Desmond, Hurley, Charlie and Jin are traipsing through the jungle in the rain. Charlie and Hurley are arguing about superheroes–and then Charlie accidentally steps on a wire, releasing an arrow which goes through his throat, killing him.
Don’t worry, folks. It’s just another one of Desmond’s precog moments. He sees flashes of something else, too. “Someone is coming,” he announces. Just to jog your memories, Penny once told Desmond that with enough money and determination, you could find anyone–and at the end of season two, Penny was indeed still looking for Des.
Flashback to Desmond in a monastery, being inducted as a monk. A monk, eh? That’s why he’s always calling everyone “brother.” While at the monastery, bottling wine, some guy shows up and punches Desmond in the nose. Turns out to be Des’ former fiancé’s brother–not Penny, though, some other girl named Ruth. He apparently left her a week before they were supposed to get married. When he goes to see her, he tries to tell her he got a calling from God, but she thinks it’s a bunch of BS. “Don’t join a monastery. Just tell the girl you’re too damn scared, Des.” Desmond isn’t the best catch, is he? Nor is he a good monk. While getting pissed on the Abbey’s wine, the head monk basically fires him. Des is really just running from his problems and his fears. Then, as fate would have it, as he is leaving the monastery, he helps load cases of wine on a truck–and meets the love of his life, Penny.
Back on the island, Desmond wants Hurley take him to the cable Hurley once found in the sand. Hurley demands to know why. Des explains he has seen pieces of a puzzle, but this time instead of preventing it, he wants it to happen exactly how he has seen it in his vision. This vision includes Jin and Charlie, as well. They easily convince Jin to come along, but Charlie is more hesitant. Does Desmond see him die again? This time, Desmond actually lies to Charlie about the arrow-through-the-throat thing. Why? Because whoever is coming to the island is more important to Desmond than saving Charlie this time.
Meanwhile, the Kate/Jack/Sawyer triangle heats up. Sawyer is looking for a little afternoon delight, but Kate isn’t so keen on it. Later that night, Kate is in the make-shift kitchen with Jack, but he isn’t warming up to her like he used to. In fact, after a brief exchange with Kate, he goes over to Juliet’s tent to have some dinner with her instead. That throws Kate for a small loop. Guess where she ends up for the night? That’s right, with Sawyer.
But Sawyer suspects something’s up, that Kate’s moment of passion wasn’t entirely a sincere act of affection. He goes over to Jack the next morning, who’s talking with Juliet. “You two arguing over who’s your favorite Other?, ” Sawyer quips. He then challenges Jack in a game of ping pong and finds out the events of the previous evening. Even for a stone-cold con man, it hurts when the woman you love might be in love with someone else.
Camping on the beach that night, the four guys hear what they think is a helicopter, only to see it crash into the sea. Then they see what Desmond saw in his dream: A red light in the sky, a beacon, landing somewhere in the jungle behind them. Looks like someone might have ejected from the helicopter. Des wants to go immediately to find it, but Charlie wants to wait until the first light. Des is actually still trying to save Charlie, because in the dream where Charlie gets it in the throat, it is daytime. And raining.
The next day, they’re in the jungle and they find the contents of a backpack, including a copy of Catch-22, with the same pic of Desmond and Penny that Des carries around inside the book. Des is convinced Penny is on the island and doesn’t want to change anything from his vision for fear of not finding her. But then it starts raining, Hurley and Charlie begin to squabble over the Flash vs. Superman–and Charlie steps on the wire. Desmond can’t help himself. He pushes Charlie out of the way of the arrow just in the nick of time. Charlie now knows Desmond lied to him about foreseeing his death. But Desmond feels he’s damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t–a Catch-22, as it were. Is saving Charlie over and over again a test, like God testing Abraham (a reference made in the monastery bit)?
They eventually find the parachuter, in a jumpsuit and helmet, hanging from the trees and whoever it is doesn’t look alive. They get the person to the ground and a woman groans. She’s alive. Desmond is frantic, he takes off the helmet, expecting to see Penny.
But it’s not Penny. It’s someone else. Barely conscious, she whispers, “Desmond.” Oh great, another mystery person.
