All right, I'm alive! I swear! I've been in actually mostly overcast LA with family. I've also had a lot of time on my hands, and have therefore been able to actually watch all of the first season of LOST. And...
I give it an A-/B+. It seems very clear that they were trying to throw things at the wall and see what made sense and what didn't, and what really got the ax were certain characters more than anything plot-related. I was surprised that you actually do get to see the Smoke Monster's "physical" form at the very end of the season, and I was also surprised by some of the deaths on the island (I really liked Ian Somerhalder as an actor; he seemed remarkably natural, and the moment when he realizes that seeing his sister's death made him relieved is maybe my favorite acting moment in LOST so far; I was sad to see Boone go, but he really had become kind of a useless character to the plot).
The plot was actually remarkably strong and consistent, especially given the flashbacks that I've already watched. It doesn't feel like the writers knew exactly where they were going yet with the narrative, but they had the general themes of humans being corrupt and faith/ good vs. evil down pretty strongly. Some of the characters seem a bit over the top (Jin's behavior in particular is way too crazy, and when they FINALLY toned it down at the end of the season and gave a somewhat lame explanation, I was very relieved), and some deaths were welcome (Arzt, anyone?). Also, the coolest thing about doing this so far in terms of watching the show in "real time" was watching the flashbacks of the tail survivors from Season 2 in conjunction with the first season. I think I would have been annoyed if I had seen those in an entire episode but in chunks, they work quite well (it's also interesting to compare Ethan and Goodwin's methods, for those of you that know the show).
But some of the "flashbacks" I had issues with. Nikki and Paulo are bad retcons in the story (you certainly never see them or hear them mentioned in any shots in Season 1, and yet they mysteriously appear in flashbacks to this time period in Season 3 (which I've heard is the worst season of the show). They seem like the writers trying to come up with new material rather than valuable parts of the story. There is also one major timeline inconsistency. The flashback with Juliet and Ben having a dinner party apparently takes place on a very specific date according to one of the official LOST magazines that came out, and that date coincides with a statement made in the flashback about it having been three weeks since the plane crashed. However, Juliet mentions that she's concerned about Goodwin because of how they "lost Ethan,"which I assume is a reference to Ethan getting killed by Charlie. All well and good, except that Ethan's death doesn't happen in the timeline for another two or three days. Whoops. You could make an argument that she means that they've lost Ethan because he's gone rogue and has become obsessed with getting Claire back, but that's pushing it. Clearly a mistake from the writers. Still, it's the only real timeline inconsistency I've seen so far outside of the blooper of Sun's dog growing from a puppy to a full-grown dog overnight in a flashback, which is kind of amazing.
So I definitely want to keep watching; the plot, while a bit annoying at times, is better than I thought it would be, and the acting is consistently strong all around. Here's to Season 2 and....Desmond! :)
Best episode: Outlaws. This wasn't close for me, actually. I LOVED this episode. The writing was extremely strong, there actually wasn't anything directly mystical that happened (there's of course the implication that the boar is actually Duckett, but it's never stated as such), the flashbacks tied directly into the episode, the acting was awesome throughout, and the cliffhanger at the end was character-based rather than plot/mystery based. As good an episode of LOST as I think there can be. Honorable mention to the Pilot for its sheer audacity (the shot of the tail breaking off from the perspective of the main cabin of the plane is one of the most intense shots I've ever seen on TV.)
Worst episode: Homecoming. One of the creators/head writers (I think it was Damon Lindelof) cited this as his least favorite episode of the entire series, and I think I understand why. A terrible trope (amnesia) that the writers then have to deal with for the rest of the season (and more seasons later, I'm sure), flashbacks that really didn't tie into the story well, a major character death that kind of came out of nowhere, and pretty melodramatic. I mean, it wasn't a terrible episode or anything, but there really wasn't a need for the episode to be so overwrought, and the amnesia thing seems pointless. The whole thing could have been handled much more gracefully and thoughtfully.
Best character: Kate is the most realized character so far in terms of the writers really understanding hr motivations. Jack, Hurley, and Sawyer are also all excellent characters with lots of potential, and Sayid is strong too. But Locke has got to take it. Terry O'Quinn is such a wonderful actor, and the character is both endearing and mysterious at the same time, not two traits you often see together. His flashbacks also reveal an extraordinarily sad story, making his actions on the Island that much more understandable and powerful.
Worst character: Arzt, anyone? He is extremely annoying every time he pops up, and actually ends up pretty deeply influencing the plot at the end. Also, Shannon is pretty ridiculous and over the top; I have a feeling she isn't long for the show. Jin is also very badly handled by the writers in this season, but his flashbacks suggest that things might get better, and Sun is strong enough of a character that everything should balance itself out. A tie between Arzt and Shannon, only because Arzt is really a pretty minor character in the scheme of things.
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