Charlie Hieronymus Pace is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
on the
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
television series
LostLost is an American serial drama television series. It follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, after a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney, Australia, and Los Angeles, United States, crashes somewhere in the South Pacific...
, chronicling the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island. Played by
Dominic MonaghanDominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan is an English actor. He has received international attention from playing Merry in Peter Jackson's adaptation of J. R. R...
, Charlie was a regular character in the first three seasons until the character's death in the
season three finaleA season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program...
. Monaghan was later billed as a guest star in
season fourThe fourth season of the American serial drama television series Lost commenced airing on the American Broadcasting Company Network in the United States, and on CTV in Canada on January 31, 2008 and concluded on May 29, 2008...
. Introduced in the
pilot episode"Pilot" constitutes the first and second episodes of the first season of Lost, that premiered on September 22, 2004 and September 29, 2004 at ABC . The episodes were directed by J.J. Abrams, and written by Abrams along with Damon Lindelof, based on story by them and Jeffrey Lieber...
, Charlie battles with an
addiction to heroinDrug addiction is a pathological condition which arises due to frequent drug use. The disorder of addiction involves the progression of acute drug use to the development of drug-seeking behavior, the vulnerability to relapse, and the decreased, slowed ability to respond to naturally rewarding stimuli...
in the first two seasons, before he finally lays his demons aside, establishing a relationship with
Claire LittletonClaire Littleton is a fictional character played by Emilie de Ravin on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the South Pacific. Claire is introduced in the pilot episode as a pregnant crash survivor. She is a series regular until the...
(
Emilie de RavinEmilie de Ravin is an Australian actress. She became famous by starring in the popular teen series Roswell but gained even greater fame by starring in the hit ABC drama Lost as Claire Littleton....
) and her son Aaron. In season three of the show, Charlie had to face his own mortality when
Desmond HumeDesmond David Hume is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost portrayed by Henry Ian Cusick. Desmond's name is a tribute to David Hume, the famous empiricist author and philosopher. Desmond was not a passenger of Flight 815. He had been stranded on the island three years prior to...
(
Henry Ian CusickHenry Ian Cusick is a Scottish actor of stage, television, and film. For his role as Desmond Hume on the television series Lost, he has received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.-Early life:...
) repeatedly
foresawA premonition is an impression, often perceived as a warning, of a future event...
his death. Flashbacks from the series show Charlie was a member of a rock band named DriveSHAFT.
Prior to the Crash
Charlie was born in 1979 to Simon and Megan Pace, and lived in
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. When Charlie was young, he was given a
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
as a gift on Christmas Day, thus beginning his
career in musicBass player can refer to:*Bass Player , an album by Rhombus*Bass Player , a magazine for bassists*Bassist, or bass player, a musician who plays the bass guitar...
. Charlie honed his musical talents by playing on the street for money, where he spotted a woman being mugged (whom turned out to be Sayid's beloved, Nadia) and saved her, prompting her to call him a hero. "He is probably the best character on the LOST series and others that disagree can suck it"(Larry King)
Sometime later, Charlie and his brother Liam had formed a band called Driveshaft, and landed a record deal. Suddenly, Driveshaft became extremely popular, although they were a one hit wonder band. Liam, amidst their popularity and success, turned to
heroinHeroin, or diacetylmorphine , also known as diamorphine , is a semi-synthetic opioid drug synthesized from morphine, a derivative of the opium poppy. It is the 3,6-diacetyl ester of morphine...
. On Christmas Day, while touring
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
, Liam gave Charlie his D.S. family ring, saying that because of his addiction he would never have a family so it should go to Charlie. Eventually, though, Charlie became addicted to
heroinHeroin, or diacetylmorphine , also known as diamorphine , is a semi-synthetic opioid drug synthesized from morphine, a derivative of the opium poppy. It is the 3,6-diacetyl ester of morphine...
. As the band's fame began to decrease, Charlie sunk further into his addiction. Liam later sold his piano so he could enroll into
rehabilitationDrug rehabilitation is an umbrella term for the processes of medical and/or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
, after dropping his newborn daughter. Liam later leaves Charlie alone, in order to be with his wife, Karen, and daughter, Megan (named after the brothers' mother).
With Driveshaft disbanded, Charlie resorted to theft to support his heroin addiction. He charmed a wealthy woman, Lucy, in order to rob her, but she learned of his intentions and left him as he began to develop real feelings for her. Later, Charlie traveled to Australia to persuade a sober Liam to rejoin the band. Liam refused, offered to help him enter a rehabilitation program, but Charlie angrily refused, and left to board a plane to
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
the next day. The night before the flight, he took heroin with a woman named Lily, who he fought with over the last of the stash until she left angrily. On the plane, he struggles without any heroin, and goes to the bathroom to take some, when the plane begins to crash.
After the Crash
On the second day on the island, he,
Jack ShephardDr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Matthew Fox. Jack is the leader of the crash survivors and the main character of the series. He is the antithesis of John Locke and the love interest of both Kate Austen and Juliet Burke...
and
Kate AustenKatherine Anne "Kate" Austen is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, played by Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly. She is the de facto female lead...
venture inland to the plane’s cockpit, where he retrieves his stash of heroin.
