Lost Faith

I’m feeling a lot like Locke these days. Not the 17th century philosopher but the bald, boar-hunting Locke of Lost. Having discovered the hatch is just a pointless psychological experiment, the mystical Locke appears to have given up on the mysteries of the island.

I haven’t abandoned my faith yet, but it is wavering. The finale airs tonight and I hope to get some sign from above (I’m looking at you J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof) to justify my devotion, or at least to convince me that I’m not following a deranged cult that is making it up as they go along. I have defended Lost against those accusations before, but I find myself wondering if it isn’t true.

The runaway success of the show came as a surprise to the creators and now, due to the business models of network TV, the pressure is on to continue the show as long as possible and that means drawing out the storyline. To quote a recent Entertainment Weekly cover story: “(Executive producers) Lindelof and Cuse say that they would love to write the drama knowing that it has an end point, ideally about five seasons. But Cuse believes the show can survive on character-driven redemption tales for years…” They say they know they need to deliver the goods and here’s hoping. I can’t follow blindly for much longer.

My crisis does not come solely from the show, but also from my foray into the “Lost Experience.” I just finished reading Bad Twin, a mystery purportedly written by an author who disappeared on Oceanic Flight 815. The book was the first entry into the real world by the fictional world of Lost – a copy of the manuscript was found on the show and Jack grabbed it from Sawyer during a recent episode and threw the last few pages into the fire. I should have been so lucky. Anyone looking for clues to the mysteries of the island could make better use of their time watching each episode frame by frame for all it revealed. The Lost references were few and far between, with only two brief mentions of the Hanso Foundation, despite what a recent ad by the fictional creators of the Dharma Initiative alleges.

The book is a cliché-filled piece of crime fiction, littered with references to redemption, faith and fate and even the author’s name – Gary Troup – is an anagram for purgatory. Which is fine, except that the purgatory theory has been thoroughly debunked: “We have said it is not purgatory, but people don’t want to believe it… These human beings have hearts, and when those hearts stop beating, they are dead,” Lindelof told EW.

With yesterday's announcement of a Lost video game (can I play Charlie on a heroin high?) I worry that the story will get burried in an avalanche of marketing tie-ins. What ABC is trying to do to keep viewers engaged is laudable, but they are going to have to maintain the quality of the show if they hope to be successful.

For a list of Lost Experience sites and other tidbits, check out my friend Jen’s recap over at Dose. Speaking of which, I have another friend named Jen who’s twin Nikki Stafford is writing a guide book called Finding Lost that will be out in September. Which twin is the bad twin is not for me to say, but I have much higher expectations for her book than Gary Troup’s. She is interviewed about tonight’s finale over at Canoe.

8 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 25, 2006

    I watched the season finale and was left with even more questions than before. Sure, a few were answered, but those questions were answered in such a way the viewer (or maybe just me) was left saying "what??".. came here via BlogMad :)

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  2. AnonymousMay 26, 2006

    So how DID you like the finale? Your fans want to know!

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  3. AnonymousMay 26, 2006

    I have fans? Cool! I thought it was a good finale. Finding out Henry Gale was the leader of the Others - a la Kaiser Soze in The Usual Suspects - was a great moment. He really couldn't have been channeling Kevin Spacey any harder.

    I think the Walt question remains unresolved, so I can't imagine he and Michael will be sailing merrily off into the sunset, but how could they remain with the rest of castaways after what transpired.

    It was great to see the return of Desmond and find out his back story. Finally a strong connection to that damnable Bad Twin book. The father of Desmond's true love is named Clifford Widmore, and there is a Cliff Widmore in the book though they are clearly different characters. Looks like the Widmores are heavily involved in Hanso and Dharma.

    Speaking of twins, does Libby have one, or was she in the insane asylum and the one to give Desmond her boat? Also, people are looking very closely at one of the Russians at the end of the show and speculating that it is Matthew Fox, i.e. a Jack twin. Who knows?

    So are Locke and Ecko dead? Seems unlikely, but they can't have escaped the electromagnetic blast unscathed either.

    All and all I'm pleased, but I still worry about how long they can drag out the story without giving us some answers as to how they are all there on the island. Time will tell.

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  4. AnonymousMay 26, 2006

    Dude, you soooo owe me $20!!! Remember the bet we made a few weeks ago? I thought that Eko would come to represent faith and light and Locke would represent darkness and despair? Well pay up, buddy!

    (PS - I also want to pause briefly from gloating to say that I too thought the finale kicked ass. Even though a lot of things are still left in the air, I didn't feel completely set adrift, like after last year's season ender.)

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  5. AnonymousMay 26, 2006

    No way, Eko was never in the bet! It was about Jack or Locke turing evil or becoming the bad guy. We can continue to debate that one. Enjoy Shuffle and we'll argue soon.

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  6. AnonymousMay 28, 2006

    Have a look at my Lost quiz: (soon to be updated)

    CAN THE LOST BE FOUND?
    http://www.ashleylangford.com/archives/2006/04/lost_quiz.html

    ---
    http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/2006/05/24/1594697.html

    May 24, 2006
    TV writer decodes 'Lost' finale
    By London Free Press staff

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  7. AnonymousJune 02, 2006

    Wish I could agree with your thoughts on the finale. Once again - it raised more questions than it answered. It's not my faith - it's my patience that's being tested. Maybe I need a summer of reflecting and digesting - but it's getting all too convoluted.
    On another note - kudos for using 'milquetoast' in one of your recent posts. Do you get bonus points for incorporating strange terms?

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  8. AnonymousJune 06, 2006

    I gotta put the degree to work once and awhile. S-M-R-T

    ReplyDelete

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