Boone Carlyle was a middle section survivor of Oceanic Flight 815 and was Shannon's stepbrother. He attempted to assume a semi-leadership role with the survivors but failed due to being rash and young, though he became Locke's apprentice when the two formed a close bond. Boone was on the Island for 41 days before he died of injuries sustained in a fall. According to Locke, Boone was a sacrifice the island demanded.
Before the crash
Boone coming to Shannon's aid in Australia ("Hearts and Minds")
Boone Carlyle was the son of Sabrina Carlyle and stepson of Adam Rutherford, who were married when Boone was 10. He was the stepbrother of Shannon Rutherford, who was two years younger than him. When Boone was six years old, he had a nanny named Theresa, who fell down the stairs and broke her neck when responding to his constant calls for her in retaliation of his mother being gone all the time. At some point in his teens, Boone worked as a lifeguard. According to Shannon, he doesn't believe in guns and goes on marches, although he denies it. She also tells Hurley that he is a political Liberal.
By the time he was 20, Boone was living in New York. After flying back to Los Angeles for Adam Rutherford's funeral, Boone comforts Shannon and gives his underage stepsister some alcohol to mollify her grief. Boone offers Shannon to live with him in New York if it will help get her career as a dance instructor started. After Shannon gets the job, Boone was offered a job by his mother Sabrina Carlyle. He accepted the job as the COO (Chief Operating Officer) of the wedding clothing subsidiary of his mother's company, Carlyle Weddings, and had to move from New York. Shannon had asked him to ask his mom for some money, but he comes home empty handed. He says that his mother knew why he asked for the money. Boone then offered Shannon some of his own money to get her started in New York without him, but she refused because she wanted to prove herself. ("Abandoned")
Boone at an Australian police station. ("Hearts and Minds")
Although he would not openly admit it, Boone was in love with Shannon, even though he was in a relationship with Nicole, and often rescued her from abusive relationships. While at a tennis court with Nicole, Boone received a phone call from Shannon pleading him to come help her, Boone asks where she is and she replies Sydney. In the past, he paid off at least 3 men to leave Shannon, and this particular time was a man named Bryan she was living with in Sydney, Australia. When Shannon showed Boone a bruise on her forehead, he headed to the Sydney police station to report the crime. While talking to Malcolm, the detective, Boone sees a violent American (Sawyer) being hauled off to jail after being interrogated. Boone pleads Malcolm to help and even tries to use his family name to gain leverage. However, Malcolm was unwilling to help because they are not blood related even joking that they are not the "dating police", leading Boone to take matters into his own hands. Boone goes to a mariana where Bryan is working, and writes a check to Bryan for $50,000 to leave Shannon. Later, Boone shows up at the house Shannon is staying at to bring her back to the United States, but Bryan is still there even though Boone has paid him off. When Boone confronts him, Bryan informs Boone that because of what Sabrina Carlyle had done to her, Shannon set Boone up knowing he would pay Bryan off, and then he and she would share the money. Boone then attacks Bryan, but Bryan wins the fight and Boone leaves the house embarrassed, and humiliated. However, on this occasion, the plan backfired on Shannon as Bryan dumped her and took the money, leaving her with nothing. That night, Shannon appeared at Boone's hotel room and told him what happened. Intoxicated, she seduced Boone, and they have sex. Afterwards Shannon suggested that they return to Los Angeles and act like nothing had happened. ("Hearts and Minds")
At Sydney Airport, Boone attempts to upgrade Shannon and his seats to first class. When Boone returns, saying that the agent wouldn't upgrade their seats because Shannon had been difficult during check-in, she storms off to try again. As Boone is questioning how immoral she can be, she notifies an airport cop that "Some Arab guy" (Sayid) left a suspicious bag in the waiting area to which Boone scoffs. ("Exodus, Part 1")
Boone giving Shannon her medication. ("Exodus, Part 2")
Accepting that they will sit in Business Class, Boone takes Shannon to the food court to relax before the plane takes off; however, Shannon continues to yell at him about not getting the upgrade to First Class. Boone finds a table next to Paulo and Nikki, and asks Paulo if they can borrow a chair. Before Boone can sit down, Shannon storms off and tells him to "stop flirting with random guys," and Boone follows her out of the food court. ("Exposé")
After boarding Flight 815, Boone sat in Business Class seat of 9E, next to Shannon. While in their seats, Shannon searches for her asthma medicine that she forgot to pack. Boone, who remembered to bring it for her, smiles, pulls the medicine out of his pocket, and hands it to her. ("Exodus, Part 2")
On the Island
Season 1
Boone asking Jack if there is anything he can do to help. ("Pilot, Part 1")
