LOST: Charlie's Story

One of the most beloved and widely liked of the LOST characters is Dominic Monaghan's character, Charlie Pace. This is his story.

It's Christmas morning! Charlie Pace runs down the stairs in his bunny slippers ready to open presents like every other kid across the world. His older brother, Liam is already at the tree, gazing at all the wonderful presents laid before him. After scourging through them all, young Charlie is extremely disappointed as every single gift under the tree reads Liam on the tag. Charlie's mom then comes into the living room, and points him in the direction of his present, with a bunch of blankets laid on top. Charlie tears them off and finds his present, a beautiful grand piano. She tells him that Father Christmas must know that he is special, and they will be the ones to "get [them] out of here". The flashback then shows a fully-grown Liam sitting on the piano bench beside him wearing a diaper. His whole family keeps telling him to save them and his dad waves a meat cleaver at him. Now, why his flashback became contorted is beyond me. Perhaps a side-effect of heroine withdrawal? Or just the island telling him something. Who knows...

A short time later, possibly the following summer, Charlie is standing by the pool. Their father is standing in the pool encouraging him to jump in, while Liam stands aside razzing him. After further encouragement, he finally works up enough bravery to jump in. Instantly, he panics, as he goes underwater for a split second but is instantly emphatic, yelling "I did it!" as he resurfaces with his father's help.

Some time later, as a young adult, Charlie is playing guitar on a street corner for spare change. Subsequently, it starts to rain and Charlie, flustered, begins the trek home. As he passes by an alley, he sees a woman being mugged. He quickly rushes to her aid, and hits the assailant with his guitar case. After letting on that he hadn't been in a fight since he was eight, and that one he lost, she tells him that, regardless, he is a hero. Three people walked past the alley before he and kept going like nothing was happening. She tells him that he is a hero, and not too "let anyone tell [him] differently".

Some time later, we find Charlie in a confessional. After admitting that he had sexual relations with two women he didn't know, he realizes that it's their band, DriveShaft that is upping the frequency of his temptation. The priest consoles him, stating that, though everyone is tempted, it's his choice to fall into the sin. After that, he resolves to quit the band, but walks out into the church to find Liam sprawled out in a pew. He tells him that they got a record deal and Charlie, lost in his ecstasy, completely forgets his intentions to quit.

The next scene finds them on the side of the road with a flat tire. Charlie tries to fix it while Liam just looks on. All the while, they're arguing about the importance of their next show. Though they are headlining, it's in the middle of nowhere. After awhile, he gives up and that's when they hear their song, You All Everybody, on the radio.

Before a show, Charlie is, once again, convinced that they should pull out of the business. Liam then butters him up, telling him that he is DriveShaft. Charlie agrees to stay, but he makes Liam promise that they'll walk away if "things get too crazy".

After a show, Liam walks in to find Charlie laying with two sound asleep women. He announces that it's Christmas time and gives him a DS ring, their family heirloom. Charlie refuses, stating that as the first born the ring is Liam's to keep. The reason it has DS on it is because of their ancestor, Dexter Stratton, which is the reason they named the band with the same intials. Convinced that he won't even live passed thirty, Liam finally gets Charlie to take it. Charlie agrees to hold on to it, but insists that he won't keep it.

At their next show, Liam takes over Charlie's part in the chorus of You All Everybody. Charlie glares at him but Liam seems oblivious. After the show, a girl shows up with a film canister of drugs and Charlie is shocked to see his brother go with her. Finally, Charlie finds Liam among a bunch of other druggies and insists that it's time to back out, but Liam refuses, acting as if he doesn't care if Charlie quits or not.

DriveShaft is falling out, and the band is reduced to playing commercial gigs. The next scene shows them doing a bid for diapers, dressed in diapers, called Butties. They adjust the lyrics to their one hit wonder to "You all, every butties" for the advertisement while doing simple choreography along with it, but Liam is unable to do it and falls over, the effects of his beloved drugs. The director says he can't handle it and that Charlie either has to ditch Liam, and, after Charlie refuses, fires them.

Charlie is sitting at the piano trying to come up with another hit song, pencil in his teeth. After being skeptical at first, Liam begins to sing along with him and says they should stay up all night and write like the old days. Just when Charlie finally thinks he's back to the old Liam, he turns to him and asks him, "so, baby brotha, ya got any?" referring to the heroine.

In the morning, Charlie returns to find his piano gone. Furious, he turns to Liam and asks what he's done. Liam tries to convince Charlie that he needed the money for his family, to which Charlie replies, "I'm your family!" Liam tells him that he's moving to Australia to start over again with his new wife and child. Charlie is aghast, after trying so many times to quit, and Liam constantly convincing him to stay together, their roles have switched.

A completely down-and-out Charlie, along with his friend, Tommy, are in an alley doing drugs. Their stash is getting low and Tommy tells Charlie he'll have to go "back to work". Their next stop is the pub. Tommy introduces Charlie, from across the bar, to 22 year old, Lucy Heatherton. Charlie begins to form a relationship with her at the pub while Tommy plays DriveShaft's "You All Everybody".

After having a good sit-down dinner with Lucy and her father, Charlie admits that the band probably won't be getting back together anytime soon, and he offers him a job as a copy machine salesperson. Charlie accepts. Tommy can't believe it and still wants him to steal something.

Now under four days withdrawal from the drugs, Charlie's sweating pretty heavily when he shows up to get ready for the interview. Lucy decides she's going to drive him and presents him with a brand new suit. As Lucy walks out, Charlie swipes the gold and silver Churchill case he'd been eyeing since the first time he visited. After throwing up during his first presentation as a salesman, Charlie returns to Lucy's house, and she's in tears. Though she understands why he's stolen and pretended to like her, but can't understand why he took the job. When he states that maybe he just wanted to be respectful, she tells him he'll never take care of anyone.

Charlie gets away to Australia as fast as he can to visit his brother Liam. When Liam opens the door, Charlie gets right down to business, telling him he wants to get the band back together. Liam refuses, saying he's fulling involved with his family, and tells Charlie to go somewhere to get help since he's obviously been using.

Charlie storms off, out of the yard and out of Liam's life.
He purchases the next flight out of Australia: Oceanic Flight 815.