[US/IRL] 4X05 - "The Constant" [** SPOILERS WITHIN **]

Talisman

Popsicle wrote: »

Can somebody clarify one thing for me though as I can't remember! How long has Desmond been on the island? Penny says in their emotional phone-call that she has been looking for him for three years.

Desmond said in an earlier episode that he was in the hatch pushing the button for three years.

Requiem4adream

9

Tusky wrote: »

Great episode. Absolutely fantastic.

Can someone clarify the ending for me though ? I didnt quite 'get' it.

Back in 1996 Daniel says he'd obviously remember this meeting, Des said "maybe you forgot", Daniel replies "yeah (lol) how would i forget?". In a previous episode we see that Daniel cant even remember 3 cards turned face down so has some memory issues for some reason. Hence he looked through his journal to see if there was anything he wrote down about it.

Desmond being his constant - he said it has to be someone/something that means something to you. When he said that, most people will interpret that as a lover or friend etc, but i think it's meant more in terms of something real/tangible for your consciousness not to get confused. Desmond would be a perfect constant for Daniel should he ever experience these things (which i dont think he has), how often do you get a guy from the future coming to tell you he has spoken to you in the future! So he definitely means something to Daniel... even if he has forgotten....it wouldnt quite work vice versa as Desmond had literally only met Daniel once in 2004 and would mean very little to him at all.

Tusky

9

Requiem4adream wrote: »

Back in 1996 Daniel says he'd obviously remember this meeting, Des said "maybe you forgot", Daniel replies "yeah (lol) how would i forget?". In a previous episode we see that Daniel cant even remember 3 cards turned face down so has some memory issues for some reason. Hence he looked through his journal to see if there was anything he wrote down about it.

Desmond being his constant - he said it has to be someone/something that means something to you. When he said that, most people will interpret that as a lover or friend etc, but i think it's meant more in terms of something real/tangible for your consciousness not to get confused. Desmond would be a perfect constant for Daniel should he ever experience these things (which i dont think he has), how often do you get a guy from the future coming to tell you he has spoken to you in the future! So he definitely means something to Daniel... even if he has forgotten....it wouldnt quite work vice versa as Desmond had literally only met Daniel once in 2004 and would mean very little to him at all.

Yeah, thats what I thought but I just didnt 'get' how it was a twist in any way. It doesnt really change anything.

Cina

Tusky wrote: »

Yeah, thats what I thought but I just didnt 'get' how it was a twist in any way. It doesnt really change anything.

It's not really a twist I guess, but it shows that Daniel had more of an intention that to just fix Desmond really.

Also, I haven't read through the entire thread, but some people don't need to know why it is that Daniel can't remember these things, surely it's the radiation from the machine, due to him have no head protection?

Hugh_C

9

I guess I'm in a minority of 1 in assuming that it's entirely possible that Desmond is about to die in the next episode(s)? The way the end was written seemed like Des was making peace with himself and had resigned to dying ...

Also, how is it definitively proved that there is no time difference between Island and Ship (or rotw)?

Huge

daisy123

9

10 for this episode, feck the Kate/Sawyer/Kate/Jack love thing going on...Desmond and Penny = true love!!!

cooker3

Hugh_C wrote: »

I guess I'm in a minority of 1 in assuming that it's entirely possible that Desmond is about to die in the next episode(s)? The way the end was written seemed like Des was making peace with himself and had resigned to dying ...

Also, how is it definitively proved that there is no time difference between Island and Ship (or rotw)?

Huge

Desmond can not die until he meets Penny, they have invested too much into it to not have it happen

Sad Professor

9

Hugh_C wrote: »

Also, how is it definitively proved that there is no time difference between Island and Ship (or rotw)?

- The calendar on the freighter indicates the date as December 24 2004.
- Penny is standing in front of a Christmas tree with presents underneath.
- Des has had been on the island 3 years, Penny says she has been looking for him for 3 years.

If they do pull a slow-time/fast-time twist on us it's going to contradict 3 seasons of evidence to the contrary. I don't see anyway they could it explain tbh.

Basq

8

cooker3 wrote:

Desmond can not die until he meets Penny, they have invested too much into it to not have it happen

You do realise this is 'Lost'? The same show that had Libby's character in numerous flashbacks and past scenarios with the characters only to have her killed off with no resolution.

You think about that!

ziggy

8

This post has been deleted.

Basq

8

Ziggy... spot on mate!

Punchy07

1

Great episode,but this whole back to the past thing is confusing me a bit.When Desmond goes back to 96,is the 04 Desmond left standing there in some sort of trance?If so when Faraday told him to take a train from Scotland to Oxford when he revisits 96,can you imagine how bored Sayid must have been while he stood around waiting for Desmond to come back around while he took a couple of hour train ride??I dont know maybe I didnt pick it up right

Interesting episode all the same!

