LogFAQs > #951479704

#1. James "Sawyer" Ford

After rewatching LOST ten years later, Sawyer skyrocketed up to the top of my list pretty quickly. I always somewhat liked the character, but to me he was kind of your basic Han Solo-type rogue with a fairly predictable arc. However, with each episode I watched, I began to appreciate his humor more and more and was endlessly entertained by the slow reveal of his backstory. But what absolutely set him over the top for me--wait for it...was season 6.

We all can probably agree that season 6 was a destructive run for the show that almost sucks all of the good out of the series as a whole. But despite all the awful twists and terrible endings for our beloved characters, Sawyer stands out as the shining beacon of hope that we are not alone in this.

Season 6 Sawyer perfectly encapsulates how I felt about the direction the series took. His lines are almost verbatim what I was screaming at my TV or uttering to my wife as we marathoned the series together. "Why the hell did they have to come back to the Island??" "They just ruined everything for no reason." "Son of a bitch."

Sawyer had completed one of the most satisfying arcs in the series by the end of season 5. The selfish bad boy with a secret heart of gold finally got over his demons and was able to build a great life for himself with a great girl, great friends, and great job as "LaFleur" in the 1970s. And then Jack and Kate had to come back and fuck everything up for him, literally nuking his current set-up so that...the Man in Black could have Jacob killed and almost everyone could die?

This entire plot direction made no sense to the audience and even less sense to Sawyer. And throughout season 6, he is just as pissed as we are about this, and therefore becomes the only character who acts rationally. With Juliet dead, Sawyer just stops giving a fuck. All he cares about now is getting as far away from the hellscape of the Island as possible, and he's willing to wheel and deal with anyone (good or bad) as long as it means he can put this misery behind him. It's the most relatable I have ever found a character on the show.

I don't mean to come across like season 6 was the only reason for Sawyer getting the top spot--he was certainly my #1 leading up to this for a number of reasons anyway (a super fun backstory, great humor that isn't too overdone, punches Jack a bunch, etc.). However, as my heart continued to sink in my rewatch of the decrescendo of the show, Sawyer stood out as a reason for me to keep watching. He was me at the end--beaten down, disappointed, wistful; but also able to remember the good times, and the crazy fun ride that LOST had taken us on.