Desmond's episodes are always MONEY.

It seems like the show is representing The Man in Black as the Sideways Timeline with Widmore fighting to preserve the current timeline.

MiB promising Sayid a world with Nadia again and Claire getting Aaron back would both be promises kept in the sideways timeline.

Widmore, on the other hand, warned Desmond and Jin that they would lose their wife and child, which we've seen to be true in that same sideways timeline.

In general, the sideways timelines have appeared happier for the castaways, but if Jacob is telling the truth about MiB, the end may not be as sunny as it seems. Not to mention, Jin/Sun's sideways reality is already in peril and Desmond was definitely more content in the current timeline.

I'm not sure how the candidates factor into this theory and it likely will be completely wrong, but it is fun to speculate nonetheless.

hands down the best episode this season. top three of the entire series. desmond is LOST. seeing him, faraday, and charlie is breath of fresh air. this is what made this show special in the first place. can't wait until desmond gets the rest of the crew together.

seems right. both desmond's know the truth.

How can one person switch consciousness with themselves? That's right, because they are the same person living two completely different lives.

Desmond didn't care about being 'special'. Just because he saw flashes didnt make Desmond view himself as special. If you recall, Charlie directly asked him on the beach in S3 how he knew future events. Desmond clearly stated to Charlie that he was in fact a coward!

Finally, if Desmond thought he was special he wouldn't have stated "They're just using you brother" and "I'm through with the island". He also wouldnt have been kicking and screaming to be let go when he was put in that box.

Funny how 'See you in another life, brotha' from season 2 kinda has a whole new perspective now, in a way.

I'm damn confused on what Widmore's intention is with Desmond.

He's obviously against the MiB in the OT, but ALT Widmore and Hawking HAVE THEIR ENTIRE FAMILY alive and well. Hawking goes out of her way in the ALT to prevent Desmond from meeting Penny, similiar to how she tried to stop him from marrying her in FBYE.

You may be onto something. I never thought of that, but everything the MIB promised is occuring/preserved in the alternate timeline. Hence, why Widmore is desperate to send Desmond into the Alt to make everyone aware that it can't happen: if the Alt happens, MiB wins. However, if the MiB has won, but Desmond can reverse it, this would give reason for Widmore to go to all this trouble to stop him.

I'm in the boat that is hopeful that the real John Locke can be brought into the OR. After all, he is supposed to protect the island, and the MiB, from what we have seen, wants it destroyed. Hopefully Desmond can find him. If so, this throws a ton of wrenches into the MiB's plan.

Wonder if the the losties will instantly become aware of what's going on when Desmond interacts with them (is he everyone's "constant").

1)Correct. Same person, not two.

2)I didn't say he cared. I said he knew. Seeing the future, meeting your wife in a different timeline to tell her to call you on the phone, all signs you are special. Whether you like it or not. Watch past S3 and you'll see Desmond becomes more aware of this.

3)Desmond is done for two reasons 1)Penny 2)Charlie. His wife, his son. He is happy. He simply doesn't care. And he was kicking and screaming because the last guy was cooked to a crisp and was now dead. So, that point is moot.

I'm not trying to argue. This show is all about theories.

Okay, if the alternate reality is not real, then what happens to the people that are dead (ie charlie, daniel, etc). Do they even matter at this point? Would they know they are dead in the island timeline if they can sense something is off?

I can't believe its almost over. It seems like this could go on forever.

It was mentioned already, but I just keep thinking what happens when Locke becomes aware? Can he become aware, how the hell does he even exist in the flash-sideways anyway? Will he know that MiB has inhabited his "real" body? Can he destroy him from the inside ala Neo in The Matrix? And what did MiB do that allowed him to take over Locke's body? Too many questions, but the idea of an awakening certainly leaves more room to consider real Locke's reappearance than previously thought.

Charlie and Daniel are dead, and both of them put Desmond on the correct path of finding out the ALT is a sham. Remember when Charlie told Hurley, "I am dead, but I'm also here." Something tells me that dead people seem to be more in tune with what is going on. Not completely, but enough to figure things out.

I don't think Widmore intentionally sent Desmond to the other timeline. I didn't even get the impression that he was aware of it.

I think the ability that he thinks Desmond has is the ability to withstand those electromagnetic energy bursts. Widmore must feel that those energy bursts are key to defeating the man in black.

The timeline jumping is just a fortunate side effect.

So far, most of the dead characters have popped up in the ALT. Some seem to have a clue what is going on, some don't. (Boone/Keamy/Omar ... )

I keep wondering if this is all going to tie into Locke being able to walk again in S1 (ALT Body + OT Mind). I really agree with StephenX with regards to Locke. They wouldn't give the man ANOTHER centric this season (The Substitute)if they didn't have a plan for him.

I'm curious about how this might work as well.

I don't think Charles Widmore hates or even dislikes Desmond. He was an asshole to him because he knew that Desmond couldn't hook up with Penny because he had to end up on the island in the hatch. He was doing that for the sole purpose of pushing Desmond toward his destiny.

I wonder who in the alt-timeline knows what, and how much they know. Eloise and Desmond seem to know quite a bit, Widmore seems clueless though that may be feigned.

There was a scene in the Jin/Sun episode where Sun looked in the mirror and seemed to see something... wondering if that might be her having a flash of memory like Jack did a couple of times.

I wonder if everyone won't end up getting killed in the prime timeline, only to "wake up" in the alt-timeline. Charlie and Daniel seem more "aware" of their other lives than people like Jack, Sayid, Sun, etc. Also, remember what Juliet was said before she died, like she was slipping into the alt-reality.

Dead people provide guidance in both worlds.

I will no longer dis the 'flash sideways.'
I will no longer dis the 'flash sideways.'
I will no longer dis the 'flash sideways.'
I will no longer dis the 'flash sideways.'
I will no longer dis the 'flash sideways.'
I will no longer dis the 'flash sideways.'
I will no longer dis the 'flash sideways.'
I will no longer dis the 'flash sideways.'

I wonder if the Losties will get a choice at the end of which timeline they want to live. Also, how far back do we have to go to where the event changed their lives in the ALT? Because obviously it wasn't just never getting on that plane. I assume it was before any of them ever met Jacob?

Did anyone mention that Desmond and Charlie sank in the same marina that Ben tried to kill Desmond?

I also remember noticing another painting in Widmore's office, a scale with two rocks on it.

Posted this a few weeks back also.

A boat illusion?

How ummm....did he open a car door under water?

That makes absolutley perfect sense now. Season one I didn't think was all that amazing, but if that were true, that would blow my fucking mind.