- —Klara, regarding the Vagabond
The Vagabond was an android created by Russ Willard, founder and director of the Mercer Center for Experimental Physics. Feared by those within the town of Mercer, it was sent to live on an island. It was metallic and had blue eyes, though during its time on the island, the light on one of the eyes had gone out. It was the first in this line of androids, the second being Sarah.
The Vagabond was portrayed by Quinton Boisclair and enhanced with computer generated and other effects.
History[]
At some point after founding the Mercer Center for Experimental Physics, a.k.a. the Loop, Russ Willard created this robot. Due to its unusual appearance, it was feared and hated by those in Mercer. In order to protect it from their fury, Russ sent it to live on a nearby island. Over time, horror stories sprung up about it, one of them being that it had murdered several people who worked at the Loop. After Russ had a son, George Willard, he warned him to never visit the island.
Despite this, George was fascinated by strange radio signals that were coming from the island. One day, he agreed to go visit the island on a dare by two of his friends, Chris and Adam. They all went together on a speedboat, but then Chris and Adam abandoned him on an island. There, he was stung in the arm by a highly venomous snake. He ended up exploring the island and came face-to-face with the Vagabond. Not getting a good look at it, he ended up attacking it, causing it to lose an arm. He was eventually rescued from the island, but ended up losing his own arm due to an infection from the bite, and ended up having it replaced by a bionic one. His father warned him to never talk about what he had seen on the island.
As an adult, he was still haunted by the experience of what had happened on the island. Following the passing of Russ, he asked his mother, Klara, if he had ever talked to her about the island and what was out there. She explained the truth of the Vagabond, that it was like a child to him. People couldn't accept what he made, even though it was alive in its own way. George told her that it still was alive, and Klara sighed at the idea of it being there on its own all this time. George then returned to the island, where he made peace with the Vagabond by giving it his own bionic arm.[1]
Appearances[]
| Tales from the Loop | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | ✔ |
Behind the scenes[]
The name "Vagabond" is not used on-screen in "Enemies," but is instead given in the scene commentary for the episode "Enemies," titled "George's Past" and is also mentioned in the premiere episode, "Loop," when Alma states that Russ Willard ignored limits with his Vagabond project. It also appears in the episode's closing credits, with Quinton Boisclair credited as playing the Vagabond. The name originates from Tales from the Flood, the second narrative painting book by Tales from the Loop author Simon Stålenhag.