Change is the only constant on the streets. Just as the good folks of inner-city Baltimore got used to Avon Barksdale calling the shots, he was sent to jail and a soulless monster named Marlo Stanfield was suddenly the most powerful drug dealer on HBO’s hit series, The Wire.

A cold-blooded killer like Stanfield has no shortage of enemies. That’s why a right-hand man like Chris Partlow is vital to protect Marlo against rivals. Partlow is a loyal assassin who does whatever it takes to guard Stanfield without ever asking why. We recently had a chance to sit down with Gbenga Akinnagbe, the talented actor who plays Partlow, to talk about life on The Wire, working with Philip Seymour Hoffman and his amateur wrestling background.

You are originally from the Washington, DC area. Where do you call home now?

New York, I’ve been here for it feels like a long time. I’m not sure exactly how many years I’ve been here. All the years blend together. I’ve been here for I think four or five years and I spend most of my time here. But I still love the DC area. Whenever I go back, I’m very appreciative of the area. But I think New York is my spot.

Did you grow up in DC?

I grew up in Montgomery County. I was born in DC. And my whole family’s from Nigeria.

How did you get into acting? How old were you when you started and how did you decide this is what you wanted to do for a living?

I started when I was 21. I used to work for the federal government and I didn’t know anything about acting, I wasn’t even all that interested in it. Then, I don’t know, I just got curious about it and I researched it, I bought some books. I went online to see what actors do. And then I started going on auditions. Even when I started going on the auditions, I wasn’t really trying to pursue it. I got cast at the Shakespeare Theatre in DC and I had to decide whether I was going to leave my good government job or stay. And I decided to leave and I’ve been acting since.

Once you made the decision, was it pretty easy to get cast or did you have a tough time getting roles?

The truth of the matter is I was really ignorant. I didn’t know it was supposed to be hard, so I just continued to get work. I didn’t know that you needed an agent or a manager, so I got work by myself. I would go to auditions. I would get people to help me, my friends, and while I was working in these plays, these professional actors would help me with other auditions. Money was tight, but I always ate. I’m not going to say it was easy, but I worked consistently.

Your first credited film role was in They’re Made Out of Meat, a short film starring Tom Noonan. The name was too great not to bring it up. What can you tell us about the film?

It was a student film that got some money and some backing and became a small indie – a 10-minute film. Yeah, that’s the first thing I did. I found that, I think, in Backstage. It’s when I was going out there and I still didn’t have representation, so I would find work wherever I could find it. I went in, I think it was the New York Film Academy, and auditioned for this Irish director, Stephen was his name, and he did the film. And in the end product, they cut out most of my stuff.

What was the film about?

It’s based off of a short science fiction story. They wrote this 10-minute film about it. These two detectives – they appear to be detectives, but you’re never quite sure – they meet in a diner and start talking about what they’re discovering. You realize they’re talking about people, human beings, and how they are appalled and amazed to find out that human beings are made out of meat – that they talk with the meat, flapping meat, and that they perspire and so on. You see everyone in the diner and so on. And that’s pretty much it. (Laughs.) It’s a 10-minute film.

Of course, you play Chris Partlow on the best show on television today, The Wire. How did you end up getting cast on the show and how was the character described to you initially?

I moved from Maryland at the time. I was in Jersey. And I would get calls from casting directors in the DC/Maryland area sometimes and they brought me down to audition for the Marlo Stanfield role. I auditioned for different roles a couple times. I was an extra on the show, I was actually even a background extra in the pilot episode. It was a long time ago. Then, after I auditioned for Marlo, they offered me Slim Charles, which I ended up taking. But then when it got closer to the film date, filming that episode conflicted with something else I was doing and I was trying to decide what I should do. And I ended up turning that role down and later on, I was kicking myself, wondering if I should have turned that down. Then the summer came and they called me up and said, “The writers and producers really like you and they have a larger role. They want to know if you’ll take it.” I said yes, and it was Chris.

That definitely worked out that you passed on Slim Charles then.

Oh absolutely. Everything happens for a reason and I was very fortunate.

What did they tell you about Chris originally? It’s an interesting character, he doesn’t give much of himself away, but the show continues to give small glimpses into another side of him besides his role as Marlo’s muscle. His frustration over being separated from his family while being on the lamb, his understanding of Michael’s problem with the abusive stepfather in season four and the strain on his relationship with Marlo this season all seem to hint that there is more to Chris than meets the eye. Was the character ever laid out for you or do you just get these little pieces from the script?

It’s a combination of both. The writing is really good, so as an actor you try to extract as much as you can from the writing. And you get hired because of your interpretation and what they think you can do with it, so they have that trust in your collaboration with it. So I’d get the script and I remember them telling me very little about the script. I remember asking them, “Give me more, give me more” because I wanted to just soak it all up and work with it and so on.

And he told me, “You were hired because of what you can do with it and now you take it and do what you can do with it.” So from the writing of the scripts and what they put into it, what came out was my interpretation.

So how do you see the character? What is your interpretation?

I think Chris is – we all have our dark side, but Chris is a dark side exaggerated and manifested. Basically, he’s a sociopath, but I don’t want to just categorize him as that, although it’s hard not to categorize someone with the label sociopath. He’s very indifferent. He could just as easily take your hand as kill you. Whereas Snoop is a psychopath, she’s got a thrill for this, she really enjoys it and so on, Chris cares for very few things in life and very few people. Among them are Marlo and Snoop, his family and so on. He’s got extreme tunnel vision. If there’s something on his plate, that’s what happens. That’s what’s being taken care of. Which makes him very good at what he does, but it doesn’t leave room for anything else in life, which he’s fine with.

Do you get along well offscreen with Felicia Pearson and Jamie Hector?

I hate them. (Laughs.) No, no, we get along great. I hang out with them. I’m doing a play in New York, Jamie, who plays Marlo, is coming out to check out the play. We’re very supportive of one another and we have a lot of fun together. It’s a good cast, on and off screen. We hang out when we can. It’s a very large cast, so we don’t get that much of an opportunity. But those of us who live in New York, we make efforts to support each other’s work and hang out, which is great.

What was it like on set with so many characters being killed of this season? Were actors paranoid about having their characters killed off?

