Desmond Hume

Desmond Hume
Actor	Henry Ian Cusick
First	"Man of Science, Man of Faith"
Centric	"Live Together, Die Alone, Part 2" "Flashes Before Your Eyes" "Catch-22" "The Constant"
Place	Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Profession	Royal Scots Regiment Lance Corporal (Dis. Disch.). Former set designer for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Former Monk.
Family	Unnamed Father Three Unnamed Brothers Ruth - Ex-Fiance Penelope Widmore - Girlfriend

Desmond David Hume was the lone resident of the Swan at the time of the Flight 815 crash. Locke, Kate, and Jack discovered him there 44 days after the crash, after they had blown open the Hatch. After his failed attempt to leave the Island on his sailboat, Desmond joined the camp of survivors. Following the destruction of the Swan, Desmond gained a mysterious ability to see flashes of the future, with which he predicted Charlie's imminent death. During the helicopter ride to the freighter, Desmond's consciousness from the past (1996) began drifting to the present (2004) until Desmond made contact with his constant, his long-lost love, Penelope Widmore. On December 31, 2004, after over three years on the Island, Desmond was rescued along with the Oceanic Six by Penelope herself.

Before meeting the survivors

Background

Not much is known about Desmond's early life. Desmond did not graduate from university because he had to support his three brothers after something happened involving his father. The cause of the elder Hume's departure remains unknown. For a time, he served as a set designer for the Royal Shakespeare Company. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")

Monkhood

Desmond as a monk ("Catch-22")  (promotional still)

Desmond dated a woman named Ruth for six years. Ruth said the closest thing Desmond came to a religious experience in that time was when Celtic won the Scottish cup in 1995. Later that year, a week before their wedding date, Desmond woke up on the street after a night of drinking fueled by wedding fears. Brother Campbell, a monk at a monastery in Eddington, Scotland, offered him help, which led Desmond to believe he had a calling to become a monk too. Desmond entered the monastery. He impressed and surprised Campbell by keeping his vow of silence, earning status as a novice monk and the title "Brother." Ruth's brother Derek tracked Desmond down at the monastery and punched him, leading Desmond to seek out closure with Ruth. Ruth didn't buy Desmond's claims of a spiritual experience and told him he was just running away because he was scared. After this rebuke, Brother Campbell found Desmond drinking the wine that the monastery vineyards produced. He told Desmond that he did not think that he should be a monk, and obviously was meant for a greater purpose. As Desmond was getting ready to leave, he met Penelope Widmore, who introduced herself as she was picking up several crates of wine for her father, Charles Widmore. They flirted and she offered to take him back to Carlisle with her. ("Catch-22")

Relationship with Penny

Desmond's relationship with Penny developed, and they fell deeply in love. Desmond dated her for two years prior to meeting her father, who was apparently unaware of their relationship. Eventually, Penelope moved into Desmond's flat (he being too proud to move into hers). During this period, Desmond's "best mate" was a physics professor named Donovan. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")

Desmond, after his meeting with Charles Widmore ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")  (promotional still)

One day in late 1995 or 1996, Desmond was painting his flat and fell off of a ladder. When he woke up, his 2004 consciousness had entered his body. This consciousness, confused, dismissed its future knowledge as deja vu or a dream, and seems to only have fragmented memories of the future. Desmond continued living with this 2004 consciousness for the next series of events. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")

Desmond remembers Charlie from The Island. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")

The unemployed Desmond made an appointment to speak with Charles Widmore at the main offices of the Widmore Corporation. Widmore offered him a job in the administrative department, but Desmond revealed that the real reason he came was to ask not for a job, but for Widmore's permission to marry his daughter, Penelope. Widmore expressed his unfavorable opinion of Desmond, impressing upon him his valuation of Desmond as worth less than his MacCutcheon whisky. Desmond left, crestfallen and angered, but seeing Charlie Pace performing on a London street corner just outside triggered his memories of the future. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")

Desmond's friend Donovan was skeptical of Desmond's theory that he could be time-traveling, and asked him to predict what would happen next. Desmond foretold the outcome of a televised soccer game, only to be proven wrong. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")

