Irony

From Lostpedia

The fugitive marries a police officer ("I Do")

In literature and film, irony is defined as:

“

A technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated.

”

In Lost, a number of points of cosmic irony occur, in which fate appears to be playing a cruel joke on some of the characters (some know it as "poetic justice"). This article lists some of these examples, but is by no means a comprehensive list.

1 Occurrences
2 See also
3 External links

Occurrences

Every Season

The Others held kidnappings to improve people's lives but do not hesitate to kill anyone that impedes to achieve their goals.
- Ethan kidnapped Claire to try to save her from death but killed Scott and almost killed Charlie to do that.
- They kidnapped several Tailies so they had a better life but ordered that Goodwin kill Nathan.
- They kidnapped Alex (who was given a home) but wanted to kill her boyfriend Karl.
- For a reason known only to themselves, Mikhail kills Bea Klugh.
- So that Jack completed the surgery, Juliet did not hesitate to kill Danny Pickett.
- Ben chose to kill many people to operate their plans, among them are Jin, Sayid, Bernard, Charlie, Greta and Bonnie.

Season 1

Kate, who is 'born to run', crashes on the Island where she has nowhere to run. ("Tabula Rasa")
Locke was denied the right to go on an "authentic aboriginal walkabout tour", only to land on the Island and engage in a similar experience. ("Walkabout")
Rose is joined on the beach by Jack who reintroduces himself by saying: "I'm the guy who told you not to worry about the turbulence." ("Walkabout")
Boone tried to save Joanna who was drowning. He almost drowns and she died. Boone has been life-saving and she practiced swimming. ("White Rabbit")
Sayid was a torturer in Iraq, left the survivor's camp out of shame for torturing Sawyer, and then was tortured by Danielle Rousseau. ("Solitary")
Claire boarded a plane in order to give up her baby, only to be stranded on an island where she has no choice but to raise it as her own. ("Raised by Another")
When Shannon is worried about Boone, Kate consoles her by saying, "If there's anyone on this island that your brother's safe with, it's Locke." It is ultimately Locke who leads Boone to his death. ("All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues") ("Deus Ex Machina")
Walt tells Sawyer "it's stupid to lie about your name", talking about Ethan. Sawyer has been lying about his name for years. ("All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues")
Christian Shephard says to Sawyer: "These bastards think Americans can't hold their liquor." He dies soon after of a massive heart attack most likely triggered by alcohol abuse. ("Outlaws")
Jin agreed to work for Mr. Paik in order to keep Sun, only to have the work that he was doing for him be a factor that was driving them apart. ("...In Translation")
Jin spent much of his life being ashamed of being the son of a fisherman, only to find that fishing is what makes him a valuable provider on the Island. ("...In Translation")
Michael built the raft in order to get Walt off the Island, even though Walt was secretly the one who wanted least to leave. ("...In Translation")
Hurley won millions in the Mega Lotto Jackpot, and ended up on the Island, where money has no value. ("Numbers")
Locke told Boone the captain on Star Trek was "piss poor" because his redshirt wearing men always died on missions. Later Boone died because of a mission Locke requested Boone help him complete. ("All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues") ("Deus Ex Machina")
Boone survived one plane crash to only die in another one less than a month later. ("Deus Ex Machina")
Danielle spent 16 years lamenting that the Others kidnapped her child, only to turn into a baby kidnapper after she finds out about Aaron. ("Exodus, Part 1")
Arzt was annoyed that he was never included on A-Missions, although he died in the course of his first one.
Arzt professed to be an expert on dynamite and gave a lecture on how unstable it is, just before he was blown up handling it. ("Exodus, Part 2")
Charlie finally makes a conscious effort to quit heroin, only to find a plane full of it (and no less, in Virgin Mary statues, when Charlie is a Catholic). ("Exodus, Part 2")
Hurley is told that it is "his lucky day" by one of the flight attendants, rather ironic considering his situation with luck and what was to come next (the crash). ("Exodus, Part 2")

