"The End" of LOST - Desmond

What do I have to say about Desmond Hume of LOST. He's played by Henry Ian Cusick and he's probably one of the most beloved characters from the entirety of the series. He's certainly one of my favorite characters. He was introduced at the outset of the oft unfairly maligned 2nd season of LOST. 4 major things were introduced in the second season, Desmond, The Others, and the Dharma Initiative, and the Taillies. The Tailies aka the passengers from the tail end of Oceanic 815 were also introduced but only one of the characters from the tail remained alive until the end of the series, Bernard. Desmond is the man that is in the Swan Station aka the Hatch. He apparently met Jack Shephard, the main hero of LOST, before the island. Desmond is also responsible for bringing the Oceanic 815 flight to the Island through not pushing the button in the Hatch. Desmond's introduction also introduces the concept of the Dharma Initiative. The Dharma Initiative is a mysterious group that seems to have been conducting research on the island in the 1970s. Some of the main protagonists of LOST even join this group in Season 5 through the device of uncontrollable time travel. The mythology of the Island was always heavily associated with Desmond. Desmond's eventual Father-in-law Charles Widmore is even eventually revealed to have been a former leader of the Others. The love of Desmond's life is Penelope "Penny" Widmore. She is estranged from her father because he doesn't approve of her relationship with Desmond.

Desmond and Penny's love story is probably the most effectively executed love story amongst several in LOST. Penny's disapproving Father, Charles Widmore regularly blocks their happiness throughout much of the series. He's a wealthy businessman that is revealed to have past ties the Others, a group that is seemingly native to the island. Desmond enters a sailing race around the world to prove his worthiness of Penny to her father. It's during this race that he crashes onto the island. He is duped into replacing a man named Kelvin, who lives in the Hatch, inputting the infamous numbers " 4 8 15 16 23 42" into an old school computer. Pressing the button limits a destructive amount of electromagnetism from being released out. This electromagnetism is likely one and the same as the electromagnetic "heart of the island" revealed in the just concluded season 6. Desmond develops the ability of premonition in Season 3 of the show and attempts throughout this season to stop the death of Charlie Pace. However, Charlie's death at the end of Season 3 allows Desmond to reconnect with Penny despite their distance in physical space and time. The boat that arrives in Season 4 contains a few characters that interact heavily with Desmond. Perhaps the definitive Desmond episode of the entire series is called "The Constant". This episode explains the odd difference in space and time between the outside world and the island. In season 4, Desmond also develops the ability to interact with his past and present simultaneously albeit with some consequences. The concept of time travel is introduced in this episode quite effectively. More importantly, it really develops the relationship between Desmond and Penny. This episode really showcases the fact that Desmond and Penny must be together. The past that Desmond interacts with in this episode is 1994. It's a point where Desmond and Penny's relationship is seemingly beyond repair. However, Desmond can't let her go. He tracks her down, they fight a little, then he asks for her phone number. Penny doesn't want to give him her number. She eventually relents because Desmond says that he'll leave if she gives him the number. He argues that she can't change her number. He dramatically says that he won't call for 8 years. She's convinced. They finally have that phone call towards the end of "The Constant" and it's probably the most touching, romantic moment of any TV series or film that I've ever seen. The scene is filled with tears of unbelievable joy from Desmond and Penny. Desmond's main ambition is to be with Penny despite everything working against them. The fact that he does reconnect with her is just icing on the cake. Desmond's abilities make him central to the mythology of the island on LOST but the reason he's such a beloved character is because of his ambition to do whatever it takes to reconnect with the love of his life Penny.

Basically Desmond's storylines helped expand the mythology surrounding the island while also expanding the details of his own personal life.

I've spewed out a lot of text but I'm not doing this great character justice. Go watch LOST everyone and love the incredible storyline of Desmond Hume. That's Desmond & Penny reconnecting in "The Constant" up top in the pic :-D