How are the characters connected?

[Radagast de Brun]

The creators have claimed that all the characters are somehow connected but they don't know it yet. I think that we might be at the time when we can start figuring out these connections. Here are the ones that seem possible to me:

Boone and Shannon- obvious, they are siblings

Michael and Walt- again obvious, father and son

Jin and Sun- married

Locke and Jack- Locke suffered nerve damage that left him paraplegic. Jack is/was an emergency neurosurgeon. I'm thinking that it is likely that Jack was the doctor who operated on Locke.

Locke and Sayid- this is tenuous, but if Locke was really in the military, then he would very possibly have fought against Sayid in the Persian Gulf War.

Boone, Shannon and Charlie to everyone- these three are minor celebrities. There are probably more personal connections though.


Many of the rest are rather difficult to hypothesize. The characters are from seven different countries spread across four continents. Anyone notice anything else?

[Grimme]

Good thread topic, Radagast de Brun. Your comment about 4 continents and 7 countries intrigued me.

That would be North America (Canada and the USA), Europe (England and France), Asia (Iraq and South Korea) and Australia, right?

They were all in Australia for some reason. Two of them were escaping from the routine of their daily lives (Kate and Locke). All were leaving Australia for some reason with at least a stopover in the United States at Los Angeles.

It might be interesting to figure out why some of them were in Australia in the first place. Where were Charlie's other band members? What was model Shannon doing in Australia with a brother whom she considers a control freak and doesn't particularly like? Was Sayid just visiting and was Dr. Jack at a medical conference?

Several seem to speak more than one language (Shannon and Sayid). Kate, who has said she is Canadian, if she is from Quebec may speak and understand French. The Korean couple may understand English and/or Japanese.

Hurley told Sayid that he had a friend who had fought in the Gulf war in Iraq and Sayid was in the Republican Guard.

Almost everyone is either single, divorced, widowed or separated from their significant other. The one intact married couple (if they are indeed married) is the Korean couple and they don't appear to be very happy with each other.

That's all the connections that I see right now.

[Radagast de Brun]

I suppose I'll add this too as you seem to be interested Grimme. It is a list of everything I can think of that we know about each character's past, including why they are on the plane.

I'll try to keep this post edited with information as it comes in.


Jack: Seemingly American - Trained as a neurosurgeon

Kate: Claimed to be Canadian - Has a criminal past of some kind - Ran to Australia and somebody was tenacious enough to hunt her down and offer $16,000(US) to find her - Has great walking ability and can survive in the outdoors - Is forced onto the plane by the marshal/bounty hunter.

Charlie: English - Used to be the bassist in a formerly popular band - Has a heroin addiction - Presumably very rich as he's willing to snort heroin rather than shoot it - I seem to remember hearing that he was on the plane because of a drug rehab program.

Boone and Shannon: American - a brother and sister from an extremely wealthy apparently political American family - Shannon spent time in Paris, Boone didn't - Shannon seems spoiled, Boone better adjusted - Are on the plane because Boone had to retrieve Shannon from some scandal. They were displaced from fisrt class by an unspecified man.

Hurley: American. We know almost nothing about him.

Michael and Walt: Apparently American and Australian respectively - We know very little about them other than that they are father and son and barely knew each other due to divorce - Were on the plane because Michael had to pick Walt up after his ex's death.

Sayid: Iraqi - Was Republican guard during the Gulf War - Has electronics experience - Has or had a woman, apparently in the Middle East, with whom he is enamored - Reasons to be on the plane unknown

Sawyer: American - Can apparently use a pistol - Has antipathy towards Sayid

Jin and Sun: Korean - Apparently speak no English, though who goes on a business trip from Sydney to LA with no knowledge of English? - Jin is very conservative and domineering - They are distrustful/uncooperative with the others - Apparently are on the plane because of a business trip

Locke: American - Apparently became parapelegic four years ago - Works in the insurance business - Has a strong interest in the military and strategy - Is called the Colonel, though on initial inspection was apparently never in the military - Calls for phone sex - Has a strong desire to go on a walkabout - Is apparently on the plane because he was refused admission to a walkabout and sent home

Claire: Australian - Is eight months pregnant

Rose: American - was married but lost her husband in the crash - grew up in Brooklyn

[psychobunny1]

Charlie: Nationality Unkown (accent British) - Used to be the bassist in a popular band - Has a heroin addiction - Presumably very rich as he's willing to snort heroin rather than shoot it - I seem to remember hearing that he was on the plane because of a drug rehab program.

