Lost ~ Happily Ever After

What a truly fabulous episode of Lost this week! Desmond’s episodes are always stellar and Happily Ever After proved to be no exception. Without a doubt one of the best episodes of the season so far. But before we get too deep into the episode I must first yell at Lost.

Thanks to this Lost I’ve had “Ever After” from Into the Woods stuck in my head all week. Since I’ve found it to be coincidentally mildly relevant I’ve decided to inflict it upon you all!

NARRATOR

And it came to pass, all that seemed wrong

was now right, and those who deserved to
were certain to live a long and happy life.

Ever after...

                                                                   COMPANY

                                                                   Ever after!

NARRATOR
Journey over, all is mended,
And it's not just for today,
But tomorrow, and extended
Ever after!

                                                                 COMPANY
                                                                 Ever after!

NARRATOR
All the curses have been ended,
The reverses wiped away.
All is tenderness and laughter
For forever after!

                                                                COMPANY
                                                                Happy now and happy hence
                                                                And happy ever after!



NARRATOR
There were dangers-

                                                               COMPANY
                                                               We were frightened-

NARRATOR

And confusions-

                                                               COMPANY
                                                               But we hid it-

NARRATOR
And the paths would often swerve.

                                                              COMPANY
                                                              We did not.

NARRATOR

There were constant-

                                                            COMPANY

                                                            It's amazing-

NARRATOR
Disillusions-

                                                           COMPANY
                                                           That we did it.

NARRATOR

But they never lost they're nerve.

                                                           COMPANY

                                                           Not a lot.

NARRATOR AND COMPANY

And they/we reached the right conclusions

And they/we got what they/we deserved!

ALL

Not a sigh and not a sorrow,

Tenderness and laughter.

Joy today and bliss tomorrow,

And forever after!

Okay, now that I’ve got that out of my system, let’s get down to business. If you haven’t watched this week's episode by now, what is wrong with you? I won’t even warn you to not read this, you deserve to be spoiled (I kid, I kid!). The rest of you grab your Constants and away we go!

Original Timeline – Pre-flash

Desmond wakes up in the Hydra infirmary where Zoe (or Fake Tina Fey as the internet is calling her) gives him a shot to help him wakeup and says he has been asleep for 3 days. Desmond calls out for Penny but Charles Widmore arrives to say that won’t be possible. He asks if Desmond remembers being shot by Benjamin Linus (of course he remembers, Ben ruined a perfectly good gallon milk!). Desmond calls for Penny again and Widmore tells his that Penny and his son are fine, but they aren’t there. Widmore says he didn’t have time to explain, but even if he had Desmond never would have agreed to come with him. Come where? To the island of course! Upon hearing that he is back on the damn island Desmond promptly beats the crap out of Widmore with his IV stand.

He screams for Widmore to take him back. I don’t know if you’ve heard, Desmond, but the island isn’t done with you yet.

Widmore leaves and Jin, who was standing just outside the door, asks why he had brought Desmond here. Widmore tells Zoe to bring Jin to the generator room so that they can begin the test, which will show Jin exactly what they plan to do to Desmond. Zoe insists that they aren’t ready for the test yet, but Widmore doesn’t take no for an answer. Along the way they pass a lot of heavy duty cabling and a sketchy square shaped room where I’m sure nothing bad could possibly happen.

The rest of Widmore’s awkward lackeys also protest that they aren’t ready for the test, but they push forward anyway. When they test the generator at full power a circuit fails and they send someone out to the sketchy square building to look for the problem. Back in the main building they tell a bunny that he is next (aww, poor bunny). The red shirt technician checks out the giant solenoid coils in the room and while he does so some brain surgeon back in the main building finds the problem, fixes it, and turns the generator back on. Bye bye technician. Zoe and Seamus run out to the building to find their coworker looking less than awesome.

