Okay, I am totally freaking out. Just freaking out, all over the place. Which is weird, because being of German Lutheran descent, stoicism is in my genes. But LOST
will be finished in less than two weeks and my brain is about to implode like the hatch.I just need a moment to catch my breath.
We began with a simple story about a plane crash on an island. A very mysterious island. Really, regarding the plot, it's not that complicated:
Some strangers crash on an island and try to survive the strange things that happen to them. They run around a lot. Some leave, then they come back. Pretty basic stuff.
The pleasure in watching LOST lies deeper than simply following the relatively simple storyline. Like a good mystery (or an onion), peeling back the layers reveals more of the story and sometimes makes you cry.
LOST is a story about more than just an island and the people who crashed on it. The most interesting and engaging element of the series, by far, is the deep characterizations of the survivors. Most of the characters are incredibly flawed or severely damaged in some way. Early in the series we were introduced to a major theme that has recurred throughout the series. Everyone gets a new beginning on this island. Using the flashback to marvelous effect, LOST has explored the depth of these characters, their motivations, their neuroses, their flaws and foibles, their successes and more often their mistakes to animate and illuminate each character for the viewer. Consequently we get a vibrant character study that enriches and often informs the individual episodic plot and the greater storyline in the process. This is what makes LOST so intriguing. Each new answer leads to even more questions.
Naturally, so near to the end many of our long-standing and much hypothesized questions and theories are being answered or at least alluded to, and I have consigned myself to the realization that we likely won't be given all the answers. All will not be revealed, and I'm okay with that. Much of the enjoyment in watching interesting television and movies or reading good books is arriving at your own conclusions. For example, just what is it that makes the Island so special? The most recent episode and the second to last prior to the finale gave us some hints, moreso vaguely and cryptically than anything decisive. But as a viewer I don't really want to be led by the hand, as though the finale would include a scene with one of the characters finding some special book of "LOST Island Secrets" hidden away in a cave and spending the last moments of the show reading them in list form to finally satiate the very uninquisitive and unimaginative.
No, imagination is another important element in the success of LOST. How many television shows can you think of that have sparked such imagination in the minds of viewers? How many television programs have ignited the minds of millions of viewers to dream up their own theories and ideas about the island and its mysteries? A simple Google search will find nearly 3 million hits. Such a basic premise has blossomed into nothing short of an historic television sensation.
Having watched since the beginning, in fact having been ensnared by the mysteries of the island and enthralled by the characters I have come to know and love despite their numerous flaws and shortcomings, I will be sad to see LOST go on to that great mysterious electromagnetic island in the sky. But it's been quite a ride.
LOST is a story about more than just an island and the people who crashed on it. The most interesting and engaging element of the series, by far, is the deep characterizations of the survivors. Most of the characters are incredibly flawed or severely damaged in some way. Early in the series we were introduced to a major theme that has recurred throughout the series. Everyone gets a new beginning on this island. Using the flashback to marvelous effect, LOST has explored the depth of these characters, their motivations, their neuroses, their flaws and foibles, their successes and more often their mistakes to animate and illuminate each character for the viewer. Consequently we get a vibrant character study that enriches and often informs the individual episodic plot and the greater storyline in the process. This is what makes LOST so intriguing. Each new answer leads to even more questions.
Naturally, so near to the end many of our long-standing and much hypothesized questions and theories are being answered or at least alluded to, and I have consigned myself to the realization that we likely won't be given all the answers. All will not be revealed, and I'm okay with that. Much of the enjoyment in watching interesting television and movies or reading good books is arriving at your own conclusions. For example, just what is it that makes the Island so special? The most recent episode and the second to last prior to the finale gave us some hints, moreso vaguely and cryptically than anything decisive. But as a viewer I don't really want to be led by the hand, as though the finale would include a scene with one of the characters finding some special book of "LOST Island Secrets" hidden away in a cave and spending the last moments of the show reading them in list form to finally satiate the very uninquisitive and unimaginative.
No, imagination is another important element in the success of LOST. How many television shows can you think of that have sparked such imagination in the minds of viewers? How many television programs have ignited the minds of millions of viewers to dream up their own theories and ideas about the island and its mysteries? A simple Google search will find nearly 3 million hits. Such a basic premise has blossomed into nothing short of an historic television sensation.
Having watched since the beginning, in fact having been ensnared by the mysteries of the island and enthralled by the characters I have come to know and love despite their numerous flaws and shortcomings, I will be sad to see LOST go on to that great mysterious electromagnetic island in the sky. But it's been quite a ride.
