Only writers as brilliant as those behind “LOST” could give us an hour of television like this. No other episode has gone as far as “The Constant” in giving us a look at some fundamental theories behind the series, and yet at the same time pack an emotional wallop that reminds us that it’s the characters, not the mysteries, that are at the heart of the show. The truly mind-bending realizations Desmond has as his consciousness jumps between 1996 and 2004 will probably give us weeks of material to dissect and analyze. But, honestly, all I wanted to do was watch that final phone call between him and Penny over and over again.
So “The Constant” took us unabashedly into the realm of time travel, but not really. While Desmond and Daniel struggled to carry information across a span of eight years, the writers leave themselves enough slack so that we’re still not entirely sure what’s happening. Oxford Daniel thought Desmond’s arrival was a joke because of “the paradox” — the Achilles’ heel of time travel stories that has vexed everyone from Doc Brown to Hiro Nakamura. By acknowledging it (and giving us all a headache), “LOST” has almost weaseled around it. Add in the notion of consciousness moving through spacetime (your brain apparently checking out on one side when busy on the other), and…
Well, frankly, I don’t know what it means. Yet. But man, I love it.
And Jen reminds me of “Flashes Before Your Eyes,” and Desmond’s conversations with Ms. Hawking about the future course correcting, and about being able or unable to effect change. I think we’ll have to watch that episode again, and this latest one a few more times, to get anywhere near an answer.
Why Desmond? Daniel keys on electromagnetism, which of course recalls Desmond’s survival of the hatch implosion. We also see George was being suffering the same “side effects,” after a disastrous attempt to get near the island with his shipmate Brandon. (Brandon, notably, went nuts and ended up dead… like Rousseau’s crew.) Now, Locke was also in the hatch when it blew, which makes me wonder if he’s having visions, or just going bonkers. And Charlie was there, too. Could that be how he could be in Hurley’s future, but not? Does that mean Eko could make another appearance?
But speaking of “side effect” sufferers… I was so busy blubbering over the phone call that I almost missed the last scene with Daniel, where he checks his notebook and finds his note from the past: “If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume is my constant.” Suddenly it’s suggested that Daniel himself has been doing a bit of flashing back and forth. So maybe that’s why Daniel was so upset by the TV news reports of the Oceanic 815 wreckage in “Confirmed Dead.” Was he was remembering Desmond’s visit years before. And maybe the reason he’s having trouble remembering just three playing cards is because he’s been around the block a few too many times?
Daniel also expressly states that the discrepancy could be a few minutes (like the rocket test) or years, which opens up a whole world of possibilities if we’re going to see characters make the trip off the island.
Leaving aside time anomalies, though, there were still some solid “real world” clues tonight. It was good to see Mr. Widmore again, and a bit curious to see him presented as almost sympathetic to Desmond. But lo and behold, he’s at an auction for the journal of the first mate aboard the Black Rock! And the seller, one Tovard Hanso. What information could they want from a ship lost on March 22, 1845 off Madagascar. A ship we know is sitting in the forest on the island? And mixed in with Desmond and Penny’s declaration of love, we get confirmation that Penny knows about the island, and that — just like at the end of Season 2 — she’s not going to give up trying to find it.
- It was great to get a solid date out of this episode. It’s Dec. 24, 2004. Of course, that detail will get all the “Tsunami!” fans excited. It means we’re two days away from the Indonesian quake that could possibly shake things up on the island.
- When Daniel asked Jack if Desmond had been exposed to radiation or electromagnetism, Jack just shrugs. Did he really not have any idea about what happened to The Swan Station? I guess he was on a pier on the other side of the island at the time…
- Who opened the sickbay door for Desmond, Sayid, and George? George says Desmond and Sayid have a friend on the boat. Likely guess: Michael. Unlikely guess: Alternative universe George.
- Jen got quite a thrill out of seeing Roy, a.k.a. Mark Vann, a.k.a. “Ecklie” on “C.S.I.” It was also good to see Fisher Stevens, finally. Hope he’s not dead dead.
