Get LOST!

Let me preface this little missive by saying that I abhor television. I find it mostly bland and totally lacking in originality. That's not to say that there haven't been a few things on the idiot box that I liked. The list is narrow and most of them are British comedies but I have found some things engaging that I enjoyed thoroughly. The recent glut of "reality shows" however, has proven once again what a vast wasteland TV can be. The moments of actual brilliance are so rare these days as to be the anomaly. About the only thing left that I can count on with any degree of certainty is the History Channel. Being a history buff may expose a bias for that particular channel but I stand by my assertion that it's the only decent channel out of the more than 150 I have access too.

I've often heard friends and family, while talking about some show or another say, "Oh, I LOVE that show!" I personally don't ever feel love for anything on television but I do get close every now and then. Every once in awhile, a new show will pop up that totally intrigues and fascinates me. A precious few that spring to mind are The X-Files and CSI, and no, I don't mean that Miami or New York crap, I mean the original. I was taken with the X-Files for much the same reason I was taken with "The Night Stalker", a creepy show from the late 70's that was all about vampires, werewolves and other things that go bump in the night. CSI took my fancy simply because the heart of the cast, William Peterson, is a terrific actor and the show itself was so unique and so well written that I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Thank goodness for syndication or I'd never have anything to watch.

I will confess at this point that something very close to love for a television show finally happened for me. It's another show that's extremely well written and filled with things that go bump in the night...or the jungle as the case may be. I'm talking about LOST, a show that has completely captivated a great majority of the country. It recently even affected the timing of the State Of The Union Address. The President, not wishing to anger millions of LOST fans, chose another date for his speech. Let it not be said that he doesn't have the occasional moment of clarity in discerning what the American people really want.

I have yet to talk to anyone who has any ambivalence to this show. Those who are fans, are rabid in their support of it and it's well deserved. The show has elements of religion, magic, horror, passion, adventure and most importantly...humor. I have quite a few friends who spend countless hours discussing the mythology of the show, the depth of the characters and even the occasional..."who's sleeping with whom" moments. I confess that I am a true aficionado of the series. I've seen every episode more than once and I reluctantly admit that I've even spent a few hours on the LOST forums trying to discern what things mean. There is so much symbolism laced throughout the show in the form of flashbacks and the like that I sometimes have to get a second opinion of something I've seen on a recent episode. For those of you who really "get" this show, have you played those damn numbers on lotto yet? I have. I was strangely compelled to at one point and I never play the lottery. I tend to consider the lottery to be a tax on stupid people but that's a subject for another time.

With the final season well underway, the show has at times been even more cryptic than usual, if that's even possible. While I am somewhat saddened that this show will soon be all over, at least I'm getting some answers to some questions that needed to answered. There are characters on the show that have been treated as little more than window dressing but were so intriguing that I wanted to see them fleshed out a bit more. The character of Richard is one such person. The writers have made me furious, excited and depressed alternately and with such regularity that I've often yelled at the TV when that final graphic and the ominous sound signal the end of an episode. My fellow travelers will understand the heartfelt, "You can't DO this to me!" when an episode ends.

The announcement that the 6th season would be the last has stirred a hornets nest of anguish amongst the shows many loyal fans. Alas, all good things must come to an end but I still find some satisfaction in that at least television lived up to it's ideal of entertainment for me again. Rare though it may be that it happens for me but I find solace in the knowledge that it can happen again. I'll just have to wait another 4 or 5 years before it does.

Now...for those of you who feel as strongly as I do about this show, here are a few of my own insights on this rare gem of television.

1. They're not in hell or dead. The island is just a little pocket of magic still left in the world.
2. Jacob, while manipulative and secretive, does have a vested interest in the people he chooses.
The way I see it, if he chose you to come to the island, you can't be all bad.
3. Kate is probably the hottest female ever to appear on television. End of story. (Sorry ladies)
4. Hurley is the logical replacement to remain on the island. He wasn't happy being rich
anyway...right?
5. Ben STILL deserves to die. He's a miserable bastard who's visited mayhem and destruction
on so many people, his point of redemption passed years ago. Put him in a bag and drown him
in the ocean. Charlie can go from a drug addled loser to a heroic person and he dies but Ben
the evil one gets to live? I think not.
6. I was personally not sad to see Boone or his whiny sister get whacked. Sorry. Same thing with
Anna Lucia.
7. It's a good thing I didn't own a gun what Ethan kidnapped Claire and hung Charlie. I would
have shot at my TV every time he showed up on the screen.
8. I have to admit being more than a little confused as to how the remaining characters can be
both on the island and back home at the same time. This little paradox has given me fits
trying to figure out. I will entertain any coherent explanation and even some that aren't.
9. Is it just me or is the fact that Sun and Jin haven't found each other yet pissing anyone else
off?
10. So, is Jacob dead or is Hurley becoming the "Jacob whisperer" all of a sudden? This also
confuses me a little.

Ok, that's enough for now. 8 episodes to go and that's an awfully short time to fill in all the gaps and tie up the loose ends. Let's hope the DVD for this season includes lots of behind the scenes and mythology stuff to satisfy even the most die hard fan...like me...and a few of you reading this as well. It's ok to grin right now...you know who you are.