In search of a happy ending.

Welcome to another week of Lost, Dharma Blog fans. It is good to be back in my normal timeline (preview post), after living in the alternate timeline (review post) last week. I hope I don’t get a nosebleed…

Another bizarre Maggie-statement, or an excellent segue? You be the judge.

Tonight’s episode is all Desmond, all the time. Welcome to “Happily Ever After.”

“Happily Ever After”

Oh, sweet Desmond, how I’ve missed you. Not as much as Charlie, but I really have missed you. For the better part of the last two seasons, you have been notably absent. But why? And what does your return tonight mean, with only 6 new episodes left in this series?

My gut reaction is: uh-oh.

There are several reasons I am worried about tonight. First, the use of the song “Amazing Grace” (played on bagpipes, no less) in the preview commercials gives me the chills. Not only is it one of the most recognizable tunes in the English language, “Amazing Grace” is a song about forgiveness and finding peace with your life. More specifically, the song says that redemption is possible regardless of the sins you have committed, but that you will only be delivered from that despair through the mercy of God. What does that mean for our survivors? Think on that.

Second reason for my worry? The episode title, “Happily Ever After.” So far, Desmond is the only character we have seen who has received his “happy ending” (see: reuniting with Penny). That scene on The Searcher was wayyyy back in the finale of season four…and it was a GREAT scene. Oh, it was so wonderful. Everything was so perfect. They found each other…they found love! It was their happily ever after! And in the midst of the life and love that followed, Desmond promised Penny he would never, ever, ever return to the island, even though Mrs. Hawking told him “the island is not finished with you” when he saw her in the Lamp Post station. And last week’s final scene revealed that, apparently, Mrs. Hawking was right.

Yikes.

So what will tonight bring? Is this episode title really just a ruse, designed to makes us think everyone is going to continue to be great for our star-cross’d lovers, but ultimately result in the tragedy to beat all tragedies?? Will Charlie cry tonight???

I really really hope not. And I actually don’t think so…not tonight. Desmond has had all of two minutes in this season so far, and I’m quite certain there is work he needs to do before his final curtain call arrives.

Eventually, though…

It is hard to not see Desmond’s return as a not-so-great omen of the future of his relationship with Penny. I’m not positing death here for our game-changer, but I’m positing the possibility of separation from his one true love. And I think his decision will be made for the sake of something far bigger than the two of them…say, like, saving the world.

Come to think of it, Desmond did get his happy ending very early in the grand scheme of things. Look at Charlie’s two favorite characters, Jin and Sun. They’ve been apart now for, what, two years? So why did they decide to reunite Penny and Des so long ago? Well, it would make any tragic ending for them that much more heartbreaking for all of us. And at the same time, we’ll know in our hearts that they had two wonderful years together, and the adorable baby Charlie, too. How does the saying go? “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.”

No, I do NOT read books by Nicholas Sparks. Stop hurling accusations at me.

Getting back on track…

You’d be hard-pressed to find a Lost watcher who does not believe that Desmond is in the role of game changer right now. He is in the hot seat. He has the power to pick which way we’re going, “Choose Your Own Adventure” style. And it appears the first person to make their case for the ‘right path’ will be Widmore. Who else thinks he’ll say something about Desmond doing _____ (fill in the blank here) so that everyone can live “happily ever after”? Yeah. Me too.

And now…a Disclaimer!

As we race towards the series finale, we are getting a lot of answers, in rapid fire, about some very crucial characters. In light of this reality, The Dharma Blog would like to issue a simple disclaimer about the next section. The following information you are about to read is Maggie’s somewhat-insightful-and-never-completely-accurate, opinion about the Guest Stars on tonight’s episode and what might be on the horizon for these fine folks. Maggie consults a number of websites, including the press releases issued by ABC Medianet, to uncover this information and speculate, but she never consults any spoiler sites. So, if you are a Lost purist and want to know watch tonight’s episode without the knowledge of the Guest Stars or what might happen, you should stop reading now. However, if you do want to know (even if it is just to tease Maggie tomorrow about how horribly wrong her predictions were), by all means: continue reading.

