My LOST Moment

Marc, 39 – New York (USA) :

There have been a lot of moments on Lost that have inspired me, intrigued me, or moved me, but only one inspired me to write a book, intrigued me enough to get it published, and moved me to begin giving presentations. That moment came during the third season premiere, when Jack was locked in the cage and Juliet took out a file on him. Jack asked Juliet if his wife was okay, and she replied that she was.

It was a pretty ordinary moment, but something about it brought about an epiphany for me–a theory that became the outline for my book The Myth of Lost. I get into more details in the book, but the basic question I had at the time was how Juliet knew so much about Jack, and why did it seem that she was trying to help him get over his issues?

This one moment led to an entire theory. I guess that’s my Lost moment! It wasn’t my favorite scene, or even a particularly memorable one, but it’s the one that changed my life.

Marc Oromaner is an award-winning copywriter and author with eighteen years of television and advertising experience. His extensive knowledge of pop culture and spirituality has helped him decipher numerous myths in the media. He lives in New York City, where he is working on an update to his book, The Myth of Lost. Oromaner’s ultimate goal is to help unlock the messages hidden in movies, TV, and music that can help us uncover our own inner superhero.

Samuel, 17 – Syracuse, NY (USA) :

When I first viewed the relationship between Jack and Sawyer in the first Season, I didn’t really believe they would ever be connected in any way or ever be on the same page with one another. I always thought their relationship was going to be nothing but conflict, and competition over Kate. This scene with Jack and Sawyer really changed my view of their relationship with one another. Sawyer telling Jack how he met his father in a bar in Sydney, Australia created a big turn in their relationship.
This was my first look of Sawyer’s inner good side because he passed on this message from Christian to Jack, a message that Christian felt too pathetic to pass on to Jack from a telephone in the bar in Sydney. Christian wanted to tell Jack that “he was sorry” and that Jack is “a better doctor then he’ll ever be“. This was something that Jack needed to know because he believed his father felt betrayed by him, but really he was “proud” of him. This scene was quite emotional and very unexpected. After Sawyer said “Small world, huh?” I came to realize that everyone of these characters are possibly going to be somehow connected in different ways also, even if their backgrounds are highly different. I found this to be my Lost Moment because it’s really the first time I ever saw these two distinctive characters have a connection, a connection that both of them came to be aware of in a quite emotional way.

Ashley, 27 – Dallas, Texas (USA) :

My mother struggled with chronic health problems for the last five years of her life. In March 2010, she was in the ICU at the local hospital, and it became clear that her days with us were nearing an end. Lost had been a huge part of my life, and the one respite that I had during this particular storm.

On what would turn out to be the last week of my mother’s life, I could not wait for the Tuesday night hour of escape that I knew Lost would bring. I spent the four days leading up to Tuesday, March 16 saying goodbye to my mom, not knowing if she’d still be there the next day when I woke up.

That Tuesday the episode “Recon” aired, where one particular scene greatly stood out to me. Sawyer silently made a frozen dinner and watched television. His program of choice was Little House on the Prairie. This is a show that was my mother’s absolute favorite. Her hearing was bad, and I distinctly remember overhearing that damn theme song blasting from her room daily, from my childhood up until the days before her final admittance into the hospital.

Not only was my mom’s favorite show featured as a part of my favorite show that week, but the Little House clip that they included spoke directly to my aching soul. It told me that people aren’t really gone when they die, and that life is about the connections you make with those you love.

Less than two days later, my mom was gone.

I felt as if that moment was placed in that episode specifically for me to see and witness. It was there to comfort me, and only me. Lost is the one thing that I gave any attention to besides her hospital room that week, and while turmoil and chaos raged inside of me, the message that I so desperately needed to hear was given to me, placed in the one spot I’d be sure to see and absorb it. My mother was unable to speak to me during that week, so her favorite characters spoke for her, while one of my favorites watched and learned alongside me.

I needed that.

That was my Lost moment.

Keith, 33 – Sacramento (California, USA) :

For me, the reveal of Locke being able to walk again was the epitome of the Lost experience. It was about regaining faith, being healed, and having a destiny on The Island. When Locke sat discouraged in the Melbourne Walkabout Tours office, trying to convince the tour guide to be brought along and screaming at him it was his destiny, he so desperately wanted to believe he was important and he was special. He had finally gotten over his depression and made the arrangements to take the tour despite his “condition”. He had finally gotten up his courage to deal with what his father did to him by something constructive like going on a journey of self-exploration instead of just sitting around dreaming and being scared.
So when that tour guide told him “No, John. You can’t (do this)”, once again he was hit with the awful truth of the limitations of his life.

Cut to-

John Locke wiggling his toes on the beach after the crash. The miracle happened. He wasn’t forsaken after all. He wasn’t lost anymore. He was saved; healed. It all made sense now. “This is your destiny John. You wanted to believe so badly in things all your life, but each time you were disappointed often with disastrous results. Then when you woke up on that beach and…” well let’s just say it was as big of an enlightenment for John Locke, as what laying in The Source was for Jack in “The End”.
For me this moment epitomized what Lost was about. Redemption. They all came to The Island for a reason and we were shown how miraculous those reasons were for the first time with Locke being healed. We didn’t have to wait until the very last episode to see them all in the church. We got a glimpse of it very early on.

Katie, 18 – California (USA) :

Season two was already off to an amazing start down in the hatch, and with the computer broken, things had reached a new level of intensity. Desmond begins to explain to Jack what the stakes are if the computer is not repaired, and finally tells him just to watch the film. Jack and Locke set up the projector and sit down. I’m on the edge of my seat, certain that this, yes, this will explain everything I’ve been wondering about for a year.
Pierre Chang (or Marvin Candle, I suppose) shows up on screen and begins to tell us all about the Dharma Initiative. My mind races, hanging on every word, trying to use all this new information to create an elaborate theory explaining what the island is and what these people are there for. The video ends, and Locke steals the words right out of my mouth – “We’re gonna need to watch that again“.
We still didn’t know much, but now we knew what the hatch was. It was the first real answer, and it was fantastic. Of course, it left a hundred new questions in its wake, but that moment was magical. I knew I loved the show, but now I knew I was addicted.

Nick, 20 – Daytona Beach (Florida, USA) :

This episode was full of hope, and the scene near the end of the episode with Hurley, Charlie, Jin and Sawyer remains as one of my all-time favorite Lost moments. I still tense up when they are careening down the hill while Hurley tries to get the van started, even though I know the result. When the van kicks into gear, and the song “Shambala” starts playing, I can’t help but cheer with them. This moment is made all the better by the following scene with Jin bringing Sun a flower, Charlie with Claire, Sawyer holding a beer and wondering about Kate, and Hurley who is still near the van, with the orchestral version of “Shambala” playing in the background. Who knew you could capture the beauty and emotion of hope on television?