* The best theory I've seen about 2004X is that Eloise is working with MiB (wittingly or unwitiingly) to create that reality. Why would she do such a thing? Faraday, of course. Eloise has already gone to extraordinary lengths to direct events to enable the current situation to be created. MiB could have promised her a life with Daniel, just as he has promised everyone else the one thing they want the most. People have always believed that she may have spoken to someone just before going in to tell Daniel that he would have to stop playing piano and focus on science in "The Variable"; if such a conversation did occur, it could have been with MiB.
This would explain why Eloise is determined to keep Desmond away from Penny in 2004X. She cannot risk this facade crumbling--she must keep everyone happy and content in their 2004X lives and not seeking the truth. Of course, the irony in this is that her own son had the experience of seeing Charlotte, causing him to seek that reality for himself.
* "Happily Ever After" was a great episode, the kind that usually would lead me to have all sorts of thoughts, incorrect theories, and the like. But it's odd--I really don't have much to write about this week, and I can't place my finger on why. Maybe it's being busy at work, or the start of the baseball season, but for heaven's sakes, this is crunch time for LOST, a time when everything about the show should be bubbling up to the top of our minds at all times, to savor the final weeks of this journey.
So instead of theorizing, I'll just have to take a mundane angle. My ratings of the season so far (all grades are relative to other LOST episodes; with the possible exception of "Fire + Water" (I kid, I kid), every episode of LOST has been a much better investment of time than even the most compelling episodes of most other shows:
A+
(1) 6x9 "Ab Aeterno"--The best regular episode of LOST ever. Epic in scope, it gives us the satisfying backstory of the show's most mysterious character, while also giving us the most complete view of the Jacob/MiB conflict and giving the most cogent explanation of what the Island is.
(2) 6x11 "Happily Ever After"--The final act in the best flash trilogy in the show's run (along with "Flashes Before Your Eyes" and "The Constant"), it made an entire season of flashes relevant to the Island story (not that I ever thought they would be irrelevant) and brought LOST's second most fascinating main character back into the fold.
(3) 6x1/2 "LA X"--As action-packed and story-advancing as any LOST premiere outside "Pilot", this episode brought us into the Temple, revealed a mythological whopper (MiB = Monster), and delivered one of the most heart-warming scenes in show history (Jack and Locke at lost luggage).
A
(4) 6x4 "The Substitute"--What is all that "candidate" business about anyway? Who is they mystery kid that haunts MiB? The Numbers!
(5) 6x7 "Dr. Linus"--Ben does the right thing for once, even if it's in 2004X--but then he does the right thing in 2007 too. Jack demonstrates that he's now some sort of believer as he and Richard play chicken with dyn-O-mite. An old friend drops by at the end, setting a lot into motion.
A-
(6) 6x10 "The Package"--An episode that will get overlooked forever due to its placement between two unbelievably good outings, I love this one thanks to the Jack/Sun friendship coming back to the forefront and the meeting between Widmore and Locke.
(7) 6x6 "Sundown"--The creepiest episode of the season by far, it was a necessary conclusion to the Temple portion of the season. "Catch a Falling Star" will never sound the same.
(8) 6x5 "Lighthouse"--Jack's 2004X story is the best so far, just from a sheer character perspective. The Lighthouse itself seems a little out of thin air, but we can roll with it. Squirrel baby and the full extent of Claire's craziness don't hurt either.
B
(9) 6x8 "Recon"--My initial reaction rated this one much higher, but upon reflection I realized it lacked some of Sawyer's character essence (namely, his wit), and just wasn't mythologically strong enough to justify such a high ranking. It's still a good episode, with Sawyer's flash as the highlight.
C
(10) 6x3 "What Kate Does"--What Kate does on the Island is accomplish very little. What Kate does in 2004X is sweet, and draws Claire back into the LOST family. But there's just not enough to pull it out of mediocrity.
