I’ve tried three times to watch the latest episode (“The Economist”), but I get so pissed at those annoying pop-ups that I just turn it off. I just skimmed the Lost thread and saw no mention of them :eek: 
, so I wonder if I over-reacted.
Are they all through the episode? They aggravated me because I have been paying attention, thankyewverymuch, and I don’t appreciate condescending snotty popups telling me what I already know. And, if I do forget, I can always come here for in-depth analysis afterwards.
So help me out, Dopers. Is it worth the annoyance, or should I finally give up on this great but problematic series? Am I the only one that was this irritated?
I overslept on Thursday night–as I mentioned elsewhere, my sleep schedule is all over the place–so I missed the first 20 minutes of Lost. I tuned in for the rest of it, though, and… no pop-ups. So I’m not exactly sure what you’re talking about.
Moreover, since the 40 minutes I saw didn’t make as much sense as it would have had I seen it in its entirety, I went to the ABC website and watched it from the start. Still, no pop-ups. I find it really hard to believe that they, at the website, would show the “regular” episode the day after it aired, then change it to add the pop-ups and not give you the option of which way you’d like to watch it.
So, my advice? Check the website again, because what you’re saying is kind of baffling to me.
I overslept on Thursday night–as I mentioned elsewhere, my sleep schedule is all over the place–so I missed the first 20 minutes of Lost. I tuned in for the rest of it, though, and… no pop-ups. So I’m not exactly sure what you’re talking about.
Moreover, since the 40 minutes I saw didn’t make as much sense as it would have had I seen it in its entirety, I went to the ABC website and watched it from the start. Still, no pop-ups. I find it really hard to believe that they, at the website, would show the “regular” episode the day after it aired, then change it to add the pop-ups and not give you the option of which way you’d like to watch it.
So, my advice? Check the website again, because what you’re saying is kind of baffling to me.
I’m not watching it off the web. I DVR’d it from broadcast.
I didn’t see any pop-ups, either, but I have a theory.
In my market, they have been showing last weeks episode at 7PM Central just before showing the current new ep at 8PM. Is it possible you DVR’d the earlier (repeated) show without realising another (new) show came on afterward?
I haven’t watched any of the repeated episodes, so don’t know whether they have pop-ups or not.
ETA: Or is this exactly the episode you are talking about and I’m an idiot?
You shouldn’t see pop-ups on “The Economist” until they show it as a repeat next week (or you watch it on the web). Are you sure that’s the episode you’re watching? My understanding is that they’ve been broadcasting “enhanced” versions of last week’s episodes as repeats at 8PM before the new episode. Enhanced = pop-ups.
I haven’t checked this myself but I heard that new episodes of Lost are on iTunes ($1.99 download, IIRC). Although they should be free (streaming) on the ABC website.
Agreeing with others, the “pop-ups” are appearing on the previous week’s episode, which is shown just before the new episode comes on. If you DVR’d at 8pm/7central then this is the previous week’s episode. “The Economist” aired Thursday at 9pm/8central without pop-ups. However this coming Thursday I suppose it will have them.
ETA: to answer the OP question, yes all of the new episodes are very good (IMHO) and are worth checking out online or on the aforementioned iTunes if you want to avoid the pop-ups, and I don’t blame you as those are friggin’ annoying.
Aw, crap. That must be what happened, then. I guess I’ll have to try and endure it, then, since I don’t have anything to watch anything from iTunes and no comfortable way to watch streaming video from my computer. sigh…I’ll be fixing my DVR tonight, I guess…
IMO, the season opener was so-so, but the 2nd and 3rd episodes were excellent. I’d say try and ignore the pop-ups as best you can.
I’d agree; the first episode was really about getting all the separate castaway groups on the same page with the same general info, and setting up the long-term conflicts, all stuff you can get from the previews. It was a necessary setup, but nothing earth-shattering.
2 and 3, on the other hand, are excellent, layering a new depth over the current situation and a foreboding for current character choices (Sayid’s story, IMO, was brilliantly done).
And this plays into how I think the writers are setting up each season as expanding the scope of the story beyond the previous season’s boundaries.
Season 1 was about the Mid-Section folks with hints about The Others. Season 2 was about the Tailies, and a little bit about The Others. Season 3 let us in on who The Others were and where they came from. Season 4 is going to be all about the people who are not on The Island, but who are involved in events that happen on The Island.
My guess is that the writers thought that they would have a two hour season opener, as always, so they weren’t overly concerned about providing a lot of dramatic tension during the first hour, knowing that that would come in hour 2. With the writers’ strike, the network is trying to stretch out airing all eight episodes; hence the disappointment in the first episode. And they’ve warned people that the “cliffhanger” in episode 8 won’t be up to the usual dramatic pitch that we have come to expect with “Lostus interruptus”. I’m cutting this season a lot of slack, glad that there is anything at all to air.
I don’t think there was ever a two-hour season opener except for the 1st one, and even then it was shown in two successive weeks. You’re thinking of the season finales. And with the 4th season supposedly being only 16 episodes, I don’t think they would have crowded the first two into one night.
They’ve acknowledged this in a few podcasts now. Each season has shown us another group who is involved in the story. Mid-Section, Tailies, Others (with glimpses of recruits and hostiles), and now freighter folks with glimpse of Oceanic 6.
Interesting. I don’t have a very good track record of predictions on “Lost”, but that is one thing I’ve been saying since at least the first few episodes of Season 2. I call it reverse peeling the onion.
Wow. Talk about a bad memory. I must be getting the beginning and finales confused as you say.
I specifically recall them talking about it in the last podcast of 07, probably in more detail than before. I don’t remember if they gave it a name for it (I like yours) but they made a point of addressing which group would be featured in this season, why, and how that fits into their plan for the show.
By the way the most recent (video) podcasts are pretty worthless, IMO.
I’ve never watched any of the podcasts. Old geezers like me are too busy chasing kids off our lawns to even learn how to do that. 
If you’re ever soaking your aching feet and want to listen to Damon and Carlton make a bunch of zombie and banjo jokes, you can find links to all of the podcasts here: http://lostpedia.com/wiki/Official_‘Lost’_Podcast
The one I’m talking about is the 09/21/07 podcast, which you can hear on your computer by following this link: http://ll.media.abc.com/podcast/audio/abc/Lostpodcast_20070921.mp3 
ETA: and here is a transcript, which shows how faulty my memory really is Official Lost Podcast transcript/September 21, 2007 | Lostpedia | Fandom . I don’t see any mention of what I was talking about in this podcast. OTOH, this one is remarkably frank and they clarify some open issues.