Widmore looks at the dead employee with a little sadness but orders Desmond to be brought into the room anyway (looks like that bunny lucked out!). They tie Desmond to a chair and Widmore assures him that if everything he’s heard about Desmond is true, he’ll be just fine. Widmore says that once the experiment is over he will ask Desmond to make a sacrifice. When Desmond scoffs and asks what Widmore knows about sacrifice, he responds:

“My son died here for the sake of this Island, your wife, my own daughter hates me and I've never seen my grandson. But if you won't help me Desmond, all of it will be for nothing. Penny, your son, and everyone will be gone forever.” ~ Widmore

Widmore leaves and Desmond is locked in the chamber. In the control room Jin wants to know what is happening and Widmore tells him that Desmond is the only person he has ever known to survive a catastrophic electromagnetic event and he needs to know that he can do it again, “or we all die.” No pressure, Des. As they begin the experiment we see Desmond break free from the chair and struggle to escape. The person manning the experiment shows some hesitation, so Widmore pulls the switches to engage the coils himself.

Sideways-verse – Where all the cool kids are

We see Desmond’s reflection as he examines the Oceanic arrivals board. Hurley passes by and tells him that their luggage is at Carousel 4. At the carousel Claire is struggling to get her luggage and Desmond gives her a hand. He asks if she is having a boy or a girl and she is taken back at first. She says she doesn’t know and Desmond says he is braver than her, he’s not a fan of surprises. He offers her a lift, but she says she is all set. As he leaves he says they baby is a boy.

His driver, George Minkowski (who bonded with Desmond over jumping through time before dying in The Constant) asks where to, and Desmond says he needs to go straight to the office. George says if there is anything Des needs while in town (hookers seem to be his specialty) to just let him know. Desmond says he is here to work. George says that is why Des is the boss’s right hand man and he is a driver.

At the office Desmond is greeted warmly by Charles Widmore. Desmond looks at his ship model (the Black Rock?) while Widmore gives instructions on the phone to “get him arraigned and get him out of there.” When he hangs up he tells Desmond that his son, the musician, wants to combine classical musical with rock at a charity event Mrs. Widmore is throwing. However, the bass guitarist for the band Drive Shaft OD’d and was arrested at the airport. He needs Desmond to pick him up from jail and get him to the charity event, or else Mrs. Widmore would be angry. Desmond agrees to help and Widmore says he is glad he has someone he trusts to do the job. Widmore pours two glasses of the 60 year old MacCutcheon whiskey to celebrate Desmond’s awesomeness. I know that this should make us feel great for Sideways Desmond, but it mostly made me feel even sadder for Original Desmond.

Desmond drives himself to the police station to pick up Charlie. What, no George? Probably for the best, otherwise the rest of this episode would probably have been pretty boring. When Charlie leaves the station he breezes past Desmond and walks directly through oncoming traffic and into a bar (Jax – hehe, like “Jack’s”, get it?) across the street. Desmond joins him in the bar and Charlie asks if Des is happy. He responds with all of the great things about his life (money, great job, awesome boss). This doesn’t appease Charlie. He is talking about “spectacular, consciousness altering love.” Nope, not so much. Charlie tells him how on the airplane he choked on a bag of heroin trying to hide it from the US Marshall on board.

“I'm slipping into the abyss and then I see her. A woman. Blonde. Rapturously beautiful. And I know her. We're together. It's like we've always been and always will be. This feeling, this love.” ~ Charlie

Before he was revived by Jack he saw something real – the truth. Desmond says that the real truth is not this vision of love, but the reality of him needing to make a choice between continuing to drink or coming with him to the charity show (but to be clear, the first one isn’t even an option so don’t bother trying to think about it). When Charlie says that this didn’t seem like much of a choice Des responds:

“You always have a choice brother.” ~ Desmond

As they drive “You All Everybody” is playing on the radio and Charlie says it was the beginning of everything great. Charlie then offers Desmond a choice between letting Charlie show him what he is talking about or get out of the car. Say what?

Charlie grabs the wheel and steers them over the peer and into the water. The car sinks and Desmond manages to free himself. He tries to waking Charlie by screaming his name (underwater?!?! Really Des, that sounded like a good plan to you?) but is forced to return to the surface to get air. He dives back down and tries to open the passenger door to free Charlie. Charlie wakes up and gets super creepy by putting his hand up to the glass. Desmond flashes to Charlie at the Looking Glass station with “NOT PENNY’S BOAT” written on his palm. A moment later the vision has passed and he frees Charlie, bringing him to the surface and yelling for help.