Ha! Every season of The Wire there’s a paranoia because after Stringer Bell died, pretty much anyone can go. Stringer was a very popular character, Idris is a great actor, and if he could get killed off, then anybody could, which is great because it keeps a liveliness to the show. It keeps you very aware and in the present time both on and off set.

And also, there’s a reality to that. If you’re on the streets, it’s not like just because you’re popular, that doesn’t mean you are going to last. Only in television-land does that happen.

And if you’re doing dirt on many different sides, you’re shortening your lifespan on the street anyway. So yeah, we all felt that a stray bullet can come down any one of those alleys and take any one of us out.

Are you happy to have made it this far? Obviously, you are in jail, but it could be worse, right?

Yeah, it could be worse. But The Wire‘s the type of show that if you have a great death, a glorious death, that can be even better than living sometimes.

Speaking of character’s deaths, it certainly seemed like Chris was disappointed that he wasn’t the one who took out Omar. Were you disappointed that your character didn’t get to have that final confrontation?

Part of me was, honestly, because I was looking for it for like over two years. From the moment that Chris was put on the show, I was told there was a good chance this was where it’s heading – Chris and Omar, Chris and Omar. I went, “Okay, this could be good.” But, as far as the writing aspect of it, I thought it was fascinating that they had Kenard do it. I thought that was very interesting. So the selfish part of me wanted to be the one to blow Omar away, but the writer in me was fascinated by what they did do.

We thought you had him when he was pinned down in the apartment.

Ah! We should have had him. Don’t even tell me.

We know you won’t tell us anything, but we have to ask – what can we expect from the last episode?

Chris actually runs for mayor, he gets his law degree in prison. No, I’m just kidding. The last episode, you can expect a longer episode. With the montage and everything, we’re granted a little more time. They’re trying to fit 13 episodes worth of material in 10 and they’ve done the best job you can with that. So it’s going to be pretty interesting. I won’t give you any details.

Being a part of The Wire for so long, what was it like to see it come to an end?

It was weird. It ended like any other season doing that show. It didn’t really hit me that we weren’t coming back. It still hasn’t hit me that we aren’t coming back. But also, I was very grateful to have been a part of that show, even considering that we’re not coming back. It’s a rare occurrence to have that show on television and to have been a part of it for my first television job was a blessing. I didn’t have any regrets and I wasn’t sad at all. I was grateful.

Since it has been overlooked by the Emmys and never really received the credit it deserved, how do you think the show will be remembered?

I think it will be remembered as one of the best television shows that ever was. It’s funny because with it being neglected or ignored by the awards organizations, they kind of sealed it in history. They helped that. I know that us not getting awards and nominations helped bond us as a cast because with all that out the door, all we were left with was to be really appreciative of the work. I think, with the years, people will start to see it and pick it up and realize, if they didn’t catch it, what they missed and hopefully they’ll get into it.

It’s not an easy show to get into, to be honest. It requires a great deal from the viewers. It’s not like one of those shows you can pick up and watch and then forget about. It does haunt people. I’ve been told by many people that they couldn’t sleep after watching it, not necessarily because of the violence, but because of the ramifications of how deep what they saw affects them because of how real it is in real life.

As an actor, what is it like to film those violent scenes? Does it weigh on you emotionally to film such dark moments?

To be honest, yeah there’s residue, especially when I first started doing the show. There be a lot of negativity leftover after filming, but as I grew as an actor, I became better at coming in and out of that; being there one moment honestly and then leaving that time, especially considering the material, especially considering my role on that show. You can’t carry it with you or else you’ll go crazy.

What does the future hold for you now that The Wire is wrapped? What’s on the horizon for you?

I’m currently doing a play at the Flea Theater in Lower Manhattan called Lower Ninth. It’s about Katrina 24 hours after it hit. I have a movie out in theaters right now called The Savages with Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman and Philip Bosco. It was just nominated for two Oscars last week. And I’m about to start production on a film called The Taking of Pelham 123 with Tony Scott, Denzel and John Travolta.

In The Savages, Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman play a sister and brother, correct?

Yeah, they’re a brother and sister in a dysfunctional family and they haven’t seen their father in years. He’s actually the one that made them dysfunctional. They’re called to get him after he starts becoming demented and losing his mind. They put him in a home. I play an aid in the home that looks out for the father. All Laura’s relationships with men in the movie are kind of off and twisted until she comes and she’s visiting her father and she kind of opens up to me. Towards the end she kind of misconstrues the little camaraderie that we’re having and, you have to see it. It gets kind of funny and sad.

It was fascinating to see Philip work and Laura and to be in scenes with them. Shortly after the movie, I started working with Philip’s theater company in New York, it’s called LAByrinth Theatre Company and that was great. There are so many talented actors and writers and directors in that theater company and Phil was very kind to invite me to work with them. It’s been great working with these people.

And what can you say about The Taking of Pelham 123?

It’s a remake of a movie that was done in the 70s, a hostage film type situation. I play one of the hostages. It takes place underground in the train systems of New York. I can’t say too much about that because they haven’t released the script or too much information about it, but it’s going to be pretty exciting, especially with John Travolta and Denzel and Ridley Scott directing it of course.

How often do you get recognized and what type of response have you gotten from fans?

Every day, several times a day. People show love; they love the character, they love the show. A lot of times people say, “I love you on that show but you’ve got to die. You’re too mean.” Also, I get approached by a lot of drug dealers, I get approached by FBI agents, cops and detectives, lawyers, teachers, old, young, white, black, many different demographics. They come up to me and they tell me what they think about the show, which is great.

What do you do to unwind? What kind of hobbies do you have?

I like to run when I can. I like to wrestle. I wrestled in college and I still wrestle when I can. I haven’t wrestled in a few months because I just had shoulder surgery to repair an old wrestling injury from college. I like to wrestle, I like to read and I like to write.

How good of a wrestler were you in college?

Most outstanding wrestler my senior year.

When you say you still wrestle, where do you compete?

