In ABC’s Lost, Boone Carlyle (Ian Somerhalder) was the first of many major characters to get killed off. The series followed a group of survivors after Oceanic Flight 815 crashed on a seemingly deserted island with many secrets. While not everyone survived the initial crash, a core ensemble was established in the first episodes of the series whose adventures were followed on the island. Boone, a former lifeguard who was on the flight with his stepsister Shannon (Maggie Grace), was the first of that ensemble to be killed off, though he did continue to appear in flashbacks of the show.
The former lifeguard was the only member of the core group who didn’t survive past season 1. Several more key, often sad deaths on Lost – Shannon included – followed in season 2 and beyond. However, Boone's death is often ed as one of the most important of the series, despite the character having some of the least screen time compared to the other major deaths in the series.
How Boone Died In Lost
Boone Died From Injuries From An Accident
Boone met his end in Lost season 1, episode 20, titled “Do No Harm”. His tragic death occurred as a result of a secret excursion that he was involved in with Locke (Terry O’Quinn). After finding a small plane stuck on a cliffside, Boone tried to climb up alone. Unfortunately, the plane fell with him inside, leaving Boone critically injured. Jack (Matthew Fox) struggled desperately to save him, but all of his efforts proved to be in vain.
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In the aftermath, Boone’s death was mourned by the Flight 815 survivors. What happened to Boone turned out to be the first of several tragedies to occur on the show. By the time Lost ended, well over a dozen main characters had lost their lives trying to survive on the island. Despite their deaths, many of the characters continued to appear in the series because of the unique format of the show. The series used flashbacks to showcase surprising connections between characters and to flesh out character personalities.
What Ian Somerhalder Said About Leaving Lost
Lost Taught Somerhalder A Lesson
Prior to Boone's death in the show, Lost had placed numerous characters in dangerous situations, but they all came out relatively unscathed. Despite that, promotional materials, interviews with the showrunners, and the general atmosphere of the storylines indicated that any character could be killed at any time. It seemed inevitable that someone in the main cast would be eliminated.
It’s important to note that Lost had put itself in a position where killing a major character had become necessary. Somerhalder said himself that Lost was “boxed into a corner” by promises of a character's death and all the talk about no one being safe [via to kill off a member of Jack’s Lost group. When it came time to pick one, Boone was chosen because of the effect his death would have on season 1’s story.
Four years after appearing on Lost, Somerhalder became a main cast member of The Vampire Diaries, and his convention appearances since have made it clear that he doesn't have any ill will about being killed off in the first season. He made it clear that his experience taught him a lesson about his work. At Wizard World 2015, he spoke about his time as Boone and said the only thing he regretted about playing the character was that he didn't smile more while having such a good time playing the role in Hawaii. (via Chicago Tribune) He told the audience:
I often think back to why they killed me on ‘Lost. People like to see conflicted people, but through humor. Humor is a medicine for pain. It’s a Band-Aid. Boone, unfortunately, and this was my fault as an actor, Boone was a little (expletive). Boone was a spoiled, rich little bastard who couldn’t smile to save his life.
I’m pretty funny, as far as my friends go. They say I’m typically a pretty funny person. Why on earth, living in Hawaii, having so much fun, skinny dipping with our cast three days a week, why didn’t Boone (expletive) smile more?
At the same convention, Somerhalder itted to being inspired by Josh Holloway's role as Sawyer when playing Damon. He resolved to have more fun with his part in The Vampire Diaries, and it worked in his favor, making Damon one of his most memorable roles.
Why Boone Had To Die When He Did
Boone's Death Was Necessary To Push The Story Forward
Some have wondered why out of all the available options, Lost had to kill off Boone first (or at all). Lost executive producer Carlton Cuse explained at the time that Boone’s death was a “narrative imperative”. According to him, Boone’s fate had to happen because of the emotional impact it had on both Jack and Locke.
Cuse went on to say that Boone’s death was needed to set up a “chain of events” tied directly to the season 1 finale. This explanation makes sense, considering how this moment fueled much of the conflict that existed between the two characters, particularly in the first two seasons. It was ultimately Boone’s death that triggered their quarrels over Locke’s decision-making, approach to Lost's many mysteries, and the ideological differences between the two characters.
Jack – for understandable reasons – blamed Locke for Boone dying.
Boone’s accident escalated the tension between them and added a great deal of drama to the group’s problems. Jack – for understandable reasons – blamed Locke for Boone dying. It was Jack’s belief that Locke not telling Jack the details of Boone’s injury prevented him from taking the correct measures to save him. Jack deeply resented Locke’s secretive behavior and the fact that he hid the hatch from him for so long.
