LOST Their Way? : Rudie Obias
*Editor’s Note: Before we put up our pictures from the LOST panel at Comic Con 2009 (video of the panel here), we’d like to get your thoughts on this blog post. If you’ve got an opinion or something to share on any topic at all, email us at YuBlog.org@gmail.com! We encourage everyone and anyone!
So I would like to start off by simply saying, I am a HUGE fan of the TV series LOST! I started watching the series way back in 2004 and pretty much watched every episode as it aired, even reruns. I own all the seasons on DVD and I hope to buy the complete LOST on blu-ray, when it comes out. I’ve had and will continue to have LOST parties for season premiers and finales. I listen to 3 LOST podcast (The Transmission, Jay & Jack and The Official ABC LOST podcast) to supplement my LOST viewing experience. One of my favorite things about the series is the online community surrounding it. There are numerous podcasts, websites and message boards for the devoted to post they’re views, rants and theories. This is a good thing and a bad thing. It’s good in the sense that this show creates a sense of community. Much like the survivors of Flight 815, a group of strangers have banded together and have strived for (pretty much) one goal. But the community has gotten so large in the past few years that I feel the writers of the series actually listen to the fans and incorporate their ideas and theories into the show itself. This is a bad thing.
Now of course, there is no way of proving this. There are a lot of viewers of LOST, thus there are a lot of theories floating around out there. TV viewers today are smarter too. But there are many ways for writers to hear feedback from the fans albeit through message boards or podcasts. There’s no way for a writer to hear a fan’s idea and not think, “Whoa! That’s much better than what we’re coming up with in the writer’s room! Let’s use that one!”
Although I cannot prove this I can cite an example. 2 words, “Nikki & Paulo”. This motley crew was introduced at the beginning of season 3, before the show had an end date. I remember seeing posters of LOST on buses and “EL” trains (I lived in Chicago at the time) throughout the entire city. There were 2 new characters on the poster. I thought to myself, “who the fuck are these new people?” Are the writers of LOST adding more to the story? Well the answer was yes. And we all remember the backlash against these characters. People hated them! I remember Damon Lindelof trying to put fan’s minds at ease by saying these characters will play a big role in the mythology of the island. Nobody cared and everyone hated them. So in turn, the writers of LOST killed off Nikki & Paulo in episode 14 of season 3 just to satisfy the outcry of the fans. Because of this action, I do believe the writers and producers take the fan’s outburst seriously and change the series accordingly.
Looking back on past seasons of LOST and looking at it today, that there is a big shift in the series. In the beginning, the series was about the mystery of the island and strong character development. Now the show seems to be more about answers, serving the plot despite a character’s past actions and trying to link past episodes with new ones. Now, I’m definitely from the school of thought that thinks the writers of LOST have had nothing planned since they started the series. I think they had a general (but very vague) idea of where to take the show but not necessarily had a game plan for each season. In essence, they were making it up as they went along. I think they actually didn’t start planning until they had an end date. I think the problems started when they went from 24 episode seasons to 17 episode seasons. I do feel this is a bad way of watching 2 “complete” seasons from a series this complex. Trying to cram so much information into an episode instead of letting it grow organically is harmful to the storytelling. And to me, LOST has always been about the storytelling and not merely about “getting answers”.
Now, I do understand that this is an intentional shift, seeing how the season finale of season 3 was titled “Through the Looking Glass”. In the Lewis Carroll story, everything we had previously read in “Alice In Wonderland” gets turned on its head much like it is for the last half of the series. LOST at it’s best is, obviously, season 1, we see the island for the first time and it’s crazy and mysterious. We live with these characters for a long time and we learn to like them. They have layers and are not cookie cutter. Then it’s another height at the end of season 3. The writers and producers make a statement to the viewers, this series isn’t about will they or won’t they get off the island it’s about the mystery and the storytelling. But I contend since that season’s finale the show has been on a steady downward spiral.
