I never watched Lost when it was running on the telly. I watched the ‘pilot’ episode and saw that the survivors of the plane crash were on an island and they were, for the most part, immaculate. That sort of put me right out of the moment.
A couple of critics mentioned the “unreality” of the series and I just ‘lost’ interest before the series got started. I did catch the odd program now and then, usually when I was channel hopping, but it never really caught my interest for very long. I also tuned in for the ‘big finish’ but I really couldn’t tell you what it entailed or why everyone was so miffed at the ending.
Just recently, after reading a few articles on the web, my daughter’s and my interest was piqued enough about the long running show to watch a few episodes via a rental shop, but never got around to watching any of the episodes.
Then Netflix added them and we decided to take a break from our ritualistic viewing of Come Dine With Me and watch season one.
We were hooked from episode one of season one.
Watching the show now, I cannot help but wonder, what the hell was I thinking? The show is, quite simply, amazing. The creators managed to create a verse where rules were not only broken, but re-written as well. The Lost ‘verse’ is a serendipitous maze where everyone, it seems, on the island have crossed paths and interacted with their fellow ‘inmates’ well before their incarceration on the island.
I don’t know why I was so against watching the show when it first came out in 2004 or why I shunned it afterwards. I only know that if I had watched it during it’s initial run, it would have driven me crazy waiting for the next episode and what questions and answers it would bring.
It appears that J.J. Abrams and co. captured that elusive ‘lightning in a bottle’ that so many film and television creators dream of but never find. I can’t think of many television programs that have managed to so effectively and regularly knock the metaphorical ball out of the park on a regular basis.
Dallas may fall in this category, the lightning in a bottle category, as it was wildly popular in much the same way as Lost. And even though the stories and plot devices for each show was different they do both boil down to the same type of show.
Soap opera.
Not the simple everyday Soaps like As the World Turns, All my Children, or The Days of our Lives, but a sort of Grand Guignol version of a soap opera. Dallas was definitely a soap opera for everyone, not just bored housewives or unemployed members of society trying to escape for a couple of hours each day. Dallas was soap opera for the masses.
And so was Lost.
I can only shake my head in amazement and confusion at my stubborn refusal to watch the show when it originally aired from 2004 to 2010. My biorhythms must have been completely out of whack. But thanks to Netflix, my daughter and I can get caught up in the trials and tribulations of Jack, Sawyer, Kate, Locke, and all the others on their voyage on the island.
They are like a twisted version of Gilligan’s Island. With Hurley as the mega-rich Mr Howell. Jack could be the professor, but I’m still working on who the others would be in this allegorical mishmash idea. So I’ll continue to watch and marvel at the wonders that Lost brings to the viewing table.
I guess in a way, I’m glad I didn’t watch Lost during it’s heyday, waiting anxiously each week for the next episode.
The suspense would have killed me.
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Sound like a plan, dude. We’re about one third of the way through season three. So far the only thing I’m looking forward to is the live burial of Nikki and Paulo. Two of the most annoying characters ever to grace the show. (I know, I peeked to see how they expired) I’ll transmit when we’ve finished all the seasons! 🙂
I too will be interested to see how you feel about Lost after you’ve watched it through in it’s entirety.
I’ve actually got a half written piece on the subject of Lost that I keep meaning to finish so will get that posted too so, when you’re all caught up, wee caqn have a bit of a dialogue about it, idf you’re up for it…
Considering that the reality show Survivor was just one of the things that the show’s creators based lost on, I’m not surprised! 😀 But the show is simply addictive to the extreme.
I did something similar during Lost’s first season. I half-heartedly watched an episode and thought it was a dramatized version of a reality show like Survivor. I didn’t come back to it until season 4 was out on DVD, I think and then I blew through the whole series in about a week. I just couldn’t stop watching.
Fans and their feedback can really enrich a program. Folks can become so attached to a program and it’s characters that they can tell when a character’s story is a logical one or if the writers are just wandering out in left field with the story line. Visiting the fan forums was a great way to see what kind of demographic was actually watching the program and why they loved it so much. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to share!
It is hard for a long running series that starts so spectacularly to keep up the pace. Heroes is another example of a multi-season show that knocked it out of the park in season one and then had trouble getting out of the gate in later seasons. We are up to season three of Lost and the first six episodes have been a little slow, but over-all the show is still doing much better than the average television offering. Thanks for stopping by and sharing.
It’s funny but your relating the ‘missed’ episodes and ‘falling out of the story’ with Lost happened to me with the series Heroes. I was completely addicted to the first season of that show. The “Save the cheerleader, save the world.” bit had me hook, line, and sinker. Then, season two. I saw the first episode missed the next three and my interest just died. I couldn’t pick up the show’s storyline thread and I couldn’t connect with the new characters. I keep meaning to watch the remaining seasons, but so far, can’t build up much in the way of enthusiasm. Thanks for stopping by and sharing!
‘Lost’ was an interesting tv phenomenon. I think certain shows, like Lost, lend themselves more to the box set or Netflix watching method rather than the weekly installments. I was pretty keen when it was on the air for the first couple of seasons, but then I missed a few weeks. When I tuned in again I had no idea what was going on or who was who and I gave up. I fully intend to go back and watch from the beginning when I can see the episodes back to back and not have to wait a week between each one (which was pretty frustrating). Glad to hear you found it worth re-discovering!
I’d like to see an article once you have endured the seasons after the first. Does a Twin Peaks on it and gets bad fast but rather than going on a few more episodes Lost keeps on going for another 5 seasons cannibalising it’s quality writing, ideas and acting as it goes. There are some ok episodes spliced between, but it’s an inferior piece of television after the first 25.
(oops)
…conversations are brilliant, so many cool ideas regardless of whether they were ultimately confirmed or not. Worth checking out even post the series’ end.
Z
I loved Lost from relatively early on; early enough that I didn’t have to wait for any season 1 episodes, anyway. It’s a rad concept because it embraces new media: I’ve interviewed a few bands who have said they hate the way fans can get online and see every tiny breath a band’s ever taken, and there’s no mystery it excitement of discovery anymore. Lost encouraged discovery and promoted intrigue, with fans’ curiosity only piqued by what they found online. And the messageboard