This was a big factor throughout season 1’s final episodes when Jack and Locke had to work together to get the hatch to the Dharma facility open. It also laid the groundwork for other issues they had later on down the road in Lost.
Boone's Death Remained One Of The Most Important On Lost
Boone's Death Is One Of The Most Impactful
Until the end of the series, Boone’s death remained one of the most important and one of the most impactful in Lost. As the first named character with a large amount of screen time to die in the series, Boone’s death was bound to make an impact regardless of how it happened, but there is a kind of poetry to him surviving the massive plane crash only to fall from another downed plane on the same island.
His death wasn't just poetic, but it also provided a strange kind of balance to the show. Boone's death occurred when another major event happened on the series - the birth of Aaron. The first season made it clear repeatedly that it was going to be nearly impossible for a very pregnant woman to have an easy birth on an island with no resources, and it seemed like it was counting down to Claire (Emilie de Ravin) giving birth.
That countdown clock proved to be heading for death as well. It was one of the first instances to highlight the balance the show discussed so often, as it did with Jacob and the Man in Black, or with Jack and Locke, or between the survivors of both halves of the plane crash. There was always another side of the coin on Lost. For Boone's death, that was Aaron getting to live.
Boone’s death was something unpredictable, even as fans would wager on who would survive each season after he died.
Boone’s death also proved that death didn’t have to come at the hands of violence or the mysterious monster that hadn’t been detailed yet in the first season. Instead, it could come from a simple and human mistake. Boone’s death was something unpredictable, even as fans would wager on who would survive each season after he died.
It’s also interesting to note that Boone’s death is the only one of the major characters that isn’t, essentially, immediate. Other major character deaths in the show occur swiftly, like Shannon being shot or Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) deciding to stay with Sun (Yunjin Kim) as she drowns. There is no chance of saving them like there is with Boone.
Jack tries his best to help Boone recover from his injuries and being unable to help him makes Jack even more determined to help everyone else. Jack doesn’t care if others don’t like his decisions or his methods, but he’s determined to help those depending on him.
Boone’s death also helped to usher in character arcs for Locke, Shannon, and more. Boone dying put so many things in motion that set the series on a specific path. Shannon slowly tried to become a better person, only to die herself, and set in motion a new conflict. Locke and Jack never recovered from the tension between them, and that tension helped to tear the survivors apart. If Boone hadn’t died at the end of Lost season 1, the show would have had a different trajectory.
Boone Returned To Lost A Few Times
The Character Made Several Appearances After His Death
Though Boone was the first member of Lost's main cast to be killed off, he did return to the series several times. One of the most emotional was in a non-speaking role in the finale of the show's first season. The season ends with a flashback to when all the characters boarded the plane, taking a look at how they were before the crash changed everything. As Shannon frantically looks through her bag for her inhaler, Boone is revealed sitting next to her, handing it to her, a reminder of their close relationship that was shattered with his death.
Boone's Post-Death Appearances On Lost:
Episode Title |
Episode Number |
|---|---|
Exodus, Part 3 |
Season 1, Episode 25 |
Abandoned |
Season 2, Episode 6 |
Further Instructions |
Season 3, Episode 3 |
Exposé |
Season 3, Episode 14 |
LA X: Part 1 |
Season 6, Episode 1 |
The End: Part 1 |
Season 6, Episode 17 |
The End: Part 2 |
Season 6, Episode 18 |
Boone's appearances after his death were largely linked to John Locke. There was a sense that Locke felt responsible for Boone's death and carried the guilt for long after. In season 3 of the series, Locke has a hallucination after meditating in a sweat lodge. Boone appears to him, giving Locke the opportunity to apologize. He also helps point Locke in the direction of saving Mr. Eko from his impending doom.
In Lost's flash-sideways that come in season 6, Boone makes another return, revealing that he sat next to Locke on the alternate version of the flight in which the plane lands safely. He asks Locke about his time in Australia and is impressed with his stories of the walkabout. He tells Locke that if the plane crashes, he is following Locke, connecting to their relationship in the other timeline. Finally, Boone returns in the Lost series finale where he helps to reunite Shannon and Sayid before ing the others in crossing over to the afterlife.
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 engers must work together to survive the island's seemingly deadly intentions.
- Seasons
- 6
- Creator(s)
- J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Jeffrey Lieber
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