should I start watching Lost?

[Immolatus]

I never had seen an episode until today. I saw the 2nd part of the pilot and was lost (I know ) on what was going on, but it seemed really interesting. I know nothing of the series so it would be fresh for me. The question is should I get into it? Is it a good show or is it crap? Please advise. Thanks

 

[Michael]

Hell, everyone should start watching Lost! Really.

No, seriously, I just watched the whole series up to the latest episode over the last few weeks and found it to be a damn fine show with some very good writing, acting and directing. I fell in love with most of the characters instantly.

At first I was afraid that maybe all the mysteries and story threads wouldn't pay off in the end (I had that experience all too often with The X-Files and similar shows), but boy, was I wrong! The writers of Lost really know where they are going. And they know it in advance. And I think that's very seldom in television.

So, yes, you definitely should start watching Lost. Trust me, it gets better with every episode.

__________________
Join the "That's me!" Avatar Week and show us who you are.

 

[Lindley]

It's only just about the best show on TV right now.

And while it's very different at this point than it was starting out----they've stopped pretending it isn't science fiction, mostly----the evolution from there to here has felt natural the whole way.

A little not-really-spoiler quote from season 4....

Locke: "Hey, was he talking about what I think he was talking about?"
Ben: "If you mean time-traveling bunnies, then yes."

 

[RoJoHen]

At this point, I almost think you'd be better off waiting until the show is over. If you marathon through the show on DVD, you're just going to get frustrated when you have to wait week-to-week for the new episodes!

 

[Hermiod]

Do not, whatever you do, try to join the series now, it will not make the slightest bit of sense. Start from the beginning.

 

[WillsBabe]

^ He speaketh the Truth.

Try, Lost. It's a very different show, even to genre-watchers. It's real must-see tv, I think. I'm really glad I've been watching it.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Of course you should watch LOST! But then, what answer did you really expect in this forum?

If I was you, I'd definitely get the DVD sets and start from the beginning. Starting from the beginning and watching each episode in order is more essential for this show than just about any other show I've ever seen - period. Don't even try to watch this show out of order or skip episodes. It will only be a frustrating experience. But watching this show in order from the beginning will, in contrast, be an absolute blast.

Personally, I think catching up relatively quickly will be an easy thing to do. It took me a few months, but that was only because I have such a small amount of free time lately due to work. If I had been working only regular 40 hour weeks or whatever, I probably could have watched the thing in less than a month - it is extremely addictive and you will find yourself watching several episodes at a sitting, if time permits.

Personally, I liked watching it relatively quickly. Watching it over a few months (or weeks, if you have the time) gives you an advantage because there are a TON of interlocking bits and pieces of this show...and watching it quickly will assure that you don't forget about some small and seemingly insignificant bit that is picked up 2 seasons later and turns out not to be so insignificant after all.

 

[RoJoHen]

I watched Seasons 1-3 in two weeks because it was so addictive!

 

[Michael]

Personally, I liked watching it relatively quickly. Watching it over a few months (or weeks, if you have the time) gives you an advantage because there are a TON of interlocking bits and pieces of this show...and watching it quickly will assure that you don't forget about some small and seemingly insignificant bit that is picked up 2 seasons later and turns out not to be so insignificant after all.

That is so true. As I said earlier, I just watched the whole show in the course of a little over a week. Hell, I didn't even know the show before that. Whenever one episode ended I immediately had to watch the next one; it's that addictive. I must have watched ten episodes on some days.

However, only when you watch the show that way you will notice how incredibly tight its continuity really is. I have a friend who watches Lost since it started. He was the one who initially persuaded me to watch the pilot (which led to the whole Lost marathon of mine). However, I talk about the show with him very often now and it's obvious that I noticed things he totally missed. The whole Scott/Steve running gag comes to mind. Or how in the flashbacks in the first seasons other characters can sometimes be seen in the background.

But it's not only the trivialities. Even the visual continuity is so good that I'm totally convinced that one could cut most episodes together into one loooong movie. You wouldn't notice any change in the character's looks or the sets. I think Lost's continuity is perfect.

__________________
Join the "That's me!" Avatar Week and show us who you are.

 

[RoJoHen]

But it's not only the trivialities. Even the visual continuity is so good that I'm totally convinced that one could cut most episodes together into one loooong movie. You wouldn't notice any change in the character's looks or the sets. I think Lost's continuity is perfect.

I couldn't agree more.

