Lost’s 20 Most Pointless Episodes

This database was primitively published connected May 18, 2010, up of the Lost bid finale. We’re recirculating it for anybody rewatching the amusement present that it is streaming connected Netflix.

When Lost ended successful 2010, its bid finale was instantly divisive among fans. But nevertheless you felt astir the show’s last destination, we tin look backmost and hold that the thrust had immoderate wonderful, memorable highs (and immoderate turbulent lows). If the show’s determination to Netflix this period has near you feeling similar you have to spell back but the size of the rewatch is daunting, we’re present to fto you cognize that, with six seasons and much than a 100 episodes, determination are immoderate episodes you tin simply skip without missing thing important.

As the finale grew person and the show’s endgame clarified, it became evident which of the bygone episodes had nary rerun worth erstwhile it comes to studying the roots of the biggest Lost reveals. Here, 20 episodes you tin safely ignore, arsenic they deficiency quality information, mythology, action, crippled development, and/or supernatural activity. You tin usage the clip saved to ticker immoderate old X-Files episodes.

What Happens: Charlie’s heroin addiction is explained done flashbacks. On the island, helium goes done withdrawal and past gets stuck with Jack successful a cave-in.
What It Tries to Accomplish: Audience sympathy for Charlie, who went from confessing religion lad to hard-core junkie successful nary clip astatine all, arsenic helium yet rejected heroin with the assistance of Locke.
Why You Can Skip It: British stone stars and heroin aren’t precisely strangers, truthful it’s not similar you request to cognize how helium got started connected the stuff. Plus, there’s nary crippled improvement connected the island, and the ocular metaphor equating Charlie’s determination with a moth emerging from its cocoon is laughable.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: A little cliché addiction communicative for starters, possibly 1 involving Charlie’s priest.

What Happens: In the past, Kate holds up a New Mexico slope truthful she tin retrieve a artifact airplane with sentimental value. In the present, Sawyer tries to unfastened the lawsuit that belonged to the U.S. Marshal portion Sayid and Shannon’s romance ignites.
What It Tries to Accomplish: Kate’s not a transgression due to the fact that she has feelings, too! Also, Jack and Sawyer similar to combat implicit her.
Why You Can Skip It: Kate’s already a lawbreaker; this occurrence conscionable makes her look nuts. Plus there’s a batch of tiresome hand-wringing implicit guns, which seemed to beryllium the biggest contented successful each occurrence successful the archetypal season.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: The writers could person enactment astir thing — jewelry, cash, enactment tapes, a yummy sandwich — successful that safety-deposit container and it would person seemed similar a little ludicrous justification for robbing a bank.

What Happens: Claire can’t retrieve thing from her abduction and Charlie kills the evil Other, Ethan. Off island, Charlie courts a affluent pistillate but ruins the narration erstwhile helium steals from her to get his fix. What It Tries to Accomplish: Showing that Charlie has dome immoderate truly selfish, despicable things, successful opposition to the mode helium present wants to instrumentality attraction of Claire and Aaron.
Why You Can Skip It: Ethan’s short-lived menace to termination the castaways 1 by 1 is the lone root of tension, and Charlie’s flashback takes the junkie happening excessively acold erstwhile helium vomits connected a transcript instrumentality he’s expected to beryllium selling. Other examples of him doing atrocious things for drugs abound.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: How astir a flashback that makes america similar Charlie truthful helium seems little annoying? And what a missed accidental to not person Claire sprout Ethan arsenic foreshadowing of her crazy, gun-toting ways to come.

What Happens: Michael and Sawyer combat disconnected the DHARMA shark portion floating connected a portion of wreckage toward land. We spot what happened to Locke and Kate wrong the Hatch. Through flashbacks, we spot Michael’s failed bid for custody of Walt.
What It Tries to Accomplish: An aboriginal justification for the zeal Michael shows successful trying to get Walt backmost from the Others, arsenic good arsenic the consciousness of helplessness the castaways look connected each parts of the island.
Why You Can Skip It: After the thrilling season-two opener that introduces Desmond, the communicative grinds to a halt arsenic Michael and Sawyer instrumentality the full occurrence to scope land. The flashback communicative is plodding, too, making a redundant lawsuit for parental interest that the assemblage would person accepted arsenic mean behaviour without explanation.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: Get the boys to the formation a batch faster, and person them lavation up alongside the shark, which would person raised each sorts of creepy questions erstwhile they saw the logo connected its fin.

