Saturday, May 15, 2010

Top 10 Scenes in "LOST"



All right, I'm back again...this time with my list of favorite scenes from LOST. I'm sure the last two episodes will make me reconsider my choices, but these are my all-time favorites (that is, until someone comments and reminds me of a great scene I forgot).

10. The raft launch (Exodus, season 1)

This scene really defines what LOST is all about -- community. Pretty much all of the cast, both major and minor, are present in this scene, resting all of their hopes in this raft that Michael, Jin, Sawyer and Walt are on. There is remarkable sadness and pathos here, yet also incredible amounts of hope. In addition, Michael Giacchino's music takes things to a whole new level. This is an epic moment.

9. "You guys got any milk?" (The Whole Truth, season 2)

Here is where we really got to meet Benjamin Linus -- when he was still called Henry Gale. I remember how creeped out I felt as he outlined the Others' plans for the party searching for the hot air balloon. It was vintage Ben, and it made it clear that he was a force to be reckoned with.

8. Hurley spills his guts to Mom (The Lie, season 5)

At this point, with two episodes remaining unseen, this is Jorge Garcia's finest moment. He manages to tell his mom the story of LOST's first four seasons in just about a minute. And he does it with such despair and fear that the moment serves as more than just exposition for those just joining in. It's a catharsis for both the character the audience has most identified with and for us, too.

7. Jack, Locke, and the Orientation film (Orientation, season 2)

What is the button for? Is it a social experiment, or does it have greater significance? This was the fight between Jack and Locke for the first major story arc of season 2, and it gave us one of the best scenes ever as the Man of Science and Man of Faith go head-to-head. And it gives us one of my favorite quotes, when John Locke tells Jack that "[belief has] never been easy!"

6. Kate says goodbye to Aaron (Whatever Happened, Happened, season 5)

Evangeline Lilly has never been touted as one of the best actors on LOST. As a matter of fact, there's a strong group of Kate haters out there who wish she'd just die already. Me...I think she's an intriguing character, especially when she's not all caught up in love triangle business, and this scene showcases some strong acting chops. It's also a pivotal moment in season 5 as Kate gives her heartfelt goodbye to Aaron, whose relevance to the overall mythology of the show is still unknown. I will confess...I cried during this scene.

5. Jack smashes the Lighthouse (Lighthouse, season 6)

This is the defining moment in Jack's story arc. This is the moment he comes face-to-face with the notion that there is a greater plan at work behind the scenes and he realizes he'll have to become a man of faith. As he sees this, he does what any of us would probably do -- he acts out violently, breaking all of the mirrors. Sure, they could have given us answers (maybe), but I think they gave us something greater -- a stronger, more heroic Jack.

4. "Don't tell me what I can't do!" (Walkabout, season 1)

LOST's first real WTF moment. We had just watched John Locke heroically help people to safety from plane wreckage, and we had seen him throw a knife (almost taking off Sawyer's head), so to learn that before the Island he had been in a wheelchair was absolutely stunning. If learning there was a monster and polar bears on this Island wasn't enough to make us realize this show was going to go places no show had ever gone before, this moment was.

3. Charlie's death (Through the Looking Glass, season 3)

Words can barely describe the feeling I had as I watched Charlie shut Desmond out of the communications room of the Looking Glass station and let him (and all of us) know that the coming freighter was "NOT PENNY'S BOAT." I was in tears watching this scene. Part of it was because the song programmed as the "off code" was "Good Vibrations" (my favorite song of all-time), but most of it was because season 3 saw the redemption of Charlie from the lovable drug addict to the ultra-possessive/co-dependent castaway to self-sacrificing hero. Season 3 belonged to Charlie Pace.

2. Ben kills John Locke (The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham, season 5)

Another classic WTF moment. This scene could have been a complete failure had it been handled differently, but the acting, directing, music, etc. all came to a head here and delivered one of LOST's most iconic moments. Ben Linus talks John Locke out of suicide, and then, just as Locke reveals information about Eloise Hawking, Ben decides to kill Locke himself. This scene is the hinge that seasons 4-6 hang on, making it one of the most important scenes in the show's history.

1. Jack discovers the plane wreckage (Pilot, season 1)

Open on an eye. There's a dog out there in the jungle. A shoe in a tree. And as our confounded hero makes his way to the beach, together we discover that he's one of the survivors of a devastating plane crash on a deserted Island. At first, to hear the premise of LOST, you want to think it's Gilligan's Island-meets-Lord of the Flies, but this opening salvo made it clear this was like nothing we'd ever seen before. What a long, strange trip it's been since this plane crash on September 22, 2004.

There are so many other great scenes I could have plugged in here, and so far this has been the toughest list for me to create. Here are some of my honorable mentions (in no particular order):

1. Desmond and Penny's Christmas phone call (The Constant, season 4)
2. Hurley shares his Apollo candy bar with Ben (Cabin Fever, season 4)
3. Sawyer kills Sawyer (The Brig, season 3)
4. Juliet's book club/airplane crash (A Tale of Two Cities, season 3)
5. Eko finds Yemi's body (The 23rd Psalm, season 2)
6. Hurley plays medium for Richard Alpert (Ab Aeterno, season 6)
7. Sawyer and Kate play "I never" (Outlaws, season 1)
8. Sawyer reads to baby Aaron (The Greater Good, season 1)
9. Desmond meets Daniel Faraday in the Sideways World (Happily Ever After, season 6)
10. Hurley gets the Dharma van to start (Tricia Tanaka is Dead, season 3)

Writing these down make me think of soooo many more. Damn, LOST truly is a brilliant show to give us this many wonderful scenes.

What are some of your favorites? Share!

1 comment:

  1. I think the Desmond/Penny phone call has to be my favorite.

    I also remember being blown away by the opening minutes of season three, watching the Others watch flight 815 break up. That one'd be on my list.

    The scene of Eko and Yemi walking off into the sunset together after Eko died is another favorite.

    You're right, there are a ton. And thinking of them just generates more.

    ReplyDelete