LOST ‘s Most Painful Deaths
20/ Nikki and Paulo- They may have been throw away characters who added just about nothing to the show, but this pair had one stand out episode. While the episode itself was nothing too exciting, the final few minutes still resonate. When Nikki and Paulo let their greed become the best of them, they turned on one another and used some sort of weird bug poison causing them to become paralyzed. When the losties found the two, they presumed death and buried Nikki and Paulo alive. Of all the people on the following list, only Nikki and Paula impacted the audience solely because of their deaths.
19/ Mr. Eko- He may have attempted to build a church, he may have had a seemingly important prayer stick, and he may have been one of the final surviving tailies, but once Eko died I felt nothing but satisfaction. Throughout his flashbacks it became apparent that Eko is in every way a terrible man with a severe need for repentance. His time on the island became a time to atone for his sins, which is why his death at the hands of the smoke monster was fitting. Eko became the epitome of faith on the island and thus he greeted death in a fulfilling manner. There may have been some fear, but Eko looked into the eye of the smoke monster and never once ran.
18/ Artz- When this teacher was introduced, you knew that he probably wouldn’t last very long. Artz stepped up after being annoyed by the constant dominion of Jack and his crew. He joined the group on their quest for dynamite at the black rock and was the only one who knew how to correctly handle it. Ironically, he was the only one to die because of it. When the unstable dynamite went off, little pieces of Artz landed on some of our favorite losties and that’s one image which is hard to forget.
17/ Naomi- As one of the more annoying characters introduced in later seasons, Naomi’s death wasn’t all that sad but it was the person who killed her that really rocked the boat. Naomi landed on the island after her helicopter crashed down, and she quickly pretended to be the rescue crew when in reality she was there to harm Ben.After helping the losties signal to her friends on the freighter, she was literally stabbed in the back by none other than John Locke. While the stabbing didn’t immediately kill her, Locke’s desire to stay on the island once again outranked his morality.
16/ Colleen- This bitchy Other is probably one of the least likable characters on the list, but what makes her death so great was, once again, the person who killed her. Colleen was part of the crew sent to check on Jin, Sun, and Sayid who were sent out to rescue the kidnapped losties. Colleen entered their boat and easily found Sun hiding out. When Colleen attempted to reason with her, Sun pulled out a gun. After a short interchange in which Colleen told Sun she was simply too nice to pull the trigger, Sun proved her wrong and killed Colleen proving that she would do anything for the safety of her husband.
15/ Goodwin- The bulk of Goodwin’s story wasn’t told until after his death, seasons later when it was revealed he had a love affair with Juliet. But before that ever happened, Goodwin was the nice tailie who attempted to help Ana Lucia find the traitor in their midst. In typical Lost fashion,it turned out that Goodwin was the actual traitor. Luckily, Ana Lucia was quick to pick up on his lies and after a small battle between the two, he was impaled by a pointy stick. Dramatic and amazing.
14/ Karl- Oh Karl, we barely knew you. As the adorable young love of Alex, Karl was tortured by the Others and sent back toward the island with Kate and Sawyer. Things, of course, never go as planned and after months being apart, Karl was finally reunited with Alex and her mother, only to be shot by the evil freighter people.
13/ Danny- As the least likable character on this list, there were certainly no tears shed for Danny’s death. Sure he was distraught over the death of his wife, but that doesn’t excuse his torture of Sawyer. When Skate finally broke free from the cages, it seemed as though they were set to return to their camp until Danny appeared. The notorious Other got what he deserved when in a shocking turn of events, Juliet shot him to death and subsequently earned Jack’s trust.
12/ Tom- The beloved Tom was always a fun Other to watch. He also was one of the only original Others around, so it wasn’t easy letting go. When Tom and his folk bombarded Bernard, Jin, and Sawyer most of them didn’t make it out alive. But the only significant death was Tom at the hands of Sawyer.
11/ Sawyer aka. Mr. Locke- Nothing was more epic than the realization that Mr. Sawyer was Locke’s daddy. And after years of emotional turmoil, nothing was more satisfying than seeing Sawyer finally deliver the letter to the man who killed his parents…and end his life.
