Lost Theories: Desmond Flashback - Real or Fake?

Desmond Returns From His Flashback

I've been getting a lot of questions about the Desmond Flashback in Lost Season 3, Episode 8 "Flashes Before Your Eyes". So, this really is not a Lost spoilers post, but more like a Lost theories post. There is no spoilers-y explanation for it since the spoilers actually are in the creators' intentions. Like a lot about Lost, this was a thinking person's flashback. Not necessarily a tight linear narrative, but rather thought provocation about the rich mystery of the Lost TV series island itself.

What happened was, the flashback was of Desmond's experience as he turned the failsafe hatch key in the season finale of Lost Season 2. Desmond turns the key and is blown clear out of the hatch, and onto the surface of the Lost island. He is unconscious and covered with blood. His life flashes before his eyes, hence the episode 8 title. Desmond was remembering key events of his life, with an overlay of his present experience. The island references, recognition of Charlie and so on were all an overlay of dream on Desmond's memories of his life.

That is my favorite theory among the millions of theories floating around. One theory for each of the 20 million or 14 million or zillion Lost TV show fans... whatever ... If you KNOW, you know what I mean. :)

Back to the theories discussion: you cannot really decipher all that is dream from that which was real, and of course that was the intention of the Lost writers. Alternatively, if you are a cynic, it was just an entertaining mishmash, or you could say Desmond was travelling through time. To give a bone to that camp, the writers conveniently wrote Desmond naked, as losing his clothes. In one literary embodiment of the time travel myth, you lose your clothes when you return home. So, under such a theory Desmond actually time - travelled back to his past and lost his clothes upon return.

Lost Spoilers, Clues and Eggs from Flashes Before Your Eyes

(Desmond helps Charlie postpone his destiny)

This is a companion post to my Lost Clues blog at LostExposed.com. You should go there to read my summary of the clues in this Lost episode. Here I will expand on the spoilers - y items, after all this is the Lost Spoilers blog.

A lot of Lost fans are thinking this episode should have been placed as episode 1 for season 3, since it provided some sort of explanation for what happened when the hatch blew up, or imploded. This is a spoilers blog and the answer is: Desmond was fulfilling his destiny.

The title was “Flashes Before Your Eyes”, but it could have been, Finally Locke, Sayid, Charlie, Hurley and Desmond get some face time. Not really. "Flashes Before Your Eyes " was nicely tied to that theme, as the flashback was in flashes before Desmond’s eye, and also relates to the thought process going on at the moment of destiny. This Lost episode could have also been called, Desmond is the key. After all Desmond is the only Lostie to escape from the island and come back to talk about it. We need now to go back and look at all the statements Desmond has made about inevitable destiny and view them with a new respect.

Big spoilers are in why Desmond needed to return to turn the key. We have all the facts and just need to add them up. The missing portion of his back story is how Desmond got in the army, into jail, and then to make a decision to enter evil Charles Widmore’s boat race taking him to his destiny on the island. And, what did he tell the lovely Penny about the plan? The spoilers are that Penny knew to look for the magnetic anomaly (or whatever it was) that would occur when Desmond finally fulfilled his destiny and turned the key. That would be her clue as to his location or the timing of his eventual return.

The Desmond flashback was an undecipherable mixture of actual past events with an overlay of the reflections of present day island Desmond – as his life flashes before his eyes. One spoiler we know for sure is that when Desmond says, it is impossible to escape, he means, for the person he is talking to, the destiny is to remain on the island. And, if they do escape, time will correct that error.

For Charlie that means Charlie has been cheating death, with Desmond’s help, but that streak of luck is bound to end. The example in this episode is Desmond's rescue of Claire. His aggressive shooing away of Charlie is depicted in the picture above (thanks Lostpedia). It seemed odd at the time, but Desmond needed to keep Charlie away to avoid risks to Charlie's life.

