'Lost'

[Julia Thompson]

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008, Ronn! Blankenship wrote:

> One thing not unique to that show is that most viewers will not
> appreciate it when things happen which may be subplots or may be
> integral to the main plot but because it's an open-ended series
> rather than something like a mini-series or even a series like "24"
> where you know everything of significance has to come together by a
> certain date when the concluding episode of the mini-series or the
> season will air.  Except to geeks who get caught up in the show and
> discuss it endlessly on the Internet (:P), having something
> interesting happen in one episode that is never referred to again
> until sometime the next season is frustrating, as is having an
> important part of this season's plotline depend on some obscure point
> from an episode which aired months ago or even in a previous season
> which you may have missed or if you saw the past episode don't recall
> that point.  And as some of my posts to this list over the year may
> have indicated, I have an above-average memory for insignificant
> details about things I read, viewed, or experienced years or decades
> ago.  Unless it is mighty compelling, however, I don't want to be
> forced to constantly trying to remember such things in order to
> understand what is going on in a TV show that airs once a week (and
> frequently not that often):  I get enough of needing to remember
> details from months, years, or decades ago because they relate to
> something I am doing now in real life.  When I want to be
> entertained, I prefer entertainment I can take or leave, rather than
> have to work at and constantly be wondering if this particular plot
> point is going nowhere or if I'm going to need to recall it in detail
> over a year from now.  Also, I tire of constant flashbacks,
> particularly if they don't serve to illuminate something specific but
> again you are supposed to guess what character flaw is being
> illustrated in one of the characters that will turn out to be
> important in some future episode.

Wait until seasons 1-4 are all out on DVD, then rent them and watch 4 to 8 
episodes a week.  Then you don't have to remember piddly details for 
months, just for a few weeks.  :)

(Dan is renting Lost from Netflix now.  The whole "monster cam" thing is 
really old, just after the pilot and 1 regular eposide, apparently.)

 	Julia