- The next item up for bid after the Black Rock journal? Something related to Charles Dickens.
- Numerologists will have a field day with this episode. The device had to be set to 2.342, at 11 hertz. Mr. Widmore was bidder 755. Desmond’s 75 minute trip at Oxford felt like 5 minutes in 2004. Penny’s phone number. Penny’s house number. Basically, I lost track of all the numbers. Never mind if they had any connection to The Numbers. Anyone?
- Locations: St. Andrew’s Cathedral near downtown Honolulu played Oxford. An old military facility on the slopes of Diamond Head was Camp Millar (Royal Scot’s Regiment).
What did you think about the episode? Comment below or call the LostLine at (808) 356-0127. You can also record an audio comment and e-mail it to us at lost@hawaiiup.com. Thanks!
Well I caught something. Either sloppy writing or a possible clue, but I think the former. One of the guys on the freighter said he was from Vegas. I’m from Las Vegas. If you are from Las Vegas you don’t say ‘I’m from Vegas’. Just like San Franciscans don’t say, “I’m from Frisco.”
I have to say that Desmond is my favorite character on Lost and his episodes are far and away the best. While at first I thought this episode may turn into a confusing time travel story, it ended with a wonderful scene between Des and Penny that made me cry. I also thought Daniel was great tonight.
Wow! This is the best episode yet! Ryan and Jen, thank you so much for coming back and just in time. I love this show. The writing is incredible this season and all I can say right now is…I’m totally confused.
First off, Henry Ian Cusick should win an Emmy on this episode alone. The absolute confusion Desmond felt going back between 1996 and 2004 is exactly what I’m feeling as a viewer. As each segment ended tonight, my wife and I kept looking at each other saying, well, we said a lot of expletives! LOL.
I don’t know why but every Desmond episode seems to advance the storyline so much more than any other character. I believe when the series is done, we will look back on this particular episode as one of the turning points to the season.
“The Constant” was, without a doubt, the single best hour of television ever!
How the writers of this show are able to weave all the elements of literature, science, philosophy into a consistent story – and include one of the classic love stories of our time – is awesome (in the truest sense of the word).
I am so glad to be along for this ride…
Forget Skaters and Jaters, Desmond and Penny have THE love story. The ending made me cry it was so beautifully written and acted. LOVED IT!
Loved the Des & Penny story. I was so intrigued by the new Black Rock storyline.
This is one of the best episodes that has came out. because it gave Des more T.V. time. but I hope that Des can cure his time travel problem before he ends up dead.
I’ve just gone cross eyed. Did the 1 guy on the boat, have the same tattoo as Jack, the compass? Was it me or did this remind me of an episode of Star Trek TNG, where they sent themselves a message in the future?
Here is a question, does having a constant necessarily keep you from dieing, or does it just slow the process down, is Desmond out of the woods then? How does the black rock fit into all of this? Lastly, could it be Michael on the boat and he’s working for Ben, I mean..we find out the Sayid eventually works for him, can we rule out Michael?
Whoa! This was far and away my absolute favorite episode of Lost. It had a great emotional storyline with Desmond and Penny. I was on edge the entire episode because Desmond is my favorite character and I was so stressed that he would either die or be completely messed up for the rest of the series. The timeline stuff totally blew my mind, especially when the folks on the freighter and Daniel Faraday were not surprised by it. I’m wondering now if we have just been given a clue as to why Daniel was crying when watching the footage of the plane crash, but could not explain why. Was it a flash forward or did he some how have a memory of what happened in the future because he had a similar experience to Desmond? The ending was great–I’m not that big on the shipping in this show, but Desmond and Penny is the exception.
My husband and I think we saw an Easter Egg. In the scene where Desmond is going to find Faraday in 1996 Oxford, we noticed a student with a dog. Since we have a family of 8 dogs, we always notice the dogs. Anyway, when we backed up the dvr to get a better look at it, we noticed it looked suspiciously like the dog in the painting in Jacob’s cabin. If anyone can get side by side screen shots to verify, that would be cool.
