Happy Sunday TV fans! As I woke up this morning, the wind is out of control and I have the urge to sit back, relax, and watch some more of ABC’s Lost. My dog, Honey, approves as well, insisting she reserve the comfiest part of the couch per usual. I wrote about characters last week and I realized that Lost is about more than the characters, it’s about their connections to one another. While some characters are linked through friendship, rivalry, and family; many of the heart-warming bonds are romantic.
This got me really thinking about my favorite ships or couples from the series. I just recently learned what “ships” actually are so I thought I would incorporate it in here. 🙂 Like my top characters list, this one has also shifted for me over the years with each re-watch. Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch yet. My top five ships/couples from Lost are:
5
Kate & Sawyer aka Skate.
So the first time I watched the series, I adored the relationship between Kate and Sawyer. I know that many fans of the show either prefer Kate and Sawyer or Juliet and Sawyer, but not both. I think that Sawyer was in a different place in his life for each relationship. With Kate, he is still trying to discover who he is and come to terms with what happened to his family and for murdering an innocent man in cold blood before he got on Flight 815. If Juliet were to come into Sawyer’s life at this time, there would be no relationship. He wasn’t ready for it yet. Kate, like Sawyer, was also dealing with guilt of her own, running from it at each chance she got.
When she thinks she is talking to the ghost of her father, Wayne, she tells him that “every time she feels something for Sawyer she thinks of him and it makes her sick.” They both needed each other to help them grow and although it may not have been true love, they had a fiery passion that could not be easily replicated. Kate is also able to deal with Sawyer more than the other Losties and is able to convince him to help on more than one occasion. One of my favorite moments with them is when they play “I Never” while drinking which reveals just how alike they are. Kate is also the one to realize that Sawyer wrote the letter he carries around and sees right through his tough guy act. When they are trapped by the others in the cages, Kate will do anything to save his life which shows that although she may not realize her love for him yet, she does truly care for him. In another one of my favorite scenes, they kiss and Sawyer tells Kate she “tastes like strawberries” and her reply is that he “tastes like fish biscuits.” Ultimately, Sawyer is not ready to be with Kate or Freckles as he likes to call her just yet. He jumps off the chopper so that she can make it to the freighter.
Years later when Kate returns, he explains that he wasn’t fit to be her boyfriend then similar to not being fit to raise his own daughter. He has changed so much over the years but circumstances are different now and Juliet is in the equation.
4
Charlie & Claire.
One of my favorite scenes of the entire series is when Charlie brings back imaginary peanut butter and the two of them share this on the beach. Charlie is dealing with his heroin addiction when he crashes on the island and displays a lot of selfish and foolish behavior along the way. However, his love for Claire is pure and beautiful. There is a teenage dream like quality when they are together. Although I don’t see the passion like with Kate and Sawyer, their connection transcends this. When Desmond later tells Charlie that he is going to die, Charlie writes down his “greatest hits” and insists that Desmond give it to Claire when he is gone. His top moment of his life is the day he met Claire which may sound cliche on the surface, but it is so representative of the bond between these two.
What’s so beautiful about their love is that Charlie also fully accepts Aaron as his family too. He may go off the deep end with this several times, but ultimately he considers him to be his son and leaves the family DS ring to him. In the last episode of the series, many characters are re-united and when Charlie and Claire are brought together again, it brings tears to my eyes.
3
Juliet & Sawyer aka Suliet.
As I mentioned earlier, I do think that both relationships are epic in their own way. When Sawyer is left on the island, he transforms as a character. He understands and accepts that he needs to take on leadership and help others. In embracing the best part of himself, he is now truly ready to open his heart to someone else and finds love with Juliet. When it was first revealed that Sawyer and Juliet were together, many fans reacted against this ship. After watching the series so many times, I understand and appreciate their love. Sawyer demonstrated signs of selflessness with Kate, but he was still running from himself at the same time.
When he is with Juliet, he now understands what it means to care for someone else and to be loyal to them until the end. Perhaps I did not realize how much Sawyer and Juliet care for one another until I watched “The Incident,” season 5 finale. Juliet’s death is one of the most tragic ones in the entire series for me mostly because of the impact it has on Sawyer. Like with Charlie and Claire, when Sawyer and Juliet are re-united together in the vending machine scene, I lose it and the tears keep on coming.
2
Desmond & Penny.
After watching the series many times, this couple has always been present somewhere in my top five. One of my favorite moments of the show is in the season 2 finale when Desmond opens the book, Our Mutual Friend, by Charles Dickens. Desmond has previously revealed that he was saving the book for when he died as he wanted it to be the last thing he read before leaving this world. Penny knows and understands Desmond so well, that she leaves a note for him in the book. She knows that he will only open the book in a moment of great despair and writes: “Please don’t give up, Des. Because all we really need to survive is one person who truly loves us. And you have her. I will wait for you. Always. I Love you, Pen.” This is not just a sentiment. Penny truly means this and the end of season 2 reveals that she is still looking for Desmond even though he has been gone for over three years. She tells him that “with enough money and determination, you can find anyone.”
As if this couldn’t get any more epic and destined enough, in the episode “The Constant,” Desmond is flashing back and forth through different times and tells Penny that he is not going to call her for eight years and she cannot change her number. When Desmond is calling from the freighter, my heart was beating uncontrollably wondering if she would pick up. To fans delight, she does answer and saves Desmond once again. The love between Desmond and Penny is so powerful and it goes to show that having someone like in that your life who never gives up on you is greater than anything else that gets in the way.
1
Sun & Jin.
For me, Sun and Jin have a love that is very different from the other characters. Out of all of the ships/couples, their love is the most real. Their love isn’t perfect and there are times where they do temporarily give up on one another and forget about why they fell in love in the first place. But this is what makes their love so important. Real love isn’t out of a fairy-tale; although I’m sure we would like it to be. Real love is about compromise and accepting that we will make mistakes along the way. Sun has an affair with another man and even contemplates leaving Jin and running away at the airport. However, Jin shows her that he is holding a small white flower, just like when they first met and she changes her mind.
It breaks Jin’s heart when he finds out that Sun speaks English, representing another lie she kept from him for so long. Both Sun and Jin are looking to prove themselves to the other, only to later realize that their love is enough. The fact that they are able to forgive each other for mistakes they made before, shows the viewer what the island is all about. It makes perfect sense to me why Jacob chose them as candidates. While other characters have discovered who they were along the way, Sun and Jin truly find themselves together as a couple. Their death is one of the saddest for me to watch and the image of them holding hands under water leaves us with a reminder that they will never be apart again.
I hope you enjoyed my list and feel free to post your own comments and thoughts about the ships on Lost. Happy viewing!
Best,
Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl
