FINALLY... another proponent of Lost

After listening to all of the bellyachers and whiners and complainers going on and on and on about Lost -- "they're just not telling me enough"; "I prefer Heroes because at least they're answering my questions"; "last night's episode just didn't do it for me"; "I miss how good this show was in the first two seasons" -- and in some cases, having to listen to the moaning much longer than that (hint: he's related to me, and we share the same parents) I read this article with much glee this morning. Finally, someone out there feels exactly the way I do about Lost. If the series is going to go to the end of season 4, then we have at least 34 episodes left. If it'll go to the end of season 5, then we'll have over 50 episodes left. Why, exactly, do the fans want ALL of the secrets revealed right this instant? Somehow we all watched Buffy for 7 years, never knowing how Slayers were chosen, where the Watchers originated, etc., and yet we didn't mind the week-to-week stories. Little tidbits were revealed as we went. Or what about Alias? Midway through season 2, the show suddenly changed completely; Sydney's double-agentness was found out, she managed to bring down SD-6, and the show changed direction. And that new direction was sub-par compared to the old direction. Then in season 3, it changed direction again, and the show began to truly suck.

Is that what we want for Lost? I'm happy having secrets revealed here and there, while a great story is told. Everyone wanted to get back to the beach during the first 6 episodes. I know I'm not the only person who completely missed the Others last week. These people are fascinating and mysterious and I love watching them and trying to figure them out.

As I've said in several interviews while promoting my book, Lost is one of those rare shows for people who like to read long books. If you prefer reading the Reader's Digest version, or reading an article on the same subject that will give you the key points, you're probably better suited to CSI or Law & Order. Both are good shows, but they begin with a question, and end with an answer, and you don't have to stay tuned week after week to actually watch the mystery unfold. But for those of us who could read 600-page Victorian novels and marvel at the slow way things came together, watching connections being made and characters meeting and mysteries being solved, Lost is a great show.

I adore Heroes, y'all know that. But let's see if IT is as brilliant in season 3 as it is in season 1. Can it keep up its momentum? Will it reveal most of the secrets in a stunning season finale, and then by season 2 we don't really care much about these people because we already know everything about them? I'm praying that's not the case, but it's easy to complain about a show that's 3 years old and love a show that's new. In 2005, we all gushed over Lost, too.

I say all of this, by the way, knowing that we've discussed the problems of Lost here on this blog, and that most of my readers DO love Lost and thankfully haven't given up on it. :)

So anyway, without any further ado, here's the first part of the article. It's not just a defense of Lost; the writer says that a ton of major, major secrets will be revealed in March, when most of the rest of television has gone on hiatus, interestingly enough. Let's hope some of the naysayers come back and realize the show is as great as they initially thought it was. The rest of the article can be found here, and I haven't even read it because it warns that it contains major, major spoilers. So be forewarned if you click through.

LOST To Deliver the Goods in March
March 6, 2007- Jon Lachonis, a BuddyTV Senior Writer

I know, I'm woefully out of fashion here not falling immediately into the "bash LOST" groove that much of the mainstream is dancing to these days. Luckily, I'm in the company of millions of fans world wide who continue to be completely satisfied with LOST's novel like approach to telling its story. (By novel I mean the ones with pages.) I've used this analogy on TheTailsection before, if LOST is planned to end in season four or five, then we are roughly in the second third of the story. What book worth a read gives up it secrets at this early stage? If on page four-hundred of The Stand, Stu and company met up with a gypsy psychic who told them they'd be sacrificing themselves to stop Flagg in the end, how pissed would we be when exactly that happened? The fact of the matter is, the LOST bashers have missed the fact that LOST is in fact progressing its story in an extremely compelling fashion, and
March will be one of the most revealing months to date. Beware, minor spoilers lurk ahead.

The fact of the matter is, most of the complaints about LOST have no basis in reality. If LOST, for instance, were to suddenly stop creating new mysteries, imagine the furor. For instance, this week, we meet the mysterious Eye Patch guy. Months ago, when Patchy made his Uber creepy reveal, some fans said "Oh great, another damn mystery", now, however, Patchy will be the character who reveals to us what the association is between the others and Dharma.

How absolutely boring would it have been for eye patch guy to just stroll into camp unannounced and start blurting out details? LOST doesn't shirk it's responsibility to answer questions any more than it does its responsibility to do it in a compelling way. But, enough pontificating, onto the secrets....