Review: Lost (Season 4, Episode 5)

Well, that was horribly confusing, brotha.

It's hard for me to imagine that four seasons ago when Oceanic Flight 815 crashed, the writers and producers had this time travel theory in mind. I hope they did, and I guess it would make sense. Season one, realize Island is weird. Season two, find a hatch. Season three, meet the Others. Season four, bring in time travel.

Is Lost nothing more than a story about time travel? It's something I would have never guessed when it first started. And as much as I love time travel, I dont know if this where I was hoping the show would go. I mean, I love the Desmond episodes, but this was a completely different Lost than we've seen in previous weeks, wasn't it? And I did enjoy the episode, but now my brain is just spinning.

So we find out what has happened in the ride back on the helicopter, and the ride seems to be too much for ol' Des. When Desmond is transported from the chopper to his army barracks, we're lead to assume it's just another flashback. But unlike any previous episode, the character is going from flashback to present along with the viewer (I'd like to mention that my roommate watched Lost for the first time tonight. What a terrible episode to start on! Especially because this was an episode that only focuses on three or four characters.)

Desmond Hume is traveling from 1996 to 2004 in a way that would make Dan Vasser's head spin. What I don't understand, one of the many things about this episode I guess, is how Desmond all of a sudden thinks he's in 1996, and nothing in 2004 is familiar to him. Could this be some sort of parallel universe? Desmond is able to talk to Dan Faraday, my favorite of the four newbies this season. He explains to him in 2004 that when he goes back to 1996 he should try to contact him. He gives him a few codes to help him out, and Desmond is set to make the journey to Oxford.

Back in 1996, Faraday is already experimenting with time travel with a rat, who later dies after the travel becomes too much for the rat. You see, it's because there is no constant. There is no way for the rat to connect the future and the past because she doesn't have something familiar to her in both worlds. For Desmond, that constant is Penelope Widmore. Penny has been in Lost sporadically, but she may end up being the most important character when all is said and done.

Desmond is able to track down father Widmore, which leads him to Penny. The two have just broken up (remember the episode where Desmond left her) and she doesn't want to see him. I have to admit, I was literally yelling "GIVE HIM THE NUMBER!!!" when Desmond was begging for the digits to her phone, and also not to change it for eight years. She finally does, and he leaves.

Back in 2004, there was another man in the sick bay, Ray, who was also going through what Desmond was going through. When they reach the communication room however, he dies similiar to the way the rat did eight years ago. Desmond is worried the same will happen to him, which is what makes the phone call to Penny so important. Penny answers, remembers the conversation, so it seems like we are still in the same universe as far as time goes.

So as I write this an hour after the episode has aired, I still can't wrap my head around what transpired in that episode. I'm trying to recall the previous Desmond episodes. What about the time he met Charlie? What about his premontions that Charlie was going to die? How do they play into this? What about the person who first suggested time travel to him at an English pub? What the hell is going on around here!

I really did enjoy the episode, and it definitely followed the trend of season four. Which to me is, "We're not answering anything, we're just going to make this show more confusing and twisted than it ever was." Watching Lost at this point is like putting together a 500 piece puzzle, except you are missing about 400 pieces.

I was strolling around the ABC.com message boards during the show, and here are some of the theories I wanted to pass along from other fans:

huntnroots2 has a theory about Jacob: ...someone who is lost in the space/time transfer and has not materialized completely physically into the house on the island...in otherwords caught in a two dimensional glitch somewhere....hence the "invisible" thing we heard say "help me" to Locke, and that was causing things to fly around the room as if some invisible person was tossing things about in anger?

timewarpsexist has an interesting theory about Mr. Widmore, and what we saw at the auction: After the orchid videos and all the evidence the producers have been leaving us, after all of the time warp theories, multiple universe theories, i wont bore you with something old.

The producers gave us key information tonight that no one is pointing out.

In 1996 we see Mr. Widmore, at an auction, buying a diary storing the events of a ship that gets lost out to sea called the Black Rock, whose previous owner belongs to the Hanso Family. This boat is Mr. Widmores boat, it's how they were capable of getting the picture of desmond and penny, it's why penny phones the boat and no one is allowed to answer, Mr. Widmore is behind this all.

mrsbrooks118 says this about the crash: i bet desmond ends up stopping the crash because he goes back in time and regains all his memories at some point

and lostfanatic18 as a theory about time travel: The island is a 'snow globe' thats surrounded by time. At the beginning of the series the island was 108 minutes off from regular outside world time. when locke blew up the hatch it took 77 minutes off leaving a 31 minute difference. hence one of the shows titled 'enter 77'. But anyway if you get off course of the island it can put you into two paralell dimensions.

As for my own theories, I have none. Way too confused. Time travel is definetly a bigger factor than we thought, but how does that explain the weird mysteries of the Island. Doesn't it seem like Lost is four different shows disguised as one sometimes? What a payoff this will be in three years when the show has ended it's run, but until then there is just way too much going on.