11/29
Abrams’ “Lost” almost had a completely different cast
Chronology
Survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island. J.J. Find out which A-listers missed one of the most popular TV shows of all time. However, when Josh Holloway forgot a line during his audition and subsequently kicked a chair in frustration and cursed loudly, the writers liked the twist he brought to the character of Sawyer and decided to write Sawyer as a darker, southern drifter instead. Jin and Sun are married and share the last name “Kwon,” which becomes a major plot point in the final season. However, when Koreans marry, the wife never takes the husband’s last name. In fact, in Korea it’s not even allowed to marry someone with the same last name, except in rare circumstances.
Now I’m hooked
[repeated line] Desmond Hume: See you in another life, bro. The strange opening credits were designed by J.J. Abrams on his black and white laptop as an homage to The Twilight Zone. Edited for Lost: The Journey (2005). With so many high-quality shows ending or canceled recently (Friends, Frasier, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) and the decline in quality of many others (The West Wing, Smallville), not to mention the huge increase in turgid and cheesy “reality” programming, I’ve almost written off TV as a medium for entertainment. I was seriously considering ditching my cable and paywall in favor of my computer screen and broadband Internet connection. Then came “Lost.” I missed the first few episodes, but managed to catch up thanks to BitTorrent.
2) Rich, complex characters
There are many things I like about this show, but here’s a short list: 1) Great, intelligent, layered writing. There are multiple mysteries here, and for every answer we get, new questions emerge. Just when you think you’ve nailed a character, you discover something new about them that is often surprising or even shocking. I love watching the different relationships emerge and develop. 3) Great performances. This is an amazing cast, mostly professional actors with a couple of newcomers, and they are all becoming stars. There are also some cameos from talented and recognizable actors (e.g.
Mira Furlan, Victoria Hamel)
4) A mysterious and fascinating setting. Of the four main story elements you learned in school—plot, character, theme, and setting—setting is often the poor, overlooked cousin. Not here. The island is dangerous, beautiful, creepy, and undeniably intriguing. It’s like a character in itself. Part of the fun of this show will be unraveling the island’s secrets. 5) Thematic depth.
I am grateful to see this show succeed
This isn’t just a soap opera about a deserted island. There are rich metaphors and themes to be mined here, like the challenges of morality; the nature of communities and civilization; our relationship with nature/the environment; and spirituality, even mysticism. Too often lately I have committed to a quality show from the start (Wonderfalls being the most recent and much-lamented example) only to see a nervous network prematurely cancel it. I hope "Lost" will have a long run of success; if its creators, cast and crew maintain the level of quality they have shown thus far, I am sure it will.