Lost "Flashes Before Your Eyes" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Temple Fugate]

Us vs Them

http://library.toonzone.net/talkbacks/abc.jpghttp://library.toonzone.net/talkbacks/lost.jpg


Lost
Season 3 Episode 8: "Flashes Before Your Eyes"
Wednesday, February 14 @ 10pm EST/PST
Writers: Drew Goddard & Damon Lindelof
Director: Jack Bender

While Kate and Sawyer make their way back to the Island, Charlie and Hurley investigate Desmond's strange behavior.

Current Season Talkbacks
#3x07 - "Not in Portland" (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=183435)
#3x06 - "I Do" (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=178089)
#3x05 - "The Cost of Living" (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=177566)
#3x04 - "Every Man for Himself" (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=177138)
#3x03 - "Further Instructions" (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=176600)
#3x02 - "The Glass Ballerina" (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=176103)
#3x01 - "A Tale of Two Cities" (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=175665)

Please keep discussion of previews and rumors of unaired episodes in spoiler boxes.

Let the talkback begin!

[Zach Logan]

Can't wait, I'm sitting anxiously by my television.

[Moto Pete]

i've planned my whole Valentine day plan around it

[Neo Ultra Mike]

Woah. Never figure they'd have a flashback where a character could actually tell they were in one. Or at the very least realize the whole situation's a Deja Vu as the flashback happens. I really hope that this wohole deja vu affect/future sight is at least partially explained in tonight's ep, but at the very least they're doing some interesting things with it in tonight's ep.

[silverwings]

not charlie!!! :eek:

so i'm guessing it's just when and how.

[Zach Logan]

I didn't expect it to be Charlie, but wow, what an episode.

A flashback for 25 minutes or more of the episode, the flashes before your eyes title coming to being, and a very nice seem to bring it all together. All i can say are there aren't enough swears to ask what is going on here.

[Nel]

Yep, that ending was creepy. Not news you'd want to hear or tell.

[Neo Ultra Mike]

i've planned my whole Valentine day plan around it

Although this was a Desmond/Penny focused ep (at least the main flashback part of it) this doen't seem like something to spend Valentine's Day around. Espically since the whole point was that even true love isn't gonna change fate and that if you're destined to do something you're gonna do it, love or not. Better hope you don't end up getting a job in the army or entering in a Sailboat race Moto Pete. Unless that's what you're suppose to do and not doing it would of doomed us all.:D

The whole idea of Desmond getting a deja vu as he flashes back and realizes he can't change the past no matter how hard he tries was very interesting. Espically realizing it was destiny that let him to break up with penny, to join the army, to get into that sailboat race, to go to the island, to press the button, and save the world. And now even with his "future sight" as it were it seems like the lesson here that even if he has it it's not gonna change things. Which means that if things go the way that the writers are trying to make it seem Charlie (whose been saved by Desmond on two occasions now when he was gonna be killed) is gonna die soon. I heard something about that but not in this matter. Really compelling stuff. I'm not sure if I'm into fate being that deadlocked and seeing things and yet unable to do anything about it but it's a very itneresting philisohpy. And let to a very good plot. And there was even some good humor at the beginning with Hurley and Charlie going through Sawyer's stash and getting drunk with Desmond. Plus, for the first time this season, no real show of Jack, Kate and Sawyer. I mean yeah they're important but when you have at least a dozen+ other castways to care about you can't focus soley on them. So yeah we'll learn about Jack's tattoos and about the kids (unless the previews lied some more. I know the tattoo part is in the next ep at least) but this one did a good job with Desmond's character. I don't think it explained the future jump thing but at least had a good run with the premise.

[Temple Fugate]

Lost Episode 55
"Island Diary, Day 72: Island Diary, Day 72: Island Diary, Day 72: Island Diary, Day 72: ... Oh crap."
December 2, 2004

A seriously compelling episode. Every so often Lost regains its intrigue, and here we are again. The nature of Desmond's future-telling abilities have become clearer, and Charlie turning out to be the one in danger was not only surprising, it made a lot more sense. Claire had been sought after for her baby, but Charlie has been the character to go through a roller coaster of personal crisis and he just may be at the end of it.

I didn't enjoy how Charlie was being overprotective again, but it's just his character and I accept that. Now that we know that nature will possibly get him killed, that makes him more interesting to watch.

INSTANCES OF THE NUMBERS - Desmond put his tie on at 1:08. (4+8+15+16+23+42) The package was to be delivered to 815. A commercial for The Number 23 aired during the episode. A commercial for AT&T/Bell South with the number 23 on a wall in the background aired one minute afterward on the southwest ABC feed.

