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.

Heroes vs. is 24!

If somebody else has already written about this, I couldn't find it. Not because it's not out there but because since Heroes ran head-to-head vs. 24 in the Monday 9pm slot, there are a lot of documents of the "Heroes vs. 24" ilk.

Typing a Google search on the phrase "Heroes is 24" produces a few results, but so far as I can tell not related to what I am about to write.

The shows are the same show. One takes a fantastical approach and one uses terrorists.

Both shows work from the premise that a particular disaster, scheduled to happen by X time must be averted at all costs.

Both shows use the same basic formula: ensemble cast, plot-lines-o-plenty (some way more interesting than others), good people vs. the evil people, with simply preposterous twists and turns along the way.

Both shows have people with special powers. Heroes takes the superhero powers approach, whereas on 24 it's mostly fists, guns and guile. But when Jack Bauer says, "I'm not CTU, I'll go after Walt Cummings myself" with a look of contempt on his face, he IS pulling off a power most of us wish we could pull off: the power to say f-u, I'm going to do what I want anyway.

I like both shows largely for the same reason. Heroes is the more moving tale, but Heroes is also a tad more fictional.