« Progress | Main | Mr. Bob Goes to Fairfield »
March 04, 2005
Discussing Lost
One of the mailing lists I’m on is buzzing today about Lost, which I was already considering writing about. Must be one of those J.J. Abrams coincidences.
I’ll be talking about the show and if you haven’t been watching, you have been warned. We missed out on last week’s episode until a buddy lent me the tape so last night, Deb, Robbie and I hunkered down and saw the last two back-to-back. We were totally engrossed in the show and were very entertained and enchanted by the fact that there were bits and pieces we saw coming and others we didn’t expect at all.
We’re well over the halfway mark of the first season and some critics and on-line complainers think they deserve some answers rather than a growing list of questions. My thinking is that if we start getting answers now, we won’t be tempted to be back in the fall.
The writing team behind the show is doing a terrific job unpeeling the onion, even if we find ourselves tearing up now and then. They are advancing the island stories while also going backwards and exploring the backgrounds of the 14 (count them, 14) leads. And they better hurry since at least one of them won’t be around for season two.
What my on line pals are speculating about is what Sawyer was reading this week (was it L’Engle or LeGuin?) and is it as significant as when someone was seen reading Watership Down earlier in the season. Additionally, we’ve been talking about the numbers and how 42 seems to be a universal constant in genre productions (owing everything to Douglas Adams who should have trademarked it). It’s also interesting how the numbers correspond to retired Yankees uniforms but I suspect that’s merely a coincidence.
What I’m even more intrigued about is how the characters haven intersecting in their pasts and how many more connections will there be? We’ve seen Sawyer arrested as Boone complains to the Australian police as well as Sawyer’s conversations with Jack’s dad. Locke was working for the box company that Hurley wound up owning. The island seemed to be beckoning to Hurley in odd ways, as well. (I was very, very impressed by how the distress call and the numbers linked to Hurley while making us wonder why he was in a psychiatric institution.)
The island seems special in many ways, either bringing a curse to people like Hurley or giving people a second chance such as Locke’s ability to walk being restored. Walt’s suspected psionic abilities (such as possibly conjuring up the polar bears) bear watching as well.
I don’t have a real sense of what the island’s secret(s) is. Are they dead? Maybe. Are they in some weird alternate reality? Maybe. Are they rats in a trap by way of The Truman Show? Maybe. And I’m fine with that during the first season. If we’re no closer to the truth by season four, then I may be getting peeved.
The beauty of the show is that we’re teased and tantalized in flashbacks and the present, entertained week to week but left wanting more. And ABC, bless their hearts, ordered up two extra episodes so we’ll have 24 for the first season.
I fully believe the writers when they say they know where the castaways are and what the secrets are all about. I just suspect that the gap between the starting point and ending point is left wide open for fun. For example, they never imagined a romance developing between Sayyid and Shannon but added it when they saw the on screen chemistry. There’s plenty of room to watch these people grow and develop. Locke made a big point last week about starting over and he’s right. Jin is skipping that chance but Sun seems ready to embrace the possibilities.
Watching this unfold is a great deal of fun.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at March 4, 2005 04:52 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.malibulist.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/2621
Comments
So far, so good. I would like a question answered for every 5 that are raised, though. Too many questions leave plots dangling. (Adam & Eve, anyone?)
They also need to shore-up some of the inconsistencies. Why would they search for Vincent in the dark, but not search for Claire at all? Why didn't they break out the guns when Hurley went looking for Rousseau?
The show gets an A for: atmosphere; potential; attention to certain details; allusions to philosophy, literature, and pop culture; the weaving together of the Lostaways in their pre-flight lives.
It gets a C+ for consistency. In many of the great series of the past, the first year or two is often spent on shakedown. I'm hopeful that the success of the show will let them hire another producer/editor to help keep things straight.
Posted by: Lost Fan at March 5, 2005 05:48 PM
It’s also interesting how the numbers correspond to retired Yankees uniforms but I suspect that’s merely a coincidence.
I did the geeky thing and did a quick Google search and came up with the same conclusion.
So, what's behind the trap door?
George Steinbrenner, Zombie Babe Ruth, or a Vampire Harry Frazee. :)
But I will need to change my undies (even those I'm not wearing), if they tie this in chronologically with the Red Sox winning the ACLS/WS (sorry, Mrs Reyes, but some Catholics believe in curses). And they have made a couple of Red Sox 'ha ha ba da bump' mentions.
Posted by: LittleGuy at March 7, 2005 11:42 AM
I love the fact that many of the questions are still left unanswered (Adam and Eve being a plot point planted early, designed for us to forget about, only to reappear later) I don't want too many answers just yet, as I love the speculation. I love this show for the blend of characterization and plot (like the best seasons of Buffy) There are so many characters, and each one becomes more and more complex (Charlie a killer? How will he deal with that?!) The backstories are great for characterization (Jin being noble) and those plot threads you mentioned that tie people together. I am hooked, and I hate the fact that I have to wait for 6 weeks now...
Posted by: Rich Steeves at March 8, 2005 10:01 AM