Lost Best Episodes Season 3

Lost Season 3 Best Episodes

I believe Season three was an obvious step down in quality for Lost. There was too many stories going on and lots of episodes only contained one story while totally forgetting about others. The pace was a lot different, things were just not as suspenseful. The whole being prisoners of the others was just not as entertaining as the island. I'd say like Season 2, there were two main story arcs, one at the beginning – Jack, Kate, and Sawyer being prisoners of the Others/repercussions of the hatch explosion- and one at the end – mystery parachute lady/Charlie dying/Others coming – and then in the middle character building episodes usually focusing on a single character, but unlike season 2, these episodes for the most part were pretty weak, and as you'll see by my picks for best episode, the ending arc was by far the best part of the season.

5. Episode 20 - The Man Behind the Curtain
Island: Ben takes Locke to see Jacob then shoots Locke and leaves him for dead
Flashback: Flashbacks at multiple points in Ben's life, culminating in the gassing and death of the Dharma initiative.

This episode answers a lot of questions about Ben, who by this point in the season is one of the show's main characters. This episode also raises more questions about Ben, the Others, and the Dharma Initiative. There are lots of connections to season 5 when the island goes back in time. Not too much really happens other than the flashback, but you can see Ben's hold on the Others slipping and the importance of Richard Alpert.

4. Episode 11 – Enter 77
Island – Locke, Sayid, and Kate find another Dharma station – the Flame, staffed by Mikhail and Bea (in secret). In the end, Mikhail kills Bea and is taken hostage by Locke and co. and Locke blows up the station.
Flashback: Sayid is captured by one of the people he formerly tortured.

This is the earliest episode I have on the season 3 countdown, so this shows you how much I like the whole Hydra sequence. Like almost every great Lost episodes (as seen by Seasons 3's top 2 episodes) this one contains a nice trek. Locke, Sayid, and Kate are looking for the Others in order to save Jack and stumble upon this new Dharma station. I think this is a great use of the Others, because you really don't know who Mikhail is or how much of what he is saying is true. Lots of questions are raised again, especially with Locke blowing up the place. This episode, though a little quicker than previous seasons, harkens back to the great suspense of classic Lost. You really want to know what will happen, and in this case, it happens quickly and is action packed.

3. Episode 21 – Greatest Hits
Island: Jack and Sayid make a plan to kill the Others and get off the island
Flashback: Charlie's "greatest hits"

Episodes 21-23 can really be seen as on big story and this is the beginning of it. It is setting the scene for the big action to come. This is one of the best uses of flashbacks, showing Charlie's top 5 life moments in flashback form. It is kind of corny, but works well in the end. I was never a real fan of Charlie until watching this episode, definitely the best Charlie ep.

2. Episodes 22 & 23 – Through the Looking Glass
Island: Charlie and Desmond get into The Looking glass and disable the jamming equipment. Charlie dies. Sayid, Jin, Bernard, Sawyer, and Hurley kill the Others trying to take them out. Jack leads the survivors to the radio tower and gets the phone to work. It looks like everyone is going to be saved!
Flashback/Flashforward: You think it is a flashback, but then "We have to go back!"

Lots of action, good use simultaneous stories here. The big events are Charlie dying and Jack phoning the boat. But then, before you even know that the survivors are saved, you know that things are not good back home and Jack wants to go back. Everything that happens here definitely sets up the stories in season 4. Great scenes with Ben and Jack and Charlie.

1. Episode 17 – Catch 22
Island: Desmond has a vision of Charlie dying and someone he believes to be Penny coming to the island. Desmond, Charlie, Hurley, and Jin trek into the jungle guided only by Desmond's vision
Flashback: Desmond was a monk? Is that why he says "brother" so much? Desmond meets Penny.

This one gets the nod as best episode of the season mainly because it is just one episode while Through the Looking Glass is two. So much happens in this one hour and I think it is almost perfectly crafted. It is all about the trek, which I mentioned earlier. It balances humor, fear, excitement, and suspense very well. The dramatic irony is great, as you are in the same position as the characters. It builds to Charlie not dying and the person being found in the parachute not being Penny. This really gets the ball rolling for the end of season 3 and most of season 4. The flashback, though simple, shows why it is so important for Desmond not to be a coward and to be good enough for Penny.


Season 3 Best Lost Moments
Charlie dying in Through the Looking Glass
Charlie and Desmond's boat conversation in Greatest Hits
"We have to go Back!"

Sun and Jin reuniting in the water after she jumped off the boat in Glass Ballerina – lots of emotion
The first inkling that Desmond can see the future in Further Instructions and his great fashion statement wearing Hurley's large tie dyed shirt and nothing else
Seeing the Eye Patch Guy on the camera for the first time in The Cost of Living
Hurley getting the van started in Trisha Tanaka is Dead
"The Pigs are walking" Animal Farm citing by Arzt in the Expose flashback, saying that Jack, Kate, Locke are making too many decisions for the rest of them. And one note on Expose, it was an OK episode, but I really liked it as a recap episode, reliving some of the important island moments through someone else's eyes.
Jack and Sawyer man hug it out after Jack finally comes back to the beach in One of the Them
Great syncing of the end of Catch 22 and the first meeting of Desmond and Penny in flashback
Sawyer Kill Anthony Cooper in The Brig as well as an interesting Locke/Richard Alpert conversation, which like a lot of Alpert stuff makes more sense after season 5
Shaggy, same age Richard Alpert in The Man Behind the Curtain
Sayid's leg neck break in Looking Glass
Also in the final episode Jack's not giving up the phone to Ben which he thought killed Jin, Bernard, and Sayid, and later Jack learning that those three were in fact not dead


Character Stock Market:
Desmond – moving up very quickly
Charlie – Moving up
Hurley – fat
Juliet – lots of people telling you to buy, but I would not
Jack – some ups some downs
Kate – slowly losing ground
Sawyer – moving up
Bernard – surprisingly moving up
Jin – large increase in value
Ben – man, buy even though you don't like it
Sayid – steady
Claire – don't bother