An Introduction to the Characters of Lost

A plane crash which no one has a right to survive occurs on a remote island whose coordinates do not exist on any known map. There are pre-existing tenants of said island who have a mysterious agenda. There is a French woman who was stranded sixteen years before our new castaways arrive and has come to terms with her isolation by developing a feral link with her new home. Various events previous to the crash and then again afterward weave all of these characters together in a continuing and often dizzying dance, with each new revelation providing more questions than answers. Add to this several entities that exist outside of our odd little isle's perimeter who also have an impact on all of its inhabitants and you have the beginning of the mythology that is 'Lost'. It is a fascinating mystery tale that is actually a wide set of stories intertwining, with enough extra twists and turns to each plot line to give any long-running daytime soap opera more than a good run for its money.

'Lost' first and foremost is a character study. And it is on a grand scale. Strangers on a flight dubbed Oceanic 815 are headed to Los Angeles, California from Sydney, Australia and become stranded together when the magnetic phenomenon, one of several anomalies residing on this twisted paradise, pulls their plane abruptly down from the sky. Shortly upon their unscheduled arrival they must learn to get along with each other and work together. Not an easy task even for people who know and care about each other, so the first season is as much about these characters learning about each other and how to cope with their diversities as well as about the new abode upon which they find themselves. And the island, as revealed in the very first episode, is a character unto itself with quirky mood swings, various deadly dangers and a myriad of secrets all its own. Much of the central plot is driven by the various background stories of each character, whose pre-island lives are revealed in a plethora of flashbacks. These flashbacks both reveal answers and lead to new questions about our various players as the dramas unfold.

The first person we are introduced to is Jack Shepherd, a brilliant spinal surgeon who was on his way home to bury his father. Jack sports several tattoos that indicate he has a rebellious streak that one might not expect from such a high-standing doctor. He, like every member of this doomed flight, has many a dark and terrible secret that he tries to hide but which the island will force him to face. Not the least of which of these are issues with his father, who had been another brilliant surgeon but was also an alcoholic. Jack's last name is not a coincidence, either, as he quickly becomes the group's unofficially elected leader. He takes to the role like the proverbial duck to water as soon as he awakes and realizes there are others in trouble. He mobilizes and organizes the ragged batch of injured survivors and not only tends to their wounds but rallies them together. This all-for-one condition does not last for long, however, and he is forced to re-group them time and again. He hates his role with all its demands and responsibilities, but rises to each challenge anyway, because helping others is obviously too strong a trait embedded within his psyche for him to ignore.

Next we meet Kate Austen, a fugitive from the law because she killed her own stepfather in order to save her mother from his alcoholic beatings. Instead of being grateful for salvation, dear old mom turns her only daughter in to the authorities. Kate manages to escape capture and had been on the run for quite some time before a dogged chase by a very stubborn federal marshal with a very personal as well as legal vendetta finally brings her to justice. Unfortunately for himself but fortunately for Kate, he suffers severe injuries due to the crash and dies within a few short days. He is not the first to die, nor is he to be the last. And like everyone else on this island, Kate's secrets eventually come out in the open anyway as time passes, despite the absence of this man who could reveal so much so early on. She ingratiates herself early with Jack, who needs her help to stitch up a gash in his side that he obtained from the crash. She is drawn to him, but is hesitant due to her unsavory past.

Sawyer, not his real name, is a con man and the resident bad boy. As if the place itself doesn't provide enough hazards, Sawyer causes his own brand of trouble. After assessing the situation he almost immediately begins scouring the broken fuselage for booty like a coyote searching through a garbage dump. Food, clothing, reading material, medicines, alcohol and any number of other useful items make their way into his private cache. He lives life for himself and everyone else can fend for themselves. This attitude will gradually change as he becomes more entrenched within the ranks of his fellow castaways. He also develops a serious crush on Kate, causing the quintessential love triangle. We also find out how this particular con man went into his line of work. Turns out it is a form of revenge on the original con man who destroyed his family when he was about five years old. Originally christened James Ford, he now carries a handwritten note, to be delivered to and read by this annihilator just before completing the payback by killing this boyhood boogeyman.

