LOST - The Complete First Season [2005]

I started watching the second season on LOST on TV a longer time ago but realized soon that in order to keep track and fully appreciate the show, it seemed better to postpone any further LOST watching until Season One and Two became available on Blu-ray (i.e. HD) and watch the show in chronological order (a wise decision as it has turned out to be).This is a unique, mesmerizing TV show with a special appeal to adult (i.e. mid-life) audiences, which among others draws inspiration from works like MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, SURVIVOR (the US reality TV show), THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, THE PRISONER, various works of Stephen King and elements and clues that are reminiscent of better video games.That LOST's main creators, J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, picked supporting actors from the BABYLON 5 universe, MATRIX:RELOADED and LORD OF THE RINGS, suggested to me on a subconscious level to have faith in this TV show, which has not been disappointed. On the contrary my early expectations in regard to LOST exceeded far beyond what I thought I could possibly expect.LOST achieves the seemingly impossible task of combining gritty reality with enchanting mystery. Just as in real-life and with friends and people we come to meet, we get to learn more and more about the characters through the means of flashbacks which eventually either turns us away from a character or establishes a bond through sympathy. Sensitive audiences may have difficulties with various scenes, especially during the first two seasons, but I felt it to be obvious that these were not intended to attract audiences hungry for blood and gore but to add to the realism (my wife had a hard time with the graphic, medical surgeries - especially in the pilot episodes - but I told her she should consider it a desensitization attempt of her fears, enabling her to provide first aid after a traffic accident...).And instead of graphically showing the dangers and 'monsters' of the island of LOST, the creators cleverly opted to address the spectators' own imagination instead (as it usually turns out to be more frightening what we do NOT see).The characters are three-dimensional, the (final) choice of actors is excellent and dialogues range from very good to simply outstanding. If there was any complaint I were asked to mention, it would be that I felt the romance triangle between Jack, Kate and Sawyer at times to be rather immature and not totally convincing (just my two pennies). On the other hand LOST takes a firm stand against racial prejudice, with the Iraqi character of Sayid Jarrah beeing portrayed as one of the most common-sense, repentant survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 (my wife is of Christian Arab origin, she was positively shocked, because that was the last thing she would have expected from an American TV show). Through the Korean couple Sun-Hwa Kwon and her husband Jin-Soo Kwon, LOST also provides us with insights into Asian culture.While the aforementioned elements contribute to make LOST a unique, interesting and entertaining TV show, I feel the most remarkable and outstanding characteristic is the enormous range and diversity in the way the show explores ethical, philosophical and spiritual issues (with my personal highlight being a witty, verbal punch John - faith - delivers in a short dialogue with Jack - science - in the last episode of Season One).It seems some audiences have criticized LOST for the amount of 'puzzle pieces' the creators add on a regular basis while still being in the process of putting he early 'puzzle pieces' together, thus creating confusion and disorientation. Having now watched Seasons One through Three (given the current lack for the third season on Blu-ray in the UK, we switched to DVD rentals) in a moderate 'marathon', my wife and I can't share this criticism.On the contrary I hope that J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof will resist the urge to put the entire puzzle together because that'll be be like putting a lid on the show which might be counter-productive to LOST becoming a timeless cult classic (in my humble opinion some loose ends will rather serve to keep audiences busy to continue using their own imagination and interpretation as it is and has been with Patrick McGoohan's THE PRISONER).However, my wife found those LOST episodes confusing, that entered the realm of THE TWILIGHT ZONE where all of us were invited to deal with different scenarios of what this was all about (Hurley, Desmond and at the end of the third season Naomi, making a stirring claim which didn't seem improbable, given previous events and hints...). Ever since TOTAL RECALL and THE MATRIX, I, on the other hand, have cherished such an occasional "mindf..." and felt these episodes rather to be contributing to the diversity of LOST, than being a distraction.Looking forward to the second part of the story of LOST (i.e. Season Four through Six), I feel it is safe to suggest that among the "100 things to do before you die" watching this TV show ranks among the top spots. This show is asking important questions - and invites each and everyone of us to answer these questions in regard to our own, individual personal lifes. This not just another TV show, it is a profound experience.

On Channel 4 one day, I saw an advert. Lots of people screaming amidst a crashed plane, it almost looked like a reality TV programme until I saw Merry Brandybuck, Link and Gavin (From Angel). I thought that this might not be a bad film; 'When's it out?' but then it said 'starts'. 'This is a telly series that looks this good?' Wow!I sat down and watched the first episode and double wow! I entered into this not having a clue as to who the characters were; but so do the characters. All throughout the hustle bustle of the first episode, you could see Jack trying to help people he didn't know and other unknown people helping him. It's a wonderful tale of how the goodness of humanity can help others at great need.Once the first day is over you get a survival tale, 'We're stuck here, we must either wait for help or deal with it' Some people opt for the former and others for the latter. The majority deal with it and try to go into the heart of the island to send an SOS signal. This is where the real fun begins!There's an unknown creature lurking in the forest, a french woman who's been on the island for 16 years and a polar bear!When it's clear that nobody's coming to rescue them, they try adapting to their society; they already have a doctor, they apoint a hunter, fisherman, gardener, they even gain a recreation field in the form of a golf course built by Hurley.On top of all this, we learn the backgrounds of the main characters, in the form of flashbacks interwoven into the main plot. This can be the show's weakest point though. While it's interesting to find out about a character, it can be frustrating if the flashbacks don't really reveal anything; at this point they become filler so they can finish the episode on that week's cliffhnger and you really want to get on with the here and now.Many episodes (increasingly more in the second half) have cliffhangers and with these you really really want to watch the next episode. The only thing is it won't be in the next episode, perhaps not even the one after that. In some cases you even forget one cliffhanger when it comes right back to you. In this way, you are always wanting to know when the cliffhanger is going to be resolved and the tension keeps building.By the way, the best cliffhanger that makes you say 'I can't wait' is actually the last shot of the season. They really know how to make you want more.Overall a brilliant american series and the first that I have watched on a regular basis since Buffy and Angel and it does fill the void that has existed for the past few years.