The 10 Best Episodes of ‘Lost’ You Must Rewatch

We Have to Go Back: The 10 Best ‘Lost’ Episodes

I still think about the TV show Lost all the time. It was such a big part of my life and a significant cultural event. Everyone crowded around the TV to see what was happening week to week.

Decades after its run, Lost remains a landmark in television history. We may never experience a show like it again.

That’s why I’ve been trying to distill it down into its top 10 episodes.

Let’s dive in.

10. “Greatest Hits” (Season 3, Episode 21)

At the end of the third season, we knew Charlie was going to die, but we just didn’t know how. Once he accepted what felt like a suicide mission to go out to disable The Looking Glass station, we kind of had an idea he wouldn’t be coming back.

The episode’s brilliance lies in its unique flashback structure, where Charlie recounts the five best moments of his life, sort of like a greatest hits CD.

9. “The Shape of Things to Come” (Season 4, Episode 9)

The arrival of mercenaries from the freighter escalates the conflict on the island. This is a place evil people have been trying to find, and now they’re here.

Michael Emerson’s Emmy-winning portrayal of Ben Linus has never been better, as he tries to outthink and manipulate these invaders.

8. “Ab Aeterno” (Season 6, Episode 9)

For seasons, the enigmatic and seemingly ageless Richard Alpert was one of Lost’s most compelling mysteries. We had no idea how he could be in so many different time periods.

This mythology-heavy hour not only explains Richard’s immortality but also delves deep into the island’s core conflict between Jacob and the Man in Black.

7. “The Incident” (Season 5, Finale)

The fifth-season finale is a two-part epic that brings the show’s time-travel narrative to a head. The survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, scattered across different time periods, converge on a plan to detonate a hydrogen bomb in the 1970s to prevent the “incident” that led to the creation of the Swan station and, ultimately, their plane crash.

All they want is to return to their normal lives, but this kind of humongous change allows the show to be at its best, battling ethics and excitement as these people make choices to stay alive.

6. “Exodus” (Season 1, Finale)

Truth is, I could have put the entire first season on this list. It’s filled with TV moments that are undeniable and beautiful.

As the castaways attempt to launch a raft for rescue, another group ventures to the mysterious “Black Rock” to retrieve dynamite to blow open the enigmatic hatch.

The episode ends on a now-iconic cliffhanger, as Jack and Locke stare down into the darkness of the newly opened hatch. And we had to wait for the next season to know just what happened.

5. “Pilot” (Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2)

I have a lot of debates with family and friends about if this is the best TV pilot ever. All I know is that it has to be up there.

From the jarring opening shot of Jack’s eye to the chaotic and visceral plane crash aftermath, the episode immediately grabs viewers and doesn’t let go.

It introduces a diverse ensemble cast, establishes the island as a character in itself, and layers in the monstrous sounds in the jungle to the discovery of a 16-year-old French distress call.

The pilot set a standard for what was possible in network television.

4. “The Man Behind the Curtain” (Season 3, Episode 20)

Before he became a complex and sympathetic antihero, Ben Linus was the chilling and manipulative leader of the Others, and we wanted him dead. This episode delves into his backstory, revealing a troubled childhood and a violent rise to power within the DHARMA Initiative. You sort of root for his takeover and understand why he is the way he is, even if it’s infuriating.

3. “Walkabout” (Season 1, Episode 4)

At the time, this might have been one of the most shocking twists in all of television history.

We learn that the resourceful John Locke was a paraplegic before the crash and is now on the island, able to walk around. This was when the show’s flashback structure was used to deliver a powerful and unexpected emotional punch.

You kind of never forget how surprised you were watching.

2. “Through the Looking Glass” (Season 3, Finale)

The two-part season three finale is a game-changer. On the island, the survivors make a desperate attempt to contact a nearby freighter, leading to Charlie’s heroic and tragic sacrifice. “Not Penny’s Boat” became a rallying cry for fans everywhere.

But then that episode also delivered the off-island storyline, which appears to be another of Jack’s flashbacks until the final scene reveals it to be a flash-forward as Jack desperately calls out, “We have to go back!”

It changed the entire series and was another huge swing that sucked people in.

1. “The Constant” (Season 4, Episode 5)

Widely regarded as not only the best episode of Lost but also one of the greatest episodes of television ever produced, “The Constant” is a masterpiece.

You can just go watch this episode now if you need to, I know I might.

The episode centers on Desmond Hume, whose consciousness begins to uncontrollably jump between 1996 and 2004. To save himself, he must find a “constant” in both timelines. That constant is his love for Penny, the woman he’s supposed to be with, whose father has sent him away.

When Lost was at its best, it was a grounded look at people in unfathomable circumstances. This episode exemplified that.

Summing It All Up

Lost was one of my favorite shows, and these episodes make me want to start a rewatch as soon as possible.

Did I leave off any of the episodes you thought would be on here?

Let me know your favorite episode in the comments.