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Desmond and Odysseus[]

  • I am surprised no one has ever proposed the idea that Desmond is a parallel to Odysseus. He was in the military. Then he took a very very long and crazy journey, all over the world, in a boat. He is always working to get back to his girl "Penelope" (same name as Odyseus' wife).
    • I thought everyone had heard the parallels between the two. The idea has been floating around for awhile. I don't think Desmond totally fits Odysseus (Desmond has never cheated on Penny, he was gone a considerably less amount of time, he did not have a child until after he returned, he was not married until after he returned, and he does not go on a rampage and kill many men after his return). Penny on the other hand, does resemble Penelope of Ithaka. Both are loyal, use their means to bring their men back home and do not marry/take up with another man. (QuoteGirl)

(Playsbad 00:01, 23 January 2009 (UTC))

  • Do we know for a fact that Penny and Desmond are married at any point?
    • People have talked about the Odysseus reference before. We assume they are married because they have wedding rings in the most recent episode. --Jackdavinci 02:12, 1 February 2009 (UTC)
      • They never showed an actual ceremony, but both Desmond and Penny wear wedding bands in The Constant. Desmond also wears a ring in LAX Part 1 flash-sideways. It is currently unknown if he is married to Penny in that time-line as well. (QuoteGirl)
        • Oddly enough, In Happily Ever After, it is confirmed they are not married, they have never met. Wonder if the ring was just a production goof? --Manix 18:41, April 7, 2010 (UTC)
          • In the LA X time-line at least. I think it was a production error, which is a really big one to make. In the regular Island time, Desmond and Penny are still married. (QuoteGirl)

Desmond: Miracle Boy?[]

In episode 5x03 ("Jughead"), Daniel tells Desmond he is "miraculously special". That made me think about one of Desmond's powers that's been only subtly hinted at: he is, appearently, "invisible" for the Others (or at least to Ben), though this may or may not be caused by having been an inhabitant of the Swan (which prior to the arrival of the losties was also unknown to the Others). Not only his arrival was unnoticed by the Others; despite all their tight surveilliance of the Island, they also had no knowledge of the "Elizabeth" (Ben acted noticeably startled when he was told that there was a boat on the Island he didnt know about), once again, until it was used by the losties. After that, despite Ben and Desmond being major players in the last three seasons, for one reason or the other, they never interacted. As a matter of fact they only were at the same place and time for a few minutes ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2") and they barely regarded each other. Moreover, Ben believes in the importance that everyone who left the island should be back, but he doesn't even mention Desmond (though, a recent exchange of words between Desmond and Penny made evident that he's going to go back ("Jughead")). Maokun 11:24, 2 February 2009 (UTC)

1995?[]

I can't believe I am the first to catch this. There is a problem with the Desmond timeline. The issue has to do with 1995/96 being the year Desmond returns to. It can't be the right year, it was probably 98/99 when 2004 Desmond returns to Penny. In Catch-22, we know that Ruth said Desmond's last "religious experience" was when Celtic won in 1995. That means he became a monk either in or after 1995, later that year he broke off the engagement and even later became a monk. Assuming it all happened in 1995, dating Penny for 2 years would bring him to 1997 at least. --Librarygirl 22:27, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

  • It must be a production error because Desmond was definitely at the monastery in 1995 according to the label on the Moriah wine. And in The Constant the year 1996 is expressly mentioned four times. Maybe 2 years just means more than 12 months rounding up... -JamesyWamesy 03:54, 27 April 2009 (UTC)
  • Having just read the main article and switched to the discussion page I noticed a small inconsistency between the two. The main article states "Ruth said the closest thing Desmond came to a religious experience in that time was when Celtic won the Scottish cup in 1985." I also seem to recall her saying 1985. However I just looked up Celtic's honours and they did indeed win the Scottish Cup in 1985 and 1995. Hope I have helped the confusion! Desmond constant 11:35, 10 July 2009 (UTC)

So is Penelope his sister AND wife?[]

I am pretty sure thats true, but can someone verify that? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Jayross (talkcontribs) .

