Thoughts on LOST

[dotinthesky]

I finally watched the season finale for LOST's second series.



I think the show came close to "jumping the shark" in the finale. Too many of the twists didn't work for me: I didn't believe that Desmond would easily live in the hatch for two years without going outside, or that he would readily accept the importance of pressing the button (apart from the moment when he caused the plane to crash); I didn't believe Claire's sudden change of attitude towards creepy Charlie; nor did I believe The Others wanted Hurley to treck across the island just so he'd have to go back with a message -- Hurley's presence in the team was a plot contrivance for him to confront Michael about Libby's death.

I've thought for a while that The Others are actually the good guys. If you notice the private stories of each character, they have all done terrible things in their past -- you could even fit the seven sins around their necks: Jack's pride, Charlie's envy and slothfulness, Sawyer's greed and lust, Hurley's gluttony, Michael's rage, etc. In the grand karma (Dharma?) scheme, they are all "bad people" on the island. And this may be the reason why The Others have tried to remove children and pregnant ladies from the group - those who are still innocent and who can be saved from their "bad" influence. Mr Eko may have subconsciously guessed this when he confessed to Henry, in the hatch's prison, that he was finally following the path of good... the path leading to an entrance ticket to The Others' group.

But if The Others are actually the good guys, what are they doing on the island? They seem to be scientists left behind by the Dharma initiative, intent on carrying out a masterplan. They probably live in a very nice bunker beneath the island (which we'll learn more about in Season 3 - through the eyes of Kate, Jack and Sawyer) and their purpose seems to be related with human evolution (the statue with the four toes?) or human salvation.

I don't think Desmond, or even Locke and Mr Eko for that matter, are dead. I heard from a work colleague that the actor who plays Desmod, and his wife (a theatre person in London), have moved to Hawaii for the filming of the third series -- so either he survived the hatch's explosion, or he appears in quite a few flashbacks.

What were those two men (who badly spoke Portuguese) doing in the Artic, and what did that phone call to Penelope (Desmond's ex-girlfriend) mean? I think Penelope was tracking Desmond's boat just before he disappeared. However, when the signal was picked up again (during the brief time the field opened around the island and the plane crashed), she used her father's millions to set up a watch for the signal's return. This finally happens when the hatch explodes. My guess is that Penelope will meet Michael and Walt, and be one of the few people who believe their stories about the island. The third series will be about the outside world trying to get into the island -- Penelope looking for Desmond and Michael hoping to save the others (out of guilt?) I also think that Penelope's father may be behind the Dharma Initiative.

What's your opinion on LOST? What do you think is going on? What do you think will happen on Season 3?

Comments

[the-lonely.livejournal.com]

dammit i am in a rush but i love to talk about lost! my friend had a similar theory about michael and walt and i am coming round to it. to begin with, i didnt believe they could actually be free from the island but bringing penny in at the end like that certainly suggests they are about to move focus to the outside world.

remember when locke confronted 'henry' about why he didn't take advantage of his vulnerability when he was stuck under the door? henry said 'because you're one of the good ones john!' i really liked that part. i like how sinister henry is but then also the possibility that he is a 'good guy'.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

And also remember how Henry told Ana Lucia that at first "they thought she could change", but that he now knew this wasn't true (because she was going to kill again -- namely him.)

It's quite smart of the producers to make us assume that the main characters are the good guys. But the truth seems to be that they aren't.

[dj-alexander.livejournal.com]

I think the big giveaway for me was the big stone foot seen on the island, which implies that it's going to be some kind of Atlantis type island.

Much looking forward to season 3 which starts next week!

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I'm very jealous of everyone in the States (or with means to download the episodes.) I have to wait until May, I think.

It would make sense if the island turned out to be the remains of Atlantis -- it could push the story into epic proportions. Also, I just realized that Penelope is much like her namesake in "The Odyssey", who awaits the return of her stray husband...

[dj-alexander.livejournal.com]

Lost episodes are available for download from the Apple iTunes store usually a few hours after they air in the states. Only $2 an episode as well, but it's streaming quality.

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/storeFront

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I've got a really old laptop at home, which can barely tolerate YouTube, so that's a no-go for me.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Sorry for replying twice to each of your comments! LJ is acting up.

[amanda-mary.livejournal.com]

I pretty much agree with you about the inconsistencies in the Season Two wrap-up. Some people have mentioned that J.J. Abrams' shows tend to suffer when he takes on a new project; and guess who has a new program out this fall ... . (Of course, this is based entirely on his two previous projects, which were Alias and ... oh, some angsty twentysomething melodrama I can't recall. Speaking of Alias, Cullen and I are watching Season Four, which coincides with Season One of Lost on DVD, and noticed that they used that Driveshaft song, "You all, Everybody," on the soundtrack of one episode. Clever, clever).

