Lost 3.8: "Flashes Before Your Eyes"

Written by Damon Lindelof and Drew Goddard
Directed by Jack Bender

In which Desmond saves Claire a second time, which makes Charlie suspicious, and the ensuing argument prompts Desmond to remember what happened when the Swan Station exploded…

Status Report

The producers of “Lost” must have an advanced sense of humor. After promising to return to the beach after several episodes focusing on the Others, they so exactly that. And then they proceed to spend most of the episode in an extended flashback for Desmond, who isn’t even one of the original cast! Thankfully, the episode was good enough to expose any complaints as lack of patience.

The producers had promised that answers would be coming after the introductory phase of the season arc was over, and they certainly delivered in this installment. Desmond’s status after the explosion of the Swan Station may not top the list of mysteries, but it does pertain directly to his relationship to the rest of the survivors. By the end of this episode, that much is abundantly clear: his new-found ability ties into the fate of at least two characters (Charlie and Claire), if not many more.

Of course, this being “Lost”, the answers are hardly complete. The writers would rather avoid an exposition dump, if it can be helped. Besides, the answers are a lot more fun when they arrive through the filters and perceptions of the characters themselves. If the audience is wondering how reliable the conclusions and assumptions might be, then they can understand how the characters feel.

The events of this episode are, in essence, an explanation of what happened while Desmond was unconscious after the explosion of Swan Station. It doesn’t delve into the possible meaning or the implications to the rest of the survivors on the island, and it’s not necessarily an accurate description of what happened. After all, Desmond could have simply been unconscious, reliving the past in some kind of lucid dream.

This ties back into the question of perception raised in the second season finale (“Live Together, Die Alone”). Reason would suggest that Desmond was experiencing a soul-crushing lucid dream in which he had the chance to change the past, yet his subconscious inserted a rationale to explain why the past could not be changed. So when he awakens on the island again, his “destiny” has not changed at all. But as with so much on the island, that leaves several issues without explanation.

If that experience was all a complex creation of his mind, generated by the effects of a close-proximity EM burst, how would that explain his ability to “see the future”? Up to this point, Desmond’s visions could have been dismissed as luck of the draw, however unlikely. In this episode, however, the situation is too specific to ignore the likelihood of precognition. Desmond acts well in advance to Claire’s crisis, making a point to have Charlie leave the beach so he wouldn’t be the one to die. It wasn’t that Charlie might die trying to save Claire at some point and Desmond was simply hedging his bets; he knew that Claire would be in danger at that moment and what it would mean to Charlie.

So in this case, there are two aspects that may or may not be related: Desmond’s experience and Desmond’s ability. It’s possible that Desmond’s mind was adjusting to the change in his perception, and thus triggered the dreamlike experience. In that case, Desmond would be the one making the assumption that the experience and the precognition are related, and that rules from one apply to the other. Charlie may not, in fact, be living on borrowed time.

At the same time, admission that Desmond has such an ability opens the door to more unusual considerations. While it’s true that Desmond’s experience and ability may be distinct, it’s equally possible that they are linked. And if that’s the case, then it’s possible that the circumstances of Desmond’s journey into the past can explain his ability.

If Desmond did leap back into the past, reliving a couple of days that were critical to his future, what is the implication? At the very least, there are now two timelines that may exist. In one timeline, Desmond broke up with Penny, joined the armed forces, found himself dishonorably discharged, and then tried to win back Penny by winning the Widmore race around the world. In the other timeline, it’s unclear how Desmond arrived at the island.

One possibility is that Desmond always had this experience in the existing timeline. The experience was bookended by two situations that would lead to concussion and probable memory loss. Desmond might remember what happened during those two days, but not completely. He might have recovered from the smack to the head, remembered the previous two days as he originally recounted them to his friend, and then joined the armed forces. Until the explosion of Swan Station, he would never have a reason to think things had happened differently than he remembered.

However, if Desmond’s trip into the past did change events, then it begs the question: how many of the flashbacks took place in the original timeline (before the failsafe was activated), and how many took place in the “new” timeline that was created by Desmond’s trip into his own past? This concept opens the door to complications that may never be resolved.

Adding to the complication is the presence of someone in the past (Mrs. Hawking) with explicit knowledge of the future. Not just Desmond’s future, but apparently, everyone’s destiny. If the experience was all in Desmond’s head, then such a figure would represent his own psychological process of rationalizing his emerging ability. But if it was real, then Mrs. Hawking represents the strongest argument for a guiding force behind everything that happens on “Lost”.

Mrs. Hawking is something of a Death figure. She makes it very clear that there is a time appointed for all things, and that kind of destiny cannot be avoided. If a person is meant to die, then they will die. If they are meant to go to the island, then they will go to the island. On the surface of it, it seems like a good fit for Locke’s faith in the island as a godlike intelligence.

At the same time, the island has been a crucible from the very beginning. One way or another, each survivor is faced with the opportunity to change and find redemption. Those who make the change seem to survive, while those who reject the change seem to perish. That implies a component of free will, which Mrs. Hawking directly contradicts. In essence, the two concepts are mutually exclusive: either there is an appointed time for everything, or the survivors can change their fate based on their choices. Unless, of course, the decision to change and find redemption is, in fact, part of the appointed destiny!

So despite the emphasis on Desmond, much of the meaning in this episode points to a major character thread for Charlie. Thus far, Charlie has resisted a deep and redeeming change in his life. He’s traded addiction to heroin for addiction to Claire and Aaron, as seen in “Fire + Water”. That addictive cycle is inherently self-destructive, and following the pattern of the island thus far, he would in fact be heading for an unfortunate demise.

At this point, however, Charlie knows that he’s supposed to die, at least in terms of Desmond’s interpretation. That could be the necessary trigger for Charlie to make a change in his life and find true redemption. This sets the stage for a true battle between the concepts of predestination and free will, which would provide the answer to the riddle of Desmond’s experience. If Charlie’s fate cannot be changed, then Desmond probably did slip back into the past. If Charlie eludes this fate, then it was probably a construct of Desmond’s mind.

On top of all the philosophical implications, there’s also the possibility that Desmond’s time in the past somehow translates into an overall shift in time for the island. Some have noted a discrepancy in the continuity of the third season timeline. This discrepancy is as large as roughly two days, which is roughly the amount of time that Desmond experienced in the past. This could translate into his apparent ability to see events within that rough time period. More information will be needed, however, to see if those connections hold water.

In the end, the writers managed to take the typical format of a “Lost” episode and give it a fascinating and intriguing twist. The result was an episode that should have long-term implications and should provide no end to philosophical speculation. If nothing else, the new information provided in this episode will need to be placed in context with the nature of the island itself. It should be interesting to see if Desmond’s experience is just the tip of the iceberg.

Final Analysis

Overall, this episode was an unusual look at a character’s past history, this time with more than just a metaphorical link to the action on the island. The writers play with the familiar format in a way that is unexpected and thought-provoking. The implications of this episode are fairly complex, and if handled properly, this should delve into the heart of the meaning behind the series.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10