Lost Thoughts
Let me take a break from politics, and talk about something superflouus. Did anyone see Lost tonight? It was a good one, only because the "what the crap?" factor was so high. If you live on the West Coast, or if you have TiVo, you should watch it. If you haven't seen any episodes, you really should. I'm sure they will be on reruns all summer; it is somewhat important to watch in sequential order. I missed some episodes, and then caught back up to the current episode on a weekend rerun.
I have to admit that when the first previews and commercials for Lost came on air, I dismissed it as a crap show with a tired, wrought-out premise. But to my surprise, the show is gripping and quite well done; the storytelling device of meshing the multiple points of view using flashbacks really help knit the story together. Only one other show has done a good of a job maintaining a consistent story line, where clues and actions from previous episodes affect the future episodes, and that was the X-Files. Who knew the director of Felicity, which was enjoyable in its' own right, could pull off this show.
Frankly, I haven't been on the edge of my seat like this for awhile - probably since X-FIles. I wonder how all the threads will be woven together in the end. I also wonder how long this show can go on, where the characters essentially make little or no headway each episode. I wonder how long I (and other viewers) will keep tuning in, before the story spins out of control.
Using J.J. Abrams' other show, Alias as a guide, I predict that the storyline will careen out of control around the end of the third season. Right now Alias has completely spun off course, where bad guys now work for the good guys, because the good guys really destroyed the bad guys, who weren't really all that bad to begin with. It's complicated - and that is the problem with shows like Lost where revelations in previous episodes build on each other. Writers have to walk a fine line so that complex storylines, multiple characters, and "twists" don't get out of hand.
That being said, I'm willing to give Lost another season of viewing.
For more information (and spoilers) check out these sites: Lost Numbers, Unofficial Forum, and Lost Media. But I have some questions and comments about tonight's episode. Highlight the redacted area for spoilers (warning: spoilers (I warned you)):
- OK, so that "security system" is a machine with tentacles which come out of holes in the earth? But somehow puffs black smoke? What's up with that?
- Comment: When that Red Shirt got blown up in the beginning, all I could think about was, "Holy shit!"
- Comment: Big surprise that Charlie brings back a bunch of dope from drug-running plane.
- Who the hell were those people in the boat, and why did they want Walt?
- What the hell is up with those numbers: 4 8 15 16 23 42?
- OK, so they got the hatch open, and it is a giant shaft, but with only the top seven rungs (or so) left, now what?
Comments
sweetchuck says:
I think that this show could go on for quite awhile without becoming tiresome, as long as they give some useful information once in a while. It irks me when for what seemed like 7 episodes two guys sat around looking at a hatch. I don't think complexity is a real issue here, unlike with Alias. The storytelling is kept simple enough.
Sure, there's a dozen characters each with their own story, but it can be kept to generalizations real easy. He's rich with bad luck, she's a criminal but goodhearted, he's the born leader, he's a nice guy battling addiction, he blows up, etc. No one is given too many traits (except maybe for mysterious bald guy who can somehow walk now) so everyone can follow, and the interactions make it interesting.
Posted by: sweetchuck at May 26, 2005 11:02 AM #
plemeljr says:
I agree that the use of archetype keeps the show afloat, but what is great is when that archetype is tweaked (or person blown up) - the unexpected is nice. I think the complexity come from trying to keep all of the little sub-plots and individual character timelines together, because it is apparent that each one affects the other. So to experience the whole butterfly effect, keeping track of the individual timelines is important.
Posted by: plemeljr at May 26, 2005 1:00 PM #
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Some descriptive tags for this entry are: analysis, culture, spoilers, television.
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