# Lost - why the recap episode? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 23, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-why-the-recap-episode/494095 "2009-04-23T13:46:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-why-the-recap-episode/494095/21 "2009-04-23T19:18:11Z")
Meh. Network TV has been passing off clip shows as new episodes since the beginning of time. Why, remember that one time… … … ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-why-the-recap-episode/494095/22 "2009-04-23T22:53:39Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > They’ve repeatedly promised no re-run weeks since they cut their deal with ABC that gave them a fixed number of episodes and a fixed number of seasons. So whether it’s “instead” of a real episode (it isn’t) or not, it’s a disappointment to fans who believed them. We are getting the promised number of episodes, but they’re breaking a promise about how they would be presented, and they’ve not explained why. Oh no! Whatever shall we do??? Anyway, the quotes you gave have plenty of wriggle room. Hurley isn’t in control of the networks schedule, nor are the producers, so whatever they say can be discounted pretty heavily. And “barring any unforseen circumstances” leaves plenty of room to say “Hey, we forgot to time the start of the show so that the end coincides with sweeps week. Oops!” ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-why-the-recap-episode/494095/23 "2009-04-23T23:00:46Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Oh no! Whatever shall we do??? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-why-the-recap-episode/494095/24 "2009-04-24T08:45:48Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’m guessing they want to time the finale to coincide with Sweeps. This is what I heard. I’m not too upset - there’s only been too breaks, and both at least had something Lost related, either a pop up episode or a clips show. If it was just a matter of having an extra week to make the finale extra good, I certainly don’t mind. > [@Gfactor](#): > > I have no idea. I tuned in because they implied that we’d get a new spin on the Oceanic Six, which in turn implied that they’d at least throw us a crumb or two of new information. I didn’t really notice anything new. There’s only so much you can do with a clips show, but I was moderately please with this, because I hadn’t gotten a chance to see the DVD special feature with the flashforwards in chronological order, which this basically was, with stuff from the new season thrown in. Plus next episode is the 100th hour special and is supposed tobe kicjk ass according to reviewers and is the producer’s fav ep of the season according to the podcast. So should be worth the extra week’s wait. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-why-the-recap-episode/494095/25 "2009-04-24T14:31:08Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > They’ve repeatedly promised no re-run weeks since they cut their deal with ABC that gave them a fixed number of episodes and a fixed number of seasons. So whether it’s “instead” of a real episode (it isn’t) or not, it’s a disappointment to fans who believed them. We are getting the promised number of episodes, but they’re breaking a promise about how they would be presented, and they’ve not explained why. And I also don’t get why they needed to give us the winks and nods about a “new perspective” when it was just a summary of what we already knew. I was hoping it would be a documentary/expose type thing: “The Lies Of The Oceanic Six” or somesuch. Someone put one together on YouTube and it’d be VERY easy to expand to an hour. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-why-the-recap-episode/494095/26 "2009-04-24T14:43:57Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > I was hoping it would be a documentary/expose type thing: “The Lies Of The Oceanic Six” or somesuch. Someone put one together on YouTube and it’d be VERY easy to expand to an hour. I think that was actually on one of the Lost DVD collections. I was also going to suggest that this would have been the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-why-the-recap-episode/494095/27 "2009-04-24T16:11:34Z")
> [@unstrung](#): > > So, I eagerly tuned in to last night’s Lost episode. I recognize fully that Lost has already lost many folks, for a variety of reasons… but I still enjoy it and still tune in faithfully. Until yesterday, where they pulled the dreaded recap trick. 100% recycled footage with a narrator to explain what’s happening. Argh. > > It’s almost as though they expected a sudden influx of completely new viewers that would tune in for this episode, and that those folks were somehow more important than the viewers that had been watching all along. What gives? They’ve been advertising that this week’s show would be a recap, so it’s not like they pulled a bait-and-switch on anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-why-the-recap-episode/494095/28 "2009-04-24T19:55:39Z")
Here’s a little Michael Emerson to hold you guys until Wed: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/r3g1ZjTfY28/hqdefault.jpg "BenjaminLinus") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3g1ZjTfY28) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-why-the-recap-episode/494095.md?page=1)