Lost, The Variable

If you haven't watched this episode, please do not read this - spoilers!

This one left me with goosebumps, so this will be a lot of rambling because I want to hear what you think.

1. Wow, I'm glad Eloise was not my Mother. Eloise. "Good Lord, no," when Penny asked her if Ben was her son - maybe they would have been a better pair.

2. We know that Eloise was his Mom and Widmore said he was his father, but when Eloise slapped him I don't know if that was for late child support or if it meant he wasn't.

3. Daniel was crying about the plane and didn't know why. Something happened to him - I'm assuming from his time travel experiments. Widmore tells him the island may heal him, so this is why he had Charlotte testing his memory when they made it to the island. WIdmore admits to sinking the fake plane.

4. I felt so bad for Daniel. All he wanted was his Mom to be proud of him. I wanted to cry when she shot him and he said, "You knew, you always knew. You knew this was going to happen and you sent me here anyway." He goes to the island because she said it would make her proud.

5. It was curious when Eloise told Penny that she wanted to apologize for Desmond getting mixed up in a conflict that is "bigger than him, bigger than all of us." "For the first time in a long time, I don't know what is going to happen next." So, Eloise and WIdmore seem to be trying to fix something and they know how the story unfolds, but Daniel becomes a variable they can't predict. She no longer knows what will happen because everything they do from here is a result of Daniel trying to change things with his journal. He believes in free will, that they can change their destiny - heard that before.

6. Daniel wants to use the hydrogen bomb to destroy the Swan station, which will prevent a catastrophic event. He wants Dr. Chang to evacuate the island. More on this later.

7. Daniel says as a child, "I can make time."

8. Love Sawyer's welcome to Daniel, "Welcome to the meeting Twitchy...the cupcakes are in the kitchen, help yourself to the punch."

9. I'll have to look for a screen shot, but the magazine Widmore moved when he sat down was Wired and the front read, "The impossible gets real."

10. Hurley was surprised they were in 1954, "Like Fonzie times."

11. Ugh, Charlotte as a child is still creepy, "Not allowed to have chocolate before dinner."

12. Do you think Dr. Chang now believes Miles is his son?

13. Widmore tells Eloise one of the things he has had to sacrifice was his relationship to Penny, this makes her mad because she knows soon she will be shooting Daniel.

14. Desmond reminds Penny that he promised he would never leave her again. I think he is going to have to return to the island.

15. Why does it seem like Eloise and Widmore are making things up as they go? How to they know the future? Is it like Desmond suddenly remembering things - when she shoots Daniel, it is the same time as when she was crying while he was playing the piano. Do the dates fit?

16. Daniel wants to prevent the Swan from being built, which will keep their plane from crashing and the freighter's arrival. In the previews for next week it appears that they are trying to do what Daniel set out to do. So, if they are successful, does the show end with their plane landing in L.A. or do they crash because whatever happened, happened? Was there always going to be a catastrophic event at the Swan or did their arrival, per Eloise's misguided instructions cause the event? If the story ends with their plane landing, does this mean none of them will remember what happened and they will be strangers. I'm not sure if I would like this ending, but it would make for a nice reunion.

17. I'm going to miss Dan.

18. Next week; Some people are being evacuated on the sub - which includes Sawyer and Juliet. Jack looks beat up, but swims under something to enter a chamber - is it what lies beneath the statue? Do you think the people on the beach with the guns now are the Dharma people who were evacuated on the sub? If they do something to go back to Locke time and Sawyer and Juliet are on the sub - where will they end up? How will we survive the Summer without Lost?

Comments

[Courtney]

Very sad too - his realization made me so very sad. I want them to take him to the temple and save him like Ben.

Has Ellie already had Daniel at this point - in the 70s. He is older than 30?

Anyway - I had chills through most of this episode too. I don't believe that the past can be changed - otherwise their (Elloise - Whitmore) memory and knowledge of their own past would be gone - unless like you said it is Desmond-ish and they will all of a sudden have a new recollection.

This destiny - past/present thing is certainly interesting. Night.

[Jaime]

This was the best recap I've read so far. I was curious about the magazine too and the whole "I can make time," that the kid Daniel said struck me. I had a lot of chills... but also am still confused! I'll have to rewatch the episode.

[Sarah Eliza @ devatateboredom]

Overload! Overload! Haha this episode was so great, but definitely a lot to process. I have to say I don't think Eloise in the present was aware that Daniel eventually dies after she sends him on the expedition with Widmore. He hops a sub back from Ann Arbor after he sees the photo of the Dharma Losties... in other words, because she sent them back in time. I think sending them back in time set off the chain of events that led to him being shot, and the fact that they had introduced new variables is why she told Widmore she doesn't know what happens next. I talk about it some in my post, but I think any new memories will be popping up in her present, so I'm not sure why she was crying when she stopped him from playing the piano... except maybe she is caring enough to just be regretting that she was hurting him in that moment?

Hahaha your comment about late child support made me laugh... it was interesting that she slapped him. Maybe there was a whole betrayal thing, when he went off and got with Penny's mom?

[Bunny]

Once again, TV has killed off another of my favourite characters. :'( Very disappointed Daniel won't be there next week. Well, at least they haven't killed Miles... yet.

I was completely unimpressed with this episode, and had stated this aloud, up until the commercials ended and we found out Widmore is Daniel's father. Totally crazy. And then.. poor Daniel! :(

[Michelle]

I am hoping that the Island heals my twitchy friend Daniel...

I cannot imagine trying to wrap my already fried brain around the Oceanic crash NOT happening.

Great recap!

[Condo Blues]

Oh the father issues rear their ugly head in this episode for the rest of the cast. Do notice that the only person without Daddy issues is Hurley - the guy that was locked up in a mental institution? Is it me or is the certified crazy guy trow out most of the saner questions/ideas (peppered with Dude) than the so called smarter/cleverer people?

[kathy]

I think Daniel was crying when he saw the news of 815 in the water
because a part of him realized that he wasn't able to change what happened ~ he wasn't able to prevent the "incident" that led to Desmond doing what he did to make the plane crash.

I mean, Daniel wasn't conciously aware of this, but somewhere in there he realized he had "failed".

[Paper Dolls for Boys]

Why does the island "heal" some but not others? Is Daniel really dead?

I did not like this episode. I told my husband it was like "brain pretzel" only not as yummy. Too much, too many people.

I kept remembering the beginning and how SHOCKED I was to see the rapid feet of the others shuffling by, "There are OTHERS on the island?!!!" and now it's a cast of millions and I can't keep track and can't care as much because of it.

I think you are exactly right that it will end with the plane landing and everyone will go their separate ways, not knowing each other.

hmmmm

[Alexis]

This episode confused me thoroughly and broke my heart! Poor Daniel was just his mother's pawn for his entire life!

I am very confused, but I love it and will suffer terribly until the next season starts!

[Lori]

i love daniel faraday!!!

i have a sneaking suspicion they're going to wrap the whole thing up by going back to the beginning -- like a giant version of groundhog day.