TV Series Review: LOST, Season One

Directed by J.J. Abrams

Starring Matthew Fox

Reviewed by Byron Merritt

BIG THUMBS UP SERIES REVIEW RATING!

It's really tough to encapsulate what LOST is all about, as the audience hasn't been let in on exactly where the series is headed, but what it reminds me of is an apple. You've got this glossy outer layer that looks appealing and you can peel it off to reveal a soft, pulpy, sweet center. But as you bite into it, you find that there's a core, tough, edged, and in it a set of seeds that will allow you to grow more apple trees ...if you plant them.

The glossy outer shell is the cast and what we (the viewers) think we know about them. But as we bite into the series and get a flavor for what's on the inside, we realize that there might be a worm or two. That shiny surface hid some interesting and not-so-nice things. We've got a man who was wheelchair-bound prior to the plane crash who now can walk; a young black boy who seems to be able to make things happen just by thinking about them; a doctor who's battling the past and who is the defacto leader of the group; a beautiful young woman who seems interested in the doctor, but has a past she continues to run from; a Korean couple trying to survive the ugliness of a marriage on the fritz; an overweight lottery winner who finds out that the numbers he won the lottery with are bad luck; and a slew of others.

As we eat further into this apple, we get closer to the core, that part you can't eat but contains the seeds of new life. Like the characters, if they can get passed their own cores, they might find the seeds awaiting them. Maybe.

The tropical island in which they crashed on seems to be a character in the series, too. It slowly reveals hidden secrets: old plane crashes, ancient shipwrecks, concrete bunkers, a crazy French woman, polar bears, and something that protects the island itself and acts very much like a dinosaur.

Sound interesting? You bet it is.

Some have said LOST is a combination of Gilligan's Island meets Survivor. That's rather shallow. This series has much more depth than either of those shows. It deals with how our past influences our present and, ultimately, our futures. It makes you think about what you believe the guy standing next to you is really like. And it makes you think about the core of ourselves.

I also have to comment on the fact that the producers/directors showed some guts when they killed off a prime player 3/4 of the way through the first season. Most shows would never dream of doing that in the first season. But I was happy to see that they're keeping it "real".

I do have to say, though, that I hope they know where they're going with the series. I hope they don't get lost themselves as they continue this great TV drama. And I also hope that they don't revert to some cliche (i.e., they're all dead and are in some sort of purgatory). I guess I'll just have to trust them and keep on watching.

And so should you.

No movie trailer available. Sooorrrry!