Born Alexandra "Alex" Rousseau is a recurring fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Tania Raymonde. She was born in 1988, 16 years prior to the crash of Oceanic Flight 815, but was taken from her mother by The Others. She was raised among them, believing her mother to be dead. She has helped the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 on many occasions, and as of the end of Season 3, is currently in their group, along with her boyfriend Karl, and her mother Danielle.

Fictional character biography

Birth

Danielle Rousseau and her husband Robert shipwrecked on the island 16 years and five months before the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 during a French scientific expedition. Rousseau's team became sick and she killed them all, later giving birth to Alex. A week later, Rousseau saw a column of black smoke on the island and Alex was taken from her by the Others. A significant member of the Others named Ben adopted her and told her that her mother had died, a fate that Ben is familiar with - his mother Emily died giving birth to him.

After the crash

In "Maternity Leave," Alex met the pregnant Claire Littleton, whom the Other Ethan Rom had kidnapped to take her baby. They were going to kill Claire once they got the baby and Alex told Claire this. She then knocked Claire unconscious and left her in the jungle to find her way safely back to her camp. Alex later asks Michael if she was all right, after participating in his capture.

In "Live Together, Die Alone," Alex participated in the capture and transport of Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley to the small island off the coast of the main island with Ben, Tom, Bea Klugh, Danny Pickett and other Others.

Armed with a slingshot, Alex attempts to break Kate and Sawyer out of the small island where they are being held captive in "I Do," but stops and gives up when Danny pulls a gun on her. In "Not in Portland", Alex is successful in helping Kate and Sawyer escape from the Others, giving them a boat to get back to their island. Before she did this, they helped her rescue her boyfriend Karl, whom she had thought was dead the day before. After finding where they were keeping him and breaking him out of his cell where he was undergoing brainwashing, Alex, Kate, Sawyer, and Karl are about to leave when Danny turns up intending to kill Kate and Sawyer. Juliet steps in, shooting Danny three times in the chest and killing him instantly. Juliet then prevents Alex from leaving with Sawyer, Kate, and Karl.

In "Stranger in a Strange Land" Alex helps Jack escape from his cell to stop Juliet's execution. Thanks to their interference, Juliet is not executed, only "marked."

Alex returns to her home in Barracks. She is surprised when Sayid, part of the rescue party that has arrived to get Jack, says that he knows her thought-to-be deceased mother in "The Man from Tallahassee". She later unknowingly walks past Danielle Rousseau, her mother, while taking Locke to the Other's submarine at Ben's request. Rousseau, hiding in the bushes nearby, sees her daughter for the first time in 16 years.

In "The Man Behind the Curtain", she approaches Locke, and gives him a pistol, claiming he'll need it if he was planning to meet Jacob. However, when Ben returns alone the next day, he bitterly returns the gun to her, and reveals his change of plan - he orders an Other to take a team to the Losties' camp that night, not tomorrow. Sensing trouble, Alex flees into the jungle in search of Karl, who has been living in hiding since his escape. She gives him her gun and tells him he must warn the survivors, as he owes it to Sawyer and Kate. Alex also asks Karl if Ben is her real father, he gives no answer other than an uncomfortable expression. The two kiss before Karl heads off ("Greatest Hits").

After Ben learns about Charlie being in The Looking Glass, he goes to confront the survivors, and Alex goes with him. On the way there, Ben tells her that he is taking her to her new family. Once they meet the survivors, Ben tells Alex that Danielle is her mother. The newly reunited Danielle and Alex then tie Ben up, and take him to the radio tower with them. ("Through the Looking Glass")

Cast notes

• In her first appearance, Raymonde was credited as "young girl".
• Tania Raymonde was told her character would be called "Jessica" when first cast in the role. Furthermore her character was promoted as a survivor who would be introduced in Maternity Leave (and was at some point rumored to be a junkie who would become involved with Charlie)^[1]. It is likely this was to conceal the true identity of the character from the actress and the viewers in order to maintain shock value when it was revealed she was Alex.

References

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