Desmond Hume
Encyclopedia
Desmond David Hume is a fictional character
on the ABC
television series Lost
portrayed by Henry Ian Cusick
. Desmond's name is a tribute to David Hume
, the famous empiricist author and philosopher. Desmond was not a passenger of Flight 815. He had been stranded on the island three years prior to the crash as the result of a shipwreck. Desmond eventually leaves the Island with the Oceanic 6 and is reunited with his love Penny Widmore
(Sonya Walger
).
It appears as though he was the "package" that Charles Widmore
(Alan Dale
) was talking about on Hydra Island. It was later revealed by Charles Widmore that Desmond was Jacob's 'fail-safe', meaning that in case the Man in Black
killed all of Jacob's candidates, Desmond would then be used to destroy the island.
, Scotland
. After being engaged to a woman named Ruth (Joanna Bool
) for six years, Desmond gets cold feet
one week before the wedding. He passes out due to binge drinking
and wakes up to find a monk named Brother Campbell (Andrew Connolly). Desmond decides to join the monastery, feeling a higher calling. Shortly after completing his vow of silence, he is assaulted by Ruth's brother. He meets with Ruth, who chastises him for breaking her heart. Guilt ridden, he breaks into the monastery's wine cellar and starts to drink. As a result, Brother Campbell dismisses him from the order. Before he leaves, Brother Campbell asks him to perform a final service for the order, assisting Penny by carrying cases of wine into her car. The two feel an immediate attraction, and she asks for his help in unloading the wine in Carlisle. Two years later, they move into an apartment together.
Desmond visits Penny's father Charles to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. While stating his appreciation for the bold gesture, Charles makes his disapproval of Desmond clear, saying he is not good enough for her. After being unable to pay for a photograph taken with Penny, Desmond believes he can't support himself or Penny and, thinking she deserves better, breaks up with her. In an attempt to prove himself to Charles, Desmond joins the Royal Scots Regiment
of the British Army. During his basic training, Desmond would experience a temporal displacement from himself in 2004, appearing disoriented in his time transits. Desmond is able to remember enough to follow instructions given to him by Daniel Faraday
, whom he tracks down at Oxford University. Faraday is able to give Desmond a clear course on how to find a 'constant' memory from both 1996 and 2004 in order to save himself. Desmond would track down Penelope, who believed their relationship was over, but he is able to convince Penelope to give him her phone number, saving his life in 2004. After being imprisoned for "failing to follow orders"
, Desmond is dishonorably discharged from the army. Outside the prison, Desmond is greeted by Charles, who admits to confiscating all the letters Desmond wrote to Penny, and attempts to bribe him to leave her alone. Desmond travels to the United States, where he meets Libby
(Cynthia Watros
). She gives Desmond her boat when he reveals that in order to win his true love, he must win a boating race, funded by Charles Widmore. Before setting off, Desmond goes to train at a stadium in Los Angeles
, where he is confronted by Penny, upset he had not contacted her since getting out of prison. He asks her to wait for him for one more year, when the race would have ended. He promptly leaves to run the stadium. While training, he meets Jack Shephard
(Matthew Fox
) for the first time. After he enters the race, his boat is caught in a ferocious storm, and he is eventually knocked unconscious.
) emerges from the jungle in a hazmat suit
and takes him back to the hatch. Desmond watches as Kelvin inputs the numbers into a computer, claiming it is saving the world. Kelvin later explains it releases an electromagnetic
charge to prevent there being a large build-up of electromagnetic energy. He tells Desmond to inoculate himself with an unnamed vaccine every nine days, since he was out in the "quarantined" island, and might be infected. Three years pass, and Desmond desperately wants to go above ground, but Kelvin will not allow it, although he himself leaves for hours each day in his hazmat suit. Desmond catches Kelvin drunk one night in a secret crawlspace below the floor, dangling a key above a fail-safe mechanism. Kelvin explains if the fail-safe mechanism was activated, the hatch would be destroyed, destroying the electromagnetic anomaly with it.
When Kelvin leaves one day, Desmond notices Kelvin's hazmat suit has a tear on its leg. He follows Kelvin above ground, where he discovers Kelvin removing the suit and learns that the air is safe to breathe. Desmond follows Kelvin to a cove, where he sees his sailboat in perfect shape. Kelvin had been leaving the hatch to fix the boat a little each day, planning to escape the island and leave Desmond behind. Kelvin startles Desmond, revealing he knew Desmond was following him, and then invites Desmond to escape with him. Desmond is too worried about the button to leave, to which Kelvin expresses his doubts about the validity of the button. Desmond becomes enraged he may have spent three years of his life on the island unnecessarily and attacks Kelvin. They struggle, and Desmond accidentally smashes Kelvin's head on a rock, killing him. Desmond takes the key for the fail-safe mechanism from around Kelvin's neck and races back to the hatch, where the timer for the button has already reached zero and the computer is registering a system failure. A massive electromagnetic field builds up, attracting all metal objects to the sealed door inside the hatch, including Oceanic Flight 815. Desmond manages to stop it by inputting the code, which safely disperses the electromagnetic field, but not in time to prevent the plane crash.
. As he opens up Our Mutual Friend
(which he later states that it would be the last book he would read before his death), he finds a note Penny had hidden inside before he was sent to prison, telling him not to despair, as well as reminding him she will always wait for him and she loves him. Even more depressed now, he goes into a rage and makes a mess out of the hatch. As he collapses, Desmond then hears someone shouting from the top of the hatch. Unknown to Desmond, it is Locke
(Terry O'Quinn
) asking the hatch for help after Boone's
fatal plane injury. When Desmond turns on a light to see who it is, Locke, thinking his prayers have been answered, quiets down. Desmond, similarly, considers the voice to be a sign he is no longer alone, and regains hope.
When Locke, Kate
(Evangeline Lilly
) and Jack
(Matthew Fox
) enter the hatch, they accidentally damage the computer after a brief fight with a panicked Desmond. Convinced the world is going to end, he tries to fix the computer, but is unable to. Desmond frantically flees the hatch. Jack catches up with him and Desmond tells him the code, and explains it must be entered every 108 minutes. Desmond makes his way back to his boat and attempts to sail to Fiji
. However, his plans go awry.
A drunken Desmond returns in his boat, having been unable to navigate away from the island, making him compare it and its waters to "a bloody snow globe" . Later he is confronted by Locke who tells him of another DHARMA station, the Pearl station, where he found an orientation film suggesting the button pushing was just an experiment. While Desmond wavers back and forth with his conviction on the button, he and Locke wait for the countdown to hit zero, to see what will happen. Desmond and Locke lock out Mr. Eko
(Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
), who had started to push the button recently, from the computer room with the blast door. As the countdown reaches zero, Desmond tells Locke to show him the printout Locke obtained from The Pearl. Desmond realizes the date of the prior "system failure" was the same day as the plane crash, September 22, 2004. Desmond believes his failure to push the button that day resulted in an electromagnetic field pulling down Oceanic Flight 815. He is insistent the button must be pressed, but Locke angrily reacts by destroying the computer. Desmond retrieves the key to the fail-safe mechanism, wanting to save Locke because Locke saved him the night he shouted at the hatch door. As Desmond uses the key, a bright white light envelops his face.
(Dominic Monaghan
) busking
in the streets. He is told by a mysterious woman, Eloise Hawking (Fionnula Flanagan), it is his destiny to be on the island. He is later knocked unconscious and wakens back in the present, amidst the hatch's scattered remains and completely naked. Hurley (Jorge Garcia
) clothes him, and Desmond mentions a speech Locke has made, without realizing Locke doesn't make this speech until his and Hurley's return to the beach. Upon returning to the beach, he then asks Claire
(Emilie de Ravin
) to leave her shelter for the day because she had a "problem with her roof". When she refuses, Desmond constructs a lightning rod
, diverting the ensuing lightning to strike it instead of her shelter.
After Mr. Eko is killed by the monster, Desmond attends his burial with Charlie and Hurley. He leaves suddenly to rescue a drowning Claire in the ocean despite being in the jungle, too far to be aware of Claire's predicament. In an attempt to question him about his clairvoyant
gift, Charlie and Hurley get him drunk, but Desmond retaliates before being interrogated. He informs Charlie he has been doing everything he can to prevent Charlie's death, but it is inevitable.
