Grasping for the Wind

How Lost lost me

The love affair is over. After watching the first two seasons, I’ve decided that the Lost TV show is not for me. I don’t think I will be watching it anymore.

You are probably asking why? Lost is so awesome!

Well, I disagree.

First, some background. My wife and I do not subscribe to cable service, nor do we watch network TV over broadcast. We hated wasting time with commercials, and since Netflix and Blockbuster carry TV shows in their repertoire, we ended up saving money and time. My extended family became big Lost fans, so when they purchased the seasons on DVD, I was able to borrow them for free.

Now onto my reasons why Lost has lost me as a viewer. (Don‘t think I made this decision lightly because it cost me nothing, I did like Lost very much in the beginning, and I made it through two whole seasons after all.)

I enjoyed Lost a lot when it was the story of people stuck on an abandoned island, forced to forage in order to survive. But even in the first season, this Robinson Crusoe style need to survive wasn’t enough for the producers and writers. So they added in the strange happenings on the island. Okay, that was pretty cool, especially with all the strange noises and the weird thing with the polar bear. That was fascinating stuff and added a great air of mystery to the whole show.

But I’m a little off track, so let’s return. I liked the idea of the people having to survive on a deserted island. Robinson Crusoe is one of all my all time favorite books, alongside The Count of Monte Cristo. Lost glosses over this. Think back to when you watched it the first time. Do you remember the people really having to work hard to find food? Oh, I know, it was mentioned, and Locke did some hunting, but he always managed to come back with food. In all, I just felt that the basics of survival (food, clothing, shelter) and the struggle to get them was glossed over and made much too easy for the characters.

Second Reason. To be honest, this long, dragged out questions about the nature of the island and the various groups living on it has simply gotten annoying. There are too many questions without answers, and when more questions get piled on top, you lose track of the original questions. This is an annoyance for me. Obviously there is a reason behind what the directors and writers are doing, but I don’t want to go through the hassle of getting there. Sorry, it is too much. The air of mystery is wearing thin, and honestly, it is time to give it a bit more oxygen.

Finally, the characters are becoming less and less interesting. They are not growing or changing in any significant way, and to me they are becoming less and less three-dimensional and more and more caricatures. (Yes, even with the flashbacks.) It can be argued that people like Sawyer, Jack, Charlie, and Locke have all been changed in significant ways (for better or worse), and there is a valid argument. But honestly, even after two seasons, I’m still not convinced that if these people were dropped back into their real lives that they would act differently. I think that they are simply acting as circumstances dictate. Compelling characters require real, substantive change and Lost just doesn’t have that, at least not yet.

Feel free to disagree with my position. I am open to being convinced to go back and watch Season 3. My brother has lent it to me and my wife (who really wants to watch it, but to whom I have said feel free to do so without me, something she is unlikely to do. If she asks, I will watch it with her though, but she hasn’t asked) so I could watch it at any time.

At this point, though, I just feel that I would be better entertained by a good book, Law and Order reruns, or some other TV show. (Perhaps Battlestar Galactica or The Sarah Connor Chronicles?)

Posted by John on April 19, 2008 11:03 AM | Posted to Movies, TV, & Film
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