Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Lostaholics Anonymous: Happy Moments

Hello everyone and welcome to Week 2 of Lostaholics Anonymous. There seemed to be an overwhelming group of people out there who excitedly raised their hands and still want to talk about Lost, to which I say, "Yay!" followed by "Whew," since if you weren't still interested my upcoming season 6 Lost book would probably die a quick and painful death (available in fine bookstores near you in about another month!)

Last week I suggested that we'd ease into our routine with a discussion about our favourite moments. But once I started making a list of my own, I realized that they represented a cross-section -- happy, sad, moments that just made me love the show even more -- and so I thought maybe to keep things simpler we'd talk about the happy moments.

Lost could become a very serious show at times, often bogged down in the mystery, in impending death, suspense, and large philosophical issues, so the comic moments were always met with much relief, because it kept the show from becoming WAY too serious. I think my problem with a lot of other shows out there is their lack of a sense of humour -- FlashForward took itself far too seriously; The Event ain't funny at all; V was all overblown and big... whereas Hawaii Five-O knows how to laugh, and No Ordinary Family, which debuted last night, was as funny as it was fun to watch. You could argue that Buffy was a comedy as much as it was a drama (and as many of you know, I've been involved in that very argument in a very public setting) and I think the best shows are a perfect mix of the two.

So without further ado, let's talk about some of our favourite funny or happy moments.

Hurley sharing an Apollo bar with Ben. One of the reasons I loved this moment so much is that it wasn't outwardly funny -- a non-fan wouldn't have seen the humour in that scene at all. But here was the show's favourite funny guy sitting down with the island's arch-villain, and handing him a piece of chocolate. Ben looks at him strangely, stares at it for a second, and then takes it without a word, chewing on the candy and its caramel fitting as if this was the most natural thing in the world. This amazing scene was the precursor to Ben and Hurley eventually becoming the guardians of the island together.



Hurley trying to maintain his ruse of NOT being a time traveler as he’s grilled by Pierre Chang. Now this scene WAS played for laughs, and big ones. What makes it even funnier for fans is the fact that earlier, Hurley had asked Sawyer who the President was in 1977 and Sawyer laughed and didn’t answer, reassuring Hurley he’d never be asked something like that. When Chang asks him that very question, Hurley’s face is like Ralph Kramden’s on The Honeymooners when he was on Name That Tune, and “Swanee River” starts playing (come on, someone out there must remember that ep… if not, it was parodied when Brain went on Jeopardy on Pinky and the Brain…) Hurley makes a valiant effort to try to keep on top of Chang’s questioning, but quickly falls apart. Brilliant moment.



Sawyer teaching Jin how to compliment his wife in English. “Tricia Tanaka Is Dead” is one of the funniest episodes of the series; at the time it seemed like some one-off throwaway episode, but watch it again and see just how many zingers are in this one. Sawyer’s just shown up again after being on the other side of the island (well, actually, on Hydra Island) for ages, and he discovers the beer and will drink it, no matter how old it is. As he clinks his can to dead Roger Workman, he begins to teach Jin the only English he’ll need to know. Both he and Jin are hilarious in this scene.

The Shambala scene: In that same episode might be one of the single happiest moments in the series, when Hurley defies fate and the VW van roars to life as he and Charlie are hurtling down a hill. The happy, fun-loving music, paired with Sawyer, Charlie, Jin, and Hurley riding around in the van laughing, made all of us forget they were trapped on a mysterious island. It was a moment of pure joy.

Of course, there were several laugh-out-loud lines, and I’m sure many of you will be able to quote those for our delight.

And now I’ll just mention two of my absolute favourite scenes in the entire series, which I love because they straddle the dramatic/comedic sides of the show.

Hurley’s cannonball: This moment is glorious in its happiness, devastating in its sadness. On the one hand, Hurley jumps in the water assuming his curse is gone and he and his friends are about to be rescued. He’ll go home, see his Ma, and introduce her to his new friend Charlie. It’s probably the single happiest moment in the series. But the moment he surfaces – about 3 seconds after he was happiest – he realizes Charlie is dead, they’re not being rescued, and he’s probably still cursed. It’s a gorgeous combination of all of the show’s best elements.

Hurley (I see an onrunning theme here) and his Ma, when he tells her what really happened on the island in “The Lie.” I’ve talked about this scene before, but it’s still one of my favourites. First, he looks like he’s going to cry. Then he manages to sum up the first four seasons of Lost in about a minute and a half, while the loopy Hurley music plays and his Ma looks confused. But at the end, he suddenly breaks down again, telling her they left people behind and he needs to go get them. His ma leans forward, touches his hand, and tells him she believes him. It’s such a lovely moment in the series, where she tells him what he needs to hear, and Jorge Garcia displays a tremendous range of emotions.