Several days later, Desmond experiences another vision of Charlie's death, and asks Charlie, Hurley and Jin
(Daniel Dae Kim) to accompany him on a hike. That night, the four witness a passing helicopter, and its pilot bailing at the last minute. They trek inland, discovering various belongings of the pilot, including a photograph of Desmond and Penny, prompting him to believe the pilot is Penny. Desmond prevents his vision from happening by rescuing Charlie from one of Rousseau's
(Mira Furlan
) traps. The four eventually find the parachutist suspended from a tree. Desmond cuts her down and removes her helmet. However, he is disappointed to find it isn't Penny after all, it is a woman named Naomi (Marsha Thomason
). She coughs out his name before passing out. When Mikhail (Andrew Divoff
) arrives, Desmond bargains with him to help them save Naomi in exchange for letting him walk away free. Mikhail agrees, and manages to tend to her. The four return her to the beach soon after.
Desmond suggests informing someone about Naomi's arrival, and approves of Charlie's decision to tell Sayid
(Naveen Andrews
) over Jack
. He tells Sayid about Naomi's mission to find him for Penny. The next day, as Jack and Juliet
(Elizabeth Mitchell
) lead the camp into the jungle, Desmond experiences another vision of Charlie's death, but this time Desmond must let it happen in order for Claire to be rescued. He tells Charlie, prompting him to agree to swim underwater to the Looking Glass station. Desmond accompanies him, and follows the cable into the ocean. Desmond offers to take his place, speculating he is supposed to be dying in Charlie's place, but is knocked out by Charlie. Desmond comes to, only for Mikhail to shoot at him. Desmond swims down to the station and hides in a locker. After Mikhail kills the two resident Others, Desmond shoots him in the chest at close range, but is confused when he is unable to find his body minutes later. Charlie makes contact with Penny, and informs Desmond, but before he can enter the room, Mikhail appears outside the window and sets off a grenade
. Charlie realizes he is meant to die, and Desmond is not, so he locks himself in the room. Desmond watches helplessly as the room floods, causing Charlie to eventually drown. Moments before drowning, Charlie writes on his hand with a marker informing Desmond the boat Naomi supposedly came from is not Penny's.
) about Naomi's picture of Penny, Desmond departs from the island to go to the freighter with Sayid and a dead Naomi.
As the helicopter Desmond and Sayid are being transported on flies through a storm, Desmond begins having perceptions of another reality of himself as a private in the British Army's Royal Scots Regiment. He begins flashing back and forth between present day on the freighter, and his life in 1996 before arriving on the island. Furthermore the shifting causes Desmond to lose all memories of the Island and Sayid, who is accompanying him on the helicopter. Sayid radios the island where one of the men from the freighter, Daniel Faraday
(Jeremy Davies
) explains the shifting perceptions Desmond is experiencing are actually a form of time travel. He tells Desmond when he reverts to the memory of him in 1996, he must go to Oxford University
and find the past Faraday, where Faraday was working on a time machine. Here Faraday tells Desmond he must find a constant, something or someone which is the same in both 1996 and 2004 he can use as a reference point. He uses Penny as this "constant". Desmond realizes in order to stop the timeshifting he must make contact with Penny on Christmas Eve
2004, the date he is on the freighter. In 1996, he manages to find an angry Penny who does not want to see him. He pleads with her to give him her phone number, and to not change it as he will phone it in eight years time, where she must pick up. When he reverts to the present, he makes the call with the help of Sayid. She answers the phone and tearfully tells him she has been searching for him and knows about the island, and she loves him. On the island Faraday looks through his journal and finds a page saying if anything went wrong, Desmond would be his constant.
With Desmond's situation resolved, he and Sayid meet Captain Gault (Grant Bowler
) only moments after witnessing a female crew-member, Regina (Zoë Bell
), commit suicide by jumping off the side of the freighter with a chain wrapped around her body. The captain theorizes his crew has been suffering from cabin fever due to the close proximity of the island and would turn the ship around if it weren't for a mysterious saboteur
disabling the engines. Gault tells Desmond, much to his surprise, Widmore owns the freighter and is trying to track down Benjamin Linus (Michael Emerson
). When being escorted to their new room, Desmond and Sayid see Michael
(Harold Perrineau) on the ship, working as a janitor and using the alias, Kevin Johnson. Desmond and Sayid later confront Michael in the engine room where he explains to them how he came to be on the freighter, revealing he is now working for Ben. Sayid blows his cover by taking him to Gault with Desmond, telling Gault that Michael is the saboteur.
Not long after, Frank flies the helicopter back to the freighter with Jack, Kate, Hurley and Aaron on board. Sun (Yunjin Kim), Sayid and Desmond are the only people from the freighter who manage to get on the helicopter before the freighter explodes. Desmond is finally rescued along with the Oceanic Six and Frank by the love of his life, Penny.
Sometime later, Penny gives birth to Desmond's son in the Philippines, the child being named Charlie. Two years after leaving the island, while living at sea with Penny and Charlie, Desmond awakens to the new "memory" of Daniel, and immediately sets off to find Faraday's mother. At Oxford he learns it was Charles Widmore who funded Faraday's experiments, and upon visiting Widmore is given an address in LA. He then goes to LA only to find Jack, Sun and Ben heading off to the same address as his. They enter a church inside of which Ben says is a woman who knows how to get back to the island. The woman happens to be Daniel Faraday's mother. Upon finding out both Jack and Sun are planning to return to the island and assuming it is what Faraday wanted him to do, Desmond storms out of the church, keeping a promise to Penny he would not return there.
The next morning, Desmond returns to the sailboat with groceries. He is then shot by Ben who is trying to kill Penny (as revenge against her father Charles Widmore, who was responsible for the death of Ben's "daughter" Alex). However, after Ben sees their son, Charlie, Ben is unable to kill Penny. Suddenly, Desmond takes advantage of Ben's hesitation and savagely beats him and throws him in the water. He is then taken to a hospital. While waiting, Penny Widmore is visited by Eloise, who apologizes for involving Desmond in everything. Penny later visits Desmond, who promises he'll never leave her again.
He was taken to a medical room to recover. After waking-up, Zoe explained he had been unconscious for a few days. He asked to see Penny, but Widmore entered and said it would not be possible. Widmore reminded Desmond he was shot by Benjamin Linus. Desmond calls for Penny again. Widmore said she is not there and assured him that she and their son are safe. Widmore explains he didn't have a chance to tell Desmond before, not that it mattered as Desmond wouldn't have come, but he has brought him back to the island. Enraged, Desmond attacked Widmore and had to be restrained. He screamed, demanding to be brought back, but Widmore angrily replied he cannot, because the Island is not done with him yet.
Desmond was later taken to a solenoid chamber. He saw Simmons' dead body been taken out and struggled as he was forced inside. Widmore says if what he had heard about Desmond is true, referring to his capability of surviving electromagnetic catastrophes, Desmond should be fine. He says once its over, Desmond will need to make a sacrifice. Desmond is strapped to chair and left inside. He managed to break loose from the chair and tried to open the door. He was unsuccessful and subjected to an electromagnetic event. He survived but was left unconscious. Within this time, he witnessed his life in the flash-sideways time line, despite only being unconscious for a few seconds. Widmore says Desmond's talent is vital to the mission and offers to explain. Desmond declines, saying that he understands and he is ready to start doing whatever it is that is so important.
Zoe and two men escort Desmond somewhere else. Zoe was curious about Desmond's sudden choice to cooperate, having viciously attacked Widmore earlier. Desmond replied a lot can happen in twenty minutes. Sayid then leaped out of a bush and subdued the two male escorts. He pointed a gun at Zoe ordering her to run. Sayid told Desmond these people are dangerous and he needs to come with him. Desmond complied and asked Sayid to lead the way.
Sayid took Desmond to the main Island, where he tied him up, before bringing the Man in Black, in his John Locke form to see him. The Man in Black untied Desmond after he said he had nowhere to run. Desmond, appearing to believe the Man in Black to be Locke, told him what Widmore did with him. The Man in Black took Desmond to a well, where he explained its creation. The Man in Black was surprised by Desmond's lack of fear. When Desmond asked what the point of being afraid was, the Man in Black pushed him into the well.