Tonight’s Guest Stars

Dominic Monaghan as Charlie, Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond, Jeremy Davies as Daniel Faraday, Alan Dale as Charles Widmore, Fionnula Flanagan as Eloise Hawking, Sonya Walger as Penelope “Penny” Widmore, Fisher Stevens as George Minkowski, Sheila Kelley as Zoe, Fred Koehler as Seamus, Kayren Butler as doctor, Ben Cain as MRI tech, Grisel Toledo as Nurse Tyra, Sundra Oakley as lawyer, Haley Williams as assistant, Jonathan Arthur as Simmons, Gerard Elmore as clipboard guy, Hannah Bell as nurse, Christopher McGahan as techie #1 and Steve Boatright as goon #1.

Survey Says: YES!!!!

This is going to be a great episode. I’m officially EXCITED (as if I wasn’t already). Faraday + Mrs. Hawking + a Desmond episode = brilliant. What’s to come? An explanation of the alternate timeline? An explanation of what Jughead did? An explanation of whether or not Jughead altered the past and changed the future?

I’ll accept any and all of these answers.

Mrs. Hawking is actually at the root of all of this. Our initial introductions to each and every single one of these concepts came from her. Remember “the universe has a way of [pause] course correcting”? Season three, kids. Look it up. I assumed at the time she was some angel-like figure, communing with the gods and serving as a spiritual guide to Desmond. Wrong-o. Mrs. Hawking is as real as they get, living on the island, living on the island, falling in love with Charles “Fabio” Widmore, giving birth to baby Danny Faraday…and later sending him to DIE on the island at HER hand.

Mrs. Hawking is a crazy fool. And yet, she definitely still has some answers to give. Starting…now.

Oh, and Danny Faraday. He is full of theories and knowledge about what is happening, not to mention a handful of unfinished storylines of his own. Talk to us, Danny.

And if you’re still not sure tonight is going to rock, throw in Penny, Charlie (Pace, not Stephan), and freaking George Minkowski!

Charlie: Refresher that Desmond was the first person to attempt to change the past when he (unsuccessfully) attempted to prevent the death of Charlie in season 3. And in the season 6 premiere, we heard Charlie say “I was supposed to die” as he was dragged off the plane by the TSA. Hmm. How does Charlie fit in tonight? Maybe alt-Charlie, who is now in LA County Jail? That’s my best guess.

Penny: I’m going to guess that Desmond’s alternate timeline is a happy ever after timeline where he is married to Penny, his constant, his one true love. Because I’m a romantic like that. (And, yes, I just watched the phone call scene from "The Constant." Twice.) Does this mean there is a risk of Desmond losing his happily ever after in both timelines? Ugggggh. Expect to see what happens between the post-marina hospital scene (where Widmore and Eloise chatted outside Desmond’s room) and him returning to the island.

Minkowski: Token blast-from-the-past guest star. But I’m still excited. He was a good guy.

Clipboard Guy: Yep. Someone is listed as Clipboard Guy in the guest star list. Game changer, right?? Haha.

TV Guide says:

Desmond wakes up to discover he’s back on the island.

Maggie says:

Well, duh. That happened at the end of last week’s episode. I demand a new episode description.

Okay, but really. How did Desmond end up back here? From the looks of things, Widmore brought him back against his will to save the world and fix everything. He was totally drugged up, Dharma submarine style. And once he comes out of his stooper, he is going to be t i c k e d off.

Why does Widmore need him? Lots of possibilities:

Theory 1: Desmond is the only one who can jump between the timelines.
Short summary: Widmore is going to charge Desmond with the task of jumping consciousness to the alternate timeline to get people where they need to be so they can all take down MIB. See: Desmond appearing to Jack on the plane, giving him just enough to make Jack realize that he knew him, even though it was in a different timeline.

Theory 2: Desmond is the only one who can kill/disable/disarm/defeat MIB.
Short summary: Thanks to the Swan implosion, Desmond can channel the electromagnetic properties of the island in the same way that MIB can channel the properties and turn into smoke. So, Desmond is the only person with the ability to stop MIB from…doing whatever MIB is trying to do.

Theory 3: Desmond can jump back AND FORTH between the timelines.
Short summary: Desmond can go back in time with his knowledge of the future and prevent an of this from ever happening. See: Faraday gave Desmond a message in the past, which he woke up with in the future.

Theory 4: Something completely different than all of these theories.

Parting Thoughts

Desmond is the game changer.

This is going to be one for the history books.

I have no idea what is going to happen. But I’m so excited.

Oh, and one more thing: tonight’s episode was written by Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof.

Game. On.

Namaste,
Maggie

P.S. Yes, the rumors are true. I did bowl a 210 earlier this evening. No big deal.