Thoughts:

• So, Desmond is apparently surviving catastrophic electromagnetic event guy. Widmore needs to know if he can do it again, because it looks like there will be one more gigantic electromagnetic explosion on The Island, with Desmond having to make the sacrifice [stay on The Island and cause said explosion while everyone else is ferried via sub to The Hydra?] that Widmore spoke of
• What exactly did that test do to Desmond? Remove him from his consciousness?
• Written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. Of course it was. Clearly they get dibs on Desmond episodes
• Was that painting with the black and white scales always there in Widmore’s office ?
• “Consciousness-altering love”
• How the hell does Charlie know to “show” Desmond? Did he try and re-create that Looking Glass event, which triggered his memory?
• WHAT was with that look Eloise gave Desmond when she first saw him?
• Is Eloise another Constant? Some kind of time/balance/force keeper? It feels like the Eloise we saw in ‘Flashes Before Your Eyes’ is the same one, thoughts, consciousness and all, that we’re seeing in this episode
• “Ready for what?!” Why can’t he see the list?
• Are the other flash sideways losties going to experience visions of their alternate lives, like Charlie, Desmond and Faraday? Or will they not experience them because they were on The Island at the time of the nuke detonation?
• Seems like Widmore pretty much re-created The Swan failsafe event, allowing Desmond’s consciousness to become dislodged again
• Whatever Eloise thought Desmond wasn’t ready for with seeing that list, it looks like he’s going to do the same thing with the losties after he gets that manifest