Definitely a 5 star episode. This was always one of my favorites!
They delve into a whole other layer of the show with this one. I really love this layer with the deep meanings and questions of life, the choices you make, and what you would do if you had the opportunity to fix a mistake. But then what if you're faced with the choice of fixing it or taking your original path which, according to this mysterious Ms. Hawking, was a path that was intended for you and though you gave up what you truly loved and wanted, you saved the world.
Whether the path he took and pushing that button really did lead to saving the world, we're not sure. I know Ms. Hawking was the second person to mention that they were "saving the world." That's what Kelvin had told him when Desmond had first gotten there as that's what Kelvin had been told by the Dharma Initiative. But then, was everything Desmond saw after turning the key just in his head? If so, then he could have simply incorporated the thought of saving the world into his "flashback."
Speaking of, that wasn't technically a flashback. It was easy to assume it was at first, before we saw Desmond's sudden realization that he felt he was reliving the past. But the writers gave us a clue right away that it wasn't a flashback. There was no "wooshing" sound effect before his past scenes like there were for all the flashbacks we've had. In a way, it was more of his life flashing before his eyes but in an altered sense. The question is, did Desmond's consciousness travel to the past when he turned that key? Or was this all a hallucination? Obviously when he turned that key, the effects of the hatch imploding opened up a part of Desmond's mind or consciousness to the ability to see the future. We've seen evidence of that as fact. In that case, it sounds reasonable that if one could "see" or "send his consciousness to" the future, then why not the past? Then the argument becomes, if he can send his consciousness to the past, then why doesn't he change things?
Well, in a way, he kind of did. He did things differently than he originally did simply for the fact that he was remembering his present time on the island. But as Ms. Hawking said, "the universe has a way of course correcting." So when he makes up his mind to go and change what happens, bam, in comes the guy with the cricket back who knocks him back to the present.
It's so fascinating to watch and to think about.
No question about it, Penny's dad, Charles Widmore, is a total and complete douche. I felt so bad for Desmond. Charles knew exactly where to hit Desmond where it would hurt him most; his feeling of worth and honor. He was unjustly cruel and degrading and it did not feel like a father's over-protectiveness toward his daughter. No, this felt like a man rich in ego and bank account who gets off on belittling men who are rich in heart. It just broke my heart that Desmond's feelings of low worth and no honor are also what caused him to mess up the happiness he had with Penny.
FYI, that MacCutcheon Whisky that Charles says one gulp of is worth more than Desmond could make in a month look familiar? It's not a real produce. Like the Apollo Bar, it was made up for the show and like Apollo Bar, it made an appearance in Once Upon a Time.
Desmond and Penny are one of my favorite TV couples ever and here, we got a small glimpse of them together. Just in this small bit, I was already shipping them! They have such great chemistry and you can see so much love between them. Even though Penny was raised in a wealthy household, she knows the value of a good man does not lie within his bank account. She loves Desmond and would gladly give up all the riches of the world for him. But it's important that you love yourself otherwise it makes it difficult or impossible for others to love you. Desmond needs to stop focusing so much on honor and the wrong reason for being worthy of Penny. He's a good man, job or no, money or no, no matter what mistakes he made in the past. Men like Desmond are rare that's what makes him valuable.
I really loved how many tiny details they put into this episode. One of the paintings on the wall in Charles' office is the painting that Claire's artist ex-boyfriend had been painting. The beeping of the microwave sounded like the beeping of the timer in the hatch. We hear "Make Your Own Kind of Music" playing on the jukebox which was the song Desmond was listening to whilst working out in the hatch in the season opener of Desmond's first real introduction to the show. We get to see the origin of the picture Desmond carries around and Penny has on her nightstand. We hear Charles mention the boat race and later, Desmond pauses as he walks by a recruiting center with a poster boasting "honor" and "be a man you can be proud of" which most likely plants the seed that leads him to sign up in the Royal Navy.
And then there's Charlie. Now that's a whole other conversation! Question is, if this was indeed Desmond's consciousness traveling to the past, was Charlie really there and if so, did Desmond not cross paths with him the original time Desmond had lived through that timeline? He seemed to be a little off course due to the fact he was experiencing deja vu, especially when he saw Charlie. Maybe the first time, he just walked passed Charlie but this time, he made a scene, saying he knew Charlie from somewhere and then went off on a button and being on an island with him. If that had really happened the first time around or at all, I would think Charlie would remember Desmond as that crazy guy who approached him on the street. So if that only happened the second time, maybe it didn't change the events as they first happened?
The other brilliant easter egg about the scene with Charlie is the song Charlie was singing. I didn't connect the dots at first until other fans pointed it out and it's so good it gave me chills. Charlie is singing the last couple lines of "Wonderwall" as Desmond approaches which has the lyric "Maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me." Cut to present time, Desmond tells Charlie that it wasn't Claire he was saving, but Charlie. He saw that Charlie was going to be electrocuted so he created that antennae. He saw that Charlie was going to drown attempting to save Claire so Desmond goes in Charlie's place. BRILLIANT detail to that piece of writing.
Okay, I could seriously go on discuss this episode into the length of a book so I'm going to stop myself here.
Favorite quotes/moments:
Hurley: I'll tell you how he knew -- that guy sees the future, dude.
Charlie referring to Desmond as "Bearded Wonder"
Charlie: [to the crowd as Desmond goes on about the future] This is why we don't do drugs.
Desmond: I don't think my failure to impress your father is any occasion to celebrate.
Penelope: Well, the occasion is I love you.
Desmond: Why? Why do you love me?
Penelope: Because you're a good man. In my experience they're pretty hard to come by.
Desmond: Oh, my God. You knew that was going to happen, didn't you? [Hawking nods] Then why didn't you stop it? Why didn't you do anything?
Ms. Hawking: Because it wouldn't matter. Had I warned him about the scaffolding tomorrow he'd be hit by a taxi. If I warned him about the taxi, he'd fall in the shower and break his neck. The universe, unfortunately, has a way of course correcting. That man was supposed to die. That was his path just as it's your path to go to the island. You don't do it because you choose to, Desmond. You do it because you're supposed to.
Desmond: [after getting knocked back to the present] Please, let me go back. Let me go back one more time. I'll do it right. I'll do it right this time. I'm sorry, Penny. I'll change it. I'll change it.
Desmond: [to Charlie] When I saw the lightning hit the roof you were electrocuted. And when you heard Claire was in the water you -- you drowned trying to save her. I dove in myself so you never went in. I've tried, brother. I've tried twice to save you, but the universe has a way of course correcting and -- and I can't stop it forever. I'm sorry. I'm sorry because no matter what I try to do you're going to die, Charlie.