LOST (Episode 6.11) Happily Ever After Recap & Analysis

This Episode is packed with 42% more Flash Sideways


Loved this episode, only when Daniel started talking about how he thinks he may have used a nuclear bomb in some other life did my opinion decrease any. Which is not because of the direction of the plot, I had leaned most of the season that the flash sideways are a creation, an alternate universe because of whatever they did that changed the course of time. This is seemingly confirmed since now Daniel has knowledge of his “other self” as does Desmond and Charlie. I was more put off by the way he just laid it out there, because well it was kind a crazy.

Desmond wakes up from his sedated sleep of the past three days to find out he is back on the island and his son and Penny are safe but not with him, oh yeah and here is his good buddy Widmore that needs a favor. And if that isn’t enough to make him want to beat someone with an IV stand, the island isn’t through with him yet.

It has been ZERO days since our last accident


Widmore’s science crew is powering up the magic shed and they accidently fry one of their own. One of the crew goes to check the solenoids and some dimwitted goon decides to throw the breaker without doing a safety check. This at least saved the bunny and angry phone calls from PETA (what was up with that rabbit, looked like it had a new leg growing out of its chest) Regardless of this accident, they figured to check it out on Desmond to see if he really is the only man in the world known to survive a catastrophic electromagnetic event, because doing it once isn’t enough for Widmore, no not by a long shot.

Widmore tells Des that after they fry him which won’t hurt, much, he is going to be asked to make a sacrifice.

No whoosh sound noting it not so much as a flashback, forward or sideways, in the same way Desmond’s flashes happened in The Constant. After some floating through the clouds, we are taken to baggage claim and Des is looking for where to pick up his bags when he encounters Hurly and Claire, though they do not seem to know each other. Continuing the mirror motif, we get a glimpse of Des’s reflection.

“You’re the Top You’re the Coliseum, You’re the Top You’re the Louve Museum”


Desmond walks into Widmore’s office and they greet each other was such enthusiasm I almost expect them to break out in a song and dance number.

I found myself being the LOST Psychic this episode calling Desmond’s sharing of Widmore’s very expensive scotch,(that Des was previously not fit to drink) Because he is sooooo indispensable and nothing is too good for him. My oh my is this over the top. Probably this flash sideways is the most extreme with its difference compared to all the others so far. No in this reality Widmore and Des are like peas and carrots.

Desmond’s first task is to pick up Charlie Pace from the LA lockup and bring him to Widmore’s wife’s benefit where Drive Shaft will be performing with Daniel Faraday…um excuse me…Daniel Widmore, the musician, not physicist.

And the Creepiest Character in the Flash sideways award goes to Charlie Pace

Charlie has gotten very creepy, maybe because he is dead in the other reality, but to me this guy was not our Charlie. He tells Desmond about his near death experience on the plane and how he saw his true love (Claire) and then some sodding idiot was standing over him who had the audacity to save his life, sheesh, what kind of town is this where people save each other’s lives.

Charlie decides to take Desmond on a magical mystery trip off the pier into the very same marina Des is shot at three years and another reality in the future. As soon as the car was submerged I immediately shouted..NOT PENNY's BOAT! And sure enough, psychic moment number two happens when Des is trying to get Charlie’s door open and Charlie wakes up and puts his hand on the door, just as he did in Through the Looking Glass, except with this very doll like creepy smile. Des has a flash of Not Penny’s boat and with it, some familiarity, and a memory?

They make it to the hospital, and when Des gets his MRI he receives more flashes of his times with Penny and the birth of his son Charlie.

Show me your hands and step away from that manifest

Eloise looked like she was going to soil herself when she turned to see Desmond at the party. They had never met at this point and she takes the news of Charlie going MIA very well. When she over head Desmond wanting to know about Penny though she gets involved and says someone has influenced his way of thinking, it’s a violation and Des wasn’t ready to know anything, whatever it is he is looking for he should just stop. Well thanks person I just met, think I will go back to following these amazingly real and weird things that just happened to me.

“No it wasn’t a dream, it was a place and you and you and you were there”


We have seen Minkowski, Jack, Charlie, Charles, Eloise and Daniel this episode and finally Penny. Daniel lets us know he is a musician, he has the hots for a red head (Charlotte) and he may have blown up a nuke at some point…well not in this life. Desmond seems to handle this information extraordinary well, perhaps since part of him knows all about these type of things.

