Bryan Joiner

I’ve had a topsy-turvy relationship with Lost over the years that has finally settled on “topsy.” (That’s the good one, I think.) I’m now a dedicated fan of the show, but it took some convincing. I watched the pilot and a lot of season one, but in season two and the beginning of season three I was put off by the sudden influx of supplies the castaways came across. When the show wasn’t about survival, I was thrown for a loop. I also thought the non-stop references to philosophy and literature (Locke, Rousseau, Sawyer, etc.) were cloying, whereas now I just find them amusing. Nonetheless, I still made a point to watch all the season three episodes before last year’s ill-considered three-month hiatus, at which point I gave up for good. Or so I thought.

Let me just say this, before I go on: I work with a bunch of Lost fans, and they all supported my decision. Not much had happened in the third season, and between the often glacial pace of the show and my haphazard watching schedule, they said they couldn’t blame me for bailing. Even when the show came back on last spring, they were furious at the addition of Paolo and Nikki, two model-looking “new” castaways who were promptly buried alive. When I heard about this episode, I figured I had made the right choice.

We all know what happened: I made the wrong choice. I’ve since caught up, and there’s little I can say about the show other than, for anyone who’s even half-followed it, it’s appointment television until it goes off the air, and its finale will probably have M.A.S.H.-like numbers. (That was 25 years ago and it’s still the top-viewed show ever). But last spring, the same people who were complaining about the show absolutely killed me for stopping, after the season finale. “You’re an idiot,” “What were you thinking?” etc. It was absurd, and I told them so, and they didn’t listen.

I’m not trying to paint all Lost fans into a corner here, but the reason I bring it up is that today, the same people were carping about how “they can’t introduce new characters now,” “I don’t see how they’re going to do anything in 8 episodes,” and the like. Nevermind that the only meaty part of last year were the final 8 episodes, they’ve had this discussion before. At what point will they realize that the show just doesn’t disappoint? Just sit back and enjoy it, everyone: it’s one of the best shows ever.