The Constant
"The Constant" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American Broadcasting Company's (ABC) serial drama television series Lost, and the 77th episode overall. It was broadcast on February 28, 2008, on ABC in the United States and on CTV in Canada. It was written by executive producer Carlton Cuse and co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof and directed by executive producer Jack Bender. "The Constant" was watched by 15 million American viewers and is widely regarded as Lost's best episode and one of the best episodes of television produced in the 21st century. It was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, a Directors Guild of America Award, and a Hugo Award.
| "The Constant" | |
|---|---|
| Lost episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 5 |
| Directed by | Jack Bender |
| Written by | Carlton Cuse Damon Lindelof |
| Production code | 405 |
| Original air date | February 28, 2008 |
| Running time | 43 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| Jeff Fahey as Frank Lapidus Alan Dale as Charles Widmore Sonya Walger as Penny Widmore Graham McTavish as Sergeant Darren Keefe as Billy Edward Conery as Auctioneer Fisher Stevens as George Minkowski Kevin Durand as Martin Keamy Anthony Azizi as Omar Marc Vann as Dr. Ray Chris Gibbon as Soldier | |
In the episode, Desmond Hume (played by Henry Ian Cusick) and Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews) are being flown by Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey) to the freighter where Lapidus' mission is set. After going through turbulence, Desmond's consciousness unexpectedly travels through time between 1996 and 2004. The helicopter reaches the freighter and Sayid and Desmond are introduced to communications officer George Minkowski (Fisher Stevens), who is "unstuck in time" like Desmond. The writers took twice the time expected to develop the episode's script; the biggest concern was the avoidance of a temporal paradox when dealing with time travel.