I think that he mentioned he was from England, when he was talking about fish.

Were the Franch speaking people, for surely form France, I missed the episode, but I could be another country.

[Mithril379]

I think it may be a less literal connection. Many of the charcters seem to have been "lost" before they boarded the plane:

Kate - on the run for some reason, her life was apparently off track

Sayid - previously in the Republican Guard, but apparently not on active duty prior to the crash. Perhaps he's in exile after the coup attemps and executions of 1995, or fled the current war (I doubt the second though)

Walt - just lost the only parent he knew, and is moving yet again, this time with a stranger - his dad.

Michael - living the role of father for the son he doesn't know

Locke - desperately lonely, paralyzed, in rebellion against his limits (just don't tell him he "can't" do it!), vivid fantasy life in a "secure line" cube, creating one sided relationships with paid phone service employees

Shannon - pedicure anyone? equal parts narcissism and immaturity, she seems to have been running wild.

Claire - about to have a baby, appears to be doing it alone, must have had compelling reason to attempt that flight so late term

Jack - not clear yet, suspect he was leaving medicine, overwhelmed now by demands of leadership

Charlie - active heroin addict, band's glory days appear to be in the past

Sawyer - not clear yet, but something important was on that notebook paper

Well, you get the idea. I think as we get to know Hurley, Sun, Jin, and Boone they'll have a "lost past" too. Hey, in a way maybe we all do.

[Radagast de Brun]

I took the statement that they were connected to mean essentially that somebody had gone out of their way to get these particular people on a plane (and then crash it). The fact that Boone and Shannon were bumped from first class seems to support this (sending members of one of the richest families in America to economy cannot be easy, especially when one is a spoiled brat). I have also read that in a downloaded version of the pilot Jack was forced to give up his first class seat to make way for an old lady. I'll have to try and find that interview again.

[Iphigenia W]

***Michael and Walt: Apparently American and Australian respectively - We know very little about them other than that they are father and son and barely knew each other due to divorce - Were on the plane because Michael had to pick Walt up after his ex's death.***

But has there ever been anything mentioned about a divorce? My take on Michael and Walt is a bit different. It's obvious that Michael has never been a custodial parent to Walt, he wasn't even sure how old Walt was, he didn't know if he could speak Spanish, etc. Walt also made a comment when asked about his lack of an Australian accent that he and his Mom had 'moved around a lot'. All this made me wonder if the Mother had taken the boy and been on the run with him for some reason, and only on her death had Walt been 'found' and returned to his Father.

[JacksGirlfriend]

Iphigenia: I got the same vibe about Walt and Michael. "Moving around alot" seemed to mean running. I suspect that Walt and his mom have been lots of different places and it's been going on for Walt's entire life since Michael doesn't know him.

I don't know much about custody disputes and wonder how hard it would be to get a child out of the country but it's possible the split happened before Michael had a clue about what was happening and had no chance to stop his wife from leaving and taking the child. It's possible she even fled while she was pregnant.

I don't know what would cause a woman to do this because Michael doesn't seem to be the "violent" type. Despite that I think he must have done something to instigate her to leave. Walt appears to have been well taken care of. He seems well adjusted so I doubt his mother was mentally unstable. The only other option then is Michael did something to cause her to leave him and get as far away as possible.

It's possible that Walt isn't even Michael's 'real" son and Michael's wife left before he could find out.

(The fact that Michael doesn't know Walt's age means very little - I don't think my husband could come up with an age for our kids without a great deal of thought. He'd have to do the math.)

JacksGirl

[azteclady]

I have a couple of questions...

How do we know for sure that Boone and Shannon are wealthy, famous or politically connected? I'm not claiming they aren't, mind, just that I can't recall how or when this was disclosed in the 4 episodes we've seen so far. The first class thing wouldn't necessarily mean any of these things - people relatively well-off may chose to fly first class for the sitting space.

And the whole "that guy didn't let us have our first class seats" that Shannon says to Boone, could it be that she wanted to sit in first class (thought she was entitled as it were -can you tell I don't like her? :lol ), but they didn't actually had seats there?

I read in another thread (can't find it now, drats!), the speculation that Claire is a surrogate mother and that she was flying to the US to deliver the baby where its parents live - anyone knows anything about the procedure for this? is it considered adoption..? what kind of paperwork is involved..?

Mithril,
I think you are on to something, with the "less obvious" connection thing.