Dismissing his Island experience as a dream, Desmond resumed his daily life and decided to buy a ring to propose to Penny, even without her father's permission. Ms. Hawking, the jewelry store clerk, revealed that Desmond was not supposed to buy the ring, that he was supposed to have second thoughts and abandon Penny. She further claimed to know that Desmond's future would involve going to the Island and pushing the button in the Swan. She imparted some of her understanding about how the universe "course-corrects" to prevent people from straying too far from their fate. Earlier, when Desmond was saying goodbye to Brother Campbell, a picture was seen on his desk showing he and Ms. Hawking posing together, indicating a possible connection between these two characters. During her discussion with Desmond, she predicted the imminent death of a nearby man. Hawking claimed to be unable to ultimately prevent the death of the man, explaining that "the universe has a way of course correcting," meaning that if she saved him from that death, he would simply die another way soon after. Desmond kept the ring anyway, determined not to succumb to fate. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")

He later met Penelope near the River Thames and they had their picture taken in front of a marina backdrop. Upset with the thought that he couldn't even afford the 5-quid photograph; he came to believe that Charles Widmore was right: he wasn't good enough for Penelope. He told Penelope this, and she stormed off with mixed emotions of anger and sadness. In the end, Desmond made the decision predicted by Mrs. Hawking, and threw the ring into the Thames. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")

Drowning his sorrows at a pub that night, Desmond realized that he was a day off in his prediction of the outcome of the soccer match. Jimmy Lennon stormed into the bar, carrying a cricket bat and looking for the bartender. Desmond tried to prevent the altercation from happening the way he remembered it, but was hit with the cricket bat, sending his consciousness back into the future (see below, after the Swan implosion). ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")

The Royal Scots Regiment

Desmond returns to the military. ("The Constant")

Sometime around 1996, Desmond joined the Royal Scots Regiment. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")

During his recruit course in 1996 at Camp Millar (north of Glasgow, Scotland), Desmond woke up from what he thought was a dream, in which he was in a helicopter in a storm. In reality, his consciousness was time travelling to December 24, 2004. Desmond continued to uncontrollably leap back and forth between 1996 and 2004. Confused when in the future, 1996-Desmond received instructions from the 2004-Daniel Faraday to meet him at Queens College Department of Physics in Oxford in 1996. After Desmond convinced Daniel that he had been to the future, 1996-Daniel Faraday explained that unless Desmond found a "constant," something familiar and meaningful in both time periods, he (Desmond) would likely have a brain aneurysm and die. Desmond decided that Penny would be his constant. ("The Constant")

Desmond begs Penny for her new number. ("The Constant")

Learning that Penny had moved and changed her phone number, he met with Charles Widmore in London to get new contact information for her. Charles relented, giving Desmond Penny's address, confident that Penny would reject Desmond once and for all. Desmond took 2 days leave from the Royal Scots to visit Penny, explaining to her that he needed her new phone number but that he wouldn't call her for eight years. Confused and upset, Penny reluctantly gave Desmond the number. Desmond left Penny's house to return to the Royal Scots smiling contentedly, knowing that in the future he will have made a connection with her, saving his life. ("The Constant")

Desmond managed to reach the rank of a lance-corporal before being dishonorably discharged and serving time in the Southway Garrison military prison for failing to "follow orders". His exact offense is still unknown. At his release, Desmond reclaimed his belongings, including his copy of Charles Dickens's Our Mutual Friend; the book he chose to be the last thing he read before he died, and thus did not check it in prison, to "avoid temptation." ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")

While he was in the Army, Desmond did a six-month detail disarming munitions, a skill he would later have to put into use on the freighter. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")

Charles Widmore's Sailing Race

Libby offers Desmond a sailboat. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")

Outside the Garrison, Charles Widmore waited for Desmond's release. Widmore revealed that he had intercepted all of the letters Desmond had sent to Penelope from prison. Widmore then attempted to bribe Desmond into keeping away from his daughter. Widmore felt certain Desmond would agree to the arrangement, since he believed Desmond to be a coward. Desmond, however, declined, and entered himself in a world sailing race sponsored by Widmore in order to prove his worth. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")

Desmond then traveled to America, where the race was set to begin. He arrived, however, short of money and a sailboat. Desmond met Libby in a café, where she insisted on buying him coffee. During their conversation, Desmond confided in her his shortcomings for joining the race. Libby then surprisingly revealed her ownership of a boat, the Elizabeth, which had belonged to her late husband. Upon her insistence, Desmond eventually accepted Libby's offer of the boat, promising to win the race "for love." ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")

Desmond talks to Penelope for the last time, before entering the race. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")

