Preview: The Constant

Not so very long ago, I was a student in Mr. Scarborough’s AP Physics class at Lincoln Southeast High School.

Most days, I spent those 49 minutes staring out the window at the teacher’s parking lot, wondering whose idea it was that I take this class. I’d rather study history or English over science any day. It was always a challenge for me – sometimes a fun challenge, but never-the-less, a challenge. There were multiple days when I wondered if I would ever need to apply the lessons of the almighty Scarborough in a job or real-life situation.

Lucky me. Mr. Scarborough, the day has arrived. Let’s see how much I remember.

The Constant
Tonight’s Desmond-centric episode is called The Constant. As the ABC press release announces: Sayid and Desmond hit a bit of turbulence on the way to the freighter, which causes Desmond to experience some unexpected side effects.

More side effects? Man, Desmond cannot get a break. Let’s take a look back on how Desmond arrived at this place, courtesy of lostpedia.

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. After realizing Kelvin had been deceiving him, Desmond accidentally killed him by hitting his head against a rock. For forty-one days, Desmond lives alone 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 (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.

At the beginning of Season 2, when Locke, Kate and Jack enter the hatch, they accidentally damage the computer after a brief fight with a very 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, yeah 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.

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 playing the guitar in the streets (Charlie was playing Wonderwall, by Oasis…one of the lines? “Because maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me”). He is told by a woman at a jewelry store, 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.

So Desmond traveled back in time…what gives?
The idea of time travel, while never addressed in Scarborough’s AP Physics class, is a theory that has existed for quite some time. No, it was not invented by the producers of Back to the Future. Simply put, time travel is the concept of moving backwards and/or forwards to different points in time, in a manner analogous to moving through space. Some interpretations of time travel suggest the possibility of travel between parallel realities or universes. Time travel has been a common plot device in fiction since the 19th century, and one-way travel into the future is arguably possible given the phenomenon of time dilation in the theory of general relativity.

General relativity? I studied that, right?
Yeah. You did.

I don't remember much...

Me either.

Time travel…gravity…relativity…blah. I just want to watch the show, not study Einstein.

I do believe that time travel is key to understanding Lost. I stumbled upon the Wet Paint lost theories blog a few days ago and found a very interesting article that captures the scientific side of Lost, but in a way that even Birkel could understand.

Take a deep breath…and let’s begin.

Planetary "energy grid theory" operates through geometrical patterns that follow a specific symmetry linked to sacred geometry. The grids meet at various intersecting points forming a grid or matrix. This is equivalent to the acupressure points on our bodies. These grid points can be found at some of the strongest power (energy) places on the planet. These intersecting grid points are called "vile vortices," or area's of the Earth where mysterious disappearances, mechanical failures and time-space distortions were seen to occur. These lines and points, the "matrix of cosmic energy," match most of the earth's seismic fracture zones and ocean ridge lines. In addition, they match outlined worldwide atmospheric highs and lows, paths of migratory animals, gravitational anomalies, and even the sites of ancient cities.

The Bermuda Triangle is one of the "vile vortices," where the grid line's intersect. There is one near Fiji. Another one of these places is in Australia where Rose was taken by Bernard to heal her cancer.

Huh?
On September 22, 2004 Desmond left the Swan Station unmanned. He failed to enter the number sequence in time. The magnetic energy being contained by the station began building.

Oceanic Flight 815 was 1000 miles off course from its path from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles, California. The plane is suspected to be somewhere near Fiji.

The Fijian "vile vortices" or "planetary energy grid point" was affected by the building magnetic energy from the Swan Station. The energy stabilized the vortices creating a wormhole. Flight 815 violently passed through the wormhole and was expelled on to The Island, in a parallel dimension.

This parallel dimension has it's own set of rules. The Hanso Foundation sent a group of scientists, the Dharma Initiative, to study these rules.

This Island is only accessible by those who "know" it's secrets... or by those who were in the "right" place at the "right" time (near Fiji on September 22, 2004). The Hanso Foundation knows how to control the wormhole with the Swan Station. It knows how to bring people and animals to and from the Island.

Oh…I see. So when everyone keeps mentioning a bearing of 325 degrees in order to get off the island (Ben to Michael in Season 3, Daniel to Frank last week), they are really talking about the access point…err, the wormhole?
Yes, that’s what I’m thinking.

So Ben knows about this wormhole?
He absolutely does. The Dharma Initiative lost control of The Island. Ben took control. So what happened to the Hanso Foundations involvement? I think Ben has used the wormhole to "lock" them out.

I get it! Wow, Maggie, did you score a 5 on your AP Physics exam?
I don’t want to talk about it.

Hm. That was awkward. So tonight…what should I watch for?
Well, we know that we’re going to be following Desmond tonight, since it is his episode. We’ve got Frank, Desmond, Sayid, and Naomi’s body (RIP) headed to the freighter. If the helicopter boys encounter turbulence (like the press release indictes), then I’m guessing that means Frank had trouble staying on the 325 bearing. But, we know from the previews that they reach the freighter (scenes show Desmond on board the ship), so any fatal helicopter accident is out of the question this time around. More ’96 flashes? Or does Desmond maybe loose his flash abilities?

Also, be on the look out for Minkowski, the character who answered the phone in the Season 3 finale. We haven’t met him yet (at least, we don’t think we have), but he seems to have some sort of authority on the freighter.

Speaking of the freighter people, I had an interesting conversation with a Lost fanatic a few days ago who suggested that the freighter people WE know (Daniel, Miles, Charlotte, Frank, and Naomi) really aren’t the freighter people. In other words, they were using the freighter to attain their goal…which was to get to the island. Perhaps the people on the freighter are modern day pirates, if you will, who are in no mood for this Einstein time travel island nonsense. Maybe there will be a brawl? I could see it.

Come back tomorrow to see Charlie tackle all the questions that came to your mind during the episode! It will definitely be a late night for him!

Namaste,
Maggie