Anyway, this episode completely rocked, Brotha!
Glad to have you back, Ryan and Jen!
Wow. Wow. Oh my GOSH that was totally phenomenal. Penny and Desmond’s phone call was probably the single most romantic thing I have ever seen on television. And did anybody notice that that diary belonged to someone named Hanso? Mr. Widmore knows something…
Oh, and Daniel was just terrific! He was acting like some kind of informative fountain– I kept thinking, dude, this is Lost, You can’t actually be *answering* these questions! And that look he gave Desmond when he asked about the radiation to his head? Yikes. I really want a flashback for him.
The old diary was from the Black Rock. Reseu’s boat on the island.
Amazing! I love Desmond and his episodes. I kept praying he wouldn’t die. And Minkowski only lasts for 1 episode? He has to reappear somehow, I don’t think they’d cast Fisher Stevens for a 1/2 episode appearnace. I don’t get really anything that happened, but I know it was good and we learned things, but I’m still confused. Des is the bomb!
…no…words…blown…away…must…watch…again…
Did you see who was sitting on the back row during the auction of the ship’s log???
IT WAS BEN!!!
It’s quick but it is definately him. Go back and look!
The Black Rock was not Reseu’ boat. She came with a scientific team afterwards. Remember, Reseu brought her daughter Alex. The Black Rock was “lost” in the 1700’s or whatever date they gave.
I want to curl up with that episode. I want to take that episode and fold it up and put it in my pocket and take with me everywhere I go. I want to have a romantic evening with that episode and see where things go.
Did anybody notice the ring on Penny’s ring finger of her right hand?
Was that a Wedding Ring?
Every episode I always seem to exclaim – Best show on television ever! I was going to ask if anyone else thought we were witnessing…but I know from reading above posts that you all do think that Desmond and Penny will go down in history as one of the best love stories of all time. The chemistry between Sonya Walger and Henry Ian Cusick is just incredible….definitely a flood of tears at the end….they always leave us wanting more. Bravo!
Thanks Ryan and Jen for bringing back the podcast, and continuing this great dialogue. We all appreciate your efforts!
So Penny called the frieghter on a number of occasions.
Why then did she ask Charlie “What boat?” when he talked to her in the Looking Glass?
Writing error, confusion on my part, or is Penny up to no good?
“The constant” gave me the best feeling about LOST .. OMG.
xtremdelt, I felt just because Penny is calling a phone number or trying to communicate with the frieghter, doesn’t mean that she had any knowledge she was calling a frieghter. For all she know’s she is calling a location someplace unknown.
To the LOST writers, thank you so much because I’ve been on a “what is consciousness” kick for about 1 month straight following a movie I saw by Francis Ford Coppola called Youth Without Youth and with listening to some great quantum consciousness experts speak on Coast to Coast with George Noory and Art Bell, but this episode brings in the science and not the pseudo science. There always are consequences to something that can play with changing the past and the future. Physical consequences if you don’t stay tied to your constant… it so beautiful.
This was THE episode of LOST that I’ve been waiting for because I knew back when Desmond found the clue to use the key to trigger the killswitch in the hatch, that he’d play a much bigger part in the progression of why the island is so mysterious. It’s completely why he was remembering he saw something before because the oscillation was off which helped him see the future.
This is no high school physics–thank you–but it is very close to some of the book by Mircea Eliade, Youth Without Youth. Coppola adapted it to film–the transporting of consciousness is dealt with, particularly with male character’s MEMORY and loss of time. I’d be giving a lot away by writing more about the transformation of two characters in the movie, but it was discovered that reincarnated souls can appear suddenly in the future in a person after they go through a cataclysmic event. I don’t know or think this is happening in LOST or could it later?
