Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Second rate reporter says what?

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Glad to see john eastman going through some things.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

The willow is too close to the house.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

“Squeaker” McCarthy

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Don’t expect peaches from an apple tree.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

This country desperately needs a functioning Fourth Estate.

You are here: Home / TV & Movies / Television / Lost Open Thread

Lost Open Thread

by | 111 Comments

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I’m sure a few of you are going to be into this, so here is a thread. I watched season one a couple years ago because it had a lot of the same writers as Alias, another show I loved, but they lost me shortly into season two when it just went off the rails for me. I suppose in a couple years I will go on a kick and watch all the seasons on dvd over the span of a few months, because that appears to be how I watch most tv these days.

For those of you not watching Lost, Frontline’s 90 minute episode on the web looks really good tonight.

Reader Interactions

111Comments

  1. 1.

    Ben

    I had the exact same reaction. Loved season 1, but season 2 was so much dicking around and not going anywhere that I gave up in disgust halfway through and haven’t watched it since.

  3. 3.

    slag

    WTH? You’re losing your edge, Cole, with all these tv-centric open threads. Although, now that you mention it, the Frontline thing looks like it could be interesting. And it’s online. Very distracting.

  5. 5.

    Alice B. Stuck

    I loved Alias, but lost gave me a headache ten minutes in and I just couldn’t watch it.

    Don’t know what I’m going to do tonight other than maybe some nighttime digging my personal fortified bunker. Them wingnuts and PUMA”s are everywhere man.

  6. 6.

    Neutron Flux

    I am not going to watch either one of these TV shows.

    But I did want to report that just today I got my Seasons Greetings card from the Whitehouse. Just today!

    I think this perfectly explains why health reform is not passed and why DADT will never get passed.

    I am hoping that at least a few of the manic progs will join in my alternating universe of OUTRAGE followed by complete utter hopelessness.

    ETA I really did just get it today

  8. 8.

    freelancer (itouch)

    Thanks John. Yeah S2 slows to a crawl but S3 introduces a new level of nonlinear storytelling, and by the 5th season the show takes an awesome hard turn into SciFi. Power cycle through it after the series comes out on DVD.

  10. 10.

    schrodinger's cat

    For those of you not watching Lost, Frontline’s 90 minute episode on the web looks really good tonight

    Will it feature a certain generously proportioned white kitteh who has been running this blog with a single paw, while his beloved minion convalesces from a shoulder injury.

  13. 13.

    Starfish

    Most television went bad around the time of Lost Season 2. This was due to the writers strike. I am told it got better after that, but I haven’t watched any of it.

  14. 14.

    mr. whipple

    But I did want to report that just today I got my Seasons Greetings card from the Whitehouse. Just today

    Obama threw your Liberal Christmas under the bus.

  15. 15.

    inkadu

    So if someone comes out of an airport bathroom complaining about his horrible poo with, “now I know what laundry feels,” would you smile wistfully and then immediately go to the bathroom?

    Lost really is full of unsolvable puzzles.

  23. 23.

    mr. whipple

    @Neutron Flux:

    This just shows how Obama is all about The One, hates your progressiveness, is an empty suit and a wimp, who runs a shoddy White House. No way Holiday cards should be this late. It was probably Geithner and Rahm who put you on the enemies list.

    If Hillary was president, I guarantee this would have NEVER happened.

  27. 27.

    Dave C

    Lost is the only show currently on TV that is better than Chuck. Definitely gotta give it another look, John.

  29. 29.

    Comrade Mary

    I just finished watching the season 1-5 official video recap here. Wikipedia is also good for detailed summaries that fill in any gaps.

  31. 31.

    Frank Chow

    Lost = a prolonged explanation for one man’s idea of purgatory

    @JohnCole I did the same thing as you, Season 1 I was buying it. Season 2 Looooooost, but I don’t hate the people who bought it all the way through hoping to make sense of something the writers have no intention of explaining.

    I expect the same outrage and confusion of those who worshiped the Sopranos to apply to those who worship Lost.

    Oh well at least there is Chuck, Castle & Jersey Shore!

  32. 32.

    mclaren

    LOST jumped the shark when it became obvious that they were just piling mystery on top of conundrum on top of hint on top of puzzle on top of tantalizing clue, and they were never really gonna clarify any of it.

