» Favorite Episodes of Lost So Far? Options

[BeezleBob]

I just love this show in general, really.

Word to that. But if my arm were twisted:

Walkabout: Coming as early as it did in the show's run, this episode cemented my interest in the show. David Fury's script is incredibly tight, roping me in and holding me until the ending, which was a total shock.

Outlaws: Hard to judge, but if not for Walkabout's final twist, this might actually be my favorite. Sawyer is such a tragic character, and Josh Holloway plays him to perfection.

House of the Rising Sun and ... In Translation: I think I like latter episode a little better, but part of the reason for that may be the way it reflects the former. At any rate, I'm recording these as a tie, because they play so well off of each other.

My honorable mentions: Confidence Man, Solitary, Raised by Another, All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues, Numbers. All very good, too close to pick just one.

Least favorite? Homecoming. This episode was a bitter disappointment after the return of Claire at the end of Special. This portion of Charlie's backstory bored me to tears, Claire's amnesia was a cheat, and the death of Ethan was anticlimactic (and a cheat).

[spentcigarette]

My favorites would have to be Walkabout, Confidence Man, Raised By Another and Outlaws. And I really did enjoy Do No Harm, as well. I liked the parallels the episode raised.

[just watching]

Walkabout,
The Moth, and
Raised by another.

In that order.

[Enchanter]

The Great Ones:
1. Walkabout - No surprise here. Definitely the episode that got me hooked, as it apparently did many others. Terry O'Quinn is truly talented and Locke has got to be the most complex and paradoxical character in recent TV history. Best shiver moment ever.
2. Numbers - Great blend of comedy and eerieness. Giving Hurley, who was already the acting as the audience's stand-in, a back-story where he has no control of the bizarres event occurring around him was a stroke of genius. Also contains the single funniest line of the season ("She says hey.")
3. Deus Ex Machina - also could be called "Deconstructing Locke." It changed everything I thought I understood about Locke, had plenty of shivers, and, of course, featured the winner of the island's "Worst Parent Ever" award.
4. Raised by Another - I thought the creepy psychic was great, having Claire's pens not work was a nice touch, and the Ethan reveal terrific.
5. Hearts and Minds - if this is a Boone-centric episode, how come I came out of it with more understanding of Locke than Boone? Not complaining, though.

The Good Ones:
Special - Michael falls out of the "Worst Parent Ever" competition, but Walt's Mom easily takes second place. And so what if the polar bear looks like crap - what do you expect from something conjured by an 11-year old.
Outlaws - Goes to show that Sawyer's none too bright, but even Kate was tolerable in this one. And Locke's shaggy dog story was classic.
Pilot, Part II - Polar Bears, Monsters, Transmissions of French Women speaking. We're not in Kansas anymore.
Tabula Rasa - When we still thought Kate's story would be interesting. And oh, yeah, Sawyer's none too bright.
Do No Harm - The best of the Jack episodes, which ain't saying much. Still, I was moved by the Jack/Boone interaction, I liked how smart Sun was, and Jack's resolution at the end to go after Locke was convincing.

The Okay Ones:
House of the Rising Sun, ... In Translation -- Don't get me wrong. I like Jin and Sun's story well enough; I almost put these with the Good Ones. But until they are tied in better with the other castaways these episode don't seem to fit well with the rest of the series.
Confidence Man - Sawyer's Golden Rule: Screw others as you would have others screw you... unless a kid is involved. Sawyer's shown to be none too bright.
Pilot, Part I - Getting to know you....
Solitary - Good intro to Danielle, but Sayid's back-story is boring and he does the worst job ever getting useful information out of Danielle.
Whatever the Case May Be - Some more funny evidence that Sawyer's none too bright. Good reveal of Kate's checkered past, but the little plane was a let-down.
The Moth - Charlie wasn't too annoying yet, although his turn as Lassie was somewhat hackneyed (What's that, Charlie? Jack's trapped in the old well? Lead on, boy!)

Wake Me When They Show Locke Again:
White Rabbit, All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues - Jack's back-stories are just that: stories. I got nothing out of these except that Jack has a stick up his anus and his father's a jerk (but still places only third in the island's "Worst Parent Ever" competition.)
Homecoming - Once an addict, always an addict. And way to kill the bad guy before he reveals anything useful. Oh, and there better be a good explanation for Claire's memory loss.