The Man in Black kept a bloodied and slightly injured Desmond inside the well until the next day, when he ordered Sayid to go and kill Desmond after Zoe told the Man in Black to return Desmond by nightfall. When Sayid arrived and prepared to shoot Desmond, Desmond asked why Sayid was going to kill him, to which Sayid replied that Locke promised to bring back "someone he lost." Desmond asked Sayid who he had lost, and Sayid told him it was the woman he loved. Desmond then questioned as to what Sayid would tell her when whomever he was looking look for asked him how they were reunited. Sayid didn't answer and remained solemn.
Locke met up with Sayid after Sayid failed to catch up with him on time. When Locke asked if Sayid had indeed killed Desmond, Sayid said he did. It is not known Desmond is still alive until Sayid tells Jack where to find him once they get off the submarine. Desmond is helped out of the well by Bernard and Rose who feed him. The Man in Black and Ben find them and threatens to kill Rose and Bernard if Desmond does not come with him. Desmond agrees and is lowered into the Heart of the Island by Jack and The Man in Black. He takes a cork out of a hole in the ground which puts out the light and makes The Man in Black mortal. He passes out after this incident but is later saved by Jack, Hurley, and Ben. The Ajira plane leaves without him but Ben suggests to Hurley he change Jacob's rule of not letting people leave The Island so Desmond can be with his wife and son.
When Desmond picks him up, Charlie crosses the street to the bar and tries to kill himself while walking through a high traffic area. Desmond eventually meets Charlie at the bar, and Desmond tells him he was also on Flight 815. Charlie then tells him that while on the flight he thought the Marshall, Edward Mars, knew he had drugs on him, so he went to the bathroom to swallow them. He tried to swallow the heroin, but when the turbulence hit, he began choking on the bag of heroin. He then began seeing a blond woman
and fell instantly in love. And just as he was about to sink in the bliss, Jack saved his life. Desmond then tries to force him to come with him to the charity event, but while Desmond is driving, Charlie takes over the car and drives it into the water of a marina. When Desmond tries to save Charlie, Charlie puts his hand on the window and Desmond remembers Charlie dying with his hand saying "Not Penny's boat". Although shocked, Desmond manages to save Charlie. In the hospital Desmond has an MRI done and remembers Penny and his son Charlie. He goes and seeks Charlie in the hospital, who knows that he showed him the real timeline and true love. Charlie escapes from the hospital and advises Desmond to find Penny.
Desmond calls Widmore up about Charlie escaping, and Widmore tells him to go and personally apologize to his wife about losing Charlie. Desmond finds Charles' wife, Eloise Widmore (formerly Hawking), and she forgives him immediately. But when Desmond hears Penny on the guest registration list, Eloise privately scolds Desmond. She says that someone has affected Desmond's thinking and he needs to stop looking for whatever he thinks he is looking for. She said he got everything he wanted with a perfect life and her husband's approval and she says that Desmond is not ready to look at the guest list. As Desmond is leaving, Daniel approaches him and tells him what he knows. Daniel tells him that he saw a beautiful red headed girl and knew it was love at first sight. The next day he woke up with a complex formula in his journal and it contained complex math inside of it, and he had no idea what it meant since he is a musician, but that it indicates a split timeline and in the original timeline he set off a nuclear device, which is the only thing he knows of which can cause it. Daniel then tells Desmond about his half-sister, Penny, whom Desmond is looking for.
In the same stadium where Desmond originally met Jack, Desmond introduces himself to Penny. When he shakes her hand, Desmond faints. Desmond then invites her for coffee and she agrees. They both laugh lovingly at one another. Desmond then gets into his limo and asks George Minkowski if he could get him the manifest of Oceanic 815, since he needs to show them something.
Desmond approaches Hurley at "Mr. Clucks" and advises him to go with his gut with Libby and go figure out where she thought she knew him from (Desmond's order ticket number is 42). Desmond watches John Locke at the end of his working day and commits a hit and run, leaving Locke bleeding on the road. Later Desmond goes to a business building where he runs in to Claire Littleton (Claire is going to an adoption agency on the 15th floor) where he says to visit his lawyer, who is Ilana. Ilana was actually looking for her because she was going to read the will for the Shephards. Claire was included in the will. Then Claire was introduced to her half-brother, Jack.
Desmond later calls Jack, using a faked American accent and posing as an employee of Oceanic Airlines, and informs him that his father's coffin has been recovered and is en route to Los Angeles. He then visits the school Locke works at, with the intention of repeating the hit and run, but is confronted by Ben who recognises him from the original attack. Telling Ben that he is merely trying to help John "let go", Desmond brutally beats Ben, making him 'remember' being beaten during the botched attempt on Penny's life in the original timeline. A short time later, Desmond turns himself over to the police, and is arrested by Sawyer. He is held in the same holding cell as Sayid and Kate, who have been arrested for separate incidents. When the three are transferred by prison van to county lock up, Desmond, now working with Hurley, has them busted out with the assistance of Ana Lucia. He then sends Sayid with Hurley, while he gives a dress to Kate and tells her they are "going to a concert".
He drives Kate to a multi-religious church in LA, where they witness Christian Shepherd's coffin being unloaded. Desmond brings Kate to Daniel's concert at the Widmore family home, in doing so reuniting Kate with Claire. When Claire gives birth to Aaron, it makes Kate, Claire and Charlie, who stumbles in on them, see the original timeline.
Desmond is in the church with the group who have now found each other, and he warmly greets Jack and others as they enter. With Penny by his side, Desmond is enveloped in the light along with the others.
, a Scottish philosopher who discussed the ideas of free will
and determinism
. These ideas are reflected in Desmond's time travel where he meets Ms. Hawking, an old lady who explains that the universe has a specific way in which things must take place, anywhere that things go off course, the universe will correct itself. Cusick was originally hired for only three episodes in the beginning of season two, but he then returned in the finale and became a regular cast member from the third season.
In the episode "The Constant", Desmond appears in two ways. In 1996, Desmond has short hair and no facial hair and in 2004, Desmond sports long and untamed hair with a full beard. Cusick did not cut his hair; it was hidden underneath a short-haired wig by "really talented hair and makeup folks", according to Carlton Cuse. All freighter scenes were shot before Cusick shaved most of his beard for the 1996 scenes. A fake beard was glued onto Cusick for the episodes "Ji Yeon
" and "Meet Kevin Johnson
" while his beard grew back.
Henry Ian Cusick was not named a regular cast member in the press release for season six, but he is one and was credited as such in the episodes.
In 2006 Henry Ian Cusick
was the only Lost actor to be nominated for an Emmy
. He lost out in the Award for Outstanding Guest Actor
to Christian Clemenson
from Boston Legal
.
Eric Goldman from IGN
thought Desmond's flashbacks were "some of the more interesting flashbacks of the [second] season", finding Cusick's portrayal of Desmond as "likable" and "sympathetic". IGN's Chris Carabott complimented Cusick's performance in "Flashes Before Your Eyes", particularly liking the chemistry between Cusick and Sonya Walger, as well as between Cusick and Alan Dale. Maureen Ryan of The Chicago Tribune thought Cusick's performance in the fourth season episode "The Constant" was "especially spine-tingling". Gary Susman from Entertainment Weekly
described Desmond's storyline as "the most emotionally satisfying character arc of season 4", feeling he deserved another Emmy nomination. Critic Kelly Woo, from TV Squad, placed him on #1 on her list of "Seven new characters that worked".
Penny and Desmond's relationship has been received positively by critics. In Entertainment Weekly, Alejandro Garay wrote, "One of my favorite episodes of 2008 was Lost’s 'The Constant.' It was a beautiful episode that made us fans fall in love with the show even more. The creators managed to build momentum with smart narrative, by using the romance card to develop such a complicated topic as time traveling. Maureen Ryan of The Chicago Tribune praised Penny and Desmond's phone call in "The Constant
", saying "a classic Lost moment" in Desmond and Penny's phone call. Verne Gay of Newsday
called it an emotional release, "I actually cried when Penny and Desmond finally... connected" and "there wasn't one, single, solitary false note". Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly
named the phone call between Desmond and Penny the best moment of the season excluding any moments from the then yet-to-air season finale.
