Happily Ever After (Lost)
Encyclopedia
"Happily Ever After" is the 11th television episode of the American Broadcasting Company
's sixth season
of the serial drama television series Lost
and 114th episode overall. The episode was aired on April 6, 2010 on ABC in the United States. The episode was written by showrunners and executive producers Damon Lindelof
& Carlton Cuse
and directed by Jack Bender
. The episode is centered on Desmond Hume
.
In 2007, Desmond Hume
(Henry Ian Cusick
) undergoes Charles Widmore
's (Alan Dale
) experiment and interacts with his "flash-sideways" counterpart where Desmond, Charlie Pace
(Dominic Monaghan
), and Daniel Widmore
(Jeremy Davies
) experience visions of their actual-universe counterparts.
"Happily Ever After" was watched by 9 million American viewers and received critical acclaim by critics and audiences alike, and is widely regarded as one of the best episodes of season six.
) in the episode "Dead Is Dead
", Desmond Hume
(Henry Ian Cusick
) awakens to discover that Charles Widmore
(Alan Dale
) has brought him back to the Island. Desmond attacks Charles, who tells him the Island is not done with him, and that unless Desmond helps him, everyone he loves will be gone forever. He has his team prepare an electro-magnetic test, which kills a team member in the path of the toroids
as they set up. Desmond is bound to a chair and locked in with the toroids as the test is run.
The story changes to the flash-sideways timeline in which Desmond arrives in Los Angeles
at the behest of his employer, Charles Widmore. After helping heavily pregnant Claire Littleton
(Emilie de Ravin
) to get her luggage, Desmond goes to Charles' office. Charles informs Desmond that his son Daniel Widmore
(Jeremy Davies
), a classical musician, has invited the rock band Driveshaft to perform alongside him that evening. The band's bass guitarist, Charlie Pace
(Dominic Monaghan
), has been arrested for possessing drugs, and Charles requires Desmond to collect and deliver him to Daniel's event. Upon their meeting, Charlie tells Desmond that he recently almost died after swallowing a bag of heroin (As seen in "LA X
"), and in his near-death state experienced an intense, blissful vision in which he was with a blonde woman. He causes Desmond to crash his car into a nearby marina, and while Desmond attempts to rescue Charlie from the water, he too experiences a vision, seeing Charlie drowning with the words "Not Penny's Boat
" written on his palm. The two are taken to a hospital, where Desmond has a short series of visions of Penny
(Sonya Walger
), a stranger to him, during an MRI test.
After discharging himself from the hospital, Desmond apologizes to Charles' wife Eloise Widmore (Fionnula Flanagan) for being unable to ensure the attendance of Driveshaft. Nearby employees are discussing the guest-list for Daniel's concert, and Desmond hears the name Penny mentioned. Eloise refuses to let him see the list, and warns him off of pursuing his inquiries. As Desmond prepares to leave, he is stopped by Daniel, who tells him that he recently saw a red-haired woman in a local museum that he strongly felt he already knew and loved. Daniel states that after the encounter, he made a series of notes in his journal which a mathematician friend has identified as advanced quantum mechanics
, a topic he knows nothing about. Daniel shows his notes which contain a graph with imaginary
time on one axis, and hypotheses that the world as he and Desmond are experiencing is not their correct path, and something massive, like a nuclear explosion, has altered their realities. Desmond questions Daniel as to whether he intends to set off a nuclear bomb, to which Daniel replies he believes he already has
.
Daniel tells Desmond that Penny is his half-sister, and tells him where he can find her. Desmond locates Penny running the steps of an athletics stadium, and introduces himself. As soon as their hands touch, Desmond awakens calm in original island, after the test has finished. He agrees to help Charles. As Charles' team lead Desmond away, they are ambushed by Sayid Jarrah
(Naveen Andrews
), who takes a willing Desmond away with him.
In the flash-sideways timeline, after shaking Penny's hand, Desmond passes out. When he awakens, he asks Penny out for coffee, an invitation which she accepts. As his driver George Minkowski (Fisher Stevens
) takes him to their meeting point, Desmond asks him to acquire the flight manifest for Oceanic 815, the flight which brought him to Los Angeles. When Minkowski asks why he needs it, Desmond responds, "I just need to show them something".
gave the episode a score of 93 out of 100, indicating "Universal Acclaim". The score was up on the previous week's score of 72. Todd VanDerWerff of Los Angeles Times
gave the episode a perfect score, calling it "a sublime episode of television." Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly
also rated "Happily Ever After" perfect, deeming it "the episode we’ve been waiting for all season." IGN
's Chris Carbot stated "while not necessarily on the same level as "The Constant
" or even "Flashes Before Your Eyes
", "Happily Ever After" does deliver many game changing moments that will alter the way we view the alternate universe from this point forward." Overall, he gave the episode a rating of 9.5. James Poniewozik of Time
also praised the episode, stating "I am finally fully confident that [the alternate universe] means something, and this leaves me feeling very good about the remaining episodes."