There are some open tournaments. Some of the collegiate tournaments are open. There are some pre-pre-qualifiers for the Olympics, some tournaments that qualify for pre-qualifiers and so on. And there are wrestling clubs around the country that sponsor tournaments. I sometimes go and wrestle in the New York Athletic Club, that’s the local one here. When I get an opportunity though, it’s not something you can just pick up, it’s not like a pickup basketball game, it’s all-encompassing. I love it, but it takes up a lot of time and body and sometimes I don’t have both to commit to it.

Have you now gotten to a point where people are recognizing you while you are competing in these tournaments?

Yeah, that’s weird. I did a tournament a few months ago and I’m wrestling and there was just all different ages, from like five to a limitless age, and there’s little kids on sides of the mat when I was wrestling in the finals and they’re yelling, “Come on, The Wire. You can do it, The Wire.” (Laughs.) It’s weird. And then my opponents wanting to take pictures afterwards. That was pretty interesting. I had never experienced that before.

What would you be doing for a living if you never got into acting?

Probably be writing or maybe still working for the government, because I liked my job, I liked what I was doing.

I worked for the Corporation for National Service, which was the headquarters of AmeriCorps and VISTA social service programs in the United States. They were doing their things and I worked in the congressional affairs department and I’m fascinated by politics and world affairs. But definitely writing, maybe I’d even be a good writer.

Tell us something most people don’t know about you.

A lot of people know that my family’s Nigerian, but more specifically, my family’s Yoruba, which is one of the larger ethnic groups there. And I speak almost none of the language, but yet I speak Spanish, which is strange.

How did that happen?

I lived in Mexico for a while. I studied abroad there and I went back a number of times and I picked it up. My Spanish is very Mexican though. Everyone keeps telling me that.

Interviewed by Joel Murphy, March 2008. The season finale of The Wire airs Sunday night on HBO. The Savages is in select theaters now. For more information on Lower Ninth or to purchase tickets, visit The Flea Theater’s website.

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Chris Kirkman

“The Constant” Recap and Analysis …

It begins like this:

Listen: My brain has come unstuck in time.

It ends like this:

thonk.

Yes. And so …

Previously, on Lost: Kate’s up on trial for counts in just about everything except kicking a dog after returning from the island and we find out, in a fun twist, that the fifth member of the Oceanic Six is – Oh, who the hell cares? Desmond is freakin’ time traveling in this episode!

Without further ado, The Constant …

NOW

We open with the famous picture of Penny and Desmond in front of the fake marina, as Desmond is daydreaming about getting back to his beloved. Des, Sayid and Frank are making their way to the freighter via the chopper. Sayid gets on the horn and wonders why Frank has to have a cheatsheet from Dan in order to find his way. Frank tells Sayid to mind his own damn Iraqi business. The trio enter a stormhead and Frank briefly deviates from the 305 heading and things get a bit hairy. Des grabs hold of his seat and

THEN

wakes up to the sound of a Scottish drill sergeant wondering what the hell Hume is waiting for. Des is suddenly back in the Scottish Regiments and getting his ass chewed out for taking too long to get up. Des is a bit confused, as are we, and he says he was just dreaming about being in a helicopter, and a storm, and he doesn’t remember. At least it was a military dream, screams the sergeant.

Des and his company are out in the rain-soaked barracks field now, working out. His friend, Billy, asks him what the hell is up with him, which gets him in trouble with the Scottish R. Lee Ermy, who starts yelling again and

NOW

Des is wide-eyed in the helicopter, now frantically unstrapping himself and wondering who the hell this Iraqi behind him is and how he knows Des’ name.

Cue the swirling Lost!

If your head was spinning as much as mine was after this week’s episode, or, hell, even after getting through this feature, then you’ll appreciate the episode-inspired drink recipe I have in store for you. Have you ever wondered what it might feel like to slip into another consciousness and wander through your own personal timeline? Barring that, have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be absolutely catatonic like Desmond and George, suddenly coming to and thinking to yourself where the hell am I and who are all these people? Well, mix yourself a few of these suckers and you’ll get to live out your dreams – if you can remember them. Now, I give you one of my favorite shooters … The Mind Eraser 1 oz. Vodka 1 oz. Kahlua (or Tia Maria if you like, it won’t matter for long) 1 oz. Soda water Get an old-fashioned or cocktail glass, put in some ice cubes. Pour in the Kahlua, then the vodka, then the soda water. Insert straw, preferably a thick one. Suck it all down at once. Repeat until it’s 1996 again. You know, back when you had a liver.

Back on the beach, Jack is not happy, as usual, and starts grilling the lovely Charlotte about why his friends aren’t on that freighter yet. She swears she doesn’t know anything, until Juliet calls her on her bullshit. You know, the only thing that could keep me from going on for half a recap about those two beauties being in a scene together is time travel. That’s right, she’s a cruel mistress that fourth dimension, but she is my first love. Ahem, anywho, Juliet informs miss Charlotte that she knows ol’ Red is full of shit because she’s not worried about the helicopter or getting back to her ship. Daniel finally just lets the cat out of the bag

“Maybe we should just tell ‘em,” says Dan.

“Dan, let’s not confuse anyone,” berates Charlotte.

“Well, Dan, maybe if you talk real slow we’ll be able to follow,” quips Juliet. Ooooh, snap.

Dan explains that the perception of how long Jack’s friends have been gone isn’t necessarily how long they’ve really been gone. Jack just kind of stands there dumbfounded as if someone finally told him that his Dad is really Santa Claus and he’s been banging his mother all these years on Christmas Eve. Things’ll be just peachy as long as Frank stays on the course Dan laid out for him. If not, though, there might be … side effects. Understatement of the show, there, Dan.

Back on the chopper, Des is going apeshit and Sayid barely keeps him from crashing the heli. Frank makes a sharp bank and suddenly there’s the infamous freighter, just waiting. They land on the back, safely, and it’s not long before Des is out of the bird and on the deck, wondering who the hell Beefy and Mr. Stocking Cap, who just came running out yelling at Frank, are supposed to be. Beefy and Cap make a move toward Desmond, but Sayid blocks the way. They just want to take Des down to sick bay for a bit, that’s all. The Doc is going to want to take a look at him. Desmond doesn’t want to go, though, because he’s not supposed to be

THEN

here. Back in the barracks yard, rain pouring, Des standing up while everyone around him continues their exercises. It’s not long before the good Sergeant is back in his face again, and he’s gotten the whole squad in trouble once again.

