The Constant (Lost)
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"The Constant" is the fifth
episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a serial (radio and television), series intended for radio, television or Streaming media, streaming consumption. Etymology The noun ''episode'' is ...
of the fourth season of the
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's (ABC) serial
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
television series '' Lost'', and the 77th episode overall. It was broadcast on February 28, 2008, on ABC in the United States and on CTV in Canada. It was written by executive producer
Carlton Cuse Arthur Carlton Cuse (born March 22, 1959) is an American screenwriter, showrunner, producer, and director, best known for the American television series '' Lost'', for which he made the ''Time'' list of the 100 most influential people in the wo ...
and co-creator/executive producer
Damon Lindelof Damon Laurence Lindelof (born April 24, 1973) is an American screenwriter, comic book writer, and producer. Among his accolades, he received three Primetime Emmy Awards, from twelve nominations. In 2010, ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine named ...
and directed by executive producer
Jack Bender Jack Bender (born September 25, 1949) is an American television and film director, television producer and actor best known for his work as a director on '' Lost'', ''The Sopranos'', ''Game of Thrones'', and '' From''. Biography Bender grew up ...
.
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Medianet, (February 11, 2008)
Desmond Experiences Some Strange Side Effects on the Way to the Freighter
". Retrieved on February 11, 2008.
"The Constant" was watched by 15 million American viewers and is widely regarded as ''Lost'''s best episode and one of the best episodes of television ever.Dahl, Oscar, (February 29, 2008)
Unstuck in Time
",
BuddyTV BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profile ...
. Retrieved on March 9, 2008.
It was nominated for three
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s, a
Directors Guild of America Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Cate ...
, and a
Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by th ...
. In the episode,
Desmond Hume Desmond David Hume is a fictional character on the ABC television series '' Lost'' portrayed by Henry Ian Cusick. Desmond's name is a tribute to empiricist philosopher David Hume. He was not a passenger on Flight 815, but had been stranded on th ...
(played by
Henry Ian Cusick Henry Ian Cusick (born 17 April 1967) is a Peruvian-Scottish actor of television, film, and theatre and a television director best known as Desmond Hume in '' Lost'', for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He also starred as J ...
) and
Sayid Jarrah Sayid Hassan Jarrah (, ''Sa‘īd Ḥassān Jarrāḥ'') is a fictional character from the ABC show '' Lost'' portrayed by Naveen Andrews. Appearances Prior to the crash Sayid originally served as a communications officer in Iraq's Special Re ...
(
Naveen Andrews Naveen William Sidney Andrews (born 17 January 1969) is a British-American actor. He is best known for his role as Sayid Jarrah in the television series '' Lost'' (2004–2010), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primet ...
) are being flown by
Frank Lapidus Frank J. Lapidus is a fictional character on the ABC television series '' Lost'' played by Jeff Fahey. Frank is introduced in the second episode of season four as a pilot hired on a mission to the island where Oceanic Flight 815 crashed. He aids ...
(
Jeff Fahey Jeffrey David Fahey (, born November 29, 1952) is an American actor. His notable roles include Duane Duke in ''Psycho III'' (1986), Pete Verill in Clint Eastwood's ''White Hunter Black Heart'' (1990), Jobe Smith in ''The Lawnmower Man'' (1992), ...
) to the freighter where Lapidus' mission is set. After going through turbulence, Desmond's consciousness unexpectedly travels through time between 1996 and 2004. The helicopter reaches the freighter and Sayid and Desmond are introduced to communications officer George Minkowski (
Fisher Stevens Stephen Fisher (born November 27, 1963), known professionally as Fisher Stevens, is an American actor, director, producer and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Ben Jahveri in ''Short Circuit'' (1986) and ''Short Circu ...
), who is "unstuck in time" like Desmond. The writers took twice the time expected to develop the episode's script; the biggest concern was the avoidance of a
temporal paradox A temporal paradox, time paradox, or time travel paradox, is a paradox, an apparent contradiction, or logical contradiction associated with the idea of time travel or other foreknowledge of the future. While the notion of time travel to the futu ...
when dealing with
time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...
. Kaku, Michio, (March 3, 2008)
Are ''Lost'''s New Time Travel Physics Junk Science? Maybe Not, Expert Says: Hollywood Sci-Fi vs. Reality
", ''
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''. Retrieved on March 10, 2008.


