I’m a recent Lost convert. During a 3 week road trip last summer, I watched the first two seasons of Lost DVD on my iPod. I was hooked. The character development was intriguing, the story line was surprising, and I really found myself rooting for the characters (sometimes even the bad ones). That said, I’ve never been to one of the Lost Junkie Websites where people discuss the show and I’ve never really read any blogs about Lost. Like most people I was annoyed with ABC airing a half-dozen shows in the fall and then taking a 2 month hiatus. And like most people I was excited when it returning in the spring of 2007 (which is also the time of ths writing).
Now my interest is starting to wane. I hope the last few episodes are not indicative of the future direction of the show. I will categorize my concerns into two categories.
The Wile E. Coyote Outcome
I enjoy films that are true to their plots. I rarely see many mainstream movies because I get tired of watching Hollywood blockbusters where everything works out happily in the end. If things aren’t supposed to work out, that’s fine with me. I can handle depressing. In fact, I enjoy depressing and that’s why I’m more of an art-film guy.
If you’ve ever watched even one episode of the Roadrunner cartoons, you are familiar with the plot: Wile E. Coyote never gets the Roadrunner. And you know that it’s never going to happen - no surprises there. And you know what, you don’t put emotional and mental energy into thinking that The Coyote is going to get his dinner. Lost has pretty much left me equally empty as far as expectations are concerned. Every time you think they are going to get off the island, they don’t. The conclusion of “The Man from Tallahassee” episode where Locke blows up the submarine that Jack was supposed to leave on, pretty much indicated to me the writers are willing to do anything to make sure their captives stay captive.
I understand perseverance and setback and the importance of struggling as a storytelling tool. Yes, I know one day some (or all) of them will probably get off the island (or end up dead). One of them may succeed next week. That’s not the point. The point is that I’m starting to expect that they will not get off the island in the same way I expect Wile E. Coyote will starve to death. All of this means that I’m not putting any emotional energy into the characters: I’m starting not to care about them. This is not a good sign.
The Worn Out Soap Opera Cliche
I’m going to thank my partner for pointing this one out (”Par Avion” episode). Her exact words when Jack’s Dad told Claire that he was her father were: “I don’t know, this is getting a bit soap operaish if me.” My thoughts were of Darth Vader: “Luke, I am your father.” And then, “Princess Leia, I am your father, too.” Seriously, the first two seasons were for character development, coincidence, discovery, connections, all that. We’re past that now. It might be interesting that Jack’s father is also Claire’s father, I for one don’t care about that anymore (even if it part of the universal connection). As a plot development tool, it’s about as effective as a whoopee cushion.
And speaking of fathers and another Star Wars-like move, is there anybody out there that didn’t know that Locke’s “father” 1) was the person who crippled him, and 2) would somehow be joining him back on the island? If you didn’t see those things coming, you probably aren’t thinking that Locke is going to end up back in the wheelchair (or somehow disabled) eventually either.
For a program that has so many twists, it is odd that the overarching Lost plot (over the last few episodes anyway) has become predictable and soap operaish. Hopefully, we won’t see Jar Jar Binks and Hurley eating chicken together from Ben’s fridge any time soon.
Tommy wrote,
I thought “Lost” had jumped the shark after a few episodes this season. That came on the tail end of a summer of wondering “How are they going to drag this out much longer?”
I disagree with you. After this last batch of episodes, I think they’ve saved the show. I think they realized they were jumping the shark and told the Fonz to back off, thus saving everything for at least the rest of this season for me.
Unlike you, I have been on the “Lost” boards and blogs and the speculation has been running rampant for years now. All with no accuracy whatsoever. That is an amazing thing as far as television is concerned.
I, for one, was shocked and dismayed when I was 10 years old and heard for the first time that Darth Vader was Luke’s father. I was nauseated 3 years later when I learned he was also Leia’s father. These things work for the vast majority of us who don’t consider ourselves to be an “art-film guy”.
I agree with you that I actually care very little about the characters at this point, but to me, the most interesting part of “Lost” has become the fact the writers are able to craft such a huge backstory that is so different from the beginning episodes. Don’t think for a minute that they had taken this thing this far when they were pitching it.
Quote | Link | March 22nd, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Chet wrote,
Yes, you are making some great points for me. The “I’m everybody’s father” storyline, might be interesting and shocking to a 10 year old, but as and adult I find it tiresome, overdone, and somewhat insulting. I was embarassed for the writers while I was watching Jack’s Father tell Claire he was her father, too. Seriously, what is this? “Days of our Lives?” You don’t need to be the art film type to recognize crap.
After writing this, I spent some time on several of the Lost forums. Most of the conversation seems to be on the level of parsing farts.
Quote | Link | March 23rd, 2007 at 4:30 am
Chet wrote,
You might be interested in a follow-up to this story.
http://buzzdroid.com/lost-tv-show/point-made-lost-is-becoming-more-like-star-wars-with-every-episode/
Quote | Link | March 30th, 2007 at 6:57 am