Billy and Des begin stacking some ammo boxes. Billy wants the story, and Desmond tells him that he’s jumping back and forth between the regiment and the island/helicopter/boat. Billy wants to know who was on the boat that he recognized. Des gets a dreamy look and then … Penny. Penny was in a photo. He has to get in touch with Penny.

Des makes his way to a phone booth and digs out some change, but is bumped by one of his pissed-off squadmates. He bends to pick up the falling change

NOW

and stumbles on the deck of the freighter. Beefy and Cap take Desmond below decks and they introduce themselves – Keamy and Omar. They’re from Vegas and Florida, respectively. As for where they are … well, the last port was Fiji, so they know they’re at least in the Pacific somewhere. Very mysterious. They lead Des into the sick bay and then lock the door, which Des soon starts pounding against and declaring that he’s not supposed to be here, over and over, again. Yeah, we heard you the first time, Dante. Buncha savages in this town.

“Hey,” a weary voice says from behind Des. He turns and finds Fisher Stevens looking as though he’s had better days, strapped into a bed.

“It’s happening to you, too, isn’t it,” Fisher says, quite insanely.

We’re back with Sayid topside. He gets in Frank’s face and wants to know what’s happening to Desmond and why they took off at dusk and landed in the middle of the day. Frank says he’s just trying to help, to which Sayid offers that it would be more help if he could use the ol’ satphone to reach out and touch his friends back on the island. They spark a deal – the satphone for Sayid’s sidearm. Sayid agrees.

Back on the beach, Jack’s got a phone call. It’s his agent, telling him that Vantage Point was number one at the box office last weekend, but not to get too excited since the only other movies out at the time were the crapfests Jumper and Fool’s Gold. Just kidding, it’s Sayid. He says that something happened during the flight. Jack puts him on speaker and Dan hears all this and starts in with the crazy questions. Has Desmond recently been exposed to high levels of radiation or electromagnetism? Boy, has he ever! Jack’s got the Santa Claus look again. Dan doesn’t know why, but going to and coming from the island, some people can get confused.

“Is this amnesia?” asks Juliet.

“No, this is not amnesia,” says Dan. No shit, says I.

Back in sick bay, Fisher is catatonic. Des is trying to wake him up. Fisher slowly jumps back into his current consciousness, and remarks that he was just on a Ferris wheel. Cool, was Johnny Five with you?

The doc enters the room. His name is Ray. We know this because Fisher calls him that and also tells him that he said he wasn’t crazy. Ray preps a needle with some sedative and injects Fisher, who briefly goes a little apeshit before passing out. Ray asks Des how he’s feeling. How do you think he’s feeling, Doc? Dumb ass. Des doesn’t want to get stuck like Fisher, but Ray only wants to check Desmond’s eyes. He gets out that little pocket flashlight that every doctor in the world seems to have with them and starts flashing it in Desmond’s eyes. Ray just wants to know the last thing Desmond remembers

THEN

back in the rain. Desmond has his change in his hand, just as confused as ever. He gets it together and gives Penny a ring. She’s not happy to hear from him, but he needs help, needs to see her. She’s not having any of it and tells him not to bother calling because she’s moving. She tells him not to call, but he’s desperate, he needs

NOW

her. Ray wants to know if Desmond “just experienced something.” Wow, this guy is quick. Speaking of quick, here comes Frank and Sayid and they have a phone call for Des. Ray tells them they’re not supposed to be down there, that Daniel isn’t talking to Desmond, and soon Sayid is doing the Sayid thing and throwing the ol’ Doc against the wall. Ray trips an alarm and the tension ratchets up a notch. They give Desmond the phone and Sayid slams the door to give them all a little privacy.

Despite the loud, annoying alarm ringing in the tin can that is the freighter, Desmond can hear who’s on the other line – it’s Dan. He introduces himself. They don’t have much time to talk. Dan asks Des what year it is, and he responds – 1996. Dan wants to know where Des is right now. Sick bay, says Des. No, says Dan, he wants to know where Des is supposed to be right now. Camp Miller in Scotland, says Des. Dan instructs Desmond that the next time it happens, he’s supposed to get on a train and go to Oxford, Queen’s College Physics Dept.

“Why?” asks Des.

“Because I need you to find me,” says Dan, ominously. Oh, it’s ON, says I.

Dan’s searching frantically for his journal, now. Jack still wants to know why Desmond thinks it’s 1996. Dan doesn’t know, really, it’s a random effect. Sometimes it can be a couple of minutes and other times it can be years.

“You mean this has happened before?” asks Jack. Give it up, Jack, you can’t have all the answers.

Back on the phone, Dan is telling Desmond that he needs to tell 1996 Dan to set the device to 2.342 and have it oscillating at 11 hertz. Oh, and one more thing, if the numbers don’t convince him, Desmond needs to tell Dan that he knows about Eloise. That’s when the door busts open and in pours Keavy and Omar, and Dan is screaming to Desmond to remember Eloise, just remember

THEN

dial tone. Des is in a heap at the bottom of the phone booth. His hands are all pruny. He jumps up and springs into action.

We’re at Oxford, now, or at least a university that’s supposed to represent it. The bell tower is ringing and there are students going to and fro and it’s all very academic. Desmond is making his way toward a stone alcove, and soon he sees Dan, long, crazy hair slightly mussed, arguing with a student. Desmond asks if he’s Daniel Faraday and then introduces himself. Des says he thinks he’s just been to the future. Desmond spoke to Dan in the future and he told Des to get in touch the Dan of 1996. Understandably, Dan thinks it’s all a big prank until Desmond tells him that he got that bump on his head while he was trying to hang a clock in his bathroom and slipped, and when he came to, that’s when he had a vision … of the flux capacitor, which is what makes time travel possible. Or something like that.

Dan ushers Des into his workspace, cluttered with all sorts of crazy physicsy stuff. A large wooden maze is in the center of the room, and a strange contraption that looks like an antique dentist’s light is hanging above on a boom with lots of cords snaking out. This is where Dan does the things Oxford frowns upon.

