Desmond has Penny as his constant. Faraday has no one. I think Desmond and Penny are going to be screwed by Faraday. He will choose to save himself rather than Desmond.
100%
Minkowsi mentioned going back to the island AGAIN!

It seemed like a paradox that Dan didn't remember Des, but, they explained that by Daniel's loss of memory with the card scene and with Desmond's question about why Dan covers his body to protect from the radiation and not his head. It's a wonder Dan can still think at all (to paraphrase Dylan). Now that Des has his constant, his brain won't rupture.

Excellent job, TPTB!
100%
Dan *does* have his constant, it was written in his notebook. Desmond is Daniel's constant.

It seemed like a paradox that Dan didn't remember Des, but, they explained that by Daniel's loss of memory with the card scene and with Desmond's question about why Dan covers his body to protect from the radiation and not his head. It's a wonder Dan can still think at all (to paraphrase Dylan). Now that Des has his constant, his brain won't rupture.

Excellent job, TPTB!
100%
Dan *does* have his constant, it was written in his notebook. Desmond is Daniel's constant.

I think when Daniel first Met Desmond he didnt know him because Desmond had not time shifted yet. Once that had taken place Daniel looked in his journal and found the new notes that had not been there before in reference to Desmond.

I think when Daniel first Met Desmond he didnt know him because Desmond had not time shifted yet.


I thought this too.

Oddly, after reading "Desmond Hume is MY Constant" I blurted out loud, "Faraday's in love with Desmond?" They never said you had to be in love with your constant, but for some reason, my mind said that you did.

So Daniel must be assuming that:

1. His own time shifts (if that's what his memory problem is) will not occur prior to 1996.

2. That he will need Desmond between then and now.

Should we infer that there will be another flashback of Desmond and Daniel sometime between 1996 and the present?!!

I just want to say that was an awesome ending 'Desmond is my Constant." Just loved, loved, loved it!

Awwwrr... Daniel had to write down that Desmond is his constant! Maybe his memory loss will start getting better from now! They will save each other! :hug:

Desmond telling Daniel to cover his head from the radiation in the lab is sort of like Marty McFly leaving a warning for Doc Brown in the letter. Well, not a lot, but the Back to the Future parallels are rife here.

I just want to say that was an awesome ending 'Desmond is my Constant." Just loved, loved, loved it!

I thought this too.

Oddly, after reading "Desmond Hume is MY Constant" I blurted out loud, "Faraday's in love with Desmond?" They never said you had to be in love with your constant, but for some reason, my mind said that you did.

That made me lol in real life, hehe. It does seem like a rather romantic notion at first doesn't it? Hey you never know, there's still room for a second love triangle. Faraday>Desmond>Penny <333

I think when Daniel first Met Desmond he didnt know him because Desmond had not time shifted yet. Once that had taken place Daniel looked in his journal and found the new notes that had not been there before in reference to Desmond.

You're assuming though that time is a linear phenomenon. Darlton have already said that you can't change the present by going back in time. Perhaps time itself isn't really linear, but because of our limited perception as human beings we perceive it as so.

Now that Faraday met Desmond in the past, he can use Desmond in the future to start remembering his past???? :confused: Time travel is my weakness. I never understand!

I did like the whole - they save each other - thing. Good thing Daniel holds on to that diary.

You're assuming though that time is a linear phenomenon. Darlton have already said that you can't change the present by going back in time. Perhaps time itself isn't really linear, but because of our limited perception as human beings we perceive it as so.What does that even mean? :shrug:

What does that even mean? :shrug:

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly Timey-Wimey stuff." Will a pop culture reference help you out there, Selene? (Though I might be the only one to get it, I dunno how many DW fans there are here...)

And Des as Faraday's constant is too cute! Also intriguing. So Dan's had experience with this time-shifting himself? Or does he think that he might/will, and is just being prepared ahead of time?

The way it was written in the notebook seemed rather ominous. "In case something goes wrong, Desmond Hume is MY constant" in red, squared in, and seemingly written over other penciled in notes.

Very ominous indeed. I have a feeling something bad is going to happen from this and the Des/ Penny phone call. The said sorry and I love you too much. I hope I'm wrong, but if not, I hope it's a heroic demise... like Charlie...

