WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO DESMOND?
In ”The Constant,” Desmond became ”unstuck in time” after flying through a thundercloud crackling with strange electricity. He experienced something like time travel, though not bodily time travel; instead, his consciousness shuttled between two different time periods, Island present 2004 and Desmond’s past 1996. But here’s the tricky twist: Desmond’s Island-present mind wasn’t the one doing the time traveling. When Desmond got hit with Island magic, his consciousness got knocked off-line and was replaced by his 1996 self. It was this older Desmond consciousness that toggled between present and past throughout the episode. Once Desmond ‘96 completed the errand of getting Penny’s phone number so he could call her on Christmas Eve 2004, Desmond’s present-day mind came back online, but rebooted with the new memories created by his time-travel adventure. I know: tricky stuff. But I had the chance to run all this by Damon Lindelof — and he says this interpretation is correct.

Well this one seems like a wild hare (or rabbit dinner [har]) episode. Not at all like last week’s The Constant.
Here we go again:

The Tempest
Obviously another station - the power station - originally helmed by Goodwin and now the source of som…

How about this (which is along the same lines and will be shot down I’m sure) do ya think maybe the pilot of the chopper who should have been 851’s pilot was the one in the seat? You know, on account of that guy had no ring?

Or is the bigger theory the one they clearly *want* us to believe: that the wreck is staged.

Sometimes I feel like the kid on the short bus, but I still lourvezzzzzzzz eeett.

I find it hard to believe they would put the plane wreckage in the EXACT location of the earthquake that causes the tsunami AND remind us of the date on the show and not incorporate it.

They’re too deliberate.

Makes you wonder (a) if the plane was “put” there because they knew…and this would “sink” the wreckage forever so it could never ever ever be salvaged (burying the “truth” forever)…or if (b) they intend to have a serious natural disaster affect the island, boat, etc very soon…of if (c) perhaps in bad taste, the island somehow causes this huge disaster.

I hope not the latter.

As for this: “Regardless of any “side effect” time travel that Richard Alpert might be doing, he sure doesn’t look any different whatsoever.” I said the same thing on the way to NC Friday. I fear I was driving the SO crazy with long silences followed by “OH YEAH, AND…what about the babies? They can’t be born b/c they’re years early” gibberish.

I’m so thankful for all of you and your big ole brains.

I did a search on Kahana, the name of the freighter just to see what came up. Every name does mean something on Lost….

I really need to brush up on my physics and time/space and quantum physics studies…my head hurts from trying to sort all this out :)
Anyway, couple more thoughts….I believe that the Freighties and Penny are in 2004, the “present” as far as the Lost timeline goes. The whole arguement over the sat. phone isn’t selling me that its a different year. Anyway, I found it interesting that the show made a point of anchoring the day as December 24, 2004. In two days, the big tsunami in the Indian Ocean occurs. We’ll see if they incorporate that event or not.

Drew, maybe Richard is Ben’s constant, if he needs one? Richard was in Ben’s past as a boy and he’s still in his life. Then again, Daniel originally said a constant has to be an item of personal significance - Desmond asks if it can be a person. I think we’re due for some Richard screentime. I’m even more exited after this last episode to learn some of the secrets Richard’s life contains.

And I am so with you Hunter about getting an answer to that “sickness” business and the inoculations!!