If the Charlie's street performance flashback was 100% true, Charlie probably would have remembered the confrontation with Desmond on the street in London. The only explanations are, either the confrontation did not occur, or heroin wiped away Charlie’s brain cells. The spoilers are that the flashback was a dream by Desmond induced by the hatch ex - implosion, and in the dream Desmond mixed the actual event - meeting Charlie on the street, with the overlay of his present friendship with Charlie.

Desmond tried to escape, but his destiny was to come back to turn the key. He sailed away but time corrected that error and took him back at the end of Season 2 of Lost.

Then there was Charles Widmore – the mysterious man of many insults:

• “This swallow is worth more than you could make in a month” … maybe.


• “You will never be a great man” … wrong, Desmond turned out to be great, since pushing the button and turning the key would be great things he accomplished. We do not know why they were great, although the leading explanation is those events are his test of worth leading to his reunion with the lovely Penny Widmore. Oh, also he saved humanity from destruction.

This episode brought back the Lost clues, Easter eggs and spoilers hints Lost fans love … in droves:

• Beginning flashback song, “Building A Mystery”


• Beep on microwave, same as the eerie warning to push the hatch button


• Microwave numbers, 1:08


• Parcel delivery for (4) suite 8-15 at the Widmore Industries office.


• In Charles “whisky” Widmore’s office, the old broken down boat – the Black Rock (Black Rock spoilers to come), a polar bear painting and the word “namaste” backwards on the wall.


• Charlie on the street performing Oasis’ “Wonderwall” – following the wall theme.


• Ads in the soccer game on TV in the bar: Apollo Candy, The Hanso Foundation, Oceanic Airlines, Hurley's Mr. Cluck's Chicken Shack, Gannon Car Rentals (mysteriously appearing in Heroes the same week!)


• Song in the bar – same song Desmond played on button-pushing duty.


• The diamond lady Ms. Hawking – like “M” from James Bond fame, and like the Oracle in the Matrix trilogy, an all knowing seer of the future and past. Second of the Hawking-based spoilers in two weeks, the first being his book being read by the Other guarding Karl's Room 23 brainwashing session.

Lost Valentine

Yet again, your humble Lost spoilers blogger was accurate in predicting a Lost Valentine connection with "Flashes Before Your Eyes", Lost Season 3, Episode 8 (kind of close). The episode was full of surprises, and I will post the clues - y spoilers - like episode twists and turns on Thursday this time.

The Valentine I am writing about here is a Valentine's surprise present from ABC to the Lost fans. This coming on the heals of the Lost bloopers floating around the Internet make this a nice duo for the literally thousands of Lost spoilers blog readers.

By the way, that number is accurate and I've been surprised by and grateful for how fast the word has gotten around about this blog.

Anyway, now that I'm all misty eyed, the point of this post is the press release put out by ABC for Valentine's Day. ABC will be putting up a total of 60 Lost video Back Stories on ABC.com. Four each week for the next 12 weeks.

The first four of the Lost video Back Stories are online now, so these really are not spoilers: The first four are Juliet, Kate, Sawyer and Locke. They seem like compilations of flashbacks from previous episodes, not much new. They will be good for new Lost fans, and as refreshers for everyone else.

Here is what ABC said about the Lost video Back Stories:

"LOST" FANS GET A VALENTINE'S DAY SURPRISE AS ABC.COM PREMIERES CHARACTER VIDEO BACK STORIES, BEGINNING FEBRUARY 14

A Lost Valentine present from ABC.

ABC.com is giving "Lost" fans a Valentine's Day surprise with the first installment of four video back stories (Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Locke). Created to provide new viewers insight into the lives of the series' characters and to give fans an opportunity to see characters' back stories in chronological order, each video combines scenes from previously aired episodes. Every Wednesday four back story segments will debut on ABC.com until the end of the season (60 total).

