Well, this discovery isn't totally new, as I am now into the second season, but I figured this show had to be discussed at some point. Lost is a drama like few others on television. It's the kind you can watch over and over as if it's a half hour sitcom and not get bored. It's one of few Sci-Fi psycological tales that manages to put a strong human story in the mix.
Lost begins with an airplane flying from Sydney to LA that encounters some rough turbulence and is suddenly split in two. Miraculously, a large amount of people survive the crash but end up on a strange island in the South Pacific that's far from deserted. It's filled with a flesh eating monster and...polar bears? That's about the most I can give away without spoiling the entire story.
The survivors include Jack (Matthew Fox), the island's only doctor and an eventual leader. Others include Hurley (Jorge Garcia), a joker with an amazing secret, John Locke (Terry O'Quinn, baring a strong resemblance to Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now) an average cubicle worker turned skilled hunter, Sawyer (Josh Holloway), a boozed up smartass who may either be a criminal or just criminally troubled, Charlie (Dominic Monaghan), a former rock star going through drug addiction, Claire (Emilie de Ravin), a pregnant young Australian, amongst many others.
Lost uses all these characters in a very interesting way and rather than just having them all be stuck there and nothing more, creator J.J. Abrams (Cloverfield) made the wise choice to go deeper and show their backstories. We get to see each character off the island and the reasons that led each onto this flight and why they behave the way they do. In this way, we find ties between the each of their stories and can sometimes even connect to them. This little detail and the fact that they all coincidentally got stuck on this island together shows the small and amazing things that can connect each human being on Earth in unimaginable ways.
As well as being hugely entertaining and filled with mind-blowing twists and turns, Lost is very philosophical. It asks interesting questions about life such as the differences between faith and science, the human ability of choice, the pain in vengeance, and the overwhelming weight of guilt amongst other things. It is as if being on this island is fate and a way for these people to analyze their lives and right their wrongdoings. It also ponders whether the plane just so happened to crash, or whether it was fate. In this way, Lost questions whether or not God exists and says...maybe, depending on who you are.
Lost is a show different from most others in prime time. It is for the lovers of a good twist and an intricate mystery as well as for those who crave nothing more than a good story about people trying to get through with their lives. In that way, Lost is meant for everybody, and should be watched by all.
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