May 6, 2010

LOST in Thought

Surprise! We're from the future! No, not buying it?

Now we are nearing the moment of truth, as the next episode of LOST, to me, is the most crucial one of the series. 

"Across the Sea" is supposed to explain the backstory of Jacob and the Man in Black. These two characters, who we did not meet until well into the run of the series, have been posited as the puppet-masters of the entire plotline of the show. Now, with a precious few episodes remaining, the motivation of their "little game" will make or break things for me. 

I don't need to know the answers to all the questions that have been posed over the course of the series. I'm fine with leaving some of the mysteries of the island up for grabs, as it were -- even important things like why Desmond is so different than everyone else. But when the whole reason for Jack and company to have arrived to the island in the first place has been given such epic importance over the course of the show, then you have to give us that answer -- and it has to make sense. 

Don't get me wrong, I still think LOST has been one of the greatest television shows of all-time, and I won't feel I have wasted time watching it for so many years if it turns out that the explanation of Jacob and the Man in Black turns out to be lamer than lame. But the reason this show captured my interest from the get-go is because it's always been about setting up the audience to make assumptions about the characters, and then to reveal new information -- consistent with the previous storylines -- that completely blows up what we thought we knew. 

So, when it comes to this last, biggest reveal -- they'd better do that again, and not pull one of these cliché sci-fi "we've always been here" good versus evil showdowns out of their rears. I expect to have my assumptions blown up one more time, but perhaps I'm simply assuming the writers are that good. Maybe that's the assumption they'll destroy instead. 

Fingers crossed…

1 comment:

  1. This show makes me nervous. As Stephen King has proven time and time again it's easy to tell a good story. The hard part is ending it.

    Last episode was an excellent exercise in removing unnecessary clutter. That indicates things are coming to a close. Hopefully these writers know what they're doing.

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