Tonight is the series finale of “Lost” I’ve been drinking wine and having snacks all afternoon leading up to the big event. Thanks to Netflix and my Nintendo Wii, I can watch seasons 1 to 5 here on my big screen TV and reminisce.
Like a lot of people, I watched season 1 and loved it. If I didn’t get to watch it, I would read the surprisingly detailed recaps on msn.com the day after the show. I think part of the appeal of season 1 was that it seemed like it could actually happen. What if you were in a plane crash and survived along with a bunch of strangers and ended up on a beautiful, peaceful island where there was no sign of civilization? What would you do? For me, that was part of the charm. It was also nice getting to know the characters. The pacing of the show was brilliant. Not too fast, but not slow enough to lose your attention. And weird things happened on the island that let the viewers know that we were just scratching the surface. These people ended up on this island for a reason, and it seemed like someday we would know that reason.
The season 1 finale was surprising and thrilling. But I remember thinking, from the minute they blew the hatch open, that it was going in a direction I didn’t like. I stopped watching after one or two episodes in season 2. I couldn’t even pinpoint why. It just didn’t feel like the same show anymore. Suddenly we were underground in a bunker, people were being held at gunpoint, and it just didn’t feel right. I have belonged to several online survey websites for years. In 2005 I remember I got paid $4 to fill out a long, detailed story about why I didn’t like season 2 compared to season 1. I remember there were essay questions and I took my time answering them. And I guess the writers listened (the survey was paid for by ABC, I think) and they got rid of a lot of the stupid new characters that were introduced to us in season 2. I absolutely loathed Ana Lucia from the very first time I saw her, when she was dropped into that hole in the ground with Sawyer, Michael, and Jin. I was glad to hear they killed off her character.
When I got engaged and married in 2007, my husband kept telling me he couldn’t wait for the new season of Lost. He hadn’t even seen the first season but had started watching it sometime during season 2, I think. I’m not sure he even knows when he started watching it. But he eventually got me to watch it again. I started watching again at the beginning of season 4. I liked it so much that I went to ABC.com and watched most of season 3 online. I’m shocked at how this show rebounded. I’ve been hooked on it ever since.
Today as I sit here with my glass of wine, I’m streaming season 2 through my Wii. It’s not nearly as bad as I remember. I remember what a huge disappointment the first two episodes were at the time, but watching them again after everything I’ve seen since then, they’re kind of fun to watch. It’s definitely a comfort knowing that the annoying characters I didn’t like are going to die soon (it feels weird to say that, but I’m talking about fictional people here, so my conscience is clear). Right now I’m on episode 6, the part where Shannon is about to get killed, from what I remember. I guess I did somehow catch part of this episode when it originally aired. More reason to dislike Ana Lucia.
I’m really thankful that my husband talked me into watching this show again. I would have missed out on the best TV series ever.
Having said that, I’m going to give my opinion of some of the characters. Nobody really cares. But heck, it’s my blog and and I live in a free country. 
Here goes:
1. Sawyer – my absolute favorite character for many reasons. I love how he tells it like it is. He can be devious, but you pretty much always know his intentions and what he’s going to do next. There could be a show called “Sawyer Runs Around an Island By Himself and Randomly Yells at Imaginary People” and I would probably watch it.
2. Hugo Reyes / Hurley – second favorite character. This is totally a “what if” thought, because I would really hate for there to be a spin off, but if there was a spin off, I would hope it has to do with Hurley and his life after the island. He’s so likable and easy to relate to. I love that Cheech is his dad! It’s perfect!! I loved the episode (he was part of the Oceanic 6) when Hurley’s parents threw him a party with all that island regalia. To many, the Hurley flashbacks were the most interesting. Especially the ones with him in the mental hospital. Playing chess with invisible Mr. Eko? That was creepy. Hurley adds that much needed element of levity, heart, and mysticism.
3. Locke – even fake Locke/Man in Black – wonderful character. I didn’t like him much in season 1 but by season 5 I definitely preferred him to most of the survivors. I love his determination. I hate the fact that he was killed, but at the same time it’s very satisfying to see this indestructible fake Locke guy running around looking like him. A few weeks ago there was an episode where Charles Widmore’s lackies were trying to shoot at him and he didn’t even flinch. He just walked right into their gunfire and shot them. It was fantastic to watch, even though it was really the Man in Black in “Locke form.”
4. Jack and Kate – I don’t like either of them. I used to. Not anymore. Kate’s become very annoying. Jack seems like a huge loser. I was relieved last week when he volunteered to take Jacob’s place. I thought “go ahead. You’re a big loser who deserves to live the rest of his life on this dumb island.” Enough said.
5. Libby, played by the wonderful Cynthia Watros – I haven’t gotten to know her character very well. To me, she’ll always be Annie Dutton on Guiding Light. I know most people scoff at soap operas, but I grew up watching Guiding Light. I stopped for years but started again in college. Cynthia Watros played this tremendous villain. She started out kind of innocent until her husband Josh’s “dead” wife came back. Then she flipped out. Trust me, that woman is capable of creating a crazy evil character you look forward to watching on a daily basis. I’m pretty sure she won a Daytime Emmy. I wish Lost could have made more use of her. I loved that, during her flash-sideways with Hurley, they finally got to have their picnic date.
6. Ben Linus – Michael Emerson is fantastic. When I first saw he was on Lost, I thought “it’s the guy from ‘The Practice’ whose head was in the freezer.” I went through a small period of time when I watched “The Practice.” There was a very interesting arc of six episodes where he played Williams Hinks. He was one of the creepiest people I’ve ever seen. All I will say is, at the end, somebody was paid to kill him and he ended up with his head in a freezer in someone’s kitchen. When I watched the movie “Saw” I thought to myself “there’s freezer head guy!” He was great in “Saw.” He’s so good at creepy. But what amazes me is that if you watch interviews with him, he’s so normal and likable. Doesn’t even seem like the same person. What a tremendous talent.
7. Boone and Shannon – I guess market surveys must have shown that people didn’t care for these characters because they were killed off during seasons 1 and 2, and both times it was rather abrupt. But that’s what made the show so good in season 1. All of a sudden Boone, a major character, was killed. You were always wondering who was next. Personally, I liked Boone and Shannon. I’m sad that they weren’t around longer.
8. I’ve been fairly disappointed with the final season. But there have been some fascinating episodes. I hope tonight answers a lot of questions. Like, what was the point of what happened to Sayid? Sayid was awesome! I didn’t like what happened to him this season at all. But, the episode when he killed people in the temple was probably the best episode of the show I’ve ever seen. Very entertaining. I can’t imagine that they can answer so many questions in the span of 2+ hours. I expected more out of the past two episodes. I really hope it doesn’t end up like a disappointing Stephen King movie. For example, the movie “The Tommyknockers” was one of the biggest disappointments of my life. The whole movie, people are compelled to start digging. Their teeth are falling out for unexplained reasons. The only person immune to this is Jimmy Smits. But he goes along with it and pretends to be one of them. At the end, you see that the digging has unearthed a big stupid spaceship and it flies away. Tell me, what’s the point? I wanted to know, among other things, why their teeth were falling out. And why was Jimmy Smits immune? And why was the spaceship buried in the first place? I sure hope the writers of “Lost” aren’t going to do this to me.
Anyway, those are my not-so-important opinions about “Lost.” Would love to hear your comments.
– Suzy
