# Can someone explain "Lost" for me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 29, 2005, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358 "2005-06-29T14:01:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/21 "2005-06-30T20:33:51Z")
> [@Odinoneeye](#): > > This question has been questioned by the chracters in the show. When the four characters go off on the raft, one of them says something like “How could an island this big not be charted?” > > There are lots of things that happen that stretch the boundries of logic, but it’s part of the mystery of the island. That’s another endearing thing about the show. I think the writers hang around Internet forums, because whenever something defies logic or something, someone will eventually question or joke about it in character. Hurley has a great monologue about how everyone’s acting like everything’s normal when it obviously isn’t, and a non-main cast survivor berates a regular for acting like everything’s about them, when there’s some thirty other survivors that they never seem to interact with! ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/22 "2005-06-30T20:42:39Z")
> [@Menocchio](#): > > That’s another endearing thing about the show. I think the writers hang around Internet forums … My favorite was how we (and I’m certain, other forums) started calling the unidentified survivors “Redshirts,” and not three episodes later, Boone made a joke of it. Well, that, and the “Why isn’t Hurley losing weight?” question. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/23 "2005-06-30T23:45:19Z")
> [@Hello Again](#): > > The plane “turned back towards Fiji” and was blown miles and miles off course in a storm before crashing. > [@Finagle](#): > > It’s not necessarily uncharted, but because the plane was 1000 miles off course, no one is looking for them anywhere near the island. All the same, the whole premise still sounds pretty ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/24 "2005-07-01T00:01:35Z")
If you can’t catch the repeats on ABC during the summer, you can read the most excellent recaps on [Television Without Pity](http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show.cgi?show=136). I think they’re sorted so the most recent one is first. They’re rather long, anywhere from 15-20 pages, but boy, do they cover every nuance, with entertaining snarkiness along the way. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/25 "2005-07-01T00:03:13Z")
> [@Oslo Ostragoth](#): > > Absolutely. It’s like watching a school of dophins racing Jacques Cousteau’s boat: the dolphins (the plot lines) weave around and over and under each other, breaking the surface occasionally (the characters’ back stories are shown to explain the characters’ present motives, actions and interactions with each other), while the plot races ahead at breakneck speed. I just wanted to say this is a lovely analogy. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/26 "2005-07-01T00:06:21Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > All the same, the whole premise still sounds pretty ridiculous. Well, the show would’ve suffered some if they were met by natives who took them until a ship could be arranged to take them home. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Dirx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Sir\_Dirx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Dirx)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/27 "2005-07-01T02:38:04Z")
For those interested (and I know I am now), I just checked on the reruns: According to Yahoo’s tv schedules, the they’re on Wednesdays at 10pm (Eastern time). The one for next week is “House of the Rising Sun,” which is apparently episode 6. ---
**Author:** ![Fredescu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/73ab20/32.png) [@Fredescu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fredescu)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/28 "2005-07-01T03:14:06Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > All the same, the whole premise still sounds pretty ridiculous. If you think of it more as a fantasy than ‘Survivor with a script’, then it’s not so ridiculous. There are all sorts of theories as to what the island actually is, from perjury to an alien space ship. We don’t have the full story yet, but suffice it to say this is not your normal island. From that point of view it’s just as ‘ridiculous’ as the land of Narnia, Oz, Mordor, or the Delta Quadrant. In the meantime there are excellent characters, great dialog, and a suspenseful (if a bit drawn out) plot. Best TV series I’ve seen in years. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/29 "2005-07-01T03:49:54Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I just wanted to say this is a lovely analogy. Thank you! [blush] You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/30 "2005-07-01T11:23:16Z")
It’s not a bloody documentary. Think Gilligan’s Island, Fantasy Island, The Man from UNCLE, Alias, Buffy etc. All set in our world, but requiring a certain suspension of belief in order to enjoy properly. It’s story. A very well acted, intriguingly plotted story, but a story none the less. Don’t try and pick holes in it, just enjoy it. From what I gather the writers have a 3 series story arc planned. They know where this is going, even if we don’t. [http://www.thefuselage.com](http://www.thefuselage.com) is the Lost message board. The actors and writers sometimes post, if that appeals to you. There is a lot of stuff that could be red herrings or it could be vital, but hasn’t been explored yet. Adam & Eve White vs Black The “monster” The numbers Why the ship and plane? Looking forward to more answers, but the next series will probably ask more than it answers. ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/31 "2005-07-01T13:15:53Z")
I am another person who has never seen “Lost” but finds the premise intriguing. Before reading this thread, I never realized there was so much mysticism and fantasy involved. How are they (producers, writers, etc.) able to pull this off without it coming across as…(for lack of a better word) hokey? I had assumed (I know, I know) that this show would be, as **Fredescu** said, “Survivor with a script”. The additional mysterious plotlines help me to understand how the show can carry on into a second season. I do believe that season 1 will be going on my wishlist. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/32 "2005-07-01T14:23:30Z")
I initially passed on this show because I was told that it was basically a celebrity-Survivor, and the only real celebrity they could get was “the guy from Lord of the Rings”. When this show became a hit, I realized that I was greatly deceived, but also decided to hold off on watching it, since I really couldn’t fit another tv show into my busy schedule. A couple weeks ago, I downloaded the entire season, and I got so hooked that I watched the entire season in a week, in 4-5 episode marathons. It’s good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/33 "2005-07-01T14:52:04Z")
> [@melondeca](#): > > I am another person who has never seen “Lost” but finds the premise intriguing. > > Before reading this thread, I never realized there was so much mysticism and fantasy involved. > How are they (producers, writers, etc.) able to pull this off without it coming across as…(for lack of a better word) hokey? It’s very understated. We, the viewers, tend to latch on to the strange details and obsess about their possible meaning and symbolism, but the chracters, for the most part, are too caught up with the daily tasks of survival, interpersonal relationships, and trying to get off the island to really notice or care. It should be noted that nothing explictly supernatural or even science-fictiony has happened. Walt’s “powers” and Hurley’s strange luck might be really big coincidences. There might be a mundane explanation for it all (although that seems less likely with each episode), and the characters, being “rational” people, tend to assume that there is one. The two characters that do really believe that there’s a mystic force on the island are Locke and Hurley. Locke gets carried through on the strength of Terry O’Quinn’s performance, and Hurley covers it up with humor. He’s the viewer’s self-identification character, cracking jokes and admitting that things are stranger than the others will admit. ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/34 "2005-07-01T15:15:09Z")
I see. Sounds good to me. Now it is definitely going on the wish list. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/35 "2005-07-01T15:32:44Z")
Locke… the best character and the best acting you will see on TV outside of Deadwood. Also, it’s made clear from the beginning that the peole the series focuses on are the self-appointed leaders of the group (like the cool kids in school), they keep a lot of secrets from the rest of the group. Typified by Hurley’s “Dude, you didn’t hear about the Polar bear?” to one of the redshirts in an episode near the end. Plus, it’s set over only 40 days, so you can imagine that many of the characters are suffering PTSD, head trauma, grief reactions etc and that some of the weirder stuff is just going to go over their heads. Nred detail: It was actually a joke on many levels when Boone explained to Locke what a “redshirt” is, as Terry O’Quinn played an evil Starfleet admiral in an episode of ST:TNG. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358/36 "2005-07-01T18:21:07Z")
I usually compare the show to The X-Files when describing it to people - no matter what we think is going on, there’s always some other explanation out there. I could explain further, but it’s complicated. I just can’t be Arzt. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-lost-for-me/310358.md?page=1)