Daniel Faraday's Crying & Memory Issues Explained??

[D-Roc]

I'm thinking that this episode basically explained the mystery behind Daniel's crying (4.01 flashback) and his apparent memory issues..

In this episode (The Constant), the final scene shows us that Daniel's journal has been updated by the past version of himself - this was I assume, due to Desmond's time-travelling replanting new events and memories (paths) in his life. With this in mind, it seems logical to assume that past Daniel waited for the moment until his timeline would catch-up with future Desmond's timeline (i.e. 2004). Past Faraday knew about the island due to Desmond telling him about it, and probably spent the next 8 years planning and researching to go to the island and Desmond (i.e. Penny), therefore when he saw news of 815 being 'confirmed dead' he probably believed that this was his moment, and he responded with tears of joy..relief?

Of course he then forgot why he was crying..this also points to Desmond's time-travelling which ultimately screwed up Faraday's memory (much like Desmond's own in during his time-travelling).

By telling Faraday the future (and remember, "you can't change the future"..but you CAN change the past) it meant that Faraday has also been living in two times (if you will)..not literally like Desmond, but mentally - and consequently he required a "constant"..just like Desmond did.

Hopefully I'll be able to articulate my thoughts on this better soon

[JB Sawyer]

Actually I believe that Daniel has actually suffered from the Island bubble curse, just like Des. We know that Des isn't the only one to have suffered from it, we know Minkowski did, and I believe that Daniel does still. We have seen him look pretty spaced out, and he often has problems remembering things that have just happened i.e. the cards. Des too had these short memory lapses due to the conscious time switches. I believe that Dan time switched and wrote in his journal aboutDes during one of these switches. He also stated (I think) that he had come into contact with radiation when talking to Des in the class room, and we know that contact with radiation causes the bubble curse. This would also explain why he was crying, he lapsed into that time and so obviously doesn't know what happened.

Of course I'm not saying that my theory is right and yours is wrong Roco, that's just how I see it

[lalaland]

yeah, its all a bit confusing when i think hard about it. daniel is definately experiencing time travel and memory issues are stemmed from that as far as i gather. it was also interesting that daniel mentioned being exposed to radiation or electromagnetic fields could make the 'side effects' more likely. we all know desmond boar the brunt of the hatch imploding and now it seems daniel has been exposed to alot of radiation through his experiments - silly man forgetting to protect his head! sayid was on the boat at the time of the hatch imploding so maybe thats why he didnt suffer like des?

[monster-eats-pilot]

The first thing I thought when we learnt about the side-effects was Daniel had suffered from them. Charlotte was trying to help Daniel remember in the last episode I believe. Daniel seemed able to remember alot more in this episode, maybe because it was happening to somebody else [his constant] he could remember.

[Murgatroyd]

Good thinking, but a simpler and more boring explanation was all that occurred to me - I thought Daniel had written that years ago but had forgotten what it meant due to his memory issues. Only after talking to Desmond in 2004 did that scrap of writing make sense to him again.

[IM-LOST-WITH-LOST]

My theory on Daniel is that he did his time travel experiment on himself, and he experienced the same things that Desmond did. The mouse wasn't capable of getting a constant, and died. Where-as Desmond did get his constant and well, he has presumably lived. So i think that Daniel found a constant, but still experiences the time switches, because whose to say that Desmond isnt going to keep going back in time, but now he has a constant, he can easily come back. After a long period of going back and forth in time, Daniels brain is basically becoming mush and he cant remember things because he's constantly living in both times. If that makes any sense at all

[Him]

Pretty much explained I think... though I think there's clearly some sort of 'correction' of Faraday's memory - he's forgotten (presumably so he 'doesn't change the future'), but there may be some sort of emotional connection to his erased memory, that being the reason why he was crying when we first saw him.

[D-Roc]

Originally Posted by D-Roc

I'm thinking that this episode basically explained the mystery behind Daniel's crying (4.01 flashback) and his apparent memory issues..

