sayid meets up with notLocke, explaining he's a little late because he just killed an unarmed man and "needed a moment." None of us believe him, including notLocke, but Sayid encourages notLocke to check the well if he doesn't trust him. notLocke doesn't take him up on it.

Jack and Sawyer have a moment on the boat. Jack doesn't feel right leaving the Island:

Doesn't feel right...leaving the Island. Because I remember how I felt the last time I left. Like a part of me was missing. We were brought here because we were supposed t odo something, James. And if Locke...if that thing wants us to leave, maybe he's afraid of what happens if we stay.

Sawyer's having none of it, telling Jack to either leave the boat or keep his mouth shut. Jack decides to jump in the ocean. Kate wants to turn around, but Sawyer refuses to let her.

Jack is greeted on the beach by notLocke, who notes, "Sawyer took my boat, didn't he?" Sawyer, Kate, Claire, Hurley, Sun, and Burt, I mean Frank, come ashore on the Hydra Island, to be greeted by Zoe and her guns. Jin joins them, reuniting with Sun. Widmore then calls off his deal with Sawyer, so all our heroes must kneel in the sand with big guns pointed at them. In the meantime, Zoe sends another bomb to notLocke.

Jack hears it, but not in time. He is deafened by the blast, but notLocke rescues him, commenting, "It's going to be okay. Your with me now." That doesn't make me feel very comfortable.

notLocke

notLocke is the only one that will get an individual entry today, because he answered a few questions for us. First, we saw the first meeting between Jack and notLocke. And Jack continues his uncharacteristic penchant for asking questions. Why John Locke:

Because he was stupid enough to believe he'd been brought here for a reason. Because he pursued that belief until it got him killed. And because you were kind enough to bring his body back here in a nice wood box.

Who else did you look like? Were you the ghost of my father? Why?

You needed to find water...This may be hard for you to believe, Jack, but all I've ever been interested in is helping you....[To] leave. But because Jacob chose you, you were trapped on this Iland before you even got here. Now, Jacob's dead. We don't have to be trapped...We can get on an airplane and fly away whenever we want to.

And of course, everyone has to leave together. We just don't know why. Jack is skeptical - John was the only one who believed. notLocke interrupted him, "John Locke was not a believer, Jack. He was a sucker." Hmm...It almost sounds like self-loathing, doesn't it?

notLocke greets the morning with an apparent full contingent of candidates happily, "So nice to have everyone back together again." You know, without Jin, or the real Locke, or a sane Claire and Sayid. Among other missing parties. But the group isn't together for long, thanks to Sawyer.

So, we basically learned that the Smoke Monster was Christian on the Island. We don't know if he was always Christian or just some of the Christian time we saw. After all, we did see Christian in LA once. Was the Smoke Monster also Kate's black horse? Mr. Eko's brother Yemi? Hurley's imaginary friend Dave?

Thoughts

Claire's assertion that she was abandoned by everyone but notLocke is delusional. Christian/notLocke collected Claire when she was with Miles, Aaron and Sawyer returning to Jack's camp. She left Aaron, he wasn't taken from her. She told John Locke she was okay. By the time the survivors were able to escape, they had no time to find her. And not all of them escaped. Quite a number of them found themselves bouncing through time on the Island. So, while I understand where she's coming from, I think some of her cohorts should feel a little less guilty about leaving her behind. I'm just saying.

notLocke must think he has the primary candidate in Jack. It seems logical to assume it is Jack, as the signs have been pointed that way since episode one. But I am hoping that it's not that easy. Maybe it's Hurley? Wouldn't that be cool?

So, all in all, a very busy episode, with a lot of movement and not much else. And next week there will be no movement: ABC is airing a repeat of Ab Aeterno.

Everybody Loves Hugo

I worked hard Wednesday night, trying to get this published on a timely basis. But at 9:30, I realized that I was exhausted, and couldn't do justice to the remainder. That's my sorry excuse for tardiness!

Did you recognize the voice of Pierre Chang before he showed up? The actor was uncredited, of course, but it was a pleasure to see him again. I rather hoped to see Charlotte and Miles, but I guess we're not so lucky.

Hugo Reyes in 2004

In the sideways timeline, Hugo made his millions not by use of the numbers but by a worldwide chain of Mr. Cluck's Chicken stores. But Hugo cares about more than just chicken, as he's also a philanthropist. And his latest philanthropy was the opening of a natural history museum.

Sadly, women don't seem to be impressed with Hurley's accomplishments, including his own mother. All she wants is for Hugo to find a nice girl. So she sets him up on a blind date with Rosalita. Who knew that filthy rich men could have such a problem meeting women?

