'Lost' in the Numbers: 23 best-ever episodes

Before “Lost” unspools what will hopefully be an otherworldly final season next week, it’s time to look back. But because “Lost” is so dense, sprawling and complicated, it’s not good enough to just throw together a “best episodes” list. Oh no. Instead, here are six lists, one for every one of the Numbers – 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 – that should sufficiently prep you for the final 18 hours. This time: The 23 best episodes in the series' history.

It’s hard to pick the best episodes out of this near-masterpiece of a television series. But let’s try anyway. Central characters and season are noted in parentheses.

1. “Pilot” (Jack, Kate and Charlie, S1): This one started it all. Enough said.

2. “Through The Looking Glass” (Jack, S3): The biggest mind-you-know-what of the entire series.

3. “The Constant” (Desmond, S4): Time travel done right – with emotion.

4. “The Shape of Things To Come” (Ben, S4): Seeing the leader of the Others go through a sympathetic, traumatic experience was perspective-shifting and fantastic.

5. “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham” (Locke, S5) : The man of faith’s journey off the island didn’t end how he thought it would, but Locke’s adventures never did.

6. “The Incident” (Jacob, S5): Our first full-fledged look into the life of the island’s supernatural master was thrilling, confusing and series-altering, even this late in the game.

7. “Flashes Before Your Eyes” (Desmond, S3): This one brought us the initial glimpses of how time travel could work in the “Lost” universe, rules that rang true two seasons later.

8. “The Man Behind The Curtain” (Ben, S3): Like all conflicted men, Ben has issues with his parents. But his made him wipe out an entire science organization.

9. “Walkabout” (Locke, S1): Wait, he was in a wheelchair before? What?

10. “There’s No Place Like Home” (The Oceanic Six, S4): The flash-forwards weren’t groundbreaking, but this is the most purely entertaining finale in the series’ history.

11. “Man of Science, Man of Faith” (Jack, S2): We finally figured out what was in the hatch but learned a lot about Jack in the process.

12. “Live Together, Die Alone” (Desmond, S2): A history of the hatch and Desmond, Penny and Michael’s betrayal? Oh yes.

13. “Orientation” (Locke, S2): At the time, the DHARMA Initiative’s Swan Orientation film was the craziest thing the series had done.

14. “Exodus” (Various, S1): Suspenseful throughout, the season one finale ended on a frustrating note – but in a good way.

15. “This Place Is Death” (Jin, S5): The most time travel-heavy episode in a season full of it, this effort brought us Rousseau’s back story, a death and another turn of The Frozen Donkey Wheel.

16. “The Man from Tallahassee” (Locke, S3): Locke comes face-to-face with the man who paralyzed him, and we finally were able to see the event itself.

17. “Greatest Hits” (Charlie, S3): One of the most heart-wrenching hours of the series, as Charlie recounts the best moments of his life as he heads to an inevitable death.

18. “The 23rd Psalm” (Eko, S2): Eko’s initial flashback added to his mysterious character, but this one will be remembered as the first full-form look at the Smoke Monster.

19. “Cabin Fever” (Locke, S4): The island story – Locke tries to find Jacob – is compelling, but it’s the flashbacks where we discovered that Richard had been following Locke since birth that made this one great.

20. “Dead Is Dead” (Ben, S5): Ben comes face-to-face with the Smoke Monster in hopes of gaining forgiveness for indirectly killing his daughter. It was as good as it sounds. Author's note: I somehow left off season five's amazing episode, "Jughead," probably because I feared to put too many S5 eps on the list since it is the most recent season. However, it is just as good as "Dead Is Dead," so I'm making it an after-the-fact tie for number 20.

21. “Lockdown” (Locke, S2): The blast door map is revealed but so is the fact that “Henry” is one of the Others.

22. “Confirmed Dead” (The Freighter Folk, S4): The four of them were all chosen for the extraction mission for a reason, and this episode gave us a good idea why – and fake crash footage.

23. (Tie) “The Hunting Party” (Jack, S2) and “Two For The Road” (Ana Lucia, S2): Two episodes with weak flashbacks but compelling-as-hell island action. The former gave us the first full interaction with the Others, and the latter sees Michael kill two of his friends.