teh LOST Character Background post
Mar. 4th, 2006 12:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
adelineSooo, I got around to finishing it! Only, no, that was a lie. I've only finished 5 characters so far, but I'll edit the rest in later. (Maybe.)
These only take you as far as the crash, and aside from the odd crazy theory/comment from me (in italics), I tried to keep them as objective as possible. I compiled all this stuff because, obviously, I'm a dork (what else is new?) and it makes it easier for me to track reference points in character analyses. Could also come in handy in fanfic-writing. That way I don't have to rewatch a bajillion episodes when I just know this or that was mentioned in canon but can't remember which ep.
Enough babbling, here goes nothing...
Jack Shephard, from California.
- Aged around 10-11, tries to rescue Mark Silverman from school bullies, and gets own ass kicked.
- Listened "maybe a little too much" to Daddy. (From Special. Michael: "You listen to your old man when you were 10 years old?" Jack: "(mildly scoffing) Yeah, maybe a little too much.")
- *big gap where we don't know anything here* Jack being quite the fit type (gave Ethan a good beating and all), he has somehow gained experience in beating assholes somewhere - like, oh oh, school! As showcased in Whatever The Case May Be to name but one, Jack stays true to his word no matter what. Knowing this, we can surmise he never let down any of the MarkSilvermans at school, but stood up to the bullies and put up a fight. Why? Possibly because Daddy said he couldn't, but he was a drunk and Jack is better than that, and/or because no one should treat people badly for personal gain - it's not right. Hero complex.
- Years later, top surgeon in LA - following in Daddy's footsteps.
- Sarah's accident. Meets Desmond that same night, who challenges him on his faith. Ominous miracle turns around his values, starting with his view on hope.
- Gains worldwide fame as a result of said miracle.
- Marries Sarah two years later (best man is named Mark - coincidence? methinks of course not).
- Spends little time at home. Sarah starts cheating. Sarah has pregnancy scare but tells him it's nothing.
- Gets seduced by Italian vixen but resists temptation. Tells Sarah. Sarah says she was already leaving him.
- Simultaneously: fails to save vixen's father, fails to save his marriage, leading him to lose hope/faith in miracles.
- For the record - no tattoos yet at this point.
- Some unknown amount of time later, Daddy operates pregnant woman while under the influence of alcohol, directly causing her death. Jack decides to turn him in after learning of the patient's pregnancy.
- Daddy's license is revoked, he leaves the country, off to Australia.
- Two months later, Mommy guilts Jack into going after Daddy.
- Daddy confesses admiration, love and pride for Jack to stranger roughly Jack's age in Sydney bar.
- Finds Daddy dead in Australia. Blames self. Flies Daddy's body homewards to bury him, but...
- Plane crashes. Can't bury Daddy. (Reluctantly kills man in mercy and buries him, interestingly.)
> Theory That Will Never Actually Play Out: I think Sarah lied, Jack has a kid somewhere. Anvils are planted all over. Obviously, there's All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues. Then there's a ton of little things which, taken individually, might not amount to much but when you put them together fit impeccably. For instance in, I think it was Special as well, Hurley voices mild concern that Michael might not like being a father, and Jack points out quite matter-of-factly that, "Nah, it's a tough job". How should he know better than Hurley or anyone childless? I know I read too much into these things, but then they throw The Hunting Party at us, and you gotta wonder why that piece of dialogue was there. Plus, after Maternity Leave and the uber-cuteness that was that little Jack and Aaron scene, I may just be starting my own lobby called Give Jack A Baby.
James Ford, from Tennessee.
- Parents get conned, dad kills mom and shoots self on 8-year-old James's bed.
- Childhood is a mystery. Grandparents are mentioned in passing (Outlaws), but canon doesn't elaborate. The Sawyer sides used for auditions had him in custody of his aunt and uncle, "he ran scams, while she sat on her fat ass all day," but actual scripts haven't yet confirmed anything about this.
- Sets out on a lifelong quest for revenge.
- Meets Gordy.
- 'Becomes Sawyer', but Gordy knows "who he really is" (The Long Con).
- Meets Hibs. Tampa Bay job, after which Hibs knows Sawyer is "not the killing type" (Outlaws).
- Chronology unknown: uncle dies from brain tumor. (Deus Ex Machina)
- Chronology unknown: Walks away from con job after realizing the targeted couple has a kid. (Confidence Man)
- Chronology unknown: the Cassidy con. Falls in love*, takes the money and runs anyway. (The Long Con) (*) : note that in Outlaws, he denies having ever been in love during the game of "I Never". Genuine character conflict, or continuity mistake? I optimistically vote for the former.