I wonder what Locke's been doing? What about Eko's stick?

Lost 3x08: "Flashes Before Your Eyes" - 4 8 15 16 23 42

[DBZALLSTAR]

Lost Episode 55
"Island Diary, Day 72: Island Diary, Day 72: Island Diary, Day 72: Island Diary, Day 72: ... Oh crap."
December 2, 2004

A seriously compelling episode. Every so often Lost regains its intrigue, and here we are again. The nature of Desmond's future-telling abilities have become clearer, and Charlie turning out to be the one in danger was not only surprising, it made a lot more sense. Claire had been sought after for her baby, but Charlie has been the character to go through a roller coaster of personal crisis and he just may be at the end of it.

I didn't enjoy how Charlie was being overprotective again, but it's just his character and I accept that. Now that we know that nature will possibly get him killed, that makes him more interesting to watch.

INSTANCES OF THE NUMBERS - Desmond put his tie on at 1:08. (4+8+15+16+23+42) The package was to be delivered to 815. A commercial for The Number 23 aired during the episode. A commercial for AT&T/Bell South with the number 23 on a wall in the background aired one minute afterward on the southwest ABC feed.

I wonder what Locke's been doing? What about Eko's stick?

Lost 3x08: "Flashes Before Your Eyes" - 4 8 15 16 23 42

The guy delivering the package said "For 815". Maybe I'm overreaching, but maybe it was meant to be a mention of three numbers.

Season Two was not this show's best, but Season Three is bringing it back to its former glory. It's like The OC all over again.:D

[Peter Paltridge]

That's one of the best Losts I ever sawed.

That was perfect; I'm voting the full five stars. You take one of the characters and put him into a situation we haven't seen on the show yet. You explain his erratic behavior in a way that not only explains it but reveals a new side to the man and creates sympathy. And to cap it all off, you use the whole story to drop a haunting bomb on one of the other characters.

THIS IS SHEER BRILLIANCE. I'm taking notes--I want to write like this. 5 outta 5!

[David Lucas]

Has anyone else watched this on ABC.com yet? The most recent episode that I can watch is "Not In Portland" and it's past 2 am.

[ShadowGUN]

Nice episode.The Charlie plot twist was interesting and I didn' t see it coming. I wonder who the old lady that was talking to Desmond was and if we might see her again? Anyway good episode.

[Moto Pete]

So when does Charlie die?

Episode 3.17: Title Unknown (Charlie-centric, not confirmed)
Airdate: April 18, 2007


When is a Flashback not a Flashback? That was the Question in EW.com it makes great sense now.

Intresting episode it was 56 mins of flashback and 4 mins of "real time" stuff
i liked the episode we learned alot if Desmond things.

Who was the old lady she seemed familer?
Funny thing she was in the Nicole Kidman movie "the Others" LOL

[Zach Logan]

So when does Charlie die?

Episode 3.17: Title Unknown (Charlie-centric, not confirmed)
Airdate: April 18, 2007


When is a Flashback not a Flashback? That was the Question in EW.com it makes great sense now.

Intresting episode it was 56 mins of flashback and 4 mins of "real time" stuff
i liked the episode we learned alot if Desmond things.

Who was the old lady she seemed familer?
Funny thing she was in the Nicole Kidman movie "the Others" LOL



I think this episode tells us we can't trust spoilers anymore. A lot of the things I heard about this episode were completely untrue or misleading.

[Icer]

Another great episode of Lost, after the first 6 eps this season I felt a little disappointed (aside from the Eko ep), but these last 2 have been really good and have gotten me very excited about the show again.

Desmond is a great character, glad they didnt write him off in the explosion.

[Bones Justice]

Great episode. Just when I was thinking this show was cooked, I've become interested again.

I thought Desmond was trying to save Claire. Great twist. It'll be interesting to see how many times Desmond is able to save Charlie. Will he fail in an attempt or will he just give up, knowing that it's inevitable?

I kind of hope we'll see the old lady again that could also "predict" the future (I guess it's not really prediction if you are just reliving events but what-ever). I guess I felt drawn to her because she is the first person in a long time that actually offerred some answers. I'm hoping that if she is in another episode that we might actually learn a little more of what's going on. Or at the very least, maybe she could explain why she is similar to Desmond.

I used to like Charlie but like another poster said, his over protectiveness of Claire is annoying. But I think I'd rather see the relationship between Charlie and Claire end than have Charlie get killed.

