A guy wakes up from an unconscious state. He's a bit battered and bruised but manages to slowly rise to his feet. He's in unfamiliar surroundings but it's a tropical forest or wood of some kind. An urge propels him forwards and he arrives on a beach to be confronted by the wreckage of a plane and the aftermath of the crash. People are running around hysterically. Being a doctor, Jack (for that is the man's name) runs around frantically helping the injured. Thus begins the 25 episode (Season 1) saga of the 48 survivors of the Oceanic Airline flight 815 from Sydney to Los Angeles.
I must confess resisting having anything to do with the Lost series at first, for a number of reasons: (1) The idea of having survivors stranded on a desert island just seemed lame not to say cliched and something that had been done to death in many various forms and guises already. (2) The premise seemed flawed and ridiculous: 48 survivors being stranded on a huge island and not being rescued just wouldn't happen in the 21st century. (3) The fact that the series was ridiculed for having its actors look like fully made-up models put me off.
However, after researching which TV series' from the last 15 years would make a good Top 20 list, not only did Lost crop up as a major contender but quite a few acquaintances were recommending it to me with hard-to-resist regularity. Furthermore, after perusing review sites and various forums and the like, many people were quite adamant that it was the best TV series to own on blu-ray (the beautiful Hawaiian backdrop being the main clincher here) so I took the plunge and purchased the entire 6-season blu-ray collection. Before we go any further, I have to say I was not disappointed with the fantastic picture quality and would definitely chime in with those who sing the praises of the blu-ray option. (At the time of writing, with the blu-ray boxed set coming in at just £60, as opposed to the £50 of the DVD boxed set, going blu-ray is a no-brainer.) But enough of the preamble. Is the show actually any good?
Well, all in all, I have to say that Lost ends up being a bit of a mixed bag. First off, though, I am happy to say that I was able to put all my prejudices to one side regarding the cliched and unlikely premise. Yes, the stranded on an island theme has been done to death since Robinson Crusoe and, yes, 21st century technology would have meant they'd be located and rescued within days - but all that becomes secondary and unimportant as we get pulled into the characters' histories and back-stories along with what on earth is going on, on the island. We are, in other words, fully able to suspend are disbelief and get fully involved with the story. Another way that Lost is able to do this is with its use of intense cliffhangers during, and at the end of, each episode. It is definitely one of those shows that will have you wondering how things "fit" and mulling over the significance of past events long after you've switched the TV off.
This high "tease-factor", then, is certainly one of the show's strengths but at times can be taken to extreme lengths when a very long period of time can pass without all the permutations behind certain dramatic events get resolved. Of course suspense is a good thing but for some viewers being kept in the dark for so long might prove a little frustrating and may even have you feeling a bit cheated.
The absurdity of not being rescued then, is obscured or hidden effectively by the intense adventures the survivors have on the island along with the flashbacks of the lives of 14 of the 48 survivors. All of the stories, of course, involve high drama with pretty much every dramatic scenario you can think of being covered (Spoiler alert): we have a fugitive on the run after murdering someone and robbing a bank; we have a con-man who, when a young boy, was in the house when his mother was murdered by her lover and in the same room when the murderer shot himself; we have a wheelchair bound guy who can miraculously walk after the crash; there's the doctor who ratted on his dad after he botched an operation while drunk; there is the cursed lottery winner whose numbers prove very significant; the Republican guard who falls in love with the woman he's supposed to torture; there are prophecies of doom involving an unborn child; drug abuse; a brother and sister falling in love with each other... and the list goes on. (End of spoiler alert)
The stories themselves do give the viewer a wider context of events and the show would certainly be dull without them (or would have to be less than half the length) but they do sometimes drag... and this brings me to my main criticism regarding the plot. The pacing of Lost can drag a little in parts; not only within the stories but also with events on the island as well - and I did find myself frustratingly uttering "just get on with it" on a few occasions. I inwardly groaned with the scenes involving the raft at the end (especially the tedious launch and setting off) which was obviously filler and bored me to tears. I'm happy to say though that, while sluggish on occasions, there was plenty to keep me thinking and it was not really a deal-breaker.