- Chronology unknown: Votes Democrat. (Just had to throw that in. :p) (Outlaws)
- Hibs sends him on "Sawyer's" trail.
- Finds fake!Sawyer in Australia, stares him in the eye, gun in hand, finds out who he really is... not the killing type.
- Commiserates in bar with fellow American, old enough to be his dad, shares a bottle with him. The guy says he should do whatever will ease the pain, or else he'll regret it.
- Shoots fake!Sawyer, finds out he's been played, but it's too late. He's a killer now.
- Is arrested by Sydney police for whatever small crap, and charterred back to America on Flight 815.
- Plane crashes. Murder goes unpunished.
Kate Austen, from Iowa.
- 5 years old when parents divorce. Possible custody battle. (Sam Austen: "I wanted to take you along with me, but she wouldn't let me." What Kate Did)
- Dad in the army. They go on mountain hikes together, Kate picks up tracking skills.
- Stepdad Wayne is an abusive bum, but Mom loves him and Kate has to watch her suffer.
- Trivia: never been to Disneyland.
- Childhood best friend is Tom Brennan. They bury a time capsule together. Tom thinks they will get married and have children together when they grow up. Kate says as soon as she gets her driving license, she'll drive away - for reasons Tom understands.
> Theory That Will Never Actually Play Out: Rousseau mentions this in her transmission : " Brennan a pris les clefs." ("Brennan took the keys.") Could it be that a relative of Tom's was on Rousseau's research team? Looking at my track record, most probably not. I just thought I'd mention it.
- Aged 24, finds out the stepdad she hates is in fact her biological father, signs up for house insurance, and blows it up to kill Wayne.
- Pays Mom and a visit, and starts on the run.
- Gets caught by Marshall Mars at bus station, Mom has turned her in.
- Escapes Marshall's car thanks to providential intervention of mysterious black horse.
- Pays Dad a visit and runs again. He calls the feds.
- Chronology unknown: short-lived marriage.
- Switches identities all the time (3 aliases she's used: Joan Hart, Maggie, Annie)
- Mom is in hospital ICU dying of cancer. Tom works at this hospital, Kate enlists his help to see her. They dig up their memories, including Tom's toy plane.
- At the hospital, Kate asks for her Mom's forgiveness, but Diane gets frightened at her sight and screams for help. Kate has to run, borrows Tom's car, urges him to get out but he refuses, saying he won't "let [her] do this."
- Whilst Kate tries to lose the police, Tom is shot and killed by an officer. Kate broadsides another car, realizes Tom is dead, and runs away, leaving the contents of their time capsule in the car's backseat.
- Still on the run, Kate starts calling Marshall Mars, "taunting [him]" (Exodus), gets to him (Tabula Rasa).
- Marshall Mars calls her and says he has Tom's toy plane in a safe deposit box in a bank in New Mexico, leaving out the specifics of said bank. Kate finds it, seduces a few local thugs into robbing it with her with the sole purpose to retrieve the toy plane.
- Shoots her accomplices to stop them from harming any innocents.
- Aged 27*, Kate's made the most-wanted list in Australia, with a $23,000 reward on her head. Finds refuge in a remote farm much too large for senior citizen, one-armed, widower Ray who accepts to house Kate in exchange for farm work. (*) : "In the three years I've been chasing her (...)" Marshall Mars (Exodus)
- Ray turns her in, and Kate endangers his life by swerving his car off the road in a desperate attempt to get away from Marshall Mars. Takes him back to safety before anything else, giving the marshall a chance to finally catch her.
- Boards Flight 815 with marshall.
John Locke, from California.
- Given up for adoption at birth.
- Placed in foster care.
- Foster sister Jeanie dies as John is still a child.
- Foster mom dies 5 years later.
- Unknown amount of time later, works at toy store.
- Is tracked down by biological parents, manipulated and conned out of a kidney.
- Parents want nothing to do with him anymore.
- Grows angry to the point of attending anger management classes.
- Meets Helen there, they start dating.
- 6 months later, Helen realizes he still drives to his father's house in the middle of the night hoping against hope to finally get an explanation for the way he was treated.
- Helen encourages him to let go of the bitter past and take a leap of faith with her, John is willing to try.
- Unknown amount of time later, he's in a wheelchair and works as a regional collections supervisor for a box company. His boss is an insensitive jerk who belittles his dreams and hobbies.