In this episode (The Constant), the final scene shows us that Daniel's journal has been updated by the past version of himself - this was I assume, due to Desmond's time-travelling replanting new events and memories (paths) in his life. With this in mind, it seems logical to assume that past Daniel waited for the moment until his timeline would catch-up with future Desmond's timeline (i.e. 2004). Past Faraday knew about the island due to Desmond telling him about it, and probably spent the next 8 years planning and researching to go to the island and Desmond (i.e. Penny), therefore when he saw news of 815 being 'confirmed dead' he probably believed that this was his moment, and he responded with tears of joy..relief?

Of course he then forgot why he was crying..this also points to Desmond's time-travelling which ultimately screwed up Faraday's memory (much like Desmond's own in during his time-travelling).

By telling Faraday the future (and remember, "you can't change the future"..but you CAN change the past) it meant that Faraday has also been living in two times (if you will)..not literally like Desmond, but mentally - and consequently he required a "constant"..just like Desmond did.

Hopefully I'll be able to articulate my thoughts on this better soon

After somemore thinking on this, i'd like to adjust the parts in bold above.

I now think that Desmond planted new 'moments' or 'impressions' in to his and Faraday's life rather than new 'paths' - as paths would indicate that Des/Faraday led different lifes based on their encounter, and I don't believe this to be true - I think that their encounter is a new memory, but one which is now perceived as forgotten memory which has suddenly become clear.

This way neither Dan nor Des could do anything different other than what they already had done in their past live - or if they did, fate course correct the paradox, leaving them with only an 'impression' of purpose and an 'impression' of connection to this island..this destiny.

The rest I stand by, because it would explain why Dan was crying when he saw the wreckage on the news and his memory issues - fate could have been course correcting out consciousness of his connection to 815 whilst also leaving him with the 'impression' of a deep connection to what he was seeing..

This really brings home the relevance of last weeks VALIS reference - implantation and deletion (course correction) of memories. Fancinating stuff. To think Lost is (partially) a Phillip K. **** book



(again, I could be wrong, just recording my thoughts ala Faraday)

[Murgatroyd]

Originally Posted by D-Roc

To think Lost is (partially) a Phillip K. **** book

Don't you just love automatic censorship software?!

[Lauren [is Lost]]

Originally Posted by D-Roc

I'm thinking that this episode basically explained the mystery behind Daniel's crying (4.01 flashback) and his apparent memory issues..

In this episode (The Constant), the final scene shows us that Daniel's journal has been updated by the past version of himself - this was I assume, due to Desmond's time-travelling replanting new events and memories (paths) in his life. With this in mind, it seems logical to assume that past Daniel waited for the moment until his timeline would catch-up with future Desmond's timeline (i.e. 2004). Past Faraday knew about the island due to Desmond telling him about it, and probably spent the next 8 years planning and researching to go to the island and Desmond (i.e. Penny), therefore when he saw news of 815 being 'confirmed dead' he probably believed that this was his moment, and he responded with tears of joy..relief?

Of course he then forgot why he was crying..this also points to Desmond's time-travelling which ultimately screwed up Faraday's memory (much like Desmond's own in during his time-travelling).

By telling Faraday the future (and remember, "you can't change the future"..but you CAN change the past) it meant that Faraday has also been living in two times (if you will)..not literally like Desmond, but mentally - and consequently he required a "constant"..just like Desmond did.

Hopefully I'll be able to articulate my thoughts on this better soon

Well thought out. I think that's probably a very good explanation. Its likely that Daniel was crying because he knew the plane wreckage was hugely significant in some way. But he just couldnt remember why!

Although something confused me slightly..surely the moment Daniel encountered Desmond and discovered that time travel is possible and all that...surely that would be such a significant moment in his life that he would remember it? Or maybe he didnt remember Des because when he first met him on the island, Des hadn't changed the past yet??? Or maybe Daniel's brain is simply so confused due to electromagnetic exposure that he couldn't remember?

And i just have to say this again...I LOVE DANIEL!

[lost-lover]

I like this theory. If Dan has the memory/ time travel thing that Des had it explains alot, like Charlotte with the playing cards and him crying in 4:01. It explains something one of the men on the freighter said when Frank told him that Des was calling Daniel for help with his double-time problem - "Faraday can't even help himself.".
If this was the case, and the problem which Dan couldn't help himself with was the time-travel thing Desmond went through, does this mean that now he's found his constant (Desmond) he'll be able to stop living two lives, or switching between past and present?