Dan starts manically questioning Desmond about contact with his future self. If Dan told Des to meet with his 1996 self, then Dan would remember their meeting. Des tells him no, he doesn’t remember, and Dan is doubtful of that. Dan puts on a radiation chest shield and starts flipping some switches. Des wonders if all this is to change the future, to which Dan has to tell Des that he can’t change the future, just like the Jeweler told him last season. Come on, Des, you’re not thinking fourth-dimensionally.

Des wonders why Dan is shielding himself and doesn’t offer him a chest shield. Dan tells him that it’s just for repeated exposure. He does this sort of thing about 20 times a day.

“So what do you put on your head?” asks Des, wisely.

Dan just laughs and we now know why he’s a bit confuzzled in the future. Dan has forgotten to remember what he’s already forgotten in the future and what’s happened has passed. Or something like that.

Dan grabs a white mouse and introduces Des to Eloise. He places Eloise in the starting point of the maze, then lowers the dentist’s light over her. If the numbers Desmond gave Dan work, then Dan will be able to unstick Eloise in time. He fires up the device and zaps Eloise with a concentrated beam of PURPLISH LIGHT. You guys remember a big, purple light on the island, right? Hold onto that thought. We’ll talk about that soon enough.

After the zap, Eloise starts to come to. Dan lifts the gate to the maze and Eloise runs it like a champ. Dan is elated. Des wants to know what’s so bloody great about a mouse running a maze. What’s great, says Dan, is that he just built the maze this morning and he isn’t going to teach Eloise how to run it until an hour from now. Whoa. Cool. Dan explains that he sent Eloise’s consciousness to the future, but Des doesn’t really care because he needs Dan’s help. Dan thinks that his future self sent Des to help him, and Des is even more confused. All he knows is that Dan is on a bloody island. Wait, says Dan, why would he go to an

NOW

island. Ship, rather. Keamy is wrestling the satphone away from Desmond. The alarm is finally shut down and things calm a bit. Keamy is steamed that Frank allowed Desmond to talk to Dan, but Frank says that Dan just wanted to help. Ray says that Dan can’t even help himself and they order Frank out into the hall where he’ll no doubt get a good faceful of spite from the heavies on board. Sayid and Desmond remain in the sick bay and start to get to know Fisher … or, rather, George Minkowski.

Y’see, George was communications officer on board the boat, at least he was before he went crazy. Upon hearing Desmond’s name, he tells the duo about his duties at the radio. Every now and then, he’d get this flashing light on his console. He was under strict orders never to answer it.

“What’s that got to do with me?” asks Des.

“Those calls came from your girlfriend,” says George. “Penelope Widmore.” Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn.

THEN

Des is napping in a leather chair, back in Dan’s Oxford cubbyhole. Dan tells Des that he’s been out for nearly 75 minutes, going catatonic in the middle of a sentence. Des wants to know what the hell is happening, and then notices that Eloise has gone to that great Maze in the Sky. Dan says it was probably a brain aneurism, but he’ll have to do an autopsy later. This makes Des a tad unsettled, understandably, and wants to know if it’s going to happen to him. When Dan seems a tad nonchalant about Desmond’s predicament, Des gets a little grabby.

“Am I going to bloody die?!” spews Des.

“I don’t know,” says Dan, a bit humbly.

Dan thinks that Eloise’s brain short-circuited. Her brain couldn’t deal with the jumping back and forth because she had no anchor, nothing familiar to tie the disparate times together. Every equation needs stability, states Dan – a constant. Dan tells Desmond that he needs to find a constant, something important that exists in both timeframes. After Desmond wonders if it could be a person, Dan says yes, but he needs to make contact. Des picks up the phone, dials and gets a disconnected message. He’s all a man of action now, dashing down the stairs until he

NOW

falls against a table in the sick bay. Desmond finally sees himself in the mirror. George speaks what Desmond is thinking – that he looks a lot older now. Welcome back, George says.

Desmond tells Sayid that he needs his help, he needs to call Penny. George puts the kibosh on that little plan, though, as he tells the duo that the radio was smashed up two days ago by someone on board. He could’ve fixed it, he says, but he kinda went nuts. I need to remember that excuse at work, sometime.

Sayid wants to know the location of the radio room, oh, and also where the kitchen is so he can grab two coconuts, some tin foil and a collander and turn them into a brand new ham radio. George says he’ll take them there, so they begin to untie him. Sayid wants to know how they’re going to get out of the room, and George says through the door, duh. Seems as though they’ve got a friend on the boat.

Desmond gives George a hanky to wipe the blood from under his nose, and Sayid turns to tell him that it’s

THEN

clear. But drowsy. Desmond has come to, collapsed in the stairwell. He gets himself together and springs down the stairs … and straight to an auction. The auctioneer is explaining all about The Black Rock (you know, the ship) and how it set sail in 1845 and was lost at sea. The only surviving artifact was the journal of the ship’s first mate, found seven years later. The contents had never been made public and is only known to the family of the seller, Tovar Hanso. Sound familiar? The bidding begins. Well, lookee there, one of the bidders is Charles Widmore. Shocking. He wins, of course, and gets up to walk out, only to find Desmond waiting for him. Walk with me, he says.

Charles is taking a piss and wants to know what Desmond’s up to. Des wants to get in touch with Penny, of course. Charles gives Des the usual drubbing, but eventually gives Desmond Penny’s address, so that she can tell Des how much she hates him. Charles, being a right bastard, has left the water on in the sink and Des reaches out

NOW

to turn it off. George comiserates with Des and tells him he knows how hard it is to be jumping. As the trio make their way down the hall, Desmond wants to know what happened to make George jump. George says that they were anchored here, waiting for orders, bored to tears, when he and another crewmate, Brandon, decided they wanted to see the island. So they set sail … until Brandon went nuts and they had to head back. Brandon’s now in a bodybag, natch.

They enter the radio room and it’s busted all to hell. Really, really busted, like super-busted. Which means, of course, that Sayid will have it up and running by the time the coffee’s perked. George starts to say something again until he goes catatonic and slams into the desk.

“After your call, someone has got to tell me precisely what is going on,” says Sayid, dryly. Always unflappable, that Sayid.