At the hospital a doctor asks Desmond if he has been experiencing any of a list of symptoms, and Desmond says he is fine – until the doctor mentions hallucinations. Desmond isn’t sure. The doctor wants to do an MRI, but Desmond insists that he doesn’t have time – he needs to find the man he came in with. The doctor insists on the MRI.

The MRI technician asks if Desmond has any metal in his pockets, just like he was asked in the original timeline before the experiment began. He gives Desmond a panic button to press if he needs to stop, but suggests that he try not to – they would just need to start all over again.

During the MRI he flashes again to Charlie at the looking glasses and then is overcome with images of Penny. He presses the panic button and says he needs to find Charlie.

A little while later Des is at the nurses desk trying to get information on Charlie. He sees Jack and reminds him that they were on the same flight. He says he is looking for someone else who was also on their flight (Jack’s face: Whaaaaaaaaat? Three of us from the same fight in one hospital???? Not even possible!). Just then Charlie runs down the hallway with an orderly in pursuit.

Desmond runs after Charlie and corners him. Charlie says that he is running because no one in this hospital can help him. He tells Desmond that he wasn’t trying to kill him, he was trying to show him something. Desmond wants to see Charlie’s hand and Charlie realizes that Desmond saw something – that he felt it. Desmond asks who Penny is, but Charlie is no help. Charlie says that he isn’t going to perform at Widmore’s charity event.

“This doesn't matter. None of this matters. All that matters is we felt it.” ~ Charlie

Charlie suggests that Desmond stops worrying about him and starts looking for Penny.

When Desmond calls Widmore to say Charlie isn’t going to perform he is angry and says Desmond gets to be the one to deliver the news to Mrs. Widmore. George drives Desmond to the Widmore mansion and asks if he’s ever met Mrs. Widmore. Apparently she’s terrifying. The camera pans around the tent, showing a man playing the piano (hey Faraday’s stand-in!) and we are shown Eloise Hawking Widmore tearing a server a new one for placing the butter knife in the wrong place.

When Desmond introduces himself she is all smiles and charms. He tells her that Drive Shaft won’t be performing and apologizes. However, she takes it with ease. No biggie! He thought she would be angry.

“Not at all dear; what happened, happened.” ~ Eloise

Way to remind us that you killed your son in the original time line (and maybe this timeline since the change in history all seems to take place after 1977 and theoretically the time traveling Losties and Co. still needed to be in the 1970s in order for the bomb to have been detonated in this timeline, even though their plane never crashed there in the first place . . . paradoxes make my brain hurt).

As Desmond leaves he hears the name “Penny Milton” spoken by workers reviewing the guest list. Desmond wants to see the list, but they won’t let him. Eloise steps in with the full bitchy scariness we had expected the first time around.

“It is a violation, whatever you think you are looking for, you need to stop looking for it, you have attained what you most wanted, my husband's approval.” ~ Eloise

He asks how she knows what he wants and she sassily replies, “Because I bloody do, You are not ready yet Desmond.” Good to know that in this timeline she is still all-knowing, powerful, and fierce. Plus, her hair is full of secrets.

Desmond pours himself a drink in the limo and Daniel Faraday Widmore knocks on the window.

He says they need to talk. The go to a secluded area and Desmond tries to apologize for loosing Drive Shaft. Daniel asks if Desmond believes in love at first sight. He says he saw a red headed woman eating a chocolate bar at the museum and it was as if he already loved her. That night he woke up and wrote in his notebook. He shows Desmond the complication equations he had recorded. Daniel didn’t know what it meant – he was a musician after all. So he took the notebook to a mathematician friend who said it was quantum mechanics, and that the formula was so complicated it could only have been written by someone who had devoted their entire life to studying physics. He said it was as if something catastrophic had been about to happen and the only way to counteract it had been to release a huge amount of energy, like detonating a nuclear bomb.

“What if this all this wasn't supposed to be our life? What if we had some other life, and for some reason we changed things?” ~ Daniel

He assures Desmond that he doesn’t want to set off a nuclear bomb – he thinks that he already has. Daniel asks why he is looking for a woman named Penny, and Des says he doesn’t know what he has found, and that it is just an idea, but Daniel says he has found love. Daniel says that Penny is his half-sister and that he would tell him where to find her.

