The recent "DOC" episode has me wondering what is going on with Desmond. His character has seemed for the past two episodes a bit off.

I have two theories about him:

1. Is Desmond not so trustworthy as we think -- could he be working with the Others?

2. Is Desmond working with the Others unwittingly -- are these visions he sees actually "instructions" not visions? Does he think he is changing the course of fate, or saving Charlie, when in fact he is doing their bidding???

He is sent to the jungle to rescue parachutist via vision. Parachutist has uber important phone worthy of Mikhail taking. He is also nearby at rescue site. Maybe Des was sent to assist?

Or -- he has been on the island three years -- does he know more about the Others than he appears? Why the sudden "good on my word" to let a slime like Mikhail go?

Something is "off" with the heroic character he otherwise appears to be. I'm starting to wonder if we shouldn't cast him in our "HIM" possibilities?

I agree there is something off with Des - and we really only have des`s word for what happened the 3 years he spent on the island. And what seems a bit weird is that he claims to have never interacted with the Others until now.

And he was very eager to let Mikhail go - maybe because they already knew eachother?

Yes -- the Mikhail exchange smelled afoul.

He is so adventurous now -- yet stayed in that hatch without curiosity for 3 years? The character revealed doesn't equate. I'm starting to pay more attention to him after this episode.

One other point -- when Charlie wanted to go get Jack -- Desmond would not let him. Why?

A couple of things bugged me about the whole Mikhail thing.  Ive mentioned a few in another thread, but Ill throw the others out here.  Why did Mikhail say "Youll let me walk away, as if Id never been here"?  why not just say "Youll let me go"?  It seems an odd choice of words for the situation.  And, I thought it odd that when Des seemed so eager to let Mikhail go, he told Charlie "Because we gave our word, thats why"  noone questioned it, but the only person who agreed to it was Des.  If Charlie, Jin, and Hurley thought it was wrong to let him go, why didnt one of them step up and say "No, you gave YOUR word, we didnt"?  And last but not least, Mikhails reference that "wounds are different on this Island, maybe a day and a half", does that mean that as long as you are not dead, you will recover given enough time?  Or just that healing is accelerated, and if a wound is not lethal in a very short period (like say, a sonic barrage that causes your ears to bleed), you will recover?

Oh I forgot about that line about wounds being different. That could be a whole new thread....

As for the Des comment -- you are right Raider, that is an odd way to phrase that. If you buy into Des acting strange meaning he may be on the other team or at the very least - knew of Mikhail - it could have been a subtle communication to him on that note. Definitely worth a rewatch for these exchanges.

I thought the "let me walk away as if I'd never been here" comment was a subtle way of saying, "and don't tell anyone else you saw me."

It was definitely an odd exchange though.

That's how I took it too, Jeannie.

I don't think Desmond had met Mikhail before. How could he? Kelvin never let Des out the 3 years he'd been there... Des was never out until the day the plane crashed, and then he stayed down there until Locke/Kate/Jack showed up.

But he did run off after Jack showed up and may have seen him then. I dunno. Something was "off" with him and its buggin' me now. I sure hope he is a good one!

Duh - I forgot about him running off. But it really seems he took off for his boat, as he came back in it. I think the time he was missing, his timeline was: go to the boat, try to sail away, "stuck in the bloody snow globe", comes back 'home'.

Des was told by Kelvin to stay in the hatch, and being a coward he did just as he was told. I don't think he is working with the Hostiles, but he's not a full fledged member of the Losties either, he didn't arrive with them. The way Mikhail phrased it, I'd say Mikhail doesn't want the Hostiles to know he is alive either.  He was ready to shoot anyone who came visiting him so I don't think he is too fond of any of the Hostiles (except alas Mrs. Klugh) so he wants to be on his own.

I didn`t take it as Mikhail was ready to shoot the Others, more that Ben was worried he would shoot anyone that walked up to his house "shoot first, ask later" - and not realize it was Ben and Juliet.

