Lost (Spoilers)

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Now that I am completely caught up with Doctor Who, I FINALLY started watching Lost (for the first time, so no “spoilers”!) over the weekend. Three episodes in, I must admit I find myself caught up in the intrigue. It reminds me a bit of Marvel’s Skull the Slayer, but less super-heroey. I’m paying very close attention (or trying to) to all the hints and details. One of the “mysteries” on which I speculated in part one of the pilot has already been resolved in part two, so it’s a moot point.

I expect this is going to be a bit like a 1940s movie serial (but slicker) in that some bits are going to left out only to be revealed later. The hero’s car goes over the cliff at the end of one installment, but we’re not shown him jumping out until the beginning of the next. I’ve already seen that to some extent. For example, Kate is left alone with the US marshal, and shortly thereafter, the other guy shoots him in the chest with the gun Kate was holding. There’s a scene missing!

I like Kate, though. I think I’m supposed to at this point, but I also think I’ve made the right decision. She saved the farmer’s life at the risk of being captured in the flashback, but even more telling, she affixed the oxygen mask to the marshal’s face when he was unconscious.

I do think watching shows on DVD is the way to go. Based on a strong opening season, I watched Heroes for three years only to have it cancelled out from under me with no resolution (rumors of a TV movie to tie up loose ends notwithstanding). What a waste of my time! At least I know going in I won’t have that problem with Lost.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

We didn’t watch an episode on Wednesday (watching TV on New comic Book Day is like setting up a X-mas tree on the Fourth of July!), but yesterday we watched “House of the Rising Sun”… a clever titles with multiple levels of meaning. It’s Japanese, it’s about their “house,” her name is “Sun,” he is the “son”-in-law, and they are both “rising in their own way.

A couple of episodes ago Locke encountered something in the jungle, then made a cryptic comment to Jack about “looking into the eye of the island” (or something along those lines). Then yesterday he tells Charlie that the island will give you what you most want but you have to give something in return. We can discount the discovery of Charlie’s guitar as situation manipulated by Locke, but Locke did get the use of his legs and Jack is seeing his father… which begs the question, what did they give up?

Tracy commented that she could actually see choosing the “Play All” DVD menu option for this series.

[Philip Portelli]

Locke was just guessing at the Island's motivations at this point. But he was trying to "convert" Charlie to his side, for lack of a better term. Sun and Jin's story shows how unhappy they were before the crash, a running theme for the series.

[Figserello]

Weren't the couple Korean?

I loved that there were so many nationalities represented. We've come a long way from Gilligan's Island.

[Rich Steeves]

You know, I always thought that this show was geared more toward Comic Book fans than anyone else. Since comics are serialized monthly, we are programmed to be patient with long, drawn-out stories. We're also used to mysteries that sometimes take years (if not decades) to be answered ("Is 'Logan' his first name, last name or neither?) And we reluctantly accept that some questions will never be answered ("Why was it implied that Wolverine was actually an evolutionarily accelerated animal rather than a mutated human?") I think my non-comic reading fans had a much bigger problem with certain aspects of this show than I did...

[Philip Portelli]

People want the quick fix with short easy answers. Serialized drama is extremely hard to pull off these days. That's why the mystery shows like Flashforward fail. LOST was something never done before and can never be done again. It's no secret that V basically told us what's what early on, so there's no confusion. Comics are similar but can change directions often and without reason. Patience may be a virtue but not in the entertainment industry!

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Figserello said:

Weren't the couple Korean?

My bad. Olivia Munn would be so disappointed in me.

On another note, don't tell me but I really really hope Kate doesn't end up with Sawyer.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Here's my new theory: they've flown through a space warp and the island is on the same planet as the one from Star Trek's "Shore Leave."

[PowerBook Pete, the Mad Mod]

Jeff, you may come to sympathize with Sawyer and find moments you're hating Jack.

Mr Satanism, if your friends confirmed that you guessed the ending from the first episode, then they may have misinterpreted the ending. I've seen several published articles that miss the point, too.

[Alan M.]

Mr. Satanism said:

Sorry, I should have been more specific. Several minutes into the pilot, I was sure I knew the "big secret"; i.e. the wheres and whys of the entire situation.

PowerBook Pete said:

Mr Satanism, if your friends confirmed that you guessed the ending from the first episode, then they may have misinterpreted the ending. I've seen several published articles that miss the point, too.

I'd say this show is more about the "who" and the "how" than the "where" and the "why." So, yeah, there's the mystery surrounding the island, but solving it isn't nearly as important as seeing how our characters deal with it, and what it means to (and for) them.

(I'd also say that the "big secret" of the island is impossible to figure out from the first episode — or even the first season — let alone the first 20 minutes. Frankly, I doubt even the creators really knew the big secret they ended with that early on...)

[Philip Portelli]

It always seemed that LOST had an unpredictable, almost organic growth to it, that the creators realized certain elements and characters were more important than they were originally intended to be. Look at the pilot's first hour. Sawyer and Locke are basically background filler. The Island's mysteries unfold in a variable of directions with each cast member.

That being said, the pilot set up the integral questions that the series answered, Who are these people? Why did they survive? What is their purpose? Where can they go? How will they cope? And, of course, the different versions of these queries!

[Chris Fluit]

I do think watching shows on DVD is the way to go.

I agree with you, Jeff. That's how I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. It's how I re-watched Farscape and Babylon 5. It's how I got into Glee and Mad Men. And, pertinent to this discussion, it's how I watched seasons 3 through 6 of Lost.

I love being able to watch several episodes in a row. It's very satisfying. It also allows you to see certain connections more clearly- you're not waiting an entire week and relying as much on a fuzzy memory.

I have a couple of other series lined up for the DVD experience. Currently, Ana and I are watching The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Sometime in the near future, I'll sit down for Seaquest and Sopranos. Plus, I'd like to watch Lost again (from the beginning).

[Chris Fluit]

Lost in Europe? Sounds like the perfect excuse to once again link to the wonderfully creepy promotional video that was made for the show's premiere in the U.K.

Thanks, KSWolf. That was awesome.