Let's talk about the waste of time that is ABC's Lost. The premise of the show is seemingly straightforward: An international flight crashes over the South Pacific and the survivors end up on a remote island, only to discover that there is someone or something already living there. At least, this was the premise when the show first aired. I started watching Lost in March of 2008 because everyone was raving about how incredible the show was. I borrowed season one from a friend and gave it a shot. First episode: not bad, not addicting, but I'll keep watching until it gets good. Second episode: not bad, not addicting, but I'll keep watching until it gets better. End of season one: not a bad show, kind of over-the-top, don't really want to watch anymore but I want to know what's in the hatch. That's where it started.
The first thing I began to dislike about the show was the character names: John Locke, Jeremy Bentham, Daniel Faraday, Miles Straume, Charlotte Staples Lewis (C.S. Lewis), Desmond Hume, Sawyer. The obvious attempt to tie characters to a specific school of thought, philosopher, scientist, or literary character seems lazy and unimaginative. At least give Locke, Bentham or Faraday a new first name, we can connect the dots ourselves. The need to constantly spell everything out for us is unnecessary 80% of the time.
The viewer discussion that goes along with this show drives me absolutely insane. It's on the level of 9-11 conspiracy theorists and I can't take it. Predictions, explanations, epiphanies. Websites and blogs committed to bringing you every piece of news you've never wanted about a television show. Maps showing you the theoretical location and topography of the island, complete with relevant sites visited on the show. God forbid you accidentally let a spoiler slip to someone who hasn't quite caught up to the current season. They're on the island, they're off the island, they're back on the island, Locke is dead, Locke is alive, Jin is dead, Jin is alive, the island is alive, the island travels in space, the island travels in time, flashbacks, flash-forwards. Every time I watch this show I get more and more angry at the writers, the cast, and especially the viewers. Of course I'll continue to watch out of obligation to my own fucked up mind and my inability to leave a task before completion, but I won't enjoy it.
The moment they introduce aliens as a driving force behind the island's power, I'm out.
i still haven't gotten into the show, and this makes me even less likely to pick up season 1 and start that second episode.
ReplyDeleteits so annoying when everyone talks about it though. im never in the loop.
It's okay, you aren't missing much. I don't think it's worth sitting through 4 seasons of backed up shows just to get caught up. Rose is even more mad about it than I am. I think you had to watch from the beginning to actually get into it. If the ending is really good I'll let you know if it was worth the 150 hours of episodes.
ReplyDeleteOkay, but I'm a little less mad now that they've explained the island's moving. I'm more into a show about space-time that about the show I expected to pop out any second and let me know I'm born again. I still don't know where they're going with all of this. I will be pissed if I bought into 5ish seasons, thus far, of a god debate.
ReplyDeletei think a lot of it has to do with the perception that people who watch tv are generally less intelligent than people that watch movies.
ReplyDeletestupid notion, i know, but i've always felt like tv is held to a lower standard than movies.
one example i always think of is Friday Night Lights. check the comparison of the actors from the show and the movie. billy bob thorton could NEVER get a job in television. too ugly.
i'm late on this, and you are all overthinking lost.
ReplyDeleteat this point i just want to know more about time travel, sans michael j. fox and a hoverboard.