In just about every movie and TV show, there’s that one guy that enthralled fans are supposed to side with and love. The guy may be good-looking or have good morals or maybe even both. In “Iron Man,” the guy is Tony Stark. In “Grey’s Anatomy,” he’s Derek Shepherd, and I’m sure you can think of numerous other examples.
Usually, I have no problem getting behind these guys and riding their story to the very end. However, I recently watched a show where I just couldn’t get behind the guy that, in my opinion, the writers wanted to be the guy. Instead, I felt that another character should get that title, and this is my argument to support that.
“Lost” aired on ABC for six seasons from 2004 to 2010. It’s a show that follows the lives of the survivors of a plane crash on a mysterious island. All of the survivors have pasts that they need to deal with, and all of them have been connected in some way, whether they realize it or not.
There are some spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t seen the show yet and want to watch it without knowing what’s coming, you might want to stop here. Now that I warned you, here we go.
The very first person on screen was Jack Shephard, a survivor of the crash who was a spinal surgeon from Los Angeles. He immediately took charge of the crash situation, helping those who were injured and trying to bring order amid chaos. He became the leader that the survivors so desperately needed to keep them alive and united.
I was okay with Jack’s leadership for a while. I honestly thought that he was going to do a good job and, more importantly, that he was the only one who could do the job.
However, as episode after episode passed, Jack became more and more annoying. He made decisions without consulting other people. He felt that it was his way or the highway. He needed to be a leader. He needed to fix problems. It was like that was how he survived. As all of the people around him dealt with their pasts and changed for the better, Jack stayed the same and, at times, maybe even changed for the worse.
But just as Jack was becoming the guy that I couldn’t stand, in stepped James (aka Sawyer) Ford. Sawyer, also a survivor of the plane, was a conman. For a while, he was a hard-hearted jerk who only cared about himself. It seemed like his goal was to make the people around him hate him. I didn’t believe that he would ever become a character that I would like.
Then, he began to change. Little by little, his heart softened. He allowed himself to care for his fellow survivors, and he let them into his life. Eventually, after Jack and several of the others had managed to get off the island, Sawyer made a life for himself and became a leader in his own right. Unlike Jack, he made thoughtful, rational decisions. And unlike Jack, he wasn’t in the leadership role because he couldn’t live without it; he was in the leadership role because that was what the situation required at that time to keep himself and his friends alive.
For me, the climax between the two came when Jack and those who had left went back to the island. They found Sawyer and those who were with them. Jack felt like it was his duty to save them and bring them home. He made hasty decisions, and in a matter of days, he had destroyed the life that Sawyer had built. Jack succeeded in bringing all of them to a crossroads where they had to choose Sawyer or him.
Sawyer and Jack had a private meeting in the woods which ended with Sawyer pounding blow after blow on Jack’s face. Usually, encounters like that just seem painful and pointless to me, but in this instance, I felt like somebody was finally trying to knock some sense into Jack’s stubborn, arrogant head. I think Sawyer would have taken the lead had his girlfriend, Juliet, not stopped him from beating Jack senseless.
Ultimately, Jack’s plan was carried out, causing Juliet’s death and thus crushing Sawyer’s soul. He hated Jack for it and never really got over it. And Jack did exactly what he always desired to do. He saved the day. He became the leader and fixed the mess that was all around him.
In my eyes, Jack wasn’t much more than a surgeon who needed to fix things and be in charge. When he couldn’t do those things, he became sorry for himself. I don’t doubt that he cared for those around him, but I feel like he was more concerned about his ego.
Though Sawyer wasn’t perfect, I truly felt like he was the guy that I could get behind. Sure, he was a conman and a jerk at times, but he allowed himself to get past that. He allowed himself to become something more, to become someone that could be trusted with other people’s lives. I believe that he learned to truly care and to put others before himself. I think Sawyer is proof that it isn’t where you start in the race that counts but where you finish.
So now that you’ve heard my argument, I encourage you to decide for yourself. “Lost” provides excellent character development in a drama-packed with mystery, romance and sacrifice. After you watch it, it’s up to you to decide if you would back up Jack or if you would get behind Sawyer.