I heard some spoilers about Season Three suggesting that the Dharma Project is intended to be a species-regnerating shelter for a certain, select few people in anticipation of the emergence of some sort of "supervirus" projected to kill off a third of the earth's population. But this could be a red herring. It makes sense that the plane crash survivors have been purposely chosen, given the relative diversity of the population. As you mentioned, though: one would think they'd opt for less flawed, more emotionally stable folks!

As a side note: I really like Locke, as a character (which is not to say he's perfectly constructed or anything); so I hope he isn't dead. I was devestated when thought I saw the actor who portrays him in an ad for another TV program ... but it turned out to be Delroy Lindo. Who's an African American man. Time for me to visit to the optometrist?

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

My guess is that Season 3 will start with Mr Eko and Locke returning, but everyone presuming Desmond is dead. However, Desmond will later pop up, and Mr Eko will die (the actor who plays him recently got into trouble with drink-driving -- the same reason Libby and Ana Lucia were removed from the series.)

Where did you hear those spoilers? They sound kinda spot on!

[amanda-mary.livejournal.com]

Where did you hear those spoilers? They sound kinda spot on!

I'm embarassed to admit this, but ... I was filling in at the switchboard at work last week (answering incoming phonecalls and greeting visitors) while the usual switchboard operator was on her break. Our library's copy of TV Guide (http://www.tvguide.com) was sitting on top of a pile of mail and, since the phones were really quiet, I started paging through it. A small article mentioned the spoiler I cited, saying it was revealed on a "hidden video" at The Lost Experience/a>, which seems to be officially affiliated with the program.

I haven't spent any time on the site because I know it could turn into a huge time-drain. But I'm sure that, if you poked around a bit, you could unearth some interesting stuff. (http://www.thelostexperience.com/)

[amanda-mary.livejournal.com]

Oops -- sorry about the open HTML tag!

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

No worries! I'll check it out at home.

[purplethings.livejournal.com]

I heard there were going to be 5 seasons or something pants like that- I had really hoped this show wouldn't be one of those that keeps going just to make money, and dragging it out unnecessarily. I sure hope it doesn't do that.

Especially when the last show led you to believe that they could be rescued if Penny has anything to say about it. Which she quite obviously does.

I also couldn't see the point of bringing Hurley along just to send him home. A lot of it doesn't make sense still. And why did they make such a bigdeal out of that invisible monster thingy and nobody even mentions it anymore?!!

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

When the show first started, I read somewhere that the producers thought they had enough material for 5 seasons. But maybe they won't go that far, though I could see it going for another 2. There's even a videogame in production now, related to the show.

I agree with you that it's strange how all the weird happenings don't seem to freak them out so much. They never sit around trying to figure out why there are polar bears, black horses, giant birds and monsters on the island; it's as if they are all high on drugs, or filled with adrenaline and unable to sit down and put all the puzzles together.

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Season 1 was about the main cast. Season 2 was the main cast plus bits and pieces about the others. I reckon Season 3 will be mostly the others with less of the main cast, and steadily increasing hints about the outside world. And season 4 will be all 3 strands coming together in one huge great mindfuck.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

According to some pages I've visited, the main star of Season 3 is Desmond!

[littlelamb.livejournal.com]

haha i don't much care about them jumping the shark. they're all ridiculously good looking (aside from like 3 token ugly people). it's kind of like a soap opera. it doesn't hold up to scrutiny well, but it's fun to sit and watch with your best bud and speculate over how well hung mr ecko is. to me, lost is like eating potato chips. and i don't really understand why so many people are looking for substance. it's empty calories, baby!

one of my friends pointed out that one of the better writers was fired because he admitted that they had no idea where the show was going and if they hadn't an idea for the show, they'd just be like THROW THE NUMBERS IN SO IT SEEMS LIKE IT MEANS SOMETHING. somehow this made lost lose all its charm for him. i don't see why it should matter how crazy it is, so long as it's fun to watch still. it still has my vote, as dumb as a GIANT CRAZY BIG MAGNET THAT PULLS PLANES FROM THE VERY AIR might be.

i just want to fantasize about sawyer, plz.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Well, if he was fired then that's what he would say. Fired people can be revengeful.

I think they do have an idea, just because of the sheer amount of twists that need to be explained. Nothing sinks a show faster than pissed off fans.

Yeah, they are empty calories, but they nevertheless give plenty of energy for burning...

[littlelamb.livejournal.com]

no, he was fired because he said that to the press.

personally, i wouldn't be surprised if they don't know.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

But don't you think that's a big risk? You start writing, throwing in twists that need to be explained later on, working on the most expensive TV budget going... I suppose it could be true if everyone involved in the project was a jackass, but because of the production quality, I can't help thinking that there is at least a plot outline.

