Lost - General Discussion

[txhorns79]

I've been rewatching on Hulu.  The Variable, where it is revealed that Eloise killed Daniel in 1977 and had known she was going to do this all throughout his life, is just so sad.  You can see it when she is suggesting to him that he return to the island for the last time, and she is close to losing it.  Just a great, shocking episode. 

[tv echo]

Lost Illusions: The Untold Story of the Hit Show’s Poisonous Culture
The show was a groundbreaking smash, but behind the scenes it devolved into such toxicity that even co-showrunner Damon Lindelof now says of his leadership: “I failed.” A powerful excerpt from the new book Burn It Down.
BY MAUREEN RYAN   MAY 30, 2023
https://www.vanityfair.com./hollywood/2023/05/lost-tv-show-culture 
 

Edited May 31, 2023 by tv echo

[yanksno1]

Just finished S5 last night. Do S6 to complete the re-watch? I know it's gonna make me not happy haha.

[DigitalCount]

On 7/21/2023 at 7:03 PM, yanksno1 said:

Just finished S5 last night. Do S6 to complete the re-watch? I know it's gonna make me not happy haha.

I think in such a world as this, it's important to do the things that make us happy. If you start again at S01E01 I don't think anyone would throw you out of the fandom. However, I do also like parts of S6, even if the whole was a bit muddled. So my advice is, go where your heart takes you.

[yanksno1]

On 7/25/2023 at 4:06 PM, DigitalCount said:

I think in such a world as this, it's important to do the things that make us happy. If you start again at S01E01 I don't think anyone would throw you out of the fandom. However, I do also like parts of S6, even if the whole was a bit muddled. So my advice is, go where your heart takes you.

I started watching S6, and just ignoring (as much as I can haha) the alternate timeline. It'll be a while when I re-watch it most likely, so I'll finish it off proper knowing what's coming heh.

[willco]

My sister just started rewatching the series again. She made it about the middle of season 5 the last time but didn't finish, not because she didn't want to, she really likes the show ( not as much as myself, though ) but because her job got really stressful and she just didn't get it finished. That was a couple of years ago and now she is retired, so she started again from the 1st episode. I was at her house  last week and  watched a few season one episodes with her. I do love season 1. I told her I invented my own holiday , "Lost Day " which is August 15 because, you know, flight 815. Hey, if Star Wars people can their own May the Fourth be with You day, why can't Lost fans have a day ? Though, I don't think she believed me :)

[DigitalCount]

I saw people observing it elsewhere (especially since it's 2023) so I think it counts as legit. Happy belated LOST Day!

[LJones41]

On 7/21/2023 at 4:03 PM, yanksno1 said:

Just finished S5 last night. Do S6 to complete the re-watch? I know it's gonna make me not happy haha.

Interesting.  Although Season Six is not my favorite, I still liked it more than late Season Two and early Season Three, which I personally dislike.

[LJones41]

On 5/31/2023 at 6:42 AM, tv echo said:

Lost Illusions: The Untold Story of the Hit Show’s Poisonous Culture
The show was a groundbreaking smash, but behind the scenes it devolved into such toxicity that even co-showrunner Damon Lindelof now says of his leadership: “I failed.” A powerful excerpt from the new book Burn It Down.
BY MAUREEN RYAN   MAY 30, 2023
https://www.vanityfair.com./hollywood/2023/05/lost-tv-show-culture 
 

That would explain the toxic writing and reactions that surrounded the Michael Dawson character.

