Lost : Season 4 - Have they lost it?
My wife and I are fairly avid Lost fans. ABC did something amazing when they aired this JJ Abrams produced psychological adventure drama. They tapped into ideas that shows like Gilligan’s Island dang near invented. It’s the “what if” factor. What would you do on a deserted island with people you don’t know?
Naturally Lost is a heck of a lot more serious than Gilligan’s Island, and it’s also a lot more captivating.
Ok, back to the new season.
This season may not be my favorite - and I can judge that from the first episode. Why? The previous three seasons have been littered with backlog, filling in holes in each character’s life. Very cool. Enables you to really know someone, which is great. However, they’ve obviously exhausted this feature and now they’re doing something ‘innovative’ yes immensely annoying. They’re going to the future. So, while we’re going through these ‘present’ events on the island we keep getting glimpses in the future of Hurley dealing with the real world (visions of a dead Charlie [wish they didn't do that], mirrors breaking and filling rooms with water and so on). While it is interesting, it doesn’t leave as much mystery of what’s going to happen. Obviously, Hurley gets rescued. You also know that Jake and Kate also get off the island since you see them both. Hurley also screams out at one point “I’m one of the Oceanic 6!” so we know that six passengers total make it out .. alive? Well, who knows. One gent confronted Hurley with “You know where the rest are, don’t you?” or some such non-sense.
So, my take on the new Lost? Not bad - not great.
See, my issue is the first season was full of mysteries like the others, a dark cloud, some weird creature that came and took people (or bent trees) and it was more then just a deserted island shows - it was also a sci-fi fantasy that prickled the edge of your imagination. The second season came and half your fantastical mystery was … gone. Unanswered and unaddressed. It was just an island. A few moments where the dark cloud came - but nothing big (except of course killing Mr. Echo).
Season three game in with a bang but really wasn’t that inspiring. It was more of a daytime drama with some action - though Hurley saves the day at the end and we got introduced to a few new characters, like Jacob, who only Ben and John can apparently hear (and not see). There was also the appearance of a new character (who’s name escapes me) who parachuted in from a helicopter. She had a radio. All is saved? Not quite. She’s not really who she claims to be.
Season four .. she’s dead already (by John’s hands). Something is terribly wrong with the people who are coming to “rescue” everyone. Still no dark evil cloud. Charlie is dead … and not coming back (he was mentioned being dead in Hurley’s future). The group split in two because Jake wants to get off the island, John said it’s not a good idea. Half the group (including Hurley, Sawyer and a beat-up/tied up Ben) go with John, the rest stay with Jake on the beach.
So what’s in store? No idea. I hope it’s good. There are like three more seasons after this one I hear.
