Desmond gets a date with Penny, asks Minkowski for 815 manifest

Once again, Desmond wakes up, this time in the stadium. Penny tells him that he passed out when he shook her hand. Penny then asks him if they've met before, and Desmond says that he thinks he would have remembered. He then asks her out for coffee and she agrees to meet him at a near-by shop in an hour. Both Desmond and Penny seem quite enthralled about meeting.

Desmond returns to the limousine and tells Minkowski that he found what he was looking for. He asks to me taken to the coffee shop and then makes an interesting request. He asks Minkowski to get him the manifest of Oceanic 815 because he needs to show them all something.

Is Desmond now going to make it his mission to show the 815 passengers visions of the previous timeline? If so, how will this knowledge affect the passengers and will it cause a cross in the original timeline.

Desmond meets Penny at the stadium, moves back to original timeline

Desmond arrives at the infamous stadium where he met Jack in a flashback of the original timeline. He sees Penny, doing the same tour de stade that Jack and Desmond were doing at the end of season 1.

Desmond slow approaches her and has a big smile on his face when he introduces himself. He shakes her hand, and at that moment he flashes back to the original timeline, in the electromagnetic box, alive and well.

It seems that this pivotal meeting between Desmond and his constant, Penny, pushed him back into the original timeline. Could it be because he achieved what he was destined to achieve in the other timeline to accomplish what he needs to in the original timeline?

Desmond has flashes of Penny & Charlie during M.R.I.

At the St. Sebastian's Hospital, Desmond is being asked a series of questions by the doctor. When she asks if he's having hallucinations, he hesitates and says he's not sure if he's had hallucinations. The doctor says that his C.A.T. scan was inconclusive and she's going to send him downstairs to get an M.R.I. He objects, wanting to find Charlie, but she insists on the M.R.I.

Downstairs, the M.R.I. technician asks him if he has any keys or change, echoing what one of Widmore's men asked him before putting him into the electromagnetic box. The technician warns him that the machine will be loud and gives him earplugs. He also gives Desmond "the button," which he should push if he needs to stop the machine. Desmond seems to respond to the term "the button," possibly having a recollection of the button in the Swan Station he pressed every 108 minutes.

Once the machine starts, it seems that the electromagnetism of the M.R.I. triggers a response in Desmond causing him to see a vision Charlie's "Not Penny's Boat" message again as well as many images of Penny and his son Charlie. As he sees Penny and his son, Desmond gets emotional and suddenly starts pressing the emergency button and screams to be let out of the machine. He rips off his restraints and goes to find Charlie.

Eloise Hawking apologizes to Penny, Desmond is in recovery

We go back where we started at the beginning of "The Variable" which is the Marina Medical Center in Long Beach. Penny is stunned to find out that Eloise Hawking's son is Daniel Faraday. Eloise says to Penny "I came, Penelope, to apologize. Your husband has become a casualty in a conflict that's bigger than him, that's bigger than any of us." Penny asks if Desmond is going to be okay and Eloise says that she doesn't know. She then says "For the first time in a long time, I don't know what's going to happen next."

At that moment a couple of nurses come in and one says that Desmond is in recover and is asking for Penny. The nurse says that Desmond is going to be okay and that the other nurse will watch Charlie. Eloise leaves the room after Penny does.

Penny goes into Desmond's room and says "I though I'd lost you." Desmond says "I promised you, Penny. I promised you... I'd never leave you again." Then there is another dramatic Desmond and Penny kiss.

So why is it that Eloise Hawking's ability to see the future is not working right now? Does this have something to do with the impending war that Widmore referred to in "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham?"

Also, does anybody else think that it might have been a bad idea to leave young Charlie with a stranger, even if she is a nurse?

Desmond is rushed to the hospital, Eloise Hawking visits Penny

In the opening scene of "The Variable" we see Desmond being rushed into the hospital on a gurney after being shot by Ben. Penny is following the medical workers carrying little Charlie Hume. A paramedic says that he's crashing and a doctor tells Penny that she'll have to stay there and wait for news. Charlie calls out for his daddy.

Later, in the waiting room, Charlie is sleeping on a couch as Penny looks over him. Ms. Eloise Hawking slowly walks into the room and asks Penny how old her son is. Penny tells her that he's two and Eloise says that he has his father's hair. Penny says "I'm sorry, do I know you?" Eloise tells her that she knows Desmond and that it is her son's fault that Desmond was shot. Penny asks "You son is Benjamin Linus?" and Eloise replies "Good lord no" in an offended tone. Eloise then tells Penny that her son is Daniel Faraday.

It seems pretty weird that there was no visible bullet wound when Desmond was shot in "Dead is Dead" and he was able to beat the crap out of Ben, but know he's seriously wounded and crashing. It's a little thing though.

Why exactly has Eloise Hawking come to the hospital to talk to Penny? Is she really sorry for setting the events leading to Desmond being shot in motion or is this the start of an attempt to get Desmond back to the island?

Ben shoots Desmond, doesn't shoot Penny, gets beaten up by Desmond

Back at the marina, Ben stops to look at Penny on Desmond and her boat named Our Mutual Friend. Ben starts to pull his gun as he passes Desmond getting groceries from the trunk of a car. Desmond yells at Ben "Hey, what are you doing here!." Ben turns around, pulls the gun and shoots Desmond. The bullet hits the groceries and a carton of milk but as Desmond is falling to the ground, no wound can been seen on his body. Penny starts calling Desmond's name as Ben approaches and tells her not to move and "not another word."

Ben says "Hello, Penelope. My name is Benjamin Linus. I'm sorry that you're caught up in the middle of this thing, but your father" and that Penny cuts him off. She tries to explain that she and her father have relationship. Ben tells her "Your father is a really terrible human being. He's responsible for the killing of my daughter. That's why I'm here." At that moment, young Charlie Hume emerges from the boat calling for his mother. Penny tells him to go back inside and then pleads with Ben to not hurt her son. Charlie calls for his mom again and Penny yells at him to go back inside. Ben lowers his gun looking saddened by the sight of young Charlie.

At that moment, Desmond tackles Ben (though it's clearly a stunt double for Michael Emerson). Desmond beats the crap out of Ben and then pushes his body into the water. Ben is bleeding profusely and a trail of blood is left in the water.

So in this scene, we see a continuation of the humanity of Benjamin Linus. He has an attachment to children and abandons his plan to kill Penny when he sees young Charlie. Maybe because he grew-up without a mother, he didn't want Charlie have to grow-up without his mom. Could Ben's care for young kids tie into why the others took the children on the island?

Ben calls Charles to let him know he's going to kill Penny

Back off the island, Ben is walking at a marina near Los Angeles when he calls Charles Widmore. Widmore asks Ben how he got his number. Ben says that the phone number doesn't matter because he's going back to the island today. Widmore says that the island won't let him come back and that he's spent almost 20 years trying to return. Ben tells him that "Where you failed, I'm going to succeed, just as soon as I do one thing." Ben tells him that he is going to kill Penny and that he is looking at her and Desmond's boat appropriately name Our Mutual Friend (after the Dickens book Desmond plans to read). Widmore says "Don't you dare" and Ben says goodbye.

In the fourth photo you can see that Charles Widmore is standing outside of the Widmore Industries building. I just though it was worth noting.