The Why of Desmond

[endlesspurpose]

Comments

[woodshavings]

How could Desmond have known Ben had been on the island in the original timeline? Did I miss something?

[tomhiddleston]

I was thinking the same thing.

[acrimonyastraea]

hmm, yeah. it's not clear how much sideways!Desmond knows, but he had to ask for the flight manifest and Ben wouldn't have been on it.

[woodshavings]

Yeah, from what we've seen he only knows about Charlie and his visions with Penny.

[professor_chaos]

My initial impression is that Desmond wanted to knock Locke out of the wheelchair pretty much like what happened in S1 when the plane crashed and Locke got knocked out of his wheelchair.

lol commented on the doublepost

[endlesspurpose]

I'm pretty sure that was his intent. I definitely don't think that Desmond was trying to kill him.
I was intrigued by the idea that this event would cause Ben to remember life on the island. I didn't even think that Ben would be one that Desmond would try to "wake up," but if he is, what other way could he have gotten to Ben except exposing him to a traumatic event? Also, killing two (or more) birds with one stone is good.

Re: lol commented on the doublepost

[professor_chaos]

sorry my LJ is screwing up..I'm confused about why Desmond would want Ben to remember anything. Ben's only significance to the island was as the leader of the Others and now that may have just been one big ruse. They haven't really defined Ben as anyone significant to the island now that Jacob's dead so why would Desmond want to jar his memory this way?

Re: lol commented on the doublepost

[endlesspurpose]

Who knows lol. Ben is intimately familiar with the island, much more than most or all of the other characters other than MIB, Jacob, and Richard. Maybe his knowledge is needed. Or maybe its a way of offering Ben a chance to reform his mostly-evil ways on the Island. Ben seems to be a decent human being in the alt, and perhaps (who knows this is all speculation) decent Ben can change some of the things that island Ben did.
I also think its possible that characters will be presented with a choice of which world they prefer. If Ben is to "cast a vote," he has to have all the information from both sides. Power but evilness, or goodness but no power? I think this show is ultimately about choices and that's a big one.

"My heart tells me that [he] has some part to play yet, for good or ill before this is over."

[anna_salem]

And why would he want to put three people who hate each other on-island into the same consciousness at the same time?

Ben and Locke would try to kill each other, I'd think.

[endlesspurpose]

It'd be an interesting fight. ;-)

[anna_salem]

That it would be.

And hey, as long as I get to see Ben on my television screen, I'm happy.

[endlesspurpose]

Exactly. The main thing I was intrigued about was using the hit and run on Locke as a way to "awake" Ben. Because, really, how else would Desmond be able to do that for Ben?

[tomhiddleston]

IDK.
I just think with the car, it parallels Desmmond's experience with Charlie. As well as on the island Desmond is being thrown into the well by Flocke & with the whole Ben going to the aid of Locke when he killed him last time.
I think that was the only real way in which they could combine all those elements together.
Would Des know to shock Ben? Wasn't he just working off the manifest?
Lost gets me completely confused, I did start watching it from the beginning a month ago :)

OR
Desmond is just gone a bit loopy.

[endlesspurpose]

I think that Desmond knows something (or a lot of something) that we don't know that he knows. If he remembers life on the island, wouldn't he therefore remember Ben?
He would still need the manifest for people who were on the island from 815 that he never met - such as Boone and Shannon.

[ohwtf_26]

i dont think he remembers everything on the island, i think he only got flashes of the island and he got the feelings back that he had from that life, i dont think he got his memory back about everything because as i said above...I dont think desmond remembers ben yet, because if he had he would totally want to kill him, because after all the last time he saw him he tried to kill him and his wife, SO I VERY MUCH DOUBT HE EVEN KNOWS WHO BEN IS IN THE ALT. because he would have had a reaction to him when he walked up to the car... theres no way he wouldnt have had a reaction to seeing him if thats the last thing he remembered about ben linus

[air_and_angels]

Desmond is just gone a bit loopy.
It's common for people who are actually going loopy to experience a sense of enlightenment and 'Of course, I see it all now!' I suspect this is what is happening to Desmondo.
Cruel, cruel show!
But it would make more sense to me than 'Desmond knows everything and is doing everything right.'

[woodshavings]

I personally think it was what Desmond thought would be best to do at the time - he went on impulse.

Idk, that's what I think anyway.

[___greenribbon]

But he sat and ~waited for him~

[woodshavings]

Trueeeeee...

[ohwtf_26]

yeah but maybe he wasnt sure of what to do then just acted on the moment