Rosalita is a no-show, but someone even better shows up. Libby tells him he might think she's crazy, and wants to know, "Do you believe that two people can be connected, like soul mates?" But she's crestfallen when he doesn't recognize her. Hugo is crestfallen when he realizes that the only woman who seems to be interested in him is a psychiatric patient at Santa Rosa. A place where Hugo's never been before.

By the way, psychiatrists never take patients on field trips. Not that it makes a difference in the story. But this is one area in which I have some experience.

Another area in which I have some expertise in is using food to soothe the disappointments in my life, but Hugo has taken that to a much higher level than I ever have. But suddenly, there's Desmond, and I'll have thoughts on that below. In the meantime, Des strikes up a conversation with Hugo, albeit awkwardly. He listens to Hurley's tale of woe with Libby, then asks the million dollar question: "Did you believe her when she said she knew you?...I say go with your gut." And Hugo does.

It takes a bribe, but Hugo is allowed to visit Libby. And despite the fact that she still seems to be quite delusional (for anyone but a character on Lost), Hugo is still smitten, and asks her out on a date.

So we finally get to have the date that we wanted to see in Season 2, with Libby and Hugo on the beach (he didn't forget the blankets this time!) with all kinds of cheese. And then, they kiss. It was a sweet kiss, long enough for Hugo to suddenly have memories of his other life, and his feelings for Libby. The boundary between the timelines blur.

Desmond Hume in 2004

Desmond was the biggest surprise of the night for me. He clearly has the manifest, and has connected to two of his fellow Oceanic passengers. His connection with Hugo was sweet. He was like a matchmaker. But he's a bit creepy in how he followed them to the beach. And he looked mightily pleased with himself - how did he know that Hugo felt the other world?

But then Desmond did something that totally surprised me. For the first time in the sideways world, the last scene was not about the person who was centric to the episode. Instead, we were treated to Desmond running down a wheelchair-bound John Locke. I was truly stunned.

So, why did he do it? Is he trying to kill John since John is dead in the other world? Or was he trying to give John a similar near-death experience like his own so that John could have glimpses (or more) of the other world?

Whatever Desmond's intention, he certainly seemed to be confident in what he was doing. How did he gain this knowledge?

And just an aside - when he fished in his head for the name of his "son"he came out with "Charlie"? Was that a memory for the other world?

Libby in 2004

It's not clear to me whether Libby was on the Oceanic flight, nor how long she has been in Santa Rosa. We learned from her doctor that she has difficulty with reality (but really, who doesn't?).

She was watching TV, when she saw a Mr. Cluck's Chicken commercial, starring Hugo. Suddenly, "It was like I was hit on the head. I had memories of my life, only it was another life." She remembered a plane crash, being on an Island, and Hurley at Santa Rosa. She seemed clearly attracted to Hugo, but she knows that if Hugo remembers, like she does, then she's not crazy.

If Libby was not on the Oceanic flight in the sideways timeline, then she is the second non-Oceanic passenger to experience the blurring of the timelines. Perhaps like Daniel her mental health problems makes her more susceptible to this. I don't know. I think we'll learn more in future episodes.

Hurley in 2007

Poor Hurley. The dead people all yell at him, and the latest is Michael Dawson. Why doesn't Libby come to him? Instead, it's her murderer. And Michael needs Hurley to prevent everyone from getting killed. And why Hurley? "People are listening to you now, Hurley." But Ilana's not listening. She's all over the place. She's handling dynamite, a little loosely, and dismisses Hurley's suggestion to be careful. Sadly, he ended up with bits of Ilana on him. Poor Hurley.

But after Ilana dies, Hugo suddenly joins the dynamite bandwagon. Hunh? It turns out, he's pulling a Locke - he blows up The Black Rock! As Richard has an apoplectic fit, Hurley notes, "I'm protecting us." When Miles questions Hurley's trust of dead people, Hurley responds, "Dead people are more reliable than alive people."

Ilana's group breaks up at this point. Hurley tries to sway everyone's opinion by decreeing that Jacob told them they have to talk with notLocke. Richard calls his bluff, telling Hurley to ask Jacob what the Island was. Hurley stood his ground, "I don't have to prove anything, Richard." It's not enough for Richard, Ben, or Miles, who leave for the Barracks to find more explosives. Jack, Sun, and Lapidus stay with Hurley. As they try to find notLocke, Hurley starts second-guessing himself, and confesses to Jack: Jacob didn't tell him anything. Hurley's surprised when Jack confesses he knows Hurley lied. Among other things (see Jack later), Jack points out, "You asked me to trust you."

