Ian Golightly is a reporter for The New Times, a ROFFLENet news site.
History[]
Pre-apocalypse[]
Before the apocalypse, Ian worked for Hot Tamale FM, a radio station that was known for “all boob chat, all the time."[1]
In "Liar Liar", Ian appears aware that his work was less than reputable, referring to his mode of reporting as "tabloid journalism".
Early Apocalypse[]
Season Two[]
Ian travels to Abel Township in order to write an article on "a day in the life of a runner". With permission from Major de Santa, he tails Runner Five on a supply mission to pick up batteries and small electronics. Ian and Runner Five make their way through the empty streets of Possum Place only to be surrounded by zombies on three sides. As they run from the horde, Ian relays their escape with dramatic aplomb to his tape recorder. He explains to Sam that they don't use notebooks anymore, as it isn't particularly easy to run and write at the same time. Ian and Five escape into a nearby building, which turns out to be an electronics store. They return to Abel with the supplies and Ian's plans for writing a victorious, hopeful story.[2]
Season Four[]
Ian Golightly reappears during a routine med run which Runner Five is undertaking with Maxine Myers as operator in "With A Little Help From My Friends". His distress signal interrupts the comms link and Runner Five is redirected to save him from the rubbish bin in which he has become trapped while fleeing a group of zombies. Ian claims to have been working on a series for the upcoming UK election, quizzing communities on who they trust and might vote for. He also questions Maxine on the state of the cure for the zombie virus, which Abel is rumoured to possess.
After escaping the zombies, Janine De Luca gives Ian permission to report that Abel has exaggerated claims of a cure in order to prevent people from taking unnecessary risks.
Season Five[]
Personality[]
Ian Golightly comes across as an earnest, if slightly dramatic and long-winded, news reporter. When Runner Five first meets him, he is keen to chase down new stories and provide some measure of comfort and hope to his readership. He displays a somewhat compulsive need to narrate what is happening around him, describing it as a nervous tic in "Times New Roaming". When referring to Ian, Sam Yao describes him as "[s]illy, but basically decent."[3]
The other characters largely view Ian as a being a good person, even though at times they are irritated by him. This is shown in Season Four when Ian pledges his allegiance to Sigrid Hakkinen's government to the general confusion and disbelief of other characters. In "The Game Has Changed" both Sam Yao and Janine De Luca consider what might have driven him to this, considering both deception and torture as possible reasons.
In Season Five Ian's true nature is revealed as he takes over Abel as Sigrid's agent. He shows himself to be a simpering and cowardly man, gluttonous and entitled by his new authority. He acts in a delusional manner, believing that everyone is conspiring against him regardless of their actual intent. This persecution complex causes him to react with extreme hostility to anyone he believes is questioning his authority. Ian's outbursts become progressively more violent, culminating with his murder of Owen Landis in "Here Comes The Rain Again".
Despite his decidedly unheroic actions, one of Ian's driving motivations is the desire to be seen as a hero. This desire appears to be fueled by feelings of inferiority and of being ostracised by the other characters. In particular, he develops an obsession with Runner Five and Sam Yao for their roles in the events prior to Season Four. In "Run To You", Ian refers to Runner Five as "the biggest hero there is" and attempts to capture them multiple times, succeeding in "Drive My Car". In the finale of Season Five, "The Room Where It Happens", Ian reveals his hateful obsession with Sam, as he has become fixated on the love and attention Sam receives as Abel's operator and bears a fierce grudge against Sam for what he perceives as unfair treatment.
Relationships[]
Runner Five[]
Sam Yao[]
Sigrid Hakkinen[]
Appearances[]
- S2SM4 Times New Roaming
- S4M8 With A Little Help From My Friends
- S4M35 You Win Again
- S4M37 Cherish
- S4M38 The Game Has Changed
- S5M2 Run To You
- S5M3 Thorn In My Side
- S5M8 Liar Liar (recording)
- S5M13 Drive My Car
- S5M14 Step Into My Office, Baby
- S5M16 You’re Still The One
- S5M18 Here Comes The Rain Again
- S5M19 Sweet Dreams
- S5M20 Stay Alive
- S5M21 Staying Alive
- S5M22 Hit Me With Your Best Shot
- S5M24 Come Undone (recording)
- S5M25 Village Green Preservation Society (recording)
- S5M29 Renegade Master (recording)
- S5M37 Nothing But Love
- S5M38 Get The Party Started
- S5M39 Follow Me, Follow You
- S5M40 The Room Where It Happens
References[]
- ↑ Season 5 Mission 37: Nothing But Love
- ↑ Season 2 Side Mission 4: Times New Roaming
- ↑ Season 5 Mission 40: The Room Where It Happens