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Lost - The Complete First Season
: I've gotta admit, I'm an HBO person. The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Deadwood...Usually, network tv can't compare to the greatness of HBO's programming in my eyes. Cable comes close with Nip/Tuck, but not quite. The past couple of years, especially with all the reality tv and painfully redundant and formulaic "procedural dramas" such as CSI and Law & Order, the only network show that held my attention was J.J. Abrams's Alias. So, when I heard Abrams was developing another high-concept show, I figured it would be worth checking out. And boy, was I glad I did. I love science-fiction when it's done well (Joss Whedon's extremely short-lived Firefly was an example), and Lost is sci-fi at it's best. Why? Because the sci-fi elements never overpower the storytelling and character development. There will be tons of reviews here that give a summary of the show, so I'll skip that. I'll just say why I love it:
The Characters: While there are initially 48 survivors on this island, the show chooses 14 of them to focus on. With each episode, largely through flashbacks to their lives before they boarded the ill-fated flight, we learn more about these characters. And over time, the viewer grows strongly attached to each of them. It's always fun knowing things about these people that no one else on the island knows, and it helps us as an audience understand why they act a certain way and do certain things while on the island.
The Mystery: Yes, there's an unseen "something" that kills people on this island. There's also a crazy French woman who's been stranded there long before the survivors of Flight 815, and she has mentioned more than once that there are "others." And there do seem to be manifestations and miracles on the island born out of the castaways' minds. And there ARE connections this island had to these people before they were stranded there. For every answer we get, a new question is posed. But what can I say, that's good tv. Needless to say, Lost is full of intrigue, along with agonizing cliffhangers (which is why owning the DVD set will be so great. It'll be hard to just watch one episode without starting a marathon). J.J. is the king of plot-twists (no one predicted who was wearing those handcuffs, or the truth about Locke, for example), which makes Lost constantly unpredictable, shocking, and addictive.
This show has something for everyone. It's got action (the 5-episode storyline in which the survivors are terrorized by someone on the island - someone who kidnaps and kills - particularly stands out), horror (the unseen "monster"), romance (not any overly-cheesy WB-type romance, but there are a few budding relationships on the island), comedy (pretty much anything Hurley says or does), and great old-fashioned character drama and development. There's also some truly memorable moments (The peanut butter scene, the "Pee on my foot!" scene, the Kate/Jack hug, a castaway hanged from a tree, the torture of Sawyer, and "the kiss," just to name a few...). It is also full of big themes and great messages, making it intelligent storytelling that works for the viewer on multiple levels.
I enjoy Lost more than any other show on television. The only reason I called it the best show on NETWORK TV is because it's only had one season. Time will tell if it can sustain its brilliance as long as The Sopranos and the other great dramas, but it's off to a really amazing start. This DVD set sounds as great as Abrams's Alias DVD's with behind-the-scenes features, his always interesting commentaries, and of course, the highly anticipated gag reel. Standout episodes include the two-part Pilot (one of the most expensive in history), which will hook you immediately, Episode 4 ("Walkabout"), which tells us about the most mysterious character on the island, John Locke, and Episode 18 ("Numbers"), which finally gave one of the most beloved characters, Hurley (played by Jorge Garcia), his due, along with introducing a major new element to the mystery of the island that will probably carry on a major role for seasons to come.
TV at it's best! We picked up on so many subtle references in watching the DVD, which made it a more enjoyable experience than watching it first time on the telly. Great cliffhanger endings, impressive special features...this is worth owning.
I promise you that after the first 20 minutes of this show you will be hooked and hooked hard. I can't wait for it to come out on DVD. Waving my credit card... Please hurry!
What's that old saying about the best laid plans of mice and men? Because it sure fits in here. Hello, I'm The Curmudgeon, and for 50 reviews now I've been slating the baddest of the bad, the most laughable, awful drivel known to man. For (supposedly) five reviews though, I decided to write about things that I really liked. Then Amazon decided NOT to print one of them, meaning I had to replace it with something. Then they decided to print it anyway. Leaving me with six instead of five. Hey-ho. Thank YOU, Amazon.
