Losing Lost

In the final episode of Lost's first season, the socks come face to face with Smokey, Charlie and Sayid race to rescue Aaron, and the raft crew encounters some unexpected guests.

There have been some stumbles along the way, but overall this has been a fantastic adventure. Thank you so much for joining us on this journey, and we hope to see you again for Season 2!

(And, as promised, here is the link to the Oscar-nominated short we rave about, "Fresh Guacamole," by PES.)

Original Airdate: May 25, 2005

Writers: Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse

Director: Jack Bender

This episode of "Losing Lost" was edited by Pierce Nahigyan.

In the penultimate episode of Lost's first season, we bid an emotional farewell to the raft plotline. As the Losties prepare for an imminent attack by the Others, everyone scrambles to get the boat in the water. It's a terrific episode that juxtaposes the survivors' pre- and post-crash lives, and includes several standouts moments we've been waiting all season for.

We're splitting this episode into two, just because there's so much to cover. Part 2 will be dropping next week.

Original Airdate: May 18, 2005

Writers: Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse

Director: Jack Bender

This episode of "Losing Lost" was edited by Pierce Nahigyan.

Hoo boy. This one's a tough sit. In the final Kate episode of the season, we learn why Kate wants that toy plane so badly. The brothers once again lament this character's frustrating arc (or lack of one), and why "Born to Run" might qualify as the very worst episode of the season.

Original Air Date: May 11, 2005

Writers: Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz

Story: Javier Grill-Marxuach

Director: Tucker Gates

This episode of "Losing Lost" was edited by Pierce Nahigyan.

An episode that dares to tackle an uncomfortable topic, but still feels half baked. Sayid reflects on his past as he interrogates Locke and learns exactly what happened the day Boone died.

Because this episode deals with such a heavy topic, we've provided this link to the National Institute of Mental Health. If you or a loved one are dealing with an emotional crisis, or just need someone to talk to, you can call the number provided here to get help fast.

The music track used in this episode's intro, "Saudade," was created by the artist Elmatute. It is available in the public domain under the CC0 license.

Original Air Date: May 4, 2005

Writer: Leonard Dick

Director: David Grossman

This episode of "Losing Lost" was edited by Pierce Nahigyan.

The Losties go into crisis mode as Jack fights to save Boone's life and Claire finally goes into labor. The boys talk about why this might be the most important Jack flashback, and why John Terry remains series MVP.

Also, fun fact: There are 7 canine blood types and 4 feline blood types.

Original Air Date: April 6, 2005

Writer: Janet Tamaro

Director: Stephen Williams

This episode of "Losing Lost" was edited by Derek Hobson.

In this episode, the boys cover a wide range of topics, from the memoir of one of LOST's foundational writers to Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves. Oh yeah, and they also discuss one of the best dang episodes of the season.

Also, three corrections for this episode: First, both Pierce and Derek are wrong about the dates of Jason Statham's dancing and acting careers. Statham did not appear in anything in the 1980s. He was a backup dancer in the 1993 music video for The Shamen's "Movin' On." His first acting role was in 1999's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, and he appeared in neither Timecop nor Timecop 2.

Second correction: Pierce mistakes the director of Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House, Mike Flanagan, with a different Netflix director, Osgood Perkins. Flanagan directed The Haunting of Hill House for the streamer in 2018, and Perkins directed I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House in 2016.

Third, Ellen Pompeo has starred on Grey's Anatomy since 2005, just shy of two decades.

The article Pierce and Derek discuss in the beginning, "The Lost Will And Testament Of Javier Grillo-Marxuach," can be read here.

Original Air Date: March 30, 2005

Writers: Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof

Director: Robert Mandel

This episode of "Losing Lost" was edited by Pierce Nahigyan.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy this little sidequest with the island's most endearing survivor, Hugo "Hurley" Reyes. "Numbers" is the kind of quirky adventure we rarely get on the island - light and fun (though sprinkled with a whopping helping of paranoia).

The Vox article Pierce and Derek briefly discuss can be read here.

Original Air Date: March 2, 2005

Writers: David Fury & Brent Fletcher

Director: Daniel Attias

This episode of "Losing LOST" was edited by Pierce Nahigyan.

In this stirring counterpoint to "House of the Rising Sun," we delve into Jin's backstory, and learn he's not the creep we all believed he was. This episode goes a long way towards explaining his actions. And while it doesn't fully redeem Jin-Soo Kwon, it transforms him into a more complete character, one we actually want to root for.

Original Air Date: February 23, 2005

Writer: Javier Grillo-Marxuach & Leonard Dick

Director: Tucker Gates

This episode of "Losing LOST" was edited by Pierce Nahigyan.

In this episode, the brothers go head-to-head to answer the ultimate question: Is "Outlaws" an exemplary episode of LOST, or just some fun character filler?

We also spin off tangents galore as we ruminate on the afterlife of the TV show compared to other popular dramas like Game of Thrones, discuss the likelihood of LOST being rebooted in our lifetimes, and gush about how cool it is to see characters cross over into other flashbacks. Yes, LOST was doing this long before the MCU.

Original Air Date: February 16, 2005

Writer: Drew Goddard

Director: Jack Bender

This episode of "Losing LOST" was edited by Pierce Nahigyan.

Claire's back in camp, but she's lost her memory. Meanwhile, Ethan has emerged from whatever dark hole the Others live in and demands the survivors return her to him. Will the socks prevent their resident Aussie from being kidnapped again? Or will Charlie grossly overcompensate for a lifetime of insecurity by taking matters into his own hands?

This is an oddball of an episode, one in which nothing is significantly bad, but still leaves a mediocre taste in our mouths. We discuss whether or not we really needed an extended flashback of Charlie seducing poor Lucy Heatherton, and if the show made a serious error in eliminating its first antagonist so early in its run.

Also, here's a fun fact: In this episode, Derek recalls that the showrunners were unsure which extra played Scott and which played Steve, and it was the audience who corrected them on which character dies in this episode. In fact, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have gone on record saying they weren't sure who was who. According to a Lostpedia interview, Christian Bowman originally played Steve, but Matthew Fox helped him gain a slightly more prominent role as an extra - so when Steve was slated to be killed by the writers, Bowman and the original Scott swapped roles. Which means the original Steve became Scott after this episode, further adding to the confusion.

Original Air Date: February 9, 2005

Writer: Damon Lindelof

Director: Kevin Hooks

This episode of "Losing LOST" was edited by Derek Hobson.