Monday, May 23, 2011

Time Flies

Hello my dear friends -

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Lost's series finale, "The End." Can you believe it? I don't know how you're feeling about things, but to me it really does not seem like a whopping 365 days have passed since the show wrapped up. (Insert "Maybe that's because it took you five months to write your finale post!" jokes here. Oh, and speaking of my finale post, it was brought to my attention that the email system over which I have no control never sent that post out back in October. It was probably too long. So those of you receiving my write-ups via email can access it here.)

I had the great pleasure of being interviewed about the show by Josh Wigler over at the MTV Movies Blog, and in preparation for that conversation I spent some time reminiscing about Lost's six seasons and whether or not I feel as strongly about the series one year after the final credits rolled.

The answer is yes, I feel as strongly as ever -- probably even more so now than I did before.

DON'T WANNA BE AN AMERICAN IDIOT

Ever since the series ended, there's been a constant stream of people hating on it -- people who didn't actually take any time to think about the finale and instead simply ran with their knee-jerk reaction (which, as you may recall, was also my knee-jerk reaction): "They were dead the whole time!?!?"

Since all anyone had to do was take a deep breath and replay the final minutes in order to understand exactly what happened, I have zero tolerance or patience for those who refused to spend a few extra seconds to comprehend what was going on. If you acknowledge that everything we saw since 2004 actually happened -- that all of the characters' Island experiences took place (which Jack's dad was nice enough to spell out for us) -- and you still didn't like the finale, that's one thing. I respect that lots of folks weren't fans of what the sideways flashes ended up representing. What I can't respect, however, is when someone is too stubborn or stupid (yeah, I said it!) to spend ten minutes reflecting on a show they invested so much time into in order to ensure they walked away with a clear understanding of how it drew to a close.

I realize that a lot of people continue to holler about the show because they know it gets a rise out of the rest of us. The fact that they still bother to chime in at all is what proves to me that the series had a huge impact on them. So the joke's on the haters.

There's another group of people who aren't actively speaking out against the series, but who vehemently disliked the finale and feel like it ruined Lost's entire run for them and subsequently harbor a great resentment toward its creators. This is another thing I just can't wrap my mind around. To me that's the equivalent of going on an all-expenses-paid trip around the world for five-and-a-half years -- a vacation during which you learn all about religious, philosophical, scientific, and literary theories you'd never been exposed to before, in addition to making a ton of great friends. On the last day of this vacation you and those friends go to dinner, and the dinner ends up being kind of unspectacular.

Does that final dinner wipe out how amazing the rest of the trip was!?!?!?! Um, I would certainly hope not. Would you NOT go on the trip again if given a second chance?!?! Really, wouldn't you? All because of one lousy meal? Talk about throwing the baby out with the bath water. I don't get it. As with almost everything else in life, it's about the journey, not the destination.

OOH, WE USED TO WAIT
OOH, WE USED TO WAIT

What I've missed most this past year is the build-up to each new episode. Since the advent of DVR technology, Lost is the only show I ever made a point of watching live. I couldn't stand to not know what was going down on the Island as soon as I could. Each airing was an event. We all had our own rituals when it came to watching the show. And then afterward everyone digested and analyzed the episode in his or her own way. Finally, we'd discuss and theorize together all across the interwebs until it was time for the next installment.

I miss that profound sense of escapism. I miss being part of a truly global phenomenon. I miss how the show forced me to put my brain to work. I miss having intelligent debates with other fans. I miss how I would wake up in the middle of the night with a new idea about what could be going on. I miss the anticipatory butterflies in my stomach as each new episode began. I miss caring about characters. I just miss it all.

The good news is that I honestly don't think a week has gone by since May 23, 2010, where I have NOT read something about the show -- be it an article, a tweet, a blog post, or what have you. There's always something that reminds me of our friends on the Island. And I think it's going to be that way for a long, long time. Though I haven' t been able to post as often as I'd intended on this site since the show went off the air, the bottom line is that I know I WILL continue to write about the series for years. There will be no letting go!