Boone: I remember Shannon harping a couple of times on him "trying to be a hero" or maybe a "do-gooder" (there's that "Go rescue a baby bird" line); he claimed to be a licensed lifeguard in the first episode, but wasn't doing it correctly. He also keeps pointing out how he's providing for Shannon, protecting her, etc. I think he may be trying *too* hard to define himself as good, generous, heroic, responsible, what-have-you, so that he's 'lost' under the image he's trying to project.

I love your sigline, by the way!


Beto

Edited for typo

[JacksGirlfriend]

I'm the one that suspects Claire is a surrogate mother. I have no reason other than why else does an 8 month pregnant woman fly half way across the world? If she had been going to meet the father and was looking forward to it, she would have mentioned it to Charlie as in "I can't wait to get to America because I really miss so and so..."

But she didn't. So there's a reason for her to be going there and the only thing I can think of is the baby is intended for someone else.

Shannon and Boone: I've seen nothing to indicate they're from a political family either, although someone did bring it up so maybe they heard something I didn't. I assume they're fairly well off. The gold card reference is a symbol of status and she spent a year in France. The fact that she was drinking means she wasn't on a scholarship because her grades would have mattered. Therefore mom and dad paid for it. Not many people have the ability to send their child to a foreign country for a year. This doesn't make them millionaires, but they do have money.

Boone as a lifeguard: He probably worked at the country club where there was very little chance anyone would actually drown. Another checkmark for the "have money but not millionaires" box.

Boone as do-gooder: I think he's involved in environmental causes and there's a possibility his family isn't happy about it because although it's an altruistic pursuit, it can have its drawbacks. Although most people think Boone went to retrieve Shannon, I think it's the other way around. Perhaps Boone got himself arrested (ala Greenpeace or something) and Shannon had to go bail him out because no one else would. Despite their bickering, I think these two are really close and love one another which leads me to believe their parents weren't too involved in their lives and they only had each other.

Of course Shannon can't resist harping on Boone's "noble" endeavors because she seems so shallow and is probably jealous he has found a calling in life. In all likelihood Shannon is shallow because no one has ever expected not to be. Sometimes we become what others think we are. I suspect her to change sometime soon. She's feisty, has a chip on her shoulder and has never had to prove herself. I think she will. Under that pretty exterior is a spirited, opinionated girl and she just needs something to challenge her.

JacksGirl

[azteclady]

JacksGirl,
You definitely have more faith in human nature than I do! *chuckle*

Shannon may be forced to grow up and get over herself pretty soon or risk being shunned by the rest of the survivors.

But...

I have a 40 year old sister who *still* feels entitled to everything, from attention to material things. And I'm not talking about a wealthy family, parents who neglected the kids, model-beautiful looks, etc! I'm talking about her psychological make-up and how her perception of reality is skewed. That is all I see in Shannon.



Beto
bitter? me? :rollin

[JacksGirlfriend]

Faith in human nature? That's funny because someone else on the board accused me earlier of having a dark view of human nature.

Sometimes I do have faith though and I like to think that inside of us all is the ability to become more - we just have to find it and act on it.

But I'm also a realist. Yes, Shannon seems to be self-absorbed and this may be part of her basic personality. But I'm hoping to see her change because I have known people that I have otherwise discounted pull through in a crisis. Sometimes people surprise you.

JacksGirl

[walkingcarpet23]

I'm one who happens to believe that no one is born with set mentalities, it's the events that happen to you in your life that shape you as a human being. I don't think Shannon is just naturally spoiled, she has no doubt had things handed to her her whole life due to her family's status. Add the fact that she's good looking onto that and has more than likely never had to look too hard for male attention (and she knows it -- look at the fish situation with Charlie) and her character makes sense.

I think Boone is the exact opposite of her, he's not trying to be a "do-gooder" he just realizes how fortunate he is and he's trying to give back.

Now as for character connections, I don't think it was meant to mean that every character is in some way connected to another. I think it simply means that everyone there is vital to the situation they're in, and they're all there for a reason. Now why is a much better question. Maybe it's fate, maybe someone had a hand in putting them there, who knows.

[theghostofwalt]

a very loose theory i have is that they have all "lost" someone recently. and to make my theory even looser, theres not much evidence of that so far...but in thinking of what they could have in common that came to my mind.

[LaLa3584]

So far it seems that the characters are connected because they all didn't want to take that flight. Kate was being taken by the marshal. It seems like Shannon was being dragged back to America by her brother Boone. Lock had to go back because they wouldn't let him on the walkabout. Walt had to go with his dad but probably would rather be back with his mom. Sun seems to be forced to do everything by her husband Jin. Im going with the theory that Claire was not going to keep her baby and she was flying to have the baby with the people she was going to give the baby to. She probably was having doubts and really didnt want to take that flight either.