As Desmond prepared to train by running stairs at an L.A. stadium, Penelope approached Desmond and revealed her success in locating him by employing her great resources. "With enough money and determination you can find anyone," she explained. Penny asked him if he had read his beloved book yet, and inquired as to why he did not write to her. To evade her questions, Desmond confronted Penny with his knowledge that she is getting married, adding that he will be back in a year, after winning her father's race, and he hoped Penny would wait for him. Penny believed his choice to enter the race was just another example of cowardice. Desmond insisted that he is running to get his honor back. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")

Moments later, Desmond met Jack Shephard, while training at the same stadium. During their short conversation, Desmond suggested that Jack is running the stadium stairs because of frustration having to do with a woman. Jack confided in Desmond about his patient, Sarah, whom Jack had no hope of fixing. Desmond pointed to the possibility of miracles. Sarah's subsequent unexpected healing suggests that possibly Desmond was right. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith") Since Flight 815 crashed on September 22, 2004, and since Desmond has been on The Island for three years, this would put the start of the solo race around the world some time during 2001. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")

Whilst racing across the Pacific, Desmond's boat was hit by a strong storm, during which Desmond wrapped his book in plastic, before getting knocked unconscious and falling off the deck. Soon after, he washed up on the Island's shore. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")

Stranded on the Island

Desmond watching the Swan Oreintation film, after moving to The Swan. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")  (promotional still)

The half-conscious Desmond was dragged from the beach into the Swan, by a man in a biohazard suit who later identified himself as Kelvin Inman. Inside the Swan, Kelvin tells Desmond that the outside environment is contaminated by a mysterious sickness, to which Desmond may have been exposed. Kelvin forcibly innoculated Desmond with a vaccine labeled with the Numbers. Kelvin instructed Desmond to inject himself with it every 9 days. Desmond learned the "push the button" routine, and watched the Swan Orientation film repeatedly, which raised many questions in his head, most of which remained unanswered by Kelvin. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")

After two years, Kelvin showed Desmond how to initiate the lockdown sequence, which Kelvin used to complete the invisible blast door map started by his previous Swan partner, Radzinsky. One night later, while drunk underneath the Swan's computer room, Kelvin revealed to Desmond the nature of the Incident, and the function of the fail-safe key, which he carried at all times but was never able to find the courage to use. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")

Desmond, moments after stopping the electromagnetic anomoly from exploding. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")  (promotional still)

Desmond had lived in the station for three years, while Kelvin continually left the Hatch in his suit, under the pretense of analyzing the outside environment. Kelvin never allowed Desmond to take a turn analyzing the environment. However, on the day of Flight 815's crash, Desmond noticed that Kelvin's suit was ripped, yet he continued his trips, leading Desmond to wonder if the sickness was a lie Kelvin made up to keep him in the hatch entering the numbers. Desmond had his first adventure in the jungle when he subsequently followed Kelvin. Desmond saw Kelvin taking off the biohazard suit before marching toward the cove. At the cove, Desmond found his sailboat, apparently repaired by Kelvin, by which Kelvin seemed to be plotting his escape from the Island.

Desmond confronted Kelvin, after realizing the charade to which he was subjected, and in the struggle that followed, he accidentally slammed Kelvin's head against a rock, resulting in Kelvin's immediate death. After grabbing Kelvin's fail-safe key, Desmond ran back to the Swan, where he found the countdown timer had reached zero, and system failure messages were flowing across the computer screen. Desmond eventually managed to stop the system failure, although, unbeknownst to him, his actions inadvertently released the electromagnetic charge that had built up during his absence from the Swan, which caused Oceanic Flight 815 to break up in mid-air and crash on the Island.

Desmond learns that he isn't alone on the Island. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")

With Kelvin dead, Desmond was now on his own, and he spent the next 40 days in the Swan in complete solitude, carrying on the duty of pushing the button all by himself. In a moment of despair, Desmond contemplated ending his life. Sitting down with a gun in his hand, Desmond questioned whether anything in his world is real. He moved to open his Dickens' novel, when a letter fell out of it: a hidden letter from Penelope, in which she encouraged Desmond to never give up, emphasizing her love and her decision to always wait for him. In a fit of rage, Desmond started to sabotage the Swan's contents, when he suddenly heard pounding on the Hatch above. Turning on the bright light, Desmond looked up as the traumatized Locke peered down ("Deus Ex Machina") in return, causing both men to regain their hope. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")

