LogFAQs > #951386042

#4. John Locke


It's possible that Locke is one of the most divisive characters on the show. I remember some people absolutely worshiping him back in the day, whereas others completely despised him. In a way, both sides are right.

Locke is wrong about everything. He is a spiritualist who believes in fate and predestination and brushes off all mistakes as being out of his control. He is a wannabe survivalist who is constantly getting other people hurt, kidnapped, or killed. In the real world, he is a total loser--what some would probably call a "cuck" nowadays--who gets bamboozled, bullied, and completely screwed out of everything throughout his whole life.

But at the same time, Locke is right about everything. He is correct in his belief that there is a higher power controlling the destinies of everyone on Flight 815. He is right in believing that the Island needs their protection from an evil force. And he was truly transformed from his old self (both physically and spiritually) as soon as he crashed on the Island, which we learn in a scene that still gives me chills and can only be rivaled by the ending of "The Constant."

The fact that we're even having these kinds of arguments proves to me that Locke is an amazing character worthy of being near the top of this list. Although there are certainly some stumbles here and there given the incredible amount of screentime he has, Locke is a rich character full of depth and complexity in ways that almost no one else on the show really is written. If the creators simply made Locke out to be the hero who used to be a loser and now is a rugged champion of all things good, we'd be sick of him after a season. It's the fact that we as an audience know that he is right about the big picture, yet simultaneously wrong about the smaller things needed to get there, that makes for interesting tension, especially when compared with the more logical points of view.

Had the writers made Jack a more consistently rational presence (rather than a bipolar maniac), I think this dynamic and theme would have been much, much clearer. But after a second viewing, I'm able to see through the smoke and realize how necessary Locke really is.