Greatest Hits: Counting Down the Best Scenes from Season Three of "Lost"

I miss Lost. I mean, I REALLY miss Lost. Not in a "Gee, I'm looking forward to the next season of, say, Ugly Betty," but in a I'm getting the shakes from withdrawal kind of way.

While Lost won't be back on the airwaves for a loooooong time (February 2008, in fact), that doesn't mean I can't relive my favorite moments from Season Three until then. And believe me, there were quite a few watercooler moments in this, the most controversial season of Lost to date.

Those wacky Brits over at Sky One's Lost Initiative podcast--Iain Lee, Geeky Tom, and Paul Terry--are counting down the viewers' choices for the top ten scenes from Lost's third season in a new video podcast available at iTunes at via the Sky One website.

Part One, discussing viewers' choices for #5-10, is up now, with the all-important top 5 scenes coming soon. (All I can say is that the season finale's reveal of a bearded Jack being in "present-day" Los Angeles better be Number One.)

Which got me to thinking, what were some of my favorite Lost scenes this season? And do they match up with what the viewers across the pond think? Let's find out:

Beardy Weirdy. My all-time favorite scene, as previously mentioned, was the jaw-dropping moment in the season finale ("Through the Looking Glass"), where it was revealed that the bearded addict that Jack had become was actually living in present day LA and these scenes were not flashbacks at all. Plus, who didn't get goosebumps when Jack said that they have go to back to the island? Talk about leaving the audience wanting more and adroitly setting up the fourth season with a single line of dialogue. I cannot get this moment out of my head and it's causing me no shortage of pain that it's going to take many months before we see the repercussions of the season finale.

Book Soup. Providing a neat bookend to this moment was the genius opening scene of the third season ("A Tale of Two Cities"), where we meet Juliet for the first time (preparing for her little book club) and see the entirety of the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 from the perspective of the Others. It was a fantastic bait-and-switch moment that fooled the audience into thinking it was a flashback (heh, just like the finale), brought back Ethan and Goodwin, and provided a fascinating look into the culture of the Others. Brilliant.

The Ring. Also a clincher for me: the moment in the Desmond-centric episode "Flashes Before Your Eyes" when Fionnula Flanagan's ouroborous-wearing Ms. Hawking turns to Des in the jewelry store and says he doesn't buy the ring, doesn't ask Penny to marry him, and breaks her heart, leading him to enlist in the Royal Scots, enter a sailing competition, and end up on the island, where he has to push the button. It was a terrifying, gasp-out-loud moment in which the fourth wall of the series threatened to come crashing down around poor Desmond's head. We still haven't gotten to the heart of the Ms. Hawking mystery yet but I cannot stop thinking about this scene, months later. Chilling.

Jacob's Ladder. Blink and you miss it. It's the 8-second appearance of the bearded Jacob in "The Man Behind the Curtain." Ben was telling truth: there really is a Jacob and for some reason only Ben (and maybe Locke) are the only ones who can see him. I literally screamed and ran to the television set when I saw him on-screen. Who is the mysterious and possibly telekinetic Jacob and what does he want? Why does he have a penchant for rocking chairs and a fear of electric light? I can't wait to find out.

Six Feet Under. Who else cheered with relief and glee when misunderstood and much-reviled characters Nikki and Paolo were buried alive in "Exposé?" I know I did. Yes, these two were hated by most audience members and critics alike but they died as they lived: pointlessly, betraying one another in a pointless feud over some stolen diamonds that had no meaning on the island. This has got to be one of the most fitting deaths in television history for two characters who were unjustly (and not organically) forced onto the viewing public. You've got to love ironic deaths and the fact that only Vincent seemed to realize something was up. Thanks for not digging, puppy.

Where the Wild Things Are. I simply loved the scene where the duplicitous Ben stumbles onto the Others--a.k.a. the "Hostiles"--as a kid and makes a deal with the man we come to know as Richard Alpert. It was unexpected, haunting, and shocking, revealing just how evil Ben--who later sells out the entire Dharma Initiative for power--really is, even as a child. Has revenge ever been quite this bloody or Shakespearean?

Sadness Soot. While there are several more prized moments from Lost's third season, the one I'll end with is Mr. Eko's death in "The Cost of Living." What happened--the appearance of Eko's brother Yemi as a soot-covered apparition who tells him that he's not his brother--was both dramatic and heart-wrenching, especially for a fan-favorite character who provided a fantastic foil for Locke. And what was with that elephantine shape the monster transformed into? Scary.

I'm curious: what were YOUR favorite scenes this season on Lost? And, even more interesting, what were your least favorite moments (ahem, Phuket flashbacks)?

What's On Tonight

8 pm: How I Met Your Mother/The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); Victoria Beckham: Coming to America (NBC); Everybody Hates Chris/All of Us (CW); Wife Swap (ABC); Hell's Kitchen (FOX)

9 pm: Two and a Half Men/How I Met Your Mother (CBS); Age of Love (NBC); Girlfriends/The Game (CW); Extreme Makeover (ABC); Hell's Kitchen (FOX)

10 pm: CSI: Miami (CBS); Dateline (NBC); Supernanny (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Victoria Beckham: Coming to America.

Oh, come on. You're going to watch this too, so let's stop pretending. It's the one-hour backdoor pilot for this planned reality series focusing on Posh and Becks as they move to America in the hopes of finding a new country that hasn't yet gotten sick of hearing about them every day.

9 pm: Big Love on HBO.

HBO's polygamist family drama Big Love is back. On tonight's episode ("Dating Game"), Margene befriends Ana and invites her to a lunch with an unsuspecting Barb and Nicki, Rhonda agrees to an interview with an ex-polygamist that could expose the Henricksons, and an underground polygamist group resurfaces, possibly with dire consequences for the entire family.

9 pm: Hell's Kitchen.

No, I don't know why I am still watching this train wreck of a culinary competition. On tonight's episode, the contestants are tasked with transforming leftovers into delicious meals (well, delicious, for Hell's Kitchen) in 30 minutes, with the winners getting the opportunity to get their revenge on Ramsay during a paintball outing. Ouch.

11:30 pm: Chelsea Lately on E!

Chelsea Handler's new latenight talkfest launches tonight. Watch the saucy comedian dish on entertainment news, gossip, and whatever else you're looking at on Defamer instead of working.