Plot

Desmond, Sayid and Lapidus experience turbulence while flying the 80 miles (about 130 kilometers) distance from the island where they were stranded to Lapidus' team's freighter, the ''Kahana''. Desmond's consciousness travels back eight years to 1996, when he is serving with the
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
's
Royal Scots Regiment The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I. The regiment existed co ...
. Moments later, when his consciousness returns to the present day, he neither knows where he is nor recognizes his companions, and has no memory of his life since 1996. After the helicopter lands, Desmond continues to jump between 1996 and 2004. He is taken to the sick bay, where a man named Minkowski is strapped to a bed because he is experiencing similar problems. Minkowski explains that someone sabotaged the radio room two days earlier and that Desmond's ex-girlfriend
Penny Widmore Penelope "Penny" Widmore is a fictional character on the ABC television series '' Lost'' played by Sonya Walger. Penny is introduced in the last episode of the second season of ''Lost'' as the long-lost lover of Desmond Hume as well as the daug ...
(
Sonya Walger Sonya Walger (born June 6, 1974) is a British and American actress. She had a starring role in the HBO sitcom '' The Mind of the Married Man'' (2001–2002) before landing her role as Penny Widmore in the ABC drama series '' Lost'' (2006–20 ...
) has been trying to contact the freighter. Sayid uses the satellite phone to contact
Jack Shephard Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ABC television series '' Lost'', played by Matthew Fox. ''Lost'' follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to sur ...
(
Matthew Fox Matthew Chandler Fox (born July 14, 1966) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Charlie Salinger on '' Party of Five'' (1994–2000) and Jack Shephard on the drama series '' Lost'' (2004–2010), the latter of which earned him G ...
) on the island and explains that Desmond appears to have
amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or brain diseases,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be temporarily caused by t ...
.
Daniel Faraday Daniel Faraday is a fictional character on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'' played by Jeremy Davies. Faraday is introduced in the Lost (season 4), Season 4 The Beginning of the End (Lost), p ...
(
Jeremy Davies Jeremy Boring (born October 28, 1969), known professionally as Jeremy Davies, is an American actor. He is known for playing Ray Aibelli in '' Spanking the Monkey'' (1994), Corporal Timothy Upham in ''Saving Private Ryan'' (1998), Private Toffl ...
), a physicist from the freighter, asks Jack whether Desmond has recently been exposed to a high level of radiation or electromagnetism. Jack is unsure, and so Daniel speaks to Desmond and asks him about his situation. Desmond responds that he believes that he is in 1996 and is serving with the Royal Scots. Faraday understands and tells Desmond that when he returns to 1996, he needs to go to the physics department of
The Queen's College The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...
,
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
in
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to meet with Daniel's past self, and gives Desmond some mechanical settings to relay, along with an extra phrase that Daniel assures him will convince Daniel's past self that the story is legitimate. Desmond's flashbacks become more frequent and longer. In 1996, Desmond tracks down a younger Faraday at Oxford, who takes Desmond into his laboratory where he is experimenting with a
time machine A time machine is a fictional or hypothetical device that allows time travel. Concept A time machine is a device that makes time travel possible. The ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' distinguishes between two different types of time ma ...
. Setting his electromagnetic device with the settings that Desmond has given him, Daniel places his laboratory rat, Eloise, in a maze and exposes her to electromagnetic energy. The rat appears to become comatose, then awakens and runs the maze. Daniel becomes excited because he had just built the maze and had not yet taught Eloise how to run it. Desmond realizes that, like the rat, he is caught in a
time warp Time travel is a common theme in fiction, mainly since the late 19th century, and has been depicted in a variety of media, such as literature, television, and film. The concept of time travel by mechanical means was popularized in H. G. Wells' ...
that is moving his consciousness between two different bodies at two different points in time and space. Eloise dies of a suspected
brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a cerebral aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder characterized by a localized dilation or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain due to a weakness in the vessel wall. These aneurysms can occur in an ...
brought on by the exposure to the time lapse. Desmond becomes worried that he will die like Eloise, and Daniel instructs him to find something or someone—a constant—who is present in both times and can serve as an anchor for Desmond's mental stability. Desmond decides that Penny can be the constant; however, he must make contact with her in 2004. To find out where she lives, Desmond gets her address from her father
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
(
Alan Dale Alan Hugh Dale (born 6 May 1947) is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale enjoyed theatre and rugby. After retiring from the sport, he took on a number of occupations, before deciding to become a professional actor at age 27. Dale subsequent ...
), who is at an auction buying a journal owned by Tovard Hanso written by a crew member of the 19th century ship called the '' Black Rock''. Widmore is willing to give Desmond Penny’s address because he knows that Penny no longer wants to be with him. In 1996, Desmond finds Penny, who is still distraught over their break-up and is not willing to see him. However, he gets her telephone number and tells her not to change it because he will call her on Christmas Eve 2004. In 2004, Sayid, Desmond, and Minkowski escape the sick bay and begin to repair the broken communications equipment. Meanwhile, Minkowski enters into another flashback, and dies. Showing signs of suffering the same fate as Minkowski, Desmond telephones Penny, who tells Desmond that she has been searching for him for the past three years and they reconcile before the power is cut off. Having made contact with his "constant", Desmond stops alternating between 1996 and 2004. Back on the island, Daniel flips through his journal and discovers a note that he had written, "If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant."


