'This Week is Death' on 'Lost': Most Moving
We're kicking off "This Week is Death" with the most moving deaths in "Lost" history. These were the deaths that shook us to the core. They evoked horror. Prevoked tears. Had us staring in the screen in disbelief.
Before getting to the list, know that later in the week we'll be looking at the "WTF" Deaths in "Lost" history, showcases those times in which character deaths were greeted with a mixture of surprise and annoyance. These deaths evoked plenty of emotion, but not quite the pure grief/disbelief that the following five did.
Many thanks to all of you that nominated all the deaths in the lists this week!
Honorable mentions: Charlotte Staples Lewis, Noor "Nadia" Abed Jazeem
John Locke. Say what you will about "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" as an episode, but the final scene between Locke and Ben will go down as one of the series' high points when all is said and done. It's a scene that's only gained power in the time since, especially in light of the revelations in "The Incident."
Charlie Pace. While not always a crowd favorite, it's hard to argue against the heroism he showed in his final moments on the show. Embracing his fate in order to save the woman he loved, Charlie instantly leapt into iconic character status in the Looking Glass.
Boone Carlyle. It's easy to mock God's friggin' gift to humanity. But it's also to forget just how shocking this death truly was back in Season 1. Not only was it the show's first major death, but the prolonged hour of agony leading up to it made it that much worse.
Libby. I don't really care that Darlton are sick of talking about Libby. It's their fault for creating such a shocking moment, one painful not so much for her death so much as Hurley's heartbreaking reaction to the news. "The Lie" showed just how much her death informs one of the show's most important characters.
Alex Rousseau. Possibly the harshest death in television history. Who kills a teenage girl in cold blood? Oh, "Lost" does. In many ways, you can divide the show into what happened before this moment and what happened afterwards. It was the moment that changed the rules.
OK, it's decision time. Choose the most moving death in the poll below. I've included an "Other" option as well, in case one of these five doesn't meet your personal criteria. In any case, let us know your choice in the comments below!
Ryan also posts every 108 minutes over at Boob Tube Dude. He invites you to join the hundreds already in Zap2It's Guide to Lost Facebook group. He also encourages you to subscribe to the Zap2It's Guide to Lost Twitter feed.
The most moving death for me was Daniel Faraday's, killed by his own mother, and realizing that she sent him to the island knowing that this would happen.
Charlie, easy.
He's certainly not my favorite character, but I would argue that two of the most powerful scenes in the history of the show were not only Charlie's actual death, but his original "death" back in Season 1. It's been four years, but the sight of his hanging body and Jack beating the **** out of his ribcage still gets to me.
I'm with Kegboy. I never liked Charlie as a character but when the looking gl*** was filling with water and he wrote Not Penny's Boat on his hand, I was just bawling.
Wow, you don't even put Michael on the list?
Micheal on this list?? I dont think so, he should be on the "I'm glad they finally killed him off, and what took them so long" list!!
how bout juliet?
Ryan-
I'm just now catching up on some of your posts, specifically last week's and how it might relate to the death of Faraday and the motivations of his mother. A lot of us fans were obviously disappointed with his death, especially after the erratic behavior of his return. He came back with a clear purpose and an uncanny knowledge of the exact times and places where things would go down. Much like the return of the future "John Locke". The only thing that he didn't SEEM to know would happen was his death at the hands of his mother. And everything that he said relating to WHH contradicted what he believed during his earlier time on the island. Now I'm beginning to question whether the Faraday that returned to the island wasn't actually The Man in Black laying out the groundwork for the future that he hoped to achieve. And the apparent death of Faraday at the hands of his mother was crucial in putting those wheels in motion. (Maybe the donkey wheel is a thinly veiled use of symbolism related to the manipulations of the Man In Black. It's interesting that the two times that the wheel has been turned that it was at his direction.)
This could tie in with Eloise, the apparent leader of the time, and her yet unknown fall from grace. It could be that The Man in Black appeared to her following The Incident and she was tempted by the idea of saving her son and then ultimately deceived. The final journal entries may not have been written by Faraday at all, but entered by The Man in Black to keep Eloise on track. Faraday, being from the future, would have known the advances in computer technology and yet the station that Eloise supervised in california seemed like computer technology from the 70s, maybe designed by The Man in Black of the past based on what he knew at the time. We don't really know for sure why Eloise was banished from the Island, but it may have been the decision of Jacob because of her betrayal. If my theory on this is true, you'd have to wonder what happened to the real Faraday. Maybe leaving the island re-triggered the effect of his experiments from the future and he's either dead or comatose somewhere in Lost Lansing. Unless he was the one held captive in the cabin... LOL
I left Juliet off the list since we don't actually know if she's dead or not. Most likely, but it's not confirmed. Thus her exclusion.
I'd have to say Charlie's death, especially as he was one of my favourite characters on Lost. The 'Greatest Hits' episode before really built it up, and little touches since such as Desmond and Penny naming their son after him and Sun finding the ring he left for Aaron have meant his is a presence still being felt.
Charlie's death was the most moving to me as it was the ultimate example of humanity, he sacrificed his life to let others that he loved live, something Jacob would be proud of. If there is some sort of alternate reality that emerges from the Season 5 finale: I would hope that Charlie will have run out of the little communications room to the main area, put on an oxygen tank and escaped without dying. But thats just me. To cms: I am reluctant to believe that Eloise was banned, I would think she was sent off the island to protect her unborn child.