There are questions answered about Jacob and about Charlie (“I’m dead, yet I’m here”). But what frightens me is that someone, probably a lot of people, have Ben Linus as their constant. He’s manipulative and could have convinced someone to believe a lie. Sayid could be manipulated into “selling his soul” if he trusted Ben when — if he loses his memory. Or could he be pretending to have no memory in the future? in the past? I think back to the LOST episode when Ben sees the plane falling out of the sky. He seemed really clear about what had to be done. Miles knows what he’s going to do with the people if they’re rescued or with the way he’s going to keep people behind and that’s why he can force him to give him money.
There’s something up with Juliet in that she could know the future.
I think this new perspective also answers why Locke could see his father, why the cabin changes locations. What did Mr. Eko finally realize and what did he see in the black smoke?
In a more figurative perspective, I thought about Rousseau because she lost her “constant” and went crazy; look how comfortable she has been now that she’s found Alex again.
To answer why Penny said, “What boat?” Penny has been looking for Desmond for three years and researched every vessel that came within the same coordinates of the anomalies in the area. As soon as she could learn which boat or which “underwater” station she could reach at those coordinates, she’d be able to know if this is where Desmond could have been lost. I think that he tells her about Dharma stations back in the past so she’d find him when he gets lost.
I’m looking forward to listening to the podcast.
Penny was trying to get through to the island, and I suppose the freighter was picking up her transmission being relayed to the island. This would make sense, especially since I suspect her Father, Charles Widemore, is in charge of the freighter. I’m not actually sure if her calls went through to the freighter, and even if they did, doubt they would reveal themselves to her.
I wonder how long that frieghter has been out there? And it is almost Christmas in the Lost series.
Great episode! I will have to watch it again tomorrow on-line.
This is not my original idea, but one I am intrigued about nonetheless. Has Ben perfected the art of projecting his consciousness, and perhaps his physical body, through time and space to the point where he can leave the island and not really leave the island? Would that explain his hidey hole of traveling gear? Miles certainly seems to know something about Ben’s “ability”. He seems pretty confident that Ben can get him his $3.2M and the fact that Ben is tied up and locked down does not seem to faze him one bit.
And if Ben has a constant what or who is it? Annie? The wooden doll she gave him? The island itself? Do all the “special” people (Walt, Locke, maybe Hurley) on the island have the potential to do what Ben does and does that explain why he wants to eliminate or contro them?
Wow, great episode! Lots of almost answers here.
First, this episode was a great tribute to Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonegut. Just like Billy Pilgrim, Desmond was unstuck in time. All Lost fans should rent the DVD.
So much for thinking that the time on island and off island is different. It is 12/24/04 in both England and on the island.
Clearly though there is a time effect while traveling to and from the island.
I think we have some clearly defined groups here. Hanso and the Black Rock wrecked on the island and Widmore bought Hanso’s journal.
I’m also pretty sure that the Others are descendants of the Black Rock crew. I always thought they’d be pirates or slavers, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.
Then we have Dharma but I’m not sure that they even exist anymore in 2004.
Then we have the Losties.
So, who is behind the freighter? I suspect Mr. Widmore is and that Penny doesn’t know he’s behind what’s going on. She has hired her own people to find Desmond and the island, so she must have learned some information from snooping into her father’s business or perhaps even the journal.
Yes, that does look like Ben sitting on the aisle in the back row of the auction.
Just a great episode.
John
This was some episode. I had suspected for some time that the electromagnetism had something to do with time travel. When Desmond did the experiment last year with lightening…and his time travel event that year…I thought he knew on some level. A previous reader mentioned that Daniel may be a time traveler as well..given the note in his notebook regarding Desmond being his constant. I was absolutely spinning on this one…will watch again later. That was very interesting..especially the part about the rat already knew how to get through the maze. I wonder if Daniel’s memory is getting fried by the experiments/electromagnetisim/time travel. Man that was so good to see Desmond talk to Penny. Want to review the section regarding the auction.
So the time travel is done only through one’s consciousness. This could explain Jacob being alive. Perhaps he was time traveling when he died and he is somehow disconnected from his body. That is why he wants “help”. Guess it is clear that Desmond is one of the Oceanic 8 and that he dies. Also, all of the crazy people – the original guy with the numbers in the insane asylum with Hurley; Daniel at home; Maybe this explains why Libby was in multiple places….great episode and it was even better having watched “flashes before your eyes” before it last night!
The guy at the back of the auction for the Black Rock is NOT Ben. Got a screen cap and it’s actually an asian looking man.
What an absolutely great episode in what is truly becoming a great season of LOST. The writing has been superb this year. The writers have opened so many avenues for themselves that the show shouldnt get stale for a long long time.
I personally love every Desmond episode….this episode and “Flashes before your eyes” are two of my all time faves…
Desmond truly is the key to this entire show…every single major development about the island and the mystery surrounding the strange occurances can be tied to Desmond…..
Henry Ian Cusick brings a level of passion and realism to the character that you cant help but get sucked into his plight and feel for him..
As a grown man I nearly weaped when he finally spoke with Penny…
I swear ….the phone rang for so long I thought he was going to get thru
LOST ois back with a vengence people…..
Hello, Lost? Eureka is on line 1. They want their Season 1 Finale back.
I didn’t buy the whole pirate story of how the Black Rock’s log was recovered. Why would the Hanso family sell it?
Wow. I love all the comments above and Ryan & Jen, you hit the nail on the head with your summary regarding why Daniel would be so moved by the wreck footage with a “deja vu” sensation (and also why he might need a caretaker). I also wondered whether the exposure to electromagnetism might mean we’d see more of Charlie or Eko… and whether that explains why Locke now has visions/powers that he previously did not, as he and Des are the only remaining survivors of the big hatch explosion.
Daniel might just be crazy, though… was he exposed to high doses of electromagnetism? Does his seeing Desmond mean that the two of them have consciousness oscillating through space and time or does he just fantasize about this? It might explain his being upset at not remembering the cards… maybe it disproves his ability to move consciousness.
The acting was wonderful, but the editing might have been even better; they managed to capture the actors in the same positions over and over.
Who cut the wires on the ship? Regina? Where is she?
There is clearly some kind of rift in time and space that one needs to pass through at the 305 degree bearing, hence the 31 minute tiem dealy and the prolonged helicopter flight. But maybe someone can explain… if Michael took a boat to 305 degrees at the north side of the island (or wherever the Pala Ferry was), and the helicopter went at a bearing of 305 from the beach, wouldn’t they go through totally different locations? It’s vector mathematics… if two people leave from different points at the same radial angle, they would be moving in parallel and not converging at the same point. (At least not without going a considerable distance.) Can anyone explain this?
My only complaint about this episode… as much as I loved it… is that we are now firmly out of the realm of possibility. If we start introducing the ability to move consciousness through time and space, that opens up a HUGE fudge factor. I love the concept from an intellectual and a sci-fi perspective, but part of what makes Lost so great is its grounding in reality. If time travel (either physical or mental) becomes a part of it, I think the show could potentially veer in a very different direction and lost some of its brilliance.
(Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still watch.)
Cat — Desmond is not on Oceanic 815 and thus presumably not one of the Oceanic 8. It’s not clear how they’ll explain that one. It’s also not clear why that would make modern day Daniel have a sense of deja vu (or would it be jamais vu since the footage was staged?) since Desmond was not on it. Gawd, this show is going to give me a headache trying to figure it out.
Dave,
You said, “we are now firmly out of the realm of possibility” because of the time change elements. Do you really think that only “now” we are away from reality. I think I know what you mean but what part of the smoke monster would you say represents reality?
Paul
I thought this was the best episode this season. It was an edge of the seat thrill ride to see if Desmond was going to be able to live. The only downer was that I was pretty certain that the writers would not kill off Desmond since he is such a fan favorite. The Widmore’s seem like such a huge part of the show and will probably be a huge part of the answers in the future.
