This page includes information about my favorite things on Lost.

1. The Brig - This episode completely floored me the first time I saw it and continues to impress me on subsequent viewings.  The story, the acting, the emotions...everything came together to create one of the most mesmerizing hours of television ever.  Although it was a Locke centric episode, Sawyer was the star, and Josh Holloway was simply amazing throughout as he conveyed almost every emotion known to man throughout Sawyer's journey.  Who knew that when he started the day flirting with Kate in his tent that he would only hours later come face to face with the man who ruined his life (that is if you don't read spoilers or hadn't figured out by this episode that Locke's dad was the original Sawyer)?  In the sea of tragic pasts on this show, I believe that Sawyer's and Locke's are the most tragic, and (surprise, surprise) the same man was the cause of both of their suffering.  I don't know if I'll ever forgive Locke for forcing Sawyer into such a situation that has most likely traumatized him even moreso than the night that his father shot himself in front of him, but I do understand that both men needed Anthony Cooper to suffer as they did at his hand.  Sawyer looked like a child when he realized who was sitting in front of him, and I believe he just wanted the man to show some remorse for what he did.  Sawyer was not planning on killing anyone, but when Cooper proved himself to be every bit the monster Sawyer thought he was, he snapped.  There have been a few scenes throughout the series that stand out for no reason other than the shear emotion conveyed in them, and the scene where Sawyer takes out the letter and then kills Cooper is one of them for me.  He spent his whole life chasing this man who regretted nothing and had no apologies and Sawyer just looked so broken after he did the deed.  Josh Holloway and Terry O' Quinn have turned in some great performances throughout the show, but this episode showcased them both in top form.  There was a b-plot in this episode about the happy campers keeping Naomi a secret from the rest of the camp and Kate blabbing about it to Jack, but the main story totally eclipsed that one.  Sayid's little smirk when he found out that no one trusted Jack anymore was awesome though, wasn't it?

2. I Do - While the whole season 3 mini-arc did little to appease many fans of the show, the fans of Sawyer/Kate were rewarded greatly.  Throughout the first four episodes of the third season, Sawyer and Kate grew closer and closer, brought together because of their captivity with the Others and Sawyer's impending death.  In this episode, all of their feelings for each other were pushed forward as it looked like Pickett was definitely going to make good on his word to kill Sawyer.  Sawyer and Kate's relationship had been building throughout the course of the show, and being in such extreme situations forced them to act upon their love for one another because they may not have gotten another chance.  The characters of Sawyer, Kate, and even Jack were able to show how much they had grown in this episode, as Kate stopped running, Sawyer realized that he could love and be loved in return, and Jack learned to let go.  The scene with Eko's funeral could have been left out because it didn't exactly fit (seeing as how it was the only scene not on Alcatraz), but the flashbacks and the rest of the episode flowed together nicely.  The flashbacks were Kate's and they showed how far she would go for love, even though she was a fugitive.  Her flashbacks all have a commonality in that she always seems to "fall in love" with noble, upstanding men who she views as "good" (Tom the doctor and Kevin the cop).  I loved how this was contrasted with her choosing a fellow criminal, Sawyer, and it was only in this relationship that she was able to truly be herself and let down her barriers.  I also loved how Kate showed her love for Sawyer by staying curled up in his arms and answering him with a kiss instead of in words because as we were shown in her flashbacks, her numerous declarations of love to her husband didn't mean much in the end.  Kate seemed to follow her head more than her heart in the past, choosing to be with who she thought she should be with, but her heart finally won out in this case.  The last scene where Sawyer was about to be executed was one of the best in the entire show.  Evi and Josh did an amazing job throughout the entire episode, but in that last scene they pulled out everything and conveyed the emotions of their characters beautifully.

3. Tricia Tanaka is Dead - This episode starred Hurley who was on a mission of hope after finding a wrecked VW van turned over in the jungle.  He enlisted the help of Jin and Sawyer to get the van up and running so that he and Charlie could "look death in the face and say whatever man."  His flashbacks may not have revealed much about his character, but they complemented the main story nicely, what with his yearning to make his own luck and find hope in desperate situations.  Sawyer finally made his way back to camp with Kate and while his relationship skills need a lot of work (she wanted to start over, why'd he push her away?), he was ready to apologize to her by the end (if only she didn't start running again grrrr).  Oh well, with Kate gone Sawyer was able to participate in some much needed male bonding.  Sawyer was wrong when he said that Jack was the closest thing to a friend he had; Hurley, Jin, and even Charlie care more about him and seemed to be enjoying his company.  I mean, how adorable was that bear hug that Hurley captured Sawyer in?  How cool was it that he also stood up to Sawyer and his unending barrage of new nicknames ("Shut up!  Red...neck...man")?  And how awesome was it that Jack wasn't even in the episode at all?  This episode was so much fun yet didn't ever fall into "campy" territory.  It felt very much like a Lost episode even with the overload of humor and jokes, and I commend the writers and actors greatly for that.  It could have ended up being too silly and slapstick, but it didn't, and that may have been because many of the scenes were very heartfelt and touching.  Even though you knew that Hurley and Charlie were going to make it in the end, the slow motion drive down the hill was pretty tense.  I just loved the end with all the guys and Vincent piled into the van to have a bit of fun.  I also loved when they returned to camp and Sawyer was watching Charlie with Claire and Jin with Sun and then it faded from him to Kate in the jungle.  The episode did not do much to progress the overall story, but I really enjoyed it and it was a much needed break from the drama and triangle mess that had begun to overrun much of the show.