Desmond wants to know if Sayid can fix the radio. He answers in the affirmative, that it will just take him a minute. Of course it will. The dude’s better than fucking MacGuyver. George comes to and collapses, convulsing, into Desmond’s arms on the floor. Desmond urges George to come back, but George goes catatonic again. Sayid asks Desmond for the number to call, but Des doesn’t know it yet. Des glances up at the calendar and realizes that he really is in 2004. It’s Christmas Eve, says Sayid, as if he had always celebrated the birth of Christ while he was in the fucking Republican Guard. Still, I guess he just, well, knows things. Anyway, Desmond’s nose starts to bleed and then George comes to, having a seizure, bleeding from his eyes, and ranting that he can’t … get … back … thud. Yup, he’s dead. It seems like an awful waste to have Fisher Stevens on for just one episode. I still get this feeling that we haven’t seen the last of George. He could still be the mysterious eye in Jacob’s cabin. I’m not quite giving up that ghost just yet, so to speak.

THEN

The tap is still running and the sink is overflowing now. Desmond’s in his usual spot, collapsed on the floor. Des takes a moment to collect himself, once again, grabs the business card with Penny’s address, and gets a move on.

Penny lives at 423 Cheyne Walk, a rather famous street in Old London where many a celebrity and debutante have called home over the years. Des knocks on the door. Penny answers, incredulous that Desmond is standing there. She reiterates that she’s wanting to make a clean break and starts to close the door, but Des stops her. He knows it’s too late to change things, but he needs her new number and he needs her to listen to him. They go inside. Des tells her that eight years from now he needs to call her and he can’t call her unless he has her number. He pours his heart out to his beloved, and tells her that he will call her eight years from now, on Christmas Eve. Eyes wet with tears, Penny finally agrees to give him the number if he’ll leave immediately. 7946 0893. Des repeats it, out loud, and Penny kicks him out.

Des bangs on the door once again. “I’m not crazy, Penny! You have to believe me, you have to

NOW

trust me.

“I do trust you,” says Sayid. “But you still have to remember that number.”

Desmond repeats the number several times, and Sayid remarks that it’s excellent timing since he’s finished fixing the phone. He’s hooked up a standard lineman’s receiver to some wires and a battery and I start shaking my head because I just can’t suspend my disbelief long enough to forget that I worked three years climbing telephone poles and there’s no way in hell this is going to work. But, hey, Desmond is jumping back and forth through time, so the realism of telephone technology in the middle of the Pacific is just plain nitpicking.

The phone is ringing, and Desmond puts it to his ear. It rings several

THEN

times. Des walks away from Penny’s place, slowly glancing up to her window only to see her draw the blinds. He lowers his head and exits stage

NOW

“Hello?” answers Penny.

Desmond smiles. “Penny?” he asks.

Penny is in her apartment, a Christmas tree in the background. She’s practically speechless. She wants to know where he is. On a boat somewhere, says he. He’s been on island. The crying starts.

“You believe me,” says Desmond, elated. “You still care about me.”

“I’ve been looking for you for the past three years,” cries Penny.

She knows about the island, and says something about research, but static starts to break them apart. She knew that he was still alive, though, after she spoke to Charlie. Desmond tells her that he loves her, that he’s always loved her. She feels the same. More static. Desmond doesn’t know where he is, but he promises he’ll come back to her. She’ll find him, she promises. They say a final goodbye, one last I love you, and then the phone dies. We all wipe the tears from our eyes. C’mon, you cried, admit it.

“I’m sorry, the power source went dead, that’s all we have,” says Sayid.

“Sayid,” says Des. “It was enough.” He smiles.

“Are you all right now?” asks Sayid.

“Aye. I’m perfect.”

Back on the beach, Dan is flipping through his journal. Lots of scribbled equations, some diagrams, and a final page with some red writing inside a bold, red box. Dan looks up, wondering if he really wrote this, long ago. There, the page reads: IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG, DESMOND HUME WILL BE MY CONSTANT.

Cue the thonk!

Next week on Lost: I don’t know. My TiVo chopped off the preview. But I’m pretty damn sure it’s not gonna be as cool as this episode.

Good gravy boats, what an episode. Other than last week’s Kate-fest, I have been really, really satisfied with this season, thus far. The powers-that-be have cranked everything up a notch, given us some great answers to some age-old questions, and introduced a whole slew of new ones, naturally. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover this week, so I’d better get to it. Time, she is a predator.

YOU’RE JUST NOT THINKING FOURTH-DIMENSIONALLY
Unfortunately, I won’t have as detailed an explanation for Desmond’s time-jumping consciousness as I did for gravitational time dilation, although the two can be intertwined within the realms of special and general relativity and speculative quantum theory. The primer for understanding what Desmond is going through is found more in the metaphysical than the physical. We’re obviously not dealing with time travel in the traditional sense – in that, I mean physically transporting a three-dimensional construct backwards and forwards through a warp in space-time. For the majority of those that think about such things, that particular method has been deemed impossible. The energy it would take to accomplish that task is beyond anything we can currently produce or even imagine. Unfortunately, the addition of plutonium and a flux capacitor just won’t solve our problem.

That’s not to say that time travel is completely impossible. The theoretical particles called tachyons are often thought to be existing in an extra-dimensional state. Some believe the particles actually age backwards, although that’s a simplified way of looking at it. In order to truly comprehend what’s happening to Desmond, we have to imagine what the realm of an extra dimension would be like for us third-dimensioners. Bare with me, the ride might get a little bumpy.

For now, let’s put aside the debates as to whether this other dimension is actually temporal or spatial. For our purposes, this dimension will be temporal, although we’re going to look at it from a more spatial perspective. Ready? Here we go.

This image represents how humans have traditionally represented time throughout much of our history. Time, to us, is linear. Things have a beginning and an end. This is where we get the term timeline. It’s important to remember, however, that this representation is a wholly human construct. It is only because of our perceptions of the physical world that we hold this representation as true. In a mathematical sense, this type of representation would be equivalent to what would constitute our first dimension – a line, with length.

