Before it started losing the plot in its final seasons, Lost had initially been a hit TV phenomenon. For the first three seasons, the writers had viewers gripped with their engaging characters. From the survivors' rivalry with the Others to the mystery that surrounded the hatch, fans couldn't wait to tune in every week to see what would happen next.
But if there was one episode that fans would say was the most intriguing, it would have to be the pilot, where all the action and chaos first kicked off, and the writers managed to find a perfect balance between comedy and drama.
Boone & His Pens
In the midst of all the action and tragedy, the writers did attempt to include some comedic relief. While Jack is busy treating all of the survivors of the plane crash, he's forced to send Boone on a fool's errand after the lifeguard endangered Rose's life.
Here, Jack stops Boone performing R after he notices the lifeguard using the wrong technique. When Boone suggests doing a tracheostomy, Jack takes advantage of his naivety and sends him looking for a pen. After Jack manages to save Rose, Hurley, and Claire — and all the action died down — Boone finds Jack and gives him a collection of pens. It was quite a clever way to implement some humor.
The Death Of The Pilot
When the castaways realize that no one is coming to rescue them, Jack, Kate, and Charlie decide to head for the cockpit to see if they could find the transceiver. When they arrive, the trio discovers that the pilot is heavily injured but alive.
After discovering that they lost the signal on the transceiver, the group attempts to make their way out of the cockpit. However, they are forced to flee when they see an unknown force pull the pilot out of the windscreen. As they scramble out of the plane, Kate gets separated from the boys. Although Kate she later finds them, her relief is short-lived when they discover the pilot's mangled body in the trees. What killed him?
The Count To Five Story
Lost was a show that was iconic for all its friendships and romances. One that received a lot of attention from the fans was the relationship between Jack and Kate. From being caught in a net to broken engagements, viewers thoroughly enjoyed watching this whirlwind of a romance.
One of the couple's best scenes would have to be their first meeting. Although they just met, the viewers could instantly see a bond forming as Jack tells her how he would "count to five" when he was afraid. This story then became a significant part of their relationship.
Destruction Of The Forest
If the castaways thought the hardest part of their journey would be trying to get themselves rescued, they were wrong. Just as they're winding down for the night, the Oceanic 815 survivors are startled when they hear a mechanical sound come from the jungle.
They are even more alarmed when they see several trees fall over. While they later discovered that the Man in Black was responsible for such destruction, viewers were on tenterhooks as to what could have caused this. It was this kind of suspense that kept fans tuning in.
Walt & Locke Bond
Over the show's six years, plenty of friendships blossomed. One of the more underrated ones had to be the familial-like bond between Walt and Locke. In the pilot episode, it becomes clear that Michael and Walt's relationship is strained.
Locke spots the fracture between the two and decides to help mend it by taking Walt under his wing. It starts in the second half of the premiere when Walt sees Locke playing Backgammon and the huntsman invites him to play. This was a hobby that Walt eventually took up while on the Island.
Hurley Faints From The Sight Of Blood
As the pilot progresses, Jack takes a break from hero duty and spends the day treating the wounded Marshal. While attempting to pull the shrapnel out of Mars' side, Jack asks Hurley to assist him. However, it doesn't go as expected as Jack is forced to treat Hurley too.
Just as Jack pulls out the shrapnel, viewers discover that Hurley suffered from vasovagal syncope as he faints over the Marshal's body once he sees the blood. It was definitely something the audience wasn't expecting to happen.
The Transmitter Group Hike
After retrieving the receiver from the cockpit, Kate and Sayid head to the tallest part of the island to see if they can find a signal. Just as they're heading out, Boone, Shannon, Charlie, and Sawyer jump on the mission to see if they can help out.
Here, a lot is revealed about the characters: Kate is a criminal, Shannon speaks French, Sayid knows a lot about engineering, etc.. More importantly, audiences learn that this isn't the first time that a plane crashed and someone was blocking the signal. This revelation had everyone on the edge of their seats.
Kate Saves The Marshal's Life
Even though the premiere was only two hours long, fans learned a lot about the characters. While many were surprised to learn that there was a fugitive among the survivors, they were completely shocked to discover that it was Kate. Considering the Marshal had been gunning for her, something didn't add up.
Since Kate is one of the first people to jump into action and help the other castaways, no one could see how she could be a stone-cold killer. This was further evidenced by the fact that Kate places the oxygen mask over the Marshal when the plane is crashing.
Charlie & Drive Shaft References
Although he was only on the show for three seasons, fans would still agree that Charlie was one of their favorite characters. Not only did viewers love watching his friendship with Hurley and his budding romance with Claire, but they also loved the references and jokes about his band, Drive Shaft.
Throughout the three seasons, there was a joke about the survivors not knowing who Charlie was. This all starts in the pilot episode when Kate remarks on how she had seen Charlie before. When Charlie reveals he was a famous musician in Drive Shaft, Jack is oblivious. This is something that continues through the season, as several castaways mock the group.
Sawyer Shoots A Polar Bear
Throughout the show's entire run, Sawyer was seen to have quite a lot of monumental scenes. However, none of them were as iconic as the one where he kills a polar bear.
When a group of survivors decide to take a hike to the highest point of the Island to see if they could get a signal on the receiver, they're nearly forced to abandon the plan when they hear a roar coming from the grass. While everyone runs, viewers were shocked to see Sawyer pull out a gun and shoot the polar bear dead. After this, everyone had questions: Why was there a polar bear? How was Sawyer so calm? Where exactly were they? All things fans couldn't wait to find out...