We make our own luck.

[ozmissage]

Can I just say it was ridiculously hard to narrow all of the awesome in season three down to 25 moments? Let’s bear in mind that I had already used a bunch of clips (like the aloe scene and the cabin and “We have to go back!”) in previous lists and they were therefore disqualified by my own weird set of rules and it was still impossible to keep it at 25.

This season I just…I can’t even begin to explain how much I love it. This was the year when the media was like, Lost what is happening to you? And I was like it is being awesome that’s what’s happening, shut up media! The facts are these: this season introduced Juliet Burke (who would have completely dominated this list had she not had her own). This season had a beautiful, moving Charlie plot that was respectful both to the character and to my intelligence as a viewer (unlike some seasons *cough* season 2 *cough*). This season had New Otherton, creepy cabins, Anthony Cooper, a delightful meta/Twilight Zone episode and freaking “Flashes Before Your Eyes”. It had Nathan Fillion! Come on, what else could we possibly ask for?

Full disclosure: this list is super biased. Like more so than usual. You are going to read the names Charlie, Juliet, Des, and Hurley many, many times. I think I temporarily forgot Jin/Sun existed. They’ll be back tomorrow.

Clips (many, many clips) under the cut.

My 25 (yeah, right) Favorite Season Three Moments

1. “I’m going to ride shotgun.”

There is a very personal reason I love this episode. I’m not going to get into that, but let’s just say it aired at the exact moment I needed to see it. The whole we make our own luck thing and then the car working and “Shambala” playing---it leaves me sobbing and smiling and OMG I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

2. Juliet sees Julian on the monitor.

I loved Juliet the minute I saw her, but this was the scene that made me trust her completely and unapologetically. She just wanted to go home. That’s all. Sometimes the universe is made of fail.

Elizabeth Mitchell is beyond brilliant in this ep (in all eps really.)

3. “Well, how about that? Sawyer’s my name too…”

I’m not sure Lost has ever been darker or better than it was in “The Brig”. This sequence makes me queasy and achy all at once. Holloway proved once and for all he was more than a pretty face in this episode.

Sawyer kills Cooper

4. Charlie leaves his ring for Aaron/Hugs Hurley.

Charlie Pace is a big damn hero, there’s just no way around it. The hug! My boys!

5. Not Penny’s Boat.

I’m sorry I can’t talk about this without a box of tissues and a pint of cookie dough ice cream nearby, you’ll have to provide your own narration.

6. Flashes Before Your Eyes. All of it.

Umm…so I tried to pick one moment, I really did. There was drunken singing and “No Matter what I do, you’re going to die Charlie!” There was also Eloise being creepy, the “Wonderwall” scene (included for your viewing pleasure), Des waking up in the red paint, his plea for a second chance, the hit with a cricket bat bit…you see what I mean? It’s a perfect episode of television, I can’t choose.

7. Jack sees the Red Sox win the World Series.
This was such a brilliant use of something real, it was almost shocking to see something as normal as a baseball game on Lost. And it’s so meaningful to Jack it makes for a truly beautiful moment.

8. Room 23.

This craziness made me completely spazz out. So weird. So awesome.

9. Baby Ben meets Richard.

This episode made me feel for Benjermin Linus. I kind of wanted Richard to rescue Ben from his crappy life. Also, the concept of Richard’s eternal hotness was introduced.

10. “Forgive me.”

Jack Shephard on the bridge, saying one last plea to the heavens---Emo!Jack was the best Jack, yes?

11. Desmond meets Penny.

Even their first meeting was epically adorable.

12. Hi, Captain Tightpants!/ “Taco night? I don’t do taco night.”

Hey remember that time Nathan Fillion was on Lost? As a super hot/sweet cop? Those were good times, man.

And that line? Best. Line. Ever.

(It is also a testament to my family’s geekiness that we can not mention the word taco in our house without someone reenacting that scene.)

13. Boone plays spirit guide.

This episode is among the absolute worst of the series, but this scene kind of rocked in a really terrifying way. And the afterlife has been really hard on Boone’s hair.

14. Hurley saves the day./Sayid kills an Other. With his feet.

Just what it says on the tin. Those are some hardcore hell yeah moments.

15. Juliet sees the island for the first time.

This is so beautiful and so ominous. If only she had known what she was getting herself into.

16. “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody.”

Ben quoting Of Mice and Men back at Sawyer is one of my all time favorite moments. Plus, that’s just a really gorgeous shot.

