I think the issues LOST has are sort of 2-fold. First you have a night on ABC where the only thing that is good is LOST. Everything that was good has been cancelled. Now LOST will be preceeded by either comedy shows or game shows. And the constant fear of American Idol is to it’s detriment. FOX and CBS own wednesday nights. ABC needs to just own this fact and not get rid of shows that could eventually lead to a decent following. They think they are avoiding the Death Star by moving to 10? Ha! House just took in all of the audience after AI. There may be another Death Star to battle! And they just moved Lost to 10pm. What’s next? A different night?

We keep hearing that all of these decisions being made are because the fans asked for them. Things like “more romance and action” and “no repeats”. These are not what the LOST fan has asked for. These are devices to stop the bleed off of the casual fan. If you take a look, Desperate Housewives went for 10 episodes straight and I don’t think it ran any reruns this season. Not sure what happened last season with all of ABC’s shows doing tiny runs with lots of repeats, but that didn’t happen this year. So was this “arc” necessary? FOr me, while I enjoyed the shows, it threw off the writing a bit. So the show suffered a bit unneccessarily.

I think the producers and the writers of the show are doing a fine job. ANd they do answer some questions as they see fit. It may not be exactly what I want or where I want it to go, but it is their story to tell. And its still compelling story telling. I think when all is said and done, LOST will be revered and will be discussed and dissected for years to come. ABC needs to Stop catering to the casual and respect the loyal fans it does have and let Damon and Carlton take Lost where it needs to go creatively.

Personally, my favorite part of Lost comes at the end of really great episodes, when the writers pull the rug out from under you, and you sit there thinking, “What the hell is going on?” That’s what keeps me coming back week after week. I’ll take a little mystery over a paint-by-numbers explanation any day.

That said, the explanation is a bit simplistic. It’s not that I bemoan the lack of answers; the process of slow understanding is absolutely delicous. It’s a question of *rate of information exchange*. Lost has the ability to answer questions in almost perfect balance with new questions raised. I consider it absurd to think that the rate of give-and-take (answer some questions, create some questions) is occuring at the absolutely optimum pace. It seems to have slowed (qualitatively) in the recent season.

As a thought experiment, consider your friend who has missed one or two episodes. Consider how long it would take you to bring your friend up to speed in earlier seasons compared to current season. I’ve thought on this topic and I conclude that it would’ve taken longer in previous seasons, due primarily to the *rate* that questions are being opened and closed.

(begin snark)
The rate of information exchange is likewise hindered by the lack of direct questioning. Ego and sullen looks are no substitute for a friendly, “Since I can’t leave, will you please just tell me where we are?” (end snark)

I think LOST will become the proton torpedo down the exhaust port, if you know what I mean. :)

I love LOST. I will stick with it until the bitter end (read: the Zombie Season).

I find it a bit funny that they are actually creating buzz by writing that Lost has “lost it”.

Regarding this post, I’m glad to see an opposing view from Bandicot. I have to agree that it might be easier to bring a friend up to speed if he or she has missed a few episodes in season 3 than in season 2, but if we consider bringing a new viewer up to speed I think we would have an enormous task on our hands independently on if we are in season 2 or 3.

Anyway, I’ve really enjoyed the first 6 episodes of season 3. In my mind they have been some of the best episodes of Lost ever. Certainly more exciting than the tailsection episodes in season 2.

I really enjoyed the first 2 seasons, and yes, more then the first 6 s03 episodes. But I think due to the sceduling (season break -> 6 episode -> another break) people easily complain about the less answers etc..

At home my family also watched all eps of lost and they love it. Then we get another break, and they say it’s too fake… things that can’t happen. So then they love prison break.

Now this happens to me too sometimes, but I know there are more episodes coming, and answers will be revealed over time, and everybody will love it again.

It’s just very easy to talk crap about a show when a few people don’t like the amount of answers they are getting from the makers. Just let them tell their story.

I just find that funny because I stopped watching Prison Break because the things that happen on that show fit in way to much with what the protagonists need to happen, it feels fake.

I love LOST, I will watch it religiously until the end, but at this point I feel as though the show is being pushed down under the weight of all the questions it has raised, especially questions from the first season. In the first season they were introducing new mysteries on an almost weekly basis, and while several have been “answered,” a large amount haven’t been, and they are in a state of limbo…leaving fans to wonder if the writers have just given up on these mysteries, or if they hope that by prolonging them long enough, viewers will eventually forget about them. (Everything involving Claire and her backstory is just one major thing that has been bothering me. They alluded to the fact that the psychic was just lying, but then the throw his crazy daughter into the mix and we’re left to think, maybe he WASN’T lying. Also, the Jack’s Dad/Australian woman story is slightly tied into that whole mix…just stewing in a pot of unexplained mysteries.)

I’m sure we will get more answers in the next 16 weeks, but I worry that they too will be buried under a sea of new questions.

Anyway, it’s not so much a negative thing as much as it’s me just wanting more. I can’t wait for Wednesday night.