Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Happy Anniversary, Lost: Reflections in My Rear View Mirror (Updated)



It only seemed appropriate on the anniversary of its debut to look back at where and who I was when Lost first aired on September 22, 2004. Below is a timeline of significant personal memories, fondly flashing back in time to the early days when I was just a fan without an online presence, voice or forum. 


A television show can change your life. Lost altered my path in more ways than one. 


It Doesn't Matter Who We Were, It Only Matters Who We Are


9/22/04: Lost debuted on ABC

10/20/04: I was officially hooked, thanks to episode 1.05 (White Rabbit

8/13/05: Purchased the name and URL for JOpinionated, and started a pop culture blog

3/14/06: Posted my very first Lost entry, after episode 2.15 (Maternity Leave)

1/23/08: Created this site in order to share Lost-specific analysis only, separately from other TV/film reviews

6/20/08-7/23/08: Created Jeremy Bentham website and Facebook profile with Lost anagrams and puzzles; a short-lived summer project

7/25/08: Attended Comic-Con for the first time, asked Damon and Carlton at an EW panel about the use of the name Bentham  

7/26/08: Attended the Lost panel at Comic-Con 2008

8/19/08: My first Lost interview: William Mapother (Ethan Rom)

2/18/09: Experienced the official Lost tour on Oahu via KOS Tours

4/4/09: Met writer/script supervisor/continuity guru Gregg Nations at the Lost Weekend charity event, as well as Sterling Beaumon (young Ben) and Andrea Gabriel (Nadia) - both of whom have become good friends [sidenote: I help run their FB fan pages]


6/4/09 - 1/16/10 Completed 5-season rewatch project with comprehensive analysis of each episode

7/09: Attended the Lost panel at Comic-Con 2009, met Josh Holloway, Nestor Carbonell and Jorge Garcia in the press room [also interviewed Dom Monaghan in the FlashForward press room]

1/29/10: Attended a private meet and greet party for the S6 premiere press in Waikiki; spoke with Damon and Carlton, Michael Emerson, Jeff Fahey, Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim, Nestor, Harold Perrineau and Zuleika Robinson, as well as writers/executive producers Adam Horowitz, Eddie Kitsis and Liz Sarnoff


1/29/10: Hosted a party or 120 Lost fans from around the world; Fahey made a brief appearance

1/30/10: Went on a private press tour of Lost filming locales with executive producer Jean Higgins

1/30/10: Was on the S6 premiere red carpet on the beach, interviewing the above plus Evangeline Lilly and Josh Holloway 

3/15/10: Met and interviewed Elizabeth Mitchell on the set of V in Vancouver

5/23/10: Moderated a Lost panel at Jay and Jack's finale party at the Orpheum in LA, featuring Sterling, Andrea, L. Scott Caldwell (Rose), Neil Hopkins (Liam Pace), Malcolm David Kelley (Walt) and Eric Lange (Radzinsky)

8/21/10: Attended Lost Auction in LA, was a guest judge for the costume contest


I realize that I'm leaving out a few important events, but those were the first that came to mind. By the way, you can find articles about each of the above in the archives to the upper right or by searching by category in the Tabs. 


First Theories


For the sake of nostalgia, I looked up my first Lost entry from 2006 and am posting some of it below. I think you'll be amused by my initial thoughts, but I have to say that I'm proud of my Looking Glass station prediction!




