LOST had one of the most controversial endings in television. Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that the series ushered in an era of twisty storytelling that aimed to shock its audience as much as it rewarded them for following clues. The series shot on location in Hawaii for its run, creating a distinct look for its mysterious island full of plane crash survivors.LOST split its time between deepening relationships between the characters and unravelling outlandish mysteries. The careful balance between the two means there are a lot of episodes that are beloved by fans.
The Internet Movie Database allows those fans, as well as critics, to give rankings to individual episodes. IMDb users can rank a movie or an episode of television on a scale of one to ten stars. One means it's the worst, while ten means it's the best. The top 10 episodes of LOST all have over nine stars and rank from a 9.3 to a 9.7, revealing some stellar hours of television. We take a look at the 10 best episodes of the TV drama, according to IMDb.
Pilot (9.3)
When LOST premiered on ABC in 2004, it was one of the most expensive hours of television produced. TV fans loved that it looked like a big screen movie, but they could watch it at home. That’s likely why the premiere episode ranks so highly amongst all of the episodes of LOST produced.
The series kicked off with an adrenaline rush of a plane crash and the struggle of its passengers to survive. It also teased mysterious entities in the trees, a reason for the group not to be rescued, and troubled pasts of several main characters. The hour hooked viewers right away, and still stands as one of the best pilots on TV in the last 20 years.
The Incident: Part 1 S5E16 (9.3)
As season five drew to a close, fans were treated to an event that had been teased numerous times on the show. The episode title referenced a mysterious incident in the past of the inhabitants of the island.
That meant the bulk of the episode that interested the audience was actually the parts set in 1977. Many of the main characters found themselves stuck in the year as a result of the time traveling island. Uncovering what the Incident was, and seeing so many characters from the modern day take opposing sides in what to do captivated fans.
The Incident: Part 2 S5E17 (9.3)
Like many of the season finales for LOST, “The Incident” was a two-parter. The twists, and the heartbreaking moments, occurred in the second hour of the finale. With both pieces airing together, it’s no surprise that both hours made the list.
In the second half, fan favorite character Juliet decided that the fighting amongst the former allies was unnecessary. She managed to get everyone on the same page: to detonate a bomb to destroy the island. Of course, her action didn’t destroy the island, but it did cost her life. It also gave fans a hint at just what those strange flashbacks to a seeming different universe in the show’s future would be.
The Man Behind The Curtain S3E20 (9.3)
“The Man Behind The Curtain” made reference to the first appearance of Benjamin Linus on the series. He used the name of a character from The Wizard of Oz and “crashed” a hot air balloon to spy on the downed plane survivors. This episode had Locke liken him to the Wizard himself, but the hour made it clear that Ben was no Wizard.
Instead, fans finally got details about Ben’s backstory. He wasn’t entirely in charge of his people, though he liked to think he was. The reveal that Ben was responsible for taking out the entire Dharma Initiative stunned fans and only deepened the mystery of the island.
There’s No Place Like Home: Part 2 S4E17 (9.3)
The Wizard Of Oz references just keep coming! This episode actually lands in the middle of a three-part story arc for the series. The three-parter was a result of season four occurring during a major writer’s strike in the entertainment industry. Season four’s episode order was cut down as the strike prevented the writers’ room from completing the amount of episodes they usually would. When it came time to write the finale, there was so much information to include, it became three hours long instead of two.
This second hour actually serves as most of the finale’s adrenaline rush. It’s where all of the major players wind up in dire straights as “the Others” and the Oceanic 815 survivors are forced to team up in order to take on a common enemy on a freighter off the island’s coast. The hour was nearly non-stop action, and the audience was rewarded by seeing how a handful of survivors made it back home.
Exodus: Part 1 S1E23 (9.3)
As the first season of LOST drew to a close, the audience was given a brief hope for the survivors being rescued. With “Exodus,” Michael, Walt, Sawyer, and Jin launched a raft into the ocean, intent on finding help for those on the island.
Likewise, the episode revealed more information about the mysterious Others on the island. Namely, they were a threat who kidnapped infants. This episode began the question of whether or not the woman named Rousseau could really be trusted. That was something the audience would continue to debate for the entire run of the show.
Exodus: Part 2 S1E24 (9.4)
The second half of “Exodus” ranks just slightly above the first. While the first part is a lot of information downloading and set up for what happens next, the second part is more fueled by conflict.
One group of survivors spends the episode on a dangerous trek to bring dynamite back to camp. Their intent is to blow open the hatch they found in the jungle. It would theoretically provide a place to hide from the Others. That plan is slightly derailed by one of their own blowing up. Sayid and Charlie also spend the episode getting Claire’s baby back from a desperate Rousseau. Ultimately, Walt is kidnapped by the Others, making each part of the hopeful plan in the previous episode come crumbling down.
The episode does feature the now iconic shot of Jack and Locke looking into the blown open hatch, giving the audience one of the best cliffhangers the series ever offered up.
Live Together, Die Alone S2E23 (9.5)
It’s a sign of how popular Desmon became on the series that the top three episodes of LOST all have pieces of his story as a focal point.
The season two finale marks the first time Desmond got a flashback episode. Fans got to see the details of his love story with Penny, just how he ended up on the island, and what he’d been doing while trapped there. It also marked the reveal to his friends of Michael’s betrayal. That also lead to Michael and Walt finding a way off the island. The Others kept Jack, Kate, and Sawyer as a result of the deal they made. This whole new group of characters left the audience wondering what season three had in store for them.
Through The Looking Glass S3E22 (9.7)
Near the end of season three, the castaways thought they would soon have a way to leave the island behind. A boat offshore held a lot of promise. One group of survivors set out to figure out if it was a viable option to leave the island behind.
In a tragic sequence, Charlie found out the truth about the boat. He headed below the surface at the Looking Glass station, but couldn’t get back to air to warn Desmond. Instead, he wrote the infamous “Not Penny’s Boat” on his hand. He showed it to his friend as he ran out of air. Though Charlie had a troubled past, the sequence turned him into a hero in the eyes of much of the audience.
The Constant S4E05 (9.7)
This season four episode proved Desmond and Penny’s love story was one of the most emotional aspects of the show.
After traveling through turbulence Desmond’s mind had no anchor to the present and began to time travel on his own. “The Constant” saw Desmond need a way to ground himself in time on the mysterious island. He had his chance by reaching out to his own “constant,” Penny. What followed was a heart wrenching phone call between the two. Many fans reference it as one of their favorite scenes in the series.