Minkowsi mentioned going back to the island AGAIN!

It's possible that ALL of the freighter crew is experiencing this and their mission is to go back to the island and find out what the hell is going on. As we've now seen, Minkowski and Faraday have both gone through it.

It seemed like a paradox that Dan didn't remember Des, but, they explained that by Daniel's loss of memory with the card scene and with Desmond's question about why Dan covers his body to protect from the radiation and not his head. It's a wonder Dan can still think at all (to paraphrase Dylan). Now that Des has his constant, his brain won't rupture.

Excellent job, TPTB!
100%
Dan *does* have his constant, it was written in his notebook. Desmond is Daniel's constant.

Keep in mind that Desmond couldnt remember Sayid (or the island) after becoming unstuck in time. Only when he found his constant (penny) was he able to regain his sanity and make sense of his time on the island. By remembering and acknowledging that Desmond is his constant, Faraday will also begin to regain his connection to Desmond back in 1996.

This episode also ties in nicely with Faraday's breakdown after learning that Flight 815 crashed. He started to cry but didnt know why - more evidence that he had become unstuck in time at some point.

Also intriguing. So Dan's had experience with this time-shifting himself? Or does he think that he might/will, and is just being prepared ahead of time?

Do you think that maybe Daniel intentionally does it? I mean he's experimenting on Elouise, possibly to get the kinks ironed out enough to try it on humans. Maybe he is planning on trying it himself when he thinks he has figured out how to control it more. But in his notes, he covers his bases in case he misjudges the whole experiment.

All of this makes me remember a short story by Steven King. It was called The Jaunt, it was set in the future and they had mastered teleportation travel in it. The only think was they had to knock you out when you made the jaunt, they would give you a short acting gas and you would just wake up on the other side. In the story, this little kid decided he wanted to find out what the jaunt was like without being knocked out. It turned out that while you were on the jaunt, time sort of didn't exist, and you felt that you were stuck in time between the 2 portals for an eternity, and when you came out the other side, you were basically insane because you couldn't stand it. So while it was instantaneous if you were knocked out, it took a lifetime if you were awake.

It got me thinking about Juliet having to be drugged on the way to the island because it was a rough trip if you weren't used to it, I think that was the wording.

Steven King seemed to be somewhat prominant in otherville, and I think it was mentioned that Carlton and Damon are Steven King fans. I wonder if it could tie in with the journey onto and off the island.

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly Timey-Wimey stuff." Will a pop culture reference help you out there, Selene? (Though I might be the only one to get it, I dunno how many DW fans there are here...)

You made me completely snortle here! While it's much campier than Lost, whoever enjoys the direction Lost is taking should like DW :) I was so excited when sci fi began airing the newer series and started to tape them all for my little brother who was serving in the army in Iraq at the time... until he told me that they get the whole season on dvd before the dvds are out, and of course N America has been so behind in airing the eps. Wish the classic series was running in my area! I even was at one of their conventions with my uncle when I was a kid!

So Daniel must be assuming that:

1. His own time shifts (if that's what his memory problem is) will not occur prior to 1996.

2. That he will need Desmond between then and now.

Should we infer that there will be another flashback of Desmond and Daniel sometime between 1996 and the present?!!

I don't know. I think the idea is that "If something goes wrong ... Desmond is my constant." I think Daniel meant, "If something goes wrong when I enter the Island ... Desmond is my constant."

For me, the more interesting idea is that, before Desmond went back in time, Daniel had not written that note in his book. Clearly, when Daniel arrived on the Island, he didn't remember meeting Desmond. It was only later, when Desmond time travelled back to 1996 that Daniel knew him.

In fact, Desmond changed the future (even though Daniel said you can't!) by meeting Daniel himself in the past. Because, if Desmond hadn't gone back in time, Daniel wouldn't have met Desmond, and wouldn't have written that note to himself in his book.

::head spinning::

Keep in mind that Desmond couldnt remember Sayid (or the island) after becoming unstuck in time. Only when he found his constant (penny) was he able to regain his sanity and make sense of his time on the island. By remembering and acknowledging that Desmond is his constant, Faraday will also begin to regain his connection to Desmond back in 1996.

