Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Character Spotlight: Matthew Abaddon

Let's face it, Lance Reddick is everywhere. Some of us were first introduced to his intimidating mug on Oz and The Wire, most of us are unsure about his mysterious/nefarious role on Lost, and now he's one of the lead characters on Fringe.

So what better time to feature a character spotlight on Matthew Abaddon...


THE WALKABOUT

Locke encountered Abaddon while in rehab recovering from the injuries sustained when daddy pushed him out of the window. Abaddon appeared to be working at the facility, but we all know that his true profession calls for tailored suits. It was at this hospital where Abaddon introduced the idea of a walkabout for Locke, who was paralyzed and in a wheelchair at the time. He alluded to have taken one himself, and that it was a life altering experience.

It is important to note that Abaddon made reference to 'owing him one' should they meet again in the future after Locke took the walkabout.
  1. Will Locke encounter or seek out Abaddon after leaving the island?
  2. Did Abaddon have anything to do with Locke's fate, with the crash of Flight 815?
  3. Was he working with Richard Alpert to recruit Locke?
  4. Does Locke's off-island Bentham identity have anything to do with Abaddon?
  5. Did Abaddon's own walkabout happen to take place on a certain island?

THE FREIGHTER


Abaddon was responsible for overseeing the team that Naomi would accompany on the freighter to the island: Daniel Faraday, Frank Lapidus, Charlotte Lewis and Miles Straume. Their mission appeared to be the capture of Ben Linus and disabling of lethal gasses, but Keamy and the mercenaries had other plans.
  1. Why was Abaddon so insistent that there were no survivors from Flight 815?
  2. How does he know about the survivors on the island? Was he informed by Ben or one of his off-island cronies?
  3. Was Abaddon employed by or working with Charles Widmore, Dharma or Oceanic?
  4. Did Abaddon also deploy Keamy & co. to kill everyone on the island?
SANTA ROSA MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE

After being rescued and dubbed one of the Oceanic 6, Hurley was arrested and placed in the mental institution where he'd previously spent time. Abaddon paid Hurley a visit under the guise of an Oceanic attorney, although once again it was clear that he was lying. Abaddon offered Hurley an 'upgrade' on his current situation, but Hurley had no intention of leaving.

It was when Abaddon inquired of Hurley if "they were still alive" that things became far more interesting and uncomfortable.
  1. Was Abaddon referring to those who were left behind on the island (including Flight 815ers, Juliet, etc.), or the Freighter Four?
  2. Where was Abaddon hoping to relocate Hurley?
  3. Did Abaddon visit any of the other Oceanic 6, just as Locke/Bentham did?
  4. Is it mere coincidence that Abaddon a) took an interest in Locke before he crashed on the island and then b) appeared after the Oceanic 6 rescue at the very institution where Locke's mother was treated for schizophrenia?
What's In a Name?

There are plenty of Biblical interpretations of and theories about the name Abaddon, but at this point I will leave that research to those who are interested in delving further...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I thought up until seeing the encounter with Locke that he was working for a new version of Dharma. Although after the encounter seeing that he was involved with atleast one of the Losties prior to them being on the island that perhaps he's something else...but once again who knows...

memphish said...

I like the idea that Abaddon may be responsible for Locke leaving the Island and becoming Bentham. Cashing in on the promise and all.

I think Abaddon works for Widmore not Alpert or Ben. But that might be wrong. After all since everyone on the freighter seemed to know they were working for Widmore, why did Widmore need this middle man if it was not to protect his identity? Of course, telling people they are working for Widmore could be a lie too. I think my brain will hurt if I push this too far. There are definitely a lot of layers here, and I can't wait to see exactly how they unfold.

abprime said...

I wonder if Abaddon and Alpert visited Locke on the original time line, or if they time-traveled back after Locke was on the island to try to "course correct" and keep things from going terribly wrong when Locke took over leadership of the OTHERS. I guess they failed. Maybe that is why Alpert asks young Locke which of the items already belonged to him.