3/14/06

  • When Sayid first went exploring by himself in season one, he came across a thick black cord buried in the sand. He tracked it into the jungle but never questioned where the other end led. My theory is that there is an underwater hatch, and that cord is somehow providing electricity or power to it.
  • Why did flight attendant Cindy disappear and where did she go? She doesn't seem like someone that the Others would be interested in.
  • Isn't it a tad coincidental that Hurley would be attracted to a clinical psychologist when he used to be institutionalized? He even comments to Libby that she seems familiar. I'm sure we'll find out that she worked where he was a patient. Libby is a mystery; perhaps an Other or perhaps just an odd bird.
  • When Jack came across his father's coffin, it was broken but empty. Is his dad still alive and on the island? Is he an Other or somehow involved with the Dharma Initiative? Or did the airline send the coffin without the body?
  • The airplanes on the mobile above the crib had Oceanic logos on them. Dharma is obviously involved with Oceanic - do they own the airline?
  • Could the HIM they're referring to be Henry Gale, the stranger held captive in the hatch?
  • Claire took a drink from Ethan's canteen, much like Jack did from Desmond's canteen in his flashback. She mentioned that it tasted sour. Is water one of the methods that Dharma folks use to poison and/or drug people?
  • Henry Gale was the name of Dorothy's uncle in The Wizard of Oz. And the Wizard himself arrived in Oz via hot air balloon, the very method of transport that this Gale is claiming to have crashed in on the island. Keep in mind that the Wizard also departed Oz in a hot air balloon, so we'll see what happens with Lost's Gale. 
  • Why on earth would Sawyer have a pregnancy test among his hoarded supplies? If a female passenger had packed one, does that mean that one of the survivors thought they were pregnant or are pregnant now?
  • Is Mr. Eko building a church?
  • The hatch has a magnetic field below - did it have something to do with bringing the plane down? Or why the Black Rock ship is in the middle of the jungle? Does it have something to do with Locke's ability to walk?
  • Locke's biological father talked about how everyone gets conned. And who is our favorite con man? Sawyer. There is indeed a connection between those two, but I have no idea what it is. 
Picture a Box. You Know Something About Boxes, Don't You?




What if I told you that somewhere in my house, there is a very large box...full of Lost memorabilia to give away. Simply leave a comment below by 10/1/10 and let me know how Lost has changed YOUR life; you will be entered to win a piece of memorabilia (I have plenty of goodies left to give away). 


Thank you for strolling down this road with me. And for the past six years. Because without your eyes and words and support, I would still be an anonymous fan without a voice.


Happy anniversary of the day our lives changed collectively and forever.


-Jo 


*UPDATE: Here are the names I randomly pulled; please email me your shipping address (jo at jopinionated dot com) and I will send you a little something from my Lost collection!

  1. Andrea
  2. Chelsea
  3. Froy
  4. HankG
  5. HumaneBean
  6. JasonBunch
  7. Mandazoid
  8. Stupescommaruth

40 comments:

MollyFaraday said...

Lost has changed everything about my life. I schedule my life around Lost. Lost IS my life!!

It started on my 14th birthday, (Yes, Im an Oceanic Baby) and I remember hurrying home from dinner with the family to catch the pilot of a show that has Merry the Hobbit in it! That snowballed into the huge obsession that I share with everyone today. I dont think I wouldve stayed on Twitter if it werent for Lost. Ive met so many amazing people and we will always be united in the fact that we shared this incredible Lost experience together!

Nat the Baker said...

Lost has, indeed, changed my life. I've been encouraged to read about all kinds of new and exciting things, and to enter into a large number of lively debates with some wonderfully like-minded people. I've never seen a tv show that's done that, or, indeed, moved me so much.

And Jo, you've made a huge contribution to that, so thank you for your brilliant blogging, that I looked forward to reading every Monday. I hope you feel all our appreciation for your dedication.

Happy anniversary! What on earth am I going to watch now?

Nat x

Sherylm said...

Your first post was really quite on target!

For me, LOST (which I didn't see for months after its premier and then, for the first whole season, in French two episodes at at time), led to my very first interaction with anyone on an Internet forum and that opened up a whole new world of interesting discussions and "digital" encounters with great people like you, Jo!

Vive LOST!

Lois said...

i love this entry. its nice to look back and have lost as a timeline in your own life! i was certainly very different when lost started!

andalone said...

LOST not only changed my life, it became a huge part of my life. It expanded my mind, stimulated my imagination and touched me on an emotional level that no other television program or movie has ever done.

Unknown said...

Lost changed my life because it introduced me to such a wonderful community of fans! Can't believe it's over, but looking forward to the various re-watches

Matt Roeser said...

hey jo! it's so awesome that you were able to turn your love of the show into something you enjoy doing!

LOST is the first show that I ever went insane-crazy for. between my finale parties and the videos that accompanied them, meeting so many cool other LOST fans online and being part of the entire LOST experience while it was on the air is something that will never be rivaled.

matt

Unknown said...

Great post!

Lost was a show that brought me and a group of friends closer together; it became THE event of the week that we planned around... In fact, I even went to Hawaii to see where they film the show while they were filming season 6! When the show ended, it left abig void in all of our lives but we still have all of the memories!

neh92207 said...

Jo,

I got married on this day 3 years ago just because LOST debuted on this day 3 years prior! So, Happy Anniversary to my husband and I and to LOST!

lennyg said...

Hi Jo - LOST didn't change my life but it affected it in many ways: it became a constant in our family, new friends, and a new appreciation for new media. Never thought a TV show could engage me like LOST did. Best to you!

Mandazoid said...

How did Lost change my life? An easier question would be "how did Lost not change my life?"

I remember watching that first episode, completely enthralled from the first few moments, and I've never looked back since. Through Lost I've met so many incredible people (some of whom lived only in my television set) that I can't imagine being without today. Lost wasn't just a television show; it was an intense experience that only other Losties can understand.

Lost was my rock through what were unquestionably the 6 most tumultuous years of my life thus far. And, at the end of those years, it has taught me that everyone gets a chance for redemption, that right can still come after all the wrongs, and that it's all really about the people in your life. Because, in the end, no one does it alone.

shar said...

Hey Jo, You certainly had lots of very cool opportunities since the LOST debut. I guess the main way LOST changed my life is in the way I watch TV and what I watch. Also the books I read. I've read several of the LOST books, many classics. I'm currently reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to my 4th grade class. I'd never read it before!!
Sharon

RobPerrin said...

LOST has completely filled the walls of my man-cave (and is threatening to take over adjacent areas...)

Andrea said...

Lost hugely impacted my life. When it debuted, it was just another tv show I started watching for Dom Monaghan, who I was obsessed with from Lord of th Rings. I became hooked by the fourth episode, "Walkabout" and started to dive head first into the characters and mythology. Sawyer became one of my favorite characters early on, and even though he will never know it, Josh Holloway helped me through one of the most trying times of my life 6 years ago - I wouldn't have gotten through it if I couldn't relate to his experiences of being broken down in the acting world. He inspired me to act on my dream of moving to NYC...and I've been here ever since.

I met some of my best friends through an online journal community for the show, and strengthened my connection with other friends because of it. Because of Lost, I was able to believe in GOOD tv again, something I had not allowed myself to do since the days of The X-Files. I know I'm grateful to be a part of tv history and have it affect me so much.

Alex said...

Because of Lost, my twin brother and I were able to connect over the one thing that both of us loved. After I started obsessively watching the show midway through the 3rd season, I got my brother hooked, and once we caught up to the live airings, we were captivated. Last year, we both went away to college, and even though we were four states away, we called and iChatted after episode to discuss what had happened. Though Lost is over now, it was a constant throughout some tough times in high school, and was so important to me growing up. Also, now I can't really look at any other shows the same way without analyzing the story structure and expecting everything to be a twist. Happy anniversary!

jasonbunch said...

Lost was the first show that I would watch with my friends. It was the first show where many people gathered into my then-dorm room to watch this wonderful show. I have become an avid reader because of watching this show and I think a lot more about what I am watching than I ever have before.

I miss your posts after each new episode. We should do another rewatch again now that we know the ending because I truly miss it.

Also, if I have the first 5 seasons on dvd, is there any big difference between dvd and the blueray? I am just wanting to save up for the blueray but if there are some hidden things, then I might get it sooner rather than later.

}i{ said...

Lost was the first show I ever followed from beginning to end. Its completely changed the way I watch movies/TV. I'll see a book title or a painting in the background and catch myself checking the title and wondering how it fits in to the theme of the show. I'm constantly looking for clues and noticing all the small details. I guess you can say its made me more attentitive to the small details and (presumed?) connections between things/people/places.

I miss reading everyone's analyses of the show. It made me THINK. It made me read books I never would have picked up. I feel more enlightened because of it.

Not to mention...I see things all around me that remind me of lost...

canhamam said...

Does anyone remember the TV miniseries ‘Shogun’? In my opinion it was the first-ever production to challenge viewers beyond their comfort zone, featuring difficult and contradictory viewpoints on human nature, Eastern vs. Western philosophies, right vs. wrong and so much more. Great swaths of dialog were presented in untranslated Japanese, and as a viewer I was eager to live up to its expectations. Here was a show that respected its audience. I thought I would never again see such a phenomenon – until I found ‘Lost’.

Did it change my life? More like it returned me to the essence of my own journey – reminded me that I am a student first and foremost, and have much more to learn about life, and myself. And that there are others out there who are also questing, and maybe we can share what we learn.

I have been greedy for every bit of ‘Lost’ analysis I could find. I have a long list of Microsoft Explorer Favorites in a folder labeled ‘Lost’ and I am reluctant to let them go. ‘Jopinionated’ has been a longtime resource, along with Doc Jensen, Tubular’s Therese Odell and the Ack Attack. Heck, I didn’t know I was missing anything in my life – now there’s a ‘Lost’ shaped hole and I don’t know what to do with it.

Thanks, Jo – from canhamam, aka ‘Lost Lurker’

Unknown said...

LOST has changed my life in so many ways, Jo. It's gotten me involved in internet fandom. I've met some of the most important people in my life because of this show.
It's shown me that television can be IMPORTANT, more than just entertainment. That forgiveness is possible. That *redemption* above all, is possible.

And that hopefully the people I love will be waiting for me on the other side.

Erin said...

LOST is indubitably my favorite show ever. I've never gotten so wrapped up in a television series before, and I believe my lost for LOST has by this point even eclipsed my obsession with Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

I've written 235 filksongs about the show, most of them this year in one frenzied, cathartic, three-and-a-half-month-long burst. I've slipped into the heads of these characters again and again, and they feel like treasured friends.

I've bought each of the soundtracks, the action figures, the bobbleheads and of course, the DVD sets. In everything I watch, read or listen to, connections to LOST spring to my mind unbidden. I write reviews online, and for the last few years, half of them have contained references to LOST.

It's the show I feel like I'd been waiting for all my life. An epic adventure worthy of Tolkien, incorporating the irresistible marooned-on-an-island conceit. It's a series that openly grappled with all of the issues I wrestle with so often, and the conclusions it seemed to come to reinforced my own beliefs and values.

LOST. So much more than just a TV show. And thank you, as always, for sharing why it means so much to you!

Scoutpost said...

LOST will always go down for me as one of my favorite (perhaps fav of all time) TV shows. The concept and writing were awesome. It changed the way we watch TV. It truly was an "experience" as much as it was something to watch each week. I can honestly say I have never enjoyed watching an hour of TV more than I did while watching LOST.

But as if that isn't enough, when I think of LOST, I will always think of the awesome group of friends that I've made because of the show- that includes you- Jo! Really amazing, diverse group of people from all over the world.

The past 6 years was an amazing experience that will never be duplicated. And I am so thankful I went on that journey.

Unknown said...

Lost has changed my life by encouraging me to look at the big picture rather than getting answers to everything (although I would have liked more answers). I now enjoy "the ride" more than before.

lostforever18 said...

