Lost TV Show on ABC

OK, my favorite TV show up until this time has been ABC's Alias. Now, I'm hooked on Lost, as apparently are Terry from Pruitt Communications and Jared from Mysterium Tremendum. Terry has written a blog post about it and Jared left a very good comment on my blog about it. So, I guess this officially makes me a J. J. Abrams junkie.

First of all let's admit, as Jared did, that we're all giving too much thought to a TV show. Sins having been confessed, let's dive in a little deeper.

When I was at the store today I saw this week's TV Guide and it's cover has a picture of Dominic Monaghan, Evangeline Lilly, and Matthew Fox, who play Charlie, Kate and Jack in the show. The cover is "Secrets of Lost." Yep, that's right, I wasted $2.95 on it - I'm a sucker. I won't tell you all of the secrets in the story because some of them are related to the stars off-screen antics. I'll just highlight some of the things that have to do with the show.

First of all, let me congratulate Jared from Mysterium Tremendum for being especially prescient in his comment on my last post. He got one thing wrong in that he said that the mysterious guy in the suit may represent the grim reaper, he hadn't seen this week's show where we found out that it was a hallucination of Jack's dad. However, as I will say later, I'm not 100% convinced it was a hallucination. But, having said that, Jared said that he thinks that the island is a kind of purgatorial limbo. Those who are alive on the island still have issues and conflicts to work out. Ding Ding Ding, he couldn't have called it any better. In the TV Guide article, secret #7 is this:

The castaways may actually be dead and stranded in an island purgatory. At least that's one theory that has fans buzzing, though, naturally, Abrams will neither confirm nor deny. "I don't want to ruin any potential fun that people will have tuning in," he says before quickly adding "but the thoeries are exactly the kinds of things I would be doing if I were a viewer." Monaghan, for one, likes the idea "Whether or not it makes sense for J. J. and Damon I don't know, but I think it's fantastic. The island represents our fears and insecurities (my note - remember the first episode when Jack told Kate how he deals with fear by counting to five and allowing fear to do its worst, then moving on), and I think purgatory is a place that consistently reminds you of what is wrong with you." Lilly, however, isn't buying it. "I have a scene in the [seventh] episode where Sayid says 'How is it possible we survived?' and I say, 'So what, we're all dead?' I put that out there as an impossibility."

So, Jared's on to something here.

Here's a few more secrets. As to why the characters aren't losing weight, like Hurley especially, the answer seems to be that they aren't paying any of the actors enough money to go on a serious diet. So, to compensate they'll be showing lots of scenes of the characters finding food. Besides, don't forget that each show only encompasses a day or two on the island. It makes sense that thus far they've been on the island for only about six or seven days and they've had all of the leftover food from the plane, plus the boar so they wouldn't be showing a tremendous weight loss as of yet.

Also, Kate's status as a fugitive is a tip of the hat to The Fugitive TV series and movie. Which makes me think that, as the season goes along we may find out that she has been falsely accused. The producers do say that we'll learn more about her crimes throughout the end of the season.

Secret #10 says that there may be some rhyme and reason as to who survived the plane crash. The two story method of the show - i.e. on the island and flashbacks - will show that these people's lives have been intertwined in ways they may not have known. That one has me puzzled. The story couldn't make any sense if it turned out that there was some kind of purpose behind downing the plane and causing these particular people to survive. J.J. wouldn't do that, it would stretch our credulity to the breaking point. This leads me to think there is some kind of supernatural or metaphysical thing going on here. I can't see how they would be connected unless it is in some kind of metaphysical sense. Hence, even if it turns out that these folks are still alive and this isn't a purgatory, there must be some kind of spiritual/metaphysical undertones. What they are, I have no idea. Another thing that adds to this is the lady who said her husband wasn't dead but was looking for her, hmm are all of the passengers in some kind of afterlife state waiting to find each other?

Jared also nailed the polar bear/comic book connection. As Jared said, in the same episode where the polar bear was killed we saw Walt reading a comic book with a polar bear in it. The producers say that every prop has a purpose, thus the comic book may hold a key to understanding the story.

The comic is actually a Spanish translation of "Green Lantern/Flash: Faster Friends," Part 1 which chronicles the superheroes attack on an alien that turns out to be peaceful. Says Abrams, "We definitely chose that story for a reason."

This is something that J. J. Abrams likes to do. Some folks have pointed out that Alias has a recurring Alice in Wonderland theme, so maybe this comic holds some clues to the show the way Alice does for Alias.

OK, with that, here are some of my own thoughts on the whole thing.

