Sam Eliot

Sam is a student at West Ham High School. He has lost his hearing and uses a mixture of ASL (American Sign Language), lip-reading, and speech to communicate. Sam is generally upbeat.

## Throughout The Series

### Series One

#### Episode 1

Sam is one of the students of West Ham High aged over 16 who are going on a week long camping trip. Sam uses sign language to communicate with his parents.

Sam sits with his best friend Becca on the bus. The school buses are waved off by loving parents and the kids chatter excitedly. The group fall asleep on the bus and wake up to hear that they are back home.

Sam goes home with Campbell and texts Becca when they realise none of their families are home.

Sam attends the gathering arranged by Cassandra to discuss their situation. Rather than take Cassandra's advice to wait it out until morning, Sam joins the party in The Church. He notices Becca filming rather than participating and encourages her to join in.

The next morning, while talking with Allie outside The Church, Sam notices that The Smell has gone.

Becca and Sam discuss what could have happened to them in Sam's father's office. Becca is keen to solve the mystery of why and where they are, but Sam suggests that there may be no answers to find.

Later, Sam waits at The Church for the return of the expedition group with some other students. The teens speculate about what news the expedition group will bring. While the teens are together, Cassandra announces that they need to start making decisions much to the chagrin of some of the others, including Harry. She asks that the teens be more mindful of their limited resources, which many of the teens acquiesce to, apart from Harry. Cassandra challenges Harry on this and asks if she should flip a coin and use chance to decide if he is so reluctant to democracy. Cassandra continues flipping the coin and it lands on tails every time which is disconcerting for all of the teens. It eventually lands on heads and the teens have a collective sigh of relief.

Sam cowers with the rest when Campbell shoots his gun and threatens to shoot Cassandra. When the wood expedition group return carrying Emily's dead body, Sam is among the students who look on Emily's body with shock and fear as they realise they are far from home. Sam reaches out to touch Emily's body and offers her a farewell kiss. As he walks away, Campbell tells him to not come home tonight. Despite Sam's protestation that it is his house too, Campbell uses sign language to articulate his resentment about Sam and demands his house key. Campbell also uses a derogatory slur that intimates that Sam is gay.

#### Episode 2

In the kitchen of The Pressman Residence, Sam eats eggs, bacon, and toast with Becca, Gordie, Allie, Cassandra, and Bean. Sam also drinks coffee. He is staying there after being kicked out of his own house by his brother, Campbell. The group discuss strategies to find how they could come to be where they are and Will joins them. The group agree that they need to check out the water and power supply as well as creating a food inventory. Becca suggests that they should take pains to avoid the teens becoming alarmed at the measures the group hope to put in place. Cassandra acknowledges that she is the problem and vows to stay at a distance from it.

At the Town Hall, Sam and Becca look at documentation and photographs to try and ascertain the reason why they are trapped in this place that looks so much like home. Becca begins to feel unwell and has to leave. Later, Campbell meets Sam at the Town Hall for the keys to the family car. During the meeting, Sam reveals that he has found some key documentation about the smell and the kids' disappearance. The first is a letter from Mr. Pfeiffer to his father demanding $1.5 million to remove the smell in the town. The second is a response refusing payment co-signed by Doug Eliot and Rogers Eliot dated the day before the kids were taken. Campbell persuades him to destroy the evidence, which directly implicates their family in the saga.

Later, Becca catches up with Sam on his way home during Fugitive. He tells her that he didn't find anything and asks her to walk home with him. Sam asks how Becca is feeling now and she lies and tells him that it was probably a reaction to something she ate. The duo are passed by Clark and Jason driving recklessly while playing Fugitive.

## Relationships

### Family

Lynette Eliot

Lynette is Sam's mother. She communicates with him using ASL. Sam appears to have a good relationship with his parents as they fondly wish him love and farewell before his trip.

Doug Eliot

Doug is Sam's father. He communicates with him using ASL.

Campbell Eliot

Campbell is Sam's brother. He is able to use ASL to communicate with him. Campbell treats Sam with contempt.

Dougand Lynette Eliot

Maternal uncle and aunt-in-law.

Allie and Cassandra Pressman

Cousins.

### Friends

Becca Gleb

Sam and Becca are best friends. Sam often uses Becca as an interpreter. While Becca can be cynical and negative, Sam's positive outlook and humourous demeanor makes them a good pair.

### Significant Others

Sam's brother, Campbell, uses a derogatory slur which suggests that Sam is gay (1.01).