Erin Martell of AOL
's TV Squad said that "The Constant" strengthened her love for Desmond and Penny's story, saying "my heart won't break if none of [Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Juliet] end up together [but] if Desmond and Penny don't reunite, I will be devastated." Jay Glatfelter of The Huffington Post
said Penny and Desmond had "the best love story on the show and dare I say on television today".
Karla Peterson of The San Diego Union-Tribune
wrote that "[I was] almost as touched and relieved by the[ir] reunion as Desmond and Penny are"; however. Ben Rawson-Jones of Digital Spy
wrote that "a refreshing shift in Lost's tone enabled loyal viewers to have their hearts warmed by the long distance smoochfest between Desmond and his beloved Penny".
IGN
s Chris Carabott praised the on-screen chemistry of Henry Ian Cusick
(Desmond) and Sonya Walger
(Penelope), stating that "their on screen chemistry makes the love between the two characters real and makes their inevitable breakup that much harder to handle.".
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television series Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
portrayed by Henry Ian Cusick
Henry Ian Cusick
Henry Ian Cusick is a Scottish-Peruvian actor of stage, television, and film. He is well-known for his role as Desmond Hume on the United States television series Lost, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination....
. Desmond's name is a tribute to David Hume
David Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
, the famous empiricist author and philosopher. Desmond was not a passenger of Flight 815. He had been stranded on the island three years prior to the crash as the result of a shipwreck. Desmond eventually leaves the Island with the Oceanic 6 and is reunited with his love Penny Widmore
Penny Widmore
Penelope "Penny" Widmore is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Sonya Walger. Penny is introduced in the last episode of the second season of Lost as the long-lost lover of Desmond Hume as well as the daughter of British tycoon and antagonist Charles Widmore...
(Sonya Walger
Sonya Walger
Sonya Walger is an English actress known for her roles in the ABC series Lost as Penelope "Penny" Widmore, and as Olivia Benford on ABC's FlashForward.-Education:...
).
It appears as though he was the "package" that Charles Widmore
Charles Widmore
Charles Widmore is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the south Pacific. He is primarily portrayed as an older man by Alan Dale; Tom Connolly and David S...
(Alan Dale
Alan Dale
Alan Hugh Dale is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale developed a love of theatre and also became a rugby player. After retiring from the sport he took on a number of professions to support his family, before deciding to become a professional actor at the age of 27. With work limited in New...
) was talking about on Hydra Island. It was later revealed by Charles Widmore that Desmond was Jacob's 'fail-safe', meaning that in case the Man in Black
Man in Black (Lost)
The entity referred to most frequently as the Man in Black is a fictional character on the American ABC television series Lost, and is the main antagonist of the...
killed all of Jacob's candidates, Desmond would then be used to destroy the island.
Before the shipwreck
Desmond is originally from GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. After being engaged to a woman named Ruth (Joanna Bool
Joanna Bool
-Education:Bool was born in born in Bristol, England and graduated with honours from the Guildford School of Acting in London, where she received the Principal's Award.-Career:...
) for six years, Desmond gets cold feet
Cold feet (metaphor)
Cold feet is apprehension or doubt strong enough to prevent a planned course of action.The origin of the term itself has been attributed to American author Stephen Crane, who added the phrase, in 1896, to the second edition of his short novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets.The behaviour may be...
one week before the wedding. He passes out due to binge drinking
Binge drinking
Binge drinking or heavy episodic drinking is the modern epithet for drinking alcoholic beverages with the primary intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. It is a kind of purposeful drinking style that is popular in several countries worldwide,...
and wakes up to find a monk named Brother Campbell (Andrew Connolly). Desmond decides to join the monastery, feeling a higher calling. Shortly after completing his vow of silence, he is assaulted by Ruth's brother. He meets with Ruth, who chastises him for breaking her heart. Guilt ridden, he breaks into the monastery's wine cellar and starts to drink. As a result, Brother Campbell dismisses him from the order. Before he leaves, Brother Campbell asks him to perform a final service for the order, assisting Penny by carrying cases of wine into her car. The two feel an immediate attraction, and she asks for his help in unloading the wine in Carlisle. Two years later, they move into an apartment together.
Desmond visits Penny's father Charles to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. While stating his appreciation for the bold gesture, Charles makes his disapproval of Desmond clear, saying he is not good enough for her. After being unable to pay for a photograph taken with Penny, Desmond believes he can't support himself or Penny and, thinking she deserves better, breaks up with her. In an attempt to prove himself to Charles, Desmond joins the Royal Scots Regiment
The Royal Scots
The Royal Scots , once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest, and therefore most senior, infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland...
of the British Army. During his basic training, Desmond would experience a temporal displacement from himself in 2004, appearing disoriented in his time transits. Desmond is able to remember enough to follow instructions given to him by Daniel Faraday
Daniel Faraday
Dr. Daniel Faraday, often referred to as Dan or simply by his surname, Faraday, is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Jeremy Davies. Faraday is introduced in the season four premiere as a physicist, suffering from memory loss, and is part of the team aboard the ...
, whom he tracks down at Oxford University. Faraday is able to give Desmond a clear course on how to find a 'constant' memory from both 1996 and 2004 in order to save himself. Desmond would track down Penelope, who believed their relationship was over, but he is able to convince Penelope to give him her phone number, saving his life in 2004. After being imprisoned for "failing to follow orders"
Insubordination
Insubordination is the act of willfully disobeying an authority. Refusing to perform an action that is unethical or illegal is not insubordination; neither is refusing to perform an action that is not within the scope of authority of the person issuing the order.Insubordination is typically a...
, Desmond is dishonorably discharged from the army. Outside the prison, Desmond is greeted by Charles, who admits to confiscating all the letters Desmond wrote to Penny, and attempts to bribe him to leave her alone. Desmond travels to the United States, where he meets Libby
Libby (Lost)
Libby is a fictional character on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific. She is played by American actress Cynthia Watros...
(Cynthia Watros
Cynthia Watros
Cynthia Michele Watros is an American television actress, who also starred in films and on stage. She is known for her roles as Libby on the ABC TV series Lost, Kellie in The Drew Carey Show, Erin in Titus, and Annie Dutton in Guiding Light...
). She gives Desmond her boat when he reveals that in order to win his true love, he must win a boating race, funded by Charles Widmore. Before setting off, Desmond goes to train at a stadium in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where he is confronted by Penny, upset he had not contacted her since getting out of prison. He asks her to wait for him for one more year, when the race would have ended. He promptly leaves to run the stadium. While training, he meets Jack Shephard
Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and protagonist of the ABC television series Lost played by Matthew Fox. Lost follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Airlines flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive and escape, slowly uncovering more of the much broader...
(Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox (actor)
Matthew Chandler Fox is an American actor. He is mostly known for his role as Charlie Salinger on Party of Five, and for portraying Jack Shephard on the supernatural drama television series Lost.- Early life :...
) for the first time. After he enters the race, his boat is caught in a ferocious storm, and he is eventually knocked unconscious.
Prior to the crash
Desmond washes ashore on the island without his boat. A man named Kelvin Joe Inman (Clancy BrownClancy Brown
Clarence J. "Clancy" Brown III is an American actor and voice actor. He is known for his roles in live action as The Kurgan in the cult classic film Highlander, Byron Hadley in the award-winning The Shawshank Redemption, Brother Justin Crowe in HBO's critically acclaimed Carnivàle, and Career...
) emerges from the jungle in a hazmat suit
Hazmat suit
A hazmat suit is a garment worn as protection from hazardous materials or substances. A hazmat suit is generally combined with breathing apparatus for protection and may be used by firefighters, emergency personnel responding to toxic spills, researchers, specialists cleaning up contaminated...
and takes him back to the hatch. Desmond watches as Kelvin inputs the numbers into a computer, claiming it is saving the world. Kelvin later explains it releases an electromagnetic
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...
charge to prevent there being a large build-up of electromagnetic energy. He tells Desmond to inoculate himself with an unnamed vaccine every nine days, since he was out in the "quarantined" island, and might be infected. Three years pass, and Desmond desperately wants to go above ground, but Kelvin will not allow it, although he himself leaves for hours each day in his hazmat suit. Desmond catches Kelvin drunk one night in a secret crawlspace below the floor, dangling a key above a fail-safe mechanism. Kelvin explains if the fail-safe mechanism was activated, the hatch would be destroyed, destroying the electromagnetic anomaly with it.
When Kelvin leaves one day, Desmond notices Kelvin's hazmat suit has a tear on its leg. He follows Kelvin above ground, where he discovers Kelvin removing the suit and learns that the air is safe to breathe. Desmond follows Kelvin to a cove, where he sees his sailboat in perfect shape. Kelvin had been leaving the hatch to fix the boat a little each day, planning to escape the island and leave Desmond behind. Kelvin startles Desmond, revealing he knew Desmond was following him, and then invites Desmond to escape with him. Desmond is too worried about the button to leave, to which Kelvin expresses his doubts about the validity of the button. Desmond becomes enraged he may have spent three years of his life on the island unnecessarily and attacks Kelvin. They struggle, and Desmond accidentally smashes Kelvin's head on a rock, killing him. Desmond takes the key for the fail-safe mechanism from around Kelvin's neck and races back to the hatch, where the timer for the button has already reached zero and the computer is registering a system failure. A massive electromagnetic field builds up, attracting all metal objects to the sealed door inside the hatch, including Oceanic Flight 815. Desmond manages to stop it by inputting the code, which safely disperses the electromagnetic field, but not in time to prevent the plane crash.
Season 2
For forty-one days, Desmond lingers in the hatch. He gradually falls into a deep depression to the point of even contemplating suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. As he opens up Our Mutual Friend
Our Mutual Friend
Our Mutual Friend is the last novel completed by Charles Dickens and is one of his most sophisticated works, combining psychological insight with social analysis. It centres on, in the words of critic J. Hillis Miller, "money, money, money, and what money can make of life" but is also about human...
(which he later states that it would be the last book he would read before his death), he finds a note Penny had hidden inside before he was sent to prison, telling him not to despair, as well as reminding him she will always wait for him and she loves him. Even more depressed now, he goes into a rage and makes a mess out of the hatch. As he collapses, Desmond then hears someone shouting from the top of the hatch. Unknown to Desmond, it is Locke
John Locke (Lost)
John Locke is a fictional character played by Terry O'Quinn on the ABC television series Lost. He is named after English philosopher John Locke...
(Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn is an American actor, most famous for playing John Locke on the TV series Lost. He made his debut in a 1980 television movie called F.D.R.: The Last Year. Since then, O'Quinn has had minor supporting roles in films and TV movies such as Young Guns, All the Right Moves, Silver Bullet,...
) asking the hatch for help after Boone's
Boone Carlyle
Boone Carlyle is a fictional character played by Ian Somerhalder on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the south Pacific. Boone is introduced in the pilot episode as the stepbrother of fellow crash survivor Shannon Rutherford...
fatal plane injury. When Desmond turns on a light to see who it is, Locke, thinking his prayers have been answered, quiets down. Desmond, similarly, considers the voice to be a sign he is no longer alone, and regains hope.
When Locke, Kate
Kate Austen
Katherine Anne "Kate" Austen is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, played by Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly. She is the de facto female lead...
(Evangeline Lilly
Evangeline Lilly
Evangeline Lilly is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as Kate Austen in the ABC drama, Lost.-Early life:...
) and Jack
Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and protagonist of the ABC television series Lost played by Matthew Fox. Lost follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Airlines flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive and escape, slowly uncovering more of the much broader...
(Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox (actor)
Matthew Chandler Fox is an American actor. He is mostly known for his role as Charlie Salinger on Party of Five, and for portraying Jack Shephard on the supernatural drama television series Lost.- Early life :...
) enter the hatch, they accidentally damage the computer after a brief fight with a panicked Desmond. Convinced the world is going to end, he tries to fix the computer, but is unable to. Desmond frantically flees the hatch. Jack catches up with him and Desmond tells him the code, and explains it must be entered every 108 minutes. Desmond makes his way back to his boat and attempts to sail to Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
. However, his plans go awry.
A drunken Desmond returns in his boat, having been unable to navigate away from the island, making him compare it and its waters to "a bloody snow globe" . Later he is confronted by Locke who tells him of another DHARMA station, the Pearl station, where he found an orientation film suggesting the button pushing was just an experiment. While Desmond wavers back and forth with his conviction on the button, he and Locke wait for the countdown to hit zero, to see what will happen. Desmond and Locke lock out Mr. Eko
Mr. Eko
Mr. Eko Tunde is a fictional character, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje on the ABC television series Lost. He is introduced in the second season episode "Adrift" as one of the plane-crash survivors from the plane's tail section. Flashbacks reveal that he became the leader of a gang of guerrillas...
(Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor, and former fashion model best known for his roles as Mr. Eko on Lost, Simon Adebisi on Oz and Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity.-Early life and career:...
), who had started to push the button recently, from the computer room with the blast door. As the countdown reaches zero, Desmond tells Locke to show him the printout Locke obtained from The Pearl. Desmond realizes the date of the prior "system failure" was the same day as the plane crash, September 22, 2004. Desmond believes his failure to push the button that day resulted in an electromagnetic field pulling down Oceanic Flight 815. He is insistent the button must be pressed, but Locke angrily reacts by destroying the computer. Desmond retrieves the key to the fail-safe mechanism, wanting to save Locke because Locke saved him the night he shouted at the hatch door. As Desmond uses the key, a bright white light envelops his face.
Season 3
Upon turning the key, Desmond is sent back to 1996, where he relives the moments leading to his break-up with Penny. When he is in Charles Widmore's office, seeking the elder Widmore's blessing because he is planning to ask Penny to marry. Later on, he remembers the island only after seeing CharlieCharlie Pace
Charlie Hieronymus Pace is a fictional character on ABC's Lost, a television series chronicling the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island...
(Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan is an English actor. He has received international attention from playing Merry in Peter Jackson's adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and for his role as Charlie Pace on the television show Lost....
) busking
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
in the streets. He is told by a mysterious woman, Eloise Hawking (Fionnula Flanagan), it is his destiny to be on the island. He is later knocked unconscious and wakens back in the present, amidst the hatch's scattered remains and completely naked. Hurley (Jorge Garcia
Jorge Garcia
Jorge García is a U.S. actor and comedian. He first came to public attention with his performance as Hector Lopez on the television show Becker and later for his portrayal of Hugo "Hurley" Reyes in the television series Lost. Garcia also performs as a stand-up comedian.-Early life:García was born...
) clothes him, and Desmond mentions a speech Locke has made, without realizing Locke doesn't make this speech until his and Hurley's return to the beach. Upon returning to the beach, he then asks Claire
Claire Littleton
Claire Littleton is a fictional character played by Emilie de Ravin on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the South Pacific. Claire is introduced in the pilot episode as a pregnant crash survivor. She is a series regular until her...
(Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin born 27 December 1981)is an Australian actress. She is commonly associated with her roles as Tess Harding on Roswell and Claire Littleton on the ABC drama Lost....
) to leave her shelter for the day because she had a "problem with her roof". When she refuses, Desmond constructs a lightning rod
Lightning rod
A lightning rod or lightning conductor is a metal rod or conductor mounted on top of a building and electrically connected to the ground through a wire, to protect the building in the event of lightning...
, diverting the ensuing lightning to strike it instead of her shelter.
After Mr. Eko is killed by the monster, Desmond attends his burial with Charlie and Hurley. He leaves suddenly to rescue a drowning Claire in the ocean despite being in the jungle, too far to be aware of Claire's predicament. In an attempt to question him about his clairvoyant
Clairvoyance
The term clairvoyance is used to refer to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception...
gift, Charlie and Hurley get him drunk, but Desmond retaliates before being interrogated. He informs Charlie he has been doing everything he can to prevent Charlie's death, but it is inevitable.
Several days later, Desmond experiences another vision of Charlie's death, and asks Charlie, Hurley and Jin
Jin-Soo Kwon
Jin-Soo Kwon, better known as "Jin," is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Daniel Dae Kim.- Prior to the crash :...
