S5 E3 "Jughead"

So the year in this episode was 1954. What a creative story-telling method to tell us about the history of the island. We've been dying for Ben or Richard or anyone to explain the origins of the Others/original inhabitants of the island. But now, it seems we will learn all about it as our beloved characters live it (or don't, sorry Charlotte.)

Connect-the-Dots
Desmond named his baby after Charlie! This was so sweet and so fitting since Charlie Pace helped him get off the island. And don't jump to the conclusion that Penny just went along with the idea because Desmond wanted that name. Penny met Charlie briefly over the monitor just before he died. She later told Desmond ("The Constant") when Charlie verified where Desmond was, she knew she wasn't crazy.

"Jughead" is what was at the bottom of the Swan Station! I may be going out on a limb here but I feel confident in this theory. Daniel said to fill it with lead, bury it, and cover it with concrete. That sounds exactly what Sayid examines in the hatch when he is first brought there. He estimated to Jack the concrete was 10 feet deep and it reminded him of Chernobyl. Now that doesn't explain why it was connected to the computer with a 108-minute timer. But maybe they wanted some radiation to leak out slowly to work with the healing properties of the island. It is still exciting to learn more about that hatch since it blew up before revealing it's purpose. This also caused me to wonder about the station's name. Many of the Dharma stations have names that reveal a little about what kind of facility it is: The Hydra, The Looking Glass, The Arrow, etc. So how can "The Swan" be tied in? Perhaps there is symbolism in a mother swan sitting on an ugly duckling, trying to protect it from the world (or the world from it.)

Desmond got a tour of Daniel's lab. In Desmond's mind, 3 years have passed since he was there, ("The Constant") but in reality it has been 11 years. I'm a little disappointed this scene didn't reveal very much. It looked very similar to the way Daniel left it. But it is note worthy that Desmond isn't the first person "poking around, asking about his work." And who was that janitor anyway? I hope he wasn't one of Ben's spies, because it is unknown if Ben knows Desmond left the island. If Ben finds out, he may want Desmond to come back with the O6.

Widmore had an interesting painting in his office. There was a polar bear in the middle of some colorful swirls and the word "Namaste" on the top. This was a great Easter Egg... the first time it aired. We've actually seen this painting before in Season 3 "Flashes Before Your Eyes." You'll remember that scene was when Widmore didn't offer Desmond a drink of McCutchen brandy. The shot of the painting was reversed in "Flashes," but I believe that was just an editing mistake.

Richard told John "We have a very specific process for selecting our leadership that begins at a very young age." Yet, Locke still doesn't seem to remember that Richard visited him when he was 5 and gave him that "test." ("Cabin Fever") It is a little ironic that only moments later he told Richard to come and visit him on his birth day.

Questions

• Daniel left a woman who now has the same "side effects" Desmond had when he was toggling in time. Why can't Daniel help her with a constant?
• Why did Widmore's uniform read "Jones?" The other man he was captured with had "Cunningham" on his uniform and Widmore called him "Cunningham." So why was Widmore wearing another name? Was it laundry day and he had to borrow from a friend?
• Are the white-light flashes getting farther apart? Last week the first two seemed about 10 minutes apart but then they spent a long time (practically all of this episode) in 1954. When Desmond was jumping in time, the flashes also seemed to get longer and longer.

My Crack-pot Theory:
Could it be that we found out who Daniel's mom is? Everyone is still expecting her to be Ms. Hawking. And she might be. But I wonder if she is also the young girl with the rifle who Daniel said looks like "someone I used to know." The timeline seems to match up. Plus, this could shed an interesting light on her history with Widmore. I would also like to point out that when Widmore opened his address book for Desmond, he picked a tab very low in the book. The "F" and "H" tabs (for Faraday or Hawking) should have been higher up. But he chose one of the last tabs. What names would be towards the end of the alphabet? Sheperd, Spencer (the woman in the coma), oooh and Widmore!

Let me know what you think in the comments section! I'd love to hear your crack-pot theories!

Namaste!