Something that doesn't make sense about Desmond's power, though -- if he's just getting flashes of the last time he went through it, why is he continuing to have flashes after turning the key? Am I missing something or does it mean that he's actually going to travel back in time some time in the future? :confused:

[Brandon Pierce]

Something that doesn't make sense about Desmond's power, though -- if he's just getting flashes of the last time he went through it, why is he continuing to have flashes after turning the key? Am I missing something or does it mean that he's actually going to travel back in time some time in the future? :confused:
I'm pretty sure it's an indication that something will cause Desmond to go back in time a second time.

This episode was excellent.

[DisneyBoy]

I watched bits and pieces of last night's episode...and enjoyed it. Great creepy jewerly lady! Don't have a clue what's going on though...

[Supernovametalstar]

Ah, what a good dues ex machina that Desmond will make. A character that has fore knowledge of the events on the island. You can pretty much write the ending to the show now, have several years of events play out on the show through however many seasons they'll have left, and have your ending to the series ready to go with an off line that wacky Desi makes at some point.:)

[Temple Fugate]

If Desmond's "flashes" on the Island are caused by the same time loop concept that he encountered in England, then we can assume he's been through this loop many times already. He's forseen Charlie's death twice now, and unless the Island has resurrecting powers (which it still may, if that Jack's Dad theory has any merit), he can only die once per timeline. So we have:

Loop 1: Desmond watches Charlie die of lightning.
Loop 2: Desmond saves Charlie from the lightning, Charlie then drowns.
Loop 3: Desmond saves Charlie from the lightning and the drowning, Charlie dies some other way.
And so on until you get to this loop.

I was instantly reminded of Stargate's "Window of Opportunity," the best time loop story ever, and STTNG's "Cause and Effect," the second-best time loop story ever.

This doesn't mean that Desmond will physically go back in time, though. After all, if he physically went back to England, then what happened between him getting hit by a cricket bat and him waking up after the Hatch imploded? So I don't think Desmond will be seen going back in time later in this series in order to fit some pre-destination paradox established in this episode. I would like to see some kind of action culminating in the revelation or the conclusion to his "unstuckness," as it were, but as for it being an absolute certainty that he'll go back in time to the start of the next loop, I doubt it.


The guy delivering the package said "For 815". Maybe I'm overreaching, but maybe it was meant to be a mention of three numbers.Nice catch! That's brilliant.

[Zach Logan]

So the "present" for all the Lost survivors is actually a "flashback" for Desmond, since (heh) turning the key. His life revolves around that moment like an axis, and he's come unstuck in time, like Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen. Cool.

That may have been my favorite episode since the pilot, and yet the Desmond-focused one previous this season (where Locke built the stupid sweat-lodge) may have been my least favorite of the series.
That was a Locke-centric episode, not a Desmond-centric episode.

[Havok]

At first I was thinking the old women was Death, and that Desmond was interfering with it's work.

[Peter Paltridge]

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=251866&GT1=7703

This episode was SO good, barely anyone saw it! You can blame the episodes that came before it, basically.

Ya know, one of the reasons I didn't leap onto Lost when it first began was that I was worried I'd be suckered into another Twin Peaks scam. Every idiot out there said "no way, it'll never happen again!" Then, just like I predicted, they changed their minds when they didn't get their answers immediately.

And just like I thought, I'm the one left who finally caught onto the show and learned to live with the slow pace. I'm "uncool" no matter what I do.

This is why shows like Heroes have picked up the ball that Lost fumbled so successfully. Want to know who Claire's father is? They'll tell you right now! The general populace doesn't like shows that do nothing but constantly dangle a carrot in front of you and whip you like a mule. ......Wait, then why is Smallville still on the air?

[Terminatah]

If Desmond's "flashes" on the Island are caused by the same time loop concept that he encountered in England, then we can assume he's been through this loop many times already. He's forseen Charlie's death twice now, and unless the Island has resurrecting powers (which it still may, if that Jack's Dad theory has any merit), he can only die once per timeline. So we have:

Loop 1: Desmond watches Charlie die of lightning.
Loop 2: Desmond saves Charlie from the lightning, Charlie then drowns.
Loop 3: Desmond saves Charlie from the lightning and the drowning, Charlie dies some other way.
And so on until you get to this loop.

I was instantly reminded of Stargate's "Window of Opportunity," the best time loop story ever, and STTNG's "Cause and Effect," the second-best time loop story ever.

This doesn't mean that Desmond will physically go back in time, though. After all, if he physically went back to England, then what happened between him getting hit by a cricket bat and him waking up after the Hatch imploded? So I don't think Desmond will be seen going back in time later in this series in order to fit some pre-destination paradox established in this episode. I would like to see some kind of action culminating in the revelation or the conclusion to his "unstuckness," as it were, but as for it being an absolute certainty that he'll go back in time to the start of the next loop, I doubt it.