- Calls sex phone lines to talk with an operator he calls "Helen," whom he seems to wish was his friend.
- Invites her to join him on a trip to Australia, for what he hopes to be his dream adventure : a walkabout in the wild outback. She abruptly declines the offer.
- Is denied access to the walkabout expedition at the Australian travel agency on the grounds that he neglected to mention his condition. This angers him, and he shouts back for the coordinator not to tell him "what [he] can't do".
- Problem with the airport wheelchairs, flight attendants carry him onboard so that he doesn't have to delay his flight another day.
- Plane crashes, and he is no longer paralyzed.
Sayid Jarrah, from Iraq.
- Spends childhood in Iraqi village, with a protective mother and a father considered "a great hero" by many.
- taunted in school by Nadia, a charming girl from a wealthy family trying to get his attention.
- Goes to university in Cairo, is roommates with fellow Iraqi, Essam Tazir. They play soccer together.
- Several of his relatives are killed in a sarin gas attack on their village marketplace.
- Early twenties, Iraqi soldier in the Gulf war, in an intelligence unit.
- Gets caught by US camp who use him as a translator to retrieve information on a missing American pilot's whereabouts.
- Turns on his coward and amoral commanding officer, torturing him into giving up the information requested by the US officials.
- Swears never to torture again.
- Becomes communications officer in Republican Guard.
- Is commanded to torture childhood flame Nadia, but helps her escape instead and shoots self in the leg to cover his tracks.
- Leaves Iraq after the war, and travels the world tirelessly searching for Nadia.
- Gets snatched up by CIA in London Heathrow Airport, they want his cooperation to stop terrorist threat, Essam Tazir. In exchange, they will tell him of Nadia's current whereabouts. Sayid agrees to the deal and flies to Sydney with the agents.
- Fools Essam's friends' trust and pretends to take part in their terrorist attack plan, talks Essam into performing the operation, offers to be a martyr with him, only to confess at the last moment that he worked with the CIA. Essam shoots himself in front of Sayid.
- the agents book him a flight to LA, saying that Nadia is currently in Irvine, CA. Sayid delays his departure to bury Essam's body in compliance with Muslim customs. Ends up on ill-fated Flight 815.
(TBC.)
If you spot mistakes and/or things I've completely overlooked (and I bet there are a few), it would be lovely to point them out.
These only take you as far as the crash, and aside from the odd crazy theory/comment from me (in italics), I tried to keep them as objective as possible. I compiled all this stuff because, obviously, I'm a dork (what else is new?) and it makes it easier for me to track reference points in character analyses. Could also come in handy in fanfic-writing. That way I don't have to rewatch a bajillion episodes when I just know this or that was mentioned in canon but can't remember which ep.
Enough babbling, here goes nothing...
Jack Shephard, from California.
- Aged around 10-11, tries to rescue Mark Silverman from school bullies, and gets own ass kicked.
- Listened "maybe a little too much" to Daddy. (From Special. Michael: "You listen to your old man when you were 10 years old?" Jack: "(mildly scoffing) Yeah, maybe a little too much.")
- *big gap where we don't know anything here* Jack being quite the fit type (gave Ethan a good beating and all), he has somehow gained experience in beating assholes somewhere - like, oh oh, school! As showcased in Whatever The Case May Be to name but one, Jack stays true to his word no matter what. Knowing this, we can surmise he never let down any of the MarkSilvermans at school, but stood up to the bullies and put up a fight. Why? Possibly because Daddy said he couldn't, but he was a drunk and Jack is better than that, and/or because no one should treat people badly for personal gain - it's not right. Hero complex.
- Years later, top surgeon in LA - following in Daddy's footsteps.
- Sarah's accident. Meets Desmond that same night, who challenges him on his faith. Ominous miracle turns around his values, starting with his view on hope.
- Gains worldwide fame as a result of said miracle.
- Marries Sarah two years later (best man is named Mark - coincidence? methinks of course not).
- Spends little time at home. Sarah starts cheating. Sarah has pregnancy scare but tells him it's nothing.
- Gets seduced by Italian vixen but resists temptation. Tells Sarah. Sarah says she was already leaving him.
- Simultaneously: fails to save vixen's father, fails to save his marriage, leading him to lose hope/faith in miracles.
- For the record - no tattoos yet at this point.
- Some unknown amount of time later, Daddy operates pregnant woman while under the influence of alcohol, directly causing her death. Jack decides to turn him in after learning of the patient's pregnancy.
- Daddy's license is revoked, he leaves the country, off to Australia.
- Two months later, Mommy guilts Jack into going after Daddy.
- Daddy confesses admiration, love and pride for Jack to stranger roughly Jack's age in Sydney bar.
- Finds Daddy dead in Australia. Blames self. Flies Daddy's body homewards to bury him, but...
- Plane crashes. Can't bury Daddy. (Reluctantly kills man in mercy and buries him, interestingly.)
> Theory That Will Never Actually Play Out: I think Sarah lied, Jack has a kid somewhere. Anvils are planted all over. Obviously, there's All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues. Then there's a ton of little things which, taken individually, might not amount to much but when you put them together fit impeccably. For instance in, I think it was Special as well, Hurley voices mild concern that Michael might not like being a father, and Jack points out quite matter-of-factly that, "Nah, it's a tough job". How should he know better than Hurley or anyone childless? I know I read too much into these things, but then they throw The Hunting Party at us, and you gotta wonder why that piece of dialogue was there. Plus, after Maternity Leave and the uber-cuteness that was that little Jack and Aaron scene, I may just be starting my own lobby called Give Jack A Baby.
James Ford, from Tennessee.
- Parents get conned, dad kills mom and shoots self on 8-year-old James's bed.
- Childhood is a mystery. Grandparents are mentioned in passing (Outlaws), but canon doesn't elaborate. The Sawyer sides used for auditions had him in custody of his aunt and uncle, "he ran scams, while she sat on her fat ass all day," but actual scripts haven't yet confirmed anything about this.
- Sets out on a lifelong quest for revenge.
- Meets Gordy.
- 'Becomes Sawyer', but Gordy knows "who he really is" (The Long Con).
- Meets Hibs. Tampa Bay job, after which Hibs knows Sawyer is "not the killing type" (Outlaws).
- Chronology unknown: uncle dies from brain tumor. (Deus Ex Machina)
- Chronology unknown: Walks away from con job after realizing the targeted couple has a kid. (Confidence Man)
- Chronology unknown: the Cassidy con. Falls in love*, takes the money and runs anyway. (The Long Con) (*) : note that in Outlaws, he denies having ever been in love during the game of "I Never". Genuine character conflict, or continuity mistake? I optimistically vote for the former.
- Chronology unknown: Votes Democrat. (Just had to throw that in. :p) (Outlaws)
- Hibs sends him on "Sawyer's" trail.
- Finds fake!Sawyer in Australia, stares him in the eye, gun in hand, finds out who he really is... not the killing type.
- Commiserates in bar with fellow American, old enough to be his dad, shares a bottle with him. The guy says he should do whatever will ease the pain, or else he'll regret it.
- Shoots fake!Sawyer, finds out he's been played, but it's too late. He's a killer now.
- Is arrested by Sydney police for whatever small crap, and charterred back to America on Flight 815.
- Plane crashes. Murder goes unpunished.
Kate Austen, from Iowa.
- 5 years old when parents divorce. Possible custody battle. (Sam Austen: "I wanted to take you along with me, but she wouldn't let me." What Kate Did)
- Dad in the army. They go on mountain hikes together, Kate picks up tracking skills.
- Stepdad Wayne is an abusive bum, but Mom loves him and Kate has to watch her suffer.
- Trivia: never been to Disneyland.
- Childhood best friend is Tom Brennan. They bury a time capsule together. Tom thinks they will get married and have children together when they grow up. Kate says as soon as she gets her driving license, she'll drive away - for reasons Tom understands.
> Theory That Will Never Actually Play Out: Rousseau mentions this in her transmission : " Brennan a pris les clefs." ("Brennan took the keys.") Could it be that a relative of Tom's was on Rousseau's research team? Looking at my track record, most probably not. I just thought I'd mention it.
- Aged 24, finds out the stepdad she hates is in fact her biological father, signs up for house insurance, and blows it up to kill Wayne.
- Pays Mom and a visit, and starts on the run.
- Gets caught by Marshall Mars at bus station, Mom has turned her in.
- Escapes Marshall's car thanks to providential intervention of mysterious black horse.
- Pays Dad a visit and runs again. He calls the feds.
- Chronology unknown: short-lived marriage.
- Switches identities all the time (3 aliases she's used: Joan Hart, Maggie, Annie)
- Mom is in hospital ICU dying of cancer. Tom works at this hospital, Kate enlists his help to see her. They dig up their memories, including Tom's toy plane.