This episode also ties in nicely with Faraday's breakdown after learning that Flight 815 crashed. He started to cry but didnt know why - more evidence that he had become unstuck in time at some point.


I love your thoughts here....but do you think that Faraday's emotional reaction to seeing the plane crash footage was because he subconsciously understood that he needed to interact with the survivors of flight 815 to find Desmond?!

All of this makes me remember a short story by Steven King. It was called The Jaunt, it was set in the future and they had mastered teleportation travel in it. The only think was they had to knock you out when you made the jaunt, they would give you a short acting gas and you would just wake up on the other side. In the story, this little kid decided he wanted to find out what the jaunt was like without being knocked out. It turned out that while you were on the jaunt, time sort of didn't exist, and you felt that you were stuck in time between the 2 portals for an eternity, and when you came out the other side, you were basically insane because you couldn't stand it. So while it was instantaneous if you were knocked out, it took a lifetime if you were awake.

It got me thinking about Juliet having to be drugged on the way to the island because it was a rough trip if you weren't used to it, I think that was the wording.

Steven King seemed to be somewhat prominant in otherville, and I think it was mentioned that Carlton and Damon are Steven King fans. I wonder if it could tie in with the journey onto and off the island.

I remember that story. You may be onto something as almost everyone I can think of was unconscious when they came to the island, except Kate I think. Great reference!

No! It's not Desmond.

Faraday's Constant is 9.648 × 104 coulombs per mole!!! ;)

All of this makes me remember a short story by Steven King. It was called The Jaunt, it was set in the future and they had mastered teleportation travel in it. The only think was they had to knock you out when you made the jaunt, they would give you a short acting gas and you would just wake up on the other side. In the story, this little kid decided he wanted to find out what the jaunt was like without being knocked out. It turned out that while you were on the jaunt, time sort of didn't exist, and you felt that you were stuck in time between the 2 portals for an eternity, and when you came out the other side, you were basically insane because you couldn't stand it. So while it was instantaneous if you were knocked out, it took a lifetime if you were awake.

It got me thinking about Juliet having to be drugged on the way to the island because it was a rough trip if you weren't used to it, I think that was the wording.

Steven King seemed to be somewhat prominant in otherville, and I think it was mentioned that Carlton and Damon are Steven King fans. I wonder if it could tie in with the journey onto and off the island.
I was thinking about that story too

Keep in mind that Desmond couldnt remember Sayid (or the island) after becoming unstuck in time. Only when he found his constant (penny) was he able to regain his sanity and make sense of his time on the island. By remembering and acknowledging that Desmond is his constant, Faraday will also begin to regain his connection to Desmond back in 1996.

This episode also ties in nicely with Faraday's breakdown after learning that Flight 815 crashed. He started to cry but didnt know why - more evidence that he had become unstuck in time at some point.

About Faraday's emotional breakdown while watching the recovery of the 815 wreckage on TV. What if he didn't know what he was so upset about because the upset feeling was a carryover from a time shift in his consciousness? Remember how Des bent down to pick up the coins he dropped and then flashed back to present Island Desmond and he wsa stumbling through the hall (in the same position from when he was trying to pick up the coins). Maybe it's a similar situation for Faraday and being all upset. Maybe something happened in his future self that upset him terribly and then came back to his past self remaining upset. The 815 news footage on TV could just be reminding him subconsciously of events on the island too. Now that we know that future selves can travel into the past, as well as past selves into the future, there are a lot of possibilities to explain a lot of things. Going back to rewatch the older seasons could be very interesting with this new development.

Daniel may have been crying because, if he flash-forwarded enough to glimpse terrible things happening in his future on the island, on some mission he was going to be a part of, now he would know they were about to start.

Ahhh someone already started this post. I guess I need to not go to bed.

Desmond is Faraday's constant because once he met Desmond in 1996 he makes the decision to do a human trial with his time-shifter-beamer-thingy on HIMSELF.

That is why he is so messed up. He tested it on himself, and Desmond (from the notes) is his connection between then and now. I think Faraday is gonna be even more interesting from this point.

I just want to say that was an awesome ending 'Desmond is my Constant." Just loved, loved, loved it!

