What's Hot: Is LOST Losing Itself?
What's Hot: Is LOST Losing Itself?
Yesterday, Jugdish posted an interesting article briefly conveying his perspective on the expanded use and incorporation of time travel as a major thematic element in the early episodes of LOST's fifth season. Jugdish writes, "I am a little different than most of our regular members here at SWLS. I am not a science fiction fan. I do not watch any sci fi shows. Lost tricked me by drawing me in with a great story filled with fantastic actors playing interesting roles." Judish's reaction to the sci-fi element of time travel in LOST is not uncommon, and certainly worthy of discussion. However, I think a much larger question looms in the shadows of such conversations. Jugdish reaches the conclusion that time travel in LOST might be okay - as long as it is limited to and obeys certain rules (as outlined by Ms. Hawking and Faraday) and thus preventing any cliched paradoxical "what if I shoot my grandfather" situations. True enough, maybe time travel will work out if it stays between the lines, but what about the broader rules that govern LOST as a show? The question isn't just whether or not the rules of time travel in LOST are grounded enough, but whether the rules of LOST itself are still solid enough to keep the show firmly anchored (and keep us watching)?
Our quaint island drama has certainly come a long way since Season 1. What was once a humble island-plane-crash-survivors-on-deserted-island story with subtle elements of horror, action and mystery mixed in has morphed into a high budget popular culture multimedia event, now heavily ensconced in multiple complex story lines and an endless list of confusing themes and hanging narratives. The circuitous path of LOST has included changes in the format of the show itself. Half of our weekly island drama now takes place in "the future" and completely away from the island. Flash-backs were slowly mixed with flash-forwards, and non-character-centric episodes that flash to and fro the island. In a TV show that keeps expanding it's rules, where losties wrinkle through time like Sam Beckett on his quantum journey, where whole islands disappear at the turn of an ancient drill-melting donkey wheel, and where dead people absolutely refuse to stay dead - does LOST retain enough self-coherence to keep audiences' attention for two more seasons? Or is the mantra of "anything goes" becoming too prevalent, and the fabric of the series too po-mo?
Moe (The Simpsons)
It's po-mo! [blank stares from all]
Post-modern! [more staring]
Yeah, all right -- weird for the sake of weird.
There was a time in the history of LOST when we could come up with seemingly rational and simple theories to explain the occasional mysterious phenomena. If, for example, Walt appeared somewhere he couldn't be, well, that's okay - there were hints that Walt was special and perhaps possessed some unique psychic abilities. So, Walt appearing where he shouldn't? No biggie, that could be explained by bending the rules a bit and allowing that perhaps Walt was able to mentally project himself into others' conscience. After all, he was important enough in the eyes of the Others to raft-knap on the high seas and keep locked up for most of Season 2. And then, apparently special enough to go home and do pretty much nothing ever since.
But, we aren't here to discuss dropped story-lines, we're talking about the framework of what makes LOST... LOST. As the show continued, more and more phenomena followed - only they became much harder for us to rationalize, follow or explain. An ageless Alpert here, a future-flash seeing hatch-bombed Desmond there, a four-toed statue, then a future-flash seeing hatch-bombed Desmond turned time-traveling Desmond, a haunted cabin, and all kinds of people showing up everywhere they shouldn't be. Each event pushing the rules of LOST wider and wider, and incorporating more and more themes into the show. Therefore, when Ana Lucia shows up in Season 5 to give Hurley a warning, we're left to ponder... so... was that a ghost, or a mental projection, or time travel, or a manifestation of the island, or is Hurley just hallucinating himself up another Crazy Dave?
The question arises, does LOST need to whip itself back in shape this season in order to prevent continued bleeding of marginal viewers? Are the guidelines and expanse of the show too wide for its own good? Or should it continue as is, continually jumping the shark and hoping that viewers keep up and stay tuned? That's not really a question I can answer, I'm one of those who is along for the ride until the end. I mean, c'mon, I have this whole website thing going on! But what about more casual viewers? The ones who aren't reading this, and don't even know who DocArzt is?
Of course, many viewers have already been bled as the show has become more and more taxing on the commitment it requires. And, you can pretty much forget about picking up any worthwhile number of new viewers. Have you ever tried watching LOST with a newbie? "No, see, these people are in 2007 and they ALREADY LEFT the island, but these people are in 2004 and they are still on the island, just after those other people left. Him? Oh, he's one of the Others, which were other people on the island, and they are bad. But, now they are working together, because there are other other people on the island who want to kill everyone. Oh, yeah, that is the giant smoke monster. And that's the hatch, where Dharma had some people pushing a button to save the world - until it blew up. No, now they are on the island, but they are traveling through time because they turned a donkey wheel. Oh, and she is really dead. That's the drug plane that Eko's brother... well, never mind, he's dead now anways. But, that guy use to be in a wheelchair. Cool, huh? Trust me, it all makes sense... I hope."
No, new viewers aren't likely to find LOST an easy show to adopt. At least the creators seem aware of this, as expressed through Hurley's monologue with his mother in "The Lie". Will LOST bleed more of those who already tune in, or will the direction of the show be defined well enough moving forward to keep us ALL on board?
In a response to Jugdish's article, CastawayCayley wrote, "You know, I only started watching the show because it involved plane crash victims surviving on a deserted island. If someone had warned me it would eventually involved mercenaries and mysterious corporations and time travel I would have said, forget it! But this show somehow makes me love all of that stuff! That's the beauty of Lost." Perhaps that is what LOST will continue to do... introduce new and unexpected paths, paths that are perhaps presently undesired, but in the end, it will make us love those new trails anyways.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. As for me, I have to go talk to another co-worker who doesn't watch LOST and just asked, "So, do you think they'll ever get off the island?" Sigh...
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oh you know how lost gets after a break... you know we are going to get hit in the face with this next episode.. i choose not to really see alot about the next episodes this season so im gonna get hit hard... i have full confidence in TPTB
i have to agree that the story line is getting more and more ridiculous. Season 5 has gone way beyond what i could have envisaged, but as i am hooked, i will keep on watching till the bitter end. looks like a lot of people agree and the fact that there is now a 2 week break between shows, is probably a sign of the producers taking note and pulling their socks up.
no matter what happens in between the end of the story is fixed, its just what they put in the middle.
i heard that originally this series was written for 3 series and because of popularity it was stretched out into 6. dont know if this is true, but could explain a lot of rambling around and episodes that are completely disposable, like the one with the couple that are buried alive, and a plethora of red herrings and dead ends.
but i still have faith and hope. they got another few days to get their story together and i am looking forward to it very much.
we need a lot of loose ends tied up and quickly!
I for one have always thought time/space has factored into the show.. Anyone reading the original Hanso.org site and looking into the Dharma Initiative would have keyed into this early on.
I admit to the casual viewer or newbie this must be frustrating, but this show is meant for people that want to immerse themselves in a true story line.
I think the whole series has gotten better over time and can't wait to see what's next
If John hadn't told Richard about his birth day, Richard would not have come to see him.. makes sense to me.
HAPPY LOST DAY!!
(by request...)
A train leaves the station but the track is both a straight line and a loop. The train moves down the track AND pulls into the station it just left - both at the same time. Is that what's going on? Every time there's a time shift, the other dimension is still there but we can only see one at a time (on the screen). What's going on the in other dimension?
Maybe...just maybe...we're seeing the loop of Flight 815 and the show will end by jumping to the other track?
I'm really pissed about the killed storylines, like the whole tail section (except Bernard) kicking the bucket. And then the hatch imploded. Kind of made the second season pointless. Then they massively kill others, making the third season semi-pointless. I'm really glad Charlotte, Miles and Daniel got to stick around, at least season 4 wasn't pointless (though I didn't like the whole leaving the island and wanting to go back). But they should get more attention.
And the whole special thing seems to be BS. Walt, Locke (he's special because he gets to die?), and now apparently Desmond (please don't ruin an otherwise marvelous character by making him 'special').
I hope we get a Charlotte flashback via 'the Minkovski effect' and maybe a Miles-centric ghost-busting episode where he defies Jacob. Although it's entertaining, I don't see the point of porlonguing the off-island action instead of using the limited episodes left to tell the story of the island. I wouln't mind some episodes with no ties to the original members (Richard, Abbadon, Widmore etc.).
But despite all I said before, I love this show! Kind of strange, a non/Lost fan might say...
I kind of like that the story is so convoluted and that there are lots of questions and trying to unravel the mystery of the show. This is probably the only show I've seen that has managed to pull this type of story off. It's extremely well-produced from the writing to the acting and directing. Even if you don't like the sci-fi elements, you can't deny the quality of the show and the strength of the story. The main thing the show has going for it is that the crazy elements don't seem like they're tacked on in a desperate attempt to attract new viewers. The evolution of the story seems calculated and meticulously planned from the very beginning. And the best thing is that I know that it's all working towards a definitive ending. And I have faith that the producers won't do a cop-out ending. Even if the ending isn't satisfying, as long as it brings closure to the story then I'll be happy.
I'd give you credit if you were posting on all of the MPU threads during season 3 when Des was seeing the future.
Otherwise I can only go as far as saying "Great minds think alike"
Like I said a week ago. Time travel is silly and a lazy way to connect the dots. I didnt think they would go down this road, but they have.
And I was the first to criticize it, and it seems that most of you are on board with me.
I kind of miss the naivite of CastawayCaley saying "Happy Lost Day". But all good things must end OR go back in time. heh. heh..
Sledge,
I was the first to be critical of the Time Travel motif. See comments on 5X02.
Give credit where credit is due. Jugdish, saw my post and it gave him the idea to write about it. Pony up Jugdish and footnote your text.
COL Kurtz
I gave each of my sister the first four season of LOST. they had never watched the show. They are true LOSTIES now. When a newbee watches LOST on DVD the story and action flows. TPTB have done a great job with story line. LOST is the best TV series I have ever seen. Lets just go with the flow and enjoy!......
I agree that the show is still well written and the characters are outstanding. The Lie, showed that it is still a character driven story. I have hope and I bevlieve that the characters and their story will be the main focus.
I am still fully on board, just have some worries of where we are headed.
Still have no idea how a ancient donkey wheel can move an island.
Well, I'll say straight out that I am a sci-fi fan, and I love time travel stories. I had honestly hoped that Lost didn't go down this road though, only because its so easy to screw up a time travel story. But now that they've done it, I'm completely on board. I still find Lost THE best television I've ever seen, and the writers can get away with things like the frozen donkey wheel, with me at least, because this show is so damned well written and acted. I can suspend disbelief when the writing and acting is just that good.
I can understand Jugdish's point of view, not being a sci-fi guy, about the show. That'd be like me watching Law & Order in any variation. The only real investment is time. I've been a sci-fi geek since I was 5 and there have been awesome television shows besides LOST (BSG, X-Files, Babylon 5 to name a few) and there have been ones I passed over like Quantum Leap, Stargate, & Firefly. It's all "to each their own" with no harm intended against any non sci-fier.
I think LOST is only getting better! My sons and I have watched since I found it, and I was actually a late bloomer. Didn't discover how great it was till Season 2, Ep 23.
Now, along the way, via osmosis or brainwashing, I've found another newbie, who also isn't a great fan a sci-fi, that can't get enough of the show.
I dvr'd When Destiny Calls and was watching it with my wife. The questions started rolling in. LOST, after 5 seasons had peaked her interests. I was floored! Man of faith, woman of science. I stopped the dvr and went and got the first 4 seasons. I told her if she wants the experience, it might as well be from the beginning. So since Saturday, starting with The Pilot we are now on Orientation from Season 2. She can't get enough!
It's been fun to point out Easter eggs and connections to her as we go. All the things that are old news to us.
Who's to say that by season 4, she'll still be saying "play the next one!" I'd put my money on her signing on board to SWLS as she's already mentioned to me. I got a newbie hooked! Bonus points and advance to GO.