Enjoy, and Happy Valentine's Day from Contender.
xoxoxoxox :)

Lost Spoilers: More Flashes Before Your Eyes, Season 3, Episode 8

Lost Spoilers for Flashes Before Your Eyes, Season 3, Episode 8. It feels like the season is just beginning, but we really are in Part II of Season 3. Keeping with the Part II theme, this is a continuation of my Lost spoilers for the Valentine's Day episode of Lost. Part I was the raft of spoilers post, and there are a lot of others that I've posted over the past few months and you can find those spoilers posts following this link and scroll down.

I actually have been looking forward to this episode a lot, since Desmond is one of my favorite Lost characters. Ep. 8 is a Desmond-centric episode, equipped with a Desmond flashback, which the producers have touted as unlike any other. Behind the hype will be revelations of how Desmond got where he is - and of the mysterious Widmore clan. The Desmond is new and improved for Season 3, the ability to see the future. What does he see? The previews repeatedly have warned us that he sees someone's death. Of course, every human dies, so it does not take much talent to predict that. But Desmond knows more. Expect him to be vague.

Ep. 7 last week gave us a hint of Widmores to come, as Juliet's sister Rachel tested herself with one of those ubiquitous Widmore Pharmaceuticals home pregnancy test kits - depicted in the photo (thanks DarkUFO).

Did you notice the references to the Lost Experience ARG last week? Mittelos, recalling Mittelwerk the evil star of the ARG, and of course Rachel, Juliet's sister recalling Rachel Blake the good star of the ARG.

Here is the official Lost press release from ABC, which usually has some spoilers, and sometimes some misdirection:

HURLEY CONVINCES CHARLIE TO HELP HIM FIND OUT WHAT'S UP
WITH DESMOND, WHO HAS BEEN ACTING VERY STRANGELY
EVER SINCE THE HATCH IMPLODED, ON ABC'S "LOST"

This is the headline ... Hurley and Charlie go and confront Desmond.

"Flashes Before Your Eyes" - A suspicious and determined Hurley enlists Charlie to help him wrangle the truth out of Desmond, who has been acting strangely ever since the implosion of the hatch, on "Lost,"

Look for Desmond to remain coy. He feels the horror of what happened from the implosion and failure to press the button.

"Lost" stars Naveen Andrews as Sayid, Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond, Emilie de Ravin as Claire, Michael Emerson as Ben, Matthew Fox as Jack, Jorge Garcia as Hurley, Josh Holloway as Sawyer, Daniel Dae Kim as Jin, Yunjin Kim as Sun, Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet, Dominic Monaghan as Charlie and Terry O'Quinn as Locke.

Guest starring are Sonya Walger as Penny Widmore, Alan Dale as Charles Widmore, Shishir Kurup as Donovan, Fionnula Flanagan as Ms. Hawking, Katie Doyle as receptionist, Jeremy Colvin as delivery man, Michael Titterton as bartender and David Cordell as Jimmy Lennon.

Penny is back.

Raft of Lost Spoilers Rowing In

The next episode of Lost is "Flashes Before Your Eyes" - Season 3, Episode 8. To kick off the Lost spoilers for this episode, it is a Valentine's Day special, so expect romance to be in the air.
Now for the easy Kate and Sawyer Lost spoiler, the last we saw of Kate and Sawyer and unconscious Karl, they were rowing back to the big Lost Island, as shown in the picture at the left. Expect Kate to have remourse over leaving Jack and contemplate turning around to try to go back and get him - even though Jack insisted she not do that.

Back in the cult spoilers, time for Jack to get back to Othersville - the Others' cult camp, for some old fashioned reeducation. Juliet too. So, they will have something in common, to serve as a basis for a blossoming relationship.

I'll have more on the Lost Flashes Before Your Eyes episode in my spoilers post for the episode early next week.

Here are a few Lost Spoilers courtesy of the typically vague hints in TV Guide.

Ok, next few weeks there will be flashbacks for Desmond (Flashes Before Your Eyes) and some of the old familiar beach Losties, Claire, Hurley, and Sayid, and Jack too. Probably the biggest Lost spoiler is finally we will learn a bit more about how Locke became wheelchair bound. He slipped on a banana peel ... seriously not funny ... I don't know right now. But Terry O'Quinn has personally guaranteed "It's pretty stunning".