  • You're actually quite confused. Penelope is Daniel's half-sister and is by no means Desmond's sister. --Orhan94 22:39, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

Mention Original timeline.[]

We know that Desmond is unique among the chracters of Lost because he has two timelines prior to comming to the island. The events of Flashes Before Your Eyes show Desmond making clear changes to his original timeline, This has even been confirmed by Damon and Carlton in the Feburary 20 2007 podcast, when they said that in his original timeline he may have had a different origin for the photo. Also in the original timeline Jimmy Lennon obivously hit the bartender and not Desmond. As this has been confirmed by the producers I feel we should include it on this article. I am happy to make the changes I would like to know others opinions first. --D Toccs 22:28, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

I agree, I think the article should have a sketch of what likely happened originally (not paying any attention to Charlie, not trying to buy the ring, not asking his friend about time travel). LOST-Merick 02:24, 25 May 2009 (UTC)
I'm going to do that right now.--Dr. James (4 8 15 16 23 42) 00:45, 13 June 2009 (UTC)

The events of "BYF" and "LTDA"'s order are wrong?[]

Desmond meet Daniel at the hatch door after Desmond hear Locke shout on the hatch?When Daniel and the survivors flash back to the past, the survivors who on the beach also meet themself at the past, looks like it is wrong, right?

Reason he was Dishonourably Discharged[]

I have a feeling this was already explained. In The Constant he was constantly disobeying orders. I think this was what always happened, chronologically he was hopping to the future and back while in the army and this is why he was dishonourably discharged? I know this isn't conclusive evidence but I have a feeling they won't explain it any more than what I've mentioned. --Robbie 20:00, 28 May 2009 (UTC)

I thought it was for disobeying orders as well. Is there any reason to think that's not it?-- Graft   talk   contributions  20:30, 28 May 2009 (UTC)
"Oh, right, Her Majesty's Army, correct? Tell me, Desmond, why'd you leave that nice old lady's army? Oh, I remember now. You got kicked out because you couldn't follow orders." - Kelvin in LTDA Plausible. --Golden Monkey 21:57, 10 July 2009 (UTC)

Maybe Charles Widmore was something to do for Desmond so he could going in prison. Desmond is a good person, why would he be in prison? --Station7 21:11, September 12, 2009 (UTC)

Desmond using the suit after Kelvin's death[]

It is stated in the article that when Daniel talks with Desmond during the flashes, he (Desmond) is wearing the suit, and this happened after Kelvin's death. However, this doesn't make sense, since after Kelvin's death, Desmond realized that there was no need to use the suit. Actually, Kelvin died in 2004, and Daniel talked with Desmond in 2001/2002, long before Kelvin's death. This would explain why Desmond is using the suit. And why didn't Kelvin answered the door? He was probaby off somewhere else. So Daniel talked with Desmond before Kelvin's death, not after. --Dr. James (4 8 15 16 23 42) 03:37, January 22, 2010 (UTC)


2005 - 2007 Timeline and Encounter with Ellie at Lamp Post[]

I'm a little surprised that no one seems to be catching on to this... during his encounter with Ellie at Lam Post, much more was hinted at than what is recorded here *(or apparently on any other Lost resource). Episode "316" in Season 5, the conversation starting approximately 8 minutes 30 seconds into episode. Specifically, 9 minutes 18 seconds into the episode, Desmond speaks: "This woman cost me 4 years of my life, 4 years that I'll never get back because you told me that I was supposed to go to the island, that is was my bloody purpose...". Desmond was told *in the past* that his purpose was to go to the island. While shouting this at Ellie, he said "you". The grammar he uses in this scene indicates that there is a much more profound and significant piece of Desmonds past that will be told, that perhaps his arrival on the island wasn't so unexpected. I make no claim to be richly steeped in Lost trivia or knowledge but, no such knowledge is needed to understand the scope of what Desmond said in this scene. Pkohler01 01:18, January 31, 2010 (UTC)

Never mind, I missed a 3rd season episode that explains this. Pkohler01 17:42, January 31, 2010 (UTC)

