TVSquad

I love your comment about Lost losing some of its gravitas. I was trying to put my finger on similar feelings. That said, I think the second season has suffered from the writer's need to extend the series from a 2-3 year story arc, to an ever expanding story arc (as commanded by ABC executives). So characters like Mr. Eko, who wouldn't probably have had a whole episode devoted to him, become more prominent. Heck, looks like even Libby (Hurley's Hottie) will get an episode. There is still plenty going on in the 'character development flashback track', but not much on the Island.

The gravitas in Season one was trying to figure out/get off the island. The raft story line was great, Rousseau/Ethan were great story lines. Season two's gravitas, a 'war with the others', has just been introduced 12 episodes into the season. (aside: The Hatch was supposed to provide some gravitas in season two, but the writers succumbed to audience pressures and revealed it early.)

I hope the pace of the island storyline will pick up soon or LOST will lose its fans.

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Note that BSG's original season was only 13 eps (though you could add the miniseries).

Lost's season 1 had some issues too towards the middle and was becoming too mystery-involved (Black Rock?), but was able to rebound.

It does seem that they are going back towards the terror (Charlie being more of an outcast, the Others being back).

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Well, I don't know about BSG, but one reason I love 24 is the fact that, however complex, the story wraps up in the season finale, if not before. Lost seems to be taking the Lord of the Rings approach, you know, giving you a little more each year, and wrapping it up...eventually.

Lost is just entertainment for me now, where I am fascinated by 24 and The Shield. I mean, I read the posts here, and I don't bother sharing much because it's just getting too complex. The stuff I was reading today [2009?] was so out there that I closed my browser and went back to work [Now that's frustrated].

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I saw The 23rd Psalm twice and liked it better the second time. With LOST, 2 people can watch the same show and see 2 different shows. Some people are looking for answers to island mysteries and others are moved by the characters and their stories. In my case, I can watch the same show twice and see it differently the second time. I've never been disappointed.

Favorite line from "The 23rd Psalm"

Charlie (to Eko): I find it a bit odd that your scripture stick has dried blood on it!

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I'm feeling a little burnt out on LOST as well for the same reasons. I'm not as far gone though, a couple of good episodes could win me back no problem, and I have a feeling it's going to happen.

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My two favorite shows on right now are Lost and BSG. I like them both not for the overall story arcs, but for the characterizations. if you are just watching Lost for the mystery to unfold, it's no wonder you don't like it. The numbers, the monster, the hatch--those are all just catalysts for the exploration of the broken people stranded on the island. Personal stories are fastpaaced, thrill a minute extravaganzes like 24.

I like BSG because because I can't decide who's right--the humans or the Cylons. I like Lost because most of the characters seem irredeemable, yet i expect them to be. Appreciate the themes of the two shows for what they are.

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Lost jumped the shark at the start of season 2 - the hatch. My tivo's power was unplugged by my cats last week. I didn't get Lost or The Office. I downloaded The Office from iTunes. As for Lost, I didn't care. I've removed it from my season pass manager.

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I kinda of agree that Lost is trapped by it own success. People love the show because of the mystery. However, the same mystery drags when they close one door to open into a hallway.

For all your talk of how the shows "picks up" midseason which is now, remember that the finale was the biggest letdown of last season. I think this year's finale will be much bigger. I don't know if this is a show that people will be able to drift from and come back a season or two later.

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"The show is mired in its own preciousness."

That's a great summation for how I feel about the show. And the limiting part of the island is made more obvious by the fact that the writers leave the characters on the beach instead of inside with showers, toilets, water, etc. Totally ridiculous. It's like they can't imagine not being able to show the ocean shots, so they can't move them inland.

I completely reject the notion that it's a good character show either. The characters are far, far, far from believable.

Some obvious reasons-- Hurley wanting to dynamite the food pantry, Mike and Locke using a gallon of ranch for target practice, Eko burning the plane with the radio in it, and tClaire with the newborn baby sleeping on the beach exposed to kidnappers, bears, boars, monsters, mosquitoes, rats, and whatever else is out there. Their behavior is on par with characters in a bad horror movie.

That being said, I have still been watching, which doesn't say much for my judgment or willpower.

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I agree with every single point in this post, which is rare when 3 shows are reviewed let alone 1.

BSG has been consistently damned good, and while I can't speak for 24 (never really got into it, yet understand where you're coming from), Lost is just getting lost on me.

Sometimes it feels like they just throw out 2 times more questions than you're given answers, and you're forced to suffer through some ridiculous "moral of the week" sermon that explains why one character is being a cunt or making a good decision.

If Lost doesn't start picking up the pieces its dropping, I'm going to start walking away, as will a few others.

In fact, Lost and 24 aside, I won't be surprised at all if BSG slows down a little. I'm very surprised it's stayed this good since it started.

The only other show I think that sustained it's momentum like that was Carnivale. Sadly, HBO nixed it after abandoning it (marketing wise) like UPN did Voyager and Enterprise.

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aw jeez, here comes more overuse of the word "gravitas." please stop!!

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Mystery may have moved season one along, but I'm glad that it's taking a back seat to character development and plot intricacies this season. For example, I loved that the first three episodes of the season all examined the same little bit of time, going back and filling in more detail with each episode. I thought that was excellent. Further, Lost does something that few television series can do well. They give us the Why (which I'll grant you The Shield does well, too). I love understanding just a little bit more about why a character behaved or is behaving the way he/she does each week. That's the stuff of literature, not television. As long as Lost doesn't get too ridiculous (the black horse) then I'll be there with it.

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i agree that the last couple episodes of lost have lost some luster - but i disagree that it's specifically because of pacing. i think the -pace- is just fine, but it only works when the flashbacks are as engaging as the main story. the last two episodes contained flashbacks that were either peripheral (eko) or a rehash of what we already knew (jack needs to fix things). all it will take to get me back is the introduction of tantalizing new information - information that ties back to the beginning in clever ways, but also opens the door to further exploration. i would just really hate to see this go the way of twin peaks - a well drawn construct that eventually just becomes weird for weirdness' sake.

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You're crazy. You say LOST is "forced" to rely on back stories. Those are part of what has made it inot the great show it is. I thought the Eko episode was very good. Learning about these characters and how their lives before the crash shapes their actions on the island is what this show is all about.

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You're crazy. You say LOST is "forced" to rely on back stories. Those are part of what has made it into the great show it is. I thought the Eko episode was very good. Learning about these characters and how their lives before the crash shapes their actions on the island is what this show is all about.

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You're crazy. You say LOST is "forced" to rely on back stories. Those are part of what has made it into the great show it is. I thought the Eko episode was very good. Learning about these characters and how their lives before the crash shapes their actions on the island is what this show is all about.

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While I'm not giving up totally on Lost, I think I might start watching Veronica Mars live while recording Lost, instead of the other way around. VM is another show that does a good job at pacing a larger mystery/plot and also developing interesting characters. Except maybe Duncan.

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