In the second season of Lost one of the biggest twists was the death of Shannon Rutherford (Maggie Grace). Shannon was accidentally shot and killed by Ana Lucia, the leader of the tail survivors of the plane, and her death caused a lot more problems for the show than it should have – especially from the audience's perspective. Before her death, Shannon's arc seemed promising. She was starting to be happy with Sayid, moving away from being selfish and starting to care and look out for others.
However, this potential for growth was instantly undercut by the character's untimely and unexpected death. The consequences were immediate and extreme, both for the show's overall narrative and for viewers' response to the story. Of course, Lost frequently shocked its audience with twists and surprising reveals. However, Shannon's death was an example of a bold decision actually backfiring – damaging Lost in ways that would have been difficult to foresee.
Shannon’s Death Was One Of Lost's Most Tragic
She Was One Of The Most Popular Characters On The Show
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Shannon's death on Lost was one of the series' most upsetting. She had just started dating Sayid and become more of a team-player rather than a self-centered person that only looked out for herself. When the character was shot, she collapsed and died in Sayid's arms, which just made for an even more tragic scene. Due to the popularity of the character, Shannon's death proved that you should always expect the unexpected in Lost, but at the same time, it also made a lot of the show's audience feel betrayed following their investment in the character.
The first main character to die in Lost was Boone Carlyle, Shannon's step-brother. This made Shannon's death even more tragic as she was the last surviving main character to represent her family. In a way, it was bitter-sweet, as Shannon and Boone spent most of the first season together. Shannon's death meant that they would be reunited in the afterlife (shown in the season 6 episode "The End"). However, Shannon was only just beginning to navigate her life independently, figuring out who she was without her brother in her life, so her death quickly stopped this story of self-discovery.
Shannon's Death Left The Tail Survivors To Be Treated Like Outsiders
It Took A While For Them To Be Accepted Because Of Shannon's Murder
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Shannon's death caused problems for the tail survivors as it led to both the audience and the characters on the show holding resentment towards Ana Lucia for unintentionally killing her. Following the incident, Ana Lucia, Libby, and Mr. Eko, three of the tail survivors, spent most of their time on the show isolated and shunned by the others. It seemed an impossible challenge to integrate these new characters into the plot. As a result, the show wasted the potential of these three initially intriguing characters, killing Ana Lucia and Libby along with Eko within nine episodes of each other.
When Lost introduced the tail survivors, it seemed like they were going to be a permanent addition to the main cast, integrating with the original survivors. However, because of Shannon's death, the characters were not really accepted by the other survivors and were treated like outsiders. Ana Lucia, in particular, was treated with hostility as she was the one who fired the gun that killed Shannon. When they joined the other survivors on the beech, Ana Lucia and Libby tended to keep themselves to themselves, away from the others, to try and keep the peace on the island.
Mr. Eko also removed himself, and he took a vow of silence and began to build a church in order to repent for his sinful lifestyle before the island. The isolation of these characters from the others meant that the potential for exciting storylines was limited. Although Libby began to interact with Hurley and Ana Lucia formed a bond with Jack, it wasn't enough to save the characters. By the end of the season, it seemed like the show didn't really know what to do with these three characters, so all of them were killed off.
Lost Killed Three Of The Four Tail Survivors Within 9 Episodes Of Each Other
The Characters Were Quickly Killed Off To Make Room For New Storylines
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Since the show didn't know what to do with them, all three of them were killed off. Ana Lucia and Libby were shot in the season two episode "Two For The Road", where Ana Lucia died instantly. Libby survived the gunshot but died from blood loss in the episode, "?". Both characters were murdered by Michael, working for The Others to infiltrate and trap the survivors in return for his son and passage off the island. Although their deaths acted as the most surprising end to an episode, it was upsetting that the full potential of the characters wasn't achieved.
Mr. Eko was killed in the season 3 episode "The Cost Of Living". In the episode, Eko was killed by the mysterious smoke monster that had been following the survivors since they had crashed on the island. His death was significant as it was the first time we saw something supernatural harm the survivors on the island, yet undoubtedly curtailed another promising character arc. Had it not been for his ostracization after Shannon's accident, this could have been avoided. As such, Eko's fate is emblematic of how Shannon's death negatively impacted on other characters in Lost.
