Lost About Lost
[Guest post by DRJ]
I have a confession: I have never seen the TV show Lost. Not once, not even a minute. But like Allahpundit, it won’t stop me from posting on it:
“My question for the people who are disappointed: Given the sheer volume and inscrutability of the show’s subplots, didn’t you already know that you weren’t going to get answers? It sounds like it would have taken a full season to wrap up the loose ends. And from what little I know of the individual gimmicks, I’m not sure any satisfying account was possible. How do you elegantly explain something as goofy as the “smoke monster,” for instance? Answer: You don’t, and luckily, you don’t really need to. It’s simply part of the ride.”
Any fans out there want to educate me?
— DRJ
I never got into “Lost”. In “24” you were always being surprised as to just who really was the bad guy and why, but by the end of the season you understood what had happened.
I was more or less satisfied with the ending of “24”, though I would have liked to see Jack end a season smiling and hanging with his family.
MD in Philly (cb8efe) — 5/24/2010 @ 8:01 pmI thought they would find the one armed killer.
Gerald A (a66d02) — 5/24/2010 @ 8:11 pmI saw the first two seasons, and came to the conclusion that it was a giant episode of Mission: Impossible seen from the wrong side of the tapestry.
Eric Wilner (3936fd) — 5/24/2010 @ 8:14 pmThen the third season came along, and it turned into The X Files.
I stopped watching about then, but apparently it got even more bizarre later.
I don’t know if the show ever definitively refuted the T-shirt I saw sometime during season three: “The Others are Cylons.”
Well, I for one was quite satisfied. You just have to realize that “Lost” is the adult version of sandbox play. Make it up as you go along.
The writers did a fine job of reintegrating the alternate realities.
cliff (1cfaaa) — 5/24/2010 @ 8:20 pmnever watched, reminds me of the surprise ending episode of St. Elsewhere. took place in the mind of a child.
Peterk (d1e05d) — 5/24/2010 @ 8:28 pmi can cheerfully say that i have never watched even part of a single episode of either….. nor have i watched Seinfeld, even on reruns.
Ernie Kovacs was right: television is referred to as a medium because it is neither rare nor well done.
even the shows i like i don’t always get to. i did see all of “Pacific”, as i did “Band of Brothers”, but they were exceptions, in all ways.
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 5/24/2010 @ 8:51 pmI don’t really have a lot to say about the ending.
From a personal point of view, though, I have to say this:
My daughter got hooked watching this show from the beginning. So, I would watch it with her. And we would talk about it. I would challenge her on the names used and the philosophies and red herrings and she would challenge me on the plot lines and motivations.
For seven seasons, I had at least one hour I could share with her and many more hours of discussion.
In that time, she grew up and I got older.
I won’t say that it was the best possible connection to make, but it was the best possible connection I had and it made us closer.
We will always be able to talk about Lost.
So, I don’t really care whether the story went anywhere. All I really care about is this: She liked the ending. So, so do I.
Ag80 (b97c3e) — 5/24/2010 @ 8:52 pmWell said, sir.
Leviticus (30ac20) — 5/24/2010 @ 8:56 pmLeviticus:
Thanks.
Ag80 (b97c3e) — 5/24/2010 @ 9:05 pmI suspect most of the people who are disappointed (I’m not) wanted more concrete answers about the mysteries of the Island, how it came to be the way it is, and what (if any) larger purpose it serves. But Lost was never about the Island, it was always about the characters. And the characters got resolution, each in their own way (and not all for the best), of their individual issues.
In fairness, the Island is a character and it’s “issues” (the aforesaid mysteries) didn’t all get resolved. And some that did weren’t nearly as compelling in the cold light of day as they were in the speculation. So it’s reasonable to say that the creators shortchanged the audience a there because fans really had developed a reasonable expectation of more answers to more mysteries.
That said, one of the reasons I am satisfied myself is that I rather like the ambiguity. It means we can continue playing our favourite Lost-related game (speculating) for as long as we like. Had they tied everything off, a major part of the show’s appeal would’ve been closed off with it. Hopefully some of the disappointed fans will come to realize this in time and appreciate the meta-level appropriateness of the ending.
Dodd (d8078d) — 5/24/2010 @ 9:09 pmComment by Ag80 — 5/24/2010 @ 8:52 pm
Ditto that, Ag80. Every week, we’d watch with our youngest son and chew it over, and mostly be glad to have the time with him. We had fun and laughed over our analysis of it. Which was one more nice moment together as he’s moving 8 hours away in two weeks. The last one to leave the nest. Smart parents know to treasure every second they have with their kids, no matter if it’s around a silly TV show.
