Desmond Hume and Penelope Hume - Season Five

We didn't see much of Desmond and Penny this season, though we were rewarded with something rarely seen in the middle of the series with a couple as important as the Humes: we saw them happy, healthy, and functioning as a couple.

After dropping off the Oceanic Six, the Humes essentially dropped off the face of the earth, traveling the seas on Our Mutual Friend. At some point, they married, and we were more or less present at the birth of their son, Charlie. It was hard not to be happy when thinking about Desmond and Penny.

The action started when Desmond woke up from a dream, a dream that he believed to be true. He had been on the Island, pressing the button every 108 minutes, when he heard a long banging on the hatch. He confronted the intruder, who was Daniel Faraday. Faraday realized that for Desmond "the rules" didn't apply, so even though Daniel and Desmond had not met at that time, Daniel knew he could communicate with him. So he asked Desmond to find his mother, but flashed away before he could tell her name.

Penny took it better than most TV wives would. She questioned him, brought up all the logical reasons why his dream was just a dream, but then supported him in his decision. All she asked was a promise that he wouldn't return to the Island. Desmond's reply: "Why in God's name would I ever go back there?" Oh, Desmond, have you ever heard of famous last words?

While trying to find Daniel's mother, Desmond has an opportunity to confront Widmore, Penny's father. What a different confrontation than the last time they met! This time, Desmond had all the power, and Widmore had none. Desmond demanded all the answers, and refused to answer any of Widmore's understandable questions (like, where's my daughter?). Go, Desmond. You're the man.

One of the quickest trips to LA by boat later, Desmond finds Ben, Sun, and Jack at the same church as Faraday's mother. He gets to surprise Ben with a simple question, "Are you looking for Faraday's mother, too?" Guess from Ben's expression he had no clue Eloise Hawking was Faraday's mother.

But Desmond was next to be shocked, when a face from his past turned out to be Faraday's mother. Desmond had never learned her name, but the woman who told Desmond he had to go back to the Island, and that he couldn't propose to Penny, and that he could do nothing to prevent Charlie Pace from dying. Desmond couldn't believe that Jack and Sun were even thinking about returning to the Island. He delivered his message, told Hawking what he thought of her, and left.

But we knew two things - one, the Island isn't done with Desmond and two, Ben wanted revenge for Alex's death. The first thing will presumably occur in the final season, but we saw Ben's attempt at killing Penny. Despite her protests that she had nothing to do with her father anymore, Ben was ready to kill her, until Charlie called her. And Penny was saved - Ben can't kill women with children. Then, despite a gunshot wound from Ben, Desmond managed to beat Ben and throw him into the harbor.

We last saw Desmond and Penny in the hospital after he had emergency surgery to treat his gunshot wound. Responding to Penny's fear, Desmond says, "I promised you, Penny. I promised you - I'd never leave you again." Wow, doesn't Desmond know all the right things to say?

The Actress

Sonya Walger is starring in a new series, FlashForward, on ABC, as Dr. Olivia Benford. Her character's story lines, for the most part, are among the most watchable of the series (my dissatisfaction with FlashForward is well-documented here). The actress also married Davey Holmes, a screenwriter who has written for Pushing Daisies, In Treatment, and Damages, among others. Congratulations Ms. Walger!

The Actor

Henry Ian Cusick, on the other hand, has not had as good a year as his on-screen wife. Chelsea Stone, a former ABC production worker, filed a lawsuit in April alleging that Cusick, the man who once played Jesus, sexually harrassed her by placing his hand on her buttocks, putting his face on her breasts, and kissing her. She further alleges that she notified the appropriate management who, instead of protecting her from Cusick's unwanted behaviors, instead took measures to continue her interaction with him. Stone was shortly thereafter fired. I must say, it was rather hard to watch Desmond after news of the lawsuit hit the press.

In more pleasant news, Cusick also played Charles Darwin on PBS' Nova.