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LOST returns to the airwaves Thursday. This would excite me anyday, but it’s particularly exciting due to the writer’s strike keeping my TV almost entirely off for the last few months. In honor of something to look forward to, here are 5 reasons it remains strangely, often infuriatingly, the most exciting show not on HBO.
5) Anyone can die at any time. Charlie was the last one to bite it and, OK, that was a long time coming, what with Desmond the psychic telling him he was going to die weeks before. The same season, though, also brought the shocking and, OK, somewhat unsatisfying death of Mr. Eko from aggressive smoke. Unlike most other shows, when the characters are in danger, they are actually in danger, meaning that when it sounded like Jin, Bernard and Sayid had been shot in the finale, so long ago, it was completely feasible that they would actually be dead.
4) The separation of exposition and plot. The basic setup of the show, one character’s flashback intercut between plot momentum (if that’s the right word), creates additional dimensions for each character without getting in the way of the action. A minor character like Rose is rarely on the show, but the viewer knows her well due to her flashback episode, which also pushed the “healing powers of the island” story forward.
3) Moral ambiguity. Two great characters, John Locke and Juliet, regularly straddle the line between good intentions and bad. Lovable Locke murdered Naomi, for crying out loud! The woman who fell out of the sky to save them! Jack and Kate regularly make bad, selfish decisions. Michael pushed the idea of doing anything to reunite with his son in scary, murderous directions.
2) The writers may have no idea what they’re doing (although they claim to.) This weird, chaotic aspect is a big part of what lends the show it’s messy charm. As on The Sopranos before it, plot questions can come up never to be talked about again. If I never find out what’s up with Jacob, I’ll always remember that bizarre haunted shack. LOST is something to watch and absorb, like Gilligan’s Mulholland Dr. Something cool will happen and you probably shouldn’t think too hard about it. (Even if tons do.)
1) Talking about LOST makes you say the strangest things. A pre-return, finale rescreening party included “They need to go underwater to unjam the signal so they can use the phone from the woman who fell from the sky. Remember?” and "She loves Jack but she had sex with Sawyer. When they were in that cage." and other such gems.