However, Eric Deggans of St. Petersburg Times
gave the episode a mixed review, describing the episode as a "justification for putting Cusick’s name in the opening credits."
In its original American broadcast, "Happily Ever After" was viewed by 9.45 million viewers and received a 18-49 Nielsen Rating of 3.8 and a share of 8% ranking second in its timeslot after American Idol
.
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...
's sixth season
Lost (season 6)
The sixth and final season of the American serial drama television series Lost commenced airing in the United States and Canada on February 2, 2010. The sixth-season premiere was the first to climb in the ratings year-over-year since the second season, drawing 12.1 million viewers. The season...
of the serial drama 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...
and 114th episode overall. The episode was aired on April 6, 2010 on ABC in the United States. The episode was written by showrunners and executive producers Damon Lindelof
Damon Lindelof
Damon Laurence Lindelof is an American television writer and executive, most recently noted as the co-creator and executive producer for the television series Lost. He has written for and produced Crossing Jordan, and wrote for Nash Bridges, Wasteland, and the MTV anthology series Undressed...
& Carlton Cuse
Carlton Cuse
Carlton Cuse is an AmericanEmmy Award winning screenwriter and producer, most famous as executive producer andscreenwriter for the American television series Lost for...
and directed by Jack Bender
Jack Bender
Jack Bender is an American television and film director, actor, television producer and also a screenwriter. Bender was an executive producer and lead director on the ABC television series, Lost. He directed the series finale of Lost. Bender has also directed on other popular shows such as The...
. The episode is centered on Desmond Hume
Desmond Hume
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...
.
In 2007, Desmond Hume
Desmond Hume
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...
(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....
) undergoes 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...
'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...
) experiment and interacts with his "flash-sideways" counterpart where Desmond, Charlie Pace
Charlie 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....
), and Daniel Widmore
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....
) experience visions of their actual-universe counterparts.
"Happily Ever After" was watched by 9 million American viewers and received critical acclaim by critics and audiences alike, and is widely regarded as one of the best episodes of season six.
Plot
After being shot by Ben Linus (Michael EmersonMichael 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:...
) in the episode "Dead Is Dead
Dead Is Dead
"Dead Is Dead" is the 12th television episode of the fifth season of ABC's Lost. The 98th episode of the show overall, "Dead Is Dead" aired on April 8, 2009 on ABC in the United States and aired on April 12, 2009 on Sky1 in the United Kingdom. The episode was written by editor Brian K...
", Desmond Hume
Desmond Hume
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...
(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....
) awakens to discover 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...
) has brought him back to the Island. Desmond attacks Charles, who tells him the Island is not done with him, and that unless Desmond helps him, everyone he loves will be gone forever. He has his team prepare an electro-magnetic test, which kills a team member in the path of the toroids
Toroidal inductors and transformers
Toroidal inductors and transformers are electronic components, typically consisting of a circular ring-shaped magnetic core of iron powder, ferrite, or other material around which wire is coiled to make an inductor. Toroidal coils are used in a broad range of applications, such as high-frequency...
as they set up. Desmond is bound to a chair and locked in with the toroids as the test is run.
The story changes to the flash-sideways timeline in which Desmond arrives 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...
at the behest of his employer, Charles Widmore. After helping heavily pregnant Claire Littleton
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 get her luggage, Desmond goes to Charles' office. Charles informs Desmond that his son Daniel Widmore
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....
), a classical musician, has invited the rock band Driveshaft to perform alongside him that evening. The band's bass guitarist, Charlie Pace
Charlie 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....
), has been arrested for possessing drugs, and Charles requires Desmond to collect and deliver him to Daniel's event. Upon their meeting, Charlie tells Desmond that he recently almost died after swallowing a bag of heroin (As seen in "LA X
LA X
"LA X" comprises the 104th and 105th episodes of the American Broadcasting Company's Lost, marking the premiere of the sixth and final season. It was written by show runners/executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and directed by executive producer Jack Bender...
