Mommie Dearest: The Mothers of LOST

In honor of Mother's Day today, I've compiled a review of Lost Moms (by character).

We've seen that all the best cowboys have daddy issues, but many of our island friends also have maternal, borderline Oedipal hang-ups with their mothers...

AARON
Character Status: Alive
Mom: Claire Littleton

Daddy bailed before birth. Mom was advised by a psychic that she must raise Aaron alone.

Result:
Claire decided to ignore the psychic's warning and put Aaron up for adoption. She was on her way to LA on Flight 815 to do so. Aaron was subsequently born and raised on the island for the first few months of his life, only to be recently abandoned in jungle by mom (who may or may not have died). He is now 'where he's supposed to be.' But we've seen him off of the island after rescue, and clearly there will be consequences. Kate and his Uncle Jack are raising him instead of Claire, but they're not supposed to be.

ALEX
Character Status: Deceased
Mom: Danielle Rousseau

Mother and father crashed on island right before her birth. Mom killed her dad because he was "sick" and then gave birth to Alex, but Ben stole her shortly thereafter to raise as his own. Only recently met real mom.

Result:
The mother & child reunion was short-lived, because a freighter mercenary murdered both of them.

ANA-LUCIA
Character Status: Deceased
Mom: Teresa Cortez

Ana was a police officer and mom was her Captain. After Ana killed the man who'd shot her when she was pregnant, mom took away her badge.

Result:
Ana took a job as an airport security guard, hopped on a plane to Sydney (on a whim) with Christian Shephard to act as his bodyguard for a few days, and then boarded Flight 815 to return to LA. She was murdered on the island by Michael, who felt he had to kill her in order to get his son back from Ben.

BEN
Character Status: Alive
Mother: Emily Linus

Ben was born prematurely in a forest near Portland, OR. Mom died shortly after giving birth.

Result:
Dad resented Ben for 'killing his mother.' Little Ben sees and chases mommy ghost on the island. He appears to have a portrait of her in his Other house, and has fatal attraction to women who remind him of her (Juliet).

BOONE
Character Status: Deceased
Mother: Sabrina Carlyle

Raised by a nanny, resented being alone as a kid. Nanny fell down the stairs and died while taking care of him. Status of biological father was never revealed, but mom married Shannon's father Adam Rutherford when he was about ten years old. After Adam died, mommy gave him a job to keep him away from Shannon (whom she loathed and cut off financially).

Result:
Shannon lured Boone to Sydney under false pretenses. Inappropriate, incestuous relationship ensued. Both were on Flight 815 to return home after awkward encounter.

CHARLIE
Character Status: Deceased
Mother: Megan Pace

Mom encouraged Charlie's music career and bought him a piano. The DS ring that we saw Charlie wearing belonged to Megan's grandfather, Dexter Sutton. He and his brother named their band Drive Shaft using his initials. Charlie left that ring for Aaron, but we haven't seen it since.


Result:
Charlie was on Flight 815 because he had flown to Sydney to convince his brother to reunite their band. While on the island, Charlie had a religious dream featuring Claire and Megan as angels. We never found out what happened to his mom, and it's unknown whether Claire is alive or dead at this point, so perhaps his dream will turn out to a true vision.

CLAIRE
Character Status: unclear at the moment
Mother: Carole Littleton

Mom had affair with Jack's dad, Christian Shephard, but raised Claire alone in Australia.

Result:
Claire was typical rebellious teen, went goth for a while. After wishing mom was dead, she crashed their car and mom wound up in a coma. Claire then got knocked up and left for LA on Flight 815 to have the baby and give it up for adoption.

HURLEY
Character Status: Alive
Mother: Carmen Reyes

Raised by mom after dad abandoned them when Hurley was a kid. Had Hurley committed to mental institution because he was so traumatized after he accidentally caused a deck collapse that killed many people. After he was released and moved back in with her, he won the lottery.

Result:
She broke her ankle and her new house burned down, thanks to Hurley's cursed (lottery-winning) numbers. Later, in new mansion paid for by her son, she took his father back without question. He went to Sydney in search of the numbers' origin, and was returning home on Flight 815. After rescue, Hurley returned to the institution.

JACK
Character Status: Alive
Mother: Margo Shephard

We don't know much about her except that she didn't seem to be at his wedding to Sarah, and blamed Jack for his father's alcoholism (because Jack caused his dad's medical license to be revoked after turning him in for drinking on the job).


Result:
Guilt-tripped Jack into going to Sydney to find Christian Shephard and convince him to come home. Found him dead, and was flying home with dad in coffin on Flight 815. He has had visions of his supposedly deceased father back in the real world after rescue, and Jack's downward spiral began with the abuse of prescription drugs.

JI YEON
Character Status: Alive
Mother: Sun Kwon

The only child to be conceived on the island, Ji Yeon was born in Korea after mom was rescued. Although we're told that Jin is her father, mom Sun had an affair before crashing on the island.


Result:
She lived because Sun was able to leave the island as one of the Oceanic 6, but status of daddy Jin is uncertain right now.

JIN
Character Status: unclear at the moment
Mother: name unknown

Jin's mother was a prostitute who abandoned him at birth. Jin was told that she's dead.

Result:
After Jin married into Sun's wealthy family, mom blackmailed Sun for large sum of money or she'd expose their shameful family secret. Sun never told Jin, and threated his mom to never contact them again. Jin and Sun were in Sydney on an errand for Sun's father, and were on their way to LA on Flight 815 to do the same.

KATE
Character Status: Alive
Mother: Diane Janssen

Mom was married to military man named Sam, but had affair with future husband Wayne...Kate's real father. She grew up thinking that Sam was her dad.

Result:
After witnessing Wayne's alcoholism and abuse of her mother, not to mention his advances toward her, Kate blew up his house while he was inside. She went on the lam from the authorities, and was being brought back for trial from Sydney on Flight 815. After rescue, Kate refuses to have a relationship with mom, because she's the one who turned her in after blowing up Wayne. Kate also won't allow mom to see Aaron, whom Diane believes is her biological grandson.

LOCKE
Character Status: Alive
Mother: Emily Locke

Mom became pregnant as a young teen, with man twice her age (presumably Anthony Cooper). She was hit by a car, gave birth to John prematurely and immediately abandoned him. Showed up out of nowhere when he was an adult, claimed that John was immaculately conceived, and conned him into giving his father one of his kidneys (in exchange for money from Cooper). Mom also had a few stints in the same mental institution as Hurley, and battled drug addiction.


Result:
John grew up in foster homes and never knew his father. After visit from mom later in life, he discovered Cooper's identity and became obsessed with creating a relationship. That ended badly when daddy threw him out an 8-story window, paralyzing John and putting him in a wheelchair. John was on Flight 815 after he was denied the opportunity to go on a walkabout in Australia.

MICHAEL
Character Status: Alive
Mother: name unknown

We don't know anything about Michael's childhood. After going to Sydney to get Walt, he called his mom to express concern about his abilities as a father, and asked her to take care of him instead (she said no).


Result:
Michael was on Flight 815, bringing Walt home with him after Walt's mom died. When Michael and Walt left the island (after he'd murdered Ana-Lucia and Libby), he left Walt with his mother in LA. Michael tried to kill himself several times, but took a job working undercover for Ben after learning that the island wouldn't let him die and he had to help save his friends that were still there.

SAWYER
Character Status: Alive
Mother: Mary Ford

Mary had an affair with Locke's dad, Anthony Cooper, who then conned money from Sawyer's parents...resulting in their murder-suicide. We don't really know who raised him after that.


Result:
Sawyer spent most of his life as a con man, searching for Cooper to avenge his parents' death. He was on Flight 815 after getting arrested for a bar fight, ordered back to the U.S.

SUN
Character Status: Alive
Mother: Mrs. Paik

All we know about Mrs. Paik is that she wanted Sun to marry rich and arranged for her daughter to meet Jae Lee. Sun was not impressed and met Jin the same day.

Result:
Sun had an affair with Jae Lee after marrying Jin (her mother's worst nightmare - a fisherman's son). Sun and Jin were on Flight 815 because Jin was making a delivery on behalf of Sun's father.

WALT
Character Status: Alive
Mother: Susan Lloyd

Michael's ex-girlfriend Susan is Walt's mother. She got a job in another country and took Walt with her when he was a baby. She then married another man and died from a rare blood disease.

Result:
Michael went to Sydney to retain custody of Walt because Susan's new husband was afraid of the kid. He and Walt were on Flight 815 to return home and attempt a father & son relationship.

Mothers Unknown: Bernard, Charlotte, Daniel, Desmond, Frank, Juliet, Miles, Penny and Rose
---
Happy Mother's Day, Lost fans!