Lost has become a phenomenon. It debuted in the Fall of 2004 on ABC and quickly took the world by storm. It became a fast favorite for millions of people around the world. It even won the Primetime Emmy Award for “Best Drama Series” in 2005. A new show becoming the best show in its category in its first year? There hasn’t been many shows that can say that.
However, the second season of Lost cooled things down for the show. It wasn’t even nominated for an Emmy this year. Why? The show is still a great one. It still leaves viewers wanting more each week. But the poor scheduling from ABC this past year may have turned people away from the show. Clearly, ABC took note of this and decided to premiere the third season of Lost on Wednesday, October 4. There will be six new episodes for six straight weeks. Then, ABC will take Lost off the air on November 15 and put a new show, Day Break in its place. Lost will then return, in the same timeslot, 13 weeks later and then end the third season with 15 or 16 new episodes without any reruns! Will this help Lost regain the momentum it had in the first season? Who knows, but it can’t hurt.
Before the third season begins, though, it’s best we look back at the first two seasons to see where we may be going. Craig Russell and Matt Basilo did just that. Lets see what they had to say…
Matt Basilo: With the third season nearly upon us, one must look back at the action packed second season, which did seem to face the sophomore slump as far as many critics and fans were concerned. Personally, I think that the second season was stronger than the first in some respects, but was obviously faced with a terrible schedule which really hurt the show in the long run (which is being remedied this upcoming season). I think what ABC failed to realize was the fact that many of the second season viewers were people who bought or rented the DVD, and flew through the entire first season in a matter of days. Going from that routine to having to wait five weeks for a new episode (so early in the season, no less) was a terrible rude awakening, one of which got many people frustrated, ultimately turning some fans off completely. It’s been said before, but it’s worth repeating: Season one was about letting the viewers know what events took place that led every character to the island, and season two was about letting the viewers know what events took place to make them the person they are today. With that in mind, it’s important to recognize that seasons one and two were telling different stories, and because of that it’s perhaps not quite fair to compare them so strictly. On top of that, when it first premiered, Lost was doing something no show had ever done before, while season two had the unenviable task of continuing the momentum once all the novelty was gone. So, what story is season three going to tell? Well, the creators have gone on record as saying that if season two was about the hatch, season three will be about The Others. So maybe season three will be about what events took place on the island to make it the place it is today. In my opinion, that’s certainly a story worth telling. Speaking of The Others, season two really left us on a few cliff hangers. Why would they so willingly let Michael and Walt go? It also seems suspicious that they’d simply give up their boat, leading me to believe they have some other mode of transportation. Additionally, why did they want Jack, Sawyer, and Kate? They seemed decidedly less evil in the finale, yet they don’t exactly seem innocent or wholesome either. What are their intentions? And, of course, who are they, and why are they pretending to be savages when they are apparently significantly civilized? Most of all, what was the deal with that four toed statue? Certainly, there have been overall themes and tales told throughout seasons one and two, and I definitely look forward to seeing what season three has to offer.
Craig Russell: My first thought looking back at the second season of Lost: loss of hope and faith. Remember how united our favorite castaways were at the end of the first season? They crowded together and pushed the boat with Michael, Jin, Sawyer and Walt aboard out to sea with cheers and hopeful tears. They were starting to believe they might actually get off the island after all… Season 2 witnessed a slow but clear breakdown in communication and trust: right up to Michael’s ultimate deception. There were very few light moments (like the golfing scene in Season One). The abrupt failure of the rescue mission and Walt’s capture, the influx of new, unknown neighbors and the paranoia due to the increased presence of The Others caused irreparable damage to the psyche of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. The slow-boiling power struggle between Jack and Locke. Boone and Shannon’s death. Charlie’s freak-out and eventual exile. Sawyer’s gunplay. All these things have chipped away at their patience, confidence and morale – which were obviously fragile to begin with. Everyone seemed to have their own agenda. I also found it very difficult to find anybody likable by the end of the season. It will be very interesting to see whether they continue on this downward spiral, or realize it’s time to come together again as a group… So where were we anyway? The last few vitally important occurrences are as follows… – Jack and Kate bring a beaten up Michael back to camp. He insists the Others are not invincible, and can be defeated. After initially gaining their trust, he kills Ana Lucia and Libby in order to free Henry Gale. – Mr. Eko ditches his church building with Charlie when he becomes convinced that Locke’s on to something bigger in the hatch. – Michael tries to talk Jack into putting a specific team together to rescue Walt from the Others. Sayid doesn’t trust Michael or the plan. – With uncertainty overtaking the island, a sailboat suddenly appears. And it’s good ‘ol Desmond, the man from the Hatch. And he’s not in good shape. – We learn in flashbacks that Desmond came into contact with Libby. And she, working for his ex-girlfriend’s father, set him up and probably dumped him on the island. – Jack, Sawyer, Kate and Hurley go with Michael to get Walt back. But surprise! It’s a trap. The Others take Jack, Sawyer and Kate hostage, and let Hurley go. Michael and Walt (apparently) leave the island by plane. – Meanwhile, there’s an explosion in the original hatch after Locke locks Mr. Eko out, threatening to not push the button. Mr. Eko uses dynamite to force his way in. As a result of their actions, an electromagnetic force threatens the island. Desmond decides their only hope is to activate a fail-safe switch that only he knows about. – Charlie returns to the group after all this craziness, and plays dumb regarding the whereabouts of Locke and Mr. Eko. Claire seems to trust him again, and that’s all he really cares about. And that’s where we leave the islanders for now… But hold on just a moment. Now we’re on a plane in a snow storm, and the two men aboard receive a signal that draws their immediate attention. One of them gets right on the phone and places a call to…Penny, the love of Desmond’s life… So basically, the writers and producers of Lost gave us some partial answers to some nagging questions – only to introduce a whole slew of new ones. But you know what? That’s fine with me. You’re just going to hurt yourself trying to wrap your brain around everything that’s occurred on this crazy island. I’ve always watched this show like I watched Twin Peaks years back: sit back and enjoy, from a distance. I don’t need to know the answer to every riddle.
Some spoilers for Season Three: “If Season 2 was about the hatch, Season 3 is about the Others…You will learn who these people are, the construct of their society, and their history…” – Carlton Cuse, Executive Producer – The producers also plan on Kate finally deciding between Jack and Sawyer. – Three new members will join the castaways: ER‘s Elizabeth Mitchell, Related‘s Kiele Sanchez, and Rodrigo Santoro – who’s been referred to as the Brazilian Tom Cruise. We’ll learn what consequences will come from Desmond’s turning the fail-safe switch: “On a scale of 1-to-10, it’s a 10…(but) something’s going to happen in the middle of Season 3 that blows the doors off the show again.” – Damon Lindelof, Co-Creator
You can read more comments on the new season of Lost from Craig and Matt, among other writers, before and after the new season premieres on October 4. That’s only at the new PrimeTimePulse.com!
