Finals are coming to an end, and in these trying times sometimes all you need is an escape. So let me be your TV guide and recommend just the show to be your antidote: “Lost.”
Similar to the crash landing in the novel “Lord of the Flies,” by William Golding, the first seasons of the show detail the 108 days the unlucky passengers of Oceanic flight 815 spend stranded on an unknown island after crashing.
Although the show is a little over 20-years-old, the viewing experience still feels quite modern. As the show takes place completely alienated from the rest of technological society, it avoids being obviously dated, employing the sparing use of flip phones and pop culture references. Simply said, the show would not be much different taking place in 2024 instead of 2004.
As the name suggests, it is easy to get lost in the show, as every episode leaves you wanting more. Balancing the genre of sci-fi and fears of worst-case realities, the show feels equally real and otherworldly, with big scary smoke monsters and survivors who just want to find their way back home.
While being immersive, there is also this tugging feeling in the back of the mind asking: “could this happen to me?” It creates a vivid image of what life might be like if the simple turbulence on your last flight ever were much more devastating.
Picture before a flight, wishing to sit next to your airport crush. Instead, the wish is granted by an evil genie, so you crash- land on an island for three months, having to survive the mysteries and gore of being stranded together.
Because a small part of you wished for the crash in some twisted way, it feels like you brought the crash on yourself and every other victim of the flight — nearly every character asks themselves what did they do to earn such bad karma.
The first few seasons are easily five stars, and make me realize why the show brought in millions of viewers episode after episode, and how I got just as invested.
However, the landscape of season four and onwards are radically different, as that season dealt with a writer’s strike halfway through production, and the last two seasons had to quickly patch any past plot holes while making something a devoted fan base would all love.
Seasons five and six, the last two of the show, tiptoed around being convoluted. As is the fatal flaw with many other similarly complex shows, the final season, number six, feels like a distant cousin of the pilot episode, missing much of the heart that originally existed. It felt like it was made to answer questions, not complete the story, but this should not deter any possible watchers.
Everything being said, season six of “Lost” is still vastly better than most other shows’ pilot seasons and brought me to tears.
The show also balances multiple timelines and storylines, beginning the show in the characters’ present on the island, then introducing you to their pasts. You will watch those who seem like the most pure intended become murkier, as the writers push and pull you into loving and hating characters within single scenes.
Spoiler warning: survival shows like these rarely get a satisfying ending, but I am glad to say this one does. It makes up for every small grievance in the show, making every moment invested into watching the show pay off.
The show is the type to linger in the best way, as the characters entangle themselves into your mind. Looking at flowers reminds me of the Kwons, the couple that I begged would break up, only to grow to pray they would be the ones to make it off the island.
Hauntingly, it is impossible not to wonder after watching the show, is this only turbulence, or do I need to scope out who will turn to stranded on an island?
Because the show recently celebrated its 20th anniversary this fall, now is the best time to watch it. “Lost” is available on Netflix with over 90 hours of content if you are in need of an escape after finals.
Rating: 4.5/5
