LOST Recap, Season 6, Episode 11: “Happily Ever After”
What follows is a recap of LOST Season 6, Episode 11: “Happily Ever After.” Lots of spoilers ensue.
Check out the guest blogger’s LOST-themed blog at thelostloophole.blogspot.com for daily LOST-related updates.
Some of LOST’s best episodes ever are based around everyone’s favorite Scotsman, Desmond David Hume. Past popular episodes include Season 3’s “Flashes Before Your Eyes” and Season 4’s “The Constant,” both of which explore Desmond’s special abilities. Well, add last night’s episode to the list of great Desmond-centered episodes. “Happily Ever After” is the 11th episode of LOST’s final season and after an extended hiatus, Desmond made his long-awaited return to the island.
Referred to as “the package,” Desmond was brought back to the LOST island by Charles Widmore, against his will. When we last saw him, in Season 5’s “The Variable”, Desmond had been shot by Ben Linus and was in the hospital. Apparently, this is when Widmore kidnapped Desmond, put him in a locked room on a submarine, and transported him to the island. When he wakes up, Desmond is understandably upset with Widmore and attempts to knock him out with an IV pole. Widmore tells Zoe (the Tina Fey look-alike) to take Desmond to the generator room where the test will take place. This is where things get a bit weird. Widmore’s team are nervous about running the test, and after a team member is accidently fried by the giant electromagnetic force, things are looking dim for Desmond. But we know he is special, and Widmore needs to prove this in order to save the island. So they tie Desmond to a chair and crank up the machine. After a few seconds a giant white flash send us to the flash-sideways world.
Desmond was, in fact, on Oceanic 815 (not a strange vision by Jack) and he is now safely at LAX, where he is picked up by George Minkowski (the communication officer from Widmore’s freighter, who died in The Constant). We learn that Desmond is not married. Instead, he is Charles Widmore’s right hand man (even drinking MacCutcheon Whiskey, which was once not good enough for Desmond to drink) and is tasked with getting Charlie Pace out of jail and making sure he is available to play at Mrs. Widmore’s party.
Charlie and Desmond were close on the island, so it was a treat to see them together again. Charlie is in a strange mood, telling Desmond that before he almost died on Oceanic 815 he felt the love of a beautiful blonde woman (Claire, perhaps?). Charlie tells Desmond he has to show him something and he drives Desmond’s car into the bay (the same bay serves as the backdrop for the infamous Desmond and Penny photo). While underwater, Charlie holds his hand up to the window, which causes Desmond to remember “Not Penny’s Boat” (Season 3’s finale, “Through the Looking Glass”). They escape the car and are taken to the hospital where Desmond is placed into an MRI machine. While in the machine, Desmond sees visions of his former life with Penny. He tracks down Charlie (after seeing Jack Shephard), and Charlie tells Desmond to stop focusing on him and start focusing on Penny.
Widmore tells Desmond he must tell Mrs. Widmore that Charlie Pace won’t be playing at their party. Mrs. Widmore turns out to be Eloise Hawking, and Daniel Widmore (Daniel Faraday) is their son. Eloise knows Desmond, though she tries to pretend that she doesn’t. Desmond tries to take a peek at the guest list after hearing Penny’s name, and this is when Eloise gets incredibly mad. She yells at Desmond, saying someone has gotten to him, which is a violation. She tells him to stop looking and that he’s not ready yet. What does all of this mean? Who knows: Eloise Hawking is always saying strange, coded things to Desmond.
Daniel Widmore tells Desmond that he saw a redheaded woman eating a chocolate bar (Charlotte? She said she wasn’t allowed a chocolate before dinner right before her death in Season 5). When he awoke the next day, he drew a diagram in his journal outlining some serious quantum mechanics. This is strange — as in this life he is a musician. He then tells Desmond that he feels as if he’s set of a nuclear bomb in another life (yes, this is technically true). Desmond has no idea what this has to do with him, and Daniel tells him that he knows Desmond felt love, like there’s another life and they can change things. Daniel then sends Desmond to meet Penny, who is his half sister. In the original timeline, Penny is Widmore’s daughter and Daniel is Widmore’s son. While we know that Eloise Hawking is Daniel’s mother, we’re unsure who Penny’s mother is.
Penny is running stairs at the stadium where Desmond first met Jack in Season 2’s “Man of Science, Man of Faith.” They shake hands, which causes Desmond to faint, sending him back to the island. Widmore’s team pulls him out of the test room where he is uninjured. Widmore tells him that he was only passed out for a few seconds and now they know that Desmond’s talent is vital to their mission. Desmond, wanting to protect Penny and their son Charlie, says that he will cooperate with Widmore. While walking through the woods with Widmore’s team, Sayid jumps out of the jungle, disarming Widmore’s team. He tells Desmond they must go, and Desmond tells him to lead the way.
When he wakes up in the stadium, Desmond and Penny agree to go for coffee. He returns to the car, where George Minkowski tells him that if there is anything he needs, just ask. (He said that a few time, leading me to believe that George may know something.) Desmond asks for the manifest from the Oceanic 815 plane, telling Minkowski that he needs to “show them something.”
What in the world is going to happen when Desmond begins contacting our LOSTies? We may not have gotten that answer last night, but for the first time the two plotlines seemed to be connected. Is Desmond the key to it all? We’ll only have to wait a few more episodes to see! And next week is a Hurley episode, so we’re excited …
Other LOST Season 6 recaps:
Episodes 1 & 2: “LAX Parts 1 & 2″
Episode 12: “Everybody Loves Hugo”
Episode 13: “The Last Recruit”
Episode 16: “What They Died For”
Episode 17: “The End” (series finale)
Katelyn is a graduate student at Michigan State University is East Lansing, MI. In her free time she loves to spend time watching and writing about LOST. Check out her LOST-themed blog at thelostloophole.blogspot.com for daily LOST-related updates.
(title image via LOSTpedia)
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