Welcome to the LOST retrospective, brought to you by the dynamic duo of Matt and Crit, who you know from the weekly articles reviewing and recapping each episode. LOST is arguably the greatest show of all time, and is definitely the one that will have the greatest impact from our generation of TV. With that in mind, we have decided to take a look back at each season of LOST, picking our favorite episodes and moments to share with you the reader. Each day of this week we will take a look at one season, each of us picking our five favorite episodes from the season. Will we pick the same episodes? Yes, most likely. But when it comes to LOST (and when it comes to Crit and Matt, really) there are bound to be purposeful coincidences.
So with the series now officially over, let’s take a look back at the show that has been so important since September of 2004. Follow us behind the cut for more, and let us know your thoughts about your favorite episodes/moments in the comments!
Episode 1 and 2: Pilot
Crit: Obviously, I have to choose the pilot. What an amazing and elaborate way to set up the series. I can’t imagine anyone watching these two hours and wanting to stop watching the show after hearing Shannon translate Rousseau’s distress call, followed by Charlie asking the question that we were all thinking too: “guys…where are we?”
Matt: The pilot was not in my original line up, actually. Since Crit picked it, I get the opportunity to write about it a little bit, but I wasn’t really drawn in to the show for a couple episodes later. Looking back now, though, there’s just so much fun in watching the characters that we’ve seen evolve so much as they initially were.
Episode 4: Walkabout
Crit: On the island, John Locke becomes the head hunter of boar. In his flashback, we learn that he was paralyzed. This is obviously shocking, and if the pilot didn’t convince someone that they should be watching this show, this episode surely lured more people in.
Matt: This was the episode that, for me, solidified myself as a LOST fan. I was already a fan of Locke, but this episode was one of the first character centric episodes that really made you stop and think, “Oh god. Wow. Really?” After that, saying ‘don’t tell me what I can’t do!’ almost became part of the normal every day lexicon, and it solidified Terry O’ Quinn as one of the top actors on the show, as well as proved what a great freaking director Jack Bender was.
Episode 10: Raised by Another
Crit: This episode stands out for me if for no other reason than it’s the first time we really learn about Claire, who is obviously pregnant, and pregnancy is such a huge issue on the island. Malkin (the psychic) is certainly one of the creepier people we meet, and her dream scene featuring Locke is one of the creepier sequences of the show.
Matt: This episode is really great in retrospect, really. At the time, it was a good episode and certainly had it’s moment (as seen with the picture here), but it’s only when we go back after six seasons of entertainment and say, “Wow, talk about planning ahead.” Whether the dream sequence with Locke’s face was a coincidence or the same purposeful planning of Adam and Eve, I will say that it’s definitely one of the coolest moments to go back and watch now.
Episode 19: Deus Ex Machina
Crit: Anthony Cooper steals his sons kidney in the flashback, and a light goes on in the hatch just as Locke is ready to give up. Two big moments.
Matt: I really love this episode for the last moment alone. We had found the hatch and had begun wondering about it obviously, but with Boone down and out and Locke banging and screaming on the hatch, the light going on became an incredibly powerful moment that we would visit upon later in the show. As Crit said, the episode also gave us Anthony Cooper, who would come back many times in the future of the show. Plus, any episode that is Locke centric is good with me.
Episode 20 – Do No Harm
Matt: I love this episode because this is one of the first episodes where the danger is real. We have this huge cast of characters, and actors that have all signed who knows what contracts. We’re taking our time picking out our favorites and then, before you know it, Boone is dead. It’s at this point that you begin to get the idea that, wow, they’ll build someone up to their highest moment and then take him or her away from you just like that. Combined with the final moments of the last episode, this one of is pretty great. Plus there is the obvious juxtaposition between Boone’s death and Aaron’s birth, which was really interesting to watch on such a new show.
Episodes 23 and 24: Exodus
Crit: As will be a theme in this list, the finales are always exceptional. These two hours featured numerous flashbacks. The final two scenes led to a summer of wondering just where the show would be going in season two; Walt is taken off the raft by the Others and Jack and Locke blow open the hatch and stare down into the darkness.
Matt: Crit is right. Every finale makes it to the list. But how can they not? If LOST is great at anything, it’s creating a season finale so powerful, so intense, and so mysterious that we talk about it for months to come. This episode, which featured a lot of great moments as we see the Losties all board the plane, is coupled with the first real “Others” moment, Walt being kidnapped and Sawyer and Michael being left for dead, as well as the hatch being blown open… right as we see the numbers. If that’s not good baiting television, I don’t know what is.
