Season 3 Episode 8

Season 3 Episode 8 - Flashes Before Your Eyes

It's all about Desmond David Hume brotha!!

So if anything this episode created more questions then it did answer. Some how Desmond is predicting things. He also goes down as the first Lostie to actually relive his own flashback.

The numbers are still showing up as the time on Desmond's clock reads 108 (just like in the hatch) as well as the delivery man saying he had a package for 815.

One interesting piece of information before we start. Desmond has been on the island for roughly 3 years. Last week Juliet told Jack that after being on the Island for 3 years Ben was finally going to let her go. So it looks like Juliet and Desmond arrived at roughly the same time.

Let's start by getting a rough idea how long ago this flashback occurred. We know it's 2004 on the Island. We also know Desmond had been there for 3 years before the Losties arrived, so he showed up in 2001. We know Desmond still has to join the military and spend some time in prison (not sure how long) but when he gets out and meets Libby he tells her "I have 8 months to get in the best shape of my life" for the big race which lands him on the Island. We hear "Building a Mystery" by Sarah McLachlan, which was released in the summer of 1997. We also see Charlie playing some tunes on the street, before he was the famous guy from Drive Shaft. Now someone has already tried to argue with me that this could be after the band broke up. Let me just squash that... (1) Anytime ANYONE says to Charlie "don't I know you from somewhere" he always replies with either Drive Shaft or by singing their big hit "You All Everybody". He didn't reply that way to Desmond. (2) He's singing Wonderwall by Oasis instead of a Drive Shaft song. (3) This is also before his drug use since he says to Desmond "This is why we don't do drugs kids".
Sidenote - Did you notice Charlie's middle name was Hieronymus. Hieronymus was a famous painter who used his paintings to depict the evil in man. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hieronymus_Bosch
So to summarize we are looking at somewhere around 97-99.

Seeing Claire drowing reminded me of when Boone tried to save the girl drowning in season 1 and Jack saved Boone. Few episodes later Boone was dead anyway. Did life "course correct" itself.

Desmond meets Mr. Widmore. Widmore has a painting on his wall that includes a polar bear, mountains, a statue and written backwards the word Namaste. In case you forgot this is how all the orientation videos end, with the Marvin Candle/Wickman saying "Namaste, and good luck". Desmond also makes an interesting quote when asked about going to university. "... I had to look after my 3 brothers after my father..." before Widmore cuts him off. We have already seen that a lot of Losties have at least one dead parent (Kate, Jack, Sawyer, Shannon, etc.) Perhaps we will be adding Desmond to the list.

Then comes the crazy old lady. She makes some significant points:
She tells Des if he doesn't push the button for 3 years then turn the key that the "rest of us" will be dead.
"The universe has a way of course correcting"
"Pushing that button is the only truly great thing you'll ever do"

Desmond doesn't like being called a coward. But he gets it a lot.
Last seasons final episode:
Desmond "What makes you think I would just run away"
Widmore "Because you're a coward"
Last nights episode:
Penny tells him if he's going to break up with her to do it because he's a coward. Then of course Charlie calls him a coward and he freaks out.

The receptionsit at Widmore's office also played one fo the EMT's in the Season One Finale episode where Jack meets Desmond in a flashback

Will Charlie die?? Let's hope he bores me. But as of right now episode 17 is rumored to be about Charlie so if he bites it I don't see it happening until then.

My thoughts: I really don't think Desmond is traveling time. With all the experiments going on (like poor old Carl last week) him reliving a flashback isn't so crazy. What needs to be explained is the flashes he sees about Charlie being killed off. But if these guys could arrange for Juliet's hubby to be struck by a bus, couldn't they potentially be setting up these events with Charlie to see how long Des can save the day? Just a theory

NEXT WEEK
Episode 9 Stranger in a Strange Land - Jack flashback
Looks like Cindy the flight attendant will be making an appearance. We haven't seen her since the night the Others took her, right before Anna shot Shannon...

See Ya's in Another Life Brotha.....