Further Evidence of Desmond's Change by DaKlenke

For those of you who have not read my previous three theories (Reconsidering the Events of Season 3, Parts 1-3) I would highly recommend that you do so. Even though this theory does not share the same name as it's predecessors, it can be considered the fourth part to those theories. Furthermore, I would also like to be clear that in this specific theory, I will not be taking a stance on the motivations of Jacob or the MIB, nor will I touch on Season 5. I intend to cover both of those topics at a later date and incorporate them into this ongoing theory. And now, without further ado...

As I have said before, I believe that when Desmond sent Charlie to the Looking Glass station where the musician was subsequently able to to disarm the jamming equipment inside, he made enough of a change to the timeline to alter it. The actual break in the timeline happens the moment the O6 escape the Island. As we have heard a dozen times or more, the losties were never meant to get off the Island.

The point of this theory is to provide further evidence, mainly from Season 4, to back the aforementioned claim up.

The first piece of evidence that I would like to bring to your attention is the death of Ben's daughter, Alex. I believe that in the intended timeline, the one from which Desmond deviated, Alex was never meant to die. Now I have two reasons to believe that. For one, Ben was absolutely shocked when Keamy killed her. Now I understand that the death of a loved one, especially a child, can be shocking for anyone. However, Ben always seemed to be in control,(almost all-knowing), of the situation, up until Desmond's intervention in the timeline. So his extreme bafflement at his daughter's death seems to me to be a telling sign. Most importantly though is what Ben says after Keamy kills her.

Ben's verbal response to Alex's death is, "He changed the rules". That to me means that Ben is finally made aware that someone has made enough of a change in destiny to alter its outcome. The "he" that Ben is referring to could be a number of people, the most likely of those being either Charles Widmore or the MIB, but it could also have been referencing Charlie or Desmond.

My next shred of evidence is Keamy's secondary protocol. If destiny is infallable, then the need for a secondary protocol is moot. The fact that not only does Keamy have a secondary protocol, but that he needs to actually use it, is sign enough that our timeline has gone astray. The secondary protocol itself told Keamy that Ben would head to the Orchid, which is important if you consider how crucial the turning of the wheel actually was.

What I believe happened was after Alex's death, Ben realized that the timeline had been altered. His next course of action was to go galavanting off in search of the cabin where he hoped Jacob would tell them what to do. Now what entity actually told John Locke to turn the wheel, I do not know. Nor do I know what the importance of Ben turning the wheel the first time versus Locke turning it is, but neither of those currently matter to this theory. What does matter is what Ben tells Hurley while they are on their way to the Orchid.

Hurley asks Ben why he didn't just move the Island when the guys with guns first showed up. Ben's response is, "Because it is a measure of last resort". I believe that the reason this trio was ordered to turn the wheel was because Desmond had altered the timeline and that turning the wheel and resetting the Island's timeline was the only way to begin undoing what had happened to make the change.

My next piece of evidence, and possibly my most important piece, is the outcome at the end of the Season 4 finale. The moment Ben moves the Island and it becomes official that the O6 cannot immediately get back, Desmond gets his reward for the changes he has made. As I have stated in previous theories, I think that Desmond and Penny's relationship is a tell-tale sign of which reality we are in. The fact that Desmond reunites with Penny immediately AFTER Ben moves the Island and the losties have truly escaped is a clear indicator that we are now in a truly alternate reality.

Unfortunately I ran out of space in Part 1 of this theory, so I am now continuing with where I left off. As I have said in my previous prefaces, this specific theory is a direct continuation of my previous theories (starting with Reconsidering the Events of Season 3, followed by Parts 2 and 3 of the same name, and then finally Further Evidence of Desmond's Change) and if you have not read those, I highly recommend that you do so before reading this one.

So Desmond and Penny's reunion on the Searcher after the moving of the Island is a big indicator that we are now in an alternate reality. As I have said before, the events following Charlie's sacrifice in the Looking Glass up through Ben turning the wheel all happened differently than what was originally intended. The actual break in the timeline, however, was the escape of the O6. They were never meant to leave the Island and Desmond and Penny were never meant to be together.

My next piece of evidence is actually what Desmond says to Jack right before they part ways. "Ill see you in another life brother". I know that this is not the first time that either of them have said this, but I think it is crucial that it said right as they are both going off to live their lives in this alternate reality. It seems ominous that the writers would use this specific phrase at this specific point and I posit that it was purposeful and meant to indicate the change in reality.

Now I would like to go back a bit and actually revisit the initial change in the timeline; Charlie going "Through the Looking Glass". Im sure you are all aware that "Through the Looking Glass" was Lewis Carroll's sequel to Alice in Wonderland and that in this sequel, Alice experiences the alternate (or mirror) version of Wonderland. I find it fitting that the episode in which we see that change to our timeline happen is entitled "Through the Looking Glass". Just further food for thought.

Next I would like to bring your attention to a scene that we have seen twice. The first time we saw this scene was in Flashes Before Your Eyes and the second time we see it is in Greatest Hits. The scene I am refering to is the one in which Charlie is standing on the street corner playing the guitar and it begins to rain. In Flashes Before Your Eyes, Desmond approaches Charlie and then gets the idea that he has lived this all before and that he is time traveling. In Greatest Hits, we see how Charlie remembers this day. In his version, Desmond does not approach him, but rather, Charlie finds Nadia being assaulted in an alley and Charlie drives the attacker off.

Now some may argue that these two events happen on different days or at different times on the same day, but I would have to then ask, why is Charlie playing the exact same song on both occasions and why does it start raining at the exact same time? My belief is that the reason we see two different versions of the same scenario is because one event happens in one reality and one event happens in our alternate reality. I would hazzard a guess and say that Charlie saving Nadia was in the intended timeline and Desmond meeting Charlie was in the alternate reality, but I could be wrong.

My last piece of evidence, for now anyways, is actually from Season 5. I cannot at the moment recall the title of the episode in which this scene takes place and for that I apologize. The scene I would like to bring to your attention is the one in the hospital after Ben shoots Desmond. Penny meets Ms. Hawking for arguably the first time and when Penny asks Ms. Hawking if Desmond will be alright, Eloise responds with "For the first time in a long time, I don't know."

This is a far cry from the Ms. Hawking we first met in Flashes. In that episode, she was sure of her surroundings and was sure of the future. In this episode, she is as lost as the rest of us. This is because she is now living in a world where everything played out differently than what she expected it to. She is now living in an alternate reality.

So for now, this is all the evidence I am going to provide in regards to Desmond changing the timeline. In my next few theories, I intend to explain the events of Season 5 and the motivations of Jacob and the MIB in relation to the change made by Desmond. I also hope to write a theory explaining why I think it is so important that Charlie Hume was born in the first place. Keep in mind, in the intended timeline, Desmond and Penny were never meant to end up together, so what are the ramifications of them procreating in this alternate reality? That I intend to address.

For now, thank you for reading and I hope that you keep your criticism constructive and that if you flat out disagree with me, please tell me why so that I may incorporate those discrepancies into my next theory or that I may reconsider my own stance on things. Please don't leave a comment saying that this is wrong and nothing more. That is disrespectful and does not provide anything useful to the debate. Thanks again.