John Locke is another power player and central figure. He has not only survived the plane crash but has found himself improved. Previously in a wheelchair with a broken back, he wiggles his toes and finds he can once again stand and walk after he awakes amid the smoking wreckage. This miracle creates a sense of belonging and purpose that he has searched for most of his life. John becomes like a shaman to his people as he delves into the very heart and soul of the island and is pleased with what he finds there. At least at first. He has few followers, but that seems to suit him just fine. He has found a rare communion and revels in it until a moment comes when he feels he has been played for a fool. Like any holy man, he is tested. Because he is human and therefore fallible, mistakes are made. People die when mistakes are made. And he must atone.

Hurley, AKA: Hugo Reyes, is an obese young man with a brief history of mental illness due to an incident involving his weight. He is loveable, sweet, laid back and in quick order becomes the morale officer for the group. When Jack's somber speeches fail, Hurley is there to cheer everyone up and cajole them into reuniting. Considering the grim face of what dangers lurk here, his presence is beyond a breath of fresh air. The fact that he manages to keep his sense of humor and aids others to do the same is testament to a solid core that lurks underneath his surfer dude airs. Shallow he is not, despite being able to keep things light.

Claire is a very young, blond, blue-eyed and very pregnant girl who was on her way to meet the potential adoptive parents of her unborn child. An absent father, a dying mother and a boyfriend not ready for responsibility have left her to fend for herself. Feeling she does not have enough resources on her own, she is seeking a better life for her baby. Little does she know that fate insists that she really is the best woman for the job. When baby Aaron is born, she is a perfectly dedicated mother who handles her role far better than she anticipated.

Charlie is the rock star of a band called Driveshaft out of Manchester. And in cliché rock star fashion he is a drug addict. But his addiction and eventual recovery is very well done. Locke, in his spiritual capacity, helps Charlie reach for and attain a path of salvation. Our rock star's love for Claire and her baby is true and intense and it is for her that he gives up that which has chained him. He also eludes death's clutches in more forms and more often than just about any other character introduced so far. Truly, cats have fewer lives than Charlie Pace of Driveshaft fame. His sacrifice at the end of season three is heart-breaking, to say the least. Despite prophecies of his death, it is still hard to believe that he is truly dead this time. Time will tell, but most likely his ghost, like that of so many other characters, will be haunting the island for some time to come.

Sayid is a retired member of the Republican Guard and a veteran of the Gulf War. In other words, he was once the enemy to most of our American passengers. He claims to have been a communications officer, which like many truths is only part of the whole equation. He was a torturer, extracting information from various prisoners. He's very good at what he does and he hates himself for it. This self-hate is typical in one way or another of just about every other castaway.

Jin-Soo and Sun Kwon are a Vietnamese couple. Michael Dawson and Walt Lloyd-Porter are a father and son reunited after more than ten years. Like everyone else, these two sets of people are strangers to each other. Unlike the others, there is a deep and abiding link that already exists between each pair. Somehow the broken places between them must be healed and re-forged. Along with self-hate, this show is also very much about redemption and second chances. Considering what has gone on in their pasts, patching up these relationships is going to take some incredibly hard work. And the character that is the island helps that along by providing dangers to be overcome and therefore bringing everyone closer to one another through various adversities.

Rose and Bernard. True love found later in life, these two must literally find each other from opposite sides of the isle. They were on a honeymoon flight, with the husband taking a quick restroom break towards the back of the plane while his nervous wife(there's quite a bit of turbulence before the eventual crash) waits for his return in first class. When the plane crashes, it is because it is torn to pieces in midair. The fuselage group is where we start, but by second season we learn that there was a smaller set of 'Tailies' who also survived. Watching these older lovers reunite is one of many warm moments thrown in to keep things from becoming too bleak. But like everyone else, they too have their secrets to be revealed.

We are introduced to Desmond near the end of the first season. He was on a solo sailing trip around the world as part of an international race, and even more importantly to prove something to himself, when the island pulled him to its bosom and refused to let go. Des has a girlfriend who is quite wealthy while he has no job and few prospects, hence the motivation for sailing away against his lady's wishes. Add to that a meeting with her father that definitely did not go well and our friend, who is first found in one of several quarantine hatches dug deep throughout the isle, is a bit of an emotional mess. Of course, being sleep deprived as he is awakened every hundred and eight minutes to push a button in order to save the world has not exactly helped his mental state.

Danielle Rousseau - other wise known as the 'French Woman' - has been here a very long time. Part of a scientific research team, she is the last of her own band of castaways and has been foraging for her survival ever since. For a scientist, she has come up with some very expertly crafted guerilla tactics to keep herself alive.

And then there are the 'Others'. A supposedly native group who kidnap and torment various members of our survivors due to reasons they keep to themselves.

