Lost in Cyberspace
Caitlin Carter
February 24, 2010
Filed under A & E
On February 2, 2010, the first episode of the final season of ABC phenomenon Lost premiered. The episode, “LA X,” garnered over twelve million viewers, the most the show had received in two seasons.
The widespread popularity of the show can be attributed, in part, to its polarizing nature. There are only three types of people: those that love it, those that detest it, and those that have never seen the show before. It’s time to navigate the battle between fanaticism and annoyance.
What is it about, really?
Lost began with a relatively simple premise: a commercial flight from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles crashes on an island. The irony of the premise is that ABC thought the show to be an adventure story about survival; the show’s creators and head writers J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and Carlton Cuse took private joy in the fact that the show would eventually emerge as a piece of science fiction with a dense mythology without the network’s prior knowledge.
Some examples of that mythology include a smoke monster that routinely crushes trees and people alike, the ruins of a four-toed statue, and corporeal appearances of dead people and animals, among other things.
On a more practical level, the show is about the survivors of the plane crash, their pasts, and their relationships.
What is the show’s appeal?
Some people are genuinely attracted to the interpersonal drama between the characters, whereas others are more focused on the science fiction aspect of the show, particularly given last season’s foray into time travel. The latter category gives viewers the opportunity to participate in countless hours of far-fetched theorizing, whether with friends or on Internet forums like those on ABC’s website or the theory pages on LOSTpedia.
Jen Harlan, who has been a faithful watcher since the show began years ago, says her commitment stems from “the characters and the plots. Things are constantly surprising you; the characters are doing things that either affirm your faith in human nature or make you so mad you want them to get eaten by the black smoke. Not only that, but the constant questioning of the plot keeps you guessing and wondering at what will happen next.”
What are the show’s weaknesses?
While many a Lost fan’s description of the show devolves into an exclamation akin to “Oh, my God, it’s so awesome,” the show is not without its flaws. Chief among them is a lack of consistency. While one week will hail top reviews and fan adoration, the next is often remarkably lackluster.
Also, Lost has not boasted a September to May season since its third. The long wait between episodes makes fans lose their focus on the mysteries. Maura Jackson, a former devoted fan, admits that, “the Writer’s Strike kind of threw me off, and I was just lost from there. No pun intended!”
In addition, unfavorable reviews highlight the fact that answers are regularly promised by the head writers and ABC promos. The best example is the fluff clip shows using irony-loaded titles like “The Answers.” In actuality, after five seasons, much of the show’s central mythology and questions are without resolutions. In spite of this, the writers seem to start each season by introducing a new set of characters to add to the already-staggering cast, also adding more back-story and questions that may never be realistically answered.
Why do we care about something we don’t understand?
Despite the frustration felt by fans due to lack of timely answers (leading to something of an exodus of less loyal viewers), the thoroughbred Lost fan is not dedicated to the promise of answers. Instead, it is exactly the questioning nature of the show that the fandom adores. As Jen explains, “I have gotten frustrated before, but never enough to stop watching the show. I like not knowing what is going to happen next immediately. The show creates more of a challenge for its viewers. In short, I enjoy being truly ‘lost’ when I watch.”