Dana (1e5ad4) — 5/24/2010 @ 9:31 pmDana:
I’m probably being more sentimental than usual because my son graduates from high school Saturday.
Ag80 (b97c3e) — 5/24/2010 @ 9:43 pmCongratulations on his graduation, Ag80. It’s quite a milestone.
I’m more sentimental than usual because the last one is flying the coop. But what young man doesn’t want to spread his wings and have an adventure, and isn’t that the point of parenting – to raise them to be able to successfully function independently of us? (But it certainly causes an ache in the heart.)
Dana (1e5ad4) — 5/24/2010 @ 9:52 pmDana:
It’s hard to see them go, but it would be harder if they didn’t have the chance.
Ag80 (b97c3e) — 5/24/2010 @ 10:06 pmMrs G watched every episode. I quit after about three. I could tell they did not have a goal in mind. I think they were surprised by its popularity, as it was episodically interesting but lacked any actual direction. If you recall, at some mid point in the sries, when it was truly and hopelessly lost, no pun intended, they made a public proclamation that they would tighten up the storyline, focus fully and definitely bring it to a conclusion within two (or was it three) seasons. Even after such a stunning admission that it was, in fact, a show adrift, the folks still tuned in.
gazzer (7c0559) — 5/24/2010 @ 10:10 pmMrs G, as an aside, has around 50 IMDB credits to her name, and ie very astute when it comes to character development, plot and sub-plot. Strangely, and she admits it freely, she was drawn in to this scruffy little show, to the point that we, latterly, recoreded “Justified” so as not to miss “Lost.”
In the end, she watched the finale and was left unsatisfied. Too many questions left unanswered. Ultimately, I think it was a show chock full of sub-plot, intrigue, mysticism and imagery but lacking in actual destiny or, dare I say it, point.
Still and all, it entertained Mrs G for 6 six years harmlessly, so what’s to not like?
I could not get into a show that could have had the following subplot:
Ken in Camarillo (645bed) — 5/25/2010 @ 12:45 amFour friends have season tickets to the Lakers and sometime during the second season they discover (in a manner filled with suspense) that Kobe Bryant is on the team.
Did it answer every imaginable question? No. Did it answer all of the important questions? Yes.
Think of when you go to work Monday morning, and ask your coworker(s) how their weekend was. Do you want to know *every single detail* about their weekend? Of course not. If you were dissatisfied with Lost, you are dissatisfied with life.
Buzz Killingston (9da03a) — 5/25/2010 @ 4:45 amPretty much invariably, if a show/book/whatever is based around a Great Big Mysterious Thing, the clear explanation is going to be dissatisfying, if you ever get it — think Battlestar Galactica (the second one), Fred Pohl’s Heechee books, Farmer’s Riverworld, etc.
The fun in these things isn’t the destination; it’s the ride. (I never got into Lost; SWMBO did, and loved it.)
Joel Rosenberg (ab94ff) — 5/25/2010 @ 6:27 amNever watched it through the first 3 seasons — just not my cup of tea.
But, had some time during 2008 when the family was traveling without me, and I started renting it at Blockbuster. I was able to watch 2-3 episodes at a time — they run only 40 minutes without commercials — and that hooked me into the narrative a little more quickly. Turned out to be very entertaining — the second half of season one and the first half of season two are clearly the best.
It started to show some signs of flagging last year, and the finale didn’t payoff for me on the set-up from this season. In the end I was left with a shrug rather than a tear.
But, given my locale, I have met a couple of the cast members, and have become pretty good friends with one of them through our sons playing together on a sports team.
shipwreckedcrew (436eab) — 5/25/2010 @ 6:47 amIf anyone has watched JJ Abrams interviews or speeches, he often talks about “the magic box”. It’s a box of magic tricks that he bought or was given as a child, but he never opened it. He said he never did because he felt that when he opened it, all the mystery and “magic” would be gone, and the box would no longer become interesting, it would just be a box.
I think this is what Lost achieves quite well.
