The last two characters I will compare are Rumplestiltskin from Once Upon a Time and Sayid Jarrah from Lost. Both characters are known for the darkness within them. Rumplestiltskin, aka Mr. Gold, becomes The Dark One after he gains possession of a magical dagger. Sayid was filled with an evil that left him emotionless after he was brought back to life in season 6.
Both Rumplestiltskin and Sayid were known for doling cruel punishments to those they felt deserved it. Rumplestiltskin tortured Robin Hood after he stole a wand from the Dark One's possession. Rumplestiltskin also pulled out a man's tongue. Sayid was a former Iraqi Republican Guard torturer who was excellent at torturing and interrogating military prisoners.
Despite their cruel actions, both these men could be considered cowardly or weak. Rumplestiltskin, before he became the Dark One, was a cowardly father that could not stop his son from being taken to fight in the ogre or fight a pirate that had an affair with his wife. He also could not go with his son to a new realm that would take away his power as the Dark Ones. He let his son being sucked into a new world with no one to take care of him. It could be said that Sayid's torturing of those tied up was a cowardly act because his victims could not fight back.
Despite having darkness inside them, both Rumplestiltskin and Sayid tried many times to save people. Rumplestiltskin sacrificed himself in order to ensure that his father, Peter Pan, is killed. Sayid sacrificed himself by carrying a bomb that was in Widmore's submarine.
Both men were deeply in love with two women who they hurt. Rumplestiltskin fell in love with Belle, but when she offered a way to end his curse as the Dark One, his anger caused her to leave. Sayid tried to interrogate Nadia, the woman he was deeply in love, and believing he was not worthy of her, pushed her into a relationship with his brother. Both men believed themselves not worthy of their loves, even those both Belle and Nadia loved them.
Today I will compare Belle from Once Upon a Time and Desmond Hume from Lost. Both of these characters had good hearts but were often in the middle of bad situations. Belle sacrificed herself by agreeing to spend the rest of her life in servitude to Rumplestiltskin in exchange for his help with saving her kingdom in the Ogre wars. Desmond convinced the castaways of the Island to see the truth about their situation and helped them move on.
Both Belle and Desmond were trapped in unfortunate situations. Belle was held as a prisoner in Regina's castle in the fairyland and in Storybrooke's hospital psychiatric ward. Desmond was trapped on the Island in charge of putting in a sequence of numbers into a computer to stop an electromagnetic buildup.
These two characters also found danger in their love life. Belle fell in love with Rumplestiltskin, or the Dark One, whose temper and cruelty often upset Belle. Desmond fell in love with Penny Widmore, the daughter of Charles Widmore, a dangerous man who was often disappointed in Desmond.
Belle and Desmond also experienced different versions of their lives. Belle was enchanted by Regina to permanently believe she was Lacey, the cursed version of herself. Desmond, after being exposed to a blast of electromagnetism, experienced flashbacks or flash forwards to different time periods of his life.
Belle and Desmond also had difficulties with alcohol. Belle, as her cursed version Lacey, spent most of her times drinking. Desmond was found on the street after a night of drinking and become a monk because he believed it was his destiny.
Next I am going to compare Captain Hook from Once Upon a Time with James "Sawyer" Ford from Lost. These two characters are bad to the bone. Captain Hook, aka Killian Jones, was a pirate whose selfishness and preservation of his own skin resulted in trouble for others. Sawyer was an abrasive and insulting castaway who often stole crucial possessions from the other survivors.
Both men were criminals. Captain Hook was once a Lieutenant of a ship sent away by the king to a far away land, but after his brother's death, Hook took over the crew and turned them into pirates. Sawyer was a con man who conned many people out of large sums of money; he was sent to prison because of his criminal acts.
As criminals, both characters were willing to commit murder to avenge some wrong that was done to them. Rumplestiltskin cut off Hook's hand before killing the captain's love Milah; Hook tried unsuccessfully to kill Rumplestiltskin in revenge. As a child, James's family was swindled by a man called Sawyer who had slept with his mother. When James's father found out that their savings was stolen, he killed his wife and himself. James spent the rest of his life trying to find the man who was responsible for the destruction of his family.
These two characters usually exemplified the classic bad boys, but they did show they had a sensitive and heroic side to them. Captain Hook, because of his father abandoning him at an early age, wanted to become a father figure to Rumplestiltskin's abandoned son Baelfire. Captain Hook also lent his ship to Emma and her group when Henry was kidnapped and taken to Neverland. In order for the helicopter to leave the island, one survivor had to jump off to lessen the weight, and Sawyer volunteered by jumping back into the ocean.
These two handsome bad boys were attracted to the main female characters of the show. Despite Emma's evident distrust of the pirate, Captain Hook is holding out that she will fall in love with him. Sawyer and Kate often have a romantic relationship, even though Kate and Jack ended up together.
Today I compared Archie Hopper from Once Upon a Time to Hugo "Hurley" Reyes from Lost. The biggest commonality between these two characters is that they were often underestimated because of their size. Archie, or Jiminy Cricket, voice was often ignored because he was a talking insect that was so mild mannered. Hugo's weight was an issue that often received criticism, not only from characters on the show, but viewers of the show. Many critics of the show wondered why Hurley did not lose weight as an actor playing a castaway.
Both characters were the voice of reason or consciousness who wanted to help their groups. Archie was a psychiatrist in Storybrooke who cared about the well-being of his patients. Hugo acts as the protector of the island and in the parallel story lines he was a philanthropist.
Although these two characters had good hearts, they also had made mistakes that caused them great guilt. Jiminy Cricket had mistakenly given a potion to his best friend's, Geppetto, parents, which turned them into wooden puppets. Hugo blames himself for the death of two people after the deck he stepped onto collapsed.