    All the numbers…the polar bears in the first season…the mysterious other people on the island…it was all just a buncha writers yanking our chain. I guaran-freakin’-tee ya, at the end of the series, when everything wraps up, there’s not gonna be anything there. Nothing will get resolved. It’s all just Abrams and company tossing out cliffhanger after cliffhanger and never resolving any of it satisfactorily.

    I stopped watching LOST about after 2/3 of the way past the first season. Took a look at a few episodes after that, never got any better. Stick a fork in it, that series is done.

  33. 33.

    Neutron Flux

    @inkadu: And I bet she didn’t sign it with a damn machine either!

    OK, that was fun. Now back to being a long suffering Kool Aid drinking Obot.

  35. 35.

    Anne Laurie

    @mr. whipple: Wow, Punk (Punkin?) is a gorgeous big fella, and what amazing eyes! If John can’t satisfy the Tunch-lust soon I may have to steal this…

    P.S. Happy birthday! (one you share with “gossip dowager Liz Smith, Jack Donaghey’s mother Elaine Stritch, hippie comedian Tom Smothers, barefoot contessa Ina Garten, uptown girl Christie Brinkley, and Columbian she wolf Shakira“, according to Gawker.

  37. 37.

    valdivia

    @Anne Laurie:

    sorry to be a pain but the country is ColOmbia, not Columbia. Shakira is ColOmbian. Drives me nuts when people confuse the two. Again, apologies for being the spelling police.

  38. 38.

    Spork

    The source and reason for the plethora of long-form episodic TV show season spanning recap related open threads is fairly obvious. John is in pain and hating life, except for when he’s high on pain meds. I’m not surprised at all.

    It’s ok, that’s why they’re open threads, feel free to talk amongst yourselves. In fact, please do, because I read the commenters here for entertainment, and I don’t watch TV.

  40. 40.

    Max

    I like the tv open threads. Thursday is Project Runway, just sayin’.

    Finally, Ping is gone.

    BTW – new Shear Genius starts tomorrow night. Good show. Bravo knows how to do it right.

    I don’t watch Lost, but I’m happy for those fans who finally get the answers to your questions. or not.

  42. 42.

    Tomlinson

    Lost is definitely worth it. I started watching it just back in November – need something to watch while I ride my bike on rollers in the basement – and just finished season 5 on Sunday. Very, very good.

    And now…whoa… THAT was unexpected.

    “Sorry you had to see me that way.”

  45. 45.

    Ash

    I haven’t watched Lost since early season 3. So this Locke thing who isn’t really Locke cause real Locke is dead is actually the stupid smoke monster?

    I liked it better when I just thought there were dinosaurs on that damn island and they just used the polar bear for food.

  46. 46.

    mcd410x

    J.J. does amazing work when he’s given a finite amount of time to work with. Did a wonderful job with Star Trek.

    Alias started off great. But the longer it went on, the more it jumped the tracks.

  49. 49.

    inkadu

    @valdivia: looks like they split reality into two or three streams. One where the hatch doesn’t get built (which means the plane doesn’t crash) and one reality where everything is as it was. Then there’s the opening credits reality — where the island is underwater. Not sure if that’s related to the first one or not.

  50. 50.

    Al

    The damn smoke is back! Well that explains everything. And the pre-crash storyline is really helping out a lot too. Switching any second now.

  52. 52.

    schrodinger's cat

    @freelancer (itouch): I have no idea what you are talking about, I haven’t seen a single episode of Lost, but now I admit, I am tiny bit intrigued, because in general I have found that BJers have good taste.

  54. 54.

    mr. whipple

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    Thanks. Am I the only one that gives them multiple names?

    He goes by Punky, Punky’s Whips, Mr. Whipples, Whippy whip, Orange whip, Booj, Stinkbutt, Mr. Crusty, Nipples and Champ. Those are the ones I can remember offhand.

  58. 58.

    inkadu

    @freelancer (itouch): Was that the guy? The camera made a sly wink as they went over that guy, but I thought he was the history teacher who blew himself up outside the frigate.

    And I haven’t seen Boone since one, two, three, four, five moves ago. Christ, I really need to stop moving around.

  61. 61.

    freelancer (itouch)

    @inkadu:

    History teacher who dynamited himself was talking to hurley about his chicken franchise.

    Guy who shows up and started being a loud malcontent until he was impaled by one or two of the others’ flaming arrows was wearing an eye cover like he was sleeping as the plane deboarded.

    Ot when did David duchovny start doing voicework for dogfood?

  69. 69.

    Ash

    That was meh. But I guess I just don’t get it anymore, so my opinion is moot.

    If Cthulu showed up somewhere in this clusterfuck it might make the last 5 years actually worth it.

  70. 70.

    Al

    Jerk is right.

    The first thread of the flight without the crash is completely irrelevant. The second stream has that damn smoke and Locke is showing up in a different incantation every 10 feet.
    Well, at least according to the next show promo, Jack is finally going to utter the words he should have said during the first damned show! “Who are you guys?”

    I’m just going to wait for the utube highlights at the end of the season.

  71. 71.

    Andy K

    @Al:

    I think the new-timeline-Oceanics will somehow, somewhy have to get to the island. Des- who leaps through timelines and retains consciousness through it all- will be the one who rounds them up and gets ’em back.

  72. 72.

    inkadu

    @freelancer (itouch): You put up with David Duchovny selling dog food. I put up with Stephen Corbett pushing Applebees. We are becoming that stale middle demographic. Soon the rebellious heroes of our youth will be having their concerts during PBS fundraisers.

  73. 73.

    inkadu

    @Andy K: The theme this episodes is about choices in life. And I think the narrative juiciness of meeting your old, boring self after action! adventure! excitement! might push these two worlds together.

    Also one of the templars recognized the group. She said, “They were with me on the plane.” She was the stewardess from the plane who was attractive enough to be a developing character.

    You know how you can tell in a book if a character is going to be important? They give that character a name. In TV, you know a character is going to be important when they are super attractive.

    Anyway. The question what’s the timeline for the stewardess? How was she on the Oceanic Flight that crashed? My guess is that there’s a third flight out there somewhere, to be revealed in the future. I assumed that the crash survivors on the return flight to the island were in the present. But it may be that they were actually bumped up into the future… which would leave time for the original Oceanic flight to be re-run and crash again.

    Or soemthing.

  75. 75.

    Andy K

    @inkadu:

    I think that she’s original timeline, as are all the Oceanics who leaped time after the H-bomb-mysterious force interaction. They’re all there concurrently with the group at the foot of the statue. And all of these Oceanics are alive with altered lives on that second timeline.

    So here’s what I’m trying to figure out now: What happened to the 1977 Dharma Initiative folks and the Others (Eloise, Widmore, Ben, Richard). I haven’t quite worked it out yet, but some of them- the Others, at least- might live outside of time. Kinda like Des.

  76. 76.

    freelancer (itouch)

    @Andy K:

    Speculation is useless this early in. My brain is twisted as any by the multiple parallel universes, but like a quantum wave encountering reality, all the threads will eventually collapse and as the ABC promo stated, “the questions end here.”

    answers are coming, and they’ve had the time to figure the whole thing out. I hate to say this, but I actually trust this writing team.

  77. 77.

    Mike in NC

    Yeah, “LOST” is kinda weird but it beats watching yet another shitty show where lawyers or doctors or cops are screwing each other’s brains out.

  78. 78.

    Jules

    @inkadu:

    The question what’s the timeline for the stewardess? How was she on the Oceanic Flight that crashed?

    She was on the flight.
    She was one of the people who were kidnapped by The Others along with the 2 kids who brought the food and drink to Kate and friends in the Temple. She also was seen in the background in a few episodes and talked to Jack when he was being held by The Others in the bear cages.
    yeah I know way to much about LOST.

    So Syiad/Jacob now?

  79. 79.

    asiangrrlMN

    @jeffreyw: You tempt me with your food pr0n, good sir, but I suspect you know that already.

    @mr. whipple: Oh. My God. Punky, Punkin, Punk is amazing! More pics, plz!

    Lost, never got into it. My brother really digs it, so at his urging, I watched the first two shows on Netflix a year later. Didn’t care for the first, but plugged through it. I quit halfway through the second show. It was the same with Heroes, alas. I was primed for that show because I like graphic novels. NBC replayed the first three episodes back-to-back-to-back. I watched (well, fast-forwarded) through all three and never watched it again.

    @Paul: “Ironic”. I don’t think it means what you think it means!

  80. 80.

    Paul

    “Lost open thread” is an oxymoron. Or maybe it’s ironic, like rain on your wedding day. More likely is it’s time for bed.

    Nice to see you back in action, John.

  81. 81.

    Anne Laurie

    @valdivia: Whoops. Don’t blame you, I know better, just cut’n’pasted and didn’t bother to proofread, which I am usually careful to do with my own lysdexic prose!

  82. 82.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: I half-expect you to go on a stalking missing south past Chicago into the southern part of the state and look for a spaniel with a peculiar tracking collar and follow him home…you see where I’m going with this.

  84. 84.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Yutsano: Where you’re going is that I need a partner who will cook for me so I can stop bothering poor jeffreyw to feed me! But, damn, what he can do with a camera and some food, it ought to be illegal.

    Hi, hon. How you be?

  85. 85.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: Never never never mess up your back. I almost feel like I’m as much pain as JC right now although it does seem to be slowly improving. Could also be the copious pain drugs I’ve been taking as well.

    Admit it, after I suggested it you thought about it just a wee bit.

  86. 86.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Yutsano: What did you do? Did you have to go to the hospital? How are you feeling now?

    Hey, Chicago isn’t that far from me, you know. And, jeffreyw did say he would adopt me as long as I bought (and, presumably wore) pajamas.

  87. 87.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: It’s just a tweak coupled with arthritis. It tends to flare up every now and again and turn debilitating, fortunately it fades in a couple of days. In fact it’s feeling better than it has right now. I’ve avoided a doctor’s visit for now, if I’m not better by my days off then I’ll go to the clinic to get some good pain meds then sleep it off.

    If you get PJs, they’d better be feetsies or we will both feel cheated. I’m just sayin’.

  89. 89.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: Hehehe. I now haz a birthday idea for you. I’m just evil like that.

    My SIL always looks forward to Christmas, mostly because it means she will get socks from my mom. My mom gets her good socks, like striped toed awesome socks. This just reminded me of that.

  90. 90.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Yutsano: I wear fleece socks. I like fleece socks. I have several pairs that have pigs doing karate on them. However, if you get me jammies like the one I linked, I may have to fake-separate from you.

  91. 91.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: That was…bizarre. I mean creepy Republican fetish bizarre. Like outfits in David Vitter’s wet dreams bizarre. No way in the world would I get that for you not even as a joke. Trust me I got a thought though…

    You may have to show me where you got those pigs. They’re not P-Chans by chance are they?

  92. 92.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Yutsano: I got them on eBay. I don’t think the seller is selling any more, unfortunately. I have many many pairs. I lurves them. And yes, that jammies link is David Vitter disturbing. I am glad you wouldn’t get anything like that for me even as a joke because I enjoy being fake-married to you.

  95. 95.

    daryljfontaine

    The Oceanics are now a particle and a wave.

    Juliet’s final words to Sawyer are “I took a job on a different TV show.”

    D

  96. 96.

    bob h

    Frontline’s 90 minute episode on the web looks really good tonight.

    What they had to say about multitasking was undoubtedly correct. I can’t even look at my favorite blogs and listen to Morning Edition at the same time. And watching the arms and legs fly out of the Hellfire explosion you caused probably would take a mental toll pretty quickly.

  97. 97.

    debbie

    LOST jumped the shark when it became obvious that they were just piling mystery on top of conundrum on top of hint on top of puzzle on top of tantalizing clue, and they were never really gonna clarify any of it.
    …Nothing will get resolved. It’s all just Abrams and company tossing out cliffhanger after cliffhanger and never resolving any of it satisfactorily.

    I’ve watched Lost since the beginning and liked it less and less as the seasons pass. That island isn’t big enough for all that crap going on on it. I’m mostly just watching to see how they tie it all up.

    Unfortunately, there was an article in Sunday’s NYT where the writers were practically bragging that they hadn’t written the last episode yet. That doesn’t bode well for a satisfactory conclusion. There’s an awful lot of loose ends.

    Unless all the plotlines are really just in the black smoke’s mind.

    Between Lost and Star Trek, J.J. Abrams is a real disappointment.

  98. 98.