I think the helicopter pilot is the one that helped Desmond and Sayid. He does not seem to get along with the new people from the boat. It could be Michael as well. He felt bad for leaving everyone and wants to help get them rescued. When Ben told them of the certain heading to take and they will “Find Rescue” , he was talking about the freighter. He already knew about the boat and his person on the boat would take care of Michael and Walt. Ben never agreed to getting them home, just off the island.
Does the jumping in and out of reality now explain Jacob’s cabin moving?
While explained on the ABC podcast about the episode, that only Desmond’s conscience moved, what about the cabin?
Other questions regarding the ABC podcast, they mentioned there are special places on earth like Ayers rock… what is the place in Tunisia then?
Is there a special place near where Yemi’s plane took off? Perhaps the same place the Black Rock got sucked in to?
Dear LOST,
To wonder why I am still watching you is sane right? This is because you are confusing and because you have a slow and methodical pace at times. However, every now and then an episode comes along that blows me away and makes me want to watch every single episode all over again to look for things that I have missed and can now see…sometimes instead I just dance. These episodes tend to revolve around Desmond.
When I do a re-watch of the seasons my goal is to get someone else hooked. Getting someone new hooked is even better for me than it is for them in some respects. For me to watch them watch you from the begining and see their face when it starts all starts to click…and then not…and then click again….and then not….it’s great…it’s empowering.
Because of you I now have this awkward gift. I have become more and more like Ben ( without the murder ) in this respect. Knowing things that I cannot, or will not tell. It would be a trajedy to tell a newbie what I know because telling could ruin it for them, so I sit idely by and wait for them to catch up to me. Does that mean that if Ben tells everything that he knows it would ruin it for me? For that reason Ben is now my favorite character and the “good guy” I am rooting for. However…if anything goes wrong with my plan Desmond Hume will be MY constant.
I’m revising my guess as to Ben’s spy on the boat..I have NO proof of this and not really any theory, I’m just guessing because, Michael is too obvious and the helicopter pilot is too obvious. My new guess is, and I have totally forgotten his name now, the 1 other who doesn’t seem to age and told Lock to have Sawyer kill his dad. The only reason I’m saying this is…for another surprise 🙂 Nothing is that obvious on this show..so why not go way out on a guess.
Phil R — I think you’re on the right tack with those theories.
Losthsv — The black smoke moster and all the other unusual things about the island (hallucinations, people like Patchy not dying) are not within the realm of possibility here in our everday lives. But the island is very clearly not a normal place. I’m fine with any kind of plausible things happening on the island. (If the Losties turned into Heroes and were suddenly flying, invisible, etc, I’d call B.S.) But the smoke monster passes the whiff test, given that you could explain it as having to do with the abnormal electromagnetism. (Picture iron filings over a magnet.)
However, when you now start talking about the ability for people’s consciousness to move backward and forward in space and time and alter the past and the future, now we’re talking a four-dimensional show. You can’t really have a linear storyline if you can alter the past and jump through time. (Maybe it’s five dimensional: length, width, depth, time, and… ?)
By the way, who has come face to face with smokey so far? Locke, Eko, and… anyone else? They’re also people who were exposed to high doses of electromagnetism. And they’ve seen people/things from their past on the island. As have Jack and Hurley and Kate, all of whom are survivors but who have no known radiation exposure. What of Sayid?
I’m excited for the ride…
I honestly don’t believe these characters are actually changing the past/future during these times of flux. I think that is why they show Daniel’s journal mentioning Desmond Hume’s name. Even though Daniel didn’t remember him, it really happened. I think that speaks more of Daniel’s memory loss than Desmond changing the future through the past.
As for Desmond not remembering on the island having every met Daniel Farraday…that I can’t explain. Am I on the wrong track here? Can someone offer any theories?
