Penelope "Penny" Widmore is a fictional character on the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
television series ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
*Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
* Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
'' played by
Sonya Walger
Sonya Walger (born 6 June 1974) is a British actress who also holds American citizenship. She had starring roles in the short-lived sitcoms ''The Mind of the Married Man'' (2001–2002) and ''Coupling'' (2003) before landing her role as Penny W ...
. Penny is introduced in the
last episode of the
second season of ''Lost'' as the long-lost lover of
Desmond Hume
Desmond David Hume is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Lost'' portrayed by Henry Ian Cusick. Desmond's name is a tribute to David Hume, the famous empiricist philosopher. Desmond was not a passenger of Flight 815. He had been ...
as well as the daughter of
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
tycoon and antagonist
Charles Widmore
Charles Widmore is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Lost'', which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the south Pacific. He is primarily portrayed by Alan Dale; T ...
. In spite of being only a
recurring character
A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who frequently appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main foc ...
, she made notable appearances in three
season finale
A season finale (British English: last in the series; Australian English: season final) is the final episode of a season of a television program. This is often the final episode to be produced for a few months or longer, and, as such, will try to ...
s of the show: "
Live Together, Die Alone
"Live Together, Die Alone" is the second season finale of the ABC television series ''Lost'', consisting of the 23rd and 24th episodes of the second season. It is also the 48th and 49th episodes overall. The episode was written by Damon Lindelof ...
",
"
Through the Looking Glass
''Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There'' (also known as ''Alice Through the Looking-Glass'' or simply ''Through the Looking-Glass'') is a novel published on 27 December 1871 (though indicated as 1872) by Lewis Carroll and the ...
",
and "
There's No Place Like Home".
Penny and Desmond's relationship is generally liked by critics and fans alike. Commentators, such as those from ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'', have commended the writing of their storyline.
Arc
Penny was born to Charles Widmore (
Alan Dale
Alan Hugh Dale (born 6 May 1947) is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale enjoyed theatre and rugby. After retiring from the sport, he took on a number of occupations, before deciding to become a professional actor at age 27. Dale subsequentl ...
) and an unnamed woman in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. She first met Desmond (
Henry Ian Cusick
Henry Ian Cusick (born 17 April 1967) is a Peruvian-Scottish actor of television, film, and theatre and a television director.
He is best known for his role as Desmond Hume in the ABC television series ''Lost'', for which he received a Primet ...
) sometime in 1994 at a monastery in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
and asked him to help her deliver
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
to
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
, in which he gladly agreed.
Two years later, they were living together, in spite of her father's disapproval. Even though both were happy together, their relationship appeared to be unstable due to the disparity between the wealth of the two characters; Penny was an heiress while Desmond merely worked at a
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
company. It eventually turned the curve when Desmond was unable to pay for a
photograph
A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now create ...
forcing Penny to pay for it.
Feeling ashamed by his inability, Desmond left Penny, regardless of what she thought, and joined the
Royal Scots Regiment
The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regimen ...
.
Penny was disappointed that Desmond left her without any notice. When he abruptly visits her in 1996 and asks for her number, she was confused because he told her he would call her 8 years later. In spite of her frustration, she allowed him to have her number so that he could call her later.
Despite these setbacks and heartaches, Penny continued to have feelings for Desmond. She wrote him a letter after she had learned that he was going to prison and hid it in the only book by
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
that he had not yet read, ''
Our Mutual Friend
''Our Mutual Friend'', written in 1864–1865, is the last novel completed by Charles Dickens and is one of his most sophisticated works, combining savage satire with social analysis. It centres on, in the words of critic J. Hillis Miller, quo ...
.'' He, however, was unaware and didn't read it while he was there even after was released from prison and from the
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
, and instead kept the book where it was. Desmond also wrote letters but her father intercepted them believing that Desmond was unfit for his daughter. He then persuades Desmond to join a round-the-world
sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...
race to prove his worth to Penny. Months after Desmond had begun his training for the race, they meet in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, she assumed that he had read her letter but was startled when he asked her when she was going to be married.
She replied by saying "We haven't set a date".
They, however, would not end up getting married because Desmond would suddenly disappear later.
Years after Desmond's mysterious disappearance, Penny was still determined to find him. Her hope increased when her listening station was able to find the coordinates of
The Island.
Days later, she made contact with
Charlie Pace
Charlie Pace is a fictional character on ABC's ''Lost'', a television series chronicling the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island. Played by Dominic Monaghan, Charlie was a regular character in the first three seasons, a ...
(
Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan (born 8 December 1976) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in Peter Jackson's film trilogy ''The Lord of the Rings'' (2001–2003), and Charlie Pace on J. J. Abram ...
), who asked her if she had sent a boat to the island. She replied that she hadn't. Before she could speak to Desmond, who was there with Charlie, the communication failed.
On the
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...
of 2004, she received the call Desmond had promised her and was elated that he was alive. This event marked the first time they had spoken to each other in four years.
Penny and Desmond would later be united at last when her boat, ''Searcher'', was able to rescue him, along with the members of the Oceanic 6,
Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ABC television series ''Lost'', played by Matthew Fox. ''Lost'' follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive ...
(
Matthew Fox
Matthew Chandler Fox (born July 14, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Charlie Salinger on ''Party of Five'' (1994–2000) and Jack Shephard on the drama series ''Lost'' (2004–2010), the latter of which earned him ...
),
Kate Austen
Katherine Anne Austen is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Lost'', played by Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly.
Character biography Prior to the crash
Born in 1977 and raised in Iowa, Kate is the daughter of diner worker Diane ...
(
Evangeline Lilly
Nicole Evangeline Lilly (born 3 August 1979) is a Canadian actress and author. She is the recipient of various accolades including a Screen Actors Guild Award and an MTV Movie Award. She has also received nominations for a Golden Globe Award, ...
),
Hugo "Hurley" Reyes
Hugo "Hurley" Reyes is a fictional character on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''Lost (TV series), Lost'', played by Jorge Garcia. For most of the show's run, Hurley served as the show's comic relief, but occasionally, an ...
(
Jorge Garcia
Jorge Garcia (born April 28, 1973) is an American actor and comedian. He first came to public attention with his performance as Hector Lopez on the television show ''Becker'', but subsequently became best known for his portrayal of Hugo "Hurley ...
),
Sayid Jarrah
Sayid Hassan Jarrah ( ar, سَعِيد حَسَّان جَرَّاح, ''Sa‘īd Ḥassān Jarrāḥ'') is a fictional character from the ABC show ''Lost'' portrayed by Naveen Andrews.
Appearances Prior to the crash
Sayid originally served as a ...
(
Naveen Andrews
Naveen William Sidney Andrews (born 17 January 1969) is a British-American actor. He is best known for his role as Sayid Jarrah in the television series ''Lost'' (2004–2010), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime ...
),
Sun-Hwa Kwon
Sun-Hwa Kwon, better known simply as "Sun", is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Lost'' played by Yunjin Kim.
Character biography
Prior to the crash
Sun PaikSimilar to the Chinese and the Japanese, the naming convention in ...
(
Yunjin Kim
Yunjin Kim (Hangul: 김윤진), also known as Kim Yun-Jin (born November 7, 1973) is a South Korean-American film and theater actress. She is best known for her role as Sun-Hwa Kwon on the American television series ''Lost'', and as the North K ...
), and
Aaron Littleton, along with
Frank Lapidus
Frank J. Lapidus is a fictional character on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'' played by Jeff Fahey. Frank is introduced in the second episode of Lost (season 4), season four as a pilot hired ...
(
Jeff Fahey
Jeffrey David Fahey (, born November 29, 1952) is an American film and television actor. He has portrayed Captain Frank Lapidus on the ABC series ''Lost'' and the title role of Deputy Marshal Winston MacBride on ''The Marshal''.
Early life and ...
).
Penny and Desmond's first child, Charlie, was born somewhere in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, aboard the ship ''
Our Mutual Friend
''Our Mutual Friend'', written in 1864–1865, is the last novel completed by Charles Dickens and is one of his most sophisticated works, combining savage satire with social analysis. It centres on, in the words of critic J. Hillis Miller, quo ...
'', after they went into hiding from her father.