As they walked to notLocke's camp, they heard whispers, similar to what's been heard through the years. And Hurley realizes what they are. He walks away from the group, calling out to Michael. When he appears, he says, "You're stuck on the Island, aren't you?" It turns out the voices are of those who can't move on.

And so it was, that under the guise of developing a truce with not-Locke, that Hurley delivers three candidates to notLocke. We'll see what happens to that soon.

Desmond Hume in 20o7

Sayid's present to notLocke waited patiently at the tree to which he'd been tied, because, after all, "I have no where to run to, bruthah." When asked why Widmore brought him to the Island, he replies, "Considering I was kidnapped, you'll have to ask him." And he identified notLocke as "John Locke."

Does Des really think notLocke is John, or is he deliberately being vague? Whatever, his demeanor leads notLocke to send Sayid back to the camp and take Desmond on a trip. On the way there, they had a conversation:

notLocke: If I didn't know bettter, I'd say this Island has it in for you.
Desmond: Well, there's nothing special about me, bruthah. This Island has it in for all of us.

Des and notLocke talk about the well, but Desmond's casual demeanor appears to unnerve notLocke. So, he askes, "Why aren't you afraid?" Des answers, "What is the point in being afraid?" notLocke must not like having his questions answered by questions, so he pushes Desmond down the well. Des is no longer calm, as he screams on his way down. Somehow, Desmond is a threat to notLocke. And we don't know why. Yet.

Ilana in 2007

Well, RIP. That was sudden, unforeseen, and disappointing. I really thought we were going to get to know Ilana better and understand her role with Jacob and the Island. Instead, we get memories of Arzt as she handles unstable dynamite with casual disregard for her safety. After her acceptance of Ben into the group, I just expected more. We didn't get it.

Jack Shephard in 2007

So, Jack trusts Hurley. Even when he knows that Hurley is lying. He then follows Hurley to the lair of Jacob's adversary. Why?

Ever since Juliet died...ever since I got her killed...all I've wanted was to fix it. But I can't. I can't ever fix it. You have no idea how hard it is for me to sit back and listen to other people tell me what I should do. But I think maybe that's the point. Maybe I'm supposed to let go....you asked me to trust you.

Jack knew that Jacob's adversary looks and sounds like John Locke, his own personal adversary, but he still looks shell-shocked when he's finally face-to-face with him. notLocke, on his part, just smirks.

Michael Dawson in 2007

Well, technically, Michael is dead. But we have since learned that he is actually still on the Island, "Because of what I did." As such, he's able to join the dead people who yell at Hurley. What he needs from Hurley? "Just don't get yourself killed." Oh, and if Hurley ever does see Libby, to apologize for him. Why does he need Hurley to survive?

notLocke in 2007

I guess it is only fair that Desmond ran down John Locke in the sideways timeline. After all, notLocke just threw Des down a well. It reminded me of when Ben threw John Locke into the DHARMA dead-body gorge and shot him.

notLocke was clearly not pleased to see Desmond, and seemed to debate internally what to do with him. Why did Charles Widmore bring you here? Do you know who I am? How do you know it was electromagnetic energy? He's not as surprised this time when someone else sees the annoying boy (this time taller and more brunette).

notLocke takes Desmond to one of the many wells on the Island (do they correspond to the electromagnetic spots Jin mapped 30 years earlier?). Apparently, the well is so old that it was built by hand because people wanted to figure out why the spot made the needle on their compass spin. They had compasses but not shovels? notLocke lectures Desmond on the power hungry Widmore, but finally, exasperated by Des' unusual demeanor, asks, "Why aren't you afraid?" Desmond responds, "What is the point of being afraid?" So notLocke tosses Desmond down the well shaft. I guess that's why maybe you should be afraid, but maybe there really is no point in actually being afraid.

And how pleased notLocke looked as Hurley, Sun, and Jack walked into his camp. Like a cat with feathers in its mouth.

Richard Alpert in 2007

Richard had a plan, and nothing was going to sway him from it, not even the death of Ilana. As noted, he has an apoplectic fit when Hurley blows up The Black Rock. He is certainly not a very calm person this episode.

Best Quote that Really Didn't Fit Anywhere

No theories today, as I've integrated them above. But there was one great quote that just didn't fit above. Ben, pondering Ilana's death:

There she was, handpicked by Jacob. Trained to come and protect you candidates. Then she blows up. The Island was done with her. Makes me wonder what's going to happen when its done with us.

Happily Ever After

When I heard the title of this episode, I just assumed that it was about the sideways marriage between John Locke and Helen. Instead, it seems that it was an attempt by someone, Eloise perhaps, to make Desmond happy so that something didn't happen. Or doesn't happen. Or something. But the best laid plans...

