Nerve Endings Firing Away

[image source] Currently we are hooked to the TV series, LOST. It is telecast on ABC on Tuesdays and has given us an alternative to the now-crappy American Idol. For those unaware, it is based on a motley crew of characters that crash land on an island and their pursuit of trying to get off the island while trying hard to understand the mysteries of the island. It is much more than the castaway survivor drama and involves deep layers of mystery that gradually get unravelled with each passing episode. Flashbacks, flash-forwards, and even alternate reality timeframes help us understand the personality and backgrounds of each character on the island. When you think you have figured it all out is when you will be cast a googly that throws out all your theories.

It is one of the rare network American TV shows that has an long-arc narrative storyline as opposed to episodic plots. Thankfully, it was popular and survived being cancelled halfway through (ardent fans wouldn’t have forgiven ABC). You cannot start the series midway and hope to catch up because you would have missed subtle hints and tiny plots that make up the big picture of Lost. We had started watching it via Netflix (all season are available on Instant Streaming as well as on Hulu) after hearing rave reviews. Season Three turned out to be a slow and meandering and hence we had almost given up. The buzz for the final season that is currently playing helped us run through Season 4 & 5 in less than two weeks thanks to marathon viewing sessions of 7-8 episodes in one sitting on the weekends.

If you are a ‘Lostie’, you are probably aware of Lostopedia, the wiki for Lost fans where rumors, conspiracy theories, and character updates are fervently discussed. Season 6 of which yesterday’s episode was our first live one is keeping up the pace and interest alive while building up to the series finale. In fact, it felt strange not to be able to hit ‘Next’ to see the next episode. I would hate to discuss much in fear of giving out too many spoilers for those who haven’t yet seen it and want to. In fact, in case of Lost, any mention of any character or story arc is technically a spoiler. So if you are not a ‘candidate’ for a Lost viewing, the Smoke Monster will probably get you someday ;)