I can understand why Desmond knew what was going to happen when he appeared to be "re-living" the past (he had "been there, done that"), but how is it that he knows what is going to happen in present island time, given that he is not re-living it, but experiencing it for the first time?

That's what confused me. Because the first events that took him to the island stopped right when the Hatch exploded/imploded, where he went back in time and somehow was able to correct his life through the brief span of time between concussions. Then, he landed in the jungle naked, not having gone on beyond that point.

He stated that he got flashes of what was going to happen, but he didn't experience them yet, unless somehow he goes back in time further along or something... or maybe he is like that chestnut lady, and can actually see things before they happened (i.e. red shoes).

No matter what point Desmond is at chronologically, he is aware of moments from all points in his life. They come to him in "flashes" as he said. As a linear being, he has the ability to change events based on those flashes.

No matter what point Desmond is at chronologically, he is aware of moments from all points in his life. They come to him in "flashes" as he said. As a linear being, he has the ability to change events based on those flashes.

Well, at the end of the epi, he does in fact say that "they (the flashes) keep on happening". I think the phenomenon has more to do with "remembering" than it does with time travel, so the only thing that makes sense is that he is "re-living" his island experience from a future vantage in the same exact fashion that he re-lived his England experience from the present vantage.

I Know, thats why the episode confused me. It doesn't seam to make sense!

Well, at the end of the epi, he does in fact say that "they (the flashes) keep on happening". I think the phenomenon has more to do with "remembering" than it does with time travel, so the only thing that makes sense is that he is "re-living" his island experience from a future vantage in the same exact fashion that he re-lived his England experience from the present vantage.

I think from he was re-living his memories of that time in London, but with the benefit of hindsight and with the knowledge of recent events on the island. So the past and present are being confused, and being mixed up with his desire to change the past.

I believe he relived that particular point in his past....gained insight into why he is where he is today (he was compelled to follow his destiny)....in island time he is now having flashes of the future....the idea being that he can't change his past (very distressing and heartbreaking for him) but can he change the future (fate)...so far he appears to believe that he can't (but he is giving it his best shot)....guess it's watch, wait and see

The tailsection posted some screencaps that appear to show an advertisement behind Desmond in the streetcorner scene where the girl's eyes blink. Could this indicate that we did not witness him reliving the past, but having a vision involving his past? I posted links to the images in another thread: http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=69623

The poster blinking is probably just a holographic image. I think there is more to the failsafe than meets the eye. They warned him it was unsafe to turn the key. I think what might have happened was he got knocked out/had a near death experience causing him to relive stuff from earlier in his life and the effects of whatever turning the key unleashed did something to him. [I should point out for the sake of the show that all characters are on the same timelime no one is in a future time looking back] The island may have somehow manifested itself in him or is just telling him things. Maybe the island isn't in linear time at all even. But I think it has to do with whatever happened between turning the key and waking up naked. Something with the electrostatic charges which scientifically the brain can pick up and maybe he is just more in tune with the island now than he even realises. Something that will take the entire season to flush out. The end.

I can understand why Desmond knew what was going to happen when he appeared to be "re-living" the past (he had "been there, done that"), but how is it that he knows what is going to happen in present island time, given that he is not re-living it, but experiencing it for the first time?

He seemed to already have precognitive abilities before (the things he said to Jack at the stadium), sort of like a medium, right? And mediums get "flashes" like that too, either from real things happening or from people who have crossed over. I think that's how he'd be able to know what was going on in present time.