With the survivors

Season 2 (Days 44-67)

Desmond holds Locke and Kate captive in the Swan. ("Adrift")  (promotional still)

After blowing open the Hatch and entering the Swan, Locke and Kate confronted the suspicious Desmond, who held them both at gunpoint. Led by Locke into believing that Kate was the most dangerous of the two, Desmond ordered him to lock Kate up in the pantry. However, this gave Kate a chance to escape through the ventilation system, to later intervene with Desmond's holding of Locke, and Jack who joined them, and consequently resulting in Desmond's accidental shooting of the Swan's computer. After failing to fix it, Desmond decided to flee the station, claiming that everyone will die soon, but was followed by Jack. Upon their confrontation, Desmond recalled his off-Island encounter of Jack, and asked him about Sarah, before repeating the Numbers to Jack in case the computer was ever fixed. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")  ("Adrift")  ("Orientation")

Desmond listens to Locke regarding the Pearl. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")  (promotional still)

Desmond apparently set off on the sailboat in an attempt to escape the Island. His attempt, however, was unsuccessful, and after two weeks the boat sailed back toward the Island. When the boat emerged to the survivors, Jack, Sayid and Sawyer swam to it, only to find Desmond inside, who by then believed the Island to be the last thing left from a long-lost world. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")

Desmond was then approached by Sayid, who asked for his help in his plan of sailing to the Others' camp, but he refused. Desmond was sought out later by Locke, who brought him the Orientation video from the Pearl, debunking his whole conception of the Swan's function. Desmond then agreed to join Locke on his mission, to let the Swan's countdown end once and for all, without interference, and see what would happen. In their attempt, they locked Eko out of the computer room, using Desmond's experience in triggering the lockdown. However, in their ensuing conversation, Desmond learned from Locke the truth about the pounding he heard earlier on the Hatch door, and about the Pearl's log printout as well. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")

After reading the log, Desmond then connected the date of the plane crash to the earlier system failure he witnessed, leading him to conclude that he may have unintentionally caused the crash. Desmond then decided that the button must be pushed, but Locke, however, intervened and destroyed the computer. With no other resolution, Desmond felt compelled to use the fail-safe key, and thus descended to the Swan's passageways to turn on the switch. With the words "I love you Penny," Desmond turned the key (after making the sign of the cross), causing the discharge, and the unavoidable implosion of the Swan. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")
* It was at this point that he entered his "altered timeline" in a lucid flashback (see above)

Season 3 (Days 69-91)

Desmond meets Ms. Hawking in the antique store, where he learns of the altered timeline he is in. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")

After turning the failsafe key in present Island time, Desmond's consciousness re-entered his past and relived a series of events in 1996, to which he was able to make some minor changes, but not change the ultimate outcome of. Desmond woke up, lying completely naked in the middle of the jungle with blood stains on his chest and body. He began to run around looking for help, and, unbeknownst to him, ran past Locke, who was also waking up after the Swan implosion. He eventually found Hurley, who was on his way back to the beach after his encounter with the Others at the Pala Ferry. Hurley told Desmond how Jack, Kate, and Sawyer were still with the Others.

On their way back, Desmond revealed his first premonition, while attempting to comfort Hurley over his worries about his captured group. To calm him, Desmond commented on Locke's intentions to go after them, and referred to Locke's yet-to-happen "speech." At their arrival, Desmond parted from the survivors, and stood by the sea, while the previously confused Hurley listened to Locke's rousing words about saving the missing Jack and the Others captured, leaving Hurley in shock as he looked back at Desmond. ("Further Instructions")

Later, Desmond approached Claire, in an attempt to persuade her to move down the beach, to allow him to fix her roof, but Charlie intervened. At his failure to convince them, Desmond borrowed a golf club from Paulo, which he used in constructing a lightning rod that he placed very close to the tent. Shortly after, the camp was caught up in a sudden storm, when a bolt of lightning struck the recently built lightning rod, on its way to the tent, leaving Charlie in shock, similar to that previously experienced by Hurley. ("Every Man for Himself")

Desmond performs CPR on Claire, with Charlie watching. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")  (promotional still)

