I've been online searching for a comprehensive list of great Lost episodes for about two days and couldn't really find one, so I decided to write one myself. Considering these are my favorites I guarantee I'm not gonna get universally positive reviews, but I don't really care too much about that, as long as some people enjoy this list and I can get it out of my head. I also chose the number 15 because ten was too hard and really, so was 15; I actually had 19 that I absolutely wanted on the list however 19 is an odd number, and some characters had several episodes so I left off things like Lockdown and Further Instructions in order to get more main character variety.
14- Flashes Before Your Eyes (Season 3, Episode 8)
Featured Character: Desmond
Synopsis
Desmond is settling in as just another castaway, hanging out on the beach, mingling; when all of a sudden he races to the water, swims out and rescues a barely breathing Claire who no one else even realized was drowning. His bizarre behavior lead Charlie and Hurley to believe that Desmond can see in to the future, so they all get drunk together and after some good singing and debauchery, Desmond gets angry after Charlie and Hurley begin asking him more personal questions. We then see what happened to Desmond after the hatch was blown open. He awakens in the past, while he was still with Penny and before the island ever comes into the picture. However, unlike any other flashbacks, Desmond is completely aware of what's going on.
Throughout the course of the flashback, Desmond goes through an internal struggle; he is trying to relive his life the right way (a desire everyone has), however he knows in his heart that it's not right and that if he doesn't fulfill his purpose(pushing the button alone for three years) than the world will end. The struggle that the character goes through is remarkable, watching and feeling a terrible thing happen to you and having to relive it again, exactly as it happened before.
After the flashbacks work themselves up to real time, the audience realizes that Desmond can see the future because he's already lived some of it, and the episode ends with a mind-blower; Desmond hasn't been trying to save Claire to win her affection, he's been hovering around Charlie because he knows that Charlie is going to die.Why it's on this List- Desmond has really become one of my favorite characters on the show. The scene with Hurley, Charlie and Desmond getting drunk is classic, I love it when the survivors have some fun.
Furthermore, I have always loved the concept of time travel, and I felt that this was done very well. I always try to place myself in the situation of the characters I see on TV and see if I would feel the way they do. And Desmond in this episode was as confused, scared and angry about this trick that time has thrown him. And when he finally admitted to himself that he couldn't change the future and his destiny, he was so defeated inside, and I know that feeling. I also loved when his whole strange behavior is finally revealed and the bombshell about Charlie is dropped, one of a series of phenomenal endings.
Importance to the Storyline
This episode was the beginning of a major story arch that ran through, and concluded with, the entire rest of season 3: the death of Charlie. It also did something even more important for lost fans; it created a new major character. Up until this point no one really knew what to think of Desmond. Had he had his time in the spotlight already and was going to simply be an accessory character? Or was his character going to jump to the forefront and become one of the major players at the beach, along with Sawyer. Well, Desmond Hume has been one of the best Lost characters thus far in the series and this was the episode that made everyone realize that. Desmond is special, a trait that the writer's tried to pull off with Walt several times and never really succeeded.
