Lost - Season 1 Television Review

There's something special about the term "appointment television." Only a handful of shows ever reach the heights of earning a spot in viewers' hearts where people actually set aside time to make sure they're there for that next episode. Arguably one of the first shows I can recall to ever accomplish this feat was Twin Peaks (a show I've found myself referencing so often I am considering re-watching again to review at some point), however that was relatively short-lived compared to later series like Sopranos and Game of Thrones. These kinds of series leave viewers hungry for the next episode, and frequently make for some great water cooler debates at the office on the following day. I was kind of out of the loop when this show first came out, however I certainly recall the buzz that surrounded it. It may not be perfect, but I can certainly see how it earned its place among the other heavyweights that we now call appointment television.

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Where to Find It: I saw this one on Amazon where it is available for rental/purchase, however it is also available for streaming on Hulu.

General Information 
Lost is a science fiction drama series that was originally released on ABC on 22 September 2004. It was co-created by Damon Lindelof, J.J. Abrams, and Jeffrey Lieber with Lindelof and Carlton Cuse acting as the showrunners for the series. The series ran for six seasons and it is ranked as 24 in Entertainment Weekly's list of 100 all-time greatest television series. Season one won two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as four additional nominations while it was also nominated for Best Television Series-Drama at the 2005 Golden Globes. It has an 86 Metascore on Metacritic with a 97% Audience Score (no Tomatometer rating available) on Rotten Tomatoes.

 

The Story

After their plane crashes on a mysterious island, a group of strangers have to overcome their respective pasts and differences in order to work together and survive in the wilderness. The strange island initially seems uninhabited, but there's something unnatural lurking within the jungle beyond the beaches, while other secrets remain hidden just out of sight. What starts as a simple tale of survival quickly becomes something so much more as each person finds themselves tested and questioning why they're there in the first place.

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Jack should've flown American Airlines

Lost's greatest achievement, and that which it is arguably most remembered for, is its incredible cast of characters. There's true diversity among the survivors of Flight 815 as the majority of the main characters come from drastically different backgrounds. Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) is the driven doctor that attempts to rally the others as a well-meaning leader. The enigmatic John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) seems almost overly enthusiastic to meet the challenges that the island presents. The others are just as fascinating as there's everything from a heroin-addicted rock star to a fugitive from the law.

 

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Can't forget about Sawyer, he's a real team-player

Of course, character diversity is only so good as its character depth, and Lost also succeeds with this by essentially focusing on one survivor per episode with the occasional reveal of flashbacks that reflect why characters are the way that they are. These flashbacks add multiple layers of characterization and grant the show-runners a high level of freedom to tell wildly different stories that tackle all sorts of subjects. These side-plots range from takes on fatherhood and revenge to East Asian gender issues and even the War on Terror. What's incredible is that even though these flashbacks seemingly don't apply to the main story at first, the writers always find a way to organically tie everything together so that all the pieces click together.

Special Effects/Atmosphere
Much of the mysterious island's shooting location was on Hawaii's Oahu, which is absolutely beautiful to take in and works perfectly as the setting for the tropical land Jack and the others investigate. The blend of practical effects and CGI has somewhat mixed results, but I think it still stands the test of time to an extent. There's one brief scene near the end of the season that features a bird flying away from the jungle that is clearly CGI, however I found some of the other effects to be quite believable. One gripe I do have is that around five episodes into the show, the survivors are sort of split between two locations and we never get a good understanding of the distance between the two locations, nor do we ever get a good idea of how big these areas are. Once again, it's not a massive problem by any means, but there were times where characters had to rush from one area to the other and I had no idea how much of a challenge this would be.

Although it's relatively subdued, the score for this show's background is outstanding. Composer Michael Giacchino handles the score and rightfully earns his Emmy award for the pilot's music (he would later win an Academy Award for composing the music for Up). The score meshes perfectly with some of the deeper scenes and practically brought me to tears when used in tandem with the stellar writing and acting.