In season 5, Sayid shoots a young Ben. Sawyer and Kate bring a dying young Ben to Richard Alpert, the leader of the Hostiles. He takes young Ben to the temple to heal him. Of course he tells Sawyer and Kate that if he takes him to the temple he will become one of us and will never remember anything before hand. IE Sayid shooting him. Now I believe this to be part of the whole “the writer’s didn’t have anything planned” notion I am championing. This could be the only way to match up episodes in season 2, when an older Ben Linus is caught by Danielle Rousseau and taken the Losties. He gives a fake name, Henry Gale, and is interrogated by Sayid. Why doesn’t he remember Sayid? Surely he would remember the man he once freed from a jail cell and helped him escape in the middle of the night only to be shot in cold blood by said man. But he doesn’t remember because he was healed by the Hostiles. Are we led to believe that this was planned since the start of the series? Or the writer’s simply forgot that Ben was captured by the Losties in season 2. So to cover up this fact they wrote (lazily) in season 5 that the Hostiles healed him and wiped his memory in the process. This doesn’t match up.
The season finale of season 5 is another good example of this continuing downward spiral. Lost season finales are like none other; they pull no stops and are pretty legen… wait for it… dary. (I’m sorry, I had to do that.) They always reveal something at the end. Finally opening the hatch, what happens when you stop pushing the button? and who was in the coffin? Season 5 was different; they ended the season with a cliffhanger. For the first time watching LOST, I felt cheated. I had a feeling that it originally ended with Flight 815 landing in LAX and all the Losties getting off the plane. But because this was actually a fan theory that wasn’t widely accepted, on the grounds that “it would be lame”, the writers and producers scrapped this ending. But being too late to re-shoot the finale, they ended the episode with the hydrogen bomb exploding. If this is true this gives me little hope for season 6 being good.
I do feel that LOST could benefit from having some new blood with the creative staff. This way the series will not get stale or lame. Please admit to yourself that LOST isn’t perfect and season 5 had some bad episodes. In season 1, J.J. Abrams was more involved with the series. In season 3, Brian K. Vaughn was brought in to spice things up. Maybe in season 6, the producers should bring in Jeph Loeb or Neil Gaiman, or dare I say, Joss Whedon. *swoon*
Besides, listening to fans hasn’t always been a good thing in the geek world. Just because you see the Clone Wars doesn’t make it a good thing. Just because you see the origin of Darth Vader doesn’t make it a good thing. Most recently, just because you see the future war (TERMINATOR SALVATION) doesn’t make it a good thing either. Most of the time you get Jar-Jar Binks or Indiana Jones being nuked in a refrigerator. It’s pretty rare that you get a DARK KNIGHT or a STAR TREK (2009).
As I am pretty sure I will get some backlash for simply stating my opinion, I am and will continue to watch and enjoy LOST. I do trust that the writer’s will end the series in a very satisfying way but I hope they will do he smart thing and leave certain things to mystery. I think leaving things to mystery is what makes LOST a great series. For example, I would want them not to answer what “the whispers” are. I think not knowing adds to the excitement and experience of the series. It is like the excitement created by wrapping gifts and setting release dates for movies, books and apple products. Certain things should be left to the imagination.
In closing, I am a HUGE fan of LOST! I will be excited to see the beginning of season 6. I really hope I’m completely wrong about the writers and producers of LOST. They shouldn’t listen to the fans and their reactions. They should focus on making the best possible series. All I can really hope for now is that the series finale will end in a way that is satisfying to the long-term viewers. And when I look back to the complete series as a whole (on DVD), I will think, “Goddamn! This was the best series I’ve ever seen on TV!”
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I think you’ve stated your issues clearly in a non hostile way and that you are perfectly entitled to them. I agree with some points. I thought “He’s Our You” was one of the worst episodes of the series. I also agree that characters are acting irrationally because they don’t have time to mature as characters and act differently. Kate is the worst offender, but Juliet’s irrationality in the finale is a shining example of moving too fast. I’m hoping we’ll see some deleted scenes on the DVDs that might serve to redeem both these characters. S4 also suffered similarly because the slow burn of early S4 was zoomed past at warp speed at the end of the season due to the writers strike.
