Zantera's Top 20 Favorite Lost Episodes (Finished)

[Zantera]

This is something I've been wanting to do for a while now. As some of you have picked up from my posts, I watched through Lost earlier during the Spring, and to put it simple I fell in love with the show big time. I think that in some ways it's a tv-show that people either love or hate, because it's a tv-show with lots of variety in it. Some people felt more attracted to the first and second season where everything was more "normal", some people liked it when the show took a turn for more supernatural events. Personally I enjoyed all seasons to the degree that this tv-show became my all time favorite. I know there are some other fans here as well, so I thought this thread would be fun.

I've put down quite some time compiling this list, with my favorite 20 episodes of the tv-show. Some might be controversial and some might be expected, it wasn't easy, I'll admit that. All 6 seasons of the tv-show are represented on this list. Some of the seasons have more episodes, some have less, but all are accounted for.
I'd be really happy if people posted their thoughts, while we might not agree on all the episodes I'm going to list, it might still lead to interesting discussions.
I'm gonna start off with a pick that might be pretty controversial, but let's start the list!

20. Across the Sea - Season 6, Episode 15 (Jacob/Man in Black-centric)


Before I go into details, I know that this is a fairly controversial pick. In the end I think it all boils down to personal opinions regarding the whole Jacob vs The Man in Black, and the light vs dark aspect that was the main focus of the last season.
I always felt very intrigued when it came to both of these characters. Jacob was fascinating because his name appeared here and there, eventually we got to see his face, and I was always very interested in learning more about him. On the contrary I had similar feelings regarding The Man in Black. Was he always able to turn himself into a huge pillar of smoke, or did he pick it up along the way? This episode had the answers.

This episode shows how Jacob and Man in Black grew up on the island. While some might argue that very little actually happened in the episode, I found myself very into the whole thing. Just enjoying the scenes involving Mark Pellegrino and Titus Welliver, I think both were cast great. While the whole "light vs dark"-question is old and overused, it didn't bother me that much with this episode. If it hadn't been for me really liking these actors and their characters, it might have been a bigger problem for me. The ending of the episode is certainly the highlight for me. The Smoke Monster emerging, because it was one of my favorite elements of the show throughout. I was always fascinated with The Smoke Monster and what it was, because it was always such a tease through the seasons. A little glimpse here and there, but in this episode (and season 6) we got to learn more, and I liked that.

Will try and update with 2-3 per day!

[Adami]

I really liked that one episode that ended on a cliff hanger.


Oh oh, I also liked the episode where Jack got angry, ignored everyone's rational advice and instead decided to beat someone up....while breathing heavily.


Another favorite is the one where Sawyer insults everyone yet still gets the girls.

And we can't forget the one where Kate is useless.


Sorry I can't remember the names, can you tell me which those are?

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Glad to see some love for this. Titus Welliver is a fucking badass.


Not one of my favorites..I think I overhyped it though. 

INb4 Stranger in a Strange Land #1

[senecadawg2]

Awesome idea for a list, although it's been a while since I watched the series and will probably have trouble remembering some of the episodes. Some of my personal favorites, and ones I expect to be on your list (just off the top of my head): Greatest Hits, Through The Looking Glass (both season 3), The End, and The Constant (a Desmond episode). There are so many great ones to choose from though...

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Mine:

Ab Aeterno
Walkabout
The Incident (Great album too)
Jughead
Mr. Eko's episodes


there's a lot






TRICIA TANAKA IS DEAD

[senecadawg2]

The End.

[Zantera]

Looking at some you guys posted, I think it's clear that Lost has many really good episodes. What blew me away when it comes to Lost is how good some of the characters were. Perhaps not all of them, but some were just incredible. 
Also, I thought I would pop in with another update.

