Tom Friendly | |
---|---|
Lost character | |
First appearance | "Exodus: Part 2" |
Last appearance | "Meet Kevin Johnson" |
Portrayed by | M. C. Gainey |
In-universe information | |
Gender | Male |
Tom Friendly, [1] often referred to as Tom, Mr. Friendly, or Zeke by Sawyer is a fictional character portrayed by M. C. Gainey on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television series Lost . The series follows the lives of around forty survivors from the crash of Oceanic Flight 815. The survivors find themselves on a mysterious tropical island, and interact with a group they dub the Others, who appear to have lived on the Island long before the crash. Tom is an influential member of the Others, introduced in the season one finale "Exodus: Part 2", where he kidnaps one of the survivors. The character makes another fifteen appearances before being killed in the season three finale "Through the Looking Glass". Tom appears twice in season four in the flashbacks of other characters. Gainey was initially credited as playing "bearded man" and then as "Mr. Friendly" throughout season two before the character was given a first name. In a montage of deceased characters shown at Comic-Con in 2009, the Lost producers present the character's full name as "Tom Friendly". [1]
Gainey accepted the role despite knowing nothing about it; his sole motivation was a chance to work again with Lost producer Carlton Cuse. Speculation over Tom's sexuality arose when he commented to Kate that she was "not [his] type". [2] Gainey began playing the character as such, and in season four Tom is shown kissing another man on the cheek. Lost producer Damon Lindelof commented that this revelation was "not subtle, to say the least". [3] Tom was received positively by critics, particularly in his first appearance.
In a flashback during "The Other Woman", set around three years before the crash of Oceanic Flight 815, Tom has a brief conversation with newly recruited Other Juliet Burke (Elizabeth Mitchell), where he mentions he is a patient of therapist Harper Stanhope (Andrea Roth). [4] Shown in flashbacks during "Maternity Leave", when Claire Littleton (Emilie de Ravin) is kidnapped by the Others a few weeks after the plane crash, Tom oversees Ethan Rom's (William Mapother) progress at the Others' medical station. [5] He criticizes Ethan for kidnapping Claire before making "the list". [5] After forty-four days on the Island, the survivors finish building a raft, with Michael Dawson (Harold Perrineau), his ten-year-old son Walt Lloyd (Malcolm David Kelley), James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway) and Jin-Soo Kwon (Daniel Dae Kim) volunteering to sail it. [6] Tom makes his first appearance in "Exodus: Part 2", where he arrives in a motorboat, wearing a fake beard and old clothes, with a crew of Others who kidnap Walt and destroy the raft. [6] When Michael goes searching for the Others in the jungle, Tom captures him, and then confronts the other survivors who are looking for Michael. [7] [8] Tom warns them not to come any closer to the Others and then leaves with Michael in tow. [7] [8] A deal is made for Michael to bring Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox), Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly), Sawyer and Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia) to the Others in exchange for Walt. [8] In the second season finale "Live Together, Die Alone", Michael successfully leads Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley to the ambush point; various Others including Tom sedate them and take them to a pier. [9] There, Tom knocks Jack, Kate and Sawyer unconscious and transports them to a small island nearby. [9]
In season three, Tom supervises an operation on Ben Linus (Michael Emerson), the leader of the Others, which Jack is performing, and is coerced into letting Kate and Sawyer escape. [10] He loses trust in Juliet, believing her to be plotting against Ben, and expresses his views to the Others' sheriff, before returning to the Island. [11] Shown in a flashback during season four, Tom leaves the Island and tracks down Michael in Manhattan, where Michael is trying to kill himself. [12] He tells Michael that the Island will not let him die and gives him the address of his hotel penthouse. [12] There, Tom convinces Michael to work for Ben, and instructs him to get a job as a janitor on board a freighter that is about to set sail from Fiji. [12] When Michael arrives at the port Tom tells him to wait a day or two before activating an explosive device, to kill all the freighter crew, preventing them from reaching the Island. [12] He returns to the barracks and is seen playing football with Jack. [13] Shortly after this, he and the Others abandon the barracks, making camp in the jungle en route to the temple. [14] Tom is shocked when Ben agrees to take one of the survivors, John Locke (Terry O'Quinn), to see Jacob, Ben's superior. [15] His faith in Ben's leadership is shaken, and he ignores Ben's calls to intervene when Locke begins to beat another Other, Mikhail Bakunin (Andrew Divoff). [15] When Ben returns from Jacob, he orders a raid on the survivors' beach camp that night; Tom is part of the party sent. [16] [17] In "Through the Looking Glass", the season three finale, Jin, Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews) and Bernard Nadler (Sam Anderson) are captured by the party, and Ben radios Tom to shoot them. [17] This prearranged code is the signal for Tom to shoot three bullets into the ground, only pretending to kill the hostages, to mislead the rest of the survivors, who have been met by Ben. [17] Afterwards Tom expresses regret at not finishing the hostages, as they killed seven of the Others. [17] The arrival of Hurley in a van, along with Sawyer and Juliet, sees the rest of the attack party killed. [17] Tom admits defeat and surrenders, but Sawyer shoots him in his heart, claiming his life as payment for taking Walt off of the raft. [17] Juliet later buries Tom near the jungle along with his team of deceased Others. [18]