Some of the kidnapped childern, not Walt, are seen in Season 3, Episode 9, Stranger In A Strange Land - along with the Oceanic Flight 815 stewardess Cindy.

In Season 3, Episode 9 we will get some more info on the connection of the Others to the Dharma Initiative. It was pretty clear from Episode 7 (Not In Portland) that Juliet was recruited by the evil Others, and Dharma. So we are slated to learn a bit more, and vidit a new hatch, the Flame hatch.

Final Not In Portland Spoilers

The hype is on and Lost is leaking fast! It is a finely tuned PR machine. First there were a series of stories on how Lost is going to remind everyone of why they love the mystery of the show. Now the entire next episode – Lost series 3, episode 7, has been leaked.

This is a spoilers blog, right? So why aren’t we publishing the whole thing? First, ABC apparently asked people not to do that. Second it’s just a day away! Our compromise is to give some pretty good spoilers … or misdirection … but not the whole thing:

• Karl – remember him? The nice kid who Alex loves? Sawyer’s cage mate in Season 1, Episode 3 is back. Think Clockwork Orange. We learn why the Others so resemble a cult – which readers of this blog knew months ago on LostExposed.com. By the time this episode is over everyone will love Karl.



• Juliet – the episode revolves around her. “Not In Portland” means she is being recruited to the island, and it’s not in Portland. Juliet is a Dharma recruit, preying on her vulnerability. There will be no doubt that whoever is controlling Dharma is evil.



• Jack - Jack and Juliet have tense moments in the operating room, depicted in the PR photo above.
  
  
• Do Sawyer and Kate get away? Yes, they evade the evil pursuing Others, but no, they still are on the little Alcatraz island. The escape back to the big Lost island is for next week, "Flashes Before Your Eyes", Season 3, Episode 8 of Lost



• Alex – Helps the escape.



• Ben – is Alex's “father”. We do not know if he is a bio dad, or adoptive dad.


Enjoy...

Escape Spoilers - Desmond Spoilers

Lost Spoilers ahead ...


The two upcoming episodes of Lost now have a lot of spoilers floating around, some misdirection. Here are a couple of preview clips that show the flavor of what we can expect:

From Not In Portland, Lost Season 3, Episode 7 (this week!): More spoilers details on Kate / Sawyer escape - Juliet double crosses Jack and orders the Others to pursue Kate and Sawyer at all costs, even if that means dead or alive. Just when the unknown Other is about to extract his revenge, and unseen ally, likely Alex (jungle lady Rousseau's daughter) or Karl (Alex's boyfriend) lunges out from a hiding place and strikes down the would-be assassin:

From Lost Season 3, Episode 8, "Flashes Before Your Eyes": Desmond Rescues Claire spoiler clip - this is an extended version of a clip released a while back. Desmond mysteriously senses that Claire is in peril in the middle of Hurley's line, drops everything and runs to the beach evading the Dharma sharks and rescues an unconscious Lostaway. Charlie is a few steps behind.

Lost Spoilers Rolling In

Yet again we have had the Lost spoilers activity nailed, sort of, kind of, 110%. Follow the thought. Right at the start of the hiatus we already had the Not In Portland spoilers and put them up in our Lost Spoilers for Not in Portland article. True to prediction the clever marketing people at ABC have kept the buzz going during the hiatus, dishing out spoilers and maybe some misdirection on the future of Lost.

The biggest Lost spoiler, reported first here maybe weeks ago is that the Lost creators and ABC marketing gurus are keenly aware of the discontent with the first six episodes by a segment of the Lost fan base. Not us, but some people were getting really discouraged that the first six episodes were a set up of things to come, rather than clear answers to the hatch, kidnapping etc. Cinematically they were pure genius. But unfulfilling for some.