Season 2

Locke escaped a life of sitting at a cubicle, only to end up a slave to 'the button' in the Swan. ("Walkabout") ("Adrift")
Hurley struggled with an eating disorder, and is put in charge of all the DHARMA food in the Swan. Finally was on his way to beating said disorder, only to have more food drop from the sky. ("Everybody Hates Hugo") ("Dave")
Rose tells Hurley that her husband Bernard has a mouth full of "sweet teeth", referring to his fondness of candy. We later find out that Bernard is actually a dentist. ("Everybody Hates Hugo")
Sun loses her wedding ring as Eko asks Jin about his. ("...And Found")
Jin originally bumped into Sun because he was looking away from her at another woman in orange (who Tai Soo had warned him would signal his true love). ("...And Found")
Shannon was told she can start a new life on the Island, only to get killed soon after. ("Abandoned")
Sayid claimed to be able to tell if anybody was lying, but didn't believe Shannon saw Walt, which ultimately led to her death. ("Collision")
Jin spent all of his marriage telling Sun what to do. Now the roles are reversed. ("The Hunting Party")
Jack tells his wife the truth about the kiss between him and an another woman, thinking that a bit of honesty might help an already failing marriage. Jack indeed says that he will "fix this". On the contrary, his wife was cheating on him all along, and she is ultimately the one who leaves him. ("The Hunting Party")
Locke was the one who helped Charlie stay off the drugs, but is ultimately the one who gets Charlie to re-enter drug addiction (the plane, Claire,...). ("The Hunting Party")
Libby claimed to be a psychologist, and helped people through mental health issues, but she herself was a patient at Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute. ("Dave")
While on their honeymoon, Rose tells Bernard that she would have rather have it spent on a beach than in the Australian desert. They crash on the island on their way home from Australia only to be separated from each other for the first month and a half. ("S.O.S.")
Bernard made the biggest push to build the SOS sign and bring them all salvation, only to later find that he has the most to lose (Rose) if they leave. ("S.O.S.")
Jack tells Kate he invited her on his mission to find the Others and propose a trade because the Others do not want Kate or Jack. Jack and Kate are two characters who the Others do in fact want, and who are on the list that Bea later gives to Michael. ("S.O.S.")
Ana-Lucia killed a man for killing her unborn child, and is later killed by a man trying to save his child (Michael). ("Collision") ("Two for the Road")
Ana-Lucia survived being strangled by Ben, only to be shot my Michael later that same day. ("Two for the Road")
Eko saves Yemi's life by taking his place in a criminal gang, and as adults, Yemi tries to save Eko's soul, asking him to confess instead of running drugs. Ironically, it is Yemi who is killed by the military troops he reported Eko to, while Eko is mistaken for Yemi, allowing him to take Yemi's place and assume the life of a priest. Earlier in the episode, Yemi had said Eko could never be a priest ("The 23rd Psalm")
Hurley was indirectly responsible for his love interest's death, Libby, as he was the one who forgot the blankets. ("Two for the Road")
Libby gave Desmond The Elizabeth, but misses his reappearance back on the Island in the boat one day after being murdered. ("Three Minutes")
Desmond was imprisoned in Southway Garrison for something involving a cowardly act, but ended up being a hero on the Island (turning the fail-safe key). ("Live Together, Die Alone")
Locke began the season as the person most determined to push the button, and ended it as the one least likely to. ("Live Together, Die Alone")

