Desmond Hume
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| Desmond Hume | |
 Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond Hume |
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| First appearance | "Man of Science, Man of Faith" |
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| Centric episode(s) |
"Live Together, Die Alone" "Flashes Before Your Eyes" "Catch-22" "The Constant" |
| Information | |
| Name | Desmond David Hume |
| Portrayed by | Henry Ian Cusick |
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 David Hume, the famous empiricist author and philosopher. Desmond was not a passenger of Flight 815. He had been stranded on the island three years prior to the crash as the result of a shipwreck.
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[edit] Fictional character biography
[edit] Before shipwrecking
Desmond attended a university, but failed to graduate due to his support being needed by his three brothers when their father left them. He also worked as a set designer for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Desmond was engaged to a woman named Ruth for six years. One week before the wedding, Desmond got cold feet and passed out due to binge-drinking. He woke up to find a monk named Brother Campbell, and Desmond decided to join the monastery, feeling a higher calling. While labeling wine bottles one day, Desmond was assaulted by Ruth's brother, prompting him to pay her a visit. He explained to her about his higher calling, but she angrily called him a coward for jilting her. That night, Desmond broke into the wine cellar and started drinking when he was dismissed by Brother Campbell, who had some connection to the mysterious older woman Desmond encountered during his trip back in time. He offered him to catch a ride into town with Penny, who delivered the wine for them in Carlisle. Two years after meeting, the two decide to move into an apartment together.
Desmond visited Penny's father Charles to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. While appreciative of the bold gesture, Charles made clear his disapproval of Desmond, saying he was not good enough for her. After meeting and conversing with Mrs. Hawking; who tried to correct his timeline; Desmond realized this when he was unable to pay for a photograph, and broke up with Penny. In an attempt to prove himself to Charles, Desmond joined the Royal Scots Regiment of the British Army.
While in training, he reverted to the future at the island and was completely confused. After a brief period with Sayid, he went back to the past. He traveled through time a few more times, understanding more and more about his situation with the help of Faraday during a two-day leave he had from his military service. Faraday explained to Desmond that he must have an anchor, or constant, something that is familiar in both 1996 and 2004, and he must make contact with this constant in the future to stop the jumping back and forth between time. If he can't, Faraday told Desmond that he would probably experience a brain aneurism and die. Desmond then made contact with Penny and asked for her phone number so he could call her in the future. She was reluctant to give him the number, but he promised he wouldn't call for eight years - until December 24, 2004. She relented, gave him the number, and then Desmond left.
At some point between 1996 and 2000, Desmond was put in prison. The reason for this is still unknown.
Following his release from prison, Desmond was dishonorably discharged and given his belongings, one of which was the book Our Mutual Friend. Outside the prison, Desmond was greeted by Charles, who admited to confiscating all the letters Desmond wrote to Penny, and bribed him off to leave her alone. Desmond traveled to America, where he met Libby (We find out in their conversation that Desmond did not accept the money from Widmore). She gave him her boat when he revealed his plan to win a boating race, funded by Charles Widmore.
Before setting off, Desmond went to train at a stadium in Los Angeles; where he was confronted by Penny. She was upset that he had not contacted her after getting out of prison. He asked her to wait for him for one more year, when the race would have ended. He encountered Jack at the stadium and offered him some encouragement before resuming his training. After he entered the race, his boat (the Elizabeth) was caught in a ferocious storm, and he was eventually knocked unconscious.
[edit] Prior to the crash
Sometime in 2001 (The show is set in 2004, and Desmond has said that he's been stranded on the island for three years), Desmond washed ashore on the island without his boat. A man named Kelvin Joe Inman emerged from the jungle in a HAZMAT suit and took him back to the hatch. He asked if Desmond was "him" and was upset when he realized that he was not. Desmond watched as Kelvin input the numbers into a computer. When Desmond asked, "What was all that about?" Kelvin responded, "Just saving the world." He told Desmond to inoculate himself with an unnamed vaccine every nine days, since he was out in the "quarantined" island, and might be infected.
Kelvin trained Desmond concerning the operations of the hatch, including the button (which he explained safely discharged an unusually strong magnetic fluctuation situated beneath them) and ways to trigger a lockdown. Desmond also witnessed Kelvin painting the blacklight picture on the bulkhead doors, which was started by Kelvin's old partner, Radzinsky. Desmond asked what happened to Radzinsky and Kelvin pointed to a stain on the ceiling, explaining it is all that is left of Radzinsky, as that was the spot where he took his own life.
Three years pass, and Desmond desperately wanted to go above ground, but Kelvin never allowed it, although he himself left for hours each day in his HAZMAT suit.
Desmond caught Kelvin drunk one night in a secret crawlspace below the floor, dangling a key above a fail-safe mechanism. Kelvin explained that if the fail-safe mechanism was activated, the hatch would be destroyed, destroying the electromagnetic anomaly with it.