[azteclady]

Could someone, anyone, please give me the scene or quote that suggest that Boone was dragging Shannon home? It's been suggested by a few different people, and I honestly can't remember anything that implies that. Same with the bit about them being famous - have seen that mentioned once or twice too.

Of course, I don't have the episodes on tape or downloaded (dial-up - sheer torture!), so I can't watch again and try to figure out where this comes up, or how or where others see indications of it.

So if anybody could help me here, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!


Beto
--- glu glu glu ing

[Radagast de Brun]

The part about them being famous is largely from interviews with the cast and the creators, though their dialouge does suggest it. I believe that Boone and Shannon have an argument about him coming to get her fairly early in the first half of the pilot.

[bigmouth]

I agree with Mithril--they all have secrets. Two other commonalities:

1) They were all sitting towards the middle of the plane (i.e., business or economy).

2) Their wounds (with the exception of the marshall's) were all superficial.

[Radagast de Brun]

1) They were all sitting towards the middle of the plane (i.e., business or economy).

I find it very interesting though that at least three of them (Jack, Boone, Shannon) had intended to sit in first class but were pre-empted.

[bigmouth]

I absolutely agree, Radagast, though I think that may be done more to underscore to viewers that the survivors were all in the same general section of the plane. I actually think that's the commonality the writers were referring to, though I realize there may well be more.

Still, you are right, it certainly is curious that at least three of the characters were forced to sit in business/economy. I've wondered if the survivors were brought back to life by some entity for some unknown purpose. Maybe that same power intervened still earlier to make sure they sat in the right section.

[Mithril379]

Azteclady, no need to beg LOL. Maybe others can help more since I only have the pilot recorded, but in the second half of the pilot Boone and Shannon have a fight. Do you remember the one where Shannon explains she's been through a trauma, and petulantly decides to go on the tranceiver hike? As they scream at each other in fromt of Kate and Sayid Boone says something about constantly making "really bad decisions" that hurt her family. That scene, coupled with Boone's caretaking role toward Shannon (bringing her the chocolate bar for example) led me to believe he's used to pulling her out of scrapes. There's probably more information from subsequent episodes or interviews.

I hope someone comes up with more, or I'll be concerned that we are all somehow becoming a "hive mind" that baselessly believes Boone went to get Shannon...and that wouldn't fit in my definition of pseudoscience!

[Radagast de Brun]

If you listen to the cast interviews at ABC.com, Ian Somerhalder says that he went to get Shannon. I think he also says so during an argument in the pilot.

[Mithril379]

That's a relief :b

[azteclady]

Thank you, Mithril and Radagast!

It makes sense, given their interactions so far, that Boone was somehow pulling Shannon out of yet another scrape (bad decision, as per that argument right before the hike).

I'm still ambivalent about the famous-millionaire-political family thing, but because I am avoiding spoilers at all cost, I relay on people who've seen interviews or whatnot to confirm -or deny- whether this last part of their background is accurate or fabricated.



Beto

[will592]

I'm new to this board so forgive me if anyone has mentioned this before but no one seems to be talking about Jack and the fact that he was drinking pretty heavily on the plane. He complained that his vodka/juice wasn't very strong got a few free bottles of vodka from the stewardess. Then he basically drained a whole bottle in one shot (from the glass). I wonder if perhaps he had a drinking problem and that was somehow related to his trip. Or perhaps he was trying to drown some great pain he was going through. Somehow to me it seems like an important fact.

Chris

[azteclady]

Welcome, will!

You may want to check in the character fora - there are a couple of interesting threads there on Jack, his so-called drinking problem, his license to practice, etc.

Me, I think he may not have liked flying all that much (in the pilot, he told Kate that he took flying lessons but that it wasn't for him...), or that he was particularly tense on -this- flight, either because it was a transoceanic flight, or because of something that happened in Australia or something waiting for him in LA.


Beto

[cccourt]

should be a surprise! I love the theorizing...and I love when predict what will happen to which character in Alias...but...how they are connected is going to be the coup de gras of the show. Or at least..that is what I think.

[DriftWood]

I think:

Kate & Sawyer have a past together.

Jack's dad somehow caused Locke's paralysis.

I haven't yet figured out how the dog is connected to anyone.