The first season of ‘Lost‘ was perfect network television. Nuv and I watched it on DVD right before Season Two aired and there were many of these back and forths:
Nuv: “Ok, it’s 4 am and we just finished six episodes and the sun is coming up. (Pause.) Wanna watch the next one?”
Me: “YES.”
Every episode had new intriguing information and backstories of these characters I was becoming way too attached to. Sawyer, who needed to be shirtless more; Shannon, who needed to be punched and lit on fire more; Vincent the dog, who I loved in an irrational way and made me cry at least sixteen times just by simply bounding through the sand; Locke, who was amazing from his first second on screen; Sayid, who would have been way more attractive to me if he’d found: a nail clipper on the island, a set of 10 lb weights to tone up his lumpy girl arms, and a way to dry his wet ringlets; Jack, the troubled sensible doctor with the crooked teeth that I would have wholeheartedly followed off a cliff with a torch (and then promptly died/burnt myself); Ethan, Tom Cruise’s real-life cousin who gave me the heebs right away, and… all the rest. If you care enough to read this column, I don’t need to tell you their names.
As the seasons passed, and we stuck by the show when things were fucking-A awesome (Mr. Eko goddamn) and even when they weren’t (chunks of Season Three that felt more repetitive than rad and made me doubt the $200 I’d spent on *koff*..Lost..figurines..and a mini hatch diorama with a working light…*koff*), we knew it would eventually come to an end. And in two days, that time has come.
I have been sadder about shows ending (WHEREIMENTION’THE WIRE‘ONEMORETIME), but this is the only show where I really felt everybody could take away something different. You could lazily and comfortably watch it unfold as a big puzzle (me), or try to piece it together as they dropped clues in your path (sleuth Nuv), or get really brainiac crazy in-depth, like this guy, and make the show into something even bigger than an ABC hour long drama. It was a Choose your own Adventure that more often than not, made my head hurt and even though it took nothing more than an hour of my weekly life and a comfortable spot on the couch, I became a part of a television event that lasted years. That made us wonder what we would do, if stranded on a desert island after a plane crash on Sept 22nd (my birthday – bet your ass I cared a lot about that), who we would be, who we would trust, who we would betray and who we would love. I don’t know much, but I know for sure I would not be Shannon.
So, seeing that this show has been recapped 40 zillion times, my favourite ones I found here while refreshing my memory for this column, I just wanted to dredge up my favourite stuff over the last six seasons.
The first time you “saw” The Others, portrayed by the dirty feet of jungle kids and a teddy bear being dragged in the mud. I can still get a shiver down my spine when I think about that.
Mr Eko. Period. From his flashbacks that showed him as a child with his brother, his life in crime as an adult, his Jesus stick, his quiet death. He will always be my favourite character. Always. (Sorry Sawyer.)
The arc that introduced Ben, when he was Henry Gale hot air ballooning down to get the shit punched out of him by Sayid. Now, THAT was storytelling at its finest. From minute to minute, you had no idea if he was telling the truth about his identity. Bottom line – such a great character through all the seasons and all the punching he’s endured. A runner up goes to Juliet’s character arc – for a woman they wrote her so beautifully ambivalent. Even when she was being helpful or sacrificial, I never felt she should be trusted, especially because she was pretty and blonde – danger flags for sure, right? Kudos to the writing and to Elizabeth Mitchell’s performance for that.
Sawyer’s nicknames. Sawyer killing..um.. Sawyer. Sawyer sexing up Kate in a cage. Other than this last season, where he seems neutered by his grief, he has always been the comic/sex relief the show absolutely needed. If he gets bloated and retires from acting instead of teaming up with Don Johnson (c’mon – watch an old episode of Miami Vice – the resemblance/swagger is uncanny) as a father / son wisecracking team of bounty hunters, the world will be a sadder place.
Desmond and Penny’s romance. Other than the goddamn dog, this reccurring storyline made me cry more than any other. I just love them. Both, together or waiting to be together. So so much. Honorary mention to the Jin & Sun romance that, for what seemed like a simple storyline, bounced all over the place and left me devastated, not just at their last embrace, but remember Sun screaming for Jin as the freighter exploded? That also made me lose 2 lbs of water weight out my eyes.
The flashforward season – an absolute genius move, that added so much more storytelling to the series and gave it the juice to keep from getting moldy before the end was nigh. Jack, bearded and drugged, was pretty much awesome.
A mighty meh to Faraday (aka my Dad’s body double from 30 years ago), Charlotte, Rousseau, Kate, Claire’s matted wig and Keamy’s size 42 dentures; Eff yes to Miles and his ghost powers that I could have watched a dozen more episodes of, eyepatch guy, Ana Lucia being killed, Peg Bundy looking hotshit all these years later, Fahey, and the casting of Jack’s dad and son, who bear an uncanny resemblance to each other, something I always appreciate in a fictional world.
Finally, this column is dedicated to John Locke, or really, Terry O’Quinn. The dreamer, the one who was willing to believe in things that he couldn’t explain, the one who loved every second he was on that island, peeling and eating some papaya in juicy chunks. This last season he has knocked every single second on screen out of the park. (His scenes with Jack when he broke down about his Dad, and when he came to him with his mind changed about the surgery, have been top sirloin acting tutorials.) Getting to play the gentle paralyzed teacher in the one reality, and the ultimate scary bad guy in the other, he has portrayed both so beautifully, it has been an absolute pleasure to watch him. He won the Emmy in 2007, and I really can’t think of who could beat him for this year’s performance. He has been a solid dude the entire run of the show, whether killing a pig or scrapping with Jack, or getting tossed out a window, shy one kidney. It is him I’ll miss the most after Sunday night. Ok, him and Vincent. Where the hell did that dog go?
(I’ll be back Monday to share my final impressions of the final episode airing Sunday night. [Here it is!] Make sure to watch Kimmel right after for some extra ‘Lost’ goodies. We’re making a night of it – papayas, sweat-stained tank tops, Dharma beans and all. And tears. I guarantee I will cry. Loser.)
[Your turn now. Tell me in the Comments what you'll miss the most/loathed the most .Then we can go pull the head off of my Shannon figurine together.] [And here's the post finale column. Still crying...]
Your dad’s body double gets a “meh”? That’s good right?
Eko died too soon and Shannon lived too long. Unless it was me on the island tryin’ to survive. I’d just keep her in a cage next to the polar bears while Jin and Locke rustled up some grub for the boys as myself, Sayid, Hurley, and Miles deal up cards for the next poker game. Naturally, Sawyer’s on a beer run. Desmond said he’s goin to look for pennies.
Aaahhhh, this is gonna be the most satisfying waste of 5 hours…..
“Mr Eko. Period.” you said it sista!
Tell the truth and shame the Devil.