So the spoiler here is that adjustments have been made to episode 9 onwards to provide more "answers" to mysteries of the island and crash. It was too late to do many changes to episodes 7 and 8 because of filming schedules, but not with the later Lost episodes. This retooling has been done with an eye to closing some issues and raising others - in classic Lost fashion.

For example, we will find out more about those two guys in an arctic igloo - speaking Brazilian Portuguese, - monitoring magnetic disturbances. Remember them? They were the closing scene of Season 2, notifying mysterious Penny Widmore they found Desmond's island. A reminder of Penny always has been planned for Lost Season 3, Episode 8 - Flashes Before Your Eyes. The adjustment is that this story line will be expanded and explored in great detail later in the season. Personally I think the Widmores present a great side story and focusing on Penny is a good move.

Here's some of the other Lost Spoilers floating around: Michael and Walt return to Lost. Personally, I could do without that story line, and still am annoyed that Michael shot Ana Lucia - writing a fan favorite out of the show. But people are dying to know what happened when Walt and dad Michael gleefully sailed away in Fenry/Benry's Others boat.

We already reported that Episode 7, Not in Portland, will have a Juliet flashback. The new news is that she has a sister (Robin Weigert) who appears and also recurs in another flashback for later in the season.

There is a rumor that at least one of the Nicki and Paulo duet will be gone by the end of the season. A lot of us cannot even figure out why they are on the island in the first place. Some answers to come in Episode 14.

Here is a Lost Spoiler that will bring a lot of joy: Action moves away from the little zoo island -- again by Episode 9. Kate and Sawyer will escape by boat in Episode 7 Not in Portland and Jack stays behind with the Others.

And the big Kate - Sawyer relationship spoiler - stay tuned for my next post :). Who is that standing behind Sawyer in the group PR photo above anyway ...?

Lost Spoilers - "Flashes Before Your Eyes", Season 3, Episode 8

Widmore Return – Lost Episode 8, Season 3, Flashes Before Your Eyes

Spoilers Ahead (Maybe)

**Updated**

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In the spirit of the season and outright good PR, someone, maybe even someone at ABC let “slip” some inside spoilers on upcoming Lost episodes.

Here are the spoilers although like any Lost spoilers emanating from the inner sanctum, they may complete misdirection :).

The infamous Widmore family finally makes their return. Remember them? There is Penny Widmore – beautiful Juliet look-alike (not Juliet, right?) who was Desmond’s love before his boating accident on the island. Still his inspiration though, since it was her image that propelled Desmond into the dark hatch-hole risking his own life to turn the key and save the world at the end of season 2.

Then there was her spooky limousine riding dad named Charles. He set the whole thing up with Desmond.

Of course there is the Lost novel Bad Twin – that’s the book Sawyer found in the plane wreckage and was reading during Lost's Season 2. It mysteriously surfaced in the real world and actually hit the New York Times best seller list over the summer. Here is a good review of Bad Twin by Michelle. The book was authored by Gary Troup who died in the crash of Oceanic Airlines Flight 815. In the real world, Laurence Shames wrote the book, under the nom-de-plum of Gary Troup.

All this happens in Episode 8, Season 3. This will be a lovers’ broadcast on Valentine’s Day, February 14 - unless ABC manages to speed up the production schedule. So look for love to blossom. Maybe Penny-Desmond in this extravaganza.

If the infamous Widmores re-appear it also is clear that this episode will center on Desmond, both on the island and off. We will get a glimpse of Desmond's pre-military life and hints but no resolution as to how Desmond wound his way on the path to the boat race that crash landed him on the island, destined never to escape.

We also will follow some pretty inane head scratching by Hurley and Charlie as to who Desmond seem to have changed since the hatch explosion. OK, that was a hint on how I feel about the potential for that exercise. But we at Contender's Lost Spoiler's blog hope as much as anyone that the writers make it a compelling investigation by Hurley. Let's get the H-man back to season 1 form

The episode title has been set as, “Flashes Before Your Eyes”.

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