I felt the same way when watching BSG. When I was forced to watch it week-to-week, the story didn't seem as tight, and the continuity wasn't as clear. But when I watched it on DVD, it seemed very obvious what story they were telling.

Same with Lost. I definitely imagine watching this show week-to-week could get frustrating, and I can see the continuity getting blurred in someone's head. I had absolutely no problems when I marathoned it on DVD, and I was actually very impressed with just how much attention was paid to every minor detail. It's crazy that, for how much real-world time has passed, this whole show feels like it could have been filmed in a matter of weeks.

 

[Immolatus]

thanks, I shall give it a try. I'm looking forward to it

 

[gh4chiefs]

Do not, whatever you do, try to join the series now, it will not make the slightest bit of sense. Start from the beginning.

And it makes sense if you have watched it all?

 

[Hermiod]

Do not, whatever you do, try to join the series now, it will not make the slightest bit of sense. Start from the beginning.

And it makes sense if you have watched it all?

It makes sense to me! You just have to realise that the Smoke Monster is really Jack's long lost older brother and that Sawyer and Sayid are mother and son and it all makes sense.

 

[RoJoHen]

I think it makes as much sense as it is supposed to at any given point.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

But it's not only the trivialities. Even the visual continuity is so good that I'm totally convinced that one could cut most episodes together into one loooong movie. You wouldn't notice any change in the character's looks or the sets. I think Lost's continuity is perfect.

I couldn't agree more.

I felt the same way when watching BSG. When I was forced to watch it week-to-week, the story didn't seem as tight, and the continuity wasn't as clear. But when I watched it on DVD, it seemed very obvious what story they were telling.

Same with Lost. I definitely imagine watching this show week-to-week could get frustrating, and I can see the continuity getting blurred in someone's head. I had absolutely no problems when I marathoned it on DVD, and I was actually very impressed with just how much attention was paid to every minor detail. It's crazy that, for how much real-world time has passed, this whole show feels like it could have been filmed in a matter of weeks.

Yep - I agree 100% with what you guys said. I have a TERRIBLE memory, and I think watching this show over the past 5 years (especially if I didn't have the DVDs to go back to) would have been very confusing, because I'd have forgotten things that turned out to be important (or at least very interesting) later.

But watching it quickly, it made complete sense, and I am extremely impressed with the continuity. It's like a giant jigsaw puzzle, really - it all fits together perfectly. We are simply being given, week by week, first a piece from the lower left, followed by a piece from the upper right, followed by a couple of pieces from the middle, etc.

And watching it quickly helps you keep all of those pieces in focus.

Truthfully, I can't believe how much planning must have gone into this show. Especially with all the characters backstories and how they end up fitting together. It really is quite impressive. I read fan criticism that was written during the middle of season 3, about how it was all so confusing and frustrating to watch, and I'm just not seeing it that way. I found it to be just the opposite, in fact. It's actually quite cool to watch because of the very reason of it's astounding internal continuity.

But that is definitly best seen by one who is watching the series quickly, over the course of a few weeks or months, rather than over a few years.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

emphatic, YES! WATCH IT!

 

[Brent]

you HAVE to watch it in order, do not miss an episode, and do not skip around or you will be completely LOST, even after you watch it all in order you'll still be LOST

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Yes you should watch it, but on DVD. Don't try to jump into the broadcast now!

 

[RobertScorpio]

Hell, everyone should start watching Lost! Really.

No, seriously, I just watched the whole series up to the latest episode over the last few weeks and found it to be a damn fine show with some very good writing, acting and directing. I fell in love with most of the characters instantly.

At first I was afraid that maybe all the mysteries and story threads wouldn't pay off in the end (I had that experience all too often with The X-Files and similar shows), but boy, was I wrong! The writers of Lost really know where they are going. And they know it in advance. And I think that's very seldom in television.

So, yes, you definitely should start watching Lost. Trust me, it gets better with every episode.

__________________
Join the "That's me!" Avatar Week and show us who you are.

Couldn't have said it any better...best characters, IMO, are LOCKE..BEN..FARADAY and Desmond. The show kind of meanders in season two, and three, but has really come around this season and is leaps ahead of HEROES, which to me, is sinking like the Titanic...

Rob

 

[Aragorn]

Season five arrives on DVD in December, so you can start renting seasons 1-4 over the summer/fall and be all set to jump into season 5 and then watch season 6 on TV.

There first couple seasons have a lot of awesome moments but a lot of slow zzzzzz moments as well. But if you watch all the seasons close together, you'll be more apt to notice connections to prior episodes.