Everyone else has a cool title for their blog. They use something witty that hopefully has a poignant meaning and reveals a glimpse into their personality. The best I could do was “Always Late”. It isn’t revolutionary but it has personal relevance. I’m generally at least five minutes late everywhere I go. I’m not sure why. I set my watch ahead at least six minutes…but still I’m late. We can delve into how that makes me a bad person later.
Speaking of always being late, I just started watching LOST. The power of Netflix Instant Watch combined with an XBOX 360 has allowed me to view all five previous seasons in the span of about a month. Overall, it is a damn good show.
I should backtrack a bit and explain my unhealthy LOST binge. The show started airing at a point in time when I had very little time for scheduled television viewing and a distinct lack of DVR. The truth is that now I only watch a few shows and have to rely on the DVR for even those.
This year I was compelled by friendly forces to watch the final season. I figured I should catch up. What followed was an obsessive force feeding of television goodness that would make even John Locke blush.
I’m glad I did it this way. I think if I had to go through the normal run of a show, with the waits between weeks and seasons, I would have lost my mind. I don’t think I need to preach about how elaborate and detailed the LOST narrative is. Watching it on a bender has allowed me to enjoy the story and its various pay off points with relatively stress free enjoyment. I tend to disagree with the folks that say the show runners didn’t have a plan. I might not entirely like the way it’s played out in this final season, but amount of work they’ve done with this mythology is impressive. It is a very interconnected 100 plus hours of television viewing. (How well this work is suited for the normal television viewing format is probably a valid debate for another time)
Some other random thoughts…
It might have a lot to do with when I viewed them, but I love how Seasons 1 and 2 feel like they take place in a fever dream that can only happen in the early AM hours. It really adds to the feel of the story and and the character flashbacks. It lends ambiance to the exotic vibe of the Island itself.
Season 3 is my favorite. This might not be the “Lostie” consensus. The balance of character development and plot are just right. Desmond is a fantastic character and he cuts a charismatic swath through Season 3.
Terry O’Quinn is an amazing talent. Who knew Riker’s old captain had it in him? Locke arguably has the most arduous emotional journey of any character in the first five seasons. O’Quinn deftly maneuvers (and muscles for rank-Cake 1996) between father figure, bastard, broken child, and resigned hero with a grace that keeps the character sympathetic throughout.
Josh Halloway’s Sawyer really grated on my nerves the first season or so. As the show progressed he really came into his own. He is another performer that deserves credit..
I will digress here. CHUD has a great weekly recap article series for LOST as well as an archive of Re-Watch features for every episode in the series. Then there is of course the individual season threads which have some of the best LOST discussion on the intarwebz. I will defer to these fine folks.
If you’ve made it this far, I thank you. I’m not totally sure what this will become. I originally intended to debut with a couple pieces of Orson Welles. These were pre-empted by my LOST fueled emotions. Check back next week as I delve into a few of his works that are not called CITIZEN KANE.