LOST

A month or so ago, a friend of mine passed along to me the first two seasons of LOST. I had heard a good deal of positive things about the series from some friends, but I remained skeptical. I’ve become somewhat disillusioned with the quality of television dramas (and with television shows in general) and I thought it unlikely that I would be taken in by what I presumed was an overly hyped show. And the whole premise of LOST seemed somewhat contrived, like a Gilligan’s Island for the 21st century: some people get stranded on an island and have to survive…very original. But I decided to give it a go and watch just the first episode to get a taste for it and perhaps, I thought, just perhaps if I needed a break from my studies, I would watch another here and another there. Well, about six hours later, I finished watching almost the entire first season. I guess it’s fair to say that I am hooked.

By now, I’ve watched the first two seasons and am anxiously looking forward to viewing the third when I get home. What makes this show so unique? Well, I think that the character development cannot be described in terms other than brilliant. The writers for the show are truly fantastic. Each person is studied inside and out, as his or her past is thoroughly delved into and weaknesses and strengths are delicately exposed. Once on the island, it’s hard to tell who the main character is, since everyone’s personal history is covered so carefully. The viewer really feels like he knows each person. Another element of the show’s success, I believe, is that despite the occasional need for suspending disbelieve (for example, Jack using a sea urchin’s spine to perform an unsuccessful blood transfusion, although maybe that’s why it was unsuccessful), the show is, at its core, very real. Each person wrestles mightily with, and tries to overcome, his or her personal demons. Whether it’s Charlie’s drug abuse, Kate’s criminal past, or Jack’s failed marriage and subsequent struggles reconciling with his father, each person is facing a particular trial and for the most part, is trying to do the right thing.

Stranded on the island, everyone is forced to recognize, and be guided by, a primal awareness of basic right and wrong, and interdependence. It’s emphatically not an “every man for himself” or “survival of the fittest” message. In fact, whenever a character selfishly pursues such a path, disaster follows. Faith and religion are not slighted in the show either. It’s hard these days to find faith, Christianity in particular, taken seriously by the entertainment industry or portrayed as something of import beyond just the sentimental. But LOST seems to understand and respect the simple truth that faith plays a central role in many people’s ordinary, albeit flawed and troubled lives. And as random as the circumstances in which the characters find themselves may seem, most believe, or come to believe, that they are there for a reason. Fate, some might call it Providence, has brought them together and now they have to deal with it; there’s no escaping it.

LOST is certainly worth checking out.