So, to begin:

Desmond in 2004

Desmond is a different man in the sideways universe. He's a successful businessman employed by Charles Widmore, a man who thinks so highly of Desmond that he's willing to share his MacCutcheon whisky with him. Des is so satisfied with his life that he's not interested in the restaurants or prostitutes that Minkowski offers him. Desmond's satisfaction with his life is driven home by Widmore: You really do have the life. No family, no commitments. Oh,to be free of attachments.

Desmond might have continued believing this had he not been asked to babysit Charlie Pace. Charlie challenges Desmond's assertions of happiness, and essentially lands them in a marina, perhaps the same one where Ben shot Des? While trying to rescue Charlie, Des has what could be a hallucination - Charlie's hand with the message, "Not Penny's boat." Perhaps Des would have passed unscathed had he not been sent through an MRI for another electromagnetic experience. He sees images of Penny and his life with her. He's smitten. But confused.

Unable to wrangle Charlie for his charity concert, Desmond is ordered by Widmore to notify the dragon lady wife. She takes the news surprisingly well, but interrupts when Desmond tries to take a look at the charity ball guest list. He then hears something that sounds vaguely familiar to us, but not to him:

You listen to me. I want you to stop. Someone has clearly affected the way you see things. This is a serious problem. It is in fact a violation. So, whatever you're doing, whatever it is you think you're looking for, you need to stop looking for it...I don't know why you're looking for anything.You have the perfect life. On top of it, you've managed to attain the thing you've wanted more than anything. My husband's life...You're not ready yet, Desmond.

So what does he do now? He gives up, ready to drink his sorrows away. But he's interrupted by Widmore's son, Daniel. Who is as strange in the sideways as he is on the Island. Daniel points the way for Desmond to find Penny, his half-sister. She likes to exercise just like Jack and Desmond do. But unlike Jack, when Penny shakes Desmond's hand, Desmond faints. After agreeing to meet Penny for coffee, he asks Minkowski to get the manifest from Oceanic 815. Why? "I just need to show them something." What indeed, Mr. Hume?

Charles Widmore in 2004

Widmore is a man who appreciates a hard worker. Perhaps he likes Desmond in this sideways because Des hadn't met Penny yet. But he clearly lives in fear of his wife, finally sending Desmond to deliver the bad news about Charlie's absence.

What confuses me about Widmore in 2004 is that he doesn't seem as hooked into the alternative world as his wife is.

Charlie Pace in 2004

So Charlie's in LA to perform at a charity event with Daniel. But Charlie's attachment to the sideways world is just as tenuous as it was in LA X. He walked through traffic without a concern for his own safety. He bugs his babysitter:

Have you ever been in love? I'm talking about spectacular, consciousness altering love...[describes choking on the bag of heroin] and then I see her...a woman, blond, rapturously beautiful. And I know her. We're together. It's like we've always been...I've seen something real. I've seen the truth.

For some reason, he decides that Desmond must experience a near-death experience too, so he takes control of Desmond's car and drives them into the marina. After he figures out that Desmond did experience something, he tells Des, This doesn't matter. None of this matters. All that matters is that we felt it...Start looking for Penny.

At some point, I had to wonder, where the hell was Liam? He had been trying to get information on Charlie in Recon.

Daniel Widmore in 2004

In the sideways reality, Daniel is a talented classical musician who has never studied physics. However, he looks as uncomfortable in this timeline as he did in the other one. For some reason, he recognizes the importance of Desmond, and stops him, asking if Des believes in love at first sight. He describes seeing Charlotte Lewis and falling in love with her. After meeting her, well, "things got weird." He wrote complicated quantum mechanics equations in his journal (not the same one) that only someone who's studied physics their entire life could write. It makes Daniel realize: What if this wasn't supposed to be our life? What if we had some other life, but for some reason, we changed things?

And it appears that Daniel, who was probably responsible for the change to begin with, now wants things back to normal. He thus tells Des that Penny isn't an idea, but his half-sister.

Eloise Widmore in 2004

Eloise apparently manages to put fear into just about everyone around her, including her husband and Minkowski. Widmore was so scared of her that he ordered Desmond to tell her about Charlie's disappearing act.

Her servants certainly seems to be in awe of her. Desmond is expecting the worse, so he misses her expression of dismay upon meeting him. But she covers, and seems remarkably sanguine when given Desmond's news, telling him, "What happened, happened." But then she hears Desmond asking about Penny. The gloves are off.