What Happens: Off island, Shannon goes aft a creation internship successful New York but gets chopped disconnected financially. On island, she sees a imaginativeness of Walt again and chases aft him, lone to get changeable successful the tummy by Ana Lucia.
What It Tries to Accomplish: A caller broadside of Shannon that’s originative — she conscionable wants to dance! — and moderately much likable than her post-crash persona.
Why You Can Skip It: No substance what her past is, Shannon remains 1 of the show’s astir annoying characters, her romance with Sayid conscionable feels off, and she’s irrelevant to the wide communicative since she’ll beryllium dormant soon aft this. How It Could Have Been Fixed: Less Shannon, much Boone and wet, whispering Walt.

What Happens: A look astatine Ana Lucia’s days arsenic a trigger-happy bull with a spot of a vigilante streak. Meanwhile, there’s fallout from Shannon’s decease arsenic the Tailies articulation up with the remaining Oceanic survivors.
What It Tries to Accomplish: Ana Lucia’s repeating her past mistakes; the consolidation of the survivors volition not beryllium a creaseless process.
Why You Can Skip It: What upon archetypal viewing was an absorbing archetypal look into the beingness of a troubled pistillate feels successful retrospect similar a discarded of our clip since she won’t marque it to the extremity of the play and turns retired to beryllium small much than a one-note character.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: Ana Lucia was a remarkably hard-edged character, but it would person been bully if determination had been thing to marque america attraction astir her adjacent a smidgen alternatively than wanting her to unopen up and beryllium successful the country each clip she opened her mouth.

What Happens: In flashback time, Charlie’s trying to prevention his member Liam from heroin; connected the island, he’s trying to prevention babe Aaron with a shotgun baptism.
What It Tries to Accomplish: Another enactment to adhd to Charlie’s increasing postulation of annoying-insane behavior, and an contented to thrust him and Claire apart.
Why You Can Skip It: The occurrence traffics successful excessively galore of the vague spiritual ideas that qualify the aboriginal episodes without importing immoderate significance. Aaron is yet baptized by Eko, but it doesn’t look to substance 1 mode oregon the other.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: Maybe dreams tin compel ex-junkies to drastic spiritual actions connected the island, but it would person been much credible if Charlie didn’t abruptly aftermath up 1 time with a ngo to prevention Aaron’s soul.

What Happens: Hurley starts seeing an imaginary person from his mental-institution days connected the land and wonders if helium is going crazy. In flashbacks, we spot the quality of their friendship.
What It Tries to Accomplish: That this full communicative is not thing happening successful Hurley’s imaginativeness portion he’s astatine Santa Rosa.
Why You Can Skip It: Because you already cognize that this full communicative is not thing happening successful Hurley’s imaginativeness portion he’s astatine Santa Rosa. How It Could Have Been Fixed: Using an occurrence to disprove a mentation that wasn’t truthful prevalent was a discarded of time. Instead, they should person explored Libby and Hurley’s intersecting way successful a overmuch deeper mode arsenic their land romance blossomed.

What Happens: In the past, Locke joins a marijuana-growing commune; successful the present, helium builds a sweat lodge to get successful interaction with the land and has trippy visions.
What It Tries to Accomplish: With the Hatch present blown up, Locke has mislaid his voice, virtually and figuratively, truthful helium needs to embark connected a spiritual acquisition to regain it.
Why You Can Skip It: Locke’s commune days marque for immoderate of the series’ astir nonsensical flashbacks, and there’s thing of value to beryllium gleaned from his hallucinations.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: The writers were intelligibly retired of ideas erstwhile they came up with the commune, but they should person reached for different one. Even Locke successful a wheelchair speechmaking astir sweat lodges successful a nationalist room would person made much consciousness than this randomness.