I was hooked on Lost after the first 5 minutes of the series premiere. At the end of Season 1, I purchased the DVD set and gave it to my younger brother and his wife for Christmas. It not only changed the lives of myself and my brother, but it also changed the relationship he and I had together. My brother is six years younger than me, and growing up he was more of a nuisance to me than anything. Once he hit his early 20’s something changed, and we became friends. However, once Lost came along, something clicked between the two of us that had never previously existed. We understood it on a level that nobody else of our friends and family could, and it became our Constant. Together we were able to live and breathe lost, discuss it in great detail over lunches, read your blogs and then later discuss how brilliant you are, and also let Lost be that piece we were missing in our lives. Currently, he is in the anger stage of grief and in his words “moving on”, while I am still in denial and also recently listened to Michael Giacchino’s Final Season soundtrack. However, because of this show he and I will forever feel a connection that can be compared to that same connection which pulled all of the Oceanic passengers together on the island.

Friendly Ghost said...

LOST changed my life by bringing me together with an awesome group of friends who loved the show as much as I did. Every week, we'd wait with anticipation on Tuesday (or Wednesday, or Thursday) night for the new episode, then stay up until all hours analyzing it to death. The show is over, but the friendships live on.

Unknown said...

The biggest way LOST has changed my life is to introduce me to the amazing world of online fandom. I've "met" so many great people while enjoying LOST. There is no tighter-knit group than LOST fans!

Anonymous said...

LOST changed my life because it brought my mom and I closer together. I was just in the 8th grade when it aired, and my dad had died the year before, so our relationship was pretty rocky. We didn't really have any common interests on what to talk about, and we kept growing more apart. We were both watching LOST in different rooms, and the next morning on the drive to school we both started talking about how awesome it was. Every morning after that we shared our theories and ideas and watched the show together. Six years later, we still talk about the show a few times a week, and I can singlehandedly credit LOST for making my relationship with my mom better. Yeah it was a great show with great writers and cast, but it was a lot more than that to me. I'm forever grateful because LOST really did change my life.

tobordab said...

Your comment about Henry Gale, brilliant! I had never put that one together. But that was the first hint that Henry-er, Ben was indeed The Man Behind The Curtain.

LOST changed my life very slowly. At first, I was simply a fan of the show. Then, I became pretty much obsessed with it. Before I knew it, it had inspired me to read more and seek out people like you, who brought new perspectives to my viewing experience. Now, I am actually beginning my own work of fiction. Of course, it probably will never amount to more than a personal project, but is exciting for me to even think about. LOST has undoubtedly changed me at my creative core. I can say with great pride that I owe my geekiness and love of fellow geeks to LOST.

Thanks for sharing, Jo! I can't wait to see what's next for you!

Nick

JCM said...

Like many others, LOST has changed my life. First off, it gave me a reason to get together with my best friends each week, and have dinner prior to the show.

But I'm also fortunate enough to have been able to give a little back to the show I love so much, and in turn, have felt like I've become a tiny, tiny part of...the way its become part of me:

I wrote and recorded some music that I sent out to Beth & Jorge and they used as the theme song to the Geronimo Jack's Beard Podcast for the entire last season. They even sent me some stuff from Oahu as a thank you. (Final Season Film Crew Shirt!)

We had several premiere and finale parties, one of which we videotaped and became some of the clips in the Planet LOST feature on the complete series bonus disc.

I recorded a version of "Life and Death" on ukulele, and it made it onto both Geronimo Jack's Beard, as well as Ryan & Jen's "The Transmission" Podcast - and shortly thereafter, I was contacted by another LOST fan who asked to use it as her wedding song!!!!

On my honeymoon to Oahu in '08, my wife and I took the KOS Tour, and spent an afternoon at Papiloa and Mokuleia Beaches (Camp and Crash beaches)

And I was fortunate enough to be a part of some big group purchases at the LOST auction, and will (eventually) have a few little items from the show to call my very own!

Most of all, it's allowed me to feel like I was part of something. An event. An iconic moment in the history of entertainment. I've made so many new friends, and I feel like we've all gone on an amazing journey together...something that no one who watches the DVDs in the future will be able to recreate.

It was incredible.

I will always be LOST.

I will never be LOST again.

Cindy said...

We watched from day one to the final episode. We would not take phone calls - turned phone of mute- during the episodes, and only talked during the commercials.

We always commented about how Lost was the type of show that you HAD to watch the night it came one, and you talked about it the entire week until the next episode aired. Never have I thought about episodes so much since the XFiles. It wasn't just a show you could watch whenever you wanted. You had to be involved. There will probably never be another show like it again.

Gerbachev said...

Hi Jo!

I was at barker hangar working the auction floor, a great experience I'll never forget! Too bad I reached my dream job at 16! :P

Anyways LOST touched me because....for lack of a more eloquent way of saying things, it made all the tough stuff I've been through seem okay? Maybe worthwhile is a better word. Hopefully that makes a bit of sense.

All the characters in LOST have some flaw that we can identify with, some quality that eventually made them stronger. Just look at Locke! So the show has provided much comfort in that respect.

I had an article written about my experience at the auction for our school paper, and I'm getting a lot of flak from people calling Lost "dumb" or "just a show". They think it's stupid because there's time travel, smoke monsters and polar bears. It IS all silly, but Lost let me accept that whatever bad stuff happens, I'm stronger for it. So those people who don't enjoy lost can just go away :P

Also, you did a great job judging for the contest. Both days you guys picked my top choice!

Hank

Unknown said...

I first heard about Lost from my brother. We live in Finland and he had read online about this show that had become a huge success in America so he wanted the first season on dvd for christmas. He got it and he told me it's about a group of people who crash on a mysterious island. I thought it sounded really stupid, I've never been into sci-fi or anything like that but I watched the first episode with him anyway. I was hooked.

My entire family loved it, some friends too but gradually they all stopped watching it 'cause it became too complicated. I was the only one who continued and since I no longer had anyone to talk with about Lost I went online and that's when I found the Lost community.

I never thought a tv show could have such a big impact on my life. I think I'm still surprised by how much these characters mean for me. I'm not one to cry while watching tv but when Jin and Sun died, I sobbed uncontrollably. I miss Lost.
But most importantly I got amazing new friends through Lost.

Justin said...

LOST is far and away the greatest show of my lifetime. Like so many have said, it has led me to the greatest collection of people I've ever met -- my fellow LOSTies. Everything now relates back to an episode of LOST. I love how the show really was an allegory for the fan base. The greatest times of our lives were spent with these people. And the sideways we made together (the online world) is what we created to find each other. See you all in the church.

Anonymous said...

I've always been somewhat obsessed with television, and because of Lost, I've connected with lots of people who feel the exact same way about tv. I found a core group of friends, that I feel will remain close friends for years to come.

Also, because of Lost, I got on a plane for the very first time. We flew to Hawaii to spend a week touring Lost locations and basically just being total nerds, but I wouldn't change it for anything.

Anna said...

Have you ever run away from a responsibility before? Or ignored a calling, maybe? I did. I did it for a long time. In my heart I've always known that I wanted to write, but I never really had the confidence or the inspiration to actually sit down and do it. I found every excuse in the book to not be a writer.
Then I watched my first LOST episode and was completely in awe the entire time; I think I probably even bawled at the pilot episode. I've bawled many times since then, of course, but *never* in my life has something moved me like this show. Sometimes just thinking about it gets me teary. And because of it, I was able to admit to myself that this is something I want to do; I want to reach people the way LOST reached people, and that we all have our own little destinies--you can make mistakes, you can run from your demons, and you can sit on the fence for years while you figure things out-- in the end, we become what we are, the questions LOST made me answer was HOW ARE YOU GOING TO LEAVE YOUR MARK? WHAT IS YOUR DESTINY? WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO?

So I'm out making it, thanks to a boat-load of emotion and inspiration brought about by yes, a television show. And even if I never write anything as great as LOST, I have to try.

Thanks to everyone who had a part in making this event such a beautiful thing. Whether or not they know it, my life is changed because of it.

Leeann said...

