Ocean's Apart

In September of 2004, a new show debuted on ABC called Lost. I was intrigued by the concept of the show: a plane crashes on an island and the survivors must learn to live together. That was all I knew about it. This was no reality show, it was pure fiction. The lead character, Jack Sheperd, was originally slated to be killed in the pilot, but luckily the producers changed their minds on that. I recognised the actor playing Jack immediatly. It was Matthew Fox, of Party Of Five fame. For some reason I loved that show when it was on from 1994 to 2000. Another lead on Lost was Dominic Monahan, he of Lord of the Rings fame. He played Pippen, one of the four main hobbits in the trilogy.

The two hour pilot showed Jack waking up in the middle of the jungle, and a dog sniffed him while he gained consciousness. He ran to a beach, where chaos surrounded him. The plane had crashed on an island and survivors were running around in circles. Jack, a doctor, quickly started helping people. Some were wounded, some were dying, and some had no clue what to do. The characters slowly introduced themselves: Kate, a beautiful woman with a shocking story. Sayid, an Iraqi torturer. Charlie, the heroin addicted rock star. Sawyer, the conniving con man. Locke, an enigmatic hunter. Hurley, an extremely overweight nice guy. Sun and Jin, the Korean couple that can't speak English. Michael, and his son Walt: recently reunited and they don't get along to well. Claire, the Australian pregnant woman. Boone and Shannon, step siblings that can't stand each other. They quickly realise they are not alone on the island. To tell more would ruin the show. Flashbacks, or centric episodes, reveal the characters pasts. And some of them are connected in odd ways. If you have never seen this show, you need to watch it. The first four seasons are available on DVD, and the fifth starts in 15 days.

I love this show. There truly has never been anything like this on TV before. You can draw comparisons from certain parts of the show. But when you put all the pieces together, it is unique. The fanbase for the show makes Trekkies look like a small group. Mysteries are introduced in every episode. Some have been revealed while others haven't. What you think you know can quickly be turned around or scattered throughout the heavens. I am certifiably hooked on Lost. It will only have six seasons, so the creators will be able to see their vision from start to finish. A show with a planned ending is always better than one that just drags on till the stars quit or the ratings fizzle.

So do yourself a favor, take some time, watch this show from the beginning. All the episodes are available on ABC's website if you have high speed internet. Get Lost, and see if you can figure it out. I have on many occasions, only to be wrong the very next week!