When Tom is introduced in the first season finale, he wears a fake beard and old clothes. [6] He continues to appear under this guise throughout the second season, only revealing his beard to be fake in the finale. [9] M. C. Gainey, the actor who portrays Tom, was only informed that his character's beard was fake near the end of season two. [19] The producers describe Tom as "friendly", earning him the nickname "Mr. Friendly". [20] One critic has described him as "sarcastic" and "bright". [21] Tom's dislike of blood causes him to struggle while supervising Ben's operation, [22] which Emerson believes makes him "cuddly". [23] Gainey does not think he is very similar to Tom, commenting, "He seems to be very loyal and I'm a very loyal person so I have that in common, but other than that, I don't really know what he's about. He seems much more socially awkward than I am." [19] After Tom was revealed to be gay during season four, [3] M. C. Gainey stated that "anytime you've got a group of people, somebody's got to be marching to a different drummer - that would be Tom Friendly." [24]
M. C. Gainey first met Lost producer Carlton Cuse while working on The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr . [19] [25] The opportunity to work with Cuse again was motivation enough to take the part of Tom, even without a script or description of the character. [19] [25] Gainey watches every episode of the series, but admits to not knowing what is happening much of the time. [26] In his first appearance, in the season one finale "Exodus: Part 2", Gainey was credited as "bearded man", and was lovingly called "Gay Tom" in season 4. [27] then in his season two appearances as "Mr. Friendly". [28] [29] In the Official Lost Podcast, Damon Lindelof confirmed Mr. Friendly is not his real name, but is how the producers refer to him internally, because "he's so friendly"; [20] [30] however, his surname was later suggested to actually be Friendly during Comic-Con 2009. [1] He is nicknamed "Zeke" by Sawyer in "The Hunting Party", [7] which led to some critics using this name for him. [31] [32] In the season two finale "Live Together, Die Alone", his name is revealed to be Tom. [9] On his character's death, Gainey noted that "just because they kill you on this show, don't mean they don't need you anymore 'cause everybody's got a past." [24]
In the third season premiere "A Tale of Two Cities", Tom tells Kate that she is not his type. [2] This comment resulted in online discussion in regard to Tom's sexual orientation, [21] [33] and Lindelof and Cuse hinted that a Lost character would later be outed. [34] Gainey joked, "if [Kate's] not your type, you're gay", and began playing the character as such. [26] He tried to subtly flirt with Jack, claiming that this attraction "got [him] through the first half of the season." [35] In the fourth season episode "Meet Kevin Johnson", Tom is seen kissing his New York lover Arturo (Francesco Simone). [12] After the broadcast of "Meet Kevin Johnson", Lindelof and Cuse confirmed that the line from the third season premiere is an allusion to Tom's sexuality, but felt that it needed to be explicitly confirmed in the show, although Lindelof noted that the confirmation scene in "Meet Kevin Johnson" "was not subtle, to say the least". [3] Lost writer Edward Kitsis stated that "It was great to see [Tom] and realize that... he is a true gentleman." [36]
Chris Carabott from IGN "loved" Tom's first appearance because "It's a great scene and our first introduction to The Others besides Ethan's infiltration of the camp." [37] Gainey found the fan reaction to his first appearance "really tough", because "everywhere [he] went people would just give [him] dirty looks and they were like 'What are you going to do with that boy?'", but he noted this gradually improved after his appearances in season two. [19] Erin Martell from AOL's TV Squad listed Tom in her five "most entertaining guest roles" from the first three seasons, commenting "I am counting his first episode as my favorite. For my money, there was nothing more disturbing than when Gainey showed up out of the blue and uttered the words, 'We're gonna have to take the boy.' I could not get that scene out of my head for days after 'Exodus' aired. Ben has made Tom seem relatively less menacing over time, but I have a feeling that the terrifying, bearded sea captain is still in there somewhere." [38] In her review of the season four episode "The Other Woman", Nikki Stafford of Wizard called the return of her "favorite Other" (Tom) a "highlight". [39] Following his posthumous flashback appearance in "Meet Kevin Johnson", Martell said "Now I feel even worse about his death. He wasn't just one of Ben's scary, Walt-napping minions. He had a heart." [40] Tim Goodman from the San Francisco Chronicle thought the revelation that Tom is gay was a "unique and funny twist". [41] Jay Glatfelter of The Huffington Post noted this revelation "seemed a little oddly placed, kind of like 'Let's make one of our characters gay just for the heck of it' but still it's cool that the show has a perfectly normal (well for an 'Other') not over-the-top gay character." [42]
Sayid Hassan Jarrah is a fictional character from the ABC show Lost portrayed by Naveen Andrews.