After the crash of Flight 815, Boone helped Jack in getting many of the passengers away from the exploding wreckage. While he was willing to help, Boone did several things wrong in the panic of the moment. He incorrectly applied CPR to Rose, blowing air into her stomach, before Jack stopped him and sent him to get pens to perform a tracheotomy. He then ran around asking other survivors (including Nikki) for pens, and retrieved a large amount of them which Jack never used. Later that day Boone offered Shannon a chocolate bar, and she refused saying that she would eat something better on the rescue boat. Eager to redeem himself from his earlier mistakes, Boone was put in charge of watching the injured survivors while Jack set out to the cockpit. ("Pilot, Part 1") ("Exposé")
The next day, he went out with Sayid, Kate, Charlie, Shannon, and Sawyer to get to high ground and send out a distress call. They were walking through the jungle when they were attacked by a polar bear. Sawyer shot and killed it, and they were left to ponder where it could have possibly come from. They were ultimately unsuccessful in acquiring a signal. ("Pilot, Part 2")
Boone giving a pair of sunglasses to Shannon. ("Tabula Rasa")
On their way back down from the mountain they attempted to find a signal, Boone lifts the gun off a sleeping Sawyer, and when everyone asks why he did so he said somebody needs to stand guard with the gun. The group then gives the gun to Kate thinking she is trustworthy. When they arrive back to the beach, Shannon complains that Mars is dying too loudly, to the reproach of Boone. ("Tabula Rasa")
A day later, Boone asks Jack to comfort Rose over the believed death of her husband in the plain crash. Boone then tells Shannon she could not provide for herself prompting her to flirt with Charlie, so he will catch a fish for her. When Charlie returns with a fish, Boone and Shannon argue over whether Shannon is too manipulative. That night, Boone and Hurley help with Claire's memorial service for those that did not survive the crash. ("Walkabout")
On day 6, Boone saw Joanna struggling to stay afloat in the ocean. Boone was the first one to enter the water in an attempt to save her but soon was pulled underwater by the same riptide that took Joanna. Jack, who entered the water shortly after Boone, saved him but was unable to get back in time to save Joanna. Boone was despondent and bitter for a while after this, and blamed himself for Joanna's death. He grew angry at Jack for going after him rather than Joanna, and tried to establish himself as useful and attempted to ration the camp's remaining water supply on his own. The other survivors mistook this as an attempt by him to steal all the water for himself. He was about to be attacked and harmed when Jack intervened on his behalf. ("White Rabbit")
While he was treated as an outsider briefly, he was quickly accepted back into the fold after he proved himself to have a helpful and friendly attitude after all. He assisted the survivors on several projects, including Sayid's attempts to triangulate the French signal, and helping the survivors to move to the caves. ("The Moth")
Boone after Sawyer beat him. ("Confidence Man")
After Shannon's inhaler runs out, Boone goes looking for her replacements in Sawyer's stash. Sawyer beats Boone for going through his stuff, and Boone runs to the caves to tell Jack and the other survivors what Sawyer has done. It later turned out Sawyer did not have the medicine, but Sun is able to help Shannon using some plants native to the island. ("Confidence Man")
When Hurley builds a golf course, Boone encourages Shannon to come with him to see Jack, Hurley, Michael, and Charlie play. At the game Boone bets against Sawyer for two bottles of sunscreen for Shannon on Jack sinking his shot. Boone wins the bet ("Solitary")
When Hurley tries to make an island census, Boone informs him that Sawyer has the flight manifest. He asks Hurley why he is making the census to which Hurley replies that it is because of the attack on Claire at the caves. Shannon then refuses to move there to Boone's dismay. ("Raised by Another")
Boone and Locke in the jungle. ("All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues")
Boone was a part of the search party that went looking for Claire after she was taken by Ethan. Afterwards, Boone and Locke split up from Jack and Kate, and began to form a bond. They talk of their lives before the crash, but Boone does not believe that Locke worked at a box company. During their search they stumbled onto the top of the Hatch when Locke throws the flashlight to Boone but misses because he can't see in the rain. ("All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues")
Boone continued to work with Locke to break into the Hatch, stealing the axe to break the glass, and even lying to Shannon about what he is doing on Locke's request. Because he is with Locke away from the beach so much, Shannon starts to form a relationship with Sayid, which Boone grows jealous of, especially when Shannon sings for Sayid. ("Whatever the Case May Be")
Boone and Locke unearthing the mysterious "Hatch". ("Hearts and Minds")
Locke tries using the trebuchet to open the Hatch but that ultimately failed. He told Locke that the survivors were getting suspicious since they were not bringing back boar, but Locke replied, "What we're doing here is far more important." As Boone regularly went on hunting trips with Locke into the jungle, Locke began to notice his feelings toward Shannon. When Boone told him that he was going to tell Shannon about the Hatch, Locke drugged him and tied him up to a tree 4 miles east of camp. While tied up, he experienced a hallucination of being chased by the "Monster" and having his sister die. Boone eventually finds his way back to camp, and attempts to kill Locke for causing his sister's death. When Boone tells Locke that Shannon died in his arms, Locke asks Boone why there is no blood on him. Boone realizes the entire thing was a hallucination, and when Locke asks Boone how he felt when Shannon died, Boone can't help but give the honest answer that he felt relieved. The experience helped Boone learn to let go of Shannon, and become more devoted to "listening to the island" with Locke. ("Hearts and Minds")
