Friday, February 05, 2010

Desmond in "LA X"

On the first day of comments, Sonshine Music suggested that maybe Desmond wasn’t actually there, and as soon as she said that, it made perfect sense to me. Now I’m convinced that’s the case. That seat was empty on the original flight. He suddenly shows up in the seat where he hadn’t been before (on a long flight from Sydney you’d think Jack would have noticed the guy at some point… and why exactly is he just randomly changing seats?) He exchanges a few words with Jack, and then he disappears, and Jack never sees him again.

He’s wearing a wedding band, too, which is a key point. My original thought if Widmore had been killed in the blast was that Penny wouldn’t exist. But then I think she was probably born in the early 70s, not the late, so that means she would be living off-island with her mother, and only Widmore would have died. If Desmond still met up with her, he could marry her without her horrible father hanging over the two of them. Or is he with someone else?

And if he’s consciousness-travelling onto the plane, how did he figure out he had that power? Is it possible he’ll be the Constant for all of the main characters throughout the last season? He’s not a major cast member, so maybe he’ll only be Jack’s Constant. Or, as someone pointed out in the comments, he could be the Variable, the one thing changing the 815 flight immensely.

Does he really not remember Jack? Or is he just saying that? If his life had changed drastically and he hadn’t been running through a stadium in L.A. trying to get his “hon-uh back!” then maybe he never met Jack. But why would he seem familiar to Jack? Will we find out Jack retains some memories of the alternate timeline?

33 comments:

Karolyn said...

Nikki, my brain is starting to hurt...I hope my nose doesn't start to bleed.

L said...

I'm starting to think maybe Penny was never born...

It seems pretty unbelievable that Jack could recognize Desmond after seeing him for like two seconds in a dimly lit hatch, but not after talking to him for about two minutes.

Which would, of course, mean that Desmond really is married to you, Nikki...

:)

Blam said...

I think Desmond was really there. Folks change seats on airplanes all the time in television shows. Rose having been asleep makes it look suspicious, which is doubtless the intent, but my feeling is that this is another one of those manipulative moments like the lingering shots of John (Will he stand up?), Sayid (Will his eyes open? How about now?), and Jack (Will he remember his other life? How about now? How about now?)
The whole thing with Desmond as a variable and thus being everyone's constant is neat, but if he were time-traveling either physically or as an apparition only certain people could see, and/or if he were visiting Jack and then other people with a mission, I'd have expected some kind of urgency or even subtle communication of important info on his behalf, and his interaction with Jack was so mundane that it really just feels like their lack of recognition was the whole point.
...
VW: mando — A very butch haircut.

paleoblues said...

Since we're in an alternate reality anything goes. All we know of these people is what we've seen in this one episode. We don't know anybody's back story. They may be similar or totally different from the 5 seasons of flashbacks we've already seen. The fun is in discovering how they are different. We don't know what time or even what space they are in. The X in LA X to me suggests X the unknown or even Planet X or at least something is different. We can let our imaginations run free. Maybe a ring means you are single and the lack of a ring means you are married, maybe this, maybe that, maybe..........

Benny said...

I really think he is there. He shows up because the guy next to him has been snoring (?) since they took off and Des is trying to read.

He's also there when Cindy goes to get Jack to help with Charlie.

Shortly after Jack gets back to his seat do the pilot asks to get ready for landing. I'm assuming another attendant asked Des to go back to his seat, as required by FAA regulations!

Unknown said...

Maybe Des is married to that girl he was engaged to before Penny.. Didn't he bail out on her right before the wedding? Just a thought..

Love your blog, btw. :)

Karolyn said...

by the way, Nikki, cafepress has a t-shirt with the Dharma logo with a maple leaf (a la Canada) in the middle. Thought you might be interested. I just bought a Dharma "mobile beverage container". I love the stuff on that site.

Unknown said...

@ Patty: I totally agree! Maybe Des did marry her. If there is no island now there is no reason for Des having to follow the path that was laid out for him. There would be no reason for him to go to the monestary because there would be no reason for him to meet Mrs Hawking. So, maybe instead of waking up to a monk and following him, Des woke up to a massive hangover and went on with his originally planned wedding?

Benny said...

@Karolyn: Thanks for the info... I'll have to look it up.

@Patty: I thought about it too, but since there are so many connections still happening and the Widmore name having been important, I would put my money on Penny.

But there is a possibility it could be the other girl.

Karolyn said...

@Benny - go to the site and do a search for LOST. there is sooooo much stuff on there, I could have gone completely broke just buying LOST gear. Alas, no jumpsuits as far as I could tell.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Jack saw the Dead Like Me movie?

Karolyn said...

@Benny I just went to make sure I could find it again. Once you do a search for LOST, go to Women's losttv tshirts. Then go to page six of those shirts. It's about halfway down the page. There are also men's tshirts, etc if you click on the link under it which says something about other merchandise with this logo.
I don't work for cafepress and am not trying to help them sell their products, but there is stuff on there that any Lostie would love. I apologize if I have crossed the blogger's line...

Gillian Whitfield said...

@Jo: If Penny never existed, and Des married Nikki, does that mean that I get Sawyer?

. . .
VW: Reset. Seriously.

Unknown said...

@Plain_Gillian: Yes, that's what I was thinking- who knows what the writers are going to throw at us this season!?? Anything goes!

@Benny: I agree Widmore is important, which leads me to wonder what they are going to do with that whole story this season. I hope that Desmond IS with Penny in the alternate world, especially if Widmore is out of the picture- there is no one to stop them!

Benny said...

@Karolyn: Nice! Also liked:
-Bacon is my constant
-Epic Fail
-Polar Bear Xing

Joan Crawford said...

@Karolyn - I saw a shirt on there for Nikki the other day! It was a pic of Nikki & Paolo's grave and on the back it said "Deserved!"

Marshall said...

I chalk this up to an element purposefully added to the season premiere to make the audience ask these exact questions. Just like Boone asking if Locke was pulling his leg after John described going on the walkabout, it leaves open some doubt as to the meaning of what we saw/heard. I'm sure we'll get some explanation down the road, but I don't think there's enough information here to know for sure one way or the other right now.

I will say, though, I don't remember seeing him get OFF the plane, when we were shown the rest of the major characters...

L said...

@ Gillian:

Only as long as you share...

Karolyn said...

@Benny and Joan Crawford: wicked cool! (pardon the wicked. I'm a New Englander ;) ) we'll have Nikki outfitted for the finale yet!



Notification word : feamal - how it sounds saying female with a mouthful of novacaine

Karolyn said...

That should have said "verification" not notification. It's been a long week and I'm tired.

Gillian Whitfield said...

@Jo: We can each have him for 3.5 days a week!

The Question Mark said...

@ Gillian Whitefield: Reset? HAHAHAHA That's amazing!

I like the idea that everyone in this Looking Glass World's 815 are going through the same thing Desmond went through in "Flashes Before Your Eyes" (he did, after all, experience a bright white flash and was standing in roughly the same spot around the Hatch). Just like Des, maybe the LookingGlass-815ers will start off with no memory of being on an island & whatnot, but they'll see something (a constant, the numbers, Mrs. Hawking, etc.) that'll make all the memories rush back to them.
Then, maybe, once their minds are set straight again, the two timelines will become one, and they'll ALL wake up in the jungle naked. (I've already got my fingers crossed for a naked Claire & Ana Lucia! LOL)

Nikki Stafford said...

Jo Thornley: Which would, of course, mean that Desmond really is married to you, Nikki...

I will love you forever for that comment.

Rebecca T. said...

Thanks for the shout out, Nikki :)

I don't even know if I completely buy into the idea, but I think it would offer some very interesting possibilities for the rest of the season. If they do go that way, is there a possibility that we'll see anyone else (Walt)? jk

Rebecca T. said...

Off topic comment here...

We were watching that special on the top Super Bowl commercials and they were interviewing some football player and in response to some question I, of course, can't remember, said he had some, "Razzle Dazzle."

I literally choked I was laughing so hard. Expose lives on!

M9 EGO said...

LA X on;y aired in the UK last night so you can't imagine the pain I am going through having to read 400 comments etc !....what i am interested to see is if the 2004 815ers are on the same 'stories'. it appears they are , Kate was cuffed the marshall and Charlei was a drug addict etc etc...but in theory there lives should be different..due to the butterfly effect. If Des is on that the plain then something changed in the new 2004. I am now off to explain LA X 1 & 2 to my mother....she'll never understand whats going on !!

VW: Desserted - when thw top button of your shirt pings off.

Anonymous said...

Hey all,

Longtime reader first time poster. I must first say that this is the best LOST blog ever - thanks Nikki and all your brilliant commenters. I love the show but love it even more because of you and your insights - which manage to be deep and detailed yet full of humor and friendliness. I did the whole re-watch along with you and it really prepared me for S6!

Ok - I am in the camp that belives Desmond (sigh!) was actually on the plane. I choose to believe that the wedding ring means he is blissfully married to Penneh, yet it troubles me that he is travelling without her. And more troubling to me is his use of the word "mate" instead of his signature "brother". Seems to be further clues that he never served in the monastery and therefore didn't meet Penny that way...? But isn't it great to see poor, put-upon Desmond looking so...happy?

Call me "Lostlass"

Anonymous said...

Good catch on Desmond saying "mate" instead of "brotah!" I hadn't noticed it. That does speak to his never having joined the monastary.

So, if he never lost Penneh, therefore never trained for the sailboat race, therefore never ran into Jack at the stadium, why does Jack think he recognizes him?

CBP68 said...

When Juliet said "You son of a bitch!" when she detonated the bomb on her last slam, I immediately thought of JAWS, when Roy Scheider shot the great white. Just a thought. My head is spinning on the second viewing of the premiere. I need a week just to decipher.

Susan said...

Desmond does actually say "brother" as part of his conversation with Jack. He also says "mate" twice.

Anonymous said...

Really? Well, I should know better than to trust my hearing! My TV sound is kinda crappy. Thanks Susan.

And you know what? That's GOOD news! 8~)

Susan said...

Actually it's when Des says "brother" that Jack starts to look at him like he's familiar.

DharmaLady said...

Des looks so good - not the beat down Des that we are used to seeing. Even after Des reunites w/ Penny he is haunted by the island forever. He looks happier here.
If Eloise was blown up by the H bomb then she never got a chance to stop Penny & Des from marrying. Even if Widmore somehow survived they could have married. I never got the impression that Penny's father stopped the marriage...it was Eloise that convinced Des not to marry Penny. I think he married to Penny in the new time-line b/c Eloise is likely gone. Who knows...maybe they got Drive Shaft (Charlie's group) to play at the reception.