Another episode about Desmond and time travel, yet it never gets old. This episode is brilliant in the sense it builds intrigue about the nature of the island in the sense that Desmond, who has been exposed to high levels of electromagnetism, has his mind distorted by exiting the Islands particular magnetic field. Confusing? Sure as hell it is. That, along with Sayids statement that they took off in the evening and landed in the middle of the day, helps shroud the nature of the islands time zone and properties in more mysteries before the famous finale. But beyond the science of this episode the simple relationship build up between Desmond and Penny is as heart warming as they come. The love those two share; and the unwillingness to let it die beyond all circumstances makes you route for them to the extent that, when they share that phone call, youre incredibly happy. Its very well done, and even more moving, this is one of the best episodes in Losts history and one that added so much mystery; but even more heart.
29. Jorge Garcia
Possibly the only universally loved character in the show, Jorge Garcia helped make Hurley a delightful streak of comic relief but also giving him strong emotional edges; which only got better as Jorge grew in to the part. Hurley was always funny, but it wasnt until later on that he became a deeper character to explore, which is where Garcia really grew in to the role and moved everyone with his acting talent you wouldnt have believed to be there when the show started.
28. S4E12-14: Theres No Place Like Home
A finale filled with more action than any other; some people trying to escape, some people trying to stay, more people attacking one another and some people trying to move the Island...What? Brilliant in its scope and its narrative structure that it brings together all the narratives without anyone having to be near one another (i.e, the explosion on the boat), this episode is one of the most intense episodes in the series as everyone scrambles for their own goals. This, coupled with the off Island narrative which has possibly the most interesting final image (Locke, off the Island and dead) makes for one of the most exhilarating episodes in television history.
27. Jack and Kate Tell One Another They Love Each Other
A moment that had been built upon in the first episode; but not said until the final episode, this was a moment which saw many a fan punch the air in delight as they finally accepted their love for one another without any doubts.
26. Charlie and Claire
A relationship so integral to these characters journey that the loss of Charlie really relegated Claire to the doldrums of pointlessness; thankfully however when these two were together they were a heart warming, on screen delight that filled the quota of married couple almost better than the actual married couple did. The focus was always really on what this relationship did for Charlie and what he needed; but their chemistry was lovely and their almost instant emotional connection made theirs a story you remained constantly invested in.
25. Terry OQuinn
It could have been easy for the character of John Locke to turn in to a bit of a farce; his straight arrowed faith and belief was a difficult thing to pull off and, if mishandled, would have made a majority of the shows major themes seem stupid. Luckily, Terry OQuinn pulled this off with aplomb, subtly optimistic and able to captivate and engross people with his talk about faith. Locke was often mysterious, driven but equally emotionally broken. One of the shows more captivating performances in how he managed to make someone as broken as Locke a believable faith believer. Moreover, his transition in to the Man In Black was well calculated as he managed to distinguish between the two different personalities easily. You believed he was someone else when was the Man In Black.
24. S5E16&17: The Incident
A season finale packed with implications, mystery and revelations. The use of Jacob as the episodes central figure is a stroke of genius as the man weve spent so much time wondering about is finally in our vision and opens up so many doors for the final series. The conflict with the Man In Black; his connection to the survivors and what may follow his death. Theres also talk of candidates; destiny; time travel; escaping. All the things which power this episode along as well as giving a clear direction as to what the final series could feature. Lockes revelation that he is in fact The Man In Black in Lockes body is one of the shows more shocking ones. Also the agonising loss of Juliet from Sawyers hand is one of the more weepy moments in the shows run; made all the more shocking by Juliets last second attempts to detonate the bomb which gave us, quite easily, the biggest cliff hanger moment in television history.
23. Sawyer Tells Jack About His Dad
Perfectly executed, acted and written. This scene is an emotional screw straight to the chest; Sawyer of all people giving Jack the closure he needed between him and his father which he was never able to have after his fathers death.
22. The Science
Keen to push boundaries whenever they could be pushed, Lost embraced pushing the limit of scientific potential to the edge; by suggesting that this island is geologically unique it gave them free reign to explore the reaches of space and time in ways which have never truly been done in a show like Lost. As people like to do, there were complaints over the vague nature of the science being done, however when something is pitched as geologically unique how are we supposed to understand it fully? Lost gave credible justification to the science that was happening without trying to sit us down and explain it slowly; the mystery of that and the pace it brought only helped make Lost, and the science featured in it, a huge success.
21. James Ford
One of the shows funnier characters was well loved by audiences despite the fact he was, inescapably, an ass hole for the first three seasons. Yet it was impossible not to be sympathetic to Sawyer, whose troubled back story, incapability of love, trust and helping other people was something that was difficult to watch as he over and over again avoided responsibility. Thankfully his time came, and with Juliette he found love and by his actions at the end of Season 6 he learned to care about other people just as much as himself...Plus those nicknames slay me.