As for new writing blood, there I’m less inclined to agree. I think the first 6 episodes of S3 suffer greatly from the new writing blood on the staff that year, Brian K. Vaughn included. If Damon and Carlton wrote every single episode of S6 I’d be satisfied. Okay maybe Eddie and Adam and Liz Sarnoff can write a little too. I just get the feeling that things are now so set in stone that new ideas will throw things off and we won’t get finished.
As for the plane landing, I think this has the potential to be the great polarizing notion that will separate true LOST fans. Some will hate it with the burning hate they reserved for Nikki and Paolo. If the producers can make good on giving it that S1 feeling others may love it as much as S1. We’re in a wait and see pattern at this point. I for one enjoy the ability to speculate from the cliffhanger more than if we’d been giving a more definite ending such as the plane landing. To me the S4 finale (and hiatus) suffered for a lack of cliffhanger.
As you stated one of the best things about LOST is the fan community. And debate among the fans, in my opinion should be encouraged. But in the end, it’s just a TV show, and one that we’re just watching, not writing, so everyone enjoy S6! Long Live LOST!
I’m pretty much on the same page as you Holli.
Actually, I would rather them answer the whispers mystery and leave the Libby mystery alone. I’m currently re-watching the series right now with my husband. He hasn’t been watching it all along like me and only agreed to start once season 5 ended. This way by the time we finish season 6 will be starting. He’s loving it just as much as me and he’s just lucky Netflix exists. We’re halfway through season 2 right now. I can tell he’s not analyzing it like I do and he doesn’t seem all that interested in the podcasts that I love so much, but that’s ok. I’m getting pleasure out of him enjoying the show.
I can’t wait for Season 6 to start and I know, like you, that I will look back and think of this show as one of the best ever.
Rudie, while I disagree with you strongly, you won’t be getting any “backlash” from me. You stated your opinions calmly and fairly and in a way that makes perfect sense, and so I’m not going to tell you that you’re wrong – noone has the right to tell you an opinion is wrong, you are as entitled to your opinion as those who think Kate and Hurley are going to get together in the end, you’re in the minority but that doesn’t mean you’re wrong – only time will tell.
Here’s why I disagree with you however. I agree, the Nikki and Paolo incident is clear precedent for the story makers changing part of their plot. Noone can deny that. But the creators of Lost have never, ever claimed to have had every word of the show mapped out from day 1. They said that if this show was a road trip, they had the landmarks and just needed to fill in between that. I believe they had their beginning – crash on an island with a monster and mysterious group of “Others”- , middle – castaways get away but not all of them, they need to go back – and end – Final battle between powers of good and evil, whatever else occurs in Season 6. So yeah, Nikki and Paolo were brought in and chucked under a ton of sand quicker than you can said “Paralysed”, but that’s because in the greater scheme of things they weren’t that important – I think what Damon meant when he originally said they were was that they’ed just become integral characters, not that they’ed actually be life-changingly important (ultimately when it comes down to it I believe the only 2 characters who matter are the Men Of Science and Faith, Locke or Flocke, and Jack) The most important part of the Nikki and Paolo episode is one of Lockes’ lines; Nothing stays buried on this Island for long – implying even then the writers meant to bring back the dead, this was clearly planned some time ago.
You cite Nikki and Paolo, I cite the Statue. Season 2 finale, very early on in the story arc, we meet a 4-toed statue which the producer told us then is important to the arc of the show. Now 3 years later we see why. It’s Jacob’s home.
And Adam and Eve. We’re yet to find out who they are, but they promised years ago “wait until the end of the show, and you’ll see when we show you Adam and Eve that this was all planned.” – If we have faith in the writers, I think this reveal will indeed prove that the time-loop or whatever gets our 2 dead Losties to 50years ago to die, was planned all along.
