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Episode 514 – “The Variable”
Desmond is rushed to surgery at the hospital, Penny is distraught. As she waits for news with Charlie she is approached by Eloise Hawking who says that Charlie has his fathers hair. She explains she knows Desmond and his being shot is her sons fault. Penny asks if her son is Benjamin Linus and Eloise says no, her son is Daniel Faraday.

In flashbacks we see Daniel as a child, he is playing classical music on a piano and he is amazing. His mother approaches and says that his mind is special, she asks him how many times the metronome has ticked since he started playing, Daniel without hesitation says 864. Eloise says that he now must focus on his destiny and focus on science and mathmatics, Daniel says he wants to continue music, he will make time for it.

Later we see Daniel graduate, his lab assistant Teresa is also his girlfriend. Eloise approaches and wants to take her son to lunch. Here she learns Daniel has been offered a research grant by Charles Widmore and Eloise says to take it, giving him a present before leaving. It is his journal.

Later still we see Daniel crying at the footage of the 815 wreckage when he is approached by Charles Widmore. Daniel says that he has a condition where he forgets and he tested it on himself before he did Teresa. Charles knows about Oxford and Teresa but wants to offer Daniel the chance to continue his research. He tells him of a special island where he needs to go and it’ll heal him. Widmore confesses that he staged the wreckage of 815 and is happy to tell Daniel because he knows he’ll forget about it. Daniel says Charles sounds like his mother to which Widmore says they are “old friends”.

Daniel is then seen playing the piano, but he’s not as good as he was. Eloise appears, she said she would have called but Daniel would have only forgotten. She asks if he’s been offered a job, Daniel says he has. Eloise says he has to take it, Daniel asks if it’ll make her proud of him, she says it would so Daniel agrees to go.

Back in 2008 and the nurse tells Penny she can visit Desmond, he is OK and tells her that he will never leave her. Eloise leaves and is met by Charles Widmore outside, Charles asks about Desmond and is told he is fine. Eloise says his daughter is inside but Charles says he has had to sacrifice his relationship with his daughter to which Eloise angrily retorts he knows nothing of sacrifice as she had to send her son to the island. Charles says that Daniel is his son as well and Eloise slaps him and leaves.

On the island Daniel asks Miles to take him to Jack where Daniel asks how he got back to the island. Jack says he got on a plane and Eloise said it was his destiny to get on. Daniel says that she lied to him, they do not belong here in 1977. Dan gets Miles to take him to the Orchid where he speaks to Doctor Chang. Daniel tells him that he is from the future and that if he continues to drill at the site of the Swan he will release a charge of energy that will kill everyone. Chang laughs at this saying the energy has been contained but Daniel says that Miles is Chang’s son from the future. Daniel demands he orders an evacuation of the island. Miles disagrees and Chang drives off.

Back at the barracks Sawyer sits everyone down, they have to decide what to do, either commandeer the sub and escape or head back to the beach and start all over again. Hurley and Jin say they don’t want to leave on the sub so they agree to head to the beach. Faraday and Miles arrive back and ask to be taken to the hostiles. Sawyer refuses saying they’re going back to the beach but Jack turns to Kate who knows where they are. Juliet offers them the code for the fence (141717) and they meet up at the motor pool.

As Jack and Kate get some weapons Daniel spots a young Charlotte on a swing, he approaches her and she says she’s not supposed to have chocolate before dinner. Daniel says he won’t tell but soon Dr. Chang is going to order people to leave the island, Charlotte and her mother have to be on the sub. Daniel says he tried not to tell her this because he didn’t think he could change things but hopes that maybe he can.

Jack, Kate and Dan are about to leave when Radzinsky and some others approach, when they see Dan carrying a gun they open fire and a shootout ensues. Jack blows up some gas tanks and they manage to escape but Dan has a slight graze. When they reach the sonar fence Jack tends to a wounded Dan where Daniel reminds Jack this is “their present” and they can die. They head into the jungle in search of the hostiles.

Back at the barracks Sawyer has ordered people to grab what they can ready to leave. Sawyer asks Juliet if she still has his back and she asks if he has hers. After the gunfight at the motor pool the alarm has sounded and Radzinsky goes to Sawyers house, they find Phil tied up and Sawyer and Juliet surrender.

On route to the hostiles Jack and Kate ask Daniel to explain his plan. Dan says in about four hours Dharma are going to release a huge energy blast from work at the Swan which leads to the hatch being built and the computer that requires a button to be pressed. Eventually, one day, Desmond will forget to press that button which leads to Oceanic Flight 815 crashing on the island. Daniel says he was focused so much on the “constants” in his research he forgot about the “variables”. He says that they are the variables, people with free will so they can stop these events from happening. Daniel plans to explode the hydrogen bomb to negate the energy release and preventing the hatch to ever be built and thus flight 815 to land.

As they approach the hostiles camp Daniel enters and demands to speak to Eloise Hawking. Kate asks Jack if this is wise, it means everything they’ve been through will be erased. Richard Alpert approaches Dan and says Eloise isn’t here at the moment. Dan points the gun at Richard and gives him to the count of three to tell him where his mother is. On two a shot is fired and Daniel hits the ground. Daniel looks up and sees the woman who shot him, he says she knew this was going to happen but she sent him here anyway. Eloise asks who he is and with a dying breath Daniel says he is her son.

Wow. We forgot about the variables too right? Crazy episode where I’ve heard people complain about Daniels death but they seem to forget that this is the island where a young Ben was shot and survived not to mention they’re with Jack, a miracle surgeon. If Richard saved Ben, surely Eloise will save Daniel? But changing history? Can it really happen? And if so, surely then Hurley will disappear like in Back to the Future, unless of course he has to die on the island to relive on the plane? As we reach the end of the season, I’m on tenterhooks.