My other, minor, gripe would be with the way the characters would often be far too ready to jump to conclusions when things went wrong. A typical reaction, when anything untoward happened, would often be to apportion blame and to act aggressively and belligerently towards the assumed guilty party. This would obviously create conflict and animosity - an ingredient, of course, that a good drama should have - but it just seemed to be laid on far too thick and edging it too close to soap-opera territory for my liking. Some even ended up looking a bit out of character. (Spoiler alert) One stand-out example of this would be how John Locke is treated after carrying the fatally injured Boone back to camp after being barely able to walk himself. True, he does omit a slight detail when giving an account of how Boone sustained the injuries - but he did do everything he could to save Boone. For this, he's thoroughly despised by the usually logical-thinking Jack and almost killed by the thoroughly loathsome Shannon. (End of spoiler alert.)
The acting and the characters, like my overall impression of the show, were a mixed bag. It's probably best to do a run-down. My opinions are based on what I have seen of Season #1. (Images are from Wikipedia)...
Jack Shepherd is the doctor of the group and takes the role of the leader. He's a caring, likeable character and has everyone's best interest at heart. His acting style is agreeable and he does a good all-round job.
Kate is a very pro-active character who likes to get involved with all the goings-on. She has a dark past and is a very devious character. I don't really like her very much; she often puts on facial expressions that suggest she's caring and understanding but her flashbacks show that she is out to use people for her own personal interest and she has done nothing that warrants sympathy.
This is the alpha-male of the group who likes to show off his abs at any opportunity. The audience are obviously supposed to dislike this character because he loots from dead bodies, hoards and withholds vital supplies and is entirely motivated by self-interest. He's smug, smarmy and uncooperative. I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds his scowl annoying.
The enigmatic, intriguing and paradoxical John Locke is by far the most interesting character of the bunch. He is from a very humble background yet is transformed by the island into a hunting and tracking machine with the wisdom of Socrates to boot. His bass-like voice brings a calm and logic to the proceedings and I like the fact that he is a bit of an outsider doing his own thing. I like his acting also.
Being the scientist/technician of the group, Sayid has a prominent role to play. The problem is, I just find him as dull as dishwater. His flashbacks, involving his love for a captured enemy, were similarly dreary and I just don't think he brings much to the table. His voice is monotone and he has a boring emotionless face.
It's quite hard to dislike Charlie I suppose, the front-man of the group of the dubiously named Driveshaft, albeit with his penchant for heroin and brief dalliance into ripping off rich young ladies of their father's prized possessions. His obsession with protecting Claire is quite endearing and check out the intonation in his raised voice when he gets excited and emotional.
Although pregnant for most of Season 1 and conspicuous by her absence during her kidnapping, Claire seemed to be a sidelined character who didn't really do very much. Other than being "the pregnant and kidnapped one" there really isn't much else to say. Her flashbacks had intrigue for sure but a fortune-teller prophesying doom and gloom is a bit old-hat.
The lumbering Hurley is my favourite character of the show by far. How can you not get a kick out of that absurd haircut and chubby face? This guy supplies most of the comic relief in the season (I know - stereotype the fat guy) but his resigned looks and his exchanges with Leslie Arzt up at the black rock are classic, TV gold.
Michael and Walt are father and son but their relationship is under strain due to bonding issues as a result of being separated for some nine years. It's hard to sympathise with Michael at times because he treats his son harshly and is a bit dictatorial. Malcolm David Kelley does a sound job as the pushed-around kid.
With major issues, this brother and sister partnership is not what it seems on the surface. Boone is a bit too belligerent for my taste and a tad too model-like and posy but I like his loyalty to Locke while the very plain looking Shannon has to be the most loathsome individual on the island. Totally unlikeable.
This husband and wife couple are vaguely interesting but the lingering scenes they're involved in don't really do them any favours in making the audience warm to them in my opinion. Jin develops well as a character and starts to smile more as the season unfolds but Sun always seems to have a blank, serious expression making her a bit dull.
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As it stands, with its twists, turns and cliffhanger moments, I'll be looking forward to firing up Season #2 of Lost. However, I'll be hoping for less soap-opera type confrontations and less of the long and lingering sections that are filler and slow the pace down.
16
20 (VERY GOOD)
16
20 (VERY GOOD)
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