I can’t wait to see where Season 6 goes with this show, and given the events of the Lost Panel, I really do think the FIRST scene will be the plane landing at LAX. Charlie will wake up on the plane and mutter the words “Am I alive?” – remembering what happened but chalking it up to a harrowing heroin withdrawal induced hallucination (we know better). From there time must course correct them all back to the Island for the final showdown.
Only time will tell whether the writers have listened to us or knew what would happen, but let me just say this: They are trying to shock and amaze people with these episodes, so why go with the common fan theories which won’t be shocking – we all knew Hawking was Farraday’s mother, so if they really wanted it to be a surprise they’ed have made it NOT her, not gone with her regardless of the fans theories.
We shall wait and see.
Is it February yet?
I don’t know how you feel cheated by the season 5 finale. If you remember correctly in the season 1 finale they did not open the hatch and it left with them looking down into it. As for the Jeph Loeb comment, I think that would be possibly the worst idea in the world. The asshole known as Jeph Loeb was involved with Lost in season 2 and then got involved with Heroes, a job that he was fired from because his writing was so awful. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have always focused on making the best show possible, and they have said on countless occasions that they are not making it up as they go along. Yes there is no way to prove this. One of the many themes of Lost is having faith. I think we just need to have faith that these writers are not making it up as they go along. They do not know every detail, but they know how the show will end and how everything will be answered. Season 5 has been one of the greatest seasons Lost has offered. They recieved 5 Emmy Nominations including 1 for best drama. So you are in the minority by saying LOST has lost it’s way. Just remember “Everything happens for a reason.”
You ask the Lost writers to stop listening to the fans… Then you tell them what to do to improve season 6. Do you not see the irony in that?
I did have some worry just a little bit. And the whole Nikki and Paolo thing it wasn’t so much the characters, it was how they were introduced, just thrust in our faces. Many characters have been added since season 1, but they were just brought in different ways. But no matter what they could have been or did, it still was one of the most haunting deaths. Buried alive is one of the worst deaths ever. It took me a few days to just come to grips with what happened to them.
I was worried but you know what I don’t care how the show ends as long as it isn’t fade to black I just want a definitive end. Even Damon and Carlton said that half of the people will like it and the half won’t. I will just be happy that I was able to share in this journey for the last 6 years. I’ve some amazing people through this show. And I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and read books I never would have known had it not been for Lost.
But as I stated before I was a bit worried until I saw Star Trek, it was a fantastic movie made by the same people. And the movie gave back the faith I needed to know that this show will be just fine.
Honestly, what’s the big deal if they actually are making it up as they go along? I can think of other TV series that did just fine going season to season. Whether it’s all planned from the beginning, or it’s written episode to episode, you have to admit it’s better TV than most out there.
As for the fan interaction, I’ve heard this argument before. And sure, Nikki and Paolo went away because of the fan outcry. But what was the fan reaction before that? They were wondering who those people were who were standing in the background. I think it has always been something that the writers have had to deal with before dispatching the most of them in a flood of flaming arrows.
But this is the worst part about a show that is so epically scrutinized. The fans get into an uproar over anything they don’t like on the show, and they go apeshit over their SPECULATIONS even! Frankly, this show has already been written ten times over by all the fan theories and I guarantee Season 6 won’t be a surprise to anyone. Darlton already knows that most people will hate the ending. That’s what happens when a franchise gets so huge. As long as they don’t do a Sopranos ending, I’ll be fine.
And this whole downward spiral thing I can’t disagree with you more about. My opinion is that it has been on an upward spiral since that long lull in the middle of Season 3. Season 5 was so exciting and I can’t wait to watch it again. As for Season 6, I am looking forward to it, my expectations are high, but only because this world class crew of IRREPLACEABLE writers and actors have brought it to that level. I love me some Whedon, but he needs to stay away from my Lost.
And if they land in LAX and we spend the first 6 episodes in Los Angeles with Nikki and Paolo flashbacks, I will still be watching. This show had me since the Pilot and I can’t imagine being that frustrated with it enough to walk away now. Lost may have lost you, but they have certainly not lost their way.
