Sunday, May 30, 2010

What I think of Lost

Do I remember everything that happened in Lost? No way. Have I forgotten a few dozens of things that at some point felt very significant? You bet. But what I do remember is that there were some characters who I really cared about and still do.

What is common between those people is the fact that they're ordinary as extraordinary as what surrounds them may be. They're not boring but they have many things we see in ourselves and others around us. They need to do good but they err a lot and often act selfishly.

Jack wants to fix things which is welcome but it's become an obsession. He also wants to think he knows what's best for everyone and regards himself as the worthy leader.

I won't analyse all the central characters but I think one of the most important things they showed us is how difficult but rewarding it is to respect and love yourself and others.

I loved how the circumstances forced (again and again) the characters to make choices and to watch what those choices were in each case. I loved how diffirent their backgrounds were and how that affected their interactions. I loved how everyone seemed to learn from the others (not those Others). I loved how everyone seemed (and was) important. I loved how the series was smart and emotionally powerful at the same time.

Sure, Lost would have been much less interesting if there weren't so many physical, metaphysical etc mysteries and twists. We all wanted to guess correctly what's going on and await for the next "wow" moment.

Many of these elements were not thought through and many were unexplainable and cheap (and lazy and manipulating etc).

The last episode was not very well made and sentimentalism seemed to have the upper hand but I did find it satisfactory.

Many people are angry because there seem to be an awful lot of questions left unanswered and even if it sounds easy and even if I have no intention to exonerate the writers, I say "Does it really matter that much?"

Did the creators fool me a little? Yes.
Did they give me something I am grateful I experienced? Oh.my.God. YES!

2 comments:

  1. I do like your summary. I think, in the end, that is what the fans are thinking: I may not have liked the destination we arrived at in finale, but the journey through Lost was worth the trip.

    I'm very glad to have experienced it, as well. Lost is about love, always has been and I enjoy that. It is about humanity, at its core. And I really liked being able to watch a series in the evenings that dealt with humanity-people of every background coming together to survive and care about one another, regardless of race, creed or country. Big warm fuzzies! Lost was a good show.

    Good summary, indeed!

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  2. So glad you liked the piece and that we're exactly on the same page on why Lost was great :)

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