Flashes Before Your Eyes

First thing we see is Locke, Desmond and Sayid telling Charlie and Hurley of Mr. Eko's death, though they don't initially seem to beleive Locke's theory that the island killed him. Suddenly Desmond runs past them and into the ocean. The camera pans in closer and we see someone is drowning. Sun walks up to the emerging crowd and is holding Claire's baby, thus telling us who it is that Desmond is trying to save. He pulls her out of the water and starts to give her CPR while Charlie wants to help but knows he can't. After he asks how Desmond knew she was drowning Hurley responds "that dude see the future".

Desmond now sits on the beach looking at a picture of him and someone he calls "Amy...Penelope". After Charlie and Hurley offer him a drink in order to get him to talk about what happened in the hatch, we see that as soon as he turned the key in the hatch he went back to his flat with his girlfriend.

It seems that the microwave in Desmond's (we learn his name is Desmond Hume) flat has the same annoying sound as the clock in the hatch. He also tries to work for Mr. Whitmore, walks past a man who's making a delivery for 815. While "interviewing", he says a painting of two polar bears. He comes clean with Mr. Whitmore about being there to ask for his daughter's hand. Whitmore basically starts to belittle him and telling him he can't marry his daughter or drink his McCautchten 60-year-old whiskey. After leaving the office, he sees Charley playing "Wonderwall" in front of the building. He starts to remember everything about the island and it seems that he basically got caught in some sort of time warp where he has to relive everything over again.

We are introduced to Desmond's friend Donovan (who I recognize from something), a physicist, who Desmond tries to prove that he is traveling through time and can see the future. After failing to predict the score of a soccer game, he starts to doubt himself. To prove that he can change things, he goes to buy a ring to marry Penny. The woman trying to sell him the ring tells him that he cannot buy it, because if he does he is supposed to have second thoughts about Penny, enter the sailing competition, and punch the numbers in the computer for three years. And if he doesn't, we all die.

The old woman tells Desmond that the universe has a way of making things happen, even if we try to avoid our paths. Hint, Hint: Claire keeps needing to be saved. Desmond tells Penny that they're not supposed to be together and throws away the ring, thus sealing his path.

Soon, we learn that Desmond wasn't trying to save Claire. He was trying to save Charley...but he tells him "you're going to die".

All in all, a great episode. This may have saved me from tuning it out. What'd you guys think?