Both Archie and Hugo acted as a comic relief. Jiminy Cricket was tied to a Cuckoo clock by Pinocchio so that he popped out each hour. Hugo was a very relaxed character that called people Dude.
These two characters also had parents that were not the best for them. Jiminy's parents were traveling puppeteers used him to steal and con their audience. Hugo was very close to his father but his father left him when he was young. Hugo's father returned when Hugo won the lottery.
Today, I will compare Emma Swan from Once Upon a Time to Kate Austen from Lost. Both of these women are very quiet but have proved that they have a surprising strength, calm under pressure, and a dangerous side. Emma and Kate both have criminal records. Emma was arrested after participating in the theft of expensive watches, while Kate killed her abusive father and went on a crime spree while on the run.
Emma and Kate both had troubling childhoods. After Emma was sent through a magical portal, she was picked up on the side of the road and raised in foster care. Kate was physically abused by her alcoholic father.
Both of these women were non-traditional mothers. Emma gave birth to her son Henry in jail, gave him up for adoption, and then was found by him. Kate, after finally leaving the Island, acted as a mother for Claire's son Aaron when Claire was not able to escape.
These women were also distrustful fighters. Emma constantly had to fight the villains of the show because she was the Savior, the person meant to break the curse placed upon the town of Storybrooke. Emma was distrustful of the fairytale naivety of her parents because she was raised in the harsh world of foster care. Kate constantly fought her way out of being arrested, helped with many dangerous missions on the Island, and helped kill "the man in black." Due to Kate's extensive criminal past, she often could not reveal herself to people she loved.
Both women also viewed Tallahassee as a place of escape. When Emma and her thief boyfriend decided to settle down, Emma randomly picked Tallahassee on a map. After trying to flee to Tallahassee, Kate was arrested by a U.S. Marshal.
The next two characters I’ll analyze are the leading men who stepped up as the leaders: Prince Charming from Once Upon a Time and Jack Shepard from Lost. The unwavering bravery and dedication of these men to their loved ones was made very clear. Prince Charming, aka David Noland, was a common shepherd who took on the responsibilities of a prince and a leader when the town of Storybrooke was left without a sheriff. With the expertise of a surgeon, Jack Shepard became a leader and doctor to the castaways.
Both Prince Charming and Jack had siblings that they were unaware of until their adulthood. Prince Charming’s twin brother, the born prince, was separated from him at birth by Rumpelstiltskin. Jack’s father had an affair with another woman, resulting in Jack’s half-sister Claire, coincidently one of the other survivors of the plane crash.
Both Prince Charming and Jack had difficulties in making up their mind on who they loved. David Noland had an affair with Mary Margaret Blanchard, while he was still technically married to Kathryn. Jack Shepard, throughout his time on the Island, debated whether he loved Kate Austen or Juliet.
Despite being the handsome leaders who came to save the day, both characters could be extremely stubborn and controlling. Prince Charming prevented Snow White from killing her nemesis the Evil Queen, but was fine with ordering the queen's execution. Jack was the last of the survivors to realize the truth behind the Island because he could not rationalize it.
The very obvious connection between these natural born leaders was the fact that they both had similar names. Prince Charming was referred to by King George as the “shepherd,” while Jack’s last name was Shepard.
Spoiler Alert! The first two characters I will compare are Regina Mills from Once Upon a Time and Benjamin Linus from Lost. The most glaring similarity is that both characters are longtime villains who were ruthless murderers. Regina, aka the Evil Queen, tricked a genie into killing her husband, King Leopold, ordered the murder of an entire village because of their association with Snow White, and killed Sheriff Graham because he was no longer under her control. Benjamin Linus, leader of the “Others” murdered Jacob because of jealousy, helped the “Hostiles” slaughter the DHARMA Initiatives members, and killed his rival Charles Widmore.
Both Regina and Benjamin were power hungry and did everything to keep hold of their power. Regina could not destroy magic, even after hearing pleas from her son, because she would lose her power. Benjamin did not stop a mercenary from killing his daughter Alex because it would mean he would lose his leadership on the island.
Both Regina and Benjamin were adoptive parents. Regina adopted Henry, the biological son of Emma Swan. Benjamin kidnapped Alex from her biological mother Danielle Rousseau after he was ordered to kill them both.
Despite being despicable murderers, Regina and Benjamin tried to become better people at one point in their shows. Regina tried to quit using magic to please her son and she also saved Storybrooke and its citizens a couple of times. Benjamin helped the core castaways of the Island stop the “man in black” from destroying the island and he became Hugo Reyes's second hand man. Due to their past deeds and their swapping sides so often, both Regina and Benjamin found themselves as hated outcasts.
After watching every current episode of
Lost and Once Upon a Time, I naturally started comparing the two shows, since both series were written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. I noticed that were similarities between the plotlines of each show. Both the fairytale creatures in Storybrooke and the castaways on the Island were trapped victims of time in a supernatural location. The fairytale characters were frozen in time, unaware of their own identities, while the castaways on the Island were thrown into different time periods after a wheel was turned.
In both shows, a cloud of smoke means very bad news. The curse that sent the fairytale creatures was preceded by a cloud of magical smoke, while the survivors on the Island were chased by a smoke monster. However, despite the similarities in events and concepts, I found the characters in both television shows were way more similar. So for the week before the Once Upon a Time return on March 9, I will compare two similar characters from the shows each day,
starting tomorrow. Spoiler Alert Watch every episode before you read these posts because the plot will be discussed. Enjoy!