Anyway, I'm from the UK so haven't actually SEEN all of this show yet. Now, I know some of you may be thinking "what kind of knee-jerk reactionary dimwit puts something in his list of top things ever when he hasn't actually SEEN all of it yet?" And you'd be right. That's why these public votes on "The Best Albums Ever" are so worthless, because The Scum merely put the last album they bought as the best ever - hence why you get Franz Ferdinand albums high up in those lists.
But I'm not here just to talk about Lost itself. Awesome, awesome show as it is, full of great, fully fleshed characters with believable dialogue (if at first slightly mawkish.. "count the fear away", indeed) and some terrific pulse-pounding moments and a great "gaaaaaah, don't end NOW" sense of driven suspense. What is really great about Lost is that it's a superb TV show that The Scum all get excited about as well.
You know who The Scum are; the wretched, easily-pleased, watch whatever drivel is on, buy whatever's popular, wouldn't have a single original thought if their lives depended on it - yeah, you know what I mean - THEM. It's a show that THEY watch, and they don't even have to phone up and vote anyone off. There isn't a lame cover-version single released by "their favourite" at the end of it. It doesn't have desperate wannabes or even more desperate "celebrities" trying to claw their way into newspaper colum inches.
In short - it's not reality television, the most hideous form of entertainment on the planet.
And for that, we should be thankful. We should embrace Lost to our hearts and never let it go. This isn't some "Cult" show, it's not some God-awful sitcom a la Will And Grace - it's intelligent, thought-provoking drama that's got smart people, you and me, and thick people - The Scum, ALL watching.
Now, here's the best part. TV execs might see that Lost is doing so well and think, "hey, you know what? This Lost program is kicking ass in the ratings.. and look at the DVD sales. I might take this 10 million budget I have here and NOT comission another series of Pop Idol, but instead spend it developing ANOTHER cutting edge drama, with, you know, real actors and real scripts and.. what was that word again? Oh yeah - TALENT."
We can but dream.
There. Positive reviews all done. Back to normal after this, but what dire piece of filth will be getting The Curmudgeon treatment? There's only one way to find out...
The_Curmudgeon_Hates_You@yahoo.co.uk
Lost is the absolute greatest show on t.v. It isn't some sleazy reality show or some slapstick comedy with no plot. This is a real t.v show. In Lost, a plane crashes. The 48 survivors find themsleves stranded on a mysterious island. As time passes, it becomes clear that no one is coming to rescue them, a fact made clear when Jack, Kate, and Charlie find the pilot. Before he is killed (mysteriously ripped from the cockpit debris and hurled into a towering tree), he tells them that they crashed 1,000 miles off course and had lost all radio contact. The survivors are stranded. That is when the show introduces the main characters: Jack, a surgeon who assumes the role of leader. Kate, a young woman with a possible criminal past. Locke, the group's hunter, who mysteriously regained the ability to walk after the crash. Charlie, a former drug addict and hard core rock star. Claire, the pregnant girl with a frightening prediction of her future. Sayid, a former member of the Iraqi Gaurd. Sawyer, the southern creep everyone loves to hate. Hurley, the obese but lovable optimist. Shannon, the spoiled princess who only cares about herself. Boone, her step brother, young but eager to help. Rose, who lost her husband in the crash but is convinced that he and others managed to survive somewhere else. Michael, the artist turned construction worker. Walt, his son, who may have "special abilities". Jin, a Korean who cannot speak English. Sun, his wife who secretly knows English but can't tell her husband. The show is incredible, with mysterious twists and frightening new developements every week. The characters' pats are revealed through flashbacks. This is an excellent show, and I highly recommend it to anyone. I can't wait for the DVD!
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