Part 1: That's Buck with a "B"

by Natalie H

Forgive me if this goes on a bit.but when it comes to Lucas it's near to impossible to sum him up in only a short passage.

OK here we go. in this email I will discuss some points that have come up during other discussions and will ask a few questions. The key issues I'll address here are a) who/what is Lucas? b) Where does he get his money? And c) what about his family? In another email I will discuss further the things we discover about Lucas in relation to the other characters and as the episodes progressed.

I hope this isn't too chaotic *g*

First things first, onto what has to be the most frequently asked question:

Who/What is Lucas Buck?

1) Is Lucas the Devil incarnate? This is the theory that I personally least believe, for a variety of reasons. Namely the Devil is omnipotent, immortal. Lucas we know is neither. Lucas although having great power, isn't all-powerful. Throughout the episodes there are times when Lucas loses a battle, and doesn't get what he wants. Lucas himself admits to not being immortal. In Requiem, Merlyn asks him in the hospital how he is feeling. His response is "all too mortal". And even to Matt he admits that he isn't. Although Lucas is rescued by Ben and Billy, I do believe that if they hadn't, Lucas would have died eventually, suffocated to death. Clearly Lucas is limited to most laws of nature. The Devil isn't. Then there is the fact that I can't exactly see the Devil coming from Hell to be the Sheriff of a small town. That would be like getting a brain surgeon to put a band-aid on a scraped knee. He would more likely go for being president of the United States than Sheriff of Trinity. But despite my opinion of Lucas not being the devil, this doesn't mean that he isn't possibly closely associated with him. (Which will come up shortly)

2) Is Lucas a Fallen Angel? This has always been a theory that I've leaned towards. That Lucas was once in many ways like Merlyn, a spirit/guardian angel whose job it was to guide mortals and lead them from the path of Darkness. In Inhumanitus, in the Church with Father Tilden, the church shaking all around them, Father Tilden prays to God. Lucas tells him "This ain't his style" which hints at Lucas having a familiarity with God. But just like Merlyn, he tired of not being able to feel and experience life, possibly felt unappreciated for the job he was doing. (And we know how much he hates feeling unappreciated, just look at SAOTL.) Thus he took the soul of an unborn child, and once again returned to the mortal realm. However, unlike Merlyn, he kept it. Lucas himself admits to Merlyn in Plague Sower that he has been where she is, protecting the weak, punishing the wicked. And that he can show her the pitfalls to avoid. Of course it's possible, that Lucas could be simply referring to what he was like as a lawman. We know little about Lucas's past, is it possible that at one time he was a good lawman? That he did the whole protect and serve thing the honorable way? But then something changed. The Rage? And bang he became the Sheriff we know and love (or hate as the case may be *g*) Of course this `rebirth' theory raises a few questions. Was this when he got the Rage? Did he take the soul of a child that already had it? Or, another thought to consider, is it possible that the Devil came along, saw how unhappy he was and made a deal with Lucas? This brings me to the next possibility of what Lucas could be

3) Is Lucas the Devil's messenger? In exchange for giving Lucas a soul (the Rage?) Lucas had to do his work for him? Possible no? The Devil is always on the look out for a disciple; messengers to do his bidding. The Devil gave Lucas the opportunity to return. This could be possible. Lucas refers to having been to Hell, "I've been there. And you know what? It ain't half bad", (Could have been a flippant remark but something makes me believe that Lucas knows Hell personally) so isn't it logical that he would know the Devil? Of course another possibility could be (moving away from the fallen Angel theory) that Lucas wasn't like Merlyn, but maybe a man who sold his soul to the Devil? Or was possessed by the Rage (Is it possible that the Rage is some kind of Demon?) and that is who we see today? Lucas refers to the Rage, as a separate entity within him. So this begs to be asked. Does Lucas's power's come from the Rage? To do the Devil's work, he would need to be a little more supernatural then those around him, to carry out many of the things he does. Or is it possible that Lucas always had these powers, maybe latently but when he became the Devil's messenger, the Rage was introduced to increase and fine-tune them?

Right to recap. There are many possibilities of what Lucas could be. We know next to nothing about his past. But things are hinted at, things are said that can lead one to choose one or the other theory. We could say that Lucas had been like Merlyn, killed before his time, came back as a guiding spirit/Angel (whatever), but was unhappy. Wanted more. Took a soul and kept it and somewhere down the line turned bad, became filled with the Rage. Or it's possible that Lucas is simply a man, possessed of a supernatural ability, into the black arts (we see in ROF he has a book on the occult in his study) who made a deal with the Devil, because he himself desired more power. The Devil gave him the Rage and Lucas became his servant. Or even another possibility is that Lucas is just one in a long line of dark witches/warlocks, the Rage an ancient evil straight from Hell being passed on from generation to generation. (Isn't that what Caleb is for? To be his heir and yet another vessel for the Rage?) And that Lucas at one time was just like Caleb, whose father passed on the Rage to him when Lucas's father died? (Hope this makes sense *g*) When it comes down to it, there are so many theories that could be possible. And then again none of them could be the right one. I sometimes have to wonder if Shaun Cassidy even knew what Lucas was meant to be. Leaving so many things unknown and unanswered because that is what made Lucas that much more interesting and seem that much more supernatural. You keep people guessing and you keep them off balance and always interested, as everyone loves a good mystery. ;-)

Now along with the question of who or what Lucas is,comes another question that has been brought up before. And that is the issue of Lucas's age and immortality.

You already know my answer. No I don't believe he is immortal. But I will agree that he does seem to have longevity. That he ages slower than the average human. Is this because of some spell? Or is it because of the Rage? It could be a combination of both. I don't believe Lucas is ageless. I think that he just simply ages well. We see him look the same in Merlyn's, Ben's and Gail's flash backs as he does now. In DDTAH, Angela Smith's comments to Lucas in the hospital also hint at how well Lucas has aged With the help of a youth spell and the Rage he remains younger looking for longer. My theory is that the Rage is very likely Ancient, a demon or the essence of the Devil. It needs it's host to remain strong and youthful for longer. A strong, young, healthy body can do more then a weaker, older one. But Lucas will eventually get old, just at a slower rate than the average human.

Besides that, I go with the fact that Lucas has been in Trinity all his life, probably born and raised there. If he had been around for a VERY long time, people would notice. That would raise many problems for Lucas, including some unwanted attention. And I don't think that is what Lucas or The Rage would want. Yes he wants people to know who he is and be respectful to him, but not be totally terrified of him. As I see Lucas he wants people to see him as one of them and that wouldn't happen if he had been around for
say hundreds of years. I can't see many people sticking around someone who is like that. Aging slowly will just have people thinking that he has good genes that keep him looking younger than he is. Essentially the Rage is immortal, but Lucas isn't. Which is why he needs an heir.

Along with these major questions about Lucas, there are other ones that appear on the fringe of who this man is.

For instance the issue of money. Lucas clearly has a fortune behind him. How else does a Sheriff (a job that doesn't exactly pay a fortune) afford a rather large house? Or be able to afford to pick up the payments on the Temple house making it his property? One can only assume that Lucas probably owns several other properties in and around Trinity. And he hands out large amounts of money to others. He gives Caleb $30,000 dollars as a gift and an investment for his future in MTB. (A fact that no doubt Lucas regretted when Caleb so kindly gave it to Coach Bender's and Hack Weller's widows - Just loved the look on Lucas's face at that little discovery) In DTTW a woman asks Ben if he thinks Lucas will pay for her son's dental work. In EOTB, he offers to help TJ out with a loan to get the junkyard. Even in the pilot one of the nurses in the hospital thanks him for his help moving into her new house and says she'll repay him as soon as she can. And it can be safely assumed that on many other occassions Lucas is there to give a loan to someone in need (at a price of course). So question is: Where does the money come from? A few possibilites arise.

1) Old Money: We know little to nothing about Lucas's family history. (Not going with the Family novel or fan fiction here) Could his house be a family home? The money a family fortune? Possible. Or

2) Lucas has built up his own fortune through investments? It has been discussed that Lucas isn'twell educated. But from what can be seen of Lucas(how he makes his deals)it's a safe bet that he has a keen business sense,knowing what will make him the most money, like property, and who knows what else. I personally would love to get a look at Lucas's bank statements and portfolio *g* And of course, fitting in with Lucas, it's also entirely probable that Lucas has made his money in less then honest ways. In SAOTL he suggests that the Flint Boys go to work for him. To me this suggests that Lucas has a knowledge of extortion. Has he ever got his money that way? Or by any other illegal means? It seems likely. In Strangler Ben makes a reference to how Lucas would go about solving the crime and mentions him taking someone's lunch money. Seems a bit low rent for Lucas, but if you watch those pennies. *g* And how does Lucas continue to give out money? For instance with TJ he doesn't ask him to pay the money back just says somewhere down the road he will call in a small favour. One could assume that this is what he does with others. So he is giving the money out, but not getting it back, at least as I see it, from the people he loans it to? He must make it back somehow. Just how I can't figure.

It has been suggested that he is a bit of a tight wad when it comes to money. The discussion about the roses he takes to Selena in Triangle, who rejects them. And then takes those same roses to give to Gail. But I just see that as Lucas practicing the old addeage 'waste not, want not'. I see Lucas as using his money to work for him, to get him what he wants. By giving out a loan, he gets someone indebted to him, thus having them right where he wants them later, under his control. For example,he paid for Ben's wedding and got him a job, and bang, Ben is his. And although we can't prove it something tells me that Selena's flashy corvette didn't come out of her salary. (I'd like to see the day a teacher can afford such a sports car). Was this a gift from Lucas? Likely. And what I wouldn't give to know what Selena had to do for it *g*. (But I think we can guess, although why Lucas would have to give gifts to get women is beyond me, most women would pay him! *g*) Lucas is obviously a very wealthy man possibly even a multi millionare. Just as to where that money came from, or how Lucas made it is another one of those many mysteries surrounding this man.

Another mystery, is the question of Lucas's past. His family. What were they like? Was his father just like him? If you go with one of the above theories about what Lucas is, how he got the Rage, and why he needs an heir, it's very likely that Daddy Buck was as evil, devious and dangerous as Lucas. And what was his mother like? Was she another Gail? Going with the theory about Lucas needing a specific female bloodline to bear his child, it's probable that she was like Gail, or Judith Temple. It would be interesting to know if his mother died an unnatural death as did Judith. It's a safe bet that Lucas was born and raised in Trinity but what was he like as a child? Was he as resistant to his fathers lessons as Caleb is towards Lucas's? Was he at one time just a normal boy, who played games and hung out with his friends? (Hard to reconcile these images with the Lucas we know isn't it? *g*) Furthermore, does Lucas have any family living? Could it be possible that he has a sibling? Hmmm not likely if you go by Caleb's little speech in Requiem that there can be only one Buck in every generation. (And Lucas himself said something very similar in TBSH) Or is that only one male Buck?

OK so when it comes to Lucas there are more questions then answers, And one could keep coming up with more to ask. But I can hear the groans and snores *g* so I will end this part here, leaving you hopefully with a few good questions to ponder, and maybe even with a few questions of your own. Happy discussions :-)

PART 2

1. August 2002