When Michael, and Walt fight on Day 25, Walt finds refuge with Boone and Locke, who teaches Walt how to throw a knife straight. Later that day at the caves, Boone shrugs off a nagging Shannon to her disbelief, and instead of helping her, goes off with Locke to find Walt's missing dog, Vincent. However, Boone and Locke stumble upon Claire instead. ("Special")
Knowing Ethan would return for Claire, the survivors decide to have some people take shifts to act as guards all day and night. Boone volunteered to be one, but Scott was still killed when Ethan attacked coming not from the jungle but from the ocean. ("Homecoming")
After Charlie kills Ethan in a falled capture, things begin to cool down on the island. Sayid comes to Boone to explain that he and Shannon are drawing closer. Boone becomes aggressive, and Sayid replies that he was not asking Boone's permission. Boone then tells Sayid that she has a thing for "guys who can take care of her" and will leave him eventually. ("...In Translation")
Locke's premonition of Boone's death.("Deus Ex Machina")
By day 36, Boone and Locke had completely unearthed the Hatch, but they still kept it secret from the other survivors. The two overlook writing of the Numbers on one side of the Hatch, not knowing how important they are. ("Numbers")
On day 40, Locke took Boone to the drug smugglers' plane he saw in his dream. On the way there, Locke confided in Boone about his paralysis and healing. Because Locke was having difficulty walking, he told Boone that he had to climb into the plane to investigate. Boone discovered that the Beechcraft was really a Nigerian Drug Runner Plane, as inside the plane were a number of Virgin Mary statuettes all filled with heroin. He then tried the plane's radio and made contact with Bernard, although he didn't know that he too was on the Island. The plane then began to fall with Boone still inside of it, and he was crushed. Locke carried the badly injured Boone back to the caves. When Locke reached the caves, Jack asked Locke what happened, and Locke replied that Boone fell off a cliff, before leaving for The Hatch. ("Deus Ex Machina")
Jack battled desperately, with the aid of Sun, to save Boone, but because of Locke's lie, Jack could not save him, despite Jack giving Boone some of his own blood in a transfusion. Jack realizes Boone's leg is crushed and attempts to cut it off, but Boone stops him knowing he will die regardless. Boone died the following day. His last words were "Tell Shannon...tell her..." He died before he could complete his last phrase.("Do No Harm")
Boone was buried along with the other deceased survivors in the graveyard. Shannon did not speak at his funeral, and when Locke showed up, Jack attacked him for causing Boone's death.("The Greater Good")
Season 3
Boone, guiding Locke in his vision. ("Further Instructions")
Twenty-seven days after his death, Boone appeared in Locke's sweat lodge, and guided him during his vision. When Locke tried to apologize to Boone, Boone acknowledged (with a hint of sarcasm) that he was a "sacrifice the Island demanded," something Locke had said in the past. When Locke motions that he can not walk, Boone points to a wheelchair saying he will need that. As Boone guides Locke through the airport, Locke must guess who he has save. When Locke asked if he must help Charlie and Claire, Boone responded they are "fine, for awhile" hinting at Desmond's later premonition of Charlie's imminent death. Boone tells Locke that Sayid can guide Jin and Sun to safety, and that Hurley is fine as well. Boone disappears, and when Locke finds him at the top of the escalator Boone tells him that he must "clean up his own mess" by saving Eko, before he could help Jack, Kate, and Sawyer. ("Further Instructions")
See Also
- Philosophy - Name Reference to Philosopher Thomas Carlyle
- Leadership - Leadership qualities
Trivia
- Boone was originally going to be called Boone Anthony Markham V (Called Five by the group)
- On the Season 1 DVD special features, it is revealed that Five was Boone's original name (Boone Carlyle the fifth) and that when they ran a search and replace on the "Pilot, Part 1" script, it accidentally changed this story to have Jack say: "1, 2, 3, 4, Boone".
- The Chinese figure on Boone's singlet means the number 84, which is a reference to Yin & Yang - a central symbol in Taoism.
- Boone is of Old French and Latin origin, and its meaning is "good". In origin from Old French "bon" (Latin "bonus").
Unanswered questions
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- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Boone Carlyle/Theories
- Who is his father?
- Was Boone's death an accident or was it really demanded by the island?
- Could Boone be gay? Although he was in love with Shannon, she often seems to imply that he is flirting with men, such as in the airport when she accused him of flirting with Paulo, and when she asked him if Locke was his boyfriend when Boone was uncovering the hatch with him.
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