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This page is about the character from "The Man Behind the Curtain". For other uses of "Anne" see: Anne (disambiguation).


Annie is a former resident of the Island. As a child of someone employed by the DHARMA Initiative, she attended classes taught by Olivia. She was also Ben's childhood friend.

On the Island[]

1973[]

Soon after Ben's arrival on the Island, he was greeted by Annie at the processing center. Annie introduced herself and gave Ben an Apollo Bar, telling him that they could have "as many as they want." Their meeting was cut short, however, as a disappointed Roger stormed out with Ben.

Annie was also in Ben's class, which was taught by Olivia. One day, after an experiment with a miniature volcano, the barracks were attacked by the Hostiles. Olivia told Annie to lock the door, after which Annie guided Ben to safety by bringing him to the perimeter of the classroom. Annie attempted to comfort Ben by telling him that it was "just the Hostiles."

3x20-Annies-Dolls

Dolls Annie gives to Ben ("The Man Behind the Curtain")

Unlike Roger, Annie remembered Ben's birthday, and presented him with a pair of carved wooden dolls, designed to represent herself and Ben. She gave the girl to Ben and kept the boy, telling Ben that because they each had the other's doll, they would never have to be apart from each other.

1977[]

A young Ben Linus was lonely amongst the DHARMA Initiative. Annie was evidently no longer living there during the time in which he was shot by a time travelling Sayid Jarrah. He appeared to be friendless during this time period, spending his time with the prisoner instead. ("He's Our You")  ("Whatever Happened, Happened")

Ben's adulthood[]

Annie's doll was a significant gift for Ben, and he kept it with him throughout his adult life. When Richard sees Ben with the doll and asks what it is, he says simply that it was a birthday present. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")

The therapist Harper Stanhope muttered that her therapy client Dr. Juliet Burke looked "just like her" when Juliet stated that Ben had been "really good" to her. The "her" is never clarified in the episode or in a future episode, leaving it an unresolved plot point.

  • According to "The Other Woman — Enhanced", this is the adult Annie. The enhanced segment states, "Ben had only one significant woman in his life, a close childhood friend named Annie. She gave Ben a carving of herself as a birthday present when they were kids".

On the March 11, 2010 podcast, Lindelof and Cuse confirmed Juliet was intended to be a proxy for his relationship with Annie. This would explain Ben's obsession with Juliet, that is later unexplored. ("The Other Woman")

Trivia[]

  • Annie is a variant of Ann and Hannah, which are of Hebrew origin, meaning "favored grace." Hannah was the mother of the prophet Samuel. After her marriage Hannah initially seemed to be barren. Later, she asked God to bless her with a child, and her prayer was answered.
  • "Annie" was the first shown alias of Kate, who used it to try to fool Ray Mullen in "Tabula Rasa". In the same episode, Kate's middle name was revealed to be Anne. Kate's full name is Katherine Anne Austen.
  • In a June 2007 interview, Michael Emerson teased that Annie would reappear on Lost, and further stated she would reappear as an adult. However, this never panned out.[1] It is possible the 2007 WGA Writer's Strike affected this. Later, perhaps jokingly, he called the show's failure to return to Annie's story his "only regret from Lost.[2]
  • In the original script for "The Man Behind the Curtain" released publicly in December 2019, Annie and Ben had a fellow classmate named Sean. She also asked Ben "Have you ever seen a polar bear?" after giving him an Apollo bar in the script.

Producer commentary[]

On the DVD commentary track for "The Man Behind the Curtain", Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse describe Annie and Alex as the two most significant women in Ben's life. Annie is described as a character that is going to play a "huge part" in upcoming storylines: "Annie is going to prove to be very significant in Ben's life," and that even the island's volcano will be "slightly less important than Annie, but still seismic."

However, on the March 11, 2010 podcast, they amended their statement (possibly due to having changed plans) and remarked that Annie is not central to the show in a literal sense, but she instead was a major part of Ben's life and maturation process (e.g. Juliet being a proxy for her). In the same podcast, they also suggested that Annie and her family may have left the Island two years later in 1975.

Unanswered questions[]

Unanswered questions
  1. Do not answer the questions here.
  2. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer.
For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Annie/Theories
  • What happened to her?
  • What was the original plan that entailed her being "seismic" to the story?

References[]

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