In 2007, Penny would face her father's nemesis,
Benjamin Linus
Benjamin Linus is a fictional character portrayed by Michael Emerson on the ABC television series ''Lost''. Ben was the leader of a group of island natives called the Others and was initially known as Henry Gale to the survivors of Oceanic Flig ...
(
Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor who is best known for his roles as serial killer William Hinks on ''The Practice'', Benjamin Linus on ''Lost'', Zep Hindle in the first ''Saw'' film, Cayden James on ''Arrow'', and H ...
), who threatened to kill her as a result of the murder of
Alex
Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis.
People
Multiple
*Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people
* Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people
*Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple pe ...
by Widmore's men. However, when he saw Charlie, he hesitated allowing Desmond to stop him.
Flash-sideways
In the alternate timeline Penny's last name is Milton and she never met Desmond. She is jogging in a stadium when Desmond comes to meet her for the first time. When Desmond shakes her hand, he collapses. When he gets back up, he asks Penny if she would like to go have coffee and she agrees to meet him in an hour. She and Desmond smile back at each other. ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' notes the surname Milton connects her character to
John Milton
John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...
, the English poet famous for writing ''
Paradise Lost
''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse (poetry), verse. A second edition fo ...
'', an epic poem about free will, good and evil. In the finale episode of the series, the alternate timeline is revealed to be a
purgatorial meeting place prior to the afterlife, after Penny's death sometime in her future. Penny and Desmond sit together in the church alongside the other main characters and "move on". For this episode, and in spite of scarce screen time, Walger was elevated to main cast status.
Reception
Penny and Desmond's relationship has been received positively by critics. In ''Entertainment Weekly'', Alejandro Garay wrote, "One of my favorite episodes of 2008 was ''Lost''’s 'The Constant.' It was a beautiful episode that made us fans fall in love with the show even more. The creators managed to build momentum with smart narrative, by using the romance card to develop such a complicated topic as time traveling. Maureen Ryan of ''
The Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' praised Penny and Desmond's phone call in "
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 ...
", saying "a classic ''Lost'' moment" in Desmond and Penny's phone call. Verne Gay of ''
Newsday
''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
'' called it an emotional release, "I actually cried when Penny and Desmond finally... connected" and "there wasn't one, single, solitary false note". Jeff Jensen of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' named the phone call between Desmond and Penny the best moment of the season excluding any moments from the then yet-to-air season finale.
Erin Martell of
AOL
AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo (2017 ...
's
TV Squad
Weblogs, Inc. was a blog network that published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90 blogs, although the vast majority of its traffic could be ...
said that "The Constant" strengthened her love for Desmond and Penny's story, saying "my heart won't break if none of
ack, Kate, Sawyer and Julietend up together
utif Desmond and Penny don't reunite, I will be devastated." Jay Glatfelter of
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
said Penny and Desmond had "the best love story on the show and dare I say on television today". Karla Peterson of ''
The San Diego Union-Tribune
''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868.
Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...
'' wrote that "
wasalmost as touched and relieved by the
rreunion as Desmond and Penny are"; however. Ben Rawson-Jones of
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
wrote that "a refreshing shift in Lost's tone enabled loyal viewers to have their hearts warmed by the long distance smoochfest between Desmond and his beloved Penny".
[Rawson-Jones, Ben, (March 2, 2008)]
S04E05: 'The Constant'
, Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
. Retrieved on June 7, 2008. ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
s Chris Carabott praised the on-screen chemistry of
Henry Ian Cusick
Henry Ian Cusick (born 17 April 1967) is a Peruvian-Scottish actor of television, film, and theatre and a television director.
He is best known for his role as Desmond Hume in the ABC television series ''Lost'', for which he received a Primet ...
(Desmond) and
Sonya Walger
Sonya Walger (born 6 June 1974) is a British actress who also holds American citizenship. She had starring roles in the short-lived sitcoms ''The Mind of the Married Man'' (2001–2002) and ''Coupling'' (2003) before landing her role as Penny W ...
(Penelope), stating that "their on screen chemistry makes the love between the two characters real and makes their inevitable breakup that much harder to handle.".
:
Key: = Recurring
:
Key: = Guest
:
Key: = No Appearances
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Widmore, Penny
Fictional female businesspeople
Fictional English people
Lost (TV series) characters
Television characters introduced in 2006
British female characters in television