I got smacked for that one, Reminds to sit a little further from the sweetheart next time.
Anyways, I was out all morning in schools, and now that I'm back I can post what I've been dying to tell everyone since last night.
I think I know what's going on with the island.
And if I'm right, I'll be slightly dissapointed. Of course the way these writers work I'll be completely wrong. And if that's the case I'm quite alright with it and will further enjoy being wrong with theories.
Locke enters a code into a computer, a counter resets, and the cycle repeats itself for as long as the code can be entered. This reminds me of an episode of The Outer Limits I saw once. On the episode the Earth is attacked by aliens. In a last ditch survival move, the human put two people into a pod deep under ground. The sole job of these people is to survive, and to daily punch in a code that keeps the planet from nucleat annihilation. The thinking is that if all the humans die, and all hope is lost, the aliens will be destroyed too when no one punches the code in. Communication is kept, and the 2 people are told of the status of the war. In this particular episode the aliens find a way to mimic humans the 2 people end up being the last humans on Earth, but still continue to punch the code.
I think the island is similar. It's obviously got some high tech security system. Desmond is obviously the only one inside. He must have been told that there is an illness on the surface and that it will kill him if he stops taking the medication. He must continue to punch in the code to keep the island from exploding, and if he gets ill and dies, the island will self destruct keeping the illness from escaping any further. As another note, there's a distinct possibility that whatever it is that he is taking to prevent the illness might actually be keeping him in an unbalanced state. (The remedy is actually the poison.)
Oh, and is this the first time an episode has flashed back to an earlier event on the island?
Just my thoughts on an episode that didnt thrill me.