Desmond and Locke were later joined by Sayid, in a meeting to discuss a rescue plan for Jack and his group. Desmond explained to Sayid that the stations equipment could be used as well in communication, and thus they required Sayid's technological skills in helping them search for a station where Jack could be possibly be held captive. The three head to the Pearl, joined by Paulo and Nikki, where Desmond helped Sayid in patching the monitors with available feeds from other stations, leading to the temporal appearance of the mysterious one-eyed man on one of the screens. Moments after, Desmond heard the Monster's familiar sound, and hurried above with the rest, to witness the last moments of the dying Eko, where he was then left with Paulo and Nikki while Sayid accompanied Locke back to camp to get shovels for the burial. ("The Cost of Living")  ("I Do")

When Charlie and Hurley met up with them, Desmond suddenly rushed to the beach and dragged a drowning Claire ashore and resuscitated her. Charlie became suspicious and Hurley aided him in getting Desmond drunk on MacCutcheon whisky, so that he would divulge his secret. Charlie and Desmond got into a fight after Desmond was called a coward by Charlie. He jumped and strangled Charlie, claiming that Charlie would not want to know what happened to him when he turned the failsafe key.

After the fight was stopped by Hurley, Desmond apologized, and was carried by Charlie back to his tent. Then, Desmond revealed that when he turned the failsafe key, his life flashed before his eyes, but after, the flashes didn't stop. He has been getting precognitive visions, but they were to save Charlie, not Claire, and he is afraid that there are only so many times he can cheat fate before it catches up with Charlie, and causes his death. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")

Desmond appears after preventing Claire from catching a seagull. ("Par Avion")  (promotional still)

Later, he prevented Charlie and Claire from catching migrating seagulls, foreseeing that Charlie would die attempting to do so. He then caught one himself before being confronted by Claire and eventually telling her his secret. ("Par Avion")

Desmond later witnessed Nikki and Sawyer arguing, and told Hurley about it later while he was investigating Nikki and Paulo's apparent deaths. He appeared at Nikki and Paulo's funeral. ("Exposé")

Desmond hunted with Sawyer and successfully killed a boar to the delight of the rest of the survivors. ("Left Behind")

Around Day 86, Desmond had another series of flashes which showed another instance of Charlie's death and something coming to the Island. Believing that Penny had found the Island and was on her way, Desmond gathered up all the people he would need for his mission that were present in his vision: Charlie, Hurley and Jin. Desmond explained to Hurley that he saw what he referred to as "puzzle pieces" to a puzzle that had no picture on the front of the box. Upon Hurley's further inquisition, he said that he couldn't divulge many details about what he saw, for fear of "changing the picture on the puzzle box." What he was specifically avoiding mentioning was that his vision showed Charlie being killed by one of Rousseau's arrow traps.

Desmond and Charlie tend to the injured parachutist. ("D.O.C.")  (promotional still)

With the assistance of Hurley's memory of the location of the cable and Jin's chance discovery of it in the sand (as per the puzzle piece), the crew followed into the jungle for a "camping trip." Watching a helicopter crash in the beach, Desmond then pointed the group's attention to the sky further into the jungle to see a flashing red beacon. Following his instinct and his half-assembled puzzle, Desmond led the group onward in the direction of the parachutist. On the way they found pieces of debris from the helicopter including a Portuguese language copy of Catch-22 with a picture of him and Penny in it. Despite his conviction that everything had to happen exactly as in his vision he nonetheless saved Charlie once again. When they find the pilot of the helicopter it turns out not to be Penny but Naomi. ("Catch-22")

Naomi was injured in the crash, and Charlie, Hurley, and Desmond argued a bit on how to treat her. A call was answered after Hurley accidentally fires a flare gun, which ended up summoning Mikhail. Desmond agreed to let him go if he helped save her life. With treatment, they removed a stick from her lung, and Mikhail said it would heal in a day, or a day and a half. Desmond allowed him to leave, despite Charlie's protests, but not until after they recovered the satellite phone Mikhail attempted to steal. ("D.O.C.")

