Monday, May 24th, 2010...12:27 am

Not LOST anymore

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I’ve been watching LOST religiously (it actually is kind of like a religion) for the last five years. My roommate at the time, Perry, got his hands on the first season and we both plowed through the DVD’s just in time for the start of season two.

Lost is the best television I have ever watched (no offense to John from Cincinnati). So I’m happy to report that the highly anticipated series finally was everything I hoped it would be. I was a tad worried that the show would end with far more new questions than answers. In fact, I was kind of worried that the show would end with the “Bad Robot” sticking up his robotic middle finger at me and all the suckers who feverishly tried to make mince meat out of vegetables. There was a lot on the line. The final was either going to be epic and justify the years of being somewhat clueless or it was going to flat out suck. I ended my journey with LOST as a satisfied soul.

LOST has occupied a good portion of my free brain activity. It’s below Sportsvite and St. John’s basketball, vying with fantasy sports as my third biggest obsession in life. Unfortunately, I just don’t have the mental horse power to digest all the secret wonders of the Island. I often tell people that it “hurts my brain” just to think about all that is happening on the show. What I mean by that is that my brain actually aches. I might have sub-consciously threw out my back last week just so I could think about something new before my entire life was consumed by LOST. I’m not sure if anybody has all the answers but I am sure that I have very few. Like the bible, multi-variable calculus and a verse from the MC Twista, my hope has always been that if I could just comprehend bits and pieces it would be enough to keep my mind racing for days.

For most of the last six years there has been more than enough good stuff to keep me interested. I’ve even weathered weird sci-fi subplots, mind-bending time travel and random characters to get to the end. To find out what happens. To get all of the answers.

I’ve only written about LOST once on this blog at the end of season three. It was my favorite episode up until this finale. My big argument in that post was that the show is all about the characters. Characters that I’ve grown to know and understand as good as some of the relationships I have in my real life!

I’m not sure I can even give you a good recap of the final episode or the overarching theme of the show. LOST was just ambiguous enough to allow people to interpret the show in their own vein. If I tried to explain what it means to be I’d just feel foolish and ignorant. As I said, my brain ain’t cut out for this kind of intense, critical thinking!

What I do know is that this was gripping television and it made just enough sense to me. I realized that how it ends is besides the point. The best part was being able to watch every week, trying to figure out what the heck was happening, thinking about what is real, and looking forward to the next episode.

Over the years, I’ve made it a point to know which of my friends, colleagues and blog readers watched LOST. It was interesting to see how these people processed the show and what about the show made it so enjoyable to them. Many people had many different reasons. That’s part of the magic that made the show so special. One of my favorite things to do was think about my
own life and future within the context of some of the themes in the show. What am I meant to do in my life? What decisions didn’t I make and where would I be if I had?

Somebody recently asked me what I’m going to think about when LOST ends. The person didn’t get it. I’m always going to think about LOST and the many themes, plot twists, and characters. I’m ready to start at season one and watch the whole series all over again.

If you don’t watch LOST I’m not sure what’s been holding you back. Yeah, the water cooler conversation might sound ridiculously foolish but it’s not. Go for it! It will be worth the addiction. If you do watch LOST, I hope the finale had meaning for you. And don’t stress about all of the unanswered questions. Instead, just appreciate the enjoyment of the experience.a

Namaste!

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  • Neal Bones

    Note from my buddy neal bones to his fried and lost blogger – http://jopinionated.blogspot.com/

    so –

    i noticed the pilot on yesterday and set the dvr it's a bit overcast on this new york city sunday and hence I am sitting down to watch it now – and truthfully, I am kind of freaking out a bit

    my we have all come a long way over the last 6 years – both the show and ourselves.

    The anticipation of the finale coupled with my seasonlong denial of the approaching end, has filled my head with many many things – assumptions, expectations, and aspirations are sprinting through my more than slightly hungover mind.

    LOST was a lifechanger for me. Oddly enough, its pronounced impact on me stems from the fact that as I tuned in each week, I believed what i was watching. Of course, I do not believe that any ocean can possibly be as blue as my HD tv is telling me it is, Of course, I do not believe in black smoke monsters, glowing wells, or tropical polar bears, but when I watched this show, I lived this show. I really did. I laughed and cried with it. I grew with it and I hurt with it. I was often overwhelmingly blissful when leaving the couch feeling fulfilled, and likewise I got angry when I felt shorted by it at times. It made me wonder. It made me ask. It made me hope. Over the last several years, simply put it made me.

    Jo, you have been a big part of my life over the last 6 years – you are quite quite special
    Bright, kind, cool, creative, and so freaking funny, over the last 6 years you have selflessly spilled your mind out on to your laptop keyboard, for the benefit of so many. For so long your reactions and revelations have educated, your imagination and witty banter has entertained, and most importantly your input and resulting output has enlightened.

    Jo….one million times THANKS – for your time, and truly for your blood, your sweat, and your tears.

    To Jo, all jopinionated readers, those who join me each week to watch on my couch in nyc, and those at the office who consistently let me bounce my reactions, my discoveries, and my frustrations off you each wednesday morning, I wish you a very very enjoyable evening – and to you all I say Thanks.
    I have oh so much enjoyed this ride.

    What a long and strange trip this sure has been.

    Jo – Your cousin Josh, our buddy Cheesefries and I are meeting up for the 5+ hours of festivities tonight. – I made sure to get lots of sleep and nutrients yesterday in prep.
    I am as ready as I will ever be.
    Let's do this.