19. Two For the Road - Season 2, Episode 20 (Ana Lucia-centric)


Let me just start off by saying that I really loved Season 2. Many people hold the first season over it, but I really like the stories they explored in the second season. The Others, Benjamin Linus (before we knew his name) and obviously the hatch. This episode was one of the standouts for me personally, and I think it managed to build up lots of suspense.
"Two For the Road" is an Ana Lucia-centric episode, and in flashbacks we get to see her travel with Christian (Jack's dad) to Australia and do some work as his bodyguard. On the island she is interrogating "Henry Gale" (who later turns out to be Benjamin Linus). Michael Emerson is truly one of my favorite actors in Lost, and he owns every second that he's on screen. The big question regarding "who is this stranger, and what is his agenda?" was the big headscratcher towards the second half of season 2, and after the following 4 seasons, Benjamin Linus still remains one of the best characters in a tv-show. In some scenes he almost has you convinced that he is not bad at all, that he is in fact good, but there's also something lurking, and I think he showed glimpses of it in this episode, especially when he attacks Ana Lucia.

The big twist at the end is arguably one of the better ones throughout the second season. Michael offers to kill Henry Gale, but instead pulls the trigger on Ana Lucia and Libby, and sets Henry free. Before this episode, Michael had been gone for a while, and I thought he acted strange when he got back, but it was still a huge surprise to see him go all out crazy like this. Later on, we got to see what actually happened with him when he went with The Others, something that explained his actions in this episode.
I remember the frustration after seeing this episode. Why did Michael do it? I still wanted to know who the stranger was, and the event at the end certainly had a big outcome for several reasons: Jack and people around him had already started doubting Henry, but this was the final proof that something was wrong. Hurley, who had started developing feelings for Libby had an emotional trigger, and this event was important because of how his character developed afterwards.

In the end I just think this is a damn good episode from the second season. Arguably could have ended up higher because of what happens on the island, but I think what drags it down slightly (and by that I mean just slightly) was the fact that Ana Lucia was never one of my favorite characters. Her flashbacks in this episode are interesting though, and the little glimpse you get of Sawyer was pretty cool.

Anyhow, will be back with another update later today.

[senecadawg2]

Great episode. I also loved season 2 and the introduction of Henry Gale/the hatch/the others, etc. Ana Lucia always really bothered me though...

[RuRoRul]

Cool to see Across The Sea. It does have some big flaws as an episode but it was one of my favourites from Season 6. Don't really get why so many people hated it (unless they were expecting some scientific answers or something), it was the episode that interested me the most in the final season.

Exodus and Walkabout must be up there 

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Yeah i love this show but it's been a while sinces i finished the show so some episodes are a bit fuzzy but hey.....perfect time for a rerun!! 

[Elite]

I'll definitely be following this. This show used to grab me by the guts and take hold of my head and I loved watching everything of it, so I basically know all the episodes by heart. It will be interesting to see someone else's take on the episodes, since I believe I have my own top 20 somewhere as well.

Anyway, definite inclusions should be Walkabout, The Constant and Through The Looking Glass.

[Zantera]

Cool to see some appreciation for this great tv-show. I will neither confirm or deny if some of the episodes mentioned will be on my list, so you will just have to wait and see I guess. I thought that I would update with the next pick now. Then I'll be busy for a few hours, but will most likely post another one tonight.
Anyhow, here's number 18!

18. Pilot - Season 1, Episode 1 & 2 (Jack, Kate and Charlie-centric)


So for this next pick, I decided to go with the Pilot-episode. It's technically two episodes, from what I understand it was aired as two different episodes in the states, but here it was aired as one, and the episode I have on my computer also has both episodes together, so I'm gonna count them as one. If it counts as cheating or not, that is another question. 
For a pilot-episode, this one has a lot going on. First off we have the plane crash, all the drama and chaos that follows. Jack is immediately put in a form of "leader"-role, and it's a tricky situation. Lots of stuff happening and it's quite chaotic.
We get the first glimpse of the Smoke Monster in this episode, though we don't get to actually see it. However, this started one of the first big questions regarding the show, what is the monster? I'll admit that I expected some form of dinosaur at first, but I'm glad that they went with something more odd.

