Ten years later, season 1 of Lost is as good as if not better than I remembered.
Given it’s summer, I’m running short on quality TV shows to watch at the moment. Friends and family praise Falling Skies, but despite it featuring two awesome things: aliens and Noah Wyle, I couldn’t get into it. The final season of True Blood is back, but it’s not very good. I was left with a void. I can’t not be hooked on a TV show. Not having a programme to be addicted to makes me antsy. I don’t know why, but Lost popped into my mind. Unlike other shows I’ve enjoyed through the years like Roswell, Buffy, Dark Angel, ER, Friends and The X- Files, I only watched Lost once, week after week as each episode aired in Ireland, all the way back in 2004 when I was doing my Arts degree.
I wondered what I’d think of the first season a decade on, so I sat and watched all season one in a couple of weeks. Wow. I remember enjoying Lost (until it started to suck in the latter seasons), but the second time around it hit me what a unique, mysterious and entertaining show season 1 was filled with in-depth characters. I also realised I’ve grown up somewhat. Ten years ago, I fancied Sawyer like mad and didn’t think much of Jack. Give me the bad boy over the good (and who I considered to be bland) doctor any day on the island, is what my younger self though. Now it’s Jack I’m rooting for.
Photo from IMDB
Photo from IMDB
I enjoyed the flashbacks. Each episode focused on one character’s background, carefully revealing snippets of Kate’s, Hurley’s, Sayid’s, Claire’s, Charlie’s, Sun’s past etc. Hurley’s numbers were intriguing, why did the Others kidnap Claire, why were there Polar Bears on the island… All that combined with the interesting dilemma of how to survive on an island cut off from the outside world kept me glued to the screen.
I know things went downhill later. I think the beginning of the end of my love for Lost started with the flash forwards. And then came the flash sideways! Even writing those words makes my blood start to boil. Why the writers felt the need to use them is beyond me. Even one of the creators, JJ Abrams jumped ship long before the end. Not a good sign really when an important person behind the show exits early.
***
For those of you who watched Lost, did you stick with it till the end, do you think the writers were just making it all up as they went along, did you love or loathe the finale?
***
Emma's Ramblings on Supernatural Fiction 
Well, well! There’s a blast from the past!! Yes, I loved that first season until it all went crazy and the script writers lost their way giving us an ending so many could see from the very beginning. It was all such a great pity, I loved the references strewn all over, especially our very own Flann O’Brien. Since then many of my friends have been wary of getting sucked into other series, however of late it’s as if the makers have learned lessons, Breaking Bad was deemed by many to have a completely non-disappointing ending, for example. The first of the terrible endings to great series I remember was an absolute classic, Twin Peaks, I even looked at some of it again lately,damn! When it was good it was great.
Sawyer, how can I put this, in the game of who would I like to have been (there you are! Men do that too!) I was and am totally Sawyer! No idea what that says! Arrested development probably, never mind, great telly is worthwhile, currently catching up on Game of Thrones and determined to go back to Under the Dome and see what happened there.
Oh, to actually answer your question, yep, I stayed with Lost all the way to the bitter end.
I love to see comments like these. Yep, the ending was purgatory, but at least we definitely were told that everything on the island actually happened, that they didn’t die in the initial crash. I’m noticing more references this time round, the advantage of aging ten years I suppose. 🙂 I have never seen Twin Peaks, but looking at all the comments here, I fully intend to. That will be my next boxset binge.
Ha ha, so you’re Sawyer all the way. I like that.
I’ve given up on Under the Dome. I watched the first episode of the new series on RTE a few weeks ago and that was it for me.
Thanks, Kevin.
I was one of those who jumped ship before it was over. I watched the first two seasons and lasted about halfway through season three. It was so fresh and unique at the beginning,then it just got . . . old. Or something. It fizzled.
Interesting that Kevin mentioned Twin Peaks. That was one I stuck with until the end. So brilliant in the beginning and then — major disappointment. It’s even worse when a series is cancelled before it can wrap all its plot threads and fans are left disappointed.
Nice to know that first season of Lost still sparkles.
Hi Mae, I am so late replying to these comments; my apologies.
You were better off to jump ship, though I’m sure I skimmed a lot towards the end myself. The only thing I know about Twin Peaks (and I’m not 100% sure) is that David Duchovny from The X-Files was in it – I think. 🙂
I really enjoy Falling Skies! It’s a shame you couldn’t get into it. I too have been struggling to find any good TV this summer. Have you tried The 100? It has potential (the writing is a bit iffy in places) but it’s just about tiding me over until my other shows return. But if you find any decent ones let me know, I’m in dire need.
With Lost, I remember liking Jack in the first series or so and then going off his arrogant butt in a BIG way. I think the writers totally ruined him. He became less and less likable as the series went on, and Sawyer got hotter and hotter, phwoaar. It’s a shame this series went down hill because as you say season 1 was amazing. I’d quite like to re-watch Lost at some point, when the finer details have faded from my memory.
Hey, Becky. My dad loves Falling Skies. He’s glued to it at the moment. I like The 100, especially the lovely Grounder guy, yummy! I’m actually watching Party of Five at the moment. Hard to believe it started all the way back in 1994 – I’m showing my age.
Jack is great in season 1 and 2, then season 3 not so much, and pretty much painful from season 4 “we have to go back” onwards. Sawyer grew up a lot when he and Juliet were together.
I never watched LOST, but my son recently did. I sat down and watched part of an episode where time was skipping all over the place, and I thought, There is no way I can get into this. So I walked away. So far The Strain has been a nice watch (only 4 episodes in). Orphan Black is cramazing. And I just started watching Breaking Bad. Someday I’ll start watching Buffy, someday.
Wow. You are one of the few people I know who didn’t watch it. Yeah, I’m still not sure the writers didn’t mess up on the time travel aspect. I haven’t heard of The Strain, but Orphan Black has been on my radar for a while. Must give it a go if you think it’s cramazing.
If you do watch Buffy, don’t think too much about how dated the first season looks. I watch it fondly myself.
My husband was really into this show. I think I remember him saying the ending was stupid, but I’m not absolutely sure. I watched it in bits and pieces while he had it on, just enough to know who was who.
With everyone mentioning Twin Peaks, I need to get my DVDs out and watch it again. I bought it a couple of years ago, watched several episodes, then got distracted. I’ll never figure out where I was, so I guess I should just start over. LOL
I don’t remember much about the ending except they all met up in a church and they were dead. Hmm. I wonder how I’ll find it watching the second time around.
I’ll start Twin Peaks with you.
I think the great thing about the first season is that they were just trying to get enough viewers to get a second season. It meant the quality was great and they could set up loads of really interesting questions. It was the second season where it started going downhill because they knew they could string viewers along without much story happening
They did set up a lot of interesting questions, most of which we never got a proper answer to. I still want to know why The Others truly believed they were good and taking a child right off a raft from his dad was perfectly okay without an explanation.
Also what the hell happened to Walter? Did a polar bear get him? And why were there polar bears there?……..
I could keep going!
I think I watched the first half of the first season and then I gave up! I watched the very last episode then and I’m glad I didn’t watch it all. Did the real fans not feel disappointed by its ending??
Go back and watch season 1 to the end, Laura. It’s great. Season 2 and 3 were also good, but it started to slip (in my opinion anyway) in season 4 with the flash forwards. The ending really divided fans.
I LOVE Lost. Definitely choosing it for my next binge-watch re-watch. Team Charlie Forever! 😀
I know you love Lost, Kim. 🙂 Poor Charlie. He died to save Claire and Aaron and then Claire ended up getting left behind. 😦
I never watched Lost and never felt like I should. Nobody I know ever raved about it. However, as Twin Peaks was mentioned, that I did watch and loved. But to have it just end as it did was quite deflating and annoying, which made me angry, lol. Sure you’ll enjoy it, too, Emma. 🙂 As for True Blood, I haven’t watched past the second season, but then I remember what you once wrote in a post and am still in two minds about it! :p
I only watch True Blood now for the sake of it. I can’t walk away from series that I started out loving, but it hasn’t been all that great the past few seasons. Yep, I am going to hunt around for Twin Peaks. Next time I’m at a car boot sale, I’ll keep an eye out for a boxset. I’ll just have to keep in mind that you and others weren’t too pleased by the ending.
I never watched past the second episode of LOST for some reason. My mum loved it but ending drove her nuts. 🙂 I did watch Twin Peaks, which was so odd and Lost has been compared to it for the sheer level of weirdness. I can imagine TP’s aged a lot now though. I’m enjoying The Leftovers, Extant, The Outlander, The Strain, and lots more I can’t recall the title to, at the moment. Al worth a look. 🙂
Have a great weekend Emma.
shahwharton.com
Hey, Shah. Apologies for the late reply. Note to self: keep up to date with this blog.
I think a lot of Lost fans were like your mum after watching the finale. I wasn’t a huge fan at that point, so I don’t think I was quite as annoyed as some. Almost everyone who has commented on this post has mentioned Twin Peaks. I know the name, but can’t remember it ever being on the television.
I caught the first episode of the The Strain last week and it looks promising.
Even one of the creators, JJ Abrams jumped ship long before the end. Not a good sign really when an important person behind the show exits early.
J.J. Abrams jumped ship not long after he had directed the pilot episode. He does this with every television show that he co-creates, because he wants to direct more of his energies in making films. The problem is that aside from “Super 8” and “Mission Impossible 3”, most of his films are either mediocre or terrible.
After Season One, I’ve always felt that “LOST” fluctuated between the good and the bad. It was never that consistent in quality, except for Seasons One and Five (ironically).