2: Showdown at the Beach
Episode: Through the Looking Glass, Part 2 (3×23)
The final episode of season three was my favorite of the series. I actually was nervous for a good deal of it. Masterful pacing and storytelling. While the final few seasons tried to tell a really complex story, I don’t think they were ever able to quite capture the magic they had right here.
From the tension where Sayid, Bernard, and Jin all try to blow up the dynamite, all the way to Sawyer killing Tom Friendly, the whole scene kills. I was able to track down one clip which takes us from Hurley coming to the rescue, to Sayid delivering the craziest of the show’s executions.
1. Not Penny’s Boat
Episode: Through the Looking Glass, Part 2 (3×23)
Penny and Desmond make it into two of the top three scenes. I wasn’t crazy about either character individually, but I really loved watching them together. Unlike the pangs of lust that came between a lot of the castaways, everything between Penny and Desmond felt genuine, a sort of touchstone to reality off the island.
I was pretty sure Charlie was going to die, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. I did want his character to be gone, but if you looked at the other character deaths (Boone, Shannon, Ana Lucia, Libby, Mr. Eko), they were all sudden and in vain. While not all deaths should mean something, I did not want Charlie to die pathetically. This was the absolute perfect way for him to go. One of my favorite reveals of the show. Combine it with the raw power of the entire episode, and it’s easily my favorite moment. I also like to pretend the episode ended there and not with the flash forward of Kate and Jack being whiny bitches.
What other moments are among your favorites?
Death By Troggles 
I’m gonna reveal myself as a complete fool here, but I freaking love the over-the-top Jack vs. “Locke” fight at the end of the show.
I also loved the first flash forward episode, and Jack saying “we have to go back”. Again, I’m a fool, but I didn’t figure out it was a flash forward until that point, and I was just upset with the writers for rehashing stuff we’d seen before, etc. But then, suddenly, Jack “got it.” And that opened up a world of possibility for me, that hadn’t existed before.
The Jack vs. Locke fight was great. I ate it up. It was all downhill for the series after that (I kid).
And yes, Jack’s “we have to go back” was another one of those great cliffhangers, not because anything was really placed in peril regarding that particular revelation, but even though it had been foreshadowed quite a bit, it still was jolting enough to be a lot of fun to watch.
After 4 and 3 it was pretty easy to guess these two. I couldn’t have told you, though, that they were in the same episode. Desmond and Penny’s call would be my #1, by a wide margin, although Charlie’s death had been spoiled for me when I saw it, so it didn’t work quite as well as it could have (still, it was beautiful). My wife hadn’t had that spoiled, though, so I saw her immediate reaction, and that was worth something.
I also would have included what’s-his-name…the nerdy scientist guy…going back in time and being murdered by his mother.
Yeah, I considered that moment. I really liked Farraday
The top of the list is solid, but I would have thought Charlie, Jin, Sawyer and Hurley’s joyride in Tricia Tanaka is Dead would have snuck on somewhere.
Thought about it, for sure
Yeah, that one would have to be on my list.