Summary: On the island, Widmore sets up an electromagnetism test to see if Desmond can survive it. Desmond is locked in a room and exposed to electromagnetism, and his consciousness is thrown into the flashsideways world. In the flashsideways world, Desmond is single and works for Widmore, who deeply respects him. Desmond is tasked with bringing Charlie to perform at a concert for Widmore's wife Eloise. Charlie tells Desmond that he experienced something on the plane, flashes of memories he doesn't have. Charlie drives Desmond's car into the water and Desmond has these flashes to, drawing him towards someone he loves named Penny. Charlie doesn't come to the concert so Desmond apologizes to Eloise. He keeps looking for Penny and Eloise tells him that he needs to stop. Desmond prepares to leave but he is met by Daniel who explains he has been having flashes too and suspects they are in an alternative universe. Daniel tells Desmond that Penny is his half-sister and Desmond meets her. Upon contacting her, he wakes up in the present and has changed completely. Zoe escorts Desmond, but Sayid takes control and takes Desmond away. Back in the flashsideways, Desmond sets up a date with Penny and decides that he is going to show what he experienced to the other Oceanic 815 passengers.
The Good: Once again a Desmond episode provides us with an excellent formula break experience that is nothing like anything else in the season. The utilization of the formula break was tremendous in this episode because it finally connects the flashsideways universe with the main universe, finally creating some stakes for the flashsideways to make it more interesting to me. I've been criticizing the flashsideways a lot in recent episodes, and I think that it was really important to give them a greater sense of importance. This episode did that, and while I still have plenty of questions (see: The Unknown), I am more interested to see where this is all going. This was a very important episode for the show and I think that we will look back at this episode as a major turning point for the story of season 6. Desmond's story has its flaws (see: The Bad), but I can't deny that it is superbly written and the mystery is captivating to watch. The episode progresses at a good pace, and there are big, important scenes given to us at regular intervals to ensure that spending a whole episode in the flashsideways doesn't become a dull experience. There are so many well-written moments throughout this episode. Desmond and Charlie's dynamic is a lot of fun, and the episode does a tremendous job of showing us these "flashes" that Charlie talks about, giving Desmond hints of the love that he had in the other universe. These scenes are edited well and they build up suspense and mystery for the rest of the episode. The climax of the episode is built around conversations, which I always enjoy. The episode builds up to Desmond meeting Eloise, Daniel, and ultimately Penny, through several terrific scenes. It's as unnerving as ever to see Eloise be so mysteriously omniscient and I enjoyed her presence in this episode. Daniel was as wonderful to watch as ever, and he offered a ton of great mysterious lines while Jeremy Davies gave us another great performance. And of course, Desmond and Penny together are always a delight, and their last scene was very sweet. This is probably the most callback-heavy episode of the season so far, and there were so many little delights to enjoy. The episode is very similar in structure to "Flashes Before Your Eyes", and as such it feels like a direct reference to that episode. There are lots of little moments in Desmond's story that call back to characters and moments in previous seasons. It's weird in a beautiful way to see Widmore so impressed by Desmond, and I love the touch of him sharing the MacCutcheon with him in this universe. George Minkowski being Desmond's driver is another nice touch. There's also mention of a button again, teasing the button from season 2. Eloise appears again, and of course she is somehow omniscient once again. She gets in a really good line as she tells Desmond "it's about time", which is very clearly a tongue-in-cheek moment created by the writers. Daniel's presence as a musician in this world is a lovely moment for him, suggesting that in this universe Daniel was allowed to make his own destiny instead of adhering to the one Eloise pushed him towards. There's another nice reference as Daniel mentions that Charlotte was eating chocolate when he saw her in the museum. Lastly, it's fitting that Desmond's first meeting with Penny in this world took place at the stadium where we saw him for the first time in the show. The Bad: I'm sure that it shows in my summary that this episode is extremely convoluted and confusing, and this takes away from the story being told. I'm aware that these complaints may sound a bit hypocritical as "Lost" has often had convoluted mysteries like this. But the difference between this episode and a better one like "Flashes Before Your Eyes" is that the withheld information actively prevented me from emotionally investing in the story. "Flashes Before Your Eyes" gave me a good idea of what was happening, and by the end of the episode I knew that Desmond was reliving his past and was hopeful of changing things. So I had enough context to invest in Desmond's personal arc. But "Happily Ever After" doesn't give me that same context. I finished the episode with more questions than I started it with, and while I'm sure they will be answered eventually, it makes for a lesser emotional experience when I don't understand what is at stake during a character's journey. I wasn't able to invest with Desmond in this episode in the way that I did in his previous episodes. Several moments in this episode didn't hit me the way that they should have because of the confusing nature of the episode. Desmond experiencing these "flashes" would be more powerful if I had a better idea of what they are. Eloise telling Desmond to stop looking for Penny could have been a huge moment if we knew what the significance of everything was, and if we knew why Eloise was saying this to him. I also feel cold on the ending of the episode. I'm not sure what to feel about Desmond's new mission. I'm too confused to know if I'm rooting for him to succeed or not. All of these moments could have landed better if I had a bit more context on Desmond and what he has discovered. I imagine this episode will be much better on rewatch when I have a better idea of the bigger picture, but on first watch this is too confusing to be the amazing episode it is trying to be. The Unknown: Why does Widmore need Desmond? Why does he need to expose him to electromagnetism again? What is the purpose of this? How did Desmond's experience in the flashsideways change him so suddenly? Did his brain actually get fried? Or has he learned something that we aren't aware of yet? What does Sayid plan on doing with Desmond? What were those flashes that Desmond experienced? What is the significance of this? Why is he going to show this to the others? What does he hope to gain? What are his motives in the flahssideways? What does he think is happening in this world? How is Eloise self-aware in this other world? She seems to know that the other timeline exists. How? We better get more than her explanation of "because I just do". Why does she want Desmond to stop searching for Penny? Daniel talking about detonating a nuclear bomb was interesting. Is this confirmation that we are in an alternate timeline? Is this timeline technically fake, and are these flashes an attempt to revert back to the "real" timeline? I'm very confused by all of this. Best Moment: Desmond and Penny setting up a date. They are just wonderful together. Character of the Episode: Desmond. Conclusion: "Lost" has always been really good at making formula break episodes, and this is no exception. It's a well executed and memorable experience that changes everything in preparation for the final stretch of the season. However, I think that too much information was withheld from us and that hurt my emotional investment in the events of this episode. This is still a great experience, but it's certainly a far cry from some of the best formula break episodes of "Lost". Score: 69
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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