See you in another life, brother

I am absolutely in love with the fact that Lost seems to have made Desmond the prime mover within the show's fantastically woven web of existential, six-degrees-of-separation drama. It is an utter stroke of genius that a character who didn't even appear until the series' second season -- and only had a part in a few episodes, at that -- has been revealed as the potential cause of both the fall and redemption of our flawed band of protagonists. (That is, if Desmond's failed button-pushing indeed caused flight 815 to crash, and if his turning the electromagnetic key indeed sent a signal to the outside world that will save them all.)

And how brilliant and simple the whole of Desmond's motivation: love. Astounding. Just when you think Lost is trapped under the weight of the elaborate Dharma Initiative mythology and the us vs. them conflict and the mysterious sicknesses/vaccines/smoke monsters -- boom: L O V E. It really is about human relationships after all.

(My awe is aided by the indisputable truth that clean-cut, post-prison, pre-race-around-the-world Desmond is smokin'. I just think it needs to be said.)

It is going to be a long, painful summer.