What I got from that is that Desmond being Farady's Constant means Des is Daniel's anchor in time. Unless he gets to recognize & do something about Des being his constant, he will continue to be in a state of confusion & his memory will continue to slowly melt away. Then wouldn't the big brain aneurysm thingy happen then to Daniel.

I think. :confused: ?

I thought this too.

Oddly, after reading "Desmond Hume is MY Constant" I blurted out loud, "Faraday's in love with Desmond?" They never said you had to be in love with your constant, but for some reason, my mind said that you did.

Daniel said you have to really care about your constant.
Soooo, if Penny had to be Desmond's constant, but Desmond is Daniel's constant, can someone please tell me why Daniel himself wasn't Desmond's constant?
Daniel said you must make contact with someone who is there in 1996 and 2004...wasn't Daniel there both times for Desmond? OK, they cleared it up slightly by saying you have to REALLY care about the person. But then Daniel has Desmond as his constant? So , yeah, in 8 years, all Daniel could think about was Desmond until he REALLY cared

Someone commented that at some point Daniel may turn on Desmond and save himself and that Desmond would not make it.

My thoughts are bouncing between considering that Desmond was never a passenger on 815, so we probably don't need to worry about him being one of the O6, so its' possible that he could be rescued and accounted for in ADDITION to the O6.

But then, something seems ominous about the way Daniel looked at that note about Desmond being HIS constant that made me think that he is ultimately looking out for #1.

OTOH...Daniel seems genuinely concerned about the survivors, so much so that he stood up to Charlotte and made the call to the freighter to talk to Desmond and wanted to explain to Jack and Juliet what was happening.

But then again...it was in his best interest to get Desmond into his experiment...because he knew that Desmond could take the answers back to him in 1996.

Still sorting through things..and getting ready to rewatch.

on a notebook Faraday wrote: If anything goes wrong,Desmond will be my constant.


that was so awesome!! i love this !heheheehe

Do you think that maybe Daniel intentionally does it? I mean he's experimenting on Elouise, possibly to get the kinks ironed out enough to try it on humans. Maybe he is planning on trying it himself when he thinks he has figured out how to control it more. But in his notes, he covers his bases in case he misjudges the whole experiment.

That was my thought as well.

Desmond went to Daniel in 1996 and proved to Daniel that he knows him in the future. 1996-Daniel at that point knows that Desmond will be in his future. So if he needs a constant between 1996 and forward, that would be Desmond. I believe that is why he wrote himself the note. Maybe he picked up on the fact that Desmond said he didn't remember meeting him and he thought he better write it down in case something DOES happen to his memory.

I don't think 2004-on-island-Daniel has been unstuck before. Personally, I don't think he has. Although I think its possible that the FB-Daniel (watching the newscast) may have been unstuck. Maybe 2004-on-island-Daniel doesn't remember it because of his memory problems?

Could Faraday not remembering Desmond have anything to do with his apparent memory issues? When he couldn't remember three cards in Eggtown it was assumed he has short term memory loss, but could he also have long term memory loss?

I think when Daniel first Met Desmond he didnt know him because Desmond had not time shifted yet. Once that had taken place Daniel looked in his journal and found the new notes that had not been there before in reference to Desmond.

That's what I thought. He was going through his notes looking for something new.

I think that Dan is suffering from the effects but not from the island but his own experiments. He may have different problems than the island exposure people. His problems could be different because he knew what was happening (Eloise) and had a controlled exposure to the electromagnetism. If Dan had been "travelling" before he could have sent the readings to himself instead he had to have Des deliver them.

Not sure what I'm trying to say other than I don't think Dan travelled the same way Des is but instead is suffering mental deterioration

When Dan was explaining the idea of a Constant to Des, he said that it has to be a person or thing that you care about very much... Yet it seems that Des and Dan hardly know each other...

So, is Des Dan's Constant just because Des is key to Dan figuring out time travel, something that is important to him? Or, is there a deeper connection between Des and Dan that we don't yet know about?

I wondered about that too. Maybe Des keep going back to Dan for help and they become friends? It's the only thing that would make sense, otherwise the writers slipped on that one.

I think it is because Desmond is key to Faraday's research. He "really cares" about his study of time travel.

because he knows Des will be there in the future because he knows Des has talked to him in the future ...

