"Lost" had the scope, the power, and the ambition of the cinema

Although I have solely dedicated this blog to reviewing films and discussing films, I feel the urge to divert from the path I usually take and feed one of my obsessions: "Lost". With the show just ending merely a few days ago, I feel compelled to gather my thoughts and spread word about this epic show. Now, I must admit that up until two months ago, I hadn't watched "Lost" since season three. This absence from the show wasn't because of the show's quality. In actuality, I just never found the time to fit it in my busy schedule. But, just before season six started in February, I decided to put on my "ambition" hat and run through the series a few weeks before the season six premiere.

After watching the pilot episode, I was quickly reminded why I fell in love with the series in the first place: its scope and expertly crafted characters. With a lively opening sequence, one that details the moments after the crash of Oceanic Flight 815, "Lost" demonstrates early on how it's not afraid to have big sequences. From massive set pieces, consisting of torn plane remnants to a cavalcade of injured survivors, the show was willing and able to create scenes that you simply don't see on TV.



For as entertaining and jaw dropping these scenes tended to be, they were not the crux of the show. Instead, the show was almost always about these characters who fight each other, the elements, and the supernatural. Granted, the first four seasons were more character oriented than the final two seasons, but for almost all of the series, the writers (lead by exec. producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse) were  able to craft their characters with impeccable grace. As we learn from numerous, inventive narrative devices (flashbacks, flashforwards, and sideways), each character is crippled in some capacity by their flaws. For as constricting as their flaws can be, each character finds moments where they take strides towards redemption. Much like some of the characters you'll find in a Paul Thomas Anderson film (more specifically the likes of "Magnolia"), these characters have splashes of grey, as they search for a balance between their faults and humanity.  Certainly, for as many characters that are introduced in the show's existence, not every one is perfectly written, but all of the main character's arcs are achieved by the show's end.

For as good as the characters are, the actors are just as terrific. From Matthew Fox, as the faith stunted Dr. Jack Shepherd, to Terry O'Quinn as the jungle roaming John Locke, all of the actors bring a sense of gravity to these water locked characters. 



The two aformentioned actors are merely the beginning when it comes to good acting. In Michael Emerson, who plays the sinister Benjamin Linus (a character introduced in season two), you have an actor who does the impossible: he makes you love his devilish ways. But, no matter who I reference, you'd be hard-pressed to find a show, let alone a movie, that featured the kind of acting that "Lost" puts on screen. Despite the terrific performances and wonderful writing applied to the characters, it doesn't mean they're safe from an untimely death. All characters are fair game, and by character, I don't just mean secondary characters. Instead, I'm talking about  characters that you  come to love over the course of a season. Very few TV shows have had the gumption to take a risk as big as killing off a main character, but "Lost" is never afraid to take such a risk.  When a show can make it known that there is no such thing as a safe bet, it allows for the trajectory of the character to be far more palpable because we know their demise may be just around the corner. It's with this edge that "Lost" squeezes every ounce of drama from a scene.

This is all fine and dandy if you're one to put a lot of stock into character development and acting, but I know there are some people out there who may put more stock into what kind of twists and intrigue the plot can throw at them.  If you like suspense, "Lost" has a plethora of questions, mysteries, and cliffhangers that make the show extremely addicting. With that being said, I must offer a bit of a caveat to those who anticipate all of the answers to be explicitly stated: don't expect everything to work itself out. Yes, there are answers to some of the show's biggest questions, but what I find so admirable about "Lost" is it's willingness to let the audience determine the answers.  Whether it's from a theological or philosophical perspective, "Lost" drops enough hints or suggestions for the viewer to deduce their own theories as to what's really going on. In some respects, "Lost" is a Fellini or Charlie Kaufman film incarnated on TV, for it offers a heady, complex narrative that forces viewers to discuss an episode long after it's finished. It may not be as meta as the works of Fellini or Kaufman, but it's just as involving. And much like the work of a  Kaufman, a Fellini, or to a lesser extent Bergman, "Lost" has a handful of themes that run rampant through each episode. Thematically, the shows wrestles with the likes of faith vs. science, free will vs. destiny,  and redemption vs. damnation. Yes, "Lost" is the television rarity: a show thematically rich in what is often a wasteland of police procedurals and laugh-track comedies.

"Lost" is also a rarity in the sense that it boasts a terrific score from the always capable Michael Giacchino. Instead of resting his laurels on merely a theme song, Giacchino takes a film composer's mentality to the show and constructs themes that ever so slightly differ for each character. This certain auditory distinction, along with the creativity Giacchino demonstrates in his score ( the use of using actual set pieces comes to mind first), further exacerbates the massive scope the show possesses. Furthermore, Giacchino has a great grasp on placing the musical cues in their proper place. He has themes that will shake your heart with paranoia, and he has themes that will have your emotions swell simultaneously with those building up within the characters.



Simply put, he puts you in the moment, even if it's one of terrifying proportions. And I guess, with all things being considered, with monsters and mysteries aside, "Lost" is a show that puts you in the moment. It surrounds you with characters, that as far as I'm concerned, are living and breathing. They're just as fallible as we are and just as redeemable.  It would've been easy for "Lost" to have become a garden variety show with one dimensional characters and thin mysteries. Yet, it has taken a road less traveled, as it has become a dense show boiling over with creativity and ambition. Do all of the mysteries reveal themselves in the end? No, they don't, but the mysteries serve dual purposes: to grab the viewer's undivided attention and most importantly, to define and challenge the characters. It's not about what the mysteries are any more than what the mysteries do to the people involved. Nonetheless, the show possesses a power that will emotionally and intellectually stimulate you long after an episode ends. This is a feat television rarely captures. Namaste.