"), and in his near-death state experienced an intense, blissful vision in which he was with a blonde woman. He causes Desmond to crash his car into a nearby marina, and while Desmond attempts to rescue Charlie from the water, he too experiences a vision, seeing Charlie drowning with the words "Not Penny's Boat
Through the Looking Glass (Lost)
"Through the Looking Glass" is the third season finale of the ABC television series Lost, consisting of the 22nd and 23rd episodes of the third season. It is also the 71st and 72nd episodes overall. It was written by co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse,...
" written on his palm. The two are taken to a hospital, where Desmond has a short series of visions of Penny
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:...
), a stranger to him, during an MRI test.
After discharging himself from the hospital, Desmond apologizes to Charles' wife Eloise Widmore (Fionnula Flanagan) for being unable to ensure the attendance of Driveshaft. Nearby employees are discussing the guest-list for Daniel's concert, and Desmond hears the name Penny mentioned. Eloise refuses to let him see the list, and warns him off of pursuing his inquiries. As Desmond prepares to leave, he is stopped by Daniel, who tells him that he recently saw a red-haired woman in a local museum that he strongly felt he already knew and loved. Daniel states that after the encounter, he made a series of notes in his journal which a mathematician friend has identified as advanced quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
, a topic he knows nothing about. Daniel shows his notes which contain a graph with imaginary
Imaginary number
An imaginary number is any number whose square is a real number less than zero. When any real number is squared, the result is never negative, but the square of an imaginary number is always negative...
time on one axis, and hypotheses that the world as he and Desmond are experiencing is not their correct path, and something massive, like a nuclear explosion, has altered their realities. Desmond questions Daniel as to whether he intends to set off a nuclear bomb, to which Daniel replies he believes he already has
The Incident (Lost)
"The Incident" is the season finale of the fifth season of ABC's Lost, consisting of its 16th and 17th episodes. Both parts of "The Incident", the show's 102nd and 103rd episodes overall, aired on May 13, 2009 on ABC in the United States. The episode was written by executive producers/showrunners...
.
Daniel tells Desmond that Penny is his half-sister, and tells him where he can find her. Desmond locates Penny running the steps of an athletics stadium, and introduces himself. As soon as their hands touch, Desmond awakens calm in original island, after the test has finished. He agrees to help Charles. As Charles' team lead Desmond away, they are ambushed by Sayid Jarrah
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:...
), who takes a willing Desmond away with him.
In the flash-sideways timeline, after shaking Penny's hand, Desmond passes out. When he awakens, he asks Penny out for coffee, an invitation which she accepts. As his driver George Minkowski (Fisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens is an American actor, director and producer. His most recent successes include the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film The Cove and 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film Crazy Love...
) takes him to their meeting point, Desmond asks him to acquire the flight manifest for Oceanic 815, the flight which brought him to Los Angeles. When Minkowski asks why he needs it, Desmond responds, "I just need to show them something".
Reception
"Happily Ever After" was met with critical acclaim. Review aggregate website MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gave the episode a score of 93 out of 100, indicating "Universal Acclaim". The score was up on the previous week's score of 72. Todd VanDerWerff of Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
gave the episode a perfect score, calling it "a sublime episode of television." 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...
also rated "Happily Ever After" perfect, deeming it "the episode we’ve been waiting for all season." 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 Carbot stated "while not necessarily on the same level as "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...
" or even "Flashes Before Your Eyes
Flashes Before Your Eyes
"Flashes Before Your Eyes" is the 8th episode of the third season of the American drama television series Lost, and the show's 57th episode overall. The episode was written by the series co-creator, show runner and executive producer Damon Lindelof and supervising producer Drew Goddard, and...
", "Happily Ever After" does deliver many game changing moments that will alter the way we view the alternate universe from this point forward." Overall, he gave the episode a rating of 9.5. James Poniewozik of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
also praised the episode, stating "I am finally fully confident that [the alternate universe] means something, and this leaves me feeling very good about the remaining episodes."
However, Eric Deggans of St. Petersburg Times
St. Petersburg Times
The St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
gave the episode a mixed review, describing the episode as a "justification for putting Cusick’s name in the opening credits."
In its original American broadcast, "Happily Ever After" was viewed by 9.45 million viewers and received a 18-49 Nielsen Rating of 3.8 and a share of 8% ranking second in its timeslot after American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
.