In terms of human consciousness, this representation would be more fitting. This shows the “timeline” of an individual’s consciousness in a circular fashion. We can imagine what has happened and will happen outside of our personal experience, but for each individual, their timelines are restricted to what they’ve seen, heard, felt, etc. throughout life. It’s important to note that, in the physical realm and in mathematics, this would constitute the second dimension. The shape has width and height. It can form a circle.

Now, just for a second, imagine what that two-dimensional object would appear like to us if we added a third dimension, depth. We’d have a sphere instead of a circle. We are able to perceive the circle as a sphere because our senses are trained to interpret things in three dimensions. Hold tight to that analogy, cause the next part is tricky.

If we were to apply our third-dimensional perceptions into a representation of our circular consciousness timeline, we would find that objects on parts of the sphere would be visible from multiple angles and positions. For instance, if Desmond’s mind was attuned to the dimension of time and we can hold onto this imagined existence in third-dimensional terms, he could “see” anywhere along his personal timeline, like, say, back to 1996. This is represented by the black dotted line with two arrows. That’s “time vision,” so to speak. This is sort of how Desmond was able to see flashes of what would happen to Charlie last season. The accident in the hatch freed his mind to peer into this extra dimension and call forth events on another part of his timeline. The red line on the sphere indicates a method of movement along Desmond’s personal timeline. The first jolt of electromagnetism from the Hatch was enough to enable his consciousness to perceive other areas of his timeline. The second jolt from the helicopter ride enabled his consciousness to actually “travel” along the timeline, essentially existing in two separate points along his personal timeline. The risk of his traveling back and forth between two separate points is, as Dan said, the lack of a Constant. Our three-dimensional brains are not used to interpreting the input from an extra-dimensional realm, and without a point of reference, our consciousness could become lost amongst this “sphere.” Like a ship at sea without a star, or a lighthouse or some sort of beacon ahead to use for navigation, the mind could, essentially, become lost at sea.

This is a very simplified explanation as to how Desmond could accomplish his jumping, and it’s not entirely succinct, but it will have to do for now. I’ll go back to talking about something more simply now, like, say, physics.

WOW, DOC, THIS IS HEAVY
Let’s take a look at some selections from Dan’s personal journal, shall we?

This image shows the machine settings Dan gave to Desmond so that Des could convince Dan’s 1996 self of his validity. On the same page, we can see some of Dan’s notations on the variances in space-time. Dan is a physicist, and as such, was trying to piece together the perception of relative space-time and the metaphysical experience I described above. He has noted, in a two-dimensional perspective, the space-time invariance that can describe the consciousness timeline, along with some representational calculations on objects at the speed of light (relativity), and physical perception.

This page shows some of Dan’s computations in relation to the Lorentz Invariant. This is an actual property in physics to describe quantities within the special theory of relativity. It is a subset of the Lorentz Covariant, which basically is a set of computations that allows mathematical understanding of the fourth dimension – space-time. It deals with all kinds of things like scalars, four-vectors, tensors, spinors and crazy shit like that – some of which I understand and some of which are reserved for bearers of bigger brain than I. Essentially, all you need to know is that all this stuff is related to relativity theory, understanding of space-time and the mathematical computations that make all of Einstein and others’ theories feasible.

Ohhh, this is a good one. Basically this is a plot-point sketch where Dan was trying to understand the overlap of the physical theories of relativity, space-time and the metaphysical consciousness timeline that I mentioned above. Note his use of the terms “real time,” “space-time,” “imaginary space” and “imaginary time.” I also really, really like this drawing because it looks an awful lot like traditional convergence maps used to locate and describe ley lines along the sphere of the Earth, something I mentioned a few posts back.

You know, I’m just sayin’.

GREAT SCOTT
Just a quick note here to say that this episode only firms up what I’ve believed for a couple of years now – the root of most of this evilishness is Charles Widmore. In this episode, we see more of Widmore’s ties with the island and, perhaps, Dharma and the others. Widmore is the winning bidder on lot #2342, the first mate’s journal from The Black Rock, lost at sea and now currently residing on our mysterious island. The family selling the journal is that of Tovard Hanso, obvious relative of Magnus Hanso (the presumed owner of the Black Rock who is now buried on the island as referenced on my ever-favorite Blast Door Map), and Alvar Hanso, founder of the Hanso Foundation, one of the backers of the Dharma Initiative. Penny tells Desmond that she knows all about the island, something she could have only gleaned from her father’s dealings. All the pieces are starting to come together rather nicely.

1.21 GIGAWATTS!
So, I mentioned that purple light coming from Dan’s device in his Oxford cubbyhole, right? Well, I figure most of you were reminded of the same color light in the finale of Season Two when Desmond turned the failsafe key. After Des does so, he is instantly transported back to when he and Penny had just moved in together and he relives those following weeks, gradually remembering his activities on the island before the detonation of the Swan device. Now that we’ve seen Desmond’s transference of consciousness in The Constant, we can now surmise that the radiation/electromagnetic force released after the turn of the failsafe key was basically a large-scale version of the device Dan used on Eloise.

The only unanswered question from the episode that showed us what happened to Desmond after the hatch explosion (Flashes Before Your Eyes) is the interaction Desmond has with The Jeweler. For those of you who might not remember so clearly, Desmond meets The Jeweler when he goes to buy Penny’s engagement ring and is told categorically by the woman helping him that he cannot buy it. In fact, he’s not even supposed to buy it, and doing so is purely futile. This mini-Oracle then proceeds to take Desmond for a walk wherein she explains how the universe likes to do a little housekeeping, or “course correcting,” when someone starts trying to futz around with predestined events.

Who, exactly, is The Jeweler? Is she someone who is able to access the extra-dimensional consciousness at will? A true “time traveller” perhaps? Or perhaps she’s something akin to a Time Lord. You know, Doctor Who? Seriously, you don’t know about Doctor Who? Good god, watch PBS every now and then. You know, when you’re not watching Lost.

Oh, and here’s a little nugget I dug up on the internet, just for all you fine people.

Here’s our little Time Lord in a picture found on Brother Campbell’s desk in the episode that showed Desmond’s past at a monastery in Scotland. Intriguingly, the arches in the background are the same ones that Des walks through to find Dan in The Constant. Coincidence? Serendipity? A lack of gothic locations on which to shoot the episodes? You decide.