Desmond was affected by the hatch explosion…he received a huge dose of energy…you may recall the metal objects are pulled into the the magnet in the hatch..because of this he slips in and out of time…obviously the radio guy and his pal Brandon were affected by the same force…I don’t think Desmond will die…Daniel told him he needed a Constant to stabllize things. The bleeding from his nose stopped after he called Penny. I think Daniel will flip out….too many electromagnetism experiments..Locke was exposed as was Charlie and Eco…did you guys listen to the Lost Whispers?…Very interesting I wonder if., like with the auction, if we will see more background info on how the island got to where it is now, as other charchters move around in time.
Funny now
You finally see me standing here
Funny now
I’m crying in the rain
All alone
I try to be invincible
Together now
We can be saved
Charlie and brother’s song . . . very descriptive of Desmond in The Constant.
Jen, love your “dah dahs” and thuds (the Other foot droping) when there a big reveal.
I heard somewhere that 2010 was the ending year for this show and it would end on a special day? Any thoughts.
Once everyone finds their ‘constant’ then they can get on and off island. Maybe Ben’s trying to ‘reduce’ that number of people (constants) using Sayid.
If you can go back in time and affect people, then maybe that’s what Desmond will continue to do. Save the remainder of the people on the island by not having them ever get on the plane in the first place.
Do constants have to be people? Could they be objects? Can you have more that one?
I was thinking that Jack needs to ‘get back to the island by shifting. Was that device that Miles brought to the house where is found drugs and small EM device that allows you to shift?
Also, on the Miles ‘interview’ with Ben. I am wondering if that was also coded message like the one Naomi used. The 3.2 mill was just to weird. Is he passing on message from Abbadon?
Also, way do radio waves travel in real time (conversation to the boat) and not subject to shift?
So only John Locke and Desmond can shift due to electromagnetic exposure when hatch blew. Then Ben and Joseph would have been exposed to equal EM at some point. Hurley must be experiencing some shifts to ‘see’ Charlie. and visa verse, Charlie shifting and trying to affect future/past. But I can’t remember if they were near the hatch explosion.
Sorry so disjointed thoughts.
Love the cast. MJ
MJ-Not sure that Jack knows about or is able to time shift otherwise why would he keep using his Golden Pass to fly and hopefully crash on the island again?
About the calendar on the freighter…after looking at some screencaps I also notices the different colors, especially those marked in yellow. Is it possible that the calendar is a fake to keep the Losties from freaking out over the passage of time relative to their time on the island?
Watched the episode again. Wow. Where the heck is my extra strength Tylonol?????
Outstanding writing, outstanding acting, outstanding editing. Henry Ian Cusick needs an Emmy, and he needs it now.
I’m so confused. I love this show. 🙂
Connie – Jack doesn’t know in his flash forwards, but he learning on the island. I think at some point he’ll become our hero again and start shifting.
I’ll look at the calendar. I don’t think it would be related to Lostie, as they were never suppose to come to the ship. It may have something to do with days since exposure to island’s effects.
I also just watched the segment about the cards that Daniell F is ‘guessing’. The ship must have come within the islands effect and some on the crew (those that have had recent exposure to EM or rad.) started shifting. Dan F was one of them that’s why when he landed on the island he was so confused. He must have started experiencing short jumps on the ship that allowed him to ‘see’ cards (ESP test) revealed then shift his mind back in time to say what they were. Now that he has met Desmond, his constant, he is grounded and can’t shift.
Also, Charlotte L. shifted and knew to put on a bullet proof vest before jumping out of the heli. She knew she was going to get shot. What was her EM/Rad exposure.
Do you think that Miles’ device (mini-Ferrada) is on the ship?
I was also wondering about the ship. If Penny has been calling the ship often, but the communications guy (?) was told never to answer, maybe this was Penny’s boat to start with and Abbadon took over when she discovered the island.
I’ll go out on a limb and say that the flash forward shot with Daniel F crying as he watches the report of 815 crash is in the finalé. Somehow he knows that he could have saved them all, but something happens in his past that prevents him from learning the secrets of time shifting. Maybe Desmond never visits, because he never goes on that round the world race to end up on the island. He says yes to Penny. He lives happily ever after.
Or maybe he and Desmond try for years/minutes to stop as many as possible from the ‘need’ to be on flight 815 by changing something in each characters past. “You can’t change the future.” Equates to “You can change the past.” He must not be able to save them all.
This was a great show. It is very difficult to not get LOST weary. I’ll I write in my journal – “If feeling a bit LOST find the Transmission with Ryan and Jen”. You are my constants. Aloha
Two things fellow Losties:
(1) Penny tells Charlie “…it’s not my boat…” but then the radio guy tells Desmond that Penny was trying to call the boat all the time. Is there a second boat looking for Desmond?
(2) At the end of season 1, someone one calls Penny and tells her “….I’ve found what you are looking for…” or something like that – so who were those people and if Penny knows where Desmond is located, why isn’t she going out there after him?
(3) When did Desmond start sailing around the world? He leaves Penny, joins the army, and then decides to sail around the world? Do we know how long Desmond has been on the Island?
(4) Why would Penny’s dad be so interested in the Black Rock log? And how did that log get off the ship (now on the Lost Island) and into an auction house?
Anyone care to guess??
WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!
This episode still has my head spinning. Lost just keeps the info coming at breakneck speed lately. Well this episode has got me thinking that the island is in a wormhole. I looked up some info about worm holes and it sure sounds very similar, one wormhole theory mentioned electromagnatism. The wormhole theory explains many things.
Ryan and Jen you rock, keep up the great work!
Lost in Vancouver, I think this is Penny’s boat taken over by Abbadon group. She calls, they don’t answer. I think the Widmores are up to no good. The Black Rock log must have coordinates (celestial). I think someone (Joseph/Dharma) took it off the island. See Lostpedia.com for timeline on all things LOST.
“Flashes Before Your Eyes” title to episode with Desmond shifting and parallel to the doctor shining light into Desmond’s eyes to trigger shift, and the mention of the “light not being right” and the use of ‘eyes’ in the beginnings of many epis. I don’t know if there is a flash before Desmond’s first shift. There is a bolt of lighting on the helicopter. And the gizmo from Daniel F had a pretty strong light source.
Also, I was thinking about rain and whisperers. Storm generating electrical pulse might be reason shiftees communicate with people on island. Desmond shifts to time in his life when its raining.
Can you shift to a specific time? You would think so, because the communications officer shifted at the last moment before dying to help Sayid, Desmond, etc. escape from sick bay.
Desmond says “Help me.” just like Joseph in the cabin.
VancouverIsLost: Good point on there being two boats. I was thinking about that scene with Charlie and Penny and what her exact words were. Was it “what boat?” like “I don’t know what you’re talking about”, or “what boat?” like “there is more than one boat, which one are you talking about?”
Someone else said they are tempted to go back and rewatch every episode in light of the new info we got in The Constant. I, too, am tempted, but…so much Lost, so little time! Ryan and Jen, have you ever considered installing a “boss button” on your site? ;O)
I have a couple crazy theories about Daniel, but first….
I love Desmond and I love his episodes. Also, I really like Daniel, he is possibly the best addition to the show that has happened lately.
Okay, so we know that Daniel knows about the oddities of the island because he arrived with equipment to do experiments. We don’t know how much he knows, but he seems like a pretty smart guy. I think it is possible that he has a brain tumor and that he knows about the strange healing properties. Maybe this is why he cried when he saw the wreckage on TV…of course, I’m not really sure what seeing that wreckage had to do with knowing about the island.
Okay, theory 2 is a similar take on what everyone else seems to think…that Daniel is going back and forth between times…the question is, what time is “real” for him…maybe 1996? Maybe he’s trying to get back there.
Anyway, what a fun episode.