Lost was the first TV show that my husband and I began watching together. It made us have that special night that we devoted to excellent television, we laughed, we cried, we speculated at the water cooler with coworkers, we read blogs, including yours to get more LOST knowledge. It has truly left a void in our television watching now that Lost is over, but it will never truly be over, thanks to DVDs. Lost has changed our lives because it has forever changed the standards by which we consider a television show entertaining and relevant. Thanks Lost and thank you Jopinionated!

Leeann said...

Lost was the first TV show that my husband and I began watching together. It made us have that special night that we devoted to excellent television, we laughed, we cried, we speculated at the water cooler with coworkers, we read blogs, including yours to get more LOST knowledge. It has truly left a void in our television watching now that Lost is over, but it will never truly be over, thanks to DVDs. Lost has changed our lives because it has forever changed the standards by which we consider a television show entertaining and relevant. Thanks Lost and thank you Jopinionated!

humanebean said...

Thanks for sharing, JO! I wish that I could say that LOST has changed my life as dramatically as it did yours; still, the past six years are forever connected to my passion for all things LOST and the many, many hours I spent reading about it, discussing it and of course watching (and rewatching) it.

Perusing several excellent blogs (most certainly including your own) on the Morning After became a ritual. I found that some of the most interesting, intelligent and funny people on the planet were doing the same, by reading their comments online. I made several new Internet Friends this way and made the acquaintance of author/blogger Nikki Stafford after stumbling over her excellent "Finding LOST" series of books on the series.

Lastly, watching the way in watch LOST ramped up the convergence of live TV/time-shifted viewing/digital downloads/DVD's/blogs/fan conventions/merchandise/cultural impact forever changed my perspective on the modern entertainment world. Figuring out how to make that connection in the future is now the challenge for all artists and producers moving forward.

Thanks for all you brought to the table. Your passion for the show brought joy to many. Cheers!

Cameo said...

I didn't start watching Lost until rather late in the game (around Season 4). My coworker had rhapsodized about Lost and had me curious about what this strange show was all about. So, as any good Internet junkie would do, I Wikipedia'd Lost and read the first 3 seasons. I remember going home and telling my husband about "this crazy show called Lost with some weird group called the Dharma Initiative and hatches and polar bears on a tropical island." I decided to try watching some of Season 1 online and see if it was any good. By two shows in, I was completely hooked. By 6 shows in, my husband (who had been watching over my shoulder) was hooked. We've been total Lost fans ever since, owning all 6 seasons on DVD, following Lost blogs (I would send my husband weekly e-mails with "Lost Links"), discussing our theories via e-mail during the workday and over dinner, and making sure the kids knew that nights when Lost was on TV were sacred and we were not to be disturbed!

Lost was the best show on television and I am very sad it's gone, but am satisfied with the story as it was presented. :) Lost changed the way I look at television shows - I am just not satisfied with any of them because they simply cannot measure up to the storytelling and mysticism of Lost! Lost really introduced me to a wonderful fanbase of people through websites and blogs, and I really miss checking the websites every day to see if there was any new theory or information about my favorite show. This show put me through the emotional wringer with it's excellent storytelling - I miss it so!

notWalt said...

Lost changed the way I watch TV. I never re-watched shows before and I never thought about looking on the internet for reviews/discussions of a show, something that I seek out on many shows now.

Unknown said...

No other show has been as fun as Lost. After hearing co-workers talking about it after Season 3 (luckily I didn't hear about the flash forward at the end!), I innocently rented Season 1 and watched Seasons 1 through 3 in a week in order to catch up for the Season 4 premier, but that was the year it didn't start til January! I think the anticipation of watching Lost was equal to watching it.

After I was hooked, I hooked my mother, my brother and his wife, another co-worker and three friends. I've DREAMED about Lost! MANY times! Sometimes it was that I figured it out, other times I was on the island with them and let's not forget that one with Sawyer.....

Thanks Jo, I read your entry every week, along with other sites and it was the most fun I have ever had with TV. Maybe the most fun ever because it lasted so long.

I changed when I discovered the online community dedicated to this show. To find people in almost every country enjoying this show was priceless. There won't be anything like it anytime soon.

Fray