(Daniel Dae Kim) to accompany him on a hike. That night, the four witness a passing helicopter, and its pilot bailing at the last minute. They trek inland, discovering various belongings of the pilot, including a photograph of Desmond and Penny, prompting him to believe the pilot is Penny. Desmond prevents his vision from happening by rescuing Charlie from one of Rousseau's
Danielle Rousseau
Danielle Rousseau is a fictional character on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific. Croatian actress Mira Furlan plays the scientist who shipwrecks on the island sixteen...
(Mira Furlan
Mira Furlan
Mira Furlan is a Croatian actress and singer currently residing in the United States. She is well known for her roles as the Minbari Ambassador Delenn on all five seasons of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 , and Danielle Rousseau on Lost.-Early life:Furlan was born to an...
) traps. The four eventually find the parachutist suspended from a tree. Desmond cuts her down and removes her helmet. However, he is disappointed to find it isn't Penny after all, it is a woman named Naomi (Marsha Thomason
Marsha Thomason
Marsha Lisa Thomason is an English actress, who is known in the United States for playing Nessa Holt in the first two seasons of the NBC series Las Vegas, for her recurring role on ABC's Lost as Naomi Dorrit, and for playing FBI agent Diana Berrigan on USA Network's White Collar.-Early...
). She coughs out his name before passing out. When Mikhail (Andrew Divoff
Andrew Divoff
Andrew Daniel Divoff is a Venezuelan film and television actor, best known for playing the evil Djinn in the two first Wishmaster films and the villains Cherry Ganz in Another 48 Hrs., Boris Bazylev in Air Force One, Ivan Sarnoff in CSI: Miami and Mikhail Bakunin in Lost.- Early life :Divoff was...
) arrives, Desmond bargains with him to help them save Naomi in exchange for letting him walk away free. Mikhail agrees, and manages to tend to her. The four return her to the beach soon after.
Desmond suggests informing someone about Naomi's arrival, and approves of Charlie's decision to tell Sayid
Sayid Jarrah
Sayid Hassan Jarrah is a character from the ABC show Lost portrayed by Naveen Andrews.-Season 1:Sayid fixes the transceiver recovered from the cockpit, and leads a group into the jungle in order to send out a distress signal. Instead, he picks up a looping message . He tries to locate the...
(Naveen Andrews
Naveen Andrews
Naveen William Sidney Andrews is a British American actor. He is best known for portraying Kip in the movie The English Patient and Sayid Jarrah on the American television series Lost.-Early life:...
) over Jack
Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and protagonist of the ABC television series Lost played by Matthew Fox. Lost follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Airlines flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive and escape, slowly uncovering more of the much broader...
. He tells Sayid about Naomi's mission to find him for Penny. The next day, as Jack and Juliet
Juliet Burke
Dr. Juliet Burke is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Elizabeth Mitchell. Her character was introduced in the third season premiere.- Prior to arrival on the island :...
(Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth Mitchell , is an American actress/modelwho is known for her roles as Dr. Juliet Burke on ABC's TV series Lost and as FBI agent Erica Evans on V. She has starred in such films as The Santa Clause 2, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, and Gia.-Early life:Mitchell was born Elizabeth...
) lead the camp into the jungle, Desmond experiences another vision of Charlie's death, but this time Desmond must let it happen in order for Claire to be rescued. He tells Charlie, prompting him to agree to swim underwater to the Looking Glass station. Desmond accompanies him, and follows the cable into the ocean. Desmond offers to take his place, speculating he is supposed to be dying in Charlie's place, but is knocked out by Charlie. Desmond comes to, only for Mikhail to shoot at him. Desmond swims down to the station and hides in a locker. After Mikhail kills the two resident Others, Desmond shoots him in the chest at close range, but is confused when he is unable to find his body minutes later. Charlie makes contact with Penny, and informs Desmond, but before he can enter the room, Mikhail appears outside the window and sets off a grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
. Charlie realizes he is meant to die, and Desmond is not, so he locks himself in the room. Desmond watches helplessly as the room floods, causing Charlie to eventually drown. Moments before drowning, Charlie writes on his hand with a marker informing Desmond the boat Naomi supposedly came from is not Penny's.
Season 4
Desmond makes his way back to the beach, where he warns the survivors there that the people on Naomi's boat are not who they say. When Hurley asks about Charlie, Desmond remorsefully breaks the news to him about Charlie's death. Despite his clear mistrust in the people on the boat, Desmond chooses to remain with Jack instead of going to the Barracks with Locke. After questioning Frank (Jeff FaheyJeff Fahey
Jeffrey David "Jeff" Fahey is an American film and television actor. He has portrayed Captain Frank Lapidus on the ABC series Lost and the title role of Deputy Marshal Winston MacBride on The Marshal.-Early life:...
) about Naomi's picture of Penny, Desmond departs from the island to go to the freighter with Sayid and a dead Naomi.
As the helicopter Desmond and Sayid are being transported on flies through a storm, Desmond begins having perceptions of another reality of himself as a private in the British Army's Royal Scots Regiment. He begins flashing back and forth between present day on the freighter, and his life in 1996 before arriving on the island. Furthermore the shifting causes Desmond to lose all memories of the Island and Sayid, who is accompanying him on the helicopter. Sayid radios the island where one of the men from the freighter, Daniel Faraday
Daniel Faraday
Dr. Daniel Faraday, often referred to as Dan or simply by his surname, Faraday, is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Jeremy Davies. Faraday is introduced in the season four premiere as a physicist, suffering from memory loss, and is part of the team aboard the ...
(Jeremy Davies
Jeremy Davies
Father Jeremy Davies , an English Roman Catholic priest whose parish is based around Old Hall Green, is a former doctor and also a leading exorcist....
) explains the shifting perceptions Desmond is experiencing are actually a form of time travel. He tells Desmond when he reverts to the memory of him in 1996, he must go to Oxford University
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and find the past Faraday, where Faraday was working on a time machine. Here Faraday tells Desmond he must find a constant, something or someone which is the same in both 1996 and 2004 he can use as a reference point. He uses Penny as this "constant". Desmond realizes in order to stop the timeshifting he must make contact with Penny on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
2004, the date he is on the freighter. In 1996, he manages to find an angry Penny who does not want to see him. He pleads with her to give him her phone number, and to not change it as he will phone it in eight years time, where she must pick up. When he reverts to the present, he makes the call with the help of Sayid. She answers the phone and tearfully tells him she has been searching for him and knows about the island, and she loves him. On the island Faraday looks through his journal and finds a page saying if anything went wrong, Desmond would be his constant.
With Desmond's situation resolved, he and Sayid meet Captain Gault (Grant Bowler
Grant Bowler
Grant Bowler is a New Zealand actor who has worked in American, Australian and New Zealand films and television.He is known for playing the role of Constable Wayne Patterson in Blue Heelers and also appeared as Wilhelmina Slater's love interest Connor Owens in Ugly Betty.In November 2010, he was...
) only moments after witnessing a female crew-member, Regina (Zoë Bell
Zoë Bell
Zoë E. Bell is a stuntwoman and actress from New Zealand. Some of her most notable stunt work includes doubling for Lucy Lawless on Xena: Warrior Princess and for Uma Thurman in Kill Bill. As an actress, she has appeared both on television and in feature films and also starred in the web series...
), commit suicide by jumping off the side of the freighter with a chain wrapped around her body. The captain theorizes his crew has been suffering from cabin fever due to the close proximity of the island and would turn the ship around if it weren't for a mysterious saboteur
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
disabling the engines. Gault tells Desmond, much to his surprise, Widmore owns the freighter and is trying to track down Benjamin Linus (Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his roles as Benjamin Linus on Lost and fictional serial killer William Hinks in The Practice.-Early life:...
). When being escorted to their new room, Desmond and Sayid see Michael
Michael Dawson (Lost)
Michael Dawson is a fictional character played by Harold Perrineau on the ABC television series Lost. After losing a custody battle with Susan Lloyd , Michael does not see his son Walt for almost ten years. They reunite when she dies, but on their journey home, their plane crashes on a mysterious...
