Eloise Hawking scolds Desmond for trying to find Penny

As he's leaving the hospital, Desmond is on the phone with Charles Widmore who berates him for letting Charlie get away. Since Desmond doesn't get what the big deal is, Widmore tells him that he should be the one to tell Mrs. Widmore the bad news.

Desmond arrives at the site of the charity event, and Minkowski wishes Desmond good luck meeting Charles' wife for the first time. We cut to Eloise Hawking, sporting some massive hair, who is scolding some of the catering staff about the placement of butter knives.

When Desmond approaches her, he passes by Daniel Faraday (or Daniel Widmore in this timeline). As Desmond introduces himself to Eloise, she looks flabbergasted, like he's not supposed to be there and this isn't supposed to happen. Desmond tells her that Drive Shaft isn't going to be able to perform and she completely understands and doesn't seem worried about it at all. She says "what happened, happened," one of Daniel's infamous lines from season 5.

As Desmond leaves, he hears two of the event coordinators calling out a list of guests who are attending and he stops cold when he hears the name Penny Milton. He asks to see the list, but Eloise angrily interferes telling him that the list is confidential.

Eloise pulls Desmond aside and tells him to stop what he is doing because someone has clearly affected his way of thinking which is a violation. She says that he needs to stop looking for whatever he is looking for (Penny) because he has what he has always wanted, Charles Widmore's approval. When he questions how she knows what he should do, she says "Because I bloody do." She says he can't see the list because he's "not ready yet."

So what exactly is Desmond not ready for yet and how does Eloise, even in this timeline, know what Desmond should and shouldn't do? Also, her still being alive and off of the island along with Charles in 2004 suggests that the island sank to the bottom of the ocean after the hydrogen bomb detonated since she and Charles were both on the island at the time it was detonated. So once again the question is posed, when and how did the island sink?

Richard breaks a wall between the tunnels and Horace's house, knocks out Eloise

Back in the chamber with the hydrogen bomb, Sayid packs it up and is ready to leave. Richard and Eloise leads them a short way through a tunnel before stopping a stone wall. He takes a sledgehammer to the rocks, breaking through to the lower level of Horace's Dharma house.

Jack says that he'll go first, but Eloise stops him saying that he shouldn't forget that she's in charge. She says that she's going first because she won't hesitate to shoot if someone is in the house. Before Eloise can leave, Richard knocks her out with the butt of a gun. Richard tells Jack that he's protecting his leader. He says "She's going to be angry when she wake up but that's better than being dead." He says that she ordered him to help you and he did and now they're on their own. He says he's going to take her out the way they came in.

Jack and Sayid head through the hole in the wall and enter the Dharma house.

Richard took a bold move here protecting Eloise. I believe it's the first time we've seen him disobey Eloise, though he has done things that Charles Widmore has not approved of. It really seems like Richard is more willing to follow Eloise than Charles.

Sayid removes the h-bomb core, Richard asks Jack about Locke

Back in the chamber, Sayid is still working on removing the bomb's core from the housing. Jack asks if a backpack is big enough to hold the bomb and Sayid says yes. Richard picks up a sledgehammer next to column with hieroglyphics on it. Sayid removes the core of the bomb as Eloise watches him.

Richard bends down to talk to Jack and tells him that over 20 years ago, John Locke walked into the others camp and said he was going to be their leader. Richard says that he's gone off the island three times since then to visit him, but he never seemed particuarly special. Richard asks Jack if he knows Locke. Jack says that he knows him and "If I were you, I wouldn't give up on him."

It seems like Richard might be ready to give up on Locke but Jack's newfound support for him might be what convinces him to stay faithful to Locke and help him in the future.

Also, is Richard counting reaching out to to Locke through his high school science teacher as the third time he visited him, or was there another time we did not see?

Sayid studies Daniel's journal diagrams of the bomb, Richard objects to the mission

Down in the tunnels, Sayid is reading Daniel Faraday's journal and tells Jack that they don't have to move the 20-ton hydrogen bomb. He says that Daniel left specific instructions on how to remove the plutonium core and detonate it. Jack says that they have to wipe out a pocket of energy and asks if just the core will be enough to do that. Sayid says that the core is a thermonuclear weapon.

Richard stops Sayid and says that they put the bomb underground 20 years ago because it was emitting radiation. Richard turns to Eloise and asks if she thinks this is a good idea and confirms that she is pregnant (with as-of-yet unborn Daniel Faraday). She says that because she is pregnant is why they have to do this. Sayid says that once the core is removed, they will have approximately two hours to take it to the Swan station site because Daniel left a very specific time table.

Eloise, Richard, Jack and Sayid reach Jughead in the tunnels

As they're making their way through the final tunnels before reaching Jughead, Sayid tells Jack that Eloise's motivation for detonating the bomb is likely that she just wants to annihilate the Dharma Initiative. Jack says he trusts her because 30 years from now she's who will help them get back to the island.

They reach a large room where Eloise uncovers Jughead. They all just stare at it for a moment and we can see the leak that Daniel pointed out previously is still there. Eloise breaks the silence by saying "Well... now what?"

What was this underground chamber's purpose when it was constructed? Presumably it wasn't always there so they could store a bomb in it. How exactly will they get the giant bomb out of there and how did the others get it in there?