DESMOND!!!! (Jin and Sun, too, but...DESMOND!!!!)

A bit of a comedown from last week, but since I tend to really love Jin/Sun eps, this one really worked for me. Plus, we got some answers (the reveal of what was in the room on the sub may have been the quickest “important” reveal in the show’s history), some hints at answers and Jin made me tear up, so overall a very successful episode, I’d say.

So Sun and Jin are not married in the Sideways world. This was hinted in “LA X” when Sun was addressed as “Ms. Paik,” and while at first I was sad that they weren’t married, I changed my tune by the end of the episode.

“I don’t feel anything.” – Sayid. And then MIB replied that it will help him get through what’s coming. That was sufficiently creepy and unsettling for me. Still very worried about the ultimate fate of Mr. Jarrah.

“I’m going to find my wife.” Good for Jin; too bad he was interrupted so soon. I like when the characters take initiative and don’t sit around bemoaning their fate (kinda like what’s happened to Sun since she came back to the Island). So I’m glad that when he got his chance, Jin was going to go and get what he wanted. Oh well.

Sun’s garden! I am loving these callbacks to past seasons, and I was especially happy to see Sun back in her garden.

LOVED seeing Jin and Sun together in Sideways world, and Sun standing up for herself. Seems like much more of an equal relationship. Even though I still think that the Sideways world will be rendered null and void, I’ll take this happiness for now.

Sun’s pause in front of the mirror before opening the hotel room door – it looked like she saw something. Could she have seen her Island self? Could she have “flashed” to it? Does Sun start speaking Korean because part of her consciousness shifted from the Sideways world at this point?

Room 23! We finally (definitively) know its true purpose: the Dharma Initiative used it for subliminal messaging. I guess that means that the Others just bogarted it and changed it to suit their needs (“Jacob loves you”).

“We’re taking the outrigger.” (Now they’re just teasing me!) But interestingly, MIB cannot turn into the back smoke to get over to Hydra Island. This lead to this exchange: MIB: “Do you think, if I could do that, I would still be on this island?” Sawyer: “No, because that would be ridiculous!” And that’s my winner for quote of the night, mostly for Josh Holloway’s delivery.

MIB is 3 people short of getting off the Island. Why does he need everyone to leave? So there’s officially no one to replace Jacob? Then he lies to Claire about her name being on the cave wall. And he lies about Kate’s name not being there too. (But I’m just assuming Kate’s name is there because her name was on the dial at the lighthouse.) Can he only leave with the candidates? I’m really not sure what to make of any of this.

“I feel like I’m in a damn Godzilla movie.”- Keamy. I love Keamy.

Mikhail! Finally my attempts to ignore the guest starring credits pay off with an actual surprise!

“Some people just aren't meant to be together.” – Keamy. I certainly hope that this is not foreshadowing. If it is, I will not be happy.

“Why won’t you believe me?” – Ben “Because you’re speaking.” – Ilana (A close second for quote of the night, but Holloway’s delivery wins out.)

Jin and the digital camera pictures of Ji Yeon. Beautifully played by Daniel Dae Kim. Really moving, and as I said before, it brought tears to my eyes.

Whose side is Widmore on anyway? Are we just so hardwired to believe that he’s always been a baddie that I have such a hard time accepting that he’s on Jacob’s team? (I keep wondering if he’s being played by MIB somehow.) But then, there’s this quote to Jin (that I rewatched about 20 times so I could get the whole thing): “I know that what you want – more than anything – is to be reunited with your wife and daughter. But it would be short-lived. If that thing masquerading as John Locke ever got off this Island, all of it – your wife, your daughter, my daughter, everyone we know and love – would simply cease to be. And I came here to make sure that doesn't happen.”

“The package from the submarine” It was at this point I started repeating “Desmond, Desmond, Desmond” over and over in my head. (Like “Candyman” or Beetlejuice,” but more Scottish.)

Jin shot Mikhail in the right eye! Damn, that dude can’t catch an (ocular) break!

Sun pregnant in Sideways! And after Mikhail got off his two shots, I already knew where they landed, but that didn’t make her reveal any less heartbreaking. Very Whedonesque: happy reunions can only last for so long. Once again, this better not be foreshadowing.

Jack continues his awesomeness with his beach scene with Sun (Speaking of Whedonesque, the pad made me think of “Hush.”) Seriously though, this transformation of Jack is one of the things that is working out so well this season for me.

And, of course, there’s the capper to the episode: DESMOND!!!! (All CAPS and four exclamations necessary.) I think that the show has kept him away long enough since we are now on the back 9. I expect that he plays a big part in the rest of the season, but really would have had nothing to do if we saw him earlier. So while I did miss him, I’m glad that the show didn’t just have him there because DESMOND!!!! is awesome. (Even though he really is.)

And DESMOND!!!! is what brings me to my latest thoughts on the Sideways world. So good ol’ Chuck told Jin that MIB leaving is bad. And it seems, from my perspective at least, that there have been a few suggestions that the Sideways world is the world that exists should MIB escape. So, let’s assume that both these things are true. Let’s also assume that Widmore has some knowledge of the actual Sideways world and he needs to use Des as a tool to “course correct” and eliminate the Sideways world.

I’ve mentioned in the past that I think there will be a merge of the two worlds at some point. What if Des has to be used in the Sideways world to bring about this merge? We already know that he is “uniquely, miraculously special” (so sayeth Daniel Faraday). And we now know that Zoey was recruited by Widmore to explore the spots on the Island with energy pockets (like the one under the Swan). What if she is there to make Des go all wonky again, but this time instead of him traveling to his past, he travels to the Sideways world to guide the candidates? We saw him on Oceanic 815 in “LA X,” maybe we will start seeing him in the Sideways world more after his role gets spelled out by Charles Widmore.

This is all assuming, of course, that Widmore is working in Jacob’s best interest. Perhaps Jacob has a “loophole” of his own that will allow him to destroy/permanently trap MIB. Oh, I don’t know, my theories change every week. At least I was right about DESMOND!!!!