Reflections on Watching Three Seasons of LOST in Three Weeks

In the last few weeks I spent the equivalent of TWO FULL DAYS watching Lost. And that’s even stripping out the “previously on Lost” bits.

I enjoyed it a lot, though I would not say I enjoyed it thoroughly and completely. My only dings at all are that it got a little bit too weird towards the end of season three (though I may change my mind on that when season four rolls around). Also, I feel cheated out of the back story on Libby, because before killing her off, they made it clear that she was in the psych ward with Hugo for a while, but they never pursued that story line.

I understand the appeal of the show, which I distill down into three areas.

It’s a story about people. People who are multi dimensional and have their own issues but, regardless of their issues are still “basically good.” This appeals to the Anne Frank in us all. Plus, this is somewhat like an Internet chat room or Craig’s List (except for the characters being FAR more interesting) in that you’re left feeling like, “I might have my issues, but I am not as f***ed up as these people!”

Secondly, like another favorite of mine, Heroes, the underlying premise to the whole thing is that there is meaning in life. Humans love, love, love looking for meaning and this show is based on the premise and entirely crafted from the point of view that everything means something.

Finally, as an offshoot of the first two, there’s this underlying premise that God and/or the Universe is somehow screwing with you. One of the reasons I tend to numb myself with TV at times is because I experience plenty of this in my everyday life and have had a few Lost-esque experiences in the last couple of years alone.

But at the end of the day, I still prefer Boston Legal to Heroes or Lost. While BL is sometimes a little out there, it’s a story about people who struggle to find meaning where it’s in no way obvious that there actually is any. This mirrors the true human struggle, the thing most people turn to TV to get away from. But the beauty of BL is it sucks you in and makes you laugh anyway. Two words: Denny Crane!

Nonetheless, I look forward to Season 4 of Lost in ’08.