Episode Name: Flashes Before Your Eyes Episode Number: 308 Flashbacks: Desmond Written by: Damon Lindelof & Drew Goddard Directed by: Jack Bender Original US Air Date: 2/14/07 on ABC
Previously (Recap):
Locke wakes up and finds a naked Desmond running around.
Hurley finds Desmond, who knows about Locke's speech before he gives it.
Desmond warns Claire that she has a problem with her roof. He puts up a lightning rod and later it gets hit by lightning which Charlie acutely notices.
Teaser:
Charlie goes through Sawyer's stash as Hurley sits nearby. Hurley isn't so sure that it's a good idea. Desmond walks up and says that he wants both of them to come with him.
Charlie and Hurley follow him into the jungle where they find Locke and Sayid, who tell them that Eko was killed by the Island the day before. They say that they buried him. Hurley notices that Desmond is acting strangely. Suddenly, Desmond takes off running. They follow him.
Desmond reaches the beach and dives in.
Hurley, Charlie, Sayid and Locke arrive at the beach and watch Desmond swim. One of them notices that someone else is out there. Sun walks up with Aaron. Charlie asks where Claire is and Sun says that she went for a walk. He runs down to the surf.
Desmond reaches Claire and pulls her back to the beach.
Desmond starts doing CPR as Charlie is helpless to help. Claire comes around and Desmond starts to carry her up the beach. Charlie wants to help, but Desmond says he's got her. Charlie wants to know how Desmond knew she was drowning. Hurley says that he knew because he can see the future.
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Act 1:
Desmond looks at the picture of he and Penny. Claire walks up and says that she's beautiful and asks her name. Desmond tells her and then asks how she is. She says that she's still shaken up.
Charlie walks up with Aaron and says that he's hungry.
Claire thanks Desmond.
Hurley and Charlie talk. They want to know how Desmond is doing it. They walk into Sawyer's tent. Charlie decides that getting Desmond drunk is the way to do it.
Hurley and Charlie walk to the Desmond on the beach. Charlie offers Desmond a drink. Desmond at first refuses, but then Charlie accuses him of being too good for him. Desmond asks what kind of whiskey is it. Charlie says that it's McCutcheon. Desmond suddenly laughes and wants the bottle.
Evening has come and the three sing around a fire. Desmond is pretty drunk. Charlie asks him how he knew that Claire was drowning. Desmond says that he heard her. Hurley points out that he was a mile away and Desmond says that he has really good hearing. Charlie then asks if he heard the lightning. Desmond doesn't answer. He just thanks them for the drink and starts to leave. Charlie calls after him and wants to know what he's up to. He says that just turning a key doesn't make him a hero. He then calls Desmond a coward. That sets Desmond off. Desmond tackles Charlie and tells him that he doesn't want to know what happened to him.
Flashback #1:
In the hatch, the counter goes down. Desmond opens up the duct and climbs down.
Flashback #1 Con't:
In the hatch, Desmond puts the key in and turns it. There is a flash of images.
Flashback #2:
Desmond lies on the floor covered in red. It turns out to be paint as he's fallen from the ladder. He is in his flat with Penny. Penny comes over and checks on him. Desmond clearly is surprised to be there and as it sinks in, he is happy to be (back) with Penny.
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Act 2: Flashback #3:
In their flat, Desmond tries to put on a tie. He gets frustrated, but Penny comes up and takes off. She asks him how his head is and gets sentimental. They kiss. Penny says that she's finished and steps back. She tells him that he doesn't have to get a job from her father. He says that it's not about the job.Desmond starts hearing the hatch beeping sound. He follows it into the kitchen where it turns out to be the microwave.
Flashback #3 Con't:
Desmond walks up to the receptionist's desk. Just then, a deliveryman says that he has a package for "815." Desmond hears him and asks him to repeat himself.
Flashback #3 Con't:
Mr. Widmore goes over Desmond's resume. He queries him about his (lack of) experience. Desmond compliments him on his sail boat, which prompts some images from the island including Kelvin's death. Widmore finally offers Desmond a job in the administrative department. Desmond says that he didn't come for a job, but rather he came to ask for Penny's hand in marriage. Widmore seems impressed by Desmond's gesture. He then goes to his bar and gets a bottle of McCutcheon whiskey. He explains the story behind the whiskey and then says that one sip is worth more than what Desmond could make in a month. He says that Desmond is not worthy of drinking his whiskey let alone marrying his daughter because Desmond will never be a great man.