Production

"The Constant" is the second ''Lost'' episode to deal directly with the concept of time travel after "
Flashes Before Your Eyes "Flashes Before Your Eyes" is the 8th episode of the third season of the American drama television series '' Lost'', and the show's 57th episode overall. The episode was written by the series co-creator, show runner and executive producer Dam ...
" from the third season. While promoting that episode, Lindelof said that it uses the flashback device "in a way we never have before and never will again" and while promoting "The Constant", he said that it "upholds that pledge, unpledges it, then repledges it." ''Lost''s writer-producers enjoy science fiction themes such as time travel; however, they were careful not to create a paradox. The rules for time-travel in the series are outlined in "Flashes Before Your Eyes"—although, Lindelof has said that "The Constant" is a more important episode in terms of explaining time travel on the showKeveney, Bill, (May 28, 2008)
''Lost'' Writers Wrap Their Heads Around Space-Time Continuum
", ''
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''. Retrieved on June 7, 2008.
—by Ms. Hawking (
Fionnula Flanagan Fionnghuala Manon "Fionnula" Flanagan (born 10 December 1941) is an Irish actress. Flanagan is known for her roles in the films '' James Joyce's Women'' (1985), '' Some Mother's Son'' (1996), '' Waking Ned Devine'' (1998), '' The Others'' (200 ...
), who explains that certain events are inevitable and the universe will eventually correct any errors. Had these rules not been established, the writers feared that viewers would lose interest because the stakes of the characters would be lessened. The writers hoped that "The Constant" would further establish that there are no parallel universes or alternate realities. Lindelof reminisced that "just breaking that episode was such a massive headache" and Cuse added that "it was definitely like doing the hardest ''New York Times'' crossword puzzle for the week". Cuse and Lindelof admitted they took some inspiration from the final episode of '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', " All Good Things...", where
Captain Picard Jean-Luc Picard is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, most often seen as the commanding officer of the Federation starship . Played by Patrick Stewart, Picard has appeared in the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Gene ...
jumps between three time frames. The ''Lost'' writers compared Minkowski's role to Q, as "someone who is undergoing and understands the same events as our protagonist". Faraday, on the other hand, was the expert that always appears in time travel fiction—as Lindelof put it, "He's our Doc Brown here, who basically is gonna tell the protagonist to go and find him in the past". Whereas the average ''Lost'' episode took two weeks to plan and write, "The Constant" took five because the writers experienced difficulty when determining its effect on future stories. ''
Popular Mechanics ''Popular Mechanics'' (often abbreviated as ''PM'' or ''PopMech'') is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do it yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation an ...
'' analyzed the possibility of time travel using ''Lost'''s rules.
Michio Kaku Michio Kaku (; ; born January 24, 1947) is an American theoretical physicist, Science communication, science communicator, futurologist, and writer of popular-science. He is a professor of theoretical physics at the City College of New York and ...
claimed that "the show's producers did their homework". According to Kaku, "there's no law of physics preventing this kind of time travel—just a lack of know-how …  utit would take a very advanced civilization to really do this". Cuse stated that "we
he writers He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
