Diksha Sundriyal
Apple TV+’s ‘The Lost Bus’ follows the story of a bus driver named Kevin McKay, who is given the job of taking 22 children to safety while the town of Paradise, California, is ravaged by wildfire. The film gives a harrowing look into his journey, along with the school teacher, Mary Ludwig, who is his companion in it. The pressure of keeping the children safe is enough as is, but Kevin has a lot going on in his personal life as well. This is where Linda comes in. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Linda Has a Rocky Relationship with Kevin
Linda is Kevin’s ex in ‘The Lost Bus.’ While she doesn’t appear on the screen until the last scene of the film, we get to know her from a phone call between her and Kevin. The call happens while Kevin is on his way back to take the bus to maintenance. He is already late for it, and his boss has called him multiple times to be at the designated spot. Meanwhile, his son, Shaun, has taken ill, and he needs to go home to give him medicine. While Kevin is torn between going to work or going back home, he gets a call from Linda, Shaun’s mother and Kevin’s ex.
From the get-go, it is clear that things are not exactly cordial between the duo. It seems that Linda is tired of Kevin not showing up for their son, who has called her to inform her that he is sick and wants to go to her. She knows that Shaun is already angry with Kevin about moving him to Paradise, and she doesn’t want the young boy to suffer more because of his father. Kevin, however, is trying his best, but it seems that it is not enough. This struggle, which is more than just about his job, is what affected his relationship with Linda as well. The phone call is basically her telling Kevin to get his act together and be who Shaun needs him to be.
Believing that Kevin cannot take care of their son, she decides to take him with her. In hindsight, it turns out to be for the best. While Kevin tries to come home, he gets the call about picking up 22 children and dropping them at the safe point where their parents can pick them up. Despite initial reluctance, he takes the call when it becomes clear that no one else is close enough to the school. Still, he thinks that he will quickly drop the children off and then go back home. That, as we see in the movie, doesn’t happen. Meanwhile, Shaun’s calls lead Linda to pick him up. This means that when the wildfire reaches Kevin’s house, his son is out of there and not in harm’s way. Later, when he meets his mother, and she tells him that Shaun is with Linda, Kevin is in some way relieved.
Linda is Brought to Life by Kimberli Flores
Though we only get to hear Linda’s voice in one scene, she remains an important character in the film. She gives us an insight into Kevin’s personal and emotional struggles, and later, she becomes the reason for Shaun being safe in the end. To show that she is not really a villain and just wants Kevin to do better, we see her drop Shaun off at Kevin’s burned house, where the father and son reunite and hug each other. The complexity of the character is brought to the fore by Kimberli Alexis Flores. She has an MFA in Acting from the University of Southern California and is also an alumnus of the British Academy of Dramatic Arts, Oxford University, UK.
She has put this education to use in a variety of characters, spanning various genres. Some of her more notable roles include Isabelle Sanchez in ‘Will Trent,’ Detective Hidalgo in ‘NCIS: New Orleans,’ Blanca in ‘Station 19,’ Agent Alverez in ‘Daredevil,’ and Carmen Deleon in ‘Chicago PD.’ She also worked in films, like ‘In the Heights,’ and has taken to the stage in plays like ‘The Other Americans,’ ‘Native Gardens,’ and ‘The Seagull.’ Apart from acting, Flores’ talent lies in dancing, and she is an expert in various dance forms. She is a professional salsa dancer and has toured internationally for ten years as a Latin Dance Instructor & Choreographer. Flores is also multilingual, knowing Spanish and basic Hebrew, and has trained in several accents, which gives her an edge in the roles she portrays on the screen.
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