Number 4: Episodes 1×01 & 1×02 – “Pilot”
Featured Character: Jack, Kate, Charlie
Major Events & Revelations: Oceanic Flight 815 crashes onto the island
How could I compile a list of Lost’s best and most significant 
episodes and not include where it all started? And to be honest, this isn’t an obligatory inclusion, where hindsight affords us the ability to realize how important the episode truly was. While this gamble worked out better than I believe anybody could have possibly imagined, Lost was a tremendous risk. And there was a remarkable burden on the premiere to succeed. But instead of playing it safe, this episode made viewers perfectly aware of what they were getting themselves into. For some unknown reason, there’s a polar bear on a tropical island. And a message from a French woman that has been playing nonstop for 16 years. Oh, yeah, there’s a mysterious monster too! And perhaps most unique of all, the episode kicked off moments AFTER the climatic crash, and everything we learned about the characters (and the crash) would be told through flashbacks.
And in two hours time, we met our surprisingly large cast, learning just enough about them that we become emotionally engaged, but not quite enough so that we remain mentally intrigued. There’s Jack Shephard, our hero; Kate Austen, the seemingly sweet girl next door who is actually a fugitive; Sawyer, the hot headed redneck; John Locke, the mysterious survivalist; Michael Dawson, the struggling father; Walt Lloyd, the confused son; Sayid Jarrah, the peaceful soldier; Shannon Rutherford, the spoiled brat who would rather sunbath than help; Boone Carlyle, the well meaning protective brother; Hurley Reyes, the lovable nice guy; Claire Littleton, the frightened pregnant woman; Jin Kwon, the domineering husband; Sun Kwon, the doting wife; and Charlie Pace, the drug addict rock star.
And at its core, Lost is a series built on characters and relationships. Through time, we’d learn that Jack, our hero, is actually significantly flawed and has severe trust issues. Kate is self destructive in the sense that she doesn’t recognize that her actions have consequences. Despite many of his social flaws, Sawyer is ultimately a loyal and selfless guy. Against our assumptions, it turns out that Michael and Walt barely knew each other before crashing onto the island. While he attempts to deny such, Sayid very much so still has a mean streak. Locke is actually exceptionally vulnerable and easy to manipulate. Hurley is a psychopath. Claire was going to give her baby up for adoption. Jin sold his soul to the devil and Sun was going to leave him. And Boone and Shannon….well, let’s just say their twisted relationship laughs at a mere kiss between Luke and Leia.
The pilot was the make it or break it moment for Lost. The viewing television audience can be very quick to judge and unforgiving when a series takes them out of their comfort zone, and once they make their decision on a show, it’s sometimes an impossible task turning them around (not to mention it was also reportedly the most expensive pilot in the network’s history, meaning ABC could have been equally unforgiving if the reception was the slightest bit unfavorable). So I commend Lost for unapologetically serving viewers a show that would feature the strange and unexplainable. The two hour premiere very easily could have ended with the audience saying, “This crap is drivel.” Instead, when Charlie Pace uttered that now famous line “Guys, where are we?” at the conclusion of the episode, fans answered with, “I want to know!”
Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
