Getting Lost in LOST
by Sarah Carbiener
The Lost final season premiere felt like an effort to not disappoint any one segment of its fans and thus risked disappointing all of them. Showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse seemed determined to have their cake and eat it, too, but that was all right with me.
Of all the shows to write about, this is possibly the hardest to discuss without spoiling it. Any scene reference, almost any single line of dialogue, is enough to give away something huge. This has always been a show where every detail matters, even if it never makes sense or never ties back into the overall plot. So, know that I’m going to do my best to keep it spoiler free but read on at your own peril if you are several seasons (or even an episode) behind.
The fifth season ended with Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) detonating the bomb at the bottom of a chasm that in the future would be the swan hatch that Locke broke into and Desmond later blew up. OR, the fifth season ended with more time travel, with all the main characters leaving the 1970s and those crazy hippies running the Dharma Initiative behind in the past and reentering the present timeline. We don’t know what happened because the whole thing flashed to white and we were made to wait many months until Groundhog Day 2010 to find out what actually happened.
The season premiere gave us many answers to that cliffhanger question, and what I liked most about the eventful—sometimes stressful—two hours was that it reminded me of all the reasons I enjoyed Lost in its first season. I was reminded of who these people were before they crashed on the island, and all the reasons I had to root for them and their happiness. Furthermore, the direction in which this season seems to be going doesn’t negate everything we’ve seen in the last five. It’s building on all the pain, suffering and beautiful moments these people have had together over three years, thirty days, and impossible lengths of time because of so much time travel.
I don’t know if the creators will be able to pull off eating their own cake all season, but I’ll be glued to a television set every Tuesday night, hoping that they do.
¡I know! I don’t know if I shall call the premiere amazing, but I’m really tempted to do so. I loved the interaction between Jack and Locke. And what about that not-so-Locke?!?! And those dejà-vu feelings.
My gosh! I believe this season will be a rollercoaster.
No-so-Locke (interesting moniker) had the most terrifying eyes! The hate! The anger!
I stopped watching halfway through season 4 because I got really tired of the writers stringing us along without giving any answers. But now it sounds really good; I love stories about time travel!
Should I go back and try to catch up on DVD, Sarah and Poncho?
YES! And watching Lost on DVD is the best way to watch it. You don’t have to wait week to week and the more lackluster episodes aren’t as punishing.
I agree with Sarah. Watching Lost on DVD is the best thing, and you also have the bonus stuff, of which some are amazing.
Thanks, Sarah, this is wonderful news! You did a tremendous job of not spoiling ~ the new season will start here in Australia next week ~ while having me even more keenly anticipating its return. I’ve persevered through all the series and now I’m hopeful that I won’t just be watching this last season for sheer relief that it’s nearly over!
I didn’t realize it hasn’t started down there yet, Shell. Glad it wasn’t spoiled for you. Thanks, Sarah!
I thought the season would NEVER get started, but finally it came, and I couldn’t be happier. I was completely riveted! I have no clue where things are going to go from here, but wherever they do, I’m going along!
Hi Brett!
Thanks for stopping by. The wait did seem like forever.
Speaking of waiting, when’s your next book coming out?
The bad news is I don’t have a new one coming out this year. The good news is it looks like I’ll have two coming out in 2011. The first will be a stand alone, NO RETURN, due early in the year. The second will be the next Quinn novel, THE SILENCED. No exact date on that one yet.
I was also amazed how they were able to answer so many questions, I mean at this point they had to or they would have had a fan rebellion on their hands, and yet leave the rest of the season such a mystery. Tuesdays are going to be so exhausting for the next fifteen weeks!