Yeah, I would say the main reason Des is Faraday's constant is because Des helped him figure out something he had obviously been working on for a while and cared quite a bit about, but also because he knew there was a great possibility that if anything did go wrong it would happen at a time and place when Desmond was around.

I have no idea. That was the only thing in the episode that made me go "Huh?!?" I was really confused about that.

I think it is because Desmond is key to Faraday's research. He "really cares" about his study of time travel.
I agree with this. It's not so much Desmond, as what Desmond represents, which is the fact that his experiments work.

I think it is because Desmond is key to Faraday's research. He "really cares" about his study of time travel.

I agree!

It's because Dan knows he'll be making contact with Des in the future, when he talks to Des in 96. Since he's making contact with Des in both time zones, he becomes an easy constant, why try any harder to find somebody else?

I thought it was odd how they had the dramatic music behind it and how it was right at the end of the show, like it was a revalation or something...it doesn't seem that important.

I think it's because he knew Desmond would be there in 2004, the future. He knew going onto the island could cause coming unstuck in time, so he wanted to have a constant ready in case he did become unstuck.

I thought it was odd how they had the dramatic music behind it and how it was right at the end of the show, like it was a revalation or something...it doesn't seem that important.

I agree, I didn't think it was a big reveal, but it didn't take away from the episode. We've had such BIG reveals the last 2 episodes, it would be hard to top.

In answer to why Des is Dan's constant. I agree with y'all who say it's because Dan is sure he'll meet Des in the future. I think it's a KISS explanation.:)

It's not really Desmond Dan's constant. Is what Desmond means to Dan, his studies on time. And the only thing Dan's sure that connects this idea of time (his constant) from the past until the future.

I agree, I didn't think it was a big reveal, but it didn't take away from the episode. We've had such BIG reveals the last 2 episodes, it would be hard to top.
I definitely don't think it took anything away from the episode. It's in my top 3 for the whole series. One of the best for sure. But I think they could have had a big reveal...*coughmanontheboatcough* lol

Seeing that Desmond was Faraday's constant doesn't seem like a big reveal......yet. I liked the ending this time though. We didn't need 3 weeks of big reveals at the end in a row cause the ending reveals would begin to be played out and wouldn't have as big an impact. This whole episode was a big reveal and ended nicely so next time we have and ending reveal it will mean something again.

Agreed. We learned a LOT this episode. It was full of stuff. Jam packed...there's not a lot more they could have fit.

The dramatic music made me think that the "if anything goes wrong" part had some significance - like Dan knows that something dangerous is going to happen.
But why he would need a constant for something dangerous, I don't know. It just seemed like something bad was going to happen..

I thought it was odd how they had the dramatic music behind it and how it was right at the end of the show, like it was a revalation or something...it doesn't seem that important.

I'm thinking that Daniel wants or needs to do something on the Island and has been afraid as he didn't have a constant. Now he knows he has one so he can proceed with what he needs to do?

I thought it was odd how they had the dramatic music behind it and how it was right at the end of the show, like it was a revalation or something...it doesn't seem that important.

yes, that was my reaction "why does that rate the Cellos of Doom?"

It was really a beautiful ending to a very nice, overall revealing, episode. Here's why:
* Hinting at a friendship of sorts between the two that we have yet to see develop. Or, even if we don't, the fact that it is there is very nice. Even if his use of Desmond as his 'constant' is only due to convenience (Desmond is in both places), it still shows some level of trust in Desmond.
* It intrigues me to think more about Desmond's role - what really made him to to the island in the first place? A very nice element.
* It also illustrates that in Dan's pursuit of knowledge (or whatever his agenda is), he is willing to risk himself. He of all people understands the risk being taken by going to the island. Yet he has chosen to go anyway. Added some depth to this new character I believe.
* And finally, the whole use of Dan's notebook - the ending scene being there for extra clarifying effect - says to me that we are in excellent hands with these writers. They are not simply avoiding the paradoxes of 'time travel' Dan's notebook was obviously 'changing' in the present based on 'new' events happening in the past. Very nice!

I thought it was odd how they had the dramatic music behind it and how it was right at the end of the show, like it was a revalation or something...it doesn't seem that important.

