Lost without 'LOST'

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    I’ve never been good at saying good-bye, especially to those who are dear to me. However, it’s not only people that I struggle to depart from as the same holds true for favorite T-shirts, drinking glasses and even beloved television shows. So much like when the final drink was served on ‘Cheers’ its with great sadness that I await the final episode of ‘LOST.’

    As a television enthusiast whose spent thousands of hours watching a variety of programs from ‘Saved by the Bell’ to ‘E.R’ and everything in between I believe that no series has ever been more compelling than the drama about the island castaways. The question of, Who shot J.R? does not even compare to, What do the numbers mean? ‘LOST’ has provided many mind-numbing questions through its six seasons, very few of which have ever been answered.

    ‘LOST’ is a perfect title for the series, because the viewers are kept lost trying to figure it all out. My head is starting to spin just by the thought of it. Not only is an alternate reality featured, in which none of the castaways ever crashed on Oceanic Flight 815, but also flashbacks from before the flight and people on the exact same island some of which were transported back to the 1970’s and others in present day. There was another element of time traveling that I’m not even going to try to explain, but it caused some of them to have nose bleeds.

    Despite all the confusion, it’s the wondering of what really is going on, that makes ‘LOST’ so entertaining to watch. Right when some answers seemed to finally be discovered the questions would change. What once seemed so important, no longer seems to matter. The Dharma Initiative is long forgotten. The focus has changed to Jacob and the Smoke Monster.

    Another saving grace is the cast, each episode is perfectly acted. My personal favorites are John Locke and Ben Linus. They are fascinating characters and a pure delight to watch, especially when interacting with each other. With my apologies to Marcia Brady, though for totally different reasons, I don’t know if any other character has caused more viewing pleasure than Ben. He’s the ultimate schemer, who you love to hate. He’s going to be greatly missed.

    It has also not been a struggle watching Kate in a tube top for six years, hearing Hurley say different variations of, ‘Dude,’ or laughing at the nicknames that Sawyer would give people.
    I do wonder whatever happened to Walt, who for the first couple of seasons was made out to be a vital character and has since been forgotten. Won’t even mention Vincent, a dog who hasn’t been spotted in forever. He might still be stuck in 1972 from one of the time warps.

    One flaw of the show, much like another television classic, ‘Gilligan’s Island,’ is that the castaways are trapped on the island unable to escape, but countless other people come and go at ease. Characters such as Charles Widmore, Ben, Desmond and the all important Jacob have earned frequent flier miles from making multiple trips back and forth.

    Another minor irritation is the number of other civilizations that have been found on the mysterious island, that’s supposedly some mystical, secret place. First it was the Others, then the Dharma Initiative who had hatches all over the place, then a group from a freighter, and other groups as well, including those introduced this season who lived in a huge temple. How it had never been found before, I don’t know? Just one of the reasons it keeps me feeling lost.

    It is a show that makes you think, which is a major factor that sets it apart from all the others. ‘Golden Girls’ was a great sitcom, highlighted by the ever popular Betty White and her St. Olaf stories but burned very few brain cells. ‘LOST’ is almost worthy of a degree if any sense is made from it and lead to many water-cooler conversations and message board debates.
    On more than one occasion when the word ‘LOST’ came up on the screen, marking the end of the episode I thought to myself that television at its finest had just been seen. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

    It will be hard to say goodbye to ‘LOST,’ it was a wonderful journey together and could always be depended on for a good time. Like all relationships there were occasional bumps in the road (Nikki & Paulo) and some sadness (Charlie’s death) but in the end I would take nothing back and only wish it could last longer.

    I’m going to be lost without ‘LOST,’ but at least will still have my ‘Desperate Housewives.’