The 25 Days of Christmas Episodes – Day 10 – Lost “The Constant” (Dec 10)
In transit, Desmond becomes unstuck in time and his 1996 consciousness takes up residence in his modern day body. Given that he’s suddenly hanging around with a bunch of strangers in a place he’s never seen, he doesn’t take this well. His jumps back to his own time make the whole thing even more jarring for him. Time continues to pass in the past, and when he comes back, he’s not exactly where he left off.
In the present, Sayid tries to keep 1996 Desmond calm whenever he takes over. This isn’t easy on a mysterious freighter with a bunch of people who wouldn’t trust him even if he weren’t freaking out on a regular basis. Also, the crew members seem to be going insane.
Physicist Daniel Faraday explains to Desmond that when he returns to his own time, he needs to seek out the 1996 version of Faraday. In the past, Faraday is up for this kind of weirdness, and he stresses to Desmond the importance of finding “a constant” – a person he can focus on, who’ll help him keep his consciousness intact while he drifts through time. Desmond chooses his lost love Penny. Of course, circa 1996, she’s still a bit ticked that he left her and joined the army. Still, he convinces her that he’ll call on Christmas Eve, 2004, and it’s very important that she answer.
In the present, Sayid manages to jury-rig a working phone, and Desmond makes the call. It’s an absolutely beautiful scene with the two of them desperately reaching out to one another, and it’s enough to save Desmond. Sure, it might not be terribly Christmas specific, but I think it deserves mention.
Best Line – In Daniel’s notebook: “If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant.”
Christmas Tropes:
A Christmas Miracle – You know what keeps Desmond from disbursing his consciousness throughout space and time? Love.
Learning a lesson – Everybody needs a constant they can depend on. Also, wear protective gear when working with radiation. Seriously.
Cheer-o-meter Score: As I said, not that much in the way of Christmas, but that phone call is one of the very few moments of real happiness on Lost. I’m calling that a 7.