The Acting

It's crazy that he's no longer a headlining name, but Matthew Fox absolutely delivers as Jack Shephard. Outside of this show, I only recall seeing him in 2012's Emperor, where it's clear that Fox knows how to present a character that strives to do the right thing. I particularly recall his performance in episode 11 ("All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues"), and I think it's worth recognizing that his acting talent certainly helps keep this show memorable.

Speaking of memorable though, many may instantly think of Jorge Garcia's Hurley when they recall this show, but I think I will always immediately think of Terry O'Quinn as John Locke. O'Quinn's always been a great character actor and he had some stellar roles in late 1990s and 2000s. I'll always look back fondly on his collaborations with Chris Carter as a guest star in X-Files ("Aubrey" and later in the film, The X-Files: Fight the Future). There is a strong possibility that I may be the only one that enjoyed him in the ill-fated Harsh Realm too, but that's a story for another time. O'Quinn steals the show whenever he's onscreen and it's only helped by the great writing he's able to work with. Episode 4 ("Walkabout") is easily my favorite episode of the season and it's highest selling point is O'Quinn's delivery.

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Terry O'Quinn is one of the most memorable aspects of this season and arguably the entire series

Nearly everyone pulls their weight in this one, and I'd like to lastly mention Naveen Andrews, Daniel Dae Kim, and Yunjin Kim who play Sayid, Jin, and Sun respectively. I've only seen Daniel Dae Kim since this show finished its run, which is a shame as I really liked all three of these performers. Daniel Dae and Yunjin are really fascinating to see since they have to act in multiple languages, while Andrews does an inspiring job of portraying an Iraqi in a post-9/11 world.

The Best of the Best: Episode 4 ("Walkabout") is great to see even if you don't watch the rest of the show.

The Worst of the Worst: There's a bit of a mid-season slump where things drag a bit. 

Calhooey Score: 8/10 - Great

Would I Recommend?

5

It's something you can get lost in...get it?

Lost fills an already interesting survival story with deep characters supported by an emotionally moving score and quality acting. It's perfect for binging and each episode keeps the viewer guessing as to what will happen next. I highly recommend this to those looking for well-written characters. It earns its place among the other "appointment television" shows and is worth visiting if you missed out on the initial hype back when it first came out.

Spoiler Comments

• The greatest tragedy of this show was the death of that polar bear. RIP.
• That big reveal that Locke was a cripple was pretty crazy. I felt really bad for him.
• I completely understand why Shannon isn't worried about her situation during the first half of the show. Maggie Grace must know that Liam Neeson is currently in the process of killing the rest of the world as he tries to find her.
• I could imagine some people might think Locke has gone mad on the island, but the fact that he's no longer disabled can't be understated. As someone who struggles with my own medical problems, I think it would be quite the religious or psychological experience to suddenly be cured of a chronic injury.
• After going through everyone's backstories in this season, it seems like no one was happy or fulfilled before arriving on this island.
• I think everyone is glad that Arzt died. He was aggressively applying for the position of most hated character in television.
• I don't care how desperate I am. If I was struggling to survive and M.C. Gainey came to help, I'd take my chances with the open sea.
• That would really suck if the hatch is just filled with nuclear waste or something. All that effort just to get cancer...

References

(1) Wikipedia. (n.d.). Lost season one cover image. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_(season_1).

(2) ihopeirememberthisusername. (2013, November 27). Jack and plane explosion gif. Imgur. Retrieved from: https://imgur.com/gallery/PqiJmV0.

(3) Jakesjohnson. (2014). Sawyer gif. Halcyon. Retrieved from: https://perkamentus.tumblr.com/post/75677864319.

(4) Giochi. (n.d.). John Locke image. Lostpedia. Retrieved from: https://lostpedia.fandom.com/it/wiki/Giochi.

(5) Wifflegif.com. (n.d.). John Locke smiling gif. Giphy. Retrieved from: https://giphy.com/gifs/lost-locke-john-CbNeTOSwGdpg4.