Closet Sci-Fi Geek

From reading the comments here, quite a few former Lost fans have given up on the show due to frustration over the time change and over the apparently meandering plotline.

After watching last night’s episode of Lost, I just want to say…don’t give up on the show. Last night’s episode was probably one of the creepiest, most bizarre things I have ever seen on television. (It’s definitely warranting a re-watch.)

Lost…for all its flaws, has got to be one of the most amazing sci-fi series ever done. And I’m predicting now, that when all is said and done, people will be analyzing this for years, even after the full “explanation” is given.

I have to admit, I have had my doubts about the show and whether or not the writers were going to be able to pull together a satisfying conclusion to everything. Season two, in particular, was filled with boring side trips through the lives of the second group of survivors. And who can forget the annoying call of Michael as he went running through the jungle: “WAAAAALT! WAAAALT!!!!”

It was definitely a let down from season one.

(Minor spoilers ahead)

Finally, in the third season, we are getting some pay-off, while new, more fascinating questions emerge. If the plane was found on the bottom of the ocean with all the passengers dead inside, then who exactly are the people on the island? We know they are not dead, according to the producers, so they are perhaps something else. Clones? Mental memories manifesting physically on the island? Or is there a conspiracy to hide the survivors, who are very much alive?

The episodes are much tighter in this season as well. The writers seem to have found a better pace, with flashbacks providing more direct interest to the current storyline.

Emerging in this season is a portrait of a very chilling villain, Ben. He is perfectly cast and well-acted, bringing the entire series to a whole new level. In last night’s episode, we finally get to see how he ended up on the island, and get a glimpse into his obviously broken psyche.

Meanwhile, a new mystery appears, some sort of ghost or mental thoughtform that goes by the name of Jacob. Is this the supernatural appearing in Lost? Or is there some sort of other, maybe even more bizarre, technical explanation for him/it? Or is Ben just delusional and making him up?

As for any question as to whether the writers have a plan, I will now say quite confidently that yes, they do have a plan. For example, in last night’s episode, we find out who the dead man was in the VW bus and how he ended up there. The details seem very carefully planned out, and when things tie up like this so nicely and neatly, it’s hard to doubt that there is indeed, a master plan going on.

When all is said and done, I believe that people will dive through old Lost episodes and re-analyze the whole series from the perspective of knowing how it ends. I suspect it will work on multiple levels, and the Lost-philosophy will rival or top that of The Matrix itself.

Or, it could all end up as a huge disappointment. But now, I don’t think so. The fact that they’ve been able to string us all along for this long, with the amount of analysis being done, surely says something.

May 10th, 2007 | Category: Television | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL