A blank stare, and he just doesn’t care. Ethan Rom is forever cemented inLosthistory as its first villain and first “other.” Gone but not forgotten, he deserves his flowers for being scary too, which has become clear asthe series has now returned to Netflix.Michael Emersonbecame the shining emblem of evil on the ABC original series for his portrayal of theiconic, sassy bad man, Ben Linus. First introduced in Season 2 in Episode 14, “One of Them,” he quickly took on the status ofLost’s defining villain. A manipulative genius who may have been small in stature but cunning in his smarts when it came to manipulating thesurvivors of the 815 plane crash, he left death in his wake to be the puppet master on the island. Ben remainsLost’s best villain, but he’s nowhere near the scariest.
Where Ben may have had longevity and a chance to blossom into the show’s symbol of wicked, he still cannot compare to the horror of Ethan. Played byWilliam Mapother, his performance is chilling to the bone and the show’s first real foray into the horror genre. Mapother’s dead eyes and inability to emote, on top of his tall, hulking body, made his physical presence a terrifying threat to everyone on the island and the audience.Supplying the first big revelation to a series that would become famous for its plot twists, Ethan will always remainLost’s most disturbing villain.
Lost follows the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, which crashes on a mysterious island in the South Pacific. The diverse group must work together to survive while uncovering the island’s many secrets, including a hidden hatch, a smoke monster, and other supernatural elements.
Ethan’s Big Reveal as an “Other” Was The First Big Plot Twist on ‘Lost’
When passengers on Oceanic Flight 815 crashed onto a mysterious island during the pilot episode ofLost, they were believed to be alone. StarringMatthew Foxas the group leader and doctor, Jack, alongsideEvangeline LillyandJosh Hollowayas Kate and Sawyer, they entered a tricky love triangle that dominated the story.Dominic MonoghanandEmilie de Ravenplayed friends Charlie and Claire, an ex-rock star and pregnant woman finding solace in each other’s company.Claire was a fan-favorite from the beginningwith her sweet, sunny disposition. As her due date nears in Season 1, she grows paranoid that someone is coming to steal her baby away in countless nightmares that involve being poked with needles, and she turns out to be right.The revelation that an unknown group of people haunting and hunting the island becameLost’s biggest plot twist at the time, carried out by a disturbed Ethan.
Ethan’s introduction as the first other was a monumental moment inLost. It was the first of many “Oh sh*t’s” uttered by fans. In an episode dedicated to Claire’s origin story, “Raised by Another,” it supplies the background of her pregnancy. It reveals that she wanted to give it away, while a psychic remained clear that she had to raise it herself, or there would be catastrophic consequences. The ending has the terrifying conclusion that Sayid was right in his claim they were not alone on the island, asHurley (Jorge Garcia)discovers the manifest and realizes one man is not on it, Ethan Rom.
Claire’s Kidnapping Was the Scariest Part of ‘Lost’s First Season
Claire’s kidnapping introduced a darker tone toLost. When she and Charlie are taken and chased after by search parties in “All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues,” horror takes over the show, led by a ferociously evil, Ethan. Not oneLostfan forgets where they were when Ethan says, “Hello, there” to Claire and Charlie after his identity is revealed, and the screen fades to black. It’s an iconic line of dialogue from Mapother, cousin to Hollywood royalty,Tom Cruise. He stares at Claire like a meal and never even blinks, void of humanity. The suspense is palpable, and it is a smart story device from series creatorDamon Lindelof. By looping audiences into a secret Charlie and Claire aren’t privy to, it supplies the scene with even more tension. A killer cliffhanger and one of the series’ best endings, audiences were left to spiral for a week before they could find out Ethan’s true nature and what he did to Claire and Charlie.
The storyline shares similarities to the acclaimed 60s horror filmRosemary’s Baby, in whichMia Farrowplays a pregnant wife convinced satanic worshiping neighbors in the building are going to steal her baby, while no one else believes her. InLost,Claire begs Jack to believe her prior to being kidnapped, as she states someone with a needle was trying to stab her stomach. But no one believes her but Charlie, and it left the audience on edge about whether it was real or not.De Raven is riveting as a tormented mother-to-be,and her blood-curdling screams earn her enough credit to be deemed ascream queen.
Ethan Embraces the ‘Silent Killer’ Horror Trope
Ethan is so scary because of his silence. All the most terrifying killers in the movies are quiet in their craft, making their physical presence, and their physical presence alone,thethreat.From iconic serial killerslike Michael Meyers to Jason, Ethan follows in their path as a creeping, silent predator that pounces at a moment’s notice.Mapother embraces the silent killer trope and never allows Ethan to become a caricature.Instead, he is cold and calculating, and part of what made his transformation so disturbing was that he was able to blend in with the survivors so easily as a sort of lame, goofy guy, gathering pineapples and coconuts with a smile.
“All the Cowboys Have Daddy Issues” is an importantLostepisode for many reasons. It finally addresses the first big plot twist, that the survivors are not alone. It also features the first big showdown between Jack and Ethan and finally reveals Jack’s backstory. Jack, Kate, Boone (Ian Somerhalder), and John Locke (Terry O’Quinn) form two different search parties and follow a series of clues left behind by Charlie. When Jack blindly runs through the jungle in a sudden downpour of torrential rain,he collides with Ethan, and the bloody showdown that follows is by far the best and most intense fight of Season 1.
Ethan’s big, hulking bodyis put on full display again as he beats Jack with ease with his own fists. He once again appears out of nowhere and uses his knowledge of the jungle to his advantage. A man of few words, when Ethan tells Jack between kicks, “No more warnings,” it has a powerful effect. Every word Ethan utters is precious, fleeting, and harsh, revealing his sick, domineering side. He then warns Jack that he will kill either Charlie or Claire if he continues his search and disappears as mysteriously as he enters the frame.It marks the first time Ethan lets loose and embraces his violent nature when he typically acts with control and quiet creepiness.
Jack and Kate then find Charlie practically dead in a tree from Ethan’s handy work. It introduced a more brutal kind of violence toLostand marked another first for the series, as it seemed like audiences were about to witness the first series regular die. By a miracle, Jack resuscitates Charlie. Later on,it’s revealed that Ethan was born on the island,arguing he could have been born possessing the evil that haunts the island.When more of his backstory is shown in flashbacks, he’s a lot more like Jack than we ever knew. He’s a doctor, shown taking care of Claire sweetly after he successfully kidnaps her, turning him into even more of a monster. When he returns for Claire after she makes it back, he begins killing off survivors one by one and turns into a Jaws-like creature, attacking his prey by swimming in from the ocean. A mad scientist experimenting with human life, the fact that he could go from nurturing life to taking it makes him more of a conundrum. Ben may have gotten all the glory with his Shakespearean monologues that he would spit out with theatrical flair. But Ethan’s silence will always make him the ultimate predator in the jungle, chilling to his very bitter,dark end.