Not trusting that Jack wasn't working with the Others he persuaded Jin, Hurley and Charlie to keep Naomi's presence in the camp a secret but it soon came out, first to Kate, then finally to Jack. ("The Brig")

Desmond shoots Mikhail with a spear gun. ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1")  (promotional still)

While Jack was revealing his plan to blow up the Others' raiding party, Desmond has yet another 'flash.' In it, he saw Charlie inside a facility of some kind containing a yellow blinking light and a switch, followed by Charlie flipping the switch, turning the light off, and then drowning. This action, according to the flash, resulted in Claire and Aaron boarding a rescue helicopter. At first, Desmond hesitated to tell Charlie this, but later laid it out for him, explaining that Charlie must die if the group hopes to be rescued. After it became clear that the switch from Desmond's premonition was inside the Looking Glass Station, Charlie volunteered to swim to the station by following the underwater cable, and Desmond volunteered to accompany him. Once he and Charlie had gone out onto the water in the outrigger to the point directly above the Looking Glass, Desmond volunteered to take Charlie's place. Charlie at first seemed to assent, but then knocked Desmond unconscious with an oar and tucked his final message to Claire inside Desmond's shirt before diving into the water. ("Greatest Hits")

When Desmond woke up, he was immediately met with gunfire from Mikhail, who had arrived to stop Charlie. Desmond was forced to dive down, and arrived at the underwater station to help Charlie. After hiding, Desmond harpooned Mikhail as he attempted to kill Bonnie and Greta. As he and Charlie prepared to leave, Charlie communicated with Penny via a video feed. As Charlie shouted for Penny's missing love, Desmond saw that Mikhail has vanished. Desmond ran to the communication room, noticing Penny on the monitor. Charlie, acting selflessly, had no choice but to lock him out, after seeing Mikhail through the underwater window about to blow it open with a grenade. Desmond stared through the window on the locked door, trying his best to open the door, as the grenade exploded and the room filled with water. Charlie, in his dying moments, wrote a message on his hand in permanent marker for Desmond. Desmond read "NOT PENNY'S BOAT" and understood the message. He continued to watch helplessly as Charlie drowned. ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1")

Season 4 (Days 91-108)

File:4x03 Desmond photo.jpg

Desmond demands information about the picture of him and Penelope Widmore. ("The Economist")

After Charlie's final warning, Desmond hurried back to the beach camp. He returned with the outrigger and rushed in to warn the survivors of Charlie's message. When it was determined that warning Jack over the radio was too risky, he joined Sayid, Bernard, Jin, Hurley, Sawyer, and Juliet on a mission to intercept the survivors on their way back from the radio tower.

After the groups reunited, Desmond was about to go tell Claire of Charlie's death; however, before he could, Hurley stopped Desmond and did it himself. Despite his extreme concern over what Charlie told him, when the survivors split into two groups, he appeared to stay with Jack's group, which continued to try to make contact with the "rescuers," rather than take shelter in the Barracks with Locke's group. He followed the main group of survivors to the beach while Kate and Jack pursued the downed parachutist. ("The Beginning of the End")

Sayid later uncovered the picture of Desmond and Penelope from Naomi. He suggested that they bring Desmond to the helicopter in order to shed light on the situation. Juliet went to retrieve him and join Jack, Kate, Sayid, and Juliet at the helicopter; however, Desmond was as clueless as everyone else. While Sayid, Kate, and Miles went in search of Charlotte, Desmond questioned Frank about Naomi's picture of Penny. Frank denied knowing anything about Penny and explained that he was not a higher-up in the operation. When Sayid returned with Charlotte, Desmond left the island in the helicopter with Frank, Sayid, and Naomi's corpse. ("The Economist") Later, when Jack tried to contact the freighter about the helicopter. A woman named Regina informed Jack that the helicopter never returned. Desmond's fate, along with Frank and Sayid, was unclear at this point in time ("Eggtown").

While flying to the freighter, Desmond admired his picture of him and Penny. When flying towards the thunderstorm, Desmond experienced a "time shift," causing him to jump between 1996 and 2004; in Desmond's mind, the events of 1996 were real, and the events of 2004 were a hallucination. Desmond returned from the second shift, confused and wanting to get out of the helicopter. Sayid restrained him, and after they landed on the freighter, the confused Desmond panicked, stating that he did not recognize Sayid nor anyone else. Keamy and Omar took Desmond to the sickbay so the doctor could look at him.

Desmond speaks with Penny from aboard the Kahana. ("The Constant")

While at the sickbay, he met Minkowski, who was strapped to a bed. He said that "it" was happening to him as well. After injecting Minkowski with a sedative, the doctor examined Desmond. He then shifted back to 1996. When he returned, Frank and Sayid came into the sickbay with Faraday on the phone. Daniel asked Desmond where he should be. Desmond said 1996 in the UK. Daniel told him to find him in Oxford. He told him some numbers so the past Daniel could belive him and that he should say he knows about Eloise. After returning, Keamy took the phone from him and he, Frank, and Omar left the sickbay, locking Sayid and Desmond inside with Minkowski. After returning from another shift, Sayid said Desmond's name and Minkowski recognized it. He said that the freighter had been getting calls from Penny.

Determined to call her so he could stop the time-shifting and his inevitable death, Desmond left the sick bay with the help of an unknown person and went to the communication room with Sayid and Minkowski. There, Minkowski shifted again; when he returned, he died. With Penny's number and the radio fixed, Sayid called and Desmond talked to Penny. She said that she had been looking for him for the past three years. They exchanged their love and vowed that they would find one another before the battery died. Desmond, having found his constant, told Sayid that he was "perfect" now. ("The Constant")

Desmond in the Kahana engine room with Michael and Sayid. ("Meet Kevin Johnson")

Afterward, Desmond was confined to the sick bay with Sayid. Frank claimed that they were imprisoned there because the Captain was angry at them for "busting out" of the sick bay and communicating with Penny. Later, Ray released Desmond and Sayid from the sick bay and took them to meet Gault, the captain of the freighter. Gault showed Desmond and Sayid the black box of a plane that was apparently Oceanic Flight 815, and insinuated that Ben was responsible for staging the crash of Flight 815 deep in an ocean trench. After the meeting with Gault, Ray lead Desmond and Sayid to their new room; there, they encountered Michael, who was using the alias "Kevin Johnson". It was unclear whether Desmond recognized Michael (they'd had no scenes together, but could have met briefly before), but like Sayid, he introduced himself as though they were strangers. ("Ji Yeon")

Later, Desmond looked on as Sayid interrogated Michael, and he did not prevent Sayid from blowing Michael's cover in front of Captain Gault. ("Meet Kevin Johnson")

After Frank returned from the island with the mercanary group, Sayid was briefly interrogated by Martin Keamy, and Desmond looked on, not offering any support to Sayid, although when the captain noticed that Keamy was acting up (possible "Cabin Fever" he reffered to earlier) he did not disagree that it was time to get the people on the beach rescued as soon as possible.

After Gault stalled and got the ships tender ready for the two, Desmond got a blank look in his eyes (unclear at this point in time of it was a flash or not) before he told Sayid that he refused to return to the island, and watched on yet again as Sayid took off towards the island.

Later that night, Desmond watched as Frank and Gault tried to convince Keamy not to head back to the island from a safe area on a set of stairs.He saw the helicopter take off for a third time, fleeing from his position on the stairs. ("Cabin Fever")

Desmond and Penelope reunite. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")

After Faraday began to ferry survivors over to the freighter, Desmond helped Sun onto the boat and asked if everything was okay. She said it was fine, and he left her and Jin alone with Michael. He ran into a control room where he told a mechanic named Hendricks that the engines should be working and reminded him to follow a bearing of 305. Suddenly, a radar in the control room was not working. Hendricks told Desmond that he would not continue any further unless the radar works. Desmond ran into the room and noticed it was filled with C4 and screamed for Michael, who was catching up with Sun and Jin. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 1")

Using his army knowledge, Desmond attempted to disarm the C4, only to find it booby trapped at every possible angle. Michael forced him to go save himself as the warning signal went on and Desmond fled the freighter on the helicopter. It was in the air that he witnessed the explosion of the Kahana, as well as the disappearance of the island. The helicopter later crashed into the Ocean and Desmond was pulled aboard a lifeboat along with the Oceanic Six and Frank. Unconscious and not breathing, Jack performed CPR on him until he awoke.

Early on the morning of December 31, 2004, the lifeboat was discovered by the Searcher, which was commissioned by Penelope Widmore. On the deck of the ship, Desmond was finally reunited with his long lost love. One week later as the Oceanic Six were preparing to embark for Sumba, Desmond elected to stay behind with Penny on the boat. Jack warned him to not "let them find you", and told him that he'd see him in another life before departing. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")

Season 5

After the Island was moved by Ben, the remaining survivors on the Island became unstuck in time. When the survivors ended up in a time period before they had opened the Hatch, Daniel knocked on the Hatch door. Desmond, wearing a HAZMAT suit and wielding a rifle, answered. Desmond did not know who Daniel was, and demanded answers. Daniel told Desmond that he was uniquely special, and that he was the only one who could save them. Daniel also instructed Desmond to seek out his mother at Oxford after he was rescued. Desmond then awoke in bed with Penny three years after being rescued. He claimed he was back on the Island, and Penny relayed it as a bad dream. Desmond then went above board on the Searcher and prepared the boat for sailing. When Penny asked him where they were going, Desmond replied, "Oxford." ("Because You Left")

