Lost
September 15, 2005 - Television
Next Wednesday is the season premiere of ABC's Lost. I got into the show about halfway through the first season, and only caught up through the magic of bittorrent. Now, I'm totally hooked.
Last night, they re-aired the season finale, and watching it, I'm re-hooked. I want to know what's at the bottom of the hatch. I want to know who The Others are and why they kidnapped Walter. I want to know what this 'security system' is - a monster, or something mechanical? I want to know what happens to the folks on the raft - Jin and Michael are two of my favorite characters. (Although my absolute favorite is still Hurley)
If you haven't seen the first season, it's now out on DVD. I highly suggest checking it out. ABC also has a new show called Invasion that looks very interesting. Warning: The website for Invasion is horribly annoying. The entire block of text is a big link, and the page refreshes to another page as soon as the video is finished playing.
- Why the tide came in so fast (island in motion?)
- Why Locke's compass is off 15 deg... not that anyone couldn't guess by listening to him (huge propulsion system or power source?)
- Why the place isn't on any maps
- Why there's a ship in the middle of the island.... And can the island sink or was it built up over time?
- Why there are polar bears AND boars
- Why the underground seems to be a very interesting place right now (practically invisible stuff pushing up trees and pulling people underground, hatches, very long extension cord which originates underground)
And what kind of glass-like material can SHATTER steel anyway? How much force is required to shatter steel? You'd think they could build a decent door hinge.
Given that second-guessing a TV scriptwriter is a total waste of time, and given that this is _not_ science fiction (but, rather, 'sci-fi'), what makes more sense: An island with Big Giant Motors, or some Bermuda Triangle-like thing?
Fast tides can be caused by any number of things, including moon-sun oppositions and shallow water.
A huge natural deposit of iron or lodestone (buried meteor, perhaps?) or an UN-natural underground construction could explain Locke's compass problems. BTW - ALL magnetic compasses are "off" unless you happen to be on the single line of longitude where true and magnetic north are aligned. All navigational maps include a table for magnetic deviation.
As I say, I am not foolish enough to try to read the "mind" of someone who writes TV scripts, but as William of Occam points out, it is often the simplest explanation that is the best.
I have a Sony that's about 15 years old and works great - it's buried two "new" VCRs.
Haircut "appointment?" At night? I thought that was a chick thing.
Pardon my ignorance concerning how haircutting is done in the 21st Century - Sally bought me some barber clippers about 10 years ago and I do my own. Takes five minutes, costs nothing except electricity (I figure the $25 for the clippers is fully depreciated after 10 years).
As far as the VCR being antiquated, I was merely referencing the fact that the VCR seems to be going the way of the 8-Track in favor of DVR setups like Tivo.
I don't think anyone really needed the clip show, but the narration was OK.
As for the season opener, it generated more questions than it answered, which I suppose was the idea.
Guess we just wait and see.
My favorites are John Locke and Sayid Jarrah. I don't know if that's because of my age, my lack of hair, my military background or all of the above. All I can say is that those two guys are about the best chance these people have of not dying until they figure out what's going on. I just keep wondering how Sayid seems to know so much about the jungle - Republican Guard were trained to operate in a radically different climate. Bad writing or another Secret in his past? We'll find out, I suppose.
After ignoring the first rule of island survival - "Thou shalt get the hell off the beach" - I'm wondering what other normally fatal blunders they're going to get away with.
The guys on the raft aren't having much fun. I guess the island doesn't have a reef, or they would have had a nasty time getting past the surf line with something that big. Which is another reason to get off the beach.
I expect that by next season, we'll get a look at the Other Side Of The Island (as Gilligan would call it), since the writers and producers keep hinting at it.
It's a good show.