My wife and I started watching the show around Season 4, first having watched the last 3 seasons on DVD. She holds an English MA and finds that Lost provides a HUGE amount of material for students (or others) to write about. Whether it’s interpretation, talking about character development, symbology, religion, etc. etc. This is mainly possible through the fact that Lost didn’t have a 100% concrete explanation/answer for everything. If they had finished the show, providing an explanation for everything, tied up in this neat little package, all the fans and viewers would have looked at it, said “ah, so that’s why…”, and then simply left it at that. There would be very little debate on the show and it’s story and characters after that.
By leaving a lot of things open, and not giving full-fleshed out answers to every question, the writers for Lost have created a series that will be timeless, and often discussed for years. Whether or not you personally liked the ending, I feel that you have to admire someone who creates something (book, movie, whatever) that can bring about so much debate and discussion to so many people.
conservativeinthecity (eb4691) — 5/25/2010 @ 6:53 amI watched the first season, but it should have ended there. The writers must have been laughing their “you know” off with all the ridiculous plot twists that kept it alive for six more seasons.
I did watch the ending. I guess it was a sort of spiritual… without mentioning God because God is offensive or something.
Patricia (160852) — 5/25/2010 @ 8:22 amSorry, but I really really like the show, having seen the whole run on DVD several times.
Some observations:
1) It’s a much better show seen back-to-back on DVD. The plot holds up even without the weekly break that shows like, say, 24 use to hide discrepancies.
2) It is one of the more inventive shows ever done on TV — it’s really not like anything else.
3) It has nothing to do with “Survivor.” No one gets voted off the island. I’m often amazed how many people have this flavor of ignorance.
4) There is a LOT going on under the surface, from in-jokes (a character named Henry Gale claims to have come to the island from Kansas on a balloon) to running jokes (do NOT handle the dynamite) to opening scenes involving eyes.
5) The ensemble is fantastic, the writing is first-class and the production is no-expense-spared. Truly an oasis in a sea of mediocrity.
And yes, the end was a bit weak, but how could it not be? Most of the questions were answered along the way in season 5 and 6, and the remaining loose ends are pretty minor (Walt? who cares?).
One of the greatest TV shows ever made. Sorry you’ve seen none of it DRJ. I doubt you are the better for it.
Kevin Murphy (5ae73e) — 5/25/2010 @ 8:46 amI have a master’s in theatre and got lost in Lost during season 3. The plot began to make no sense at all. As a follower of Aristotlean criticism, the series failed when the plot wandered and then could not be wrapped up in a coherent package. It does not begin to compare to the great series like Deadwood, The Wire, Rome, etc.
ChrisinGilbertAZ (1de725) — 5/25/2010 @ 9:01 ami liked imao’s suggestion how to end it: just stop airing episodes. no finale, etc. then when people call to complain, claim that the show never actually existed. when they insist it did, then ask, “okay, then explain the plot to me.”
even as a person who liked the show, on balance, that is a pretty funny idea.
A.W. (e7d72e) — 5/25/2010 @ 9:49 amSpeaking of shows with confusing plots, several years ago there was some show that was intended to involve the audience understanding clues and solving the puzzle. I think it was called “something, Nevada”, and it was pulled very early on. Does anyone remember this? Did they make a whole series that is available somewhere? It was less action and more puzzling than “Lost”, I think, though it was intended to have a rational solution. Sort of “CSI meets Lost”.
FWIW, I watched some of the early seasons of 24 in multiple episode clips on DVD and didn’t note any plot discrepencies. Never tried to do 24 hours of 24. I bet it could be done, but probably take several days to recover. Like trying to do the Lord of the Rings Trilogy in one sitting, gripping but exhausting.
MD in Philly (cb8efe) — 5/25/2010 @ 9:55 am#17 Buzz
What big question was answered? The only question that was answered was “what is the flash sideways?” Every other question was left unanswered to the same degree it was from the very beginning. Sure, we know that the island is mysterious and has some kind of energy, but we knew that from season 2 onward.
The “leave the story open to interpretation” method of storytelling is lazy.
alseen (c3c692) — 5/25/2010 @ 9:57 amLike you I never saw a single episode. I never watched it because no one could answer my question: After all these years, why is the fat guy still fat??
Ferd Berfel (2154a5) — 5/25/2010 @ 10:24 amWhen the characters ‘LA version’ recalled the events of the island it was on par with the last 30 minutes of MASH – as good as TV gets. The rest of it – closer to Seinfeld: disrespecting the audience, in this case by not providing details. What’s amazing is the show lasted as long as it did without establishing, even once, a coherent overriding narrative. What was the show about? Who knows?