Trivia

• David Hume (1711-1776) was an 18th-century Scottish philosopher, economist and historian, and an early advocate of determinism. ("The Constant-Enhanced")
• Desmond was the twentieth character to ever have a flashback.
• Desmond's episode count as of "The Lie" is 30.
• According to their stories, Juliet and Desmond arived on the island around the same time. (Around 2001)
• Desmond has never met Walt, Boone, Shannon, Ana Lucia and Miles. However, he has met the rest of the main characters.
  • Desmond briefly met Ben at the cockpit of Oceanic Flight 815.
  • Desmond briefly met Daniel and Charlotte off-screen before flying to the freighter.
  • Desmond has never met Libby on-island, they met in LA three years prior to the crash.
• In order to purchase a boat for the race, Desmond needed $42,000 (Numbers)
• On their first encounter, Desmond and Jack parted with Desmond saying "See you in another life, yeah?" ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")  ("Orientation") As Jack and Desmond parted ways for the final time, it was Jack who said "See you in another life, Brother." ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")
• The record Desmond put on before he heard the explosion from the blowing open of the Hatch is "Make Your Own Kind of Music". ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")
• The performance of Oasis's single "Wonderwall" places the known start of Desmond's timeline no earlier than 2 October 1995 when "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?", the album containing the song was commercially released. The song contains the lyrics "because, maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me"; Desmond saved Charlie's life repeatedly before Charlie finally sacrificed himself in "Through the Looking Glass, Part 1".
• According to the producers, in Desmond's original timeline prior to his consciousness's travel back to 1996, he did not get hit with the bat, and might possibly have had a different origin for the photograph. (Official Lost Podcast/February 20, 2007)
• Desmond is a fan of Celtic football club. Immediately before Desmond was caught drinking by Brother Campbell, he was singing the Celtic song, "It's A Grand Old Team". His ex-fiancée remarked that his only religious experience during the six years they dated was Celtic winning the Scottish Cup. ("Catch-22") Celtic are traditionally associated with Scottish and Irish Roman Catholics, while Protestants support their arch-rivals, Rangers.
• A noteworthy game in which Graybridge came back from two goals down in the final two minutes of the game to win helped trigger Desmond's memories of the future during his trip to the past. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")
• Desmond's address was shown on an envelope in "Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1". The town he lived in, Halstead, exists, though the street does not, and the post code, which began with CO8, does not correspond with Halstead, the post code for which begins with CO9.
• The creation of Desmond's character may have been influenced by the Grateful Dead song "Terrapin Station" (lyrics). In the song a storyteller tells of a sailor who loved a woman in Carlisle many years ago. A lady in the song throws her fan into a Lion's Den and challenges the sailor and a soldier to retrieve the fan. The sailor tries to get it back but the soldier decides against it. The sailor emerges from the lion's den and the lady leaps at him. Parallels can be found in Desmond and Penny's story (their first meeting results in a trip to Carlisle; Desmond is Penny's rejected soldier and her sought after sailor).
• An alternate ending scene for the Season 4 finale was shot featuring Desmond in the coffin to detract spoilers from leaking.
• Desmond was the man who caused the survivors to be stranded ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1"), but he was also the man who caused the survivors to be rescued by calling Penny. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")

Unanswered questions

Unanswered questions
Do not answer the questions here. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer. More details...

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Desmond Hume/Theories

• What happened to Desmond's father that meant he had to leave University before graduation to take care of his brothers? ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")
• Why was he dishonorably discharged from the British Army Royal Scots regiment? ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")
• Why was Desmond naked when he woke up in the jungle after turning the key? ("Further Instructions") ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")
• What causes Desmond's visions of the future? ("Flashes Before Your Eyes") ("Par Avion") ("Catch-22") ("Greatest Hits")
• Where did he and Penny go after dropping off the Oceanic 6? ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")
• Did Desmond lie to Charlie about Claire boarding the helicopter? ("Greatest Hits")

See also

• Our Mutual Friend
• Desmond's flashes
• Desmond's photo
• Desmond's letters
• Elizabeth - his sailboat
• Log printout
• The discharge
• Tracking station