Desmond hunts for Faraday’s mum, Locke meets Alpert in 1954, Juliet reveals she took Others 101, Des and Penny have a baby (and name him Charlie!), and Locke may be the next Dalai Lama, and we’ve only gotten to Episode 3: Jughead. (scroll down to the bottom if you want to skip the recap and get to the good stuff.)
Penny, Desmond, and the most beautiful child I’ve ever seen travel to Great Britain to hunt for Faraday’s mother. Des promises Penny that he’ll be in and out, and her father will never even know they are there. Penny asks Des to promise never to go back to the Island; Des responds, “why would I ever want to go back there?” Foreshadowing, anyone? Des goes to Oxford to try to track her down, only to find that no Faraday was ever listed as working there. Why can’t Des remember what year he visited Faraday before? We know that it was 1996. Is his spotty memory a side effect of his conciousness travelling through time? I also noticed that when Faraday was talking to a past Desmond at the Swan station, when the white light came signaling a time jump, Des also noticed. The Others don’t notice the white light and noise.
Des discovers Faraday’s old lab, a picture of Dan and some blond chick, and a very helpful custodian who gives him the name of the “poor girl” that was the cause of Dan’s lab being shut down. The custodian mentions that other people have been poking around too … who could they be?
Des goes to Theresa Spencer’s home, the ‘poor girl’, and the blond chick that was in the photo in his lab. He discovers that she is incapacitated, most likely conciousness-time-hopping; Desmond recognized the signs as he went through it himself. Why doesn’t Des spill the secret of the Constant? Maybe it could help Theresa. Des also discovers that Widmore had been funding Dan’s research for 10 years, and had been taking care of Theresa, ever since Dan abandoned them.
Desmond brazenly barges in to Widmore’s office, demanding to know where Faraday’s mother is – revealing to him that he knows he funded Dan’s research. Widmore willingly hands over the info – he’s got her address handy in his desk drawer, she’s in L.A. It seems Widmore took Ben’s earlier threat that he would kill Penny to heart, because he seems scared that Desmond will get her involved in this rivalry that “goes back many, many years”. He advises Des to deliver his message and get Penny back in hiding. Des and Penny decide to go to LA together to find Faraday’s mother.
Meanwhile, 50 years earlier….
Miles, Dan, Charlotte and a bunch of red shirts head to the creek looking for Sawyer and Juliet. More extraneous characters bite the dust courtesy of US military issue land mines. Others intercept, and capture Miles, Dan, and Charlotte. The Others take the trio back to their camp, where an I’m-always-the-same-age Alpert makes an appearance. Alpert defends his camp, claiming that the soldiers attacked them, and forced them to kill all the soldiers- Alpert also answers to a command, just like they do. Dan figures they need to keep posing as US military, and claim they are scientists that can render the Hydrogen bomb inert. Dan and one of the Others, the young girl with a braid – Ellie – head to the H bomb.
Sawyer, Juliet, and Locke have more luck with the Others, and capture 2 that apparently speak Latin. (The uniforms are probably taken from the US military soldiers.) Juliet convinces one of them to take them to their camp, throwing the name Richard Alpert out there. How did she know he’d be there? The Other starts to reveal where the camp is, but Jones breaks his neck before he can get much out, and high tails it. Locke can’t pull the trigger, and Sawyer demands why; Locke says, “Because he’s one of my people.”
“Jones” returns to the Others’ camp, and is very cocky when talking to Richard, saying the other group is being led by an old man who can’t possibly know the Island better than he does.
Locke decides to go talk to Alpert, while Sawyer spots Faraday being led by braids at gunpoint. Sawyer and Juliet decide to leave crazy town to rescue the Geek, who, according to Sawyer, is the guy who will actually save them. Locke agrees to give them a head start, “Good luck with that.”
As Dan and braids head toward the bomb, he keeps looking at her, saying she looks really familiar. He tells her he’s their best choice at disarming the bomb, but after examining it, urges her to fill the crack with lead and bury it in concrete. Could this be what is buried under the Swan Station? Although it wouldn’t create electromagnetic energy… Dan spills the beans to Ellie that he and his group are time travelling, and he knows the bomb won’t go off because everything is still there in 50 years. Sawyer and Juliet intercept, and Sawyer says ‘son of a bitch’ for a record time when he spots the bomb.