What Happens: Juliet faces a decease condemnation for betraying Ben, but Jack saves her by agreeing to region Ben’s tumor. In flashbacks, Jack flies a kite successful beauteous Thailand and gets a tattoo from Bai Ling.
What It Tries to Accomplish: Aside from explaining his limb ink, this occurrence drives location that Jack is “a large man,” 1 consenting to enactment against his ain interests to prevention Juliet.
Why You Can Skip It: No 1 cares however Jack got his tattoo! We thought helium had conscionable gone connected a bender during med-school exams. And for examples of Jack’s savior complex, spot conscionable astir each different occurrence from play 1 done six.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: Scrap Jack’s useless flashback and springiness america immoderate inheritance connected the episode’s astir compelling character: Isabel, “sheriff” of the Others.

What Happens: Off the island, Hurley’s got immoderate problems connecting with his father, but connected the land helium and the boys hole up a DHARMA van and thrust it down a large elevation to assistance their spirits.
What It Tries to Accomplish: Hurley has daddy issues, too! But sometimes helium knows however to marque the champion of a atrocious concern by fixing up vans.
Why You Can Skip It: Because with each his different problems, daddy issues don’t consciousness similar thing that needs to beryllium thrown astatine Hurley, and speech from that, each you’ve got is simply a van holding the corpse of Roger Linus.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: Hurley’s dada is played by Cheech Marin, truthful they truly should person made him the astir awesome feline ever conscionable to adhd immoderate saltation to the bad-dad overkill connected this show.

What Happens: We get amended acquainted with the scheming lowlifes Nikki and Paulo, who murdered a affluent feline for his diamonds. Thanks to their backstabbing ways, they some go paralyzed by spider bites and extremity up buried live by the different castaways.
What It Tries to Accomplish: Was it a diversion from a play that had mislaid its direction? Were the writers trying to beryllium to themselves they could nutrient a solid, eerie, Twilight Zone–esque stand-alone hr of television? We’ll ne'er know.
Why You Can Skip It: It has nothing to bash with what’s going connected successful the bid astatine this point, and the hack occupation of inserting these 2 punks into past scenes reflects lazy penning astatine its worst. Plus, wherefore discarded an hr with characters who won’t beryllium astir successful the adjacent one?
How It Could Have Been Fixed: It should person ne'er near the editing country successful the archetypal place, but we’d person accepted it arsenic a DVD extra.

What Happens: Desmond’s catchphrase “brother” is ruined for america erstwhile we larn that helium picked up it during his past stint arsenic a monk. In contiguous time, Naomi parachutes onto the island.
What It Tries to Accomplish: Desmond has a truly divers résumé, and his flashes truly travel successful useful erstwhile helium predicts Naomi’s arrival.
Why You Can Skip It: The flashes were already established by this point, and to amended effect. And if there’s thing worthwhile astir Desmond having a small excessively overmuch vino astatine the monastery, we don’t cognize what it is. How It Could Have Been Fixed: A mates arsenic large arsenic Desmond and Penny merit an epic how-we-met story, thing a batch amended than bumping into each different extracurricular the monastery Desmond was dismissed from.

What Happens: In the present, Miles is Locke’s hostage, Kate’s successful furniture with Sawyer, and Jack’s trying to telephone the freighter. In the future, Jack gives a winning grounds connected Kate’s behalf successful court, and we spot an older Aaron. What It Tries to Accomplish: A believable mentation for wherefore Kate didn’t person to spell to jailhouse erstwhile she near the island.
Why You Can Skip It: We already cognize Jack would bash thing for Kate, truthful it’s nary revelation that helium would perjure himself to support her. But the depiction of Kate successful tribunal and however she got distant with nary jailhouse clip is wholly excessively convenient and would person been champion described successful a two-minute speech successful different episode.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: Forget the tribunal lawsuit and springiness america different scintillating details astir Kate’s beingness arsenic 1 of the Oceanic Six surviving successful the spotlight.

What Happens: After leaving the island, Walt and Michael turn isolated due to the fact that of the execution of Libby and Ana Lucia. Michael tries to perpetrate termination but the land prevents it, and helium is aboriginal manipulated into becoming Ben’s spy aboard the freighter to atone for his sins.
What It Tries to Accomplish: Closure for viewers inactive funny astir Really Tall Walt, and an affectional discourse successful which it would marque consciousness for Michael to enactment for Ben.
Why You Can Skip It: Nothing successful this occurrence is arsenic singular arsenic the archetypal uncover of Michael aboard the freighter.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: Skip the redundant backstory and springiness america much freighter enactment with Captain Galt, Keamy, and Minkowski.

What Happens: Ben tries to corral the Oceanic Six to get them backmost to the land portion Kate suspects that Claire’s ma knows astir Aaron. On the island, the time-traveling acceptable are getting sick of each their past travels. What It Tries to Accomplish: Chaos abounds connected the land and disconnected of it. Why You Can Skip It: Because it does thing much than determination the crippled along, and not successful a peculiarly graceful way. The O6 volition yet get connected the Ajira formation and the land volition halt moving done time; this is conscionable vamping. Nothing to spot here, folks.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: Ben the negotiator isn’t astir arsenic amusive arsenic Ben the mastermind, truthful we privation helium would person conscionable drugged them each and flown them backmost to the land himself connected a commercialized pitchy helium would magically procure.

What Happens: DHARMA Initiative–era Miles is asked to present a bundle to his father. In flashbacks, we spot Miles searching for answers astir his dad, moving arsenic a medium, and joining the freighter crew.
What It Tries to Accomplish: That being connected the aforesaid land with the begetter who ne'er raised you is tough.
Why You Can Skip It: At this constituent you tin use immoderate of Lost’s trademark daddy issues to immoderate quality and deed the nail connected the head. And Miles had already go small much than a reliable root of one-liners, truthful this not peculiarly revealing look into his past gummed up the advancement of the 5th play arsenic it approached its end.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: Instead of seeing him moving arsenic a mean again, it would person added to the quality if Miles had taken connected immoderate much antithetic jobs wherever his talents were useful.

What Happens: At the temple, Dogen wants Jack to poison the resurrected, perchance evil Sayid. Sideways Kate flees the airdrome but ends up moving into sideways large Claire and taking her to the hospital.
What It Tries to Accomplish: Strangely, determination are galore similarities betwixt this timeline and the archetypal one, much than the play premiere fto on.
Why You Can Skip It: Pretty overmuch everything and everyone astatine the temple turned retired to beryllium a huge, gaping discarded of clip successful this last season, and the sideways communicative felt much ponderous than crippled driven.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: Ditch the Temple unit (a proposition that expands beyond this episode). And Kate should person had to present Aaron again. In the backmost of the stolen car.

What Happens: Sideways Jack is simply a divorced dada struggling to link with his teenage son, portion land Jack is inactive an ex-surgeon with a savior analyzable struggling to travel to presumption with his destiny. Plus, Jacob’s magical lighthouse appears from bladed aerial and Jack smashes its mirrors.
What It Tries to Accomplish: The sideways satellite is perchance a happier spot for immoderate of these characters, but realizing that Jacob has been watching you passim your beingness is simply a mindfuck that makes you privation to interruption a magical lighthouse.
Why You Can Skip It: It’s nary astonishment that Jack isn’t pursuing successful the fatherhood footsteps of Christian, truthful this heartwarming off-island tale, featuring Dogen for nary evident reason, is neither present nor there. And arsenic for the lighthouse, did we really request to spot however Jacob monitored his candidates? We liked utilizing our imaginativeness better.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: Most apt by not insulting viewers by asking them to judge that nary 1 astatine immoderate constituent had ne'er seen this past lighthouse before.

What Happens: Sideways Sun and Jin get successful occupation with Keamy, Mikhail pops successful for immoderate translation work, and we find retired that Widmore’s been hiding Desmond successful a locked country connected the submarine.
What It Tries to Accomplish: The Sideways World is possibly not truthful large for immoderate characters. Widmore needs Desmond to bash thing peculiar for him.
Why You Can Skip It: Because it’s yet different occurrence wherever Sun and Jin are not unneurotic successful the existent timeline, which is infuriating fixed their precocious reunion and consequent demise. Also, Desmond being “the package” was the slightest astonishing uncover successful a agelong time. Finally, Sun loses her quality to talk English but tin constitute connected enactment cards? Save it for Oliver Sacks.
How It Could Have Been Fixed: Somehow, immoderate way, Sun should person waltzed into Jin’s arms conscionable arsenic helium was crying implicit pictures of Ji Yeon.