[tv echo]

The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time
By Daniel D'Addario, Kate Aurthur, Clayton Davis, Selome Hailu, Alison Herman, Emily Longeretta, Jennifer Maas, Joe Otterson, Michael Schneider, Jazz Tangcay, Aramide Tinubu, Adam B. Vary    Dec 20, 2023
https://variety.com/lists/greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time/  

Quote

32  Lost
...
ABC
2004-10

What’s in the hatch? Who are the Others? Where did that polar bear come from? Yes, “Lost” hooked tens of millions with tantalizing mystery box questions like these. And yes, many of the answers showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse ultimately provide don’t quite live up to that fervor. But what made the show was its vibrantly rendered characters, dozens upon dozens of them — Hurley (Jorge Garcia) and Sayid (Naveen Andrews), Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) and Sawyer (Josh Holloway), Sun (Yunjin Kim) and Jin (Daniel Dae Kim), Locke (Terry O’Quinn) and Ben (Michael Emerson) — all striving to make sense of their upside-down circumstances within an expansive, rip-roaring, fabulously weird adventure. It was a flawed show, sometimes deeply so, but between its characters and, yes, those damned questions, “Lost” engaged its audience like no other, precipitating the online ecosystem of fevered fan theorizing that dominates how so many of us experience our favorite shows today.

Edited December 24, 2023 by tv echo

[LJones41]

While going over old "LOST" articles and forums, I had come across a post that asked members how they would have ended the series. After reading several other sites and articles, I had my answer. There were two things I would have changed. I would have included two other original characters in that final scene inside the afterlife church. And I would have removed one line from the transcript for the series finale, (6.17-6.18) "The End".

But I am here to discuss the second change. I wish that showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse had not allowed Kate Austen to promise Claire Littleton that she would help raise the latter’s three-year-old son Aaron after reaching civilization.  I believe Lindelof and Cuse had made a big mistake with this scene.  I realize that Kate was simply trying to assure an agitated Claire that everything would be all right, once the latter was reunited with Aaron. Especially since Claire had been stuck on the island for three years and had not seen her son. Yet, a part of me suspected there was more at play. Because as far as I am concerned, Kate’s promise to help raise Aaron struck me as the wrong one to make. Why? It was not possible for her to meet this promise.

In the Season Four episode (4.04) "Eggtown", Kate's attorney had made a deal with prosecutors to allow her to take a probation deal, instead of face more trials over other crimes like insurance fraud and bank robbery.  The probation would have forced Kate to remain in the United States and California for at least ten years. When she had left Los Angeles on the Ajira Flight 316 in Season Five, Kate had broken the terms of her ten-year probation after two years. 

According to the show’s canon, the period between "316" and "The End" spanned roughly two weeks. Chances are, Kate had left the country under an assumed name. And since Ajira 316 had been missing for two weeks, I suspect a great deal of publicity would have generated from the plane's return to civilization. I would not be surprised if not long after her return to civilization or U.S. territory - the plane was originally destined for Guam Island, Kate ended up in prison for breaking her probation. And once the authorities also learned she had lied about being Aaron's biological mother, there is a chance they would have prosecuted her for the New Mexico bank robbery and other crimes. Worse, Kate's mother - if she was still alive - might consider testifying against Kate over Wayne Jenssen's murder. After all, Kate had never been cleared or convicted for that crime.  Even if Kate had simply decided to follow Claire to Australia, I do not see the chances of her playing a future role in Aaron's life. I have doubts the Australian government would have allowed Kate to re-enter the country. Before Oceanic 815 had departed Sydney, Australia; Kate had entered the country under a false name and as a fugitive from the law. Which means she had entered Australia illegally. I just cannot see the Australian immigration authorities allowing her to set foot on the country's soil again.

Also, why would Claire need Kate’s help in raising Aaron? Kate had left the three year-old in custody of his biological grandmother, Carole Littleton, less than a day before leaving the United States. Ms. Littleton had custody of Aaron by the end of the series. And to be honest, I believe she would be the best person to serve as Aaron’s guardian, considering the tenuous nature of Claire’s mental state in the series finale. I certainly cannot see Ms. Littleton allowing Kate, a criminal who had deliberately kept her grandson away from her for nearly three years, anywhere near Aaron, while he remained a minor. In fact, I do not even see Claire allowing Kate to be anywhere near Aaron. Hell, I would never allow a child abductor with a series of crimes hovering around her, near my offspring again . . . even if that person had helped me get off the island.

All I can say is . . . what were Cuse and Lindelof thinking when they had allowed Kate to make that promise to Claire in "The End"? 