Flashback #3 Con't:
Outside the Widmore offices, Desmond tears off his tie. He stands there and then hears someone singing.. He looks to see Charlie singing "Wonderwall." When Charlie is done, Desmond says that he knows Charlie and asks him how he knows him. Desmond sees flashes from he and Charlie in the Hatch. Desmond starts to frantically describe what he remembers about the Hatch and the button. He says that it's all happened before including that it started to rain. Immediately after he says it, it starts to rain.
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Act 3: Flashback #4:
A professor talks to a student. Desmond runs in and knows calls him Donovan. Desmond walks up to him and asks if time travel is possible.
Flashback #4 Con't:
Desmond and Donovan sit in a pub. Desmond wants to know if time travel is possible. Donovan figures that it has to do with Widmore's rejection. Just then, Mama Cass's song starts playing on the jukebox. Desmond predicts that the soccer team on television will come back with two goals and then "Jimmy Lennon" will walk in with a cricket bat and hit the bartender. Instead, the goalie makes a save and two women walk in the door. Donovan tells him that there is no such thing as time travel. He tells Desmond to stop messing around and marry Penny.
Flashback #4 Con't:
Desmond returns to their flat. Penny wakes up and asks about the job. Desmond says that he failed to impress her father. She wants to celebrate that he won't be working for Widmore Industries. Desmond doesn't think it's worth celebrating. She wants to celebrate because she loves him. He wonders why she loves him and she answers that she does because he's a good man. They hug.
Flashback #4 Con't:
Desmond walks into an antique shop. He's looking for a engagement ring. The woman (Mrs. Hawking) picks out a nice little ring. Desmond looks at it and says that he'll take it. Suddenly, she says that he won't. She knows his name to his surprise. She goes on to say that this is wrong. She says that he has second thoughts. She says that he actually breaks Penny's heart by not marrying her. This drives him to end up entering the around the world sailing race, which results in him being on the Island for three years where he ends up turning the failsafe key. She says that if he doesn't turn the key, then "we all die." Desmond is stunned.
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Act 4: Flashback #5:
The flashback picks up where the last flashback left off. Mrs. Hawking decides that Desmond's going to be difficult.
Flashback #5 Con't:
Mrs. Hawking buys a snack from a street vendor. She notices a man wearing red shoes. Desmond talks about marrying Penny. Just then, a nearby scaffolding falls. Desmond looks over and notices the red shoes. He wants to know why she didn't warn the man. She says that it wouldn't matter because he would have died the next day and they all have their part to play. She says that Desmond has a part to play, not because he wants to but because he has to. He says that he's meeting Penny in an hour and will ask her to marry him.
Flashback #5 Con't:
Desmond walks in the rain. He passes the army recruitment office. He thinks about it for a moment before continuing on.
Flashback #5 Con't:
Desmond and Penny hug by the River Thames. They start to walk when a man wants to take their picture. They pick a marina scene. They take the picture that turns out to be the photograph that he still has. He looks at the picture and decides that he can't do it. Desmond says that he can't even buy a photo, let alone support her. He starts to turn things around and she slaps him. She knows what he's doing. She wants him to be straight up with her. He finally tells her that they aren't supposed to be together. She walks off. He turns to face the river and throws the ring in.
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Act 5: Flashback #6:
Desmond walks into a pub. He spots the McCutcheon Whiskey behind the bar and then asks for the cheapest. He tells the bartender that he's celebrating the worst mistake of his life and that he thinks he's done it before. The bartender tells him that's called 'déjà vu'. Just then, Mama Cass starts singing on the jukebox. Desmond turns and watches the soccer game in which the team comes from behind. He starts to get excited about changing things when Jimmy Lennon walks in. Desmond tells the bartender to duck, which he does and Desmond gets hit instead.
Flashback #7:
Desmond wakes up naked in the forest. He runs around and realizes that he's back. He finds the picture.
Back on the beach, Charlie asks Desmond how he knows what happened. They carry on and start fighting. Hurley breaks them up. Desmond cries and says that no matter what, he can't change it. Charlie helps Desmond over to the shelters. Charlie again wants to know what happened. Desmond says that when he turned the failsafe key, he saw flashes of his life, but they didn't stop. Charlie asks if he saw flashes of Claire drowning so he saved her. Desmond says that he saved Charlie. He says that Charlie was going to dive in. He also says that he saw that Charlie was going to be electrocuted by the lightning. He says that it's "self-correcting" and he can't save Charlie forever. He tells Charlie that he's going to die.
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