MY DENSITY HAS BOUGHT ME TO YOU
I will close out this week’s feature with a simple plea: if you haven’t read Slaughterhouse Five, please do so – if not for experiencing one of the greatest books of the 20th Century and seeing the duality between Desmond and Billy Pilgrim, then at least so you can admire the genius of how I started out this article.

Until next time, practice accessing your personal time line and let me know if you succeed. Just don’t do it 20 times a day. You’ll go blind.

Namaste.

Chris Kirkman is a graphic designer/photographer/journalist/geek extraordinaire with way too many Bruce Campbell movies in his library. He is still hoping that Lost will end when Bob Newhart wakes up next to Suzanne Pleshette, complaining of a strange, strange dream. You can contact him at ckirkman@hobotrashcan.com.

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Brian Murphy

I know that with the football season over, a lot of you are lost right now. Sure, you’re feeling alone and scared, but I’m here to tell you – it’s going to be alright.

We’re in the “No Man’s Land” of the sports calendar at the moment. Football’s over and baseball hasn’t started yet. College football is long gone, but it’s not time for March Madness yet. That pretty much leaves the NBA, NHL and NASCAR. I know, I know … that’s not much to choose from. On the one hand you’ve got redneck heaven, which would be acceptable if not for the fact that cheating is accepted (and maybe even encouraged).

This past week, Carl Edwards celebrated like many times before – by back flipping off of his car at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, after winning the third race of the NASCAR season. The problem? His car failed the post-race inspection. NASCAR discovered the lid was off of his oil tank box during the routine inspection and ended up docking him 100 championship points. I just don’t think I can embrace a sport where he still gets credit for winning the race, even though he was caught cheating. If you want people to know cheating isn’t tolerated, then make Edwards forfeit the win and suspend him a race or two. That sends a message that no one is above the rules. Otherwise, why even have the inspection?

And let’s be honest, basketball and I aren’t really on the best of terms these days either – not after Kobe Bryant finally found a new hobby this past offseason. It was bad enough when he was content to bang random groupies in an uncomfortable place a couple years back, but when he started talking trash about his teammates to random kids with video cameras in hopes of being traded I officially swore I’d never cheer for him again. Instead of teaching the bastard a life lesson and trading him to a doormat, Lakers management actually built a better team around him and Los Angeles is now the media darling of the NBA.

Since I firmly believe in karma, I can only hope Andrew Bynum is quietly biding his time until he hits Kobe over the head with a chair in the NBA Finals for all the trash he talked before the season started. Until then, I’ll pass on watching basketball.

That leaves hockey. And believe me, I understand most of you closed that door for good a while ago. But I’m here to tell you – you’re missing out. The most exciting athlete in sports today is single-handedly trying to make the game of hockey relevant in this country again. And no, I’m not talking about Pittsburgh Penguins pretty boy Sidney Crosby (although, with ESPN slurping him every chance they get I can understand why he’s the only name you know). But while they’re busy putting Sid the Kid on the front page because … gasp … he got an assist two nights ago, Washington Captials superstar Alexander Ovechkin is establishing himself as the best goal scorer since Mario Lemieux.

Playing in a market where the Redskins are the only team that matters and on a team with a third of the talent as Crosby’s Pens, Ovechkin is the epitome of a one-man wrecking crew. A quarter through the season, the Capitals were the worst team in the entire league. Now, they’re in the thick of the playoff hunt because the future Hart Trophy winner refuses to lose.

If Ovie has a bad night, then there’s almost zero chance the Capitals can win. Thankfully for them, those nights are few and far between. In 68 games, he’s put up a career-best 54 goals and 38 assists for a league-leading 92 points. He’s got more goals than the next three Capitals combined (Alexander Semin has 20, Mike Green has 17 and Brook Laich has 15). For heaven’s sake, the guy has a league-best 18 powerplay goals. Just counting them would still give him the second-most goals on the Caps.

Maybe it’s because he’s Russian and doesn’t speak the English language as smoothly as James Earl Jones, but mainstream media continues to overlook Ovechkin – even if his opponents do not.

Wednesday night Washington defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-1, a team they’re battling in the middle of the crowded Eastern Conference for a possible playoff spot, because Ovechkin couldn’t be stopped. The Sabres knew that if they could contain Ovie, the rest of the Washington offense was much more manageable. But even with all their attention focused on Alex, he still managed to score two more goals.

“We preached before the game to look over our shoulder and see where Ovechkin is. And we didn’t do so,” said Sabres forward Derek Roy. Don’t feel bad, he’s been doing it all season long. Just ask the Boston Bruins, who faced him two days earlier. They had the same gameplan and faced the same fate. Ovechkin had a hat trick before the first period was over and the Caps left with an easy win.

Everyone started to lose interest in hockey when teams like the New Jersey Devils tried to trap their opponents to death in hopes of winning boring hockey games by 1-0 or 2-1. But Ovechkin is too fast and too skilled to be stymied by that kind of defense. He truly is the first player since Lemieux who opponents have to say, “We can’t stop him, we can only hope to contain him.”

That’s why, at 22 years old, he became the NHL’s first $100 million man. He’s the kind of guy you can comfortably build a team around. And if the NHL is smart, they’ll put the entire league on his shoulders and ride him all the way back to TV channels people actually watch. The fans in Pittsburgh (and Bristol, Conn.) can continue to embrace Crosby as he piles up second assists night after night, but Ovechkin is the one doing the heavy lifting. I just hope the rest of the country starts to realize how truly talented and likeable the gap-toothed Russian is.

Until then, I’ll take pleasure in knowing I’m one of the 15 diehard hockey fans left in America whose witnessing firsthand as Ovechkin goes Michael Jordan on the rest of the league.

Brian Murphy is an award-winning sportswriter, and still doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about. Contact him at murf@the5holes.com.

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(Click to enlarge.)

Jeremiah was raised in the deepest part of the darkest jungle. That’s why he smells like adventure. He currently lives in Elkins, WV with his wife, Becky, and son, Isaiah, who is epic and destined to rule the world one day. You can contact him at jeremiahwentz@hobotrashcan.com.