Over the six years, fans had the pleasure of watching many romances blossom on LOST. For the vast majority of the time, many of these relationships took center stage. Some romances also proved to be a massive hit with fans because they provided comedy relief in the darkest moments.
It took the writers a while to get the pairings right, creating some of the weirdest relationships that had fans scratching their heads in wonder. From Claire and Charlie’s relationship to Jack and Ana Lucia’s, here are 5 couples who were great together (& 5 that made no sense).
Perfect: Charlie & Claire
Claire and Charlie (otherwise known as PB & J) may have had one of the shortest relationships, but it was one most memorable. When it came to these two, Charlie and Claire worked out the best because of their similar character journeys.
When they first arrived on the Island, both were in a vulnerable place. The tortured artist was in the midst of recovery and the former waitress had to come to terms with impending motherhood. Together, they leaned on each other for support and became good role models for Aaron. It was sad to learn that Charlie wouldn’t see Aaron grow up, but at least they got a second chance in the flash-sideways.
Not: Sayid & Shannon
Growing closer after she translated Rousseau’s French transmissions, Sayid was the first person who made Shannon believe she wasn’t useless. However, it may have been a whirlwind romance, but this relationship wouldn’t have lasted off the Island.
Where Sayid was changing for the better, showing his softer and more humane side with the other castaways, Shannon showed little improvement. Shannon proved to still be selfish, acting cold with other castaways and even asking Sayid to kill Locke in revenge for Boone’s death. It didn’t seem like she took the time to understand him, which is why people were confused as to why Sayid was next to her in the church and not Nadia (“The End”).
Perfect: Sun & Jin
Out of all the relationships, Sun and Jin’s had the biggest character growth. When fans were first introduced to the show, Jin and Sun’s romance began as forbidden love. However, when Jin is hired as an assistant for Sun’s father, their relationship becomes strained. She later reveals that she planned to leave him because of his controlling and violent job.
However, the crash was seen to be a blessing in disguise for their relationship. Sun found the courage to stand up to her husband, becoming more independent and confident. In turn, Jin redeemed himself by becoming the kind and considerate man she fell in love with, helping to protect the other castaways from harm. It took a while but it was easy to support their relationship when they overcame all obstacles to be together.
Not: Sawyer & Kate
The relationship between Sawyer and Kate may have worked in the short term, but it wouldn’t have worked out. On paper, it’s easy to see why the writers would pair the fugitive and the con-man. However, like the Jack and Juliet pairing, they were just too similar - they chose each other because they were the safer option.
The relationship was driven by a physical connection more than a romantic one as Kate and Sawyer reminded each other of their past demons. Yet, since LOST was a show about self-discovery, their character development required them to distance themselves from a life of crime in order to evolve. Ultimately, this meant “Skate” had to end at some point.
Perfect: Jack & Kate
At some point, everyone knew Jack and Kate would have ended up together because of their characteristics. We are all familiar with the phrase “opposites attract” and this applies to Jack and Kate too. He was a doctor, she was a criminal. He represented everything ‘good’ and she ’evil’. It was as if it was pulled out of a romance novel.
The more fans got to see of them, the more they recognized how perfect they were together. Like Sawyer and Juliet, Jack and Kate’s qualities were seen to balance each other out. Kate was the only person who didn’t place him on a pedestal as she bore witness to his many flaws. In return, Jack was the first person that made her feel worthy of a second chance. It turned out to be one of the most realistic relationships.
Not: Ana Lucia & Jack
It’s not like they made no sense, it was more that they had no chemistry for it to develop into something meaningful. Like the ‘Skate’ relationship, Jack and Ana found common ground in the fact that they dedicated their lives to protecting and saving people. They also took on leadership roles, with Ana the leader of the ’tailies’ and Jack in charge of the middle section.
The potential was there near the beginning as Jack and Ana promised to share a drink. However, the relationship sort of fizzled out when fans saw her chemistry with Sawyer. When she got physically involved with Sawyer, her character was reduced to a plot point in the Jack-Kate-Sawyer 2.0 love triangle and fans had already had enough to cope with that drama. Unfortunately, Ana didn’t last long after this.
Perfect: Desmond & Penny
Out of all the relationships, Penny and Desmond had the most epic romances - to the point that it could have become a blockbuster in the cinemas. Coming from two different class backgrounds, Penny and Desmond fell in love after meeting outside a monastery in Scotland. However, they soon broke it off when Desmond felt he didn’t deserve her.
Four years after their separation, Penny heard rumors that he was missing and presumed dead. Not one to give up, Penny decided to track him down and found out he was on the Island. Despite all obstacles, Penny and Desmond soon reunited and got married. Their faith and determination to overcome all obstacles proved why they were perfect together.
Not: Ben & Juliet
The award for the creepiest romance goes to Benjamin Linus and Juliet Burke, who were doomed for disaster after the leader refused to let the Doctor leave the Island. You can’t even class this as a romance since it was unrequited on Ben’s behalf.
If Ben wanted Juliet to fall in love with him, then keeping her hostage and killing her lover was not the way to go about it. He became even more unbearable when he stated that she belonged to no one other than him. There’s no explanation either as to why he acted like this, leading to Juliet’s resentment growing to the point where she tried to have him killed. As we all know, a villain never gets a happy ending.
Perfect: Rose & Bernard
One of the most underrated romances on the series occurred between Rose and Bernard. Out of all the relationships on the show, Rose and Bernard had the most endearing of them all. Fans supported the couple straight away, waiting on the edge of their seat for the impending reunion after Rose was separated from the dentist in the crash.
When the time comes to leave the Island, Rose and Bernard decide to stay because they believed it had cured Rose of her terminal illness. They choose to depart from the remaining castaways and live the rest of their lives in peace, stating they were happy as long as they were together.
Not: Boone & Shannon
Erm, considering that Shannon and Boone called each other brother and sister, the romantic twist the writers threw in was plain weird. It’s even hard to recall a nice moment between the two as they proved to be a toxic influence on each other.
Boone proved to be obsessed with providing for his step-sister. He would come to her rescue by paying off her abusive boyfriends and became jealous of her burdening romance with Sayid. Shannon proved to be just as bad, manipulating and conning Boone for money, knowing well of his feelings for her. The writers let us know this relationship would be doomed when Boone revealed he felt relieved about her “death”.