Daniel’s feelings about Jughead confirms that he is aware of it, and the producers have always confirmed these sideways are to show what would happen if the plane landed safely in LA but to pay attention to any differences. With Dan’s knowledge of the nuke, and Des’s knowledge of Penny and Charlie it eliminated the idea these sideways flashes are a “what if scenario”, where this was the same exact flight. Case and point this episode with Desmond being on the plane.

Besides Dan’s omission about how he set off a nuke in some other life, my only other disappointment in the episode was Desmond's creepy interest in getting the manifest from the flight, I guess because him and Charlie were on the flight together and had this vague knowledge of another life could be why, but Daniel wasn’t on the flight, why assume the other passengers would be affected by this? And then when I thought about it some more, I wondered if perhaps Desmond in the car was fully aware of himself from his island life, a piece of him left behind when he awoke from his fainting in front of Penny.

In Dan’s words Desmond is “miraculously special”, not just because he can survive a cataclysmic electromagnetic event, but because he is conscious of both his consciousnesses. When he woke up from OZ with Widmore standing over him it seemed he retained what he just learned of himself from the flash sideways. He was holding his hand out as if Penny was still holding it when he fainted. And like The Constant, when he was flashing to the time he was in the army he was not aware of his island self at all, even though he was just on the helicopter, it was if he switched bodies. Because when we would regain consciousness on the freighter he would know what he knew from when he just was in the 90’s, only with his contact with Penny did it all come together for him. And I think that is what happened at the end of the episode.

The rules don’t apply to Des because he is has the ability like Eloise I imagine, to be the consciousness of both time lines equally, as both halves, so he cancels himself out in a way.

See ya in another life Brother


This episode confirms the sideways is connected and possibly created by the main time line and I get the impression that the show is heading in the direction where we will find the sideways has created the main time line. Forming a perfect chicken or egg scenario, a complete circle with no beginning and no end. This is also much like the compass paradox where Richard gave the compass to Locke so he could give it back to Richard so Richard could give it back to Locke, to give it to Richard and so on, and so on. But as I have always said, it doesn’t matter which came first, either way chickens make eggs and eggs make chickens.

I was thinking this was the proof that the sideways is an alternate time line due to Jughead exploding and possibly sinking the island or at least being a catalyst that will sink the island sometime during 1977-1988 this is why when the plane flies overhead in this altered reality the island is at the bottom of the ocean. Thus debunking some of my own theories, but then I looked at the whole timeline stretched out, I noticed something.

Think of time as one long line that does not end in what we consider the present, we think of tomorrow as something that hasn’t happened yet because it hasn’t happened to us, but what if it has already?

I do think Jughead is part of the reason there are these 2 scenarios, but I am thinking that it going off isn’t what sunk the island, maybe it not going off did.

Questions Answered
• Desmond was on the plane and is not married to Penny in the Flash Sideways, but is working for Widmore

• Desmond has special electromagnetism powers and that is what is special about him

• Faraday is alive in the Flash Sideways and is a musician not a physicist

• Eloise and Widmore are married in the Flash Sideways

• The Flash Sideways Characters that were on the island have a connection to themselves



New Questions
• What is the sacrifice Des will be asked to make?

• How will Des’s powers help keep the MIB on the island? Or how will they destroy the MIB?

• Is the sunken island the result of the bomb going off, or not going off?



 
 

LOST Episode 6.10 The Package…it’s not a what, it’s a WHO…Welcome to Whoville

Kwon-centric
I normally find Sun and Jin centric episodes to be of a slower pace though more cinematic. And this episode was much different, chock full shooting, pregnancy, subtitles, Desmond, search for electromagnetism, ceasing to be, and them teeth on Keamy, a lot going on.

Smoke can’t go on the water

So all of the names that aren’t crossed off need to go together to get off the island. Sayid is numb and is told by the man in black he is better off this way for what is coming. Claire is an emotional basket case still pondering if she wants to kick Kate out of the plane after it leaves the island. And Fake Locke as the Smoke Monster can’t swim.

Jin is fed up with life in zombie camp and wants to go find Sun, he is not even finished packing when Widmore’s people tranquilize the camp and collect and bring him to room 23 over on Hydra Island. Zoe is revealed to be a geophysicist and is trying to find the pockets of electromagnetism on the island; they discovered Jin of the seventies had signed off on the grid maps from the Dharma Initiative back when he was working for them. Jin demands to see Zoe’s boss and Widmore is all nice and shows him some cute pictures of Sun and Ji Yeon they happen to have found on the plane, he then tells him a bunch of crap about how he misses his daughter too and that this is why Jin needs to help him stop the Main in Black from leaving the island. Because you know, everyone they love will just cease to be.

