For six years, fans have followed their ups and downs, trials and tribulations and victories and defeats, but on May 23rd we must finally say goodbye to the Island dwellers of ABC’s fantastical mystery drama Lost. Whether you were hooked on the physical action, the philosophical debates or the pheromone-raising beach bods of the shows eclectic cast, you’ve grown attached to the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 and are probably having a hard time imagining what your DVR queue will look like without them. To spoil all the fan-boys who have helped make it the most talked about TV show of our time, I’ve decided to write this love letter to the ladies of Lost.
The woman who was supposed to lead the castaways in the original draft of the pilot’s script had become one of Lost’s most loved (“I’m going back to find your daughter!”) and hated (just choose already – Jack or Sawyer!) characters, but has unsurprisingly made it to the finale. Though her back-story was a snooze-fest compared to others, Kate has proved time and time again to be the most capable woman on the show, often saving the lives of many of her female (and male) companions. Played with tenacity and just a hint of vulnerability by the angelic Evangeline Lilly, no other character as important to the story is also as sexy as Kate.
Had Yunjin Kim nabbed the role of Kate like she had tried to, Lost never would’ve had the epic Romeo and Juliet-inspired romance between a Korean trust fund baby and the son of a lowly fisherman. As the reserved Sun, Kim was allowed to explore and comment on the restrictions of Eastern culture before coming into her own as a modern woman in an extraordinary set of circumstances. More so than with any other female character on the show, we grew as an audience with Sun from her days as a dominated wife to determined mother and though her recent death was hard to endure, she’s had an incredible journey.
Other than man-of-faith-turned-man-of-death John Locke, no other character on the show has had a role reversal as dramatic as Claire’s. So much mystery has surrounded her that I feel as though I still don’t really know who she is. At one point I did, but that was before she went over to the Man In Black’s dark side. A bit of a ditz at first (and also useless in terms of survival skills needed on the Island), she became more important to the narrative as season’s passed, starting with the birth of her son Aaron in Season 1 and continuing with her disappearance and the revelation that she and Jack Shephard were half-siblings. I don’t know where she fits into the grand scheme of things, but Ms. Littleton has become arguably the most enigmatic character in all of Lost.
Juliet Burke 
Providing perfect portions of brains and brawn, Juliet Burke started out on the show as a stone cold accomplice of villain Benjamin Linus, but her own agenda became clear shortly after her first appearance. Still, I was constantly second-guessing her loyalties since she cloaked her motives in secrecy. At one point, she was the most despised character on Lost because of her constant flip-flopping. As time moved on (or backwards or sideways for that matter) however, Juliet became one of the most endearing characters on the Island: as we learned more about her tragic past and present, we became more sympathetic and supportive of her. By season 5, Juliet was perhaps the hero of the show, which made her death all the more heart wrenching. I salute you Ms. Burke – now can you please explain the predicament with pregnancy on the Island?!
One of the very first mysteries that was addressed on Lost was the looped French S.O.S. message that had been playing for years over the weak radio waves on the Island. That message came courtesy of Rousseau, a castaway who arrived with a team of scientists circa 1988 and saw first-hand what terrors inhabited the land. A ruthless adversary, she made us squeamish with her torture practices and “Lord of the Flies” look, but when we learned of her misfortunes (like having her baby girl ripped out of her hands by a young Ben Linus) we came to understand her madness. Her dedication to finding her daughter eventually paid off, but she met her maker soon afterward. Without her, the inaugural season would have been a lot less peculiar and we didn’t want it any other way.
Adding a distinctly spicy flavor to an already diverse cast, the feisty crime fighter-turned-vigilante killer Ana Lucia was an unlikely hero, given her fierce methods and hot temper. But she got most of the tail section survivors of Oceanic flight 815 through their first 48 days, making her a force to be reckoned with and a major help to Jack. She screwed up on more than one occasion – most famously when she killed Shannon (deep down we thanked her for that) – but proved to be a valuable ally with a continued presence on the show long after her demise. Her occasional and unexplained pop-ups back on the mainland were always highlights of those respective episodes in my opinion.
A big question mark has followed Libby from an insane asylum to the Island and everywhere in between. I still don’t fully understand her place in the show, other than aiding Desmond Hume in getting the Island in the first place (an important job) and providing Hurley a love interest for a spell, but with a heart of gold, she was a welcome addition to the cast. Her murder at the hands of the determined and twisted Michael was a low blow and still ranks as one of the most unexpected moments in the show’s entire run.
Undoubtedly the hottest castaway the Island has ever had, Maggie Grace portrayed the carefree Shannon as the materialistic every-girl and roped in some viewers that otherwise would’ve deemed the show too Sci-Fi or mysterious for them. Sure, she was annoying in the beginning and her lack of responsibility and ability rendered her helpless and even unnecessary at times, but she grew into a likable character (at least in Sayid’s eyes). Mainly there as eye candy, I was sad to see her go.
Let’s face it – no one liked Nikki or Paolo, so their death wasn’t exactly surprising or controversial. She first appeared on the show in Season 3, when Lost’s labyrinthine storyline began to falter a bit, leading to her introduction. She was there solely as bait for the boys and we bit hook, line and sinker, but when the time came for Kiele Sanchez to sign off, we were all ready to move on to the next one.
The radiant red-head Charlotte was a gifted anthropologist who discovered the remains of a polar bear emblazoned with DHARMA insignia in a Tunisian desert just as the wreckage of Flight 815 was “found”, but we eventually learned that this pint-sized scientist had much more invested in the search than we initially thought. She grew up on the Island as a little girl, narrowly escaped before The Incident and spent the rest of her life trying to get back. Once she did, she quickly met her doom, but not before crossing paths (in the present and past) with most of our main Losties.