Season 3

Jack is imprisoned by Ben, whom he imprisoned only a short time before. ("A Tale of Two Cities")
Jin was sent to kill Jae Lee (who unbeknownst to him, was having an affair with his wife Sun) and decided to spare him, only to see him land on his car in an apparent suicide. ("The Glass Ballerina")
Locke worked for a farm growing drugs, only to help Charlie overcome his drug addiction on the Island. ("Further Instructions") ("The Moth")
Sawyer was a conman who got fooled by Ben in the pacemaker con. ("Every Man for Himself")
Jack is a spinal surgeon who lands on an island where he can save someone he despises with a tumor in his spine. ("The Cost of Living")
Kate was a fugitive from the law, and married a police officer (Kevin Callis). ("I Do")
Juliet makes a dark joke to Richard Alpert that the only way she could leave Edmund Burke's laboratory is if he were run over by a bus. Later on, he is mid-sentence with her, when he steps into the middle of the street and is run over by a bus with the Apollo Candy ad on the side. ("Not in Portland")
Charlie is performing the Oasis song Wonderwall when Desmond sees him on the street, and singing the line "Maybe... you're gonna be the one that saves me..." Desmond saves everyone on the island (and maybe everyone in the world) by turning the Failsafe Key in the Swan. He also saves particulary Charlies life serveral times.
In the same scene when Desmond starts ranting about knowing Charlie, Charlie says "This is why we don't do drugs." Later on, Charlie becomes a heroin addict. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")
A lucky rabbit's foot is attached to the DHARMA Van key Hurley finds. ("Tricia Tanaka Is Dead")
David Reyes tells his son just before the latter leaves for Australia that it is never too late for a fresh start. Moreover, when Hurley is leaving for Australia, his father tells him he is going to wait for him when he comes back. ("Tricia Tanaka Is Dead")
The last thing David Reyes says to Hurley as a child is It's only one candy bar Hugo, live a little. The first thing he says to Hurley when he returns 17 years later is Wow, your mom wasn't kidding about those candy bars. ("Tricia Tanaka Is Dead")
One of the stations' name is The Flame. It ultimately blows up in flames. ("Enter 77")
Mikhail was extremely reverent of Him, but the philosopher from which he derives his name would have been indifferent. Philosopher Mikhail Bakunin rejected all forms of authority, even God himself. ("Par Avion")
Locke, who was previously in a wheel chair, meets Ben, his 'enemy', who ultimately ends up in a wheelchair. ("The Man from Tallahassee")
Avoiding his father is the main reason why Locke doesn't want to rescued and why he blows up the submarine. Later his father (Anthony Cooper) turns up on the island anyway.
Nikki Sanchez worked as a guest-star on Expose "Exposé", and therefore inevitably got killed off at the end, just like Nikki did on Lost. ("Exposé")
Nikki warned Paulo not to smoke, so as not to leave behind any evidence after murdering Zuckerman, and said: "let's not poison ourselves". Which is exactly what they end up doing. ("Exposé")
Nikki and Paulo didn't want to end up like Shannon and Boone (meaning: an arguing couple), but they not only end up dead, just like Shannon and Boone, but they also end up that way as the result of an argument. ("Exposé")
Kate advises Cassidy to "call the cops and have him (Sawyer) locked up", only to become stranded on the same island as Sawyer and have a relationship with him. ("Left Behind")
Sawyer, the conman, got conned himself. ("Left Behind")
Downtown is playing in Juliet's car while she is leaving unknowingly for the Island. The same music is heard when she learns she cannot leave the Island, and when Oceanic Flight 815 crashes. ("A Tale of Two Cities") ("One of Us")
Sawyer is on a mission to find and kill the original Sawyer and crashes on the Island. The original Sawyer ends up on the Island with Sawyer. ("The Brig")
After the purge, Richard asks Ben if he wants them to retrieve his father's body, but Ben declines his offer probably because Ben had come to hate his father so much that he did not think he deserved an actual grave. But because of his decision, Hurley later finds the van and uses it to kill people from Ben's group and rescue people from his own group: Jin, Bernard, and Sawyer.("The Man Behind the Curtain") ("Through the Looking Glass")
Ben kills his father on purpose after years of his father blaming him for accidentally killing his mother ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
Charlie's brother Liam tells him that out of the two of them, Charlie is the one who is going to have a family and live past 30. However, Liam is the one who settled down and Charlie ends up dead at 25. ("Greatest Hits") ("Through the Looking Glass")
Desmond, who saved Charlie's life multiple times, indirectly caused Charlie's death by refusing, over Charlie objections, to take Mikhail prisoner several days earlier. ("D.O.C.") ("Through the Looking Glass")
Sawyer uses a gun to kill Tom, the man who shot him and kidnapped Walt on the raft. ("Exodus, Part 2") ("Through the Looking Glass")
In perhaps the most ironic part of the show, after having fought for the chance to leave the island, Jack desperately wants to go back. ("Through the Looking Glass")
Charlie says "so much for fate" when about to stop the jamming signals, thinking that despite Desmond's predictions, he doesn't have to die; shortly after he drowns.("Through the Looking Glass")
The survivors are said to have a 'fresh start' on the Island. However, the Others have detailed files documenting the survivors' lives before the Island.