In the last episode I assumed that Jack's dad was simply a hallucination. But now I'm not so sure. For one thing, the hallucination/dad led Jack to the fresh water which was also obviously a crash site. I assumed that this crash site was the crash site of a group of people who produced the tape recording that had been playing for 16 years. There was a casket there that I assumed was from that crash, but I'm pretty dense and that doesn't make sense. For one thing the casket looked pretty new, if it had been sitting there for 16 years it would have looked a lot more aged. Also, Jack evidently recognized the casket and opened it up expecting his dad to be there and he wasn't. Hence, I'm suspecting that the hallucination/dad will show up sometime later. What I don't get now is Jack's sense of peace after he destroyed the casket. That was a turning point for Jack because he goes to the casket not wanting to be the leader of the group and after that he comes back and accepts his role as leader. Hmm . . . don't know what to make of it. Anyway, what happened to dad's body? That's got me puzzled.

I'm still trying to make sense of Locke's encounter with the beast, or whatever it was. Why did it kill the pilot but not him? In the last episode he says he had looked into the eye of the island or something like it. I'm thinking there is a tie in between that incident and the idea of the peaceful alien.

The kicker for me in the TV Guide article is that it says that before the end of the season one of the major characters is going to die. Let the speculation begin!!!

I'm thinking it can't be Jack or Kate, that would be like killing off Sydney or Jack Bristow in Alias, the show wouldn't be the same without it. Terry O'Quinn, who plays Locke seems to be a disposable actor for J. J. Abrams - remember he played Kendal in Alias for a year then was pretty much written out of the show for season #3. I'm trying to put myself in J. J.'s head and figure out who he would kill. The question is "do you kill off a sympathetic or an unsympathetic character?" You would get a bigger reaction out of killing a sympathetic character and I'm thinking Locke would be the most likely choice. Hurley is sympathetic as are Michael and Walt, the father and son, and so is Charlie and Sun, the Korean lady. If he kills off a sympathetic character, killing off Locke would do the most to raise the level of angst/conflict for the show. Locke is essential to the survival of the castaways. He knows how to hunt, he can find water and he has been instrumental in the survival of the castaways so far. If anyone else goes (besides Jack or Kate) it would be sad, but wouldn't hurt their chances of survival. If Locke goes then they are faced with having to survive without the one who knows what's going on. I guess I'm trying to picture who would be the biggest loss for the castaways to lose.

If it is an unsympathetic character who dies, then there are all kinds of choices. No one likes Jin, the Korean man who dominates his wife. To me, Sawyer needs to stay, he's kind of the bad guy/nemesis that the good guys need to play off of. He's kind of like Sloan in Alias - you need a good bad guy to keep the show moving. But, if an unsympathetic character gets killed off, I'm thinking Boone would be a good one to kill off. In fact, we may have gotten a little foreshadowing this past week when Boone nearly drowned and Jack saved him. Also, Boone is being set up to be a really bad guy by stealing the water. If he got killed off it could create another good plot line dealing with how his sister Shannon copes with his death. Maybe his death would cause her to reexamine her life and her shallowness.

So, I'm going with either Locke or Boone to be killed off at the end of the season. Does anyone else who watches wanna venture a guess?

And, by the way, for those of you who are wondering why I'm wasting so much time blogging this - I'm off today, not much going on - it's fun to speculate? I'm thinking we could start something here - on Thursday's a bunch of us could blog our reactions to the show.

BTW - does anyone out there like Alias?

Comments

[Macht]

I loved the first 2 seasons of Alias, but I didn't think the third was quite as good. I think it's getting too predictable. The good thing about Alias is that if you kill off a main character, you can always think up some plot twist the next episode (or 20 episodes later) for why they didn't really die.

[Jared]

Oo, I'm so proud of myself! ;-)

Great stuff here, but I had to skip some of it that looked too revealing because the wife and I haven't watched our tape of last Wed.'s episode yet.

This really is a great show and I love/hate how when each ep ends, I'm ready for the next one.

Never watched "Alias," and proably won't ever, but it looks like something I'd be into. I try to keep my TV watching to a minimum (it's already higher than it ought to be), so I try to avoid shows I could easily get sucked into. We canceled cable partly for this reason.

[William Meisheid]

I still think Alias has a hidden time travel scenario, that Rambaldi was from a tragic future and got stuck in the past and is trying to make something happen to avoid the tragedy.

Just my crazy speculation.

[William Meisheid]

As to Lost. It could be they are alive because of the alien, similar to Riverworld. Purgatory doesn't fit with the four deaths so far--people would just disappear in Purgatory. The deaths don't work for Purgatory.

[William Meisheid]

And last but not least, how about Locke regaining the use of his legs. What's up with that? That wheelchair keeps being used to emphasize the change.

[Dan Cummings]

My wife pointed out to me last night the "healing powers" this island may have. Note that (is it Locke?) regained the use of his legs (the flash back to the crash scene and he looks at his toes, wiggles them and smiles in a surprise sort of way...he repeats this after the wild boar runs him down in the jungle). He is clearly pleased that he has regained his full physical capacities on the island.

How does this play into the father and casket scene? Healing powers perhaps? Selective healing powers?

The comic book thing is the only thing that I've heard so far that explains the polar bear.

[Jared]

people would just disappear in Purgatory.

