Jughead, Initial Reaction

First off, I really love the Desmond and Penny story. I don't think there's any surprise there. The Desmond episodes never disappoint. He is quickly becoming my favorite all-time character on the show. I truly believe that his story is absolutely paramount to the show and may actually end up being the main character of the entire series. Needless to say, I loved tonight's episode. Not only for that though, but also because of the not-so-frequent time-jumping. The last two episodes left my head spinning. It was nice to have a little break from the craziness, not that this episode wasn't crazy. It was just a little more self-contained, easier to absorb and react to without my head exploding, or getting a nose bleed. We got some definitive questions answered, which, as per usual, posed some more questions, and all in all, I think I am very pleased with the show right now.

Questions:

• Is Ms. Hawking Daniel Faraday's mother?
• When did Charles Widmore get to the island?
• How did Widmore leave the island? Why?
• Is Charles Widmore Daniel Faraday's father?
• Is Ellie also Ms. Hawking? Is that why Daniel said she looked like someone he knew?
• Why would someone bother erasing Daniel Faraday from the records at Oxford but not getting rid of the things in his lab?
• Who is the girl in the coma? Is she the one who asked Daniel why he was crying?
• Will Ben find Desmond and Penny?
• Does Desmond have to go back to the island?
• Is the bomb buried behind the concrete wall in The Swan?
• Why is Charlotte the only one who is having nose bleeds?
• Where are Rose and Bernard?
• Why don't the Others time-jump with them? Why does Juliet?
• How did the natives get on the island?
• Did Charles Widmore move the island?
• How did he get so high up in the ranks?
• Are the whispers the time-travelers trying to talk to themselves?
• How fucking old is Richard Alpert?

Notes:

• The woman at the desk at Oxford that Desmond talked to was the same woman that was at the gate in the Sydney Airport, who let Hurley on the plane.
• Desmond and Penny's son is named Charlie. I thought this was a very nice touch. After all, Charlie is the reason Desmond and Penny were reunited, and he saved Desmond's life.
• John Locke told Richard Alpert when he was born and to visit him, which is why he was at his birth, and why he asked him what things already belonged to him.
• Is Charles Widmore is Daniel Faraday's father, that makes Daniel and Penny brother and sister, which makes Daniel Desmond's brother-in-law.
• Jughead, I thought was going to be another Eggtown, what-the-hell-does-this-mean title, but it turned out to be pretty awesome.
• Theresa falls up the stairs, Theresa falls down the stairs.
• Wow, Charles Widmore isn't just a cocky son of a bitch because he's rich and powerful, he was like that when he was a young lad too.
• Desmond finally stuck it to Widmore a little.

I know people say that Desmond is a coward, but I don't think he is. He's risking his life for the people on the island. He sacrificed his own happiness, which was to marry Penny, knowing that he'd be going to the island, not seeing Penny for at least three years. He gave that up knowing what Ms. Hawking told him, that it was for the greater good, that he'd be saving the world. He even offered to sacrifice himself for Charlie, suggesting that maybe it was him who was supposed to die, that he should go down to The Looking Glass. Hell, the man even named his son after Charlie. I really love the Desmond character, and identify with his struggles a lot, and if there's one thing that I hope for the rest of the series, if there's just one happy ending, and that's for he and Penny. I don't even care if everyone else dies. Perhaps, maybe, they are our Adam and Eve.