Shannon Rutherford

Infobox Lost character
Title = Shannon Rutherford


First = ""
Flashback1 = "Exodus, Part 1"
"Abandoned"
Name = Shannon Rutherford
Place = Los Angeles, California, USA
Profession = Ballet instructor (part time), extortionist
Age = 20
Actor = Maggie Grace Shannon Michelle Rutherford is a fictional character on the ABC drama television series "Lost". The character was played by Maggie Grace. She appeared in 33 episodes, starting from episode 1 of season 1 and up to episode eight of season 2, and in one episode of season 3. From the episode "Collision" onwards, Maggie Grace is credited as a special guest star.

Character's background

Prior to the crash

Shannon spent much of her adolescence with her step-brother, Boone Carlyle. From a young age she suspected that he was in love with her, but she never returned these feelings. She studied ballet and, as she got older, taught dance classes to young girls.

When she was eighteen, Shannon's father, Adam Rutherford, died in a car crash; the same crash nearly paralysed Sarah, Jack's future wife. As often happens with such an unexpected death, Shannon's father did not have a will prepared, and so all of his money and property went to his wife, Sabrina Carlyle. Sabrina, who had always been jealous of Shannon's close relationship with her father, decided to cut Shannon off financially, despite Shannon winning a prestigious yet unpaid internship to the Martha Graham Dance Company in New York, for which she required money. In this desperate hour, Shannon turned to Boone for help, but he could do nothing to help, as he had just accepted a job offer to work for Sabrina's wedding company. Following this, Shannon lived and worked in France for a short time as an au pair. She took care of two young children, Sophie and Laurent, and may have become romantically involved with the father of the household. It is known that she was married at some point before the crash, but no extra information has been revealed.

Forced to make her own way, Shannon formed a plan to con some of her father's money from her step-brother. Making it appear that she was being abused by her boyfriends, Boone would "buy them out" with a large sum of money, of which Shannon would secretly take half. It was one such con that brought both of them to Sydney, Australia. This con, however, did not go as planned. The "abusive boyfriend" took off with all of the money, forcing Shannon to reveal the truth to Boone. When faced with Boone's anger at this betrayal, she seduced him, playing on the feelings she knew he had for her. Boone tried to resist, but eventually gave in to Shannon. After they had slept together, Shannon told Boone that things would go back to the way they had been before.

While at the airport, Shannon and Boone are still at odds. She is approached by Sayid while she is reading a magazine, who asks her to watch his bag for him. She deftly obliges, but soon leaves it unattended. They walk by Nikki and Paulo in the airport cafe. Boone asks to borrow chairs from their table, but Shannon loses patience and charges off. During this argument, she tells security that an "Arab guy" has left his bag lying around. Before the doomed flight took off, Shannon is seen rummaging through her hand-luggage for her asthma inhaler, which Boone casually hands to her, presumably knowing that she would forget it.

After the crash

eason 1

Upon landing on the island, Shannon behaves selfishly by keeping people at arm's length. It is only during an argument with Boone that she decides to join Sayid on a hike to transmit a distress signal. When they discover a French looped signal already being transmitted, Shannon's knowledge of the language comes in use when she translates it for the small group. Upon returning, Shannon spends most of her time sunbathing, ignoring the needs of those around her, and refuses to move to the caves. Later, Shannon has an asthma attack, but her inhalers are nowhere to be found. While Jack and Sayid suspect Sawyer, Shannon is cured of her illness when Sun uses eucalyptus plants to help her breathing.

In a hallucination of Boone's, Shannon was tied up along with him. She was then freed by Boone, but later killed by the monster in the jungle. Boone then realizes that it wasn't real.

Because of her selfish and manipulative behavior, Boone brands Shannon as useless. She is approached by Sayid and does her best to translate Rousseau's maps. She is rewarded for her efforts later, much to Boone's resentment. Shannon and Sayid soon form a romantic relationship, strained only when Boone reveals Shannon's methods of getting what she wants. She is soon taken for a romantic night along the beach with Sayid. Upon returning, however, she learns of Boone's death, and mourns over him at the caves. At his funeral, Shannon does not speak, allowing Sayid to talk instead. Shannon holds Locke responsible for Boone's death, and asks Sayid to take action. When he refuses, she steals the key to the gun case from Jack and holds Locke at gunpoint in the jungle. Her relationship with Sayid becomes further strained when he disarms her.

When Rousseau arrives on the beach one morning to warn the camp of the Others' imminent arrival, Shannon prepares to migrate to the caves with the rest of the group. Rather than just bringing her own luggage, she hoards that of Boone's too. Before leaving on the raft, Walt gives Shannon guardianship of his dog, Vincent, as a means to help her recover from her loss.

eason 2

That night, Shannon loses Vincent in the jungle, and searches for him. She is shocked to find Walt standing before her, dripping wet. However, when Sayid finds her, Walt disappears. Shannon is told that she was merely dreaming. Later, when Claire discovers the message bottle from the raft, she and Shannon decide to give it to Sun, knowing that Jin was on board the raft. Over the next few days, Sayid builds Shannon a shelter on the beach. He brings her to it and they soon decide to sleep together for the first time. Sayid leaves to get a bottle of water for Shannon and in his absence, Shannon again sees a vision of Walt, standing in the shelter with her. Shannon's experience is again brushed off as a dream, upsetting Shannon. She uses Vincent to try and find Walt, only for him to lead her to Boone's grave. After a while, she takes Vincent into the jungle again, with Sayid in pursuit. As it starts to rain, Sayid and Shannon admit their feelings for each other before both see Walt. Shannon runs after him, only to be accidentally shot by Ana Lucia. She dies moments later in Sayid's arms. After the tail-section survivors migrate to the beach, all but Ana Lucia, Sawyer and Kate attend her funeral.