Invalid characterset or character set not supported Is "LOST" completely lost?





Is "LOST" completely lost?
March 30, 2007

In the fall of 2004, ABC premiered one of the greatest shows ever created. On March 28, 2007, they nearly ruined it. When I say "they," I mean everyone involved -- the network AND the writers.

To understand my pain, let's take a moment to examine TV sitcoms. Every year, the popular sitcoms (let's use Friends as an example) have a clip show that attemps to intertwine new footage with scenes from the past. In a comedy, this sort of thing is to be expected. And for the most part, Friends did it very effectively.

Lost, on the other hand, is a drama and should never attempt to produce a clip show. But that's exactly what they did this week, producing an episode that has caused me to cry, "another hour of my life I'll never get back."

The episode focused on Paulo and Nikki. Confused? Me too. See, these newbie island dwellers are so new that the show's creators had to re-shoot and re-edit old scenes to make Paulo and Nikki appear to have been there all along.

They were not there when the plane crashed. They were not there at the airport. They were not anywhere to be found until 2005, when the writers thought, "Gosh man, this writing stuff is really tough. How are we going to keep this thing going?" Then some genius (and when I say "genius," I mean "unfathomable idiot") walked in and said, "Let's add more characters!"

They can't be other Others, oh no. There must be additional passengers.

The storyline was constructed so badly that, in an episode leading up to Paulo and Nikki's tale, Sawyer was heard asking where they came from.

Don't be fooled -- this was not a cool trick to try to include another Ethan-type character. But the writers, in their typical "We gotta stretch the storyline" antics, did not know how to introduce the new characters. Apparently they thought it would be interesting if Sawyer, who has been on the island from day one and made a point of knowing everyone, somehow missed Paulo's presence.

Really though, a con man of his stature would not be so clueless.

And that's just the lead-in. The episode itself consistd of several sleep-inducing scenes that recapped what we already know. They brought Boone and Shannon back for another airport argument scene. They showed the crash again -- because, you know, we haven't seen that enough. They also developed this crazy story that revealed Nikki to be an actress, Paulo to be a chef, and both to be murderers. Bored yet? I am.

The episode starts with their deaths, one of the few good things about the episode. At least now it's unlikely that we'll see them again. They certainly aren't worth another flashback.

How'd they die? They didn't...until they were buried. Nikki, with her expert knowledge of spiders, threw one at Paulo (who she was mad at for keeping diamonds from her -- how very soap opera of the show). The spider paralyzed him. Then one crawled up and bit Nikki, paralyzing her. Hurley and co. found the bodies, thought they were dead, and buried them. Haha -- buried alive! Serves 'em right for killing an innocent TV producer.

They also made a point of using this episode to tell Sun that Charlie and Sawyer were behind her attack during season 2. (Hey Paul, if you're listening, you owe me a coke. I told you they'd go back to that storyline!)

Though I'm glad it finally happened, it really felt out of place, much like everything else in the episode.

Am I done? No, but I'll shut up now. Lost has been a brilliant and awe-inspiring show, which is why I am so infuriated when it is anything less.

How does this relate to video games, you ask?

As we speak, Ubisoft and a developer (whose name escapes me) are in the process of creating a game based on Lost.

Now I ask you: if the writers can't produce 23 good episodes each season, why should we believe that they have the chops to produce an intelligent, thought-provoking game?

Feedback
pup pup - March 30, 2007 (10:06 AM)
I gave up on Lost after watching the first season, and then having absolutely no clue as to what was happeing. The thing is, I don't think the writers have any clue either. I sincerely believe that they spent the first 1.5 seasons tacking on mystery after mystery in hopes that the show would be a hit. Now that it is, they have no idea how to tie all of it together.

Lost is one of those shows that needs to end as soon as possible or it will run itself into the ground. It used to be that every one of my friends and I watched Lost. Presently, none of us follow it. We got fed up with watching and feeling like we weren't getting anywhere.

As for the game, I'm guessing it'll be something like "An exciting adventure game featuring unique elements of action, stealth, and puzzle-solving as you unlock the mysteries of the island." Maybe we'll get some fun mini-games in which Sayir has to make technological wonders out of coconuts, or Hurley has to stuff himself from his stash of stolen food. In any case, $10 bucks says the game will take you further than before into the secrets of the island (a.k.a. fill in the show's plotholes).

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