Why do you assume this? It doesn't have to be a Catholic-type Purgatory, just whatever version of a limbic state the show's creators envisioned.
The people who "move on" would appear dead to the people left so as not to ruin the illusion that the island is "real life." Just like the bodies on the plane of the "really dead" didn't disappear.

Locke may be given full mobility so that he can undo his missed opportunities this side of the afterlife. He finally got to do his "walkabout;" he finally gets to live out his survivalist fantasies. He gets to be the take-charge provider/leader-type he was too timid to be in his former life. Perhaps he's been enabled to properly make up for lost opportunities.

[Terry]

Even before I read all this, I had some questions...

http://pruittcommunications.blogspot.com/2004/10/lost-in-questions-episode-4.html

[Messy Christian]

I love Alias! Am loving Lost, too. So, what happened to the body?

It got up and walked away! :D

Just kidding. Or maybe not.

[BOB]

Is this the Twin Peaks of the new millenium or what!?

[Breena]

YES! I adore Alias!!!! Come on, January!

As for Lost, I wonder if the possible alien could be some kind of scientist who was either angry at the pilot or had to kill him because he knew too much. Maybe the alien scientist is studying earthly reactions to death, survival, stress, etc.

Or maybe it's Satan playing some sick, twisted game. Locke said he'd looked into the eye of the island and it is beautiful. And Satan always disguises himself by painting a pretty picture.

[ccmerlot]

It looks like it is going the way of Lord of the Flies to me: all the hints of duality, what with Jack finding those mysterious polished stones, one black and one white; and now the two camps, one in the jungle (darkness) and one on the beach (brightness). Not to mention the whole "beastie" theme.
The only missing element so far is Simon.

[ccmerlot]

It occurred to me that Kate could be the Simon character, but rather than standing outside the two groups, she is torn between them. (This might also offer an answer to who gets killed off, tho admittedly, losing the pretty leading lady is unlikely).

[Messy Christian]

... or you could bring them back via a rimbaldi device.

I think season 3 was cool. But the cliffhanger ending wasn't as impactful as the first or second season's. :)

[Jack]

I was under the impresion that the crase at the water was part of the current crase, and that the coffin WAS the coffin of Jack's father. The plane happened to crash at the site of the previous inhabitants.

[Mary]

LOST--If Jin is the one who dies this season, then Sun and Michael can get together to be the family Walt needs. What else was in that comic book the kid was reading?

[David Wayne]

Mary - funny you should say that. Last night I did a post to the effect that if Jin would die this would open the door for Sun and Michael to get together. I did several posts in advance and since I didn't want them all to hit the blog at the same time I set that one to post tonight sometime.

[Laura]

Never watched Alias either, but am liking 'Lost'. My b/f and I were chatting a long time about the symbolism in it - I agree, the island does seem like some sort of purgatory where people confront the 'ghosts' - some symbolic, some real...of their past.
I think that each character has to learn/achieve something in order to see the 'eye' of the island, or 'heaven' in a sense. Locke is the first to have achieved this when he is given the ability to walk from the 'island' and is able to fulfill some of his lifelong dreams/destiny. I think that he was allowed to stay on the island (delayed going to 'heaven') in order to guide other characters toward the utopian state (a prophet figure, if you will).
Many events are inexplicable at this point (polar bear, dad/water/casket)...can't wait till the next episode.

[Paul]

I haven't seen the show. But I'm wondering -- 48 survived the crash. How many died?

As a screenwriter, I find it dificcult to imagine developing 48 characters in one series season. I'm sure there are main characters, supporting and fillers... It's an interesting concept.

Paul

[Amy]

I am absolutely hooked on Lost, but sadly missed the Nov. 10 episode in which Sawyer's story is revealed. Doe anyone have a tape of that show? I will pay to get it! Please let me know. Thanks!

[Alicia]

me and my mom watch lost together every wednesday and well we both think that in the first episode when jake tells kate he has taken flying lessons before and that he knows about a cockpit well we both suspected that maybe that was a clue to how they are going to get off the island. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i dont really know how the heck there gonna end this show or how there gonna kill someone without killing the show. . . . . . one wrong person and you loose the veiwers.
Alicia.Blondie.

[Orbital]

What I think it is, mind control, the kid Walt, was reading a comic book when THE POLAR BEAR HAPPENED, Jack was thinking about his dad when his dad APPEARED, there so much stuff going on with how person is thinking related to the event that happens...maybe its like...the Island has some subminal control

[Katy]

YOu guys that commercial for the new lost on Febuary 9,2005 seemed so scary. I almost couldnt sleep.
What do you guys suppose is in that metal tank? And also how many mysteries have thier been?

[Edward]

How many times must we all watch the "Lost" re-runs re-schedules, snip-its of re-runs and re-dos. ?
Darn...get on with the show, or is this another way to capture the almighty TV re-run buck$?

[Me]

Hi.
You have guessed who will die right. One of the two you said will die.