There's been no shark jumping for LOST. If there were, it would have been synchronized sharks with "lasers" and a Dharma stamp on their tails.
Great article, Sledgeweb. Lots of points to ponder.
Talking with another viewer the other day, she said "It's just gotten to be too much. I can't do it." She said she fell asleep in the first hour. Now this is someone that I thought was pretty invested in it - she even lives in Hawaii and has visited the set and served coffee to Naveen Andrews! So there is definitely something to be noticed there - waning interest even in big fans.
And new fans -- with Sci-Fi Channel and G4 doing re-airings this fall, I tried very hard to "recruit" some newbies. No luck. Everyone shied away... "too much commitment." I thought that was interesting. I mean, here you've got what everyone agrees is a great show, you're a person with a bright inquiring mind, you've got a second chance to jump in from the beginning (for free!), so why wouldn't you? I don't have the answer.
For me, I'm very much into it. I'm sort of a "sci-fi lite" fan (I loved ST:TNG and hated the rest; don't watch Battlestar Galactica but love Reaper; loved A Wrinkle In Time as a kid, but Dune lost me; etc.) But I think for me personally, the time-travel thing IS what makes it for me rather than what's killing it. I've always been fascinated with any storyline that involves time-travel, and I'm an ESTJ Myers-Briggs type so rules are big for me. I'll keep watching regardless, if for no other reason than to see if any of my predictions pan out. Plus the characters are just so engaging, and the writing is so sharp and witty.
I am a bit concerned about the idea of losing viewers from the standpoint of just keeping the show going. It seems like today only a tiny drop-off in ratings can get a really great show axed, regardless of the quality of the production. That is a big concern. (I'm still bummed we lost "Invasion" before it finished up...)
I don't think I'll be disappointed with the time I've invested. (I WILL, however, be completely disgusted if Kate actually ends up with Jack, as I fully expect will happen. :-) Ugh, ugh, ugh.)
Perhaps folks who can't get with time tripping would be content to watch 6 seasons of Island love triangles and slo-mo shirtless tide walks.
The reason paranormal events happen on The Island is that being marooned is boring. Tom Hanks did a great job, but who could've watched more than 2 hours of that? New characters need to be introduced in a believable way. Stuff needs to happen.
LOST requires more from its audience. The fun is in the speculation and rationalization. They lay down a challenge before the audience: Try and explain THIS! We go right to web sites like this and chat it up with outrageous theories.
Such fun! Active vs passive TV viewing.
It's stressfull enough waiting for each episode week after week, let alone worrying that the shows going to belly-flop!
Ha! As if, whats thew point of watching it if you don't enjoy the experience! No matter what happens its just a story! And a story rarely meets everyones expectations... just enjoy its free-folwingness and creativity... enjoy that it still can afford to cut its own path (unlike Heroes or Prison Break) and hope that it doesn't end up like Rome or Carnivale! Viva LOST
Thanks for another great article.
I started a thread in Lost Talk after the S4 finale with a similiar question: If you knew at the start what you know now about Lost, would you have been a fan?
I probably would not. I still really enjoy the show, but not near the level I used to. I have no interest in re-watching the last 2 epi's - which is unheard of. I'll still watch, I just went from fanatic to casual viewer.
Like Jugdish said, I am afraid it is probably going to end up disappointing for me.
Personally, I don't care about new viewers or worrying about whether or not people understand it. As long as the show is enjoyable and keeps up the strong story, then I don't care what direction it takes. Anyone who has missed out on it so far can either skip it or try to catch up with dvds or syndication.
what a great article Sledge. As I state in my time travel article I hope the time hoping ends soon. It will wear on me quickly. I am like you, I have to much invested in this show to give up on it now, heck I write articles about it.
The frozen donkey wheel almost did me in and time tripping through the whole season might be too much. For me, I hope that when I look back on the show I am still happy that I dedicated this much time on Lost. I am gaining more and more doubt that it is going to end up disappointing me.