Edited January 16 by LJones41

[Anela]

I’ve made it the end of the first season, on my re-watch, and Jin and Sun. ❤️❤️❤️ I’m glad they didn’t break them up, for the sake of love triangles.  Also, Sawyer having a genuinely good moment, telling Jack about meeting his father, and what he’d said.  

[Anela]

I’m on season three, and I hate it when the story line goes to people in a love triangle, being held somewhere by a villain, and then being quizzed on their love lives.  These “others” punching sawyer, and demanding to know if Kate loves him.  Give me a break.  

[DigitalCount]

On 5/28/2024 at 7:57 PM, Anela said:

I’m on season three, and I hate it when the story line goes to people in a love triangle, being held somewhere by a villain, and then being quizzed on their love lives.  These “others” punching sawyer, and demanding to know if Kate loves him.  Give me a break.  

It's always a bit contrived; there's no reason why the captors should care about the love lives of their captives. It made a bit of sense with Danny, because he wanted to take from them what was taken from him, but it felt beneath Ben to get in on it.

[Anela]

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/lost-tv-anniversary-javier-grillo-marxuach

this told me “this one’s on us” and then still blocked the article and gave me an option to subscribe, but I was able to read it with the “reader” option in the url field.  

[Paloma]

When the show was originally on, my husband and I gave up on it somewhere in the second season. Recently I decided to rewatch it since it's on Netflix, and I'm discovering that I don't remember anything past maybe the first episode of the second season. I have now watched the whole second season and just finished the first episode of the third season (A Tale of Two Cities), but I can't decide whether to continue. One of the rewatching reviews I read said that the first 6 episodes of the third season were kind of a waste.

I have a general idea of how the series ends (please don't spoil that for me, although I couldn't help but see a couple of references to it in previous media). I would like to see any episodes that may have been clues to that end--I already saw a lot of clues in the first season--but I don't want to spend weeks watching episodes that are not worthwhile. 

So for those of you who watched or rewatched the whole series, what do you think is worth watching after the first episode of Season 3?

[Night Cheese]

@Paloma Personal opinion only, but I think most of season 3 is pretty bad. I started watching Lost during the third season (my freshman year of college and my friends and roommate couldn't believe I didn't already watch the hottest show on TV), and was completely unimpressed until the last few episodes. I only continued with it initially because we all gathered in my dorm room to watch the new episodes. I believe it was after season 3 that the network told the show runners they needed to tighten their storyline up and come up with a plan for the whole series, because season 3 introduced new characters and storylines that went nowhere.

That all said, I like season 4-6. I rewatched the entire show back in 2019ish and skipped a handful of season 3 eps because once was enough for most of them. 

[DigitalCount]

9 hours ago, Night Cheese said:

@Paloma Personal opinion only, but I think most of season 3 is pretty bad. I started watching Lost during the third season (my freshman year of college and my friends and roommate couldn't believe I didn't already watch the hottest show on TV), and was completely unimpressed until the last few episodes. I only continued with it initially because we all gathered in my dorm room to watch the new episodes. I believe it was after season 3 that the network told the show runners they needed to tighten their storyline up and come up with a plan for the whole series, because season 3 introduced new characters and storylines that went nowhere.

That all said, I like season 4-6. I rewatched the entire show back in 2019ish and skipped a handful of season 3 eps because once was enough for most of them. 

I think the back half of S3 was pretty good, and the end of S3 makes looking back on it much more satisfying, but when you're watching it week to week waiting for certain things to become clearer and it seems to get more muddled, it can be hard to get through.

Also, the impression I got was that the writers came to the network and asked to have a time frame for the ending to be allowed to wrap things up. They were denied this because Lost was doing well enough to justify just having it go on with no end in sight. In response, they essentially demonstrated what that sort of treading water would look like, and the network allowed them to set a limit for the ending seasons.

[Night Cheese]

13 hours ago, DigitalCount said:

Also, the impression I got was that the writers came to the network and asked to have a time frame for the ending to be allowed to wrap things up. They were denied this because Lost was doing well enough to justify just having it go on with no end in sight. In response, they essentially demonstrated what that sort of treading water would look like, and the network allowed them to set a limit for the ending seasons.

