Summary
LostactorMaggie Grace reflects on her character’s fateon the popular ABC television series. Grace played Shannon Rutherford, stepsister to fellow Oceanic Flight 815 survivorBoone Carlyle (Ian Somerhalder), and she became romantically involved with another castaway, Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews). Grace was a series regular throughout all of season 1 and up to the season 2 episode “What Kate Did,” where Shannon was buried on the island after being shot in season 2, episode 6, “Abandoned.” She briefly reprised the role for a season 3 episode and in the series finale.
While speaking withThe Independent, Grace looked back on her time spent filmingLostand her disappointment that her character was killed so early in the series' six-season run. She admits that"I thought they were gonna take her a little further. It’s still theworst heartbreak of my career. I was devastated!“She also spoke about reasons Shannon may have been killed, along with her unrealized hopes of how the character could’ve developed had she survived longer. Check out Grace’s comments below:
[She] was sort of a caricature of white privilege before that was a phrase, you know? And maybe I was just too good at my assigned job of being incredibly annoying. I thought maybe she would do something surprising, or have another colour [to her personality]. Maybe she’d, at the last moment, redeem herself and be incredibly self-sacrificial in some way. I guess there were flashes of it, butnot in the way I hoped in terms of an arc. That’s a selfish actor’s point of view. They definitely had bigger fish to fry.
Should Shannon Have Survived Longer On Lost?
When Shannon was killed early in season 2, it came as a shock, as the only other major castaway to die at the time had been Boone. The episode she died in, “Abandoned,” gave her an overdue sympathetic backstory, seemingly poising her to become a more developed character beforeAna Lucia Cortez (Michelle Rodriguez)made the mistake of shooting her. Even though it initially seemed like her character may have been killed prematurely,future episodes proved that it was the right decision.
Ana Lucia’s mistake haunted her and prevented her from assimilating as well as the other tail section survivors did, which was vital to her arc moving forward. Shannon’s death also shaped the direction of Sayid’s tragic arc and his attitude toward the Others. Beyond these impacts, therewasn’t much more that Shannon could contribute to the main group or to the story, as she didn’t have any essential skills needed for survival, and so much of her identity and what was holding her back was intertwined with Boone, who had already died in season 1.
Boone died in season 1, episode 20, “Do No Harm.”
Killing Shannon in this way ensured that her character left the show on a sympathetic and devastating note,making her exit memorable and consequential. Her cameo via flashback in the season 3 episode “Exposé” was a fun way to briefly bring her back to the series, as was her more meaningful return in theLostseries finale, which confirmed that she remained an integral member ofLost’s core group of characters, along with reaffirming the genuine love she and Sayid had for each other.
Lost
Cast
Lost is a mystery drama series created for TV that follows a group of survivors of a plane crash and tells its story between the past, present, and future via flashbacks. When Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 crashes and lands on a mysterious island in the pacific ocean, the castaways discover their new temporary home may have a mind of its own, as strange supernatural events keep them locked to the island. From an unknown black smoke creature to dangerous islanders, the passengers must work together to survive the island’s seemingly deadly intentions.
