Summary: Frank, Desmond and Sayid leave the island but Desmond gets confused as his consciousness starts jumping from his past to the present. Desmond thinks he's in 1996 and is problematic when Frank lands on the boat. Desmond is taken to the doctor and finds Minkowski, who is in the same predicament. Sayid calls the island and talks to Daniel who helps Desmond by telling him to meet his past self in 1996. Desmond goes to Oxford and meets Daniel who tells him that he needs to connect with a constant in both timelines, who Desmond decides is Penny. In the past Desmond tries to find Penny so that he can get her number to call her. Sayid fixes the sabotaged comms on the boat and gets Desmond a call. Minkowski dies due to the difficulty of his consciousness jumps. Desmond calls Penny and corrects his consciousness. Desmond and Penny promise to find each other.
The Good: Formula break episodes are where "Lost" really gets to shine. This is another example of that. The idea for this episode is incredibly creative, and the show goes all-out when putting this to the screen. Following Desmond's consciousness as it goes back and forth from past to present makes for a surreal experience like no other on television. There is hardly any moment in this episode that shifts the focus away from Desmond, immersing us with his plight perfectly. The editing is really clever, and the transitions between past and present perfectly encapsulate the jarring disorientation that Desmond feels when his brain snaps between time periods. The episode also does a brilliant job of showing us little things to highlight Desmond's confusion when this happens, such as his reaction to clean up his nosebleed or his reaction to look for the numbers he had just written down on his hand. The writing is really strong, and the writers impressively manage to present this complex, confusing narrative in a way that makes sense for the viewers. This episode once again tackles the narrative cesspool that is time travel, and it does so in such a unique way. The episode slowly dishes out information about what is happening to Desmond, allowing us to easily follow along with what's going on, giving us information as Desmond finds out more information. Daniel in particular is used wonderfully here. Jeremy Davies' performance as twitchy, awkward Daniel Faraday is gripping to watch and adds extra depth and intrigue to the scenes with Daniel, furthering the mysteries of what happened to this physicist that resulted in the mentally impaired state he is in on the island (see: The Unknown). Developing this mystery alongside giving us information about what's happening to Desmond elevates these scenes from being simple exposition. Furthermore, the episode has really big stakes when we learn that Desmond's life is on the line, and Henry Ian Cusick portrays Desmond's desperation beautifully. Despite the confusing nature of time travel, the episode succeeds by giving us simplified explanations and keeping the drama rooted in its characters. The time-travel drama of this episode is certainly engaging, but what makes it special is how the emotional heart of Desmond's story is never lost. By the end of the episode it's clear that this episode was all about the relationship between Desmond and Penny, and the two of them share their best moment together on that phone call at the end of the episode (see: Best Moment). The episode wonderfully builds up to this moment, and once it happens, it is perfect. The editing of this scene is utterly spectacular and the show gets everything picture-perfect to make this one of the most emotional and beautiful scenes of the show so far. This moment works as a perfect climax for the episode, both emotionally and as a conclusion to the time travel story. This episode also serves as our introduction to the freighter. We finally get to meet the rest of the crew, and there are some curious new characters that we meet here, like Keamy and the doctor. Plus it seems like there's more going on here than what meets the eye with the sabotaged communications, and the mysterious captain who we have not met yet. These are all the reasons from a storytelling perspective that this episode is excellent. But to relegate this episode to just that would be a disservice to how incredible of an experience this was. Saying what's good about this episode is difficult because no words are able to capture how beautifully every aspect of this episode comes together as a television experience. It's a unique and amazingly engrossing experience unlike anything else you will find on television. This episode also introduced the idea of television episodes deviating from a linear story and becoming more bold and experimental in style. I firmly believe that the success of this episode gave the green light for many more incredible experimental episodes of television like "International Assassin" from "The Leftovers", "If-Then-Else" from "Person of Interest" and "The View From Halfway Down" from "BoJack Horseman". The impact that this episode had on television was huge, and even now after I've watched this episode countless times over the years, it still holds up as one of the all-time best. The Bad: I have a few nitpicks. It's hard to believe that Desmond made it all the way to Oxford without jumping back a single time. Additionally, the power source running out so quickly for Desmond has been a trope for this show. Batteries seem to have a ridiculously low life span in the world of "Lost". The Unknown: This episode raises so many fascinating questions that are huge for the show as a whole. Is the island located in a sort of different time vortex from the rest of the world? Surely there's some reason for the time discrepancy that happened with Frank's arrival on the boat happening far later than it should have. The show has done well building up this mystery this season. Did Desmond experience these side effects because of his exposure to electromagnetism when the hatch imploded? What other effects will the exposure to electromagnetism have on Desmond? We already know that he had the time travel experience back in "Flashes Before Your Eyes" and he also had the visions of Charlie's death. Speaking of which, is Desmond still getting these visions? He hasn't had any this season. Was it prolonged exposure to radiation that caused Dan's current mental state? We see him taking improper precautions in the flashback, perhaps this is why his brain is fried in the present day. Also, is the island healing Daniel's brain? Who left the door open for Sayid and Desmond to escape? Was it Frank? Or perhaps somebody else? We know that Ben has a man on the freighter. Who is it? Could it be the captain? The scene with Widmore is really interesting. We see him bidding on a journal from the Black Rock. Does he know about the Black Rock and the island? Why does he want this journal? I also noticed that the journal was property of Tovard Hanso, likely an ancestor of Alvar Hanso of the Hanso Foundation we hear mentioned by the Dharma Initiative. Was the Black Rock how the Hanso Foundation learned about the island? How did this happen? These details are really fascinating to learn about and they suggest that the writers do have a good idea of how all of the mysteries connect together. Apparently Daniel has written that Desmond is now his constant. What is the significance of this? Is this something that Daniel actually forgot about? We know it's possible because of his frayed mental state. Or more interestingly, is this a case where Desmond's experience actually rewrote time? I wonder if this will prove to be significant. Best Moment: Desmond and Penny's phone call. We're so invested in this relationship by now that seeing them finally contact each other in the present day is amazingly cathartic. The performances are brilliant, and it's clear that these two are just so happy to be in each other's presence. Add on some terrific filming choices, the editing between past and present Desmond, and the beautiful music, and this sequence is genuinely moving. The promises they make to each other are heartbreaking to watch, and Desmond's resolved thank you to Sayid afterwards is a great human moment. This show always goes the extra mile to make these characters feel more real and understandable. Character of the Episode: Desmond of course. Conclusion: This was a masterful episode. Not only was it a perfect execution of a creative concept, but it also had the emotional heart of the best episodes of "Lost". And on top of that, the episode came together perfectly to create one of the greatest viewing experiences you can get from a TV show, paving the way for many more outstanding experimental TV episodes in the future. This is the best episode of "Lost" and one of the greatest episodes of television ever made. Score: 92
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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