"Future Crap": Demond Finds Himself in a Catch-22 on "Lost"

Ah, Desmond. I don't envy you in the least. When you're not spending your time trying to save the life of Driveshaft former member Charlie, you're experiencing some weird "flashes" that would drive any lesser man insane and which may cause you to sacrifice someone else's life in order to achieve a higher goal.

But that's the nature of a prophet, I suppose. We learned a bit more about the former monk on last night's episode of Lost ("Catch-22") that featured the arrival of a mysterious new castaway, Naomi (played by Marsha Thomason of Las Vegas), who was not--as Demond had hoped--his former fiancee Penny Widmore. (Damn!) Last night's episode was written by Jeff Pinkner and new staff writer Brian K. Vaughan (yes, the creator of Runaways and Y: The Last Man). Hence all of the fun Superman vs. Flash moments between Charlie and Hurley, which added some nice levity, along with the campfire ghost stories, into a rather ominous episode.

Naomi. The enigmatic Naomi not only recognized Des when she regained consciousness, but was also carrying that iconic photograph of Desmond and Penny, the same one that Des holds onto so dearly. Curious. Add to those occurrences the fact that her backpack contained a Portugese edition of Joseph Heller's "Catch-22" and you're left with the undeniable conclusion that Naomi was likely working for Penelope Widmore, perhaps at that electromagnetic research station we saw at the end of Season Two. Just how Naomi made it to the island and what she's doing there will have to wait for another time.

Desmond. In this week's flashback, we're given a peek into how Desmond met Penny (and why he refers to everyone as "brother") and I never would have predicted that it had anything to do with our man Des joining a monastery nor that he was engaged to be married to someone other than Penny. Namely, the Biblically-named Ruth, whose brother ends up decking Desmond right in the winemaking monastery (who conveniently, only bottle 108 cases a year). Desmond claims that right before the wedding, he experienced a blackout and found himself laying in the middle of the street; a man wearing a monk's cassock offered him a hand and Desmond felt he was receiving a calling from God. But God's will apparently doesn't involve him staying on at the Abbey and he's "fired" from his vocation by Brother Campbell. The next day, he turns in his robes and ends up helping a lovely woman pack her car full of cases of the monastery's wine (called Moriah, after the mountain where Abraham nearly sacrifices Isaac). It's Penelope, of course, and they hit it off immediately. Ah, doomed love.

Ms. Hawking. Yes, that was the creepy Ms. Hawking seen in the photograph on Brother Campbell's desk when Desmond turns in his robes. I had to rewind to be certain but there's no doubt whatsoever that it's the ouroborous-wearing Ms. Hawking (played by Fionnula Flanagan). Which begs the question: is Ms Hawking a fictional construct of Desmond's psyche or does she actually exist in the "real world"?

Love triangles. I loved how jealous Kate got at seeing Jack and Juliet being such shiny, happy people together as they enjoyed a dinner of homemade oatmeal... and the fact that she licked the spoon one last time before giving it to Jack. I never thought I'd feel bad for Sawyer, but our favorite con man has realized once again that he's second best and the only reason Kate sought out Sawyer that night (after turning down his offer of some afternoon delight) was because she was upset about Jack and Juliet. Poor guy. It's never a good sign when the object of your affections starts crying before she has sex with you. Just a clue. But I did love that he managed to find a mix tape for Kate, even if it was a best of Phil Collins album... and if it was stolen from Bernard. (Yay, finally, a mention that he still exists!)

Charlie. I know some of you out there are serious Charlie-haters, but I don't want the little Hobbit to die. He's survived death five times now (if you count that pesky Season One hanging by Ethan) and I like his prickly demeanor and over-protectiveness of Claire. Desmond did find the survivor of the helicopter crash (even if it wasn't Penny) without sacrificing Charlie's life as Abraham did on Moriah. (Was he tested?) What do you think? Should Charlie live or die?

Satellite Phone. Naomi's bag also contained a satellite phone that made me want the new Apple iPhone even more than I already did. But while the phone has a signal strength of three bars, it quickly powers down when Hurley tries to use it. Coincidence? Or part of the electromagnetic anomaly? Think the Others have a charger at the Barracks? I'm still also a little weirded out by the fact that the helicopter's beacon seemed suspiciously like that of the food drop. Could Naomi--and by extension Penelope Widmore--be part of the Dharma Initiative? And why exactly did the helicopter crash? And was Naomi the only one aboard?

Next week on Lost ("D.O.C."), Sun reluctantly allows Juliet to examine her after learning that all of the Other's pregnant women have died before giving birth on the island, while Desmond enters an uneasy alliance in order to save Naomi's life.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Survivor: Fiji (CBS); My Name is Earl/The Office (NBC); Smallville (CW); Ugly Betty (ABC); Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? (FOX)

9 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS); 30 Rock/Scrubs (NBC); Supernatural (CW); Grey's Anatomy (ABC); Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy (FOX)

10 pm: Shark (CBS); ER (NBC); October Road (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Ugly Betty.

Finally, a new episode of Ugly Betty! On tonight's installment ("Punch Out"), Daniel starts to party like his former shell of a self (that didn't take long), while a writer (guest star Leslie Jordan of Will & Grace), who has Fey Sommer's diaries in his posession, begins stalking the Meade family.

8 pm: My Name is Earl.

On tonight's episode ("Two Balls, Two Strikes"), following the death of Chubby, his son Little Chubby (guest star Norm MacDonald) comes to Camden County to take over the family business. Is it just me or does this show seriously need to step it up, given the strenghts of fellow NBC laughers The Office and 30 Rock?

8:30 pm: The Office.

On tonight's repeat episode ("Back from Vacation"), Michael returns to work after his "all-inclusive" Jamaican vacation and an email containing a rather racy vacation photo of one Jan Levinson makes the rounds.

9 pm: 30 Rock.

On tonight's installment ("Cleveland"), Floyd (Jason Sudeikis) asks Liz if she would ever think about leaving Manhattan and moving with him to the Midwest, while Jack takes off with Phoebe (Emily Mortimer) for Paris and perhaps a quickie wedding?

9:30 pm: Scrubs.

Tonight's installment ("Their Story") has Ted attempting to juggle his fantasties of having a full head of hair with helping the beleaguered nurses battle for a pay increase, while Jordan helps Elliot and Keith.

10:30 pm: This American Life on Showtime.

Based on the popular NPR radio series, this brilliant new Showtime drama seeks to capture first person accounts of single themes. On tonight's episode ("Growth Spurt"), people will themselves to enter the next stage of their lives, including a first-time screenplay writer and a 13-year-old girl.