try to use enough science to give a sense of credibility". "The Constant" was the first episode set on the Kahana, but the writers decided to avoid using the new setting just to give new information—Lindelof has declared that "you would have mindless exposition unless the characters were in a constant state of crisis". According to Lindelof, Desmond's confusion prevents the characters who arrived from the island from asking questions to the freighter's crew. ''Lost: The Complete Fourth Season'' Disk 2 Shooting occurred in the second half of October 2007. The scenes on the freighter in this and later episodes were filmed for several days on a freighter ten to fifteen minutes off the west coast of
Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...
, Hawaii, where ''Lost'' is filmed. Instead of docking the ship and returning to the ocean each day, the actors and crew slept on the freighter in areas that were not being used for filming. The Oxford scenes were shot at St. Andrew's Cathedral in
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. ''Lost: The Complete Fourth Season'' Disk 5 In 1996, Desmond has short hair and no facial hair and in 2004, Desmond sports long and untamed hair with a full beard. Cusick did not cut his hair; it was hidden underneath a short-haired wig by "really talented hair and makeup folks", according to Carlton Cuse. All freighter scenes were shot before Cusick shaved most of his beard for the 1996 scenes. A fake beard was glued onto Cusick for the episodes "
Ji Yeon Ji-yeon (), also spelled Ji-yun, Ji-yon, Ji-yean, Jee-yeon, Jee-yon, Chee-yun, Chi-yun, Chi-yon is a Korean feminine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 61 hanja with the reading ...
" and "
Meet Kevin Johnson "Meet Kevin Johnson" is the eighth episode of the Lost season 4, fourth season of the American science fiction on television, science fiction drama series, drama television series ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost''. It was written in October and N ...
" while his beard grew back. The equations on Faraday's chalkboard were written by a physicist who was hired as a consultant by the producers. The way the transitions between the 1996 and 2004 scenes would take place was frequently discussed during production. The producers took the advice of editor Mark Goldman, who suggested sudden cuts with "no fancy effect, and in some cases, no sound cut", similar to the way "All Good Things..." was edited. The original ending would set up the following episode by having
Charlotte Charlotte most commonly refers to: *Charlotte (given name), a feminine form of the given name Charles ** Princess Charlotte (disambiguation) ** Queen Charlotte (disambiguation) *Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, a city * Charlotte (cake) ...
(
Rebecca Mader Rebecca Leigh Mader (born 24 April 1977) is an English actress, best known for her roles as Charlotte Lewis in the ABC series '' Lost'', and as Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West, on ABC's '' Once Upon a Time''. Life and career Mader was ...
) drop a bag containing a gas mask at Faraday's feet. But the producers thought it did not work after the emotional scenes between Desmond and Penny, and decided to finish with Faraday reading his diary.
Jeremy Davies Jeremy Boring (born October 28, 1969), known professionally as Jeremy Davies, is an American actor. He is known for playing Ray Aibelli in '' Spanking the Monkey'' (1994), Corporal Timothy Upham in ''Saving Private Ryan'' (1998), Private Toffl ...
, who plays
Daniel Faraday Daniel Faraday is a fictional character on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'' played by Jeremy Davies. Faraday is introduced in the Lost (season 4), Season 4 The Beginning of the End (Lost), p ...
, said "I thought it was a remarkably well-written and brilliantly conceived story. I was quite knocked out by it on a lot of levels." He called it "remarkable storytelling."


Reception


Ratings

In its original American broadcast, "The Constant" was watched by 12.893 million viewers, ranking ''Lost'' eighth in weekly ratings. The episode was watched by a total of 14.998 million viewers, including those who watched within seven days of broadcast, making it the most recorded show of the week; this number went toward the year-end season average. It received 5.4/13 in the key adults 18–49 demographic. The Canadian broadcast was watched by 1.529 million people, making it the sixth most watched show of the week. In the United Kingdom, "The Constant" was watched by 911,000 viewers. 770,000 Australians tuned into ''Lost'', placing it seventy-fifth in the weekly ratings chart.


Critical reaction

"The Constant" received universal acclaim from both critics and fans and is often cited as the best episode of the entire series. ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' named "The Constant" the best television episode of 2008, and according to Oscar Dahl of
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, "lots of people" referred to it as "the best ''Lost'' episode ever". It was listed as the best episode of ''Lost'' by
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, ''
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'', and
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, and was also featured in similar lists by ''
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'', and ''
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''. In ''
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'', Alejandro Garay wrote, "One of my favorite episodes of 2008 was ''Lost''’s 'The Constant.' It was a beautiful episode that made us fans fall in love with the show even more. The creators managed to build momentum with smart narrative, by using the romance card to develop such a complicated topic as time traveling. It was exquisite, mind-blowing, impeccably done, and unforgettable." Bill Keveney of ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' wrote that it is "arguably the most highly praised episode of hewell-received fourth season", while his colleague Robert Bianco deemed Henry Ian Cusick worthy of an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
nomination. Patrick Day of the ''
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'' called the episode a "mind-blowing tour de force". Maureen Ryan of ''
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'' called it a "for-the-ages episode" with "a classic ''Lost'' moment" in Desmond and Penny's phone call and "an especially spine-tingling performance" by Cusick. Verne Gay of ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...
'' wrote, "last night's forty-four minutes of ''Lost'' were among the most satisfying forty-four minutes in front of the tube in my life." He added that "it wasn't merely a brilliant episode, which pushed the
mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
forward more rapidly and richly than any episode in my memory, but it was an emotional release … I actually cried when Penny and Desmond finally … connected" and "there wasn't one, single, solitary false note". Alan Sepinwall of ''
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'' said that "it was brilliantly executed, as both a brain-twister and as a love story" with an "outstanding" performance by Jeremy Davies. Jeff Jensen of ''
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'' described the episode as "the best single outing since
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's '
Walkabout Walkabout is a term dating to the pastoral era in which large numbers of Aboriginal Australians were employed on cattle stations. During the tropical wet season, when there was little work on the stations, many would return to their traditional ...
'" and named the phone call between Desmond and Penny the best moment of the season excluding any moments from the then yet-to-air
season finale A season finale (British English: series finale; Australian English: season final) is the final episode of a season of a television program. This is often the final episode to be produced for a few months or longer, and, as such, will attempt to ...
. Nikki Stafford of '' Wizard'' described "The Constant" as "mindblowing" and cited it as "the reason the hardcore fans love ''Lost.''" Matt Roush of ''
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'' said that "the time-tripping went into overdrive with this week's brilliant episode …
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worked beautifully as a showcase for Henry Ian Cusick as the tormented Desmond. It was almost a stand-alone episode, a '' Twilight Zone''/''
X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to May 19, 2002, on Fox, spanning nine seasons, with 202 episodes. A tenth season of six e ...
''-style adventure with a start, middle and killer finish." Kristin Dos Santos of E! "loved every minute" and admitted that "this was one of erall-time favorite episodes, what with the undying love business and this indisputable fact: Henry Ian Cusick can frakking ''act''". "The Constant" received high praise from
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reviewer Chris Carabott calling it "a brilliantly executed hour of television " and "one of the finest episodes in the series". He gave it 10/10, tying it with " Pilot – Part One" and "
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" as the best reviewed episode of ''Lost''. LTG of
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gave the episode an "A+"—the highest grade for any ''Lost'' episode. Erin Martell of
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's
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loved the episode and its unique flashback structure. "The Constant" strengthened her love for Desmond and Penny's story, saying "my heart won't break if none of ack, Kate, Sawyer and Julietend up together utif Desmond and Penny don't reunite, I will be devastated." Oscar Dahl of
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gave "The Constant" an excellent review, saying that "my mind has never spun this fast after a ''Lost'' episode" and the writers have "really outdone themselves" and "do not get enough credit for constantly tinkering with their story structure". Jay Glatfelter of
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said that this "episode of Lost not only continued this season's thrilling momentum; it proved to fans that even in its fourth season, it still leaves us with our jaws hanging open … this was the make of possibly one of my favorite ''Lost'' episodes ever." Glatfelter also praised the characters, Daniel "more and more becoming one of isfavorite characters" and calling Desmond "the most intriguing character on ''Lost''
ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometers, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is i ...
the best love story on the show and dare I say on television today". Daniel of
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graded the episode as an "A+", considering it to be one of the best ''Lost'' episodes. In his review, he compared television to film—specifically "The Constant" to ''
No Country for Old Men ''No Country for Old Men'' is a 2007 American neo-Western crime thriller film written, directed, produced and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin ...
'', the
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
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winner for
Best Picture The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...
—and decided that television is far superior. Karla Peterson of ''
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'' wrote that " wasalmost as touched and relieved by the reunion as Desmond and Penny are"; however, she did not review "The Constant" as favorably as other critics, giving it an "A−". Dan Compora of SyFy Portal gave "The Constant" a mixed review. He described it as "an entertaining episode
ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometers, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is i ...
a fine acting performance by Henry Ian Cusick", but criticized Desmond's repetitive story arc, criticized Frank's character, said that "Jeff Fahey is a fine actor, but so far, his character just hasn't really evolved enough for me to care yet" and concluded, "this episode didn't seem to really raise or answer anything of major importance, so I can't help but feel that it was nothing more than mid-season filler." Ben Rawson-Jones of
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graded it with four out of five stars, and wrote that "a refreshing shift in Lost's tone enabled loyal viewers to have their hearts warmed by the long distance smoochfest between Desmond and his beloved Penny". In 2018, the popular culture and sports website The Ringer created a list of the 100 best episodes of television in the 21st century. "The Constant" was the number one episode on the list.


