SPOILERS THRICE!!!
10. Locke's vision quest
"You don't have much time." Dream Boone
After his loss of faith led to near catastrophic events for the Island (and perhaps the world), John Locke awoke in the middle of the jungle after most likely being blown away from the hatch explosion. How he, Mr. Eko, and Desmond survived is anyone's guess. He had lost the ability to speak. Immediately Locke looked to the Island for answers. With Charlie's reluctant help, Locke managed to put together a sweat lodge. It's basically a meditation tent in which you sit by a fire while a bunch of herbs and fumes work their magic. It provokes a sort of vision quest that's all vision and no quest. His spiritual guide comes in the form of Boone, Locke's former protege and dead castaway. Boone throws Locke into a wheelchair and hauls him around a imaginary airport full of castaways. I liked all of the symbolism that come into play later: Charlie and Claire "are fine...for now"; surrounded by smitten ladies, Desmond is "helping himself"; and of course Jack at a security check with Ben (the artist formerly known as Henry Gale) the security guard = "you can't help them yet". At the end of Locke's journey he is shown the bloody scripture stick belonging to the Island's resident priest. Locke, with a restored sense of faith and speech, exits his quest, grabs a knife, and sets out to find the other man of faith, Mr. Eko.
9. Sawyer's surgery
"Did you just kill that bunny?!" - Sawyer
After he, Jack and Kate are caught by The Others, Sawyer makes several rebellious attempts to escape or attack his captors. The leader, Ben Linus, finally comes down and asks him a few basic questions. Soon enough, Sawyer tries to kill him, fails, and proceeds to get his ass kicked via billy club. He wakes up strapped to a table. A couple of guys, overseen by Ben, make him bite down on a stick and then take a syringe to his chest whilst making a not so subtle Pulp Fiction reference. He then wakes up with his chest bandaged. Ben then shows up and starts shaking a rabbit's cage and screaming at it. The rabbit dies after awhile. Ben than explains that the rabbit had a pacemaker set to shock its heart if it got too excited and that they've given Sawyer the same thing so as to make sure he doesn't escape. They even gave him a watch to monitor his heart rate. This was just a really screwed up and vicious scene. Every episode was raising the wierdness factor on The Others and raising the evil factor on Ben: "If and when it beeps, you're gonna want to relax yourself. Do some deep breathing, some yoga." Total villain.
8. Room 23
"God loves you as he loved Jacob." - Brainwashing video
As Kate and Sawyer make their great escape from The Others' prison, they meet up with Ben's "adopted" daughter Alex who agrees to lead them to a boat if they help her find her boyfriend, Karl. They come across this facility in the middle of the jungle. After taking care of the guard, they enter and find Karl's room. Room 23. Opening the door, they find one of the freakier things on Lost. Karl is being subjected to some kind of A Clockwork Orange brainwashing video. A bunch of images just flash across a screen that seem either totally random or completely meaningful. Kate and Alex release Karl, meanwhile Sawyer gets invested in the video as well. He snaps out of it quickly and they leave and we are left wondering what the hell that was about. Room 23 was mentioned regarding Walt in scenes not used in the show, including one in which Walt's powers seemed to be too much for Room 23 or The Others to contain. 23 is also one of Hurley's cursed numbers. I think this was also the first moment we catch the very important name: Jacob.
7. Charlie's final swim
"You and I both know, you're not supposed to take my place, brother." - Charlie
Charlie and Desmond's Island subplots were intertwined in season 3 when Desmond began receiving flashes, visions of the future. All of these flashes showed Charlie dying, and with that knowledge Desmond spent most of his time saving Charlie's life, even though he knew his death is inevitable. Finally near the season's end, Desmond revealed that Charlie would die this time by drowning after deactivating a signal jamming device in a Dharma station deep underwater. When he did this would allow the castaways to communicate to a frieghter off of the island and get everyone rescued. Charlie said his goodbyes to Claire and Aaron (the two people he loved most) and Hurley (his best friend) and set sail with Desmond into the water. Charlie gave Desmond a list of the five greatest moments of his life for Claire. Desmond said he would go instead of Charlie so he would not have to sacrifice so much, but Charlie knocks him out and dives in, accepting his destiny. So ensues a great underwater shot as Charlie swims his way down toward the massive underwater facility. He runs out of air but makes it up. I loved everything about this scene, accept it was bit sad seeing as how immediately after he emerges inside the station two really mean Other chicks show up and wail on him. Poor Charlie.
