Lost
Lost is the new TV series to come to our screens after a long time of waiting and anticipation. The critics have been raving about it, and it has been near impossible to leave home without being exposed to some sort of advertising for the series; but Lost was eventually broadcast to the UK audience on Wednesday night earning this week’s highest TV ratings heading well into the millions. Throughout this debate, we will determine if this really was “must see” television and whether or not it can satisfy the hype throughout the following weeks.
The “Lost” project is an ambitious one. The two hour pilot episode had a production budget of $12 million, which is high for a TV series. With a plot based around survivors of a plane crash being stranded on a desert island, the concept is not completely new. The idea has been used in various forms of popular culture; the most recent being the movie Castaway starring Tom Hanks. Although some same principles apply, there are two distinct differences between Lost and Castaway in that the movie featured a sole-survivor totally isolated. This new TV series features a group of 48 survivors with a shared experience in that they are all in the same situation. As the passengers are from a diverse range of backgrounds and personalities, only time will determine whether sharing the island with one another will become a help or a hindrance.
Also, the movie provided us with a sense of closure within a two hour duration. Lost will be shown over a period of weeks. There are more than 20 episodes still to come. It will come as no surprise that by the time we finally get closure on this, it will almost be Christmas. Whether or not the entire original audience will still be watching the show by them is another matter.
To keep this going for many weeks, the “Lost” production team are using a technique of only releasing small amounts of key information in each episode in order to keep an heir of suspense. Details such as where the plane was travelling to and from and the reason it crashed has not yet been established. All we know is that they have crashed on a small island somewhere near Fiji. But more importantly, we don’t understand the mystery of why there is a polar bear on a tropical island. Very bizarre; this will be revealed, I’m sure. But we will have to wait. These are just a few of the unanswered questions we all have that will maintain our interest for future episodes.
As for first impressions, there is a lot happening in the early scenes to keep our eyes entertained. We can easily draw a contrast between the initial shot of the idyllic surroundings of the island to which we would all love to vacation and the gentle waves crashing against the shoreline. It’s a scene of bliss. That is until the camera pans slightly to the left and we witness a scene of horror and mayhem of the part wreckage of the aircraft still in flames, where passengers are still escaping. In true Hollywood style, we are treated to visual delights such as burning fuel and a man getting sucked into the engine. Both of which leading to huge explosion sequences.
The actual crash scene is played in a series of flashbacks that frequent the episodes. Each one focussing its attention to what one of the survivors was doing the moments before impact. No doubt we will probably see the plane crash from 48 human perspectives.
All of the crash survivors play their own role in responding to the crisis. The central character (at least in the first episode) is a doctor named Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox); who is more than pivotal in the survival of others during the early scenes. Without him, most of the 48 survivors would be dead. Again, with Hollywood clichés, there is a constant need for aa hero figure. Dr Jack also has a miniature bottle of vodka in his jacket pocket that the stewardess gave him shortly before the crash occurred. According to an ABC press release, this vodka will prove vital in a later episode where he has to carry out an operation on another passenger.
Thrown into this mix of drama are a range of characters including a middle-eastern man whom is first accused of having something to do with the crash, a heroin-sniffing musician, a heavily pregnant woman and a convicted criminal. The interaction between each will provide gripping scenarios.
Not all survivors are proactive in seeking survival. Amongst them is a bratty blonde haired girl named Shannon Rutherford, played by Maggie Grace that is taking her time on the island as a vacation. She is sunbathing, giving herself pedicures and even got on her bathing costume from her luggage – convinced that they are not stranded and that help will soon arrive. Only when time passes will she face reality with a hard thrust. It seems the burning wreckage and the stench of rotting corpses is not doing it at present.
One problem with the cast of Lost is that they are too good looking. Out of the 48 survivors, only one is ugly. The rest are hunky men and young, beautiful, stunning goddesses. I almost wish I had taken this flight myself. Beauty is seemingly a top priority for huge TV shows like Lost, they want to appeal to a wide range of audiences, and I predict they will do this by throwing in some sex scenes in later episodes. Trust me, it is only a matter of time before we see stunning Shannon take her top off.
What I have a real problem with is that the cast still look ‘cat-walk’ worthy despite supposedly being stranded on the island for two days and being exposed to numerous elements such as explosions, heavy rain and no real way of getting washed. I for one would sure like to know how they do it!
Another negative element to Lost is that none of the characters bothers to turn on a cell phone at any point of the first episode. In reality, one would assume that after escaping the burning plane, and establish that they are safe, switching on a phone and attempting to make a call would be a top priority. But saying that, if this had been done, they would no longer be “lost”, and thus the entire premise for the series would not happen.
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