Complete Episode Guide: Episode 4x5, The Constant Guide
Audio Recap: The Constant Audio
In this episode, Desmond jumps back and forth between 1996 and 2004. I've used bold to signify 1996.
Frank , Sayid, and Desmond are in the helicopter, heading for the freighter. Desmond looks at the copy of the picture of he and Penny. He smiles.
Frank looks at a piece of paper taped to a console and messes with the instruments. Sayid asks what the paper is and Frank looks at it again. It shows North, South, East, and West and says 40 miles N @ 305 degrees. 7 K East. Below that is a crude drawing of a boat, and an arrow. "It's a cheat sheet Faraday drew for me," Frank says.
"You don't know where your boat is?" Sayid says.
"I know where it is," Frank says. He is heading on a bearing of 305 degrees. They are flying towards black clouds.
"Why are you flying directly into the thunderhead?" Sayid asks.
"Why don't you just sit back and let me do my job, huh?"
Desmond is still looking at the picture and Sayid says, "Is that Penelope?" Desmond nods and Sayid says, "She told Charlie she didn't know about this boat, correct?"
"Aye."
"What do you expect to find when you get there?"
"Answers."
They hit some very rough weather and Frank struggles to keep the bearing of 305 degrees. "Hold on!" he says.
Desmond grabs his seat. Desmond is grabbing the side of a bed. The lights go on and Desmond is younger. A man yells, "On your sodding feet! Move, move, move!" Desmond is in the army with other men who stand at the end of their beds. "What are you waiting for, Hume?"
Desmond stands at the end of his bed. The sergeant walks over to him and says, "What's the matter, Hume? Did you not hear me?"
"I'm sorry, sir. I was having a dream, sir."
"You were having a dream, were ya? And what were you dreaming about that it took you so sodding long to get to your mark?"
"I was in a helicopter, sir. And there was a storm, sir. And I don't remember the rest, sir."
"At least it was a bloody military dream. All of you, in the yard, four minutes, and you can thank Private Hume for having to do it in double time. Move!"
In the yard, the men do push ups, then sit ups in the rain. The man next to Desmond says, "I hope your dream was worth it, mate."
Desmond says, "Sorry, pal, I've never had a dream that was so vivid. It was like I was actually there."
The sergeant yells, "You got something to say, Hume? I asked you a question!"
On the helicopter, Desmond looks terrified.
"We're almost through it," Frank says. "I see daylight."
Desmond unbuckles and Sayid asks what he's doing. "Desmond, are you alright?"
"Who are you?" Desmond says. "How do you know my name?"
Perception of Time
Daniel pours a mug of water and hands it to Charlotte. Juliet and Jack both look really stressed. "Alright," Jack says, "they took off a day ago. Why haven't we heard from them?""I'm going to tell you again," Charlotte says, "as I've been telling you all night, doctor, I don't know! You heard the same thing as I did when I called the boat. What makes you think I know anything?"
"Because you're not worried," Juliet says.
"Excuse me?" Charlotte says.
"Your boat's 30 miles off the coast," Juliet says. "It should have taken them, what, 20 minutes to get there? So why aren't you worried?"
"Should I wring my hands together and whisper a prayer on their behalf?"
"Hey, hey, hey," Daniel says, "come on. Maybe we should just, just, just tell them?"
"Tell us what?" Jack says.
"Dan," Charlotte says, obviously upset with him, "let's not confuse anyone."
"Well, Daniel," Juliet says, "maybe if you talk real slow, we'll be able to follow."
"Your perception of how long your friends have been gone, it's not necessarily how long they've actually been gone."
"What does that mean?" Jack asks.
"This is a mistake," Charlotte says.
"It'll be fine, it'll be fine," Daniel says. "As long as Frank flew on the bearings that I gave him, it'll be fine."
"And what if he didn't?" Jack asks.
"Then there might be side effects."
Side Effects
Sayid yells at Desmond to sit down and Frank asks what's going on."There's something wrong with Desmond," Sayid says.
Frank yells, "Keep him away from the stick. We'll be there in two minutes."
Desmond calms a bit as Frank lands the helicopter on the freighter. Desmond looks at the picture.
A man runs over and asks Frank, "What are you doing back? Who are they?"