Charlie's death scene had many striking similarities with the death of the eponymous character in John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany. Both die as heroes, saving the lives of a number of people in general and one friend in particular. Both confront twisted military veterans who pull the pin on grenades, and both involve limiting the damage of the exploding grenade at a window. In Owen Meany, Owen himself has "flashes" or premonitions and knows exactly what he and his friend must do at the moment just before his death; in "Through the Looking Glass" it is the friend Desmond who has the flashes and tells Charlie what he must do in the moments before his death.

Irving's is a great, moving novel. I'd unreservedly recommend it if you haven't yet read it. And a great, moving season finale as well!

Good catch with those parallels. I agree, a great novel.

Great post. My friend was just telling me about this connection.:biggrin:

Great parallel! Both scenes were sad and uplifting at the same time. One of my favorite books.

Also, both characters are short. Owen Meany is very small for an adult, while Charlie is a Hobbit.