Oceanic 815 has just crashed somewhere along the South Pacific and according to news reports all survivors are declared dead – except there is a twist. The camera quickly shifts to an island, where the survivors struggle to salvage their belongings, family and friends from what is left of the crash. Enter Jack, the once famous spinal surgeon who succumbs to alcoholism after a bitter divorce from his wife. Jack emerges as the leader on this island, guiding the survivors and providing much-needed answers when the people need it most. Right from the picturesque landscapes of lush forests and the tropical seashore to the menacing ‘others’ on the other side of the island, LOST is a directorial venture by JJ Abrams (of Six Degrees of Separation, Star Trek prequel, Cloverfield fame). It takes us into a spiritual journey that deals about complex issues like Judgment Day, Karma and true love and sacrifice through the lives and storylines of the characters. For all the complexity the subject of the series offers, not for a moment does it cease to be an edge-of-the-seat adventure.
New format of episodes
The episodes of LOST all have a distinct flavor and format to them, which have not yet been explored in any other television series so far. Every episode starts with a flashback of the relevant characters of importance in that episode. While the story drifts from past to present of each character’s story, the continuity never gets disrupted. The viewer is taken from one storyline to another as they wait in eager anticipation of the things to come. Each episode ends with a suspenseful twist leaving the viewer aghast.
Focus on characterization
Each of the characters in LOST have been sketched with great deliberation and thought. This is evident from the subtle nuances in characterization that you see in all the characters. Whether it is the tormented Jin lashing out at his wife in Korean saying ’This is what it takes to be married to you’ or John Locke telling Ben ‘If you truly knew what this island was really about, you wouldn’t be stocking up chicken in your refrigerator…I know the island better than you do because you’re in a wheelchair and I’m not’. Locke’s character is fascinating and for all the good deeds he has done in his hometown he has suffered immensely. Right from having a father who never acknowledges his presence, steals his kidney and finally paralyzes him, Locke’s has been a life of immense suffering. Yet, on reaching the island after the crash, he immediately starts walking normally and realizes that the island is like a spiritual connection that resonates with his inner self. In contrast, Jack is a man of science while Locke is a man of faith because that is what has given him hope all life. Sawyer is the other main character of the plot. While Jack is a spinal surgeon and fluctuates between being charming, sensitive, a lady’s man and a drunk all in one, Sawyer is a conman to the hilt. Yet, he does have his moments of kindness like when he transfers the money conned to his daughter Clementine. Kate or Katherine is another central character to the plot. Having killed her stepfather for abusing her mother, Kate has had a troubled past, run away from the police while the shadows of her past continue to haunt her. Kate has a good and bad girl side to her, which accounts for her fluctuating love between Jack and Sawyer. While Jack fulfills the good girl side of her, Sawyer is the bad boy all girls adore. Then there is Desmond, who has an intriguing past. The love of his life Penelope or Penny as he calls her is the daughter of a business tycoon and being the man of limited means that he is, he can never hope to marry Penny. Yet theirs is a love story that is meant to be a success because even in the island, Penny manages to trace Desmond and reinitiate contact with him.
Time travel, foreseeing the future, bad karma happening to those who have sinned and a deep spiritual connection with the island, all provide ample scope for adventure, excitement, suspense and thrill. Somehow, good people seem to make it to the ‘list’ made by the ‘others’ in the island. The others perform mysterious experiments, have a profound understanding of science and technology and seem to know more about the survivors than they know about themselves!
Overall, LOST is a TV series masterpiece and not experiencing it would be missing something truly extraordinary.
Like to watch Stargate Atlantis episodes and also Lost. I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
I like to watch Stargate Atlantis. I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
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