[quote from robin] And if they land in LAX and we spend the first 6 episodes in Los Angeles with Nikki and Paolo flashbacks, I will still be watching. This show had me since the Pilot and I can’t imagine being that frustrated with it enough to walk away now. [/quote]
I totally agree. At this stage, they could very nearly have Hurley shot dead in the opening shot of Season 6 and I’d still keep watching. You’re 5/6 of the way through a show…you’re invested now and along for the ride no matter what.
Sure some stuff will happen we don’t like - some of our castaways are going to die, some may even die again if time resets and then course corrects(oh dear god, can you imagine Charlie dying AGAIN?!?!) but at this stage it comes down to what Darlton said at the Comic Con panel.
Jorge asked: “If time resets isnt that just one big copout and cheat on the last five seasons.” Darlton gave an answer I think will ring very true with this post: TRUST US. We havent led you wrong yet, we’ve got you this far, just TRUST US.
I have faith in Darlton, and therefore I have faith they will end the show on their terms, regardless of what the fans want.
In season 6 as explained by damon, lindelof many questions will be answered. The whole where are Rose and Benard question was addressed in season 5 by what seemed to be fan prodding but I believe characters such as these were included in the script all along from the beginning of the series. I am wondering what they plan for christian shepard and some other minor characters. I hope in the last season all the pieces fit together like damon and lindelof have promised: Like a Mosaic.
I can’t remember ever having such an interest in a tv show before this. I started studying egyptian hieroglyphics, a little bit of Latin, Steven Hawkins, Tunisia, English philosophers, detective work, mangos, the Bible, book clubs etc. I have learned more by watching and studying Lost than I probably learned in all of high school and part of college. I even learned to play backgammon. Hey have you ever noticed Charlie’s Beatles song lyrics on his upper arm? and hey, the season 6 promo showed an airplane crashing from Plymouth Airlines, that’s a new twist to think about. I am watching Lost to prevent getting Alzheimer’s in the future. I think it might just work.
They’ve said over and over again that they’re not making it up as they go along. But since when does this comment mean that EVERYTHING that happens was plotted out in the very beginning? The “roadmap” explanation is perfect. They know all the landmarks they’ll be visiting from here to the end, but what if they see something along the way that seems like an intriguing story (hi, Ben)? Or what if they need to take an unexpected potty break (Paulo and Nikki)?
It’s all well and good to say that you’re a super-huge fan of Lost. But I am too. And I’m not complaining.
Well, I can definitely see where you’re coming from, but I’m gonna have to disagree with you.
First off, as far as the writers taking advice from the fans, you really don’t have anything to back that up with. Nikki and Paulo are an example, but with the end of The Incident, I think to say that they changed the ending at the last minute is a pretty big stretch. It seems to me that before they got an end date they may have taken a few pointers from the fans to keep us watching, but after Season 3 they’ve really just been doing their own thing.
You’re right in saying that Season 5 is not perfect and had some bad episodes, but you can say that about every single season. The show has taken a notable shift, but I feel it’s for the better. While in the past the show was often slow and almost never answered any mysteries, now we have a fast paced, action-drama constantly answering questions, while at the same time keeping the mystery alive in many ways.
I will have to agree with you about Ben and the Hostiles though. That was probably the lamest thing the writers have ever done. But as far as them not planning anything, I’ll just say that I think we should wait until the end of the show to jump to that conclusion.
I am wary about the possibilities for Season 6. Opening up the option of possible timelines could turn into a big, illogical and unappetizing mess. But after 5 seasons of being surprised, and then pleased by what the writers have done, I’m more than willing to go along for the ride and see what they come up with. I have faith!
He’s loving it just as much as me and he’s just lucky Netflix exists. We’re just the halfway through season 2 right now. All these can be seen at Dish Tv channels too.