It just that the Hostiles were the only ones around at that point, the plane just came out of the sky and Danielle had never been to that place. Ben's long explanation to him as who they were means he'd be ready to shoot at anyone with a 99.9% chance they'd be a compatriot.

Quote :

Rainflower wrote : I didn`t take it as Mikhail was ready to shoot the Others, more that Ben was worried he would shoot anyone that walked up to his house "shoot first, ask later" - and not realize it was Ben and Juliet.

This may also be a good case for still another group on the Island. If the Losties just arrived who else would Patchy have to defend against.

I agree Bcool, it seems to me too that Mikhail`s trigger-happiness indicates there might be someone else on the island he is afraid of as well.

How can we be sure that Danielle had never been to that place?
When she was around Mikhail there was a lot of tension between them, I thought it was possible they had already met.

I didn`t think there was any tension between Mikhail and Ben when Ben and Juliet was in his house.

I agree, Rain. I'm not convinced at all that Mikhail and Danielle had never met before. There did seem to be some kind of tension between them.

I think there is a lot we don't know about Danielle yet... and Patchy as well.

Every week, I cruise J Wood's blog at Powells.com to see what literary references he pulls from the epi (yup, I'm a geek)  This week he has some interesting quotes from the real (and very dead) anarchist philosopher Mikhail Bakunin.  For me, they speak to Desmond's behavior with our newly-undead communications officer

"...even in the midst of the most violent and bitter, even mortal combat...I must respect [my adversary's] human character.  My own dignity depends on it"  The character Bakunin depended on Desmond's humanity to let him go free after he helped save Naomi.  And Desmond did not disappoint him.

Desmond's observation that the plane crash survivors had killed more Others than had themselves been killed suggests that Desmond is maintaining his objectivity. I believe that we as viewers lose that objectivity because we've become embroiled in the lives of the Losties.  The writers planned it that way.  They also portrayed the Others as cult-like and brutal to have the viewers react against them.  But we've been told over and over it's "not that simple"

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Desmond is reacting differently than the Losties because his experiences have been very different from the Losties'.  And he is still not sure of anyone's motives including, apparently, Jack's.  So he's giving everyone the benefit of the doubt.  I thought his release of Bakunin spoke well of his character.

That is interesting, WOC (I am a geek too ).
It did seem like Des did put himself as not an other or as a lostie when he said "you and them" to Charlie.  

--Last edited by Rainflower on 2007-04-27 20:25:04 --

I definitely agree with WOC and with some other things mentioned. I doubt Desmond is an Other or in cahoots, not that it's impossible.

But the years in the hatch was as some people explained already...being kept there by Kelvin, in fear of the deadly disease, and he did try to escape to his boat. Eventually, he genuinely believed that he was saving the world and did that until the losties crashed. Although I wouldn't be surprised if the Others were somehow connected to all the hatches, as they seemed to have pretty solid knowledge and surveillance of them. Perhaps Kelvin was in cahoots? Who knows, maybe, just maybe even Desmond was.

I completely agree that the exchange with Mikhail was iffy, but not completely wierd. Mikhail would add "as if I'd never been here" so that they would let him go and not mention him later and pursue him. And there is at least some merit in Desmond's words and abilties that Hurley, Charlie, and Jin would respect. What with at least Charlie and Hurley knowing Desmond has been saving Charlie (which would be another sort of un-Otherly thing to do) and Jin...well he did what was encessary, no more no less. Not sure about the whole healing thing, I guess we'll find out. Also, without a doubt, I'd say Mikhail is an Other, or an ally of them. There may be a connection between him and Danielle, a previous encounter perhaps.

Plus Des has the right to be off...what with his indecision between Charlie and Penny, time traveling, and boozing, he's practically insane.

I say Des is innocent until proven guilty!

No way is he compromised after this episode. Did you see that happy look on his face when Sayid came in? He's so hopeful right now. I can't believe I doubted him.