In the second part we get to learn more about the characters, and Kate, Sawyer, Sayid, Charlie, Shannon and Boone tries to locate the transceiver, and they discover a polar-bear, another big WTF-moment.  We also get the mystery at the end with the french woman (Rousseau) speaking at the end. All in all I think this episode offers a lot from different aspects. We get several interesting questions, like the mysteries I mentioned. We also get to learn a bit about the characters, seeing as Lost has a big cast with several characters, it's really job well done when they're able to introduce so many characters. Normally I'd say that Pilots and first seasons in general can be tough for me to like, because a lot of the time is focused on introducing the characters and the setting, rather than having interesting plots, but in the case with Lost I think it works very well.
I think the biggest strength of this pilot is that there's a lot of stuff going on, so it keeps you interested throughout the whole episode.

[senecadawg2]

Looking back, the pilot really was the start of something special. What impresses me about it is that even then, I could feel just how special Lost  would be. It felt very grand, and cinematic. Definitely a great way to kick off the show!

[Elite]

I have the Pilot even higher, probably in the top 10. About the best possible way to start off a show. Awesome.

[TheVoxyn]

Through the looking glass on 1.

[Zantera]

Okay, I'm here with the last update for today. I will probably have 2 or 3 new updates tomorrow though, so no worries. I know it's not really a rush, but I like to have a fairly high pace, rather that than drifting off halfway through a list and forgetting to update etc.
This next pick might also be unusual, but my pick for number 17:

17. Dr. Linus - Season 6, Episode 7 (Ben-centric)


One of the episodes where I really realised how much I appreciate Michael Emerson's performance as Ben Linus. Apart from the very last scene when the submarine emerges (the CGI really isn't the best there), I loved everything about this episode. It added great depth to the character of Ben, but also lots of other interesting things going on.
The main focus is the alternative timeline (or afterlife) where Ben works as a teacher at a school, and we get to see Alex again which was a really nice thing, even if it was just in the other "life" so to speak. Ben tries to go after the principal-position, but later steps back, because he wants Alex to be able to go to a good school. This subplot might be done several times before, but it works because of good actors, and again.. Michael Emerson really shines. It's also nice to see Rousseau and Locke play minor parts, and I really dug the part where Ben's dad talked about how they had left the island and the Dharma Initiative, another part in the tv-show where you wasn't quite sure if this alternative life took shape right next to the original timeline, or as we later found out, in the afterlife.

Back on the island there's a lot going on. Chaos at the temple where Ben, Ilana, Miles, Sun and Frank escape from the Smoke Monster, and Ilana later finds out that Ben killed Jacob, which has consequences. The Man in Black later tries to recruit Ben, but he stays with the group. He tells Ilana about why he killed Jacob, and I thought that was a really nice moment. Ben is certainly a hard character to pinpoint, what his motives are, and why he acts a certain way, but that scene really provided a bit insight on that part, and all in all I think the episode itself added to the Ben-character.
This episode also has the interesting scenes when Jack and Hurley meet up with Richard, who takes them to the Black Rock, and Richard wants to commit suicide. Richard has always been one of the most interesting characters on the island for me, and it was really nice to have more scenes with him, learning a little something every time.

To sum it up, this episode didn't perhaps take the story much forward or have many twists, but it had great performances and gave several of the characters more depth. The performance of Michael Emerson alone made this episode something special.

[PuffyPat]

Great list so far. All good episodes. Maybe not my favorites, but you're still in the beginning stages, so it makes sense. Definitely following.

Also, this list has inspired me to re-watch Lost from the beginning. So glad that it's all on instant.

[senecadawg2]

Michael Emerson was the best actor in the show, and Ben was one of the more interesting and complex characters as well.

[Dimitrius]

I really liked that one episode that ended on a cliff hanger.


Oh oh, I also liked the episode where Jack got angry, ignored everyone's rational advice and instead decided to beat someone up....while breathing heavily.


Another favorite is the one where Sawyer insults everyone yet still gets the girls.

And we can't forget the one where Kate is useless.

Holy shit you love those too?!?!?!

I loved that one from season 2 where Michael says "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALT!!!" and "WHERE'S MY SON?!?!"

[Adami]

I really liked that one episode that ended on a cliff hanger.


Oh oh, I also liked the episode where Jack got angry, ignored everyone's rational advice and instead decided to beat someone up....while breathing heavily.


Another favorite is the one where Sawyer insults everyone yet still gets the girls.

And we can't forget the one where Kate is useless.

Holy shit you love those too?!?!?!

I loved that one from season 2 where Michael says "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALT!!!" and "WHERE'S MY SON?!?!"

Nothing quite tops the acting ability of the people from lost than WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Zantera]

Time for another update! 

16. Jughead - Season 5, Episode 3 (Desmond-centric)


Next up we have a Desmond-centric episode. Desmond always was one of my favorite characters in this tv-show. Unlike several other characters he wasn't that complex or had hidden agendas, but he was just a straight down lovable character. We could all feel for him, being on the island for so long, and being away from his love, Penny. He always added charm to his scenes with great quotes like "See you in another life brother", and his magic powers were also very interesting to follow. The Desmond-centric episodes often lead to some head scratching and you needed to follow them closely and pay attention to the little details, but in the end they were often very rewarding, and among the best episodes.

"Jughead" is the third episode in the fifth season. If you're having a hard time separating the fourth and the fifth season (I've seen some people with this problem), the fifth season is the one with all the time travelling. In the future-timeline, Desmond tries to locate Daniel Faraday's mother, in order to find a way to stop the time-travelling from happening. He goes to Oxford-university and is surprised when he finds very little proof that Daniel Faraday had been there.
Meanwhile back on the island, time jumps back and forth. Juliet, Locke and Sawyer interrogate some Dharma Initiative-guys, and later stumbles upon a young Charles Widmore. Locke later meets up with Richard, and tells him to visit Locke after he has been born. The other gang, consisting of the freighter-people (Miles, Daniel and Charlotte) finds a hydrogen-bomb, which Daniel disarms. Daniel Faraday may have been one of the minor main-characters of s4/s5, but I really liked his character. Perhaps a bit weird at times, but the heart at the right place, and just a very easy person to like. Jeremy Davies (who plays him) does a really good job, otherwise I have to give the credit to Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond) who steals the show. He's just such a great actor, and his portrayal of Desmond is bound to go down in history as one of the most likeable characters in a tv-show.

All in all I really like this episode. The time-travelling was a bit tricky to get used to at first, but I was always very interested in learning more about the Dharma Initiative and their time on the island, and we get to do that a lot in Season 5. It's really nice to see how some things have changed on the island over the years, but still seeing Richard looking like he always does.
Season 5 overall was fairly solid, but this was one of the standouts for me. 

Will probably be back with an update in 6-7 hours or so.

[Elite]

Jughead is amazing. Nice pick, one of my absolute favourites.

Here's me hoping you have Dead is Dead, The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham and The Shape of Things to Come is your top as well.

[Zantera]

Jughead is amazing indeed.  Okay, back with the second update for today. If I have time I'll squeeze another one in before I go to sleep later tonight.

15. The Man From Tallahassee - Season 3, Episode 13 (Locke-centric)


Next up, we have a Locke-centric episode. Together with Ben, Desmond and Richard, Locke was always one of my favorite characters. It's very easy to feel sympathy for him because of what he has been through, and his episodes were always a bit difficult to watch because they were very emotional. This episode confirmed what had already been speculated about, and a question that people had been asking for several years before this episode; "how did John Locke end up in a wheelchair?". I often see people say negative things about the third season, but I really enjoyed it myself. With that said, this episode came out right in time so to speak. The following episode; "Exposé" was the one that focused on Nikki and Paulo (two of the more useless characters in the tv-show), and the episode before this one; "Par Avion" was centric around Claire, frankly I didn't think much of that episode.
So while I think S3 started out strong and ended strong, there was a short run of episodes around this one that didn't particularly stand out, so when I saw this one it really stood out. By the time I had gotten to S3, Locke had already become a favorite, and I was always looking forward to his centric episodes, because they always delivered.

The flashbacks focus on the time after Locke has separated from Helen. It's very tough for him to adjust to the normal life again, and he gets into a depression. A young man shows up and asks questions about Locke's father, and he tells him that Locke's father is marrying his mother, for the money. Locke confronts his father about this, and says that he has to pull out of the whole thing. When this young man turns up dead, the police comes and asks Locke some questions. When Locke goes to his father to confront him about all of this, he is charged out of the window, resulting in him becoming paralysed. (We later on get to see how Jacob touches him, and how it brings him back)
Back on the island we have the gang who have gone to Dharmaville to bring back Jack, only to find him playing football with the Others, seeming happy. Some of the gang is later captured by the Others, and Jack explains how he has made a deal to help Ben, and that he will get to leave the island. Locke later blows up the submarine, telling Jack that he is sorry for doing so. We also get the cliffhanger near the end where Locke's father is shown being in captive on the island.

Overall I liked this episode because it had a great story in the flashbacks. The story on the island is also interesting, back in season 3 I was really excited when we got interaction between the normal gang and the Others, learning more about the latter. I was also quite happy when the submarine got blown up, to me that would have been an easy way to get off the island. I must also take the time to praise Terry O'Quinn for his portrayal of John Locke. He's just such a good actor, and he really shines in almost every scene that takes a more emotional approach. The scene when he gets pushed out the window was really hard for me to watch, because I just felt sorry for the guy. He's been through a lot with his dad, but seeing a father doing something like that to a son, it's always emotional.

 

[Elite]

The submarine being blown up and finally learning how Locke couldn't walk again were turning points in the series. Another stellar episode, which really made the hatred towards Locke's father even greater. The way they resolved this in The Brig was fantastic imho, with the Sawyer/Cooper scene being one of my favourites from the entire show. The buildup towards finally getting rid of that man was amazing, as was Holloway's acting in that particular scene. But that's all a different episode, might be you'll have that in as well

Anyway, great pick, one of the better episodes from Season 3 definitely.

[Zantera]

Yeah I agree with pretty much everything you said. Also, time for another update:

14. A Tale of Two Cities, Season 3, Episode 1 (Jack-centric)


So go downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown - no finer place, for sure
Downtown - everything's waiting for you

Episode kicks off right away by introducing the new character Juliet. She prepares for a book club meeting, in which there is a heated argument. Shortly afterwards a huge rumbling sound is heard, the characters rush out and we see our classic Oceanic Flight 815 fly over, and it is quickly revealed that this suburban village is located on the island itself.
The ending of season two was great. I really liked it, and it had me on suspense for the start of the third season. These first minutes of the episode were gold to me, seeing a friggin ordinary village located ON the island itself. Obviously we all knew that the Others had some camp or home, but I don't think anyone expected this.
We also get a nice backstory for when Ben sends out Goodwin and Ethan to infiltrate both camps, and it's quite refreshing to see the Others´ point of view for once.

The flashbacks in this episode are Jack-centric, and we get to see him go through the divorce from his wife Sarah. She has a new man in her life, and Jack suspects that it is his father, and there's a big confrontation about it. Back on the island most of the focus is on Sawyer, Kate and Jack who are all held prisoners on Hydra Island. Generally there might not be a lot going on, but I still found this episode to be really interesting and good, because we got a lot of the Others-time. Before season 3 we had only seen brief glimpses of them, and a bit more towards the end, but by this time I was really interested in learning more about them. What was their agenda, and why had they kidnapped Sawyer, Kate and Jack? I was also very interested to see Henry Gale (or Ben Linus) again, because we learned from the finale of s2 that he was some form of leader.

So to sum it up, perhaps not loads of things happening, but very exciting seeing most of it from the Others´ point of view, and learning more about them. Also seeing how they lived on the island, finding out that there were more stations and so on.

 

[PuffyPat]

I don't get all the season three hate. It's probably my favorite.

[senecadawg2]

All great episodes, especially Jughead. Desmond is, without a doubt, one of the most likable characters in Lost. Of course... there were so many likable characters!

[Zantera]

PuffyPat @ I agree, season 3 was really good. I don't get all the hate either.

senecadawg2 @ Yeah, whenever I think about Lost, I think about how many good characters it had. People were often quick to criticize some in a bad way (I know that Kate and Charlie had quite some haters), but when a tv-show has that many characters, and several of them are done so well, it's tough not to be amazed.

Also, time for the next episode on my list.

