Suffering withdrawal symptoms after the end of House, Heroes, and BSG I decided to bite the bullet and start watching Lost from the beginning.
I’ve now watched the first series, and the first two episodes of the second. I thorougly enjoyed the first series (didn’t expect to). And the first two eps of the second, while seeming to be lazier, are still good enough to keep me watching.
But I’ve heard from friends and family that with lost; every time a question is answered two or more questions replace it. In other words as time goes on things gradually make less sense rather than more. And you end up never being fulfilled.
I have experienced the dragging-out of Heroes (It went from an excellent series to something that amazes me in how it makes it onto TV at all - story lines seemingly conceived by pre-school children who lack the creativity of their peers and so have ended up going to ‘special’ school) and I am aware that Lost was done by the same people.
Am I to expect the same fall from grace with Lost as I saw with Heroes? And if so when do you recommend I stop watching?
You’d think I’d be able to judge that myself, but with Heroes I carried on watching long after the story lines were utterly stupid (And I’ll probably watch the next series, if there is one)
Keep with it. It’s thoroughly enjoyable watching it all at once - but if I had to sit through the middle of Seasons 2 & 3 only one episode per week I would’ve went crazy. The most recent season was really good, and I don’t think the final season will dissappoint.
Here’s the thing about Lost, it has an endpoint. In May, it will be done. And the writers have said they will wrap up all the major mysteries, so they can move on and no one else will try and continue it.
Basically, the series starts to go downhill mid-second season and there’s a lot of filler throughout the third season until the last few episodes (right around the time that they picked an endpoint). Then it get’s better at an exponential rate and the answers:mysteries ratio shifts towards the answers side. Yes, there are new mysteries introduced, but that’s what makes the show great.
So if you enjoyed the first season, I say struggle through the second and third (there are a few bright points to keep you going. The second season finale is easily my favorite episode of any show, ever.) Then when you get to the fourth, it’s smooth sailing, (except for those Kate episodes that draggg on).
Encouraging replies so far. Thanks I’ll keep watching!
A few comments…
I think lock is awesome. As a non-watcher I assumed that guy would be evil (by the look of him). I am glad to know that throughout the entire 1st series he was pretty much a good guy. Though I’m getting a little worried about his faith-oriented storyline (I’m not one for faith. I’m an Atheist and my lack of ‘faith’ would make Jack look like a preacher…
In the bunker, If I were jack I wouldn’t have pressed the button. I lost respect for jack when he gaven in and pressed the button. Now we have this stupid situation where someone of the people that know about the bunker has to press the button every 108 minutes. I say just leave it and see what happens.
)
I hope Charlie doesn’t give in to temptation. (I really do. I like him and I hope things develop with him and Claire)
Well, the usual point where people stop is in early 3rd season, but I highly suggest you DO NOT QUIT.
While the early 3rd season was a big rough, it picks up and the 4th and 5th seasons are great. They have an end point and a plot laid out, so it is worth sticking with it.
I’m going to go against the gram and suggest you bail, and fast! The series goes downhill from there, bottoming out in the third season. And while it does get better, it’s not enough to make me care about the show, as it never returns to the quality that was season 1. Now I watch it in a small window on Hulu while I do other things. I honestly don’t care about it anymore and all, but I still watch the damn thing anyway…
Whatever season it was that had every story being about some kind of con was when I was most tempted to bail. Every week it seemed like they were trying to make it the TV series version of “The Sting”. (I bitched about it here at the time and got chastised for it.) But once the writers worked the con artist syndrome out of their collective systems and got back to the mysterious island and its mythology the show became interesting to me again. You could probably skip the “con season” and enjoy the rest of the show without missing too much.
I agree with those who say to stick with it all the way. These last two seasons have been great, and it’s amazing how far the story has progressed. It goes in directions that I never would have dreamed while watching the first two seasons. It does drag a bit in the middle, but it’s worth it to keep watching. It’s one of my all-time favorite shows.
I totally agree with you about Heroes, but LOST is not made by the same people.
I realized, after last season (not the one that just finished) that I wasn’t interested in picking up the thread of the story again. I got tired of being jerked around, with new mysteries being introduced, then dropped without resolution, and other mysteries brought up. It was too much. I haven’t missed it.
For the most part, IMO, they have wrapped up the majority of the mysteries from the first few seasons. Mysteries remain, but that’s why there’s another full season. There were some episodes that were bad in season 2, and the first handful of episodes of season 3 were flat out awful, but around that time the writers negotiated a deal with ABC for an endpoint, and then it was ON (with the exception of one horrible, horrible episode in the middle of season 3). I doubt you’ll regret watching the show, being able to watch the first 5 seasons all at once … of course, you’ll probably end up chomping at the bit for 2010 to come around, to see the ending.
As others have mentioned, Seasons 2 and 3 almost “Lost” me. It was getting so confusing that I had a lot of trouble keeping all the new characters straight. But I kept with it, and finally Season 4 turned out to be great. I’m very much looking forward to the next season.
Season 4 and 5 saved it. I didn’t watch 2 or 3 one week at a time and I’m really glad I didn’t have to, because I probably would have (and I guess… did) quit. I don’t regret coming back, because the newer seasons answer so much more, even though some of the storylines are kinda weird, but as long as you suspend disbelief, you’re good.
It’s NOTHING like Heroes. Heroes just beats you over the head with the “haha you’re still watching this just because the first season was good” thing and poops in your throat. Lost has actually gotten pretty good, and re-watching early seasons is even better now that you see where they were going…
If you’re watching it for the subtext about 17th century political philosophy, you can quit after season two, because they don’t return to that at all. They continue to name characters after notable intellectuals, but those characters don’t really refer to their namesakes, except, uh, nominally.
If (for some unfathomable reason) this was not the primary appeal for you, then you should stick it out to the end, because it still beats the pants off anything else on network television.
That is so true. I quit Heroes midway through Season 2 and I don’t regret it one bit.
Stay with LOST through their rough patch and by the end of Season 3 you’ll be chomping at the bit for the next episode just like the rest of us. The introduction of new characters in Season 4 was a great idea and I think right now Juliet and Faraday have been my favorite characters just for their story lines in season 4.
The Constant was an outstanding episode and really brought a lot of the underlying themes to light.
Also note, the show has become much more science fiction-y in recent times, and I think they always wanted it to be but didn’t really bring those elements to the forefront until the last season.
Hopefully you can stay with the horrid episodes (Jack’s Tattoo is the worst one) and get to the good stuff from last season!
The tattoo episode is, as they say, an hour I’ll never get back. But I think the ‘Hurley wants to fix up the old VW van’ is right down there with it. Yes, I know the van later played an important part in somebody rescuing somebody, but still.
I’ll keep watching!