Penny is exercising at the same stadium where Desmond met Jack in the original timeline. He watches her like a total creeper for a minute. I was half expecting her to pepper spray Des when she noticed him. Luckily for Des she isn’t that put off by creepers. He asks if she is Penny and he introduces himself. They shake hands and . . . fwoosh back to the island chamber of fun!


Original Timeline – Hey look, you’re not dead!

The technicians rush into the chamber and find Desmond alive. They say that Des has only been unconscious for a few seconds. Widmore tells Desmond that his talent would be vital to the mission and begins to explain, but Desmond stops him. (Oh come on! The rest of us would really like to know!). Desmond says he understands and is ready to do what needs to be done. Widmore has Zoe and the others escort Desmond back to the base. Along the way Zoe asks what had changed – twenty minutes ago he was beating Widmore with an IV stand, after all. Desmond says a lot can happen in twenty minutes.

Sayid appears out of no where and starts shooting people. He points the gun at Zoe and tells her to run. Sayid tells Desmond (in his evil sketchy accent) that there people are extremely dangerous and they need to leave now. Desmond, in a bizarrely calm voice, says “of course, lead the way.”

Sideways-verse – Penny’s hotness can apparently knock you into another universe.

Desmond wakes up and asks what happened. Penny says he fainted and she must have quite an effect on him. She asks if they had ever met before and he says he thinks they would both remember if they had. Desmond asks her out for coffee and she agrees to meet him in an hour. If I were Penny I would have wanted to know why he knew my name before agreeing to meet him anywhere, but hey – that’s just me. He gets back into the car and George asks if he found what he was looking for. Desmond says he did. George asks if there is anything else he can do for him, and Desmond asks if he would be able to get the flight manifest from Oceanic Flight 815. George said he could do that, but why?

“I just need to show them something.” ~ Desmond

His penis. No wait, that isn’t right. Probably the way to connect to their missing loves. That would make more sense.

Eastereggs, Sidenotes, and Questions

• Penny asks Desmond to meet her at a coffee shop on Melrose and Sweetzer in Los Angeles. There is no coffee shop on Melrose and Sweetzer. However, there is an antique shop called "Thanks for the Memories."

• Hurley tells Desmond that their bags are at carousel 4 but Desmond collects his bag at carousel F-2.

• Desmond wears a wedding ring on Oceanic 815 ("LA X, Part 1"). However in this episode he is not wearing one.

• The Oceanic flight schedule contains all six of the Numbers in various places.

• Widmore's LA office features a large painting of a set of scales with black objects in one pan and white objects in the other.

• The brooch Eloise is wearing in the shape of a starburst is very similar to the mark branded on Juliet. Eloise wears two of these brooches.

• In addition to Desmond’s reflection being shown on the Oceanic arrivals board, we also see his reflection in the police station door. Daniel’s reflection is also shown in the limo’s window.

• Who is Penny’s mother?

• When did Charles and Eloise leave the island? Do they have memories of the time traveling castaways from the 1950s and 1970s? Does Eloise remember killing her own son?

• What is the sacrifice that Widmore warns that Desmond will have to make? Will he be asked to sacrifice what he saw in the Sideways-verse in order to preserve the original timeline? Will he be asked to sacrifice the original timeline in favor of the Sideways-verse? Are Desmond and Widmore on the same page at all? Does Widmore even know what has happened in the Sideways-verse? Does he know what Desmond saw?

• Are Sideways Desmond and Original Desmond working towards the same goal? Original Desmond has full memories of the Sideways-verse, but Sideways Desmond seems to know very little about the original timeline. Is Desmond using the info gathered by Sideways Desmond for Widmore’s purpose?

• Is the Sideways-verse the culmination of all of MIB’s promises, minus the most important thing of all – love? Fate has separated everyone from their true loves, accept for Locke and Helen. Has Sideways Locke been rewarded by MIB for the use of his form in the original timeline?

• Does MIB roam free in the Sideways-verse?