17. Amira forgives Sayid.

This episode is hard to watch, but it tells a very graceful, raw Sayid story. Amira’s speech about the cat was delivered perfectly. Her mercy towards Sayid and his admittance to his guilt are both incredibly moving.

18. “You’re next.”

Loosing Eko ticked me off, but I’m glad he went out like the badass he was.

19. “Don’t give up on us.”

Claire’s letter as read by Charlie is so simple, but it absolutely breaks me. The way it’s coded to be both a plea for help and her way of telling Charlie she’s not giving up on him was quite clever.

20. Locke’s dad pushes him out of a window.

Anthony Cooper was such a cold, bastard. Poor Locke, this show has heaped more misery on him than any one man could ever possibly deserve.

21. Jack shanghais the surgery.

Reason #575 why I love Jack Shephard.

22. Juliet and Sawyer banter.

Look at my baby ship! I had no idea that a mere season later these two would become my emotional center for the series.

23. Jack beats up Ben.

Yeah, that was pretty satisfying. Ben is kind of evil sometimes.

24. Hurley pawns Sawyer at ping pong.

Hurley and Sawyer scenes are always fun, they’re even better when they involve Hurley conning the con man. Plus, Sawyer not knowing who Nikki and Paulo were never got old.

25. The Purge.

Creepy, sad, and a really terrifying Ben moment. Have I mentioned I love this season?

Bonus because I don’t care if I’ve already talked about them these scenes are epic:

Comments

[cantbesilent.livejournal.com]

SEASON THREEEEEEE. MY FAAAAAAAAVORITE. which is ironic considering that while it was happening it was like my own personal hell, at least for a bit. but in retrospect, I dunno. The flashbacks for the original losties got kinda weak, and you can def feel the different in s4 since they were working with an end date, but s3 has such a classic lost feel since they still had the traditional format but yet it has more of a mythological depth.

s3, IMO, has the best season opener and the best season ender of all the seasons. plus: juliet. win.

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

but s3 has such a classic lost feel since they still had the traditional format but yet it has more of a mythological depth.

I think that's why I love it so much. It was kind of like a bridge between two sections of the show, the old days with the simple flashback structure and time for meadering and the action adventure/flash-forwarding/Sideways show it was about to become.

And of course there was Juliet. Sometimes I forget there was a Lost before that woman.

[hondagirll.livejournal.com]

I actually never finished this season. A friend of mine had lent me her dvd's and I did a marathon, but the show lost me halfway through S3 (And to be honest, Kate jumping between Jack and Sawyer kind of annoyed me). I picked it up again for S4 and of course S5 but I still haven't seen most of S3. Hhhhhmmmm...I might need to remeidy that. :)

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Heh. It's a required taste for sure. There's a lot of filler episodes and the triangle was a big thing that year (which honestly anoyed me to because I never had a pony in that race, I wasn't a shipper until Juliet and Sawyer started making eyes at one another.) But it was so much fun, despite all that. You should definitely check it out when you get a chance. :)

[aurilly.livejournal.com]

Season 3 (when I ignore the first few eps) is really really really close to being my favorite season. I love it so much. Charlie's death will always be the most moving tv death I've ever seen. The goodbye with Hurley is like... I was in denial that he would really die, so I refused to take it seriously.

I found the car episode boring at the time, but in retrospect, I am so glad for it. Not only did it set up so much great stuff (Hurley to the rescue, Ben's dad, Dharmaville), but it was the epitome of the fun friendship time that I miss so much.

And the "We have to go back" will never be topped as the greatest mindfuck of all time.

This show... sigh.

So, I really wanted to like the Red Sox moment, because I GOT how brilliantly normal it was but... I'm from The Bronx. The Sox beat the Yankees that year. In my freaking borough. Grrrrr.

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

The goodbye with Hurley is like... I was in denial that he would really die, so I refused to take it seriously.

I kept thinking they'd give Charlie a reprieve, so I was devastated when he actually died. That hurt so freaking much.

"Tricia Tanaka" is in my top 10 Lost eps. It was such a fun, hopeful episode and given how things were going for Charlie and Hurley at that point it felt so earned. I love those boys. :)

Aww, see that's where not being invested in baseball pays off. Heh. I'm such a bad sports person.

[valhalla37.livejournal.com]

Mid-S3 is actually where I kind of gave up on Lost temporarily (the cage arc, minus the awesome Jack/Juliet stuff was just too painful), but there is so much that's redeeming, and the season finale was just AMAZING. I loved how they did Charlie's death, and Desmond and the introduction of Juliet. It's amazing to be three years later and see how important they all are now still.