LOST ‘FLASHES BEFORE YOUR EYES’: BEST EPISODE OF SEASON 3!
Before I begin this week’s installment of overanalysis and conspiracy theories, I would like to state that last night’s episode ranks in my Top 5 Best Episodes of Lost Ever. Wow. It was unconventional and fantastic.
Just an FYI: some serious Lost fans reversed the audio during last week’s Clockwork Orange scene with Carl, and the phrase “Only fools are enslaved by time and space” is repeated. It’s creepy, and is not a hoax; clearly the Producers are aware of the tech savvy nature of their rabid fans and purposefully inserted that little Easter Egg.
As for last night’s episode…
Let’s start with the title, ‘Flashes Before Your Eyes.’ It’s not Flashes Before HIS Eyes, which makes me think that Desmond isn’t the only one who has time traveled on that island. Or does the title refer to the flashes that everyone on the island saw when Desmond turned that key beneath the hatch?
MOVIE HOMAGES
The scene where Desmond is talking to Pawn Shop Lady on the bench is quite similar to The Matrix Reloaded, right down to Neo talking with The Oracle on the bench and offering candy (Pawn Shop Lady offers Desmond some chestnuts).
When Desmond was with Pawn Shop Lady, they witnessed a man being crushed in an accident. Another Wizard of Oz shout out (remember that the witch was crushed beneath the house). And the dearly departed in last night’s episode was wearing red shoes just like Dorothy and her infamous ruby red slippers.
When Desmond woke up in the red paint and it looked like blood, I immediately remembered the scene in the Wachowski Brothers’ film Bound when Joe Pantoliano was shot on a floor full of spilled white paint [unfortunately, I could not find a screen capture of this online].
CHARLIE
Now that we know that Charlie is doomed, don’t be surprised if Sun finds out that Charlie was the one who assaulted her last season. Perhaps Jin plays a role in Charlie’s death…
When Sawyer returns to the beach after escaping Other
DESMOND
Did you notice that most of Desmond’s flashback was not accompanied by the usual Lost flashback sound effect? Right away, I knew were in store for something completely different.
It would be easy to say that none of what Desmond experienced actually happened, that it was a figment of his imagination while knocked out from the hatch explosion. It would also be too convenient to say that Pawn Shop Lady represented his subconscious. I prefer to think that the turning of that key and hatch implosion erased and/or froze an unspecified amount of time on the island; the results of which we will see unfold during the rest of this season. Remember, there is one fact that favors my theory – that Mittelos (the company that tried to recruit Juliet last week) is an anagram for Lost Time.
There are now at least three castaways that Desmond supposedly interacted with before the crash of Flight 815: Charlie (who was outside of Widmore Industries playing guitar for donations after Desmond’s interview), Jack (whom he ran into while jogging at a stadium), and Libby/Elizabeth (who gave him her boat for the race that ultimately brought him to the island). Is Desmond going to be the one who has connections to every last survivor from that plane?
It is not mere coincidence that Desmond woke up in the jungle disoriented in almost the exact same way that Lost began in the Pilot episode with Jack (in the same position lying in the jungle looking up). The focus was on Desmond’s eyes as he first came to, just as it was on Jack’s.
Just how far in the future can Desmond see? Will he continue trying to alter the fates of others (i.e. Charlie) on the island? Will this power last, or is it a temporary condition due to hatch explosion concussion? Will he be able to flash forward as well as back?
Will Desmond’s rescue of Claire lead to a new love triangle? She sure seemed interested in him after his heroic efforts. Oh, and she’s certainly had plenty of experience with psychics…
Love the appropriate use of Sarah McLachlan’s song ‘Building a Mystery’ after Desmond woke up in his apartment with Penny.
Back in Season One, Locke predicted rain before it occurred. Just like Desmond during his flashback last night in
Penny told Desmond she loved him because he was a ‘good man.’ Yet another reference to ‘good’ people, which the Others are quite interested in.
Locke, the island’s resident man of faith, will be thrilled – Pawn Shop Lady’s speech to Desmond was all about ‘the path of destiny’ and fate.
So if Desmond really visited his past, wouldn’t that mean that his friend Donovan from the pub would know about the island and then tell Penny about it when Desmond went missing? And since Donovan is a physicist, perhaps that’s why Penny knew to put together a team to search for an electromagnetic anomaly…
Last week Juliet revealed that she’d been on the island for just over three years. According to Desmond during his flashback, he was on the island for three years. That would place their arrivals around the same time, which would be an interesting twist. We know that Desmond supposedly washed up on shore after his boat crashed in a storm, but they have not yet explained just how Juliet wound up there…
MR. WIDMORE
Nice polar bear on the painting in Mr. Widmore’s office, which looked suspiciously like the mural on the original hatch wall. Oh, and the word ‘namaste’ (which is said at the end of each Orientation Film) is also painted backwards at the top of the painting. I’m starting to think that Widmore Industries funds all things Dharma and/or Hanso.
Widmore must also be an investor with Oceanic Airlines. Sawyer stole both a bottle of Widmore’s favorite expensive whiskey from the wreckage of Flight 815, and a Widmore Pregnancy Test (which Sun wound up using to confirm that she was with child).
Mr. Widmore is yet another manifestation of major Daddy issues. Sun’s dad was as mean to Jin as Widmore was to Desmond. Jack, Kate, Locke and Sawyer all had problems with their fathers too, not to mention Walt with Michael.
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All in all, I absolutely loved this episode. I simply do not understand those who have given up on Lost. As a true fan, I’ve never experienced a show that gets stronger with each season, let alone one that keeps me on the edge of my seat with such anticipation every week. It is very sad that the ratings have dropped, and I’m hoping that can be attributed to the large numbers of iTunes downloads and free ABC.com viewings rather than the loss of the Lost faithful.