The MTV Movies interview I spoke of at the beginning of this post is embedded below -- it features the wonderful JOpinionated and The ODI as well, and I know we all had a blast doing it. The full post can be found here.







LOST CHAT -- TONIGHT!

Have you missed talking about Lost? Suffer no more!

My fellow Lost bloggers and friends JOpinionated and Doc Arzt will be holding a live LOST chat TONIGHT at 9 PM ET right here. Jo will be giving away some incredibly cool swag to a few lucky participants, so don't miss out!


OTHER FUN LOST-RELATED TIDBITS

- Evangeline Lilly (Kate) just had a kid!

- NBC's Awake looks VERY Lost-ish, no? (Watch its trailer here. And yes, that's Jack's Alt son, Dylan Minnette.)

-Michael Emerson (Ben) is going to be a lead in the CBS show Person of Interest (watch its trailer here).

- Jorge Garcia (Hurley) is going to be a lead in the FOX show Alcatraz, from Lost writer Elizabeth Sarnoff (watch its trailer on JOpinionated's "Inside Alcatraz" blog here).

- Lost writers Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz are behind ABC's Once Upon a Time (watch its trailer here).

- Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond) will be in ABC's Scandal (watch a clip here). No more Scottish accent, though? Boo!

- I really enjoyed the Washington Post's recent interview with Lost's co-creator Damon Lindelof.

- Lost blogger Pearson Moore takes an in-depth look at the series in his book Lost Humanity, available in paperback or on Kindle.



As I said above, I still have a lot of things I want to write about here on Long Live Locke. It's just a matter of getting a break! Hopefully in the meantime you will keep me company over on redbox's redblog, where I write ten movie-related posts a week.

And guess what? My personal blog, "According to e," is back! I've been writing about totally random topics several times a week for the past few months -- I hope you check it out.

Finally, I would love to hear your thoughts about the show now that a year has come and gone since the finale. If you didn't like "The End," have your feelings tempered at all with the passage of time? If you loved everything about the series, what do you miss most now? Have you found anything that's even close to a replacement/substitute? I haven't.

- e

28 comments:

Sean said...

I didn't really think about how much I missed reading your posts on Lost until I read this today. You truly are/were the best, and you made my appreciation for the show reach new levels. Thanks, Erika!

Kelly, UK said...

Hey e!
I have just ordered Lost seasons 1-3 so I can relive the good times (will get the rest when I am in season 3). Really looking forward to enjoying it all again and without long gaps between the episodes. I don't regret investing in the show, it was an amazing journey and I loved the characters and the craziness - polar bears, four toed statues, the hatch, Desmond's visions... This time around, I'm not so bothered about the 'meaning' of it all, the science behind the numbers and what the Dharma symbols represent. The ending was really good despite one or two niggles I had with it. Happy days! You can keep blogging about it and I will keep coming back :)

Sandra said...

I'm still rewatching Lost, I'm in the middle of S3 and after each episode, I go back and re-read your post. It really was an incredible journey and you were a large part of that, thanks, Erica! BTW, I'm rewatching the finale again tonight, I haven't seen it since it first aired, I can't wait!!!

Efthymia said...

It didn't feel like a year to me either, but after a couple of people reminded me of the upcoming anniversary a few days ago, I felt the loss all over again...

As I keep saying ever since the finale one year ago, I too was disappointed that I didn't get many of the answers I was looking forward to getting; that hasn't spoiled my whole LOST experience, however, and I still believe "The End" is a very well-made and emotional episode --actually, I still get teary-eyed even thinking about it. I know people who feel they wasted 6 years of their lives because the pay-off wasn't the one they wanted/expected, and I can't really understand them: first of all, no work of fiction can completely satisfy each individual invested in it (people ARE different, you know...); and, most importantly, LOST was more than its story (which I still find a most interesting one, anyway), at least for me; it was about the characters, and the thought-provokement, and the feeling of community with people from all around the world, and the understanding and acceptance of different views within this community, and the learning... LOST was more than 45 minutes of TV time, and I don't believe anyone who's felt that can claim that they wasted 6 years of their lives.

