Tomorrow makes a month since the series finale of Lost, and I still don't understand what the fervor was over. Having cancelled my television service a decade ago, I've relied on DVDs to keep me abreast of shows I'd otherwise miss, such as Heroes, Firefly, Big Bang Theory, and Enterprise. Given the financial and temporal commitments to these shows, Lost never made the cut, nor did it ever come recommended to me by anyone with tastes similar to mine. All I knew was that it was a show that demanded a viewer's utmost attention, sometimes even repeat viewings, lest a single but significant detail be overlooked. Lost didn't seem to attract fans so much as followers.
Fortunately, legions of YouTube artists have stepped forward to fill me in on what I've missed. First came a summary of the show, focusing on the finale, using Post-It notes:
Seriously? That's what the show was about? I thought it featured an evil corporation, secret laboratories, conspiracy theories, and sharks. It is in fact a fantasy/sci-fi show? That's… absurd.
So absurd, in fact, that it deserves to be retold with LOLcats:
If, after all this, I nonetheless became obsessed with the show and wanted a detailed chart of where everything on the island happened, my geographic wishes have been fulfilled.
Fortunately, none of this has changed my lack of desire to get Lost. Now, what else in TV land am I missing?
(Hat tip to ROFLrazzi)
Ken, Lost was not a sci-fi/fantasy show. It was a well-written, character-driven drama, with healthy doses of comedy and self-parody. I hate sci-fi/fantasy, but I loved Lost. Hurley, Sawyer, Ben Linus — these were some of the best characters ever created for TV or any work of fiction. The sci-fi/fantasy elements were just window dressing.
Should've mentioned this too: It's like the guy says at the end of the Post-It note video: It's not about the story, but about how the story is told. (The whole Man in Black vs. Jacob thing he focuses on is almost tangential to the Lost experience.)
Thanks for the insider perspective, Bob. Having never seen Lost, I can't offer an informed opinion. I cancelled my television service ten years ago, and any shows I watch are on DVD. As you can imagine, few make the cut, so it's nothing personal that Lost isn't (and likely won't) be among them.
I wouldn't mind getting into it by way of RiffTrax, though: