"Lost" is sadly losing me (a dissenting opinion)

[Auggie27]

Posted: 9/28/05 at 10:29pm

Don't worry NO REAL SPOILERS -- I WOULDN'T KNOW HOW TO SPOIL IT. I loved it for 2/3 of the first season. But I'm not investing so much any more. The returns just aren't there. The stuff in the hole in the ground complex, with Mama Cass crooning in the B.G., is just too oblique and in a way, precious to match the harrowing Swiss Family Robinson aspect of the show. It's all subjective, but for my money, the survivor angle is woefully undercut by the high-tech time warp shenanigans and X-files element. Admittedly, a sci-fi taste I don't have.

And I'll enflame many with this observation: the series seems to have a palpable pro-family preservation POV, with a (last season) distraught, regret-filled pregnant women pre-adoption plan being given a 'reprieve' at the eleventh hour, and a dad being allowed to "keep" his biological son, only thanks to the crash isolating him from he legal fate. From this series, you'd think the biggest problem facing our society -- with reproductive rights up for grabs -- is systemic arm-twisting to take children away from loving birth parents and give them to others. If only, if only. It's only a show, but I'm tired of all the suffering over "giving up" kids. We have bigger issues, as Katrina illustrated, and they ought to inform such an intelligent show. As I said, a dissenting opinion.

Updated On: 9/28/05 at 10:29 PM

[Rose_MacShane]

Posted: 9/28/05 at 11:24pm

I dissent with you. I'm pretty fed up with the show. I wasn't intrigued by the season finale, and I'm not at all assuaged by the new episodes. Every teaser says that the next show will "answer all the questions" and they haven't answered a single damn one yet! I want to know what the hell's going on with this thing, and I'm getting sick of waiting.

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 9/28/05 at 11:27pm

I agree. By now, it just doesn't interest me, but I loved it at first.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 9/28/05 at 11:30pm

I dissent to the dissent, I love that they don't answer the questions and that there are so many "sci-fi" elements.

The family values thing may be a point, but I hardly think it is that crucial to the show.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 9/28/05 at 11:30pm

And, why can we not understand anything that the characters are saying? We (which is 5 in my family) were cussing the screen. I was not happy with tonight's episode!

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 9/28/05 at 11:32pm

I second that brd, I just rewound and watched one scene about 7 times and never understood what they were saying.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 1:47am

I agree that tonite's episode almost felt like you could have missed it--and not have missed anything. Almost--one can HOPE they are getting somewhere and there will be a huge pay off. But, I dunno. If it doesn't get flowing soon, they are going to lose fans by the raft load.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 7:26am

Interesting. I expected people to beat me to a pulp for this thread. But though six posts do not a majority make,there's anecdotal evidence here that the show is treading water(literally), and not satisfying the very people who are rooting for it.

Last night I found myself longing for the wonderful first episodes, when surviving the early days was so riveting. The show is now locked into a contract to the audience -- that if we hang in, the answers revealed will thrill us. The longer we have to wait, the bigger the thrills better be.

In screenwriting course, they often talk about how hard it is to sustain the critical "middle" of a screenplay. I suggest that a series like this takes that problem to the max. LOST is nothng if not one long "middle" of a story. We need to be freshly excited by the island doings. Now, I find I am relieved when we cut away to the backstory sequences. Even when they irritate me (as I noted above), they at least have the nuts and bolts of drama. It's tricky. X FILES delivered, incrementally, for many fans, whereas for some TWIN PEAKS did not.

[BoxFive]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 8:19am

Agreed. I'm slightly losing my thrill for LOST.

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 8:22am

I LOST it already !!!

[RobbO]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 8:47am

word is episode 3 is the one to watch...

also, did anyone notice that the emblem on desmond's jumpsuit and inside the hatch is also branded on the side of the shark....

also, when jack first meets desmond we learn that it is 1997 from jack's medical gear.

and the snowman joke was told before - two other people on the island know the answer....

Updated On: 9/29/05 at 08:47 AM

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 9:00am

I'm still hanging in there. Although I found Michael's storyline a bit boring and drawn out last night. I did catch the emblem on the shark Robb. Hmmmm ... The Village? Land of the Lost?

[RobbO]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 12:24pm

[yodamarie78]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 12:45pm

"and the snowman joke was told before - two other people on the island know the answer"

Don't leave me hanging here RobbO! I can't remember who told the joke. It's there in my head, but I can't remember and I'm going to drive myself crazy if you don't tell me!

On topic, Auggie, your opinion seems to be the majority, at least among people who read EW's TV Watch (including the guy who writes it, but I really dislike him). Personally I enjoy finding out what's going on in everyone's head and how they relate to each other. And the shark really freaked me out...

[RobbO]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 12:49pm

apparently hurley told the joke in season one. also, michael gave walt a card with the joke in it (on it?) during last season as well.

so, is desmond waiting for his replacement in the hatch? is hurley or michael his replacement?

[yodamarie78]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 12:55pm

I think I remember Hurley telling the joke, but I'm certain that the joke Michael put on the card was about the penguin, not a snowman.

[Allie]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 12:56pm

Apparently, the emblem on Desmond's suit, and on the shark has something to do with feng shui.
Or at least is similiar to the feng shui symbol.

[RobbO]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 1:01pm

someone told me that "dharma" is spelled out in the symbol.

dhar·ma    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (därm, dûr-)
n.
Hinduism & Buddhism.
The principle or law that orders the universe.


Individual conduct in conformity with this principle.


The essential function or nature of a thing.


Hinduism. Individual obligation with respect to caste, social custom, civil law, and sacred law.


Buddhism.
The body of teachings expounded by the Buddha.


Knowledge of or duty to undertake conduct set forth by the Buddha as a way to enlightenment.


One of the basic, minute elements from which all things are made.

[janice32]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 1:02pm

I agree with the comment about not understanding what the cast is saying half the time. It's the same way on about half the shows on tv...and don't think i'm hard of hearing either cuz i'm not. Most of the time i have to leave my tv on captions just to figure out what they're saying. Also, i lost interest in lost about half way though last season.

[mikem]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 2:04pm

My main problem with the show is I increasingly get the feeling that they're just making it up as they go along and that we'll never find out the answer to anything because there is no answer to be found.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 2:08pm

I'm not giving up on the show - just being patient and wondering where the ride will take me. And there's only one character I truly dislike - and that's Micheal - he's such a whining jackass. I was so hoping last night that they would kill him off. I'm not sure whether it's the character or the actor that I don't like - but he just doesn't work for me. Otherwise - I still love it and am very intriqued by the whole thing.

[teth]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 2:13pm

Just because a show has one or two plotlines in regards to children (keeping them or not) does not mean it's an anti-abortion or whatever conservative story.

I agree that these past two episodes have been slow in getting to the answers...but it seems like next week's episode will have a lot more going on. (Island people!? The other person from the flight! Jack is yelling again!)

[Auggie27]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 3:17pm

Actually, Teth, I didn't suggest the show is anti-abortion. It seems more uncomfortable with adoption. But small quibble, that. I'm sure I overreacted. The series has far more pressing problems.

Having dissed it royally, I will continue to watch. Perhaps I'll change my mind. Sometimes, I think we all just love the set-up episodes, because there's so much left to imagine. To be fair, now that we're getting "answers," albeit slowly, there's automatically a let down.

[billygoatgirl300]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 4:23pm

Oringally last night fashback was going to be about Sawyer but for some odd reason the writers changed it over to Micheal. But next weeks show will be Locke's backround who in my opinon has the best episodes. So don't give up on the show yet!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 4:58pm

I fell asleep at like 7:30 and missed the whole episode... poo...