There’s a lot that made Lost the phenomena of the 2000s but its most endearing aspect was its characters.
Lost took special care to flesh out these characters in a way that made the viewer care. It used a unique form of storytelling that focused heavily on flashbacks to help the viewer better understand each character.
As you came to care about these characters, you went through the emotions with them. That’s why when they died, it hit hard.
Character deaths, for me, rank right up there with plot twists as some of the most impactful moments from Lost. Let’s take a trip back to the island and revisit and rank some of the saddest deaths in show history.
Spoiler Alert: This article will discuss various character deaths and plot points from the six seasons of Lost (2004-10).
5.) Libby Smith
The second season of Lost was unique because it introduced us to a slew of new characters from the plane’s tail section. The survivors long thought this section of the plane was long gone as the tail section broke away prior to impact.
Among those in the tail section was Libby Smith and she quickly formed a bond with Hurley. The two continued their relationship and were about to go on a date until Michael accidently shot her.
Not only is this death sad because of the budding romance between Libby and Hurley, but it’s because of the accidental nature of her death. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, picking up blankets for her picnic date with Hurley.
You never know what would’ve happened if she wasn’t there but the nature of her not doing anything wrong is what makes this sad. Ana Lucia’s death is fairly sad as well, but it’s Libby’s that hits hard.
4.) Juliet Burke
When we first meet Juliet, she is part of the Others and you question her motives. Like Ben, you never know if you can trust her.
By the fifth season, that mantra shows its cracks as she begins a relationship with Sawyer. Coupling their relationship and her character development makes her death impactful.
The viewer believes she dies at the end of the fifth season when she falls into the pit and detonates the bomb, resetting the timeline. At the beginning of the sixth season, she is found alive but in critical condition, eventually dying from her injuries.
Juliet was a solid character and one that I didn’t realize I loved as much as I did until she died. This feeling is enhanced when you see Sawyer’s grief when she dies. This painful death made their reunion in the finale that much sweeter.
3.) John Locke
Locke might be a weird one to put in this spot because while the John Locke we knew died in the fifth season, his presence lives on. We see him dead in the fourth season in a flash forward but he lives in the main timeline.
In a fifth-season flash forward, Locke attempts to convince the Oceanic Six to return to the island but fails. Locke attempts suicide in his hotel room after failing his mission only for Ben to stop him. After some discussion, Ben murders Locke and stages the scene to look like a suicide.
What adds to the sadness of this death is the Man in Black, posing as a resurrected Locke, tells Ben in the sixth season that Locke’s last thought was “I don’t understand.”
Locke always believed in destiny and had faith in the island. To see him lose that faith was disheartening. He briefly regains it only for Ben to snuff it out. While the Man in Black posing as Locke cheapens the impact of the death, it doesn’t make it any less sad.
2.) Charlie Pace
Many lists I’ve seen have Charlie’s death as the top spot. It’s definitely a powerful one and rightly deserves discussion.
Throughout the third season, Desmond tells Charlie that he has premonitions of the future and no matter what he does, Charlie will die. Over the course of the season, you see Charlie fight his fate only to accept it by the end.
Prior to the third season finale, Charlie decides to write a greatest hits of his life, adding to the weight of his fatal mission in the finale. In the end, Charlie sacrifices himself for the greater good, relaying a famous message to Desmond that the freighter is not what the survivors believe.
The writers intended for this death to be emotional and succeeded on all counts. The cinematography and music add to the scene. Fans loved Charlie during his time so seeing him go was heartbreaking.
Viewer kept hoping Desmond was wrong, and it almost looked like he was, but ultimately, fate won.
1.) Sun and Jin Kwon
Yes, this spot has two characters, but it’s my list. Besides, Sun and Jin have always come as a package deal.
These two have a complicated relationship that involved infidelity and oppression. Still, the two persevered and their time on the island ultimately brought them together.
Sun and Jin separated for a time as Sun left the island and Jin was left behind must to their dismay. Sun believed Jin to be dead and continued to live after giving birth to their child, a miracle conceived on the island as they could not have kids prior to arriving.
The two finally reunite in the sixth season in emotional fashion. Shortly thereafter, the two drown in a submarine after saving several of the survivors.
What makes these deaths so sad is Sun begged Jin to leave her because she was trapped, but Jin told her he would never leave her again as the two died together. They died embracing each other as water filled the sub.
This is another death that was shot to perfection and made the viewer feel. Sure, many could argue that it was selfish for Jin not to escape and see his daughter, but that doesn’t take away from the emotional impact of these deaths.
Honorable Mention
It wouldn’t be a ranking without some honorable mentions. Here are some deaths that didn’t quite make the cut.
- Michael Dawson: Michael was a terrible person in the second season, but goes out in a selfless act of delaying a bomb on the freighter just enough for people to escape.
- Jack Shepherd: Ok, so this one is pretty much implied in the final scene of the show, but Jack’s character loomed large over the show as it began and ended with Jack lying in the jungle.
- Shannon Rutherford: An accidental death of an innocent bystander left Sayid, in particular, in shambles. This hurts more because Ana Lucia accidently shoots her just after Sayid professes his love to her.
- Boone Carlyle: Lost‘s first major casualty and it hit like a freight train. Boone was attempting to radio for help in a plane that eventually fell off of a cliff.
- Sayid Jarrah: Sayid was a powerful character who met an untimely demise only to rise again to serve the Man in Black. Ultimately, he sacrifices himself to save the survivors just prior to Jin and Sun dying.
- Alex Rousseau: Child deaths are particularly difficult and the manner in which this one happened was rough. Martin Keamy shoots an innocent Alex when Ben does not comply with his orders. What’s worse is this happens as Ben is denying she is his child.
What about you? What deaths from Lost hit you the hardest? How would you rank the top five saddest deaths in the show? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.
Featured Image: ABC (via Screen Rant)
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