It's in a loop relative to Locke and Richard, but for us it's only going to happen once.

Mr. Fhtagn hits the nail on the head. No outside perspective means you have no real sense of what the rules are.

Locke's very low-key response to Cesar's death is strange, now that you mention it. Shades of Dr. Manhattan after the Comedian shoots the woman in the bar in Vietnam.

@TalkingWires's point - I'd agree with you that it's not the water. That seemed more like drip off the walls of the tunnel/cave collecting its the lowest point. Also, the hole seemed like it had quite a bit of suction rather than just simple drainage. Ben worked the stopper (or whatever) loose with a pop, and the…

@The Bourne Valedictorian — Thanks! Appreciate it.

The other key is the pair of scenes with Faraday and Desmond at the back door to the hatch, and Desmond immediately waking up in bed in 2007 next to Penny. The contents of the in-show timeline have changed because of something that happens in the broadcast timeline. Desmond remembers it. Even though it hadn't happened…

Plenty of people (here and elsewhere) have pointed out that the skipping record there is also Faraday's explanation for the I6 about what's happening to them. But I've been bothered about the relationship of that image and his explanation for weeks, since what actually happens in the montage seems much more…

Time for skipping, records, etc.
Here's an attempt to have cake and eat it, too. Time cake. Yummy.

"…leave for a land without cabbage."