13. Exodus - Season 1, Episode 23/24 (Various people)


Technically two (or three) episodes, but seeing as they're all named "Exodus" and the season final was pretty long, this makes it easier IMO. By the time we got to the season finale of the first season, there was a lot going on. The episode kicks off by Rousseau arriving at the camp to warn Jack and the gang about the Others. She tells them about how her daughter was kidnapped, and soon there is a black pillar of smoke rising in the distance. Some of the survivors are working on building the raft, meanwhile Jack and a few others head out to the Black Rock to get dynamite, in order to blow up the hatch and have a saferoom. On the way they come across the Smoke Monster, and Rousseau tells them that it's some kind of security system on the island.
In flashbacks we get to see the survivors and the last hours before the crash, Jack meets Ana Lucia in the bar at the airport, we also have the funny scene when Sayid comes up to Shannon and asks her to watch his bag for a few minutes, and when he's gone she goes to the security guard and tells him that "the arab-guy left his bag unattended". 

Now to the second part of the episode. We finally get to see the Black Rock for the first time, and it is revealed to be a big ship. Personally I believed that it was some form of black rock at first, and that it was some form of hidden cave or something. When they're bringing back dynamite, Dr. Artz manages to get himself blown up, and the gang encounter the Smoke Monster again. It tries to drag Locke down a hole, but Jack and Kate manages to cause a diversion with some dynamite.
Back at camp, Rousseau arrives and takes Aaron, which causes a chaotic situation. Sayid and Charlie goes after her, and they first encounter the smugglers airplane in the jungle, where Sayid finds tons of heroin. They later catch up with her and manage to get Aaron back, and they also accuse her for making up the Others, and lighting the pyre herself.
Now, this is when the episode gets really awesome and cliffhanger-ish. The gang blows up the hatch and stairs down the long hole. Out on the raft, Sawyer, Michael, Walt and Jin manages to pick up a signal. They fire their flaregun and a boat approaches. The gang feels so relieved seeing another boat, and they are happy about it. Things take a quick twist though when the people on the boat are revealed to be the Others, and they take Walt and blow up the raft. The finale really leaves you hanging.

So yeah, lots of stuff going on in this finale. So many good scenes in this one, it's hard to pick standouts. BUT, I will say that the last 5-10 minutes or so are my favorites in this episode. The gang blowing up the hatch, and leaving the question "whats down there?" and what happens at the raft. The raft-scene where Walt gets kidnapped is probably one of my favorite scenes throughout all of season 1. It's really the first time we get to see anyone from the Others, and it's just executed in such a great way. Also the first appearance for Tom Friendly. This episode really leaves you hanging from the cliff.

More updates later!

[Ravenheart]

Great to see this! Great picks so far. Lost is probably my favorite show ever.

[Zantera]

Cool to see you follow it, Zander. 
Time for my next update:

12. The Man Behind the Curtain - Season 3, Episode 20 (Ben-centric)


Next up we have another season 3 episode, this time the first Ben-centric episode if we count chronologically. I can only speak for myself, but this was an episode I was really looking forward to. Ben was one of the characters that had created both love and hate among viewers, and being a complex person, it was interesting to see how they would tackle an episode revolving around him. This episode really gives us the origins of Ben, we get to see when he is born, and we get to see when Ben and his father arrives to the Island 7 years later, where Roger (Ben's dad) will work for the Dharma Initiative. Ben has trouble adjusting to the life on the island, and has flashes of his dead mother. He runs off into the jungle and meets Richard, a scene I really liked because anything with Nestor Carbonell as Richard is good in my eyes.
Later we get to see Ben much older, having a conversation with his father. Roger still blames Ben for the death of Ben's mother, and this is something Ben have lived with through his childhood and growing up. He gets angry and kills his father, and he later returns to the Dharma Initiative where all the people have been killed. Ben meets up with Richard and the Others.

Back on the present timeline, on the island, Locke arrives at the Others´ camp with the body of his dead father. He confronts Ben and wants to learn more about the island, and this is when Richard tells Locke about Jacob, and that he is the leader. Mikhail stumbles in at the camp and warns them about the parachuting stranger who has landed on the island, which triggers Ben and Locke to go out and meet Jacob. On the way back, Ben takes Locke to the Dharma-massgrave and shoots him, and leaves him to die.
At the beach there's not as much happening, but people are plotting up against Juliet due to a tape-recording, but when Jack and Juliet returns she tells them to play the other side of the tape, which has Ben's plan on it. This is important for the following episodes when the Others attack the beach.