Season 4

Charlotte's acknowledgment of Ben's information about her saves his life. His life was saved by the woman he tried to kill. ("Confirmed Dead")
Locke says that Ben's bullet would have killed him if he had a second kidney, so Locke would have been dead if Anthony Cooper never stole his kidney. ("Confirmed Dead")
- But if Anthony didn't steal his kidney he would not have gotten on the island.
Frank Lapidus was meant to be the pilot of the doomed Oceanic Flight 815 and he ends up on the Island anyway. ("Confirmed Dead")
Naomi said that her team was unsuitable for such a high-risk operation, and Matthew Abaddon said that it was her job to keep them alive, yet it was Naomi who died. ("Confirmed Dead")
Sayid says that the day he trusted Ben is the day that he sold his soul, yet we see that he is working for Benjamin in the flash-forward. ("The Economist")
Kate prefers not to take Aaron in her arms, saying she would do a terrible job in raising a baby. Claire jokes that Kate should try motherhood sometime. In the future, Kate not only has a son -- she actually ends up raising that same child that sparked the conversation. ("Eggtown")
Kate devises her plan in order to deceive Locke, so she can know from Miles whether it is safe for her to leave the island or whether she should stay there. When she finds out that everyone knows she is wanted and that she shouldn't leave, Locke won't let her stay in the Barracks because of her set-up. ("Eggtown")
Ben finds himself being held against his will in his own basement. ("Eggtown")
Jin tells Sun he is learning English for her. Sun learned English so she could get away from Jin. ("Eggtown")
Even though Locke is the self-proclaimed leader in his group, he remains in Ben's hands concerning information about the Island. ("Eggtown")
In 1996 Daniel wonders if his future self knows about his meeting with Desmond, to which Desmond says Daniel probably forgot. Daniel replies sarcastically, "Yeah, how would that happen?" Daniel would later suffer from some form of memory loss. ("The Constant")
Goodwin was allegedly making a case for Ana-Lucia to be brought into the Others' society, but she killed him. ("The Other Woman")
Claire says to Locke, that the frieghter people might consider them "Hostile". The Survivors thought that the others were hostile. ("The Other Woman")
Locke, who used to call Ben a hypocrite and a pharisee for living in the barracks, is now living there with him. ("The Other Woman")
Jin tells Sun that she will never lose him. In the flashforwards we see that he's either dead or left behind. ("Ji Yeon")
Michael trades Jin's Rolex watch for a handgun with which to kill himself. On the island, Jin tried to kill Michael over the same watch. ("Meet Kevin Johnson")
Ben says that Charles Widmore is "without conscience" even though Ben killed, amongst other people, his own father. ("Meet Kevin Johnson")
When Michael attempts his automotive suicide, an optimistic song is playing. ("Meet Kevin Johnson")
Michael is seen attempting to fix the engines, the same that he agreed to sabotage. ("Meet Kevin Johnson")
Michael made terrible sacrifices to get Walt back from the Others, only to lose him again after telling him about killing Ana-Lucia and Libby. ("Meet Kevin Johnson")
In "The Beginning of the End", Locke said that everyone who wanted to live should join him at the Barracks. The Barracks were later stormed by the freighter commandos, and several people were killed. ("The Shape of Things to Come")
Jack despised his father for being an alcoholic, yet that's exactly what he becomes in his post-Island life. Not only does Jack become an alcoholic, but he abandons his life after coming home from the island to fly all around the world with his gold pass from the airlines, perhaps trying to recapture his past on the island. Similarly, after losing his medical license, Christian abandoned his life and ended up in Australia on a drinking binge trying to reconnect with his past (i.e. Claire). When Jack is sent by his mother to find Christian, it ultimately lead Jack to the island ("Something Nice Back Home")
Carole Littleton compliments Kate about her baby, without realizing that he is her own grandson. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 1")
Kate assists Frank with removing his handcuffs, while she herself is a fugitive. ("There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3")
We are led to believe from the flashforwards that the Oceanic Six left the people on the island, while in fact the Island 'left' them. ("There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3")
Michael is killed by a bomb that is not his while not wanting to die, while he was earlier wanting to die, but his bomb would not detonate. ("There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3")

External links

SWLS "Points of Irony" thread

	Storyline Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4 • Season 5 • Season 6 Apophenia • Bloopers/Errors • Timeline • Transcripts • Verisimilitude	v • t • e