Summary
Of all the series that ran on network television in the 2000s, very few wereas influential asLost.To call the series “must-see television” is somehow still an understatement, as thezeitgeistsurrounding the show’s six-season run has yet to be matched on the same scale. Watercooler discussions aboutLost’sinscrutable mysteries, the meaning of the series, and what was going to happen to its ensemble cast of characters were a weekly occurrence for many. The show remains the premiere “mystery box” TV series to this day, but what often flies under the radar the wide array of fantastic characters that made the show tick.
From leading roles to temporary guest stars, the cast ofLostwas its secret weapon.Fans tuned in to get answers to the show’s mysteries,but those answers were so sought-after because of what they meant for the show’s characters. These felt like real people dealing with extraordinary circumstances, which kept audiences invested in the story and not just the destination. Part of what kept these characters so honest was the friendships they formed with their fellow castaways. From iconic frenemies to unlikely pairings,these are the best friendships inLost.
There are a number of excellent romantic relationships that spring up among the survivors duringLost’ssix seasons, but this list will be focusing exclusively on platonic friendships.
Spoilers ahead for Lost
10Sawyer And Hurley
From Headbutting To Roommates
In a manner that was very much characteristic ofSawyerearly on in the series, he andHurleydo not start out on good terms. Sawyer was insistent on calling Hurley “nicknames” that were really just excuses to make fun of Hurley’s weight. These insults eventually led to the two men nearly coming to blows before Jin arrived to split them up.
If you harm one hair on his curly head… - Sawyer
However, Sawyer and Hurley start to warm to each other. It starts with Hurley helping Sawyer deal with an annoying treefrog, and develops further when Sawyer plays matchmaker between Hurley and Libby. Eventually, when the camp splits, Sawyer and Hurley become roommates, and when the opportunity toescape the Island arrives,Sawyer refuses to leave without Hurley. In the end, only Hurley manages to escape. When he returns three years later and sees Sawyer, Hurley wraps him in a big bear hug, exclaiming “You’re alive!” in one of the show’s most heartwarming moments.
9Jack And Desmond
A Connection That Verges On Fate
The relationship betweenJackandDesmondisn’t exactly built on trust, or commonality, or even shared trauma. In many cases, there are a lot of differences between them, yet they are continually brought together. Be it before the Island, in the Swan, or during the flash sideways, Jack and Desmond are constantly orbiting each other during the most pivotal moments in their lives.
I’ll see you in another life, brotha. - Desmond
When they first meet, they are running stairs in an LA stadium. Jack sprains his ankle, and Desmond rushes over to help. Jack has just finished performing what was thought to be an impossible operation on his fiancée, Sara, and Desmond thought that Penny had left him, only to find out she was waiting for him. When they encounter each other in the Swan on the Island, Jack immediately recognizes Desmond because of the gravity of that shared moment years earlier. Much later, when Jack leads Desmond to the Heart, Desmond tries to get through to Jack by telling him that nothing on the Island matters, and that there’sa world where Flight 815 doesn’t crash,and they’re both happy. Then, in the show’s final scene, before they move on, one of the final people Jack embraces is Desmond.
8Locke And Walt
Breaking Out Of Their Shells
This short-lived friendship also happens to be the first moment whereLostshows its hand, although at the time, no one knew it. The relationship betweenWaltandLockebegins with a game of backgammon. Walt is drawn to Locke because the man seems to be isolating himself, and Locke sees a kindred spirit in Walt, who is involuntarily isolated because all the survivors (including Walt’s father, Michael) are too afraid for the boy’s safety to entrust him with any work.
Two players. Two sides. One is Light, one is Dark. - Locke
Their friendship begins with a board game, but before long, Locke is teaching Walt how to throw knives, much to Michael’s chagrin. This friendship is over before long, as Walt leaves the Island on the raft with his father, Jin, and Sawyer, but it’s fair to say that it was critical nonetheless. Locke was the first person to make Walt feel like he belonged among the survivors, something even his father struggled to do. Later on, a vision of Walt saves Locke when he is about to take his own life, which shows the impact he had on the older man’s life.
7Jack And Sun
Trust Is Earned
JackandSundon’t get a ton of screen time together in the early seasons ofLost, but their mutual trust is forged early when Sun brings a eucalyptus paste to help treat Shannon’s illness, something Jack was failing to do. She was also the first to realize that Boone’s injuries were too severe for Jack to treat, and encouraged him to stop fruitlessly trying to save him.
Do you trust me? - Jack
When the camp split, Sun chose to stay with Jack, and they eventually left the Island together. They lost touch back in the real world, at least, until Sun’s mission to kill Ben led her right back to Jack. Thanks to Jack’s urging, Sun returns to the Island. When she loses the ability to speak, Jack diagnoses Sun with aphasia and suggests she stay with him. Although she’s reluctant, instead wanting to search for Jin, Jack asks Sun if she trusts him, and she says she does. Their relationship is rarely a focal point of the show, but Jack and Sun develop an unshakable trust in each other, and Jack gives everything he has to save her from drowning in the end. Even Jin knew that Jack would take care of Sun; when he left on the raft, Jin told Sun that she would be safe as long as she stayed with Jack.
6Claire And Kate
Aaron’s Two Mothers
KateandClairebegan inauspiciously when they sorted clothes together in the wreckage of Oceanic Flight 815. Things progressed quickly, though, as the pregnant Claire went into labor not long after, and Kate was the one to deliver her baby. This moment made Kate exceptionally protective of baby Aaron, to the point that she became a surrogate mother to Aaron after they left the Island, and was motivated to return by the desire to reunite him with his mother.
You are not alone in this, we areallhere for you. This baby is all of ours. - Kate
When she returns to the Island, Claire initially tries to kill Kate, claiming that she had kidnapped Aaron. They quickly reconcile (with some “persuasion” from the Man in Black), and Kate begins convincing Claire to return to civilization; she even offers to continue helping Claire raise her son.In the flash sideways,Claire and Kate are still together, showing the strength of the bond they built.
5Sayid And Hurley
A Debt Owed
Lostis set in 2004 (at least, for the first half of the show), which was an era fraught with xenophobia surrounding people of Arabic descent and Muslim faith, given the fresh memory of the September 11th attacks on New York City and the even more recent invasion of Iraq.Lostdabbles in this theme early on, asSayid, an Iraqi veteran, is met with suspicion from his fellow survivors, as they initially suspect he may have caused the crash of Oceanic Flight 815. Out of everyone,Hurleyis the first person to approach Sayid with respect.
What were you? Air Force…? Army…? - Hurley
These two end up saving each other’s lives—both physically and emotionally—countless times. When Sayid is mourning Shannon, Hurley asks him to fix a broken radio to take his mind off his grief. When Hurley was planning a date with Libby, Sayid told him of the spot where he and Shannon used to go together. When Sayid helped raid the Others' camp, Hurley saved his life by driving a DHARMA van into a group of attackers. Then, off the Island, Sayid breaks Hurley out of a mental institution. In return, after Sayid is knocked out by a group of attackers, Hurley saves his life by carrying him to Jack.
4Kate And Sun
Secrets Kept
One of the most reliabletests of a friendshipis how well it holds up to sharing secrets.Katepasses this test almost immediately withSunwhen she realizes that Sun speaks English and has been hiding it from everyone, even her husband. Sun begs Kate not to tell anyone, and Kate agrees to keep her secret. Later, when Sun is desperate to prevent Jin from leaving on the raft without her, Kate (in true Kate fashion) comes up with the idea of giving Jin food poisoning. When Sun loses her wedding ring while Jin is captured by the “Tailies” (the tail section survivors), Kate helps her find it.
You understood me. You did, didn’t you? You just understood what I said. - Kate
Later, Sun again confides in Kate when she believes she may be pregnant, showing that Kate has earned Sun’s trust above anyone else. Kate is also the person who gets Sun off the Island, even though it means leaving Jin behind. Back in the real world, when Kate needed help while fleeing the prying eyes of a criminal lawyer, she went to Sun. Sun not only helps Kate hide by giving her a place to stay, but she also agrees to babysit Aaron and gives Kate some of her clothes to help her hide. Few friendships inLostare put to the test in the way that the relationship between Kate and Sun is, and yet they always come through for each other.
3Sawyer And Jin
The DHARMA Duo
The unlikely pairing ofSawyerandJinis one ofthe most well-developed friendshipsinLost,in large part because the show spends all six seasons gradually expanding on their relationship. Just like with all of Sawyer’s friends, things start out contentious with Jin, as Sawyer accuses him of burning Raft 1.0. This misunderstanding is rectified, and before long, they both board the raft together in the survivors' first attempt to escape the Island. When the Others show up and shoot Sawyer, Jin dives into the ocean to save him.
Just go. Save Sawyer. - Jin
From being prisoners of the “Tailies” to spending three years working as DHARMA security together, Sawyer and Jin bond extensively during their time on the Island. Sawyer is even the one who teaches Jin to speak English, and is the first to congratulate Jin when the survivors find out that Sun is pregnant. In Jin’s final moments, as he tries to free Sun from a submarine, he begs Jack to save Sawyer and to leave him behind. Part of that is Jin’s refusal to leave Sun to die alone, but it speaks to Jin’s love for Sawyer that he not only asks Jack to leave him behind, but tells Jack to save his friend instead.
2Jack And Sawyer
Frenemies To The End
Some may balk at the idea of callingJackandSawyerfriends at all, considering how they are always at odds with each other. Between their frequent chest-thumping over Kate and their constant bickering over what is or isn’t the right course of action, that’s understandable. However, upon closer inspection, while they may not be “buddies,” Jack and Sawyer trust each other more than almost any other member of the survivors.
You’re about the closest thing I got to a friend, Doc. - Sawyer
They frequently save each other’s lives. They refuse to let the other walk into danger alone. They confide in each other with some of their deepest fears and confessions. Jack and Sawyer back each other up in consistently surprising ways, and while it never goes so far as to prevent them from bickering moments later, it shows how much trust and confidence they share. Many scenes in the show explore this dynamic, but the moment when Sawyer tells Jack about his encounter with Jack’s late father is not only a highlight of their relationship; it’s one of the highlights of the entire series.
1Hurley And Charlie
Unconditional Friendship
Among all the friendships that develop duringLost,only one seems like it would have come about even if Oceanic Flight 815 had never crashed on the Island.CharlieandHurleyare the truest friends on the show, in large part because their friendship is founded almost immediately upon the fact that they simply get along with each other.
I know food is scarce but… Your shirt? - Charlie
Charlie’s struggles with addiction and his doubts about his feelings for Claire are shared primarily with Hurley. Meanwhile, on any trek Hurley sets out on, he sees if Charlie will come with him first. Yes, their bond is primarily solidified by “goofing off,” but there is no doubt that, had Charlie and Hurley met years before they crashed on the Island, they likely would have become friends then, too. It makes it all the more painful that Charlie feels the need to insult Hurley to keep him from tagging along to the Looking Glass. While Charlie is doing it because he’s scared for his friend’s life, it also ends up being one of the last things Charlie ever says to him (although the hug he gives Hurley right after helps it sting less).