Biggest plus for this episode goes out to interesting flashbacks, seeing Ben's past really helped explaining some on how he turned out the way he did. While Michael Emerson isn't as featured (due to many scenes taking place when he was younger), the scenes he is featured in, he really shines. Nestor Carbonell plays Richard as good as ever, and Terry O'Quinn gives a good performance as Locke, wanting to learn more about the truth. While it is a Ben-centric episode, these three characters are probably the most important ones for driving the episode further, all in all one of the best episodes of S3.

[chrisbDTM]

i might have that one in my top 5. the only disapointment i have with the show is how jacob turned out. this episode with the cabin was SICK, then the jacob thing went downhill the more they revealed about him

[PuffyPat]

i might have that one in my top 5. the only disapointment i have with the show is how jacob turned out. this episode with the cabin was SICK, then the jacob thing went downhill the more they revealed about him

I completely agree with the Jacob thing. Originally it was such a cool thing, but when they started making him a more physical character things got out of hand. While what they did wasn't necessarily the worst thing that could have been done, there were definitely much better things that they could have done with Jacob.

[HarlequinForest]

Across the Sea is my least favorite episode in the entire series!  Still interested in seeing your other picks.

[Zantera]

Yeah I agree with both of you. While I liked S6 and didn't mind that much what they did with Jacob and the Man in Black, somehow Jacob felt more "epic" like in S3 when they go to the cabin. It was much more mysterious and interesting. Who the hell was Jacob? And then when we had the answer, it wasn't quite what we had expected.

11. Outlaws - Season 1, Episode 16 (Sawyer-centric)


Next up we have a Sawyer-centric episode, "Outlaws" from the second half of season 1. While Sawyer was always a hilarious character with lots of great moment, I felt like his centric-episodes rarely were as good as they could have been. He's a great character, but often the focus was put on his tough exterior, rather than exploring what kind of person he was underneath. This episode is an exception though, not only would I say that it's his best centric-episode, but also the fact that it ranks in as nr.11 on my list says something.
The flashbacks revolve around Sawyer and his quest to find the real Sawyer, the man responsible for breaking apart his family. He gets a tip that the real Sawyer will be in Sydney, so he travels there and buys a gun. During his visit at a bar he encounters Christian Shephard (Jack's dad) and they have a discussion. This scene is just great, back in season 1 I really loved it when they had characters appearing in other characters´ flashbacks. (that sounds way more messy than how it is)
Sawyer goes to confront who he believes is the real Sawyer, and he pulls the trigger of his gun. As the man dies, Sawyer learns that this was not the man he was looking for, and that he was actually sent to do the dirty work.

Back on the island, Sawyer goes out on a boar-hunt. Sawyer also hears the whispers in the jungle that Sayid talked about earlier, so when Sawyer returns to the camp he asks Sayid about it. Sawyer finally catches up with the boar, but decides not to kill it. Instead he gives Jack the gun, which results in Jack having all the weapons. During a conversation, Jack says the classic phrase "and that's why the Sox will never win the Series" (earlier used by his father), which makes Sawyer realize that the man he met in Sydney was actually Jack's dad.
This episode was perhaps more "Straightforward". Not tons of stuff happening, but instead focusing on the two different plots revolving Sawyer. I think this is one of the strengths of the episode, it's very easy to follow but it also grabs you. Sawyer has some funny scenes, but he also has some more serious scenes, and it's great to see more about his past.
Sawyer was always one of the funnier characters (who could forget all his nicknames?), but here he also gets to shine in some more emotional scenes, and Josh Holloway really gives a good performance as Sawyer.

[senecadawg2]

i might have that one in my top 5. the only disapointment i have with the show is how jacob turned out. this episode with the cabin was SICK, then the jacob thing went downhill the more they revealed about him

I completely agree with the Jacob thing. Originally it was such a cool thing, but when they started making him a more physical character things got out of hand. While what they did wasn't necessarily the worst thing that could have been done, there were definitely much better things that they could have done with Jacob.

very true