Charlie Pace is a fictional character on ABC's Lost, a television series chronicling the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island. Played by Dominic Monaghan, Charlie was a regular character in the first three seasons, and continued to make occasional appearances until the final season.
John Locke is a fictional character played by Terry O'Quinn on the ABC television series Lost. He is named after the English philosopher of the same name. In 2007, O'Quinn won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Locke.
Michael Dawson is a fictional character played by Harold Perrineau on the ABC television series Lost. Michael is one of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 who crashes on the show's mysterious island. After losing a custody battle with Susan Lloyd, Michael does not see his son Walt for almost ten years. They reunite when she dies, but on their journey home, their plane crashes on a mysterious island in the South Pacific. Here Walt is kidnapped by the Island's previous inhabitants, the Others, and Michael spends his time trying to retrieve him. He is eventually successful, and they leave the Island together, but the guilt over the murders he had to commit to achieve this leads him to an estrangement with his son and a suicide attempt. He returns to the Island on a freighter, but is killed when a bomb on it explodes. Michael reappears as a ghost, and apologizes to Hurley for killing Libby.
Ana Lucia Cortez is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, played by Michelle Rodriguez. Ana Lucia made her first appearance as a guest star in the first season finale, and became part of the main cast for season two. After Oceanic Flight 815 splits in mid-air, the tail section and fuselage crash on opposite sides of a mysterious island. Ana Lucia becomes the leader of the tail section. Flashbacks in her two centric episodes, "Collision" and "Two for the Road", show her life as a police officer before the crash. She is shot and killed by Michael Dawson.
Danielle 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 years prior to the crash of Oceanic Flight 815. After Rousseau is killed in the fourth season, the American actress Melissa Farman portrayed a younger version of the character in the fifth season. Furlan later reappears for one episode in the sixth season. Rousseau is a recurring on-island character who has appeared in nineteen episodes in seasons one through four, as well as one episode where her voice alone is heard, and her final episode in the sixth season.
Rose and Bernard Nadler are fictional characters on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television series Lost, played by L. Scott Caldwell and Sam Anderson respectively. Rose and Bernard visit a faith healer on their honeymoon in Australia, in the hope of healing Rose's cancer. When Bernard visits the restroom during the return flight, the plane splits in half, with each half crashing on different parts of an island in the South Pacific. The couple reunite midway through season two, and Rose reveals the Island has healed her. After time traveling in season five, they separate from the remaining survivors and build a cabin near the ocean to live in.
Ben Linus is a fictional character portrayed by Michael Emerson on the ABC television series Lost. Ben was the leader of a group of Island natives called the Others and was initially known as Henry Gale to the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. He began as the main antagonist during the second and third seasons, but in subsequent seasons, becomes a morally ambiguous ally to the main characters. Other characters frequently describe him as loyal only to himself, though it is also often hinted that he may be driven by some higher purpose.
"A Tale of Two Cities" is the third season premiere, and 50th episode overall, of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC)'s serial drama television series Lost. The episode was written by co-creators/executive producers J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, based on a story by Lindelof and directed by executive producer Jack Bender. The episode begins with the introduction of Juliet Burke and The Barracks. The character of Jack Shephard is featured in the episode's flashbacks. This is the only episode of the series other than the pilot to have been co-written by J. J. Abrams.
Dr. Juliet Burke is a character portrayed by Elizabeth Mitchell on the ABC television series Lost. Created by J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, the character was introduced in the third season as a member of the hostile group referred to as "the Others" by the crash survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. Flashbacks reveal Juliet's past as a research specialist recruited to solve the Island's fertility problem where pregnant women die after conception. Prevented from leaving the Island and seeing her sister again by Ben Linus until she finds a solution, she quickly betrays Ben and the Others when she is sent as a spy to the survivors' camp. Juliet initially grows close to the castaways' leader, Jack Shephard, but ultimately falls in love and forms a relationship with James "Sawyer" Ford, with whom she moves on to the afterlife in the series finale. The character has also appeared in several spin-off webisodes of Lost: Missing Pieces, with Mitchell reprising her role.
