LOST: A Retrospective Look On A TV Show Unlike Any Other

There are a lot of specifics when it comes down to basing a show’s merit, especially in such an eclectic lineup of genres and over varying networks. It’s difficult to say what’s the best, because so much comes down to personal taste.

Sometimes a television series goes on too long or gets abruptly cut off because of ratings. Maybe the creator’s vision never fully gets enacted, or perhaps greed makes them drag areas out. How do we judge what’s the best in television? For me, it’s about the story, and I often need to watch the entire series before I can decide, though there are exceptions (I’m looking at you Game of Thrones, please come back to me). It’s also about the performances, and the characters they play. To be entertained and to be truly swept up, you need to really fall for these people.

Lost did that, and more. It pushed boundaries and expectations and made the general public on a national network (ABC) expect more from a series.

I want to preface this by saying that I have a lot of shows that I love (almost) equally. I’ve decided to talk about Lost because I feel it warrants a longer discussion than most, and I’m often debating with people about it. So, let’s first get this out of the way: THEY WERE NOT DEAD THE WHOLE TIME.

Okay, I’m shaking that off.

Lost is a complex series, one that decided to fully embrace its unique nature with both hands, with no qualms about its weirdness. While there are fantastical elements, it’s also a show about the most basic human quandary: good and evil. This show delivers flawed characters, places them on an island together, and then spends six seasons stoking our imaginations with one specific burning question: what’s going on?

One of the ways they did this was by using flashbacks/forwards/sideways and splicing it with the events on the island. It allowed us to learn about the characters in varying atmospheres, but also keep the suspense going.

I’ve known a lot of people who have given up on the show, and I’m hoping those who did will reconsider a watch. Keep in mind, I’m not going to completely live in spoiler territory, but I might get stranded there for a bit, so be aware.

The characters are all dynamic, each with their own story to tell, but even in their differences they are all inevitably… lost. The experiences that they have on the island (and some off), and the people they meet become the most important interactions of their lives. Throughout the course of the series the cast becomes your neighbor, friend or family member. They are all relatable in one way or another, and they draw from the most innate parts of ourselves.

There are tears, there is laughter, there’s loss, and there is some truly original storytelling. It’s an emotional hotbox of survival: physically, mentally, and emotionally. There’s a lot to cover when it comes to the flight of Oceanic 815, so keep your hands and feet inside the compartment at all times.

To understand Lost, we have to go back…

Science And Faith: The Two Men Who Are The Heart Of Lost

The show begins and ends with Jack and Locke, played with incredible dedication by Matthew Fox and Terry O’Quinn. Doctor Jack Shepard (Fox) is flying from Sydney to LA with his deceased father in tow. John Locke (O’Quinn) is coming back after being turned away from an Australian walk-about. John’s in a wheelchair, though, when he wakes up on the island, he can walk once again.

Jack constantly battles with the desire to fix things. As a very gifted spinal surgeon he knows the feeling of saving lives, and quickly becomes the group’s leader. He’s also a realist, often questioning the island’s strangest occurrences like only a doctor would. His confidence rests in what he sees, and what his hands can do.

John, however, is a man of faith, and his is tested time and time again. He consistently struggles with the idea that he is there for a reason, but yet can’t quite figure out what that is. Everyone here goes through the ringer, but nobody is as downright heartbreaking as John is. Throughout the course of the series he is frequently tested, and he yearns for his life to have meaning.

These two are at odds, as their belief systems stem from alternate ends of the spectrum, all the way until the end. Even when things get flipped.

The diversity of the cast is one of the serie’s most shining elements, and they each have an irreplaceable role to play. I truly believe that Lost is Jack’s journey. The opening shot of the series is him waking up in the jungle, and it is his back we ride on as he comes out onto the beach, overwhelmed by the crash and screaming passengers. A pulse-gripping score and an incredible fusel lodge set piece has the beginning ten minutes feel like one long heart palpitation.

When he finally takes a moment to consider what’s happening, and to check out his own wound, he meets Kate (Evangeline Lily).

Kate Austin was a wanted criminal being brought back to the states in handcuffs by the US Marshall that had been hunting her for years. We eventually learn her crime, and her motives, but for a while she’s shrouded in mystery. She’s the serie’s strongest female character. While Kate has the urge to run from her problems, she’s also fearless. Lily plays her perfectly, giving Kate a brave face that is just on the edge of falling away. While she’s in a love triangle with Jack and the charismatic one-liner champion, con man Sawyer (AKA James Ford), played by Josh Holloway, in the end it’s all about Jack.

Again.

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

Lost is a series of twists and turns, with cliffhangers and shockers galore. It challenges you as a viewer, insisting you maintain eye contact until it decides to let you go. That’s why this show deserves discussion and recognition, because it was unlike anything that had come before it. Sure, we were navigating new waters, so there was bound to be some mistakes and some dharma initiative sharks, but by its finale, Lost had made an impression.

In the first season of this show, the creators J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber, and Damon Lindelof worked within the idea of keeping things close to the chest. There are a lot of questions generated that don’t get answers (for a while), and that’s intentional. As we first learn about our survivors, through flashbacks and their interactions on the island, we’re also finding out that this isn’t a normal place. Slowly, we uncover the secrets. What’s the weird monster in the jungle? Who is the French lady that has a transmission playing for 16 years? Is that a polar bear? Wait, Ethan wasn’t on the plane?

There’s also the introduction of the others, the hatch, and the creepy prickling feeling that there might be more than meets the eye here.