LOST was a unique experience and I feel very differently about it than about any other show, and I think this is why I can't rewatch it yet --it's loss is still deeply felt.

Oh, and "stupid" really IS the most accurate word to describe the "So they were always in Purgatory and the writers are filthy frauds who lied to us!" reactions.

LesHug said...

Can't believe it has been a full year already, so I guess it's time for my re watch to commence. Nothing can truly replace LOST, or the feelings and community that came with it, but Doctor Who has been a great distraction. Have you checked it out?

Janelle said...

Erika,
I really enjoyed this post. You took the words right out of my mouth. Thanks! I'm glad to know someone else feels the same about the series & finale, and in whose mind Lost springs up as often as in mine. My husband calls me "weird" for continuing to follow tweeters & fellow fans, and I can't quite explain to him why I do this, because I don't have the words. Never, prior to Lost, have I ever been so fixated on a show and its ideas, but I know I'm not alone, because of the incredible community of Lost fans I have come to know. It was and forever will be one of a kind; I hope the creators, producers and writers know how special it was to each of us. Really, has there ever been such a phenomenon, with so many blogs and websites dedicated to it? Although therr are a few programs I enjoy now, none come close to Lost's pull on me, and I have a feeling it will be quite a while before one comes along and does something like this again.

Jo4Sawyer said...

thanks Erika, good to have you back :) most of all i'm missing the cyber friendships which had built up, altho thankfully some managed to survive the magnificent ending of Lost, which is in itself captured on my computer to be replayed forever more!

Aunt J-ha said...

I am feeling a little pathetic about how much I still miss Lost. Maybe I'll have to look into Dr. Who, because I haven't found any new or old series since that means as much or makes me as happy. :)

Joshua said...

Oh e,

Once again I am in total agreement with you regarding the people who dismissed the entire show because they disliked 1 episode out of over 120.

LOST is still a huge part of my life - not one day goes by when I don't think about it.

I'll be forever watching and rewatching, discussing and getting new people to start watching the show.

The finale to me was perfect, I absolutely loved it and it still makes me weep.

Glad to hear you'll still be posting. I'll be reading eagerly as always.

~ Joshua

HueyLewis said...

People usually dismiss the quality that a tv series like LOST can have and the impact that it could cause in someone's life. However, I think that tv, books and movies are simply ways to tell a story. None is less than another.

It doesn't matter the way you use, if the story is good, people will love it, and I say "the story" as a whole, not the beginning or the end.

Tim A. said...

I guess I'm in the second camp you described, and I to admit that I don't agree with comparing our feelings to being disappointed by the last meal on final night of a great trip. It's much bigger than just one disappointing meal.

However, staying with the analogy, I'd rather say it's like being on a 6-week vacation, with every week being terrific and mysterious; but it's the promise of the final week that keeps me in the regular mood of excitement and anticipation!

Along the way, I enjoy the sights and sounds of the trip, experiencing people, places, and cultures like never before! I thoroughly enjoy it, but, honestly, also because I'm being sold a "bill of goods" that the 6th week will be very fulfilling--I'll reminisce about it for years to come, re-watching the home movies & constantly returning to the photo albums!

But, then the 6th week comes, and while enjoyable, I'm still left with lingering questions about the whole trip's meaning itself. Throughout the week, I'm assured it'll all be worthwhile. The anticipation is almost unbearable! I can't wait for the next day!

The final day/night comes & goes, and while I have an appreciation for the 6 weeks of unique experiences, relationships & fond memories, I also have a lasting bitter taste of unfulfillment & incompletion.

I know my entire experience was real, but didn't seem fully justfied in the end. I experienced some people and places that made absolutely no sense and seemed, at the time, like a waste of time OR I was led to believe some aspects of my trip were going to turn out to be really important, though they didn't make sense during the week I visited with them.

But neither ever happened. I ended up scratching my head over that whole 6th week more than ever reminiscing about the previous 5 weeks.

And a year later: I'm still not finding any peace. I'd only be forcing myself to wax nostalgically over the trip as a whole, though it was a trip like no other! Instead, I have not been able to return once to any of my home movies or photo albums from the trip; nor bring myself to recommend the vacation to anyone else who hasn't experienced it (out of fear they'll strangle me for not preparing them for the potential letdown of the trip's final week) in spite of the great locations you visit, the amazing meals, and the wonderful people you meet along the way; and I almost daily long for a 7th or even 8th week to be added to the total vacation package!

It pains me to even recollect my thoughts about the trip as I write this, as if your post pulled me into a hypnosis session where you tried to extract my suppressed memories--yes, it is still that raw and painful to me!

I know my high expectations were far too high heading into the final season, and matters got worse as I performed weekly self-therapy (I am a therapist), reassuring myself that major questions would finally be answered (and some were).

But on behalf of this second camp, I can't elude the dubious feeling of being somewhat duped and slightly shafted. In Biblical terms, I, as Jacob, worked seven long years in anticipation of getting to marry Rachel, but I got fooled on that big wedding day and got Leah. I can learn to love her and will not desert her, but Laban (represented by Damon & Carlton in this story) ultimately tricked me.

I still need time to heal.

(Although I'd gladly work another 7 years if he/they still assured me I'd get to have Rachel in the end. All would be forgiven!)

Sorry for the long post.

Garry 'Brotha' Miller (Formerly GARRY UK) said...

Hello - e,

Fantastic update.

Those posters are fantastic, I want one.

I love LOST just as much now as I did when I first ever saw the original trailer.

I miss it sooooo much yet, there is no way they could ever do a follow up and be genuine. I wouldn't want it anyway.

My favourite paragraph from this post is -
"I miss that profound sense of escapism. I miss being part of a truly global phenomenon. I miss how the show forced me to put my brain to work. I miss having intelligent debates with other fans. I miss how I would wake up in the middle of the night with a new idea about what could be going on. I miss the anticipatory butterflies in my stomach as each new episode began. I miss caring about characters. I just miss it all."

This paragraph sums up my feelings about the programme completely.

I will be following you - e make no mistake about it.

I am on season 4 again at the moment, totally loving it all.

The series also inspired me to read more, I have purchased most of the books that have appeared on the programme.

Just about to read "Of Mice and Men", can't believe I haven't read it before.

Thank you - e keep up the great work.

bill said...

The reaction of the haters to Lost's finale is symptomatic of a much deeper issue in our society. Nobody thinks anymore. Seriously, The ability to engage in deep, critical thought is nearly a dead art. Most Americans outsource their thinking to religious, political, and cultural "experts" who tell them what to wear, listen to. believe, and vote for. That's true of Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, Christians and atheists.

Lost refused to have truck with that. It insisted that its viewers think for themselves. Most of them weren't up to the task. So they farmed out the job to people who saw the closing credits, jumped to the inane conclusion that "they were dead the whole damn time!" and told their sheep that was what the show was about. And their sheep swallowed it. After all, it's easier than actually thinking!

Imani said...

What Tim A. said was right on point. While the series was on, I kept every episode on my iPod - that's a lot of memory space used for Lost - in anticipation of the day I would go back and watch the series again. When I got Netflix, I put each season in my Instant Queue, glad I could finally free up space on my iPod. But now, more than a year after the series ended, I haven't gone back to watch any of it. Like Tim said, I enjoyed the build up, the hair raising ride to the end, but The End was so anticlimactic, that the prospect of going through the ride again is somewhat distasteful. I was waiting for an "Oh yeah, NOW I get it!!!!" moment from the finale. Instead, I got a "Oh. Yeah." moment that didn't seem to justify all the mental time and effort I had put into deciphering things I thought were important, or defending the show to people who thought it was stupid.

