I’ve been thinking about the main characters of Lost and trying to decide if I was on the island, which ones I would trust and which ones I wouldn’t.
I try to determine this by their actions on the island, not their backstories.
I would trust:
Charlie - he’s just so innocent
Claire - ditto
Jack - he gives the aura of the healer
Hurley - he’s just too cool not to trust
Michael - his outbursts of anger would make me think that he is really saying what he thinks
Walt - just cause he’s a kid
Not trust:
Kate - She seems to want to be everyone’s friend. Never trusted that.
Shannon - Too stuck up
Boone - Too unstable
Not sure about:
Sayid - I guess it would be depend on if I knew he used to torture people or not. But I would probably trust him.
Locke - Too mysterious to make a judgement on
Jin and Sun - I wouldn’t know because I couldn’t understand them. If I knew that Sun could speak English and wasn’t telling people than I would probably distrust her.
Am I one of the castaways, or am I me? Because most castaways do not know Locke tied up Boone to experience the island / TCM. And most don’t know other’s backstory.
Yeah, this is really tough to do because of the (almost) omniscient PoV utilized in television. We, as viewers, know a lot more about the castaways than a person on the island would.
That being said, I’ll try to do this from the aspect of being another castaway.
Trust
Jack - By default, I would trust a doctor, just because he’s a doctor.
Locke - Has a good, realistic grasp of the situation, does what he can to help, isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.
Hurley - Dude, he rocks. Plus he’s really unaffected and down-to-earth.
Sayid - I’d trust him now. I don’t think I would have right after the crash.
Charlie - I agree, the Hobbit seems pretty innocent.
Claire - Hard not to trust someone who’s that pregnant.
Scott - I trust Scott to remain dead and never pretend to be Steve again.
Not Trust
Sawyer - He’s a prick and a bully, and I hate bullies. He reminds me of the middle school bully.
Boone - He’s a weasle and too pretty. (OOC: I think they apply rouge to his cheeks.)
Shannon - She’s like Janet: a bitch. I’d see through her pretty quickly, then not trust her. Plus, she never DOES anything useful or pulls her own weight.
Jin - Not after the outburst at Michael
Michael - Too easily angried, treats his kid like crap
Not Sure
Kate - I go back and forth on her. She seems nice, but she does have a dark side that comes out every now and then.
Sun - Seems nice and such, but I wouldn’t be able to get past the language barrier to trust her.
Walt - Wouldn’t trust or distrust; he’s just a kid.
I’m assuming I know as much as Hurley, which is much more than most of the island, but still has a few holes.
Trust:
Sayid: One of the most competent, has given no reason to distrust, genuinely remorseful for past bad deeds.
Jack: One of the most competent, has given no reason to distrust. Just don’t let him run off as the leader unchecked.
Hurley: And why not?
Michael: Not as useful as Jack, Sayid, Kate, or Locke, but he’s a standup and straightforward guy, if a little bit angry.
Claire: Too innocent. Plus, she’s pregnant. I’ve got enough chivalry to instantly leap to her defense.
Distrust:
Jin: The one guy who’s flipped out and tried to kill another, for no real reason.
Boone: Oozes crazy, but not as useful as Locke.
Kate: If I know that she’s the prisoner. If not, then I trust her.
Unsure:
Sun: I can’t talk to her, and she’s associated with Jin, but she’s done nothing but good on her own.
Locke: Crazy, but maybe the kind of crazy we need around here.
Charlie: After last episode, he’s on the potential crazy list too.
If I were one of the ‘inner circle’ and knew everything that’s gone on on the island, but not people’s back stories, I’d trust:
Jack - he’s the doctor, makes some bad choices but truly wants to help everyone.
Sun - gives the same wants to help vibe as Jack, even with the language difficulties.
Michael - As a parent I understand his seemingly irrational behavior towards his son. He’s proven himself to be extremely useful for survival.
Sayid - exudes competence and charisma.
Charlie - tries very hard to do the right thing, even if it doesn’t work out.
Hurley - He’s Hurley, how could you not?
I’d be wary of:
Locke - just my instinct. I guess I’d be on my way to my very own “island reeducation experience.”
Kate - too buddy buddy with everyone, always seems to be spying on people, the whole crime thing.
Claire - too much weirdness surrounds her. Hallucinations, abduction, amnesia, people dying on her account.
Shannon - only cares about herself.
Boone - desperately wants approval. Has too much need to be one of the group.
Do not trust:
Sawyer - Thief, liar, sneak. To my shame, I’d share a tent with him anytime.
Jin - his attack on Michael, over protectiveness of his wife.