4. Pilot - While I did not start watching the show until the end of the first season, I was still swept away by the magic that was the two pilot episodes.  I really liked how the flashback mechanism wasn't fully used in these episodes but to give a small peek into who the main characters were, and to make you want to find out more about them.  The main drawing point of the show for me is the intriguing characters.  I am interested in the mysteries and mythology of the island as well, but it is the characters that truly pique my interest.  I mean, who wasn't yearning to find out more about the bald man with the cool scar sitting out in the rain?  Who didn't want to learn about that rough looking guy smoking a cigarette?  While I already knew who these characters were, those little glimpses even made me want to figure out how and why they evolved over the course of season one.  The one thing that was made apparent about every single one of the characters was that they all had secrets and were trying their best to hide them and have a fresh start.  Although I think that the episode was a little Jack and Kate heavy, they are the "main" characters and had to be set up as so in the pilot.  I think it's really funny that it was all but shoved down our throats how Jack and Kate liked each other and were going to be the relationship in their many scenes together, yet the short Sawyer and Kate scene with the gun conveyed way more sparks and chemistry.  I really liked how Charlie was so prominently featured, and it makes me kind of sad that he got shoved to the background in favor of Sawyer as the show progressed (I'm not complaining though, as Sawyer is my favorite character; Charlie my second).  The group of characters introduced in the pilot are the people that viewers relate to and want to see.  Every season new characters are introduced and then die for no reason except to have someone die (Ana Lucia, Libby, Eko, Nikki, and Paolo).  Killing off characters can be a great plot device, but I believe that it is overused and the writers should try and create drama without resorting to having more characters die.  The pilot episodes as well as the entire first season prove that the story can progress and be interesting with only the original characters.  The Others and Desmond are great additions to the cast, but it is that core group of crash survivors that the majority of the audience cares about and wants to see more of.  Watching the first season just makes me wish that the show could get back to that greatness, and I believe that could happen if more focus would be put on those original characters that we came to know and love (or love to hate) in the first season.

5. Confidence Man - This was the first Sawyer episode, and it really gave us a glimpse into who the character is.  Up until this episode, Sawyer was portrayed as a jerk, always causing trouble and only looking out for himself, but he was really humanized in "Confidence Man".  Sawyer is a con man who steals people's money for a living, but we were shown why he does this and his inner turmoil between right and wrong in this episode.  Josh Holloway is an amazing actor, and even before this episode he portrayed Sawyer as a troubled soul and made you really care about the guy - no matter what bad things he may do.  Sawyer has been through so much pain throughout his life and seems to in some ways seek it out as well.  He could have simply told everyone that he didn't have Shannon's inhalers, but instead he allowed Sayid to torture him and incurred the wrath of Kate after he conned a kiss out of her.  He believes that he deserves the pain that he is given because of the choices he made in life, but in his flashbacks we see that he does have a conscience.  James is not "Sawyer".  He may be in the same occupation as the man who ruined his life, but he has the capacity to become a good man.  This episode really brought the main love triangle into full view as Kate realized that her original thoughts of who Sawyer is were not quite correct.  He allows her closer than anyone else on the island, or even in his life, to seeing his true colors and that scares him.  Unlike the others on the island, Kate sees that there is more to Sawyer than meets the eye and wants to understand him, as can be seen by her figuring out his letter.  The b-plot of this episode had to do with Charlie's quest for peanut butter for Claire.  With so many dark and violent scenes and themes going through this episode, Charlie and Claire were a ray of sunlight.  I love their relationship as well as Sawyer and Kate's, and this episode showed the beginning of both if their stories together.  All in all, this was a well balanced episode that gave us a great amount of information on who Sawyer is and what his motivations are driven by.  While we may not agree with all of his actions, this episode allowed us to at least understand why he does what he does.

James "Sawyer" Ford - When I first started watching Lost (the last episode of season 1), Sawyer really didn't even register to me, and in the first few episodes of season 2, he is fighting for his life after being shot on the raft.  I didn't really have a grasp on his character until I was able to watch season 1 in its entirety, and then I became a full on Sawyer fan girl.  There seems to be a divide between the female fans of Lost in that you either like Sawyer or you like Jack.  Now, I usually gravitate towards the main character of a show, the hero, the do gooder, the one in charge, but Jack really turns me off.  Sawyer may not be the "hero" of the show, but that's only because he doesn't go out of his way to be seen as one.  He got shot trying to save Walt from the Others, saved Michael from drowning, and was willing to die for Kate, but no one outside of those situations know of his good deeds. 

Sawyer is probably the most complex character on the show (outside of the Others and Kate - she's just complex because she's written inconsistently), and it is really intriguing to watch him struggle between his old habits and what he knows is right.  All of the characters on the show have their issues, but for some reason Sawyer seems to be the most emotionally stunted to me.  Underneath all of the walls he has built up over the years since his parents death, there is James - the man he could have been had his life not become so screwed up.  Sawyer is not a bad person, he just doesn't want to allow himself to be hurt by anyone, so he tended to lash out first in the past.  By being forced to interact with the same people for who knows how long, Sawyer has come to realize that he can care for others and others can care for him.  Allowing Kate into his heart and admitting his feelings for her is huge for his character.  For almost thirty years he has looked out only for himself and done whatever he needed to to get by, but the plane crash has changed him for the better.  Yes, he did kill the real Mr. Sawyer, but who wasn't okay with his reaction?  He didn't plan to kill him, but all of the hurt and rage exploded when Cooper tore up that letter.  Sawyer's whole life was focused on finding the man that ruined it, and now he has to deal with the repercussions of his actions. 

I love how if you watch the show from beginning to now, you can see the transformation of Sawyer, especially with regards to Kate and Hurley.  He still has loads of emotional baggage to deal with and is still one to speak before he thinks, but he is growing as a person and really trying to do better.  Josh Holloway is so talented and steals every scene that he is in, and as long as Sawyer is still on the show, I'm watching it.