[littlelamb.livejournal.com]

nah, not really. i don't think lynch has a clear idea of what he's doing 99% of the time. he wrote his newest movie as he was shooting it, handing out new script pages daily. and admittedly, most everything i ever wrote had a similar process. besides, they have years to figure this out.

if what he said wasn't true, they probably wouldn't have fired him anyway. they'd have been like 'lol u kiddar u!11'

besides, isn't it MORE risky if people know secrets and leak it? this way, that will never happen. and frankly, it doesn't surprise me in the least to find out that everyone involved in television is a jackass.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

As someone else pointed out elsewhere in this post, there's X-files to prove us that things can just be made on the spot...

[littlelamb.livejournal.com]

yeah x-files occurred to me too. it probably happens more often than we want to know- that there's no real deeper meaning to the things we really like. and if you throw in enough mysterious things, such as the numbers, they seem to have great meaning.

i remember once, i was in a creative writing class, and i guess i wasn't much paying attention to some descriptions in this story i wrote. and i guess i had mentioned colours very often, many of which were combinations of previous colours. (like i'd mention blue and red, and then later, purple). and our creative writing class went like this- every class the entire session was devoted to critiquing/discussing a story and the writer was not allowed to talk, except for 5 minutes in the very end to answer any pressing questions. anyway, it really shocked me how people just latched on to this colour 'code'. almost everyone had a different analysis of it and a deep meaning for what it stood for. it wasn't a conscious effort on my part, and i can only imagine what people see when you throw in recurring motifs on purpose. i think lynch often does this, and people are like WHAT DOES IT MEAN. IT MUST MEAN SOMETHING.

however, i've always kind of figured that with lynch, he does that because dreams do that. and the deeper meaning is irrelevant, and highly personal.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Perhaps it's not about "it must mean something", but "can we find meaning?" If I were in your writing class, i'd be one of the people excited about the colour code part of your story. :-)

I think that's our nature, to seek meaning. And perhaps by sharing those meanings, and coming to an understanding about them, makes us feel more secure about understanding the world.

[littlelamb.livejournal.com]

yeah, well you'd have joined the club.

and certainly, i was thinking about that while taking a shower. it is in our nature. and i'm glad for it, otherwise art critics and english majors would have even fewer jobs waiting for them upon graduation.

i don't find it problematic, as my friend does. so long as lost keeps being entertaining, they can make shit up for as long as they please. clearly, lynch had an idea as to where tp was going. if you see the pilot, you know he had the entire arc in his head known to him, regardless if he was eventually going to play it out to that end. i think that's great, but i can't think of another tv show where it has been clear to me that the entire arc was known from the very beginning.

supposedly what will happen in season 3 is 'more romance'! and KATE CHOOSES.

which i find pretty fucking annoying.

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

I think they do have an idea, just because of the sheer amount of twists that need to be explained.

*cough* X Files *cough*

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Awww! Good point...

[hunterjr.livejournal.com]

Did you know Rodrigo Santoro will be on Lost in the next season?

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Really? Where did you hear that?

[hunterjr.livejournal.com]

I thought you knew about it... =/ I guess Rodrigo is not that popular outside Brasil.
You can check it out here. (http://www.cineclick.com.br/noticias/index.php?id_noticia=14897)

[deathrockboy.livejournal.com]

i say that for network television, it's really really impressive. some of it is pretty contrived, but even the lame bits of LOST are better than the best bits of... i don't know... desparate housewives, or whatever lame shit might be on. i mean, the simple fact that i'm talking about a motherfucking television show, and actually thinking about it when i'm not watching it... that's a pretty impressive feat.

prediction time: i think claire is jack's half-sister. i think john will lose his legs again, and rose's cancer will return. i think kate and sawyer will finally hook up, and jack will lose his mind. michael will intercept penelope's craft as she heads to the island. he'll be forced to come back with her for SOME reason, and i'm sure it has to do with Walt.

as for the whole penelope/desmond thing = me no care. it just seems tacked on. some dude that wanted to win a race around the world to win a bride from a disapproving father? are you fucking kidding me? that's the backstory?

anyway. i'm interested in seeing the backgrounds on some of the others. i'm sure they'll have one or two episodes focusing on them.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

About Claire being Jack's half-sister, did you just take a guess or was there something hinted in an episode?

[deathrockboy.livejournal.com]

well, there was that episode when jack's dad and anna-lucia are in australia, and he's drunk and yelling to some lady about how he deserves to see his daughter, so we know that jack has a sister he doesn't know about. add that in with the fact that the mother was blonde and we haven't heard ANYTHING about claire's dad, and there's where my brain put two together.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Good detective work! I bet you are right.