While Lost isn't exactly as valuable to me as my good friendships, the show and I have a bit of a history. It was my freshman year of college, and I was home from school for my Thanksgiving leave. Since I didn't really have any plans, or anyone to see, I decided that I was going to do absolutely nothing with myself besides sit on the couch and vegge out for the entirety of the break. My first day of vegging, since my parents didn't have cable, was looking to be rather boring. But in the morning of that first day, sitting on my parents' coffee table, was a pristine copy of Season 1 of Lost. I had heard of the show before, and seen bits and pieces of the pilot, but hadn't followed it in any detail. So I decided that Season 1 of Lost would be my friend for the break. The day before I left back for school, John and Jack had already opened the hatch, leaving my absolutely breathless and craving more.
The next summer, after the conclusion of Season 2 on TV, I decided that I would purchase it on iTunes so I could watch it and catch up for the season 3 premiere after the summer. I watched episodes much more sparingly over the summer, chugging out about 2-3 episodes a week, sometimes en masse. Since I had all summer to cover everything, I wanted to stretch it out so that I could have a very brief gap between the end of Season 2 and Season 3. And so it was, that on a trip to Memphis, Tennessee, on my trusty, shiny new video iPod, I watched the final 4 episodes of Season 2. I still to this day have not see any of Season 2 on a television quality or sized screen.
Then came Season 3. I began watching it with some of my friends on campus every Wednesday. It became a fast tradition for me because I realized how fun it was to watch the show with other people. Then, I got to join in on Thursday discussions with fans of the show. That thrilled me to no end. Not only do I enjoy talking about TV shows with other people, I love talking about shows that I think matter. So it went for the entirety of Season 3, and so the season ended with the death of many an Other and the beginning of John Locke's ascent to the throne of Other's Leader.
Season 4 was a bit of a oddball season for me. Not only do I not recall many of the circumstances in which I viewed the season, but I also don't even remember that well what all transpired on the show. I thought it was a strong season when I watched it, but in retrospect perhaps this was the weakest season. It was fairly short (a paltry 14 episodes if memory serves me), so perhaps that's why I don't remember it very well. What I do remember is the return of Michael, how Desmond needs a constant, and that six people make it off the island...only to HAVE TO GO BACK!
Then Season 5 started, and I think at this point some of the viewers started abandoning ship, because our heroes began travelling through time. I, however, found this subplot fascinating as it allowed our heroes to see the origins of the Dharma Initiative first hand. The roots of Ben and Charles' need for island dominance was explained a little better, and of course, we had the mysterious return of a not dead John Locke, who we later found out was not John Locke.
Finally, we wound up at Season 6, which introduced a new method of storytelling known forever now as the "flash-sideways". This alternate universe was what would've happened to the island members had the plane not crashed on the island. As events on the island began to come to a head, people in the alternate universe began to realize that their world wasn't exactly what it seemed. As the finale proved, this alternate universe was anything but what we all expected.
So, there was the finale. We gathered in my parents' house, and something about watching the finale where my journey through this show started seemed so surreal. Pizza, Code Red, friends and family all around; as Hurley said, "Feels like old times." And the finale really did feel a lot like Lost of old. As it drew to a close, I felt that "missing it" feeling creep up and I almost cried. The End was exciting, moving, revealing, and all-around a strong finish to a fantastic series. Was it the best it could have possibly been? I'm not really sure. There was a lot of mythology left unanswered and unexplained, but what other time did they have? The important thing left when all is said and done is the characters. The human element will always win out over mysteries needing explained. And I'm pretty content with that.
A lot of people felt that the alternate universe being a purgatory-esque place was a cop-out, but by that logic what wouldn't have been a cop-out? They magically transport back to the island somehow and everyone lives? More over, would any other ending have really worked? They could have ended it differently if they'd had another season maybe. My gut reaction to The End was mild disappointment at first, but after soaking it in and really chewing on it for awhile (I was up for hours afterwards), it felt perfect.
I'll compare it to the end of the Lord of the Rings: After the ring is destroyed, and everyone goes back to their normal lives, what then? The narrative is over, and the main characters have to "move on" from the most important event of their lives. What else is left to tell? They all go back to Hobbiton, save it from Sauroman, Frodo leaves, Sam has kids THE END. I mean what the hell is boating "Into the West" supposed to signify? And no, Lost is no LotR, but the narrative shares similarities. Lord of the Rings was high fantasy with an obvious goal in mind: destroy the ring. Lost was a high fantasy with a not-so-obvious goal: a mix of leave the island, or discover its mysteries, or save the world. Both stories were steeped in lore and magic. But in the end, what were both about? Character. Courage. Good vs. evil. People finding their purpose. Dominic Monaghan, probably also.
Like Lord of the Rings, Lost will always have more it could have told. But no one can argue that it was gripping television from start to finish. It was riveting, touching, gut-wrenching at times, and completely surreal. It was everything a television show was supposed to be and more. As far as dramas go, I would rank it up there with the best of the best. It was a cultural phenomenon.
I cannot wait to watch it all over again.
No comments:
Post a Comment