Awards

"The Constant" was nominated for Outstanding Cinematography for a One-Hour Series and Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) at the
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.
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, (July 17, 2008) It was ''Lost''s representative episode for Outstanding Drama Series and was indeed nominated, losing to ''
Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American historical drama, period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on cable network AMC (TV channel), AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, with seven seasons ...
''.
Henry Ian Cusick Henry Ian Cusick (born 17 April 1967) is a Peruvian-Scottish actor of television, film, and theatre and a television director best known as Desmond Hume in '' Lost'', for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He also starred as J ...
and
Jeremy Davies Jeremy Boring (born October 28, 1969), known professionally as Jeremy Davies, is an American actor. He is known for playing Ray Aibelli in '' Spanking the Monkey'' (1994), Corporal Timothy Upham in ''Saving Private Ryan'' (1998), Private Toffl ...
each submitted this episode for consideration on their own behalf for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. This episode was also considered for Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. The episode was nominated for the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form. Jack Bender was nominated for the
Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Drama Series The Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series is one of the annual Directors Guild of America Awards given by the Directors Guild of America. It was first presented at the 24th Directors Guild o ...
.


References


External links


"The Constant"
at ABC * {{DEFAULTSORT:Constant, The Lost season 4 episodes 2008 American television episodes Television episodes about time travel Television episodes directed by Jack Bender Television episodes written by Damon Lindelof Television episodes written by Carlton Cuse Television episodes set in the 1990s Television episodes set in the 2000s Fiction set in 1996 Fiction set in 2004 pt:Lost (temporada 4)#Lista de Episódios