‘Lost’ Travels Through Time
Posted on January 21, 2009 at 8:00 am
Jen Chaney reports in the Washington Post that “Lost” gets even more mysterious with its season premiere as the island itself begins to travel through time.
After four seasons that contained flashbacks, flash-forwards and electromagnetic forces that sent some characters into a chronological tailspin, the crafty writers of the ABC drama about plane crash survivors on a mysterious island take things to a whole new level during the fifth season. In the season premiere, which airs Wednesday, the island itself moves in time. Repeatedly. Several characters become “unstuck” in time. And “Lost” proves that it stands — to borrow a phrase from James Franco in “The Pineapple Express” — at “the apex of the vortex” of TV time travel.
Chaney remembers some other television series that experimented with time travel, including “Dr. Who,” “The Simpsons,” and “Quantum Leap.”
Entertainment Weekly has a guide to Season Five of “Lost” from Doc Jensen for those who can use a refresher. Chadwick Matlin of Slate has another guide for the lost with advice on how to find out everything you need in each episode’s opening moments.
Instead of searching for recaps online or trying to pull an 82-episode marathon, just watch the first few minutes of each premiere–the introductory scene through the first commercial–and you’ll learn everything you need to know.
Matlin knows what he’s talking about — his bio says he taught a course on “Lost.” And he says that season one was about survival, season two was about the hatch, season three may be about the Others, season four may be about the island’s advantages, and season five? Matlin says the clues will all be in the first part of this week’s episode.
What do you think about this development for “Lost?” Deepening the mystery or jumping the shark?
What do you think about this development for “Lost?” Deepening the mystery or jumping the shark?
I’m looking forward to finding out tonight when I see it, but I trust Lindelof and Cuse and thus far any minor missteps they’ve made (Nikki and Paulo, here’s looking at you), they’ve remedied quite nicely.
It just keeps getting weirder and weirder. What a fun ride! They managed to bring humor into the story right when things are the most intense. Between Sawyer and Hurley, we were laughing as well as enthralled at what was happening and trying to figure it all out. Just when you think you might know what’s going on… then something really bizarre happens.
Last night’s season premiere was gripping from the word “go” and never let up. I especially enjoyed the stuff with Hurley.
Given that Season 2 was more or less a delaying action before ABC decided that the series ought to have a definite duration (6 seasons) I think the show’s creators have done a terrific job renewing the interest of the show’s audience.
In some ways I will always prefer Season 1 because the Island’s mysteries were more intriguing when most of them were unsolved.
Personally, I feel this is the best show on TV, and my favorite series since “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” It’s one of the few shows I truly don’t want to miss.