LOST – The Constant
by Teresa Jusino
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| Eloise, this episode’s other breakout star. |
I feel Desmond’s pain. Brain exploding, nose running blood….yeah, I get it. That’s exactly how I felt watching this week’s episode of Lost, and it’s why this episode was so good. That, and a spectacular performance by Henry Ian Cusick, whose Desmond continues to be one of the strongest elements of the show.
The episode opens in the helicopter as Frank flies Sayid and Desmond to the freighter. Desmond is holding onto the picture of him and Penny, and Sayid asks about her. He also asks Desmond what he expects to find on the freighter, considering that Charlie said that this wasn’t Penny’s boat. “Answers”, Desmond replies. Ensuing events end up providing more questions than answers, and a whole new element of mystery is added to the show.
“The Constant” is successful, mostly because it focuses on two wonderfully complex characters. Desmond has been intriguing since we first saw him going through his morning routine in the Hatch at the beginning of Season 2. His tie to the island, his psychic ability, as well as his past lives as a “brother” in a monastery, a soldier, and a man who would do anything to fight for the woman he loves give his character a depth that make us clamor for the “Desmond episodes…” Also, he’s ridiculously, insanely, how-do-they-even-allow-this-on-television hot.
That’s sort of responsible for a lot of the clamoring, too. At least for me. In any case, this episode was a great showcase for the character as we got to watch him fight to escape his time-traveling mind. The scene where he finally gets to talk to Penny on the phone nearly made me want to cry as much as they did. Never has a phone conversation felt so well-earned on this show. Henry Ian Cusick is one of the more underrated actors on this show, but the work he does with Desmond deserves as much praise as Terry O’Quinn’s Locke or Michael Emerson’s Ben.
A surprising development, though, is how fascinating Daniel is turning out to be. He’s the new cast member we know the least about – all we know from previous episodes is that he’s really nervous, he’s a physicist, and he cried a lot when he heard that Flight 815 had been recovered – and this episode allowed us to get to know him a little more. I’m looking forward to seeing how his journey both parallels and diverges from Desmond’s. Jeremy Davies is a great addition to the cast.
[nms:henry ian cusick,1,0]
This episode, while good, wasn’t exactly perfect. The logic with regard to what would help Desmond with the time shifts was fuzzy to say the least. So, Penny being Desmond’s “constant”, anchoring him emotionally and focusing his thought, because she is the person he cares most about…that made sense to me. Yet, the episode ends with Daniel having written in his journal, If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant. Why? He doesn’t know Desmond from a hole in the wall. Unless Desmond, by being so important to Daniel’s life’s work, becomes that important to him? Also, as much as I was enjoying this episode, there was a tiny voice in my head saying, this isn’t going to become a “time-travel show”, is it? I suppose it’s the nature of a show like this that, no matter what the answers are, they’ll never be as interesting as the questions.
However, it is clear that this episode is only the beginning of something huge. I’m prepared to suspend disbelief (and yes, even real-world logic) if it’s going to take me somewhere interesting, and I think this season will. I’ll call you on Christmas Eve in eight years and let you know how it turns out.
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TERESA JUSINO was born on the same day that Skylab fell. Coincidence? She doesn’t think so. As a writer, her work has appeared in Elmont Life newspaper, and on the sadly defunct website, CentralBooking.com. She is currently at work on a collection of short stories. As a geek, Teresa loves Star Trek, Lost, comics, and anything Joss Whedon ever touched. Also, she has a fangirl *squee-ing* crush on Brian K. Vaughan. Yes, she knows he’s married. Teresa recommends: 5 Minute Lost
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