Yeah. That's really what piqued my interest and made me wonder if there was something more to it... it was at the end of the episode, the dramatic music, and really just the dramatic feel to the whole scene.

The dramatic music made me think that the "if anything goes wrong" part had some significance - like Dan knows that something dangerous is going to happen.
But why he would need a constant for something dangerous, I don't know. It just seemed like something bad was going to happen..

That's quite possible... You could be on to something here, maybe this is foreshadowing of some sort. I definitely think it was there to make us wonder... and that there will end up being more to it than just Des' connection to Dan's work. I think they set it up that way intentionally.

My question is why does dan need a constant? Des was the one traveling in time not Dan. And it seemed Daniel knew where in his notebook to look not like it was written there because event in teh past were changed.

My question is why does dan need a constant? Des was the one traveling in time not Dan. And it seemed Daniel knew where in his notebook to look not like it was written there because event in teh past were changed.

Dan MIGHT need a constant. There is a risk to anyone traveling to/from the island it seems. Especially someone exposed to radiation (according to Dan). We saw that Dan has been exposed to radiation due to his previous experiments. Dan wrote this in his notebook just in case. Didn't it say "if something goes wrong" or something like that.

Surely the point is that Dan is from the past, and that he knows Des will be on the island. A constant is a thing which exists in both times that you can connect with. Des is the only thing on the island which is also in the past with Dan that he could easily get access to. The big reveal is that Dan is from the past, and that he used that machine (or another invention) to send himself forward. Maybe I interpreted it wrong. After all, the machine that he was using on the mouse was able to send the mouse's consciousness into the future. I assume that's what he has done with himself.

Maybe Daniel is still alive because he has a different contact before he goes to the island and now he's on the island he doesnt have that one anymore. I think he needs des so he has a constant in this timeline...

Do you think that maybe Daniel intentionally does it? I mean he's experimenting on Elouise, possibly to get the kinks ironed out enough to try it on humans. Maybe he is planning on trying it himself when he thinks he has figured out how to control it more. But in his notes, he covers his bases in case he misjudges the whole experiment.

I do think this. Since he now (1996) knows that this time jumping is possible, and that it worked on Eloise, I definitely think he will try it on himself. He remembers Desmond since he just met him, so if he writes a notation he can make sure he makes contact with Desmond on the island. That is when I think he will try and leap forward to.

You're assuming though that time is a linear phenomenon. Darlton have already said that you can't change the present by going back in time. Perhaps time itself isn't really linear, but because of our limited perception as human beings we perceive it as so.


and of course this reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Faraday

Just an observation that has been nagging at me....Also, 'What Dreams may Come' the novel not the movie may have a place here too....

I think that desmond is daniel's constant because he allowed daniel to accomplish his life's work, the projection of consciousness through time. My inherent problem with this comes two fold. It is faraday himself who gives the answer to desmond to give to his former self to solve his time equation. Daniel obviously remembered the encounter with Desmond as viewed by his note book entry, and knew the correct occilation and frequency to set the machine at, most likely because that is the occilation and frequency given to him by desmond. You can see the infinite paradoxical loop that's caused by all this.

The second problem I have is that we know faraday didn't meet desmond until 1996 and it would be hard for me to imagine that desmond carried on any type of extended relationship with faraday after his memories rectified themselves, or else he would remember the events on the boat and being stuck on an island, as well as the year it would occur, so how is Faraday so sure that if he does become "unstuck" in time that he will be transported back to a point where he can locate desmond at all. If he gets sent back to 1995 or 1997 he's basically up a creek.

Did I miss something here, or was desmond entirely aware of things that were to come, and just feigned not knowing the good doctor or anything about the ship.

Oddly, after reading "Desmond Hume is MY Constant" I blurted out loud, "Faraday's in love with Desmond?" They never said you had to be in love with your constant, but for some reason, my mind said that you did.

Yeah, I don't like how Daniel, when he explained the constant to Desmond, really stressed the importance of the fact that your constant had to be something or someone you "REALLY care about". I guess this dialog was designed so us the viewers would go: "Penny!". I couldn't help but think though "Daniel doesn't really care about Desmond does he?" I guess he is someone familiar in the past and present so it could work I guess...