The Return of "LOST"

#10 - OUTLAWS
Original Airdate: February 16, 2005
Written by Drew Goddard
Directed by Jack Bender

A boar starts messing with Sawyer (Josh Holloway) and so he goes out on a hunt to track it down and kill it. Meanwhile, flashbacks show his pursuit for the man responsible for his parents death. The episode does a great job of balancing slapstick comedy with a heartbreaking tale of murder and revenge. It also fleshes out Sawyer from a Southern bad boy into a character with great depth.

#9 - THE MOTH
Original Airdate: November 3, 2004
Written by Jennifer Johnson and Paul Dini (of Batman: The Animated Series fame)
Directed by Jack Bender

Heroin addict Charlie (one-half of the gay Hobbit duo) is suffering from withdrawal and flashbacks show his rise and fall as a one-hit-wonder rock star. He gets to redeem himself when Jack gets trapped in a cave and he volunteers to rescue him. Although Charlie is the focal point of the episode, it is Locke who gets to shine. His spiritual wisdow guides Charlie and he uses a moth coming out of its cocoon as an example of what Charlie needs to do.

#8 - RAISED BY ANOTHER
Original Airdate: December 1, 2004
Written by Lynne E. Litt
Directed by Marita Grabiak

To quote Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys II, "s--t just got real." In this episode, the survivors discover there are "others" on the island, and we, the viewers, realize that there might be a supernatural reason for the airplane crashing on the island. Most of season one is spent on developing the characters, but this episode is almost purely setting up the story arc that would dominate the series.

#7 thru 5
EXODUS, PART I (May 18, 2005)
EXODUS, PART II (May 25, 2005)
EXODUS, PART III (May 25, 2005)

Written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse
Directed by Jack Bender

Michael (ship driver, or whatever, from The Matrix), his son Walt, Sawyer, and Korean Dude built a raft and attempt to escape the island. Unfortunately, the island pulls them back in. Meanwhile... Jack, Locke, Kate, Hurley, and some dude who blows himself up, finally open the hatch. Normally, season finales wrap things up. However, Lost is a show that raises more questions than it answers, so they open up a new can of worms.

#4 & 3
PILOT, PART I (September 22, 2004)
PILOT, PART 2 (Septemer 29, 2004)

Written by Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof
Directed by J.J. Abrams

The only episodes written and directed by J.J. Abrams set-up the premise for the show. A plane crashes on a mysterious island and the survivors have to brace themselves for quite the adventure. Both episodes do a brilliant job of getting viewers hooked on the series.

#2 - NUMBERS
Original Airdate: March 2, 2005
Written by Brent Fletcher and David Fury
Directed by Daniel Attias

Hurley, the goofy fat dude played wonderfully by Jorge Garcia, turns out to be the key to the mystery. The episode is mostly comedic, but it unleashes a wealth of information and is an overall satisfying viewing experience.

#1 - WALKABOUT
Original Airdate: October 13, 2004
Written by David Fury
Directed by Jack Bender

John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) is like the Gilligan of the island. He's the only one that's benefitting from it and it is a life-changing experience for the better. This episode tells his tragic backstory, with a brilliant twist ending, and also sets him up as the perfect antagonist for Jack.

The Jacob/MIB flashback episode is among the worst of the series, and provided "answers."

I'm surprised you have The Other 48 Days so high. That's one of the worst episodes of the series in my opinion. I directionally agree with the rest of your rankings though.

If season one of Lost was Lord of the Flies with smoke monsters and polar bears, then season two is The Prisoner but with religious overtones instead of counter-culture commentary. It seems like JBond & Friends believe this is when the series jumped the shark. It is understandable. At this point, the show is no longer about a group of people surviving a strange island. It's about them uncovering the mystery behind the Dharma Initiative. But love it or hate it, some great episodes were produced during this season. And here are my top 10:


#10 & #9 - LIVE TOGETHER, DIE ALONE PARTS 1 & 2
Original Airdate: May 24, 2006
Written by Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof
Directed by Jack Bender

In typical Lost fashion, the season finale doesn't resolve any issues. Instead, it creates more problems. Jack, Kate, and Sawyer are captured by The Others while Locke loses faith and ultimately pays the penalty for it. It's definitely a very frustrating conclusion to the season, but there's no denying that it has you at the edge of your seat the entire time.

#8 - EVERYBODY HATES HUGO
Original Airdate: October 12, 2005
Written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz
Directed by Alan Taylor

When food is discovered inside the hatch, the happy-go-lucky Hurley is put in charge of it. He immediately feels the pressure of it when people want him to "hook them up." In flashbacks, it is revealed how winning the lottery impacted his relationship with his best friend. This episode isn't as good as season one's Numbers but it's a good companion piece.

#7 - MATERNITY LEAVE
Original Airdate: March 1, 2006
Written by Dawn Lambertsen Kelly & Matt Ragghianti
Directed by Jack Bender

In season one, the episode revolving around Claire (the gorgeous Emilie de Ravin) put a lot of stuff into perspective. In season two, it's no different. After blacking out the events of her kidnapping, she finally remembers being taken to a clinic where she was ultimately freed by a mysterious girl. After going on a journey to find it, Kate and her discover it was another hatch. At this point, there's very little doubt about who "The Others" are.

#6 - ?
Original Airdate: May 10, 2006
Written by Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse
Directed by Deran Sarafian

Locke and Mr. Eko discover ANOTHER hatch. This one turns out to be a surveillance center that reveals how meaningless everything has been so far. It's in this episode where Locke goes from the island badass into the weak old man he was beforehand. Locke loses faith and the island will ultimately punish him for it. The religious metaphors are heavy-duty in this episode.

# 5 thru 3- MAN OF SCIENCE, MAN OF FAITH / ADRIFT / ORIENTATION
Original Airdates: September 21, 28, and October 5th of 2005
Writers: Damon Lindelof, Steven Maeda, Leonard Dick, Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Craig Wright
Directors: Jack Bender and Stephen Williams

The hatch is opened, and well, I guess some people hated it. The first three episodes of season 2 take the show on a new direction. Personally, I like it. Revealing that the island is used for scientific experiments and that our survivors might be the subject matters is pretty cool in my opinion. But whatever, to each his own. Or... her own.

#2 - THE 23rd PSALM
Original Airdate: January 11, 2006
Written by Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof
Directed by Matt Earl Beesley

Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) is my favorite addition to season two. In this episode, his backstory is revealed. He's a drug lord from Nigeria who sent the plane full of heroin that crashes on the island. He's also a religious man whose priest brother was killed because of him. Mr. Eko replaces Locke as the spiritual character on the show and I think he's a lot better at it.

#1 - DAVE
Original Airdate: April 5, 2006
Written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz (creators of Once Upon a Time)
Directed by Jack Bender

Hurley's past as a mental institute patient is revealed as he has a mental breakdown on the island. The writers also mindf--k with the audience when they introduce the concept of the entire show taking place inside Hurley's mind. You know... like in St. Elsewhere. Then, they have the nerves to conclude the episode with a twist ending. It's a very ballsy episode.