Not one of them.
Oh, don't worry, they're all important, but not one of those things is the significant development this week. Wanna know what is?
Of course you do!
The episode opens with Desmond frantically trying to find a doctor. When he does find the doc, he hustles him back to his boat, where Penny is in great distress as she prepares to deliver the development...er, baby.
After a typical two push Hollywood delivery, the baby is born.
A while later, Desmond and his son sail towards some lights. Desmond tells the boy about what a special island they're going to. Great Britain.
Penny is concerned that if her father finds out that Desmond is back on that special island that Desmond might be in danger. He reminds her that they're there because of Faraday, which has nothing to do with her father and that he has to do it because all of the people they left behind are in danger and only Desmond can help them.
Out in the jungle, Miles, Faraday, Charlotte and a couple of red shirts head toward the creek as per Sawyer's shouted instructions during the attack by the ironic flaming arrow and his friends. Faraday grows concerned when Charlotte tells him that she's having dizziness and double vision to go along with her headache. He reassures her that he won't let anything happen to her, but he still won't answer her when she asks if he knows what's happening to her.
At the creek, they see that they're the only ones there. Miles notices a wire in the underbrush, but since the two guys who have taken point are both red shirts (even though they're out of uniform), he shouts the warning just a second too late. After the blast, a group of men armed with bows and arrows emerges from the jungle, led by a tiny little blond gal with a rifle bigger than she is.
Back on their boat, Desmond and Penny discuss his trip into Oxford. When he explains that it's a simple matter of finding Faraday's mother and delivering the message that Daniel and the rest are still on the island and that's it, Penny is skeptical.
"Why now? I mean, if he told you all this on the island, why didn't you remember it until two days ago?"
Desmond can't explain why. He just knows that it happened and that he has to deliver Daniel's message.
"I know how insane it sounds. I'll be back back by dark and then I'm done. Forever. I promise."
"If you're going to promise me something Des, can you promise me you'll never go back to that island?"
"Why in God's name would I want to go back there?"
That, Desmond, is not a promise. It's also a big part of this week's significant development.
At the creek, the bodies are dragged out of the water as the pixie interrogates her captives. She wants to know where the rest of the 20 survivors that scattered off the beach are, but Faraday has no idea.
Two of those scattered survivors and John Locke have two captives of their own and are trying to sort out what to do with them. While they talk, the subject of Locke's gunshot wound comes up, but before he can tell them that Ethan shot him, Juliet interrupts and suggests they swap stories later.
Is it just me, or was that just a little too "Don't you dare tell this redneck that Ethan shot you, he knows too much already, so why don't you just shut up, John?" to be a coincidence?
Since they don't have any way to tie them up, Sawyer votes for a lead solution. When he hears that, one of the captives starts speaking Latin to the other, but the other (or should I say "other Other"?) tells him to shut up in Latin. Unfortunately for the captives, Juliet is also a Latin speaker and translates their little conversation.
It turns out that one of the prerequisites of being an Other is to learn to speak Latin.
(*pars nota: Naturally, Juliet would have an advantage in that area, being a doctor. A great deal of medical terminology comes from the Latin root, so learning it is a part of most medical school programs. Oh and "pars nota" is Latin for "side note", in case you were wondering*)
As Faraday, Miles and Charlotte are marched through the jungle, Daniel notes that one of their captors has his hands heavily bandaged, while Miles gets that "I wish I had my dustbuster with me" look on his face. It seems that they just walked over a fresh grave, where four U.S. soldiers are buried. Three that died from gunshots, one who perished from radiation poisoning. Daniel takes this at face value and then asks if any of the dead guys mentioned what year it is.
Just then, the elf announces that they've reached the camp. A familiar face emerges from one of the tents. It's Richard! He asks Daniel's name, but Daniel tries to exert some control and asks his name before offering his own.
"My name is Richard Alpert. I assume you've come back for your bomb?"
Hmm. Complications.
At Oxford, Desmond goes hunting for Daniel's mother, but there doesn't seem to be a record of a Faraday being employed by Oxford. When the clerk asks if Desmond could narrow down the search by telling her the year he visited Faraday, Des can't remember. He leaves, but doesn't give up.
(*pars nota: There was a Faraday at Oxford, but probably long before Daniel and likely not in the computer database. Renowned scientist Michael Faraday was awarded an honourary Doctor of Civil Law degree in 1832.)
The lab where Des and Daniel had their little time travel chat while Eloise ran her laps in the maze is locked and sealed for fumigating, but Desmond needs answers and a sticker isn't going to stop him.
Sure enough, it's the lab, complete with Eloise's maze.
A man comes in, surprisingly unsurprised that Desmond has broken in. He's the maintenance man responsible for clearing the lab out, including incinerating the rats that Faraday experimented on - the ones who's brains he was trying to send back in time. He explains that the reason Desmond can't find any reference to Faraday being at Oxford is because Oxford wouldn't want to admit being involved with him after what he did to "that poor girl."
With their hands tied, the three freight-ees (Remember that? How did these three become so important so quickly? I must've missed a memo.) are hustled into a tent. Faraday reminds them that all they need to do is hang on until the next flash and then they'll be free.
"And when's that gonna happen?"
"Could be five minutes...could also be five thousand years."
"That's...that's just awesome."
Dan figures that their captors think they're American military and he thinks that it's best to let them keep thinking that. Richard enters and starts trying to get information out of Faraday. Faraday tries to change the subject from the information that Richard wants to what he needs, which is for Faraday to neutralize the hydrogen bomb that has already caused radiation burns to at least one of Richard's people.
"How do I know you weren't sent here on some suicide mission? I'll take you out to the bomb and you'll just detonate it."
"Because...I'm in love with the woman sitting next to me. And I would never...I'd never do anything to hurt her."
Richard agrees to let Faraday take care of the bomb.
Out in the jungle, Juliet is explaining how she comes to speak Latin. Apparently the Others speak it because it is an enlightened language. I question this, since the language has no translation for "Internet", but I digress.
Locke tries to convince the captives to speak to him before they reach the creek, since the rest of the survivors are likely to be a bit upset with them for the attack of the ironic flaming arrow and friends.
"The rest of your people are either captured or dead."
"What? What makes you say that?"
"That idiot shouted out 'Meet at the creek'". We knew exactly where they were headed. Sent a group after them."
Before Sawyer can get too bent out of shape about being called an idiot, Juliet Latin's up and tries to get the talker to trust her.
"We're not your enemy."
"Then let us go."
"Take us to your camp. Please."
"Why would I do that?" (Quare Ego Facio Illiam, or something close to that, which almost sounds like "Where you go fuck ya'll" if you aren't paying attention.)
"Is...Richard there? Richard Alpert?"
Locke recognizes "Ricardus Alpert" as Richard Alpert, but Juliet hushes him for the moment.
"Bring us to your camp. No one else has to die."
Well, that's where you're wrong Juliet. When the talker starts to give directions to the camp, the non-talker takes the moment of distraction to break the talker's neck, Hollywood style. My chiropractor does worse, and I pay him.
As the non-talker runs into the jungle, John has a chance to stop him with a bullet, but hesitates. Sawyer grabs the gun and takes a shot, but it's too late and the non-talker is gone.
"Are you crazy? What were you thinkin'? Why didn't you shoot him?"
"Because. He's one of my people."
Desmond knocks on a nondescript door and a woman answers. She's the sister of the woman Desmond is looking for and when he mentions Daniel Faraday, she facetiously invites him in. Desmond doesn't catch the sarcasm in her voice and is surprised to find the woman in a hospital bed, apparently in some sort of fugue.
"Teresa's away right now."
"Away?"
"Sometimes she wakes up, thinks she's three, wants to know where here dolly is. Yesterday she was talking to our dad. He died five years ago."
Hmm...sort of seems like she might be unstuck in time. Ya think?
It seems that Daniel caused the problem and then ran off to the States, leaving Theresa in the state that Desmond found her in. It turns out that if not for Daniel's research benefactor, there wouldn't be enough money to take care of Theresa. Daniel's benefactor? Widmore. Naturally.
In the tent, Charlotte wonders why Daniel said what he said, since there were other ways to convince Richard that he wasn't on a suicide mission.
"I said what I said, because I meant it, Charlotte."
The pixie comes to collect Faraday and before leading him out to the bomb, Richard unties him and explains why there was a conflict with the group that he thinks Faraday is a part of. He was forced to kill the 18 soldiers when they wouldn't leave peacefully.
"Forced? By whom?"
"You answer to someone, don't you? Follow a chain of command? Well so do I."
Before Richard can get deeper into the island chain of command, the non-talker comes flying into camp. He explains that he and his group were surprised, outnumbered and captured. The pixie seems less than impressed with the non-talker when she derisively says "outnumbered, eh?"
"Shut up, Elly."
Elly? Like...Eloise? Like the name that Faraday gave his rat? Named after his mother? Yeah, the pixie is her. Bet on it. Obvious answers, remember?
Even Richard seems somewhat contemptuous of the man, asking him if he didn't think that perhaps he might be followed back to the camp.
"Follow me? Their leader is some sodding old man. What, you think he can track me? You think he knows this island better than I do?" Um...yeah, sorry dude, but he does. In fact, he's in the trees above your camp right now. No wonder the pixie thinks you're an idiot.
"How did you know Richard would be here?" asks John.
"Richard's always been here," answers Juliet.
"How old is he?"
"Old."
It seems that John's interest in Richard stems from the fact that Richard was about to tell him how John was going to save them when the sky flashed and John found himself elsewhen.
"I hate to bust up the "I'm an Other, you're an Other" reunion, but Faraday? The guy that's actually going to save us, is being death marched into the jungle right now."
"Good luck with that."
John isn't interested in saving Faraday. He wants to talk to Richard. He will give Sawyer ten minutes to save the geek before he marches into Other camp. Once Locke heads off, Sawyer wonders about Juliet and what she's going to do. She gives him one of her patented enigmatic stares.
As she marches Faraday to the bomb, Elly gets uncomfortable with the way Faraday keeps looking at her.
"It's just...you look so much like...someone I used to know."
Yeah, we get it.