Suddenly, we're back in Flashes Before Your Eyes, where Eloise clearly knows more about what is going on than just about anyone except the producers. She's angry, and clearly determined that Desmond continue his "perfect" life. But we're less clear this time on why, other than her belief that Desmond is not ready. For what? What has she done?

George Minkowski in 2004

Minkowski and Desmond shared a common problem in Confirmed Dead - their consciousnesses wee traveling around. Minkowski died, apparently because he had no constant, as Des did. Now he's a chauffeur, one who can connect a person with just about anything, including women. And airplane manifests.

I have to admit to wondering why Minkowski didn't chauffeur Desmond and Charlie around.

Jack Shephard in 2004

Jack's appearance is only remarkable for his surprise upon learning that two other people from his Sydney flight were at the hospital. Too much of a coincidence, perhaps?

Penny Milton in 2004

Penny likes to exercise, and doesn't seem all that bothered when strangers address her by name. She even agrees to meet this handsome stranger at a local coffee shop. I guess she decided to not attend her stepmother's charity event.

Desmond in 2007

No surprise that Desmond is unhappy to find himself back on the Island. His hostility and aggression prior to the electromagnetic experiment were all in character for him. But afterward...he's calm. He interrupts Widmore's explanation, asking, "When do we start?" He's extremely...understanding.

When faced with Dead-Eyed Sayid, Desmond's eyes appear a little maniacal as well, or perhaps messianic. I'm not sure which. Des tells Sayid, "Lead the way."

Charles Widmore in 2007

Widmore is almost apologetic about bringing Desmond back to the Island, but after being attacked, he tells Des, "I can't take you back. The Island isn't done with you yet." We've heard that before. And who decided that the Island isn't done with him yet?

Widmore wants to put Desmond through the electromagnetic experiment, despite a man's recent death in it. "If everything I've been told about you is true, you'll be perfectly fine." Then, "Once it's over, I'm going to ask you to make a sacrifice. And I hope for all our sakes, you'll help me." He lists his own sacrifices, all to his family - his dead son, his daughter who hates him, and his grandson whom he's never seen. But those sacrifices will be for nothing if Desmond doesn't help him because otherwise Penny and everyone else will be gone forever.

Why did Widmore do the experiment on Desmond? Because Des survived one catastrophic electromagnetic event. The experiment was to see if he could survive another.

Widmore is happy that Desmond survived the experiment, but continues to be apologetic. Was he surprised at how compliant Des was?

Thoughts and Theories

This is one episode that is full of suggestions and questions, all clearly leading up to the final episode.

We entered the sideways universe in a completely different fashion than we have heretofore. There was no hint of the sideways until the experiment started, when we suddenly found ourselves among the clouds. We then saw Desmond, looking either at himself or the location of his luggage carousel at LAX. We then stayed in the sideways universe, without fail, until Penny and Desmond touched. Suddenly, the experiment is over, without music or any other sign that we had returned to the Island. I thought at first that the experiment ended the sideways timelines. When we returned to it, I thought perhaps Desmond failed somehow by following Sayid. But now I don't think so.

It seems that the sideways timeline is a creation of sorts, I'm not sure by whom (Jacob? Man-in-Black? Eloise?), to perhaps keep Desmond pacified. Someone decided that this life they created for him was the perfect one, under the impression that his whole goal was to earn Widmore's respect, not Penny's love. But Charlie Pace interfered, or perhaps the Oceanic flight, and the worlds are now colliding in Desmond's mind. He knows now that something is not right.

He's not alone. All the Oceanic survivors appear to be aware that something is off, but Charlie is the first to experience a conscious awareness of the other timeline. He believes it is a near-death experience that gave him that awareness, so he helps Desmond connect to it as well. The only other party who appears to be conscious of the other timeline is Daniel. However, he had no near-death experience and was never an Oceanic survivor. He's just...Daniel.

But Desmond is not connected to the other timeline just by his near-death experience. Indeed, if that had been all, he might have succeeded in rationalizing it away. But he is asked to undergo an MRI, a process that includes the use of electromagnetic energy (recall the questions about metal?). The MRI connected him to the other timeline more clearly, as he saw his first meeting with Penny, and even the birth of their son. He didn't just see it, but he felt it. And he knew it was real.

What made Desmond return to the Island? Was it touching his constant? Was it the clarification that this is what his life's goal should have been? We don't know.

I don't know who Eloise is working for, but she does not appear to be working with Widmore in either timeline. Is she working for Jacob or the Man-in-Black? What sacrifice does Widmore want Desmond to make? What did Desmond understand after traveling through the electromagnetic experiment? Is he supposed to do something in 2007, 2004, or both?

So much to think about. I am curious as to what you might have thought.