Lost Rehash S6.11: Happily Ever After

Desmond episodes have a tendency to be game-changers.  There’s just so much mystery and purpose in his character that anytime he shows up we know something big is going to happen.  I believe we got a taste of that “something big” last night with “Happily Ever After.” The Flashsideways is where the peculiarities happen.  Desmond talks briefly with Hurley and Claire while waiting for his luggage to arrive after the flight from Sydney.  He’s then picked up by George Minkowski, who died in “The Constant” from time/conscious travel side-effects, and taken to his employer: Charles Widmore.  Widmore sends him to pick up Charlie Pace and bring him to a concert that evening, where he and Charles’ son are to play together.

Desmond picks up a crazy-talking Charlie and the rock star starts blabbering on about seeing some “spectacular, consciousness altering love.”  He tells Desmond that he’s seen something real, that he’s seen the truth.  Charlie turns the wheel of the car into the ocean and the vehicle submerges.  While underwater, Desmond gets a glimpse of the “NOT PENNYS BOAT” scene and it startles him.  He rescues Charlie and they go to the hospital (where they predictably run into Dr. Jack Shephard, cause apparently that’s the only hospital in LA).

A doctor does an MRI on Desmond, and while he’s in the machine he experiences something “real.”  He gets glimpses of his life with Penny and realizes that he loves this woman.  He gets out of the MRI and goes to find Charlie, and he eventually does.  Charlie knows Desmond’s seen it now and urges him to start looking for Penny.  So after a phone call with Charles, Desmond drives over to Mrs. Widmore and informs her that the band won’t make it that night.  Eloise, that dear, sweet, strange lady tells Desmond not to worry.  He’s leaving and he hears the name Penny called on a guest list, inquires about it, is approached by sweet-ole Eloise again, is given some cryptic messages and send away.  He gets in the car to leave when Daniel Faraday/Widmore shows up.

Daniel and Desmond talk about things and about seeing the truth.  He shows Des his drawings of quantum mechanics and stuff, then starts talking about explosions.  He muses that they changed things by already blowing up an atomic bomb.  Des gets even more confused and Daniel tells him where to find Penny, his half sister.  Excited, Desmond heads over to a nearby (familiar) stadium and finds Penny running up and down the stairs like she’s got nothing better to do.  He introduces himself and she shakes his hand.  Desmond faints.  Boom goes the dynamite and Desmond wakes up, happy.  He asks her out to coffee, she says yes, and the episode ends with Desmond asking Minkowski if he can get the flight manifest from Oceanic 815, claiming he needs to show them something.

The Island timeline is much simpler.  Desmond gets woken up from his drug-induced kidnapping and Widmore tells him that he’s back on the Island, cause the Island wasn’t done with him yet.  Jin wonders what’s going on and Widmore says that he needs to see it to believe.  So the Widmore people are prepping this solenoid chamber for some kind of experiment or something when Simons is accidentally deep-fried.  Desmond arrives and is strapped to the chair in the chamber and Widmore tells him not to worry, that he’s special and that he’ll (likely) be fine.  In the observation room everyone watches as the solenoids wind up and engulfs Desmond.  The techs all go and find Desmond still alive.  Des tells Widmore that he’s ready to start doing whatever it is he’s supposed to do that’s so darned important.  On their way back to somewhere they’re attacked by Sayid, who lets Zoe live, but takes Desmond along with him.  Desmond cheerfully follows.

Thoughts and Observations

• There are way, way too many things to even compare and link to from this episode.  Pretty much everything in the FS we’ve already seen at some point.  All these little familiar things are just repeated with the alt-timeline.
• The Island’s relationship to the alt-timeline seems a bit more substantial now.
• Just how much does Eloise know?
• Since Penny is Daniel Widmore’s half-sister, is it reasonable to think that she’s Penelope Faraday in the alt-timeline?
• I really think I need to re-watch this episode again.  It’ll be the first episode I’ve re-watched since the season premier.
• Even with Charles being all chummy and stuff, he’s still a little off.  And did you see the balanced scales painting in his office?
• Love!  Love!  Love!  All you need is love!
• Is Sayid faking his “lack of feeling”?  If not, why’d he let Zoe live?
• I think it’d be awesome to re-watch the entire series leading up to the finale, but man that’d take a while and Keisha probably wouldn’t like it.
• You really need to watch this.  I couldn’t stop laughing.  It’s all funny, brother.