Horace Goodspeed was a mathematician who served as the leader of the DHARMA Initiative on the Island. He was present in Oregon on the day Benjamin Linus was born, and helped Ben's father in getting a job on the Island. Horace and his wife Amy were the parents of Ethan Rom, and he was killed during the island-wide Purge orchestrated by the Others.

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Off the Island

1964

Before he came to the Island in 1964, Horace was driving with Olivia, 32 miles outside of Portland, when they came upon Roger Linus carrying his wife on the side of the road, right before Ben had been prematurely born. He wanted to take Ben's dying mother to the hospital, but she died before he had the chance to. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")

On the Island

1973

As the leader of the DHARMA Initiative on the Island, Horace was involved in bringing Roger Linus and his eight-year-old son Ben to the Island in 1973. At the submarine dock, Horace happily welcomed all of the new recruits to the Island, while wearing a DHARMA jumpsuit declaring him to be a "Mathematician." Later on, after there was a shootout between DHARMA and the Hostiles, Roger confronted Horace, demanding that he be paid more for his "Work Man" job and for living in such a dangerous place. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")

1974



Horace questions Sawyer at the Barracks. (" LaFleur ")

A year later, Horace met a time-travelling Sawyer in the game room at the Barracks and questioned him about what he was doing on the Island. Sawyer, telling Horace that his name was "Jim LaFleur," responded that he had been in a boat wreck while searching for the Black Rock, which Horace claimed to have never heard of. Horace then told Sawyer that he would be leaving the island via the submarine the next day.

Later that day, Richard Alpert arrived at the barracks, informing Horace that the death of two Hostiles (which had been caused by Sawyer and Juliet earlier that day) had broken the truce between the DHARMA Initiative and the Hostiles. Sawyer, not heeding Horace's wishes, met with Richard to explain the situation. When Sawyer returned from the meeting, he informed Horace that they would need the body of Paul to give to the Hostiles. Horace and Sawyer visited Amy, Paul's widow, to retrieve the body, and the rift between the Hostiles and the DHARMA Initiative was temporarily fixed. ("LaFleur")

1977



A drunk Horace is caught on camera by Jerry and Phil. (" LaFleur ")

Three years later, Jerry and Phil, two DHARMA security workers, discovered a drunken Horace stumbling around the sonic fence, throwing dynamite at trees. Informing Sawyer, the head of security, they went out and retrieved their drunken "leader", and Sawyer took him back to his house to overcome his hangover. Amy, who had become involved with Horace, went into labor soon after and gave birth to their son Ethan, though Horace was unconscious and thus unable to attend. Upon waking up, Horace explained to Sawyer that he had gotten drunk because he had fought with Amy about Paul, and asked Sawyer if three years was long enough for someone to get over a past lover. Sawyer responded by telling Horace about Kate, concluding that three years was indeed long enough. ("LaFleur") ("Namaste")

Soon after, Jin and Radzinsky came across Sayid in the jungle, and held him captive in the Flame. When Sawyer arrived, Radzinsky suggested they kill Sayid right there. Sawyer instead decided to bring Sayid to the Barracks, and Radzinsky grumbled that he was going to "talk directly to Horace about this." ("Namaste")

Horace came down to visit Sayid in his jail cell in the security station. He asked Sayid what the handcuffs he was wearing were for, and if he was in trouble with his people. Sayid wouldn't respond to his questions. Horace visited Sawyer and told him that in order to get Sayid to talk, he might have to take him to Oldham, the DHARMA's interrogator. After Sayid still refused to cooperate, Horace, along with Phil, Radzinsky, and Sawyer, took him to Oldham, who proceeded to give Sayid a truth serum-like drug, and the latter revealed all he knew about the DHARMA Initiative Stations, how he got to the Island, and even hinted at the upcoming Purge. However, once Sayid said that he was from the future, the DHARMA members began to doubt him. Later, Horace held a meeting to see what to do with Sayid. It was attended by various DHARMA members, including Sawyer, Radzinsky, Amy, and Rosie. Radzinsky was a vehement supporter of Sayid's execution, and after an impassioned speech by Horace's wife Amy, who held a baby Ethan, the group voted for the execution. ("He's Our You")

That night he took charge and arranged security for a possible hostile attack following Sayid's breakout. His initial suspicions were that Jack had let him out, but changed his mind when it was discovered that a young Benjamin Linus freed the prisoner, after taking the keys off his father, Roger. ("Whatever Happened, Happened")



Horace hands Miles his package to Radzinsky.

Horace later came to the security station to ask LaFleur to deliver a "package". Instead he found Miles, who he trusted to give the package to Radzinsky at grid 334 in hostile territory, and to bring back what Radzinsky gave him in return. Miles brought back the package, which was in fact the corpse of a DHARMA worker. Horace then told Miles to take it to Pierre Chang at the Orchid. ("Some Like It Hoth")

After Radzinsky found a captive Phil in Sawyer's house, and discovered it was Sawyer and Kate who had kidnapped the dying Ben, Horace watched Sawyer and Juliet's interrogation. Horace tried to take a less violent approach, yet he was told by Radzinsky that he is no longer in charge. ("Follow the Leader")

At a later date during his time with DHARMA, Horace designed and built the cabin which would later be inhabited by Jacob. ("Cabin Fever")

The Purge

Horace was in the Barracks at the time of the Purge; he died while sitting on a bench. Ben discovered his body after coming back from having killed his father and showed his respects to the dead mathematician by closing Horace's eyes, a respect which Ben didn't pay to any of the other deceased. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")

Post-death

Approximately 12 years later, Horace appeared to Locke in a dream. Locke observed Horace in a repetitive cycle, chopping down a tree over and over, and occasionally wiping blood from a nosebleed which appeared and disappeared. Horace said he was building a cabin for himself and "the missus" (possibly Olivia or Amy). Horace told Locke that he (Horace) had been dead for 12 years, that Jacob had been waiting a long time for Locke, and that in order to find Jacob, Locke must first find Horace himself. (Horace signs off with "Godspeed!", a slight pun on his family name.) Locke went to the mass grave for the DHARMA Initiative, and in the front shirt pocket on Horace's corpse, he found the blueprints for Jacob's cabin, also containing a map of its location. ("Cabin Fever")



Trivia

Unanswered questions

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For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Horace Goodspeed/Theories