John LockeJonathan "John" Locke is a fictional character played by Terry O'Quinn on the ABC television series Lost. In 2007, O'Quinn won the Emmy award for acting in a supporting role for his portrayal of Locke....
later discovers his addiction to heroin and in exchange for his guitar, Charlie gives up the drugs. After Jack is trapped in a cave-in, Charlie saves him. Afterwards, Charlie burns his drugs in a fire. When Charlie tries to stop Claire from going back to the beach, both are kidnapped by Ethan Rom. Pursuing him, Jack and Kate find Charlie hung from a tree almost dead. When Claire returns and Ethan comes to recapture her, Charlie kills the latter with a gun.
When Claire goes into labour, Charlie, along with
Jin-Soo KwonJin-Soo Kwon, better known as "Jin," is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Daniel Dae Kim.- Prior to the crash :...
, helps Kate deliver the baby. When
Danielle RousseauDanielle Rousseau is a fictional character on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific. Croatian actress Mira Furlan plays the scientist who shipwrecks on the island sixteen...
abducts the baby, named Aaron, Charlie and
Sayid JarrahSayid Hassan Jarrah is a character from the ABC show Lost.-Prior to the crash:The son of an Iraqi war hero from the Iran–Iraq War, Sayid served as a communications officer in the Iraqi Republican Guard and is a skilled radio and mechanical engineer. During the Gulf War, Sayid's base was captured...
go to rescue him. Along the way, Charlie and Sayid stop by a beechcraft carrying several Virgin Mary statues filled with heroin. That night, Charlie and Sayid manage to reclaim Aaron, and bring him safely back to Claire.
In Season 2,
Mr. EkoMr. Eko is a fictional character from Nigeria, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje on the ABC television series Lost. He is introduced in the second season episode "Adrift" as one of the plane-crash survivors from the plane's tail section. Flashbacks reveal that he became the leader of a gang of...
reveals to Claire the contents of the Virgin Mary statue, creating a rift between her and Charlie. Charlie takes Eko to the beechcraft where he found them, and the two decide to burn the plane and its contents. However, Charlie secretly keeps a stash hidden in the jungle. Later, he begins experiencing surreal dreams, in which Aaron is in peril. He seeks out Eko, who says Aaron may need to be baptized. Subsequently, Charlie kidnaps Aaron and attempts to baptize him. When caught, Locke assaults him. As retribution for Locke embarrassing him, Charlie aids Sawyer in conning Jack and Locke out of the Hatch’s guns and heroin by assaulting Sun.
Later, Sayid tells Charlie about a prisoner in the Hatch, “Henry Gale”. They, along with Ana-Lucia Cortez, attempt to find the balloon that Henry allegedly crashed in. When the three return to the Hatch, they reveal Henry to be an impostor. After this, Charlie begins helping Eko build a church, but is angered when Eko abandons its construction. He finds a box of vaccine, and gives it to Claire for herself and Aaron, beginning to renew their friendship. In Sawyer’s tent, Charlie discovers the remaining Virgin Mary statues, and throws them in the ocean. Eko seeks his help in finding the dynamite from the Black Rock ship. Charlie brings him to it, and he and Eko go to the Hatch, with Eko intending to blow open the blast door. After an explosion, Charlie barely escapes the Hatch as it implodes. After the Hatch’s implosion, Charlie helps Locke standing guard while Locke communes with the island and helping him rescue Eko from a polar bear’s cave. After Eko’s death, Desmond starts having visions in which Charlie dies.
Later, Charlie joins Desmond, Hurley and Jin on a hike into the jungle where they find a parachutist named Naomi Dorrit, who crashed on the island. When Jack announces his plan to foil the others and contact the outside world, Charlie volunteers to swim down to the Looking Glass station and switch off a device blocking transmissions to and from the island. Desmond accompanies him. He confronts three people, two females who maintain the island and Mikhail. During a confrontation, Mikhail is shot in the chest with a spear gun. Just as Charlie is able to make contact with Penelope Widmore in a sideroom, Mikhail uses a grenade to destroy the room's porthole. It floods. To spare Desmond he locks the door, and warns him of Naomi’s deception.
After leaving the island, Hurley has visions of Charlie first at a convienience store, and then later at the asylum Hurley has been committed to. Charlie tells Hurley the people remaining on the island need him, and that he has to return, but disappears when Hurley closes his eyes. In “Something Nice Back Home”, Hurley conveys to Jack a message from Charlie: “You’re not supposed to raise him”. Hurley also tells Jack that Charlie states he will be visited.
After the rescue of the Oceanic Six, Desmond and Penelope Hume name their son Charlie.
Season 6
Monaghan confirmed at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con that he will reprise his role as Charlie Pace in the sixth and Final season of Lost as a main character in 3 episodes, alongside co-star
Emilie de RavinEmilie de Ravin is an Australian actress. She became famous by starring in the popular teen series Roswell but gained even greater fame by starring in the hit ABC drama Lost as Claire Littleton....
as Claire Littleton.
Development
After appearing in
The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings film trilogy consists of three live action fantasy epic films: The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King...
, Dominic Monaghan was offered many fantasy-based roles, like elves and pixies. He was keen to portray a different role, so he wanted a contemporary part that had layers and an edge. Originally Charlie was an older rocker that has been a big hit in the 1980s but now had a heroin addiction. After the producers enjoyed Monaghan’s audition where he read Sawyer’s lines, they rewrote the part to make him a young has-been.
In a DVD commentary for “
The Moth"The Moth" is the seventh episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Jack Bender and written by Jennifer Johnson and Paul Dini. It first aired on November 3, 2004 on ABC. The character of Charlie Pace is featured in the episode's flashbacks.-Flashbacks:Charlie is in church...
”, Monaghan said that he felt Charlie's black
hoodieA hoodie , short for "hooded sweatshirt" , or a bunnyhug is a heavy upper-body garment with a hood. The characteristic design includes large frontal pockets, a hood, and a drawstring to adjust the hood opening. Hoodies with zippers are called "zip hoodies" or "zip-ups"...
is some sort of "security blanket" that he hides underneath and uses when he feels "lost."
DriveSHAFT was the fictional band in ’’Lost’’ formed by Charlie and his older brother Liam. The band was named after the duo’s great-grandfather “Dexter Stratton”; thus the DS initials of the group. In a Season One DVD Featurette, “Backstage with Driveshaft”, Dominic Monaghan cites them as a direct influence on the fictional band:
In a Season One DVD Featurette named “Backstage with Driveshaft”, Dominic Monaghan says that:
At the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, Dominic Monaghan returned, and confirmed he will be back in Lost's Final Season as Charlie Pace.
Reception
| "No longer are we observing the ex-rocker, the junky, the Laurel to Hurley’s Hardy, now we are seeing Charlie as vulnerable and complex human being with a galvanized sense of what makes life worth living." |
— Jon Lachonis regarding Charlie in “Greatest Hits"Greatest Hits" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of Lost and seventieth episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and directed by supervising producer Stephen Williams. The episode first aired on May 16, 2007 on the American...
” . |
Chris Carabott responded positively to the utilization of the character in “
The Moth"The Moth" is the seventh episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Jack Bender and written by Jennifer Johnson and Paul Dini. It first aired on November 3, 2004 on ABC. The character of Charlie Pace is featured in the episode's flashbacks.-Flashbacks:Charlie is in church...
”, mentioning that, “
DiniPaul Dini is an American television producer of animated cartoons. He is best known as a producer and writer for several Warner Bros./DC Comics series, including Star Wars: Ewoks, Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman/Superman Adventures,...
and Johnson use the various talents of some of the "losties" to further emphasise Charlie's uselessness” and that “Charlie's development throughout the episode is striking.” However, he did express dissatisfaction at how he was used in season two, believing that it took plenty away from a "gem of an episode.” In “
Homecoming"Homecoming" is the fifteenth episode of the first season of the ABC's serial drama television series Lost. It was aired on ABC in the United States and on CTV in Canada on February 9, 2005. The episode was written by executive producer Damon Lindelof and directed by Kevin Hooks...
”, he commented on his "good nature" and mentioned that his flashback “does a great job of contrasting the Charlie we now know on the island.”
In his review of “
Live Together, Die Alone"Live Together, Die Alone" is the second season finale of the ABC television series Lost, consisting of the twenty-third and twenty-fourth episodes of the second season. It is also the forty-eighth and forty-ninth episodes overall. The episode was written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, and...
”, Scott Brown of
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books and popular culture. Unlike celebrity-focused publications US Weekly, People, and In Touch Weekly, EWs primary concentration is on entertainment...
said that the writers were “trying to make us hate Charlie.” calling him “deeply annoying”.
In a review of season three's
penultimate episode"Greatest Hits" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of Lost and seventieth episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and directed by supervising producer Stephen Williams. The episode first aired on May 16, 2007 on the American...
, Chris Carabott said Charlie's flashbacks could "send shivers up our collective spines,” and said he was “annoying at times.” Nonetheless, he called the character “someone we can respect.” Entertainment Weekly’s Jeff Jensen said Charlie “was ready for the spotlight”, and that Monaghan gave his "best performance yet".” On
BuddyTVBuddyTV is an entertainment-based website based in Seattle, Washington, which generates frequently updated content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and all related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment...
, his flashbacks were described as bringing audiences “closer to Charlie’s human aspect”, and it was noted that the episode was "wildly successful" in turning Charlie into a relatable character. The website Television Without Pity ranked him 7th in a list of
Lost's “10 Most Worthless Characters”, dubbing his backstory "
Oasis: Behind the Music". Contrastingly, in a list of the show's "10 Best Backstories”, he was ranked 8th.
A poll by E! Online named him as the character fans would most like to see return at 43.4% of the vote, with over 30% more votes than his nearest rival.
External links