A Desmondcentric episode. Always a hit with the fans. Not only is Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond) a phenominal actor, he is one of the major keys to unlock the mysteries of the island. He has a supernatural twist to his story as he is a sort of “seer” having what people assume now as being premonitions. He also has the best love story of the cast so far. It is so sweet and strong; the writers really hit the mark on this background story.
We find out a lot more about Desmond that we never even assumed in this week’s flashback. He also leads some of the islanders on a journey with him because of what he sees in his “flashforward” On the other side of the island, the story picks up with Jack, Sawyer and Kate. We get to see the dynamic between all three characters with Juliet (an other) as an axis in the middle as well.
Desmond:
He is a strong and rounded character, that’s no secret. Secretive, yet not as mysterious as Locke or Kate, Desmond keeps his secrets because he has a silent pain from his past and his motives have more to do with destiny than even Locke’s motives do. Locke may be a link to the island but it seems that Desmond’s destiny is one that God himself put on him. We sort of guessed this from a previous Desmondcentric episode when a strange women tells him that what he is going to do will save the world.
But in this episode, Desmond sees what he is supposed to do, and has to decide whether to let it happen or not. He is supposed to let Charlie die so that his long lost love, Penny, will come back to him. In his flashes, he sees Hurley and Jin pulling up a rope in the sand, a flash of light in the sky, and Charlie being speared in the neck by an arrow. What a graphic and shocking moment for the beginning of the show! At first you see the troupe of four walking in the woods and Charlie is suddenly speared by one of Danielle’s little traps. It was horrific and beautifully done at the same time. For a moment I thought it was real and Charlie was dead, but we are pulled back into reality and realize it was only one of Desmond’s flashes.
In the flashback, it is revealed why Desmond calls everyone “brother”. He used to be a monk. I don’t think anyone saw that one coming. All we know at the beginning of the flashback is that Desmond becomes a monk and he thinks that this is his destiny. In the Abby, he is called “brother”by the other monks as well as calling everyone else “brother”. All the fans just thought it was some quirk Desmond had to call everyone that, but this was a great surprise to learn the origins of his speech. Maybe Sawyer will have an origin as to why he uses nicknames to defame people.
And here’s another thing, We all thought throughout the episode that this flashback happened after he met Penny up until the time when he goes to see his ex-fiance. And when the door opens, it is some other girl. Talk about surprise! So he left his fiancé just before the wedding to become a monk. But when he realizes that she thinks he was a coward to do so (also something that years later Penny calls him when he leaves her), he starts to drink the Abby’s wine. The other monk who has become his friend fires him because of this and tells him that God has bigger plans for him. Upon leaving the Abby, he meets Penny and the rest is history.
It seems as if Desmond has always been a drinker and there was a set-up to that not long ago in the last Desmondcentric episode. The writers are really delving into the psyche of all their characters but not as much as they are with Desmond and Locke. This leads me to believe that they are the keys to everything, not the “others”.
In the present, Desmond takes his three friends on the journey with him so that his flash forward will play out. But in the end, he doesn’t find what he wants to find. This again, is God stepping in and testing Desmond to make him believe that what he wants is not always the right thing. Although God may have a plan for Desmond, he still hurts the people that he loves and cares about. He has to figure out what these tests mean before he completely gives up. And before he completely alienates even the people on the island.
The new mysterious traveler that Hurley, Jin, Charlie and Desmond find in the woods after a plane crash will be revealed on next week’s episode.
Charlie:
Through the whole episode, Desmond is not sure whether he will let Charlie die or not. And what was great about this episode is that the suspense never died. It’s been said that Charlie would die soon so this might have been the episode. Desmond gathers these three gentlemen so that he can have his flash play out, thinking that the someone falling from the sky is his ex, Penny. But he never tells Charlie the truth about seeing his death. The drama and tension throughout between he and Charlie was exactly what Lost should be about. Friendship, personal agendas, selfishness, teamwork and a passion to get off the island all played into the tension between he and Desmond.
Jack, Kate, and Sawyer:
Poor Sawyer, he has become a third wheel, a used friend and lover, a man in love Kate. He asks Kate to be with him in the beginning of the episode and she pretty much refuses. But when she interacts with Jack and sees that he is spending most of his time with Juliet, she is not a happy camper. She ends up jumping Sawyer into bed, but he soon figures out that it’s not because she wants him.
In interrogating Jack on the ping pong court, Sawyer realizes that Kate wanted Jack at first. But Sawyer reminds Kate that he doesn’t care who she really loves. All she needs to do is ask and he’ll come to her. I think Sawyer has come to terms with the fact that Kate will never love him. And he’s also come to terms with the fact that he can let his guard down because there is no one to impress or con on this island. And even if he did have the notion to do so, there’s nowhere to go after the con is done. He’s becoming a real person with real feelings. He’s taking the armor off and actually has to deal with real interactions. Sawyer has even become acquaintances with Jack. Another shocker.
So all in all, this episode had a lot to do with the psyche of its characters as it always does but also with the choices people make to further their own destinies. It’s about being a stand-up person no matter what the circumstances are. Desmond couldn’t face his fears and tell his fiancé that he was scared to get married so he said nothing. He couldn’t face Charlie and tell him the truth for fear that he wouldn’t get to see Penny again. But in the end, neither situation turned out right for him because he made the wrong decisions for his own personal gain. Kate, instead of telling Sawyer the truth, decided to satisfy her own lusts. She didn’t consider that he had feelings too, which most people don’t think of Sawyer. But like everyone else, he does have feelings and finally now we are beginning to see a truer side to him.
You can watch Lost on ABC, Wednesday nights at 10pm.
