Lost (the TV show)

[juldea]

So, now that it's over and people have had a few days to meditate on the subject, should I watch Lost? I've seen two or three episodes in total so far, scattered across seasons, without enough context to remember much from any of them. I'm asking for spoiler-free advice on whether putting the time and effort into watching the entire series is worth it, or if (like many have said about BSG) the ending makes the rest of the show not worth it.

Emphasis: SPOILER-FREE.

Comments

[laura47.livejournal.com]

The ending was beautiful, haters to the left, watch it.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Powerful recommendation. :)

[darkoni]

I found the ending satisfying from a character standpoint, but it doesn't explain most of the questions that came up along the way. It depends on what you're looking for out of the show, whether you want to have everything all wrapped up at the end or just want to enjoy the ride.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the advice! This at least helps me frame what I'm looking for as I watch the show.

[darkoni]

I will also add that I didn't care for BSG as much, mostly because I found the characters on that show to be too damn depressing.

[zrealm.livejournal.com]

It really depends on if you want to view it as a character driven, or mystery driven series.

if you only care about the mystery, you're unlikely to be entirely satisfied by the series - if you want to view it as a character study\love story\etc (which is how the authors view it) then the ending (especially with the extra features promised for the DVDs) should be well worth watching.

i enjoyed it.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

I don't know how I WANT to watch it, but the advice here shows me how I should watch it. :)

ending schmending

[cthulhia]

as with BSG, I can't imagine a true ending that wouldn't be somehow dissatisfying. (The spoof endings offered on Jimmy Kimmel live, which he shot with the LOST cast, were awesome, but... not in keeping with the series.)

I do not regret watching either BSG or LOST. The episodes were well-filmed, well-acted, etc., even when the storyline kinda stretched. There's a few episodes, in either series, that I endured almost solely to see hot actors wearing very little. (LOST is shot in hawaii, so the island itself is stunning.)

I liked LOST's ending much better (disliked it less?). There's a final twist that initially disappointed me, but the more I read the spoilery reviews of other LOST fans, the more acceptable it becomes.

LOST is rich with symbolism, almost every prop is an easter egg. Unlike BSG, which had to pretend it was a different world (and skew references), LOST pulls directly from our human history & culture.

I'd consider watching it again, to see how obvious things are now that I know more. (I did this with season 1 or so with Amp & Xly as n00bs, and Amp's brother and I gasping at the props & clues we didn't notice the first time. We didn't give anything away, but Amp still threatened to kill us for making any noise at all.)

Re: ending schmending

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the review - this certainly helps to know what to look for if/when I watch it. :)

[maverick-weirdo.livejournal.com]

Started watching the show back in December, from episode 1, So that I would be caught up for the final season.

On the whole I was very satisfied with the show.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Good to know! Thank you.

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

As someone who dropped off after season 2, I can't speak with full authority. But even in that short stretch, I did notice a distinct (and possibly useful) pattern. As a plot-oriented person, I was much happier while I was still catching up, and watching 3-4 episodes at a sitting. The frequency of 'cookie delivery' was *way* too low at one episode a week.

By the end of season 2, it already seemed unlikely that there could ever be a resolution that a plot-oriented person would be happy with. The brief snippets I've heard since then have not changed that opinion.

See also Kestrell's (non-spoiler) take.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Mmm, heavy cookie delivery.

Thank you for the response. If I do decide to check it out, I can know that the plot cookies won't be all delivered in the end.

[eor1312.livejournal.com]

Watch it. WATCH IT.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Hee. Enthusiasm = valuable review. :) Thanks!

[shogunhb.livejournal.com]

Don't watch it. I wish I could get those 120 hours of my life back. I felt compelled to finish since I was already invested, but the writers are a bunch of talentless hacks. There were a few high points, but not worth the overall.

zrealm has it right, many of the characters are excellent and as an exploration of personal drama it was okay, but as a mystery it was shit.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

There are enough positive responses here to sway me in the direction of watching it, but the force of your and other negative responses do lead me to know what not to look for. Thanks for the info.

[adalius.livejournal.com]

I'd suggest watching it. The ending may have left me feeling a little unfulfilled, but the ride was worth it. It's sort of like a roller coaster, it's a blast but that last 30 seconds where you're in a holding pattern for the other car in front of you to load sucks.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't like roller coasters at all, but I think aside from that the analogy works. Thanks for the input ;)

[gager.livejournal.com]

I think you'd enjoy it.

I'd watch the first 6-8 episodes to see if it's your cup of tea. If it's not, stop before you're fully invested and read the plot summary.

Personally, I thought it wrapped up nicely. When you have 800 plot elements over 6 seasons, and you wrap up 750, you'll have a few screaming what about _this_? The things that mattered to the characters were wrapped up though.

[gager.livejournal.com]

I forget if you watched BSG. But if you did and could handle and enjoy its ambiguity, I think you'll enjoy Lost.

Personally, I thought the entire show focused on how people interact, what motivates them, and how change can occur in them. That's the mystery the show explores and I think it does it well.

The Island itself is just the setting, and as with all sci-fi settings, there is a little hand-waviness. Some people can't handle hand-waviness though and want the details explained. I don't think that was the point of the show though and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

P.S. Similarly, I think you'll like Lost if you watched and liked Twin Peaks. It definitely ended better than Twin Peaks.

P.P.S. Pretty much all I require in a sci-fi show is that it maintains internal consistency. Lost did that.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen BSG, and I have seen about 2/3 of Twin Peaks and like it (but, I've obviously not put myself through the famously unfulfilling ending.) So perhaps it would work for me to watch it. But the info you've given me is pretty useful, so thank you for it. Especially the watching a few episodes first and then seeing.

[etherial.livejournal.com]

I've seen the first four seasons and felt that they went together very well. I haven't seen the ending, but, like was commented above with BSG, I doubt anyone could have wrapped it all up without us throwing popcorn at the screen.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

It did seem a pretty overwhelming task, given from what I've heard about it.

[flyingindie.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you asked this, because I've been wondering the same thing. I thought I was the only damn person in the world who hadn't seen it.

Also, for the record, I don't think the end of BSG negates the series. I love the hell out of that show.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Glad to be of service. :)