Lost is like reading a great book that you can’t put down. We’re 40 pages from the end and suddenly we’re afraid there’s not enough story left to end it the way we had hoped it would. As many have pointed out, this show is rare in the way it has affected the way we watch tv. Have you ever watched a tv show with a computer in hand so you could comment on a message board at the same time before Lost? Have you ever cleared an entire night of your schedule so you could watch an episode 2-3 times then spend time doing research and theory-speculating before Lost? Lost may not have the ratings it once did, but many writers and producers are still trying to harness the power of a community that is do deeply engrained into a tv show like Lost. So the Lost fans “made” the writers do away with Nikki and Paolo? The fact that the writers caved is not the point. The bigger point is that there was such a community that cared about 2 silly fictional characters that showed up in our lives for 2 months that they caused network writers to take notice. Here we are almost 3 years later and we’re still talking about them. Gosh, it’s almost like we care about these people. Sure there has been less character development and more action this last season. But guess what happens at the end of a great book? More action, right? Where does most of the character development take place in a great book? The first few chapters, right? I say Lost is not about losing their way or what the final scene may be. Lost has always been about the journey. The websites you have grown to love, the people you have met, the books you have read, the new shows you have been interested in, the history you have discovered. It’s not about how you get off the rollercoaster, but more about whether or not you had fun on the ride. I for one, have had a blast.
Disagree about the Nikki and Paulo as proof that they take ideas from fans. Anything like that would be near impossible to prove (I think a better argument may be Locke’s father as the original Sawyer), but Nikki and Paulo is simply not a good example. The producers have said before that they realized Nikki and Paulo were falling flat even before the backlash began, but even began to write Expose before people were calling for their deaths.
Additionally, I agree with James and others. Darlton have continually repeated that they’ve had a “road map,” even from the beginning (watch some of the extras on the season 1 dvd, there’s some great insight into this). They know they needed to get to San Francisco from New York, they just didn’t know if they would have to take a detour through Chicago or not. Things happen (Eko is the biggest example I can think of here; I think it’s pretty obvious they had a very large arc planned for him), and sometime you just have to deal. (Also, Joss Whedon is a bad idea. If he’s brought on, it becomes “Joss Whedon’s Lost Season 6,” which I don’t want to see happen. This is Damon and Carlton’s brainchild now.)
In regards to the uncharacteristic actions and writing in season 5, I believe this is a result of having to put 2 24-episode seasons in 3 17-hour seasons. Instead of having two high points (for the season finales), they have to now have 3. For example, if season 4-5 were consolidated into 24 episodes, the hight point would have come around Namaste/He’s Out You/Whatever Happened, Happened. Maybe instead of these stories, we would have gotten the Jacob/Nemesis dynamic around this time? Who knows. That’s in some other universe. In any case, this all results in have to force a high point in drama and action, and while the acting may remain excellent, the writing somewhat suffers. Still, I believe the Incident is the best episode of Lost yet.
A small point: Every season ends with a cliffhanger.
Season one has Walt being taken by the Others, and the unknown inside of the hatch. Yes, the hatch is opened, but… what’s inside it!
Season Two: Jack, Kate, and Sawyer are kidnapped by the Others. What happens to them? We see what happens when the button isn’t pushed, but what happened to three of the best characters on the show! And what is up with that arctic station?
Season Three: Uh, what? THEY GOT OFF THE ISLAND?! How! When! Why does Jack want to go back!
Season Four: Wait, uh, what? Where did the island go! And how did Locke die?
In any case, I think it’s untrue that only season 5 ends with a cliffhanger. It all depends what actually happened, and how the writers treat that. When all is said and done, I believe we’ll be able to look back and connect the dots, and see that they were able to either plan the major things from the beginning or are geniuses at connecting plot elements after 2-3 years.
@oceanick6 There is no promo for season 6 yet, you saw someone’s fan promo that the plymouth airlines crash is from the movie Knowing, you just didn’t see Nicholas Cage standing there on the highway like ‘OMG a plane is crashing behind me’..
Anyways… I think we can all agree to disagree, this is a show with twists and turns and things that need to be hashed out. Anything that is as huge as lost has been will always have fan input. Look at every bad comic book movie that has come out, Batman series for example, it took a bad tv show, two different cartoon series, and 5 (some ok, most mediocre) movies, before Batman Begins and The Dark Knight were made, to possibly the truest representation of the Batman yet.
