LogFAQs > #951369781

#5. Christian Shephard


When I first drafted this list, I didn't think it would be fair to include the elder Dr. Shephard. I had to establish some guidelines for this bloated cast of characters, and one of them was "must be present on the Island." And technically, all of Christian's Island scenes are actually the Man in Black. But alas, you all made your voices heard, and now here we are.

Here's the thing with Christian: every single scene with him (yes, even the finale scene) is exceptionally good. Not only is John Terry probably the best actor on the show, but the character of Christian is just played so much differently than the others in the series. He's acting almost with a wink, like he knows how ridiculous the writing and other characters (particularly Jack) are, and he never lowers himself to that level. Let me explain.

Because Christian's flashbacks are primarily with Jack, he offers a really great counterpoint to our psychotic hero. When Jack is panicking, Christian is the calming voice. When Jack is being a maniac stalker, Christian is trying to get him help. Yet it is Christian who is the one who is supposed to be the unstable alcoholic, and it's a wonderful vehicle to highlight how insane the world is around him. It's almost like he realizes that the world and every other character on the show is so preposterously written that he is forced to drink himself into a stupor to hide from it. It's fucking awesome.

So yeah, this one may be a particular personal preference of mine, but Christian's on-camera moments are great 100% of the time, which I can't really say about anyone else on this list.