The_Peoples_Elbow
05-06-2010, 09:25 PM
As the series draws to a close, I felt compelled to share some personal observations with you, the fellow fans, here on The Fuselage.
Like many of you, I was once a die hard fan. Now, I'm simply here to see how it all ends. I believe this show has become a shell of its former self; train wreck may be a better term that I've seen written in these forums often.
I've come up with what I think are the 6 defining moments where this show essentially went wrong. Phrase it how you like; the semantics are not of concern. What is germane to this discussion is that these events happened. And there happening has left us where we are now. About to witness perhaps one of the most colossal and epic fails in the history of modern television or, I truly hope and would rather see, one of the greatest delivered conclusions in the history of modern television.
That being said, here is one man's take on where this show went wrong. Feel free to post your own list or bullet points. Expand on mine as you like; they are here for critique as much as they are for observation and conscious thought provoking.
1. Jack let's Desmond run away from him in the jungle after Desmond gets out of the hatch.
Why: This set a far reaching and over used precedent on LOST that has been the bane of many fan's existence. That precedent being someone having the absolute perfect opportunity to have a sane, rational, calm conversation with another island member where questions could have been answered. At a minimum, the conversation would have had the opportunity to move the plot along greatly and provide some much wanted answers.
2. Jack's confrontation with Tom when Tom states "This was their island."
Why: Jack had the perfect opportunity to state right then and there categorically and in no uncertain terms as any rational person would have, that he wanted nothing to do with the island and just wanted to get off. Had Jack made that point crystal clear, the show had a chance to move in a direction I believe would have proven a lot more credible and realistic to it's audience. Instead, Jack doesn't refute Tom, leaving Tom to believe that Jack wants a piece of the island for reasons that to this day remain unclear.
3. Locke doesn't get any answers from Ben when Locke has him alone in the hatch.
Why: That scene proved to be pivotal in the direction the series took from that point on. Had Locke forced Ben's hand, and gotten some answers, which probably would have been lies, at least it would have provided Locke with a foundation. Locke could have used that foundation from which to not only judge Ben and his actions from that point forward, but to detect when Ben was lying and prevent a lot of the chaos that ensued in the future episodes.
4. Ben pushed the frozen donkey wheel.
Why: It took LOST out of the realm of what Lindeloff himself had stated "Everything on the show could be plausibly explained in known science and is grounded in some form of reality." It moves LOST into the "anything goes" realm, which from there has led us to where we are now with parallel timelines and multiple universes.
5. Ben killed Locke.
Why: It served no purpose whatsoever other than to allow the Smoke Monster to claim Locke's body, when he could have claimed any dead body on the island. LOST without Locke is like MASH without Alan Alda. Something has been missing ever since.
6. No one questions Eloise when she explains to them that they have to get back to the island.
Why: It left every audience member wondering why they would willingly go back to an island where it was just made clear to them that this island has mystical properties that are completely out of the realm of their comprehension. Which leads one to think that no rationale human being would willingly do that.
All these things have culminated in what we are seeing now in season 6. Had those 6 events gone differently, I truly believe LOST could have stayed more true to its Season 1 and Season 2 roots and remained the greatest show on television.
Like many of you, I was once a die hard fan. Now, I'm simply here to see how it all ends. I believe this show has become a shell of its former self; train wreck may be a better term that I've seen written in these forums often.
I've come up with what I think are the 6 defining moments where this show essentially went wrong. Phrase it how you like; the semantics are not of concern. What is germane to this discussion is that these events happened. And there happening has left us where we are now. About to witness perhaps one of the most colossal and epic fails in the history of modern television or, I truly hope and would rather see, one of the greatest delivered conclusions in the history of modern television.
That being said, here is one man's take on where this show went wrong. Feel free to post your own list or bullet points. Expand on mine as you like; they are here for critique as much as they are for observation and conscious thought provoking.
1. Jack let's Desmond run away from him in the jungle after Desmond gets out of the hatch.
Why: This set a far reaching and over used precedent on LOST that has been the bane of many fan's existence. That precedent being someone having the absolute perfect opportunity to have a sane, rational, calm conversation with another island member where questions could have been answered. At a minimum, the conversation would have had the opportunity to move the plot along greatly and provide some much wanted answers.
2. Jack's confrontation with Tom when Tom states "This was their island."
Why: Jack had the perfect opportunity to state right then and there categorically and in no uncertain terms as any rational person would have, that he wanted nothing to do with the island and just wanted to get off. Had Jack made that point crystal clear, the show had a chance to move in a direction I believe would have proven a lot more credible and realistic to it's audience. Instead, Jack doesn't refute Tom, leaving Tom to believe that Jack wants a piece of the island for reasons that to this day remain unclear.
3. Locke doesn't get any answers from Ben when Locke has him alone in the hatch.
Why: That scene proved to be pivotal in the direction the series took from that point on. Had Locke forced Ben's hand, and gotten some answers, which probably would have been lies, at least it would have provided Locke with a foundation. Locke could have used that foundation from which to not only judge Ben and his actions from that point forward, but to detect when Ben was lying and prevent a lot of the chaos that ensued in the future episodes.
4. Ben pushed the frozen donkey wheel.
Why: It took LOST out of the realm of what Lindeloff himself had stated "Everything on the show could be plausibly explained in known science and is grounded in some form of reality." It moves LOST into the "anything goes" realm, which from there has led us to where we are now with parallel timelines and multiple universes.
5. Ben killed Locke.
Why: It served no purpose whatsoever other than to allow the Smoke Monster to claim Locke's body, when he could have claimed any dead body on the island. LOST without Locke is like MASH without Alan Alda. Something has been missing ever since.
6. No one questions Eloise when she explains to them that they have to get back to the island.
Why: It left every audience member wondering why they would willingly go back to an island where it was just made clear to them that this island has mystical properties that are completely out of the realm of their comprehension. Which leads one to think that no rationale human being would willingly do that.
All these things have culminated in what we are seeing now in season 6. Had those 6 events gone differently, I truly believe LOST could have stayed more true to its Season 1 and Season 2 roots and remained the greatest show on television.