The Best Moments from Lost

No television show in recent memory has kept viewers on the edge of their seats quite like Lost. There has never been a shortage of amazing, jaw-dropping moments on this show. Even with all the twists and turns, Lost still has the power to absolutely stun viewers. Here are the moments that made us gasp aloud, and that make Lost one of the best series on television:

10. Arzt Explodes (Season 1, Episode 24)

In a series where the unexpected happens routinely, the demise of the minor character Leslie Arzt came as one of the show's most unforeseen surprises. The manner in which poor Arzt died just compounded that shock. One minute he's griping about being left out of the loop (in a clever bit of audience-winking) and lecturing our castaways on the dangers of dynamite, the next minute...boom.

9. Sawyer Confronts Sawyer (Season 3, Episode 19)

Though fans had predicted that Locke's con artist father, Anthony Cooper, was the same man responsible for the deaths of Sawyer's parents, it still came as a real shock. Seeing Sawyer confront the original Sawyer was a powerful moment, made all the more powerful by fact that Cooper couldn't even be bothered to read Sawyer's note. Ouch. In the end, Sawyer never did get the resolution he had hoped for, but we ended up with one of season three's best moments.

8. Charlie's List (Season 3, Episode 21)

It says something about the writing on Lost that one of the most heartbreaking moments of the series can come from the death of a character most fans were tired of. Charlie, accepting that he will have to die for the other castaways to return home, writes a list of the five best moments of his life. Those five moments proved to be absolutely devastating.

7. The Oceanic 6 Return (Season 5, Episode 8)

After half a season of trying to make their way back to the island, the Oceanic 6 finally return, though not all at the same point in time. While Sun, Ben and Locke make it to the present, the others find themselves in the 1970's, where they are not exactly wanted.

6. The Island "Moves" (Season 4, Episode 13)

Sure, we knew that the island was a bit on the weird side, but watching it actually disappear? That was a whole new level of odd. Even after Ben revealed that he intended to "move" the island, we didn't expect the island to physically move. That one moment proved once and for all that nothing is impossible on Lost.

5. Locke Is Healed (Season 1, Episode 4)

Early in the first season, Lost gave us one of the major twists it's now known for. The reveal that Locke, who had been the island's go-to survivalist, was in a wheelchair until the crash threw us all for a loop. The reveal also gave us one of the most emotional scenes of the series, not to mention the oft-repeated catch phrase: "Don't tell me what I can't do."

4. The Introduction of the Smoke Monster (Season 1, Episode 1)

Lost wasted no time letting us know that it wasn't just some Survivor rip-off about stranded castaways. No, it was just minutes into the very first episode that we were made aware that something odd was going on with that island. Though we didn't actually see the smoke monster in the pilot, it was enough to know it was there.

3. Penny Answers the Phone (Season 4, Episode 5)

The season four episode, "The Constant," may yet prove to be the single best episode of Lost, thanks in no small part to what has to be the most heart-wrenching scene of the series. Eight years after a desperate Desmond pleads with her to answer a phone call in the future, Penny picks up the telephone, and in doing so simultaneously saves Desmond's life and melts our hearts into little piles of goo.

2. The Incarceration and Release of Henry Gale (Season 2, Episodes 14 through 20)

The introduction of everyone's favorite sociopath, Benjamin Linus, was an incredible moment indeed. Unlike most television villains, Ben Linus didn't make his appearance in any grand fashion. No, instead he sniveled and pleaded for his life, then proceeded to lie, manipulate and toy with our castaways as Henry Gale until Michael released him from the hatch. What an entrance.

1. Locke Isn't Locke (Season 5, Episode 16)

As if Locke's apparent return from the dead weren't enough of a shock, season five's finale revealed that Locke wasn't himself at all. Not only was Locke used as a tool for the man in black who was set on killing Jacob, he had to die to accomplish it. Though Locke was sure the island had chosen him, he was actually just the victim of another long con. The realization that Locke was a patsy once again (and for the last time) is perhaps one of the series' most heartbreaking moments.