10/ Daniel Farraday- Arguably, the only likeable helicopter-crasher, Farraday’s time traveling ways brought a whole lot of intrigue to the island. When he showed up in the 70s Dharma Initiative he quickly found his own mother. Before he had time to warn her, Ms. Farraday took matters into her own hand as she killed her only son. Even more heartbreaking was her realization immediately after.
9/ Jacob- After seasons of intrigue, and assumptions that he was possibly a made-up being, Jacob finally appears at the end of season five. When the Man in Black also makes his appearance in the body of Locke, he convinces Ben to do his dirty work and kill Jacob. A dramatic scene if there ever was one, but it’s safe to say this is probably not the last we’ll see of Jacob.
8/ Ana Lucia- After only being around for half a season or so, Ana Lucia’s tragic death was one of the biggest surprises in Lost history. Even more shocking was the fact that Michael pulled the trigger.
7/ Libby- As if Ana Lucia’s death was not enough, seconds later Libby arrives and is presumably killed by a panicked Michael. Libby hung on a bit longer as the audience got to see her pain and slow death. She tried to warn them about Michael but her last words accomplished nothing.
6/ Rousseau- The writers on this show can be far too cruel sometimes. It’s one thing to kill off the relative newcomer Karl, but it’s another thing to kill of Rousseau in the same scene without any build-up. As a character whose been with the show since season one, the most tragic aspect of Rousseau’s death was the little screen time it was given. Rousseau you are missed.
5/ Boone- This strapping young man was one of the first characters audiences fell in love with. Because of that, the wonderful writers of Lost saw an opportunity to make a strong statement: no one is safe. After blindly following Locke, Boone enters the yellow plane and is severely injured when it falls to the ground. Jack, with the help of Sun, fought hard to save Boone, even by giving his own blood, but all was for naught as the first major castaway was killed.
4/ Shannon- Lost has a tendency to kill characters once they’ve come full circle. Shannon was never really understood until she was killed. Throughout the episode, her flashbacks shed light on her negative attitude and pessimistic outlook. For someone who had such a shitty life, it was nice to see Shannon finally happy on the island in the arms of Sayid. Her love was cut short when Ana Lucia mistook her for an Other and shot Shannon.
3/ Alex- In one of the hardest death scenes to watch, Alex was killed not by her father but because of her father. The Alex/Ben relationship was one that never fully became developed until the later seasons, but it was apparent that Ben cared for her. When the big bad freighter men of season four attempt to kill Ben, they take Alex as a hostage. In a stupid ploy to save her, Ben lies and claims no allegiance to his daughter. But, for once, Ben is outsmarted and his assailant isn’t fooling around. In a quick moment, Alex is shot and Michael Emerson once again proves he deserves those Emmys with a complete and udder look of horror and disbelief.
2/ Charlie- We knew it was coming. But then again, the thing about Charlie’s death that made it so amazing was twofold. First, he did it for Claire. Charlie knew that jamming the signal would bring a ship to the island and result in Claire’s eventual rescue. In a complete selfless act he sacrifices himself for his love’s safety. Which brings us to the second reason his death was so powerful: he was wrong. Right before Charlie drowns, he reaches communication with Penny and discovers that the rescue boat is not hers. In a last minute attempt to warn Desmond, Charlie’s parting words are, appropriately, scribbled on his hands: “not Penny’s boat.” We only hope that Charlie’s death will gain meaning after this final season and that Claire will, in fact, be rescued.
1/ Juliet- Say what you will about Juliet, but she brought a whole new life to the series. And say what you will about the relationship between Juliet and Sawyer, but it became quickly clear that she loved him. As a character who struggled with acceptance, Juliet never became part of the group fully until she was transported to the 1970s Dharma Initiative. Here she fell for Sawyer and was quickly reunited with half of the Ocean 6. When Jack attempts to set off the nuclear bomb and alter the future, a faulty explosive device thwarts his plans. The magnetic force of the island begins to pull objects into the ground and Juliet is entwined in the mix. Both Kate and Sawyer begin to help her, two individuals who she realizes will always love one another, and Juliet gives up: “it’s okay. I love you James. I love you so much.” Juliet is presumed dead, until the last minutes of the finale when she uses her final strength to slam the bomb to the ground and it detonates.