6. Jin's campfire ghost story
"I love the part about the bird...It was a bird, right?" - Hurley
While following Desmond on a hunch from one of his visions, Hurley, Charlie, and Jin hunker down by a campfire where they are telling ghost stories. We come in as Jin is in the middle of an apparently scary story. We can't tell because Jin can't speak english, so is telling the story in Korean. I just thought this scene was funny as hell. How Jin was probably a good storyteller in Korea based on how he acts and the fact that Charlie and Hurley (especially Hurley) are really into the story and getting spooked despite not knowing what the hell he is saying. Jin eventually ends the story shockingly and with a raised sleeve to imply a freaky climax that scares Hurley. They all have a good laugh. I like this especially because when we first meet Jin in the show he is a very angry man and it is good to see how much he has really lightened up. I think he and Hurley have always had a fun relationship too, one of their first encounters involved Hurley trying to fish with Jin and then getting stung by a sea urchin. Jin pulls to shore, where Hurley desperately tells him to pee on the wound for some strange reason. These guys are just funny together.
5. Locke's grave"You have work to do." - Taller Ghost Walt
This was a pretty strange and grim scene. Locke had been shot by Ben and left to die in the mass grave where the long dead Dharma Initiative lies. Locke once again finds he can't move his legs. With nothing left, it seems, he manages to find a gun on one of the corpses and prepares to commit suicide. As he is about to pull the trigger, an apparition of Walt appears before him. Walt tells him to drop the gun and get out of the ditch. Locke asks why, not seeing the point anymore.
Walt: "Because you have work to do."
This phrase is always a line meaning purpose in the show. And with that, Locke smiles happily. This scene was really freaky and really cool. That's all I can say.
4. Hurley's mission
"Let's look death in the face and say 'whatever, man.'" - Hurley
Hurley is the beacon of hope among the castaways, in my opinion. In any situation where everything is just looking bad for everyone, Hurley is there trying to make people feel better. It's why Charlie always call him "Happy fun good time Hurley." Vincent the dog leads him to a van belonging to the Dharma initiative in the middle of the jungle. After removing the corpse inside (Ben's dad, Roger), Hurley decides that he has had enough moping: Hurley over his curse, Charlie over his fear of imminent death, Sawyer and Jin over their strained love lives. He manages to rally the team together to get the van moving. Sawyer and Jin plan to push it down a hill with Hurley and Charlie inside trying to jump start it. Things look bad as it doesn't seem like Hurley can get the thing running. He begins repeating what his father (Cheech!) told him: "You make your own luck." Finally the van gets running; "Shambala" the upbeat song by Three Dog Night starts playing, the guys are all overjoyed over their victory and hop in the van to go riding around. Later on, Hurley is sitting in the van alone, smiling to himself on his success. He then drives off into the sunset...or at least as far as the Island goes. I just thought this scene was terrific.
3. Season 3 Opening
"So I guess I'm out of the book club?" - "Henry Gale"
Like every opening to every season of Lost, season 3's opening disarms the viewers. It introduces what seems like a new environment that lets us feel comfortable and safe and then pulls the rug out from under us. Season 3 starts off by introducing us to Juliet Burke, a sad looking woman living in a nice little house in what appears to be a nice little suburb. She pops in an upbeat CD, starts organizing, accidentally burns the muffins in her oven, checks on a neighbor who is trying to fix the plumbing, and then hosts a book club at her house. What book? Carrie by Stephen King (a huge Lost fan). One of the members questions that someone named Ben would not find the book interesting, which infuriates Juliet. But before the arguement goes any further, what seems like an earthquake shakes the house. Everyone in the "neighborhood" goes outside to see what all the commotion is about. Then we get a few surprises, the neighbors Ethan Rom(the first Other we met and a spy among the heroes, killed by Charlie), Goodwin Stanhope (the 2nd spy, killed by Ana Lucia), and then finally "Henry Gale" (a third spy who posed as a dead man before being found out, at this point only seemed to be leading the Others), and it turns out that he is the man named Ben. All of the confused people looks up into the sky and see a plane splitting apart mid air. Flight 815, the plane our castaways were on. Immediately, Ben orders Ethan and Goodwin to hurry off to the crash sites, pose as survivors, and bring back "lists in three days." We then pan out and find that the little suburbia is in the middle of the Island and that these people are The diabolical Others, who we originally thought were "psychotic hillbillies." This opening definitely had the desired effect. We all had a lot of questions after this. This also set a whole new tone of mystery for the show that I found very exciting.
2. Ben and Locke in The Cabin
"Once I open this door there's no turning back. You sure this is what you want?" - Ben
John Locke looked for answers to the mysteries of the Island from the Others this season, namely Ben Linus the supposed leader. Ben told him he wasn't the actual leader. That is a man whom he alone speaks to. A man named Jacob. Locke eventually forces Ben to agree to take him to Jacob. By night they reach a cabin somewhere in the jungle. Locke finds that the perimeter is surrounded by a black ash. Ben lights a lantern, addresses the person inside, and enters. The place is damp and dark, as if it hasn't been touched in years. There are some mason jars, a table, some photo of a dog, a rocking chair in the middle of the room, and it's all dusty. Ben starts talking to the empty chair, he is actually carrying on a conversation. Locke doesn't see anyone in sight, but Ben insists that Jacob is sitting in the chair. Ben seems perplexed when Locke angrily states that there is no Jacob, he is crazy, and that he doesn't know anything about the Island. Ben claims Locke is "too limited to see" and Locke tells him he is pathetic. As Locke goes for the door, a raspy voice calls out "help me." Locke thinks it was Ben, but he claims to have not said or heard anything. All of a sudden, the cabin shakes, the sounds of the Monster seem to be coming from outside. Ben goes the chair, saying "that's enough, you've had your fun!" before he is thrown into the wall and for a brief second a man shrouded in darkness can be seen sitting in the chair. Locke and Ben exchange horrified glances and then escape the cabin. Ben claims, teary eyed, that it was Jacob. What can I say? This scene just freaked me the hell out and I had a lot to contemplate afterward. From this point on, Jacob became one of the show's most important points of interest.
1. Jack vs. Ben
"Oh that's right, I almost forgot. You're the good guys." - Jack
A woman named Naomi parachutes onto the Island and has a phone that can contact a freighter that will get everyone rescued. Charlie goes down to a Dharma station to deactivate a jamming device as previously mentioned. Jack leads the castaways off to a radio tower somewhere on the Island where they can triangulate a signal. Sayid, Jin, and Bernard stay behind to ambush The Others who are coming to the beach. On the way to the radio tower, Ben shows up and talks to Jack in private. Ben knows what is going on and claims that Naomi is working for people who have been trying to find the Island for a long time = the bad guys, and that Jack should give the phone to him or else the people on the freighter will kill everyone on the Island. Jack of course doesn't believe the chronic liar and a stare down ensues. Ben than puts main Other Tom on the walkie talkie, revealing that Sayid and the rest failed to kill all of The Others at the beach and are now held at gunpoint. Ben gives Jack 60 seconds to get the phone or else his friends will die. Jack doesn't back down, despite Ben's threats and his accusations that Jack has nothing to return to back home. Finally the minute is up and gunfire rings out over the walkie (don't worry they are fine). Jack is emotionally snapped all too visibly. Ben snidely tells him he is sorry. Then we are introduced to the true dark side of Jack Shepherd. He really snaps. He tackles Ben to the ground and beats him within an inch of his life. It's painful to watch, but satisfying too. After Ben has been beaten unconscious, Jack goes Liam Neeson when he picks up the walkie and tells Tom that he is going to get his people rescued, then he is gonna find him and kill him. Oh and Jack makes a lot of other death threats afterward. I liked this new turn for Jack and plus any form of battles of wits, fists, or guns on the Island is a feast for my eyes. This was an intense, gritty, and compelling scene. A great dual of the two leaders.
That's the first half of my round up of my favorite moments from the TV saga Lost. Season 4 will be coming soon. Thanks for reading.
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