The End showed us that Lost was merely about some people that lived together on an island, and developed a bond that stayed with them through death. That's it. Jacob and the Smoke Monster, the numbers, the Dharma Initiative, the Others - all the stuff that made the show interesting - none of it really mattered in the final analysis. I think that's what has kept me from rewatching the show. I was sold on a show that I thought was about mysteries and mythology, but instead, it was just a soap opera with drama between people.

I truly enjoyed the interactions we true Losties had. Reading Long Live Locke was a much anticipated highlight of my week. I loved reading the theories and spoilers all over the place. But that's over. I come back here because I like e's writing style. But I've let all else Lost go. It was fun while it lasted, thanks e, I'll continue to follow your blog but I've gotta move on from the show.

Anonymous said...

I hope all of this can fit in a comment box. :)

Lost means as much to me as it did during its whole run. While I had to have some of it explained to me the next day by you, Ryan, Vozz and 4 or 5 other bloggers, it was awesome to watch and try to decipher it on my own. I re-watched seasons 1 through 4 a few ago and it was great seeing things that were later explained: Adam and Eve, the black and white rocks, the snow globe, et all. I only got half way through season 5, though. Like yourself, I was, and still am, too emotionally attached to the characters to watch much without turning into a mess myself, given my emotional state these days. I’ll finish it one day, when I’m more stable.

I loved the finale. I didn’t even have to have it explained to me. My initial thought was: awesome. After the emotions calmed down and I could think somewhat clearly, I still thought: awesome. I feel the way it ended was truly the only way to end it. It was emotionally satisfying. It told us that all of the events of our lives ARE important to us and shape us into the people we become (and really did happen ). Like you said, the story is the journey.

I’ve read the haters, too, and while they don’t seem to have a coherent view of what the finale should have been, the common theme of their whining is that it didn’t tie up all of the loose ends. Can you imagine what a mess the finale would have been if Darlton would have tried to do that? And even if they pulled it off, I’m sure they would have not included every single loose end and the haters would have still done their hatin’.

The story is the growth and emotional journey of the individual characters and how we see ourselves within them. When it was over, I felt genuinely attached to each one of them, and it was just awesome to see that they had ‘made it’. They were happy. How great was that? What had we wanted throughout the entire series? To see them escape their living hell. Well, they did. Mostly in ways we didn’t want them to, like ending up on Boone Hill, but we were able to see them at the end, happy. (Damn, this is hard to write. Too many parallels with my own life.)

So, if Darlton went that direction and somehow managed to wrap up every single one, it would have been clear that the people were just being pushed around by those events and their lives meant nothing.
With that in mind, the show would have ended with most of them dead. The five who lived would have gone back to messy lives and LOTS of explaining to do that would have taken 6 or 7 episodes to explain. Which would have eaten into the emotional payoff. How mundane. I don’t see this as any way to end such an awesome show.

The finale left us, as the rest of the show left us, with plenty to think about, but with plenty of closure.
1) We got to see three original Losties, Sawyer, Kate and Claire, escape. We were left to eat that up and it was good. Of course, as with most everything Lost, it was bitter sweet, what with Jack lying on his back, dying.
2) But, we got to see Jack finally realize his purpose, fulfill his purpose, and find happiness in what he had done. He was successful in getting a few off the island. That right there was a loose end that ran from the very beginning of the pilot to the last second of the finale. (“I’m gonna get us off this island.” Does that ring any bells?)
3) We got to see Richard become mortal and more of a regular dude. Instead of being a middle man for 150 years, with seemingly no thoughts of his own, he now gets to finish his life on his own terms.
4) We got to see Kate finally find her purpose and make damn sure she brought Claire back.
5) And the biggest one of all, at least to me, we got to see Sawyer grow from a selfish con man into a genuinely thoughtful, caring and nice man. Remember the open wound he was during the first season, especially, the first half? That person was nowhere to be found during the last three seasons.

more below.

Anonymous said...

The haters completely missed the entire message of the show. So, yes, they were disappointed. How sad for them. They really had wasted 5 ½ years of their lives. Without all of the mysteries, this show would not have attracted me at all. It would have been a straight forward drama. But, as I said…and countless others have said…they are what kept this show intriguing from the beginning. The haters got caught up on those and lost sight of the real point of the story.