"I don't believe you, by the way. You may have Richard fooled, but you can't really expect me to believe that you, a British woman and a Chinese man are all members of the United States military. Who are you and what are you doing on our island."
"You wanna know who I am? I'm your best chance of disarming that bomb."
"Alright then. Disarm it."
Daniel, Jughead. Jughead, Daniel.
Daniel takes his time examining the casing of the bomb and shortly finds trouble.
This is how you say "Oh SHIT!" on ABC, without saying "Oh SHIT!" on ABC
He climbs quickly down from the scaffold holding the device and scoots Elly back to a safer distance. She threatens to shoot him as he backs her up.
"What, you're gonna, you're gonna shoot me? That right? Yeah, that would be perfect, because of course, rifle fire right next to, what would you call this? Hydrogen bomb. Yes, fantastic idea, really...inspired."
He asks if her group has access to lead and concrete. They need to seal the casing with lead and bury the bomb in concrete. Like...er, down in the hatch maybe?
Elly is skeptical about burying the bomb, but gets really irritated with him when he mentions that the island will still be here in 50 years. I don't think Elly likes time travel paradoxes any more than I do.
Just as Dan is letting a whole herd of time traveling cats out of a very confused bag, Sawyer gets the drop on mom...er, Elly.
"Drop the gun, Blondie." See, now if I'd been writing this, the bomb would have been named "Dagwood" and then there'd be an opportunity for a Blondie/Dagwood joke AND I could have called Widmore "Mr. Bumstead". I considered doing a whole string of Archie, Betty, Veronica jokes through the recap, but I'm sure someone else will do it and it's really just too obvious.
After dropping her gun, Elly looks at Faraday with a "one day, I'm going to send you to your room for this" look.
"Are they from the future too?"
"You told her?"
Desmond storms into Widmore's office. He's not in a mood to answer questions, just ask them. He asks about Faraday's mother, and isn't impressed with Widmore's bluff. He lays it all on the table and Widmore gives him an address for her in Los Angeles.
As Desmond leaves, Widmore has one more thing to give Desmond. Advice.
"Deliver your message and then get out of this mess. Don't put Penny's life in danger."
"Danger?"
"You're getting yourself involved in something that goes back many, many years. It has nothing to do with you or my daughter. Wherever you were hiding, go back there."
"Thanks for the advice."
You just know he's not going to do that.
Some sodding old man storms into the Other's camp and non-talker stops him with a cocked-rifle.
"My name is John Locke."
"That supposed to mean something to me?"
"Jacob sent me."
Richard ponders this for a second and then instructs non-talker to put his gun down.
"What? Richard, you can't seriously trust him."
"I said, 'Put the gun down', Widmore."
John is only mildly surprised.
"You're name is Widmore? Charles Widmore?"
"What's it to you?"
"Nothing. Nice to meet you."
It might be mildly significant that Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III is the full name of Archie's pal, since "Jones" is the name on Widmore's uniform. The III might be significant too...
Desmond returns to the boat and when Penny asks if he found Faraday's mother, he tries to lie and tell her that the woman died a few years ago. Penny isn't fooled.
"Where is she?"
"She's in Los Angeles. Look, Penny, you've got nothing to worry about. This was a mistake. I made a promise this would be done in a day and now it's done. It's not our problem any more."
"And what happens if you wake up tomorrow and you remember something else?"
"I'll forget it."
"And the next day?"
"I'll forget it. It doesn't matter Pen. You're my life now. You and Charlie. I won't leave you again. Not for this, not for anything."
"You'll never forget it, Des. So I guess we're going with you."
Okay, whoa. Time out. Back up the what the fuck truck.
Lemme get this straight. Desmond and Penny have been separated for years because Charles Widmore marooned Desmond on an island and then sent a goon squad to that island to kill him and everyone else there and these two named their kid "Charlie"? I mean, okay, sure it's a tribute to the guy who sacrificed his life for them, but come on!
Here's my latest wacky theory. I think that Desmond and Penny will wind up on the island oh...about 70 years ago. Just in time to be:
A) Adam and Eve in the cave with the black and white stones
B) On the island so their son grows up to be non-talker. Yup, Penny gave birth to her own father. Why else show us the drama of the kid's birth unless the kid himself is mucho importante? We would have got the idea that they had a kid without that scene, just fine.
I could be way off here, but I think that "Charlie" is the most important bit in the episode. That's why the "III" in Jughead's full name might be significant, since we've seen 3 Widmores in this episode. The past, present and future and not in the order you'd expect.
Back at the Other's camp, Richard is trying to wrap his head around John's wacky time travel tale. All John wants is for Richard to tell him how to get off the island, but Richard is skeptical.
John learns that it is currently 1954 and suggests that Richard come visit him in 1956 when he is born, to confirm the things that John is saying. You all remember John's failed test with the knife, right? Yeah, I knew you did.
Just as it looks like Richard might be willing to give up the information, the sky flashes again and John and the rest of the crew find themselves in an empty clearing.
Faraday rushes to Charlotte to check on her. No sooner does he get her wrists untied than she collapses, blood gushing from her nose. Faraday has seen this before...or will see this again...time travel gives me a headache.