When Kelvin left one day, Desmond noticed that Kelvin's HAZMAT suit had a tear on its leg. He followed Kelvin above ground, where he discovered Kelvin removing the suit and finding the air was safe to breathe. Desmond followed Kelvin to a cove, where he saw his sailboat in perfect shape. Kelvin had been leaving the hatch to fix the boat a little each day, planning to escape the island and leave Desmond behind. Kelvin startled Desmond and told him that he knew he was being followed, and then invited Desmond to escape with him, but Desmond was worried about the button. After Kelvin expressed his doubts about the validity of the button, Desmond became enraged that he may have spent three years of his life on the island unnecessarily and attacked Kelvin. They struggled, and Desmond accidentally smashed Kelvin's head on a rock, killing him. Desmond took the key for the fail-safe mechanism from around Kelvin's neck and raced back to the hatch, where the timer had already reached zero and the computer was registering a system failure. A massive electromagnetic field built up, attracting all metal objects to the sealed door inside the hatch, including Oceanic Flight 815. Desmond managed to stop it by inputting the code, which safely dispersed the electromagnetic field.
[edit] After the crash
[edit] Season 2
For forty-one days, Desmond lingers in the hatch. He gradually falls into a deep depression to the point of even contemplating his own suicide. As he opens up Our Mutual Friend, it being the last book he plans to read, he finds a note that Penny had hidden inside, telling him not to despair, as well as reminding him that she will always wait for him and that she loves him. Even more depressed now, he goes into a rage and makes a mess out of the hatch. As he collapses, Desmond then hears someone shouting from the top of the hatch. Unknown to Desmond, it is Locke asking the hatch for help after Boone's fatal plane injury. When Desmond turns on a light to see who it is, Locke, thinking his prayers have been answered, quiets down. Desmond, similarly, considers the voice to be a sign that he is no longer alone, and regains hope.
When Locke, Kate and Jack enter the hatch, they accidentally damage the computer after a brief firefight with a panicked Desmond. Convinced that the world is going to end, he tries to fix the computer, but was unable to. Desmond frantically flees the hatch. Jack catches up with him; Desmond tells him the code, and to enter it every 108 minutes. He then recognizes Jack from their encounter at the stadium, and he asks him about the patient he had mentioned operating on. Desmond leaves saying, "See you in another life, brother?" as he had in their first encounter. Although it was not shown exactly how, Desmond manages his way back to the Elizabeth and attempts to sail to Fiji. However, his plans go awry.
A drunken Desmond returns in his boat, having been unable to navigate away from the island, making him compare it and its waters to "a bloody snow globe." Later he is confronted by Locke who tells him of the station 5 (The Pearl) orientation film he and Eko saw, and Desmond begins to lose his faith in the button. While Desmond wavers back and forth with his conviction on the button, he and Locke trigger another lockdown, trapping Mr. Eko outside the computer room, and they wait for the countdown to hit zero, to see what will happen. Eko uses dynamite from the Black Rock to attempt to get back into the computer room, but he fails.
As the countdown reaches zero, Locke shows the printout he obtained from The Pearl. Desmond realizes that the date of the prior "system failure" was the same day as the plane crash, September 22, 2004. Desmond believes that his failure to push the button that day resulted in an electromagnetic field that pulled down Oceanic Flight 815. He is insistent that the button must be pressed, but Locke angrily reacts by destroying the computer. Desmond retrieves the key to the fail-safe mechanism, wanting to save Locke because Locke saved him the night he shouted at the hatch door. As Desmond uses the key, a bright white light envelops his face.
[edit] Season 3
Upon turning the key, Desmond is sent back to 1996, where he relives the moments leading to his leaving Penny. He remembers the island only after seeing Charlie busking in the streets. He is told by a woman, Mrs. Hawking, that it is his destiny to be on the island. When Desmond snaps back to the present, he finds himself amidst the hatch's scattered remains, completely naked. Hurley clothes him, and Desmond tells him of Locke's speech, which is yet to occur. Upon returning to the beach, he then asks Claire to leave her shelter for the day. When she refuses, Desmond constructs a lightning rod, diverting the ensuing lightning to strike it instead of her shelter. Desmond accompanies Locke, Sayid, Nikki and Paulo to the Pearl station, where they witness a live surveillance from inside the Flame station. He leaves, moments before Eko's death. After his burial, Desmond informs Charlie and Hurley in the jungle, but leaves suddenly to rescue a drowning Claire in the ocean. In an attempt to question his clairvoyant gift, Charlie and Hurley get him drunk, but Desmond retaliates before being interrogated. He later informs Charlie of his impending death.
Desmond constantly reminds the two that he cannot simply experience visions by will, particularly when Charlie wishes to know about his demise, and also when Hurley asks him to help in the investigation of the apparent deaths of Nikki and Paulo. He does, however, inform Hurley of an argument between Nikki and Sawyer earlier that morning. The next morning, Desmond experiences more visions, and asks Charlie, Hurley and Jin to accompany him on a hike to the cable in the sand. That night, the four witness a passing helicopter, and its pilot bailing at the last minute. They trek inland, discovering various belongings of the pilot, including the photograph that Desmond and Penny took together, prompting him to believe that the pilot is actually his former fiancée. Desmond rescues Charlie from a foreseen death, which he failed to mention earlier. The four eventually find the parachutist suspended from a tree. Desmond cuts her down and removes her helmet. However, he is disappointed to find that it isn't Penny after all. She coughs out his name before passing out. When Mikhail arrives, Desmond bargains with him to help her in exchange for his freedom, having captured him. He agrees, and manages to tend to her. The four return her to the beach soon after.