About the sideways flashes. Now that I think about it, they were actually forward flashes. The island events of the last three seasons take place in the year or so after Jack and company went back to the island. When Sawyer, Kate, etal, left, they didn’t fly back into their afterlife. They flew into current day LA and lived out their natural lives. Kate told Jack that she had been waiting for him for a ‘long time’. Meaning, she had lived out her natural life, and the waiting was to get to the only place where she could see Jack again. The afterlife. I don’t think this can be called a sideways flash.

Wow, I can’t believe I wrote that much. Your post got me thinking and I pulled all of that together on the fly. It seems to make sense, though. I’m sure these points have been mentioned elsewhere, but I haven’t read about Lost for a while, so it was all my own ramblings.

I have found no new TV series that can carry Lost’s jock. I’m pretty sure we are all spoiled and that nothing will ever match it. We’ll have to be happy with what we can find. I just finished the first season of Fringe on Netflix. It’s some pretty good stuff. I’m looking forward to Terra Nova, Alcatraz, Person of Interest and Ringer, but another show to rival Lost is not possible, I think.

Bert

P.S. I LOVE the caption to the picture of Hurley. I think that’s your best one.

Garry "Brotha" Miller said...

Oh and BTW if you are in the UK there is a show on Thursday Nights called "The Shadow Line".

It is amazing! Simple as that.

If I could gauge the excitment I had for lost as a percentage, it would 100%.

The Shadow Line is on its third episode and I reckon in comparison I am 90% excited about it.

:-)

Fiona UK said...

My honest opinion... is that although I was super crazy about the show, lived for it every week and continually targetted those who hadn't watched it yet (freaks) to borrow the boxsets and watch it because they were missing THE best.tv.show.ever... I still was disappointed at the end, and I will tell you why.
I understood it just fine. To try to explain in the quickest possible way, I'll say this - it takes a genius to write a show with many - MANY unanswered mysteries, that in the end we are given satisfactory answers to. I didn't ever expect all 1001 questions to be answered. What I expected was a fair explanation to the shows biggest mysteries, and in my opinion, that's what season 6 should have been about. Not about throwing the show in a completely different direction, and then explaining THAT part of the mystery at the end of the whole thing. I am still left wondering why Dharma were still doing food drops and it's driven me crazy for a year. LOL. In the end though, I will always, always have a massive love and respect for the show.

Tim A. said...

I hope no one got me wrong: Lost is one of the Top 10 greatest TV shows ever (if not Top 5)!

I LOVED my entire "vacation" with the show, but the 6th week carried far too many personal expectations, with some key ones going unmet & unfulfilled, and I still need time to heal from it all. I still need to adjust my overall perspective about the show as a whole, conforming to the final directions & angles that "Darlton" chose to take and that "Joe Cool" articulated well. (I understand all the answers given and what the 6th season was all about, I just didn't like the direction that was taken or the explanation given, that's all.)

It'll take some more time. (Hey! I still struggle with fully returning to Cheers and Seinfeld!)

We're all weird in our own unique way; but let's not confuse criticism and some disappointment for total abandonment and rejection. Even with the direction of the "6th week" that I still disagree with, Lost beats 99% of the shows that have ever existed!

And, I will still admit, I SOOOOOO want an extra season, maybe the "Hurley, Ben, Desmond & Walt Chronicles" for geeks like myself who simply just want to know the origins of the "Others," the island itself, its protectors, Dharma, the actual "Donkey Wheel (and why a "donkey wheel--what's up with that?!")," how Jacob learned to leave the island, etc.

I don't know if I'll ever stop wanting those answers. Sorry.

Anonymous said...

Hi e--

Great read!

--Emily

Kug said...

Great read.
Awesome show.

Just thought I'd mention of a few of the shows that, while not LOST replacements, have been keeping me entertained.