Thanks for that clarification. I guess I remembered it backwards. 

[Camera One]

On 8/2/2024 at 10:38 AM, Paloma said:

So for those of you who watched or rewatched the whole series, what do you think is worth watching after the first episode of Season 3?

I really liked the show in Season 4 and most of Season 5.  I really didn't find Season 3 that bad, though.  Some episodes were better than others, but I found that most episodes had at least one subplot that intrigued or entertained me.  Then again, I did enjoying watching most of the characters.

[DonnaMae]

On 8/2/2024 at 10:38 AM, Paloma said:

So for those of you who watched or rewatched the whole series, what do you think is worth watching after the first episode of Season 3?

I have been watching three episodes most nights, and I've been thoroughly enjoying this series the second time around, even more than when it was first on TV.  It's a science fiction, so it doesn't bother me that a lot of things don't make sense.  I'm just enjoying the terrific acting, the wonderful indoor (and jungle) sets and the scenery of Oahu, Hawaii.  You'd never know Honolulu is 'just around the corner'.  I'm on the final season, and I will definitely miss this series when I'm done.😥

[Paloma]

5 hours ago, DonnaMae said:

I'm just enjoying the terrific acting, the wonderful indoor (and jungle) sets and the scenery of Oahu, Hawaii. 

The scenery is definitely a highlight for me, especially because we visited Hawaii for the first time a couple of years ago and can't wait to go back. Even though we didn't go to Oahu, we had a much greater appreciation for the scenery on this rewatch after having seen similar incredible scenery on Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island. We hope to return to Hawaii in 2025 and would love to take a tour of the Oahu filming locations. 

[Affogato]

On 8/2/2024 at 1:38 PM, Paloma said:

When the show was originally on, my husband and I gave up on it somewhere in the second season. Recently I decided to rewatch it since it's on Netflix, and I'm discovering that I don't remember anything past maybe the first episode of the second season. I have now watched the whole second season and just finished the first episode of the third season (A Tale of Two Cities), but I can't decide whether to continue. One of the rewatching reviews I read said that the first 6 episodes of the third season were kind of a waste.

I have a general idea of how the series ends (please don't spoil that for me, although I couldn't help but see a couple of references to it in previous media). I would like to see any episodes that may have been clues to that end--I already saw a lot of clues in the first season--but I don't want to spend weeks watching episodes that are not worthwhile. 

So for those of you who watched or rewatched the whole series, what do you think is worth watching after the first episode of Season 3?

In the final season one character complains that another always said they had a plan and they didn’t. It is a funny meta in context. It should be obvious it is a story about 

Spoiler

A djinn/genie confined it their bottle/island by various forces. What do you want and what will you pay for ir? Wishes  are how a djinn works  they may have released the djinn im season 2  

(Which no one mentions so I will put it behind spoilers)

All the characters are put through a wringer, but I think it is worth it  

 

[Affogato]

On 8/3/2024 at 4:05 AM, DigitalCount said:

I think the back half of S3 was pretty good, and the end of S3 makes looking back on it much more satisfying, but when you're watching it week to week waiting for certain things to become clearer and it seems to get more muddled, it can be hard to get through.

Also, the impression I got was that the writers came to the network and asked to have a time frame for the ending to be allowed to wrap things up. They were denied this because Lost was doing well enough to justify just having it go on with no end in sight. In response, they essentially demonstrated what that sort of treading water would look like, and the network allowed them to set a limit for the ending seasons.

It was a remake of fantasy island, but it wasn’t set up to last forever. It was putting the same group through changes. Gets hard. 

[DonnaMae]

On 12/24/2023 at 5:43 AM, tv echo said:

Where did that polar bear come from?

I think at one time there was a zoo on the second island where there were cages.  The polar bear probably escaped and swam to the main island.  That's just my theory, of course.  I can't stop thinking and analyzing "Lost" because I recently finished watching the series for the second time.

[BetterButter]