Nice catch! That's brilliant.I didn't think it was necessarily a time loop, since the catalyst was the turning of the key, and backwards time travel is a little out there, even for this show. I took Desmond's explanation fairly literally. His life flashed before his eyes, and it just hasn't stopped, to the extent that he can see things that are going to happen, and these are not necessarily events he's already lived through. The real world mechanics behind this is that the electromagnetic flash made him relive his past in incredibly vivid flashes that were just in his head (he wasn't REALLY in the past). Now these same flashes are giving him precognitive abilities, an extrasensory bit of evolution not totally unheard of in the real world.

Similar to Dr. Manhattan, although not exactly the same thing. More like a Spidey sense.

-Terminatah

[Bones Justice]

backwards time travel is a little out there, even for this show. I took Desmond's explanation fairly literally.

You've gotta be kidding, right? They've got a giant monster made of smoke that kills people, for one thing. And what about the "magic" numbers that appear everywhere and cause all sorts of weird things to happen? Time travel seems kind of, I dunno, mundane science fiction in comparison. Then again, I watch Doctor Who, Star Trek,and X-Men, so maybe I'm just used to shows having time travel on a regular basis. :p



His life flashed before his eyes, and it just hasn't stopped, to the extent that he can see things that are going to happen, and these are not necessarily events he's already lived through. The real world mechanics behind this is that the electromagnetic flash made him relive his past in incredibly vivid flashes that were just in his head (he wasn't REALLY in the past). Now these same flashes are giving him precognitive abilities, an extrasensory bit of evolution not totally unheard of in the real world.

That's a good explanation. I like it. The only part that doesn't fit is the old lady that had a similar ability. But I still like it. I really want an explanation for the old lady now. Really.

But I don't think I even care about the smoke monster anymore. That thing is so ridiculous that I don't think I could ever buy any explanation that they come up with. The only sort of logical thing I could think of is some sort of machine that can control lots of tiny bits of metal that look like a cloud. It would fit with the whole magnetic part of the hatch and all, at least.

[Terminatah]

You've gotta be kidding, right? They've got a giant monster made of smoke that kills people, for one thing. And what about the "magic" numbers that appear everywhere and cause all sorts of weird things to happen? Time travel seems kind of, I dunno, mundane science fiction in comparison. Then again, I watch Doctor Who, Star Trek,and X-Men, so maybe I'm just used to shows having time travel on a regular basis. :pBecause they still haven't explained the smoke monster, I take the creators at their word that they are going to offer us a real world scientific explanation. And time travel is a huge leap. If my hallucination/pregoc theory is a walk to the store, the idea that Desmond traveled backwards through time and interacted with the past is a walk to the edge of the universe.


That's a good explanation. I like it. The only part that doesn't fit is the old lady that had a similar ability. But I still like it. I really want an explanation for the old lady now. Really.Like I said, he wasn't REALLY in the past. He vividly imagined that he was because of the powerful nature of the flashes he saw. The lady and everything else in the flashbacks was all in his head.

-Terminatah

[Zach Logan]

Lost tries to stay in the realm of reality but often reaches out to somewhat science fiction-related plots. I'm sure David and Carlton have a pretty reasonable explanation for the Security System and even this time travel experience. Everything on Lost has an explanation based at least on feasible reality. I'd say that's a fair assumption.

[Yojimbo]

Ever since lat week's episode, I am ever suspicious of people in flashbacks could be Others. My new suspect is the old lady. It'd be pretty useful to have someone with that power within your ranks. It could even be the reason why some of the survivors are taken while some are left alone/expendable.

The microwave creeped me out the most.

How could someone so pure like Penny be the daughter of a person like her father, could be an odd parallel to Ben and Alex with the whole Boss's daughter motif.

I've also had a sneaking feeling that Widmore Industries could also be a source of 'private funding' for Mittelos...not much of a theory yet.

[Bones Justice]

Lost tries to stay in the realm of reality but often reaches out to somewhat science fiction-related plots. I'm sure David and Carlton have a pretty reasonable explanation for the Security System and even this time travel experience. Everything on Lost has an explanation based at least on feasible reality. I'd say that's a fair assumption.

But didn't the smoke monster change into Eko's brother at one point? That goes beyond even time-travel, in my opinion. As others have pointed out, the whole time-travel trip may have been in Desmond's head anyways. Something killed Eko and unless he had been getting into some of Locke's ol' crazy-juice, I can't see those scenes as flashbacks or just head-trips because Eko is very much dead now.

I enjoy the show but I don't think it stays anywhere near the realm of reality.