(Harold Perrineau) on the ship, working as a janitor and using the alias, Kevin Johnson. Desmond and Sayid later confront Michael in the engine room where he explains to them how he came to be on the freighter, revealing he is now working for Ben. Sayid blows his cover by taking him to Gault with Desmond, telling Gault that Michael is the saboteur.
Not long after, Frank flies the helicopter back to the freighter with Jack, Kate, Hurley and Aaron on board. Sun (Yunjin Kim), Sayid and Desmond are the only people from the freighter who manage to get on the helicopter before the freighter explodes. Desmond is finally rescued along with the Oceanic Six and Frank by the love of his life, Penny.
Season 5
When Benjamin Linus moves the island at the end of Season 4, the inhabitants of the island (excluding the Others) begin to randomly jump back and forth through time. During a jump to the past, Daniel Faraday makes contact with Desmond while he is still living in the Swan Station. Faraday tells Desmond he is "special", and if he should ever get off the island he must contact Faraday's mother in Oxford, Ms. Eloise Hawking, who coincidentally had told Desmond the island was his "destiny" upon time traveling in Season 3.Sometime later, Penny gives birth to Desmond's son in the Philippines, the child being named Charlie. Two years after leaving the island, while living at sea with Penny and Charlie, Desmond awakens to the new "memory" of Daniel, and immediately sets off to find Faraday's mother. At Oxford he learns it was Charles Widmore who funded Faraday's experiments, and upon visiting Widmore is given an address in LA. He then goes to LA only to find Jack, Sun and Ben heading off to the same address as his. They enter a church inside of which Ben says is a woman who knows how to get back to the island. The woman happens to be Daniel Faraday's mother. Upon finding out both Jack and Sun are planning to return to the island and assuming it is what Faraday wanted him to do, Desmond storms out of the church, keeping a promise to Penny he would not return there.
The next morning, Desmond returns to the sailboat with groceries. He is then shot by Ben who is trying to kill Penny (as revenge against her father Charles Widmore, who was responsible for the death of Ben's "daughter" Alex). However, after Ben sees their son, Charlie, Ben is unable to kill Penny. Suddenly, Desmond takes advantage of Ben's hesitation and savagely beats him and throws him in the water. He is then taken to a hospital. While waiting, Penny Widmore is visited by Eloise, who apologizes for involving Desmond in everything. Penny later visits Desmond, who promises he'll never leave her again.
Season 6
Some time later, Charles Widmore returned to the Island alongside a support team. Desmond was "the package" behind the locked door of Widmore's submarine, drugged to near unconsciousness and taken against his will. He briefly noticed Sayid watching him from the water by the dock, much to his confusion in his drugged state.He was taken to a medical room to recover. After waking-up, Zoe explained he had been unconscious for a few days. He asked to see Penny, but Widmore entered and said it would not be possible. Widmore reminded Desmond he was shot by Benjamin Linus. Desmond calls for Penny again. Widmore said she is not there and assured him that she and their son are safe. Widmore explains he didn't have a chance to tell Desmond before, not that it mattered as Desmond wouldn't have come, but he has brought him back to the island. Enraged, Desmond attacked Widmore and had to be restrained. He screamed, demanding to be brought back, but Widmore angrily replied he cannot, because the Island is not done with him yet.
Desmond was later taken to a solenoid chamber. He saw Simmons' dead body been taken out and struggled as he was forced inside. Widmore says if what he had heard about Desmond is true, referring to his capability of surviving electromagnetic catastrophes, Desmond should be fine. He says once its over, Desmond will need to make a sacrifice. Desmond is strapped to chair and left inside. He managed to break loose from the chair and tried to open the door. He was unsuccessful and subjected to an electromagnetic event. He survived but was left unconscious. Within this time, he witnessed his life in the flash-sideways time line, despite only being unconscious for a few seconds. Widmore says Desmond's talent is vital to the mission and offers to explain. Desmond declines, saying that he understands and he is ready to start doing whatever it is that is so important.
Zoe and two men escort Desmond somewhere else. Zoe was curious about Desmond's sudden choice to cooperate, having viciously attacked Widmore earlier. Desmond replied a lot can happen in twenty minutes. Sayid then leaped out of a bush and subdued the two male escorts. He pointed a gun at Zoe ordering her to run. Sayid told Desmond these people are dangerous and he needs to come with him. Desmond complied and asked Sayid to lead the way.
Sayid took Desmond to the main Island, where he tied him up, before bringing the Man in Black, in his John Locke form to see him. The Man in Black untied Desmond after he said he had nowhere to run. Desmond, appearing to believe the Man in Black to be Locke, told him what Widmore did with him. The Man in Black took Desmond to a well, where he explained its creation. The Man in Black was surprised by Desmond's lack of fear. When Desmond asked what the point of being afraid was, the Man in Black pushed him into the well.
The Man in Black kept a bloodied and slightly injured Desmond inside the well until the next day, when he ordered Sayid to go and kill Desmond after Zoe told the Man in Black to return Desmond by nightfall. When Sayid arrived and prepared to shoot Desmond, Desmond asked why Sayid was going to kill him, to which Sayid replied that Locke promised to bring back "someone he lost." Desmond asked Sayid who he had lost, and Sayid told him it was the woman he loved. Desmond then questioned as to what Sayid would tell her when whomever he was looking look for asked him how they were reunited. Sayid didn't answer and remained solemn.
Locke met up with Sayid after Sayid failed to catch up with him on time. When Locke asked if Sayid had indeed killed Desmond, Sayid said he did. It is not known Desmond is still alive until Sayid tells Jack where to find him once they get off the submarine. Desmond is helped out of the well by Bernard and Rose who feed him. The Man in Black and Ben find them and threatens to kill Rose and Bernard if Desmond does not come with him. Desmond agrees and is lowered into the Heart of the Island by Jack and The Man in Black. He takes a cork out of a hole in the ground which puts out the light and makes The Man in Black mortal. He passes out after this incident but is later saved by Jack, Hurley, and Ben. The Ajira plane leaves without him but Ben suggests to Hurley he change Jacob's rule of not letting people leave The Island so Desmond can be with his wife and son.
Afterlife
In the alternate timeline Desmond has not met Penny, is not married, and therefore does not crash on the Island. This eventually leads Desmond to becoming an actual passenger of Oceanic Flight 815. For part of the flight, he sits next to Jack who recognizes him, although Jack is not sure why. When 815 lands, Desmond goes and meets his employer and friend Charles Widmore. Widmore tasks him with escorting Charlie Pace who is later going to perform with his son Daniel with the rest of his band at a charity event.When Desmond picks him up, Charlie crosses the street to the bar and tries to kill himself while walking through a high traffic area. Desmond eventually meets Charlie at the bar, and Desmond tells him he was also on Flight 815. Charlie then tells him that while on the flight he thought the Marshall, Edward Mars, knew he had drugs on him, so he went to the bathroom to swallow them. He tried to swallow the heroin, but when the turbulence hit, he began choking on the bag of heroin. He then began seeing a blond woman
Claire Littleton
Claire Littleton is a fictional character played by Emilie de Ravin on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the South Pacific. Claire is introduced in the pilot episode as a pregnant crash survivor. She is a series regular until her...
and fell instantly in love. And just as he was about to sink in the bliss, Jack saved his life. Desmond then tries to force him to come with him to the charity event, but while Desmond is driving, Charlie takes over the car and drives it into the water of a marina. When Desmond tries to save Charlie, Charlie puts his hand on the window and Desmond remembers Charlie dying with his hand saying "Not Penny's boat". Although shocked, Desmond manages to save Charlie. In the hospital Desmond has an MRI done and remembers Penny and his son Charlie. He goes and seeks Charlie in the hospital, who knows that he showed him the real timeline and true love. Charlie escapes from the hospital and advises Desmond to find Penny.
