At least, that is one of the draws for me. I have spoken to how I cannot believe the success of the show given its resistance to logic in story, writing, and character development. Yet, I find myself compelled to continue following the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. The first season, I followed them out of curiosity over the many mysteries and difficulties they encountered trying to just make-do in a survival scenario with a few curve-balls (NB The monster and the polar bears). The second season, I followed them out of piqued interest about the new revelations that the island was host to some sort of technological or scientific experimenting that seemingly antagonized the survivors in every way possible. And the third season, I followed because I finally have a sense that Abrams and Co. have a direction for the show, the survivors, and the island's story.
The writers continue to introduce new characters and occasionally kill old ones off. Unfortunately, some of my favorite characters did not even last half way through the season--don't worry, no spoilers. Just as in life, the birth of a new character necessitates the death of an old one. This sort of poetic balance is not that simple on the island since, in the third season, we experience a ghost of one of the survivors for the first time. Sure we have seen ghosts (e.g. Jack's dad), but this is the first time that Oceanic ghosts are haunting their own people.
The ebb and flow of characters is just one of the many cycles that "Lost" writing goes through. The story also shows hints of inner formula: The survivors struggle through a challenge, just barely eke out a solution only to find a new location and a new challenge, the survivors realize this new location is the key to solving the new challenge, so they just barely find solution as they find a way into the new location only to discover a new character. Shortly thereafter will be an episode with trite character "development" that does not help the show that needs to use all its force just to tread water with all the weights of its subplots pulling it beneath the waves of confusion and disenchantment.
Still, I watch. I suppose I am drawn to the show despite episodes like the one where Hurley finds the van because of episodes like either of the ones where Abrams and Co. finally trick us with a flash forward instead of a flashback. Even though I had heard it was coming, I was still jolted and amused. Well done, sir!
Mostly, I think I am hanging-in with the show because I want to be able to participate in another niche dialogue.
Here are the questions left over from Season 1:
What's the deal with the moving black smoke?
What did the others want with Walt?
Are the others affiliated with the moving black smoke?
What is so special about the numbers?
What's the story behind the Black Rock?
What illness took Rousseau's people?
Where is this island?
What's with Locke's occasional paralysis and even more occasional feeling in his legs?
What made him move to the box company?
What's with Jack's dad on the island?
What is Walt's super power?
What's the point of Vincent?
As you can see, the questions are starting to get answered. It is a gradual process, but the writers seem genuinely capable of answering all the questions. That is promising and reassuring given how many damn questions there still are. Season two left overs:
Why do people see a dripping wet Walt when he's not actually around?
What is he saying in said incidents?
What is the significance of the hatch names?
Why was the electromagnetic facility built?
Why was it well-stocked with weapons?
How do the others know names of Oceanic survivors?
What's with Kate's black horse?
Was Sawyer really holding the spirit of Kate's dead dad?
Is this all going to be some sort of religious metaphor?
Why didn't the black smoke take Echo?
What was flashing in the black smoke?
What did the blacklit blast door say?
Why did the Dharma Initiative drop more food?
Why does Hurley start seeing Dave again?
Why didn't Ben run away when the blast doors had fallen?
Why was Desmond in prison?
What's with the big freak bird that seems to only show up once a season?
What's with the statue foot with four toes?
What's with that EMP detecting squad in the snowy recesses of elsewhere and acting as liaisons to Desmond's ex?
And now the slew of questions from this season:
What's Carl's back story?
Why does Jack hear his dad on the intercom?
How do "the others" have so much information about everything?
Why was Locke on that orchard?
Why can Desmond see the future?
Who is the guy who looks like Echo's brother but says he is not him?
Really? Bear cage sex?
Why was Jack in Phucket?
What is the meaning of Juliette's mark?
Why was Sayid in Paris?
How does Mikhael keep surviving death?
Will Claire and Jack ever realize they are related?
What is Jack's dad's timeline exactly? (Consider Claire's accident, Analucia's bodyguarding, etc)
What happens to the gull carrying Claire's message?
What happened to Locke's spot on the weed farm?
How did Locke's dad get on the island?
How did Abrams and Co. get Billy Dee Williams to guest?
What was the point of Nickie and Paulo? ("Who the hell is Nickie?"--Sawyer)
Will those two stay buried? ("Things have a way of not staying buried"--Locke)
Why didn't the monster take Juliette and Kate?
Why can't the monster cross "the others'" fence?
What is the story with Jacob?
Who is the man from Tallahasee?
Why was Desmond at an abbey?
Why do men have higher sperm counts on the island?
How could the world have "found" flight 815 without survivors?
Why do "the others" idolize Locke?
Will "the others" subvert Ben?
Are the people on the island dead? Are these layers of hell?
Who is Ben's right-hand/the guy that found him as a kid? Why hasn't he aged?
Why is Ben in charge?
What does Jacob need Locke's help with?
Who's dead in Jack's flash forward?
What is Naomi's story?
How does Penelope relate to the island?
Why did Locke knife Naomi?
Why does beardy Jack map all the oceanic stuff?
Who is Kate with that she's not with beardy Jack?
And those are my questions. Here are some features I appreciated this season:
4) The back story on how San may be the reason for all of her and Jin's woes.
3) Favoring Sawyer as a character with genuine development and crafty ways of keeping him conniving yet useful.
2) A sense of story, connectedness, and links that indicate that "Lost" is going somewhere.
1) My favorite moment of the series happened this season when Hurley blurts: "Let's look death in the face and say, 'Whatever, dude.'" It reminded me of Demetri Martin.
I am looking forward to the next two seasons which are both significantly shorter than the 23 episode seasons thus far--courtesy of the writer's strike.
I'm halfway to being able to actually talk about this show in a relevant manner. Isn't that exciting?!? I'm so excited that I am spending time finding obscure and odd "Lost" clips on YouTube!--like this strange ad campaign that looks like it debuted between seasons one and two:
I'm halfway to being able to actually talk about this show in a relevant manner. Isn't that exciting?!? I'm so excited that I am spending time finding obscure and odd "Lost" clips on YouTube!--like this strange ad campaign that looks like it debuted between seasons one and two:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thoughts on the onion: