LOST -- Episode 6.17/18 -- "The End"

LOST has gone into the light, and we were all witnesses to its funeral on Sunday night. The Swan Song that was season six is over and the time for discussion is now. So far, having read a lot of bloggers out there, along with television critics, and a couple message boards, there is not much consensus. Some loved this episode – myself included – while others abhorred it. Both sides have been equally vocal, but as I’m writing this I’m beginning to realize that it doesn’t matter much what our opinions of this episode are. All that matters is what we take from a show that was never afraid to push the boundaries of what could be done on primetime television.

Top 10 LOST Episodes

Here it is, my top 10 favorite episodes of LOST!

LOST -- Episode 6.16 -- "What They Died For"

Leading into the finale, this was one hell of an episode. It had everything a LOST fan could hope for -- most of our major characters, action, death, the Smoke Monster, a badass Ben Linus, and some emotional hallmarks. Because today is the last day of the series, I'm not going to write a long article. I just want to highlight my favorite moments from this episode and discuss some of the major points I'm looking to see play out in the finale.

LOST Top 10 Tearjerking Moments

It's been a tough end to the week, and I still haven't even posted my comments on the most recent episode of LOST, "What They Died For," but I feel the need to continue with my Top 10 lists. Today's list comes on the heels of Entertainment Weekly's list of top "moments that made us cry."

For a show as grounded in genre stylings as LOST is, it's amazing sometimes how powerful the emotions evoked by the show are. It's a testament to the writing, of course, that they have created such well-rounded characters whom we connect to and feel for.

So, without further ado, here are my top 10 "tear-worthy" LOST moments.

Top 10 LOST List -- Major Characters

Recently, Todd VanDerWerff at the LA Times posted his selections for the top 10 character on LOST. You can find the post here. It's a great post, and his explanations for why he loves each of these characters are spot-on and well-written.

As for me, I still need to chime in. Yesterday, I posted on my Top 10 favorite minor characters -- those unsung heroes who push the plot along, serve as a foil for our protagonists, etc. -- which means today I need to follow through and share my picks for the best major characters in LOST history.

LOST's Top 10 Minor Characters

Minor characters are remarkably important and LOST is populated with tons of excellent ones. In this top 10 list, I want to focus on the characters over the course of the show's history that have meant something, not just to the show, but to me.

LOST's 10 Best Resolved Mysteries (If You Can Call Them 'Resolved')

For today’s Top 10, I wanted to delve into the top 10 LOST mysteries, but – in keeping LOST tradition – with a twist. I’m only going to focus on mysteries that have been answered. It’s always easy to pick out mysteries, like what is the Island? or why is Desmond special? For me, the answers are just as important.

So, here’s my list of the top 10 “answered” mysteries:

Sawyer's Top 10 Nicknames

If you've been reading my blog since the beginning of LOST's sixth season, you should know that I've been a huge fan of the developments thus far. But one thing has been bugging me. There has been a real shortage of Sawyer-given nicknames! Sawyer's nicknames for other characters has been a staple of the show, and one of my favorite elements. Hell, there was a whole episode devoted to Hurley taking away Sawyer's ability to give nicknames for a week back in season 3.

So, in honor of Sawyer and his awesome nicknames, here are my top 10 favorites.

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).

Top 10 Sets from "LOST"

Continuing my 10 day run-down of my favorite things in LOST, today I'm going to focus on set designs. One thing about LOST is that because it is filmed in Hawaii, it is easily the most gorgeous show on television. The producers/directors have been able to maximize Hawaii's various locale elements to create an incredible number of awesome sets.

At times, the Island itself has been a character in this epic, and that has caused each of the sets to take on a life of their own. Not only do they give us something cool to look at, they also affect the way the story plays out. Here are my top 10.

My LOST Top 10 -- Quotes

With only ten days to go now before the season finale, I thought it would be fun to compile a personal top 10 list related to LOST for each of the remaining days. For me, these last days are a celebration of a show that changed my life. So, here's the first list:

Top 10 Love Scenes from "LOST"

Hey, this marks the first time anyone has ever e-mailed me a video to show off on this blog. I'm touched! Kat, from PopSugar TV, sent this to me. It's PopSugar's Top 10 LOST Love Scenes. I was taken aback mainly because I seldom equate love scenes with this show. But as I watched the video, I was reminded of some pretty wonderful moments.

All right, check it out. Do you think these are the real top 10? Is something missing? Is the order messed up? What do you think? Leave a comment.

LOST -- Episode 6.15 -- "Across the Sea"

“Every question I answer will simply lead to another question.”

“Across the Sea,” the 15th episode of LOST’s final season, is easily the most divisive episode in the series. There are many words to describe it – daring, epic, captivating, confounding, frustrating – and all of them are true. One of the things I’ve always loved about this show is that it takes chances, seldom playing it safe, whether it be in the introduction of risky narrative devices (flash-forwards, time traveling) or by adding mysteries when it would have been safer to provide answers.