Within this party, we find Benjamin Linus, their leader who supposedly answers to someone named Jacob, but there is doubt cast as to who actually answers to whom. Ben's daughter, Alix, is actually the kidnapped baby of Danielle. Apparently one of numerous quirks of the island is a healing factor that can beat any kind of cancer and a male fertility factor that makes contraception pointless. Perhaps to control what would otherwise be a geometric increase in population that would quickly ravage the area within a bare handful of generations, the healing factor works against women's fertility as each one who has ever conceived here dies from their own immune systems attacking their unborn fetuses and thereby themselves. Women who have conceived away from the island, however, are safe from this particular biological effect. But not from the 'Others' as they kidnap any children or other individuals they consider 'worthy' of joining their special group.

And then there is Juliet. She has been tricked into joining the 'Others' to help them solve the fertility-equals-death equation for the women. A six month stint turns into two years and still going. Juliet is tired of watching her patients die and desperately wants to get home to her sister and niece. Juliet's own research has made the miracle birth for her sister possible. The 'Others' have provided a cure for the cancer that had threatened to kill Juliet's beloved sibling. Our dear doctor eventually switches sides and joins Flight 815's group. It is an uneasy truce.

We will call this next section the Graveyard, since each of the following have met their end in one way or another. Not that this means they are gone for good, since one the island's magical tricks is to bring back or otherwise create copies of those who are no longer with us. Also, they have interacted with what's left of our survivors not only on the island but most likely before, so watch for these faces in the various flashbacks that are a trademark of the series.

Boone and Shannon

Brother and sister, yet not. They are step siblings with no genetic link between them. To say they are dysfunctional is to only touch the surface. What they have is an incestuous infatuation with each other that has strained what might otherwise be a truly loving family connection. Each dies in separate accidents after their improbable survival from flight 815's crash.

Eko

A drug lord from Africa. Originally raised by Catholic missionaries, he joins 'the dark side' to save his younger brother from becoming a murderer. One shot, without a hint of hesitation, impresses the gang leader. Just before coming to the island, Eko changes sides again. In a drug run gone horribly wrong, he is dressed as a priest and his brother, who has become an actual priest, is shot by the authorities. Once the Tailies and Fuselage groups unite, Eko becomes something of a rival shaman to Locke. It is definitely friendly, though, as they share their insights and explore each other's take on what their existence means. Especially on such a mystical island.

Ana-Lucia

A former cop. And pregnant when a bust goes bad. After the perp shoots her several times, she loses the baby and spends a very long time in the hospital. She tries to return to work, but her boss, who also happens to be her mother, turns her away claiming that Ana is not ready to return to duty. To make matters worse, the perp is on the loose. Ana manages to track him down, explains why she's going to kill him and then fires several rounds. Shortly after this, she heads to Australia for a 'vacation', as has been recommended by her CO mother. Ana was on her way home to Los Angeles to face her consequences when 815 falls out of the sky. Leader of the 'Tailies', Ana-Lucia manages to keep what's left of her tiny band alive after a raid by the Others. She's a tough lady, but dies like anyone else when a bullet is sent into her by someone who was supposed to be an ally.

Libby

Claims to be a psychiatrist but in at least one flashback we discover that she was at the same asylum as Hurley for awhile - as a patient. Coincidentally(or not, depending on your perspective) she and Hurley become something of an item. They have only gone on what could be considered one official date before she is killed by Michael. He betrays his group and his friends in a desperate bid to get his son back from the Others. He is also responsible for Ana-Lucia's death.

Nikki and Paolo

Con artists on the run. Unlike Sawyer, who only wants to kill the man who destroyed his family, these two cause death as a business routine. After worming her way into a rich movie mogul's life and talking him into hiring her actual boyfriend as a chef, they poison their mark and make off with several millions dollars worth of diamonds. Alas, greed does them in, too, as they lie to and eventually betray each other over precious gems that have no value on our quirky island.

Mr. Smiley

Appears to be second in command to Benjamin. He's as lethal as any of his companions, but with a more easy-going nature. He'd rather not kill anyone if possible, so will ask you to drop your weapons with a smile on his face while he levels his own gun at you. He and several other members of his group meet their end when our Flight 815 survivors finally retaliate by setting an ambush. Jack Shepherd's lambs have become wolves, and they're not going to take anymore crap from the 'natives'.

Season four should be an interesting ride.