Claire Donovan is the sister of Joshua and Claudia Donovan. She was thought to have been killed in the car crash that killed their parents but was revealed to be alive, kept in an artifact induced coma. Artie used a sample of her blood to delay Claudia's disintegration while bronzed.
Biography[]
Officially, Claire Donovan and both her parents were killed in a car crash, but this was a cover story generated by the Warehouse. Not long before her parents died, Claire and her younger sister Claudia were shopping at a yard sale when Claire discovered an antique music box and decided to buy it despite Claudia begging her not to. Claire had unknowingly just purchased Frances Farmer's Music Box which can cause its user to experience telekinetic outbursts every time they get mad. In one of these outbursts, Claire smashed her family's car against a tree with her parents inside. Artie and Mrs. Frederic were both after the music box at the time, but sadly they didn't realize the music box was the artifact until after Claire murdered her parents. Claire threw the music box into a fire place just before she killed her parents, so the music box could never be neutralized and as such its effects could never be removed from Claire.
Claire and Claudia's brother Joshua decided to take care of little Claudia after the death of their parents. Artie and the Regents tried various ways to help Claire including anti-psychotic drugs and using several artifacts on her, but nothing they did seemed to reverse the effects of the music box. It was eventually decided that until a cure could be found for Claire she would remain in an artifact-induced coma. Claire was taken to the Regent's Chatelet, placed in a special room under neutralizer lights where she listens to Oliver Sacks' Record Player to keep her in a perpetual coma while wrapped in Joseph Pilates' Resistance Bands to keep her blood circulating and her muscles from atrophying.
During the episode "Secret Services," Artie decided to tell Claudia about her sister by using the Memory Walking Baby Shoes
inside Artie's memories
to show Claudia what really happened to her parents. Now knowing the truth, Claudia decided that she'd make it her goal to do what Artie couldn't: find a way to cure Claire.
In "A Faire to Remember", Claudia thinks she had discovered a way to cure Claire. Claudia knew that the energy from the Music Box was inside Claire now and they couldn't put the energy back in the Music Box because it was destroyed so Claudia thought all they had to do was find a new container for the energy. Claudia and Myka used Bob Dillan's Bus Transfer Ticket to transfer the energy from Claire to Alessandro Volta's Biscuit Bin. Claire woke up from her 15 year coma and was no longer suffering the effects of the Music Box. Claudia was to tears over having her older sister back, but Claire was more confused than happy as she had no memory of the Music Box or being in a coma. Claudia explained to Claire how the year was 2014, how she's been in a coma for the last 15 years, and how both their parents
are dead. However, Claudia didn't tell Claire about the Music Box or the Warehouse. While Claudia was catching Claire up on what she missed, Myka was suffering the effects of the Music Box. What Claudia didn't know was Artie had already tried curing Claire by combining the Ticket with the Biscuit Bin years earlier, but it didn't work as the energy from the Music Box has to be transferred to a living person. The energy from the Music Box was now inside Myka and she was destroying the Warehouse because of it. Artie was able to immobilize Myka with Pliny the Elder's Scroll and Claire volunteered to reabsorb the Music Box's energy and go back into a coma as she rather sacrifice herself than have anyone else taker her place.
In "Savage Seduction", Claudia continues to search for a way to cure Claire; one of her most recent ideas was to find a way to recreate the song the Music Box plays and then while Claire's listening to it scan her brain, but this idea was scrapped by Claudia as she realized Claire would have to be awake to hear the song and if Claire's awake she could destroy the Warehouse. In the last scene of the episode, Artie alerts Claudia that Claire has disappeared.
In "Cangku Shisi", Claudia and Artie rush to the Regent Chatelet to find out what has happened to Claire. Using the Durational Spectrometer, they discovered the alternate Benedict Valda, whose from the time line Paracelsus created and was able to remain in our universe due to Louis XIV's Silverware Forks, has
kidnapped Claire. Valda put Chester Moore Hall's Achromatic Lens on Claire to control both her mind and her telekinetic powers similarly to how Paracelsus controlled his army of super soldiers in the alternate time line. Valda used Claire and her powers to get Hiram Abiff's Tools and was planning to use them to move the Warehouse to China thereby creating Warehouse 14. Valda's ultimate goal for Claire was to make her Caretaker of Warehouse 14. Before kidnapping Claire, Valda looked through Claire's medical files and learned about the Music Box and how Claire was Claudia's sister. Valda knew Warehouse 14 would need a Caretaker and as Claire was Claudia's sister, Claudia being destined to become the next Caretaker of Warehouse 13, Valda determined Claire would be the perfect choice for Caretaker of Warehouse 14. Of course, Claire would just be Valda's puppet and while she'll be the face of Warehouse 14 he'll be the one pulling her strings and bending the Warehouse to his will.
At the Beijing National Olympic Stadium, the site of Warehouse 14, Valda ordered Claire to kill Pete, Myka, and Claudia slowly using her telekinesis so the three of them could see the new Warehouse he's building. However, Claudia helped Claire break Valda's control over her using her will power. Although, this didn't stop Valda's plans as he decided he'd just have to become Caretaker of Warehouse 14 in Claire's place. That was when Claudia realized that if Moore Hall's Lens allowed Valda inside Claire's mind then it's possible they can reverse it and Claire can get inside Valda's mind. Using the Lens, Claire was able to psychically transfer the energy of the Music Box from her body to Valda's. Finally, Pete neutralized the Louis Fork Valda had that was keeping him in our universe and as soon as he did that Valda was erased from existence, along with the Music Box's energy, which means Claire was finally cured and could live her life again.
Personality[]
Not much is known about Claire's personality, but she is seen in flashbacks as a caring person for her sister. She is an avid guitar fan and is very responsible. She is also self sacrificing, agreeing to return to her coma, if it helped Myka return to normal. Before returning she told Claudia this was the best day of her life and she loved her. Her relationship with her brother Joshua, was never explored or mentioned.
Trivia[]
- In addition to sounding similar to Claudia's name, Claire may be named after the character Claire Zachanassian from Friedrich Dürrenmatt's play The Visit. In 1965, Frances Farmer (owner of the music box that infected Claire with its power) played Zachanassian and, during the play's production, was involved in a drunk-driving crash (similar to the initial claim of how her parents died). When confronted by the police, rather than answer as herself, Farmer embodied and responded as Zachanassian: "Rather than answering as Frances Farmer, I reverted to my role in the play and [suddenly became] the richest woman in the world, shouting to high heaven that I would buy his goddamned town. I got out stiff-legged and ivory-handed, quoting all the imperious lines I could remember. Unfortunately, this did not [sit] well with the [cop], and a patrol car took me to jail."[1]
- Similarly, the Donovan family lived in the fictional city of Kenswick, Minnesota;[2] Farmer's father came from Spring Valley, Minnesota.
- Claudia said the music box turned Claire into Carrie, a reference to the classic 1976 horror movie about a high school girl with psychic powers that uses her powers to kill her class mates.
- Claire is about thirty at the time Claudia attempts to cure her with the Biscuit Bin and Bus Pass, while Claudia is twenty-two. This would make the age difference between them approximately eight years.
Appearances[]
- The Truth Hurts (mentioned)
- Secret Services (debut)
- A Faire to Remember
- Cangku Shisi