Things are more than likely written as they go along, you listen to the podcasts from season 5 for example. Part of the way through they plainly say that they were in the process of writing the last couple episodes. Of course they make some of it up as they go along, you have to include possible current events, you have to be prepared to write in anything necessary to accomplish the goal. The goal of which I’m certain they’ve had in mind the whole time, but things happen. People need to leave the show, have to be prepared for editing and adjusting the story to accomodate that. Walt grew up, we had to wait 2 seasons before it really made sense to see him again.
I’m sure that the writers have managed to take care of a lot of issues and I’m sure they are listening to fans. But I’m pretty certain they’ve had the beginning, middle, and end (as stated a few times above me.) already planned out, and no matter who their actors are and possibly even characters, they will reach that ending. You’ll either love it or hate it.
They’ve done an incredible job of concealing the overall thread of the show from some of the most avid television fans of all time. It’s stood up to endless, endless scrutiny. This alone should tell us that it has always been planned out. The thing with Sayid - why didn’t Ben remember him - because it hadn’t happened yet in Sayid’s present. As when Charlotte said that she couldn’t remember the face of the man in her memories - Daniel hadn’t told her not to come back to the island in his present, yet. As with Desmond suddenly remembering - Daniel’s present had again not happened until that point. We’ve been shown these things over and over: there’s no way you can claim the Temple/Richard/Ben business is a cop-out, because it’s already explained before that.
There will always be ups and downs across five seasons of anything: personally I find it fascinating how everyone loves different seasons. It’s not like with Buffy where there were almost universally-hated seasons - some people loved S5, some people love S3, all the seasons have their own individual fans, depending on what people want from the show. It’s natural to want to make a little backlash before the final season begins, because no-one wants to be disappointed, and it’s sensible in a way to prepare oneself for such disappointment, but deliberately trying to slate something whilst simultaneously claiming to be such a fan strikes as more attention-seeking and nervousness than anything else. Have a little faith, as they say, and we’ll see what we’ll see. When it’s all done, sure, everyone’s entitled to their opinions, but there’s no point losing your own way on behalf of the show, especially when, as many people have pointed out, the roadmap was drawn from the start; it’s the route that’s developed along the way.
“As I am pretty sure I will get some backlash for simply stating my opinion, I am and will continue to watch and enjoy LOST.”
First of all, it depends on what you mean by backlash, and secondly, any strong reaction you receive will have this as its basis:
Lost fans continually hear that “they’re just making it up as they go along” from people trying to tell us why they don’t watch Lost.
In general, there are not many casual observers of Lost. People who are fans are typically die-hard fans. I know for sure that I fit into that category.
You’re entitled to your opinions, but I think that your concerns are mostly unfounded. In every interview where I’ve heard Darlton talk about the planning, they are very clear that they have overarching plot lines laid out ahead of time. That doesn’t mean that they have every single detail pre-planned. They’ve said, as they watched the first episodes of this season they realized that the viewers would be confused, so they had the Hurley-Miles explanation. This was written and shot before the viewers even saw the earlier episodes.
I thought the S5 finale opened up so many different lines of questions, while providing us with some big answers. Similarly to the way that S3’s ending told us that they did get off the island and that the story was bigger than just “do they get off the island?” S5 finale turned many of our assumptions upside-down. It wasn’t Jacob’s cabin, it was DWG’s! John Locke wasn’t John Locke the entire season! (and possibly even further back).
I don’t think the show has lost its way. Again, you’re entitled to your opinion, and I certainly won’t put you down for having it, I just strongly disagree.