    Remember November

    I think Faraday is/was my favorite. Weird twist last season with his mom. Kind of Medea-esque. Was v sad Juliette didn’t make it. I’m thinking that the bomb caused a rip in fabric of space time and created an alternate universe.

    -yet I think Locke will walk after seeing New Jack. Was perplexed about appearance of Desmond on plane – since he was time jumping wouldn’t he be affected by this as well? DIssapearance of Jacks dad opens a plot hole too.

  100. 100.

    Arachnae

    I remain perplexed at the number of people who continue to ‘blame’ JJ Abrams for whatever happens on Lost. He hasn’t been involved since Season 1.

    I also continue to be puzzled by the people who come onto a thread about a topic just to say ‘never watched it’ or ‘dropped out five years ago’.

    Faraday was my favorite too, November. I hope they find some way to bring him back from his untimely death in the ‘seventies.

    I think it’s clear Sayid is now Jacob. Which is sad because I liked the SAYID-sayid.

    But WTF with the Mystical Healing Pool?

  102. 102.

    Arachnae

    I remain perplexed at the number of people who continue to ‘blame’ JJ Abrams for whatever happens on Lost. He hasn’t been involved since Season 1.

    I also continue to be puzzled by the people who come onto a thread about a topic just to say ‘never watched it’ or ‘dropped out five years ago’.

    Faraday was my favorite too, November. I hope they find some way to bring him back from his untimely death in the ‘seventies.

    I think it’s clear Sayid is now Jacob. Which is sad because I liked the SAYID-sayid.

    But WTF with the Mystical Healing Pool?

  104. 104.

    debbie

    @Arachnae:

    As it was his creation, Abrams should have protected it from the rampant ADHD of the writers.

  105. 105.

    Joe

    Lost was a great show in it’s first year. Watched the second year and liked some of it, but it was mostly blah. Stopped watching after Mr. Eko was killed off.

  106. 106.

    Redshirt

    Lost is great, and anyone who enjoys detailed made up worlds in literature (any Stephen King, the Harry Potter books I assume, Ringworld series, etc) would enjoy Lost for the same reasons, I would think. It takes a bit of effort, though, since the initial reaction is confusion.

    I LOVE this show, best ever. Last night’s episode gets better and better for me the more I think about it, AND, most critically, the more I read other people’s theories. The internet is a powerful tool for people to pick out each and every significant (or insignificant) detail, and the possible meaning.

  107. 107.

    Arachnae

    I actually thought Mr. Eko (however excellent the actor was) and the rest of the Tailies were a waste of story time.

  108. 108.

    DS

    A question: has anyone purchased the new season through iTunes? I’m out of the country for the year so I shelled out the $35 because its the only way I can watch the show, and they STILL haven’t posted the new episode online yet! How long does it usually take for new episodes of shows to appear?

  109. 109.

    geg6

    @Arachnae:

    I’m with you. Love, love, love this show and can’t even begin to fathom the people who jump into a thread on it to complain that they don’t watch it, or quit watching it, or are too good to watch it, so ipso facto it must suck.

    I guess if you have a very short attention span and have no interest in being challenged by a tv show, it sucks. If, however, you like being challenged and are willing to give it the time and attention it needs, it might be one of the best shows ever on tv.

    I know that I have never been disappointed (well, with the exception of the Nikki and Paulo disaster) by this show and have found the explanations they’ve given so far quite satisfying. Cuse and Lindeloff take their fans very seriously and I have doubt whatsoever that the things Lost fans want answers to will be answered quite satisfactorily by the end of its run.

  110. 110.

    Arachnae

    Heh, the Nikki and Paulo storyline cracked me up – I wasn’t watching the show at the time; got hooked via Netflix. So I knew the fans were all up in arms about them when I watched it – I thought it was funny/gross.

    I like the way they add new characters every so often, but some grafts are more successful than others. Like last year’s Ilana and her crew – they’re complete ciphers. Who cares about them? not me…

    Juliet, otoh, I loved immediately.

  111. 111.

    Redshirt

    Razzle dazzle! I liked the Nikki and Paulo storyline – much more after watching it on DVD then when it aired.

    And I have found that to be true about almost all of Lost – things that used to bug me no longer do on rewatching. I love it all. It’s such a deep and rich show, there’s always something else to get from it.

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