In the second season, we’re given more of a rope, with the addition of the tail section, the button, and an introduction to one of the most impressively written characters on the show: Benjamin Linus. Originally planned as a small role, Michael Emerson was so memorable that they decided to expand on his character, and good thing too. Linus is one of the most intelligent and manipulative people here, and yet he still manages to imbue sympathy. Like so many of the others, he’s got layers, making him much more than a regular villain. There’s also the introduction of Desmond Hume (Henry Ian Cusick) – the man pushing the button, and what’s left of the tail section, such as Ana Lucia Cortez (Michelle Rodriguez) and Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). When you get a glimpse of the “other 28 days” you realize they had it much worse.

What is the dharma initiative? Who are the others?

There’s a whole other dimension added to Lost with the inclusion of season three, and the entry of characters like Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell). She’s not quite who you think she is, and her cold veneer is slipping. As you dive deeper into Lost lore, you realize that all these people, everyone involved, were brought here for a reason. It seems they all had a part in a bigger plan, all conducted by Jacob and the Man in Black. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

With season four, and the arrival of the freighter, it’s clear that this island is of significant importance. It’s not easy to find, and people desperately want to. With new faces the cast expands, but how can you tell friend from foe? Who is Charles Widmore? These survivors want to leave, but at what cost? We’re also given flash-forwards showing the Oceanic six survivors, expanding upon the idea of flashbacks used in the first three seasons. Who are the six that were rescued? What was sacrificed to get them there?

The fifth season spends more time off the island, as we see what’s happen to the Oceanic six. It also shows what’s happened to those left behind, and the insanity in their wake. Things definitely go up a notch here, reaching a new level of lunacy at times, but it’s still eminently entertaining. We have an introduction to time travel, and we get to see the island at varying times in history. Of course, it wouldn’t be anything without the people residing there, and new relationships and experiences further deepen our characters.

In the final season we get closure, and we get answers, even if some things will never be known. We reach the end of the maze, and we see the wizard behind the curtain. The saga of Jacob (Mark Pellegrino) and the Man in Black (Titus Welliver) is uncovered, and we learn just how long this game has been in the making.

And in its final moments, we are reminded of how connected these characters are. As it is stated by Jack’s father, the time spent with these people were the most important part of his life.

Its ending is touching, symbolic, and Kleenex heavy. In fact, there is an abundance of sobbing storylines throughout the series, but isn’t that what you want in a great television show? The opportunity to be moved?

There is a lot to Lost with layer upon layer of history and connections. There are so many threads, in fact, that I can’t trace them all right now. With each watch the story becomes richer and I pick up on new and exciting things. The creators embed the mythology intently, giving us slivers throughout, but never losing sight of their vision.

The People Make The Difference

I’ve spent a lot of time going through the seasons and recapping how groundbreaking this science fiction show was. However, no matter how far the good vs evil battle went or how wildly the narratives spun, Oceanic Flight 815 and the subsequent others that become “lost” along the way, are Lost’s crowning achievement.

There’s a very diverse group of people involved, and nobody is a simple stereotype or an underdeveloped addition. Nobody is perfect, and everybody has flaws, and that’s what’s learned within the context of this show. These people have a lot of problems and they are floundering. They are lost. Are there some female characters who I wish were more fleshed out? Yes. Does it damper the end result? No.

Let’s highlight some of those recurring faces. Siyad (Naveen Andrews) was a member of the republican guard, and he’s a skilled interrogator and communications specialist. Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) was the bassist for a famous rock band, and has the unfortunate experience of going through detox beachside. Jin-Soo Kwon (Daniel Dae Kim) and Sun-Hwa Kwon (Yunjin Kim), a distressed couple, are having serious marital problems. They’re also put on an island where nobody else speaks Korean, making it difficult to communicate. Hurley (Jorge Garcia), a young lotto winner, suffers from paranoia related to the numbers he won with. Claire Littleton (Emilie de Ravin), a young pregnant woman, is forced into giving labor on the island. There’s also New Yorker Michael Dawson (Harold Perrineau) and son Walt (Malcolm David Kelley), who haven’t spent time together since he was a baby. What better place to get to know each other? Plus, there are later additions that are crucial to the story, such as Dr. Daniel Faraday (Jeremy Davies) and Miles Straume (Ken Leung).

There’s redemption for these people.  They learn about themselves and grow. They are tested unlike ever before. Plus… love. They discover love. Whether it be for others, or finally…for themselves. It’s an important narrative coil that wraps around each of the cast.

It challenges you, it makes you think about some really fascinating and dynamic ideas. Time travel, good and evil, destiny. It’s science fiction, yes, but it’s also bare-bones, meat and potatoes emotional investment. I’m a fan of sci-fi and fantasy, but for it to connect there has to be a thread of relatability. Lost is able to function within these two and it provides a viewing experience unlike anything else out there. It dared television to take risks, and for audiences to become invested in science-fiction in a serial format.

There’s a lot here, but I don’t want to recount the series in its entirety. There is very little excess, and I can only think of a few episodes that could have been trimmed. The creators truly make something original and inspirational.

Some criticize the frequency of the same score, or of the cast walking a lot (LOTR had a similar mockery), but as the series goes on and I watch it again and again, I appreciate these parts. With Lost, very little is unintentional or unnecessary, and it’s really a matter of perspective, but I think there’s very minute moments of disarray or weakness.

It’s a beautiful series too, with amazing locations that are brimming with a contagious energy. There might be some darkness brewing here, but the Island (filmed in Hawaii) is gorgeous.

Lost somehow manages to be a survival show, a fantasy, and an epic drama all at once. If you dare, dive in. Find what these people mean to you.

What do you think? Do you agree? If you are a Lost fan – what do you love most? Let us know in the comments below!