So those are some of my favourite moments. Of course, now that I think about it, maybe this one trumps them all:



So, let’s discuss our fave moments in Lost. What made you happy at the time? What makes you smile or laugh now that might have seemed different at the time? Did you think the comic moments were a good blend with the dramatic ones?

Next week: The moments that made us cry.

58 comments:

Jazzygirl said...

Hey Nikki, long time no see. :)
I just found the post from last week and chimed in, saying that this has been on my mind a lot lately because I've been trying to draw off of LOST to help me through some personal stuff that's happened. I was thinking I'd elaborate more on that this week, since "dead is dead" has been the topic I wanted to talk about...and this week we're going with HAPPY moments. LOL!! Ah well. I'll hold off I guess for now.
So, off the cuff, I agree with the scenes you've mentioned. I'll have to think of more. But one of the first things I thought of was Sawyer's nicknames. One that always sticks out is when he called Locke "Mr. Clean" and then says something like "just add a mop and an earring and you're good to go". Terry O'Quinn smiles and laughs and it's so genuine that I'm sure it could have been part of a blooper. I also like when he called Lapidus "Shaggy". :)
I feel like there's a big and obvious happy moment I'm forgetting but I'm sure others will think of them!

Gillian Whitfield said...

Favourite "happy" moment. Hmm . . .

Probably the scene where Hurley does the cannonball in "The Beginning of the End". That scene always makes me smile.

Unknown said...

1. Hot Pocket!
2. Ben + Annie
3. Jack & David's talk in "Lighthouse"
4. Hurley saying that Ji Yeon is "awesome"
5. Charlie + Claire + imaginary peanut butter

I also want to say that I would put the Hurley/Chang time travel discussion as THE funniest moment from LOST. When we first viewed that scene, we had to pause our dvr because we were laughing so hard. I know there are SO many I'm forgetting!

Amy Lynn said...

I always loved the end of episodes where everyone moved in slow motion and the beautiful score would play over the top. There were multiple scenes where someone, Jack and Kate...Jin and Sun....Walt and Vincent were reunited and the smiles on their faces to see their friends and loved ones again just always made me happy. Always reminds me of people being reunited at the airport, like at the end of Love, Actually. I think its scenes like those that make me miss LOST sooo much.

Leslie said...

Bernard appearing and being reunited with Rose.

Nikki Stafford said...

Brooke: Ooh, Hurley saying Ji Yeon is awesome... great one!! That one always brings tears to my eyes at the same time as the wide grin.

Nikki Stafford said...

Amy Lynn: The montages were mostly in season 1, and then whenever they'd do another one in later seasons it made me nostalgic for season 1 again. I loved those montages, too.

JS said...

there is one scene (I cannot remember the episode) where Sawyer manages to string together 4 or five nicknames in one description of a ridiculous situation. $5 to who ever finds it!

sk said...

Oh yes ... Hurley, looking like a waterbaby swimming for the first time. So gentle and loving. And Sawyer's nicknames, off the charts. That's when I fell in love with Sawyer. Loved his sense of humour... and his wearing soiled boxer shorts when Locke/MIB came calling. Had to rewind after that. I thought I was seeing things.

Matt Roeser said...

sick of LOST?! NEVER! i'm glad you're still writing about it nikki! and if anyone wants to join us on our year-long LOST rewatch, where we're watching 2 episodes a week...join along! we just started and are posting Tabula Rasa tomorrow. you can follow along at blog.wehavetogoback.net

LONG LIVE LOST!

matt

Cheryl said...

My all time favorite and happiest scene is the "Wash Away" montage in Tabula Rasa. The look on Sawyers face when Sayid throws him the mango just kills me. I cried and fell in love with the show at that moment! I remember being upset when Hurley's batteries died as those early music montages were all so great.

JS said...

Sawyers nicknames usually caught me off guard and made me laugh. You have to be pretty smart to come up with those completely situation appropriate nicknames. some favorites are when he strings them together:

"Gimpy mcructch over here covers up while the artist formerly known as henry gale tries to strangle your little amiga and suddenly she goes vigilante"

"Yeah well him says even though pippi longstocking and the grape ape are the ideal candidates for the dirty dozen, I'm just gonna say we might want to bring the red beret."

Dr. Giggles, moonbeam, baby napper, mutton chops, amarillo slim, snuffy, daniel boone, ponce de leon,

*************

"who are we to argue with taller ghost walt", gizmo, colonel kurtz, chicken little, bruce lee from the freighter, kenny rogers, sundance, whiz kid, ghost of christmas future, dr wizard, enos, plato, bonsai, mr. I speak to dead people, kong, twitchy, hg wells, nemo, I could go on.

TGFLP (thank God for lost pedia)

LRTFaraday said...

Good evening,

One of the funniest I recall was from season 3, "Left Behind", when Hurley conned Sawyer into thinking there was going to be a vote to banish him off the island, so he had to be nice to everyone. He didn't know exactly what to say to be nice to Claire, so he remarked to her that "Aaron..he isn't as wrinkly as he was two weeks ago!". That to me was hilarious.

I also laughed at all Sawyer's nicknames, like when he welcomed Daniel to the meeting as "twitchy" in "The Variable". That was a very funny moment in an otherwise tense action packed episode.

I thought there were many funny characters, Hurley, Miles, Sawyer and don't forget Ben! - On Ajira flight 316, they're all waiting for the plane to crash any moment and Ben is calmly reading! When Jack says "How can you read at a time like this?", he answered "my mother taught me". That was sooo funny!

One of the happiest moments that sticks in my mind now was (again from season 5 - I loved season 5!), in LaFleur, when Juliet and Sawyer were on the docks and he's trying to charm her into staying two more weeks. I loved that scene. I love Saywer when he's funny (you can't leave me with the mad scientist and Mr. I speak to dead people!) but also being honest and showing some vulnerability ("who's gonna get my back?"). When she finally agreed to "two more weeks", he looked so happy, that it made me happy. But then, the next moment showed "3 years later", and he's still smiling, so happy smelling the flowers and picking one to bring home for Juliet. They were in love and well I felt really good inside after those two combined scenes.

I really believe the joy, love, laughter was a welcome contrast to the other dramatic stuff that was always happening. It kept the show well balanced.

sk said...

Hurley trying to one up George Lucas in his adaptation of The Empire Stikes Back. And Hurley's culinary skills at making dips at Dharma. Funny stuff ; )

LRTFaraday said...

Hi Cheryl-I love the "wash away" ending from Tabula Rasa - the same part exactly as you - "when Sayid tosses Sawyer the fruit", just when the song is playing "no no more crying" - that's exactly when I would start to cry! But by the end with Walt so happy to see Vincent I felt better!.
I also loved all the season one music and montages "i shall not walk alone" that made me cry too, as did the Willie Nelson "are you sure this is where you want to be" when the camp split into two groups.

Awww memories!

sk said...

In the pilot, Locke's homage to Brando from The Godfather, with the orange smiley face. Loved it !

Pmfan said...

One of my very favorites is the look Jin gives Hurley after Hurley said there's no such thing as the Korean war. (I can just imagine Jin making one of those Lurch sighs from The Addams Family).

Marebabe said...

Well, I’m late, because my computer went down at about 8:20 this evening. (Grrrr!) And now I’m staying up too late, but I had to chime in on this discussion. I agree with everything said here; your faves are all my faves. But I’ll add one that no one has mentioned yet. I love love LOVE it when Hurley beats the stuffing out of Sawyer. He’s fed up with all the verbal abuse, and he just lets Sawyer have it! And it’s so wonderful that Jin stands by laughing and doesn’t lift a finger to rescue Sawyer.

One more real quick. When Sawyer got his glasses. The questions Jack asked him IN FRONT OF KATE... “When was your last outbreak?” And the reactions of people when they first saw him in his new custom-made glasses. Hurley: “It looks like someone steamrolled Harry Potter.” Kate laughs out loud, and Sawyer yanks the glasses off. Purely wonderful.

Erin {pughs' news} said...

Oh, so many happy memories. I have to agree with all of the ones you've mentioned, Nikki, and many of the ones others have suggested too. I loved when Hurley tricked Sawyer into hosting the bbq for everybody, lest he be banished by the group! Love all the nicknames and the musical montages and reunions. Washed Away is so moving, and those scenes always make me smile.

shobiz said...

The first time I saw "Tricia Tanaka is Dead," I thought, as Nikki said, that it was a kind of throwaway episode -- a little pause for some lightness before things got very dark indeed. But upon rewatching the series during the 6th season, I found it to be one of the show's most profound and meaningful. I can hardly describe the joy I feel watching the Hurley/Shambala van scene. I truly believe that the major themes of the show were expressed in that episode. The seemingly miraculous van-starting moment ("there is no curse, you make your own luck") and the lyrics to the song "Shambala" evoke familiar motifs of redemption and transcendence. "Letting go" and "moving on," if you will. And there's more than a little "live together, die alone" in Hurley gathering people to work together and have *faith* in something that seems pointless -- getting the van running -- and which ends up having a very personal meaning for him as well as for Charlie. Even skeptical Sawyer can't help but be overjoyed when it finally works. By the time we come to the slo-mo ending, with Giacchino's lovely, bittersweet instrumental take on "Shambala," I cry tears of joy every time.

If all of the above weren't enough, there's also the flashbacks and Hurley's daddy issues, and even the soon-to-be-revealed mystery of who "Roger Workman" was. With all those ingredients, it's almost like a recipe for the perfect LOST episode. It will forever be one of my favorite hours of television.

yourblindspot said...

Wow -- I'm late, obviously, and you guys have covered a lot of my favorite funny/happy moments already, but for a show that made me so happy in general, there are still lots more...

I'm a little conflicted with the question, frankly, because I think the moments that made me happiest were all a little bittersweet. I know this means I may be jumping the gun into next week's discussion a little here, but I can't help it... I just adore those rare instances when a scene from a work of filmed entertainment elicits such power that you’re overwhelmed, so bowled over with emotion that your ordinary day-to-day façade just shatters, the tears leap into your eyes, and you're instantly transformed into an unapologetic wreck. For LOST, the scene that immediately comes to mind is from the amazing ‘Greatest Hits’ (an episode awash in wonderful moments), when Charlie finishes his list by writing the words, “#1 THE NIGHT I MET YOU,” and it’s suddenly and perfectly clear he’s been making the list for Claire all along. F’n. Slays. Me.

Another of those is from ‘D.O.C.’ when Juliet is doing Sun’s ultrasound and tells her she got pregnant on the island, and Sun saying, “It’s Jin’s!” through the tears. So magnificent.

Aside from the finale, the season 6 scene that got me the worst was probably Rousseau and Ben in ‘What They Died For,’ when she tells him that he’s the closest thing to a father Alex has ever had. And then the way she flirts with him, too, at the end of the scene, hinting at a 'next time'... Sheer awesomeness. I never wanted the flash-sideways to be real more than after that scene played out.

But I think the granddaddy of them all would have to be Des & Penny’s simultaneous I-love-yous in ‘The Constant.’ If you weren’t grinning through tears at the end of that phone call, then your heart might not work right.

All of those made me cry, yes, but all of them also made me so very happy. Maybe I'm somewhat masochistic that way.

Otherwise, I seem to remember the moment when Libby kisses Hurley on the beach at the end of 'Dave' making me jump off the couch and shout "YESSS!" from the tremendousness.

As far as funny moments go, most of my favorites belong to Hurley. The Mr. Cluck's Korean dream that opens 'Everybody Hates Hugo,' for example, or that great scene from s6 where he's questioning Richard about being a terminator or a vampire. And I haven't seen anyone mention, “Dude, you’ve got some Arzt on you.”

Ambivalentman said...

The scenes everyone has mentioned are awesome, and as I read the comments it was amazing how many times a scene crossed my mind right before I read someone's post.

Like Nikki, I will always love the scene where Hurley shares his beloved Apollo bar with Ben. The scene fits both characters so remarkably well and in hindsight very clearly established their future relationship as the Island's respective numbers 1 and 2.

Other funny moments I love:

* Sawyer's reading to "turnip head" as the only way to hush the lil guy up.

* Mr. Friendly throwing a football to Jack (although I don't think it was meant to be funny).

* Sawyer asking for a shirt at the beginning of season 5.

* Hurley trying to explain to Dogen why he was walking through the halls of the Temple.

* Hurley telling Jacob's ghost to be clearer when giving directions.

* Jack and Bai Ling having sex (10 on the unintentional comedy scale).

Can't wait for next week, Nik! Thanks for keeping the "light" of the Island burning!

LittleMo said...

the ones I remember are Hurley claiming to write Star Wars and the Island golf tournament.
How ridiculous was a golf tournament in that situation - and yet how necessary would it be for them all to keep sane, pass the time, reinforce the group bonds etc.

Miles had some pretty good one-liners, but I can't remember them right now

and yes the theme is here - nearly all of people's favourite and funny moments involve 1. Hurley and 2. Sawyer

Batcabbage said...

I think my fave moment would be Hurley trying to explain to his mom Lost in about 30 seconds all at once. It was a fantastic moment of a TV show acknowledging that their fans had to say 'Well... it's like this:' anytime they wanted to explain what the show was about. I could definitely call it my favourite moment.

Batcabbage said...

Also, sorry for the lateness. Your Wednesdays are my Thursdays. :)

Quarks said...

Wow, there are so many amazing happy Lost moments that its hard to narrow them down. I agree completely with your list Nikki, especially the scene from "Tricia Tanaka is Dead" with Hurley and Charlie defying death in the VW van. There are also so many others that stick in my head:

-Charlie giving Claire the imaginary peanut butter. This was so sweet, and the beginning of one of the sweetest pairings in Lost.
-Hurley and Miles' time travel debate. This was hilarious as well as helping to define some of the time travel "rules" which the show was adhering to.
-Ben's one-liners. So many of these had me laughing out loud, from "We have two giant hamsters running in a massive wheel at our secret underground lair" to "I'm a Pisces" to "Jack: How can you read? Ben: My mother taught me".
-Hurley attacking Sawyer in "Dave". The responses of the people watching made it even better.
-Rose and Bernard's reunion in "Collision", Sun and Jin's reunions in "Collision" and "The Last Recruit", and Desmond and Penny's reunion in "There's No Place Like Home". They were all so amazing, and it was a hard decision as to whether these came in happy moments or moments which made me cry.
-The reappearance of Minkowski, Charlie, and Faraday in "Happily Ever After". It was great to see some of the awesome dead characters return.
-Alex and Danielle bonding by tying up Ben together.
-Hurley building a golf course on the Island in "Solitary". This was one of the first times we really got to see the survivors (especially Jack) relax.
-Alex's reappearance in "Dr. Linus" and "What they Died For". It was good to see Ben have a chance to bond with Alex, and her enjoying spending time with him.

And so many, many more that I can't think of them all at the moment. There are some other happy moments which I could have included, but I think these ones fit slightly better into next week's category, including what is probably my favourite part of the entire series.

sk said...

Don't forget about the boys, Hurley, Desmond, Jin, and Charlie, drinking Sawyer's stash of MacCutcheon's whisky. Trying to get Des to have loose lips and spill some island info... and Jin telling spooky stories in Korean around the camp fire as they got more buzzed. Nice memory.

Efthymia said...

Happy moments and Funny moments are not one and the same. I would define happy moments as the ones where the characters are happy and we viewers feel happy because of that.
The beach reunions tend to be some of the happiest moments, as the characters seem to forget all the crap that's going on and are just delighted to see each other again.
Desmond and Penny's phone conversation in The Constant, I think even more than their actual meeting - although that was pretty great as well.
I love the Hurley/Charlie moments. Hurley's confessions to him, about being a millionaire, or curses, or whatever, them fooling around at the golf course... Although they are not exactly "happy" moments, there seemed to be a true friendship there, and a hint of ordinary life; I felt as if when they were together the kind of forgot about all the trouble.
The peanut butter scene, of course, as many others have mentioned.
Seing everyone making it alive and well after the hatch implosion (although we lost mr. Eko a little later -sob-).
There are probably lots more, but these are the first that come to my mind.

Marebabe said...

I thought of some more, just as my head hit the pillow last night. In the rush to quickly contribute at a late hour, my mind sort of defaulted to “funny”. I would now like to add a couple moments filed under “happy”.

The Raft Launch! (duh.) Only one of my top five all-time-favorite sequences of the entire series. It’s perfect, from every angle. Then there was the scene near the end of “Do No Harm”, when Claire was first introducing newborn Aaron to the folks on the beach. Everyone was so delighted to see the tiny baby, and so happy (for the moment).

Soon after Sun and Jin were reunited (was it “Collision”?) they came out of their tent in the morning and were being sweet and huggy together, and Hurley gave a thumbs-up to Jin. Everyone (including me) smiled. Later on, when Jin saw Hurley and Libby together on the beach, trying to organize their picnic, Jin gave Hurley a thumbs-up. The context made it extra good.

I’ve been thinking a little bit about next week’s topic. Death is crowding to the front of the line to be first in a discussion of sad moments. The challenge will be to include sad moments that are sad for other reasons. I’m working on it.

Kiki said...

Yeah!! More lost chat with my favorite fans -- you all really helped me think through the last season. Forever grateful to Nikki and this site.

I've been rewatching from the start and love seeing things with the perspective of knowing the end.

I always love Sawyers nicknames for people -- I'm watching Season 3 right now and loved when he called Carl Bobby (as in Bobby Brady) and refers to Alex as Sally Slingshot.

OK -- back to reading all the comments! So happy to be chatting about Lost with you all again!!

Nikki Stafford said...

LRTFaraday: I thought there were many funny characters, Hurley, Miles, Sawyer and don't forget Ben! - On Ajira flight 316, they're all waiting for the plane to crash any moment and Ben is calmly reading! When Jack says "How can you read at a time like this?", he answered "my mother taught me". That was sooo funny!

LOL!! OMG, that is one of my favourite lines, too. I think that probably tops my list of best Ben comebacks. Along with:

Locke: Can I ask you a question?
Ben: I'm a Pisces.

LOL! (It's even funnier knowing he's NOT a Pisces.)

Nikki Stafford said...

Ambivalentman: * Jack and Bai Ling having sex (10 on the unintentional comedy scale).

That just made me laugh out loud. :)

LRTFaraday said...

I have enjoyed reading all the comments so much!
After thinking about it a bit more, it seems that some characters make us feel happier than others..even though I love probably all the characters, Sayid, Locke, Daniel, Kate even Jack didn't make me smile or feel as happy (unless they were all together for a beach reunion, raft launch etc.)as some of the others mentioned here.
After re-watching The End, I'd have to say that some of the "awakenings" may be considered the happiest moments, especially for John Locke. The scene with Jack in the hospital after surgery is priceless, the smile on his face still melts my heart and the expression of his face at the very end in the church, when he sees the light, like a child seeing fireworks for the first time, wow, I'm sure that was his happiest moment in his life.

Nikki Stafford said...

yourblindspot: For LOST, the scene that immediately comes to mind is from the amazing ‘Greatest Hits’ (an episode awash in wonderful moments), when Charlie finishes his list by writing the words, “#1 THE NIGHT I MET YOU,” and it’s suddenly and perfectly clear he’s been making the list for Claire all along. F’n. Slays. Me.

Oh... so so perfect. And I agree, Josh; this scene just makes me so happy but brings tears to my eyes as well. At the time it had that effect already, but now knowing that Charlie's going to die in a couple of hours makes it heartbreaking.

It's interesting to me, which I mentioned in the original post, how sometimes a scene can change on the rewatch. As shobiz mentioned above, watching Tricia Tanaka at the time was fun and light, but watching it now it's one of the most important episodes of the series. How amazing that one episode could change entirely in retrospect.

That might be worth a topic on its own. :) Damn. I need to make these daily meetings, not weekly. ;)

Nikki Stafford said...

Efthymia: I agree entirely that happy and funny are not one and the same: the cannonball scene is happy, but not funny. Same with the Shambala scene. That's why I separated them from the rest. The scene of Hurley talking to his Ma in The Lie is actually neither happy nor funny, but one of those favourite moments for me that I can't define. He's sad and broken by what has happened, so it's not happy, and although the recap is played for laughs with the music in the background, it's not funny... but it's a favourite scene of mine because of the beauty of the overall thing.

Sigh. I love Lost.

AEC said...

Sorry I could comment last night. I had a big paper to finish (school gets in the way of everything!)

I loved all the moments everyone has posted so far. The hot-pocket scene is definitely one of my favorites!

I also loved all of Sawyer's quick nicknames and comebacks.

The scene where Hurley is being questioned about the time travel is fantastic.

I think one of my very favorites is the line between Hurley and Sayid where Hurley tells him "you know, maybe if you ate more comfort food you wouldn't have to go around killing people". I think it was from the same episode as the hot pocket- that was a good episode!

Marebabe said...

By the way, when I wrote above, “One of my top five all-time-favorite sequences of the entire series”, I had to stop myself from adding “SO FAR”! It was just a year ago that we were doing the rewatch, and we were all discussing the series so far (up through the end of S5). I guess that’s why we’re in this support group, so we can all come to grips with the fact that there isn’t any more. The story has been completely told. And we all have to move on. Later. Eventually. :)

Lisa(until further notice) said...

Late for the party...

One of my all time favorite scenes...and it is both happy and sad for me at the same time... was when Mr. Eko died and the final image of him is back in Nigeria as a young boy and his arm is around Yemi. Powerful stuff. I was happy that his extraordinarily difficult life on this earth was over and he was moving on.

I was also very happy whenever Jack was happy or even just a little bit relaxed. It didn't happen often. But when he was playing poker on the beach, or golf, or watching the ping-pong match, he was happy. He was happy whenever he saw Kate, and you could tell how much he loved her (even when he was being a douche to her). When he was with his "son" David, he was happy, and my favorite happy scene of all was the ending in the church when he realized what was happening and had the biggest smile on his face as he made the rounds with everyone. I especially lovee when he and Kate held hands with their fingers interlocked. Happy.

Sharon said...

Oh dear...this is like someone asking you to name your favorite child. Everyone has definitely hit the highlights (considering I'm a day late thanks to internet issues), but I also absolutely LOVED Jack's "I don't know Miles...how stupid ARE you" line and Hurly turning the tables on Sawyer with "red...neck...man"

Anonymous said...

Sawyer: You're in my light, sticks?

Shannon: Light sticks? What's that supposed to mean?

Sawyer. Light comma sticks. As in those fine legs of yours.

paleoblues said...

Henry Gale: "You got any milk?"

What really struck me about that scene was that Jack let Henry out against Locke's wishes and then when Jack gets frustrated with Benry he leers at Locke and demands that Locke put him back in lockup.

wv: dewel...cloth for wiping up early morning moisture

shobiz said...

Lisa(until further notice) said...
One of my all time favorite scenes...and it is both happy and sad for me at the same time... was when Mr. Eko died and the final image of him is back in Nigeria as a young boy and his arm is around Yemi. Powerful stuff. I was happy that his extraordinarily difficult life on this earth was over and he was moving on.

That is a great final scene. I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of this, but it just occurred to me that that scene could actually help explain why Eko is not in the church at the end of The End. Perhaps what we're seeing there is really the sideways world, but like Faraday, Charlotte and Ana Lucia (among others) he either isn't ready to move on, or will eventually move on with a different group. Characters in the flash-sideways seemed to generally find their "constant" or their one most significant other character/foil, or the yang to their yin, and Yemi certainly could be that for Eko.

To Anonymous: I forgot about that "light, comma, sticks" line. Awesome. It also has that great inside-joke feeling -- you could almost imagine the same question and clarification happening in the writers' room.

Mr. Mopar said...

Nikki ... I wish I had been around your blog since the beginning, and not the start of season 6. Things would have been so much clearer. But I digress.

The line that made me laugh harder than any other during the series was provided in 316 by Mr. Serious, Frank "Chesty" Lapidus, when he states "We're not going to Guam, are we?".

Priceless!

Rebecca T. said...

@Brooke: YES! Imaginary Peanut Butter FTW! I love that scene so much :)

@paleoblues: "You got any milk?" Priceless.

Actually a lot of my favorite one liners are Ben's (oh Michael Emerson, how I miss thee)
-"If you mean time-travelling bunnies, than yes."
-when they're trying to get into the Orchid station (I think) and Ben whips his head around and says, "How many times do I have to tell you, I always have a plan" Oh my werd, but the way he says that always cracks me up.

I love when Hurley is preparing the golf course and someone asks him what he's doing and he just gets his smile and laughs rather maniacally. Classic Hurley.

I know there are Miles lines that made me laugh. Oh. there's too many. It's so much fun reading everyone else's. I'll be back if I think of any more.

Rebecca T. said...

I remember one of the Miles lines!

"I don't believe in a lot of things, but I do believe in duct tape."

Oh yeah! and when he's talking to Ben and he says, "Well I lived in these houses 30 years before you did. Also known as last week."

Ah Miles... :)

humanebean said...

Totally slammed with work this week but have to chime in.

While many lines of dialogue and situations would be on my list of 'happiest' moments from LOST, I have to begin here: I was so invested in so many of these characters, felt their joys and sorrow so keenly, that many of my favorite moments came simply from the expression on their faces as something transpired.

- the look on Hurley's face as the motel room door opened in the Sideways Uni and he laid eyes on his mate Charlie for the first time since he died on the Island

- the look on Sawyer's face as Hurley lifts him off his feet in a bear hug when reunited in Dharmatime

- the look Jack's face as his Dad hugs him in the church during the finale

- the look on Locke's face as he watches Michael tell Walt that he's found Vincent

- the look on Ben's face as he watches Alex happily walk away with the principal's recommendation at the end of "Dr. Linus"

- the look on Nikki's face as the shovel full of dirt sprinkles on Paolo & Nikki's faces and her eyes open.


bwahahahahahahahahahah!

Ah, good times, good times ...

My name is humanebean and I'm a LOSTaholic. It's been 4 minutes since my last show-related thought.

Did anyone bring donuts?

Verification word: "ingfunk" - a situation in which your mojo is so funked up you don't know whether you are coming or going.

The Question Mark said...

After giving it a lot of thought, I think I've finally foudn the moment that makes me smile the most in the entire series:

At the end of "Everybody Hates Hugo" in Season 2, Hurley tells Jack that the food supply in the hatch is low and they might as well just dish it out to everyone. Jack says that's fine.
What follows is a beautifully sweet montage of all the survivors sitting amongst their campfires, enjoying a meal together. I think this is the only time on LOST when all of the craziness of the Island is forgotten & every character is just relaxing. Even Locke, who normally alienates himself from his fellow castaways, can be seen shoveling down some grub and sharign a joke with somebody.
It's a beautiful moment that reminds the viewer that, despite all of the gunplay and dynamite-blasting and button-pushing and double-crossing these people are wont to do, at the end of the day, they're still all human.

Marebabe said...

I just thought I’d stop by to see if any more comments had been added, and I’m certainly glad I did. Rebecca, humanebean, Question Mark, very well said, thanks for sharing, and I couldn’t agree more! :)

paleoblues said...

The Question Mark's comment about Hurley dishing out the food reminded my of when Libby and Hurley destroyed his stash and then like magic more food falls out of the sky.

wv: heeri ... listening to ghosts

JS said...

I love you guys. I agree with all of you. Happy, funny, touching. I love them all. The fact that thinking of a scene I haven't thought of in a while can bring up the feelings all over again? Wow.

Unknown said...

Are we really back to discussing LOST again? Hell yeah we are! Woohoo!

We all agree that we could talk about happy Hurley moments for days - funny-haha happy moments and touching-sweet happy moments! There are just too many! When he finds Charlie in the hotel room in 'The End' and the look of pure elation on his face at finding his very long-missed friend gets me all mushy.

Oh, yes, the montages!!

Before I read all your comments I was trying to come up with something 'intentionally' happy (good one Ambivalentman!) for Jack since there were so few and to Lisa(ufn) I love your examples! One that sticks in my mind is when he and Kate and Aaron seem to be getting it together playing house and Kate tells Jack he's a great father and they kiss in the hallway. I knew the happiness would be short-lived but they had it nonetheless for a second! And his dying look at Ajira flying overhead was the epitome of bittersweet happiness!

Amy said...

Some great ones that have already been mentioned resonate with me as well -- the reunions, the raft launch, the golf course, Shambala.

One that was happy at the time, but more bittersweet now that we know what eventually happened is when Jin gets to see the photos of Ji Yeon from Sun's camera. So emotional when he got to see his daughter for the first time.

Kiki said...

Just watched Season 3 Tricia Tanaka is Dead and my favorite moments:

Sawyer was hilarious teaching Jin Enghlish phrases including "You are right" and "No those pants don't make you look fat"!

Sawyer referencing Little House! And Laura Ingalls -- classic. And calling Hurly JumboTron and Charlie Jiminey Cricket!

Hurley getting the VW van running and Shambala blairs from the radio! I started singing right along with it.

JoanieG said...

One of my favorite happy/tears/"sigh" moments was when Sawyer and Juliet reunited at the sideways candy machine. They were soooo happy. Too bad they were both dead.

wv: astoy - how a modern gal considers her guy

Sagacious Penguin said...

Hey, all! Just wanted to say I still think about LOST all the time, miss blogging, and miss talking with y'all! Very shortly after LOST ended life ramped up from busy to Ludicrously busy (with a capital L) thanks to a film project my buddies and I have submitted to Sundance (but are still hard at work on since it has to be done in January IF we get into the festival). So my blog has silently decayed and I only jump on here every now and then to see how Nikki's book is progressing, but I bought my super awesome blu-ray all-seasons LOST box set and even though I haven't had time to put a SINGLE disc into my player yet, I hug if frequently.

Can't wait for your book Nikki (and the time to read it), and it thrills me to know end that you guys are all here still discussing the show -- and that Hurley throwing a hot pocket is getting the repeat play it deserves! Hopefully I'll be back to bloggin/talkin about the show again soon, but for now I must press through to January with non-stop work on my film! Rock on, everyone! Long live LOST!

(Oh, and Giacchino fans NEED to check out both the LOST: The Final Season soundtrack and his score to the new movie Let Me In. Both are awesome!)

Linda345 said...

Been lurking for a long time, but no more. Couldn't pass this up. Funny moment: Des and Hurley walk through the jungle, all serious, Des is wearing nothing but Hurley's tie-dyed shirt. If you don't get it, well you just have to see it. ROFLMAO! Happy moment? Hurley grinning when he sees Charlie in the FS.

Austin Gorton said...

Whew, 56 comments! Look at the Lost love.

That's what I get for being on vacation last week.

I'll just add that the Hurley/Chang time travel discussion is, without a doubt, my single favorite humorous moment on Lost.

Anonymous said...

I've just started a rewatch and am up to the White rabbit. And so far the really joyful moment is how happy Walt is when Michael walks out of the jungle with Vincent on a lead.