Back on the Island![]

After about a 27-episode gap, Desmond is back on the Island! Awesomeness. Marc604 05:49, March 31, 2010 (UTC)

Promo picture[]

Desmond seems a little out of place, being the only character with a colorful new island promo picture while the rest of the cast is using their bland, secretive grey background promo pictures from before the season began. New pictures of every character in colorful island backdrops were released a while ago. ShadowUltra 16:22, April 4, 2010 (UTC)

For some reason there is no grey background image for Desmond. If we don't get one soon then it probably is best to switch to the Island photos so that they all match.--Baker1000 17:17, April 4, 2010 (UTC)
Yea, I actually like that idea of replacing the boring gray with the individual island photos. It gives the individual character pages more......personality? If only they weren't so badly photoshopped.--Exer 505 18:16, April 4, 2010 (UTC)

A question that NOBODY asks[]

If Desmond knew that he, eventually, was going to get to an island and push a button ("Flashes Before Your Eyes", "The Constant"), why was he so surprised and knew nothing about it later, when he arrived ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")? --Dr. James (4 8 15 16 23 42) 00:19, April 11, 2010 (UTC)

  • I think it is because he either a) forgot about it due to time span between the two events or b) was so stunned that it actually came true. Personally, I think he was in shock the first time he met Eloise (a man died in front of them and she did nothing to stop it!) and he was so caught up in Penny and their relationship that he pushed it to the back of his mind. He probably forced himself to forget so he wouldn't deal with the consequences and actions of actually crashing on an island. It's common human psychology - we forget what we don't want to remember. QuoteGirl 18:20, April 11, 2010 (UTC) QuoteGirl
  • We've seen several times that when Desmond's mind travels back in time, events play out differently than they did originally. For example, I'm pretty certain that Desmond didn't originally freak out when he saw Charlie playing his guitar out on the street. And he didn't originally get hit by the bat in the pub. Also, he didn't originally go to Oxford to see Daniel, because he hadn't been told by Daniel to do that yet (Daniel does that while time traveling when Desmond is in the hatch). So I suspect that Desmond never met Ms. Hawking originally — I think she was just there to course correct — and she is the only one who spoke to him about pushing a button during his mind travels. —   lion of dharma    talk    email   19:03, April 11, 2010 (UTC)
  • Actually, I'm mistaken, Daniel tells Desmond over a satellite phone to visit him at Oxford in "The Constant" while Desmond is in the helicopter. But that doesn't change the gist of what I've said above. —   lion of dharma    talk    email   20:44, April 11, 2010 (UTC)
  • You know what I think? That when Desmond got back in time in FBYE, he *made* some changes. But in The Constant, I believe he didn't, that is, that's the way events happened originally. Check out Desmond Hume and follow his timeline to see what I'm talking about. The Constant's mind-misplacement always happened, but FBYE's didn't. --Dr. James (4 8 15 16 23 42) 21:41, April 11, 2010 (UTC)
  • Exactly, which means that in "The Constant" he was traveling a lá "Whatever Happened, Happened", but in "Flashes Before Your Eyes" he traveled a lá "I can make changes, but the universe will course-correct itself." A is not equal to B. --Dr. James (4 8 15 16 23 42) 22:24, April 11, 2010 (UTC)

Desmond now claimed?[]

At the end of "Happily Ever After" Sayid runs off Widmore's crew who were accompanying Desmond through the jungle. Sayid then tells Desmond to follow him and that Widmore was dangerous. Desmond responds back by saying "lead the way." I doubt that he is but could Desmond be claimed by the same sickness that has claimed Claire and Sayid or will Desmond do what Widmore brought him to the island to do and that is stop Flocke from leaving the island? --Loveislost87 13:58, April 13, 2010 (UTC)

Please keep theory discussion to the Theory Talk page.  Robert K S   tell me  20:52, April 13, 2010 (UTC)

Oh sorry. I'm kinda new to this--Loveislost87 10:02, May 14, 2010 (UTC)

Flashes Before Your Eyes = Side-Flash?[]

Not that I fully agreed with the whole dual article thing in the first place, but seeing as that's the norm, I'm wondering if we should consider either adding the events of Flashes Before Your Eyes to the side-flash Desmond page or creating an entirely new third page. Ever since LA X, I considered that Desmond's vision in that episode was either in the same timeline or a similar alternate timeline. Desmond appears to have confirmed that in last night's episode (]]Everybody Loves Hugo]]) when he says something to the effect of knowing what the side-flash was because he had experienced similar electromagnetism before (I'll find the quote once someone posts a transcript). Thoughts? --michael_is_NOT_in_the_coffin 13:33, April 14, 2010 (UTC)

No, the flash sideways timeline isn't the one seen in Flashes Before Your Eyes, for these reasons:
  • It is shown that Penny and Des are together in 1996, whereas in "Happily ever after" we learned that they didn't know each other until 2004
  • Ms. Hawking says that Desmond must go to the island in the future, whereas in "LA X" it is shown that the island is sunk, and no button has to be pressed
This means that the timeline seen in FBYE is the same original timeline to which Desmond made some changes. --Dr. James (4 8 15 16 23 42) 14:50, April 15, 2010 (UTC)
Obviously it's not the same timeline as it happened before the bomb was set off (from the Losties' POV), but it does seem to be a side-flash. I'm wondering what distinguishes that side-flash from the one that apparently needed a new article for each character. --michael_is_NOT_in_the_coffin 12:33, April 20, 2010 (UTC)
Apparently we'll never have an answer to that mini sideways Desmond did in FBYE. Kind of disappointing, they have had all the time in the world to explain that.--Dr. James (4 8 15 16 23 42) 22:18, April 25, 2010 (UTC)
Tell me about it...I still can't believe that they featured Eloise so heavily in season 5 without explaining what she was up to in "Flashes Before Your Eyes". --Golden Monkey 04:29, April 26, 2010 (UTC)

Is Desmond a Good Person?[]

I dont really understand Desmond's personality. He usually seems polite and kind, but sometimes he freaks out or can be cold. Like when he ran over Locke. Can someone explain Desmond's personality to me?

    • He needed to run down Locke to set everything up for all of the characters. He didn't do it for no reason. --Pexxoum 01:18, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
      • Yeah, but is he a good person? What is his personality?
        • You need to decide that, Lost is all about your opinion. --Pexxoum 01:23, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
          • If I could decide that, why would I be asking on here? Ocie14 01:24, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
            • Why should you ask if Desmond is a good person in the first place? Will a yes or no from someone make the choice for you? I'm giving you the third option. --Pexxoum 01:32, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
              • Because I wasn't sure. I am confused about his character and asking someone with better judgement...Ocie14 01:51, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
                • In my opinion, he is a great person. Not everyone can be nice 100% of the time though, he had to do what he had to do. When things need to get done, people need to step up. That's exactly what he did in the flash sideways and I think thats where your doubt is coming from. --Pexxoum 01:58, June 22, 2010 (UTC)
                  • Thanks! Ocie14 02:00, June 22, 2010 (UTC)

Off Island[]

Okay, during the End, Ben hinted to Hurley that he should take Desmond home. And now, sometime later, Hurley and Ben where off island, in an unknown amount of time in the future, so is it safe to presume Hurley took Desmond off the island with him? Can we change his portal colour thing? Julietfan2626 Talk Blogs

The portal describes where the characters ended up when Jack closed his eyes in the final shot. If we had to describe where everyone ended up finally, we'd have to mark them all as dead. --- Balk Of Fametalk 07:55, February 11, 2011 (UTC)

New picture[]

This one seems a little more bold, a little less flat. --- Balk Of Fametalk 07:56, February 11, 2011 (UTC) Desmonds6b

Yes - I like it.--Baker1000 17:42, February 11, 2011 (UTC)
Yes Me too. Mhtm

ghnd....talk 16:31, April 3, 2011 (UTC)

Yes Me three, changing it. Limitlessness 22:14, April 6, 2011 (UTC)
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