Come on, none of this is valid. First of all, the alternative to making it up as you go along is using pre-formed story molds. All creative works are made up as they go along. That complaint is just a fad amongst the haters, and an empty argument. Next, Nikki and Paulo is just unfair. look at how many characters that have been introduced that not only worked but became fan favorites. I also have to say that your insinuation that they incorporate fan theories is ridiculous. Both Damon and Carlton have ivy league educations and could probably breeze their way into mensa, don’t try to drag them down to our intelligence level. There are some great ideas out here, but these guys are the story tellers and they earned that position. Don’t minimalize what they do.
I guess the fact that you think oceanic 815 would land if the plan works shows that you haven’t investigated the series to its true depth. The jughead incident was in 1977. Time changes from 1977. Why would there even be a flight 815, it wouldn’t make sense. Odds are most of them never even went to australia (besides hurley.)
One of the biggest problems for the writers/producers is that obsessive fans arent aware of the creative process and what it involves. It takes an age to get a show actually scripted and into production and after that, there is a lot committed that cannot be changed and/or undone. People should take heart in the fact that the writers listen to the fans at all! They could very easily not and just go with it. Fan outcries as to the slightest continuity error can in turn create poor writing choices (such as the Ben/Sayid memory gap). It’s much like the contingent who just can’t let go that Obi Wan in a New Hope cannot remember R2D2. It’s the way it works in TV and film…things get committed and are in stone.
The thing I find most interesting is the obsession that fans have as to wether or not the plane will land in LA or not, and how it will play. Isn’t the far bigger question “Who are these two “Gods” (?) and their apparent game”. If anything, I feel that this is the biggest potential “cop out” of the entire show. I would hate to have gone through all the seasons, the Dharma/Hanso Foundation arcs, the Oceanic 6 etc to find it’s all a couple of super beings with there own game of chess.
The mystery of the show is why people in general like the show. Even though every ounce of disbelief has to be suspended to make the show remotely plausible, we all still eat it up because of the mystery surrounding the characters and their element. Therefore, for most of us viewers, finding out the mysteries is fascinating at first, but that fascination is short-lived. In the end, knowing is unsatisfying.
Therefore, no matter how good the writing, production, acting, set design, pacing/editing, etc., there will be a large chunk of fans that will not like how it ends (and the revealed answers) no matter what. Unless they leave the mysteries in tact and disenfranchise the larger majority of the viewers (of which does not necessarily include the fans) who buy the advertised product.
While I agree the writers shouldn’t have killed of Nikki & Paulo just to please the fans I do think they have some sort of goal at least in mind. Perhaps they didn’t have the path to that goal mapped out but they did have a goal, they have stated that Adam and Eve’s bodies are proof of that goal.
I guess I was one of the few that didn’t mind Nikki & Paulo’s addition to the cast. Also I don’t think the writers should be blamed when the actor who played Eko and Danielle wanted off the show.
Honestly I loved the cliffhanger of Season 5, I do hope that Charlie’s death is some how justified at the end of this show. I didn’t like how his death has so far been made meaningless.
Your theory that they changed the final scene of Season 5 because of fan backlash is a stretch at best.
Mystery will always be more engrossing than answers. That is the nature of imagination. That does not mean that Lost has lost it’s way at all. The brilliance of Season 1 created such a dense mystery that NO answer/payoff could ever be as satisfying as the search for the answer.
As Eric says, the finale of season 5 being changed probably didn’t actually happen; people were just assuming that them stepping off the plane in LA or landing on the island again are the only two ways they could go, and so people are putting their THEORIES into the show itself.
Since when have people been that accurate on a major theory in lost? It’s one thing to guess at where the show is going. It’s another to say that they are doing a poor job because of what your theory says, when we haven’t even seen what’s to come.
James(Jrg1990) (A very good name BTW)
You have stated my opinion perfectly.
Sorry but if you thought the final scene of season 6 was a cheat then the final scene of season 1 was a cheat too.
I know I heard or read a qoute from Darlton sometime before season 5 started that they felt season 5 would be hard for some people to take. I think they meant that in the sense of the calm before the storm - having to move all the characters into place to set up season 6, the climax.
I don’t know what you were expecting. You can’t go on being mysterious forever. Sooner or later the mysteries need to be solved and answers need to be given.
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