But I rather like the idea that Desmond is really the protagonist of this adventure, so I’d rather HE be the Variable…

It depends a bit on whether Sayid was “supposed” to shoot Ben, I suppose. Perhaps Sayid was in 1977 in the original history, but Jack was not.

I still have a feeling that all of this precipitated from Desmond helping the O6 leave the island, which was not in the original timeline. He is the variable, and because of his flashes in Season 3 a lot of things have changed from how they originally happened. So far it’s just been subtle.

So, lets focus on the show and leave unnecessary sentiments aside and say unless they have a new arc for her, she might as well head to V where she will have a plot. She has barely had a centric in the last 2 seasons. Kate and Sun are more important and far more interesting than she has been this last 2 seasons. She is now just triangle Fodder. Let EM go. So, we can carry on with our original Losties. She has done her best and we thank her. Time to go, Juliet.

See, there is a good explanation of Daniel’s issues. Back between 1974 and 1977 he met his mother. Went to her with a list of truths about his life (while his child form was around). Got a great deal of DHARMA information, as well as his own. Studied time theory. But if he was informed of future events (like Desmond), went into a paradox. He knew about Oceanic 815 because his past self witnessed his future self with Hawking. Perhaps the fate of Charlotte as well. Oceanic 815 might have been a trigger.

Daniel knows about constants, and knows about time variants. He is seemingly going back the Island with more knowledge about time and space. I’m not sure if he’s the variable, but I’d bet on it… but it is still a constant… he’ll change the fate of the Oceanics, Miles, and Juliet… all the way to when 316 crashed. The Incident.

What we know about the incident and where people are right now, I just had a thought. People currently in Dharma seem to be real Dharma people and Hostiles in their camp. Is this the time, when the Hostiles/Others get the chance to infiltrate DI? They might be warned, go to their Temple and it gives them shelter during the incident, but DI workers die, possible not all women and children, they manage to evacuate.

I wonder if Daniel, now that he has returned, will find his mother/Ellie again? Will she remember him as the weird guy who came into the camp, told her to bury a bomb, then disappeared? Is Daniel’s working with the DI an attempt to change the past- surely his grief over Charlotte wouldn’t lead him to break his own rules?

My one issue with Eloise being Faraday’s mom is that, eventually, when she has her little boy and sees him growing up, she doesn’t put the two young bearded men together? Given that her son is studying time travel, she never says boo? That’s restraint, I’d be dying to talk about it. But then, they seem to have a frosty relationship.

Maybe the reason Dr. Chang “throws out” his wife and son, as she told Miles on her deathbed, is because telling them he didn’t care and wanted them out was the only way he could make them leave the island?

Still, it leaves open a very interesting possibility. If Desmond is outside the rules, then anybody wanting to change the past has to do it by convincing Desmond to do something different.

Many things are explained by Daniel’s warning to Chang… much of DHARMA (including women and children) could have been evacuated as a precaution (Lara Chang, Miles, Charlotte). Ben wasn’t evacuated because he’s off with the Others. As for the main cast… the incident might flash them forward to the crash Survivors of Ajira 316.