- At the hospital, Kate asks for her Mom's forgiveness, but Diane gets frightened at her sight and screams for help. Kate has to run, borrows Tom's car, urges him to get out but he refuses, saying he won't "let [her] do this."
- Whilst Kate tries to lose the police, Tom is shot and killed by an officer. Kate broadsides another car, realizes Tom is dead, and runs away, leaving the contents of their time capsule in the car's backseat.
- Still on the run, Kate starts calling Marshall Mars, "taunting [him]" (Exodus), gets to him (Tabula Rasa).
- Marshall Mars calls her and says he has Tom's toy plane in a safe deposit box in a bank in New Mexico, leaving out the specifics of said bank. Kate finds it, seduces a few local thugs into robbing it with her with the sole purpose to retrieve the toy plane.
- Shoots her accomplices to stop them from harming any innocents.
- Aged 27*, Kate's made the most-wanted list in Australia, with a $23,000 reward on her head. Finds refuge in a remote farm much too large for senior citizen, one-armed, widower Ray who accepts to house Kate in exchange for farm work. (*) : "In the three years I've been chasing her (...)" Marshall Mars (Exodus)
- Ray turns her in, and Kate endangers his life by swerving his car off the road in a desperate attempt to get away from Marshall Mars. Takes him back to safety before anything else, giving the marshall a chance to finally catch her.
- Boards Flight 815 with marshall.
John Locke, from California.
- Given up for adoption at birth.
- Placed in foster care.
- Foster sister Jeanie dies as John is still a child.
- Foster mom dies 5 years later.
- Unknown amount of time later, works at toy store.
- Is tracked down by biological parents, manipulated and conned out of a kidney.
- Parents want nothing to do with him anymore.
- Grows angry to the point of attending anger management classes.
- Meets Helen there, they start dating.
- 6 months later, Helen realizes he still drives to his father's house in the middle of the night hoping against hope to finally get an explanation for the way he was treated.
- Helen encourages him to let go of the bitter past and take a leap of faith with her, John is willing to try.
- Unknown amount of time later, he's in a wheelchair and works as a regional collections supervisor for a box company. His boss is an insensitive jerk who belittles his dreams and hobbies.
- Calls sex phone lines to talk with an operator he calls "Helen," whom he seems to wish was his friend.
- Invites her to join him on a trip to Australia, for what he hopes to be his dream adventure : a walkabout in the wild outback. She abruptly declines the offer.
- Is denied access to the walkabout expedition at the Australian travel agency on the grounds that he neglected to mention his condition. This angers him, and he shouts back for the coordinator not to tell him "what [he] can't do".
- Problem with the airport wheelchairs, flight attendants carry him onboard so that he doesn't have to delay his flight another day.
- Plane crashes, and he is no longer paralyzed.
Sayid Jarrah, from Iraq.
- Spends childhood in Iraqi village, with a protective mother and a father considered "a great hero" by many.
- taunted in school by Nadia, a charming girl from a wealthy family trying to get his attention.
- Goes to university in Cairo, is roommates with fellow Iraqi, Essam Tazir. They play soccer together.
- Several of his relatives are killed in a sarin gas attack on their village marketplace.
- Early twenties, Iraqi soldier in the Gulf war, in an intelligence unit.
- Gets caught by US camp who use him as a translator to retrieve information on a missing American pilot's whereabouts.
- Turns on his coward and amoral commanding officer, torturing him into giving up the information requested by the US officials.
- Swears never to torture again.
- Becomes communications officer in Republican Guard.
- Is commanded to torture childhood flame Nadia, but helps her escape instead and shoots self in the leg to cover his tracks.
- Leaves Iraq after the war, and travels the world tirelessly searching for Nadia.
- Gets snatched up by CIA in London Heathrow Airport, they want his cooperation to stop terrorist threat, Essam Tazir. In exchange, they will tell him of Nadia's current whereabouts. Sayid agrees to the deal and flies to Sydney with the agents.
- Fools Essam's friends' trust and pretends to take part in their terrorist attack plan, talks Essam into performing the operation, offers to be a martyr with him, only to confess at the last moment that he worked with the CIA. Essam shoots himself in front of Sayid.
- the agents book him a flight to LA, saying that Nadia is currently in Irvine, CA. Sayid delays his departure to bury Essam's body in compliance with Muslim customs. Ends up on ill-fated Flight 815.
(TBC.)
If you spot mistakes and/or things I've completely overlooked (and I bet there are a few), it would be lovely to point them out.
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Date: 2006-03-05 12:37 am (UTC)