East Bay Jay (2fd7f7) — 5/25/2010 @ 10:52 amThe fat guy is still fat because he was only stranded on a desert island for about four months, and during that time they found caches of candy bars in which he indulged. (He lost a little weight during that period, but it takes time.)
He then spent three years back in the real world eating high on the hog like an insane lottery winner with emotional problems and then spent another three years back in 1970 on the island working for the Dharma Initiative with plenty of access to more candy bars.
(The actor mentioned that he tends to lose weight when he has steady work and a steady paycheck because he eats right; and that he had to be careful not to lose too much weight when not filming.)
As for me, having watched the entire damn show, I can now answer any damn question that needs to be answered on it. Go ahead, hit me.
luagha (5cbe06) — 5/25/2010 @ 1:31 pmComment by luagha
Like, um, what happened?
MD in Philly (cb8efe) — 5/25/2010 @ 2:28 pmI don’t think they left too many things unanswered, even the smoke monster.
The Island is the home to some sort of force that is important to all life, that force has a protector that can use that force to manipulate events and people to do what she or he wants, but using that force causes ripples and echoes.
Take the chronologically first event for the island we see, the female protector has pulled a pregnant woman to island by way of a shipwreck. The pregnant woman gives birth to Jacob and the “other guy” and the protector steals the babies and bashes the mother’s head in. From then on, the island would keep having paranoid women who have their babies stolen from them.
With the numbers, Jacob starts looking for potential replacements. He finds them at compass points in some sort of viewer at the top of a lighthouse. He pulls them in to the island. The points he views them from are 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.
Xmas (420092) — 5/25/2010 @ 3:31 pmAt the center of the island is the Holy Grail ( which has been known under different names in many cultures, like the Cauldron of Dagda and so on ) and stuck in it is the lapis ex caelis, the ‘stone from heaven’. The stone from heaven was the stone in Lucifer’s crown given to him by God granting him dominion over the earth. It fell off when Lucifer fell and landed somewhere on earth. (You can get this from a zillion different occultist sources and you can look up echoes of it from different cultures, like say Mohammed’s magic meteorite and so on.)
The Holy Grail lands on this island. It’s the sun source of creativity, light, goodness, and mystic powers. It has a guardian whose job it is to make sure the power of the Grail doesn’t get stolen or misused. At the beginning of the story, that Guardian’s name is Jacob.
The guardian is invested with a variety of powers, the main ones being ‘setting rules’ and ‘setting fate’ – this is because he is connected with the stone that gives him dominion over all earthly things, and the grail which gives him all that light and so on.
People do in fact come to the island and try to exploit the powers of the Grail and the stone. When they do, we recognize it as Mad Science! It follows the rules of Mad Science! with handwavey mentions of electromagnetism. And they get results, even though it makes no sense, because they are on a magic island surrounded by the power of the Grail which gives them perfect creativity. Some of the people do it around 500 ad. Some of the people do it in the 1600s. Some of the people do it in the 1970s, and they are called the Dharma Initiative.
In the beginning, Jacob’s mother is the Guardian. She makes two rules: Jacob and his brother are not allowed to kill one another. Jacob and his brother can’t leave the island. They are rules. In and of themselves, they can’t be broken.
Due to irreconcilable differences, Jacob eventually bodily throws his brother into the Grail. Since you can’t touch the Grail before you succeed on the Grail Quest, and since Jacob can’t kill his brother, Jacob’s brother is transformed into a bodiless Typhonic spirit entity called ‘the black cloud.’
Jacob’s brother wants to kill Jacob but he can’t. He figures out that the way to do it is to convince someone else to kill Jacob for him. That other person has to ‘make the choice’ and ‘do the deed.’ But this is easier said than done, considering Jacob’s powers.
Fast forwards 1500 years. Jacob is tired of being the Guardian. He is looking for a replacement. So he uses the power of fate to pull the main characters onto the island. All of the main characters are special, and are good enough to ‘tap in’ to the Grail and its powers when they are on the island.
But Jacob only wants the best of them to be the Guardian, so he sets up rules, and a game. One of them is that the main characters cannot be killed save by their own choices and actions. (Some of the people who live on the island know about this rule, which is why they use drugged darts – because they know they can’t kill said characters.) Those who make moral mistakes will probably have those moral mistakes lead to their demise and be removed from the game.
In the end, he had four possibles left. So the game didn’t go quite the way he wanted.
luagha (5cbe06) — 5/25/2010 @ 3:51 pm