Lily Tyler

Lily Tyler
The 4400 character
Laura Allen as Lily Tyler
First appearance	"Pilot"
Last appearance	"One of Us"
Portrayed by	Laura Allen Tippi Hedren (aged Lily)
Information
Spouse(s)	Richard Tyler (husband) Brian Moore (ex-husband)
Children	Isabelle Tyler Heidi Moore

Lily Tyler (previously Moore) is a fictional character in the USA Network science fiction television series The 4400.

Character

Background

Lily was born August 4, 1966, and disappeared May 26, 1993, from Orlando, Florida, at age 26. Her parents divorced when she was at the age of 14. At time of abduction, she was married to Brian Moore, and is the mother to Heidi Moore. While she was in the future, Richard's RNA was extracted and put into her. She has the power of empathy and uses it to read Isabelle's feelings.

Another possible power of hers would be age transmission, i.e. to transfer day, or years from other people's lives to herself and vice versa. Since the instant change of age between Isabelle and Lily happened exactly after Lily was freed from the effect of the promicin-inhibitor, it's to be said that Isabelle, unintentionally, used her mother's power against her.

Season one

Whilst in quarantine following her return, she feels a strong connection with fellow returnee Richard Tyler, and is shocked but pleased to discover that he knew her grandmother Lily.

Returning home, she finds that Brian has remarried to a woman named Carol, who Heidi believes is her birth mother. Fearful of destabilizing his family, Brian refuses her access to Heidi, even threatening her with a restraining order.

She and Richard begin a relationship, and Lily discovers that she is pregnant- and that she became pregnant at some point after the abduction, yet before her return. She and Richard move in together, and Lily's attachment to Heidi fades somewhat as her own unborn child communicates with her, making Lily feel unwell as she secretly observes Heidi.

Eventually Lily and Richard come to the attention of Jordan Collier. Lily is distrustful of Collier, and as the couple move into Collier's estate for the 4400 her misgivings grow. Following an attempt by Collier to destroy hers and Richard's relationship, Lily and Richard escape the estate and go on the run, settling in a log cabin retreat. At the close of season one Lily enters labour.

Season two

Lily is on the run from both Collier and NTAC with Richard and baby Isabelle. Their fugitive status begins to affect their relationship, but they are shocked to discover Isabelle's abilities, which save their lives and enable them to keep going.

When Richard is taken into custody, Lily turns to Brian for help, and the two reconcile somewhat. Lily and Richard are finally persuaded to return to the 4400 Center, in large part as Isabelle "accepts" Jordan Collier as no longer being a threat. After Collier's death, Lily is asked by Matthew Ross to help Shawn Farrell and open a healing foundation as part of the centre. It is around this time that Lily is visited by Heidi at the center; Carol and Brian are arguing, and Heidi has learned that Lily is her birth mother. The two begin to form a relationship, but Isabelle becomes distressed at the sight of Heidi. Lily is later told by Brian that Heidi is now in hospital after her spleen ruptured, though she is recovering and asking to see Lily. Lily becomes sure Isabelle caused the injury through jealousy.

Lily later becomes suspicious of the 4400 Center when she discovers that Isabelle has faint marks on her skin following childcare. She and Richard find that Isabelle is being subjected to tests ordered by Matthew Ross, to determine the limit of her power and true potential. Before the situation can escalate, the 4400 start to become seriously ill, and are ordered back into quarantine, a move resisted by Richard who has taken over the 4400 Center following Shawn's illness. When the crisis is resolved due to Isabelle's blood being used to develop a cure, Lily discovers Isabelle is missing.

Season three

After discovering that Isabelle is missing, Lily is found unconscious by Richard. As she awakes she is horrified to discover she has aged around fifty years. The two parents find Isabelle has also aged, to be a woman of around twenty. Dr. Kevin Burkhoff deduces the connection between Lily and Isabelle's aging- that in some way, Isabelle's rapid aging was the cause of Lily's sudden aging, and that the two are still linked. As Isabelle grows stronger and more developed, Lily becomes weaker. The only solution would be to remove the aging agent- Isabelle. As Isabelle herself points out, she would have to die. Lily refuses to discuss the matter, and over the next few weeks becomes more and more frail. She is treated for a time by Shawn, but eventually his healing ability can no longer help. Lily accepts that she is dying, and buys Richard an early birthday present- a ride in an F-16 jet.

Lily tells Isabelle she is going to another clinic, and leaves Isabelle her wedding band, her own grandmother's ring. After saying goodbye to her, Lily tearfully tells Richard that he will have to tell their daughter the truth upon his return to the center. Richard and Lily travel to the log cabin they hid in during Lily's pregnancy, and reminisce over their happy time together. Lily dies peacefully outside the cabin, and after cremation, her ashes are taken home and scattered by Richard over the grave of her grandmother, Lily Bonham.

Season four

An image of Lily is created in One of Us, to convince Richard to restore Isabelle, now a baby, back to her adult form. She is created by a fellow 4400 on behalf of Kyle Baldwin.

This Lily has no memory of events after she passed out whilst looking for Isabelle in the season two finale. After convincing Richard that his actions were wrong, she begins to fade, and Richard realizes what he had suspected all along; that she was not "really" Lily, Lily having died a year before. She finally fades away, telling Richard she loves him, as he holds her.

The real Lily also appears in flashback form in "One of Us"; the "marked" Tom Baldwin remembers operating on her and Richard in the future after their initial abduction, impregnating Lily with Richard's child.

Departure

Executive producer Ira Steven Behr originally pitched season three with the continuation of the character, but was told by the network to write her out of the show for "business reasons".^[1] Laura Allen, the actress who played Lily, subsequently accepted a role on another show. The season three opening episode presents Lily as an aged woman, portrayed by Tippi Hedren.

References

External links

• Lily Tyler's profile at the official 4400 website provided by USA Network.