Is Desmond the Key Master?

The latest episode of "Lost" shows us that by turning the key to the hatch, Desmond may be the pivotal character in the mind-space continuum. Locke, Sayid, and even the late dearly beloved Mr. Ecko take a backseat to the new Desmond centric dynamic.

The season three hiatus of "Lost" is over, and fans are abuzz. The premiere "Lost" 2007 pickup episode featured the escape of Sawyer and Kate with Jack's assistance. The Others let them go after a struggle in exchange for Jack's surgical operation on Ben.

Deepening the murk was the back story of Juliet, the fertility doctor for the Others. We see her conscience also had a black mark on it. But many fans wondered why so little information about the wrecked passengers and their island camp was given.

The Jack, Kate, and Sawyer soaked plotlines with the Others have been resolved. As much as plotlines with those three can ever be resolved. Playing the strong leader card earned Jack points. Kate and Sawyer rescued another prisoner and are taking him back to Lost camp.

But Ben doesn't know about the Hatch. The violet light in the sky denotes unknown consequences. There is a patch-eyed man looking into the hatch cameras from an unknown hatch. Gabrielle is still on the loose. Jack is now a semi-official Other. The price for his threats may be high.

Juliet tried to blackmail Jack into sabotaging Ben's surgery. Juliet is also anxious to get back to loved ones in the real world. Ben may be Alexandra's father. We know that Alexandra is the French Chick's baby. Rousseau, Ben, and the girl make for a strange nuclear family.

But why haven't Locke and Sayid pursued the lost 3 castaways? What's happening with Jin and Sun, the Chinese couple who have discovered Sun is pregnant? Is there a backup countdown for the failsafe?

The latest episode has Desmond, the Scottish castaway as its center. Desmond has been shown before as betrayed by the father of his dream girl, Penelope Widmore. Penelope is the girl who was notified when the Hatch blew up, but Desmond doesn't know that.