As some of you may also know, on May 23rd 2010 I went on a very special tirade about one particular show. The show in question is one that I absolutely refused to watch or take any interest in. When I heard how the series ended I mocked fans and friends alike for spending six years of their lives on a show that ended on a very trite, cliche note. Simply because, as many people who know me can testify, I sometimes rebel against things that are oppressively popular. As an example, you would be hard-pressed to find people who don't love the movie Forrest Gump. Meet the exception to that rule. From the moment I saw that film I despised it. But this blog isn't about Forrest Gump and I'm unwilling to waste any more of my time on that subject.
This blog is about the ABC Television series Lost.
Me being me, curiosity finally got the better of me. So over the past several months I watched the show in its entirety (it is available to stream from Netflix Instant Watch). I have to say, the first 2 seasons had me completely and utterly HOOKED. I won't go into plot details but I'm sure most of you know the gist; (a) plane crashes on mysterious island, (b) survivors desperately try to find a way off the island, (c) lots of weird shit happens. Seasons 3 and 4 were very good but not as stellar as the first two seasons. By season 5 my interest was starting to flag and by season six I just wanted to get the show over with and move on.
Don't get me wrong, it was still good. But the things I loved about the show in the beginning were missing. Lost had strayed so far from the things that originally hooked me and held my interest. It veered in such random ways. Obviously the writers were scrambling to stretch out the story line to keep filling up seasons worth of material. Personally I think the show should have been more concise and been maybe 3 seasons long. It would have been a much stronger show.
As for the ending? Did I hate it? No. Did I love it? No. It didn't end quite the same way people had explained it to me when it originally aired. It was definitely a better ending than that. It just seemed too...abrupt. After six VERY LONG seasons I was hoping for something more.
Overall, it was an enjoyable show. Does it deserve to be held in such high regard by legions of obsessive fans? No. Will I ever watch it again? Most likely not. I will say this though. After watching the finale last night, I awoke several times during the night and thought about it. That's something, I suppose. A show that resonates after the viewer has finished with it. That's the makings of good storytelling.
