Early on in season three, we’re introduced to a new and unusual character called Lester Pocket. This quiet, ominous individual appears to be journeying across the country to an unknown destination, then later stalks the Umbrellas. The show-runners keep this mystery man under wraps until a shocking showdown between our valiant heroes and the sinister Sparrows takes place, and Lester makes his presence known. This enigmatic creature has a dark past and provides one of the show’s many surprises.
Plainly dressed and suspiciously silent, this odd character travels across America with his trusty bag of audio tapes keeping him safe. These tapes are filled with random sounds, like the incessant noises of bees or the rain. He also likes to listen to his own digestive system with a stethoscope. The eerie individual then starts to stalk the Umbrellas and finally books himself into the Hotel Obsidian. Lester keeps under the radar until the Sparrows attack, where he makes an explosive introduction.
Lester blasts a surge of destructive energy, knocking all the Sparrows to the ground and incinerating Jayme and Alphonso. The assault manages to kill these two Sparrows and causes the rest to flee in a blind panic. Our Umbrellas are completely unaware of this attack, and only Viktor seems to know who he actually is. He calls him Harlan, and fans of the show will be firmly acquainted with Harlan Cooper.
Harlan Cooper was the son of Sissy, who Viktor was romantically involved with in the sixties timeline. He had his own monumental powers, which he struggled to control. The series shows us a brief montage of Harlan’s life after the sixties, all the way up until the present. He was bullied wherever they lived, and Harlan and his mother were always on the move. His powers would eventually reveal themselves to the community, and they’d be forced to relocate. In the end, Sissy contracted cancer and died in a hospital bed.
While in the hospital, witnessing his mother’s death, Harlan had another surge of this uncontrollable power and let it rip. The blast of energy was so powerful that it killed all of the Umbrella’s mothers, who shared a connection with Harlan. This connection was firstly started by Harlan and Viktor in season two. It somehow impacted all those born on the same day as Viktor too. Harlan was regretful of his outbursts and managed to control them more over the years. The strange sounds helped him to hone this skill and concentrate more acutely.
Harlan is reunited with Viktor, and together they eradicate this uncontrollable energy from Harlan. He appears much happier once the curse is removed, although Allison kills him in revenge for the death of her own mother. It’s a sad end for our misunderstood mutant. He never meant to harm anyone (except maybe the Sparrows) and found himself wrapped up in all the Umbrellas’ mayhem. A misjudged secondary character who deserved a better send-off.