LOST Slapdown!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this video!

Frankly, I don't have time to watch most of the LOST videos out there, but this one had the Muppets in it, so I had to watch it. It's from the LOST "Slapdown" series by ABC, and it's really really funny. Now I've got to go watch the others.

Check out Damon Lindelof's answer to the big mystery question near the end of the video...

LOST -- Episode 6.14 -- "The Candidate"

I've been having a hard time dealing with this episode. I didn't realize it till a few days elapsed and I still hadn't posted my reflection. Sun, Jin, and Sayid are all dead (and maybe Frank, too). It's like I've lost some friends, and the grieving has been tough.

No, I haven't been bawling non-stop, or even thinking about it that much. It's just with only 4-1/2 hours remaining in the series, "The Candidate" made me understand -- yet again -- that this series is going to be ending. And the ending will probably not be a happy one.

Why "V" Is Set to Replace "LOST"

This video, which appeared on this week's edition of "The Soup," is really awesome! Joel McHale asks the question, "what TV show will replace 'LOST' after it's over?' Now, that I've seen this, I've got to assume that "V" has already applied for the job in more ways than one.

Kimmel Knows the Secret of "LOST"

I'm still trying to finish my blog on the most recent episode of LOST, "The Candidate," which featured the tragic (and traumatic) deaths of Sun, Jin, Sayid, and Frank. It's been really busy lately, not to mention it's always tough writing about episodes like this one, which will no doubt be considered a classic.

In the meantime, though, after "The Candidate," Jimmy Kimmel had Jorge Garcia on his show and opened with this super cool algorithim, which shows that he really has a grasp on the secrets of the Island as we enter the home stretch. Check it out!

LOST is Finished...

According to their Twitter pages, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse just finished editing the series finale of LOST. The last episode is in the can, so to speak, and now there are only 20 days remaining until the airdate of May 23rd.

I knew this day was coming, but I've been in denial. It's hard to let go of something that has put a stamp on your life for so many years. Unlike some, I did not come into LOST during the first season. I started watching the show right as the season 2 DVDs were released. Season 3 was my real induction into the LOST culture that is here on-line. So, I've been watching this show for going on three full years now, and it has been a "constant" for me, even when the world around me was falling apart. The Island became a safe haven for me, where I could forget about reality and immerse myself in the endless mysteries and mythology of a show that's smarter than I am.

Now it's done. We've still got five hours left to see, but for all intents and purposes, the show is over. Now I actually have to think about what I will do without it once it's gone. There will be a hole in my life, no doubt. I spend at least an hour every day reading on-line about LOST, and more on days after episodes. I post on this blog, make comments on others' sites, and research the Easter Eggs that pop up constantly. No other television show has ever demanded this much attention from me. It's insane. As I think about it, LOST has made me insane to a degree.

But I'm proud of my insanity. And I'm proud of this show, which has changed the face of television, and changed my life for the better.

The show is done, sure, but it won't let itself be forgotten.

LOST -- Episode 6.13 -- "The Last Recruit"

There's not a lot to say about this most recent episode of LOST. It was a solid, excellent episode, and it did a lot to set up the final act of the series. Characters who have been dormant for a few episodes (Sawyer, Kate) were finally brought back into the action, and the stakes were upped in both on the Island and in the Sideways world.

I was glad to see that Widmore's plans with Sawer and company were not so altruistic. We can expect Sawyer and Kate to revisit the sex cages no doubt as season six continues to take us down memory lane. Why Widmore doesn't care to honor his agreement with Sawyer is interesting, though, and continues to make me wonder what his motivation is for returning to the Island.

I was also glad to see Jack and Locke finally reunited, both on Island and in the Sideways world. Their relationship has been a staple of the show since the beginning, and it's been awhile since we've been able to watch them face-off. In this episode we got two great scenes between them -- at Locke's camp on Island, and in the surgery room in the Sideways world.

Sun and Jin were also reunited. I'm not the first to say this, but it seemed anti-climatic, and I spent most of the time afraid that they were going to get their brains fried by the sonic fence. At least they're together again, though, which means one of them will have to die as we get closer to the finale. I know how awful that sounds, but the producers have been promising a lot of deaths down the stretch, and I think one of the Kwon's is destined for a place among the Island's whisper crew.

Here are some other thoughts:

LOST Spinoff -- "Ford & Straume!"

Thanks to Humanebean over at Nik-at-Nite for posting the link to this super cool video which imagines what Sawyer and Miles' "buddy cop" show credits would look like.

I'll be posting my blog on this week's episode, "The Last Recruit," later today. In the meantime, enjoy this: