I'll Never Be "Lost" Again

I'm a Lostie.

There! I've written it. I'm a huge fan of the ABC television show "Lost." And I'm spending this "Lost Weekend" watching the pilot episode that started my addiction on Saturday and being weaned off it with the Sunday finale.

After 121 episodes, I will have to undergo "Lost" withdrawal. I have watched the series since its stellar debut on September 22, 2004. With the riveting, harrowing plane crash and its aftermath on a mysterious island, I was hooked. To my recollection, I have missed only seven episodes in six seasons.

What drew me to the series was the island. When character Charlie Pace asked, "Where are we?", I imagine other Losties asked the same question Charlie and I did. Then more questions came: What was the monster that killed the airplane's pilot? Why were children being taken? Who are The Others? Where did the ship the Black Rock come from? What is the Dharma Initiative? Who are Jacob and the Man in Black? And, what's up with that polar bear on a tropical island?

There were endless discussions of faith vs. reason, fate vs. free will, quantum physics, time travel, good vs. evil, mistakes and redemption. Executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse would throw in all sorts of cultural and philosophical touchstones in books and character names, such as John Locke, Jack Shephard, Rousseau, Charlotte Staples (C.S.) Lewis, Desmond David Hume, and Richard Alpert (the birth name of spiritual teacher Ram Dass), The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Watership Down, A Brief History of Time, Catch-22, The Chosen, Flowers for Algernon (one of my favorites), and The Bible, among many others.

But what kept me watching "Lost" these six seasons were the characters. There were the contentious interactions between Dr. Jack Shephard, a man of science, and John Locke, a man who had faith in the island. James "Sawyer" Ford, a con-man protecting his tender loving heart. Jin and Sun Kwon, the married Korean couple that went through separations before finally finding one another, only to die together. Kate Austen, a fugitive murderer whose heart was caught between Jack and Sawyer. Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, the lottery winner and comic relief who, in my opinion, is the heart of the show. Sayid Jarrah, the Iraqi soldier seeking love and redemption. Benjamin Linus, the "leader" of The Others who has used people and is being used by the Man in Black. (Or is he?) Finally, Desmond Hume, the time traveler who is the key to the island and has his "constant" in his love, Penelope Widmore.

"Lost" is an action drama that challenged me to think. I would have weekly day-after-Lost discussions with a coworker about the episode and what we liked and didn't like about it. The music by Emmy- and Academy Award-winner Michael Giacchino suited every scene and was memorable. And the scenery, which was shot on the north side of Oahu, Hawaii, was breathtaking.

So, when I sit down Sunday night to watch the 2-1/2-hour finale, I will have a box of tissues and a glass of chardonnay to toast what I will call my favorite television show of all time. Namaste, "Lost."

Writing Diva