Locke and Alpert pow-wow, Locke tells him his name, which Richard doesn’t recognize, “that supposed to mean something to me?”, then tells him that Jacob sent him, which DOES mean something to Richard. “Jones” keeps annoyingly interrupting, and finally Richard tells Widmore to shut up. Uh, wow. Locke gives Alpert the compass, claims that he is the Others leader now. Alpert is skeptical, telling Locke they have a very specific method of choosing their leader, and it starts at a very early age. Locke asks what year it is (1954), and encourages Richard to come visit him when he is born in two years. Now we know how Richard came to be there when Locke is born!! The white light threatens, and Locke desperately tries to get Richard to tell him how to get off the Island, but … time jump. Bomb, camp, and others are all gone. But Charlotte has a problem …
The Theories:
Is Locke the chosen one? The method that Alpert used on Locke when he visited him as a young boy echoes the method used to find the reincarnated Dalai Lama. High Lamas go to a young boy’s home, suspected to be the reincarnated Lama, and gives him several artifacts that belonged to the previous Lama, and if the boy chooses the right ones, he is believed to be the next Dalai Lama. Sound familiar? But is Locke the Others’ leader? He did pick the compass and Island sand, but also picked the knife, which was obviously wrong per Richard’s reaction. So are they still looking for the reincarnated Lama, or are stuck with Locke, who is close enough?
Faraday’s mother theory:
Ellie (braids) = Eloise? = Faraday’s mom? = why she seems so familiar to him? So does Ellie = Ms. Hawking?
What about Widmore? Could he be Faraday’s father? He and braids were on the Island as young people at the same time … and he funded Dan’s research for 10 years. And took care of Theresa after Dan went back to the states. Maybe Penny and Dan are half-brother and sister?
What do you think? Is Locke the Chosen One? Could Ellie be Faraday’s mother? Is Ellie Ms. Hawking? Could Widmore be Dan’s father?
Mary Go Round 
There are time jumps – and those are different from the “consciousness time travelling” that Teresa Spencer is trapped in?
The DI experimented with rabbits which had numbers on them. But if only “their brains” were traveling through time (as the custodian put it) why did they need numbers ? Are the islanders actually lying somewhere in a coma, too – or are they being physically transported back and forth through time?
And that custodian… just happened to be there? when Desmond came looking?
Two people (FARRADAY and JULIET) know a lot more than they’re telling – and I CANNOT understand whey they don’t just spill some info. That’s getting tired… the leading questions and non-answers. If Juliet knows how old DF is, then she should just say the answer, already! And then explain the significance – or at least say, “weird, isn’t it?”
Maybe they can’t tell things for fear of causing some paradox?
I thought it might be that someone… something… has already viewed the present time happenings from some future time. But that’s no good, because why would they be so desperate to make things happen the way they are “supposed to.” OR is somebody desperately trying to manipulate events – to change them – to keep disaster from happening – even tho DF says that’s impossible.
Maybe Jacob is from the future.
ok so Lock collects knives in the future and dude doesnt know that. so as far as we can tell he did choose all the right ones. right?
Go back and watch ‘The Constant’ again to better understand the phenomenon of consciousness time travel. Also, take heed of the discussion between the janitor and Desmond in Faraday’s lab. Widmore wants his consciousness sent back in time to when he was on the island. He is likely using Theresa as a bargaining chip. That is why he is funding Faraday’s research. He is not Faraday’s father.
>>Widmore wants his consciousness sent back in time to when he was on the island.<<
….. but why? Is he looking for a way to live forever?? To have a do-over to get more power over Ben??
(Hi, Jacob. It’s nice to see virtual glimpses of you lately!)
Mary: Who currently has possession of the season which includes “The Constant” ??
Widmore’s motivation is unclear at this point. I think it will suffice to say that he wants to get back to the island by any means necessary. My guess is a do over, which as we know, is against “The Rules.”
More broadly, I think the Others, Ben and the other Others (the off-island Others: Hawking, Butcher Shop Lady, Ben’s Attorney, etc.) are somehow trying to change something. That’s why they have 70 hours. I think that specific people need to be in a specific place at a specific time — OR — the island is moving through time and will only be present during “real-word time” during the ‘Hawking’s Time Window.’
I also think that is the O6 don’t return the other Others will die. That is what Hawking meant when she said, “God help us all.” She was referring to the Others and the other Others.
Mary is my constant…this is ridiculous!
No – I think “God help us all” means ALL. If the 06 don’t return, it’s the end of everything.
God help us ALL seems a bit dire….
I think Locke is going to turn the donkey wheel next week and put the Frenchies into time spin which will be “The Sickness” to which Rousseau refers.