"Lost" Diary -- Flashes Before Your Eyes

There were a lot of really great comments after last week's diary. A few responses to some of the better ones:

-- Yes, I completely left out the line where Mr. Friendly said, "Ever since the sky turned purple..." Obviously it's a very important line, and I just forgot to include it.

-- No, I really didn't see the bus accident coming and I didn't even put two and two together until right before Juliet did. I don't notice everything.

-- The mystery I most want solved is how Locke ended up in the wheelchair. I know it's not the biggest one, and I know it will probably be a letdown, but I am dying to know what happened.

This week, my usual crew is splintered because of Valentine's Day, so I am left to watch "Lost" by myself. Looks like Desmond is my Valentine this year! Let's roll:

10:01 -- We're back on the beach this week, which means I have to put up with Charlie. Locke just broke the news of Eko's death, which feels like it happened years ago at this point.

10:03 -- Desmond is freaking out and running through the jungle before he dives into the ocean, presumably to help Kate, Karl and Sawyer. He's not the only one that can see the future!

10:04 -- Nope, it was Claire. Apparently I can't see the future. While Desmond is trying to revive Claire, Charlie will not shut up. If anyone wonders why I find him so annoying, this scene is why.

10:05 -- You know how they have websites that will translate whatever you type into Yoda-speak or jive? They should have one for Hurley, except all it does is add "dude" to the beginning and end of every sentence.

10:08 -- Um, how did Claire get bangs all of a sudden?

10:09 -- Charlie is, of course, giving Desmond the evil eye because nobody is allowed to talk to Claire. If there is a Charlie flashback episode next week, I might have to take anger management classes.

10:11 -- Does anyone think Charlie can out-drink anyone? He weighs 135 pounds and is, you know, an idiot.

10:13 -- Please Desmond, choke him to death.

10:14 -- Desmond flashback time, but is it really a flashback? He's acting like he transported straight from the island to back in his flat with Penny (with a quick stop for a shave somewhere in between). Interesting.

10:18 -- The clock reads 1:08 -- the button had to be pushed every 108 minutes. God, I love this show. Something tells me this "flashback" is going to be trippy.

10:20 -- The delivery guy says, "Parcel here for 815." Oceanic Air Flight 815. Told you, going to be a weird one.

10:21 -- Desmond doesn't look quite right clean-shaven.

10:22 -- Same bottle of whiskey as on the beach ...

10:23 -- Penny's dad goes the long way in telling Desmond he can't marry his daughter. A simple "no" would have done the trick.

10:25 -- Now Charlie is showing up in Desmond's "flashback." That sucks. Seems like Desmond is starting to figure out what's going on.

10:30 -- It's starting to look like the rest of the episode is going to be Desmond's "flashback." I kinda like that. So long as Charlie doesn't show up again.

10:32 -- Desmond is trying to predict the future and failing miserably. Every time a movie or show tries to use sports as a way of proving someone has traveled through time, I immediately think of Gray's Sports Almanac and "Back to the Future II." Underrated movie.

10:34 -- Ok, Penny is pretty awesome and everything, but I don't want this whole thing to turn sappy. I am digging this alternate reality/time travel/"flashback" thing we got going on here.

10:35 -- Desmond is going ring shopping and the saleswoman has "just the thing," but now she won't sell it to him. He's supposed to have second thoughts, she says. Is the "flashback" now talking back to him? I am starting to think I should be drinking while I watch this episode. Heavily.

10:36 -- "If you don't do those things, every single one of us is dead." -- crazy saleswoman. Um, what?

10:42 -- Ok, crazy saleswoman knew about the guy in the red shoes dying. Is any of this "real?" Is this supposed to explain how Desmond can see the future? Is the lesson about fate and destiny? I have some vodka in the freezer, I'll be right back.

10:43 -- Did the crazy saleswoman just recite the plot to "Final Destination?"

10:45 -- Here comes the part where Desmond breaks Penny's heart.

10:46 -- The photo Desmond has with him on the beach, that's the one he just took with Penny. This episode is like watching "Memento" -- it's starting to give me a headache.

10:47 -- Commence heartbreak.

10:52 -- "I've made the biggest mistake of my life. And the worst part is I am pretty sure I made it before." -- Desmond. Talk about a tortured soul.

10:53 -- They are setting up the soccer comeback, but this time it really happens. Well done.

10:54 -- And Desmond wakes up back on the island, again. The hatch has imploded and he is naked. Back to square one.

10:56 -- Odds this episode ends with Desmond making a drunken, cryptic prediction of the future?

10:58 -- Oh my God, it's like Christmas, my birthday and Flag Day all rolled into one!!! Charlie is gonna die!!! Great day in the morning!!! Yes, it scares me that I am this happy about the prospect of a fictional character dying. And no, I don't think think it says anything good about me as a person.

This week's "what did we learn?" is going to be short: Charlie is going to die!!! This is better than if Jennifer Love Hewitt posed for Playboy. Ok, maybe I've gone too far there.

Funny story: I was talking with my friend Matt tonight. He watches "Lost" with me every Wednesday, but never watched season one. Thus, he's never seen "Walkabout," the first Locke flashback episode. It's hands-down the best "Lost" episode there is. I don't know if I am in Charlie-death euphoria, but this one is top five for me. I give it an absolute A. Of course, if he doesn't end up dying, I am changing the grade to an F-.

So Desmond's life passed before his eyes, only it's still happening. Wow. Oh, and did I mention Charlie is going to die?

Time for your comments, and here is my question to jump-start the discussion: You already know my least favorite character on the show. Excluding the two new people (Nikki and Paulo, cause they suck), who is your least favorite character on "Lost"?

See you next week.