I found that the best thing to do is to find standout shows in genres other than LOST's.

>>Chuck
Perhaps the most surprisingly good show that I was made aware of is Chuck. It's a spy show which perfectly blends comedy, action, and heartfelt moments. The cast is "awesome" (little pun for those who watch the show). Plus, there is already 4 seasons of it! Almost like watching a movie really, but oftentimes does it better than movies do in this genre. Highly recommend.

Other interesting shows:

>>Dexter
Much more than just about a killer. Great insights about humanity and how people act/react to their circumstances.

>>Arrested Development
If you missed out on this sitcom (though it doesn't feel like a sitcom) gem, and if you enjoy laughing, please don't miss this 3 season show! What's even more exciting is that a movie is (finally) in the works!

>>24
I've only watched the first 4 seasons so far, but, despite not being for everyone, I enjoy watching this show. It makes great use of interweaving plots, ridiculous disaster scenarios, and is all done in 24 hours...which is old news of course.

>>Twin Peaks
I haven't watched this yet, but from what I've heard its some sort of modern day classic (sound familiar?). I've also heard that there are several similarities between LOST and this show. I'm excited to get to this one.

I hope that you check out these shows, if you haven't already, and find new favorites in genres other than LOST's. In fact there really isn't a show like LOST except for Gilligan's Island?! (hmmm). I expect there won't be another one either for quite some time...if ever.

The Rush Blog said...

I don't hate "LOST". It's one of my favorite top twenty TV shows (somewhere in the 11-20 bracket). There were aspects of the last season and the finale that I found impressive. But there were too many aspects of it that did not impress me. The finale was at best, a mixed affair. As for the series, it was pretty good and entertaining. It could have been one of the best TV shows ever for me. But it failed to rise above the sketchy writing and characterizations. "LOST" reminds me of "STAR TREK DEEP SPACE NINE". It had a premise that could have made it great. But the occasional mediocre writing shot the series in its foot.

I'm sorry if not everyone loved the finale like you did, but you'll just have to face it.

andy said...

just finished rewatching the show a week ago with my wife. it was her first time the whole way through. I believe it was just as powerful this time around as it was the first time. the only disapointment i felt was again knowing there were no more new episodes to watch.

GARRY UK said...

I just got to the end of season six again.

I noticed that there is a connection between the symbol on the wall of the temple that leads to the secret passage and the book that Jacob was reading when Locke fell out of the window. Anyone else spot this?

The messages have been on 23 for some time now, if I have spoilt this then please don't publish or alternatively we can make it to 42?

Norm said...

I think about my Lost friends everyday still.

Kug said...

Time flies and dozens of new shows have since entered the airwaves. I've really enjoyed Terra Nova for what it was, despite negative reviews, and hope they do another season. It has elements of Jurassic Park, Avatar, and, of course, LOST. I think I'm a sucker for anything that involves more jungles and water than cities and concrete.
That's why I'm very excited to have received Lost: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray for Christmas! Now I will be "forced" to re-watch the entire series. I just wish I could be hypnotized to forget everything I know about Lost, just so I could relive the experience all over again. Maybe if Locke applied some "Island remedy" to my head...

Slumbering Agartha said...

It baffles me that anyone would have thought "oh they were dead all along", that's just an insult to the writers of the show. The thing that always has confused me, however, is whether the last season's flash sideways was supposed to be Purgatory, as in the biblical purgatory, or was it an alternate reality created when Jughead was detonated? I Mean, I know the writers at least wanted us to THINK it was an alternate reality up front, given the island under the ocean, and even in the final episode, Jack's dad says "this is a place you all have created together", in his final words to Jack. Did they create their own purgatory with Jughead, or was Jughead just a totally irrelevant red herring to throw people off the scent that the last season was going to be purgatory... or...? This is what pains me, because I never felt like I got complete closure on the show, because I was unsure what the writer's intentions were as it closed.

Noel Jerke said...

Love the blog - we are blogging lost now with our older kids and they are watching it for the first time. I forgot how much we truly loved the show.