Widmore let's Jin know that the package on the sub, likely the same thing in the locked room Sawyer noticed, is not a What, but a who! and that Who is Desmond! hmmm Fake Locke is also not a what but a who.


Look out for that tree!

On the other side of the island Sun is also feeling pretty frustrated with everything while she is off in her old garden that seems like it is a 100 years old. Fake Locke shows up to bring her to Jin. She does not believe him and runs off through the jungle knocking herself out from running into a tree. When she wakes up she can only speak Korean although she understands English perfectly well. Richard returns and is all ready to go to Hydra island and destroy the plane, oh real Locke would be so proud.

Sun after a mini temper-tantrum that you really can’t fault her for having eventually comes around and Jack is much more serene now also, as though he is on the happy pills. He found a tomato that no one told to die and was stubborn and he picked it (I hope they eat it so it doesn’t just rot, of course I guess them picking it just killed it after all) He assures Sun they will get her and Jin together and off the island.

“I don’t like secrets”

Fake Locke goes to Hydra Island to talk to Widmore about giving him Jin back, since Jin is one of his people. Widmore denies his whereabouts and Fake Locke remembers real Locke hearing Widmore warning him “war is coming to the island”, ironic part is Widmore had followed up this statement with “If you’re not on the island when that happens the wrong side is going to win.” He leaves there but has sent Sayid over to the sub to see what is in the mysterious locked room that Sawyer had noticed.

Off Island

Ms. Paik Mr. Kwon Welcome to Los Angeles

Flash Sideways begins at the airport with Sun and Jin leaving after being questioned by costums for having some 25,000 dollars on them, undeclared. Of course since they can’t speak any English, and there seems to be no interpreter they are let go without the money since that requires paperwork. The two of them go off to a swanky hotel where the staff was kind enough to give Sun an Ocean Front room. (Mirroring her “ocean front” tent on the island)It was officially made clear they are not married as many suspected when the airport officials addressing Sun as Ms. Paik, and no rings of course.

In this time line, Sun and Jin may not be married but they are still hot for each other, Jin tells her he loves her and the questions start to unravel about why they aren’t married yet since he is working for her Dad. When Sun wakes in the morning she lets Jin know of her secret account and her trip to LA for some “shopping” was just a clever ruse on her part to escape her dad’s clutches and run off with her man.

You Better Knock Three Times

When Keamy knocks at the door, Sun is checking herself out in the mirror and she appears to have some concern over something about her appearance, much like many of our other survivors in the flash sideways. Mirrors have been used throughout the entire show and their meaning is still up to interpretation.

Keamy and Omer show up at the hotel to meet up with Jin since they missed each other at the restaurant. So it would seem to be that in this world Keamy still works with Widmore, who works with Paik and all the goons, appear to be together also. The only connection between Sun, Jin and the rest of the main time liners is Widmore. All of our other characters are inter-tangles with each other, but these two were not connected to anyone, until we see Charles connection to Suns Dad in season five.

Patchy the patch less interpreter

Mikhail AKA Patchy is “Danny’s friend” who must also be one of Keamy and Omar’s friends and is able to translate Jin and Sun for them, he goes off with Sun to the bank to get Kemah’s money only to find her dad closed her account, damn it.

Jin gets a bump on the head because of Omar’s lack of attention to detail and Keamy lovingly cleans him up even though he is planning on popping him once he gets his money. Well the heart wants what the heart wants.

Sun and Mikhail go to the restaurant after Sayid has been there doing his dirty work, Jin has successfully freed himself with Sayid’s help and a gun fight between him and Patchy ensues, leaving Patchy now in need of a patch and Sun possibly shot and oh yeah, pregnant…guess his boys can swim here or she is preggers with someone else’s baby.

Flash Sideways Similarities


• Jin and Sayid in both time lines when they first are around each other, Jin is restrained.

• There is a language issue with Jin and someone else.

• Sun is on the plane to accompany Jin


Flash Sideways Differences

• Sun and Jin are sneaking around but not married. She was looking to escape her Dad, in the main time line she was looking to escape Jin, was married to him and was having an affair. But she only got on the plane out of fear.



• Lost is not the type of show that we can make assumptions with, so we don’t know if Sun really can speak English or not. On the island she had many people to go to where she wouldn’t be found out. We also do not know if Jin is the father of her baby or if she is still being fixed up with the same man that was teaching her English and could of impregnated her before but didn’t.

• Patchy has no Patch


Questions Answered:

• Desmond is what was locked in the Sub (answered that fast)

• If Fake Locke gets off the island many of the survivors would “cease to be”

• Smoke and water do not mix



New Questions:

• What the heck does them “ceasing to be mean?”

• How will they stop the Man in Black? Jin asked this and it went to commercial.

• Why does Jin & Sun need to sneak around and why aren’t they married?

• How is Sun pregnant, is Jin's sperm working well, or is it someone else’s baby?

DEAD IS DEAD – Something is Rotten in the Jungle of Mystery (5.12)

DEAD IS DEAD – Something is Rotten in the Jungle of Mystery (5.12)



More then any other character Charles Widmore seems to have an ever-changing personality. First he is an egomaniacal over protective father to Desmond in

“Flashes before your eyes”, next in “The Constant” he is a bit kinder, by giving Des. Penny’s address, and telling him, he is not the one that hates him. In Sun’s Flash back he is a typical rich guy exchanging pleasantries but “will be respected”, In Locke's he is a peaceful kind of guy almost Zen like with his attitude and bed-side manner to Locke, and to Ben he is a baby killer.


So who is the real Charles Widmore? We know that he could not be a super nice guy since Penny will have nothing to do with him, however, one person’s perspective can shift him from an over protective father type, wanting respect, to a man who kills women and children.



Also thought it interesting that Ben saw that as so twisted he couldn’t bring himself to do it, but the extermination of Dharma, shooting John Locke, all in a days work.



Ben also has had his ups and downs on the morality roller coaster. This episode we see a more human side with how he obtained Alex. He didn’t even look like he was ready to kill Danielle, though young Ethan seemed all ready. I was glad to see some compassion when he saw young Charlie, and couldn’t put him through his life without his mother, like Ben had. Reminded me of how sad little Ben was when he ran away and was running through the jungle looking for his mom. Of course this also reminds me of how he ran into a very ragged looking Richard. Who seemed to have gotten a makeover from that point and the following year when Sawyer and Co. showed up, or did it just seem that way.



The largest part of this episode was about Judgment, mostly Ben’s being judged by the smoke monster, and him judging himself for the death of his daughter. Who he was responsible for, and as he was waiting to be judged I wasn’t convinced Smokie was going to eat him, but I began to feel his time ticking away. For this was the first episode where I generally cared about Ben’s feelings, more so than before. When he saw “Alex”, his grief was barely escaping his mouth to address her. So consumed, he may not of realized it wasn’t her. For as pissed as she would have a right to be, I doubt she would tell him she would destroy him. But Smokie, would.



Locke was forgiving of Ben, and seemed to know what he was doing (again) for no real reason. Nice to have some things not change. What was he doing while they were waiting on Ben’s porch for Smokie?



Role reversal was a big part of Dead is Dead, and now we have seen Locke and Ben switch roles to some degree with Locke leading Ben, and Ben being in the dark. As well as how Ben was much like Locke when Charles was there, and ultimately how Ben became just like Charles. “He’s a really horrible person” hmmm who else is like that. Though I was glad he could not bring himself to shoot penny in front of her son. Even though why he reconsidered had nothing to do with her.



But the biggest mystery or question to me is about when Charles left the island? All the clues regarding it now seem wrong, - it was 20 years ago, he could never get back (person who moves wheel can never come back) He told Locke “that’s the exit” how does he know if he left on the sub? He wasn’t in Dharma, why would he even know about the orchid station. Sure he could of learned about it prior to his exile or via a spy of some kind. But he also said Ben tricked him into leaving, which would be the wrong way to put it since he was being taking out in handcuffs and escorted by armed men. Everyone knew about it, so it would be that Ben tricked everyone into having him exiled. Not leaving (leaving implies it was his choice) so that leads towards Wheel also. Which information is false? Did he leave in the 80’s, and this new Ben Flashback happened later because Ben has messed with time? Or has Widmore been lying to himself and everyone about how long he was gone from the island and he was never tricked. And the latter, seems pretty lame, so I do not think that is the reason. Something is rotten in the jungle of mystery.