Desmond calls Widmore up about Charlie escaping, and Widmore tells him to go and personally apologize to his wife about losing Charlie. Desmond finds Charles' wife, Eloise Widmore (formerly Hawking), and she forgives him immediately. But when Desmond hears Penny on the guest registration list, Eloise privately scolds Desmond. She says that someone has affected Desmond's thinking and he needs to stop looking for whatever he thinks he is looking for. She said he got everything he wanted with a perfect life and her husband's approval and she says that Desmond is not ready to look at the guest list. As Desmond is leaving, Daniel approaches him and tells him what he knows. Daniel tells him that he saw a beautiful red headed girl and knew it was love at first sight. The next day he woke up with a complex formula in his journal and it contained complex math inside of it, and he had no idea what it meant since he is a musician, but that it indicates a split timeline and in the original timeline he set off a nuclear device, which is the only thing he knows of which can cause it. Daniel then tells Desmond about his half-sister, Penny, whom Desmond is looking for.
In the same stadium where Desmond originally met Jack, Desmond introduces himself to Penny. When he shakes her hand, Desmond faints. Desmond then invites her for coffee and she agrees. They both laugh lovingly at one another. Desmond then gets into his limo and asks George Minkowski if he could get him the manifest of Oceanic 815, since he needs to show them something.
Desmond approaches Hurley at "Mr. Clucks" and advises him to go with his gut with Libby and go figure out where she thought she knew him from (Desmond's order ticket number is 42). Desmond watches John Locke at the end of his working day and commits a hit and run, leaving Locke bleeding on the road. Later Desmond goes to a business building where he runs in to Claire Littleton (Claire is going to an adoption agency on the 15th floor) where he says to visit his lawyer, who is Ilana. Ilana was actually looking for her because she was going to read the will for the Shephards. Claire was included in the will. Then Claire was introduced to her half-brother, Jack.
Desmond later calls Jack, using a faked American accent and posing as an employee of Oceanic Airlines, and informs him that his father's coffin has been recovered and is en route to Los Angeles. He then visits the school Locke works at, with the intention of repeating the hit and run, but is confronted by Ben who recognises him from the original attack. Telling Ben that he is merely trying to help John "let go", Desmond brutally beats Ben, making him 'remember' being beaten during the botched attempt on Penny's life in the original timeline. A short time later, Desmond turns himself over to the police, and is arrested by Sawyer. He is held in the same holding cell as Sayid and Kate, who have been arrested for separate incidents. When the three are transferred by prison van to county lock up, Desmond, now working with Hurley, has them busted out with the assistance of Ana Lucia. He then sends Sayid with Hurley, while he gives a dress to Kate and tells her they are "going to a concert".
He drives Kate to a multi-religious church in LA, where they witness Christian Shepherd's coffin being unloaded. Desmond brings Kate to Daniel's concert at the Widmore family home, in doing so reuniting Kate with Claire. When Claire gives birth to Aaron, it makes Kate, Claire and Charlie, who stumbles in on them, see the original timeline.
Desmond is in the church with the group who have now found each other, and he warmly greets Jack and others as they enter. With Penny by his side, Desmond is enveloped in the light along with the others.
Development
Desmond is named after David HumeDavid Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
, a Scottish philosopher who discussed the ideas of free will
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
and determinism
Determinism
Determinism is the general philosophical thesis that states that for everything that happens there are conditions such that, given them, nothing else could happen. There are many versions of this thesis. Each of them rests upon various alleged connections, and interdependencies of things and...
. These ideas are reflected in Desmond's time travel where he meets Ms. Hawking, an old lady who explains that the universe has a specific way in which things must take place, anywhere that things go off course, the universe will correct itself. Cusick was originally hired for only three episodes in the beginning of season two, but he then returned in the finale and became a regular cast member from the third season.
In the episode "The Constant", Desmond appears in two ways. In 1996, Desmond has short hair and no facial hair and in 2004, Desmond sports long and untamed hair with a full beard. Cusick did not cut his hair; it was hidden underneath a short-haired wig by "really talented hair and makeup folks", according to Carlton Cuse. All freighter scenes were shot before Cusick shaved most of his beard for the 1996 scenes. A fake beard was glued onto Cusick for the episodes "Ji Yeon
Ji Yeon
"Ji Yeon" is the seventh episode of the American Broadcasting Company's fourth season of Lost and 79th episode overall. The episode was written by co-executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and directed by regular Lost editor Stephen Semel. It was first aired in the United States and...
" and "Meet Kevin Johnson
Meet Kevin Johnson
"Meet Kevin Johnson" is the 80th television episode of the American Broadcasting Company's Lost and the eighth episode of the fourth season. It was written in October and November 2007 by supervising producer Elizabeth Sarnoff and co-producer Brian K. Vaughan, and directed in November by...
" while his beard grew back.
Henry Ian Cusick was not named a regular cast member in the press release for season six, but he is one and was credited as such in the episodes.
Reception
Henry Ian Cusick
Henry Ian Cusick is a Scottish-Peruvian actor of stage, television, and film. He is well-known for his role as Desmond Hume on the United States television series Lost, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination....
was the only Lost actor to be nominated for an Emmy
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
. He lost out in the Award for Outstanding Guest Actor
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor - Drama Series
This is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, and Outstanding Guest Supporting Actor.-Award winners:1970s*1975: Patrick McGoohan – Columbo: By Dawn's Early Light...
to Christian Clemenson
Christian Clemenson
Christian Clemenson is an American film and television actor. He is well known for his portrayal of Jerry "Hands" Espenson in the television series Boston Legal, for which he won the 2006 Emmy Award for Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series.-Early life:Clemenson spent his childhood in Humboldt,...
from Boston Legal
Boston Legal
Boston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC...
.
Eric Goldman from IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
thought Desmond's flashbacks were "some of the more interesting flashbacks of the [second] season", finding Cusick's portrayal of Desmond as "likable" and "sympathetic". IGN's Chris Carabott complimented Cusick's performance in "Flashes Before Your Eyes", particularly liking the chemistry between Cusick and Sonya Walger, as well as between Cusick and Alan Dale. Maureen Ryan of The Chicago Tribune thought Cusick's performance in the fourth season episode "The Constant" was "especially spine-tingling". Gary Susman from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
described Desmond's storyline as "the most emotionally satisfying character arc of season 4", feeling he deserved another Emmy nomination. Critic Kelly Woo, from TV Squad, placed him on #1 on her list of "Seven new characters that worked".
Penny and Desmond's relationship has been received positively by critics. In Entertainment Weekly, Alejandro Garay wrote, "One of my favorite episodes of 2008 was Lost’s 'The Constant.' It was a beautiful episode that made us fans fall in love with the show even more. The creators managed to build momentum with smart narrative, by using the romance card to develop such a complicated topic as time traveling. Maureen Ryan of The Chicago Tribune praised Penny and Desmond's phone call in "The Constant
The Constant
"The Constant" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American Broadcasting Company's serial drama television series Lost, and the 77th episode overall. It was aired on February 28, 2008, on ABC in the United States and on CTV in Canada...
", saying "a classic Lost moment" in Desmond and Penny's phone call. Verne Gay of Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
called it an emotional release, "I actually cried when Penny and Desmond finally... connected" and "there wasn't one, single, solitary false note". Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
named the phone call between Desmond and Penny the best moment of the season excluding any moments from the then yet-to-air season finale.
Erin Martell of AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's TV Squad said that "The Constant" strengthened her love for Desmond and Penny's story, saying "my heart won't break if none of [Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Juliet] end up together [but] if Desmond and Penny don't reunite, I will be devastated." Jay Glatfelter of The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
said Penny and Desmond had "the best love story on the show and dare I say on television today".
Karla Peterson of The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
wrote that "[I was] almost as touched and relieved by the[ir] reunion as Desmond and Penny are"; however. Ben Rawson-Jones of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
wrote that "a refreshing shift in Lost's tone enabled loyal viewers to have their hearts warmed by the long distance smoochfest between Desmond and his beloved Penny".
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
s Chris Carabott praised the on-screen chemistry of Henry Ian Cusick
Henry Ian Cusick
Henry Ian Cusick is a Scottish-Peruvian actor of stage, television, and film. He is well-known for his role as Desmond Hume on the United States television series Lost, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination....
(Desmond) and Sonya Walger
Sonya Walger
Sonya Walger is an English actress known for her roles in the ABC series Lost as Penelope "Penny" Widmore, and as Olivia Benford on ABC's FlashForward.-Education:...
(Penelope), stating that "their on screen chemistry makes the love between the two characters real and makes their inevitable breakup that much harder to handle.".
External links
- The character of Desmond Hume at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...