Penelope "Penny" Widmore is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Sonya Walger. Penny is introduced in the last episode of the second season of Lost as the long-lost lover of Desmond Hume as well as the daughter of British tycoon and antagonist Charles Widmore. In spite of being only a recurring character, she made notable appearances in three season finales of the show: "Live Together, Die Alone", "Through the Looking Glass", and "There's No Place Like Home". Penny and Desmond's relationship is generally liked by critics and fans alike. Commentators, such as those from Entertainment Weekly, have commended the writing of their storyline.
Dr. Christian Shephard is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by John Terry. He is the father of lead characters Jack Shephard, who becomes the de facto leader of the survivors of Oceanic 815 after it crashes on an island, and Claire Littleton, another of the survivors on the Island. Christian died of an alcohol-induced heart attack days before the flight, leading to much of his story being told through flashbacks. In the fourth season and fifth season he is again featured on the Island several times, seemingly acting as a messenger for the leader of the Others, Jacob. In the sixth season, the Man in Black admitted that he had "impersonated" Christian during the first week after the crash of Flight 815.
Alexandra Rousseau is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Tania Raymonde. She was born 16 years prior to the crash of Oceanic Flight 815, but was taken from her mother, Danielle Rousseau, by Ben Linus. She was raised among them, believing her mother to be dead. She has helped the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 on many occasions, and is reunited with her mother at the end of the third season. Not long after however, she is shot and killed by Keamy after her adoptive father, Ben, would not listen to his demands. Her death scene was received positively by critics, earning it a spot on multiple "top moments of the season" lists.
"Through the Looking Glass" is the third-season finale of the ABC television series Lost, consisting of the 22nd and 23rd episodes of the third season. It is also the 71st and 72nd episodes overall. The episodes were written by co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse, and directed by executive producer Jack Bender. It first aired on May 23 2007 in the United States and Canada and was watched by an average of 14 million American viewers. Like the previous two season finales, it was two hours long with advertisements, twice the length of a normal episode. It was edited into two individual episodes when released on DVD. The episode garnered a number of awards and nominations, including three Primetime Emmy Awards nominations and a Directors Guild of America Award nomination.
"Meet Kevin Johnson" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction drama television series Lost. It was written in October and November 2007 by supervising producer Elizabeth Sarnoff and co-producer Brian K. Vaughan, and filmed that November. The episode was directed by co-executive producer Stephen Williams. "Meet Kevin Johnson" first aired March 20, 2008, on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States and on CTV in Canada with a running time of 42 minutes.
Charles Widmore is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific. He is primarily portrayed by Alan Dale; Tom Connolly and David S. Lee portray him as a young and middle-aged man, respectively.
First Sergeant Martin Christopher Keamy is a fictional character played by Kevin Durand in the fourth season and sixth season of the American ABC television series Lost. Keamy is introduced in the fifth episode of the fourth season as a crew member aboard the freighter called the Kahana that is offshore the island where most of Lost takes place. In the second half of the season, Keamy served as the primary antagonist. He is the leader of a mercenary team hired by billionaire Charles Widmore that is sent to the island on a mission to capture Widmore's enemy Ben Linus from his home, then torch the island.
Frank J. Lapidus is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Jeff Fahey. Frank is introduced in the second episode of season four as a pilot hired on a mission to the island where Oceanic Flight 815 crashed. He aids the survivors of the crash against mercenary Martin Keamy and helps to rescue a group who become known as the Oceanic Six. Three years later, Frank encounters the group again while working as a commercial airline pilot. His plane lands back on the island, and he is forcibly taken in by a group of his passengers headed by Ilana and Bram, who are working for the island's highest authority figure Jacob. In the series finale, he ultimately escapes the island with a few of his fellow inhabitants.
The Man in Black is the main antagonist of the American ABC television series Lost. He appeared primarily as a cloud of black smoke until the final episode of season five where he appeared as a middle-aged man dressed in black. In season six, he primarily appeared in the physical form of John Locke. He exhibited the ability to "scan" the minds and memories of others, allowing him to confront characters such as Mr. Eko and Ben Linus, with "judgement", and to assume the forms and memories of the deceased, starting with the original Man in Black himself, his brother Jacob, or Christian Shephard, Yemi, Alex Rousseau, and Locke. According to Jacob, who explains this to Richard Alpert, it is the incarnation of evil, and its primary goal—to escape from the island—would be the "end of everything good".
Jacob is a fictional character of the ABC television series Lost played by Mark Pellegrino. He was first mentioned as the true leader of the Others by Ben Linus and was described as a "great man" that was also "brilliant", "powerful" and "unforgiving". He made his first appearance in the final episode of season five. Despite being killed in that episode, he continued to appear as a spirit, as well as in flashbacks in the episodes "Ab Aeterno" and "Across the Sea".