Pilot, Part 2
Lost informs as much as it entertains. It seems that it’s not going to be a peaceful time on the island. People are arguing and some of them are hiding a secret. When I become stranded I’m going to need a shocking revelation to hide. Something that’s polemical but that we can all ultimately get over and use as a bonding experience. A drug addiction or a criminal record seem like obvious choices but I want a secret that’s a little more unusual. Maybe I could be a mental patient.
I’m also going to have to practice my flashback face. It’ll need to be brooding, serious and introspective. All the interesting characters have one. I’ll just wait for someone to say something that reminds me of my troubled past and bam! Flashback face. That will get all the hot girls, of which there are three on this island. I’d be disappointed if there weren’t any on my flight. This episode Shannon is wearing a bikini and Kate strips down to her underwear. The girls on this island aren’t perfect though: Kate is a criminal; Shannon is a bitch;[ftn] and Claire is pregnant.
The others have problems too. Meriadoc Brandybuck, or Merry as he is known to his friends, has a drug problem but as he’s found his stash he should be right for a couple of episodes. The air marshall needs urgent medical treatment. Gavin aka ‘that asian dude from Crusade‘ looks like he’s up to something but he’s not as creepy as the guy with the scar over his eye.
Aside from people’s problems, most of this episode is taken up by their attempt to get the transceiver they found to the top of the mountain to send out a radio signal. The episode finishes with Merry saying “Guys, where are we?” and the title screen helpfully replying “LOST”.
The show feels like it is starting to hit its stride in this episode. The initial problems of the crash have been resolved and several of the ongoing plotlines have been revealed. The show looks like it is set for some interesting times ahead. It reminds me of The Lost World with all this trapesing through the jungle and big scary creatures. Admittedly I don’t think Lost will get as stupid as The Lost World but it could have in the wrong hands. I am little concerned that with all the flashbacks and the close ups on characters, the show might become a bit like a soap opera. With the amount of money being spent on this show, I hope it can be avoided.
One other thing that bothers me is that there is little suspense about whether they’ll be rescued. What if the show is extremely popular? They might not be rescued for years. I shouldn’t complain about a show not being cancelled but I feel sorry for the characters if they are going to be stuck on the island for years. It’s the Jack Bauer Syndrome; if only the first season of 24 had been less successful he might have lived a peaceful life.
Footnotes
- Why doesn’t this not surprise me?
Tom
November 5th, 2004 at 12:57 am
If you’re going to include long, portrait sized shots of women in underwear — and I see no reason not to — then you’ll have to start writing more to fill up the left hand column!
This show sounds quite good. I hear it’s successful, so I won’t have to worry about a crappy timeslot. Probably.
Andy
November 5th, 2004 at 11:07 am
I wrote a fair bit and then searched for pictures. Usually the length I wrote fits with one quote and two pictures; however as both these pictures are potraits instead or landscape they take up more room. I couldn’t find many lost pictures online, so I had to persuade my video editing program to give me that second picture.
Andy
November 5th, 2004 at 11:08 am
Are you going to make a special picture for Lost?
Tom
November 5th, 2004 at 7:31 pm
I’ll get onto it soon. And it’ll be shiny. Was there a big wide shot of them crashing, or of their island? Coz that’d look cool.
I can’t help but notice that you’re not paying much attention to how the pictures look on the front page… first Dawn of the Dead doesn’t fill the slot, then this one with its impressive shot of sand and someone’s hand…
Shannon
November 5th, 2004 at 7:35 pm
I would comment, but I’m too insulted right now…
Tom
November 5th, 2004 at 8:45 pm
There. Told you it’d be shiny.
How could Shannon possibly be insulted by that adorable double negative?
Andy
November 6th, 2004 at 11:32 am
oops. I could fix it I suppose. I originally wrote ‘Why does this not surprise me?’ When I looked at it the next day, I just saw the ‘Why does this’ and thought that should be negative. So it’s not really insulting anymore. I promise no more references to the fact that this show has a bitch named Shannon on it.
Tom
January 7th, 2005 at 9:34 am
The whole of grapefruit has been suffering from a lack of bitches called Shannon on it.
I mean, a lack of Shannon. Where’s your top ten TV shows, Shannon?
Tom
February 12th, 2005 at 10:43 pm
This was an improvement on the first part. More stuff happened and more people were interesting. I’m not quite as depressed at the idea of following these losers for a whole season as I was.
Channel 7 really should’ve shown them together. But I can hardly complain given their “show it 3 times a week” policy.
Shannon
February 13th, 2005 at 5:32 pm
I’m guessing that will stop soon… ?
They’re doing it for Desperate Housewives as well. I originally thought it would be only for the pilots as they wanted to make sure everyone saw them and hooked them in to the series’, but they’re still going… who knows, with Channel 7, who knows.
Tom
February 14th, 2005 at 1:43 am
On this occasion I’m fully behind Channel 7. All stations show a lot of crap that I’d never watch — replacing it with repeats of stuff I might watch is a great idea given how often I forget to catch a show.