Desmond suggests informing someone about Naomi's arrival, and approves of Charlie's decision to tell Sayid over Jack. He tells Sayid about Naomi's mission to find him for Penny. The next day, as Jack and Juliet lead the camp into the jungle, Desmond experiences more visions of Charlie's death, but will ensure the rescue of Claire. He tells Charlie, prompting him to sign up for entering the Looking Glass station. Desmond accompanies him, and follows the cable into the ocean. Desmond offers to take his place, thinking that he is supposed to be dying in Charlie's place, but is knocked out by Charlie. Desmond comes to, only for Mikhail to shoot at him. Desmond swims down to the station and hides in a locker. He shoots Mikhail after he kills the two resident Others, but is confused when he is unable to find his body minutes later. Charlie makes contact with Penny, and informs Desmond, but before he can enter the room, Charlie realising they would both die as he is already fated to, locks him out. Desmond watches helplessly as Mikhail blows open the window, causing Charlie to eventually drown. Moments before drowning, Charlie writes on his hand with a marker informing Desmond that the boat is not Penny's.
[edit] Season 4
Desmond makes his way back to the beach, where he warns the survivors there that the people on Naomi's boat are not who they say they are. When Hurley asks about Charlie, Desmond remorsefully breaks the news to him about Charlie's death. Despite his clear mistrust in the people on the boat, Desmond chooses to remain with Jack instead of going to the Barracks with Locke; his reasons are to find answers. After questioning Frank about Naomi's picture of Penny, Desmond departs from the island to go to the freighter with Sayid and a dead Naomi.
As the helicopter that Desmond and Sayid are being transported on flies through a storm, Desmond begins having "perceptions" of another reality of himself. This reality shows Desmond ranked as a private in the British Army's Royal Scots Regiment. He begins flashing back and forth between these realities, and the shifting causes Desmond to lose all memories of the Island and Sayid, who is accompanying him on the helicopter. It is further revealed that the shifting perceptions that Desmond is experiencing are actually a form of time travel. Desmond speaks to Daniel Faraday who tells him when he reverts to the memory of him in 1996, he must go to Oxford University and find the past Faraday. Faraday was working on a time machine.
Desmond is also told that he must find a constant, something or someone that is the same in both 1996 and 2004 that he can use as a reference point. He uses Penelope as a 'constant' from the past and future. Desmond realizes that in order to save his life he must make contact with Penny on Christmas Eve 2004, which is the date back on the freighter, in order to stop the time dilation. In 1996, he manages to find an angry Penny who does not want to see him and asks her to pick up the phone on Christmas Eve 2004. When he reverts to the present, he makes the call with the help of Sayid. She answers the phone and tearfully tells him she has been searching for him and knows about the island, and that she loves him. It is also revealed that Daniel Faraday had noted in his journal that, if anything went wrong, Desmond would be his constant.
With Desmond's situation resolved, he and Sayid meet Captain Gault only moments after witnessing a female crew-member, Regina, commit suicide by jumping off the side of the freighter with a chain wrapped around her body. The captain theorizes that his crew has been suffering from cabin fever due to the close proximity of the island and would turn the ship around if it weren't for a mysterious saboteur disabling the engines. Gault tells Desmond, much to his surprise, that Widmore owns the freighter and is trying to track down Benjamin Linus. When being escorted to their new room, Desmond and Sayid see Michael on the ship, working as a janitor and using the alias, "Kevin Johnson".
Desmond and Sayid later confront Michael in the engine room where he explains to them how he came to be on the freighter. Knowing that Michael works for Ben Linus, Sayid instinctively blows his cover by taking him to Gault with Desmond.
He is finally rescued along with the Oceanic Six and Frank by the love of his life, Penny.
[edit] Philosophy
In keeping with the show's motif of naming important characters after important philosophers (e.g., John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Mikhail Bakunin), Desmond David Hume is named after the famous Scottish Enlightenment philosopher, economist, and historian David Hume. Hume's philosophy partially states that moral responsibility requires determinism, and these elements play a large role in Desmond's life. David Hume also believed that humans could not persist through time. In the 4th season Desmond begins to exist in 1996 and 2004; correlating with David Hume's theory against personal identity.
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| Production | DVD releases • Episode list • Music • Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4 |
| Main characters | Ana Lucia • Ben • Boone • Charlie • Charlotte • Claire • Daniel • Desmond • Hurley • Jack • Jin • Juliet Kate • Libby • Locke • Michael • Miles • Mr. Eko • Nikki • Paulo • Sawyer • Sayid • Shannon • Sun • Walt |
| Supporting characters | Alex • Bernard • Christian • Ethan • Rose • Rousseau • Tom |
| Groups | Dharma Initiative • Hanso Foundation • Oceanic Airlines • The Others |
| Miscellaneous | Awards • Find 815 • Lost Experience • Lost: Missing Pieces • Lost: Via Domus • Mythology |