[sweet lorelei]

I like the Pilot episodes because there are no flashbacks, for the most part. I'm far more interested in what's happening on the island now than what happened in any character's near or distant past. That being said, if I must see flashbacks, I'd like them to be Boone's and Shannon's, please, so Hearts and Minds makes the list.

But I have a clear winner for this category: The Episode With The Best Title For A Television Episode Ever, On This Series Or Any Other: All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues.

[Scathlock]

For me it's ...In Translation and Numbers. I loved Jin and finding out that he was more complex than we thought. Also that scene on the beach before Sun speaks English is so intense.
Hurley is just awesome and his backstory is more directly related to the island than anybody elses so that was very creepy and cool.

This post has been edited by Scathlock: Apr 24, 2005 @ 11:23 am.

[wildbassplayer]

My #1 and #2 would probably have to be Walkabout and Deux Ex Machina, just because I love Ol' Lockey and both of them had the best writing and a "Holy $#!+!!! WTF!!?!??! *Heart Attack* ending. When the light out of the hatch came on, i seriously thought i was going to die! Thanks again Lost.

[Novaman5000]

There are alot of great endings, but as far as episodes go definitely Walkabout and Raised by Another are on the top of my list.

For endings, my favorite are: Deus Ex Machina, Numbers, and Special (because I had been waiting and hoping that Claire would turn up at some point).

Am I the only one who thought that Homecoming was a decent episode? I actually liked how they gave a precedent for Charlie's drive to protect Claire. It wasn't epic or startling in it's revelation but it made a quiet sort of sense. And anyone who thinks Ethan would have talked under interrogation is crazy! :)

This post has been edited by Novaman5000: Apr 24, 2005 @ 11:49 pm.

[murlough23]

Am I the only one who thought that Homecoming was a decent episode? I actually liked how they gave a precedent for Charlie's drive to protect Claire. It wasn't epic or startling in it's revelation but it made a quiet sort of sense. And anyone who thinks Ethan would have talked under interrogation is crazy! :)

Well, a "decent" episode is still a bit of a letdown by Lost standards, if you ask me. I didn't think it was horrible, but you can count me among those who found Charlie's second set of flashbacks to be a big waste of time (and the flashbacks are usually my favorite part of the show), and who found Claire's amnesia to be a bit of a cop-out. I thought Charlie killing Ethan was a great twist and I didn't mind that it cut us off from getting any answers about what happened to Claire... I'm willing to wait to find out about that. Some other folks felt that this was laziness on the part of the writers, but you know, you could construe almost every question left hanging that way.

[schoff]

Am I the only one who thought that Homecoming was a decent episode?

Nope. In fact, I thought it was one of the best--including Moth. Far better than the stilted and completely isolated Jin/Sun episodes, and anything to do with Sawyer. Outlaws completely ruined him, seeing as how he can never get rescued; therefore someday he's gonna end up as fodder food.

Best though is Walkabout. Second is Hearts and Minds. Worst? It's a tie between Deux Ex Machina and Special.

This post has been edited by schoff: Apr 25, 2005 @ 3:39 pm.

[murlough23]

Far better than the stilted and completely isolated Jin/Sun episodes

In what way were those isolated? I know that the two characters were kind of created after the fact (though they had a vague idea of a non-English speaking character from the get-go), and that their backstories don't really show much potential for crossover with anyone else's (though you'll never know how they might surprise us, like with the Hurley-on-TV thing). It does seem like the two of them are a bit less tied to the overall mystique of the island and the central plot of the show, and feel like a bit of a sideshow sometimes as a result, but I think the isolation is intentional given the cultural differences, and that we're starting to see those two characters integrate into the story a bit more now that they don't really have each other ro rely on. I could just be stabbing in the dark, but give 'em a chance and I think they might become a little more central.

[schoff]

I think you've answered your own question. If they wanted them central they would have done it by now. Everyone else is connected to the main story, even if they've done it second-hand. Jin and Sun have nothing.

[Keon440]

Favorites:

Raised by Another
Pilot
Walkabout
House of the Rising Sun
Numbers
ATBCHDI

The only episode I truly disliked was The Moth, even though Homecoming was close.

[Cassiopia]

The Moth, Pilot, Walkabout, and Do No Harm, in that order.

Very strange, people either love or hate Moth....there doesn't seem to be many in-betweens.

[murlough23]

I think you've answered your own question. If they wanted them central they would have done it by now. Everyone else is connected to the main story, even if they've done it second-hand. Jin and Sun have nothing.

I'm going to continue discussion on this in the Sun thread, just so we don't hijack this one.