Sad Professor

9

Punchy07 wrote: »

Great episode,but this whole back to the past thing is confusing me a bit.When Desmond goes back to 96,is the 04 Desmond left standing there in some sort of trance?If so when Faraday told him to take a train from Scotland to Oxford when he revisits 96,can you imagine how bored Sayid must have been while he stood around waiting for Desmond to come back around while he took a couple of hour train ride??I dont know maybe I didnt pick it up right

He only started going catatonic in the latter stages of the time shifts as it became harder for him to "get back". The first few times it was instantaneous and he didn't even loose consciousness. Other times he spent a few minutes in the future and when he came back to the past over an hour had passed. So like Faraday said it was a totally random effect.

L31mr0d

9

Earthhorse wrote: »

Actually, I was quoting Fisher Stevens.

There is no right and wrong. There's only fun and boring.

Lawless_Samurai

8

Dunno if this has already come up but did the last episode explain how desmond was sent to army prison by going AWOL to see penny??? My memory is a bit hazey about this but I remember one of Desmonds flashbacks in season 2 leaving army prison. Thought this episode explained how he got put in there in the first place...

Aldebaran

8

Lawless_Samurai wrote: »

Dunno if this has already come up but did the last episode explain how desmond was sent to army prison by going AWOL to see penny??? My memory is a bit hazey about this but I remember one of Desmonds flashbacks in season 2 leaving army prison. Thought this episode explained how he got put in there in the first place...

I believe he said he had two days leave when he was on the phone to Penny, didn't he?

Lawless_Samurai

8

When was he on the phone to Penny besides at the end?

Otacon

At the Barracks before he left for Oxford.

Earthhorse

L31mr0d wrote: »

There is no right and wrong. There's only fun and boring.

Oh, my, how time is fun when you're having flies, huh?

Sad Professor

9

Lawless_Samurai wrote: »

Dunno if this has already come up but did the last episode explain how desmond was sent to army prison by going AWOL to see penny??? My memory is a bit hazey about this but I remember one of Desmonds flashbacks in season 2 leaving army prison. Thought this episode explained how he got put in there in the first place...

No, we were talking about that earlier and that should be a future flashback. Des was only doing the recruit course in this episode. He was a Lance-Corporal when he got sent to military prison for disobeying orders.

Lawless_Samurai

8

Cool thanks for clearing that up Sad P

mollser

Sad Professor wrote: »

- The calendar on the freighter indicates the date as December 24 2004.
- Penny is standing in front of a Christmas tree with presents underneath.
- Des has had been on the island 3 years, Penny says she has been looking for him for 3 years.

If they do pull a slow-time/fast-time twist on us it's going to contradict 3 seasons of evidence to the contrary. I don't see anyway they could it explain tbh.

But... they're all time measured in 'real world' time - i.e the freighter is in the real world, Des has been on the island for 3 years in 'real world' time etc.

Is there not an angle that the time on the island IS going slower, however once you leave the island you catch back up to real time? Hence the chopper ride that should have taken 20 mins, appeared to take about about 7 hours losties time. The missile thing, and it also might explain why Richard and the losties seem to have lived for so long...

AlmightyCushion

9

Desmond says he was on the island for three years (island time). Penny says shes been looking for him for three years (real world time) so there is no difference. The missile and the helicopter ride is explained by the mysterious filed that surrounds the island, it messes with time. Anything that passes through it (bar anything to do with communications apparantly) gets distorted in time and so takes longer than it should. If you were to travel from the island to the freighter without hitting the field, you would take a normal amount of time.

L31mr0d

9

Earthhorse wrote: »

Oh, my, how time is fun when you're having flies, huh?

I was quoting Fisher Stevens actually

oh and back OT... I was wondering the same thing, originally what did Desmond get kicked out of the army for when he was a lance-corporal? Did we ever find out?

Lawless_Samurai

8

If we did I missed it

spockpower

9

i have a theory regarding the oceanic six and constants.
its hard to explain so bear with me

think back to the end of season 2 when the hatch imploded. this obviously set off a huge emp which affected desmond especially.

i think it probably affected the castaways on the beach too

however, thinking back Hurley, Jack, Kate and Sayid were all pretty far away from the hatch at the time.
hurley, jack and kate were at pala ferry with the others and sayid was on the boat with sun and jin.
maybe, they escaped the radius of the blast and this is why they are able to leave the island without suffering side effects.


i also think that claire will get on the helicopter but will suffer the sickness and will die as she cant find a constant. this is why jack may feel guilty in the flashforward as he could have been her constant if the had known the were brother and sister before the island.

:o whoo thats my theory anyway

AlmightyCushion

9

What about Claire's baby?

Earthhorse

L31mr0d wrote: »

I was quoting Fisher Stevens actually

Hehe.

That's not bad spockpower, I had forgotten Jack and Claire were related; was wondering why Aaron being with Kate would have caused him consternation. But...I'd be surprised if anyone other than those in the hatch had been exposed to enough radiation to be effected (so Locke basically).

As for Claire's baby perhaps it will become attached to Kate before leaving the island or, as it is a baby, doesn't need a constant.

spockpower

9

yeh there are obviously faults in it but i was thinking the baby wouldnt need a constant as he was born on the island so never actually had a life pre-island.

unclebill98

9

spockpower wrote: »

this is why jack may feel guilty in the flashforward as he could have been her constant if the had known the were brother and sister before the island.

:o whoo thats my theory anyway

Brother and sister??? When was that said???