JuicyTalk
When La Brea premiered in 2021, it quickly established itself as the type of show that would weave major character deaths into its overall narrative. Following a group of survivors after a massive sinkhole opens up in the middle of Los Angeles, La Brea incorporates survivalist elements with a sci-fi, time travel set piece. With the foundation of the show resting on the Harris family’s attempts to navigate a dangerous primeval land both separately and together, the series brings in a massive cast of guest and supporting characters and makes it clear that danger is lurking around every corner possible.
Over the course of three seasons, La Brea was able to create palpable stakes for its characters, developing a reputation for emotionally charged moments where it wasn’t clear if key figures in the story were going to live or die. While not every character death carried the same weight emotionally or narratively, La Brea quickly figured out how to use character deaths to move the story forward, especially as the show moved forward. As one of its defining tools, La Brea was able to execute some fascinating demises, which shaped the story in entirely different ways as it moved forward.
Caroline Clark
While Caroline Clark (Melissa Neal) was only a piece of La Brea’s second season, she held a much bigger piece of the lore in her character than viewers anticipated. As the series untangled the mysteries of the Lazarus Project, Caroline became a significant piece of the puzzle. As one of the few characters who was able to explain the science behind the sinkholes and temporal fractures, she appeared to have a complicated relationship with the work she and her husband, James Mallet (Jonno Roberts) were doing.
Caroline and James, who are revealed to be Gavin Harris’ (Eoin Macken) biological parents from the far future, are crucial to the expansion of La Brea’s mythology in its second season. When she ultimately dies at the hands of Kiera (Simone McAullay), it becomes clear that the Lazarus Project, while beneficial in some ways, is home to an intense group of people who can’t control the mess they’ve helped orchestrate through time.
Taamet
An antagonist introduced in La Brea’s second season Taamet (Martin Sensmeier) comes into play as a part of the Exiles, which bring in a more pre-historic element to the series’ villains, rather than being tied to the Lazarus Project. Taamet is a major threat because he’s unpredictable, with his actions working against the Harris family’s objectives. Bringing a sense of tribal warfare into the mix, La Brea‘s Taamet is a specific type of enemy.
The brutal stakes of Taamet’s death are representative, again, of the pre-historic elements of La Brea. After being attacked by one of the modern survivors, Scott Israni (Rohan Mirchandaney), Taamet finds himself close to death nursing a dagger wound and chooses to reveal to Gavin and Dr. Sam Velez (Jon Seda) that Kiera hired him to raid the area, searching for a book.
Marybeth Hayes
As one of the original survivors trapped in the sinkhole, Marybeth Hayes’ (Karina Logue) is one of the more devastating deaths on La Brea. Introduced as a former police officer looking for her estranged son Lucas (Josh McKenzie), Marybeth has instincts that make her an indispensable part of the group during the early days navigating the disaster. Approaching the situation in a more practical, realistic way, Marybeth was an emotionally grounded character who held the story together.
During the first season of La Brea, although Marybeth is one of the most grounding people in the sinkhole world, she gets entangled the difficulties of dealing with pre-historic groups who are just as confused as those from the modern era. Marybeth finds herself attacked by one of Silas’ (Mark Lee) followers, which leads to a fatal injury and eventually seals her fate.
James Mallet
As one of the most interesting characters on La Brea, seeing James Mallet’s demise was complicated. As the leader of the Lazarus Project, Mallet is clearly a figure set up to be an antagonist from his introduction in season 2. His nefarious dealings are decisions he stands by, while his wife Caroline doesn’t always know if she feels comfortable with what he husband’s leading her into. While he prioritizes scientific advancement, he doesn’t care much about the moral cost of his choices.
While Gavin has to wrestle with the fact that his identity as he’s known it is vastly different, the issues he faces directly with Mallet are even more complicated. After getting into a physical struggle with Gavin, Mallet dies of a fatal gunshot wound, and in his dying moments reveals to Gavin that he has a half-sister, Helena (Emily Wiseman), who he seems to have affection for.
Rebecca Aldridge
As one of the early characters who offer a connection to the lore behind the mystery of the sinkholes, Dr. Rebecca Aldridge (Ming-Zhu Hii) is one of the most intelligent people in the La Brea universe. While it’s quickly clear that Aldridge knows more than other characters, the depth of her knowledge surrounding the sinkholes and how to navigate the survivor’s new normal is astounding. Unfortunately, knowing too much becomes part of her demise.
During an early episode in La Brea season 2, Aldridge reunites with Gavin and seems to be offering some new information, but when a fog rolls in, things go haywire. After a series of events leads Aldridge into a bad spot, she finds herself in the line of attack for a hungry group of wolves. Her death is a critical moment on La Brea, as the wealth of knowledge she provided disappears in a near-instant.
Levi Delgado
As one of the most tragic deaths on La Brea, Levi Delgado (Nicholas Gonzalez) nearly made it to the end of the series with the rest of the survivors, but became a hero in his demise. As La Brea progresses, a love triangle between Levi, Gavin, and his ex-wife Eve (Natalie Zea) blossoms, and is a major piece of the show’s identity. Levi’s consistent decision to put himself in the line of fire for the rest of the group make him a huge part of the show’s core, and by the end, make him a tragic hero.
During the penultimate episode of La Brea, Levi finds himself in a position to save Gavin and Izzy (Zyra Gorecki), Gavin and Eve’s daughter. While his position between Gavin and Eve is often a point of contention, he doesn’t seem to think twice before taking a bullet for the Harris family. After a fatal wound, Levi finds himself succumbing to his injuries in Gavin’s arms, closing the loop of an incredibly complicated relationship.
Ella Jones
Portrayed by both Lilly Castillo in childhood and Michelle Vergara Moore in adulthood, Ella Jones is one of La Brea’s more emotionally complicated figures. Her character echoes the strange time-travel paradox at the show’s core, as she’s important in different timelines of the show. Ella’s character was important to the mythology of the show, as she was a living, breathing way of representing the time travel and how much of an emotional cost it can have on a person’s life.
Ella’s death, which many viewers struggled with in the moment, happens during the end of La Brea season 2. After suffering from fatal wasp stings, Ella dies in a sudden, shocking manner. By putting her in danger within the scope of the La Brea mythology, Ella was representative of the story as a whole, but her surprising death was tough to stomach.
Gavin Harris
As the emotional center of La Brea, Gavin is one of the most figures in building the show’s mythology. On top of his critical importance in the mythology of the show, his story is at the core of the series, which made his near-death a difficult one to work through. Gavin, whose story did revolve around sacrifice and survival enough to make his near-death seem realistic, has a specific lens to see the show’s time travel motif through.
In La Brea season 2’s finale, Gavin is impaled while saving Eve from a giant lizard, and the presumption is that he should be dead from his injuries. However, because of the use of time travel in the series, Eve and Izzy are able to twist time in their favor. Preventing the fatal injury, Eve and Izzy are able to save Gavin, which puts La Brea back on course.
- Release Date
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2021 – 2024-00-00
- Directors
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Adam Davidson, Cherie Nowlan, Thor Freudenthal, David Barrett, Ron Underwood, Greg McLean, Nick Gomez, Rose Troche, Christine Moore, Tara Miele
- Writers
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David Appelbaum, Rob Wright, Christopher Hollier, Jerome Schwartz, Onalee Hunter, Jessica Granger, Jose Molina, Russel Friend, Bisanne Masoud, Zakiyyah Alexander, Erica Meredith
